Monday, January 31, 2011

Celebrate with Moooi!


Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ♡♡♡ January ♡♡♡! Completed! :D The first set of 365 ~ self-portraits is accomplished. Thank you for all encouragement, good thoughts and supportive words.

Tonight's quote, and celebratory mantra:

Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that acompanies important ongoing activity.
Paul Goodman

(Ironically, the writer from whom the quote originated died the year I was born...such is life...never-ending cycles...but his words lives on)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

February Fast Approaching!


We need to set goals for ourselves. Start today…if you don’t have any goals, make your first goal getting some goals. You probably won’t start living happily ever after, but you may start living happily, purposefully, and with gratitude…Goals are gratitude in action. They give us the opportunity to build on what we already have. While achieving goals can be a lengthy process, we can learn to be grateful for each stage in the process of setting and meeting goals. ~ Melody Beattie

I am sharing the quote I chose today to meditate on, which inspired my mantra for the coming month(s) ~ Goals are gratitude in motion!

2 days to February, what are your goals for the coming month? :)
 
 

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Es war einmal*


To look back without regret, that is what I promised myself... I have no words today, and so I shall share a poem, that I am reading for the first time again after many years, to commemorate this day for me, and is in harmony to my own thoughts and mood.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 *Es war einmal (German)  ~ Once upon a time

Friday, January 28, 2011

My Three Little Birds

Please click on image for better view :)

A bird Mary saw, and called my attention to.  I love how her eyes catches everythig! :)

The girls and I had a wonderful sunny bike ride today!  I covered more than 30 kms with the bike.

Have a lovely weekend, y'all!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Knotwilg - Getting to Know Something Familiar

In a previous post two days ago, entitled, Spring is in the Air! , I mentioned about learning a new Dutch word: knotwilg.  It is called pollard willow in English, which I also learned at the same time I looked up knotwilg.

Not only did I learn a new Dutch word but I finally found out what to call the trees that we have been seeing all around our region, but never took the time until yesterday to ask or find out. 

I promised myself,  after moving here in the Netherlands, I will take time to live consciously, not only pause to be fully aware of life, but write and share what I write about the life I am blessed with, as a sort of daily thanks.  Unlike when I was in Germany where I always thought, there will be time enough to do everything once this or that is settled.

Well, I guess this is how my various 365 projects is helping do - live, pause, write and give thanks.  Simple life. :)

In another previous post, from the 10th of  January, entitled, Biking Along an Ever-Changing Landscape... I shared images of our bike path on our way to school and back.

morning,10th of January

afternoon, 10th of January


Notice the trees at the background of these images?  They are pollard willows.

later afternoon, 25th of January
This image with the eldest  was taken 2 days ago, and you can see on this picture that the pollard willows have been cut.  And so this something familiar is now something I and my family are getting to know or shall I say, we are taking time to get to know better!

We can read together about pollarding, which I looked up tonight, over the weekend, perhaps when the weather is good on a Sunday bike ride.  It is much better to learn with others!

late afternoon, taken 25th of January
What would you like to take time to know better, maybe something familiar?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Putting the Puzzle Pieces of Life Together

Please click on image for better view :)

I have always wanted to be a writer ever since I read the fairytales of Brother Grimms and Hans Christian Andersen, as a child of  8 or 9 years old.

Growing up, that dream got paired with yet another dream of living in Europe, where all those fairytales were inspired.

Now, I am living in Europe for 17 years, and for four years, almost consistently writing - for my own satisfaction, and as part of a self-help therapy.

Well, I thought it was only for my own satisfaction, and benefit until I realised, that as mundane as it may seem to me what I write, I did (and do) inspire people who happens to read what I have shared. 

While I was growing up, I planned and thought through, what will be the ideal situation for me to be able to focus on being a writer, and all the important factors , that I will consider to be evidence that I am a writer.

The ideal situation never came, and those factors remained non-existent.

What became of the dream? I still have it; though now, I simply live, and write about how I live.  The dream of writing a novel, or a children's book (illustrating it as well!) to name a couple of writer's goal, still remains but it has taken another meaning for me than it once had.

Before it was about the creating something to have a firm grasp of my identity.  Now, it is all about expressing, who I am, and who I have become.

What was your childhood dream?  Have you put together the puzzle pieces of that dream?

