Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

This morning we drove to Rijnsburg to celebrate in the New Year with friends of ours in Holland.
This was the view this afternoon, quite foggy, so I wonder if we are going to see the fireworks, but OK. As you look closely you can see three persons skating over the canals.

Just a couple of minutes ago, DH and DS#1 and DS#2 went out to buy fireworks, as you can see, they are deliated even with the kids stuff. The bigger stuff will be for tonight and they they will have to wear safety glasses.

This will be my last entry in 2008. I am wishing you all a happy New Year and a wonderful and crafty 2009. Be safe tonight so that we can all start 2009 healthy and with all our fingers and eyes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Visit to the zoo

A late entree about our visit to the zoo. On Monday we visited the Antwerp Zoo. They have a pregnant elephant that is due any day now, so we visited her and entered the contest for naming the baby. If it is a boy, we want Kamille and if it is a girl Kaatje. As you can guess the name has to start with a K.

I hope the check the ice of the tiger and lion cage every couple of hours because when it freezes the can easily jump onto land...

It was so freezing cold that we only had a quick visit and then went out to have lunch.

And to finish the visit, my guys gave me this great Kodak moment.

99 things

Nabbed from here.

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo's david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant - not in a restaurant, but I bought a bread
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted - not painted but drawn
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen - not a soup kitchen, but a meal serving
61. sold girl scout cookies.
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible - I am busy reading it
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating - does seen it killed and then prepared it myself also?
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person.
96. swum in the great salt lake.
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee

I am amazed how many bold items I have...

Best Wishes

If you want to see our christmas wishes, please click the 'play'button.

Merry Christmas

We are wishing you a wonderful Christmas from Antwerp. (this is a picture of the Grote Markt in Antwerp). Hope you and your families are well and spending these holidays together.

Christmas preparations

Friday was the last day of school this year and the boys wanted to dress up. Since they are going to an uniform school, dressing up is what you see on the picture above. They both looked cute, they had a great time. And now they are on holiday.
Normally I also would have these two weeks off, but because it is soooo busy at work, I was asked to come in on Monday, so I will visit two more clients and then my holiday starts.

Peter made this christmas tea lite, which looks great and we will lite it on christmas night. I am very proud of him, in those two months that he is going to school, he is doing very well, except for the potty training. For some reason he still is to late telling his teacher that he has to go to the toilet. Are there any mums that have tips?

My mum made us this wonderful christmas table decoration. She also made us a wreath for the frontdoor. She is so great with flowers and plants.
My dad on the other hand is fantastic with glass and he made this father christmas glass decoration. It is a lamp, so at night we turn it on.

Myself... I haven´t been that creative, it has been so busy at work, that I came home late a couple of nights and the other night I am too tired to do anything... so, nothing to show from me.

crocheted toys

Just wanted to show you what I have been up to. There haven´t been any pictures the latest two pots, so here it goes:
This little space bunny is my latest project. I think she is very cute, wasn´t sure of her head, but she is a spece bunny, so it looks good.

This little shroom was made for a swap at swap-bot. I got a rating so he must have arrived at his destination, so it safe to post a picture of him. I made him about a month ago. I think he turned out cute, don´t you.

Christmas meme

I got this letter in my mail box:

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy (not forward) this entire email, and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you......Tis' the Season to be NICE!

I will be honest, I have a very busy week with work, I just arrived home, so I will let you know my prefernces, but I just cannot send this mail to differnt friends. But since I don´t want to be a spoil, here it goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
wrapping paper in bright colors.

2. Real tree or Artificial tree?
Real, no fakes for me, our largest tree (indoor) was 6 meters and I just didn´t fit in teh living room, we had to cut one meter off. Imaging our guests faces when they entered our living room...

3. When do you put up the tree?
Immediately after Sinterklaas (7th)

4. When do you take the tree down?
After 'Driekoningen´ (6th of January)

5. Do you like eggnog?
I don´t like it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Playmobil farm set that you had to color yourself. My parents still have them and my kids play with them.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Parents and parents in law

8. Easiest person to buy for?
my kids - actually anyone's little kids - girls are easiest!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
yep! my eldest got it from my parents in law. I am thinking of buying the playmobil set.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail - I am trying to get a picture reading in time???

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
household appliances...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
The Muppets Christmas Carol

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
last minute , I will have to start next weekend.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
yep!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Big christmas diners

16. Lights on the tree?
oh yes lots of them - white

17. Favorite Christmas songs?
Driving home for Christmas -Chris Rea

18!. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
stay home!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
nope - i'm Belgian, I only know a couple!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
neither! A natural top

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas eve.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
toy adverts on tv "i want that . . . i want that"
no you dont!!!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
red, all our ornaments are red.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
traditional turkey - roast potatoes -stuffing

25. What do you want for Christmas?
I have a wish list on my blog... and a happy family at my home for christmas eve.

Well, I hope this gives you a little inside in our christmas.

Hospital

Peter and I are just back from a visit to the ER. Earlier this evening Peter complaint of pain in his arm and he didn´t use the arm, so I was worried. I called DH to ask what time he would be home and once he could watch Nic and Ruben, I took Peter to the nearest hospital, he fell asleep in the waiting room.
It turned out to be a dislocated elbow... how this happened? Anyway, they relocated the elbow without him awakening... Peter even slept through the X-rays. So everything turned out OK and he didn´t even need any pain medication, he is a real trooper.

Sinterklaas

This is how Peter came back home on Friday. He made a Sinterklaas hat and was very proud of it, so we had to take it with us to Holland.
My PIL had planned a whole 'thing'around Sinterklaas, my FIL knocked on the door and threw candy through the letterbox, so the kids were convinced that 'Zwarte Piet'was in teh neighbourhood.
When they walk to the back door, this is what they found, lots of presents...

The boys both got a big box but inside was only two cookies. On the outside there was a poem that said that they had to search the house for the presents, so the hunt began...
They ran screaming through the house looking for clous (not sure I spell this correctly). But finally there were the presents hidden in a broom closet.

Then it took opa and aunt Marijke two hours to put the playmobil pyramid together... but then the playing started. Nic with his Egyptian playmobil and Peter got all sort of police vehicles from Playmobil.

I got a nice book about decorating children´s rooms and a new rotary cutter, mine was broken.

Yesterday we went skating with some friends of ours. They had the greatest thing to learn how to skate, a pinguin as you can see on the pic.

Afterwards, everybody was tired and we went home, the kids were watched by my PIL and we went to dinner at some friends, who made us a delicious home cooked diner.

How hard is a child´s head?

This morning DH was tying his shoes and son #1 crawled on his back. This seamed like a fun game to son #2 and he tried to climb on his brother´s back, but the lost their balance and both slammed into our coffee table with their heads. The result can be seen here:


As you can see, they were impressed but more about the broken glass than their hurting their heads. After a short outburst of crying, a DH that called me in panic and lots of icepacks, all was forgotten. Especially since Sinterklaas came to their school this morning.
What shall I say: boys will be boys?

Unbelievable

OK, what is the chance that a parcel comes back a second time? This package (for the cupcake swap) was sent a second time last week. And guess what the postman brought back today???

This is unbelievable, I checked the address with Sara and sent it again and still it came back. Sorry Sara, will try again on friday when I have time to go to the postoffice.