Z - Zonnig !

It is 17 minutes past midnight as I write  these lines, and I am still up to do chores (last minute organising for our trip early this morning!) I can only do in total peace  when the entire house fall into deep slumber.

I thought I could also use this time to post the final word/phrase for the final letter of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. 

Zonnig: Dutch word for sunny.

By choosing this word, I am summarizing the feeling I have now that I am at the end of this project.  More on this on Monday, when I post my blog for the  A to Z Challenge Reflections Mega Post,  where Arlee Bird asks us to share our reflections of the A to Z Blogging experience.

I also chose this word as a chant that the weather today will be just like that - sunny!  Not only because I would love the girls to have a wonderful trip to their Oma H in Germany but also for the people of the Netherland's, who will be celebrating Koninginnedag or Queen's  Day!

When P and I are not too exhausted from our trip back, we will probably go and dive in the festivities in Amsterdam.  Otherwise, as our motto of simplifying life goes: there is always next year!

Many thanks for the comments and new blog subcribers from A to Z , as well as ICLW's! As mentioned in previous post, I will be visiting each and everyone of you, who have left comments, subscribed because you all touch me with your thoughtful gesture.

Have a lovely weekend!  Happy Queen's Day, to all those who celebrate it!

please click image for better view

Y - Yes!

Yes! One day away from completing the A to Z Blogging Challenge April 2011, and feeling jubilant about it!

Yes! The sunny Spring weather is back in Ankeveen, and I am enormously grateful for it!

Yes! Caught beautiful moments of the much awaited Royal Wedding in England online, and looking forward to watching clips of the entire day from the Royal Channel , next week.

Yes! Feeling much better now after a couple of days of tiredness, and now absolutely ready to pack for our day trip for Germany tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow...

Yes! We'll go Orange for Queen's Day, thanks to last minute shopping at Kruidvat, and very excited to share a family picture of it with you!

Finally, wore for the first time this Spring, a Summer hat! Yes, I am ready for a lot of sun for the coming season!


What made you  cheer, 'Yes!' today?

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.