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Spring is in the Air!

Please click on image for better view :)

The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.
Claude Monet 

Today was a wonderful day!  There are so much to share but too little time to do so.

So, I  will give you a Spring appetizer, just like we experienced the day - we got a taste of how Spring would be in images, since everywhere Nature's creation were out and about in pairs!  


The day also gave birth to an idea I will be sharing on Thursday.


How inspiring has your day been?


Postscript to this blog:


I learned another Dutch word today from taking pictures of something I have been fascinated for so long but never knew what it is called knotwilg.  Well, I learned it's English counterpart, too: pollard willow.


More in the next days!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Life I Live


Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Steve Jobs 

Friday, January 21, 2011

Seashores & Seasons of Memories & Longing*

Heady scent of memories
Whiff of gentle summer breeze


My youth I remember fondly now
Regrets bade a long farewell
silently
unobtrusively
My mouth agape
I listen


Crackling sound of happiness
Soothe slivers of winter air


My maturity I recognized auspiciously
Bitterness introduced itself
succinctly
repeatedly
My heart deflects
I see


Kaleidescope of love
Blooming in the spritely spring

My life stands before me
Hope greets me with a smile
graciously
faithfully
My mind wanders
I feel


Smoothness of time and space
Grasping bonds of fiery fall


My future floats on the horizon
Balance took my hand
gingerly
gently
My being lightened
I am

*This poem was originally posted in an anonymous site, 22nd of February, 2009. I felt strongly to revisit it today.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

A Sunny Morning - Carpeing the Diem!

taken today, 10:30 am

On the way out to bike with the littlest, I decided to write the blog for the day as part of slowly transferring my evening activities in the morning in the effort to go earlier to bed.

I never know what I will be blogging for the day; I let myself be inspired mostly with what captures and captivates me during the day.   Sometimes the family will suggest an idea.

Today, the littlest inspired me.

Something simple and everyday thing we do is open the window to our living room to let the fresh air in, and also to gauge the temperature so we could clothe ourselves appropriately before we go out.  Checking the barometer does not work for me somehow because I usually tend to be warmer inside and could usually do with lighter clothing even when others have layers of clothes on them. I don't know if it has something to do with being born in a tropical climate!

I am so excited this year to get more pictures of our region through different seasons.  It will be a long-term project, that I will write and share some other time.  This idea came to me after a while of documenting the view in front of our window in the span of 3 years.

Now off to savour some of the shine the sun is generously beaming in our little corner of the world! How is the weather where you are?

Well, have a nice day whatever the weather is!  Ultimately, it is how you spend the day and not how the weather is that will make it wonderful. :)

Images above clockwise:
upper left corner ~ Summer, 24th of July, 2010 - 17:21
upper right corner ~ Autumn, 30th of October, 2009
lower right corner ~ Spring, 19th of May, 2010 - 08:18
lower left corner ~ Winter, 17th of December, 2009

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Something Beautiful

"Something Beautiful"

You can't manufacture a miracle
The silence was pitiful that day.
A love is getting too cynical
Passion's just physical these days
You analyze everyone you meet
But get no sign, love ain't kind
every night you admit defeat

If you can't wake up in the morning
Cause your bed lies vacant at night
If you're lost, hurt, tired or lonely
Can't control it, try as you might
May you find that love that won't leave you
May you find it by the end of the day
You won't be lost, hurt, tired and lonely
Something beautiful will come your way

The DJ said on the radio
Life should be stereo, each day
In the past you cast the unsuitable
Instead of some kind of beautiful, you just couldn't wait
All your friends think you're satisfied
But they can't see your soul no, no, no
Forgot the time feeling petrified, when they lived alone

Some kind of beautiful (will come your way)

All your friends think you're satisfied
But they can't see your soul no no no
Forgot the time feeling petrified
When they lived alone


Ever have one particular song touch you and made you cry cathartic tears because of a few lines?  This song did that to me 2003. 

Now, when I listen to it, it is my celebratory song.  My warrior song.

What is your personal song?

Monday, January 17, 2011

A Simple Life of a Simple Person


Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend...when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present--love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure--the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.
Sarah Ban Breathnach*

I still have not posted a blog introducing myself formally.  There is a draft of my short biography on the deskstop which is waiting to be edited, completed and shared here.

