Friday's Fave Five Week Three

It's Friday again, time to look back at the week that has passed and pick five favourite moments.
It was kind of a lame week, there was not much going on, in fact I was stuck inside the house all week. But even when you don't go out, there is still a lot to enjoy, so here we go.
(You can click on the image to enlarge it)

Today I'm sharing some of my favourite morning routines, okay?

1. Getting up early. The anticipation of the new day before me. Today I'm especially looking forward to see my daughter. She's coming for supper tonight and I'm going to spoil her with a delicious meal. It'll be great.

2. Checking emails FIRST thing in the morning.
Because of the time difference between me here in Europe and you people out there in the rest of the world, a lot of comments on my blog come in while I'm asleep.
So first thing I do, is to switch on my computer and look for my emails.

3. That first cup of coffee in the morning. After checking emails I return to the kitchen.
By now, the whole kitchen smells of fresh coffee. Even my cat loves that smell.

4. My purring cat on my lap while I'm having my morning coffee. She KNOWS she can sit with me for a while, so as soon as the coffee machine makes that distinct spluttering rattling noise, she starts meowing, urging me to sit down so she can sit on my lap.

5. Reading my paper. I haven't got time to read the whole paper, but quickly browsing through it and read a couple of headlines is also a favourite part of my morning routine.

So there ...
My fave Five for this week!
I'm very anxious to see what the others have posted!
Go over to Suzanne's for more Fave Five posts, or join us, it's fun!

Photo of the Day, a Date with my Daughter

I am posting this collage as my Photo of the Day.
This is my lovely daughter.
She did a wonderful job hosting the New Years party with our family last Sunday.
And today, I have a date with her.
So if you'll excuse us, today is "our" day.

A Christmas Meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Most of the gifts we buy in Belgium are gift wrapped at the shops when you purchase them.
I used to own a gift shop of my own a couple of years ago and my customers loved to offer gifts from my shop because of the pretty wrapping. By the time Christmas arrived, I had wrapped thousands of presents, big, tiny or small! I would have preferred gift bags back then, there's a lot less work involved!
If I wrap a gift myself, it has to have a pretty bow made with real ribbons, not the cheap frilly things that are so popular here.

2. Real tree or artificial?

There would have been a time where I would have opted for a real one, a huge big tree filling the house with that wonderful Christmassy scent, wonderful! BUT we live in an apartment with only a very narrow spiral staircase ...
Impossible to get a big tree like that up -( or down, that's even worse when it starts to loose it's needles!) - those stairs, so I use a fake one now.

3. When do you put up the tree?

I'm late this year, I usually put it up the second week of December and I leave it until after my husband's birthday, which is January 15th. That's another reason why I need an artificial one!

4. Wreath on your door?

My front door is on the first floor, and there is a decoration on it.
Only, it's not a wreath but a welcome sign with a reindeer on it.

5. Do you like eggnog?
I always thought eggnog was similar to our advokaat which is made with egg yolks, sugar and alcohol, but it's not. Not REALLY, anyway. Eggnog contains milk and cream, advokaat does not, and it's thicker. Advokaat is often served with ice cream, pancakes or waffles, or in a little glass to enjoy with a coffee. I had that yesterday, mmmm.



6. Favourite Xmas gift received as a child?
We used to get the toys and the fun stuff from Sint Niklaas.
At Christmas we got the practical, useful things.
Stuff like underwear and pyjama's and socks, no fun getting that when you're seven or eight!

7. Easiest person to buy for?
My nephew. He has a wish list with every possible detail.



8. Least easiest?
My husband. He never has any special wishes, and he has no real hobbies.
He likes chocolate and sweets, but we're trying to loose weight!
I'll probably end up buying him shirts or something.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes. My Boyds Bears nativity scene.
I put my three wise men on a boat, isn't that cute?



10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Both I guess. But I suck at sending Christmas cards!
I usually end up sending them halfway through January or something!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A Senseo coffee machine.
I am a coffee lover, but already had a regular coffee machine and an espresso machine when I got it! My kitchen counter is not big enough to house three different types of coffee machines!

12. Favourite Christmas Movie?
Something from Disney.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
A couple of days before Christmas? Eww, I know, I'm terrible!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No. I mean, YES. The Senseo Coffee machine.

