mijk improves

Honeymoon souvenir

2011-02-18T20:32:00.000+01:00

In preparing for a week to the sun I just emptied my memorycard on my camera and found it full of cute pictures taken by my 6 year old daughter. All nicely arranged pictures. I lvoed this one. Two kosa's bought on our honeymmon in Finnish lapland. i enjoy them a lot but hve decide I will start to use them when I am out and about. A thing of such beauty is not mend to just lie around

Monster cupcakes

2011-01-28T12:57:00.002+01:00

first layer of monstercupcakes
Originally uploaded by mijk42

I realized I hadn't blogged daughters birthdaytreat. I needed to make 40 (big class and she is allowed to treat all the teachers) so I decided on different monsters to keep it fun. And it was tremendous fun. I made the teeth and eyes in advance and I enjoyed playing with their facial expressions a lot. Also the first time ever that I baked cupckaes for school and everybody ate them. Who can resist a monster!

I made cheese!!!

2011-01-25T10:33:00.001+01:00

by myself in my simple kitchen. And now I can cross something of my life list. I truly need to update that list. Problem is I already have done that in dutch and I don't really feel like translating. I guess that if I let google translate take care of that I might end up doing really really weird things!

Anyway cheesemaking was number 103 on my new and improved list! And my chocolats were number 46. The cheese like the chocolats and the mustard (not blogged but yummie and number 50) were from Yvette van Boven's gorgeous cookbook Homemade> The link is to be followed. This is a lady that can do everything. She is a cook a foodstylist and an illustrator. The book is a classic and will find it's way to the rest of the world I am pretty sure!

I just started this cheese on a whim last saturday because I was in de mood. I hadn't really realized how magical this proces is. Luckily my son agreed that this needed to be photographed and grabbed my camera and started making pictures. He is 8 and the light was out so I am quite content with them. I will do this many many times. It is easy and delicious.

You just get a litre of buttermilk and a litre of whole milk in a big pan. Put on the heat and ad a bit of lemonjuice. Then magic will happen. When you stir there will be a division. Boil for a minute and then get the cottage cheese out. Strain in a sink, add salt and press in an empty doubleopend can with a bit of cloth. After twelve hours you have cheese! I plan on making some with different herbs and trying out goats milk!

I love januari and mondays

2011-01-24T10:07:00.000+01:00

and no that is not the reason I occasionally see a therapist. Everywhere in real life and in my computer people moan about the dark days of january and to me this months is all about light. In the mornings the kids can bike to school in daylight, and when we come home from school there is light too and there are those special sunshiny days that are just so clear and transparent and joyfull. let me introduce you to my januari!

And when it is dark there is no reason not to take the samll joy's of december with you in the new year so here a picture of my son having a bad day!

Yep this was a dark day when flashlight was needed. The chocolate was still tasty

and no that is not the reason I occasionally see a therapist. Everywhere in real life and in my computer people moan about the ark days of january and to me this months is all about light. In the mornings the kids can bike to school in daylight, and when we come home from school there is light too and there are those special sunshiny days that are just so clear and transparent and joyfull. let me introduce you to my januari!

Why good therapie tends to be expensive

2011-01-18T10:48:00.000+01:00

Not so much because a therapist is expensive. I fortunately live in a country with a solid healthcare system and easy and affordable insurance. My therapist appointments are mostly covered (up to 8 a year and at this point I do not need more. ) I pay a tenner out my pocket which is a steal for having 45 minutes of exclusive me-time.

No the problem for me is the fact that after a really good session like I had last week, I find myself feeling very good and downtown. There where all the clothesshops are.

I try to arrange my appointments on mondaymornings because in Holland shops are closed then. But this particular day I had an awesome meeting and felt like I could conquer the world when I biked through town at 11. o clock. Which is precisely when H&M opened its doors. I had tried to shop for knits the previous week. Everything I picked out was uggly and didn't fit. I quickly realised that I wasn't really fitting my skin and in those moods shopping is futile. Whatever I buy will never loose it's depressed smell. So I abandonned the shops. Now though, in half an hour I picked 5 things that were equally awesome. Things comfy but also just out of my comfortzone. And remember it was sale. I paid 80 euro's for 240 euro's worth of stuff.

May I present to you the awesome red and white striped dress of assertiveness. It hugs me like an old friend and is knit from high self esteem.

I love this

2011-01-06T17:26:00.002+01:00

I aspire to sometimes dare to step out of my comfortzone and do things like this:

http://www.danoah.com/2011/01/dancing-with-homeless.html

So added to my lifelist: dance in public....

it is not al gingerbread and tulips over here

2011-01-01T12:15:00.000+01:00

Things I haven't done this christmasbreak

make any ornaments

had a frontdoorwreath

send out christmascards (well I send 9 that I let my daughter write, I know more people then that)

bake chritmasgoods beside the chocolates

cooked a meal for visitors

sewing christmasclothes

buying new christmas clothes

had hot chocolate with whipped cream

played any family boardgames

skated on a lake

Had or made any gluhwein

bought nor made or ate any oliebollen

vbought or drank champaigne

toasted on the new year

and which bothers me slightly more

done any of the houseprojects we planned..

or planned partyactivity for my daughters birhtday coming Friday.

But you know what? It was a fantastic relaxed break and it still was christmasand the 1sth of januari came again. We werent quite in the spirit but that meant there were no things we adults wanted to do anwe could focus on what Our children loved. So yesterday evening we counted down the seconds holding hands hugged kissed and went outside to play with fireworks for over an hour. It was lovely......

This post is entirely for Irmhild who thinks cooking a baby during christmas is not enough of a job!

Christmas chocolats

2010-12-25T14:00:00.000+01:00

When you are reading this we are having diner with my parents in law and tomorrow on 'second christmasday' we will be eating at my parents house...

So I didn't do any christmascooking! Of course I compensated by making way to much chocolates. I got Handmade written by Yvette van Boven and it has got great recipes. The brittel is form this recipe

Merry christmas!

2010-12-24T16:34:00.002+01:00

Some images of our christmashome! It is so cosy with all the snow

Be sweet

2010-10-20T11:14:00.000+02:00

to yourself. One of the more powerful things I learned in The Artists Way is to be nice to myself. I kind of suck at that. One of the tools it learns is to send postcards to yourself. It is weird and wonderful. It just feels good that someone took the time to find a nice card write a meaningful text and post it. Even if that one is you. Or maybe esspecially so!

What I do on sundays lately

2010-10-18T21:53:00.001+02:00

Standing in a cornfield training my dog. Isn't this landscape breathtaking?

