2021 June: Last Month Is Not What I Had Planned…

Continued delays and bad weather haven’t made this move any easier. Finally, all our things arrived on May 11th in the rain. 

Still no kitchen completion insight. 

Or tiles on the patio…but we have our Pergola frame! Oh, and the Jacuzzi has been delayed until August.

In the meantime, we’ve made the best of the situation. I think Lutz and I should receive an award from Ikea. Together, we completed 17 clothes closets,

rebuilt one that we brought with us, and put together one Ikea bed…

Built storage in the laundry room…

And in the hallway…

Built a sewing desk for me! and….

Created a desk for us in our office and gym room!

And we’re still married! Seriously, folks, this is definitely an accomplishment that needs recognition.    

I’ve lost plenty of sleep over furniture I’ve attempted to put together alone. It pays to be married to an engineer and a German one to boot! It could not have been done if Erich, Lutz’s dear friend, had not helped Lutz get started with a few.

I’m just so thankful we’ve had a wonderful place to call home for the past two-plus months. Our boat, Virus, has been like a private vacation…in the rain. No one in sight and so peaceful. It’s only 45 minutes from our new home, and we’ve been able to be available when we’re needed.

I was hoping for some final pictures to share this month, but as you can see, we are still moving in…

it’s a mess and still boxes in the entry hall and… 

The dining and living room! Plus, we still need lights throughout!

We have confirmation that the kitchen counters will be installed this week. And the appliances will all be connected and up and running. I’m hopeful, but as General E Lee said, “Surprised but not taken by surprise!”. You will see it for yourselves next month! Things are looking up.

I also wanted to share a few of our travels; we’ve made several trips to Ikea and the local Bauhaus (hardware store). Unfortunately, Covid is still an issue on this side of the pond, so we have to make reservations to enter businesses! I guess you could call that a reserved “trip.”

Seriously though, we’ve had some great rides through the Black Forest. Just gorgeous! One non-rainy day we made a bike tour with Gabby and Erich, two wonderful friends riding along the Rhein river. Our coffee stop was a dream come true.

Gabby is not only a dear friend but an amazing cook as well. She made me a special gluten-free cheesecake! It was so delicious. I’m going to have to figure this one out…

We would continue biking along the Rhein from where we left off on our last biking episode each chance we had last month. Then, when the sun popped out, we’d throw our collapsible bikes in the back of the car and head out to continue our tour. At this rate, we might make it back to the Netherlands if the house doesn’t finish soon.

This week’s tour, we experienced a harp serenade by one of the homeowners along the river. It was so cool. Plus, we caught one day of great weather with a lovely view of France across the river.

We’re planning our next boat tour and hoping to head out in the middle of June for four weeks if home building all goes as planned (remember Robert E Lee, “surprised but not taken by surprise”). Lutz has been busy studying the Necker River and locations to stay. This trip will take us from Strasbourg down the Rhein to Mannheim to Heidelberg and on to Stuttgart.  It looks amazing and so beautiful, so we are really looking forward to raising anchor and heading out for a long-needed vacation. 

I have not stopped cooking either. I’ve depended on some reliable, versatile sauces and seasonings to change things up with our meats and veggies. We often grill even in this rain. I’ve used my herb garden on the boat a lot and have also made a boatload (pun intended) of my Herb de Provence Oil for marinades and dressings.  

Plus, my Rub-a-dub-dub Rub recipe puts a zip in any grilling. Great on veggies, chicken, and fish! My favorite is to use it on ribs and cook them all day in the crockpot!

My all-time NEW favorite has been my Authentic German Potato Salad recipe. This thing is so delicious I found myself eating it in the morning with my scrambled eggs, seriously! Check this out. It’s amazingly delicious warm, but heck, when you need that delicious comfort food, it’s good right out of the fridge…trust me! Check out more ideas for the grill on my site.

I’ve also done my homework to find the best Thyroid medication for me. I found an article about Armour Thyroid and thought you might be interested in it. This article helps understand why T3 and T4 in your medication might be something you need. If it resonates with you, talk to your doctor about it. In addition, you might want to check out my other resources that might help you understand the Thyroid journey!

I promise that next month a grand tour of our new home will be in store. We’ve been working hard to get it together, but last month was not what I had expected; however, we were successful in so many other ways…Lutz and I are closer each day, and so is the completion of our house!

Thanks for staying with me on this adventure. Your comments have been very encouraging. See you all next month!

Melinda, The Cookn Coach!