WHEW! What a busy days..!!

I wasn't able to get online after my short message the morning of my birthday.
It just that, it has been very busy on my birthday. Lots of family and friends drop by. The last visitors went home at around three in the morning. Seems everyone enjoys chatting and all!! After they left, we had washed and cleaned up a bit. Around 4AM when we finally went to bed. Still a few gifts that i didn't opened but it were mostly gift coupon. Absolutely no stash!! I mean from family and friends, but did received some from the yahoo exchanges group!! The next morning get up at 10 AM and packed, really rushing to catch the ferry at 12 that afternoon. We went to one of our friends at the mainland and spent x'mas with them. She's very good at cooking!!! Really prepared lots for dinner. The first starter was with shrimps, followed by mushroom ragout and then the 'turkey' with cranberry sauce..wow that was delicious. She has prepared three different desserts too, the first was creme caramel, stewed peer with ice cream and then 'Tiramiso'(can't find the word in english at the moment) but that last one we didn't taste it anymore we really had enough.Too much actually!! I am pretty tired from prvious days so i went in before midnight.
We got up at 9, freshen up and had breakfast. The children likes staying there too and doesn't want to leave but we are expected at my sister-in-law's place at around 12PM with the rest of Kees family. We nearly missed the ferry as they are a bit difficult and doesn't want to cooperate. We are on time and not the last one to arrive. Actually kees have a small family so it wasn't that busy.
After a couple of hours Grace has to leave for the church to prepare for the x'mas activity/play and we followed after half an hour to watch their play.

Finally comes home at around 4PM, took out the bagage and tidied up a bit, after an hour i left for work and now just came home. WHEW! What a busy days.

Now i am off to try and catch up on a few message board...

Happy Birthday.....!

....to me!!!! now i am nearly 40! Gosh!! i am 36 today!! No visitors yet, but they'll be here soon. I think it will be a very long day.

Still no stitching pics to show..

Still no stitching pictures to show. I haven't stitched the last days, instead i've been busy with this site

Hardanger link page

it is now finally approved! Kees had helped me a lot with it. Now that it's work still have more works and loads of time to keep it updated.
Any ideas or tips for this hardanger page is very much welcome.

Also busy preparing for my birthday on saturday(24th), and today for the children for their christmas dinner which they've really enjoyed. Tomorrow morning will be the last day for school and then they are home for two weeks.

Oh my...such an amazing surprise today!!

I am speechless when i opened an envelope/parcel that came in today from'sewandso'. It is from my SS from ILCS yahoo group. Leandre, what can i say...this is really a great great surprise, honestly i am in tears looking at all the things you have ordered for me. Thank you very very much!!! You've been so great!

The picture isn't so clear i think so i better name the things, 11 pieces of different Anchor perle 12, 2 kits of Victoria Sampler, Zweigart hardanger fabric, a chart of bookmark mania 8, a chart of waxing moon designs, John James needles.

The last finishes for a while!!

One of the completed rr that returned a while back and just finished it into a cushion.


I do love this LK pattern i stitched it again and used sampler threads, this one is for me....!!!



another two small ornaments, probably the last ones for a while, i need to work on a few rr's and other exchanges.

This weekend will be a very busy one for us, saturday is mainly for the children especially Grace for her swimming club and late afternoon they have to perform the first christmas play for the elderly here in the village. We, parents are not allowed.. we have to wait till the 26th when they will perform at the church.

The next day sunday, friends are coming over from the mainland.. a week before my birthday as they can't come the 24th.

cards, packages and a small cushion

It was a nice surprise when i came home late last night to find a lot of envelopes waiting for me. I didn't opened them yet...just took a pic of it this afternoon. The next pic is all the envelopes that has arrived so far, these are mixed, x'mas cards and b-day cards. The small cushion, i stitched it within two days and asked my friend to sew it for me yesterday. I am not really satisfied with the colour of the fabric but that is only what i have and i needed this one to be finish, it is now on the way to the U.K today to one of my penfriend.
Now i am off to catch up on writing back to a few penpals...i am really behind with this.

Christmas Tree is up!!!

Finally put up the christmas tree yesterday afternoon. It took us longer than we had expected, thought we still have the lights from previous years but i can't find it, so we went to town to buy one, came back home to put it around it wasn't the right one for this big tree so DH went back to exchange it. Now, is quite done with some of the ornaments i just completed recently and one received from an exchange, oh a few were from last year.
Next will be the christmas cards, i still don't know how or where to put them as i want to display my birthday cards which i have receive lots already. I had started opening a few this afternoon, i think i am not going to wait till my birthday on the 24th(Dec.), i won't have time then for opening them as we expect family and friends dropping by. And the next day we are going to spend x'mas at the mainland to one of our friends place.
Today, we have the two children of Kees sister, there parents went to see 'Mama Mia'
which was at the mainland. After lunch, we took them for a walk at the small forest here, wow! it was cold! But was good to be out for a couple of hours.

Biscornu

Just a quick note to show the biscornu i received from one of the yahoo dutch group exchange i am in. It's beautiful and i am really happy with it. This was 'sinterklaas exchange', and we have to guest who has made/sent the gift. My first guest was a good one but the one who rec. from me had tried a few times. Made a bookmark for her.

Celebrate 'Sinterklaas'

Sinterklaas day is tomorrow the 5th, we celebrate it late this afternoon as i have to work tomorrow till late. We had first an early dinner (gourmet), just the four of us. We have it in the kitchen which is quite a small area and because it smells we closed the doors, just the small window opened. Whew!!What a smoke!! But the food was great and children had enjoyed it. After that they both help with drying the dishes, i think they are pretty excited to start with the gifts so they wanted to finished off quickly in the kitchen. While me and the kids busy, dh went and placed the boxes full of gifts at the hall. When we are done in the kitchen we asked the kids to sing'sinterklaas liedjes'. Dh silently went out from the back door and went to knock at the front door, we had to play this as the youngest still doesn't know the truth about sinterklaas. When he heard the knock, he ran to the front door, and found the boxes of gifts.
He's so excited he can't wait to opened all his but we took turns. It was fun! Everybody love all their gifts. I am really pampered though by dh, nothing crafts but other things, but most is the set of earings with the necklace. Actually, he spend too much for me! A very expensive parfume (poison), a night dress, a book, and more other stuff. I am so grateful to have a very dh. i just feel a bit ashamed of what i had given him is not much.

Total of 4 ornaments

I am so excited, i just finished three more of these cute ornaments.
I am keeping these, being my first..but will surely try a few others later. I need to stitch a few x'mas cards for exchange on yahoo and b-day cards.
Received some envelopes recently, and just put it all in a box as i think it's all for my birthday on the 24th of Dec. It is getting difficult though...