Not much to this weeks fragments. Every week I say I'll write things down so I can remember them, and every week I don't do it. Anyhow, onto the fragments!
- I'm incredibly cross that our fairly young seldom driven car that had "nothing" (according to the garage) wrong with it in July suddenly had a €1200 service bill. I'm so not impressed with anything to do with cars here. I think it's a racket run by the mafia and I feel like going to school to be an auto mechanic to fight back. Maybe I should find out about the witness protection program here first.
- I had a blast in Germany last Friday. I'm working on editing my pictures and I'll probably post them on Sunday for "Sundays in My City" which I haven't participated in for way too long.
- I know that women complain about men being absolute babies when they're sick, but I must've found the exception to that rule. Martijn is sick enough that he stayed home from work yesterday (and that means he really feels awful because the man doesn't stay home sick). Instead of laying in bed and moaning and complaining about dying (like I would do), he was apologizing to ME for being a bother. I didn't think that making him tea and pumping him full of Tylenol and Ibuprofen was much of a bother. I do have my fingers very tightly crossed that I don't get sick!
- Saturday of last week, Santa visited the NAWC kids in Eindhoven. Everyone (including Santa I think) had a really good time. There were a couple of shy children, but no one who was shrieking in crying in horror so I think that was good!
- It feels weird that next week is Christmas. We have our tree up, the nativity out, and the stockings hung but I'm missing something to make it be CHRISTMAS! I need to figure out a Netherlands Christmas tradition to start in my little family. I'd love to hear what your family traditions are!
Make sure to check out Half Past Kissin' Time for more fragmented fun!
13 comments:
Too bad for your car! 1200 euros is a lot of money! I too think that garages are run by the mafia...
When my mother-in-law celebrated with us, we had to have turkey! She would wake up really early on Xmas day to prepare and cook it. Now the menu changes yearly, this year on Xmas eve I will be serving an entire dinner made of appetizers. I usually bake a lot: peppermint meringues,ginger bread,caramel popcorn, pfeffernusse,shortbread, candied ginger and plum pudding.
And I make traditionnal Quebec Xmas foods: Tourtiere (meat pie) and meatball stew (ragout de boulettes). I can say that the ginger bread and the caramel popcorn were made waering your amazing apron! Thanks again!
Our Christmas traditions...
- buying a tree too big for our house and not being able to get it back outside.
- our son running around in a Santa hat with the tree skirt wrapped around him
- passing a scary fish thing back and forth between families
- fish spaghetti on Christmas Eve (that is an upcoming post, thanks)
- opening the Advent Calendar every night after dinner (with following treat)
Most are silly things but they are ours.
Car repairs are NO fun! I'm facing about $1500 USD myself and I'm really not looking forward to it.
Hope you don't get sick!
Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!
Mmmmm...haven't had a tourtiere in years, since we last celebrated Christmas with my SIL's family in Montreal...
Hey, mub, is your Martijn and my Ruud separated at birth? My god, they sound alike! lol
you got to visit Germany i am incredibly envious my Grandmother is full on german her mom was a Kunz her dad was a Krischke and that is one place i would love to visit can not wait to see your pics
enjoyed your FF
Cars are so expensive to upkeep. I really hope you don't get sick and you are lucky to have a guy who is not a baby when he gets sick.
Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!
Can't wait to see the Germany pics!!
We go to my parent's home on the Eve for dinner and some gifts, then we stay home all day on Christmas and let everyone come to us. :o)
I too find it weird being an expat around Christmas. It probably has to do with different Christmas stories and traditions and what not. We haven't yet found a happy medium between the two, but try new things every year in the hopes that something will feel right to both of us.
I've had years where I just didn't "get" the Christmas spirit until late, if at all. It's much easier with a little one around!
Our traditions are mostly secular- I'm not Christian, so we celebrate winter holidays and all their origins. I read to my son about Lupercal, Saturnalia, the birth of Christ, solstice, and Hanukkah. As he gets older we'll discuss winter traditions around the world and throughout history. I'm also going to try to emphasize charity, because I think that it's through giving that we find ourselves.
On the "OMG Mom quit trying to educate me" front, we do pictures with Santa, decorate with lights, and decorate a tree. I read him a new Christmas story every night starting after Thanksgiving, and we watch A Christmas Carol, A Muppet Christmas Carol, The Grinch that Stole Christmas, Love Actually (the grownups!), The Bishop's Wife, It's a Wonderful Life and Elf.
My other half, Adam, is a soldier on type when it comes to illness too. He's been known to give presentations while suffering from laryngitis.
We have a big Christmas party for our friends every year and Adam gets dressed up as Santa to give out gifts to all the kids. We put lights up in the garden, I cook fruit mince pies and we make a gingerbread house, and on Christmas eve we leave carrots and water out for the reindeer and milk and fruit mince pies for Santa.
Happy belated FF :-)
I hope your husband is feeling much better by now and that you haven't caught the crud from him. It's just my husband and I and we haven't had the same type of Christmas in years. We've taken a cruise before, visited a hospital on Christmas day, flew home for the holidays and have just stayed home and watched parades on TV. As long as the tree is up and the stockings are hung, we are good :)
I feel like going to school to be a mechanic too. I can't stand feeling like I'm being "taken".
I HATE car repairs!!!
I hope Martijn is back to himself and that you are well, too :)
Listening to The Carpenters Christmas music gets Christmas going for me. Mark bought the CD for me this year, so I'm all set for next year :) I hope you had a wonderful holiday...
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