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Hij komt, hij komt

26 Nov

Today I’ve had a house full of busy little kids drawing and preparing for Sinterklaas’ big arrival by boat on Lago Maggiore.  By 7am the three kids were busily drawing and sketching and colouring.  Mama decided to stay in bed a little longer but could hear the giggling, chatting and overall excitement in their voices from upstairs.Busy little hands hard at work. Here is a drawing of Sinterklaas accompanied by his Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters).  Being a North American I have a bit of trouble accepting the whole concept of Sint’s helpers.  But the Dutch speaking people are very defensive about their Sint tradition and say there is nothing derogatory about the Zwarte Pieten.  Umm…ok.The Sint arriving…

After a long visit of meeting the many kids, listening to Sint songs, eating some erwtensoep (pea soup), it’s time for the Sint to leave.  There were lots of Flemish and Dutch kids in attendance.  Also a few local Italians who were walking along the lake stopped to see what was going on.  They all had very puzzled looks on their faces.  Overall it was a very pleasant afternoon with incredible weather and a spectacular sunset.

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Stjerne

26 Nov

One of the many advantages of living in such an international environment is that you become friends with people from all over the world.  This past week a Danish friend came over to give the girls and I a “Danish Christmas Star” tutorial.  It’s made from a glossy paper in which you braid.  It’s a bit fussy to do but the girl’s little fingers did a wonderful job.

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Apt

25 Nov

If you’re ever in the South of France and happen to be close to a town called Apt I would strongly recommend that you stop and visit the most beautiful pottery shop in the world.  My first time visiting the shop was about 5 or 6 years ago.  We were meandering through the market on a chilly spring day and we happened to pass this tiny little colourful shop on a corner of a little piazza.  The bowls in the windows were stacked from floor to ceiling.  The colours were so bright and cheerful we couldn’t help ourselves from going in to take a look.  My mother bought me 3 beautiful bowls with stripes and polka dots.  Despite the relatively thin terracotta that they are made of these bowls are very durable (ie. they survived 5 years in a house with 3 small children).

This past summer we found ourselves once again in the area of Apt so of course we went for a visit.  After walking around in circles in the centre of Apt we finally found it again and it was just as we had remembered it.  Still the same colourful bowls and dishes and still the same old bearded man making them in the corner of the shop.  In the end we stayed and chatted with him for over and hour.  A very interesting man with an amazingly artistic family.

I ended up buying quite a few bowls, plates and jugs this time.  That purple and striped salad bowl in the upper right hand corner of this photo became mine!

My complete collection which I use on a daily basis.

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Contro sole

23 Nov

This photo captures the mood of my sewing room so well.  Sunny, messy, cosy, colourful…

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Cupcake Season

23 Nov

Cupcake season is slowly arriving and I’m looking forward to it.  Sinterklaas parties, Christmas parties, birthday parties…there are more than enough occasions to keep me busy and happy.  I remember the Italians first reaction to cupcakes a decade ago when I  arrived in Italy.  They were confused and maybe a little fearful of them.   Fast forward 10 years and the Italians have finally accepted the famous cupcake and you can even buy them in specialty bakeries in Milan.  Nothing like a cupcake to make your day (or week or month).

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My little bench

23 Nov

I’ve mentioned in the past how much I love the Mercatini Usati here in Italy.  Every time I visit one of the few second hand shops I come home with some sort of treasure.  I bought this little bench at a shop a few years ago for 5 euro.  It was old and dusty and an ugly varnished brown.  But look what a coat of white paint and a little handmade quilt can do!  I painted the inside a bright blue which gives it a bit of life when opened.  It’s at our front door so when all the various children come in with their various hats/scarves/gloves it’s really the perfect place to put it all.  And I use it as a place to collapse every now and then.  And then the kids just dump all their belongings on my lap instead of in the bench.  In any case…I’m very fond of this little bench.

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Russian painted eggs

21 Nov

Aren’t these hand painted eggs beautiful?  I bought them last year at a local market and I admire them on a daily basis.

They’re made from wood and just brighten up any room they happen to be in.

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Lemsip Max

21 Nov

Mama is sick and it ain’t pretty.  Aside from the headache, fever, stuffed up nose and sore throat, I haven’t tasted in at least 4 days.  A few friends told me that I look like I have a really bad headache so that can’t be saying much for my physical appearance at the moment.  Luckily a British friend gave me a medicated lemon drink called Lemsip Max and since I’ve been taking it I can’t even remember my name.  It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy.  I passed out at 9pm last night and woke up this morning at 9am.  Even with this awful cold/flu I’ve managed to sleep longer than I have since I started doing this whole mothering thing almost a decade ago.  It’s bliss.  So anyone out there who has a cold/flu (or just needs a good night’s sleep) go buy a truckload of Lemsip Max. 

Wrap it up

20 Nov

Yes.  I’m one of those people who prepares for things way in advance.  I start thinking of Christmas gifts when it’s warm enough to wear flip flops.  So even though it’s only mid November I have actually already wrapped several Christmas gifts for friends and family.  This year I’ve decided to use this great Japanese masking tape that a good friend of mine sent me from Germany.  My mother-in-law also bought me some so I have a pretty good collection of it building.  I also bought some cheap electrical tape at the local Fai Da Te (DIY shop) and I mix that with the Japanese tape.

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Fast Forward Drawing:The Chair

19 Nov

A sweet little film made by one of my daughters…

 

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