- THROW BACK THURSDAY...
- In early May, my eldest nephew Eddy was born, my younger sister Diny's child... Still remember so vividly when he was born and that first summer that I'd held him so often, like a prized possession.
- Of course the first born of each new generation is very special and then we get used to it and kind of let go of the initial excitement.
- Here I am, in August and just returned from vacation in Germany and glad to see my nephew back!
- Under Dad's peach tree in The Netherlands...
- Little did I know then, that I would later come to live in the Peach-State of Georgia/USA...
Being 21 years young and wearing my hand crocheted bikini...
- Eddy is born in the little hamlet of America in The Netherlands.
- Now, years later, my Mom jokes about the fact that she has two daughters that live in America; one in the big America and the other in little America.
- August... just the beginning of a new life.
- This used to be my wooden chaise for decades, it even went with us to the USA!
- Almost one year old now in the above photo and ready to explore the big world.
- Eddy, at age two-and-a-half here, dancing with his Mom at his Grandparents' 25th wedding anniversary.
- In the background it's me with very long hair and wearing of course mini at that time.
- Literally a LBD (Little Black Dress)...
- Eddy at the age of three on July 14, 1974, at one of my annual dinners when we had the city's Fair, in Panningen, The Netherlands, where I've lived for five years.
- By the way; several Dutch blog readers at present are from Panningen, so just want to send a warm greeting across the Atlantic Ocean and THANKS!
- Even when I was young, I loved to cook for a crowd of seventeen. Mainly because of being the eldest alive, of a family of eight children. Then moving out to live on your own after marriage; it gets awfully quiet! That was the hardest part to get used to. So once a year I got them all together and it made me feel like being home again with a big family.
- Probably for the very same reason, I did several times take a day off on Friday and Monday, then borrowed my sister Diny's two kids, giving her a break for four days to spend time alone with her husband. That served both of us well.
- We were very close, till of course Pieter and I immigrated to the USA.
- Another coincidence is that Eddy, being active in the Royal Netherlands Navy (Lieutenant Commander) on a submarine got to go to St. Maarten in the Caribbean, where we were on vacation a couple of times but not at the same time... He even has come to Atlanta frequently, for certain purchases on behalf of the Royal Navy but never had a chance to visit us...
Maybe, one day we meet on this side of the ocean...
Related links:
{Our Brown Jordan Chaise & Wolford Bathing Suit Score} | previous post by me
{What Type of Feet do YOU have?} | previous post by me
{My First Trip to the City of Romance | VENICE, ITALY} | previous post by me
{What Type of Feet do YOU have?} | previous post by me
{My First Trip to the City of Romance | VENICE, ITALY} | previous post by me
leaving that closeness must have been extremely difficult. i know it was difficult for me, and i stayed in the same country.
ReplyDeleteDearest Theresa,
DeleteThat sure was, but we get used to it in the long run!
The year that we immigrated, I once more had such a family reunion for my birthday; the house was full...
Hugs,
Mariette
Hola Marrietta querida L tantos recuerdos y tantos años ,,, que bonito ese bikini a crochet
ReplyDeleteDearest Angélica,
DeleteThank you, those are the fond family memories that we keep inside our heart.
It was fun to crochet this bikini and I wore it too.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette .. I al of ways enjoy these posts memories from you ... you may have been 21 in these photos but you were were as graceful and elegant as you are today. what lovely memories, Hugs and blessings, Celia M. (HHL)
ReplyDeleteDearest Celia,
DeleteThank you for your compliment! Yes such memories are precious as we keep them forever inside our hearts! Big families can be very warm and I never shunned the work of cooking for a large crowd. It always gave lots of satisfaction to see many happy tummies.
Hugs and blessings to you.
Mariette
Oh sweet Mariette...soo many wonderful memories you have and the lovely pictures freeze them in time! I love to see you so happy with your baby nephew and what a wonderful coincidence that you are also living in peach country USA. Mariette, you have hardly changed from then to now!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend ahead, my friend.
FABBY
Dearest Fabby,
DeleteThank you dear friend, yes those are very happy and fond memories literally frozen in time.
