New Spring colours...

Be warned: totally different subject ;-)

Although it's only just January, I counldn't resist to buy some Spring colours.

When I saw the new Chanel colours (no I'm not sponsored by Chanel) I was convinced!

The new nail polish colours are April, May and June (what a coincidence...) and they are really candy colours, especially May and June. I think they will look wonderful come summer!

But April definitely can be worn as from now!

Lipstick, blusher, powder... all in such a lovely colour tones!

And so I also came home with this one:

4 Colours: peach, gold, beige and plum

Can't wait to try them out!!

 And this eyeshadow quadra just matches my new ski jacket perfectly :))

So I definitely won't be the fastest, nor the best skier on the slopes,

but at least I will go down

 (down as in: 'down the mountain' or as in 'down with my face in the snow'??) 

in style... 

And you? Do you wear make-up and/or use nail polish? (and do they match your ski jacket...?)

If so, what are your favorite colours/brands?

Wishing you all a colourful week!!

Photo credits:

getwhatkatewore.com and fashionison.com

Away...

After a busy week at home, we decided to go away for a couple of days.

So we booked a hotel on Monday afternoon and left on Tuesday morning: to the Dutch North Sea Coast!

And guess what? The weather forecasts promised us lots of rain & a real storm...
 

We decided to drive via Belgium to the province of Zeeland (in the south-west of the Netherlands). And our first stop was the idyllic Veere. Unfortunately, it was raining cats & dogs and too windy to even think about getting out the camera :) I was happy I could get myself from the car to a little 'brasserie' without any accident!!

But even in the rain, Veere seems to be very beautiful, lots of historic buildings and nice restaurants & shops. Definitely a place to visit again in spring and/or summer.

Then we continued via several bridges belonging to the Delta Werken / Delta Works that are built to protect the land from the sea (this is where the North Sea Flood in 1953 took place). Impressive works, I have to say!

And so we got to our final destination: Rockanje. After a cup of tea the rain stopped and the sun all of a sudden appeared: time for a walk along the beach. Look what a beautiful sunset:

The next morning we went for a run on the beach, followed by a well-deserved breakfast :)

And then to the 'Maasvlakte' where we admired some big container ships arriving and where the wind mills were on full speed (because of the storm, remember?):

In the afternoon we went to Brielle, a fortified city, very charming and beautifully maintained:

By the way, the hotel was in American Lodge style:

Cosy, isn't it?

But, holidays are over, it's back to reality as from tomorrow :)

Have a great week!

Happy New Year!!

First, I would like to wish you all a

Lots of love, happiness, fun, laughter,

health & unforgettable moments!

A new year full of new opportunities & challenges.

The past will always be the past, nothing can change that,

but the future is open,

clean & ready to be made by

YOU!

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past "

~ Thomas Jefferson ~

And then the garden...

It's winter here, but temperatures even rise to 14 degrees (Celsius) and look what I saw:

snowdrops, crocus & new rosebuds...

I wonder about winter... will there be snow this year?

What do you think?

Wishing you all a great first week of 2012!

What's next?

We had a good time...

Christmas Eve: with friends in Amsterdam

Christmas Day: relaxed, quiet, some preparations for diner on Boxing Day (2nd Christmas Day it's called in the Netherlands)

Boxing Day: more diner preparations & a very nice & calm diner with my parents

This is what the table looked like:

Forgot to take pictures of the actual diner... too busy ;)

And now it's time to prepare for the New Year...

What are your plans?

For New years Eve?

For 2012?

Any resolutions??

Wishing you a nice last week of 2011!!

I wish you all a

Christmas Group Hug

Lynda, who writes the blog Un petit morceau de moi, did it again this year... Last year she organised a Christmas Group Hug, which was an enormous success. And this year she decided to organise it again.

I think she deserves a huge applause!!

What is the Christmas Group Hug? All participants make or buy something for someone (secretly, only Lynda knows, she makes the pairs) and make sure that the present is received before Christmas, just something nice & sweet in this time of the year...

And look what I received this week:

From Lia who writes the blog http://ifoundmyhome.blogspot.com.

What a beautiful pillow cover, handmade by Lia!

I'm soooo happy with it, thank you so much Lia, I really appreciate it :)

Have a nice week!

THE tree...

It took me some time...

Our living room is not that small, but still...

I couldn't find THE spot for THE tree!

I moved chairs, sofas & tables, but put them back in the old position again

(positive about this is the fact that I finally cleaned the floor under the furniture!!)

Still not totally happy with the location of the tree, but I'm afraid there's no moving anymore,

it's completely decorated now, too dangerous!!

Red & white it is this year...

Have a nice week!!

Bulbs...

I bought them weeks ago (or maybe even months ago) and finally found the time today to plant them: tulip bulbs! A little late, but I think it should do... It's not that cold yet.

And my garden definitely needs tulips, because, what is a  Dutch garden without tulips in springtime?

I planted different varieties and mainly pink, fuchsia & purple colours,

and could absolutely not resist the 'black hero' and the 'queen of the night'...

Aren't they just beautiful? Let's hope they will all appear in Spring!

So fingers crossed till April/May please :)

Now that this is finally done, I'll go on to the next 'assignment':

Christmas decorations :)

Playing Christmas songs in the background and 

drinking hot chocolate with melted marshmellows

or some mulled wine (depending on the time of the day).

So, what are your plans for the weekend?

Wishing you all a nice & sunny one
& have fun decorating!!

Can't wait...

To be honest? I'm longing for days like these...

Exactly like these: fresh, crackling snow, beautiful blue skies & gorgeous sunshine!

And I'm sure Senna is dreaming about it too!

How 'bout you?

Are you looking forward to a snowy, cold season,

lighting the fireplace & lots of candles?

Preparing hot chocolate or mulled wine, roasting marshmellows,

making tasteful soups & stews,

reading the books you didn't have time for during the summer months,

sitting on the couch, covered up in warm blankets and plaids...

I'm curious to know what you're looking forward to!

Wishing you a lovely weekend & sweet dreams about the upcoming season!

Doen jullie mee??

Spontane actie onzerzijds... jaja, zij organiseert weer...

Sinterklaas heeft onze hulp nodig!

Er is meer snoep nodig voor de VOEDSELBANK!

 Laten we die kinderen in de koud staan??? Nee toch zeker?

Ik zet de dozen alvast klaar, dus kom maar op met dat Sinterklaas-snoep!!

Laat me even weten als je iets wilt doneren, hetzij via een berichtje hieronder of via e-mail: abacaxiandhortela@gmail.com

BEDANKT!!