Busy, busy, busy

Back in November I told you I have to move house. Well, I'm still living in my 'old' house. But not for long. I have a new house. I'll get the keys next Friday. It's been a very difficult, bumpy road. I've been having soooo many problems with the Housing Company. This person tells me this thing, and a collegue of theirs tells me something different. They've made me promises they didn't keep. I've had so many arguments with them. I have decided that, once I have the keys in hand, I will file an official complaint about the way they've dealt with my move. It's not to attack anyone but to hopefully make sure this doesn't happen again.

The Housing Company gave me 3 houses to look at and after a long and difficult day and night I choose one house. I'm really happy with my choice. It's a lovely house. And it's only 2 streets away from where I live now. I'm really happy about that. My son get to keep his friends closeby, his grandparents closeby, and same distance from school and my work. So eventhough neither of us want to move, we got a nice new house to start making new memories.

Of course the house needs some work.
My dad will build a mantelpiece in my new house so I can take my fireplace with me. The house has a chimney from the bedrooms to the roof. So we'll have to open the ceiling to the first floor and add more chimney in the livingroom to go on the mantelpiece. It's gonna be a big project, but I'm getting more and more excited.
It took some time for the ideas to really take shape but it's all happening now.

There's sooo much stuff to think about.

wallpaper

paint

tiles

carpets

furniture

 I haven't bought anything yet, as I still don't have the key and will need to know the exact size of the rooms before I can buy flooring, wallpaper and stuff.
I'm almost done with deciding with what I want in my bedroom. I have pretty good ideas on what I want in my sons room. I just have to show him and just hope he;ll like my idea and mix them with his own ideas.
I'm also having more ideas on the livingroom, kitchen and hall. It's all quite stressfull but I'm coping very well.

Well, I'll keep you all updated on the new house!

So far so good

Well, the New Year has gone off to a pretty good start.
I've made some New Years resolutions. I'm not gonna tell you what they are as I'm scared I won't keep them.
But, so far it's going really well.

I've done alot of things over the past few days. Made quite some phonecalls (some had to be done quite some time ago). I hate phoning people, companies. I just don't do well on the phone. It's like small fobia. It's very annoying and I've working very hard to break that cycle. Making all thos phonecalls yesterday was very difficult. But I'm very proud of myself. I did make the calls, and even got the resut I was after from some of them.

Next week a new chapter of my life will begin. I've been dealing with some isssues for quite some time now, and I've been wanting to do something about for a very long time. I tried several things, but none of them seemed to be the right way for me. Hopefully I have now find the thing that'll help me. I'm extremely nervous to start this new adventure. But I know it has to be done, and I do wanna do it. I'm sorry it's all cryptic but I can't tell you any more...yet....

I've also had some more news on a possible new house. I'll probably know more next Friday. The housing company will phone me then. I can't wait. It's about time. I've been waiting for a very long time. It's very likely I get a house in the street I want. But not long ago it looked like I was gonna miss out on the house they'd promissed me. I was so mad, and demanded a meeting with them. But before that could happen, they told me I'll defenitley get a house in the street I want.
It does mean now I seriously have to start sorting out my stuff. My loft is gonna a massive loft project. I'm not looking forward to it. But I do wanna start very soon.
I'll keep you updated.

Hope your New Year is going well aswell.

Wow, where has the year gone? It's flown by.

Every year around Christmas and New Years time I think back about the year that I'm leaving behind and the year that I'm about to step into.

This has been an odd year. With extreme highs and extreme lows. It's been a very difficult year. The highs have been very few, but they have been incredible!

I feel I can't end this year without mentioning the lowest point of probably my entire life.
I've had to face some amazing losses in my life. Some by choice, most not by my choice. It's been a real struggle accepting this new situation. I"m still not fuly there yet, but I'm doing loads better. I've made some important steps to change some things in my life, and I feel very good about those steps, and making these changes in my life.

But I defenitely wanna end this year on a high.One of my few highs has defenitely been the 9 days I spent with my son in the UK with 2 amazing friends! We had such an amazing time here (meeting even more amazing people). Thanks for opening your house and hearts for us. We love you so much and can't wait to have you here with us!



The Twilight Saga has entered my life this year (yeah, I know, about time right LOL), and it's defenitely here to stay. I've seen so many great films inspired by people who play in the Saga, and also met some new people because of the films.
And Ring* Con was defenitely my high. I've met an amzing new friend there. Someone that has shown me that it's ok to trust new people, and to invest in a new friendship.
With that new friend, and my best friend, I met even more incredibe people. The actors of The Twilght Saga (well, those I met anyway) are so nice and so open. You can have a real laugh with them. Which is exactly what we did!