Scrolling back to the previous posts which has collected in more than a couple of weeks, I am guessing if you are not my family, relative or long time friend, whom I invited to follow this blog, but a simple random reader, who happen to come across this blog, you will have a sense of the person, I am.

Well, we are together in that - one of the many purpose of this blog is for me to get a clear grasp of the person I have become. In one year and two months, I'll be turning 40 years old; I could say, that I am at the point of my life, where I feel I have Heaven on earth

But sometimes on your way to heaven, most often than not you have to go through hell.  I think, it is part of the deal. :) Just sharing from my own experience.

This blog is not about sharing the journey from hell but more of how I give thanks for the heaven my family and I are blessed with.

I am not saying that our daily life no longer have struggles like everyone else.  We have our share - more than enough!  But what makes it heavenly is the feeling of belonging to this small unit that shares love abundantly, and celebrates life together in harmony.  That for me is Heaven on earth.

Tonight's self-portrait for 365 is special to me because it captures a moment between the eldest and I.  I was struggling as always to take a picture of myself, and the eldest was in the kitchen, just finished preparing her tea.  Her giggles made me look her way and I had to control myself not to laugh.  I had to tell her to refrain from making me laugh because I wanted to post the picture and blogs before midnight!  She offered to take my picture but since it is part of the challenge that I gave myself to do all the self-portraits, I declined.  When I looked at the picture resulting from our shared giggles, I decided it will be the one I will share tonight because it is the mirror image of the joy my family brings me.  Simple treasured joy.

My usual way of working on 365 ~ self-portraits is to take a spontaneous image, and then look for an inspirational quote that sums up the feeling of the day for me, as a sort of prayer of thanks.  It amazes me everytime that the quotes I find puts me in this peaceful meditative state.

Often, I google the source of the quote, and again I am gratified to learn that the person behind my inspirational quote of the day also had a life journey that led to a simplified life*.

I hope with this post, I have given you once again a "picture" of who I am, if not a detailed biography.  Sometimes, I feel the essence is much better than outlined details, don't you think?

What about you, what is your Heaven on earth? What does a simple life means to you?

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sniffing Spring on a Sunday Afternoon

Left and right side of the collage are different perspectives of our new birdhouse

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life.
John Burroughs 

Top left image, was taken last July, 2009 of sparrows on the fence of our balcony; bottom left image was taken this afternoon
Right image of the collage is our birdbath bought Easter 2008/2009

Today, P put up the bird house he had promised the girls a couple of Springs ago.

His work Saturday started late in the aftenoon and ended early Sunday morning.  After a very late brunch, he set off to work on the bird house.  Middle daughter chose it last Friday in Gamma, after P picked her up from school.

We have been planning to prepare our little  balcony to be a corner oasis for us in Spring, Summer, and hopefully a refuge for nature's creatures in Autumn and Winter.  This is a baby step to our family's collective efforts on this project.

Do you have a Spring project?

Please click on the images if you would like to see a bigger version and better resolution; thanks and enjoy!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Music from My Childhood



Edelweiss

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever


The first time I heard this song was when our class adviser and English teacher in sixth grade taught it to us. I think shortly thereafter I saw the film, "The Sound of Music"; one of my all time favourite film.

I've sung this song many times when I feel melancholic, happy or simply when it came to my mind.

Friday, January 14, 2011

It's Friday Evening in the Netherlands. . .

and It's Raining Meatballs & Sunshine!

Well at least in our humble home here in the Netherlands.


Tonight is my father's 12th year death anniversary.  I remember him tonight with a smile, and no longer with a deep heart-ache like I did in the past anniversaries.

My fondest memory of him is how he loved watching Disney films with us Friday nights.  We will all eat dinner in front of the television while we watch Disney characters, and laugh together with no generation separating us.  It was a great way to start the weekend, and I treasured all those shared Friday nights in my heart.

Now, our Fridays, as much as P's work schedule will allow, continues this tradition.  A movie seen together by the family while we eat dinner; shared laughter with no generation gap between us.

The eldest stays longer at school Fridays, and when P picked her up today, they spontaneously went shopping for a much needed replacement for her shoes (she is growing too fast!).  It was a great way for them to bond since P's attetion is mostly taken by the littlest, who is becoming clever each day in how to do so (she is growing too fast!).

