Happy birthday to myself and celebrating my best friend's new home

Today is my birthday and tonight I will go to my best friend who will cook for me, my parents and my friend.

But we are at that moment not only celebrating my birthday but will also be celebrating the fact that my best friend is living in a new house. Somewhat more than a year ago, she bought the house and did lots of changes on it, so by now it is representable (but not finished as that always is the case with renovations ;-)) My parents and friend have not seen the house yet in its new state, so I guess that they are pretty curious.

I made her this little card here under, a "welcome-in-your-new-home-card", that she will later on be able to use as a bookmark. Oh, and yes, good news, I finally changed the scanning program on my mother's computer, so now I can show you good pictures again ...

And of course here moving into a new house also asked for some presents. I made her this "painting" to hang on little cards and other notes. To be honoust, I was so happy with the result that I almost want to keep it for myself !!!

Here under you also see a close-up of the "painting". She has a country style in her new home so I think that this will fit well in her house.

The second present I made for her, was this doorstop, also in the same style ...

And also a close-up of this one ...

I hope that most of you also still are having some days off, so enjoy some nice holidays !!

Moelleux

Tonight I amused myself with some quick scrapbooking. I made another page in my cookery book, this time of one of my favorite desserts, being moelleux or a soft chocolate pudding !!! Mmmm, I adore it !!! Just a pity I don't have one right now ;-((

Ready next year ???

A long time again since I dropped in to write something !!! I'm now having holidays, and still as much to do as when I'm working !!! Where is that time going by !!!

A couple of times per week however, I try to spend some hours cross stitching in the evening, as this really relaxes me a lot. About 2 years ago, I started to work on this X-mas work and yesterday, I finished a big part.

I have now started the smaller part underneath the work and then still have to do a bigger part on top, before it will be ready. I'm always an optimist, so I hope to have it ready by next X-mas ;-))

And then I have 2 more of those X-mas cross stitching sceneries left !!!! Wish me luck !!

Mother's retirement and fathers day

So, right now at this moment, it was the last working day of my mother. Such a very strange feeling !! But she went into the city now with some colleagues, or should I say ex-colleagues to go and eat something and celebrate.

Friday afternoon, there will be a celebration at her work also, with all people from her division at work, and I'm also invited, although I will also be there as the photographer. I'm happy that I can hide behind my camera, because I think it will be difficult for me to keep my eyes "water-free" when they will start to speech ...

Friday evening, my mum and dad and I will then go and eat something together, and then we will hand over her card and present.

And on Saturday I have planned a surprise diner for some people at home without my mum knowing about it.

So you see, a lot of celebrating this weekend for us !!! Perhaps I post some pictures later on also ...

In the meantime, hereunder the fatherdays card that I made some months ago in June, when we celibrated fathersday. It cannot always be the mothers we are celebrating of course ;-))

Retirement card for my mum

My mum has to work 2 more days, this week, and then she will be retired !! So therefor of course, I needed to make a card for her.

Totally different colours from what I normally use and what I had in mind, but I thought the Duck picture fitted so well for a retirement card, that I based myself on those colours. And in the end, I'm quit happy from the result.

Inside I have made it simple, with just a tag with information for mum that she will receive money to buy a new television. And the money I will also put inside the card. I hope that she will be happy, both with the card, and the new television !!

Strange that my mum will retire now, time goes so fast !!

My mum surprised me !!!

It is now a year of 4-5 that I'm busy scrapbooking, and I know that my mum was always my biggest fan, when she watched me busy scrapbooking and looking very attentively when layouts were finished. I know she, just like me, likes all kind of handycrafts a lot.

And about a year ago, she surprised me with the 2 layouts here under. Without telling me, she also started to do some scrapbooking. In the meantime she has made many already, but these were the 2 first once coming from her hand.

She is now scrapbooking her old pictures, and I really like it, because on many of them, I see people that I don't know, or she has stories to tell that I have never heard before, and this way, I feel she is slowely making a real heritage for me. Thanks mum ;-))

Peppers pie

I have hundreds of cookbooks, and I'm always hunting for new recipes in magazines or whereever I can lay my hand on them.

Of course, all those loose pieces of paper, I want to save somewhere, so that was the start of my scrapbooking cookbook.

Everytime I make a recipy that is worth eating again, I make a scrapbooking page of it, and so my scrapbooking cookbook gets thicker and thicker.

This is a peppers pie that I had been eating for lunch, and the recipy deserved to join in my cookbook ;-))

Cookouts

Everytime I'm in London and I have some time, I try to find some new vegetarian cookbooks, or preferably even vegan cookbooks, as they are very often difficult to find in Belgium.

Last week I had some time to walk around in Windsor, where I also have my favorit little bookshop. Normally they don't have so many vegetarian books on the shelves but it looked like they made a real investment now, and I could find 2 complete shelves of those books their this time.

And of course I could not leave the shop empty-handed. So this is what I bought this time : Cookouts, veggie style !!

In the many years being vegetarian, I have of course already gathered many vegetarian BBQ recipes, but this book really attracted for the many not so known and a bit different recipes.

I know, we are heading towards wintertime now, and probably the book will not be used so often the next coming months, but I'm sure he will come in handy when May is coming again ...

Breakfast at Tiffany's ... euhhhh ... London

I'm in London today, and I always find it a delight to eat a real English (vegetarian ;-)) breakfast.

Look what I had on my plate half an hour ago ... doesn't it look really good?

At least it will keep me going for a big part of the day ... Good that I don't eat this every day ;-))

Fotoshoot

Good evening all,

I hope you are all feeling well. Are you also still having so lovely weather for this period of time? I have been in Belgium, Germany and now in London, and everywhere it is springtime instead of temperatures under 0 degrees Celcius ;-))

Having worked a lot this week, I'm now having a lazy evening, and I'm just watching some tv in my hotel, and play a little with my laptop ... Last working day tomorrow, and then off on a nice weekend !

Here under a layout with pictures from my mum when she was just a young girl ... Really 60's pictures, aren't they so nice? Enjoy it, and in the meantime, I also want to wish you a nice weekend !