Contest

Unlike like their American couterparts, the banks here are doing just fine. So fine, actually, that one of our local banks had a "children's day", just like that. Husband and the kids stumbled upon the celebration while I was home, on stand-by, the other day. And since husband is open to everything and will try everything he and the kids decided to party at the bank. They had snacks and drinks and played and drew pictures of their "dream house". 

Yesterday, we got a phone call from the bank manager who congratulated us to son winning the second place in the "my dream house" contest. 

It looks like he wants to live on a house boat. I had no idea.

Picture is displayed prominently at the bank and son received a book about the local zoo and a family pass to the same. Family pass meaning that two adults and eight kids get to go. Eight kids. Right.

   

Spunky

Daughter is the most humorous girl I know. Whenever I am sad or just not in a good mood I lay in her bed and just watch her play - she always makes me laugh (secretly, under a blanket). The best thing is, she never tries to be funny - she just is.  

 

A while ago husband told me she reminded him of another very spunky and funny personality...and I have to agree. If Hollywood ever decides to make a motion picture of the 

Peanuts comic they have to cast daughter. 

5:00am to 9:00pm

I am on stand-by from 5:00am to 9:00pm all day yesterday and today. I did not leave the house except for 15 minutes to drive to the next gas station to buy chocolate. Trust me, if you are made to stay inside for that long you need chocolate. 

Since I never got called out, I could have finished sorting out the last box with our stuff but nooooo, the only thing I could get myself to do was to look for more cherry plates on ebay and eat everything I could find in the kitchen. I hate being on stand-by.    

Kid's rooms - done!

Finally - daughter's bed arrived, all the way from Flamant in Belgium.  Her tiny, tiny room is finished now and even though she doesn't have that much space, I think she will be happy there.

Her view...

Son's room:

Chair #1

For years I have wanted the Emeco Navy Chair. For years.  I like its history, it being made by order and not being mass produced, its timeless style. This is as good as a chair can get. But being a very elusive chair I had to make due with my old chairs with the crooked legs. 

Moving into our new place we decided to actually order one from the Emeco company and the other day, husband walked in the door with this box:  

And here it is!!! Our one Navy Chair! Waiting for the other three that hopefully will join it during the next year! In the meantime we take turns sitting in it...

My Strawberry

Looking through our stuff I found these pictures taken a few years ago. Daughter was a summer strawberry then. How much she has grown...

12 on 12

A blogger, whose blog I like to read, does a monthly 12 on 12. On every 12th of a month, she takes 12 pictures of her day. Generally Gemma lives in England, which I feel I should as well, so I always look forward to the desciption of her day. 

Great idea, I thought! I can do that! 

Well, here is my day, a lousy 4 on 12:

Maybe, September was a bad month for me to start. I am a bit overwhelmed with the new apartment we moved into, the old one that we moved out of, work, and the kids going back to school. Husband's work doesn't help either. Being a bit stressed out, I fell down some stairs at work and surely looked ridiculous right in front of my collegues with a bloody knee and a torn pantyhose. So, now I am hobbling around to the amazment of my daughter who told me that she didn't know that "elderly ladies" could have such banged up knees. I really didn't get to enjoy my day very much.

Picture 1: The Mini always, always cheers me up but never more than on a very, very rainy day, such as today.

Picture 2: The store front of a shop where I ordered daughter's bed.

Picture 3: A "dead mouse". Daughter and her friend rang at the door after playing outside. Supposedly, they had found a dead mouse. Just as I was starting to wonder what I should do with it, they showed me the box.

Picture 4: That is what I will do now...go to bed and feel sorry for myself. Just a bit. 

Keep Calm and Carry On

We still have to get new lamps and furniture (still missing two beds, a couch and chairs). It normally takes me a while to find just the "right" piece which means we might have to live without a couch for months. However, the hallway is done...this is what you see before you step into our apartment. 

See the poster? I had it shipped from England. It is a reprint of a poster that was supposed to be displayed during WWII. The owners of Barters Books found the poster in a box of old books and displayed it in their store. Soon shoppers asked to buy it and they started selling copies. "Keep Calm and Carry On", perfect motto for us right now!

  

Nickelback

September has been very hectic for us so far. No time for fun. Husband chose to change that by going to the NICKELBACK concert instead of sleeping. He says it was worth every second of it.

Nickelback and happy husband

Peaceful

Sky over Bremen, Germany, Sep.08 

There are still boxes to unpack. School books to get for the kids. New routes to plan for the walk to the schools. Work, birthdays to celebrate, endless errands to run. I am so behind with everything. What really bothers me is that a dear, dear friend is visiting Paris for a week and I can't squeeze in a day to see her. 

No time to stop and smell the roses.