we’re back!!!

Why does a week of vacation pass at least 3 times faster than a normal week? Last night, Niek and I agreed it felt like we’d only been there for a couple of days rather than a full week. But the calendar doesn’t lie…. We’re now back in Gouda and I can finally use the Internet without having to sit outside on a bench, so here I am.

About the surroundings:

We were at the Landal GreenParks “Village l’Eau d’Heure”, in Belgium near the French border. When we have a holiday at a bungalow park, we always go to a Landal park because they are nestled into their natural surroudings very pleasantly - lots of walking paths and nature and the kids are always delighted by the wildlife they see - and the houses are always reasonably sized with enough of what you need to get through a week. That said, I give our experience at Village l’Eau d’Heure a grade of D. However, the surrounding countryside is absolutely breathtaking! We took several rides around, just gawking and staring at how gorgeous the hills & valleys were, the absolutely ancient stonework villages, and the lush forests. Awe-inspiring! We made one trip over the French border - I had hoped to do a bit of shopping,  but we were obviously in the wrong place (Avesnes-sur Helpe) on the wrong day (Monday afternoon). I did purchase the latest issue of Mains en Merveilles in Cerfontaine, the village nearest to our bungalow that had a supermarket and newsstand. Some of the points of interest were: Eppe-Sauvage, a 16th century village that was just so incredibly ancient-feeling; the forests around Rance, where we spent a morning walking; and Chimay, site of the wonderful Trappist-brewed beer. I’ve included a few photos that give an idea of the surroundings - all can be clicked for a larger view.

Chateau le Fosteau

Walking in the forest around Rance

An ancient-looking village outside Chimay

The kids posed on a side street in Thuin

About the family:

We all managed to de-stress and have fun to quite a remarkable degree. The kids had a blast - every day was a treat, and I can count the number of squabbles on one hand and have fingers left over. Wow! I found out that my mobile phone didn’t work in Belgium, and the ‘free internet’ promised by the bungalow park meant sitting outside on a bench with the laptop propped on one’s knees, so we were truly forced to unplug and unwind. Arden began practicing his football kicks, no doubt largely due to my relaxed mood, and that was the highpoint of my week away. There wasn’t a lot in the park for the kids to do, but they had oodles of fun jumping around in the sand pit next to our cottage (charming, a sandpit outside one’s living room, but the kids did enjoy it). There was also a small play area on the opposite side of the park that they enjoyed. Even Rigby had fun! I’ve selected a few pictures that are also clickable.

Rigby whoops it up in the grass

Jumping practice for the whole family

Ping pong without paddles

Rowen is irresistable

Nick and Rowen in superhero outfits

Trying to pose all of us by the lake

Homecoming:

First off, I swear when we approached the border, we could see the dark clouds over Holland! LOL! We all decided that Holland’s excessive gas-tax, which is used to maintain the roads, may actually be worth it. LOL! As a Mainer, I’m used to potholes and crumbled road shoulders, but we all relaxed a fair amount when we got back on Dutch roads again. I was also curious to note my reaction to the obvious wealth displayed by one country over another, despite how close the two countries are. It reminds me of crossing the New Hampshire/Maine border - you go from homes that haven’t seen paint since the 1950’s to homes that may be just as old, but are in impeccable condition. It’s always been a bit of a mystery to me. I enjoyed the lack of order (imposed on everything here in the Netherlands, to my foreigner’s eyes) in Belgium, but I was also relieved to return to the orderliness of Dutch living. How unexpected! I guess I am becoming “Dutchified” after my ten+ years here. LOL!

Real life will resume on Monday - Rowen has daycare, the boys have school, Niek has work, and I may even have a small work project to do. Aahh, income. Niek’s birthday is just a couple of days away, and I have all my fingers and toes crossed that his gifts, which were mail-ordered, will arrive on time. I have a few more stitches to put into my Quaker RR before posting it on to Karen, and I now have a smallish stack of Christmas ornaments to finish-finish. My next GYN appointment is on Tuesday, and I hope to hear that Arden’s doing great. I began having anxiety dreams the last two nights we were away, and I think I correctly analyzed myself - I’m really scared of facing people who knew we were expecting twins and having to tell them of the loss. For a week, I could simply be happy at Arden’s antics; now I have to return to reality and the fact that there are a lot of people we haven’t seen over the school holiday who don’t know. I’ll keep taking it a step at a time.

