A Good Day...

Today was a good day!

First I finally figured out a Photoshop tutorial (again via Pugly Pixel) that I had been working on forever: the making of Washi Tape Strips.

Here are some of the ones I made:

Again, the possibilities are endless. Here is just a simple example...

Cute right?

Anyway, after all the tinkering at the computer I went over  to see my friend Tif for a cuppa and some chatting. She showed me some of the things she has lined up for this month (can't say anything other than Fabulous!) and she got  me all inspired again.

After that I had to race over to school to pick up Miss M. for her final orthodontist appointment (yes!) and then raced her back to school for her Basket Ball practise. Her ankle still isn't strong enough to participate in an actual game but it is on the mend. Slow and steady and all that...

On the way home with Master C. in the car, we were treated to once again gorgeous views of the valley...

All these pics were taken around 4:15pm and after that it got dark real fast. All the neighbors' (and our own) x-mas lights are on inside and out and life is good!  {smile}

PS: The parcel for my sister at Pike Street apparently arrived today: go check out her pictures!

Cyber Shopping...

Oh yes, I did some cyber shopping over at Vogue...

Don't they look gorgeous? The patterns do take up a ton of fabric but it would be so much fun to have a proper vintage dress. I will probably keep the bodice and then re-size the skirt part to save on yardage...

Anyway, just thought I'd share that with you!  {smile}

It's Snowing!

On the blog that is...

I found the snow-effect via Vart Roda Hus: Tack Sa Mycket!

Click on her link and then add the other link to your Design page on a Java/ HTML gadget. (you got all that right?    <wink>)

I had a tough day yesterday, something wrong with both body and mind, so I am taking it easy today: no pressure!!! (all put upon myself by, yes... myself!)

Here is a restful picture, taken yesterday morning. This Heron found quite a good spot don't you think?

I've also been playing around with some new photo templates for photoshop from Pugly Pixel...

"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like..."

The male half of our family spent the day on Snoqualmie Pass yesterday for their first day of skiing/ snowboarding of the season!

I had asked Mr. G. to take my little camera with them so that they could shoot some pictures and these are some of the ones they came home with. Pretty impressive amount of snow right?



You can see the I-90 highway down below in the valley...





Master C. waiting for Mr. G. to be done taking pictures...

Master C.

A little joke...

 

The slopes are only a 45 minute drive from our home so a great place to get some quick skiing in. It doesn't have the largest runs so it is good for a 'warm-up' so to speak. The school's ski- bus will be going to Stevens Pass in January and February which is about an hour and a half to two hours away...

This was my most favorite photo...

We bought our own Christmas tree this afternoon and Mr. G. is currently hanging the outdoor x-mas lights. And then, in half hour, we're off to celebrate our belated Thanksgiving. And it is still weekend!  {smile}

What A Difference A Day Makes...

Wow, look at that: Blue Skies!!! What a gorgeous day today! We saw the steam rising of our backyard fence...

And lots of little birdies near the bird feeder...

Mr. G. and Master C. have left the building in search of the powdery white stuff (snow!) and Miss M. and I are hanging out at home. I've come up with some crafty things to do (maybe some baking even) but we'll see what our 14 (and a half) year old will feel like doing. You never know with those teenagers!  <wink>

Last night I used my light box for the first time and shot some pictures of a pomegranate...

I think the lighting leaves something to be desired but not bad for a first attempt...

I also took a picture of our outside Christmas tree. We added the lights there yesterday, just in time before the rain hit us again the entire afternoon and night.

We'll probably be adding the lights at the front of the house (this tree is in the back on the patio) tomorrow or so when we also will buy our Christmas tree for indoors. We have a beautiful cut-it-yourself x-mas tree farm right here in our own little town and that is always a fun event with hot apple cider etc.

Woot Woot: it's Friday once again and that in a long weekend at that so I say again: Woot Woot!  {smile}

Cute Copy & Cut-Out from Letterpost!

Yay, my friends at Letterpost  have another fun Copy & Cut-Out for us!

Since it is a day off and it is raining once again, I had a little bit of extra time to fiddle with some Picasa 3/ Picnic settings:

Thanksgiving Textures...

(...and no, I don't mean the turkey and mashed potato textures!)

November storm number 4 (I think) is already lined up for this afternoon so I've been taking advantage of the lull and have spent lots of time in the yard: leaf raking, getting rid of the slimy Hosta's, cutting down some plants etc. But most of all I have been enjoying all the textures and hidden treasures everywhere around us. Just look at these...

And a few of my favorites...

And I'll leave you with some X-Mas flavors...

Thanksgiving Morning...

This morning we truly give thanks because it isn't raining!   {big smile}

What an absolutely beautiful sunset we had just now. I quickly ran outside (at 7:30am) to take these pictures...

'Heavenly Bamboo'

'Lavender'

I'm always amazed at what beautiful pictures one can take in their own backyard with their slippers on!  {smile}

Have a great day everyone with family and friends and enjoy the calm before the madness...

A New Skirt & Some New Lights...

