Aah, there's nothing like fresh car smell in the morning...

Our week in pictures

Still drilling holes, lovely weather though :o)

You smell funny....

Death of the rubber slippers :o(

New car!!

New family in the making

New kitchen in the making

Baking mudpies....no, really!

Spring is here and how!! Which is a good thing, as I am digging in the dirt these days. It's a good thing I have a stainless steel backup wedding ring...

Things are quiet these days, as we are counting down to several mayor events, which we will document properly when due (drumroll): our new car, our new house, our new cats, the end of the academic year, all of which are within a matter of weeks now.

Joris and Minion are going to fend for theirselves next week, as I am digging in another province of Holland, right through Easter. How I miss the easter candy from home, with enough sugar to make your teeth ache by just looking at it and enough food coloring to make you sweat in color.....The chocolate eggs here are dangerous, they are laced with something addictive, you can't eat just 5. Or 10.

I'm going outside to enjoy the sun, till next time!

Meet: Minion

Jheeeeeeeeeeeeeeej! We got a cat! This is Minion (pronounced ˈmɪnjən/), the first of the 3 cats we will have for now. Cats attract cats, we know by experience, so we'll see how many we end up with.
Why Minion?

Noun minion (plural minions): A loyal servant of another, usually more powerful being. The archvillain deployed his minions to simultaneously rob every bank in the city.

Yeah, she's right at home...Minion is from the Poezenboot, where we found out she has a heart condition. She has a hole in her heart and might drop dead or live 20 years, we'll see! We love her already. Many posts will follow....

Tomato update

Our windowsill plantation is going really well! So far we have a big crate of unidentified seedlings, half a big crate nameless seedlings and half green peas (those are cute! They wind theirselves up the stalks), basil, thyme, an eggbox with also unidentified funny leaves, zucchiniplants, many types of tomatoes and some other herbs.

Lesson for next time: label what you plant, C.....

I just wonder: how tiny are these strawberries going to be?

Moments of happiness

A while back I read this book, about a woman in her early forties, whose husband left her for their marriage counselor. To overcome her (understandable) rage, she went into therapy and got as a tip, to write down 3 moments of happiness every day.

I thought this was actually good advise and am trying to be more aware of moments, sometimes short and simple, in which everything is just right. I often make a picture of this moment with my blackberry and share it (makes it count even more). A sudden moment when the sun breaks throught the clouds and lands only on you as you are standing waiting for the tram, when suddenly a song you love comes on on your Ipod, a glass of cheap AH wine that tastes infinitely better than the label would predict, when you come across a cat somewhere unexpected and it rubs on you, you know the kind of moments I mean.

The fun thing is, as you become more aware of these moments, they become a self-fullfilling prophesy. I found that 3 moments a day is the bare minimum. Simply because without noticing, you are changing the way you look at things. Sure, I got bitten by a goose, but at least I got close enough to pet it! And yes, my 8 euro sunglasses were ruined, but that was one awesome pillowfight!

I know I always sweat the small stuff, too often I lose sleep over things that I will not even remember in a few months, let alone a few years. So I am making a point in enjoying the small stuff too. We have life, health and each other, we have a blessed life.

This is my list for today, so far (it's only 17h!):

Geluksmomentje 1: I opened my eyes and saw....sunlight!!! We had 21 degrees C today!!

Geluksmomentje 2: Being able to walk to the Vondelpark and sit on a bench with my hubby

Geluksmomentje 3: De poezenboot, where we went to see it they had any cats that needed a home. And we found this 6 month old that has been given a death sentence by the vet, that we are going to give a home for as long as she lives. Good thing we walked in the moment we did.

Geluksmomentje 4: the peek-a-boo parrot

look closely in the middle of the picture, there is a head sticking out.....

Geluksmomentje 5: The pillowfight on the Dam.

When I'm done blogging, I'm taking a bath to get rid of all the feathers stuck everywhere, that'll probably be number 6.....