Busy Bees

The countdown is on, and we've been quite busy with all the preparations for the move and getting the house ready to sell.

After the yard work of last weekend, this week, we tackled repainting the office. It was the only room in the house that we hadn't repainted yet in the last 3 years and it really needed a new coat. Given we're putting our house on the market, we figured it was worth investing a couple of days into this. It was worth it, but still tiring: uncoupling all the computers/networks, moving all the furniture, prepping the room: masking tape, drop cloths, step ladders, spackling the walls, sanding the walls, etc. , painting the first coat, painting the second coat, removing all the masking tape, touching up areas, removing the drop cloths, vacuuming, moving the furniture back....and now it almost looks like before, just much cleaner.... glad that's done.



We got some fun relief yesterday with a birthday party for one of Kevin's friends. They had it at the Clubhouse at Bright Horizon's, and the party itself was preceded by a an hour-long gym session (read: getting rid of some of that wild child-energy) which was great.



This is something I'll miss when I'm back in Europe: all the wonderful amenities geared primarily towards kids/families with kids: like the children's museums here, the children's song/theatre hours at coffee shops, the children's fairs, the library's reading hours, the bookstore's toddler story time, the larger playgrounds, etc.
Not that you don't have children's amenities in Europe, but there are far fewer and usually a lot smaller. I wonder if you'd try to start something like 'playspace museum' in the Netherlands or Belgium if it would catch on ? It'd be interesting to look at comparisons of percentages of mothers staying at home and if similar, it could be an interesting idea for a future entrepreneurial endeavour.

Yard Work

The negotiations are now officially over and I accepted the revised job offer! This means I'll be moving in a matter of weeks. My husband will probably stay here a little longer to finish selling the house, the cars and all the electrical devices, but I'm planning on starting there Feb 1. and Kevin will join me from the start (assuming we can work out a good child care arrangement in the next few weeks).

We've been starting the move prep in all earnest. Which means basically, semi-intellectuals that we'd like to consider ourselves, that we've been making lots of lists: what to arrange, what to take, what to sell, what to donate, what to give to friends/neighbours, etc.

On a side note: the fact that the US and Europe are on a different Voltage is really a pain. Sure, it will give me the chance the buy some nice new electronics and maybe that flat panel TV I've been eyeing, but it also means I'll have to go shopping for again for things like a toaster, a hair dryer, alarm clocks, desk lamps, a blender, a deep fryer, a washer, a dryer, a fridge, etc.... almost feels like I just left college.

This weekend we've been working in the yard, trying to extend that 'curb appeal' for when we put the house on the market shortly. Fortunately, the weather was on our side. Saturday was springlike with temperatures around 20 degrees celcius. Today was a little cooler, but dry till mid-afternoon. We raked piles of leaves from the flowerbeds, tidied around the trees, removed heaps of pine needles from the grass, got rid of weeds and planted new pansies for color.....I can tell I haven't been doing much exercise lately because my back and legs are aching now... guess that's one of the benefits of getting a house/yard in order: you'll stay in shape.

Mea Culpa

OK. I feel guilty, very guilty for not posting anything in the last month. Yes I do have an excuse, several in fact - I made several international trips in a row for job interviews, was on the road a lot, hosted my dad here for 2.5 weeks, did lot's of Christmas & New Year's cooking and shopping....- Still. Apologies for jumping of the deep end. Truth be told, I think I was a bit in a rut too and felt like taking a bit of a break. But, that's done now. With the New Year, I've turned a new leaf and feel reenergized.

I also have another reason for feeling celebratory. I have received a great job offer from a large consumer-goods company and am very excited about the global position they offered me. We are still in the final stages of negotiations, but all should be worked out this week. Barring any hick-ups, this means that we'll be moving to Amsterdam shortly (!). Very exciting and a bit scary too. It will be quite a change of pace, replacing North Carolina's scenery with the canal-scene in the low countries, but 'verandering van spijs doet eten'...or something along those lines.

My main point of concern right now is the child care situation in Holland. I've read some horror stories online about how hard it is to find a good place in a good school/day care center for toddlers and how long the waitlists are...this doesn't ease my worries given that we're looking to move in less than one month and would have to find something in a matter of weeks. I'm thinking that a temporary solution may be to try going for a nanny?...we'll see. The company I am relocating for is hooking me up with a specialized service for assisting foreign relos, and I am hoping that they've encountered this before and can recommend the best course of action.

But first on the list: finishing the negotiations...the rest will come later.

In the meantime, a bit delayed but not less heartfelt: I wish all of you a wonderful start of 2007! May the year be a healthy one and bring you joy, happiness and the fulfilment of your dreams.

