after the rain comes the sunshine

 and vice versa??

Last week was a hard one.

Things at home were very tense,

with my son spending long hours doing nothing much

and his homework taking up all day long.

I ran out of patience so often I'm ashamed to admit

and the whole thing left me drained and miserable.

Then on Saturday we all went to the city centre 

and had a great time

-hubby treated me to this beautiful little bunch-

and when we got home in the evening,

I was down with a kind of flu that made my whole body ache

and I didn't feel better until yesterday morning!

So Monday has come again, with the same slow pace of achieving things,

a long, quiet and civil discussion

and, well, we'll see.

Have a lovely Tuesday!

xxx

honesty

me: do you like my new haircut?

son: yes, it's nice.

a few hours later...

me: i don't think i like my hair like this.

son: it looks like a helmet.

7

I don't think I've ever eaten birthday cake so early in the morning,

but it was the only time in the day we were all together!

Happy Birthday, sunshine!

big sigh of relief...

thank you all so much for praying along with me.

it means the world to me.

my son is fine now.
he's been operated on to remove a lump on his upper thigh.
we got the biopsy results last night and it's nothing to worry about.
the waiting was killing me!

he was so brave, through all the tests and the surgery!
he's at home now, recovering, enjoying his new toys!

thanks so much for being here!

(ps. what's wrong with blogger? I've written a long post explaining things and sharing feelings and it's all gone! no time to write it all again!)

flowers for your friday

{via}

Schools start on Monday.

My little man will embark on a new journey.

Hope he has lots of fun along the way.

Happy Weekend!

xxx

a boy's room

~ still waiting for news  (will have no news before monday and i need to be at work on the 1st of september!)

~ still seeking distraction

~ still haven't decorated my son's room

 i spent some time looking for ideas on etsy

(in case we do get to stay home)

I think you can gather the theme from my mosaic!

I've already bought the fabrics for a bedspread, and a trip to the city centre for some yarn  for a blanket is planned for tomorrow.

Now, if only we could stay here!!!

(click on the numbers for links to the shops)

1.  2.  3.  4.  5 and 6.  7.  8 and 9.

been camping...

...sort of

another one of his godmother's brilliant presents

(Sunday was his name-day)

xxx

PS.Because some of you are asking, let me explain the living/working situation: the school I belong to is the one I worked at this past school year, faraway from home. The years before, I asked for a temporary transfer to a school near home, which I got, that's why I wasn't away. The school year that has just ended though, I'd decided to go to my appointed school because I had to do that in order to be eligible for a permanent transfer in case there was an opening near home - but there wasn't one, that's why I have applied for another temporary transfer (as have many many other teachers). We'll know who goes where at the end of August (schools start in September). If I get the transfer I'll either be here at home or at my village ( I applied for both areas; my village is 85km away from home, my school is 450!) If I don't get it...I may have to leave again or I may ask for a sabbatical (which means no income). Hope this makes sense. I know it's confusing and it's frustrating for us not knowing where we'll be in a few weeks.

PPS. Today's post: 13 words / Postscript: a gazillion words!

;)

on Monday ...

...we decided to go to a nearby town with my husband, who had some work to do there.

While daddy was about his business, we were having fun at the park.

On our way back to the city, my husband had the idea of stopping at a seaside resort for lunch.

"Oh, goodie! I happen to have a set of clothes for little one, cause there's no way he'll stay dry. Just stop at a supermarket so I can buy him a towel and some sunscreen."

Done!

Little Mr Hard-To-Please said it was an awesome day!

Who am I to disagree?

Have a fabulous Wednesday!

Lots of ironing planned for me today. But not before spending an hour or so with my book and my morning coffee.

xxx

sewing

I've been  living in a whirlwind lately.

The visit home was great (though emotionally intense on the day of my mum's memorial service). There was time for slowing down, time for seeing friends, time for attending an end-of-school-year event at our neighbourhood...

However, since we came back here on Monday, our time has been filled with commitments: end-of-year events at our schools, going out with the teachers from one school, then the other, and later today with my son's teachers...

