31: Sew what?

Yesterday was great. It was my 31st birthday and it was about 10x better than my 30th (which was just depressing). Stefan had set up a birthday table for me, complete with the presents my parents had sent earlier, as well as a mysterious package he'd purchased.

We'd imposed a 25 euro limit on presents this year, so I was definitely surprised to find out that it was a sewing machine! It turns out his mother had purchased the machine and he'd contributed his share =)

Things like this, and this, and this, have been making me want to sew. It's not a fancy piece, but it works, as I discovered today. I like knowing it's not a big, schmancy machine because I don't feel pressure to start sewing all my own clothes or something nuts like that. It's certainly enough to get me going on basic stuff. If for some reason I find I just don't take to it, it won't be a huge loss, either. I will not be repeating the frumpy jumper I made in 7th grade Home Ec. ha ha! I'm thinking more pillows, table runners, and some other simple things.

Before heading off to meet Stefan's mom, our friendly neighbors came up to say hello and give birthday greetings - and gifts! They never cease to amaze us with their friendliness. In addition to some special balsamic dressing and jam, there was also a little mini-bouquet! They were all pleased and Frau Tille gave Stefan and I each a hug and kiss. Stefan says they treat us like they're our grandparents, ha ha! We are SO thankful for such nice neighbors!
We headed down to see Stefan's mom, who also had a birthday table waiting for me. Stefan had received a hibiscus as part of his birthday a couple of weeks ago, so I also received a plant: papyrus! I love it's shape and color. It's also easy to care for - just keep it sitting in 4 inches of water or so. Come winter we won't have fresh dahlias to line our windowsill, so we're trying to collect some greenery as we go.

A chocolate cream cake waited on another table.

Kaffee und kuchen - birthday style. She has coffee and Stefan and I always have hot chocolate.
Sahne, sahne everywhere!

We burned some off some of the cream on a late afternoon walk to the top of an area ruin.
After climbing a tower - we saw the filming of a Turkish music video below!

We had a good time looking around before going back to have a delicious dinner made by Stefan's mother.

I'm really thankful for having such a nice day and am looking forward to the year ahead!