{Happy Easter}

Wishing all my readers world wide a Happy Easter!

Heart created with Violets from our Garden...

{HAPPY EASTER 2014!}

To all readers, all over the world, I like to wish you and your loved ones a HAPPY EASTER for 2014! We are lucky that the heavy rain has stopped here, we got 3 inches of rain yesterday! Our 2nd Easter day is supposed to be sunny! In Europe 2nd Easter day is still being observed as a holiday but not so in the USA; but sunshine is always welcome.

A previous Easter Table Setting...

For more photos click: {Easter Season}

{Dad Told us Stories About Bunnies on Bikes & Mopeds}

As little children we loved to listen to Dad's stories, during lunch time (our hot meal of the day) after coming home from school. Dad had worked on the field and he always fashioned exciting stories about bunnies on bikes and mopeds as they tore through the corn- and pole beans... Dad told these stories with such a vigor that we really BELIEVED him! Too bad, we all had to walk back to school as Dad again could encounter his furry friends once he returned to the fields. These stories are forever in my memory and low and behold, this year's Easter Catalog from Gump's, did show Mr. & Mrs Bunny on their Penny Farthings or High Wheeler. I just could not resist ordering them...

Here they are, cycling in our garden amongst the mosses and the white violets...

Are those not lovely?!

Now on top of our picnic table with bench near the pond with the Japanese Somei Yoshino cherry as backdrop.

Don't worry, they will not drive into each other's wheels. Mrs. Bunny just tries to avoid some bird poop on the table...

This couple of fun bunnies did bring back to life those exciting stories told by Dad!

Even though we in our garden have no rows of corn, nor pole beans...

This is cute enough for reliving my childhood imagination! 

Mrs Bunny already did get her bike straight so she will not clash with Mr. Bunny.

Gump's San Francisco offered them.

Easter 2014 will get celebrated different with those fond childhood memories!

Hope you enjoy a lovely Easter Season.

Time is moving so fast...

Related links:

{Daffodils Bunnies & Hearts} | previous post by me

{Happy Second Easter Day} | previous post by me showing my handmade Easter Egg Ribbons

{HAPPY EASTER to all my readers in 190 countries!} | previous post by me with our Pelargonium
{Easter Table Setting} | previous post by me with another cute Bunny with Baby-Bunny
{CIRCLE Vase with Candles for Easter} | previous post by me
{Hand Made Easter Egg Gift by Friend Ellie} | previous post by me
{Daffodils in CIRCLE Vase & Leonardo Figurine Bunny SPEEDY} | previous post by me
{Challenge Accepted + Easter Photos} | previous post by me
{HAPPY EASTER to all my readers in 163 countries!} | previous post by me with more info about the Chateauhotels/Kruisherenhotel
{Our Organdy Beribboned, Porcelain and Brass Easter Eggs} | previous post by me showing the hand made ribbons by me
{Happy Easter with Our Pelargonium 'Rosebud'} | previous post by me with more Pelargonium info
{Who can locate these EASTER EGGS for me?} | previous post by me
{¡HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND!} | previous post by me
{Easter Season} | previous post by me showing the brass window decorations with link

{Daffodils Bunnies & Hearts}

Spring is such a lovely season with flowers blooming.

Don't you love having such a vase indoors with fragrant daffodils?

From our German 'son and daughter-in-law' we did receive some lovely Easter bunnies and hearts...

Erika always is giving her heart to us in a most caring way.

We were lucky that both of them with their two children did visit us in our Vacation Home Vakantiewoning Pardoes, while we stayed in The Netherlands for Mom's 90th Birthday and Mom & Dad's 65th Wedding Anniversary.

 Yes, they drove up to us, all the way from the beautiful Eifel in Germany and gifted Mom & Dad with a beautiful handled willow basket, filled with edible goodies from their region.

Now I have turned a different fragrant white daffodil facing the camera...

Don't you like these double ones better than the single one in the first photo?

Those are the cutest little bunnies with the lace scarf buttoned around their neck.

Daffodils are inside a French Baccarat Crystal vase.

Very glossy Mr. & Mrs Bunny...

So glad they traveled well inside our suitcases.

Don't you love them too?

{Happy Second Easter Day}

• In Europe they do celebrate TWO days of Easter; First and Second Easter Day! 
• So let me wish those lucky ones a very Happy Second Easter Day!

• My Organdy Beribboned Easter Eggs in yellow and salmon...

• This is the book from which I got the idea to make those Organdy Ribbon bows...
• Photo from the millennium year with lovely Easter bouquet from our own garden!
• Tablecloth and placemat is from Le Jacquard Français.

• Yellow roses were Midas Touch but we lost them all to the drought.

Related link:

{Challenge Accepted + Easter Photos} | previous post by me

{HAPPY EASTER to all my readers in 190 countries!}

• Wishing ALL my readers a very HAPPY EASTER! 
• Thanks for visiting my blog and let's hope that SPRING will start with this Easter Weekend! Literally a day of New Life.
• Showing you my cute Easter lambs that will hold a place card or menu. Together with my porcelain Villeroy & Boch egg vases. 

• Vintage egg platter that hold some of my porcelain Villeroy & Boch egg vases + real eggs.
• Easter lambs and chicken salt & pepper that goes with the egg platter.
• Don't you love these Victorian hybrid 'Rosebud' Pelargonium inside those egg vases?

• The linen and hand crocheted tablecloth is from friend Marianne. Her Aunt made it for her and she gave it to me.
• Those Victorian hybrid Pelargonium 'Red Rosebud' look just like real rosebuds!