Mail call!:

While away, the mail carrier brought gifts from Dianne and Isabelle - thank you both so much for your thoughtfulness! And Michelle, the chart arrived! I also heard from Jo that the birthday gift I sent her in March just arrived! Gotta love the postal service…. Not!

goodness in a little blue box

Three big cheers for Rachael, who brought some Kraft macaroni & cheese “home” to me from the US! The postman delivered a suspiciously rattling box from Germany yesterday afternoon, just before lunch, and I knew immediately what it was. Who can resist this brilliant orange slice of childhood? One bite, and I’m about 10 years old again. My brother and I used to have a gourmet preparation of this stuff - our personal recipe called for half again as much milk and a very generous helping of black pepper. The finished product resembled some sort of odd orange soup with small bugs. LOL!

Needless to say, I wasted no time tearing the box tops off and introducing my kids to a little bit of Americana.

It all begins here!

You need fairy dust to fly with Peter Pan, but this calls for some magic orange Kraft dust!

Mmmm.

All dished out, nearly ready to hit the table!

And would you just look at those happy faces?!

Rachael, from all of us, thank you very much!!

As for the hospital experience, all went well. They only prick your finger, so I just have one sore finger instead of my usual bruises - I can wear short sleeves without worrying about strange looks while we are in Belgium! The two times I could peek on my record, my glucose levels were 5.4 and 5.2, which (from what I could find online) was pretty good. No insulin shots yet! Of course, I would really like to know why I’m swelling up like Violet did in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory…. And instead of sitting in the hospital being breathed upon by people who really are sick, I snuck back to my car in between pricks and worked on Anne’s Quaker RR, completing one entire motif. Okay, most of you probably would’ve been able to whip that off in a couple of hours at most, but I am s-l-o-w. Anne, if you’re reading this, I really enjoyed working with your choice of floss - it really brightened up a gray, drizzly day in a parking lot! Arden found the odd sitting position uncomfortable and has totally worn himself out tonight. LOL!

Our next-door-neighbor, who’ll care for Spin the cat while we’re away (Rigby will come with us, and Gilbert and Nachtegaal will be houseguests of Niek’s parents) assures me that the weekend forecast is for ideal late-summer weather. It would be nice to start off our little holiday that way, but even if the weather is awful every day we’re away, I think everyone will enjoy a chance to unwind and enjoy some different surroundings. We’re going to a very green part of Belgium just a hop from the French border (and Niek’s promised we’ll take a day trip over the border - I haven’t been to France since before Max was born!).  We’re planning to bring the PC along, too, so I’ll keep you posted with pictures.

borrowing holiday cheer

I’ve found stitching Christmas ornaments/projects to be oddly calming, so … that’s what I’m doing. I’ve stitched “December Wishes” by Blackbird Designs and ”Christmas Heart Pincushion” by Mary Garry, both done on 30 count American Chestnut linen from R&R. I did the BBD over one, using Needle Necessities (Noel? what color was that?) and the Mary Garry is done over two using Dried Roses Silk & Colors and Black Cherry from Vikki Clayton. The Dried Roses are delicate colors that don’t photograph well, even in today’s (rather paltry) natural light. They’re very lovely IRL. Both pics can be clicked for a better view.

Tomorrow I’ll be at the hospital for 6+  hours of blood testing/monitoring. I’ll probably take both stitching and reading along with me (currently reading both Digging to America and The Thunderbolt Kid from Ash’s shelves). Parking at the hospital is extremely hard to come by, so I’ll probably just hang out there for the day. What a joy for someone with a pretty strong case of hospital-itis. Niek will not only stay home with the kids for the day, he’ll also pack for our week away. Wow! My most important packing will be a stitching project - my Quaker RR, which will soon be due to hit the post.

The weather’s been sort of dismal lately - lots of rain and wind and dark skies, which is true autumn weather. At night, it’s very relaxing to listen to the wind in the trees outside our window - but during the day, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to lure the kids outside to play. We all seem to be feeling more homebound, but in a cozy way. Max and Nicky have been busy - together! -  building castles out of paper and cardboard for the past two days. So far, I’m allowed only small glimpses of their progress and plans, but I’ve been promised a full story with pictures as soon as they’re done. Rowen’s been cheerful and wiggly and insisting on lots of laptime and hugs. Arden has been making markedly stronger movements, which is a blessing for this nervous momma.