And I wanna say a massive thanks to the 2 people who've truely helped me to survive this year! My son and my best friend. God, knows where I'd be without you. You helped me cope and were there on my darkest days! I love you soo much and will never ever stop!!!!

I'll leave this year with some pics of the highs of this year we're leaving behind.

Me with 2 amazing friends!

My best friend, BooBoo and myself

Me with Charlie

Me with Charlie

Me with Gil

Two lovely lads!

Another amazing friend!!!

My gorgeous son and me

The best friend a girl could ever wish for!!!

Happy New Year!!! Make it the best one you could possibly can!!!!

See in the 2011!!

Jo

Winter Wonderland

Well, it's properly Winter here in The Netherlands. With snow and everything.

I totally understand that snow isn't enjoyable for everyone. It's a nightmare for the elderly to make their way over the sidewalk.
But I personally love the stuff! It's a beautiful sight and it's great to play with and in.

They say we're getting more snow overnight and tomorrow. I'm already looking forward to it.
We'll be having a white Christmas. That will be amazing!

We'll be having a brunch at my parents house on Christmas Day. My sister, her husband and their baby will also be there.  After that Christmas will be all about my son and myself spending quality time together. We'll be playing board games, playing outside in the snow and watching films. I'm sooo excited about it all!

Just one more day of work tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a quiet day. Just relax and enjoy the Christmassy mood!!

Have a great Christmas everyone!!!!

I'm not cold, honestly!

Shopping with the sledge

Our street

Mum and son

Our local park

The windmill in our town

Again the park

Our house

Twilight Party

This weekend my best friend Liz organised a Twilight Party. I was sooo loking forward to it. Besides the 2 of us, her mum and another friend would be there. So much fun!

The weekend started out amazing. I went over to my friends house on Friday evening as we had a date with Harry Potter. The movie was amazing!! Sooo good! Loved it! It was also sad as one of the cutests characters dies. It was a bit odd seeing the Weasley twins on the big screen. We met them in October. They were very nice. And seeing them on the big screen, and hearing them talk was a bit weird.

After we got home, we chatted a little, spent some time online and decided to go to bed. We had a busy ahead of us the day after.

Primark

When we woke up, we got ready to go out. We met up with her mum at the trainstation in Rotterdam. We made our way to the next train station where we got off to go shopping at an amazing shop called Primark! We love that shop. Great clothes for even better prices!
People had warned me that it was always soooo busy at Saturdays. Sometimes people will actually have to wait outside because it's way too busy inside. But this Saturday was really good. it was busy, but not crowed. We could easily take our time, and look at everything.
I ended up buying some nice things for myself and my son.
After we walked around the shopping centre some more, we made our way home. There Karina joined us. And the party could officially start.

scary!!!

Liz had decorated her appartment really nice. All Twilighty.

decorations on the ceiling

The reason we got together

It began brilliant, as Karina had baked a chocolate cake. OMG!!! It was in the shape of a heart, and smelled delicious! She'd brought colouring and after mixing that with the icing, she also spread that over the cake. It seriously was the icing on the cake. It was absolutely amazing!!!! It tasted devine!!

It's the icing....

......on the cake

Attacking the cake

CAKE and drinks!!

We had moved a matrass to the livingroom. Liz's mum and Karina had made themselves comfy on there whilset Liz and I had made the settee our comfy zone!
Then we got settled to watch some amazing films. No guessing as to which films they were. The Twilight Saga!! We started off with Twilight. And no matter how many times I've seen that film now (and that's ALOT), it never fails to grab me. God, how I love that story!

Getting comfy

Edible art

After Twilight we moved on to New Moon. But soon after the film had started we got chatting. We pauzed the film and many subjects were discussed. 'Grown up' ones like giving birth and raising children. To bringing back memories from our high school years. We shared amazing and personal stories, and had a great laugh.
As time went on we realized how late it was getting. So Liz revealed a little surprise. She had Eclipse for us!!! OMG!!! I hadn't seen it since the last time we saw it in the theatres. So focussed on New Moon again, and enjoyed the rest of that. Then we put Eclipse on. It was sooooooo good to see.

Watching Eclipse

It was getting really late. Eclipse ended around 3.30am. By that time, Liz had nodded off a few times. The same goes for her mum, and I too realised I missed some parts of the film. Karina was fast asleep. The sweetheart.
Liz and I moved from the settee to the bedroom, where we went to sleep properly.

Till next time!

Well, I've been quite busy today.
The cupboards in my house have been bugging me for a long time. I have wanted to clear them out for a long time. But just didn't get round to doing it. Or wasn't in the right mood. And I really have to be in the right mood.
Also, I have to move with a few months (maybe even weeks) time. And I don't wanna have to do it all at the same time. All the stuff that's in the cupboard I cleared out today, and just go into a box, and put right back in the cupboard in my new home.
I know what I'm like. I can get extremely stressed when I have to do stuff I find difficult. Especially when I'm on a time limit.
So I've started today and I plan to do all my cupboards before I have to move house.

