great and powerful OZ

i don't really know why this phrase came to mind... perhaps it was the red sparkle slippers sitting in the closet next to me a few nights ago.....or maybe it was the red cover on the serger.

.... but i got a new TOY! well - not really a TOY - but i bought a new serger.... and best of all - i got a really good deal on it too! i have wanted one of these for a long time.... and with 2 girls to sew for now... and lots of rainy days here in the netherlands - i'm super excited to see what i can create!

but before i can create anything - i must tell you that threading a serger is NO SMALL TASK! the first time i threaded it - i took me almost 45 minutes! - i even watched a few youtube vidoes (isn't the internet great!)

now that i consider myself a professional threader (ha!) - i still needed to adjust the tension - and talk about tension!!!! after almost 2 hours of trying to fiddle with the adjustments - i still couldn't get it right. i read on the internet - to select 4 different color threads (what a great idea!) to help with the tension adjustments.... but i decided that a skype call to my mom was necessary to get this figured out. i was finally able to get the tension adjusted with my mom's help!

my first project - i am going to make some fabric flags for helen's birthday - i better hurry - since i only have a week to complete them! stay tuned!

oh and a trip to IKEA is in my future to get a better table for the serger ... on the ironing board is probably not the best place!

mrs. h.m.moberg

my great-grandmother meets graham for the first time.... this picture was taken in july 2004 and she passed away in september

during this visit - graham kept "pinching" her arm - she kept saying "pinch..pinch... pinch... pinch"

my beautiful floor!

....that is how i used to address my thank you letters and birthday cards to my great-grandmother - mrs. helen martha moberg.

about a week ago - i had one of those moments where i really missed my great-grandmother.... i think of her often since she was such a special lady to me as a child. she used to babysit me on occasion and i can vividly remember going to mcdonald's with her and also playing at her house. she ALWAYS had pepermints and butterscotch candies in her living room. she also kept a stash of rubberbands on her pantry door.... she lived 102.5 years!! - and her quote in the last few years of her life was "i have lived a wonderful life!" in the last 5 months that we have lived here in the netherlands - we have toured many museums and i can't help but think of all the history that even my great-grandmother witnessed in her 102.5 years of life! amazing!!

i was running through the forest and i spotted a wildflower out of the corner of my eye... it immediately took me back to the days as a child wondering through the forest with my great-grandmother at my parent's cabin in minnesota - looking at all the wildflowers and wildberries. it seemed like she knew EVERY flower, tree, bird, and animal. and she LOVED to walk! even into her mid-80's she would walk everywhere.

while we were on our house-hunting trip to the netherlands last fall - my first impression of the house we are living in right now - is that my great-grandmother would have loved our checkered floor! she had one exactly like it in her basement. i can remember "going fishing" as a child on this checkered floor. she would tie a string to an old broom handle and we (my siblings and i) would cast it out onto the floor - my great-grandmother would then place a tinker toy on the string and we would reel it in!

really there are thousands of stories that i could sit her and write about - but physical reminders like these 2 (my floor and the flowers) reassure me that my great-grandmother is smiling down on me from heaven.

more back to school...

i painted helen's toes after we got home from dropping the boys off at school

school's back in session!

jayden in his classroom..... my big kindergartener

graham waiting in line to start first grade!!

Back To School!

biking to school!

funny picture of jillian!

Helen started at her Dutch preschool (same one she attended last spring) yesterday and the boys started school today!

Jayden started Kindergarten (here it is called Group 2) today and Graham started 1st grade (here it is called Group 3) - wow time goes by fast!

We had a good summer together - but I think we are all glad to be back in our "routine". Well, everyone except Jillian..... so far she's napped for 20 minutes in the bike seat and is now fighting her nap ..... we're off to soccer practice this afternoon so a nap in her bed is not going to happen - sigh.

Bad Hair Day?

ever have one of those days where your hair is not looking the best?

ever wonder why you can't make your hair look the same as when it's "styled" right after a hair cut?

NO the wind is NOT blowing his hair :) .... oh and this is NOT Sneijder from the Holland team either :) ....he has no hair!

Hup Ross Hup

cool shot of the bikes

finish line!

here's where the "waiting" takes place... picture in front of the sign....

.... helen takes a picture of jillian in the air :)

.... lots of chalk drawings at the finish

On Saturday, Ross participated in a bike race between the 2 Abbott sites here in the Netherlands. He and approximately 60 co-workers biked from Breda to Zwolle - about 200 kilometers. This biking event takes place about every 2 years and they raise money for a local charity.

The kids and I drove to the finish in Zwolle to meet Ross and we also helped with a few of the finish line preparations... blowing up balloons - setting up food and then waiting..... waiting.... waiting ..... for the bikers to arrive..... nearly 3 hours of waiting with 4 kids can get a bit interesting :)

Way to go, Ross! no sitting for you for a while!

More SAIL pictures

a pool, showers, and locker room on a boat!

who does the housekeeping for this ship?

if i remember correctly - this is a Dutch ship.

crewmembers were in "character".... i think :)