Music to My Ears!

I have never been so relieved to hear a radio program as I was last Friday- we're back to listening to NPR! I think this is the real reason we got a phone/the internet at home. I haven't heard my beloved Morning Edition or Wait Wait Don't Tell Me since July. The snippets of news that I get on the American radio station here just. don't. cut. it. The voices of NPR are so soothing and familiar, the programs so dependably wonderful. I was almost jumping out of my chair when I heard those first few notes of the Talk of the Nation theme song. Soon I'll be able to talk intelligently about things that are actually happening in the world.

Also? Last week I made my first pie. Apple. I didn't make the crust, though. I thought I'd better start small. I picked about half of the apples from trees around the castle, the other half are from the grocery store. When we were there, I picked up a graham crust and carried it back to the cart, content/concerned that I was growing in to a traditional housewife. N gave me a strange look and said, "What kind of pie are you planning to make, honey?" "Apple, of course," I replied. And then, as gently as he could, he let me know that apple pies do not take graham crusts. I had no idea.

It turned out really well, and it was surprisingly easy. This will not be the last pie that comes out of my kitchen.

Last week I also did some second hand shopping in Birburg. I got this great coffee table for 20 Euro, about 30 bucks. A steal! I also (finally) got a fourth chair for our dining table. Until now, we could only have 1 other person over for dinner if we wanted them to have a chair to sit in. There was a lot of lounging on the floor for dinner in Phoenix. Good thing the type of people N and I attract don't seem to mind the floor.

I'm planning on sanding the table (or stripping it, depending on what the wood shop guys recommend) and cutting off a few inches of the legs so it's a little shorter. The bad thing is the wood shop here isn't as loosey goosey about their rules as the one in Phoenix. To touch any of the tools I would have to take an Intro to Woodworking class. On a walk yesterday, N and I decided it might be more cost and time effective to just drop of the table and have the wood shop guys sand, cut, and refinish it. I'll keep you posted. Now all we need for the house is a large rug, a new dining room table, a dresser and some end tables for our bedroom, a bench, curtains...Sigh.