At the same time, I've been waiting for job-related news for ages; and when the criteria by which it will be decided who will be transferred where were finally announced, I felt the earth move under my feet; there's a chance I'll need to be here again in september (for the next school year) and we'll only find out late august! So we decided to keep the flat until we know for sure. I explained the situation to our landlords and they said that was fine but then there was a mix up with their daughter and now we have to move!

Are you still here? I wouldn't blame you if you weren't!

I tell myself that every obstacle has a reason and things usually turn out for the best, but still I feel numb at times and dizzy at others.

So now, instead of packing our clothes and leaving on Tuesday, I  have to pack everything and move next weekend.

Seeking distraction, I was reaquainted with my sewing machine. I made two hearts for my son's teachers. Choosing fabrics, ribbons and buttons was really relaxing; little one helped me with the colours and I have to say I am thrilled at how they turned out.

Meanwhile, my son's first tooth will soon fall out and I had to act fast; you see, I promised I'd make him a cushion for the fairy to find his tooth in and leave him some seeds in exchange (an idea I came across in a blog, of course) but never actually got round to making it. I knew I was going to use his old sleeping bag(? - no idea how these things toddlers sleep in so they won't get cold are called!) and it took me about ten minutes to make it. I'm astonished at how happy this little cushion has made him! He hugs it all the time and he's even put his regular pillow aside and is now napping with this one. Amazing!

Hope I haven't bored you with all this!

Have a great weekend!

xxx

saturday

you start the day with the best of intentions to make it a happy one...

~ you make french toast for breakfast

~ you read a great book with your morning coffee

~ you go out in the yard and really take in the enjoyment a six-year-old feels when jumping in the puddles (+ you don't have to worry he'll get sick when his trousers are drenched)

~ you hang the laundry out to dry and love the fact that there are green plants, all in full bloom, below

~ you plan a pizza evening



yet, at the back of your mind, there are always the stressful thoughts that have been bothering you for a while

~'where will we be in september? we'll only find out late august'

~'what will happen to my country, to our jobs, to us?'

~' how can we plan our future?'

and then the realisation comes: we might as well enjoy what we have in the present

have a gorgeous weekend!

xxx

do crochet hearts grow on cherry trees?

Thank you Maaike for the tutorial!
~~~~~~

It's Mother's Day tomorrow. Here's a heart my son made at school...

and one that his teacher made for us, mums.

Happy Mother's Day to all you lovely mums out there!

xxx

I've been meaning to...

... stop by my little space here last Thursday to wish you 'Happy Easter', but it never happened.

... tell you how we spent the holiday, but, for some reason, I have no words for this either - it was ok, I guess.

Instead, I'll tell you what we did this morning: little one and I went to his godmother's (my best friend) for a visit. I've had some thing or other to do since we came here 12 days ago and this was the first time I relaxed and enjoyed the friendly chat. (check her tea-making 'equipment'; little one asked if we could buy it, too. 'Oh, of course, we can. Who am I to spoil the fun?')

Earlier in the morning, we had a great 'day out' with the caravan. It was so much fun! There was breakfast out in the open and then a bike ride around the lake... bliss. I'm so glad I've convinced my boy to 'choose' (ha!) the playmobil caravan instead of a hot-wheels something...whatever... Luckily, he enjoys playing with it as much as I do!

Hope you're all having a fabulous Wednesday!

What have you been up to lately? Do tell.

xxx

my son's new 'toy'

Hello lovely people!

How are you all feeling today?

I hope you're all happy and cheerful like me!

My trip back home did me good, oh, so good!

I've returned revived and in a great mood.

Having my little family together was just what I needed to lift my spirits~

well, a visit to the hairdresser's for a long-overdue haircut and some highlights and some new clothes and make-up did play a teeny tiny (huge!) part in it, I have to admit!

There was a slight change of plans though, as my poor baby was ill; he had a temperature on the night before we left, which kept on till Saturday.

Poor thing, he didn't get to go anywhere but, on the bright side, he spent lots of time with daddy who was always with him (giving mummy time to spoil herself!).

Now, to this 'toy' I mention in my title.

One of the plans we'd made was to get together with his godmother's family for lunch; we had to cancel it though since they have a baby and we didn't want him to get sick, too. My boy was very disappointed when he heard we couldn't go. Why? Because there was a birthday present for him and he knew what it was: a fantastic birthday present! My friend (his godmother) did pay us a short visit when the fever 'had left the building' though and brought him.... his first 'real' camera!!!

The first photo below is one of the first he took

and of course - like a good mummy I am- I had to check his new toy to see if it's...hmmm.... safe? ;)

Happy Wednesday!

xxx

today

Today I am...

~ admiring my son's resourcefulness and imagination

~ drinking lots of camomile tea

~learning about quilting

~ crocheting a secret project

~reading the Happiness Project

~listening to Black's soothing voice

~planning to do some housework (just planning for now!)

~ counting the days till Thursday (Friday is a national holiday and we're going home!)

