son #2 turned 5

Yesterday son #2 had his birthday for his friends in Jobland. A great indoor playground for smaller kids. The entertainment is fun and the people do their best to take all the work out of your hands. The kids loved the place and had a great time.

This morning we went to the Zoo, OK teh weather was not great, but we had a nice walk and could see all the improvements they are doing for the new season.

After we came home, the grandparents visited us and offcourse there was cake, but since son #2 doesn´t like cakes and loves wafels, he got some wafels with candles.

And this is what I made for his class tomorrow,since he is in the Bee class, I thought I would make cake pops in the shape of bees. It turned out to be much harder than it looked, especially sine the eadible stift I bought to draw the eyes and mouth didn´t work after one bee.

i hope the kids see bees in them.

Result crochet gettogether

This is the result of the pattern I made at our crochet gettogether last week. I think little miss cupcake looks cute, doesn´t she?

crochet gettogether

Today some friends of mine got together to do some serious crocheting. Two friends are new at this and my other friend a vetran.

So I made a quiche and cake for lunch. Hubbie made some pancakes for the kids and off we were, leaving hubbie alone at home. My friend made cupcakes, so there was enough to eat.

It was a great afternoon and hopefully my friends are not giving up and trying this at home as I am typing...

When I arrived home, hubbie was making won tons... OK, they don´t look like the ones that the chinese restaurant but they tasted great.

So this is a go for more.

Conclusion, a wonderful sunny day with great food and wonderful companianship.

crochet course

Yesterday evening I took a crochet course to learn how to crochet hexagons. But it turned out to be quite easy so I finished early to go home since it was a long day. But it fun to make them and they look great.

I would like to start making a blanket or so, but I have a million UFO´s, so I have to finish first what I am cross stitching at the moment.

First day of school

Today was son #3 first day at school. He wanted to go to school for a long time, so he was very enthusiastic to go, until he was in the classroom and realised that his brothers were not there...
But I think he still had a great time as we asked if he was going to school again tomorrow and he said yes.

Yesterday evening I made this cake pops, a first attempt I admit but they looked OK I guess. The ball have to be smaller next time and smoother, but they tasted real good. I used the Martha steward recepy for the frosting. And it sure tasted nice, like professional frosting but no additives, great recepy.

Here son #1 is in his classroom presenting the cake pops. He said the kids loved them and wanted more...

So there is no better compliment.

7

son #1 turned 7 yesterday. We celebrated this joyeous occasion at home with family, and he was spoiled rotten. He wanted Lego so no he has Lego for the whole year.

Today we went bowling with some friends from school and had french fries and chicken nuggets... what more is there in a party at that age, so again wonderful gifts and happy children, so it was an afternoon wel spent.

Bees and other cake pops

I saw these bee cakepops at Bakerella. She makes these fantastic cake pops and I wanted something different for my boys to take to school. They are only allowed fruit or cakes so this is maybe a way out of the traditional cake.
I ordered supplies at de leukste taartenshop, since they have it all in this part of the world. We are not so spoiled overhere with all these lovely goodies, so this shop is a blessing for me.
I will do a try-out next week when the supplies arrive, so see if they look anything like bees, as son #2 is in the ´Bee´-class. Fo son #1 I have to figure out a theme, because he is in !st grade, they have no themes anymore.

More carnaval costumes

This is an update on the carnaval clothes that I am making. I wanted to make an R2D2 costume for son#3, but then realised that Yoda would also make a smashing costume. So I bought some green fleese fabric and made this Yoda hat for him.

So this is the result, the ears could have been smaller, but I think everybody will get what he is supposed to be, when he has the jedi robe on... What do you think?

Birthday

Yesterday DH and I celebrated our birthdays and had a small birthdayparty for some friends and family.

I was spoiled rotten as you can see with some wonderful gifts such as a cupcake stand, crochet pens, a dessert calender, CD, some wonderful mugs from pip studio (the picture only shows one, but there were 6 of them). And not in the picture a pepper and salt shaker ion red and white polka dots. Thank you everyone for the great gifts.

DH got a book of Stephen Hawkin and teh Star wars cook book, very funny I think. We also got a gift certificate to play golf on a course of our choice, that we will make a weekend out of it.

And our au pair has friend from Russia over, and they brought us these lovely gifts, a russian hat for DH and I got a matroushka doll. They are both wonderful. SO thanks everyone.

Carnaval

The boys want to dress up as jedi for carnaval, so I asked my mum today to help memake some jedi robes. I found this tutorial on the web for a jedi robe and it seemed not so difficult. So mum drew the robes on teh fabric and I cut and sewed them back together and this is the result:

Not so bad I think. I have to make them a bit shorter, but that is not so difficult. I am very pleased with the result and so and DH and the boys. So the next goal is to make a small robe and green ears for son #3.
And DH was also happy with his birthday gift from the boys which was a new star wars game for his PS2. And very proud of his own jedi´s. Shall I make him a darth vader costume so he can pick the up from school?

