Happy New Year!!!! and a new blog started!!!!!

I started a new blog for the Shores of Hawk Run Hollow lovers. Look at the left for the link and feel free to participate.

For all my Blogger Friends!




I wish you all a lucky, healthy and good 2010 with a lot of cross stitch finishes!!!!

And now I have to post some last pictures for 2009.

Some of you already know that my youngest Dorine is sick for almost 3 weeks now. She's recovering from a pneumonia and right now the medicine are doing good work. She's eating again and not throwing up anymore. That's why I was going to my office in the evenings. Because my works keeps me very busy the last month.

When she was getting sick already, she and her sister had a Christmas diner at school:
Cheese Croissants for Dorine's class.

A special salad for Emma's class.

Just a couple of days before Christmas it went snowing and snowing and snowing:

Lots of fun for Emma making a snowman. Dorine just a little bit ofcourse; here she was already throwing up, but she wanted to go outside for a short time.

Look how much; not normal for Holland.

Troubles opening and closing the backdoor.

This my DH's motorcycle, but he was wise enough to take his own car to work. Last year he didn't have a car, so I had to push him to the road, sitting on the motor. Can you believe it?

And a least but not least, my progress on The Shores of Hawk Run Hollow:

Block six and seven almost done. I'm going to finish this today.

And a little sneak peak...

I hope to start on Januari 1st with my first Christmas ornament. I'm planning to do these one per month. So I must have twelve pieces at the end of 2010.

This is my last post for 2009, so... till next year... lots of love and hugs!

And the winner is....

Wow, it's one year ago! Let's celebrate!

So according to List Randomizer the happy winner is....

Grandma Yellow Hair (Maggie)!!!!!

And this was her comment:
Just found you tonight and joined you as a follower before I found your giveaway. Does that count. lol
Happy Anniversary!
Maggie

Yes, Maggie! That counts!
Please email me your complete address (look at my profile) so I can sent you your winning present!

Santa Claus is almost coming to town!

Brrr.... it's really cold outside. Seven degrees below zero at night and one degree below zero at noon. That's why I could take this picture today.

The kids were both sick since last Friday, I couldn't go to work today. So I take the time to set up our Christmastree.


Sorry, no ornaments this year, but I'm going to change that for next year. I will follow the monthly club 3 "christmasornaments" from De Handwerkboetiek. I have to stitch one ornament per month. So I must end with twelve at the end of 2010.

Did you see Santa at the back? Look closer...

We all hope, that he brings lots of presents this year! lol

And ofcourse a progress picture. "Sailing home..."

And a little sneak peake of the sea from the shores.


Next Thursday the kids will have the annual Christmasdiner at school, so I have to spend some time in the kitchen that day. I going to make a lot of chees-croissants for Dorine's class and a special salad for Emma's class. I will take some pictures to show you later this week.

Lots of hugs and love, till next time...

The Story of Sinterklaas!

Especially for the non-dutch bloggers, here's the story about the Dutch Sinterklaas, founded on the net:

Please only read this when your are interested!

The Feast of Sinterklaas, or St. Nicholas, is an annual event which has been uniquely Dutch and Flemish for centuries. St. Nicholas' Feast Day, December 6th, is observed in most Roman Catholic countries primarily as a feast for small children. But it is only in the Low Countries - especially in the Netherlands - that the eve of his feast day (December 5th) is celebrated nationwide by young and old, christian and non-christian, and without any religious overtones.
Although Sinterklaas is always portrayed in the vestments of the bishop he once was, his status as a canonized saint has had little to do with the way the Dutch think of him. Rather, he is a kind of benevolent old man, whose feast day is observed by exchanging gifts and making good-natured fun of each other. It so happens that the legend of St. Nicholas is based on historical fact. He did actually exist. He lived from 271 A.D. to December 6th, 342 or 343. His 4th century tomb in the town of Myra, near the city of Anatolia in present-day Turkey, has even been dug up by archaeologists.