15. Open presents on Christmas eve or morning?
When the family gets together to have our Christmas party, there's no real set date, this year it's going to be on the 4th of January!

16. Lights on the tree?
Lots and lots of lights!

17. Favourite Christmas song?
We have the loudspeakers of the shopping street right next to our living room window.
I hear Christmas music ALL DAY. Need I say more?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I prefer to stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
I'm sorry, we're not very familiar with them in Belgium, I'm afraid.
I know Rudolf, that's a start isn't it?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
A have an antique ornament, but it looks nothing like an angel or a star.

21. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas?
Nothing in particular really, although my family requested me
to bake Christine's peppernuts again this year!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

Crowded shops. I know I should do my Christmas shopping a little bit earlier, I know!

23. Favourite Tree ornament, theme or colour?

I like different themes each year.
Last year I did snowy roses and glass and I liked that a lot!



24. Favourite for Christmas dinner?

No real traditions in our home, maybe some game or something.
I really love venaisson.

25. Brussels Sprouts - love or hate them?

Brussels Sprouts are no delicacy where I come from.
They're just ordinary every day vegetables.
Every child hates them, I used to too, but now I like them a lot, but NEVER in my right mind am I going to serve them at Christmas! Okay, ... I should never say never, you're right about that too!

26. Favourite accompaniment to the Christmas Pud?

Christmas pudding is not a Belgian tradition either.
But I've tasted it, and I would serve custard with it, we call that Crème Anglaise.

27. Favourite Christmas Carol?

Silent night, holy night.

28. Your very Favourite Christmas Thing?

The lights and the decorations in the the streets.
But my absolute favourites are the dangling Santa's. They really make me smile!
Everybody seems to want to have one dangling from their window or balcony!

29. A Christmas wish!

Good health and happiness to all the people.

30. Tag six people?
Sorry, I don't do the tagging bit.
I nicked this from someone, and I don't even remember who!
Feel free to take it if you want to!

Wordless Wednesday Fun

Just one word: FUN!!

Visit the other Wordless Wednesday players here.

Photo Hunter Supporting Project Black

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "support".
It is also my Project Black for today.
So in a way, one is supporting the other!

This was taken a couple of weeks ago
when we went to a rollerblading club meeting
to support for my nephew and his sister who had to race there.
It's a good thing I was able to make that picture in the first place,
this little guy is like quicksilver, he never stands still!
The other reason I chose this picture is
that it suddenly occurred to me that this gear
supports his feet and ankles very well.
So there you go, my take on the "support" theme!


Visit more Photo Hunt players here,
and if you want to see more Project Black pictures,
click here to visit Anna Carson's blog!

Quilly's ABC

I'm joining Quilly's ABC photo meme today, I think it's a great idea.
As some of you might know, I live in Belgium.
My native speech is Dutch, and by writing a post
on this blog every day ( I joined 365)
I'm trying to improve my writing and my spelling.
And I'm trying to learn a few new words every day, so ...
Taking pictures is one of my favourite hobbies,
what more would I want?


So, without further ado ...


F is for .... flabbergasted...
I like that word!



I think this one illustrates the word just about right?
It's my little nephew, he was counting his money!

Look for other ABC players here, it's fun!

Happy birthday darling!

It's my husband's birthday today!

These are some of the happy moments we have shared in recent years.
We celebrated his birtday for the very first time 27 years ago,
and we haven't missed one since.

We have shared so much in all of those years.
Yes, we shared the good and the bad. The highs and the lows.
But even when things didn't work out, we always had each other.
I hope there will be many, many more!

Happy birthday Keppeke*!

(* Keppeke is my special name for him)

Photohunt ..... Delicious!

PhotoHunt's theme for today is "Delicious"

I think this just about covers it ....

This is my little sister, tasting a very delicious tiny little organic tomato.
I roasted them in the oven with some olive oil, thyme and balsamic vinegar,
.... and just a pinch of sugar!
They were tastebud-mind-boggling delicious!!!
She was sitting right in front of me, and I could not help myself.
I had to grab my camera!

Weekly Winners ... Christmas party

Here's to you ...

good health and happiness

lots of presents ...

fingerfood ...

Peppernuts

and lots of giggles ...


lots and lots of pictures too ...


Don't worry, we didn't set the house on fire, it was just dessert!

