Christmas, Pie and beyond.........

Come fall and I become a kid again that won’t grow up untill a few days after Christmas. And now that the ‘magic’ is slowly but surely disappearing I feel ridiculously gutted and almost a bit sad. How old am I, five? Don’t ask! . This happens all the time that this strange feeling of disconnect takes over me post Christmas, like it’s the very end of a sad but achingly beautiful story……. I always wish December lasted a bit longer!

I hope you and yours had a warm and loved-up Christmas. Mine was as low-key as low-key could be. I did nothing, but stayed-in chowing  chilling with my family all day in my plaid ‘Lumber Jane’ number (one that I wear - too often, too non-strategically). Given my husband-diagnosed hyperactivity, it takes me more effort to chill than not to. But this time I felt unapologetically good while I was at it. Although, I’m convinced that it’s humanly impossible to have a stress free holiday season. No, seriously.

 At the end of the day, I felt so ambitious that I attempted a Banoffee Pie from scratch. To be honest, the whole thing was nothing but contrived because I had scoured teh interwebs for weeks and canonized those perfect no-bake pies on Pinterest. I should have known that I’m not there, yet. Long story short, the Pie odds weren’t in my favor and mine turned out nothing like them. I think I got the taste down though because the men swung by for seconds. And thirds, I swear!  Silver lining - I can now whip up some legit Dulce de Leche if you will. Not everything has to be perfect and everybody should know that. Me first. 

So anyway,  I was fed, kissed, spoilt and appreciated. And that was good enough. What more could I possibly want, when enough contained so much wealth (and wrapping paper:))))))). It was a great Christmas! 

A void might still exist between saying and doing but I AM looking forward to a laissez-faire start to the new year too. My state of togetherness tells me that there are beautiful things on the horizon and but I am ready to wait. 

There are times when you might feel aimless
You can't see the places where you belong
But you will find that there is a purpose
It's been there within you all along and when you're near it
You can almost hear it
                                     - Meet the Mormons 

 
Thank you for stopping by. Until next time, come find me on Instagram and Facebook
xo Renee

Taking Stock - Fall memories......

Howdy partner? It's been a minute since I've been here.....and I missed it. It's also been also a while since I've been contemplating on a picture-saturated entre nous and letting you know where my life was at while I was away. This is it.....

At the end of September I found myself flying on a jet with my tribe. Eight hours and several decadent food choices later I was home in Marburg. If you know me then it's no secret that I'm a sucker for fairy tales, folksy things and dreamy pictures and Marburg is where they all come to life. I never miss an opportunity that comes along to be there, to be swaddled in love. I spent the next six weeks taking it all in, and then decided to lock my pretty darling treasures up in a bottle Koffer and flew back to Muscat. This time around I have had so many whimsy pinch-me-worthies that it makes my heart float with happiness and gratitude. The more I see, the less I know for sure......Making an effort at zooming in at them gently as they continue to multiply......

A cobweb that wasn't short of a magical kingdom // some handmade keepsakes, better known as Schutzengel (guardian angels) in Germany // My bubba and her bubbles :)))) // Christmas cookies that made an early appearance all the way from the town of Aachen and a book about it's historically and architecturally intriguing 'Kaiserdom' (Imperial Cathedral) which also is a world heritage site. Who knew? Not me! I gonna hit up that town someday.

This ultra adorable train is the newest touristie favorite... toots folks around downtown where all the action happens, all the way up to the Marburg Castle of Landgraves where Gothic stories unfold. The driver even has a perma smile, love it! // Ever heard of a Pirate's Schnitzel? This cafe had it covered // Cozy slippers and comfy knits //That Shearling backpack though

That one time when I saw a lone white swan in the woods // The light at the end of the tunnel is what I want you to take away from this picture // Bückingsgarten, the grub - bringing happy hours since 1708 // And there we toasted to another happy year to my boyishly devilishly handsome husband.

I love bringing to life a seasonal table....this was our Fall décor this year in Muscat. The foliage in Oman looks far from it but we can always look past that, can't we? I feel it for sure // Goulash - to warm the inside when it's cold outside. My spin is very unconventional but ridiculously healthy // I've been baking like never before, hashtag Stepford Wife :) On this occassion it was the Banana Almond Loaf. Dang! that was good // We had the little Red Riding Hood over at Halloween and she couldn't get any cuter.

I never could decide what I am most drawn to when it comes to Fall - the rustling reddened leaves on the sidewalks, the pumpkins that scream soup-or-décor, the sweater weather, soul-soothing foods, a home that smells like baked goods because I'm actually baking or everything in between. It's all I dream of in a festive season with my birthday and sweet surprises thrown in for good measure. This year I've been more than lucky with fine opportunities making their way to me, more than once. To be completely honest, as I grow older I find the word 'coincidence' more and more meaningless. Things that have come about to shape the kind of life I live or the people I share it with are too special to be random. And random has no place here. It's perpetually reassuring that it's all part of a grande cosmic arrangement because I believe in it.

Hope you had a great festive start too. Ready for Thanksgiving? Oh and it's only 40 days till Christmas!!!!! Exciting times.

Thank you for stopping by. Until next time come find me on Instagram (instagram.com/thestylecradle) because that is where I post the most.

xo Renee

The Snow Dream

Howdy...All well I hope. So it might even be safe to say that I have settled in a bit after my first fly out of the year in January. I might be doing this a bit late, but I must because it was just too dang good not to share.