This is his story:
Born of a wealthy family, Nicholas was brought up as a devout Christian. When his parents died of an epidemic, he distributed his wealth among the poor and became a priest.
Later he became Archbishop of Myra, and it is from here that the fame of his good deeds began to spread across the Mediterranean. Desperate sailors who called upon the Good Bishop to calm stormy seas were heard; prison walls crumbled when victims of persecution prayed to him. He saved young children from the butcher's knife and dropped dowries into the shoes of penniless maidens. Over time, St. Nicholas became the patron saint of sailors and merchants, and especially of children. After his death, the cult of St. Nicholas spread rapidly via southern Italy throughout the rest of the Mediterranean and eventually to coastal towns along the Atlantic and the North Sea. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Holland built no fewer than 23 churches dedicated to St. Nicholas, many of which are still standing. Amsterdam adopted St. Nicholas as its patron saint, and Rome decreed that December 6th, the anniversary of his death, should be his official Feast Day.
St. Nicholas' strong influence in the Low Countries - an area heavily engaged in trade and navigation - was primarily due to his role as patron of sailors and merchants.
However, his fame as protector of children soon took precedence.
In the 14th century, choir boys of St. Nicholas churches were given some money and the day off on December 6th.
Somewhat later, the pupils of convent schools would be rewarded or punished by a monk dressed up as the Good Bishop, with his long white beard, his red mantle and mitre (bishop's hat) and his golden crosier (bishop's staff) - just as he is still presented today.

All Dutch children know that Sinterklaas (the name is a corruption of Sint Nikolaas) lives in Spain. Exactly why he does remains a mystery, but that is what all the old songs and nursery rhymes say. Whatever the case may be, in Spain he spends most of the year recording the behaviour of all children in a big red book, while his helper Black Peter stocks up on presents for next December 5th. In the first weeks of November, Sinterklaas gets on his white horse, Peter ("Piet") swings a huge sack full of gifts over his shoulder, and the three of them board a steamship headed for the Netherlands. Around mid-November they arrive in a harbour town - a different one every year - where they are formally greeted by the Mayor and a delegation of citizens. Their parade through town is watched live on television by the whole country and marks the beginning of the "Sinterklaas season".

The old bishop and his helpmate are suddenly everywhere at once. At night they ride across Holland's' rooftops and Sinterklaas listens through the chimneys to check on the children's behaviour. Piet jumps down the chimney flues and makes sure that the carrot or hay the children have left for the horse in their shoes by the fireplace is exchanged for a small gift or some candy. During the day, Sinterklaas and Piet are even busier, visiting schools, hospitals, department stores, restaurants, offices and many private homes. Piet rings doorbells, scatters sweets through the slightly opened doors and leaves basketfuls of presents by the front door. How do they manage to be all over the Netherlands at once?

This is thanks to the so-called "hulp-Sinterklazen", or Sinterklaas helpers, who dress up like the bishop and Black Peter and help them perform their duties. Children who become wise to these simultaneous "Sint-sightings" are told that since Sinterklaas cannot indeed be in two places at once, he gets a little help from his uncanonized friends.

The Dutch are busy too - shopping for, and more importantly, making presents. Tradition demands that all packages be camouflaged in some imaginative way, and that every gift be accompanied by a fitting poem. This is the essence of Sinterklaas: lots of fun on a day when people are not only allowed, but expected, to make fun of each other in a friendly way. Children, parents, teachers, employers and employees, friends and co-workers tease each other and make fun of each others' habits and mannerisms.
Another part of the fun is how presents are hidden or disguised. Recipients often have to go on a treasure hunt all over the house, aided by hints, to look for them. They must be prepared to dig their gifts out of the potato bin, to find them in a jello pudding, in a glove filled with wet sand, in some crazy dummy or doll. Working hard for your presents and working even harder to think up other peoples' presents and get them ready is what the fun is all about.