American Size

It never ceases to amaze me, the food portion sizes here.

I just couldn't stop myself from taking a picture of Kevin's cookie at Barnes & Nobles. He'd been so good this morning, he deserved a cookie. Problem was: this was the smallest size available:



What's a mom to do? Help eat of course :-)

Geslaagde rust

Zaaalig lang, lang weekend.

Ik had me voorgenomen om het een dagje of twee kalmer aan te doen..en het zijn vier dagen geworden...mag ook wel eens.

Niet veel gedaan, behalve veel tijd met Kevin doorgebracht en wat gekokkereld.
Eerst donderdag Thanksgiving bij vrienden: Hele middag niks doen behalve eten, keuvelen en drinken (al dan niet in die volgorde). Vrijdag uitgeslapen en dan met Kevin naar het bos. Lange wandeling in prachtig herfstweer met knisperende blaadjes onder de voeten en kabbelende beekjes ernaast. Het perfecte anti-stress middel.



Zaterdag met Kevin wat gewinkeld -naar zijn favoriet 'Borders' voor een seizoenale chocolademelk en verhaaltjes, gevold door samen thuis pizza maken.
En vandaag een ritje naar 'Tinsel town', een tijdelijke ijspiste (bij Koka Booth Amphitheatre) met kerstversiering en crafts. Het laatste was een beetje een tegenvaller, maar de zwanen en reigers in het Regency Park ernaast maakten veel goed.

Ik zal nog moeten oppassen of ik wen te veel aan dit thuisblijven en voor Kevin zorgen ;-)

Dagje Rust

Ik kijk uit naar een dagje verdiende rust morgen.

Het is de voorbije dagen zodanig druk geweest: met al het solliciteren, het interviewen, het surfen en beantwoorden van de jobboards, het lunchen met kennisen en vooral ook het zorgen voor Kevin nu hij de hele dag thuis is (uit financiele overweging voor een tijdje).

Normaal gezien kookte ik de vorige jaren altijd voor Thanksgiving. Maar aangezien John's zus & familie dit jaar niet op bezoek komen hoef ik geen massa-maaltijd klaar te maken. Gelukkig Maar. 't Is altijd wel heel leuk om hen te zien, maar toch ook veel werk, waar ik nu eigenlijk geen zin in heb.

Wij zijn uitgenodigd om bij vrienden Thanksgiving te komen vieren, en hebben dat met veel plezier aangenomen. Ze hebben gevraagd om 'iets van thuis' mee te brengen, dus ik heb vanavond 15 potjes chocolademousse gemaakt. Daar kan niks mee mislopen en dat lust iederen meestal graag. Dus nu zit al mijn Thanksgiving koken erop en ga ik in mijn luie stoel zitten voor tenminste 1 dag (of twee...we zien wel).

Bunco

One of the things I have been introduced to recently is 'Bunco'. A group of neighborhood ladies has a monthly get-together to play Bunco. Or rather I should say, the ladies use playing Bunco as an excuse to get together and socialize...and there's nothing wrong with that (apart from maybe the fact that Bunco is actually a pretty boring and simplistic dice game, with no requirements on the intelligence front. it's pure chance...and my competitive spirit doesn't always appreciate that fact. I might suggest switching to a more interesting game), but that does leave plenty of time for socializing and getting to know folks in the neighborhood a bit better.

Last week, I hosted the Bunco night. Funnily enough, all 10 of us ended up just talking and eating and we didn't play Bunco at all (a fact that did not cause me any distress :-). Since I had the time, I'd made a pretty extensive menu of appetizers, finger food and desserts. I love cooking and this was the perfect excuse to go all out. I made all items from scratch according to good old Belgian habits, a fact that surprised most of my fellow neighbors.

Two dishes got most praise: Belgian chocolate mousse (of course) and Tex-Mex crap (sorry, meant to write 'crab') dip -a dish I'd have once at a friends and recreated). I used the chocolate mousse recipe from KVLV's 'ons kookboek' and it worked like a charm. The Tex-Mex crab dip is actually super simple, uses ingredients most people have in their pantry here and is very quick to make. It's best served with wedges of pitta bread. Here's the recipe:

-1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
-1 can sweet kernel corn (drained)
-1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)
-1 package imitation crab meat (cut into little pieces)
-mayonnaise - approx. 2 spoonfuls
-cumin - according to taste, approx. 1-2 teaspoons
-shredded mozzarella cheese - approx 1/2 a bag
- salt & pepper
directions: mix everything together and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Smakelijk