My life list in motion Number 42: Spreading love

2010-10-14T22:04:00.000+02:00

Not being able to draw is quite a stupid reason for not drawing so here is one new adventure of secret agent mom . I had so much fun again. First I wrote 100 affirmations wich was an enormously powerful thing to do in it's own right, then I started spreading them. I left smal pieces of paper in a thrifstore, a college, the library, small shops, big shops. In beercrates, nightstands, handbags, the spare change thing in a sodamachine, in clothing. I imagine how it must feel to buy a pair of maternity pants and then pull a piece of paper out of the pocket and read you are not alone or you are a beautiful person. I didn't check what was on them I just trusted that the right message was going to the right person. Randomly. I also made sure it was as obvious as I could ensure that this was random. We don't want someone to think she has a stalker. It was just me secret agent mom! I have done 55 or so, so far!

My lifelist: Why writing things down makes things happen

2010-10-12T14:11:00.013+02:00

Maybe this is a bit of a bold statement to start this post with. Why writing things down makes things happen. It assumes I know the answer and I don't. I think I might have and I hope to have a clearer answer when I am on the end of this article. Because that is what writing defineteley does for me. It makes things clearer. I can think louder if I use my fingers to do the thinking. But writing makes things happen too. For someone who chose a career in words it took me a long long time to realize this is actually true. As I've told before I was a sceptical person when I was younger. I was someone who thought she was who she was and that was it. In short I denied being able to learn, grow and improve. This very blog is one of the ways I tried to change and it has helped. But I don't think I would have formulated the sentence above when I just started this blog. I had been playing with affirmations at the time. All very much in secret because half of me thought I was going nuts. There were two reasons for starting to tell myself positive stuff.

* I knew exactly how powerful negative affirmations were. Didn't I tell myself all the time that I was chaotic and clumsy and stupid and not worth my job and my life. And didn't that get me down. So it might be possible that the opposite might work too.

*My first son birth was quite a traumatic event. When pregnant with my second child My therapist instructed me to visualise my perfect birthing experience. I resisted strongly but she is a therapist that loves a challenge and she got me fantasising about being all alone birthing this perfectly healthy baby. I thought it was useless because I wasn't even allowed to have a home birth let alone an all alone one. And I couldn't think my child healthy could I? (If that was true I would've failed my oldest, I didn't). And then I gave birth and I had two doctors talking about their vacation while I laboured and I told them to shut up and they did. Saying you're in charge here.. And I was but hadn't I visualised my ideal birth I hadn't had this clear idea of what I wanted. I would have gotten irritated when these ladies talked without letting them know what I wanted from them because I wouldn't haver realized what that was. I wouldn't have told them how hard it was to not go home for ten days with your baby and then the morning nurses wouldn't have come in at 6 in the morning to tell me I was definitely going home that day. A gesture that still melts my heart. I felt so much more seen that second time around and it was because I made my self visible.

So writing things down shows me what I want and who I am. At the same time writing things down is an action and action will be followed by reaction (Can't help it I live with a physicist). In others words other things will happen. And you want things to happen in your life and you want to have a bit of control on these things. You know you don't have all the control (If you don't know contemplate the idea and start to let go, it is freeing). Writing a list of things you want to do in your life will show you what you want to do in your life which is quite something. It will be a positive affirmative way of expressing who your are and what you want out of life and when you know what you want you will look for it and when you share your list it may find you.

Since I started my morning pages I see the effect of writing stuff down every day. My fears get smaller when bound to paper and my dreams get bigger. So when I was surfing the web mindlessly last week and came upon Karen Walronds life list and then Maggie Masons Mighty lifelist I knew it was for me. I tried to make a list with big and small things and things that push me just slightly out of my comfort zone. And I truly hope that this list will help me transform myself form a dreamer to a doer... So here the 100 things I want to do in my life (well 88, any tips for the last twelf will be appreciated.. I made it in Dutch and if it sounds not quite right it is because I am not a translator by nature!
1 write a book
2 write a paid column
3 set up a craft circle
4 learn to felt
5 learn to can properly
6 own a store
7 travel America in a camper van
8 witness a Japanese tea ceremony
9 plant a tulip bed
10 make a quilt
11 write an article for Flow
12 take a colour advice
13eat in five different non western restaurants I haven't been before
14 learn to sail
15 act at a historical day event
16 redo my reanimation course
17 go to a network meeting
18 do some sort of guerilla art project
19 leave 20 comments on individual blogs that touch me
20 learn to fold paper cranes
21 sell something I crafted
22 design my own pattern
23 learn to knit
24 learn to crochet
25 swim in sea at sundown
26 walk the Pieterpad in one trip
27 go on a dogsleddingtrip
28 try to live self reliant for a week
29 write letters to 10 people I love
30 write my children a letter to have later about who I am and what I see about them now
31 learn to fillet a fish
32 learn to cook game
33 go geocaching
34 take a picture a day for a year
35 have a nice day out in all provincecapitals
36 make my own personal poetry anthology
37 get our own photographs on the wall
38 Make a picture story with my children
39 make a list of parenting goals
40 go to a luxury spa for a day
41 send a doll travelling
42 spread 100 positive affirmations in town
43 burn a candle in 15 different catholic churches
44 make a wedding cake
45 make bonbons
46 make ice cream
47 own chickens
48 build a house shed by myself
49 make mustard
50 make our own play doh
51 preach in church
52 make my own friends book and spread around
53 eat a fish that I caught myself
54 churn my own butter
55 write four different kinds of poems
56 go to the theatre for a high culture play
57 try 50 different kinds of whiskey
58 write and illustrate my own picture book
59 keep an art journal
60 really photograph all my loved ones
61 make a stop motion movie
62 make a beauty of me self-portrait
63 make my own soap
64 listen to 1000 new songs
65 give a big party
66 visit my pen-pal Jim in jail
67 camp in the wild
68 camp with the kids
69 host an afternoon tea
70 learn to make 30 different cocktails
71 have a manicure
72 have a hot stone massage
73 make 5 new friends
74 make fries from scratch
75 have very short hair again
76 paint grandma's old cabinet and use it
77 buy myself original art
78 own a Helmantel
79 make a cooking book of my own favourite recipes
80 learn to bind a book
81 live and work on a farm
82 go on a primitive hike again
82 play zwarte piet
83 learn to photo shop
84 go see Sinead o'connor in concert
85 learn more about jazz
86 go on a holiday all by myself
87 earn a decent salary working for myself
88 taste 50 different mustards

and a bonuspic to check picasa uploading

2010-10-11T20:29:00.000+02:00

Embracing autumn

2010-10-11T20:10:00.005+02:00

I had started before but I my heart wasn't in it. But friday I was ready! Welcome fall

Why I love Jane Brocket

2010-10-10T09:04:00.001+02:00

I do not knit or crochet and I have a love for natural and soft colours. I drink any wine that you give me but you can make me really happy with a good beer too. I do have a love for chocolat and reading but is that enough to read the Gentle art of domesticity again every two to three months?

