One hundred

things about me

1. I like chocolate


2. that's probably an understatement
   
   
3. I love chocolate
   


4. that sounds more like it



5. my eyes are blue
   


6. I like my eyes
   


7. there are plenty of other body parts that I'm not so happy with
   


8. but I'll live
   


9. I'm a survivor ;)
   


10. I used to be a very introvert person
    


11. people even called me mysterious
    


12. I think now they would call me an open book
    


13. what can I say, people change, I'm one of them
    


14. I have a tendency to finish other people's sentences
    


15. about half of the time I'm right
    


16. which means the other half of the time I'm wrong



17. I hate it when that happens



18. it's an annoying habit I can't seem to break



19. but I keep trying



20. I love reading books



21. especially a pageturner



22. I've been known to stay up till 3 am to read



23. and feeling terribly tired the rest of the day



24. I have on occasion read the ending before finishing a book



25. I'm curious by nature



26. I guess you figured that one out



27. but I never knew whether I was having a boy or a girl



28. I never asked



29. I did guess though



30. I was right once



31. and wrong once



32. I didn't mind being wrong



33. I don't have any wisdom teeth left



34. at least I don't think so



35. I'm a forgetful person



36. yet sometimes I can remember a conversation word for word



37. I love post-it notes



38. they help keep my thoughts together



39. if I don't lose them



40. I make lists for everything: what to do, what to bring, what not to forget



41. I'm not good at prioritizing



42. so my lists don't always get finished



43. I'm also a procrastinator



44. those two don't mix well



45. I'm the second of four girls



46. I didn't seem to fit in



47. I still don't, but it bothers me less now



48. I don't consider myself to be a smart person



49. but a lot of it has to do with laziness



50. I wish I would have been less lazy in school



51. I left my studying till a few days before the exams



52. if I hadn't, maybe I would remember more of what I learned back then



53. I still graduated with honors



54. and now that makes me sound like I'm bragging



55. I'm an indecisive person



56. that bothers me sometimes



57. no matter what I choose, I usually end up feeling guilty



58. but I know I can't have everything



59. I lead a happy life



60. some may find it dull



61. I think it's pretty wonderful



62. I love cuddles



63. I love kisses



64. I get plenty of those from my family



65. I don't like kissing other people as a greeting



66. I never know how many (1, 2, 3?)



67. not much of a handshaker either



68. handshakes hurt sometimes



69. and they are so formal



70. It's not that I'm impolite



71. I just prefer to say hi



72. I think a lot



73. some people say I think too much



74. my mind is full of ideas



75. they keep me awake at night sometimes



76. but I don't always remember them in the morning



77. I did remember the one about starting a blog



78. I'm glad I did



79. My dad taught me how to drive



80. he even let me put the car in the garage once



81. he shouldn't have let me so soon



82. I nearly nailed him to the washing machine



83. I DID ask if I could let the pedal go



84. he said yes
    


85. I was still in first gear
    


86. nobody's traumatised though
    


87. I failed my first driver's test
    


88. they told me I drove too careful
    


89. I always knew I wanted children



90. I breastfed them both for over six months



91. I think I'll ask my husband to teach them how to drive though



92. I loved being pregnant
    


93. I miss it sometimes



94. My favourite movie is The Notebook



95. I cry every time
    


96. I'm hopelessly romantic



97. I don't drink alcohol
    


98. I don't drink coffee or tea



99. I've only smoked half a cigarette in my life
    


100. and I haven't drunk coca-cola or pepsi in almost 3 years
     

So, did you learn anything new?

One

Happy first birthday blog of mine.

I wasn't sure whether you'd still be here after all this time, but it seems like you have become part of my life now and even though I don't have the time to visit you every day and bring you something new, I'd still like to keep you around. Is that OK with you?

I love spending time with you, looking through the posts of this last year together, chuckling at some of them, remembering writing them. What a great way you have proved to be to document my thoughts, to pay tribute to my family.

It's through you that I have met so many wonderful people, a lot of whom have now become very good friends of you and me. Oh, don't be upset dear blog, I'm sure they like us both equally.

I do have a little present for you. A little indulgence (although I have to give Martha Steward credit for the picture).