~~~

Have a fabulous weekend!

xxx

a lesson for life

One of the things I want my son to learn as he grows up,

is to notice and appreciate the little things around him.

΅΅΅΅΅΅΅΅

When he woke up this morning I told him to look around and see if he could spot

something amazing that had happened while we were sleeping.

It took him a while, but when I showed him the little pots on the bookshelves,

he was so happy to see the bright yellow petals, which had sprung open overnight.

He was so excited he gave me a big hug and started jumping up and down!

΅΅΅΅΅΅΅΅΅΅

Mission accomplished!

Take Care!

xxx

six

My little man becomes six tomorrow!

Time flies for sure!
We made this cake yesterday
to take to school today.
When we finished it last night, he said:
'mum, you're amazing!' and hugged me really tight!
:)


~~~~~~
Have a gorgeous weekend!
I hope I'll have more words to share next week.

father and son

~ how good it was to see them spending time together ~

~ precious moments to cherish ~

~ help us all go through the last three months of our seperation ~

``````

have a great wednesday!

it's been windsday here since monday!

right now

:: sunday afternoon::

my quiet time begins

(by the way, my blanket is not complete yet; it needs a border, but I thought we could enjoy it for the weekend)

~~~~~

ps. have you read my previous post? if not, please do!

where is it hiding?

my little man has refused to let himself sleep these past few days;

he fights really hard to stay awake and says he's not sleepy though his eyes tell me he is ~

by the time he's finally asleep, i'm so exhausted i can bear no sound at all - i asked my dad tonight to watch something with subtitles; i couldn't listen to the tv for a second - i thought i would scream!

i felt like there was no air in the room; i needed space but the only vacant room was the bathroom ~

~ yes, tonight i've missed my spacious home ~

last night i spent a few minutes looking at my journal before i finally had gratitude thoughts come in; it felt good in the end.

tonight i won't even bother opening it; typing does not require a firm grasp of a pen like writing does, so i'll just say it here: i'm grateful for a healthy meal of fresh fish and salad and i'm grateful (oh, so grateful) that tomorrow is friday!

xxx

inspiration and creativity

Have you ever felt that after a long period of doing something with your whole being - you know, being there, focused, body and soul - you are drenched and have nothing more to give?

That's how I've been feeling the last couple of days in relation to the time I spend with my little boy (who, by the way, is not so little any more and says things like "why did you book tickets for The Little Prince? I don't want to go to a play; I'd rather stay with dad"! - hum?)

Anyway, after having made an incredible number of Christmas crafts, read countless Christmas stories, played with play-doh for hundreds of hours (not literally but you get the picture), I ran out of ideas for mum-son time. Of course he spends a lot of time playing on his own but I'm talking about our time here.
Υesterday afternoon, I let him watch a film on TV while I surfed the net for ideas. And I found it! I came across this illuminating post. Maya's blog is such a great resource!

Not everything needs to be planned and be made with a certain outcome in mind, right? Right! So free expression it is, then! I took out whatever materials we had here and the idea was welcomed with utter delight!!!

Oh, the fun we had!

Take care!
xxx