hello!

i know i am the worst blogger in the whole wide world because, well, i haven't been blogging. things were a little bit busy here, with making (not buying) presents and preparing for Mem's vacation with us. excuses, excuses, i know! but hopefully, the domestic demands this holiday season will soon pass and my life will be as normal as i know it to be. i do feel awful, even if that doesn't sound convincing at all, but i do miss my connection with the outside world. i feel dusty, and old, and losyang and sooooo out of touch with the shakers and movers of the world wide web. but it won't be long now, and then everything will fall into place. everything. sounds frightening to me, but really, i do have big plans for 2009 and i've been busy imagining myself getting there. hmmm, i'm daydreaming again. pinch me.

on the crafting arena last week, i finished knitting this big soft baby of a scarf for Mem. it was verrrrryyyyy long, and very soft, and deliciously warm. it actually feels like a comfort blanket for the neck, without the awkward weight and bulk of course. i made a matching felt brooch which Mem can pin on, whenever and wherever she likes, but i forgot to take a picture of it before i gave it to her.

kj was also thrilled with his mother spending christmas with us. it was beautiful to see them catch up and bond with each other again. on times like this, i prefer to step back and let Mem mother my husband. i don't mind having her around at all, and how she enjoys taking the reins of my household! she has let me cook, and i agreed to let her clean up. she's more than 70 years old, but she reads food labels like a strict schoolma'am. she also walked the long trek to howth summit like an army general with long steady steps while kj and i tried to keep up behind, puffing in the cold biting wind. me most. my short legs were no match to their long strides.

christmas day here wasn't all that dreamy and happy and joyous. after our hearty dinner, we settled in the couch with our wine and watched some dutch christmas show - all you need is love, a program which helped some people be with their loved ones who in one way or another couldn't be with them. in between the show, without saying anything, i walked out of the living room. maybe kj felt something was wrong, because he followed and found me in our bathroom, sitting on the closed toilet seat. crying. sobbing. sniffling. somehow the program got to me. and then and there i terribly missed my parents. thank God for husbands who let you cry in their arms and who understand without the need for words. i eventually cried myself to sleep for a few hours. anyways, i felt much better when i woke up later that evening. after a cup of hot choco and a slice of chocolate cake, i went back to the couch and cuddled with my husband to his obvious relief.

Mem already flew back to holland yesterday, and now it's a bit lonely here without her. with kj on the job, mem and i always had something to buy in the shops, or things to see around, or stories to tell. kj was our constant subject of course, and how we can't fully explain why we both love that boy so much. i felt her confidence in me, that her boy's heart is in good kind hands. i have learned in this cold christmas season that the best gift can be a simple compliment from my husband's mother.

~~oo0oo~~

i wish everyone the best for the coming year! may happy moments and everything nice come to you, may you always be warm and sheltered, may you keep strong and be in good health, may your family and loved ones be safe, may you keep dreaming and reaching for your goals, may love and peace and happiness keep your hearts all year through!

thank you sooooo much for sharing in all our joys. thank you for all the love, the encouragement, prayers, and just by reading and leaving your thoughtful comments here in my blog. thank you for all the emails, ecards, letters, cards, presents, and all the surprises in the mail. thank you for just being there, and inspiring me to be a better person. thank you for being sincere friends, you all have touched my life deeply and meaningfully.

happy new year!

from the bottom
of our grateful,
happy hearts,

kj & odette