mainely stitching

The last day of summer vacation deserves some sort of special send off, doesn’t it? The weather here was simply gorgeous, so we were playing outside and I got to thinking … a water balloon fight would be so much fun. I hunted down all the remaining bags of water balloons and filled an entire trash bag with them (which turned out to be too heavy to move around easily, so we put some in big bowls for secret ammo stashes). What fun!!

Thank you so much to Annemarie for her unique award and to everyone else who has given me an award. You are so kind! Thank you!!! I award you all for your wonderful blogs, great company, and friendship.

I’m slowly making my way through my blog back-up. Lots of good stuff was going on during that week I was away. Phew! And for those who’ve had less to celebrate, my thoughts and prayers are with you.  

I want to really thank everyone who has continued to read my blog even though there has been no stitching for far too long. Tomorrow, I’ll post a giveaway (that will run all week) of a favorite design of mine – so don’t forget to come back and sign up for it!

Today is our last full day at the campsite, so we made sure we did all the fun things that the kids wanted to do – this mainly involved the swimming pool and the playgrounds as well as playing badminton and Frisbee by our cabin. I only have pictures of the playgrounds, as Niek took the kids swimming in the pool one at a time. Nicky is convinced that I don’t go swimming because “they don’t make swimsuits in mama’s size”.

Rowen didn’t enjoy the playground without her brothers’ company for very long, but she did enjoy being pushed in the basket swing till I thought my arms might fall off. LOL.

Nicky and Max both enjoyed the playground very, very much however. And Arden had a good time, too, picking various grasses and clover and depositing them on the blanket for midday salad to enjoy with his biggest brother. Even Rigby and Niek got in on the fun while Photographer Mama scurried around trying to catch all the fun on camera for posterity.

Tomorrow will be the long drive home. I’m already dreading the part through Belgium. Driving in Belgium feels to me like being shot from a canon, LOL.

I loved reading your comments about forced marches, starvation, and other highlights of family holidays! Thanks for sharing!

Oh, not sure who asked … but I got precious little stitching done. I will actually have to do a tiny bit of frogging when we’re home! Oops!

For Rigby’s walk this morning, I suggested we all go into the woods together for a bit of fresh air. We decided to follow one of the shorter routes that was supposed to bring us to what we assumed would be a charming little village with a cafe about 3 1/2 kilometers away. Well … that was not the easiest path to follow, and at times it was necessary for me to carry Arden while Niek carried/dragged the buggy up steep hills, over rough rocks, and down embankments. And the 3 1/2 km turned into 5. But eventually we reached the end. Where we found three goats wearing bells, a trash can, and an apparently abandoned castle.

Nothing to do but go on, right? There was another sign saying that we could make it back to the town where our campsite is located by following a road for cars for only 3 km. We decided to go for it. The first half kilometer, I swear, was straight uphill. It must’ve been nearly a 45 degree slope. Niek carried Nicky, who was having trouble with his foot. I pushed Arden’s buggy and dragged Rowen (who was holding on to my jeans’ pockets). Max and Rigby dragged each other. Then the fun began, when we found ourselves on a two-lane highway with no shoulders, let alone sidewalks. Scary?! I will spare you the details, but I think I might finally have some gray hair. We made it back in one piece and the kids will have some interesting stories to tell about the abuse their parents heaped upon them….

Tonight we went into a nearby town for a truly delicious dinner. I was still feeling too shaken to cook (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! LOL). We had a great time eating outdoors and enjoying the really lovely town of Larochette. No pictures of that, I’m afraid – I was too busy eating!

Since Arden missed out on the fun photo ops in the forest, here’s a cute one taken while we were at the playground yesterday while Rigby unwinds with a cup of iced coffee.

Thanks for continuing to visit! Your comments are such a treat!!

Thanks for visiting me again! Yes, I hope the septic system will be well in order when we return home. As a few people asked, Niek did stay on till the plumber strolled in and more-or-less fixed the situation. The more-or-less makes me nervous, but I’m hoping that if I don’t ask too many questions, the problem may just go away. On Sunday afternoon, Max came home from his week in Germany. But because the drive here is so long (nearly 6 hours), they had to wait till Monday to set out. It is very nice to all be together.