Georgia indeed is the Peach State and since my Dad grew lots of peaches, it feels like being 'home'. Well, in kilograms I certainly have not changed at all but in years I did add quite some more to my record; but happily so!
Happy weekend to you as well and sending you big hugs,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the pictures of your nephew. He looks adorable.
Love that crochet Bikini.
Dearest Munir,
DeleteYou are more than welcome and our entire life is composed of memories that carry us through old age. Things we fondly can look back on and feel very fortunate and blessed!
That crocheted bikini was fun to make and it turned out real nice.
Hugs,
Mariette
Deaerst Mariette,
ReplyDeletehow sweet are those pictures :O)
A handcrochet Bikini, well done! And yes, so many wonderful memories!
I love to see old pictures ....
Happy weekend to you,
Love and hugs,
Claudia
Dearest Claudia,
DeleteYep in my younger years I produced lots of things on needles, knitted, crocheted, embroidered or sewn. Fun memories in all.
Sending you hugs and wishing you a happy weekend.
Mariette
Cara Mariette, quanto amore, quanta nostalgia, quante belle emozioni in questo post. Scatti di momenti gioiosi della vostra vita, con tuo figlio, momenti che sono rimasti impressi non solo nelle foto ma molto di più nella tua mente, nel tuo cuore. Un bacio grande. Paola
ReplyDeleteCarissima Paola,
DeleteInfatti, questi sono i ricordi del mio primo nipote. Mi sentivo così felice e ricco pertenerlo tra le mie braccia. Nel mio bikini all'uncinetto a mano. Più tardi con mio nipote e sua mamma, mia sorella più giovane, ballando all'anniversario di nozze d'argento di mamma & papà. Me in tubino nero; in mini ovviamente per quel tempo. E in quegli anni che sempre cuocere per tutti i miei fratelli, l'intera famiglia è venuto a casa mia; tutti i diciassette ho cucinato, servito e nutriti e ancora ho avuto il pensiero per scattare questa foto. Che rimarrà per sempre con me!
Invio abbracci,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletedas ist rührend.
Alles Liebe
Elisabeth
Dearest Elisabeth,
DeleteJa da hast du Recht; sehr rührend sind solche Erinnerungen. So froh ich habe die Bilder davon.
Liebe Grüsse,
Mariette
Dearest Mariette,
ReplyDeleteFond memories and beautiful photos of the past always keep families united even if long distances separate them. Yesterday, my mother who will be 89 in November, had the chance and the pleasure to be taken in photo with her sister (91) who lives close to her, but also with her three brothers who came to visit them from Montreal, Rochester NY and Johannesburg! Her fouth brother, who passed away last year, was in Sao Paulo ! (all of her 4 brothers had emigrated, but they always kept very close through correspondence and family photos).
I wish you a lovely weekend.
Many hugs!!!
Dearest Marie-Anne,
DeleteFond memories are forever sealed inside our hearts but having such photos is a treasure for the eye. What a great opportunity for your dear Mother to be united with her older sister and three brothers that traveled across the oceans! Sad that one brother no longer could attend. Guess that distance in kilometres has nothing to do with being close at heart. One day we all will be reunited; that too is a very comforting thought.
Enjoy a lovely weekend as well.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dat zijn echt jaren zestig foto's. Wijde pijpen, hele korte mini. Zo liep ik er ook bij, lang haar over mijn schouders en die hele korte rokjes, leuk om te zien. Jammer dat je je neef steeds gemist hebt op zijn reizen over de wereld.
ReplyDeleteBeste Marianne,
DeleteNee hoor, dit zijn géén jaren zestig foto's maar tien jaar nadien... Het was inderdaad een erg leuke tijd en mooi om er nog foto's van te zien.
Ja, mijn neef kon natuurlijk nooit tijdens zijn dienst er even tussenuit breken om ons ergens te treffen. Die vrijheid heb je eenmaal niet. Het is soms nog moeilijk als je op vakantie bent om een opening te vinden om zulke bezoeken te verwezenlijken.
Liefs en fijn weekend, het is weer een grijze dag hier... de hele week zowat.
Mariette
Dear Mariette,
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing these photos! They are so beautiful memories!
