No matter where I am in the world, I am far from someone I love. Petra (from Holland) who lived with us for a year as an exchange student and quickly  became family, along with Marta and Pepe (from Spain), who I met in Yahoo online, are also friends. They recently had a get-together, and quickly sent me the following photos! It was nice to be missed and thought of! Leoni, Vera, Marta, and Petra. Vera, taking the picture, L-R: Marta, Leoni, ... Read More

My birthday was nearly a month ago, but it's not over yet. Petra's gift arrived yesterday. Petra has already sent an assortment of Dutch houses and shops, so now that she's in Leon, it looks I will have at least one representing France. Love the Frenchman that came with it, carrying it's bread on a bicycle. I love my birthday present!   Along with this miniature house, I should add that Georgie also gave me something small, but sweet. Two dolphins to hang ... Read More

Christmas Eve was suddenly here. We had a few snow flurries and then it was time to begin our evening together. John and I always take the photos and it's rare we are the ones being photographed. Seemed for our first Christmas together, we should pose for a few. Besides we wanted an image in our new ornament for the tree. So Laura was our photographer...or was it Silas? :) John liked this one. I kind of favored this one. His ... Read More

The world is a rose; smell it and pass it to your friends. Persian Proverb Petra and Leoni sent me flowers for my birthday... Between mother's day and my birthday, my room has never looked so cheery! ... Read More

Petra and Leoni arrived on a whirlwind, a day early, arms full of tulips. She was in the U.S. on official business but took time to visit family, meet Rubí, and see the addition to the house. We did shopping, one of Leoni's favorite things to do while here, we got lots of time to chat and catch up, and mom was so happy to bake a cake and feed them Maryland's special crab cakes. Last full day here, turned out to ... Read More

Petra sent matching tee shirts for Silas and Rubí. Today we finally got around to taking photos of them both dressed in them. ... Read More

Petra emailed me about a week ago that she would be coming in for a quick visit. I quickly informed mom on the news and suggested she make a chocolate cake, knowing Petra loves mom's homemade cakes. Silas, who had never met Petra yet, was already considering  her a soul mate. I mean, who is better than the person responsible for getting this chocolate cake baked?? Before she got here, Silas got to watch it getting baked, licked the beaters, bowl, and ... Read More

When Petra lived with us, she taught me the most fun dice game. We would have so much fun, it's hard to believe that 6 dice and a paper keeping score could be so entertaining. Today online, through Good Experience, I found a very close relative to the dice game Petra taught me, and it's called Zilch. In Petra's version, one's are 100 points, fives are 50. If you get three of a kind, say, 3 sixes, that will be 600. ... Read More

Each Christmas a package arrives from Australia. John, every year, seems to select the nicest gifts. For the two boys, he sent adorable t-shirts from The Perth Zoo where he is a docent. It seemed right to give Cameron the tiger t-shirt, as when John and I took him to the zoo last April, he kept asking to see the tigers. Also, each Wednesday he climbs on my lap asking to see tigers on YouTube. For Silas, John selected an amazing graphic tee, ... Read More

Birthdays are especially neat when you get greetings and good wishes from friends. Myrna really made my day when I got her email with updates on her life and a brief walk down memory lane. She found and then scanned an old photo of us, taken on one of our craziest weekends together ever! It started when she phoned me at home, asking if I would be interested in going with her cousins and her for a weekend away in Pennsylvania. (I am ... Read More

Sometimes, it's hard to see a future. So, I go looking into the past at times. Photos from years ago can be comforting... These days, Enric can sit down at the piano and make amazing music. I looked at this photograph (likely taken by Petra's Dad, Piet Pulles, as he was here at the house that day), and thought, "I hope I had some little spark in helping Enric enjoy the piano as he does today." The likely photographer with Enric ... Read More

Petra is so generous. She is always good to me. Where I have given these special Wish/Love Pearls as gifts before, I had never got one myself! Leave it to Petra to give me such a treat. Love pearls come in a box, with an oyster guaranteed to have a pearl inside of it. The fun is, you don't know which kind of pearl it will be!   Give somene a special gift! Wish Pearl Gift Set Set in a wonderfully crafted gift set box, this gift ... Read More

It occurs to me that I have been blogging now for 4 years and now entering my 5th. I know I get all excited over whacky world events and our crazy politics here at home, but many times I do blog something personal. You might think that Christmas is way over, why would I still be on this subject. I persist to say, that it is a SEASON, not just a day, and as much time, money, and effort that is put ... Read More

Christmas Eve, to me, has always been a very special night of the holiday. As a child, it was filled with anticipation and magic. My parents and sister were great at convincing me that Santa was near. We left cookies for Santa, and I do believe Linda even made noises upstairs to convince me to hurry to bed. As a teen, I recall the TV on with choirs, mom's cooking in the kitchen, and Dad fiddling with lights and the train set. ... Read More

We have Petra and Leoni here from Holland for the holidays. After a few days of some solid Christmas shopping, we finally had time to settle down, go to church for the cantata and break out the sugar cookies to decorate with Jenny helping us. We decorated mom's sugar cookies... In fact, we decorated a LOT of cookies. We all had fun. We had one casualty. I accidently decapiated a snowman. Dr. Laura Lopez (has a nice sound to it, doesn't it?) fixed him up. ... Read More

Every house where love abides And friendship is a guest, Is surely home, and home, sweet home For there the heart can rest. Henry van Dyke (1852 - 1933) Not all, but most know that this autumn into winter is filling up fast at our home. We are very excited here and have been ocupied with preparations. I have already called most of my clients to let them know I will be very busy. We have John coming in from Australia this weekend to ... Read More

In our family, spring brings on a slew of birthdays in a row, starting in April, and not slowing down till end of June. The addition of Petra to the family didn't change that. No sooner have we calmed down from Linda's birthday, it's time to celebrate another. This photo was taken of Petra (on the left) and I before a dance. Mom had made both our dresses and we are modeling for the camera. Petra, may all your dreams come true, you ... Read More

We still had Petra with us in the winter of 1977, and Maryland treated her with both extremes on the weather. Summer she arrived in sweltering heat and the winter, was the worse I can remember at that time. Our huge Chesapeake Bay froze over entirely, and people were actually driving cars over the bay. That's cold! So we had romps in the snow, ice-skating on the creeks, and one long skate to Gibson Island. We had the Sweetheart dance, Dutch ... Read More

Years ago, with four adults trying to pry us apart, as we tearfully clung to each other that hot summer day, I have often since cursed the Atlantic that has kept my dear Petra and I so far apart. Now, and for over a week, she is with us and is so wonderful to have her here again. She has been made right at home, I think...sanding the newly put up walls, shoveling snow, taking out the trash...she has ... Read More