Apparently it is because I do reread it that often. I am captivated by how sure and proud she is about all those little things you can do in the house that are frivolous and unnecessary especially when you don't clean the toilet that day. I loved the way how she celebrates all those way to loud colours she loves so much. The fun and confidence just jumps out of the book. She got some harsh critics about being untrue to feminism but the book liberated me in a very healthy way. Here I was reading about a woman that won a fight I never realized I was fighting. The shame of doing crafty girly stuff the secret admiration of pink. The gentle books by wise women that I got out of the library but covered with critical harsh ironic tales of man. Books that won prizes because they were literature. Reading this book made me realize I can be who I want to be without being old fashioned. I don't want to be a cynical person who disses cooking form scratch and playing about. I don't want to be ashamed of making a lot less money then my love. The funniest thing I found was that Brocket got scolded for being a housewife and not making money while she wrote a book that got published. That is a job people!

It isn't a useful book in the normal sense of the world but it made me rethink so much. It made me list all the little pleasures that feed my soul so I can actually do them. It made me realize which delightful warm books are really close to my heart and it makes me want to plant a tulip bed and get my toenails painted.

The other domestic book on the picture is a 1950's housekeepers guide. I don't think I would have bought it without owning the frilly pink book!

I think i will plant up the basket

2010-10-09T21:35:00.000+02:00

It was so much fun to make everybody smile!

Playing with my food

2010-10-08T11:16:00.002+02:00

Creativity is just a posh word for playing. I accidentally baked a cloudshaped bread, so I let it rain blackberryjam on purpose.

The magic of the sea

2010-10-07T21:08:00.002+02:00

on my windowsill.

How many shops do you really need?

2010-10-06T22:04:00.007+02:00

I love shopping. I am a great lover of independant stores and I live in a city that fortunately has many very good ones. But a really good chainstore can be equally exiting. Especially an affordable and well thought out one. I must admit last time I was in London I loved seeing red busses again but visiting Habitat and Muji got my heart racing. In Holland Hema makes me happy every single time I go in there (stay tuned for my new fabric organisation!).
Another one of those great stores is Dille en Kamille. It's got this General Store vibe. It has most things you need to cook and live a simple but very authenctic and good life. It's one of those shops that makes other shops seem to loose their need. It has this real honest vibe. We had one in the town I grew up in and only after I had to do without I truly appreciated this great store. So when one opened close to our beachhouse I was a very happy girl and I took a picture to share with you.
Any one looking to open a good shop in a great town? We really need one of those.....

It must be still the 5th somewhere on this globe

2010-10-06T10:02:00.004+02:00

but not here. I haven't posted yesterday but am determined to post twice today. I had quite a historical day yesterday. I was offline for the entire day. It wasn't really intentional but I had planned some stuff to do in the house and the laptop needed charging and the changer was upstairs and the laptop was here and then I decided to paint the frontdoor and clean the kitchen en read a book and go to the library and when I hadn't been online till after dinner I decided to make it a full day. And it felt so good!

I really recharged. I read and cleaned and organised. I haven't even put on the tv or even the radio. Thankfully the world didn't explode cause I would have missed it! In fact I haven't missed a lot and I gained an awful lot so I will do this more often!!

P.S. I got my husband quite worried. He is on a businesstrip in Spain and he has got problems with his cellphone. So he emailed me and I didn't reply.. Which is indeed so unlike me!

Artist date!

2010-10-04T10:33:00.004+02:00

I am currently on week 9 of The Artist's Way and wow does this book blow me away. I really see changes in myself. I've bought the book as a present to myself for my birthday and that means that I am going slowly I had a pause in the summerholiday but still I feel so much growth and change. The thing I struggle the most with is the idea of an artist date. Treat yourself to something fun or silly. Have some playtime and get inspired. I so overthink these things and want to play by the rules..(Like it NEEDS to be 2 hours). Last week on a whim I decided to visit the new Asian supermarket close to my home and boy did it live up to my expectations. It felt like going on holiday for an hour. I visited Indonesia and Korea as sixteen year old and some how this so Asian shop made me feel 16 all over. I could have bought lots more but there was no need to empty the shop because it is down the road. (This just feels like ultimate luxury)

Things I didn't buy:Lots of cute hello kittenstuff, beuatiful japanese ceramic bowl, goldfish sushiplates a rice steamer, plum wine, loads of herbs, more soap more tea...

Here is what I did bring home:

So if you live near an Amzing Oriental supermarket treat yourself!

Signs of Autumn

2010-10-03T17:34:00.005+02:00

around my house

I know this is a riduculous bad picute but look: It is a baby hedgehog it is cute even put of focus! Grown in our garden. I took the picture close to midnight with my tiny point and shoot and he hated the flash so I took just this.

harvest time!

and processing all the goodness of autumn in the kitchen....24 bottles of grape syrup so far...

2010-10-02T15:25:00.002+02:00

Autum very bravely decided to blog every day of this month and on a complete whim I decided to follow her. So for now the treasures we found on the beach this summer washed by my great helper. I'm really looking forward to showing you what I've done with those!

Once upon a time

2010-09-08T16:29:00.004+02:00

I was quite an unorganised young adult. I was a young unorganised adult with a baby and a husband that I needed to feed. The baby wasn't a problem in the beginning. Even I couldn't manage to forget my boobs but the husband, well: He got quite used to driving to the supermarket after the end of a long day and fetching something quick and packaged.

I thought of this with fondness while marinating pork for todays sate after filling up the fridge for the rest of the week and putting the organic veg deliverygoodies in their basket.

I realised I managed to develop a healthy good for us shopping and eating habit. I plan my meals and I do my groceries. We eat in time and one of my biggest plusses acording to the kids is the way I cook.

YOu know what this means? It means there is hope. Hope for blogging and laundry and cleaning. Hope for a more disciplined way of working. Hope for a system in which I actualy congratulate people with their new babies before they crawl or worse..

It could happen it has happened before....

The pic homemade pizza. Way better then: "O sh*t there is no food in the house pizza"

Gone to the beach

2010-08-06T11:43:00.005+02:00

Will be posting when my internet lets me!

I spy....

2010-07-29T16:46:00.003+02:00

Last minute craft before we go on vacation. An I spy bag. I found this idea on the flemish blog of Tante Hilde. I planned on using scushion filling balls or something. But that was only sold in bags big enough to fill a mattress. So I used rice. I probably will redo it after the vacation but son is happy for now...

first reaction: Ok now son has gone to tell daughter what lovelies I put in it. Most of this comes from behind cupboards and even out of the vacuumcleaningbag. Lots of crying follows.....

fun things to do in the summer holiday

2010-07-29T15:35:00.001+02:00

Build a house in your bed. It was so hot here for a couple of weeks I found that my kids started to play indoors again:

Walpapering a dollhouse:

Bake your own bread:

And go to school of course:

Last year, my son in particularly, was so difficult during the summerholiday. I had an aha moment when I was explaining to someone that my dog would get very hyperactive if I didn't do any gundogtraining. She doesn't only need psysical activity but mental aswell. And so do my children. So this year I introduced vacationschool Half an hour after dinner playing educational games doing some tough maths or working on unfinished worksheets. If you are dutch and looking for some homeschool inspiration I found a lot for my son at juf hannahs site

I did sew too

2010-07-28T14:54:00.001+02:00

I have been making some stuff this last year. Just yesterday I finished and posted this bunting to celebrate the much anticipated arrival of a lovely boy!