They did not only brought home shoes for the eldest, and boxes for me to store in our stuff (they are accumulating fast!) but also the movie we watched twice tonight: Clouds with a Chance of Meatballs. Fun movie, and a lovely film soundtrack from Miranda Cosgrove (the girls favourie actress from iCarly), Raining Sunshine.

Truly a magnificent evening of remembering and giving thanks to a great childhood memory shared with my dad, and building, hopefully, great memories for the girls to remember.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

365

We learn in our guts, not just in our brain, that a life of joy is not in seeking happiness, but in experiencing and simply being the circumstances of our life as they are; not in fulfilling personal wants, but in fulfilling the needs of life…
Charlotte Joko Beck

This year I am determined to complete the project 365 ~ self-portraits.

Today is the 13th day, and I feel I have overcome the most difficult stage of this project at this point.  Facing yourself daily is not as easy as it seems; I have discovered this fact from the two previous attempts of 365.

The quote I found tonight to meditate on, feels at the same time as a celebratory affirmation on how I am trying to live life.

Focusing to live in the now has been very rewarding but still very challenging to re-affirm every single day.

With all the different 365 projects I have attempted in the past couple of years, which I have broken down last year to 30 day projects, I feel that I have a better chance of accomplishing the 365 projects of this year.  The lessons of last year, I feel has taught me in essence to focus more on what is most important, and whittle away that which are life's noise, and not my life's tune.  Most importantly, the past attempts has shown me clearly that I am persistent, and I perservere.  This knowledge alone I see as success behind those "failed" attempts.

I leave you with the quote that cheers me on daily:
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow. ~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Simple To Do's To End The Day


Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit. ~ Conrad Hilton

1) Sleep before 2-3 am
2) Don't give up on this year's personal projects
3) Drink Rooibush tea before bed.


Monday, January 10, 2011

Biking Along an Ever-Changing Landscape


 

Back on the saddle today after a very long pause due to the weather conditions, and recurring ailment.  

It was a joy to take the first image this year, which  I am archiving for our 's Graveland album, of my bike on the Smidsbrug.  

taken on Smidsbrug at 8:45 am

I plan to slowly build up an archive of images of different places, in different villages of Wijdemeren, through different seasons; I am aware it is an ambitious project, that is why I am doing baby steps towards it.  At the moment, we have a simple point and shoot camera from Panasonic DMC - FX30 (Lumix), and we are saving for a better camera.  All in the future, no hurry.

For the meantime it is all about  making sure the girls are in school on time, and that we are back home safely at the end of the day.

taken at 4:08 pm in 's Graveland

There was frost when we set off to school at 8 am today, but luckily the roads were not slippery.  Tomorrow we have to be up much earlier, and leave for school before 7:45 am because P will be leaving early for work, too, which means the littlest will need to be prepared to come along for the school ride, and preparation takes much longer!



Back to routines!

What makes all these routines worthwhile for me is what seems like an ever-changing feel to the landscape we see everyday as we bike along them.  



How the different light of the day affects how green the grass is; what herds of animals are grazing on the fields; what flocks of birds are flying over the sky.  For me it feels like the places are the same canvas but the details of the landscape, which I always see as a  painting before me is ever dynamic.

almost at the entrance of Ankeveen, taken at 9:22 am

almost at the entrance of Ankeveen, taken at 4:27 pm

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Busy Hands Are Happy Hands (2)




Today, I saw for the first time a beautiful cross stitch work of my mom, which she created 2006.

I am delighted that she generously lent me the image as my visual inspiration for the project I semi-introduced in my previous post with the same title, Busy Hands Are Happy Hands (1).

Next week, P will have another relatively lighter work schedule: three consecutive free days free in the middle of the week, as well as being home on a Sunday!  I am planning to ask him to accompany in search of a store to get the materials I will be needing.  Tonight, I will look at my list of friends, and make an outline of what I plan to do for each.

Initially, I planned to create a video clip today, with the family drawing the different names of my friends to determine who will get to receive the first gift end of February, 2011, and each corresponding month thereafter until the end of January, 2012.  Perhaps we have to move it Wednesday, when the girls are free from school, and P is at home, since today everyone seems to be busy doing their own thing!  P is clearing the shed for the bikes, the girls are deep in their role-playing, and I am making sure that my varied 365 projects are up before the evening dawns,  that they will not keep me up very late tonight.