Thank you, Margaret, Patti, Carol and Anja for your cards. And thank you Isabelle, Su, Coral, Jenna, and many other dear friends for your emails and support. We’re plodding along, happy every time we feel Arden moving. It’s not possible to shake the concern for his continued well-being. The grieving is a strange process and I have to admit to having good and bad days. Everyone’s caring and comfort help more than I can say. Thank you.

what’s the buzz exchange

Yesterday when we returned from Joe’s birthday party, I found some mail waiting - always a nice experience. And the biggest packet was from Judith, who turns out to be my What’s the Buzz (SBEBB) exchange partner. Look what she made me! She also sent two of the most gorgeous skeins of silk from The Thread Gatherer which I neglected to photograph (sorry!). This is my final SBEBB exchange, and I seem to have already lost access to the BB, so I’m afraid I can’t post pictures there (or find out if my exchange arrived). Judith, this is a lovely bag, and your finishing skills make me blush with embarassment at how basic mine are in comparison. (Click for a larger view.)

The birthday party for Joe was a lot of fun - the kids had a blast. So much fun, in fact, that they’ve been very naughty today. It’s been a ‘testing the boundaries’ sort of day. Ahem. But here are a couple of fun pictures from the party.

Our weather is turning off autumnal. It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s nearing the end of August. My father and his wife will be here in less than a month! We’re all excited about that. It’ll be their first time here, and I hope they enjoy it. I’m a little panicky about my housekeeping….

 Not much else to add. I’ve worked a bit on my holiday piece, but I’ll post a picture next time. I’ve been reading, thanks to Ash letting me steal books from her shelves. Today I started Digging to America, by Anne Tyler. I just finished A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka and and Second Honeymoon by Joanne Trollope (both compliments of Ash).  My brain seems to still function.

deck the halls

I’ve been indulging in a bit of therapeutic holiday stitching the past days. See, there was some reason why I didn’t do it when I wanted to, focusing instead on my deadline stitching. I’ve completed one (lovely, IMHO) ornament which I can’t yet show, but here’s a progress picture of a Blackbird Designs project I started yesterday. This is “December Wishes” from the booklet “A Fine Collection”, done over one with Needle Necessities on 30 ct. American Chestnut by R&R fabrics. I love the daintiness of the design as done over one, and 30 ct. isn’t too taxing on my old peepers for over-one stitching. I’ve also finished and posted my seasonal exchange - but it has a long way to go and probably won’t arrive for some time to come. Next, I’ll need to get busy with our Quaker RR.

Today we’ll be heading in the direction of Amsterdam to personally wish Ash’s younger son, Joe, a happy birthday. It’ll be my first attempt at socializing, other than a rather awkward attempt with the IL’s. Nicky and Rowen are pretty excited and managed to get dressed in record time when they were told where we’d be going today. Max is off for the weekend with his biological father, but before he left, I stole a picture of him stretched out on the sofa. Can you believe how big he’s getting?!

Yesterday we went to the hospital for an unscheduled check on Arden, who hadn’t seemed to move for over 15 hours. The ultrasound showed that he is moving, but he’s not a jumper & a thumper like Max, Nick, and Rowen were. Difficult to feel a 10 inch baby gently flexing his arm … To say we were relieved doesn’t even touch the truth of the matter - we were terrified, and I really appreciate the hospital for fitting us in first thing in the morning. We also had a new-to-us doctor who has signed me up for grief counseling. Why none of the other doctors, particularly my regular GYN, never mentioned this possibility, is an irksome mystery. Niek and I were kind of exhausted for the remainder of the day, from the flux of emotions. Arden has been moving a little more noticeably, which is a huge relief. Anyone else have first-hand experience with these rather timidly moving babes? Any words of advice?

Thank you for your continuing support and compassion. I know that other people have had to endure far worse, and I don’t mean to give the impression of wallowing in my sadness. I’ve told Niek I wish I were a tougher person, but … I’m not very tough. Special thanks to Harmien, who sent me the sweetest little booklet called ‘Troost’ (’comfort’ in English) about a little bird who finds his sorrow much easier to bear once it’s shared with a friend. How true. Thank you also to Vonna and Rachael for your cards. I am blessed with caring friends.

Well, time to pop over to the supermarket to pick up the weekend’s shopping before we make tracks to Ash’s. Wishing one and all a peaceful and loving weekend.

exchange pics

Lots of exchange goodness has been going on and I have the pictures to prove it. All pictures can be clicked for a larger image.

My final two SBEBB exchanges have gone out. The Freebie exchange went to Karine in France. This is “Five Birds” by Kathy Barrick-Dieter on 32 ct natural linen-silk, made into a mattress pincushion. I just love this design and this way of finishing (this was my first  time, btw, but it won’t be the last!). I wish I’d taken a better picture, or a picture of the entire exchange, as Karine hasn’t included any photos in her blog, but oh well.

