i hardly know where to begin, it’s all so good

I played hooky yesterday. I went to Harmien’s house with Annemarie and Rachael and we had so much fun. I didn’t take a million pictures in Harmien’s house - even though I was sorely tempted to do so - because I thought that might be a little rude. But wow, guys, you really should all make a point of going to her house because it is absolutely chockablock full of the coolest stitching I have ever seen in one place. I mean … wow, what a variety of talent! Not just Harmien’s, but also from stitchers from all over the world who’ve sent her goodies. You know what? I’m sitting here now just kicking myself in the butt that I didn’t take pictures all over the place. Rude or not … sheesh! Harmien, can I come back??? Luckily, Harmien has shared a few photos of our day there, and I’m shamelessly using them here.

So what did the four of us get up to for an entire afternoon? It was a Stitch & Bitch, but honestly not a whole lot of either got done. LOL. We all had lots of catching up to do in the beginning. It was the first time that Rachael and I had met Harmien, and it was the first time in waaaayyyy too long that I’ve seen Annemarie.  Then we had to show off some stitching we’re working on, and I did take this picture of Annemarie holding her Blue Lady. This is such an incredible project IRL.

Another Fremme project she’s working on is similar to this little one that I’ve been hiding away in my drawer. Hers is designed by Ida Winckler and mine is from the 1986 Fremme calender, designed by Edith Hansen. The two women are two of my favorite Danish designers.

Rachael brought sock yarn and the teeniest knitting needles I’ve ever seen. I thought they were mini kabob sticks. And Harmien was working on the gorgeous, the stunning Cirque des Triangles … which again, I’m kicking myself for not photographing, but which does make a cameo appearance in one of Harmien’s photos. The linen is much richer IRL, full of plums and steel, reds, and all sort of deep colors. I told her she needs to send a picture to Tracy for her Gallery page.

I pulled out my Fair, Kind, True project by Midsummer Night Designs to put a few stitches into. It’s “this” close to being done.

But the best stitching piece of the day? Well, sit down ladies and gentlemen! Here is my Neighborhood Round Robin. Can you even believe how gorgeous it is? Annemarie hasn’t quite finished her block, but I’ve brought it home to stitch the names and dates and add a simple border. I am so excited, you can’t even guess!

Oh, there was a little bit of other stitching, too, but that was of the done & finished variety. The reason I have not been able to post any stitching pictures is because I was a little bit busy making gifts for Harmien, An, and Rachael. I actually put the last whipstitches in Harmien’s on the train to her house, so I didn’t take a photo of it but Harmien has come to the rescue and sent me pictures she took in her garden. I used two designs from primitivebetty - 1817, a special-release design, and 1836 Spring Thyme Sampler (I only used parts of this one, due to space constraints. Harmien’s is stitched on tea-dyed 36 or 40 count linen, one thread over two, and stuffed with lavender to create a fragrant-smelling floss fob.

Annemarie’s was the easiest for me, as I’ve “known” her the longest. Okay, we only knew each other via Cyberstitchers and then through emails for a long time, but we have also had the good fortune to meet up IRL 3 or 4 times over the years. An has a pinkeep (thanks again for those pins, Anne!) featuring The Little Sampler by The Goode Huswife on the front side and a piece of heavy cotton with a cutout of antique lace on the backside. I changed the colorway from drab browns to what I think of as a rhapsody of blues because that’s her favorite color. Given all of the changes going on her life and her recent … obsession … with pumpkin plants, the verse on this was just too perfect. “Girls do not cook & scrub and scour until you have no time to plant a tree or vine or flower.” This has four different blues, and the prim look has been heightened by using one thread here, two there, three there; and I’ve stitched it on abusively distressed coffee-stained linen.

Keeping in the schoolgirl-style sampler vein, I chose The Star Sampler by Blackbird Designs for Rachael’s gift. I had such a good time with this, once I got it going on linen of the correct size. LOL. The four-sided stitch is quite simple, and looks absolutely lovely on the backside. I changed the colorway from the called-for gray on red to tones of pink on Legacy linen because I know how very fond Rachael is of pink. The pillow has a dark pink linen back and the front side is finished using antique lace and some lacy black ric-rak that I bought with Rachael in Muenster.

Thanks so much for putting up with such a long post, and with so many previous posts that didn’t have any stitching!!

girls’ day out

I had such a great day yesterday - thanks so much, Rachael! Not only was it my first ‘day off’ in a long while, it was also my first time in Münster. What a gorgeous city! Naturally, I forgot my camera so I’ve had to rob these pictures from the Internet.