I added a bag to store it:

I just realised that in making bunting for babies I finaly dared to break in this precious vintage fabric I found in the beginning of this blog...

Taking pictures

2010-07-27T12:51:00.000+02:00

I got a new super tiny camera for my birthday. It is this one. And I love that it is always around. You just see things differently with a camera around. look at this tiles I spotted in my local petshop!

Such a dutch scene: Cleaning a canal fishing for bikes:

Capturing a collection of small things:

And I started documenting some of my most loved places in this town:

Just diving back in: Cooking for the pictures

2010-07-26T14:26:00.009+02:00

I am quite good in thinking about stuff but sometimes I have a hard time doing them. So for the last 3 years I have been thinking about making elderflowerlemonadesyrup (No that is not english, it is translated dutch).

Of course nature doesn't let you get away with procrastination like that. Every year when I was ready, the elderflowers stopped flowering. But this year I caught them and had my fun. I ended up being the only one in the house drinking it, but it was worth it for the lovely flowery smell in the house and just for this photo!

Well, what can I say?

2010-07-26T14:14:00.004+02:00

I was busy? No, not really, it probably was more of a case of not really knowing where to go from here. I drifted out of the small community I build when I started here. And I just didn't know where I belonged and what I wanted out of this blog. And of course there was the small thing of the computercrash that made it impossible for me to load pictures

It wasn't that I didn't improve, in fact I am growing like a 12 year old this year and it wasn't that I didn't craft, bake or photograph. And I surely didn't stop mothering this year. So it just was.. And now it isn't... because I am back. I am quite sure because before I decided to publish this I wrote five draft posts in an hour to check whether I had something to say to the internet

And I got a new camera. In the picture above my son and I played with it's self timer..

she wondered

2010-03-04T19:34:00.001+01:00

she wonderd
Originally uploaded by mijk42

All 9 of my postcards for I hanna's postcardswap were psoted were set free in the world . ONly two weeks late and seeing that this is my 1th post of 2010 you know that posting only two weeks late is quite impressive!

I loved doing this and made some different ones (all to be seen in my flickr account)..
I did realise a few things. I simply can't make cards without words and I truly like simple. I like collages but I have such a hard time pasting things on top of eachother, I find things too busy so soon.. Of course a few weeks ago I was reminded that although I am quite confident with color I am still colourblind.

It is not to bad but having similar colours on top of eachother makes it very hard to see for me.. So funny I really had forgotten this but I redid all the spottest and I still swear there are no numbers in them ;)

And what do you think happened?

it started tolook a lot like christmas

2009-12-25T16:32:00.006+01:00

After 8 days of snow and frost, today it rains! But we still have pictures! It was just wonderfully magical!!

People back up your hardrive!

2009-12-18T16:29:00.003+01:00

I didn't and then my cute green laptop died. I can type know because we gave it a braintransplant but we are not sure if we can ever recover all those memories it stored for me.. So customerservice anouncement. Stop baking sewing decorating and back up!

Alive!

2009-12-07T11:06:00.002+01:00

And then I fell off the face of the earth for a month.....again.. What happened: On the second day of november I was sitting behind my desk and all of a sudden I thought lets get this story out of my head that I've been meaning to write for years. 2000 words later I thought hey isn't it nanowrimo....

And so I started the totally insane challenge of writing a novel in a month and I got halfway. 22.000 words later the pain started. Shoulder wrist fingers. I quit the novel feeling like a loser but I do earn money writing so the rest of the month I haven't typed anything that didn't get paid. But there are stories to tell and pictures to share. Here is one...

A very happy moment in a dutch household. My son swam through the hole and got a diploma!

In dutch swimmingclasses children need to dive through a hole under water. It is scary and ne needed to try twice. This picture was taken just after he succeeded, he was so proud!

Im Deutsche Wald

2009-10-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

I probably screwed up my grammar allready in that sentence. It's been a long time since I had german in highschool. I did enjoy speaking it again though! Anyway we have been to Germany for autumnvacation and it was lovely. We went to the woods, the zoo, a real medieval castle and my childrens discovered the joy of going into a sauna.

The forrest was beautiful. Here are some of my snapshots:

My baking diva

2009-10-26T09:49:00.007+01:00

My daughter made an apple pie using her great grandmothers cookingbook:

wearing her new apron:

Kneading:

The best part:

Of course it is a heart if she had known where I stasth the foodcolouring it would have been pink:

I really restrained myself

2009-10-13T09:31:00.000+02:00

Last week there was stoffenspektakel in my town. 150 fabric traders in one market. I went there to get some leather ofcuts to embellish the leather babyshoes I plan to make. The leatherseller wasn't there and I had money so I came home with this.

Green ribbon that needs to be on some skirt or dress for me, red ridinghood ribbon just because it is cute butterfly ribbon for daughter and princessdress stuf for daughter . Oh and i finally got myself fabric you can print on and Even better I know where to get my own bubble jet now (not it is not to early to start on your sinterklaas wishlist!)

One of the smaller advantages of gaymarriage

2009-10-12T09:26:00.002+02:00

I don't need to buy my daughter a Ken. Barbie can marry Mega Mindy if she wishes to do so!

Sweat pears.....

2009-10-06T09:06:00.001+02:00

After five years of not so patiently waiting out Gieser Wilderman has finally blossomed so now there is fruit. This is a cooking pear and we love love love it.. Cooked in red wine it is so lovely...

There were fifteen, but coming years we will have loads more. Our apple had 15 last year and now I am googling apple recipes just to get rid of them!

My domestic God

2009-10-05T10:24:00.004+02:00

I married a man that doesn't shy away from domestic chores. He is actually a lot better at it then I am. This weekend he finished processing the 30 kilo's of grapes our garden produced this year.
He made syrup and jelly and it is so good!

He is not without faults though. One of those faults is stubborness and the other one is he is picky. The two combined made us live without a lamp above the table for seven years. What he liked was to expensive what he didn't like, he didn't like. Of course I have been pendant-obsessed for all those seven years and when I rode my bike passed a shop window that had a lovely silver pendant for sale for only 49 euro's I checked it out and bought it. His reaction: That is 49 euro's spend on something not neccesary...

I stayed strong he caved and now there is light. It is up for 6 weeks now and it still makes me happy. It is so lovely to see what you eat even if it is dark outside.

New found treasure

2009-10-04T20:40:00.006+02:00

Somewhere in the spring I got obsessed with the little displaycabinets that seemed to pop up on the internet. The ones I found for sale however were expensive! I loved this one for example!

Thin I decided I might be able to use a lantern as a small displaybox and this weekend I found this cute one for 9 euro's. Of course then I had to stage it.. Not as easy as it sounds.

