Step Outside onto My Patio

Hallo! Over the past two months you have seen our German living room and teeny tiny kitchen. Today I am linking up with Andrea over at Momfessionals to show you our outdoor living space!

I am a patio girl all the way. In fact, I have been known to pick a restaurant not based on their food, but the outdoor atmosphere. 

One of Husband's first arguments with me was rather or not we should eat at a Mexican restaurant because he said it was not good. All I saw were bright patio lights, a big water fountain, and comfortable chairs calling my name, "Maren..." We were just dating at the time and ended up at another location with better food and a simpler patio. In the end we both compromised. 

As you can tell, outdoor living spaces are quite important to me. When picking a place to live in Munich, a balcony was nonnegotiable. Being both from Texas, Husband and I (Shelby Dog too!) enjoy relaxing outside on warm summer nights. 

During our first year in Munich, Husband picked up a glass table and six chairs for FREE from an Australian expat. The furniture worked temporarily but was not a great solution. On our patio the table was too bulky for the space and getting into a seat meant a round of musical chairs. 

Last summer Husband and I splurged on an outdoor living set. I say "splurged" because the 4 piece set is the most expensive furniture in "outside" our flat! We debated back and forth the pros and cons of an outdoor living set versus a traditional table and chairs. 

We are so happy with our decision to purchase an outdoor living set. In the evenings I love sitting outside with my feet propped up watching the sunset.

This year we are trying a few new things. Husband and I have planted tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, mint, basil, and oregano. We are thrilled to try growing a few things we can watch mature and then use in a delicious summer dish. 

In addition to the edible plants, we also have potted some flowers for summer. I picked out geraniums, petunias, sweet potato vine, and bachelor's button. For now my winter pansies are still holding on if I keep them watered every day. Last year I bought a rose bush on clearance that is now climbing up a trellis Husband stained last weekend.

Don't forget to enter Mainly Maren's Summer Giveaway!

My friend Kate over at Cut and Tear (check out her Etsy shop here) has joined up with Mainly Maren to kick off summer with a colorful splash! 

Up for grabs is a set of 5 extra-long retro inspired postcards ready to send warm summer wishes to your closest beach buddies.

There are Two Ways to Enter:

1. "Like" our page on Facebook (button at top)

-or-

2. Become a Mainly Maren follower

The winner will be announced on Mainly Maren Tuesday, June 17th. 

Summer Lovin',

A Super Summer Giveaway!

For many of my friends and family today marks the first official day of summer vacation! My friends back home are busy planning their vacations, spending lazy days cuddling with babies, and engaging in all things that make summertime so wonderful. 

To help celebrate the start of summer, MainlyMaren is hosting a giveaway!

While I miss my friends from back home terribly, I have met some great people while living in Europe. Here in Munich I have been lucky enough to meet Kate. She has been quite influential in helping me to meet people, has shown me local specialties (food, ice cream, art, etc), and got me involved in the crafting community. We meet nearly every week for coffee and her friendship really helped me adjust to living abroad. 

Kate is the artist behind the Etsy shop Cut and Tear. She specializes in creating unique paper and soft dolls from her personal sketches. Her dolls are perfect for bachelorette/lingerie party decorations, a mom-to-be (check out the maternity girls), and anyone who enjoys a good book with a quirky bookmark.  

Today Cut and Tear is pairing up with Mainly Maren in this colorful summer giveaway! Up for grabs is a set of five extra-long, super adorable, swimmer girl postcards. This postcard set would be perfect to help send your friends warm summer wishes. How cute would this postcard be to receive in the mail?

I'm tempted to keep these postcards for myself. I think these vintage ladies would also be darling matted and framed in white on a wall during the summer months. Or perhaps hanging in a beach house? Or even hanging in a bathroom next to the pool? The options could go on and on!

Here is how you can enter the giveaway:
1. "Like" MainlyMaren on Facebook (button on top)
-or-
2. Become a follower of MainlyMaren

A random winner will be drawn and announced on MainlyMaren next Tuesday, June 16th!