One of the most interesting things Rachael told me about the city is that the altstadt, the old city center, was totally leveled during the war - a fate suffered by many German cities - but the city inhabitants decided to recreate the original city center rather than simply rebuild after the war. Looking at it, you’d never guess it was all an elaborate reconstruction - it looks completely authentic.

I also learned that this is where the Peace of Westphalia was signed. Now I have to admit that when Rachael said some famous treaty had been signed here, I drew a total blank. But checking it out online at home, I suddenly remembered reading about this as part of my European history class when I was a freshman at Brandeis. Aha. Little light bulb. For the economist-at-heart, there’s an interesting article about the Peace of Westphalia’s influence on today’s European economic situation located here. We went into the famous city hall, but the area where the treaty was signed was closed.

But never fear, the day was not entirely devoted to culture and learning! There were re-fuelling stops at the local Starbucks, during which family life, mothering, fitness and other subjects of cutting-edge importance were carefully considered and thoughtfully discussed. There was shopping, too! If I lived around Münster, I’m afraid that I’d be panhandling for change because I’d surely spend all my money in the unique shops that seem to be at every turn.

We started off at a buttons and beads shop, where I purchased several buttons for Max and couple for myself, as well as some black ribbony-stuff that’s neither ribbon nor ric-rac (and which didn’t make it into the following picture). We strolled through a yarn shop that had a small selection of cross stitch and hardanger goodies. We went in several stores that are impossible to visit with small children (or in Rachael’s case, not much fun to visit with teenage sons, LOL!). We ate a delicious lunch at an Asian lunchroom - I had the tastiest noodle soup complete with large hunks of chicken in some kind of spicy batter. But when we arrived at the LNS (Jutta Block Handarbeiten Schmuck A.L. Kortlüke) - fortuitously at the same time the heavens opened and Noah floated by, so we just had to stay - I felt like I must surely be in heaven. Linens and more linens! Banding! Every color of Fremme flower thread (and me without a list!). So many cross stitch designs by the talented & whimsical Christine Dahlbeck that my head was spinning. The shop was on the small side, but it was so invitingly stuffed full of goodies that I didn’t know where to look next. I think I showed considerable restraint in “only” coming home with a meter of gorgeous 30 count Weddington linen (the color is called silver, but it’s a lovely fragile shade of silvery green that puts me in mind of a very delicate Rue Green), and two cross stitch books. (I can’t find anything right now about Weddington linen, but it’s locally produced and is lovely to stitch on, as well as being very long-wearing.) At another shop, Westfalenstoffe, that seemed to sell everything from fabrics and ribbons to jewelry to kids’ toys, I picked up toys for the children and a selection of playful ribbon that’s made - as far as I could understand - locally. There was also coordinating fabric, but my wallet was alarmingly light at this point. Here’s a picture of the nearly-total haul for the day. Not shown are Max’s buttons, the black ribbony stuff, a gift, and an album that will house Arden’s baby photos and memorabilia.

At another shop that sold kitchen must-have’s, Rachael surprised me with this gorgeous olive wood cutting/cheese board. I’m a bit weird about wood - I just love it! - and this board is now hanging on my wall. It will not be used for cutting or for cheese, but as a decoration. Thank you, Rachael!

Finally, in an attempt to escape another rain squall, we sheltered at a discount book store where I picked up copies of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (and I’ve already started it), Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami (coincidentally, I had just finished another novel by him, Kafka on the Shore, on the train ride to Muenster), and The Confusion by Neal Stephenson (I loved his other novel White Noise, though this seems to be a very different piece of fiction). I could barely wobble along under all the parcels and packages, but we bravely soldiered back to Starbucks where I was rejuvenated due to the healing powers of a Caramel Macchiato. In addition to the cultural and historical facts about Münster, Rachael also informed me that there are no Starbucks in the Netherlands. Sigh.

 

 

happy, happy, joy, joy!

Although I do love cartoons, Ren & Stimpy never really appealed to me. Nevertheless, I think saying ‘happy, happy, joy, joy’ is a lot of fun.