The original poem accompanying each present is another old custom and a particularly challenging one. Here the author has a field day with his subject (the recipient of the gift). Foibles, love interests, embarrassing incidents, funny habits and well-kept secrets are all fair game. The recipient, who is the butt of the joke, has to open his/her package in public and read the poem aloud amid general hilarity. The real giver is supposed to remain anonymous because all presents technically come from Sinterklaas, and recipients say out loud "Thank you, Sinterklaas!", even if they no longer believe in him.

Towards December 5th, St. Nicholas poems pop up everywhere in the Netherlands: in the press, in school, at work and in both Houses of Parliament.
On the day of the 5th, most places of business close a bit earlier than normal. The Dutch head home to a table laden with the same traditional sweets and baked goods eaten for St. Nicholas as shown in the 17th-century paintings of the Old Masters. Large chocolate letters - the first initial of each person present - serve as place settings. They share the table along with large gingerbread men and women known as "lovers". A basket filled with mysterious packages stands close by and scissors are at hand. Early in the evening sweets are eaten while those gathered take turns unwrapping their gifts and reading their poems out loud so that everyone can enjoy the impact of the surprise. The emphasis is on originality and personal effort rather than the commercial value of the gift, which is one reason why Sinterklaas is such a delightful event for young and old alike.

And yes, we ate our chocolate letters too!

The next post will be about stitching again, till next time....
Lots of hugs and love.

Sint Nikolaas and a progress picture!

On December 5th in Holland all the kids celebrate Sint Nikolaas. And he was early this year. Not in the evening like last year, but we came back from our weekly groceries and our living room was filled with two big bags full of presents. And ofcourse a lot of candy spreaded over the floor!
Please don't look at all the stuff around them. I haven't had the chance to clean the room.

And if you like, your can click on pictures to enlarge.




And yesterday he had already visit the school:


Lots of happy kids, but unfortunately it was raining very hard:


Emma waiting with her classmates.


Dorine with two schoolfriends telling Sint Nikolaas a poem about "zwarte piet".

And a last picture of Dorine. Later she asked: "Mam, why were your taking so much pictures of me?"

Sorry sweetie, I will stop. For now!

And at least but not least a progress picture of the Shores:

As you will noticed, I have done a lot of stitching. Quiting smoking is very hard sometimes during the progress. The Shores will keep at least my hands busy.

Thank you for stopping by and for your comments. I always appreciate them very much. Till next time... lots of hugs and love!

My first bloganniversary GIVE A WAY!

On December 21th, I will celebrate my first bloganniversary. And because it's in December I have the following two new charts for my give-a-way.



On the left: Mystic Stitch - Santa Claus from Jo Moulton. (stitches 90 x 200)
On the right: Mystic Stitch - Snowman from Jo Moulton. (stitches 80 x 200)

If you'd like a chance to win this give a way please leave me a comment on this post only. And because it's almost Christmas, please read below if you want more chances to win!

If you leave me a comment on this post your name will be entered into the List Randomizer one time.
If you leave a link on your blog back to my giveaway your name will be entered three times.
If you are a follower your name will be entered five times for a chance to win.

Please let me know in your comment if you have done any of the above.

Anyone may enter this giveaway and I will leave this giveaway open until December 20th and will announce a winner on the 21th (on my bloganniversary).

Good luck and till next time....

She did it and a finish/start again!

Yeah, our youngest daughter got her 2nd swimmingcertificate yesterday, and I think you must know how we feel: very proud! And because she is only six years old; she doing it very quickly.

Just ready and still not smiling.


"Sinterklaas" gave it to her (finally a very little smile):

Click to enlarge for a better view.

And today I finished the buttons on SamSarah - Baubles July! So this is number seven out of twelve. Still five to go before December 31.


