My Weekend in Pictures ...

Inquiring minds want to know "what have you done this weekend?"
This meme hosted by Gattina helps you to remember what you did on the weekend.
I agree, weekends always seem to whiz by so fast, one tends to forget.
That would be a pity because they're precious moments, worth remembering.
That's why I love participate and look back on Mondays to share these moments with you.
My weekend in pictures ...



Our happy moment this week was my father's 80th birthday. The actual birthday was on Friday, but Sunday the whole family gathered to celebrate. I'll just let the pictuyres speak for themselves ...


Project 366 # 105


Project 366 #106



Project 366 #107

Happy Birthday Dad!

Project 366 #104


It's my father's 80th birthday today. Happy Birthday Dad!

All Wrapped Up ...

Project 366 # 87

A cup of coffee, good company and a healthy breakfast ...
Is there a better way to start the day?
There is a good way to continue it though.
Same company and a delicious lunch!

But I was so wrapped up in the conversation that I forgot to take a picture! Ha!

Happy Birthday!

Today we're celebrating my husband's birthday! We had a little dinner party last night with our daughter Patsy and her husband.


#14

#15 for Project 366

Cat Nap ...

I woke up worrying about my Project 366 this morning. I was wondering if I was going to be able to make the right picture to post on my blog today, or not? Project 366 has only just started, and it's quite a time consuming challenge!
It's been a very gloomy day today, and the light inside the house was very poor, so I stepped outside on my patio to see if anything interesting was happening there. I played with my camera a little, took various shots of dewdrops and some fresh green buds that seem to be appearing everywhere, then came inside to start dinner. I kind of liked my freshly cut veggies on my cutting board, and tried to make an artsy composition with that as well.
My tripod was still in the living room, and while my hubs and the cat were taking a nap after dinner, I experimented with a longer shutter speed and a higher ISO to get a properly exposed photo. I moved the tripod closer and closer to the cat, and did a photo shoot with her as well.

So here we are, at four in the afternoon, not knowing which photo to choose today!



Okay, ... so how about this one then? It's not the most artistic one I took today, but it's a photo I could not have made a couple of months ago. My photo skills have definitely improved since I have been taking class. I'm hoping to develop them even more by playing with that camera as much as I can for my Project 366!

Date: 10/01/2012 13:12
Model: Canon EOS D40
ISO: 800
Exposure time: 0.800 sec
Aperture: 11
Exposure Bias: - 0.00 EV
Focal Length: 44.0 mm
Metering Mode: matrix
Flash Used: no
Exposure: manual
Exposure mode: manual
White balance: auto

Friday's Fave Five, First signs of Spring and a Family Party

It's a new Friday, the first Friday of 2012, and it's time to share some of my favorite things of the week by joining Susanne's Friday's Fave Five. Go see what others have posted at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story.



1. New Year's eve with the family. My two sisters, my nieces my daughter and my parents all got together at two o'clock in the afternoon for our annual family party. We had loads of gifts, and spent hours opening them. The food was also delicious! We all had prepared something the previous day, my sister had prepared the appetizers, my brother in law had made a delicious soup and I had brought a main course which only required heating up in the oven. Before we had dessert we threw a little dance party with the Wii. Dessert was chocolate mousse (made by my two nieces) and my daughter's creme brulée and tiramisu. Three desserts ! Yes, you got that right! At twelve o 'clock we had another glass of bubbly and enjoyed the fireworks outside. It was a fun day, but we were all exhausted!

2. The neckless my daughter made especially for me . She designed AND made it all by herself, even most of the beads were made by her!

3. No television. Our old television set died on us the night before New Year's eve. We bought a new one, but they cannot deliver it until Saturday. I can imagine you're thinking "how can that be a blessing?" Well, I think, because it will not last longer than a week, it is. There is more time to blog, more time to read ... I had to look for other ways to keep me busy in the evenings, and among other things, I rediscovered the joys of blogging.

4. My new Project 366. One of my new year's resolutions is to pick up that camera a little more often, and to blog more than I have been this past year. There's no better way than to share my photos on this blog, is there?

5. First Primula in bloom. I saw it yesterday when I stepped outside on my patio. The weather has been crazy around here this week, we have very high temperatures, ten degrees (Celcius) more than what's normal in this season. If this keeps up, we're going to have a very early Spring, some trees are already blooming as it is! I do hope it does not start to snow and freeze though!




