Saturday 30 November 2013

Thanksgiving meets Christmas

As I was saying in my last post, I'm not ready for Christmas, but tonight we are having a turkey feast (the smell from the kitchen is divine) instead of the usual cosiness on the first Advent Sunday, which is tomorrow. When we lived in Belgium and Luxembourg we embraced the Sinterklaas tradition and we decorated the tree before the arrival of Santa (6th Dec.) to add to the magic. That meant that on the first Sunday in December the house was ready for Christmas.

However, our new living room isn't ready for a tree, and I won't fit one in the sitting room, so tonight we are going for a late-Thanksgiving-meets-Christmas spirit. And I guess we could say that we are also celebrating the fact that the wi-fi is functioning again. I think that alone calls for a glass of red ... and a blog post!

*Looking for inspiration for the holidays? Check out my Christmas board on Pinterest

photo credit:
Age Old Tree blog

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Christmas with Holmegaard

There is a reason for today's Christmassy post. It's an attempt to adjust to the fact that we are heading for December. This morning I looked at my day planner in disbelief when I realised that next Sunday marks the first in Advent. Can this really be?!! I'm so not ready for Christmas, not ready at all, and I have no idea in which box I will find my Christmas mood. All I know is that I will have to find that box in the garage and unpack it.

Maybe I just need to get a hold of some beautiful Holmegaard glassware to decorate our new home (a Christmas bottle from Holmegaard has been on my wish list for quite some time). I never go overboard with the Christmas décor; I like keeping it minimal and am not someone who keeps blinking lights in windows, etc. For me it's more about using certain glasses and plates than actually decorating. I have a few items that I use to decorate the Christmas table and then of course there is the tree and Advent wreath. That's pretty much it.

I'm sitting at a Starbucks right now, checking my emails (still no wi-fi at home). There is a decorated Christmas tree in one corner and I was thinking that maybe I should come here more often to get into the Christmas groove.

Enjoy your day!

*Looking for inspiration for the holidays? Check out my Christmas board on Pinterest

photo credit:
Holmegaard

Monday 25 November 2013

drawing with light 27

Usually I don't include any text with my DRAWING WITH LIGHT posts but I just wanted to say hi. I'm still without a wi-fi at home so I grabbed my bicycle and headed into town to read emails. On my way I bicycled along a canal and the birdlife reminded me of this country-meets-chic photo in my files.

photo credit:
Liz Collins for The Gentlewoman, Spring Summer 2013 (scan) via Tomboy Style | model Rosemary Ferguson wearing Marc Jacobs at the Horse Haven Rescue Farm in Buckinghamshire

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Friday 22 November 2013

Space: an entry in the English countryside



I thought this delightful entry was fitting for a SPACE post. It belongs to Emma Burns, a designer at Sibyl Colfax & John Fowler, and was featured in House & Garden back in 2009 when the magazine interviewed her. This space doesn't need any words, it speaks for itself perfectly, but I have to say that this would be my dream look if I had a house in the countryside.

I think the wi-fi connection died on me about one minute after publishing yesterday’s post. Maybe it was a good thing, I got a lot done. I decided to reward myself today with a latte at a café. I bicycled into town in the autumn sun to get away from the boxes. I'm in no hurry to head back home, this feels nicer than unpacking.

I wish you a wonderful weekend!

photo credit:
Simon Brown for House & Garden, November 2009 (scan via Tumblr)

Thursday 21 November 2013

wherever I lay my hat...

that's my home.

Life has changed since my last post and I'm happy to tell you that I'm writing this one from my new home in the UK. From the West Midlands, about 25 minutes from Birmingham to be exact. We have moved. Again. Au revoir, Luxembourg!

It wasn't planned; it sort of just happened, and when it was clear we would move I thought we wouldn't until in maybe two months. Then things started rolling quite fast and before I knew it we had packed almost everything and I remember being very tired (okay, I was exhausted) when we drove to Calais to catch a ferry across the Channel with most of our stuff (A will soon go to get the rest). If there is anyone out there contemplating on whether to move (abroad) or not then let me just tell you to stop worrying and go for it. In my experience it's best to embrace changes because resisting them makes it a whole lot more difficult to let go. These thoughts and worries in your head aren't real, and changes bring new opportunities. Courage, my friend, courage!

I think we get used to a new home in small steps. For me there seem to be occurring moments when I sense a feeling of I'm home and slowly that feeling grows deeper. Yesterday I felt it strongly when I had finished arranging the sitting room and began unpacking the coffee table books. It was a deeper I'm home than the day before. Or maybe it was just the handling of books playing a trick on me.