Also I made a new start a couple of days ago. You probably think: again? Yes, but this one has a special reason. Maybe you noticed the ticker on the left? I quited smoking six days ago, and therefore I allowed myself to start on The Shores of Hawk Run Hollow from Carriage House Samplings. This piece will always reminds me to quit smoking and what a difference it makes for me. Ofcourse I had/have some(more) bad days, but the good days will keep me going through this.
Finally after 25 years and several moves to quit, can I hold on?
And for the against smokers amoung us: I never smoked around my kids, always outside or far away from them! My kids are very proud and happy for me, that I have the strength to do this.

So here's a little new progress picture:


Thank you for stopping by and your lovely comments earlier. Till next time...
Lots of hugs and love.

How should I finish these?

There are different kind of ways to finish the monthly SamSarah's. I really don't know yet what I will do with them.

That's why I put a little poll on the left; scroll down a little bit.

I surely want to hear your ideas. Are there not the right answers, please left me a comment.

Thank you!

Thanks for visiting my blog and your comments, till next time...

Lots of finishes and progress-pictures!

Hi, you all! Pff, time flies.... it's been a long time, but I made lots of progress and some finishes. I've finished two PIF's and I decided that I will mail them out all at the same time. I can't make a choice who's first, second ... so that's what I will do then. It gives me more time to search for goodies en stuff for my PIF-members. Ofcourse I can't show any pictures before mailing them out.

For all the next pictures: if you want click to enlarge for a better look!

The first finish is from SamSarah - May: (flowers and bees :) Finished last Sunday.

The second finish is from SamSarah also - June: (strawberries ofcourse) Also finished last Sunday

And a close-up: (I really hate doing french knots)

And the first progress picture is from Mary Margaret - Carriage House Samplings:

I've finished the tree; now I have to fill it up.

And an other progress/start: I've made a little start on this one.

And this is how he will become when finished. Spooky!!!!!!!!!!


And this is my latest WIP. Almost done already... SamSarah July.

Can anyone please tell me: what are these "things"?

Next weekend will be busy for us also. Our youngest, Dorine, will try to swim for her second swimmingcertificate on Saterday. Keep your fingers crossed!

Thank you for looking and your comments. I appriciate them very much. I hope I will be able to post my next message a lot sooner next time!

I'm feeling very lucky!

The most of you know that I now have change my home office in a real working office.
This is the front side:

And this is "my door" to my workroom:


And why am I so lucky, you must think?
My neighbour have a store in.... beads and stuff. They also have a website: Mooiste Kralen. I was visiting him this morning and I was feeling like a child in a toysstore. It's feels the same, when I visit a store in cross stitch stuff. Do you know the feeling?

And a last picture I want to show you. My father had a good day last week and he wants to try my brother's motor! Only sitting though, that's safe:


No pictures yet from my WIP's and other projects to share. I'm working hard on projects for my PIF-member right now. Maybe at the end of the week; I'm trying to choose which projects I'm gonna start: something for Halloween or working on a WIP.

So till next time, lots of hugs and love!

A birthday present and a new stitching beauty!

Look what the postman brought me last week:

Patti sent me this lovely birthday gift. Isn't she sweet, this little lady? She will have a special place in my living room. Patti, again thank you so much best friend!

An other package was sent to me last week, and that's what I ordered from Traditional Stitches:

I've ordered the complete kit: 30-count purple linen, dmc floss and ofcourse the Spooky Tin along with the finishing kit. (click on picture to enlarge if you want)
It's was a very crazy week for me. I went to the doctors and he did an ECG for checking my heart. That was oke! Then he sent me to the hospital to have a mammography. That was oke too, at least no breastcancer. Why, you ask. Because I have terrible pain in my left breast and chest. Now I have to wait a couple of days and then I will know what it really is.

In the meanwhile I've finished my first PIF and I started the second one.

Till next time, love and hugs.

Thank you for all the comments, I appreciate them very much.

Just a little note...

Unbelievable but true...

