A month ago I was asked if I wanted to be in a Taiwanese D.I.Y. magazine and I thought "why not!" I gave this lovely interview and they sent me the result of the magazine pages in PDF, I'm going to get the actual magazine in the post. My first reaction was "whhhhaaaa, this is so cool" but I can't read it. For my part they could've said " Yvonne Eijkenduijn is a troll and her house smells like poop and you know that Bo is also a weird bloke with no hair". I hope they didn't say that.
I really think they have done a nice job because it doesn't feel like all the stuff on the photos is actually mine - the husband included.
Another thing I can't read but absolutely love is the new Paumes book, Recettes des mamans à Paris. It's a cook book and the images are as usual super lovely. You can pre-order a copy in the shop so I can order a whole bunch in one go. I'm planning to do that by the end of this month so hurry and get a copy.
In the ten years that the Bo and I are a couple we've moved six times, renovated two homes from scratch and lived for six months just out of one suitcase and a laptop and yet we're doing it again. I sometimes do not quite understand myself, because all this moving around is my fault. I honestly do hope that this is going to be one of our last moves.
The papers are going to be signed and the money paid on the 5th of August but we have been tackling the garden already for a couple of days. We wanted to get rid of all the ivy because they destroy the house. We also have a double garage and a brewery (the house used to be a brewery) in the back but we have to take them down because the ivy made the roofs cave in, plus it will give us a lovely garden. We also trimmed the willows of access leaves, we only have to do the grass but we're thinking of taking that out and planting new because we need to dig a tunnel for the gas pipe through it. And that's just the garden ...
In the meantime I've been starting little projects to distract myself from phone calls, car rides, meeting realtors, banks, plumbing and insurance people.
Good news for Dutch and Benelux readers my friend, Femke, is currently setting up shop and is going to sell all the FreeSprit fabrics in her web shop. I've designed her logo and together with a whole bunch of people we are working to get this shop up. She's also going to sell all the Amy Butler patterns, craft books and Japanese craft books. Exciting times.
I've made these strawberry pincushions using this Martha Stewart template but made the leaves myself.
Yay, renovating will start in 3 weeks ... can't wait!!
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Oops! Forgot to mention that you can download the free bird mobile pattern here.
Finally I can break the silence with some official news about my future!
About a week and a half ago we returned home from Sweden to realize (and accept) that we can't just make it financially to make such a big move. The companies in Småland Bo talked with are just too small to work with and because we only want to move to Småland and don't want to move to Stockholm we can't move to Sweden after all. It's still a dream we have, so one day we'll realize it.
Because this Sweden plan is been playing for a few years and because our focus was so strong on this big move we had to come up with a plan B in a really, really short time. But as things always work like magic for us, that wasn't a problem. On the day of the catastrophic news that our big yellow house was sold a newspaper with realty adverts landed on our doormat. As we have a NO un addressed advertising sticker on our letterbox we were quite pissed off that it found our doormat but after browsing the houses listed on the pages our eyes dropped on a house in Belgium, just across the border of The Netherlands for a ridiculously low price. So a week later we planned a viewing and were instantly in love. Just before we left for Sweden I placed a bid and when we returned home from Sweden with the sad news of us not moving there we closed the deal on the Belgium house. How odd is that?
As from Friday we are the official owners of a real gentleman's house in Lommel Belgium. You may think what's a gentleman's house. In The Netherlands (and the Dutch part of Belgium where we're moving to) they call a gentleman's house a house that's typically made of brick with a front door and hall in the center and a living room on one side and an office on the other side.
Meet our new new old house.
As we have to move out of our home on the 28th of August we're going to sign the papers for the new house at the end of July to replace the oil tank that's under the ground, and the heating supply for the house, with cleaner natural gas. We also have to build a new kitchen and cloakroom and after that we're slowly going to renovate the house because it's big and I don't want my husband in a mental home.
I did all the grieving already for not moving to Sweden in my time away from blogging and feel recharged, ready for a new adventure and for blogging about the new new old home.
Thanks to all for checking if I'm still alive! Yes I am but I really do not have the creativity in this unsettled time to blog. I strive to have something important to say each time I blog but I just can't find anything to write about. I feel like a bucket full of dirty laundry and that's not me. By the end of next week I hope we know where we are going to move to - arrrggghhh!
So in the meantime I got tagged:
What time did you get up today? 8:00
Diamonds or pearls? Pearls.
Latest movie in a movie theater? Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix. Yes it has been too long!
Favorite TV series? Lost.
What did you have for breakfast? Two slices of German bread with cheese and a bottle of water.
What's your middle name? I don't have a middle name.
Favorite food? Indian curries, anything Italian and sushi.
Which food don't you like? I don't believe there's anything I don't like, that's really my problem LOL!
What's your favorite CD at the moment? Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim.
What car do you drive? I don't.
Favorite sandwich? A club sandwich.
Which human traits can't you stand? dishonesty and bad behavior and manners.
What are your favorite clothes? Sweat pants, vest and flip flops.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Tokyo - Japan.
What did you want to become as a child? I never wanted to become anything because I never seemed to worry about that. I remember thinking how it would be cool to become snow white because those dwarves were awfully cute.
Best childhood memory? Oh my dear I have so many! I've been having such a wonderful childhood. Maybe the memory of having lots of space to play and the freedom to explore the world and the outdoors without having petrified parents and without having such busy schedules these days and so many people around.
