As skinny as a rake

Not one of us will ever be as skinny as a rake, because we all love to eat and enjoy good food. Nothing wrong with that, right? Even better: why would we want to be skinny? We already have two whippets in the house..

Last night, we had our friends over for dinner and a good time. I enjoy cooking for them and it's always a challenge to prepare food to everyone's taste. Last night wasn't any different. There were several things to choose from. We started off with a Thai chicken soup with bean sprouts and lemon grass. That was comfort food to me.. I'm glad I can cook on my Range Cooker, because I really needed those 6 cookers. There were green beans with pancetta and mustard seeds, Bombay potatoes, Chinese noodles with mushrooms and cream, Malaysian Chicken Curry, Malaysian Coconut Shrimp, stir-fried zucchini/carrot/onions and Sesame Seed Steak Kebabs. And then we had a terrific dessert: egg yolk based liquor mousse. Very light and creamy. There weren't many leftovers and that's the way I like it! Dinner was low-carb. My blood sugars liked that very much! No spikes and not much insulin to bolus. But still a good dinner!

Le geek c'est chique

When we were  young, kids weren't fond of wearing braces. They were embarrassed and afraid to smile. That's a shame, because we could all have had beautiful dentures.

Our girls have wanted braces since they were in 6th grade. The oldest has been wearing hers for over one year now. She's doing so well, listening to the dentist and wearing the rubber bands on the braces as often as possible. She doesn't feel bad about it, because all of her peers wear braces too. They get to pick different colors, but mostly she picks black. Today she's seeing the dentist again, for another check-up. One more year to go. We hope.. And then it will be time for the youngest daughter to start wearing hers..

With or without you

Photo by Lana Joos

We are having a formal meeting with our friends tonight. Decisions have to be made. Something big is coming up. We're working on some project. It is truly exciting and very private at the same time. All 5 of us will be involved, hopefully. If not, it will be a little harder, but still doable.

Let's have another bite and something to drink, and then think things over. It is important to consider every scenario possible, before we make this step. It is everything I always wanted, but it's scary too. Don't forget it's long distance. You can't go there and fix things if you want to. But I'm glad there's at least one professional to convince and advise us. Let's hope things will work out the way we planned.

I can't believe it..

Our daughters are often invited to go to birthday parties of their school friends. So I drive them around town, sometimes even an hour drive away from home. I'm always amazed at the sizes of the houses those kids live in.. Wow.. This week I dropped the youngest one at her friend's house. What a wonderful home those people had. A heated outdoor pool with a fully furnished pool house (bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms, changing rooms,..) was the eye catcher. Eva was so astound. She looked at me like: why don't we have a pool??? I think she has too many rich friends.. Or at least friends with more than wealthy parents. She frequents an old school in Bruges and apparently, many rich kids attend that same school. We are not poor, by any means. In fact, we do real well. But no, we don't have a pool nor a pool house. And no, we don't need three cars, two are plenty. Kids are so vulnerable. They see differences between families and they dream their dreams. If I ask them how they will accomplish their dreams, they say they'll marry a rich man.
We all need money to live. Living in the 21st century is expensive. People that say money can't buy happiness, probably have plenty. We all need money. Because we do want more out of life. It's more comfortable to live than to survive. Each one of us is used to a certain standard in life. Some are wealthy since birth, others climb up step by step by working hard and saving their money. And then you have the lucky ones, who win the lottery. Money can be a real pain too. Listen to people that are involved in nasty divorces. If they have money, the outcome is disastrous. Neither one wants to give up their luxurious lifestyle. And that's when the fight over money begins.
Knowing how to handle money is something we all need to learn. It starts at a very young age. You work weekends and holidays and for the rest of the year, you go to school. That's a good way to start saving for future dreams. At least, if you are lucky enough to get the money you saved.. Because not all parents are that honest.. In fact, some are real good at pretending you never saved any money.. Whatever.. dreams come true, not only in Disney movies.

MEN

MENstruation, MENopauze, MENtal breakdown... ever noticed that most female problems begin with MEN? Men are lucky.. There aren't many typical male problems, like the problems women are facing. Think menstruation.. Just make the calculation. How about we take 13 years old as the starting period age? Let's say: for a 50 year period. Twelve times a year. Not a very appealing thought, is it? And then there's menopauze. More hassle. I hear menopauze is even worse than menstruation. Are women blessed with these two pfenoMENon because we're the only sex that can handle it? Perhaps so.