Today we went walking on one of the gentler mountain paths that would accommodate the buggy and Nicky’s limp. It was gorgeous! WOW!The kids had a lot of fun, as did Rigby, and I felt like I could really breathe out there. The path we decided on dead-ended at a gentle waterfall that the kids had fun throwing sticks into. We picked blackberries all the way there and back so we could enjoy a delicious bowl of fresh berries when we returned to our campsite. Very yummy. Over here, you really can notice the change of the season. The birch leaves are all gold and the rose hips are a brilliant orangey-red. There’s a wonderful smell to the air as well, that I don’t notice in Gouda (probably because of all the air pollution). It’s nice to experience a “real” early autumn again.

Once more, I’ll leave you with some pictures. These were taken during our walk today. As promised, here is Nicky, obviously doing better with his healing foot.

Thanks so much for visiting!

If you can believe it, on Saturday our septic system sort of exploded. As in, you-know-what coming up from everything hooked up to the water – the dishwasher, the sinks, the washing machine, the toilets. Oh boy, what joy there was. The plumber promised to be right over … and four hours later, there was still no sign of him. By then, the worst of the flow had stopped, but we had no idea how long we’d be in this situation … so I packed the kids into the car, tossed in a few suitcases, and drove to Luxembourg. As any logical person would do in that situation.

This is my first time in Luxembourg, and it is gorgeous. I mean, like, wow, God did a great job creating this part of the world. We’re in a tiny caravan on a beautiful campground in the middle of mountains and valleys and forests that just totally take my breath away. The kids are having a blast. Even Nicky is beginning to make more use of his foot, thank goodness. The dog thinks he is in heaven.

I apologize to everyone for the very abrupt leave-taking, and for the lengthy interruption in email correspondence. Even now, I can only receive email at my usual address but not send it. So to Carol, I must pass along my most heartfelt wishes that everything goes well and tell you how much I’m thinking of you and hoping for the best with that situation. To Sharon, I say thank you so much for worrying about me; I was terribly stressed out and I do appreciate you worrying and checking in. To Joanna, I hope you are doing okay and I am MOST sorry for just disappearing like that; it really was quite unplanned. To Joy, I say thank you! To everyone who has left a comment on my last blog post, thank you so much! It’s wonderful to have friends!!

I’ll leave you for now with a couple of pictures of the kids taken over the last day or two. Those happy faces speak volumes. And I promise pictures of Nicky and his steadily-improving foot situation next time!

Another (rainy) day is upon us – but not just any rainy day. Arden’s alert in his playpen because he knows something’s up.

Is it his sister’s pink-striped hair? (Picture taken yesterday during a rare period of glorious sunshine.) No …

It’s the day Nicky gets his cast off! Here’s Nicky, waiting for his for Daddy to get him over to the hospital so they could remove the cast. (Niek tells me that Nicky totally freaked out when the woman walked in with the saw to remove his cast – he thought they were going to cut his leg off!)

And here is Nicky’s foot as it now appears. Ugly, huh? And very sensitive. The doc said the break is healed, but psychologically, Nicky’s  not quite ready to go back to life as normal. There’s still an open wound where the wheel spokes went into his ankle (under the bandage), the skin is very tender because it’s been totally covered up for nearly a month, and the darn thing is just so ugly that Nicky’s convinced it must be horrifically painful. So we’re still carrying him from one place to the other in hopes that in another day or maybe two, his usual level of activity will overcome his trepidation about using the foot.

I’m going to duck out now, with apologies to everyone whose blog I haven’t read or commented on. It’s just been … a lot. Fingers and toes all crossed that things will calm down, order will descend, and life will return to being full of fun. Thank you for coming to visit!

This morning, Annemarie mentioned my ‘amiable qualities’ and I had to admit to having lost ALL of them from approximately breakfast till lunch time. I do not cope well with being shut up in the house in rainy weather with small children for indefinite time periods. On the bright side, I did get some serious decluttering accomplished and I repaired the drawers in my stitching bureau (again). This necessitated pulling out the WIPs again. A couple were discarded – hooray for being brave! One is being handed over to Max, as it was a bunny design I started for him. Another is under the needle as we speak – this is a very old, no longer available, freebie from Annes les petites croix. The fabric is a very pretty, delicate shade that puts me in mind of willow tree leaves. As usual, my camera isn’t doing it justice.