Though I am protestant and my children are too, I married a man from a catholic background and studied in the south. Once upon a time I rescued this madonna from a small shop. She had fallen in the shopwindow and when no one put her on her feet after 3 days I bought her. I am named after Maria and I feel connected to her. When I found my stash of seeshells I knew they belonged together. I love the "Maria sterre der zee' feel...

New corners of my home

2009-10-02T09:10:00.001+02:00

We have recently changed around a lot in our home. We made the big playroom/parents room swap and we bought two new bookcases. They are teak and we love them. It did take a little time to get used to them and to make the most of staging them. One I really love right now, the other is still a Work in Progress.

You can check out what my home was like before on flickr

Recharching with cookies

2009-10-01T10:26:00.008+02:00

Wednesday afternoon is the day that Dutch children do not go to school in the afternoon. So they want to have playdates. Yesterday somEthing in their voices and eyes told me they should recharge at home with mom. So I took two angry crying children to home and got them to fil my new cookie tin.

Doesn't it look deliciously christmassy?

We made two type of cookies from this book: koekje.

Both are made from puffpastry. First I made Arnhemse meisjes (Girls from Arnhem) since I am an Arnhems meisje. You cut half centimeter thick pastry into circles and then rol it into ovals in sugar the up and downside should be covered in sugar. Let rest for half an hour and then bake for 25 minutes on 175 degrees c .

I loved wienertjes when I made them myself but the proved a bit hard for the kids Believe it or not they didn't use enough sugar.

You cover your worksurface in powdered sugar put the pastry on and cover that in powdered sugar too. Roll the pastry into a very layer as thin as a newspaper page. When turning keep applying sugar. The take a fork and make holes all over the pastry . Cut the pastry in squares about 4 by 4 centimeters. We forgot the stabbing so did it after cutting.

Let rest for 1,5 hour and then bake for 5 to 10 minutes at 180 degrees c.

They wait till cool and eat! And for the angry crying part? They loved it and son even told me he really needed it to be just the three of us. See, moms know best..

Harvesting

2009-09-30T10:34:00.006+02:00

We are diving into autumn here. It is gorgeous and lovely. We harvest, we sit, we read, we cuddle, we craft. And we blog... Or rather I guiltily start remembering I once upon a time had a cosy corner on the internet where I shared stuff.

Some how autumn seems to be the season of sharing for me. Maybe it is the abundance of nature. Fruits everywhere, nuts to gather, warm houses to invite others. So when a lovely neighbour invited me to her birthday and there was no time to shop for here I decided to share a slice of my garden with here.

Nothing bought here: Apples from the apple tree. Raspberrymuffins with raspberries from the garden , grape syrup that was still warm when we gave this. A little bunch of autumnflowers and a drawing done by my kids.

It felt so good to realise how much we had to offer without going to the shops!

happiness is a field of grass

2009-06-22T11:15:00.005+02:00

according to Romke van der Kaa and of course he is right.. (i wanted to link him but no page isn't that refreshing)

This pictures of my very white feet was made somewhere in april. I didn't drop from the face of the earth after taking that picture. I lived and loved and laughed a lot the last couple of months. I just haven't documented it that well. We forgot our camera more then ever and once you get out of the habit of blogging it is hard to get back in.. I might be back to tell you about all the birthday love I got yesterday, the rearranging of the furniture after buying new bookcases, the garden, the legoparty, the crafting of beachnecklaces, the cooking and baking..the plans i have... There are stories to tell this summer, thats for sure.. And I do think I'll start telling them soon. I miss reading my own blog

Today I was a secret agent

2009-03-09T16:41:00.005+01:00

and I succeeded. I mean, no-one would think this tired looking mum was on a secret mission you know. Just another mom getting her kids from school. But when no-one was looking I got an adventurous blue elefant out of my bike basket and sneaked him on a wall where he could be seen. I snapped a secret picture and left. Loads of people were walking his way but noone saw me. I was the invisible mom. Ten minutes later I was waiting outside the school. Just another mom. Of course that is the way it should be. We secret agents can't go around telling everybody about our adrenalinefilled life.

I so hope the toy society will keep me as their new dutch recruit! I loved doing this. And when I returned to the scen of the crime an hour later he was gone!

Apparently I am an Oystercatcher

2009-03-05T14:53:00.005+01:00

Yesterday evening I was working with my dog. It was getting dark and I used my whistle quite often. Every time I whistled, someone answered. I was a bit intrigued until I realised I had seen an oystercatcher the day before. They are back and one must have been very lonely..

Of course I am a fine oystercatcher. I brougfht loads home form the last beach holiday and this afternoon I finaly started to play!

Cleaning!

2009-02-10T13:33:00.002+01:00

It is that time of year again. When the light and the bulbs grow. I need freshness and light and space. Since we have decided to do go sleep ànd work in the attic so the kids will have a playroom and we will be able to live kind of toyfree downstairs. We need to unclutter. It goes on and on and it so bittersweet. I want the change I want to let go. But it will be done and it will be better

Playing!

2009-02-09T13:21:00.005+01:00

One day last week while biking I dediced to be supermom that afternoon so I grabbed a bit of cardboard in the office supplyshop and told the children we would be making a boardgame. Surprisingly enough they played along and we spent all afternoon drawing a route (My four year old did that) and inventing sneaky things to make the game more fun and more frustrating. We invented cards that make you do fun things. (Hug someone, tell a story about your favourite animal and colour, do a funny face etc.)

Son decided he wanted to call it the "learning to lose game", Since he has a hard time when he doesn't win a game. Somehow it is easier when you invented the frustrating you have lost your key go back to square 52 last square before the finish. It really helps so does the rule that the one who wins treats everyone with a sweet!!

Lighter!

2009-02-04T09:36:00.005+01:00

There is light at the end of the winter. Well it will be cold for weeks but there is enough light in our day now, to start to believe it will be spring one day. This first quarter of the year is so dear to me. I love the freshness of january, february, march. It is a new beginning and the promise of growth. It is the clean and simple after the cosieness and abundance that is december.

And just to add to the anticipation these are the months that I need flowers. They fill me with joy and hope.

Four is lovely

2009-02-03T12:25:00.006+01:00

Dutch children start school the day they turn four. Daughter was born on the 7th of january 2005. So this year was the big moment. She had a lovely day. Waking up with presents in bed, go to school for a short day and get home to a birthdayparty. With mom-made Peter Pan cake. She so loved it. So now she is 3,5 weeks into being four and she is so much older and wiser and growing up so fast. We now have dailey questions about dying and she realises her grandma is my mom. It is so lovely and so hard.

She is my youngest. She will probably stay the youngest. Todler days are over. They were freaking hard but still. Some pure innocense has left the house and won't return until somemone makes ME a granny.

Stop

Let's not go there at all.

Made of words

2009-02-03T12:23:00.005+01:00

I love words, I live in words. Words are what I use to categorise the world. It is my system. I am a writer and a reader. I love to look and to see but images are not my natural world. My husband is the opposite. He is a classical visual thinker who often mix ups his words. My daughter seems to have inherited this. When telling how she forgot to get her bag in school she told me: I went back while turning her body sitting at the table then she explained the entire rout with her hands and body moving when she came to the part where she told me how she got the bag of the hook she reached up and grabbed in the air.