We all have mental breakdowns every now and then. Because there are so many things to deal with in such a short period of time. Even though men have come to their senses and try to help out more around the house, they are still mainly in charge of bringing home the paycheck (trust me, the paycheck is still important). Most of the household chores are still in women's hands. If men agree to help out, they sometimes hire help to do so: they ask their mom, they hire a cleaning lady or a nanny. And you know what? They are absolutely right! Women need to change this crazy superwoman ideal! They don't have to be everything and a whole lot more. They are women and that's plenty for a job! So ladies out there: don't wait for your husbands to hire help around the house. Find help yourself! You deserve it! It will keep you from having another mental breakdown..

Mary Janes

Maybe I should plan another trip to the local DIY store. My shoes need another cabinet for the other is way too crowded already. The other cabinet I made all by myself and it looks like a million dollars. I never found a decent cabinet that would hold all of my shoes. Pumps as well as boots, high heels or flip flops.
I have no problem giving away clothes, but I don't like to get rid of my shoes. Just the other day, when we came back from Oberhausen, my youngest daughter asked me to leave her my shoes after I died. In fact, I didn't have to wait that long, she said. She loves shoes, just the way I do. And you know what else she said? That she would buy shoes just for the look of it. There's not always a need to wear them. Some are so pretty that she would expose them in her bedroom. She's adorable..

In Oberhausen, Germany, I got myself a pair of petrol blue Mary Janes. They are comfortable. They may not be that elegant or feminine, but my feet like them. They match my jeans or white pants and I know I will wear them quite often. They are good shoes to wear when I have a long car ride ahead of me. My black and velvet sky high Nicky Vankets heels may be eye catchers and they may make my feet look dazzling, but I could never drive my car wearing them. So I guess I'll keep my Mary Janes in the car. Next to my Nicky Vankets's. Just in case.. A girl always has to be prepared for just about any occasion.. Always.

Zip it!

They are nagging back and forth like two little pacman characters. If one of them says "black" the other will say "white". There is no grey, there is no in between shade. Not for the moment. They have this particular age,  where normal communication between siblings is rather non existing. Sometimes they snap at each other for no reason. Thirteen is too young compared to fifteen. The gap between the ages is no more than two years, but still, it's too big a gap for the moment. They will grow closer once they get older. I know they will. It's just puberty.. monkey moments.

Disappointed..

I'm disappointed. Just disappointed.. That's the only emotion I can come up with right now..

I'm very sorry for your loss

Ratatouille - his last moments

I'm starting to feel sorry for Ratatouille. We have been bonding I guess.. In the early morning hours, Ratatouille ran back to his shelter in the kitchen. He must have hurt himself somehow, because several blood stains were to be found along his escape route. Did he get caught in the trap after all? Did he chew on a leg that was captured in the spiral ring? I don't know... but he's hurting. There's a bad, rotting smell in the house and I can't trace it.

We were advised to put several things on the rat traps: chocolate, peanut butter, bacon drippings, wet cat food. We've tried it all by now. You could say he's a spoiled (b)rat!

The man from Animal Pest Control came this morning. I expected some long bearded, heavy, smelly man (I know I know, prejudices..) but hey: a very good looking, well trimmed stud rang the doorbell. I showed him Ratatouilles picture and he confirmed it was a brown rat. He taught us that we'd better line up both traps. If he misses the first trap, he'll jump onto the second one. Like us, he doesn't want Ratatouille to die behind our cabinets. It would cause a horrible smell and a terrible mess. So he needs to come down. He left us with some more poison. I'm sorry Ratatouille, but you don't belong with us. You are going to see your ancestors real soon. I hope..

UPDATE: May Ratatouille rest in peace. He died in a ferocious fight.. I will keep the details to myself, but I can tell you there was a lot of screaming (from my part and yes I sat on top of the couch) involved as well as the rolling pin, pliers and a broom. There's a dent in my toaster and blood splatters on the back splash of my Range Cooker, but he's gone.. R.I.P.

Moments of stress

I know you must be stressing out right now. There's no need to. You'll be just fine. Have faith. Trust your doctor. He's doing whatever needs to be done and he'll come and tell you the good news as soon as you open your eyes. You won't have the time to blink, because he will have told you you are going to be just fine.. I'll light all the candles around the house for you. Because you have become important to me. I care..