So here's my new entry for my Project 366, the new buds and the first flower in my Primula plant,the first signs of Spring are very early this year!

Project 366, One and Two

This year I want to take more pictures with my Big Guy again, so I'm going to (try to) post a photo each day for my own Project 366. Now I know I've tried this before and did not succeed. That adventure ended after six months, but that was because I made it too hard on myself and when my mother got ill, I kind of lost the drive to continue.
Therefor, I'm not going to take a new picture each day, all I'm saying is I'm going (try to) POST a picture each day. Some of them might be from my archives, and I even might skip a day or two and post three pictures the next day.
All I really want is to pick up that camera a little bit more and blog a little bit more than I have been this past year. Anyway, we'll see how it goes, right?




My daughter opening one of her gifts at our New Year's Eve party ...

New Year's Eve, at four minutes to twelve ...

Happy New Year everybody!

Friday's Favorite Five, Sunshine and Rain

Friday again, time to reflect on the week that has passed and post about five favorite things from your week. Friday's Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story, if you're looking for the rules, they're here.





1. The visit from my parents. Due to the operation my mother had last year and other circumstances, it' s been more than two years since my parents have been over for a visit to our place. At last we set a date and they came over by train last Saturday.We picked them up at the station early in the morning, and I served them breakfast. We've had sunshine and the occasional showers all day, but the sky cleared long enough for us to be able to visit the weekly market. After that we could eat outside on our patio and really enjoy some sunshine. No need to say the day went by way too fast!

2. The Mojito cocktail we had as an aperitif. Crushed ice, 50 ml of white Cuban rum, the juice of half a lime, some sprigs of fresh mint and two teaspoons of sugar. Very refreshing!

3. Black cherries I bought at the market. Juicy, sweet and so shiny I could see my own reflection!

4. Empty plates. I made a Moroccan lamb stew and it was delicious. Nothing but empty plates when we finished dinner!

5. Pancakes and fruit salad for breakfast. A real treat!

Weekly Winners, the Birthday Girl

My favourite pictures from last week's birthday party for our daughter Patsy.


There's nothing like a glass of champagne to get into a festive mood.


Father and daughter ...


Weekly Winners is hosted by Lotus at I am Lotus.

Fiday's Fave Five, Good Times with Friends and Family

Friday again. The first week of 2011 is almost over. Time to look back on that week and share some of my favourite things from it. Friday's Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

1. We had a quiet evening at home on New Year's Eve. Nothing big, just the two of us. The house was cosy and nicely decorated, we had a few appetizers, a bottle of Cava ( I love something bubbly, and it does not always have to be Champagne ) and we watched the fireworks at midnight.
2. The sweetbread we ate as a main course. Mmmm, I LOVE sweetbread!
3. As we had to leave early in the morning for the family gathering in Bruges the next day, my hubby helped me to clean up the kitchen. That was really sweet of him!


4. We celebrated with the whole family on Saturday. It was nice to be together again, and to open all those presents we had for each other!
5. On Monday I met up with a blogger friend and my two sisters and we held a waffle bake. We ate them with fresh cream and all kinds of fresh fruits! Mmmm, yummie, they were very light and crunchy, the best recipe ever!

Weekly Winners, New Year's Day Family Party

Weekly Winners is hosted by Lotus at I am Lotus. It's simple, just post your favourite pictures of the week! Mine were all taken yesterday at our New Year's Day family party.

Friday’s Fave Five, Friends and Family

 

 

I missed a couple of Fave Five’s because I was so busy. Friday’s Fave Five is the meme which makes us look back and share some of the highlights of the week that has passed. These past weeks have been hectic and I haven’t been around my computer very much!  So for this Fave Five I’m also including the highlight of the previous week, as pictured in the first collage below.

 

Two weeks ago today my daughter, her Spanish friend Marisol and her two girls came over for a visit. We had a lovely evening together over some good food and a glass of wine. My daughter had to translate the conversation because Marisol and her girls only speak Spanish, but that did not bother any of us.  

1. My husband was on a business trip abroad until Thursday. I hate being alone, so I stayed at my parent’s house for the weekend. I slept in my old room again and was spoiled rotten by my parents! The weekend was much too short!

