Family tradition

Just a quick post to thank you for your sweet Christmas wishes. I hope you all had a wonderful time with your loved ones!

In today's post some photo's of what I have been up to the days before Christmas. The baking of a huge two litre turban is one of the things that comes back every year and is becoming a family tradition. My daughters love it!

I also visited several thrift stores, in search of floral cups, glassware and linen. I needed them for our family brunch on Christmas day. I wanted the table to have a Vintage feel to it. I came home with two bags full of the most beautiful things! I even found some old Christmas decorations. On the photo's you can see some of the cups, decorations and glassware that I found. In my next post I will show you how our Christmas table looked like.

Enjoy the last days of the year! Don't forget to enter my Giveaway!

Lieve groet,

Madelief x

Christmas giveaway

With a turban in the oven and pears slowly sizzling on the stove, the preparations for our Christmas brunch and dinner have already started. I will spend a great part of tomorrow in the kitchen. The days after that will be full of family and friends. How I look forward to it all. The last couple of days the pile of presents under the tree has steadily grown. Although in their teens, my daughters still find it difficult not to look who the presents are for :-)

This post is to say Thank you, for your sweet comments, your friendship, your enthusiasm and the inspiration you haven given me. This week I welcomed my 700 follower. Still find it hard to believe.....

I chose my first giveaway with summer and the garden already on my mind. It's the Danish gardening book Franske Fornemmelser by Jeanne d'Arc Living. It's full of amazing photographs!

My second give-away consists of two beautiful white porcelain teacups from my own collection. My china cabinet is bursting at the moment. I thought I could make one of you happy with the cups.

It's easy to participate. Just leave a comment on this post and let me know which giveaway you prefer. I would appreciate it if you would link my giveaway to your blog, but don't feel obliged. Everyone can participate, old and new followers. I will send all over the world. On the 2nd of January 2012 one of my daughters will pick the winning numbers. Meanwhile keep your fingers crossed.

I wish you all a Wonderful Christmas!

Love, Peace & Joy,

Madelief x

Christmas tide is here

Christmas tide is here

From our happy home
Through the world we roam
One week in all the year,
Making winter spring
With the joy we bring
For Christmas-tide is hre.

Now the eastern star
Shines from afar
To light the poorest home;
Hearts warmer grow,
Gifts freely flow,
For Christmas-tide has come.

Now gay trees rise
Before young eyes,
Abloom with tempting cheer;
Blithe voices sing,
And blithe bells ring
For Christmas-tide is here.

Oh, happy chime,
Oh, blessed time,
That draws us all so near!
'Welcome, dear day',
All creatures say,
For Christmas-tide is here

Louisa May Alcott

Only one more working day to go and the Christmas holiday starts for me. There is still so much to do....I haven't decided yet what to make for the family brunch on Christmas day and Christmas dinner on boxing day. Yesterday we had our last two performances with the choir. We had a concert in an old peoples home and a concert in a quaint little church in an old part of Schiedam. They were both beautiful. It's so much fun seeing others enjoy the music and even sing along. To me those concerts always bring the Christmas spirit!

Wish you all a lovely new week! Good luck with the Christmas preparations.

Madelief x

Bowls and tin by House Doctor

 

A touch of red

Amaryllis & quince

Only thirteen more days to go before Christmas! Time passes by too quickly. I wish I could stop it just for a short while, to enjoy it more. I think the days before Christmas are probably some of the best of the year. They are full of anticipation, preparations for family dinners and parties, lots of baking, writing cards, last minute Christmas lunches with friends & colleagues and the Christmas concerts with the choir. We will have our first performance this afternoon. I am so excited! It's so much fun to sing together and bring the spirit of Christmas. 

This post is to show you some of the reds in my living room. Although I prefer a Christmas house in more neutral colours, it has little touches of red at the moment. I found the cups and the tin at the flea market recently. Aren't they sweet? 

I would also like to show you the lovely presents Linda from Beautiful ideas sent me. Linda, thank you once again for the sweet treats, lovely napkins and cards. Good luck with your tea party today!

I haven't been able to visit your blogs lately and next week will probably be the same, but I promise I will visit as soon as I am able.

Wish you all a Happy weekend! Have fun!

Lieve groet, Madelief x

Butterflies & hearts

This weekend we will be celebrating Sinterklaas with the family. The house is bursting with activity. The preparations for the arrival of the Holy man are in full swing. The girls are busy wrapping their presents, making poems and working on their surprise gifts.

On Tuesday it will be full speed ahead with the Christmas decorating. I find it difficult to wait. The beautiful Christmas posts on several blog, don't make it any easier. My daughters didn't allow me to start before Sinterklaas, and were quite right! Sinterklaas is such an old and beautiful Dutch tradition, it has to get the attention it deserves.

Last week I sprayed some branches white and decorated them with butterflies and hearts. They look lovely in the big white vase. I left work early to bake cookies with my middle daughter. The delicious odour of baking cookies in the house, made them difficult to resist!

Before I forget, I would like to thank Linda from Beautiful Ideas and Belinda from Vintage Rose for the beautiful give-aways they sent me! I posted the mirror I received from Belinda below and will post Linda's presents next week. They arrived just in time for Sinterklaas. Please have a look at their blogs. They are very different in style, but both lovely!

A happy Sinterklaas weekend to you all!

Lieve groet, Madelief x