If you would like to follow the development of this project, please click this link: Busy Hands Are Happy Hands , or click the tag/label Busy Hands Are Happy Hands, on the right hand side of the blog page.

What project(s) are you planning to keep your hands busy with this year?

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Lasagna with Love

Please click on image for better view :)

I had a lovely dinner with the family - super yummy tasty lasagna baked by Dada ♥

Friday, January 7, 2011

Busy Hands Are Happy Hands (1)



Today, I commit myself to another year long project.  I learned a new Dutch word from P in the process!  

Kruissteek: cross stitching.
I plan to send handmade gifts every month to different friends spread all over the globe.

It will be a great way to go back to doing something creative, and also to return to sending hand-written letters.  Unbelivable that I can get excited with something I consider decades ago as quiet ordinary.

Hopefully, I can find a fun way to involve my family with this project, as they mostly enjoy such projects themselves.

While looking for a cross stitching image in the web, to which I can tag friends to, I found a very interesting blog called Cats & Quilts.  I think I will be visiting it often in search of inspiration.

Bloggers Note (08.01.11):

Found inspiration literally, after visiting Cats & Quilts today, in Geninne's Art Blog.  I love serendipitious "new blog to follow" finds.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Mandala Mooosings

Mandala(s) thoughtfully created by the eldest as presents for me, for creating this Mooosing blog:

I love the eldest creativity, and sense of colours.

The littlest straightening the mandala she crumpled.  Busy hand, almost all the time.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

What is the Most Important Thing in Life?

please click on image for better view


I took the picture I am sharing today right before we started our dinner (precisely 8:12 pm).  It was a lovely dinner.  Next time, I can write in more details what happens during our time together by the dining table because it is something I treasure so very much.

After dinner is always a flurry of activity, rituals before going to bed.  As the girls took turn brushing their teeth in the bathroom (mostly they cannot do this together because petty quarrels usually arise - we try our best to pre-empt these occurances through close observation of the girl's behavioural patterns!), I asked around for suggestions what I should blog about.

Yes, self-doubt still haunts me.  But what is great about self-doubt, it leads one to self-discovery.

I promised myself that when I started this blog, it will be honest, spontaneous, fresh, and will convey my beliefs that a simple life is a sweet life.

It starts getting complicated though whenever I think that I would like to write something profound that will display wit and wisdom, experience and character, creativiy and humour - bladiblah.

The eldest had a lot of suggestion, that I told her I will save for next time when I have more time to research.  The middle daughter, and the youngest delivered inspiration with the pictures I took of them before they went out for last minute dinner grocery shopping with P.  Still, all these seems more special to me, than to share and be of interest to the world at large.

After watching the after dinner film, Sherlock Holmes with P for the second time in a row this week, I realised that I am wavering from my original conviction of being honest, spontaneous, fresh, and conveying the belief that a simple life is a sweet life.  I am thinking so much of what to blog, instead of simply going with my instinct.

So, I told P, please give me 10 minutes, and I will join him to bed (I have not been keeping this promise since I tend to stay up until the weee hours of the morning since the holidays begun).  My initial plan was simply to post the chosen picture above, and leave it with a simple provoking title in a question form, and a simple one line answer: In my case, the answer is my family.  Adding another simple question at the end: What about in your life, what is the most important thing?


I could not leave it at that of course (compulsion to perfection is a challenge to shake off), and thought I could add a clever quotation, and googled the title question.

I am glad I did because this is what I found:


 What is the Most Important Thing in Life? A Lesson from Tolstoy

I find a wonderful bedtime read for me, and a thought-provoking story to leave to readers.

I got goosebumps reading it, most specially the lesson imparted by the author, who shared Leo Tolstoy's story.

You see, I consider all the acts involving my musings - from being inspired, or seeking inspiration, to coming up with an idea, to looking for other ideas to support my own are all in a way my communication to God.