And What’s the Buzz went to Marie in the US. My stitched piece for this exchange was terribly small but I didn’t feel up to anything very challenging at this time, but failing to meet my obligation wasn’t an option either. Hopefully Marie will enjoy the other gifts. The little fob is “Bee Spring!” from Margaret Lee Rigiel (on 32 ct blue spruce linen from Deb!) and I stuffed it with some lavender, polyfill, and a good-luck coin. This is a picture of the whole exchange.

I also received my first Seasonal Exchange and have found out, to my utter delight, that my partner is Nicki! In her card she said she hoped I wouldn’t be sick of her stitching - as if! Nicki, your stitching, finishing, and choice of subject is always an absolute delight. Seriously! As if the gorgeous stitched bag were not enough, she generously included Toccata 2 by the Drawn Thread. I’d hoped to trade her for this chart awhile ago, but the only charts I had from her wishlist were ones I hadn’t yet stitched and wasn’t ready to give up on. LOL. She also included some of the necessary supplies that she had leftover and some stunning lavender from her own garden. I’ve had to wrestle that away from Max. You can be sure that he’ll be getting something for his room that’s stuffed with this - the smell is absolute heaven!

My first seasonal exchange hasn’t yet gone out, though I have done the stitching and finishing for it. I still need to pick up a few gifts to send along, based on my partner’s wishlist.

I also received the most thoughtful, beautiful gift from Annemarie yesterday. The back says ”take heart”. Annemarie, I wanted to sleep with this under my pillow, like some sort of good-luck talisman, but instead I hung it near the center of my Wall of Smalls where everyone can enjoy it. It doesn’t show up too well in this picture, but it’s difficult to get the right angle of a hallway.  

On a more serious note, I must say that I’m astounded by how caring and loving this online community is. You are true friends and your love and support have made such a difference to both Niek and myself. I’m going to shy away from getting into detail in this blog, but thank you so much for opening your hearts to us.

away for a bit

I’ll be away for a bit. Thank you for your understanding. There’s more information on my other blog.

some sun, lots of fun

The boys and I had fun at the beach yesterday. And I discovered that sitting on the ground for long periods of time while pregnant isn’t very comfortable. Note to self: bring collapsible camping chair next time. Initially, the boys didn’t want to wade with the other kids, so they built their own wading pool together - showing that they can work together without quarreling. LOL! After it was done, Nicky promptly struck a pose that put me in mind of those tanned musclemen that you occassionally see showing off at the beach.

Max preferred a more relaxed pose.

And the boys made sand angels, which was something I’d never thought of, but once I saw them doing it, it seemed a pretty logical thing to do.

We got home in time to see the skies darken rather ominously. When I’d awoken at 5:00 am with Rowen on Monday morning and saw the dawn sky a fiery red, I was reminded of the old weather adage my mom used to repeat, “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” So I wasn’t too surprised to see it cloud up. But it was sticky! My hands were too icky and sweaty-feeling to stitch, so I goofed off at the ‘puter for awhile and did some puttering in the kitchen in preparation for dinner while the boys soaked off all the sand and sunscreen in a luxurious midday bubble bath. And by the time dinner rolled around, we were back to rainy Dutch weather. Those ’stolen’ days of sunshine were like a holiday.

And once again the question arises, what to do with the kids on a rainy summer’s day? I spent much of the evening checking out interactive indoor museums that were interesting enough for 9 year old Max but still fun enough for 3 and 4 year old Rowen and Nicky, and finally decided on the Naturalis. This fabulous natural-history museum has been a family standby for years now - it’s handicapped (and therefore baby-buggy) accessible, has excellent permanent exhibitions and fascinating temporary exhibits, is affordable, and isn’t too terribly far away. If only they had a decent cafeteria or place to sit down, it would a hands-down winner. (Seating is first-come, first-serve on the floor in a sort of dead-end hallway.)

But we woke up to tentative sunshine! My poor brain couldn’t cope after all the effort of finding a good rainy-day plan! I let the kids choose - an outdoor activity with the chance it would resume raining, or an indoor activity with the chance that we may miss the “last” good day of summer weather for the week. They all chose for outside, so we headed off to the Avifauna with a 20% off coupon I’d clipped out of the local paper ages ago. We toured the birds, holding our noses by the penguin enclosure, made friends with the adorable lorikeets (Rowen totally cracked up when one decided to check out my hair for edible yummies), watched the bird show from the worst possible location (but we could see the birds that attempted to “run” away), and then dashed back to the car accompanied by fat raindrops! It was a fun trip, if rather disappointingly short, and we certainly can claim to’ve made the best use of the sunny days we’ve had so far!

