New Addition to the Blog

I've decided to add my favorite recipes to the blog. In the bottom right hand corner, you'll find a link to my favorite recipes each week. In last week's veggie delivery, I received a Hokkaidokürbis, or a golden hubbard squash. It is an absolutely beautiful squash, and it made a wonderfully delicious soup. The maple spiced hazelnuts added a really nice touch.

ETA: Instead of a favorite recipe corner, I've decided to link directly to the recipe in my posts.

Six Months in Munich

This past Friday, Paul got his six month review at work. Now, normally this wouldn't seem like such a big deal, but for us it is. In Germany, the first six months is a probationary period, and companies can fire the person with no reason, and the person can quit with no reason. After the probationary period has passed, it becomes increasingly difficult for a company to discharge an employee, and an employee has to give three months notice.

What seems commonplace to most Germans, had my husband near ecstasy. Knowing that his job is secure as long as the company is secure is a huge weight off his shoulders. He has really enjoyed his position, and he really enjoys working with his colleagues. To know that our place in Germany is secure, and we can stay here indefinitely, well that's just about sends him into the clouds.

Now, that our place here is looking more permanent, and we aren't going to be packing up a shipping container anyway soon, we've decided to start making some permanent decisions, like replacing the light bulbs hanging from our ceilings with real light fixtures, purchasing an espresso machine*, and searching for kindergartens**.

Yes, Munich, we've purchased an espresso machine, we are here to stay.

* More on the importance of owning an espresso machine in Munich later.

** More on our kindergarten search later.

Baby Boom?

I don't know much about population studies, and it might be my age, but seems like there are an extraordinary number of women who are having babies in 2009, or are trying to get pregnant. Off the top of my head, I can think of 20 women I know who are pregnant, between friends from the States, family members, friends in Europe and classmates from high school and at least two friends who are openly trying to get pregnant. And everyone I know who is pregnant, seems to have the same feeling, that there are a lot of pregnant women right now.

When I was pregnant with Max, I had a few friends who were pregnant, and I made a few new friends through the pregnancy, but it was nothing like the babies coming out of the woodwork this year. People seemed more conservative, not sure if they wanted to reproduce, and if they did, they only wanted one, maybe two offspring. In the last year or so, people seem to be less conservative about breeding, and there seems to be a sense of optimism about the future. Perhaps, it's in the air, or perhaps it's just my age, but it seems like we're starting a baby boom.

In honor of the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, I'm dubbing this generation the "Baby 'Bama Generation." We'll see if I'm right, and historically this and the next years prove to be a contemporary baby boom.