While You Were at Tyson's Mall

This past weekend we decided to go to a true Christmas Market.  Everyone says the best markets are in Germany so in about one hour we traveled through three countries to get to Aachen, Germany.

I feel a bit dense to say this but I was really surprised at how many people there only spoke German.  Were were seriously 70 minutes from Brussels which is bilingual and all the sudden we were in Germany in which German is the only language spoke. 

The market was delightful and there were German Christmas trinkets everywhere.  I decided that I didn't want Christmas junk overtaking my life so I only got a pickle ornament and a small ice skating music box that the kids love.  

Seth scaring the locals with his winter hat.

The weekend before we went to downtown Brussels Christmas market.  While the trinkets were most likely from China and not nearly the homey hominess that you want to buy the family atmosphere was fantastic.  There was ice skating, faux sledding, a carousel that had been tinkered and hand made (it looked like it came straight from 1880), there weren't 15,000 people crowded together either so it made it a bit more pleasant  Aachen was obsviously a superior Christmas market but it didn't matter because you couldn't get your stroller near any of the booths without putting your child's life at risk.  

A rocket in the carousel.

In other news: I have started to learn to sew.  This need first came from our Christmas tree.  As you may remember from posts of previous years we have a turquoise tree.  Whether you love it or hate it, it is not a common tree and finding a tree skirt to match was going to be impossible.  So...I ordered fabric and attempted my first Christmas tree skirt.  

The Turquoise Tree

The tree skirt

It turned out to be pretty easy and then I got ambitious (and you know what happens when you get ambitious).  I decided a human skirt would be easy, so I made a skirt for Stella.  Which I must sadly report was not loved and adored.  Future note to self and other moms of kids who are uber clothes sensitive/bratty don't put a significant amount of time in making anything that is most likely to be rejected.  

Stella didn't want to try on her own skirt so her bff was my model.

After I made her a Christmas skirt I tried to perfect it and tried out a circle skirt.

That was pretty stinking cute and then I thought I could make pajama pants, out of satin.  Apparently I can't and I am so embarassed at how terrible it looks I can't even post pictures.  Let's just put it this way: hot pink satin when sewn incorrectly can look terribly terribly vulgar.  Who knew I could make frumpy pajama pants vulgar?