Tomorrow, I’m taking a day off. The kids have already been warned they’ll simply have to amuse themselves at home ’cause Mama’s too tired to go out and play. LOL!

stitching?!

With all the fun we’ve been having so far this summer holiday, stitching has taken a bit of a backseat. Which isn’t to say I haven’t done any, just that I’ve done very little. (All pictures are clickable.)

I continue to work on Terra’s wedding gift. My apologies for this shamefully wrinkled picture - I took it in the car yesterday to work on, and haven’t ironed it. But I wanted to post here before the boys and I head out for the day. I enjoy working on this project, and I hope Terra and Tony will know how much wished-for happiness is in every stitch.

And I’ve started a strictly-daytime-stitching Christmas gift, the first of the bigger gifts that I hope to make for the holidays this year. This is from a very old stitching magazine (designer, D. Morgan) - the first one I ever bought! - and is a design I originally intended to make for my grandparents. Unfortunately, both needed to go in to nursing homes soon after I purchased it, and I never had the chance to make it for them. However, it will be going to someone very near & dear to my heart. I’ve changed the entire color scheme on this project, making it a Maine winter scene at dusk. The color changes are very subtle, so I have to be pretty careful to work under natural light. I’m also trying to evoke the special feeling of a winter’s twighlight through use of textures, so there are silks, flower thread, and stranded cotton used so far. I’ll be doing the trees in linen thread.

Gaby and Jim’s anniversary present has arrived and Gaby was thoughtful enough to send me a picture of where they’ve hung it (under pictures of the grandkids - how perfect!).

Yesterday was supposed to be the hottest day of the summer so far. We were visiting friends who have young children, and my wild beasties promptly took the place over, having a great time in the wading pool. We have a hard time keeping a wading pool in our yard due to the many trees (with all the stuff that will fall out of trees) and the dog (who considers himself a pretty good wader), so this was really a special treat. Which is pretty obvious by the looks on these happy faces!

Nicky has hit a bit of a growth spurt in maturity and it’s very interesting to watch the changes. He has had some quiet moments, apparently thinking things over, and he’s a lot quicker to help out with chores than he used to be. Here are a couple of pictures of the ‘new’ Nicky that I just really love.

The boys and I are outta here. Yesterday doesn’t seem to be much hotter than today, so far, and our house gets a bit too close for comfort in this kind of weather. I’m thinking of the freshwater beach nearby, if I dare show myself on a beach.

Oh, and before I forget, I was tagged me for 10 random and/or weird things about myself. I won’t be tagging anyone, but if you’re interested in  my quirks, here goes:

1. I love my kids and the kids of my friends, but I’m not a huggy-feely kiddie person. I was actually scared of kids till I was in my 20’s and overcame that by becoming an au-pair girl in Germany and then a nanny in the US.

2. I wanted to be, at various times in my life, a linebacker for the Rams, a professional downhill skier, a vet, and a writer. I still love skiing, animals and writing, but that football thing was definately pure tomboy-ism.

3. I believe in love at first sight and in ghosts, but that doesn’t mean I think they occur frequently or to everyone.

4. I’m still not completely sure what I want to be when I grow up.

5. I don’t like bragging and will avoid people who engage in it.

6. I would love to make a tour of the Arctic Circle someday. You can keep the beaches - give me the glaciers and snowfields!

7. I think I’m a terribly clumsy person and …

8. I have no sense of direction. Drives people nuts!

9. Family must always come first.

10. I think my life is incredibly wonderful.

back to the future

WOW! I’ve had a lot of fun today, and so have my boys. Better yet, so have Ash and her boys! Because today, the six of us met up at Archeon, a terrifically cool open-air, interactive “museum” with a focus on Roman and medieval times. Though we were there from opening till closing, we still didn’t see and do everything. On the way home, Nicky said, “I want to go back there with Rowen and Daddy.” He can be so sweet.

So what did we see? What did we do? What did we eat? To be terribly honest, I’m absolutely beat tonight and I’m going to have to let my pictures do the talking. Please click on any/all of them for a full-size view with better detail. Note all the happy faces!  And yes, we will be going back!