Today we have j for joy! There’s the joy of giving, of course, which I’ve been indulging in a bit with unbirthday gifts. And then there’s the joy of receiving - and look what I’ve just received! Sonya totally surprised me with this wonderful Act-of-Kindness package that includes a book I’d mentioned wanting, her favorite novel, many pieces of finishing fabric, a scented envelope, a handmade bag, and a terrifically funny note. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Sonya, you’ve totally bowled me over. Everyone, take a look at the crafts(wo)manship of this wee bag; it’s incredible!

There’s also the joy of stitching - we can’t forget that! Sara has enjoyed stitching The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pattern, and as you saw yesterday, she’s already finished it! Here’s another picture in case you didn’t see yesterday’s.

This means that The Sisterhood is ready to move on! Please leave a comment if you are interested in being in the drawing - let Sara indulge in the joy of giving, and make it possible for yourself to joyously leap around if you’re chosen as the winner! Anyone who comments on any post from now until Monday at 9 pm my time (3 pm EST) will be included. But please, make sure you specifically say you want to be included in the drawing!! A winner will be chosen at random.

This weekend, I’m indulging in the joy of spending some uninterrupted time with my family. We’ve snuck away to a vacation bungalow in the same region where we spent last weekend with Niek’s family (although we are in a different town). This is probably my favorite region in the Netherlands - there are some gently rolling hills and the trees are not totally dissimilar to those growing in Maine. There are also vast heather fields, which is a special aspect of the Dutch landscape. Where the glaciers left blueberry barrens in their wake as they rolled over Maine in the last ice age, here they left behind this uniquely beautiful landscape. In the autumn, when the leaves fall and the wild mushrooms come out, it’s a place of magic.

I’ll be offline till Monday evening, though my blog will continue to post in my absence. Aren’t scheduled posts the coolest? LOL! Wishing you a wonderful, joyous weekend!

PS: Have you noticed that I’m beginning to get the hang of the new WP template for creating blog entries? LOL!

c is for … catching up!

We’ve been away for a long weekend, enjoying the hospitality of Niek’s parents as they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary at a vacation park in the western part of the country. My blog has been taking care of itself with posts that I wrote before we left. I’m so glad that you’ve been enjoying my look-through-the-letters so far, and I’ve really enjoyed your suggestions as to what other words would’ve been good choices. My favorite suggestion was Jim’s “uplifting” for the letter u.

If we had not been away, c would be for Carl, my maternal grandfather. I just loved my Gramps - he was such a beacon of strength and solidity in my youth. He hardly spoke at all, but being with him made me feel so peaceful and safe … There aren’t many pictures of me with him, but I do have this one that I can share.

But I have been away, and there is just so  much to share with you - lots of catching-up to do! I’ll start with Sara’s progress with The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pattern. Sara tells me she’s done more since this picture, and will continue to share her progress as it’s possible to do so.

We had a really wonderful time with Niek’s family - I do love big family celebrations, and this one was not a disappointment! Niek’s parents arrangingd on-site housing for all their children (and the partners and children of said children!) with family dinners every night. There was also a big party for extended family on Saturday that included lots of cousins, aunts & uncles, and people I didn’t know - lots of fun! :D  I didn’t take my camera to the party or the dinners, for fear of losing it (I am frightfully absent minded these days!) but I do have some fun pictures to share of an impromptu pancake party and of a covered-wagon horse ride we took through the countryside.

An important bit of catching up that I’ve forgotten too many times (and even now, I don’t have a photo!) is a thank you to Helen for the lovely clothes she sent Arden. Helen, Arden’s worn the shoes several times already, and if the sun ever comes out, he’ll love the warm-weather wear just as much! Thank you!!

Other catching up which must be done concerns some unbirthday presents - they’ve now all arrived at their homes, except Coral’s. I’m afraid I just don’t have any luck at all with the South African post.

Here are the bookmarks I made for Kathryn, who is another bibliophile.

And Jennifer’s bookmark, which she assures me was absolutely to her tastes. Hooray!

And Mary’s Bent Creek cushion. Mary is a new-ish reader and blogger, and I had a harder time figuring out what to make for her.

Although Coral’s gift has not arrived, I’m going to show it anyway. I fear it may turn out to be like her birthday gift, and simply never get there.

I don’t have any recent catching-up stitching-related pictures to share with you because I didn’t get any stitching done this weekend - I had too much fun doing other stuff! Now I’m off to catch up on all the stitching you’ve been busy with! Thanks for coming to visit!!