2. My father taught me how to make pig’s head cheese the old fashioned way.
Many years ago when my grandparents still slaughtered a pig each year, my father used to prepare head cheese, sausages and pâtés. I haven’t had it since then and I’m glad I now know how to make it.

3. I used public transport a lot this week. The bus trip to Sluis I made with my parents, (where we had apple pie!) travelling back home again from Bruges on Monday and using bus transport to meet up with my friend Nana on Tuesday.

4. Friendship.  My friend Nana is such a good friend, I love her to pieces. We had breakfast and lunch together and just hung and enjoyed each other’s company. Another day that went by too fast!

5. The gift my husband gave me when he arrived home from his business trip. Among other things he got me a lovely handbag in my favorite color, purple! Woohoo! 

Friday’s Fave Five, A very Special Birthday

 

 

Friday today, one of my favorite days of the week. Time to reflect on and count our blessings and share them through this meme, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

1. A special birthday. It was my daughter’s birthday last Wednesday. She’s still vacationing in Spain, so we did not get to celebrate together yet, but we will soon.
Still, a daughter’s birthday is a special day for the mother too, right?
2. Last weekend was a bright and sunny weekend, so for the last time this year ( most probably) we were able to eat outside. We had to stay inside most of the month of August, so yeah, eating outside is a big treat for us!  
3. We went to Bokrijk Museum Park for the last time this season. I love it there!
4. New shoes. Two pairs of shoes and a pair of boots. Aaahh, a girl and her shoes, right? Need I say more?
5. A couple of good bargains. I love it when shopping does NOT cost an arm and a leg. I was able to find my new shoes and a new Winter outfit at reasonable prices.

Friday’s Fave Five, Family, Friends … and Giants!

 

 

 

The last Fave Five of the month of August! Can you believe Summer is coming to an end already? Time to look back and share some of the highlights of the week.

 

1. Family. My husband went on a business trip to Germany so I spent the weekend at my parents house. My daughter and my sisters came over to see me, and it was just wonderful to be together again. I slept in my old room, my father made orange juice for me, my mother and I cooked together … it was just like old times!
2. The company of a good friend. My friend Nana and I spent Saturday morning in Antwerp together. We both love the weekly market, we both love to take pictures, and we’re both coffee lovers, so we had a great time together.
3. A “big” event in Antwerp. Two giant puppets and their human Lilliput puppeteers were roaming the streets of Antwerp and everybody in the whole city was looking out for them. They were really amazing.
4. The French Toast we had for breakfast. I did a bit of research, I believe what you call eggy bread is a savory variety, but we use milk and eggs in the recipe and we eat it with brown sugar on top. It’s something my grandmother used to make me when I was a kid and I LOVE it!
5. Olives with basil and garlic. Yummie!

 

Friday’s Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Friday’s Fave Five, Ice Cream Cones and Coffee

 

It’s Friday AGAIN, the month of August is almost halfway. Time flies.
Time to look back and share the favorite things from the week.

 

1. The weather has been rather unstable this week, but turned out to be a lot better than predicted, so we were still able to enjoy the outdoors a lot.
I did a bike tour with my husband on Sunday and with a friend of mine on Tuesday and we managed to keep our clothes dry on both occasions!
2. Meetings with friends. A bike tour, a lunch appointment and a photo walk with three different friends of mine. It’s been a busy week!
3. Breakfast at my friend Nana’s. Our days are always too short so in order to get an early start we had breakfast together at her place, which was a real treat!  
4. Ice cream cones. I had two this week! The one I had yesterday was one of the best I had in a long time. It had vanilla and speculoos (cookies) flavor. Yummie!
5. Coffee breaks. Nothing better than catching up with friends over a nice cup of coffee. There have been many this week!

Friday’s Fave Five is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

Friday’s Fave Five, Photo Walks and Bike Tours

 

 

Another week has gone by. I can’t believe it’s August already!
Time to look back on the week that has passed and highlight some of our favorite things by joining Friday’s Fave Five
This meme is hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

 

1. Phone calls with my Mom. We’ve been phoning each other a lot more lately. I need to hear her at least every other day.
2. My husband’s new bike. No more hired bikes for us, we both have our own now!
We made another tour last Saturday. You can see the pictures here.
3. A little bit of camera fun in Lier while I was waiting for my husband. He had an appointment there so I made a little photo walk on my own. I enjoyed it.
4. Meatballs in tomato sauce. The weather has been a lot cooler these past few days, which made me crave old fashioned comfort food. Need I say more?
4. Patchwork and quilting class. We’re making a patchwork pillow in only four lessons.  I learned how to quilt yesterday. The teacher even let me borrow her quilting hoop because they were out of stock at the shop. I would never have thought I would be able to pull this off  - it looked so difficult at first - but I am, and it’s looking good!

Friday’s Fave Five, Bike Rides and Mojitos

 

 

This is a quickie, I’m going out with my husband later today so I really don’t have that much time to blog, but it’s been such a good week that I did not want to miss Friday’s Fave Five again! Find other people’s favorites at Susanne’s Living to Tell the Story.

 

1. My mother’s health. She’s doing great after this scary episode in her life. (Read more about that here.) She saw her oncologist earlier this week and he said she does not need to have chemo. Yaaay! So I guess we can all leave this behind us right now. Wednesday was the last time I went over to Mom’s to cater for my parents, she’s taking over her own household again and that’s just wonderful! I am going to miss this though, I LOVED taking care of them!
2. A day out in Gent with my friend Nana and my sister Bientje. They’re both such good company, we had a lovely time!
3. The bike tour with my husband. That little bit of exercise did us both good.
You can see the pictures I took here.
4. The Mojito we drank, a very refreshing cocktail, a real treat on a warm day.
5. We bought bike maps covering a couple of different regions in Belgium. We’re planning on going out with our bikes more often, and we don’t want to get lost! I’m really looking forward to this!

It’s good to be back!

 

It’s been a while since I posted on a regular basis, blogging has not been a top priority these past few weeks. Life has been a little bit hectic, both physically and emotionally since we got back from our holiday in France.
We had a wonderful time in France, Provence feels like a second home to us. The weather did not really cooperate in the first week, - we’ve had a lot of wind and some rain – but the second half of the second week it felt like the real Provence again with nice temperatures and lots and lots of sunshine. We met up with friends, made a couple of very nice excursions, took pictures, had some good food and good wine …
all in all it was a very relaxing holiday.

When we got home I called my parents and this was when my mother told me the doctors had found a tumor in her bowel. She had kept it a secret from us while we were in France because she did not want to ruin our vacation. Cancer sounded like such a horrible disease, it scared the hell out of me. The good news was it was well contained, it had not spread and she was very courageous about it and very determined to beat this monster! She was scheduled for surgery less than a week later.
In the mean time the tumor has been removed and she is recuperating amazingly well. In just one week she was up and about and back home again!
I have visited my parents three times a week to cook and help out a little and I spent hours on the phone on days I was not visiting. Needless to say this took most of my time and mental energy and that’s why I haven’t felt like blogging much.
It was kind of a mixed feeling, one part of me missed it but the other half of me could not be bothered. I read some posts, but did not get to commenting much because it felt as if I was standing on the outside looking in. I hardly touched my camera, as we did not go out to look for photo opportunities either.
Everything seemed to be put on hold there for a while.

My Mom is doing great now and that’s a big relief to all of us. The oncologist still needs to determine whether she will need chemo or not, but still, the worst is behind us now with her recuperating so well. Life is slowly getting back to normal again.

Time spent with my friends and my hubby made me grab that camera again and the new pictures made me realize that I do miss blogging. Your comments on yesterdays post have made me feel loved and welcomed. After all this time I really thought I would not have any readers left, but look at you, you’re all still there!
I’m so grateful to have this great bunch of internet friends, thank you all!!

Weekly Winners, I’m back!

 

I’ve picked up my camera again for the first time since we got back from our holiday in France. Life and family had taken over since my mother’s surgery, but this week things started to get back to normal again, and I’ve been looking for photo opportunities again.

A visit from my daughter on Tuesday … 
It was a warm night so we were able to eat outside and stay out until late.

On Friday I spent a day in Gent with my sister and my friend Nana.

We raised our glasses to friendship and good health.

… did a little bit of sightseeing …

and had coffee together.

 
And then yesterday hubby and I hired a bike and made a little excursion along the Schelde river.

We were not the only ones enjoying the scenery …

 

d’ Ursel castle in Hingene

 

 

More Weekly Winners at I am Lotus.

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