Hugs, Manuela
Dearest Manuela,
DeleteYes, such are very beautiful memories that live in our hearts until we die. Dancing at my Parents' silver wedding anniversary, holding a first born nephew in my arms etc.
Hugs to you,
Mariette
Oh, dear Mariette, I loved this walk with you down memory lane... You are so beautiful then and now.. A very heartfelt post today, and I so enjoyed it. Cherish those memories - they are in the end what life is about, I think:-) Hugs to you
ReplyDeleteDearest Eli,
DeleteIndeed a walk down memory lane and it can give us all so much joy! Thank your for your compliment, I am blessed with good genes for staying the same since I was 15...
You have found out the true meaning of life, it is not about earthly possessions but rather what lies deep in our hearts, close to the soul. The essence of life and happiness. We are all connected by love and whomever we meet on this earth, during our temporary journey, touches and shapes us. We than seal it into our hearts; forever. There it stays for building our character and for coming back to mind when we search for fond memories. Only that is called trues riches... sad that human beings often chase other so-called riches but they all turn out to be fake and never yield any warmth.
Hugs and love to you,
Mariette
Your precious memories, Mariette; Lovely nephew and your big family♡♡♡ Oh, In the Peach-State of Georgia; that I learned from your former post. Your father's peach must have been sweet, one of my favorite fruits:-) SO GLAD you can get into your blog, Internet world sure is a mystery...
ReplyDeleteSending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*
Dearest Miyako,
DeleteThank you and indeed, quite a big family. I did have a very large apartment at that time, the living room and kitchen were one open room and 12 metres long. So that was easy for placing thee tables and seating all 17 of us.
My Dad had lovely peaches and like Pieter's Dad used to do in the greenhouses, they planted a peach tree under glass for early and very sweet and juicy peaches. Still can taste them; all fond memories!
Internet can be indeed a mistery at times but I am glad I got it resolved.
Hugs and love and wishing my dear friend in Japan a lovely weekend.
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletedu warst ein bezauberndes junges Mädchen - tolle Figur - du bist heute noch eine schöne Frau mit einer immer noch tollen Figur, um die ich dich beneide -
der Kleine ist süß - Babys faszinieren immer wieder -
ich kann gut verstehen, dass du deine Lieben gern immer um dich versammeln würdest - so wirst du sicher eure seltenen Treffen sehr genießen -
liebe Grüße - Ruth
Liebe Ruth,
DeleteDanke für deine lieben Zeilen hier oben. Ja, mit meiner Figur habe ich nur genetisch viel Glück gehabt muss ich sagen. Seid ich fünfzehn bin, immer das gleiche Gewicht mit ab und zu ein paar Pfund Unterschied.
Ja es war schwer wenn wir nach die andere Seite vom Ozean immigriert sind; nie wieder mit der ganzen Familie am Tisch... aber dafür bleiben diese Bilder ja ewig auf der Netzhaut und toll um auch noch echte Bilder davon zu behalten!
Ganz liebe Grüsse,
Mariette
Dear Mariette,what a lovely post!Your nephew was a cute baby!
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful memories from your familyt!I like your handcrochet Bikini!
Thank you for sharing!I really enjoyed it!Have a happy weekend!
A BIG HUG TO YOU MY FRIEND! <3
Dimi...
Dearest Dimi,
DeleteThank you for your kind words and yes, those are special family memories.
Crocheting that bikini was fun and I got to wear it.
Enjoy a lovely weekend too.
Hugs to my friend in Greece!
Mariette
OMG dear Mariette! Wish I knew you than, I would have bought you the knife rests...and than I would have had something from you besides!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
FABBY
Dearest Fabby,
DeleteAt that time I was not yet dealing in Christofle antiques and such, just exploring the world and life.
Sending you hugs,
Mariette
Deareat Mariette,
ReplyDeleteYour adds to the vart body of cultural knowedge and aristry passd down throagh the generations enjoy initial of new life. In your birthday! 21 in your photos.
Hugs and happy weekrnd to you!
Michiko
Dearest Michiko,
DeleteLovely words you picked up from my website... Mariette adds to the vast
body of cultural knowledge and artistry passed down through
the generations. Enjoy!
