friends

Apologies for the lack of blogging.  I've pretty much had a screen free week (well ok, the occasional peek at Pinterest and Instagram!).  Instead I've been enjoying the company of a great friend visiting me from the UK.  She has been on a bit of a extended vacation - Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and then her final week with me.  We go back around 15 years, meeting via a mutual wonderful friend, and the last time we saw each other was at our friend's wedding in 2009, and yet it seemed like yesterday!

C knows me from my single girl London life pre- husband / kids / grown-up responsibilities and living overseas.  Pre-grey hair making an appearance and and more than a lines around the eyes!  It felt so good catching up, shopping, sight seeing, watching movies, drinking cocktails on Saturday evening, after an afternoon shopping (memories of London life came swimming back).

Having moved back and forth between the Netherlands and the US twice during the past 10 years, there's an element of starting again, meeting and making new friends, putting yourself out there and welcoming a new life.  I find as I've grown older that I really know the kind of person I like to become friends with, and of course that narrows your 'friend radar' more than a bit. And it takes a while to feel relaxed and really be yourself with new friends.  Spending 5 days with my friend made me feel like I was 'Me' again - it was like a mini girls vacation.  Housework got pretty much forgotten and the weekly schedule changed to accomodate day trips and evenings out.  From excitement at the Trailblazers basketball game one night, where were laughed, danced, cheered and screamed for our team, too a peaceful morning wandering around the Portland Japanese Gardens.  We watched two of my favourite movies - The American and Elizabethtown.  A day at the beach, a day in town having brunch, pedicures and shopping.  We ran the Portland Shamrock Run early on Sunday morning, and I ran a PB!  We had brunch, lunch, coffees and cocktails this past week and I enjoyed every minute of our time together.

There is nothing like spending time with an 'old' friend.  Nothing like someone who knows you well and has shared memories and laughter together.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

friday on my mind

The wind and rain have picked up today.  This evening's snowboarding lessons for Luca have been cancelled due to bad weather conditions. Instead we are having a relaxed Friday evening dinner with friends.  Kids will play and watch a movie.  Parents will open some wine and 'chew the fat' over   delicous food (our friend makes the BEST bbq ribs) and start the weekend at a slow pace.  Can't wait.

This afternoon I shall bake Banana Bread from 'Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights'.  Warm and delicious for this damp grey day.

Plans for the rest of the weekend are unmade, and right now that sounds just about perfect to me.

Wishing you a great weekend, whatever you may find yourself doing. 

X

making friends

Ruby is missing her friends from NL.  All those little girls she used to run around with, make tea-parties, share cookies, fight over one thing, and then hug and carry on playing once again.  I'm not sure whether showing her photographs of them all still having fun together back in NL is too sad for her or whether it keeps her memories of the fun they had together alive?

via Pinterest

But Ruby is not one to hang around!  We visit a park almost every day.  On the way she will ask 'Will there be friends there?'.  Just as soon as we arrive, and she spies other children, she calls out 'Shall we be friends?' and that's it.  More often than not she runs off with someone new, playing hide-and-seek, up and down the slide, laughing and playing.  And when it comes to going home, she ALWAYS says 'Would you like to come to my house?'.  I don't think it will be too long until she has another litle group of friends to share her days with.

If only it were that easy for all of us.

happy 2nd anniversary

My best friend Elisha and her lovely hubby will be celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary today!!! Yay!

Wishing them many many years of happiness together.

Big Hugs

Photograph taken by Huzz at the wedding venue.

happy happy birthday

My best friend turns 40 today.
Welcome to the 40s Elisha.  Life begins, so they say!

image via Martha

Celebrate in style this weekend.

Happy Birthday.

Hugs

xxxx

an evening out is all it takes

So many of my friends' husbands/partners have been travelling non-stop with work in January and February, my Huzz included.  Home alone for us Mamas, with the kiddos for days (sometimes weeks) on end can take its toll after a while.  When you wake at 7am and see the day stretching before you and know they'll hardly be a moment of quiet or just sitting still time - it can feel a little daunting, especially at the weekends.

One evening out, babysitter in charge at home, no 'mama' this 'mama' that, is often all it takes to feel the balance again.  A couple of glasses of red, a lovely cheese board, bread, tapenade, and the world seems a friendly place.

via Pinterest Luizsa

That was my evening yesterday. Instead of opening the MacBook and blog surfing or Facebooking for hours on end, or reading until my head is dropping and going to bed much later than really needed.  Nails were painted in Chanel 'Particuliere', my highest heels, my favourite black suede trench coat, and my lovely Swarovski black ring were all put on and I was out the door without barely a backwards glance, and off into town on my bike (this is Holland you know!).  A small group of us, in need of an evening out of the house, met at a new bar / restaurant in town and talked, and ate, and laughed and enjoyed just being 'out'.

  

And now I'm ready to face the weekend ahead.  Wishing you a good one.

Happy Thanksgiving Friends

To friends across the pond celebrating Thanksgiving today. We miss you and shall be thinking of you. We shall of course enjoy our own turkey and share memories of living in Portland together with our lovely dutch friends, the Michielsens. Cheers!