Visit the homeblog of Weekly Winners, the one and only Sarcastic Mom!
Find out who else joined this week!

The days of lollipops and bubble gum ...

Early sixties, in the small rural village of my grandparents.

I was about nine years old, and my grandmother and I went to the village to replenish our supplies at the local grocery shop. The shop was next to the church, at the corner of the street.
The lady at the shop was married to the the caretaker of the church.
She had very red lips, and two irregular thin black streaks above her eyes.
Her black hair was put up, very fashionable back then...
but it looked a bit like a crow's nest to me.
Her name was Jeanne.




You could buy just about anything there, shoe polish, salt, pepper, flower, sugar... soap ...
I can still remember the smell of the sunlight soap,
or the brown soap my grandmother used to clean the floor with.
My grandmother ordered a kilo of flour,
and Jeanne scooped it out of a big container into a brown paper bag.
She put it on the scale on the counter to weigh it,
putting the bag on one side and the brass weights on the other.
I remember watching the needle stop exactly in the middle.
While my grandmother and Jeanne exchanged the latest gossips,
I looked at the glass candy jars on the counter.

My grandmother used to let me choose something, and I was trying to make up my mind.
That was kind of hard, there was so much to choose from.
There were toffees and peppermints, sweet and sour hearts, lollipops in so many different flavours, chewy little wine gums in the shape of little bears or mice, and of course, bubble gum ...
The bubble gum was pink, and inside the wrapper was a free tattoo.
I think it was printed on waxed paper sort of, and you had to lick it and put it onto your skin.
My mother would not let me have them, but my grandmother bought them anyway.
It took me hours and hours of practice to blow a big bubble, as I had seen other kids do.
I can still remember how proud I was, when I managed to do it for the first time.
And I can still feel that bubble collapsing in my face ...

My nickname Jientje

I got a comment from Junebug
asking me how to pronounce my nickname Jientje.
You see, first I'll try to explain what it means, or rather what that name means to me.

It all started in the early eighties, when my husband and I decided to share a life together.
I was his second wife, and my mother-in-law refused to accept her son's choice.
Months passed by before his parents finally came up to the appartement to visit us.
It was the first time I would meet them and I was rather nervous.
The doorbell rang and they came in.
My knees became wobbly, and the palms of my hands were getting clamp.
I wanted to disappear off the face of the earth, .... become very small and invisible,
.... hide in a flowerpot, or in a teacup for that matter, .... whatever,
anything to save me from this moment I dreaded and wanted at the same time.
Of course I wanted to meet them, but I was so scared to be hurt too.

My father-in-law entered the living room with his arms wide open,
welcoming me into them.
As he approached me he nicknamed me ... Jientje.

Sadly enough, a few years later he died, and that name almost died with him.
Nobody called me Jientje anymore.
And then, last year when I started my other blog, I had to choose a nickname.
I decided I would call myself Jientje again.

Maybe I should change it, I don't know, should I?
Using two different nicknames on two different blogs seems soooooo confusing to me?
Anyway, you can all think of me as Jeany, because that would be the right translation.
If it's too difficult, let me know,
but if you ask me,
in my heart I would rather stick to Jientje.

That nickname Jientje is all about being accepted for who I am , and what I am ...

Three sisters in London

They had not been together like sisters anymore since they were kids ...
So they took a train to London , where they had so much fun.
They laughed and they giggled,
had coffee at Nero's

and shopped till they dropped...
But they also took a trip down Memory Lane.
One of them was seven years younger,
and the eldest used to sleep in the same bed at night.
Each night they would measure out the exact middle of the bed.
Whenever one of them "crossed the line",
the other one would use an elbow or a knee to establish their territorial rights.

Anyway, I think I'm loosing the trail here on Memory Lane?
I was trying to tell you the story of he three suisters in London, was I not?
Being together again as three sisters like they used to be a long time ago
gave hem a chance to really talk to each other again.
All three of them had been through better
and through worse,
and each of them had lived their own sorrows.
You know, like most people do?
A lot had happened in their lives,
but they never had the chance to really look through each others eyes.
And in this very cosy English pub, they ordered something to eat.
And over dinner and a bottle of delicious rosé wine

they told each other about their lives.
About what happened, the why's and the why not's in life.
They talked,
they giggled,
they laughed and they cried.
Three little sisters in London ...
It was so intense ...