                                                                  Our backroom


The reason I have to move is because they will be taking my house down. According to the housing company, my block of houses is too old, and not updated enough. That's according to the housing company. I had an expert in my house who had a look at the state of it. And he thinks the house looks great. Sure, it could use some work on the outside. But I had no damp spots anywhere. It's a very good, solid house.
Also, this house holds so many memories! It's my sons and my first house. OUR house!!! We lived with my parents for nearly 3 years after D was born. This is OUR house. OUR home. OUR safe haven. I'm glad that after we've moved no-one wil be living in OUR house those last few months it's up. It'll be weird and even sad when they take it down. Eventhough by then we'll have moved to a new house.

                                                                     our frontroom


Someone from the housing company recently visited me. They're gonna try to get us a house 3 streets from where we now live. Possibly even with a fireplace. I couldn't believe when she said that! I thought she was gonna real difficult as I have hardly done anything to get myself a new house.
She asked me some questions so she could make a strong case for me as to why I need to stay close by. Like I'm depending on my parents for looking after my son when I work. Plus, as he hasn't got his dad is his life, my dad is a massive role model to him. Also she mentioned my fireplace. She was really positive about trying to keep it. Her thoughts were like, if you can keep it to try to keep your energy bill down, we'll be sure that you can pay the rent. I liked that way of thinking LOL.

                                                                 our beloved fireplace


The possible new house is really nice. It's like 3 streets away. The most importand thing about it is that it's so close to where we live now. D gets to stay in his well known neighbourhood, close to his friends and my parents. I'm really happy about that.
The nice woman from the housing comapny said she couldn't promise me anything but she'd do the best she could. I must admit, I'm really positive about it. And to be really honest, I'm kinda already counting it. It would us having to move alot less stressfull, and painfull. It'll still be sad to leave this house behind, but at least I'm staying close by. And I will get a house and not an appartment.

                                                           My beloved pictures and books


I'm sooo in 2 minds about this moving house stuff. I look forward to the decorating. Buying new stuff. Paint, floor, wallpaper, everything. I sooooo want a new look. But I'd love to do that in this house. I love my house!
I dont want a new house. I love the neighbourhood I live in. Heck, I even like my neighbours. LOL I just want to redecorate. I'm tired of the colours I now have. Tired of the way the floor looks, the curtains, everything.

One of my faves places in the house

.                                                                  My precious pictures


If all goes well, I'll hear more next week. I'm actually getting a bit excited. I just want to have it all over and done with.
I'll keep you updated.
                           

Babies

I know it might not be a subject everyone is interested about, but we can't help to be bump into one from time to time ;-)


Even if you don't like kids you can't deny every child is a miracle. Add 2 bits of 'nothing' together, and a new life is created.

Some babies are really living by the word 'miracle'.
Like the daughter of a close friend of mine. She was born with 24 weeks and 2 days! Yes, 24 weeks and 2 days! (A full term pregnancy is 40 weeks)
Here in The Netherlands a baby isn't called a 'baby' before the 24weeks and 6 days mark. Before that it's a fetes. Before that mark they usually don't even try to safe a baby after it's born. The change of the baby being severly disabled is so high. The actually prepared my friend that she would take home a dead baby. She and her husband didn't want their baby saved at all cost. They didn't think it would be fair to the child if it would be severly disabled. So they kinda left it to the doctors. They said that the baby needed to 'show' them that she wanted to fight. So after she was born, she breathed and tried to cry. That was the sign they needed, and they got into action.
To cut a very long story very short:
She weighed 650 grams (1.43 pounds) on the day she was born, July 26th. And when she came home on October 30th she weighed 2570 gram (5.67 pounds). And as far as they know, she's healthy.
I visited her at the hospital once and then I visited her today.
It was so good seeing my friend, her husband and now have their daughter home with their son. Their son is a 1 year old little lad, who hadn't seen his sister before she came home.
I'm soooo happy it all went well, in the end. I'm so proud of my friend, her husband and their baby. They've some incredible difficult weekd, but they pulled through. Together!
This little girl truely is a miracle.



It makes you think how lucky we really are when we do get healthy babies that are born after 40 weeks.
Every day thousands of babies are being born. And most have them have no problems at all. The lucky ones.

I work with babies 3 days a week. And they're precious. Every single one of them. I feel honoured I get to look after the most precious 'possession' these parents have. It's a blessing. I might not realise that when I'm cleaning up sick of the floor. But after that, I really do. 

By the way, the appointment at the hospital for my pacemaker went really well. It's doing its job.