Ever since I finished sewing my Lisette pants I have been stuck in some kind of  "sewers'-block". I just couldn't decide on that to make next and which fabrics to use. Until yesterday, when I decided to make the Simplicity #2226.

I had found a fabulous sew-along tutorial on Noodlehead which gave me some courage again. Sometimes you just need someone to take you by the hand so to speak and guide you along...

I also choose one of my cheapest fabrics so that  in case something went horribly wrong, no great damage would have been done...

So here is my fun little skirt! It is a little bit shorter than I would have liked and the waist band could also be a bit tighter but otherwise I am quite pleased!  {smile}

Left: Pocket with Piping detail...

Right: A Zipper? Where?  <wink>

In my wintry sox...



-  *  -  *  -  *  -

The past three days or more we have been inundated with constant, merciless rain! (bah, humbug!) Several percipitation records have been broken and that is quite something for the Seattle-area (which is known for its rainy deluges).
To make the inside of the house look and feel a bit cosier, we've purchased some lights to help us with those dark and dreary days...

The first one is a wireless LED light with a built in timer! It goes on at 4:15pm and goes off five hours later. Isn't that just genius? We have one in the front living room and one in the office which is also situated at the front of the house. I bought them at Home Depot for those of you interested...

In the back tv-room I've added some fun little red berry lights around the mirror. Especially at night it gives of a wonderful warm glow...

And then this morning I made these, via a tutorial from How About Orange:

How about that? A la Cathrineholm!  {smile} They made their lights with colored paper, but since my lights were already red I felt that just plain white paper would do just as well.

Yay! I'm ready for the Thanksgiving Holiday! On a side note however, I have once again a sick child with the stomach flu at home... He is recooperating as I write this so there is a slight chance that he and Mr. G. might go and check out the slopes tomorrow at Snoqualmie Pass...

Master C. is an avid snowboarder and to be able to go out this early in the season is surely to make him feel better much faster. (not sure about the grammer in that  last sentence...)

Goble, Goble, Goble!

Roos...

Since about March or so I have been following the blog of Roos. A mother of two little boys (1 1/2 and 3yrs old) living in Amsterdam. Her husband Kenji has been diagnosed with an extremely bad form of cancer almost a year ago. She writes about it in such a realistic and compelling way, I just have to read her posts every day.

I have always felt so helpless, but now there is something I (and you!) can do: donate to a fund that has only been set up yesterday to help them with all the medical and everyday expenses. I've added their button-link for donations in the side bar...

Sinterklaas's Arrival in Dordrecht 2011...

I was just sent this You Tube link ('Bedankt Tante Mieke!') showing the official arrival of Sinterklaas in The Netherlands last week. The video is a bit long (I didn't watch the whole thing either) but just click through it a bit.

This is the most typical Dutch event you will ever come across...  {smile}

Getting Comfy & Cosy ...

All the Dutch people amongst you should be able to recognize this: home-made Taai-Taai from a local Dutch bakery!  Mmmm, so yummy and it sticks so badly to the teeth but Mmmm, so yummy!   {smile} (stale gingerbread is the closest thing I can compare it to...)

Yes, it is that time of year again: time for Sinterklaas! That is  when we receive all our gifts in The Netherlands, on December 5th. Over the years I've adjusted all the traditions more to my liking (no poems and no 'surprises' mainly) and we only put our shoe in front of the fireplace (with a carrot and some hay for his horse) for a couple of nights.

(Check out Lupineke's blog for her collection of really nice vintage Sinterklaas postcards...)

I do have the kids sing along with me. They don't really remember the words but do know the tunes. They also know that if they don't sing, then there will be no presents the next morning!  <wink>

We also celebrate Christmas with presents so that is why we keep the Sinterklaas celebration relatively small. But, I always order the special candies (chocolate letters, taai-taai and 'schuimpjes') from a Dutch shop in Michigan, to keep the Dutch tradition going.

In my new header you see my sister and myself (in the picture on the right, I am the taller girl) celebrating Sinterklaas when we were about 2 and 4. If I remember correctly then I received a play-set of plastic cups and saucers etc...

And yes, that's me in the blue coat and the red pants on the sleigh in the snow! Aren't those pictures the cutest???  {smile}

-  *  -  *  -  *  -  *  -

And look, I finally finished my Pip Project and about time too! I think I started it in the Spring sometime...

-  *  -  *  -  *  -  *  -

On our way to the shops this morning we saw both Bald Eagles out! I had my camera with me for precisely just that occasion and was able to take a few pictures. First you will see their nest and the picture after that shows both birds in different trees. Look closely!

I was able to take some close-ups of the first bird. Pretty cool right?  {smile}

Wow! And the landscape over there (just a couple of minutes from our house, just outside of town) looked like this....

This will be the last dry day for at least the next 7 days since they are expecting mayor amounts of rain this week. There is even the chance of flooding! (we live in a valley between two rivers...)

So,  a half school day this Wednesday and Thanksgiving on Thursday. Our dinner won't take place until Saturday though. We will be celebrating with my Dutch aunt and uncle in Edmonds, about an hour northwest from here. They always have the fireplace on and lots of wonderful foods and drinks will be served: Gezellig!  {smile}