Reading the last part of the article, I felt God confirming what I hold true in my heart, but could not somehow lend words to.  Here is what He gave me, through Elisha Goldstein:
We are all looking for the next best thing or the most important thing to be doing and what we often don’t realize is that maybe what we’re doing RIGHT NOW is actually the most important time and who we’re with is the most important person and what we’re doing in the moment is the most important thing to do.
I say, amen.

I may not be as religious and as devout outwardly but I feel nevertheless the channels of communication to God, is loud and clear.

Well, I say goodbye to self-doubts tonight, here in the Netherlands, and once again, hello to simplicity.  Simple is easy, why did I make it too hard for myself the last days in regards to this project?  I guess clarity re-emerges when we face what we most fear, and embrace what we most love.  For me, I feared judgement of what I share in words, but what keeps me going  is my family, and my love for writing.

What do you fear most? And what do you most love?




Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Finding Faulkner



"I decline to accept the end of man... I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among the creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail."
— William Faulkner

In my fourth day of Mooosing, and I am beset with doubts whether what I will be recording for this year will be worthwhile for others to read.  I created a collage from the images I have put together to use for the series, "What's in Store in 2011?".  Creating collages always loosen the knots in my mind.  There are a lot of ways to distract one-self when doubts abound, I find.

When I start second-guessing myself, I search for quotes.  My favourite form of distractraction - a sort of finding a mantra to meditate on.

I take inspiration from Faulkner today.  Finding quotes, that resonates with thoughts I am sorting in my mind is something I consider being good at.  I don't consider myself alone with this, and wonder if there is a label for people, who have this quirk.

What quote mirrors your thoughts of the day?

Sunday, January 2, 2011

What's in Store in 2011? Part 1


I still have yet to introduce myself, but I hope you will indulge me if I will skip it once again tonight, and dive into what is in store and will be featured in 2011 in Mooosings.

Actually, I am not feeling entirely well, and I was afraid this afternoon that this project will fizzle out before it even had a chance to take off.  I slept it off a bit, and cried cathartic tears, pulled myself together, and went through our digital album to create a sort of personal social event calendar for this blog.  This activity pulled me out of what I think, in part was the post-holiday blues.

Do you have pictures that highlights each month of the past year(s)?  Do you look through them before the old year ends or at the beginning of the new year?

Perhaps you will take joy, as I did looking back at the year that has passed, and looking forward to an exciting year ahead, with the aid of the pictures.

We might not completely share the same feasts, traditions, holidays and seasons, but we do all share this inexplicable rhythm that keeps us moving forward with different (hopeful) expectations as  months passes and as the year progress.

January















Since we moved here in the Netherlands almost two years ago, we have had luck in witnessing the lakes freeze and be at awe at the people walking and skating on ice.  We learn soon after the first time we participated in the joyous celebration on ice, that it is not a regular occurance .  Nevertheless, we await with excitement in our hearts for it to happen again each Winter.

I am hoping this January, I can share with you a first for me and the family, with us having fun on natural ice this time on skates and no longer on simply soled feet.

Think, and send us cool thoughts, please!

February 

It is curious but I have not found relevant February images, in our archives of pictures online.

Perhaps, I will be more successful when I look in our external hard drive.

But in the spirit of simplifying tonight, I chose the image on the left to represent February (it was taken in July).

I do hope it will serve as my visual aid and motivation to do an early Spring cleaning before this month ends.

The family and I are always striving to have more time together to experience shared interests, than be bogged down by never-ending chores, that piles up the more we would like to have time to attend to it.

We all agree this can only be achieved when we collectively strive for simplicity - simplifying everything we can in our household, in our personal lives.

Life is sweet when it is simple!

March

Ahhh, March! This year the girls and I are marching on towards the second year of living in the Netherlands.

And I march towards my 39th year of existence.  Yes, one more year towards the big 4-0!

Definitely, this month is filled with dates to look forward to, celebrate,  special moments to create and remember.

April

Easter & Queen's Day in the Netherlands, are holidays we still have yet to create a unique family tradition for.

Somehow we are still very much anchored to the practices we were used to in Germany.

This year we have great opportunities to enhance further how we observe Easter - combining Filipino, German and Dutch ways.

I am also hoping this year, we can truly go orange for Queen's day!

It will be a colourful April countdown with Easter Eggs, and Dutch Orange .

That's it for now for the first quarter of the year.

Saturday, January 1, 2011