The Search for Quilt Fabric

The park strips all the way down our street look like this right now.
It is so cheery and fun. It is also interesting to notice how they
are planted, obviously with some kind of machine.

Dennis had to go to Paris for the first three days of the week so that meant I got to have sole possession of the car. Monday, I spent doing a few necessities like grocery shopping but also picked up a few things that aren't as easy to do on the bike. I bought a big bag of potting soil and a few more plants and pots. I got my plants potted and did some housework and picked Alyna up from school.

Tuesday, I dropped Alyna off at school and then went at picked up Armanda Bos and we headed out to find some fabric shops. Armanda is a lot of fun to be with and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. She speaks English wonderfully since her parents and brother, sister and son all live in Utah. She is a talented quilter and painter and she has a wonderful eye for color and texture. She is currently serving as the stake Relief Society President so although we keep planning on doing a lot of great projects together, I know her time is quite limited.

I needed to find some pieces of fabric to finish up one quilt and enough to round out the requirements for another one. I also wanted to get some baby fabric to make a gift for my visiting teaching partner who just had a baby girl. So we headed out with our TOM TOM and a list of addresses of stores that were within an hours drive. The first one we went to was way out in the country side. It was a delight to drive to because we had to drive over little canal bridges, maneuver around big farm equipment on roads that were only wide enough for one car and dodge bicycilists. We finally got to the point were the Tom Tom said we had reached our destination and it was this old farm. It looked nice but it was just typical old dutch farm yard. We decided that we were in the right place because we saw a little sign that said quilts on it.



We looked around for a bit and finally figured out where the shop was and went in. What a delightful surprise met our eyes. I wish I had taken a lot more pictures. The quilt shop was the inside of an old barn and it was so "gezellig." That's the Dutch term for the feeling of being warm, cozy, comfortable and content. There was a big old table in the center of the room with a group of about 10 ladies sitting around it and working on various quilting projects - no machines so everyone was either cutting out a project or doing hand work. It was really interesting to see what each of them were working on. The patterns and the fabrics were from Australia, England and the US so there was lots of different things to see. Then you went further into the barn and there was a great selection of fabrics at fairly reasonable prices. We found some great projects there and spent a wonderful hour browsing, selecting and talking to the various people there.

That actually turned out to be the highlight of the day. We went to 4 other shops; one had a great selection and high prices, the others had small selections but in each one we found some thing that was of interested or that we wanted to do. It was a really fun outing and it was after 5:00 when I got home. (Alyna had called while I was at a shop in Ede. She was locked out of the house so she had a long wait before I got home.)

Wednesday, Alyna didn't have school and I had researched and talked to several locals about what would be fun to do. I thought we could drive to Ede, take the train to Utrecht and see the sights there and then come home. Alyna showed me her list of homework and things she had to have done this week and we decided it would be best if we stayed home and got some things done. That was fine with me. I finished one quilt that I needed the bits and pieces for and started the baby gift. I also took an hour and went out to find the two fabric stores that are closest to my house. One was just tiny and specialized in small template (Marti Mitchell) type quilting. The other one was bigger and had a nice selection of fabric. It's always nice to know what is available but also really nice to know that I will be going back to the states often enough that I will rarely need to pay the high prices of fabric here.

Spring

Since we've returned to Holland, there have been little signs of spring. The days are definitely getting longer which is wonderful. The bulbs are starting to come up, even the tulips I finally got planted just last month. Alyna had a happy day because she only had 45 minutes of school on Wednesday so we went out and took pictures of "happy things." Here are a few:

Swinging at our local park

Alyna riding her bike with a smile. Amazing!


We've gone past this little store dozens of times without ever going in. It has a really nice jewelry making section as well as ready-mades that are fun.

Hot chocolate and friets at our local lunch spot.

This store has the cutest little green and white polka dot bags.


Look at how the crocuses are planted. Usually in a
strip down either side of the trees with nothing in the middle.
That's me on my bike.

It started out being beautiful and sunny when Alyna came home from school and by the time we got home from our little adventure it was rather cold and almost drizzly.

Oh Happy Days

Here are the top 10 things I loved about being home last week.

1. Being Home
While my American friends here were skiing in Switzerland, cruising in the Mediterranean, and touring in Egypt, I got to come home and sleep in my own bed and be with my family and friends. That is truly a blessing!



2. Seeing Andrew and Lindsay get married
It was a fabulous day and a very special event. They were so happy and their happiness was contagious. Everything was perfect, from the weather, to the decorations and food. Andrew and Lindsay did a great job, with a little help from their parents, in planning and preparing for the event.



