Geraldine

Hello all, I hope you are all doing fine !! Here all is well - again - I have to say, as I have been ill the whole last week. Not too bad, I have worked from home, but I was really tired in the evening anyway, and I did work in a slower way than usually. But now it's getting all better. I hope illness is far away from you all !!

I have today a layout for you with a picture from my niece when she was about 4 years old. She was an adorable little girl with blond curly hair. Today she's 31 in the meantime ;-))

I wanted to make a playfull layout, in the colours of her dress. It's not totally my normal style but I kind of like it anyway.

Have a nice week ! And for those who celebrate it, have a nice Valentine's day tomorrow. And if you are not celebrating it, you get a big hug from me anyway !!

In dreams

Hi guys, are you doing well?

Well, I'm in London for the moment. Normally I'm here about 2 days a month, but since I will soon start to work on a temporarily project in Germany, it will now take about 6 months before I will be here next time.

So today and tomorrow after work, it's time to buy a big stock of stuff that I like ... elderberry tea from Marks & Spencer, cheese with ginger and with cranberry, cookies, a number of the Jamie Oliver magazine, etc etc etc ...

And tomorrow night, when sleeping in the neighborhood of Covent Garden, I will treat myself to a night of shopping, knowing that I will spent some hours in those superbig bookshops that they are having in that neighborhood. I'm already looking forward to it ...

Underneath I have a scrapbooking page with again a picture from my mum in her younger days. Her hair was really a piece of art !!

The new barbershop in town

And so time goes by ... Not too much new to tell for the moment, but I can say that finally today my kitchen is finished after the water problems I had in the kitchen now more than 2 months ago. So this evening I will start to reorganize in the kitchen and put all stuff back at it's place. Joehoe, I'm so happy !!!

So I hope when this is done, that I will also have some time to make some space in my scrapbooking room and then I can start to do some more scrapbooking. It has been itching really hard to do so, but there are always a lot of other things I need to do first unfortunately. But now so, hopefully soon !!!

In the meantime I have for you a scrapbooking page that I made a while ago, from my mother in the new hairdressers shop of my father, when they were both still very young.

Enjoy a nice week !

A day at the seaside

How strange ... after almost 6 weeks, I have put foot on Swedish ground again ;-))

And I'm being spoiled. No foreign trips, so I have the real luxery of being 3 complete nights at home !! That doesn't happen too often.

On Tuesday they come over to my house to do the last part of the reparation of my kitchen. At least, I hope it's the last part, and I really cross my fingers that I will be able to use my kitchen on Tuesday night.

The layout here under I made a while ago, and you see my mother, father and a friend of them, when all of them were at the age of around 22 years young. Old pictures thus, but I do love them sooooooooo much ...

Storm here in Belgium

Goodmorning from a stormy Belgium !!! You really need to hang on thight or the wind will blow you away ;-))

Today it's the day that the discount bargains started in town, so this morning I did some shopping. Ready in an hour as I looked already what I needed last week, so this morning I just needed to go to the shop and get it. I don't like big crowds, so that's my way to avoid it !!

This afternoon, I will go to a shop where they are having the most fantastic needlecrafts work. Also over there they are having bargains because they are going to move their store. I hope I can find some cute stuff over there. And I'm happy that they will move their shop as we always have to make it a special trip now, whilst they are now moving to the "big" town where I live.

Last summer the sister-in-law from my best friend was getting married, and therefor my best friend asked me if I could make a card. Normally I don't like making things for other people as I have already enough cards and scrapbooking to make for myself, but of course, my best friend I wanted to do a favour. Since I have known here already 22 years, it was easy to make something that I knew would please here.

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 !!