My husband said: she is there and she sees it. And when you ask her to do something her mind will go there and do it and sometimes she won’t realise her feet were not with here and thus the action is not done.

It is such an alien concept to me. Therefore working with images, photographs and collages to capture a feeling or emotion is strangely refreshing. It forces to let go of words and look at what I want from an unknown perspective. After having so much fun with a mood board for the house I decided to make one for my life. I loved doing it. I have to work very hard to get in a flow while pasting and cutting to let the images find there own place. The end result does feel as me do. And when I look at it, it inspires and centres me.

Of course I couldn’t let go of all words. I am, after all a girl made of words.

Read, admire and do your own thing..

2009-01-12T16:32:00.006+01:00

Amy recently blogged about stopping reading blogs because they block her creative energy. I so get what she means I have experienced it so often and still I read more now then I have ever read and I am inspired. Not only in making but in living. In my 18th post 3 long years ago (this is the 393th) I wrote about the thin line between inspiration and intimidation and I have realised that this has only to do with me and my outlook on life. I choose to be intimidated. Not consciously but I was the one who compared, I was the one who thinks others are better, the one who thinks I am not really an artist (what is a real artist anyway?). At the moment my note book fills with original idea after original idea.. If I make 10 % of it I would be really happy this year (and if I don't it is ok too)!

p.s.I need to do something about my picture situation. My laptop is pretty tired and it makes uploading piuctures a long and exhausting procedure.. But hey I make things and I want to show. You might get inspired..

Aandachtig

2009-01-09T17:41:00.002+01:00

As I mentioned before I am really working hard to make my life even better. Getting closer to my true self, building the base of my life even stronger. As I am open to change and growth I found guidance and inspiration a lot. I signed up to an online course, Read amazing books and some amazing blogs. Blogwise Claudia at chest of Drawers and IHanna have inspired me immensely the last couple of months. So when Hanna went in search for her word of the year I needed to follow. Because I love, love, love words. And I am all for the power of words and I jused to have words for periods. I’ve had balanced for a while and striuctured and now I needed a new one a total 2009 word.

I contemplated a few and have thought often that I had found it. I considered Do, Focus, Dare and Open. But it were a bit to wide a words. I needed something more specific. And then it struck me. My word this year will be

Aandachtig
Which means more or less attentive. I think that is what I need to do this year com lose form my do everything a bit superficial. I need to be open and aware and patient I want to see and feel and be in the moment, I want to connect. All that is in my word. It is a word that if you hear it creates images and feelings that are good.

This year I will be aandachtig.. It will be a good year

giving in...

2009-01-07T00:56:00.001+01:00

It is almost an hour into the 7th of january. My girl is four and she won;t be wearing her new dress to school on her first day., I need to seams and four buttons but if I do it now I wil do it wrongly. THere is a fantasic Peter pan cake in the fridge and there is only so much sleep this mom wants to miss. I have a four year old. I am allowed to sleep..

If you are reading this it is because it is 2009!

2009-01-05T10:40:00.005+01:00

I have issues with posting letters. I am quite good at starting letters. Not to bad at finishing them and totally and completely useless at posting them. It is really, really bad. When contemplating starting writing christmascards. I found two stacks of cards. Bought, written, written, addressed, stamped.. but not posted. One was 2007 christmas cards and one was 2008. I suck at walking to the mailbox. It is therefore I have up until now hesitated to write my posts in word first. But since I declared 2009 the year where I will improve on everything that I truly care about I have just written two posts in word and I like it.

If you miss the connection between word and the mailbox. It is an extra step. And as I have been known to leave finished e-mails in my conceptbox for weeks very sure I have mailed them and I now have two not quite finished posts in my drafts in blogspot. Adding another step seemed dangerous. I mean copy paste is a small step for mankind but a giant leap for mijk.2008.

I had however planned to write a post today and plan another two for later in the week. Ànd 2009 will be my year of action my year of doing instead of thinking and as I mentioned before I am in training for being an upgradedversion of my self so a broken internetconnection was not a good enough excuse for not writing a post. And 2009 will also be known as the year of no excuses!!

So word it is. And I like it. It feels like proper, old fashioned writing. It gives a better fow then blogger which is a thin layer on the seducement of the entire internet. Not having internet on in the background is also not having all kinds of truly good bloogers and crafters looking over my virtual shoulder. So less intimidation (there are no internet bullies on my playground but I do get overwhelmed by low self esteem every now and then!)

So I’ll give word a go in the coming weeks. And you might or might not read about. Inspirational books, the cours on homeorganising I followed, the book I have written, the sewing I did. The girl that went to school, the playroomplans the boy that reads everything and the best dog in the world version number two.

E.T.A: The picture? The wrong hooded dress.... I mentioned in the last post..

Food is love..

2009-01-05T10:31:00.004+01:00

My husband took the children to his parents this morning. His mom has her birthday. I skipped for a day of sewing. My husbands family apparently love the festive season so much they added the whole month of January to the season. It really is the only reason why the abroad living of my husbands brother is a good idea sometimes. It takes a bit of pressure of the 4 birthday in 3 schedules. So while I am here sewing a birthday dress (I just added the hood to the dress backwards therefore I am writing..) my husband and kids try to avoid being fed.

It is the last day of the Christmas break today and we decided it might be a good idea to eat at home and be in bed early. It will be hard as it is to raise tomorrow when it is still dark.

So my mil didn’t mind they were going to eat at home because they could have soup and bread at four and a dessert too. “But mom, they won’t eat their dinner that way.” “Ok but if they are hungry I have crisps and salty cookies and you do get lunch!”

For my mother in law. Food is love. She isn’t a fantastic cook but not a bad one either. She is however always thinking about the food she’ll serve. She gets about 50 people at her birthdayparty and all are shopped for. If you once tell her you’ll like a particular drink , it will be there always just for you.

Of course she is right food is love and I do love my husbands mom, so this is what he brought her from me this morning. With love!

E.T.A: Internet was down all day yesterday so this was written yesterday and posted today...

presents for the grandfather that has it all

2008-12-05T09:33:00.003+01:00

My father turned 60 in september and I couldn't think of a single present. So kidcraft it was.. I let my kids put a basecolour on a cheap plain canvas. Then son collaged his design and daughter used felt tips. They then improved with paints. To make it a real present I added some cheap frames from our local artshop. They were about a tenner and they used to be mightily expensive.

Funniest thing is my dad works for a company that has an extensive artcollection (and it's own full time conservator). He took these to hang in his office which is full of museum quality art. So much fun!!!

It is what it is

2008-11-19T17:45:00.001+01:00

I was at a lovely wedding a couple of weeks ago and this was read. Somethng for my notebook annd something for the blog. I will add my own thoughts to the blog again. But as we say in dutch. Better good stolen then badly created..