So go ahead and have some chocolate on me, 'cuz it's my blog's birthday and we all deserve to be in Chocolate Heaven at least once a year. Enjoy!

Decision time

Well, apparently about half of you shared Kenneth's view on the glasses (purple) and the other half shared mine (black)!

Although the purple ones were growing on me, I still decided to go for the black ones, since they seem more "me" and will go with anything. I did have a hard time deciding though, especially since so many of you liked the purple ones.

Thank you for all your comments! Please know that I truly appreciate them!

* * *

These last few days I've been busy with a project for the parent committee. Hence my minimal presence in blogland...

We've entered a contest and on Wednesday afternoon we made a DVD with some children at the school! It was a lot of fun! I filmed everything and I will make the cover, but I'm leaving the actual cutting and pasting of the footage to somebody else. I can't wait to see the final result! I can't say much about the contest since it's still open and I don't want to give away our idea (though I doubt whether I have any readers in this country ;), but I will tell you more when the time is right. I can however leave you with a picture of two little rising stars...

Watch out Hollywood!

Tell me what you think

Yesterday morning I was cleaning my glasses and all of a sudden I had a piece of them in my hand... I ended up going to work without them, but all day long I felt uncomfortable because I couldn't see things very "sharp". Not that I'm as blind as a bat without them, but I would, for instance, not be comfortable driving my car.

Luckily I was able to have them mended in the evening, so now at least things don't seem fuzzy at the edges! The event did however make me realize that I need an extra pair of glasses, just in case something like this happens. So while the people at the store were mending my glasses I looked at a few new ones.

I'm a libra so making decisions is hard for me. The lady at the store kindly offered for me to take them home so I would have some more time to decide (or maybe I was holding up the line ;).

Perhaps you can help me decide?

These are the ones I normally wear.

These are the models I got to take home (never mind the text written on top of the glasses, they take that off of course ;)

Option 1: Purple

Option 2: Red

Option 3: Black

K. seems to prefer another model than me, and the kids' opinions are divided, so YOUR opinions would be greatly appreciated. Please only look at the glasses, not just the picture (since I have already decided for myself which picture I like best, but not necessarily which glasses I like best).

I must add to this that I dislike wearing glasses. I used to wear lenses and was very happy with them but I can't anymore so glasses were the only answer (I could have surgery but I'd rather spend the money on a holiday with the entire family instead).

Have you seen

?

I saw it the other night and thought it was beautiful. You can see the trailer here.

I love a romantic story...

I even think I liked it almost as much as

If you haven't seen it yet, rent it! Go on, rent it tonight! And make sure you have a box of Kleenex on your lap.

Memory Lane Monday

May 2005

I can spend hours looking through pictures of the kids, wondering where the years have gone...

Did they really have little button noses like that?

What happened to the time when I was able to carry them on my hip effortlessly?

It's good I have pictures to help me remember...

I'm so glad I

FOUND

YOU!

Thank you my blogging friends for your sweet comments on my previous post.

Picture courtesy of Belle & Boo

The anniversary you didn't know about

It's a long post, but please read it completely when you have a moment. You will understand then...

***

I logged on today since I had a certain post in mind, but I got sidetracked due to what I could see on my dashboard amongst the posts of the friends that I follow.

On Dani's blog, there was a name and a picture of someone I recognized immediately (Nick Gaddis) and then I saw the first line of what she wrote:

*(1985 - 2009).

My first thoughts: "Oh no..."

I had read about this courageous young man before on Dani's blog. Nick had been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma in 2000 and had been battling it ever since.

My heart aches for this young warrior and the family he leaves behind.


***

My original post would have been about a dress I bought today. Not just a dress, no, THE dress. The one I plan to wear when Kenneth and I will be renewing our vows later this year.


We had some kind of '50's party in our mind (a classy one, not the poodle skirt one) and this dress is just right for it.

When I was going home yesterday evening I caught a glimpse of what I thought was a skirt or a dress in a pale colour when I passed the window display of a store I sometimes visit. It was late and it was freezing (really freezing - and I was on my bike!) so I didn't turn back to have another look. Today I didn't have to work so I went to have a closer look.