Parade

Tonight there's another parade in the town where our friends live. We're all invited to join them, so we can watch the parade together. The girls are really excited! They like our friends too and they are happy to join us for a change. They have been dying to see the house our friend has decorated. He's a great interior designer and he's so unique and creative that you can't but love him!

It's going to be a great night! We'll have a good time over a bite and a drink and in the end, we will all go outside to see the fireworks. And let's hope Ratatouille will have fled by the time we come home... He made the traps snap twice last night, but he managed to get away. He's hiding under the central heating in the dining room. Animal Pest Control is coming tomorrow.. They'd better catch him!

There's more to life

It's been a while, but I'm glad we're finally meeting up again. I have been looking forward to our date. I've cruised around Lier before, but I've never really explored the town. So I'm anxious to hear what you have planned for us.

You are a special lady. A beautiful appearance. Life hasn't been easy on you, but you manage well. Raising three children all by yourself is no sinecure. Of course all families have their ups and downs, but you keep going, despite some disillusions. I'm proud of you and I hope you are proud of you too!

We have several things in common. Diabetes is the reason why we met. In the meantime, we have become friends on several other levels. I'm so happy to see you every now and then. This time is no different!

In the evening, I'm having another outing with some more friends. Who said life is boring???

Energy

Around lunch, my insulin pump let me know that the battery of my pump had died. The pump comes with one battery. The glucose meter aka remote control has three. Their life expectancy is approximately 4 weeks.
Take a look around your house, to see how many batteries you need in your different appliances. Quite a bit huh? Some are expensive and last longer than the cheaper ones. I can't use cheap batteries for my insulin pump, nor for my glucose meter. They require high quality batteries. I try to limit the sounds on the pump, so the batteries don't die that fast. But still, they run empty way too soon.

It would be good if the pump and meter would have a charger like cell phones do. It would save us a lot of money.

Reality kicked in

One more week.. The kids are starting school again in a little while. They complain and they whine about it, but deep down, I know they are glad. Both girls love to go to school although they say otherwise. But they are teenagers and that's what teenagers do: complain about just about everything!

Today we are going to pick up the books. Those books are so expensive, and they are rental books. We will make it a day out. Pay grandma a visit. The sun's out, so maybe we'll walk around town as well. We'll see..

Another whippet

Inthe and Rebba have a little brother... He doesn't have a name yet. He came as a total surprise to me. My friends got him for my birthday. That's really funny, because last year, we were in Sevenum, Holland, on our way to Oberhausen, when we ran into a lady with two whippets. That's where I kneeled to give the dogs a big cuddle. That's when I told my friends about my love for the breed. That's when they told me they were going to get one for my upcoming birthday. And that's when Hubby decided they couldn't get me one, since HE was going to buy one for me..

They must have remembered that and still, they know we already have two! But here he is: he's so slim and beautiful and his tan is almost silverish. He's all shiny and very quiet. I love him! He's sitting in the window sill, looking over our family room. We won't have to take him for walks. My new whippet is a wonderful statue..

Never, never, never give up

You decided to give up on cigars three months ago. I'm so proud of you! I know it's not easy. I can tell by the amount of chewing gum I'm buying to keep you busy.
Last week, we went away for two days with our friends. Three of them smoke. I was a little worried you might get tempted, and maybe you were, but you didn't give in. It would be a shame if you would start again. You don't talk about it - you are not the most talkative person - but I just know it's on your mind on some occasions. Like when we were driving to Germany and we were kinda lost.. You probably nearly died for a cigar! But you didn't get one.. So let me tell you once more: I'm proud of you for being so strong.

Ratatouille

We named him Ratatouille, after the rat from the Ratatouille movie. With the only difference that ours is not cute and he doesn't cook.

He's still sitting there, in his private place behind the kitchen cabinets. Every now and then, a little dropping comes down. That's the proof Ratatouille is present. I want him out of here! Right now! I'm afraid to use my Lattissima, because it's sitting way too close to his shelter. I hope he will eat all of the poison and die, so he won't get killed in the trap. Just imagine him being caught in the trap without being dead??? He will scream, that's for sure, and I'm not prepared for that noise! And who will kill him if he's in the trap but not dead? Not me!!!