Ever been to Africa? A couple of times to Tunisia because my mother wanted to escape Christmases just after my father past away. I think we've skipped 3 christmases in total
Ever rolled anybody in toilet paper? No
Have you ever been in a car accident? I've been in two major accidents. The first one I was on my motorcycle and my engine stalled on the middle of the motorway and the car behind me drove straight in me. I broke and dislocated my shoulder bone and my nose and bruised a lot of body parts - ouch!. The second one I was on the backseat of my friends car when he lost power over the car and we made 3 full car rolls, crashed a tree and ended up in a pond - we all survived but I was pretty messed up in my face and bruised all over my body.
Favorite day of the week? Friday because I love the beginning of weekends and on Friday everyone seems to be in a good mood.
Favorite flower? Peonies and Hydrangeas
Favorite - Hot dog or Chinese food? Hot dog because I find Chinese food very saucy.
Do you own a bike? Yes, a Batavus Delivery Bike and love it!
Where would you like to shop more if you could afford to? Just a shopping spree in London or New York would be lovely.
Bed time? Late between 1:00 and 2:00
Latest person to share dinner with? The Bo, we always have dinner together - or at least we try. We always sit down at the table and never in front of the TV and we discus our days.
What are you up to now? Writing this post and after that I'll have a shower, watch a bit of TV and go to bed.
Favorite color? Pink, red, blue and green with lots of white.
Just a quick shop update to let you know that all late April and all May Paumes book orders were sent today!
I'm so sorry for the delay but, as I explained to some of you, Paumes is a small family run business. If they don't get enough orders to qualify for cheaper shipping rates, they have to save up orders until they have enough for those cheaper shipping rates. So sometimes shipping takes a bit longer. Most of you haven't mailed me and are superstars so I'd like to give a big THANK YOU for your patience. There's enough stock again for your orders - yay!!
I've deleted yesterday's post because I don't want to turn this blog into www.yvonnemoansagain.com
Let's do something fun instead, do you want to go house hunting with me?
We really had our hopes up for this house.
It's an old nursery home from 1930. Way too big for us but as we are thinking of starting a Bed & Breakfast it would've been perfect. We've been mailing back and forth with the realtor because we wanted to undertake some inspections, get a good quote for heating and so on but it was a very bumpy ride with hardly no cooperation from the seller. Just a week ago we got a phone call that a couple bought it and now it's gone. This house was sold for only 42.000 EUR - can you believe it? In the end I'm quite relieved as I think there's some dodgy stuff going on with this property.
Ok so we are back on the hunt for another home.
This is a house I really like and I'm planning it in our property viewing trip in two weeks.
click on image to see more house
The Bo is less excited about it because the house, and another two, are standing on 8000 kvm ground. I don't mind that much ground because I'd be able to keep Shetland ponies again. We can also rent out the two other cottages. This would actually be perfect.
Than there's the Bo's favorite property, we're also adding to the view list.
click on image to see more house
I LOVE this one but it's in the wrong hood. I want not so much neighbors and space around me and this house is in the middle of a town and I don't think we should start a B&B here as I need all the room for myself. But still absolutely worth viewing it.
There are more houses but these two are definitely on the priority list right now. Both properties need a lot of work but we don't mind that. The second suits us better because it's a bit weird and we are both a bit weird - ha! But the first is so much better future wise. There's hardly a price difference only a location difference, home two is better located. It's hard isn't it, what do you think?
Work wise, the Bo's talking business with some cool sign makers in Vimmerby and he's busy selling his goodwill here to one of his colleagues. We are planning to start The Yvestown Bed & Breakfast so maybe next year you can come and stay with us for the summer or maybe for Christmas.
Claire got me all excited about this celebrity sighting thing so I'm going to play along.
About 3 years ago when we went to New York with the girls Giao and myself crossed paths with Ethan Hawke, his new (old?) lover and his kids. Giao and I were chatting, enjoying the sun and Central Park when Giao suddenly said "it's Ethan Hawke!!!" He was dead close we almost stood eye in eye. The first thing that popped in my mind was to run to Kathleen who walked just a couple of meters in front of us, and apparently missed crossing paths with Ethan, and tell her "there's Ethan Hawke!!". The next thing we should have filmed because Kathleen went nuts and ran after family Hawke, armed with camera, and took some paparazzo shots. A couple of hours later we met Rachel Ashwell in the park but we knew she was going to be there so that doesn't really count but I have this great shot of her anyway.
On my way back to The Netherlands, from that same trip, and only Dutch readers will know her I stood next to Loretta Schrijver waiting to collect our luggage. I so wanted to ask her if she could talk to the Bo on my mobile because he loves her but I didn't dare and kept it cool.
When I was about 14 I declared my love and my everlasting devotion to Donnie Wahlberg. I even picked my study year abroad to be in Boston because that way I was close to him - now isn't that romantic? Over the years I grew over it though!
Now at 33 I still have mad actor crushes and often dream about Edward Norton and Ewan McGregor. I've never dreamed about them at the same time but I honestly wouldn't mind. A dream filled with both Edward and Ewan is maybe even better than freshly shaven legs under clean cheats. It's like freshly shaven legs under clean sheets and my toenails clipped.
Just watch Ewan on Ellen ...
I think I've must have met so many other celebrities but to be honest I wouldn't even spot my own mother in a crowd. I'm not much of a people watcher. I love to window shop, watch trees, birds, buildings and other things that happen around me. Sometimes people call me arrogant because I haven't greeted them when they waved at me on the street. I just don't see them! Even if people honk I don't react because I always think they must honk for someone else.
Please play along because this is fun. Leave a comment with a link when yours is up.