Yes, in these hand crocheted bikini photos, I am indeed 21 years young.
Sending you lots of hugs for a happy and hopefully sunny spring weekend!
Mariette
Your nephew Eddy is so adorable! I love the dancing picture, so sweet :-)
ReplyDeleteYour hand crocheted bikini is so pretty. You were already very talented at such young age!
I'm sure your sister Diny was very grateful to have a break while you were with her kids. You are very good sister :-) I hope you get to see Eddy in Atlanta some day!
P.S. Thank you for remembering Goro's special day :-) I had a surgery and am on recovery now. Trying to come back on blogging. I missed you!
Dearest Tamago,
DeleteHope you are doing well by now, have sent you an email...
Oh, at that time I just LOVED to dance, especially anything fast and also tango.
Hand crocheting was always a fun adventure and I really liked this bikini. We were taught at school by Roman Catholic nuns and hind sight, that was a blessing. Nowadays they don't even teach crocheting or knitting at schools. Yes, we sure hope that Eddy will one day make it to visit with us!
At the time he and his younger sister were little, Diny was very grateful for getting such a break and I enjoyed having them. We did fun things together, like going with Mauzie our dachshund to the woods with them for a walk.
Sending you hugs and best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Mariette
I have never worn a hand crocheted bikini but when I was in my early 20's I would live in a bikini during the stinking hot summer days
ReplyDeleteDearest Jo-Anne,
DeleteWell, not for The Netherlands as their summers are never as hot as they are here in Georgia or in NSW, Australia! You do live at 32° lattitude south and we live at 32° lattitude north so that is pretty much the same. I know from my aunt and uncle, when I visited them in Broken Hill, NSW over the weekend when I worked in the Melbourne area. They tried to explain to me their type of grass they had in the lawn; it was exactly the same as we have here. So much similarities. In summer time one can live in a bikini here easily; not for shopping of course!
Sending you hugs,
Mariette
Cooking for a large family is a very rewarding thing to do. I love it.
ReplyDeleteHugs Kay
Dearest Kay,
DeleteThat speaks volumes about you and yes, I have found it always very rewarding too.
Hugs,
Mariette
If I crocheted a bikini, no one would be able to wear it because it would bare all. Ha! Yours is great and lovely photos from the past. Have a wonderful day. Tammy
ReplyDeleteDearest Tammy,
DeleteThat is funny but did you notice that I also opted for wearing a panty underneath; just to be sure... And I never did swim in it; afraid that its weight would leave me bare!
Oh such photos from the past tell so many stories.
Hugs and happy week to you!
Mariette
Lieve Mariette !! altijd leuk de foto's uit de oude doos (zoals ze dat in nederland zeggen)..
ReplyDeletevoor als het familiefoto's zijn ...mooi herinnering zijn dat ..als ik eerlijk mag zeggen vindt ik
u niet veel veranderd ... een fijne zondag voor morgen ..heel veel liefs
Lieve Nieneke,
DeleteJazeker, foto's uit de oude doos zijn ontzettend leuk. Zeg maar je gaat toch niet tutoyeren toch?! Geen u voor mij hoor!
Heel veel liefs en ook een fijne zondag.
Mariette
Dear Mariette,
ReplyDeleteLovely family photos and must be great looking back through them.
I remember having a crocheted bikini and wearing the miniskirts - those were the days!
Hope you are enjoying the weekend and many thanks for the kind visit to my blog.
hugs
Carolyn
Dearest Carolyn,
DeleteThank you and yes, such old photos always bring back fond memories.
It was quite something to wear a crocheted bikini that came off my own crochet hook.
Mini and even micro, yes I did wear it all.
Hugs and happy Sunday to you,
Mariette
What a great hand-made bikini Mariette! And how short those dresses were that we all wore! Cooking for a big family gathering is always such a pleasure to me, too.
ReplyDeleteDearest Deborah,
DeleteThank you and I did enjoy wearing this, just for tanning a bit when being outdoors, never for swimming in it. Too afraid I would lose my bottom part!
We really did wear very short dresses in the 70s but that was the time and in a way they are back again.
Yes, I always have enjoyed cooking for a big family gathering.
Hugs,
Mariette