Let's hope Ratatouille decides this place is not as exciting as he thought it would be. He may have thought this house was rated 5 stars, but hey, he's wrong! No more food, no more drinks. No more All Inclusive! Move out!

There's a rat in the kitchen what am I gonna do?

There's a rat in the kitchen

This song crossed my mind instantly, when I saw this awful brown creature behind my Delonghi Lattissima!! AAaarrrgghhh!!!!

Last night, I was getting ready to go to bed, putting my empty glass on the counter top. That's when I saw this creepy creature crawl behind my coffee maker! SCREAM!!! Both whippets and tomcat were laying on the couch, dreaming their dreams. They didn't come to the rescue. That fat rodent really freaked me out! I ran upstairs to get Hubby. Not that he's a big fan of rats or mice.. With a broom in one hand and a blanket in the other, he was convinced he could catch the ugly beast. Good grief! It must have heard my heart pound! I took my camera to take its picture. It was looking right into the lens. Hubby ran off as soon as he spotted the rat. The only thing he could say was: that is definitely not a mouse! that thing is huge!!!!! Without exaggerating, it must have been 30 cm without the naked tail (that must have been around 15 cm I guess). Its little black eyes were staring at me as it was sitting down, stretched out, pointed ears in the neck and ready to attack!

Hubby threw the blanket over the beast - that's what he does when he needs to catch one of our chickens - but it didn't stay put, on the contrary. It ran up the back splash, into a little hole, back to its shelter behind my kitchen cabinets! Shoot! So now it's sitting up there again. I can't believe it has lived here for more than a couple of days, since we haven't found any droppings or urine stains. The back door is always open, so the whippets can go in and out whenever they want. Now I know who eats the cat food at night.. not Arthur..

This is not a job for Lisa Williams. I'd better call Animal Pest Control!

Creepy..

In the early morning hours - around 4:45 AM - I heard a clattering noise in the kitchen. Without turning on any lights, I went to see what was going on. A flowerpot had fallen down from one of the top shelves in my kitchen cabinet above the sink. That was strange, because things do not fall down just like that, do they? It could not have been the cat, because there's no way he can climb on that top shelf. And then I heard this weird noise, coming out of one of the kitchen cabinets. Now that was creepy! Trust me! So I turned on the light. I didn't see anything unusual, besides the flower pot that had fallen down, but I could still hear the creepy noise, coming out of that cabinet. I carefully opened the door, to see nothing but coffee mugs and dinner plates.. The sound was louder when I opened that door. It was like something was hiding between the wall and the cabinet. I went to get Hubby, because I knew he wouldn't believe me if I told him later. He heard the same noise and he opened the next cabinet as well. We both stood there, listening to a sawing and tapping sound coming out of the cabinets. And then all of a sudden, the sound faded..

I told our oldest daughter about the weird sounds in the kitchen, and with eyes the size of saucers, she stared at me and said: that's exactly what I heard when the two of you were in Oberhausen!!!  She had also looked in the cabinets and just like us, the tapping and sawing sound freaked her out.. She didn't tell us because she thought we wouldn't believe her. We still don't know what the sound is, but I can tell you: it's not supposed to be there.. I think I'll check with the neighbors today. Their shed is right next to our kitchen wall. Maybe something is in that shed? Do you think I should call Lisa Williams?

To be continued..

The Belle of the ball

high heels..

You looked ravishing in your cream colored, strapless wedding gown.. You were very elegant and feminine and girly, but still very natural. You wore that dress like you had never worn anything else. It suited you perfectly well. Your husband was very handsome as well. A very nice couple, I must say. And the wedding was pretty original too. We loved the ceremony. You have very good friends, you know! They must have put a lot of work in it, to make that ceremony that special. I'm happy they did, because it was worth it.

What a different location you picked for the wedding party. We were invited on a boat to have dinner with you, your family and your friends. It was nice to get to know your other friends. You and your sisters look pretty much alike, although you are very different at the same time. Dinner was excellent and surprising too. Unique, like the two of you!

My friend and I came in little black dresses and super high heels! We had a great time! We chatted with your friends and danced to the music. We enjoyed a cool breeze on the deck of the boat, over a cold glass of wine. Thanks for having us.. have a wonderful honeymoon in the US! Hope to read about your adventures on your honeymoon blog!