Although any travel of mine borders a bit on excitement and unease, this time I really wanted to embrace the cloud and cold.  I really did. That could be the reason I've been incessantly daydreaming of snow since fall last year. We arrived in Marburg for our little vay-cay and days flew by but the talk/sight of snow evaded us. I was almost coming around to deal with it's not gonna happen, is it?  Then one night husband and I decided to dress warm, horse around downtown and get high like the in pre-Sara days while grandparents babysat, happily. We did all that and while walking home later (much later) I look up and catch these massive snowflakes making their way down, claiming us, trees and everything around pretty quick as if they were on some paint 'em white mission. All that I've been wanting was happening for me right there - the expected, unexpectedly.  In that moment, as I stood there with snowflakes in my hair, all I could think of was the law of attraction - Did my thoughts just create reality? Did I just bring about what I've been thinking about?
 

2014 - the year of endless possibilities ....

Do you know how much a Polar bear weighs? I think just enough to break the ice....Seriously, it was about time I checked in. I hope from the bottom of my heart you and yours had a magical holiday season and an awesome start to 2014.  I did.

In the past, before any year began I was all business with mammoth expectations and never ending resolutions. Some worked out and many failed. Later,  I found myself gnawing on the disappointments more than being happy about the good fortunes that did decide to fall in my basket. And if one were to believe in luck, 2013 was anything but lucky for me. Anyway, that's all behind us for good like Miley's twerks. 2014 is gonna be a very positive swap in so many ways for me.....

Taking Stock - December 2013

I have always wished December lasted longer because I'm super stoked about what it brings.... my little heart desires to live in the ho ho ho spirit forever. This year even more because I'm not the only kid in the house - they make everything more meaningful and fulfilling, don't they? So this is me sharing the pinch-me worthies of the season before it's over.... 

Wander, Weather and Wine

Hey home girl, hope you are well. I just wanted to touch base real quick and let you know what I've been up to. Well, the big words for me at the moment are jet lagged, winded, under the weather but mostly thankful. A nasty ass flu took possession of me three weeks ago and it just won't exorcise ....completely anyway. It's going in circles between the three of us for quite some time now. To make the status quo not any better, I also had to deal with an annoying tooth situation for a while before I could do something to fix/heal/recover.  I'm usually not this fragile but life is throwing me some curves right now. But this too shall pass....Welp!!!

D. I. Y - Winter Scrub

Every once in a while I take a little time off for pampering.  As much as I love my family and spending time with them, my 'Me' time is also one of the 'non- negotiables' in my life. It can become quite a rare event because there is always something or someone more important. But some days I just channel my inner suffragette and take care of myself.  Lately, I've been feeling abundantly creative. So I swung by my kitchen and found the ingredients to make an all natural body scrub from scratch. Not sure if I'm the first to think of this concoction but not a care in the world.  I'm really excited to share my rendition with you - drumroll please - The Winter Scrub ! This is as an excellent exfoliator that preps your skin for the brewing cold by leaving it softer, cleaner and refreshed.   And the smell is just so exotic....woot woot. I think if Princess Jasmin wore a fragrance, this is what it would have most likely smelled like, ha ha. Thumbs up for Disney. It's also a very thoughtful and interesting gift idea for family/ friends for the holiday season. Let's get started.....

Haul - Beauty, Skin Care & Make-up

As I told you earlier, I was in Dubai for little less than a week recently. And no trip to this world city is complete without some damage, nothing ridiculous! Now that I have recovered a bit from over stimulation and a nasty flu, I thought I would share with you some of the Beauty/ Skin Care hotshots that I hauled gracefully all the way back home, to Oman. I'm not always consumption driven and hardly shop for momentary feel-good buzz, but I don't really see the point in lusting over something for ages and holding back from owing it when it right before your eyes, if you are not on a budget. I won't even know what a 'wish list' is because my determination is stronger than that.

Many of these products are newbies who have made the cut to my vanity. So, I will do a 'touch and go' on those for now and harp out a detailed review on the best of the bunch, once the verdict is reached. And others are repurchases of 'oldies but goodies' that have withstood the test of time and expectations. 

   

 

Au Naturel Skin Care Routine

Peeps, lets talk Dermis - Skin - Peau - Haut  today. In awe of the biggest organ in our body and an ode to every woman who has lost some sleep over it at some point in life. Coming to think of it, most women, including myself, are constantly in search of the fountain of eternal beauty and it somehow evades us with reckless abandon or so it seems. Although I fully support this quest, there is also no impasse about the truth that beauty is way beyond skin deep. This is so cliché,  but a reminder is always in order to tell self and women around that we all are beautiful. The power and aura of a beautiful soul is unbounded. But one should also be able talk freely about the exponential joy of make up and skin care, efforts at looking or staying pretty on the outside without being judged as vain, lame or privileged. It does not make you a shallow narcissist for wanting to look awesome, and it's never 'too much', no matter what they tell you.  

Liebeskind-Berlin - The newest handbag love

We all have our handbag favorites - Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Prada and what not. I thought today I should share the newest favorite of mine called Liebeskind with you. It’s a German design house, probably new and unfamiliar to non-Europeans. I say this because I have never seen a Youtuber 'haulin' one or a blogger talk about them. Don't quote me, I could still be wrong on that.....Continuing my trend of conscious treats, these have been my bags of choice for the past 3 years. Slowly but surely, I´ve grown into a bag snob who will not consciously give her money to just any designer because it popular, makes a “statement” or tacky totes with this fat-shamer designer's name sprawled x100 over is the coolest thing right now. Also, just like your clothes your bags should flatter your silhouette, not just be appeal to the eye.

Exhibit 1  

Let´s christen this girl "Twitterpated". She is three years old and for some reason I don´t seem to recall what the model name is. Probably can´t be brought home anymore too, if u were to like her (((((: