Award

I got this award from Yvonne, just have to write about 7 things I didn't write yet on this blog.
So here I go:
1) I had cats always since I left my parents home. I love ginger cats and had a couple of them. They always had the same name: Pallieter. It is a name of a character in a book of a Flemish author, Felix Timmermans. The character enjoys life as it comes in the rural landscape where he lives. My other cats had unusual names always, currently I have Wellington and Nessie. Before there were Napoleon, Tobias, Loebas, Dikkie Dik.
2) I always manage to cut my fingers using a knife or scissors. I even did it ones while just putting butter on a slice of bread. I was forbidden by DH to even touch the cook's knives in the kitchen.
3) I started Tai Chi lessons 2 weeks ago. It is very intensive, but at least I can relax a bit now. And I hope it can help a bit for my health
4) I still work for the same employer where I started when I left school.
5) I have a little pub in the back of my garden where DH could enjoy the last months of his life. There is beer and a lot of whisky. The only thing about it is: I don't drink alcohol!
6) I attended art academy for a couple of years. I wanted to learn drawing and painting. It was not a big succes as we were pushed in a certain direction, could not decide what we really wanted and the basics of drawing weren't thaught properly. I haven't touched paper and pencil since DH died, maybe in the future?
7) I have about 50 penfriends all over the world. We just talk about daily life, what we read, about the kids, what weather it is, it's so nice to find friendly post in your mailbox!

Now I have to forward this award to two other people. Here they come: Gerda and Chantal

from summer to autumn

Another picture of my three rascals, I can't get enough of those momentos, every picture taken of them is perfect (says proud gran). School has restarted, Jelle goes to school for whole days this year, he likes to eat his sandwiches at school, but is very tired in the evening. Stein has French lessons for the first time, his dyslexia is playing, but he is very persistant and will make it. Robbe is his usual self, an unworried child, I hope it will end well this schoolyear.

June is the 6th part of the Lizzy Kate SAL, I am busy stitching August at the moment, friday the next part is already coming my way.

The All our Yesterdays kids are for a Regenboogkussen, the charity I stitch for. The theme of the cushion is the sea and the beach. I love the designs, cute and nostalgic.

And I stitched my first halloween item for this year, an entrance to autumn, the weather was nice this weekend, it rained tonight and more rain is predicted.

Yesterday evening I had my first gathering with fellow stitchers, met new and interesting people. i did some stitching on the quilt top of the patchwork course (which I wanted to be ready by the end of the holidays), bought some fabric (gatherings in fabric shops are dangerous!) for the quilt Stein ordered. The fabric in the book was in mpain colours, I thought it to be to flat for a young boy, so bought some pattern fabric for the fishes, I don't know what to do yet for the water, will see what kind of fabrics I have in my stash. And of course, I did a lot of talking and watching fellow quilters work. i loved it and am looking forward to next months gathering!

Hexagons and E'burg Tattoo

I'm totally hooked on the hexagon theme now, did a lot more and even stitched some together. I've got to slow down this disease as I have other things on the go too.

Steinn ordered a quilt for his bed. He saw a nice one in a book, lucky for me very easy, only two templates to make, I will take a scan of it soon. Only plain colours used and he likes it that way. There's fishes on it.

This evening was the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh on television. For the first time I had to watch it without my husband. My three grandsons kept me company though and for the occasion, Jelle wanted to wear a little kiltlike skirt. My heart was bleeding. The Tattoo was beautiful, the little motorriders we saw also on one of the Tattoos we attended while on holidays over there. Will I see this beautiful country ever again? And will I be able to visit it without too overwhelming emotions? I feel for myself it is too early to even think about visiting.

Lambico

The cushioncover for Marijn is ready, it has turned out lovely, as always with the Regenboogkussens. I'm sewing for another cushion with a sea theme, I will contribute with a All our Yesterdays design.

The Lizzy Kate Sal iw on his 6th month now, April and May are not shown yet, so with this...

I also finished another Christmascard, 2 others have to be framed yet and then I will be onn schedule for the yahoo group.

I did lots of little hexagons and finished some in flowers, boys, am I addicted! I alos made another basket, a red one for my red tinted hexies, the blue one has the blue tinted ones. Plans for a green one are on its way.

Stein and I went to our day out to the zoo. We had a lot of fun, especially in the frogs and birds department, searching for all the animals hidden between the leaves. We also spent time with Lambico, the little hippo that was born in May. This time I took my camera and I could shoot some nice pics.

Pokemon

Here he is, as promised, the birthdaycard for Stein. I was lucky, the Blastoise was one of his favourtite pokemons, so I am a supergran in his eyes!
I had a great day out in the zoo with Jelle, he was in a cuddly day and just overloaded me with hughs and kisses in between the animalwatching. Especially the hippos were favourite this time, he wanted to see their mouth opening time after time.
I hope to have a lot of stitching done this week, it has been a while since I sewed some siggies and the bug is there again to send some out. And some stitching on the top we started in the patchwork classes need to be done too!

Fabric

I have dismembered my hubby's shirts lately, not so many but in a variety of colours. It wasn't as hard to do as I thought, it was not that I just would throw it away. I also bought some Scottish background fabric. It isn't a big piece of fabric, but as the shirts are so different in texture it will be difficult to make it nice, so I better try a smaller quilt than a big one. As to the print of the shirts, I think it is best to do simple squares and mayby insert one of the breastpockets in the top. On the fabric of the white shirt I will try to make stitchery or application, I'm not sure what will be on it though.

The Christmasfabric I bought for pure pleasure. As a free bird I can enjoy looking at those cute hunks without complexes, after all the eye has the right to be spoiled too. I'm not sure for what purpose I will use it, maybe a naughty back for a Christmasquilt? I'm smiling while writing this.

As you can see, I'm healing now in a good way, I feel I'm ready for a new start. I know my darling didn't want me to be sad and mourning for the rest of my days, we talked about that. Of course there will always be a little spot in my heart that is bitterwseet, but I have to go on with my life, making new friends, set new goals.
The heath is gone now, today my grandson Stein has his 11th birthday. He will come this afternoon for his presents and a nice card. He gets a Wii game from Pokemon, I stitched him a Pokemon card, which I have to frame yet, so a picture in a next entry.

Hot weather

We had such a hot weather last week, fortunately it rained on saturday and the temps are cooler now, at least for a little while, the rest of the week will be hot again.

My three grandsons were here for a couple of days, so I had put a little bathe under the big umbrella and they all had a lot of fun in it, even the dog was in it with them. Hmm, seems a bit overcrowded, need a bigger one next year!

The Lizzie Kate Sal had its 3rd part, a little leprechaun and its pot of gold, wonderful to stitch. I love all things Celtic.

The lego man was for charity Regenboogkussens. A little boy needs a cushion with lego to comfort him.

And then there are the birthdaycards, a cat for Ria, a cow for Gerda and icecream for Magda. Another is on its way.

I received a lot of siggies, I will make a 'group' photo of them for a next blog entry.

I started on a new block of my patchwork, a green one this time. It will come in the centre of the top. More about that in the next entry too. My basket of hexagons has become fuller too.