My father came home from hospital yesterday! They haven't found anything "wrong" with his heart. His pacemaker is doing well, and his heart is going fast and slow, but that's not something new. I've said to him: "Don't pray to much about leaving this world, please." He is so strong! Unfortunately Parkinson disease is getting him really hard again. I wish I could take it away from him.

And a little update about stitching. My first PIF is finished. All I have to do is finish finish it, but that's for the weekend. My second PIF is waiting for some thread I haven't in my stash. Just now I've search some more projects for the other members and I found lovely charts for them. Be patient, please!

Thank you all for your prayers about my father! You all are the best friends I have around the world!

Love and hugs and till next time...

And the winner is....

According to Random Org the winner is...

There were 5 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Lelia
2. Deborah
3. Mary
4. Dianntha
5. Conny

Lelia please email me with your full name and address and the punchneedle project will sent to you as soon as I have this information.
My emailaddress is in my profile.

Unfortunately some sad news. Last night I spent 3 hours in the hospital. My father went with the ambulance to the hospital again. His heart almost stopped (to slow) and he's now in intensive care. If it comes so far, he doesn't want any reanimation.
So hard times again for our family. Posting and thinking about all of you, have to take my mind off.

Anyway, I will keep you posted!

Love and hugs, till next time...

Last Day for the Give-A-Way

Just a little reminder for all of you bloggers and blogreaders: today is the last day you can enter in the draw for my special Birthday Give-A-Way.

If you know any other people who love to do punchneedle, give them the message!

Everybody is welcome!

Now I must go to finish my first project for a PIF-member; just a couple of stitches more and then finish finish it.
So for today, just a little post.

Happy weekend with a lot of stitching time!

Lots of hugs and love!

Lots of WIP's!

I was going through my very big WIP-basket yesterday evening, and I found this lovely Doll House again. So I couldn't help myself, and put some more stitches in a "new" room. No, not really new. I pulled it all out the last time. I had made a terrible misstake on some stitches unfortunately. It's stitched over one on 32-count. After three hours this is how much I've done. Not bad, isn't it? As far as it was earlier. A sweet tiny boysroom!

It's hard to choose from so many great projects, so I also made some little progress for one of my PIF members. I will let you take a little sneak peak on it.

Ofcourse It's just a little piece of the whole project, otherwise It isn't a suprise anymore.

Special thanks to Paulette, she teached me how to use my own camera for making close up's.

Thanks for looking and for your comments. I appreciate them very much.
Till next time...

Mary Margaret update.

To proof (mostly for myself) that I'm stitching again, I have to show some progress pictures on my Mary Margaret.(Click on photo, to enlarge, if you want a closer look)

before
after
As you can see, last weekend I made a little progress with the tree on the left.
The other girls are waiting to stitch also, so I must keep the needle going, right?
Thanks for stopping by and your comments. I love to read them. Love and hugs!

Birthday Give-A-Way!

It's a special day for me today; I'm now 40 years old! Live starts at 40 (they say), so lets cellebrate!

And one way to this with you all, is having a special Give-A-Way:

Punchneedle project Let it Snow.(NEW)
Never used and pattern on fabric included.
Click on picture to enlarge.

Every blogger or blogreader can sign in (from every part of the world) till Sept. 11th. 2009.
All you have to do is to put a link in your blog and/or leave a comment under this message.

Good luck everyone!

Love and hugs...

First stitches are made and some pictures from our holiday!

Yeah, I have stitched the first cross stitches again, after a very long time. It's for the first PIF-member, so I can't show you any picture. But it's almost done, and then I have to finish finish it.

That's why I want to share a couple of pictures of our holiday to Crete - Greece this year: (click on picture to enlarge)

Our panorama from our balcony!

Robert in the swimmingpool! Smile to the birdie!!

Our whizz kids: very naughty!

Building a castle on the beach!

A beautiful sunrising; time 7.00am!

Thank you for stopping by! Till next time...