WIP

Since the boys and I myself aswell like Super Mario, I decided I would cross stitch a scene from the game. I found this picture on the net and I am attempting to make it into a cross stitch pattern and so far I am happy with the result. What do you think?

Happy Valentine!

Repairs

A couple of years ago, the daugther of friends of ours of ours got sick and all our friends made a friendship block which I turned into a quilt.
So last weekend this little girl visited us with her quilt to aks if I could mend it on some places where decorations came loose, so today I repaired all these little things and it looks great again. I am still surprised of the quality after it has been used so extensively. It has been washed and sterilized (in hospital) so many times and it still looks great.
Then I was very happy with the result, all our friends did a great job making their blocks and it was a great quilt filled with love and well wishes and I am happy to see that she is still using it with pride.

Presents

I got this tin with fimo goodies from my friend Evelyn. She is also into crafts ans always knows how to surprise me. Thank you Evelyn, we will make some great fimo pastery.

My au pair gave me these lovely little matroushka earrings, are these just adorable, and offcourse I got some great gifts from my parents and family. I am truly spoiled.

Birthday

Today is my birthday, 39! Who would have thought... not me, This is the age kids think you are really old...
Oh well, I don´t feel 39 or is that a bad thing? I think it has to do with a too positive self image. I always think I look great and slim until I see reality in a window or mirror :-).
As we say here in Antwerp, one more year before train 4 stops at my door. Up to 40 where life begins, as someone told me.

Cookies

We had company this weekend so I made an applepie and the kids helped making cookies. I remembered that I got a cooky cutter with text for my birthday last year, so we tried it out and this was the result. The letters are clear when we stamped them but became unclear when we baked to cookies, so I think I added too much butter.

Gogo army

This morning when I got up, this gogo army was awaiting me on the window sill. I wondered where they all went, but now I know, they are on the move and planning a hostile take-over... :-)

Robin

I made this little robin from a pattern that I bought from the Paper shed. This australian etsy store has cute bird patterns. And as we have a lot of robins in our garden, I think this is a great pattern. We gave this one to son #1´s godmother, because she had her birthday.
But son #2 also wants one for his room, so we will have a go in perfecting this little bird.

Jedi robe

Last saturday, a Star wars movies was on television, so while I had diner with my friends, DH and sons were watching Star wars. So now the boys want to dress up as one of the characters. last year they went as darth vader to carnaval. So this year we need to try something new.

I was lloking for jedi robes, and found a dutch store that sells them, but they are a bit expensive... So I found a tutorial on the net and I think I will ask my mum and a friend to help me make some robes.
For the smallest one I will try to make a R2D2 costume like this:

Netbook sleeve

I asked a netbook for my birthday which is coming up soon and I have been looking for a nice sleeve for this notebook. And I stumbled on this one at Hoobygroovy. I think it is a cute one and I like to play Mario bros. so this could be the one.

Our family is complete again

Our au-pair arrived back home yesterday after visiting her family for the holidays. She bought us this lovely ´matroushka´ chicken doll.
And look what is inside....

And if that is not cute enough...

In the eggs are little chicks. I think this is the cutest ´matroushka´ doll I have ever seen.

She also brought us a little wooden bird to bring happiness but I couldn´t take a pic, because son # 1 wanted it in his room, son #2 took the wooden comb she bought me. Lidia also brought some nice jams and some herbal spirit which they use in Russia when you are sick, so we will try it later.

And the best present of all is that the kids are very happy that she is back.

Back home

Yes, we are back from a week skiing in Austria. Ithas been a new experience for us to go on holiday during a schoolholiday. Normally we always went outside the schoolholidays, so this was the first year we had to comply with schoolholidays, and it has been an eye-opener.
I have nver seen so many kids gathering for ski-lessons and I have never had to cue so long for a gondola.

But nevertheless, it was a great holiday with snow, fun and good austrian food, such as heisse Leberkase, apfelstrudel, kaisersmarren, etc.
The kids really emjoyed their skilessons so we had to book two days extra, a first... so chapeau to the teachers at Neukirchen skischool.

As I don´t ski, I took my roddle for a spin and came down from the top at Bramberg, it is a 14 km long roddletrail, but the snow was not good, there were a lot of people on the trail, and in the shadow the trail was one big iceslope, so not very good to do with the kids. last year I took the boys there, but this year we did a smaller trail, only 5,5 km long, but since there no people on it, Nic could ski and we came down on roddle.

I know it is one of the most dangerous wintersports, but I really like it. And as you can see, so does hubby.

So now we're back home and I am doing some washing and ironing on my last free day of this holiday. Can´t wait to go agian, but that will be next year at the earliest...

Happy New Year

Whishing you and your families a Happy, Healthy and Safe 2011!

Christmas day

Yesterday we had christmas diner with my side of the family and today we are with my in-laws, who live near the sea, so we went for a quick walk in the dunes and did some sleding.
So did grandpa...
And now we are ready for christmas diner #2.