3. Having all the kids home
Our family has grown a lot recently and it was fun to have a full house once again. We never had a chance to all sit down together and visit or play games, but everyone came and went and I got a chance to visit and play with some of them. The girls and I had some fun times shopping and going out to eat and working on Lisa's wedding. It was also fun watching them enjoy their time together.






4. Being with all our extended family
I have to say I have been blessed with wonderful relatives. My parents and Dennis' parents are so supportive and loving. Any time we need anything, they willingly get it done for us. They are the best. We also have great brothers and sister, nieces and nephews, and aunts and uncles that do so much for us. Everyone was so great to pitch in and help out in any way they could.



5. Being with Kara
My little sis lives in Atlanta and I don't get to see her much. It was wonderful to be able to spend a couple of days with her even though it was really crazy and busy. Just having her there was great!!



6. Visiting with friends
I have so many wonderful friends and I was able to see a bunch of them and spend at least a few minutes with a bunch of them. They are so much fun to be with and we had a lot to catch up on.



7. Knowing great people who can help make things happen
There were several things that I needed to get done in a very timely manner. First off, I needed someone who was willing to drop everything and get the quilt I had made for Andrew and Lindsay quilted and bound. Jean Briel came to my rescue on the quilting issue. I dropped the quilt off on Monday morning and she had it done by Wednesday afternoon. Then the Relief Society President in our ward, Lori Wood, took it and did the machine binding on it and about 8 of my Relief Society sisters got together Thursday night and did the hand stitching.

The dress I had ordered on-line needed more altering than I was capable of in a short amount of time so another talented friend, Elizabeth Smith, came to my rescue and in 24 hours had it altered and steamed and ready to go.

We needed to have our accountant do my Family Trust taxes in the few days we were home. When I called from Holland, they told me his first possible appointment was April 7th. When I explained our situation, they said to bring them in on Monday and they'd see what they could get done. They had them done by Wednesday evening!



8. Being able to read and talk in English
You know, when you are in America, it is no big deal. But I really am handicapped here. From simple things like reading instructions on how to prepare a packaged food, looking up something in a phone book, or finding the right kind of cold medicine, to knowing what in going on in the community, talking to doctors or knowing what different road signs say or mean when you are driving. It's a challenge.

9. Surprises!
I had so many friends and family show up to the reception that I haven't seen in a long time. It was so fun! I went a bit crazy a time or two. I felt bad that I couldn't spend more time visiting with them when they had come from so far.

10. Going out to eat at most of my favorite restaurants
We got to eat out almost every meal. Our family and friends fed us well but we also got to go to Chili's, Cafe Rio, Firehouse Pizza and Bajio. Next time I have got to do Chinese! I really miss going out to favorite restaurants. I've had some new and different foods here but nothing that I'm anxious to have again.

Home

After a very smooth but long journey, we made it home safely last night. Mindy was at the airport to meet us and it was wonderful to get to see her again. We were able to stop in and see my parents on the way home. They even had some dinner waiting for us which was much appreciated and enjoyed! (Mom's cooking - the BEST! Hot and hearty soup, fresh rolls, chocolate cake!! It was yummy.)

We arrived home at about 10 PM and were greeted first by Alyna's friends. They had been standing out on the sidewalk, for I don't know how long, in the 20 degree weather. Now that's true friends. It didn't take Alyna long to disappear to the cousins where a party was in progress. It's no wonder she loves being here!! She has so many wonderful friends, and she even gets to be related to some of them.

Andrew was also waiting and it was so great to see him. Less than a week and he'll be a married man!! Wow, my baby boy is all grown up. I am so excited for him and Lindsay. They will be wonderful together.



The house looked great! Lisa had come up on Wednesday and she and Andrew worked hard to change it from it's frat house condition to a home that will be ready for all the activities and guests of the week. It looked great and I so appreciate their hard work and willingness to have things ready for us. THANKS KIDS! Mindy, Alyna and I are going to do some work this week to get our stuff out of the office and upstairs kitchen so that Lindsay and Andrew can have their own little "apartment" to decorate and do as they please once they get back and settle down.

I am so happy for the chance to see and be with all my kids, their spouses and fiances. What a lot of great memories to be made in such a short time. It is also wonderful to have a chance to see all our extended families and friends. I certainly appreciate all their support and love. It certainly makes these big events in our lives a lot more fun when surrounded by those we love and who mean so much to us.

