Snowed In Weekend

  • January 11, 2010 8:05 AM

Friday night was a reading night.  We turned off our computers and snuggled up on the couch with each other and our books.  Thomas read Snow Crash and I read House Works, an organization book.  I had great plans to tackle our overflowing closets this weekend…but I didn’t.

Dallas in the Snow

Instead, it snowed most of the weekend and I spent too much time in front of my computer.  I did some photo-editing (seen throughout this post) and travel-planning, and have been getting ready for Girl Scout Cookie Sales.  I don’t think I’ve mentioned on here that I’m volunteering with the American Girl Scouts Overseas.

Connor at the Playground

Yesterday, Thomas volunteered at his new hangout, the Brussels HackerSpace, and helped them install some new plumbing.  I took advantage of that time and played with fabric.  I don’t have anything to show yet, but I finally have an idea on how to use my leftover scraps from my online quilting bees this last year.

Fall-Colored Path

That’s about it.  This week hasn’t started, but I’m already exhausted. What’s on your agenda?

I’ve posted the rest of these photos on PicasaWeb.  The playground shots are from November, but I just found them on Thomas’ computer.

My Belgian Driver’s License

  • January 8, 2010 2:23 PM

Woo hoo!  Yesterday, I got my Belgian Driver’s License.  It was very easy – but kind of anti-climatic.  There’s nothing new that I can do with it…we still don’t have a car.  And in fact, I’d guess that the majority of my American expat friends just drive on their US license here without any problems.

Check out this piece of officialness… The license is a regular piece of paper, folded in thirds, with my photo glued to the inside.  It never expires.  Of course, it’s flimsy and bigger than a wallet will hold. Thomas’ allows him to drive a motorcycle, car, or small truck, but they just gave me a car on mine.  Until the 1960s, Belgium didn’t have driver’s licenses.

The whole process was really easy.  I turned in my US driver’s license, waited several weeks while they inspected it, and then picked up my new Belgian one.  Unfortunately, we hadn’t timed this well with our trip back to the US – I didn’t have either with me to drive there, so Thomas was my chauffeur.  When I move back to the US though, I can turn in my Belgian license and they will return my US one to me.

So why did I get one?  First of all, this easy US license trade will only work in your first year here.  Officially, the option of a US license plus an international license expires once you get your residency card.  Also, we’ve been talking about getting a car sometime this year.  They are a bit of a hassle – expensive insurance, parking on the street, and gasoline is about $7.50/gallon. It’s common practice here that companies will give their employees a leased car and free gas card, but Thomas’ doesn’t.

There are a couple of alternatives.  We’ve thought about just renting a car when we want to go on a road trip.  I think we might have to test this option out on a weekend trip to France. :) We also have a shared Cambio car, like Zipcars in the US, parked near us.  In the meantime, thankfully the public transportation gets me where I want to go.

Rooftops and City Views

  • January 7, 2010 8:48 AM

One of our goals this year is to get to know Brussels better.  We’re so busy traveling everywhere else, we forget to check out our own city. This last weekend, Thomas and I woke up to find more fluffy, white stuff outside, and thought it would be a great day to head downtown to take some snowy city shots and visit the Rene Magritte Museum.

Thomas plays in the snow

The museum does not allow photography, but it was a wonderful exhibit. Magritte was a surrealist who painted abstract subjects in a photo-realistic style. I was hoping to learn about the meaning behind his work, but Magritte said they were just objects he wanted to paint. Hah!

Saint Jacques church from the MIM cafe

Afterward, we headed to the Musical Instruments Museum to have lunch on their rooftop cafe. It was a fantastic view! We then wandered over to Place Poelaert which also has some nice views of the city.

Snowy rooftops and sunset at Place Poelaert

If you’d like to see more of the photos we took, I’ve posted them on PicasaWeb.

Snowflakes and Random Tidbits

  • January 6, 2010 10:00 AM

Macro shot of snowflake on my glove

I’m easing back into my regular schedule… In the meantime, here are some quick links:

  • Loved this quote on Why I blog:  To be creative. To prove I exist. To exercise my brain. To praise my children. To complain about my children. To write. To photograph. To brag. To cry. To put myself out there and see who bites.
  • Found this wonderfully-told story of how a couple met online. Read it! I laughed, I cried, it’s great.
  • Amazed at Waking Up in Bavaria‘s gorgeous views outside her home, especially this one and this one.
  • Going to London in a couple weeks – got tickets to see Cirque de Soleil’s Varekai! Any other must sees or dos?

Hope you’re having a great week!

My Winter Crafts

  • January 5, 2010 9:30 AM

I love the idea of Handmade Holidays, making or buying handmade gifts to give, but the doing is always the hard part. With our recent travels, it was a little tricky, but I did squeeze in some time to make 3 small items.

Winter Crafts

My friends with babies have mentioned that burp cloths are hard to find in Belgium. I would love to make baby quilts for all the showers I go to, but since I’ve only completed 2 quilts in the past 5 years, it doesn’t seem likely. I’ll stick to quilted burp clothes instead – they’re a lot easier to make. For this set, I used Marcus Brother’s Metro Blues and did a top-stitching in a star pattern. Hopefully, the baby boy will arrive soon and enjoy them.

Winter Crafts

This little tree is what I sent my partner for Lisa’s Ornament Exchange. I had originally planned to buy some kind of Belgium-themed ornament, but my partner requested handmade. My recent paper-pieced tree blocks inspired me to make a Christmas tree ornament. The yellow buttons at the top are in place of a star.

Winter Crafts

I always feel nervous giving handmade items for Christmas because they’re not as fancy or professional as something I could buy in the store. But, I thought my Mother-in-law, a crafter herself, could use a tote to take to her quilting classes and workshops. Of course you can’t take a store-bought tote to a quilting class, so I made her this one using Robert Kaufman’s You Got the Notions fabric. It’s lined with some Ikea bird fabric and has a little extra detail to the pockets and sides.

Did you make or receive any crafts this holiday season?