If you are in the Munich area, you can also check out Kate's work inside the Hands Gallery, view her shop worldwide on Etsy, or stop over and visit her blog Cut and Tear.

Splash into Summer,

Taking it Easy in Tuscany

Here we are in June so I figured I better finish up my Italy travel series. Husband and I spent Easter week road-tripping through the lively boot that is Italy. To recap, we spent our first few days in Rome, visited Pompeii, drove down the Amalfi Coast, and ended it all with a lazy weekend in Tuscany.

Our View from Le Due Volpi Bed & Breakfast 

Originally, we planned to spend a couple of days in Florence but after pulling into the gravel drive of our Bed and Breakfast at Le Due Volpi, we quickly changed our daily plans. It was the most breathtaking Italian villa imaginable. 

I LOVED the outdoor, unattached camp kitchen!

An hour's drive from Florence along a winding two lane country road, brought us deep into the Tuscan hills. Surrounded by rolling fields, blooming spring wildflowers, and budding grapevines, the historic stone farmhouse was the perfect serene setting we needed to end our trip. Upon first sight, I thought I had stepped inside a romantic Hollywood movie or perhaps the setting in a best selling work of fiction. 

Reminiscing My Great Grandma Alma

Husband and I were extremely impressed with the Le Due Volpi Bed & Breakfast. Owners Heidi and Lorenzo made our stay the best that it could be from their gorgeous home (Ancient wood-beamed ceiling? Yes, Please!), farm fresh breakfast, down to their personally self-brewed wine label. 

Wildflowers, Antiques, the View

Husband and I did make a quick stop in Florence. Can you even count two hours as a visit? We waited in line to step inside The Duomo and see The Last Judgement frescoe started in 1568 by artist  Giorgio Vasari. After viewing the painting beneath the massive domed roof from several different angles, we headed deeper into Florence in search of the Porcellino fountain. There we snapped some pictures, headed off for another gelato, and made our way as quickly as possible out of the mobs of people in Florence.

The Duomo in Florence, Italy

Porcellino Well Wishing Fountain

On our way out of the city and back into the countryside, we stopped at a local farmer's market. We stumbled our way through the Italian language ordering two types of salami, several cheeses, olive bread, lemon desserts, and a bottle of wine all from different vendors. Later on in the evening, Husband and I enjoyed a picnic back at the Villa as we watched the sunset over the Tuscan hills. It. was. perfect.

A Tuscan Picnic

Before we had even left Le Due Volpi, Husband and I were already making plans for our next stay! Who knew the best part of Tuscany, besides the view, could be a bed and breakfast? 

Until Next Time,

Welcome Bags

The only thing more exciting than flying home for the holidays...
is having friends and family visit Husband and I in Munich, Germany. 

It has been nearly two years since we left The States for our crazy-fun international adventure. In between sightseeing, learning another language, and checking countries off of our list, believe it or not, we do experience the homesick blues. 

As you can imagine, we get pretty excited when family, friends, even acquaintances make a stop in Munich during their vacations. Consider this, Husband met my best friend's coworker for dinner when he arrived in Munich during a tour group. Talk about an acquaintance! And two years in a row we have met my second cousin for dinner during his European work tour. We see him more often in Europe than we would have in The States! There is something comforting about getting together with people who are linked to our lives back home. 

When our latest guests arrived in Europe for the first time ever, I wanted them to feel as welcomed as possible. Husband and I greeted them at the airport with this Welcome Bag. 

I filled the inside of the bag with an assortment of Munich specialties. 

1. A Traditional "Lebkuchenherz" Heart Cookie

2. Assortment of Postcards and Bookmarks

3. A Keepsake Book from Bavaria (in english!)

In the bag I also included four bottles of local juices, traditional marzipan and chocolate candy, pocket tissues, and maps of the city. Most of the items were meant to be used during our guest's stay. I tried to keep the items on the smaller side to not interfere with traveling. 

The Munich Welcome Bag was inspired by our Wedding Welcome Boxes. At their hotel check-in, each out of town wedding guest received two Saint Arnold's Root-beers and my favorite Dill Pickle popcorn. Since our wedding took place in Texas, the outside of the box was tied with a bandana and raffia ribbon. The doily matched our vintage wedding theme.

