Moline

Again!

Again!
Originally uploaded by moline (up again)

How was this saying? if you have lemons, make lemonade!
So that is what I am doing now.
I seem to need another operation to get rid of some cancer cells in a few weeks. This is also the time to relax, sit down and think things over.
We already did it the last time I was operated, a couple of weeks before. It is time to make decisions and major life changes and this is what it is all about: if something like this happens it is easier to focus and to weed thing out. Weed out bad habits, unhealthy relationships, ill making thoughts, and most of all people who are not nurturing and who often upset us and make a huge impact on our daily family life. That shall not happen in the future. We are having so many helpful and well meaning people around us so we will focus on them and lead our energy there instaed of battling with others.
I've been reading so many good nurturing articles since the beginning of this year at other blogger's sites. There are to mention a few: Holly on decor8 and haus maus, Ali, Leo and Carla. I will muse on all these thought provoking posts over the next months to share some with you. They always seem to give the right input at certain times. Thank you for that!
Hope you are having a wonderful summer break - we will!
Hugs!

Needle clicking and paper cutting

Hello again on this rainy day here in Northern Germany. I am in my room - sort of trapped or maybe cocooned - depends on the inside of my head and my surroundings. Outside the City festival is taking place despite the heavy rain and I can listen to all the concerts in the park for free: Bliss or nuisance depending on what is being performed. 

I am surrounding myself with pretty things like wonderful cashmere yarn I brouht back last year from our Oslo-trip and never wanted to use.

But now I decided to use it for small sweaters and dresses for the wee dolls so I can make more items from one skein.

And i've been cutting and glueing again today, putting together some inspirational pages that always manage to cheer me up when I look at them. And yes, there was cake and tee, too. This time raspberry cheesecake and Green tea with mango.

So there will be more crafting taking place during these idle times. When I look straight forward, I am seeing this picture: tree children watching a video and a dog relaxing:

So have a wonderful Sunday tomorrow and we will keep track!

Day 2

Day 2
Originally uploaded by moline (resting)

So what do you do when you have to stay in bed for a week and your friend calls because she wants to meka a photobook fro her son's 18th birthday very quick and without planning? You just tell her to bake one of your favourite cakes and just invite her over for a scrapbooking feast - even if it is taking place o your bedside. We had so much fun doing this. Looking at the old pictures, planning layouts, chosing paper. We had the whole afternoon and really finished 28 pages. There is some finetuning needed and some texting but the basis is done. That was so much fun and we both could hardly believe what we did accomplish in that time given we both are not born scrapbookers. But as always, Ali Edwards was a great help with all her easygoing layouts and her great approach to these things. What also helped was the arrival of the new monthly kit from Studio Callico. I have been wanting to buy them for a long time but they were sold out quickly so I decided to go for the monthly subscription. I'll show you tomorrow what arrived. It was such a bliss to get this today!
And then suddenly whe recognized how late ist was and that a husband would turn up in a couple of minutes. That was the time when we truly learned that the Fly lady was so right telling us that you can move mountains in 15 minutes. We speed-cleaned the whole place in a whizz and did not even need the alarm clock.
So we think we will repeat this next Monday...

Around me today

Around me today
Originally uploaded by moline (resting)

So here I am. Due to an operation I have to rest in bed for a week and I am trying to turn my surroundings into a haven of nice things that cheer me up. My dear friend Gele made "Get well soon"-marzipan sweets for me and brought flowers from her garden so I could create one of my o so loved flower fields on the window sill. Isa sent a handmade bunny to keep me company and the dolls were playing nurse.
Jakob decided to be my servant for the day and brought goodies from his play kitchen and was taking notes all the time - not to mention all the hugs and kisses!
So I will rest and love all the things AND most of all people around me.
See you!

Two days of resting

Yvoire/Lac leman
Originally uploaded by moline (away to rest)

We went to see friends at Lake Geneva last week-end. They were our neighbours back when we lived in Istanbul and now moved to Lake Geneva. They were throwing a turkish-french party and you can imagine what a culinary feast it was - at least for us! the children stayed with the grandparents so we could enjoy two days as a couple among friends.
I also got to see my good old friend Sabine again (we spent a lot of time together back then) and it was so nice to meet after 2 years of emails and photographs!
I will be away for a few days because I need to have a small operation done and need to rest for at least a week. I will be back with newly embroidered things and more crocheted and knitted stuff because I don't plan to idle around lying in bed!
see you soon!

Picnic

Totally right: there wasn't any blogging going on here for such a long time. There were some things that kept me away from the internet and I wasn't in the mood for a regulary appearance. But I missed the talking and I am back here to tell you what is going on here in our little world.

I wasn't lazy though. there were swaps to be sent out, I had presents to sew and glue and finish, I crocheted white borders for more than 50 granny squares (to be seen soon!), prepared 180 cut outs fro three new quilts and was sewing 10 new cushions (for friends and this time also for us). So no idling around here. I will have "show and tell" over the next couple of days. you might also ask where I find the time. Well, I have a husband working late and I don't watch TV that much. I haadn't watched for a few week and really did watch TV the last 3 evenings whare I was cutting out the squares. I just cannot "only" watch and do nothing with my hands. So I eat or work then and facing summer time, beach wear and dresses working seemed more appropriate. And I do the knitting and crocheting whilst waiting for the children to finish afternoon classes or chatting with friends in the garden.

But there was also time for relaxing and reading a lot and I so enjoyed it.

Today I had only one child over for the whole afternoon. Jakob was at the Kindergraden and Moritz at his friend's home. Pauline and I decided to have a spontaneous picnic under our friend Gele's apple tree. Pure bliss!!!

So I think there will be a row of picnics to come...

Garden Festival Herrenhausen

Garden Festival Herrenhausen
Originally uploaded by moline

So there we went this week end. I read about the festival on Hollys HausMaus-blog a few days ago and we decided to hit the road. Hannover is only an hour away and we could definitely do with some eye candy. We promised Holly to say hello to her friends Petra and Esra and so we had a chat at their beautiful tent at the festival, musing about our mutual love for Bazaars and Istanbul.

And if you like what you are seeing, check out their blogs: http://ranipink.blogspot.com/ and http://www.sultanissima.blogspot.com/

Featured

Doll quilt
Originally uploaded by moline

The granny squares seem to have a big come back or is it just me who rediscovers my love for these and everybody else has been doing it for ages. Well, it really dooes not matter. the fact is: I love it and I am happy that my crocheting attempts have been featured out there in Spain
Thanks for having us there!
Yvonne

First tea in the garden this year

First tea in the garden this year
Originally uploaded by moline

Finally spring is here and we celebrated this in the garden today! The children are back from ten days at the grandparents and we were having our favourite Apple teacake with fresh strawberries and cream - what else can one ask for on a spring day like this. And we were greeted accordingly by the first bulbs showing bloom: narcissus, tulips, magnolias and almond trees. Sigh - wish this would last....
Wishing you a wonderful week end ahead!

Jakob's supermarket on "apartment therapy"

Jakob on "apartment therapy"
Originally uploaded by moline

We were so touched today: Carrie of "ohdeedoh" asked us to use the pictures of Jakob's supermarket. We agreed because we love the blog devoted to things for children - preferably handmade with love. And today she posted such a wonderful blogpost about this I am happy that somebody elso loves this idea and I also heard yesterday in this particular shop, that they will be selling small supermarkets in children's size in their shop. What a cute idea. I will go and take pictures as soon as they open it....