Answers Revealed!

Growing up in Iowa I have an incredible love of barns. We would love to renovate and live in a barn one day. The problem is every time we go home a few more have disappeared. I never understood why?

Until I saw this The Meatrix

O.k. the story is a bit overdone, but there is some truth in it, I guess the main problem is that farmers just can’t afford the upkeep and taxes of barns anymore. I hate to think that when Natan and Kai get older there will be no barns left or even possibly farms to show them!

Maybe Natan is onto something with his love of Star Wars. Check this out Store Wars and “learn the ways of the farm!”

Kai doing what he loves best... ...eating!

Kai's Quote of the Day

"Bananana!"

After a long day it is wonderful to come home to these moments! I am going to try to do as I said in the beginning and take a picture a day! I have set up a new place for these photo's (here) so bare with me this may be a bit quirky for a while! The link to the daily photo's will be from now on in the sidebar. look to the right >>>>>>>

Ik ben een beetje moe!

I am tired and exhausted! Sorry for being such a bad blogger lately, but we have finally gotten what we always dreamed of, two wonderfully challenging and demanding design careers. Each night I drag myself off the tram, walk through the cold and rain into my house filled with lovely, but tired and hungry children. We then divide and conquer by each getting one in bed and then stumble down the stairs into the kitchen where we have still yet to eat! When I do finally sit behind the computer my mind is a blank. I am too tired and exhausted!

I realize that I should also write when things are stressful and not so wonderful. I am sure it is much more interesting than all “coming up roses” blog entries, but I am afraid I can hardly pull off a title let alone a paragraph or two.

So, what has been happening in the last week or so. I have been trying my hardest to pull together an exhibition in 6 weeks, yelling at suppliers, boosting moral and much much more. Pieter has been solving 100 problems a minute with a cell phone to each ear, while he tries to finish renovations on another supermarket. (Forgot to mention the store didn’t close down for the renovations!) Kai has had his first bout with the flu and still managed a smile at the New Years feast of Grote Oma & Opa. (Great Grandparents) Now Natan is home sick today! We haven’t gotten very much farther on the stairs in Natan’s room and the house is only a little bit clean on Tuesday’s thanks to Barbara, bless her heart, who comes into our heap and chips away patiently until she can see floors again and then quietly slips away!

Natan trying to make the crystal glass sing.

Thanks uncle Hendrik!

Pieter and I did however sneak away Saturday to Brugge on the train to see the Spencer Tunick exhibition, which was small, but nice. Of course, we did fit in a bit of work and went on to Oostende to check on the renovations of a flat Pieter is doing, but afterwards we had dinner at Windaue's in Oostende. It was an interesting place, like an old traditional mom & pop Belgian restaurant, still with the mom & pop behind the bar. So the story we came up with is this; the son went to culinary school and came back with new trendy Asian ideas. He then talked mom & pop into a bit of a change! We wished they would have mixed the old Belgian dishes and new Asian dishes together, but the food was very very good. Advice though do not sit at the bar to eat it is to much to high and make sure you have plenty of time, because it is slow going, even for European standards.

Now the week has begun again. I am working at home this week, building Plexiglas boxes, cardboard podiums and a cardboard tube wall!

So, this is what we wanted right? Be careful what you dream for!

Please read this book!

Book Quote of the Day

"Where are you?" she had said.
"Here, of course", I replied
"Where's me then?"
"There!"
"Where do yo know of me?"
"Inside myself someplace."
"Then you know my middle in your middle."
"Yes, I suppose so."

I have a very unique ability to pull a book off a shelf that fits my present mood and me perfectly. Don't ask how, it is still a mystery to me, but it has happened for as long as I remember and since I have an insatiable appetite for books, it happens quite often. Examples:

1. I was living in Germany trying to figure out my life, whether I was going to study towards my masters or try to get a corporate graphic design job in Prague. I walked into the American army post library, if you have never been in one let me tell you good books are hard to come by, and went up to the new arrivals. Off popped a book in my hand called "Orbiting the giant hairball". What an amazing book! With a few other deciding factors I went on to study and orbit even farther out. I now own this book and can recommend it for anyone feeling lost and non-creative in a very unimaginative and corporate world. It is a wonderful inspirational guide and should be read at least once a year to keep you orbiting!

2. Last September, it had been over a year since I had been home and I was feeling very homesick, we went on a two week holiday to the south of France. We stayed in a house, that was a former commune, owned by a very intellectual French/Chinese/Dutch couple. The man was French and the women grew up in Holland, but her family was Chinese. They had 3 boys and thousands of books of all types, sizes and languages. The first day as I looked up at a huge bookshelf of books for a good read, off popped in my hands Bill Bryson’s book "The Lost Continent". On the cover was written “I am from Des Moines someone has to be.” I sat down and have never laughed so hard in my life. Mind you this book starts out quite harsh on us poor Iowan’s, but in the end describes all the reasons why I get homesick!

3. Last Tuesday, as I finished lunch early with a friend I decided to stop by my favorite second hand store. I love their book section, which is wonderfully organized. As I pull up a stool to look at the children’s books a yellow book pops off the shelf in my hand. “Mister God this is Anna”

O.k. so most of you probably already know, and if not you will now, that although I considered myself a very spiritual person and love to read and discuss all religions, I do not go to church. I did when I was young, but always felt very out of place and it never moved me as much as other experiences I would have and still have outside of church.

Anyway, normally the word God on a book would not interest me to much, but something about this book made me open it and take a closer look. I had such a wonderful feeling about it I just bought it before really looking to close. Now, I am halfway finished and I am in “ah”. This is the most moving and inspiring book I have ever seen. To find this book that is all about one young child’s complete understanding of everything in the world, while I am working on this exhibition presenting children’s thoughts and learning is just uncanny. This child’s insights are genius and I only wish more adults would aspire to reach the level of an innocent child’s view of the world. You have to try to find this book. The one I have, I bought for 1 euro by the way, is hard back and was published in 1974. I looked online and found a paperback addition, with a very ugly cover, but the same illustrations inside. There are also some other sort of sequel books that might also be interesting.


Here are the links to the 3 books at Amazon:
Orbiting the Giant Hairball : A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
Mister God, This Is Anna

STARWARS VII: The son of Luke

Natan's Quote of the Day

"What are you going to get me for my birthday?" I ask Natan
"Um...A Lightsaber! That is just what you always wanted, ehh?"

Look Who's One!