Please excuse the lack of links in this post. WordPress has completely changed their layout for writing new posts and I’m absolutely lost at the moment ….

from spring to winter

The day began beautifully - the morning walk with Rigby was so warm and pleasant that I was tempted to take my coat off. But the dog treats were in there, so that wouldn’t be a good idea. I did remember to take my camera (finally) and can share these tantalizing spring-weather photos with you. Gorgeous, isn’t it?

I quickly decided that we were going to the zoo, despite the continuing forecast for truly awful weather. Scrambled some eggs for the kids while eating leftover ravioli myself, fed Arden, fed and cleaned all the animals, and packed bag lunches for all of us. I tucked Arden back into bed with Niek (who is improving, but isn’t better yet) and we were underway! Rowen and Nicky were insisting they’d never been to the zoo before, but I think they were just confused because I was using the English word zoo and they are more accustomed to the Dutch word dierentuin. We arrived - to find approximately half the inhabitants of of South Holland! What a line! But it was well worth it, even though the weather had already changed from spring back to winter … brrr!! The wind found every gap in my clothing, I swear. Luckily, the zoo is designed with a lot of indoor attractions, too, although they were the most crowded. As long as it isn’t raining, I try not to complain about the weather. That’s my deal with Mother Nature since moving here.

Rather than continuing to ramble on, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. We really did have a great time.

Tomorrow is a family gathering for Niek’s father’s birthday. The kids are pretty excited and they’ve all made drawings for him. I have to admit that I’m clueless each and every year as to what to get him for a gift, and Niek’s no help. I picked him up a box of special Belgian chocolates. When in doubt, get something you yourself would like. LOL!

And to close on a high note, look at our wee man now! Is that just the cutest baby you ever did see?

PS: I cannot say how relieved I am to read your comments and see that not only am I not the only person who dislikes ironing, but also not the only person who simply does not do it! That was a guilty secret I’ve been hiding for ages!

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!

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!

a day at the zoo

Niek’s parents treated the entire family - all five of their kids, partners, and (grand) children - to a day at the Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen. What fun! It did rain, but none of us melted. Of all the animals, I most enjoyed the ‘bear forest’ - you walk through a section of forest (inside a wire sort of tunnel) with wild bears and wolves running around loose around you. Incredibly cool, seeing wolves only inches away. So cool, it didn’t even occur to me to take my camera out. The polar bears were also really interesting - they were all swimming, which was a lot more fun to watch than when they pace around some sad, concrete enclosure. But the only decent animal picture I got was of an oddly-colored lion and lioness, who were content to pose right at the edge of their enclosure. Lots of great pictures of the two-legged beasties, but I’ve tried to limit my selection. All pictures are clickable.

things look bright and I feel alright - yeah I’m heading south

The votes are in and we are out … no, it’s not another one of those brain-numbing TV so-called reality shows, it’s our Easter vacation. We hit a bit of a snag when I suddenly became incapable of making a decision - that is just so unlike me - but when pushed, Niek managed to decide on a vacation house in Limburg. (Niek hates to make decisions as much as I dislike not being able to make them.) We’ll hit the road tomorrow and you can’t make us come home till Tuesday - which happens to be Max’s ninth birthday.

Limburg is gorgeous. It has hills! There is also a system of amazing caves, a castle, Roman remains, and so much more. As almost an Dutchie will tell you, the people down South are also simply friendlier. There’s more space. A slower pace of life. And the beer is amazing! LOL. I’m pretty excited about it. Last month was just so … much. A few days away will really be a treat for all of us.

The Easter bunny knows where to find us, assuming that Mommy remembers to pack everything. And the birthday fairy will also visit Max while we are away. Can you believe my baby is turning 9 years old? Good grief, where does the time go?? He’s rapidly approaching me in height, and we are only one shoe size apart now.

I’ll take some new stitching with me - my MA project for the upcoming tutorial at Focus on Finishing - because I just finished stitching this little project (Love and Faithfulness by LHN). But we’re leaving the computer at home to avoid the temptation (knee-jerk guilt reflex) to work while we’re away. This is going to be good ol’ fashioned rest and relaxation. Hopefully I’ll manage to see Rachael, who is coming to Holland for Easter, and Annemarie, who lives nearby where we will be staying. Hopefully the kids will let us sleep till 8 or later every day. Hopefully by the time Tuesday rolls around, we’ll all really & truly feel like we’ve had a getaway and like we’re ready to return to real life.

So, till Tuesday, take care, have fun, and love each other!

(My title is stolen from an old Ray Orbison tune.)