If you ever find yourself visiting Munich, Germany please send us a hello! Don't hesitate to email with any questions or check out Munich in Four Days.

Make Life Beautiful,

Step Inside My Closet

Husband and I have VERY important guests coming to visit us this weekend. In preparing for the VIP's first European trip, we naturally are busy cleaning, working out, scrapbooking, rearranging rugs, and of course, blogging. I am a Master Procrastinator.

Without further ado:

The first thing I should tell you is that walk-in closets are practically unheard of in Germany. Most people use a wardrobe inside their bedroom to hold clothing. When Husband and I saw this walk-in closet while viewing our flat, we jumped at this opportunity. 

While we are so lucky to have a walk-in closet, it is still quite a challenging space in our flat. It is about a 1/3 of the size of our closet back in Texas. And yes, those are two piles of dirty clothes on the floor.

90% of our clothing is folded on shelves. (These shelves were free btw!) With limited space, I had to get creative, Monica Geller creative, in how I stored my clothes. I won't discuss Husband's random nonexistent organization of his half of the shelves. 

Everything on my half of the shelves are organized by shirt type; tanks, t-shirts, short sleeves, 3/4 sleeves, long sleeves, sweaters, jackets, and then a shelf for pants. Within each category, the shirts are placed in order according to the rainbow. This system saves me time when picking outfits and I love the coordination. (Although... it takes more time when putting items away)

With only 4 shelves a piece, Husband and I now are on a seasonal rotation. Each spring we change out our bulky winter sweaters to warm weather items. Then again in the fall, we store our spring/summer clothing and bring back out our sweaters, boots, and cold weather accessories. Our stored clothing is kept packed away in the keller so it does not take up more space in our flat.

Opposite of the shelving, Husband and I have a three door wardrobe from Ikea. Inside we are able to hang dressier items that shouldn't be folded. Behind the mirrored door I keep the majority of my craft items.

For years I have stored my jewelry in clear plastic shoe dividers, again, color coded. Lately, I have been thinking about what I can do to make this system work better. I am finding that a lot of the accessories get buried at the bottom of a pocket and I forget about what is hiding. Do you have a recommendation for easy to see jewelry storage? Maybe I just need to clean out what I am not wearing?

Our shelving system is okay...for our current situation. I do find clean laundry piles up, waiting to be folded and put away for days at a time. I am terrible at this part of the process! More often than not, Husband and I have a pile similar to this one inside our bedroom. At least the clothes are clean, right? 

For old time's sake, here is our closet back in Texas:

Not too many newlyweds down-size in their late 20s but it is all about the experience right? I miss the double hanging rods, long shelves, and ample shoe storage. When we return to Texas, I plan to put a chandelier inside with a sassy rug. Maybe get some cute large baskets for the top shelf?

Make Life Beautiful,

Too Routine

There could be a problem when you suddenly refer to your coffee table as the dining table.  Umm...wait a second. That can't be right. Unless the coffee table is now the dining table and the dining table is now a craft table??? (true story)

Husband and I are quite comfortable in a routine right now. A little too comfortable. Each evening one of us walks the dog, the other cooks dinner, then together we sit down to eat, on the couch, in front of the television. Gulp* This is super embarrassing to admit but it is an honest look at our lives right now. 

Here are a few of my observations:
1. You might have a problem when you have to clear last night's dishes off of your coffee table before you can put down tonight's dinner.
2. Once my pockets hit that couch cushion, I might as well throw all chance of productivity out the window.
3. Two hours of television can really speed up time and leave you wondering "What did I do with all of my free time?'

In realizing our problem, Husband and I have decided to experiment this week in keeping the television turned off. We have pulled the plug! 

I am hoping to achieve:
1. More "me" time
2. A cleaner house
3. Giving Husband and Shelby Dog the attention they deserve!

In other, better, more EXCITING news...I am currently in the middle of a BIG project. Look for the project reveal on a "Made it Monday" post come mid June!

Hoping for More Beautiful Evenings,