I did accomplish a few things, yeah!

Goodmorning everybody!

I feel quite good about myself. Monday I did wash the front curtains and did the window too!
Then I wrapped some presents that I have to post, so far so good.
Yesterday wasn;t such nice weather but I had to go out anyway. Rainy, windy, not my kind of stuff. But... found the last presents and today I will wrap them and seal the box and such, and tomorrow I can send it. Should be more than in time on it's destination!
Then I should write a few Christmascards. And I should try to get myself to the ironing a bit LOL.
Poor Jan now has a bad back. There's a muscle that doesn;t coorporate,so it's hurting, mostly when getting up from the couch and sitting down. |When finally sitting, it is almost okay.
Hmmmm, stubborn type as he is, he wants to do nothing about it(yet). We'll see how long it lasts. Perhaps one day he gets sooooo annoyed with it that he will go to the housedoctor or even his specialist.
The big issue, his fluid, is going a tiny little bit better, I guess, but still not going quickly.
Tomorrow he will have his heart function test( ha, will be nice with his back trouble, I guess LOL).
Then next week the result and we will know perhaps a bit more.

Today is the big day for the children here. It's Sinterklaas! I bet a lot of young children are all nervous and full of expectation to see what Sinterklaas will give them as present(s).
However it's a pity that somehow over the years the real intention of the holiday has disappeared.
Well, if you have money enough it's not a problem to buy presents(in the name of Sinterklaas of course!), but if you have a low budget, it isn;t that easy. Of course if you look well you can find nice things for very little money, but don;t you find it a bit overdone to buy Ipods, laptops, computergames, board games that cost 40€ or more, clothing from big, expensive brands etc. for the kids? And not one bigger or expensive presnets but several? I know, we all want our children to have a nice day, we like to buy them great things, but the real thing about the holiday was to be with family and or friends, the excitement of waiting for the knock on the door or loud ringing of the doorbell, then finding a big basket with all kind of presents in it, and it wasn;t really important that they were expensive, just the fact that they were there and you could unwrap several and be amazed that Sinterklaas knew so well what to give you, together with one or more rhymes attached to it(yeah, that's done on this holiday and I loved that!), the fun of the rhymes, being together having a great time, that was the thing!
It has become too commercial, just like Christmas too.
Yeah I am old fashioned in this I know. But I remember well the days I was real young and had a great time at Sinterklaas. My parents "played"along with it, they warned us to be good children, otherwise Sinterklaas and Black Peter might not come along, but they never overdone it, so you were a bit frightened, but just enough. And how happy we were when we found our shoe standing at the chimney in the room, or close to a door or window i the morning with a little candy in it!
But of course we filled it before we went to sleep the evening before with a carrot for the horse of Sinterklaas!
And then the day itself! From early morning we were under big tension LOL! How long that day was for us, because we knew Sinterklaas would come after dinner. And then .........after looking out of the window several times(together with a parent, holding hands!).........bang bang on the front door!
Almost reluctant to go there and see (because it was a bit spooky), finally going there with an older brother or sister, or grandparent or mama and finding a big basket, all filled with packages!
And never wondering about the fact that excatly at that moment your father was missing LOL!
Full of excitement calling for him: "Daddy, daddy, where are you? Come quick and look what Sinterklaas has brought us!". Then your father came running into the room, saying he just came from the toilet, or was in the kitchen washing his hands or something. And then mama sat in front of the basket and picked out a present, read the name on it and that person had to read out loud first the rhyme on it and then could unwrap the present. And only after that, the next one got a present. And so on, and what a fun we had. Specially with the rhymes, because some of them where real looooong ones, describing the whole year that passed, not only with the nice things, but also teasing!
My mother was  a real star in making them!
And the first years we didn;t have too much money, but we got e.g. coloring pencils, may be a pair of socks, or a warm scraf for the winter, or a little game, some candy, my mother always found great things!And I remember that one year I soooooo wanted a step, oh I had one but just s simple wooden one, but there were some great ones , made from metal with big tyres, but they were rather expensive, specially in the early 60's. And then one year, as last present there was brought in a big package.for me! Oh my, it was a step on big tyres! And I remember, it was dark green with speldid white tyres and even a lugage carrier on the backtyre!!!! I think, my parents saved a long time for it, and perhaps even my grandparents gave a bit of money for it, but I was so terribly happy with it and used it many years!And I was very careful with it too!
Oh, those memories, it means we are getting old LOL! But that are moments in your life you will never forget and that is a good thing.

I've bothered you enough with my memories and rambling now, so let's hop to the freebie part. And yeah, I have again  Christmaskit for you! (and more to follow).
This one is named "A Taste of Christmas". Clusters to from Arlene, made 2 previews from them to do them a bit justice.
Hey, the weather is looking brighter now, may be it will stay like this and perhaps I can do the curtains of the backroom(if iit stays dry, I can hang them out in the garden and they will not crinckle too much!)
Whatever you will do today, hope you will have a happy day!

Download    HERE

Download    HERE