It Is What It Is

It is
madness
says reason
It is what it is
says love

It is unhappiness
says caution
It is nothing but pain
says fear

It has no future
says insight
It is what it is
says love

It is ridiculous
says pride
It is foolish
says caution

It is impossible
says experience
It is what it is
says love.

Erich Fried

I got some hope in my mail..

2008-11-19T16:56:00.004+01:00

Hope is a state of mind, not of the world.Either we have hope within us or we don't;it is a dimension of the soul,and it's not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation.

Hope is not prognostication. It is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.

Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather, an ability to work for something because it is good, not just because it stands a chance to succeed. The more propitious the situation in which we demonstrate hope, the deeper the hope is.

Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.

Vaclav Havel

There are so many things

2008-11-03T14:32:00.001+01:00

on my want to do list! But they get overtaken often by the things on the have to do list.. But Sewing baby hats just for Mama to Mama has just moved up on both lists. What a lovely idea!

autumn in our home

2008-10-06T14:49:00.008+02:00

The children and I worked hard on a n autumn table.. We had so much fun making this....And the kids ad to it every day!

sharing with the world

2008-09-10T17:12:00.004+02:00

One thing I worked at last monday in therapy was opening my heart. I am quite sure I am not the only one doing this, but when feeling down and out I tend to shut down. Go into my cave whatever you call it.

She said to me, you close your heart in those times. So you can't share with the world and the world can't come to you. So I realy tried to open up again which is quite hard as I don't even realise how isolated I make myself and then came today. I got a lovely e-mail on my work account from a random but local stranger who told me he loved what I am doing. I called a guy I think I should work with and he was even more enthusiastic then I am. And then one of my customers that I felt bad about because of letting them down stood for my front door asking if I was all right, still loving my work. It was surreal. I might convert to the secret.. ;)

The sun was shining and I was in the bittersweet job of cutting down the hollyhocks. I thought lets share this happiness So if your interested in some gorgeous hollyhocks in your own garden leave a comment with an e-mail adres and I'll ship out some seeds..

Gretel

2008-09-08T13:38:00.005+02:00

Gretel walks through the woods. She plays in the ferns, she eats some blueberries, and has the pocket of her apron stuffed with conkers. The sunlight touches the deepgreen moss but Gretel isn't happy.

She shouldn't have gone into the woods, she should 've freed Hansel. I mean, after all isn't the key of the cage somewhere beneath the conkers.

But someone else might do it, she thinks. She goes along singing a bit louder, wondering when a knight in shining armour would pull up and ask: "you look happy, do I need to rescue someone for you my lovely?"

Of course no one shows. Because knights and witches are not very common in real life. They tend to live their lives in our imagination more then anywhere else.

So it might not have been the smartest thing to lock Hansel in a cage just so the witch couldn't do it. It seemed smart then somehow when Hans thought it all out. It is better if you play in the woods and I stay here then that we both get cought, he said.

But without Hansel Gretel was just not Gretel. She was Gretel thinking about Hansel. She never thought about Hansel when they runned trough the woods together. so whe spread the conkers beneath a beechtree and slowly wnet back to the cute little house that had a cage in the backyard.

Gretel was afraid, but she went anyway.

*You might need to know that my therapist is big on fairytales.I went to see her this morning, it was good and I was ordered to play Hans and gretel for a while. She actually orderd crafting aswel.

OK I might need to improve again for a while

2008-09-02T16:44:00.005+02:00

so the least I can do is document the journey, can't I. It might help me to think. I seem to be in a feeling mode more then a thinking one, the last couple of months. While feeling is ok, it helps if one attached words to it every once in a while. It might even help you realise what you are feeling..

Amy posted today. And I thought about te beinning of this blog and how it changed things for me. It might do that again, If I let it..

So taking of once again. I have no idea where this will take me and if anyone will be here to see but I am jumping back in none the less

I think I am allright

2008-06-17T11:13:00.004+02:00

Part of my absence is this: Her name is Loena and she is perfect. There was more nothing bad just me thinking.. For a long time I thought that after I had done my doll quilt (that would be tomorrow, I hope. Crafint with a puppy is nightmarish) I would shut down this blog. Now I am doubting again. We will see...

I joined a dollquiltswap

2008-04-25T18:21:00.005+02:00

since it was a very open to novices swap.
The postcard above will be my inspiration. I so love Rie cramer and she was such a major influence in my youth. When I recntly saw these illustrations again I really realized how much of an influence they were! It shaped my love for colours and dresses and it's just so beautiful

Picture to make sure I have my prorities right

2008-04-25T16:12:00.003+02:00

I am temporarily back in the oinsane world of making a paper. So I need to see this picutre to know. All that stress wil in acouple of days hold kitchenwaste and that is beautiful too

Picture in words

2008-04-21T16:24:00.003+02:00

there were skaters in the park
and dogs running after balls
and children playing
and some drunks happy to have their home back
bragging about something to each other
there were students in the grass some kissing some reading
and one little dog humped another one
and I couldn't help but smile while I crossed that park on my bike
wearing a frilly skirt and lace tights.
Feeling spring does that to me

I have no idea why they call it green fingers.

2008-04-10T10:28:00.003+02:00

I am pretty decent in the garden but I never achieved anything better then this:

Yep I call that black too. I was pretty destructive I must admit but for good reason. When we got this garden it was new so there was nothing and we didn't have much money for plants and yes those plants otheres have over you should not take! We are having great weather so it is fun to be outside ripping weeds out!

Man

2008-04-07T22:29:00.001+02:00

I am so hooked on project runway and I am almost in the finaly and the show stops. I am not going to goolge the winner, I am not going to google the winner

It's his teachers birthday

2008-04-07T21:52:00.002+02:00

So son made them cupcakes and decorated them all by himself!

Very usefull thrifted box or bag?

2008-04-06T19:46:00.005+02:00

A local photographer had cleared his attic. While we browsed for lenses I found all this leather box bags under the table. Most were open to hold an ancient camera. This is just a box bag. For 1 euro fifty it was mine (about 2 dollars I think) and it's priceless for taking small embroidery projects on the road! But I have used it as a small handbag as well. It holds my make up, phone, wallet and it sits upright on the table..

Mom and dad created a monster!

2008-04-06T19:43:00.002+02:00

No more explanations! Just getting back in the saddle! My daughter is quite into monsters these day's and she wanted to make monster mask. Luckily I finally got our selfs an organic fruit and veg delivery that comes with a nice paper bag!

this time round I didn't fall in th epits of selfpithy

2008-03-31T08:57:00.002+02:00

but was actually quie busy living. You know working and meeting friends and gardening an all those fun tthings.. So catching up today. As you can see there was some stuffin my drafts that I have published now and there are more picutres to be shared aswell! I will get back on track!

he can see stuff, this boy

2008-03-27T22:47:00.002+01:00

I so would have made this picture if I hadn't been busy taking his picture...

