Look ...

... at our new (try out) housepet! His name is Ger and he's 6 years old. It's a Boomer-dog. That's a crossing between a Maltese and another dog. In our case a sheepdog. He's very cute!!

His (previous) owner was looking for a new home for Ger because she's almost never at home and although he can stay alone for a very long time, she felt sorry for him and that's why she was looking for a good new home for her dog.

I only agreed to take the dog for a try out period of 14 days, so that we can experience how it goes. The owner lives in a city nearby and if it's not working out in a positive way she comes to take the dog back home with her.

Busy, busy ...

... with painting again!!!

I decided last Tuesday that with Zander at his dad and my cleaning lady on vacation for a couple of weeks it was THE moment to paint the staircase, hall and the landing. I felt great when I started this big project. Ofcourse now my whole body aches again but I'm so proud of all the work that I've done and I'm pleased with how everything turned out. I even painted some of the furniture in the hall and on the landing!!

Everything white on the pictures was either yellow or wood.

The week before I painted some old chairs made of cane and reed that are now on the wooden terrace in front of the garden house. They turned out great too!! At Action (Dutch store with really cool stuff for little money) I bought 2 white lamps to brighten up the garden house.

Tomorrow someone will come and install the electricity in the garden house so that we can have some lights and a heater there during the cold months. He has to dig a hole from the main house to the garden house (about 20 meters) and will be busy whole day.

When his job is done it will be time to make the terrace with tiles and bricks that I will get from my neighbours. They are getting a new terrace in August and asked me if I was interested in their old one. Sure, I can use anything! Especially if it's for free!

I think I will invite all the people that have helped me out with Project Back yard for a BBQ to show them my gratitude!!

Because I was so busy with painting I didn't have the time left for some scrapbooking. I hope to be able to finish the mini book About me in 2007 this evening or tomorrow and if not it has to wait till next week because tomorrow evening I'm leaving for Utrecht to spent a couple of days with Ad and my son.

Finally ....

.... found the time, inspiration and energy to make a traditional layout again!

Some weeks ago I bought We dare you, scrapbook challenges about real life from Kristina Contes, Nisa Fiin, Genevieve Simmonds and Meghan Heath Dymock.

So I got inspired by that and made this simple layout yesterday afternoon. What also helped to finish it, was the presence of Heidi who came over for the day. She also needed some special scrapbook time to get started again after her mom past away.

First we went through my new books and Heidi's scrapbook magazines (Making Memories and Creating Keepsakes), sitting in the sun in my backyard with a cup of herbal tea. Then I made some roasted bread with a home made vegetable spread in between. Can't find the English word for it but we call it a tosti. The recipe is from the Fit for life diet.

After lunch we finally started to work on our layouts.

I also taught Heidi how to work with the clone stamp in Adobe Photoshop on a damaged photo of her DH.

I felt great after she left around 7 p.m.!!! The scrap mojo is back!!

After I made some sandwiches (wasn't in the mood to make dinner) I immediately started on my next project. Last year I made a mini album about Me in 2007, but I never filled it with photos and journaling. So that's my new project. I hope to finish it today.

New digi layouts and photos of little chicks!!

Made some new digital layouts at Scrapblog. Two of them (Zander and Misty) are made with a sketch from Scrapblogsketches. This is a blog started by Julie Ann Shahin .

The other digi is with a picture of me when I was a little girl. Normally I almost never use pink - because I have a son - but it was fun using all the pink stuff at Scrapblog!!

I also made some pictures from the new born chicks from one of the neighbours. There were 10 eggs, but only 4 came out. Don't they look cute!!!?

R.I.P. Kuifje

This afternoon my chicken Kuifje died.

Yesterday, I already noticed that she was sitting a lot on the same spot and that she was shaking her head in a funny way. Her comb looked pale too.

I took some pictures of her because I felt she was going to die soon.

Last night when I made my tour around the house she was still sitting outside. Normally she always goes to the chickenhouse when it's getting dark. So, I put her in the chickenhouse myself.

This morning she hadn't left the chickenhouse yet at 10 o'clock. Untill today she was always up and about early in the morning, so I knew for sure that she was really sick. I also knew that she couldn't be saved anymore. So, when the sun started to shine on the chickenhouse I took her out and put her on a nice spot in the shade. I sat with her for a while, talking to her and patting her on the back. I left her alone for a while to finish some chores and when I came outside to check on her she was dead.

I buried her behind the gardenhouse, close to her 'sisters'.

This is the picture I took of her yesterday.

Back home!!!

Arrived back home again yesterday afternoon after spending a week in Utrecht!! ALONE!!! I left Zander with his dad in Utrecht! He will be staying there for a couple of weeks. So for the first time since his birth I will have a long vacation! I really need it! I've had a rough year with my son, his school and his home program. Also don't forget the impact of the fibromyalgia!
I'm not sure yet what I will be going to do the next couple of weeks. One thing I do know: I want to clean up my scraproom and decorate the garden house.
I would love to go abroad (France or USA) but I don't want to go alone. So I probably will be staying at home. I don't mind!

When I was in Utrecht I went to the Paper&Pictures store in Doorn. I bought some nice stuff, some things I needed badly and also some new books and 2 Creating Keepsakes. Love the Dares book and the Donna Downey!!

So, I probably will scrapbook a lot for the next couple of weeks!! I also still like to make digi's at Scrapblog! I wasn't able to make a lot when I was in Utrecht but finished already 3 last night and this morning. I just love it more and more every day!!

Took some great photos when we went on a bike tour to Oud-Zuilen. It's a small village just outside of Utrecht and near Ad's house. There is this lovely castle: Slot Zuylen, where used to live Belle van Zuylen, also known as Madame de Charriere. She was one of the first (maybe even the first) Dutch female novelists (18th century).

If you want to see more of the castle click on: het slot and then the third thumbnail. Select a room from the floor-plan with the mouse. Click again for a large photo!

We also saw a stork on one of the chimneys of the castle and some swans with little ones nearby the castle. Aren't they cute?!

Layout about Sinterklaas

Another layout I made yesterday with 2 pictures of my son when he met Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet for the first time. He liked to receive the present but he was a bit intimidated by there appearance!

First time on the beach

Another digi with a picture of Zander and his dad when we went to Schiermonnikoog for a daytrip. Zander was 1 year old and it was the first time he went to the beach.

Look ...

... at yet another digi! Made this one really quickly.

Two new digi's.

I'm having so much fun making the digital layouts at Scrapblog. And because I still feel tired it's a good alternative to let my creativity flow. If only the internet was working properly it is quite relaxing!