Last night I also finished this wee thing, which is actually a knitting pattern from a book (by Maria Parry-Jones) I borrowed from the library. The pattern is “Intarsiablad” and I cannot find intarsia in my translation dictionary or in babelfish. Any Dutchies out there who can help? This is on my beet-dyed linen using DMC 4130. Pretty colors, huh? *Question answered! Thanks!

Today is Arden’s 8-month birthday. Can you believe it? I can’t. How have eight months already passed? He’s been a bit sleepy lately, which makes me think he’s either growing or teething (as when he isn’t sleeping, he tends to complain a bit more than usual).

Another milestone that will soon be coming up is the removal of Nicky’s cast. I have decided that I will be the happiest person in the family to have it off. I’m going to throw a party on Friday (when it comes off) and invite myself.

Rowen’s not daunted by all the indoor time and was happy to display her silliness. LOL.

With the kids getting their photos taken, the furbabies let me know they felt left out. Nachtegaal has really enjoyed living in Nicky and Rowen’s room during Max’s absence. (Max is doing great BTW, enjoying the castles and other beauties of Germany.) She sends shy greetings to Elvis and Pink. Gilbert’s feathers have not finished growing in yet from his seasonal moult, so he’s a bit out of sorts at being photographed like this. He’s terribly vain. Spin is his usual smug self, but Rigby feels the need to keep him under constant surveillance. The two of them crack me up.

Things here at Chateau Chaos continue to roll along despite the rain and other temporary setbacks. The kids are growing, the season is changing, and we are all getting ready for the next phase. Whatever that may be!

Thanks for your terribly kind words about the wee tree in my last post. You make me blush. Wishing good health to those who need it (thinking of you, Joanna!!), and happiness to us all.

Jam-packed applies to my weekend as well as to this post. I hope your weekend was first-rate as well!

First off, I’ve done the drawing for the October design by Shepherd’s Bush and I’m happy to announce that Kathy A. has won. Congratulations, Kathy! Now that you’re home from your vacation in Ontario, you can get busy with Halloween stitching! This was the biggest drawing yet, with 29 names. Thank you everyone for leaving a comment. I hope all those new readers will be back for another visit. At least for the weekend give-aways….

On Saturday, Rowen and I hopped on my bike (which has a proper child’s seat on the back – LOL!) and spent a girls’ afternoon out. We’ve never done this before! Rowen is the only one of my kids who cannot control herself in a store – if she sees it, she wants it; and if she doesn’t get it, she brings the roof down. Not a pretty scene. But the weather was lovely and I was desperate to get out of the house, so we gave it a whirl – and I found out that my little girl has been growing up in ways other than simply outgrowing her clothes. We stopped at a store that had a sale going on to see if there might be anything suitable for the new school year (I swear, everyone has grown at least a full size!) and once she pinned me down (very politely, I have to add) on a pink and white mini skirt, she was as sweet as any child I’ve ever taken shopping. Ahhhh, delight. We had a wonderful time together.

When I got home, my latest attempts in food-dyeing linen were dry and ready for ironing. These have been boiled with carrots, then left to sit in the “juice” overnight, and then distressed with a strong tea solution applied directly with the tea bag. Not what I’d hoped for (I wanted orange!) but pretty cool in their own right.

And seeing my fun food-dyeing attempts all together got me in the mood for trying out a new floss I picked up while I was downtown with Rowen. Here’s a very small tree of life (my own design, inspired by the much larger one from The Stitch Witch) done in DMC 4126 on beet-dyed linen.

And here it is again, this time done in Grandma Moses from the Painter’s Threads series put out by Tentakulum on Claret linen from the Kiwi Illusions line. This is a terrible picture that does no justice to the rich, jewel-tone colors … but I took it last night and it just really needs natural light.

I’m planning to make these, and some other small designs, into tiny pouches for my etsy shop. For anyone who’d like to make their own little tree (it would look pretty good for Halloween), here’s my very first freebie to share.