There it was: a pale grey dress, flowing knee length skirt, halter neck... just perfect. And when I went back later to try it on I was amazed that they still had my size and it fit me perfectly.

It looks a little like this dress, but with a halter (since I haven't got the necessary curves to hold up a strapless dress ;).




***

2009 is a special year for us.

On July 23rd we will be looking back on our first kiss which was 15 years ago. We have been together ever since (and sure, it didn't stop at just that first kiss ;).

On December 10th we will celebrate 10 years of marriage. Happy years.

But there is also another anniversary. A 5 year anniversary.

You see, the story about Nick Gaddis hurt me extra hard. Because I know...


In 2004, on July 30, after a year and a half of complaints of coughing, rashes, tiredness and a bump on my neck I was finally diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. My son was 4 at the time and my daughter only 18 months. I had 16 rounds of chemo during a period of 8 months. I've weighed 10 kilos less than I do now and you could count my ribs back then. I cut my hair in a short bob and lost more than half of my hair (I was lucky, I didn't lose it all). I was practically eyebrowless but never lost my sense of humour. I was sick, I was tired,... but the chemo worked and I've been in remission ever since.

I was lucky. I am lucky.

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if they had found out sooner. The bump on my neck was examined when my daughter was only 1 month old. A swollen lymph node, nothing to worry about... If they had done a puncture then, they would have known and they would have made their diagnosis before I ever got to stage III. Then again, I breastfed my daughter for over 8 months and that made us really close. I wouldn't have been able to breastfeed when undergoing chemo therapy. So, in the end, I'm glad they only found out when they did. I'd never have wanted to miss out on that.

***

I've been blogging for nearly a year now and I have never mentioned this to any of you. I thought the moment would present itself so I could tell you, since after all, this is part of who I am. Part of who I have become.

That moment came today, when I learned about the passing of Nick Gaddis. So in a way this is my small tribute to a young man I never even knew but whom I will keep in my heart. Forever.

Our New Year's Eve

A friend of ours came over on New Year's Eve to celebrate the end of the year with us. She's American and she had promised us she'd bring some homemade treats, but when she arrived she hadn't had the time to make them yet. She did bring all the ingredients though and let the kids help out with the 'cooking'.

Can you tell what they're making?

Of course you just HAVE to play with your food when you get the chance!

The above pretzel sticks were not used in the recipe for those who might worry ... :p

Can you guess it now?

It's called "white trash" and though I must admit that neither the name nor the look of it made me feel hungry, I did try some of it the other day and was pleasantly surprised!

It's easy too: just mix two cups of pretzels (broken into pieces) with two cups of Loops cornflakes and add a small bag of unsalted peanuts (I'm guessing the bag was about 500 grams) in an oven dish. Then cover the top with pieces of white chocolate and put it into the oven for about 10 minutes until the chocolate has melted. Once it's melted, stir the chocolate into the mixture of pretzels, nuts and cornflakes and use a spoon (preferably ;) to make little heaps of 'trash'. All you have to do now is wait until the chocolate sets again and then you can crunch away!

Of course there were also presents that had to be put to immediate use:

And then it was time for the New Year 'letters' (nieuwjaarsbrieven)

The children had prepared these in school.

This part always melts my heart and brings tears to my eyes. Even when I was a kid (and I had to read them myself), my voice broke while reading.

You may have noticed that my son is still wearing his hat. He practically never takes it off, not even in the house. Well, at least it's winter now. He would wear it in the summer too. But he would conveniently 'forget' to put on his coat to go outside, even when it's freezing...

Hat and pj's

Unfortunately our friend didn't feel very well that evening (not due to the white trash or the food we served!) and she ended up leaving early, around 9.30 pm.

K. also seemed to be a bit under the weather again and, if it were not for me, he would have gone to bed at 10.30 pm. He made it till 00.05 so we could wish each other a happy new year and then went to bed.

I stayed up a little longer... till about 02.30 am. But I wasn't all by myself. I was with Edward and Bella ;)

I finished all 4 books now and even Kenneth is picking up the pace: he just started the 4th one!