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This is my favorite view from my kitchen window. We will have several opportunities to be in the Logan temple this week. Wonderful!!

A Good Thought

I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. --Etienne de Grellet


This quote came up on my "good living" message today and I thought it was really good. I need this reminder and motivation. We have a neighbor whom I have been introduced to once when we first moved here. We never see them come or go from their house and I don't think either the husband or the wife speak any or much English. We have heard that the wife has cancer and is not responding to chemo well. I saw a home oxygen system delivered the other day and there are other, professional looking people coming and going, (Doctors make house calls here if you are too sick to go to them but don't need to be in the hospital.) I would like to do something for this lady, but I don't know what or how. I probably need to talk to some other Dutch people to see what would be appropriate in this situation and see if I can find out more about her circumstances.

Small words of kindness are a wonderful way to brighten a day. When we were in Germany, I needed to use the WC. The attendant was a young black girl and as I went in I heard her singing. She had a beautiful voice and I complimented her on it. I didn't think that she would understand me, as most Germans don't speak English, but I think I was able to convey my thoughts because she got the biggest grin on her face. It was really cute.

What a Sweetheart!

Today, Dennis took Alyna, a friend and me shopping all day. I've been wanting to go to Oberhausen Germany to shop at a big mall to see what I could find to wear for all weddings. So this morning bright and early we got up and drove to Germany. We went to Koln (Colonge). Schildergasse is reported to be the biggest and busiest shopping street in Europe. It had a lot stores we have become familiar with but also a lot of new and interesting ones we explored. The window displays were quite interesting. At the H&M store, the mens display made me laugh. Rolled up pants, sweater and shirt tucked into slacks and just the whole color, style thing was enough to make me stop and take a picture.



We looked at most every shoe store for the perfect shoes for Lisa to wear for her wedding. (That was a great excuse for looking at shoes. Thanks, Lisa.) We found lots that we would have loved to buy but Alyna and I really don't need many more shoes right now.



We did find some cute outfits but the price tag on most of them were enough to discourage us from even trying them on.


After an hour of two of shopping it was time to eat. I'm sure Dennis would have chosen something a little more authentic but the girls voted for Burger King and so that's where we had lunch.

We then drove into Dusseldorf and shopped at a big grocery store there. We decided to still go check out the mall since we were only about 15-20 minutes away at that point. It was a HUGE, two story place. We set up a meeting time and place so everyone could go browse and shop to their hearts content. It was super crowded and sometimes the lines to the dressing rooms and check stands were so long that even if I found something I liked, I wasn't willing to wait. After all, we only had 45 minutes to look around. When we met back after 45r minutes, we begged another half hour and I think by the end of that time we all left happy. I would love to to back on a weekday when it isn't so busy but I really apprecaited Dennis' being willing to spend the day doing what we wanted to do.

What a Sweetheart! He does so many things to make me happy and make my life easier. I love him so much!

I Need to be More Thankful for the Little Things

I was planning on posting a blog tomorrow when I was a little more alert and had more time but I decided I wanted to post something I had been thinking about this morning. I got up at about 6:30 and was amazed. I hadn't had to get up to go to the bathroom during the night. That's when I realized there are a lot of little things that I need to be more grateful for. Here's some of the others I thought of:

Waking up in the morning with no pain.
Figuring out something to have for dinner and having all the ingredients.
Fixing a meal that everyone will eat. (Someone is getting a little better at eating though.)
Creating something and being pleased and proud of how it turned out.
Being able to mentally remember a two or three item list of things to do and getting them done.
Making a bed and having it look good. (Down comforters are just so hard to make look neat and crisp. They always look sloppy and lumpy.)
Having toes and fingers stay warm when visiting a Dutch home. (Many people keep their homes at about 65 degrees - or so it seems!)
Having skype and being able to talk to family and friends!!!!!
Having three computers in our homes so we can talk and work and play to our hearts content.
Being able to watch American TV shows here - thanks to the internet. Psych and American Idol are my favorites.
Having a smaller house to keep clean.
Having a lot less junk to try to keep organized. (I'm collecting stuff faster than I'd like to admit though.)
Not being able to speak or read the language much. (I'm beginning to learn that there are lots of sad things that happen even in our nice little village - and here I thought we were living in such a safe and happy little world.)
Days when I get on the scale and don't moan at the numbers that appear.


I'm sure I could go on and on but I'm finding it hard to keep my eyes open and my fingers typing the right keys.