But I think that perhaps the biggest news of the weekend is the unexpected packet that arrived from Deb of Lavender Rose Ramblingslate Saturday afternoon. Deb had mentioned that she was going to send me a novel she’d recently finished, but I had no idea that all this was on its way! Deb, I’m still speechless! And I feel kind of awful because I didn’t send you anything …. But thank you very, very much. You’ll notice that the Hoffman novel is open in the picture and that is because I started reading it immediately. LOL!

I need to say thank you to Mylene for her generous award. I am, as usual, declining to award it to seven other blogs simply because I’m uncomfortable picking only seven from the 160+ that I subscribe to. I love all your blogs!

And I’m delighted that birthday gifts (very belated ones, at that) have reached Vonna and Jennifer. You guys are so wonderful and so generous and have been such very good friends. I stitched Vonna’s gift very early (you may remember my posts on this one way back in the early spring) but I somehow got side tracked when it came time to finish it. For Jennifer, I just couldn’t figure out what to stitch … till suddenly it came to me! I forgot to photograph them both in the rush to finally get them in the mail, so you’ll have to go see them at Vonna’s and Jennifer’s blogs.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I love spending this time together.

Everyone seems to be in a Halloween frame of mind, and who am I to stand up against the tide? So for this weekend’s blog giveaway I’m offering October by Shepherd’s Bush. Please note this is the chart, not a finished project, and the special button is not included. It’s a ghoulishly great design. As usual, please clearly state in your comment that you want to be included in the drawing, which I will do on Monday.

Thank you for all the compliments on Max’s photography. Wow, he’s gotten good!! I will set up a Flickr album for him – thanks for the suggestion!

Yesterday was a surprisingly productive day. I think I’m one of those people who needs to get busy to avoid thinking about sad stuff (Max being gone for so long). I actually sorted out all my floss that was just laying around and put it in the correct Ziploc envelop/bin.

And I finished Becky’s Halloween exchange (just the stitching, not the finishing). Here’s a tease. LOL!

And I had some fun with the kids that included a McDonald’s party-at-home for Max’s last lunch with us. (I can’t squeeze four kids, a baby stroller, and a wheelchair into the car, so we had to have our party at home.) During the festivities, Chris’s envelope from our LHN swap arrived – she’d included candy for the kids, but by the time I tracked the camera down, this is all that was left. Chris, they LOVED those super-cool milk straws!!

Thanks for the continuing advice regarding my etsy shop. I think the biggest thing to do now is to get my shop’s name out there. I’ve read lots and lots (and lots!) of sales-boosting tips online and will bear them in mind. My mom often accuses me of being impatient (come to think of it, she’s not alone in that) and I guess that now I just need to settle down and demonstrate some patience.

The sun is out and the weekend is upon us, so you may not hear from me again till Monday. I wish you a weekend full of joy, love, and good health.

First off, thank you for your advice and reassurance regarding my etsy shop. I’ll persevere, continue working on my own designs (as “I’d rather create my own crafts” was a common remark), and hope for the best as the holiday season draws nigh. I’m feeling a lot less optimistic about this being a realistic manner of helping out with our trip to Maine next summer, but it’s fun to do and that’s important in its own right.

I can’t show pictures of my stitching because the only project I’ve even picked up this week has been Becky’s Halloween exchange, but I would love to share some pictures that Max has recently taken. I got him a digital camera for Christmas (or was it his birthday?) more than a year ago and for a long time he just let it collect dust. Then he started taking some pictures, but they were usually out of focus or of subjects only interesting to young boys (cars factored heavily LOL!). But when he uploaded his pictures to the PC this morning, I was flabbergasted. Take a look! (The willow tree in my header is also take by him.)

The reason he was uploading his pics was so he could go on vacation with an empty memory in his camera. He’s going away for 10 days with his biological father. Sigh. Without getting into loads of personal stuff, it’s just very hard to let my ‘baby’ go for such a long time. But we do our best to foster a positive relationship with his father and the paternal side of his family, so of course I have to keep a lid on my personal feelings. Parenting gets so complicated sometimes! Naturally, I had to take a few pictures of him. When I went up to his room, I found him entertaining Nachtegaal (who will miss him!).

Speaking of cute kids, Nicky says thank you to Chiloe for the very cool coloring book!

And Arden says hi to everyone.