Speaking dutch or how you say Mijk

2008-03-26T10:32:00.001+01:00

Hannah asked how to say my name! This after I won a great magazine because her daughter was completley intrigued by my name. Thanks Esme!

I was totally thrilled that I confused the welsh, I was the designated navigator on our family holidays in Wales and boy is that no fun! Directing your dad to villages none of us could even try to pronounce! Revenge is sweet (especially if it comes with a free magazine).

So I did some online research and checked for interesting information on dutch. I love the dutch word of the day site but it has no audio. (Hey it does now)! Ok check the word for 21 maart to hear the IJ sound!

If you want to hear more dutch you can go listnen to laura speaks dutch or check the weblog of "say it in dutch"!

Have fun!

I am definetely not pregnant

2008-03-25T22:53:00.001+01:00

but I just lost my dinner. There is this Gordon Ramsay saves a kitchen on Long Island that you just should not watch!

here we go again

2008-03-24T21:15:00.002+01:00

my dear dear american readers

2008-03-22T22:06:00.004+01:00

I know this is not a political blog and it probably never will become that. But could you please, for me, consider doing something to get Barack Obama in the White House? He gives me hope for the world.

And hope is the most precious thing......

Mijk

I'm in an organizing fury

2008-03-21T15:27:00.005+01:00

maybe it is some kind of spring easter thing I don't know what it is but I have to work it! I'll promise a after update..The before is 2 years ago and unfortunately it kind of looks the same right now!

My country has got around 16 million people living here

2008-03-20T11:27:00.005+01:00

and a giant supermarket just set 29 million smurfs free! No wonder I ran into one in the forest the other day..

You can see what the others are up to here...

And if someone has a spare Gargamel and a smurfin my son would be extremely pleased! (We have some spares too!)

Is it sad that I checked this

2008-03-19T21:40:00.002+01:00

I was a bit sad to be five posts behind because I was doing so well with this post every day of the week challenge. So I checkec the members of the group and I am not doing that bad....! I feel kind of sad that I needed to know2 others were failing harder and now I am off to repare the second bike tire of the day (I guess I need to tag this as: Dutch life)

Have you ever mentally thrifted while visiting someone?

2008-03-19T21:34:00.002+01:00

I must say I am sometimes guilty of that.At first I felt a bit guilty if I caught myself thinking that is a cute tin or what a lovely old embroidery, or cute teapot. Now I recognise it for what it is. I am not thrigting the stuff I see I capture the image of something tha tis used and loved properly to guide me while thrifting.

Because youknow what. I am not one of those people who can rummage for gems in ugly unloved circumstances. I need remeberance, I need context. ANd that what old people's home give me. If I see things belonging together and then come across a same object that is lost, I can help. Because I know how it will belong..

Loads better

2008-03-16T09:28:00.001+01:00

and tons to tell and show but not now. Now I am going to shower!

Mijk

P.S. I never published this one. Sorry I am getting back ont rack right now!

sad

2008-03-13T20:31:00.003+01:00

Iam just sad and paralised and spiralling down again. I'll get up agian and I'll get happy again and then there might be 2 days that I din't blog in 20908 and maybe there will be days i do bnlog twice.. And I am not going to feel bad about it because I look forward to spiralling upwards

My kingdom for a coffee

2008-03-10T12:41:00.000+01:00

we start the day with the radionews on workdays. Which was good because it meant I wasn't already in the shower when I realised we were out of water. A burst pipe that couldn't be located robbed us of watersupply for the night and a good deal of the morning yesterday. School was closed and the day was weird really weird and it never is nice to go into a weird day when one hasn't washed, brushed ones teeth or had a coffee. So the water left in daughters sippycup for the night was used for this espresso. It was much better then brushing my teeth! Priorities, priorities!

If it rains the woods are still there

2008-03-09T12:29:00.000+01:00

We needed to walk the kids sunday and it was so wonderful in the woods

Photography all the way

2008-03-08T12:10:00.000+01:00

Saturday we (dad mom brother and girlfriend and my own family) went to a fotoshoot to finally finish the present we gave my parents for their 35th wedding anniversary in 2006! It was great. We really had fun and can't wait to see how it turned out. I so had to laugh when We had to sign for the no objections to be put in the window of the studio. Everybody said ok feeling very confident we won't turn out that cute.. I am just a little nervous we underestimated the cuteness of my kids ;-) It was fun and even without having seen the picture it was totally worth the money to see my father lay on the floor!

And the picture? No professional photographer you guessed. No it is my son playing with the digital camera his uncle just gave him. His old sony cybershot. My brother vowed when my oldest was born that he would be the uncle who spoiled them and this weekend he lived up to the expectations on a grand scale!

HNTM

2008-03-07T14:23:00.003+01:00

Crafting by the sea

2008-03-06T09:32:00.007+01:00

As I did my last late winter holiday and the one before, I bought a Marie Claire Idees on vacation and I took some floss and a bit of felt. Here is what I made! I am so happy with both the idea of a bracelet as with both embroiderie ideas.. I see more of this in this working with felt I think I find the thing I want to do craftwise!

Ok my sitemeter has just exploded: Edited!!

2008-03-05T14:14:00.003+01:00

what's up today? I have four times my usual amoutn of visitors and I doubt they all come for my holidaypictures!

As I expected a scary spamcomment that seems to carry something nasty appeared. I might have to close somments for a while. I am hugely annoyed!

Julia send us spring!

2008-03-05T13:11:00.009+01:00

this was the package that waited on our return! (there was more chocolate but well we are apparently not fasting this Lent!)

And there was more: This little fairy has left Wales to live in our garden. The children were so excited! Thanks Julia

We bought the glasses

2008-03-04T14:01:00.000+01:00

and it was much easier then buying son's first glasses. I really didn't mind that much this time around and feel a lot more comfortable with glasses (neither me or husband ever had glasses so we were at a complete loss) the first time round. She is getting a very cool rayban. I tried to steal a picture but they won't let me.. For the really really interested she is getting the RB1015T in red

Recipe for a fantastic homecoming

2008-03-03T14:34:00.002+01:00

1 have a good holiday
2 have your mom clean the entire house when you are at the beach
3 win a contest so that there is package from Julia waiting when you come home!!

02 march

2008-03-02T13:58:00.000+01:00

nothing to tell, nothing to show.. Five hours in the car lunch at my grandpa's.. Just trying to to the^&*^&% 365 post this year!

1 march: It still is windy

2008-03-01T13:54:00.000+01:00

29 februari spot the difference

2008-02-29T13:46:00.001+01:00

This is the one day of from the 365 days of blogging thing and this is the one day I want
to have blogged. The day we said yes, the day I changed my name the day we got married. We don't get to celebrate every year and I don't want to pass on our second anniversary. It was small and it stormed but we had dinner together drove around (in the storm) and I was so happy that I married this man! I made this picture in the mirror with the camera on my belly I like it and I think he looks just as handsome as here

(I think the biggest differences were dancing around our feet, don't burst my bubble)