• Wish we could have those Victorian hybrid 'Rosebud' Pelargonium year round!

• 'Appleblossom Rosebud' Pelargonium + real egg...

• Nowhere is the egg; symbol of New Life, better incorporated than here at the Kruisherenhotel in Maasricht, The Netherlands. 
• Just click here to see how they actually did integrate an EGG into their reception.
• May Easter be the true symbol of New Life and also the symbol of Spring for all that live in the Northern Hemisphere that is.
• Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy and Meaningful Easter!

Related links:
{HAPPY EASTER to all my readers in 163 countries!} | previous post by me with more info about the Chateauhotels/Kruisherenhotel
{Happy Easter with Our Pelargonium 'Rosebud'} | previous post by me with more Pelargonium info
12½ jaar L1 - Amerikaanse president in Limburg | Château Hotel St. Gerlach where President George W. Bush stayed during his visit to Margraten in my Province of birth (part in English!)
Dutch Queen and Bush lead VE Day memorial | YouTube video

{Easter Table Setting}

• For Easter I have done a special Table Setting for you to see...

• Using photos from previous years, because we don't have any daffodils or narcissus blooming and only very few for 2013...
• Picture frame vase with daffodil and rosemary.
• Easter lamb holding the place cards.
• Easter Bunny Dad with Bunny Infant...
• Baccarat Piccadilly Crystal stemware and Villeroy & Boch porcelain egg vases...

My sister Diny did find them for me in The Netherlands after I'd seen them in a Dutch magazine!

Do you ever get something you find in a magazine? 

• Le Jacquard Français tablecloth and napkins.
• Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet flatware.
• Wedgwood cream color on cream color china.

• Heavenly fragrant Obdam  Narcissus in Wedgwood pitcher...
• Porcelain egg vases inside large Wedgwood Gardenia Bowl.

• Closeup of the porcelain Villeroy & Boch egg vases inside the Wedgwood Gardenia Bowl.
• Don't you LOVE these orchid narcissus?

• Cute porcelain egg vases with Thalia orchid narcissus!

Related link:

{Easter Season} | previous post by me

{CIRCLE Vase with Candles for Easter}

• As promised previously in my February 24 post: JUST enough Daffodils to fill our CIRCLE Vase, here is another display. The Speedy bunnies you already saw on March 22...

• On top of the glass plate I now placed candles...

• The yellow pillar candles are Müller Kerzen from Germany that I received from my German friend Marlene.
• Those pillars are called Flower Garden and burn for 32 hours.
• You can click on the above hyperlink for their info.

• Tablecloth is from Le Jacquard Français and the cups and saucers are Royal Albert Friendship series in the daffodil pattern.
• Salt & Pepper shakers belong with the egg platter that I showed two days ago.
• Spoons are ceramic from Avon with daffodil.
• Round candles are Bolsius from The Netherlands. 
• Are you a candle favorite as well?

• That's what I LOVE about our IKEA chairs, their backs are low and never obstructing the view as they barely come above the table!

• Those candles are a perfect match with the daffodils!

• Too bad that those daffodils were blooming on February 25... 
• Way too early for Easter and we didn't get any others; this was the entire crop for 2013.
• At least I have the photos for showing.

• So what do you think about the different uses for this CIRCLE Vase with glass plate to display whatever on top?

Related links:
{Daffodils in CIRCLE Vase & Leonardo Figurine Bunny SPEEDY} | previous post by me
{JUST enough Daffodils to fill our CIRCLE Vase} | previous post by me

{Hand Made Easter Egg Gift by Friend Ellie}

• Since it is Holy Week, we are getting into the mood for Easter. 
• Out come these three lovely Easter Eggs, hand made by dear, almost life-long Friend Ellie from my hometown, Horst in The Netherlands.
• This very talented friend did a great job on some artfully created Easter Eggs. Have a look...

• Had to display them on our silk brocade table cloth that husband Pieter did bring back from his trip to China with the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program

• Don't you think this pale blue will bring SPRING to our area soon?

Related links:
{Elvira my 1st and only Goddaughter} | previous post by me
{Wedding Elvira & Bob - Michelin Star Top Restaurant Brienen aan de Maas} | previous post by me
{Silk Embroidered Birds from China Trip} | previous post by me
{Our Mouth Blown Glass Nativity} | previous post by me

{Hand Knitted Easter Gift from Sister-In-Law}

The sweetest gifts are often those that are hand made. We call it here in the USA; Labor of Love. My sister-in-law, Elly Van den Munckhof did knit for me six cute egg warmers. A set of Easter Chickens for placing over a boiled egg. For years already, both of us don't eat eggs but I do use them over some special egg shaped Easter candles. Have a look...

Here they are; that is four out of six. 

The Chickens to the right had a bad hair-day...

I've only given them a new felt crest and silk organdy graduating ribbons around their neck.

They held up really well.

Elly did make the eyes from a glass bead.

Nice Easter grouping... except that the weather was actually too dark to make decent photos...

A tiny bud vase with blooming Pelargonium from our Green House. 

Because we will have frost on Tuesday night, our potting plants are still inside!

Dark days with a mean and cold wind...

The lazy Chick on the yellow plate we got one year in the mail from our 'German son' and family.

The lacquered and hand polished laser cut brass Egg window decorations are from Germany, Jech Kunstgewerbe.

FAKE Egg... it is a candle in a mini-terracotta pot with gold sparkle.

The top plate is from Blokker in The Netherlands where we bough them with my niece Maartje Van den Munckhof... Three out of four survived so far!

The tablecloth is all cotton Le Jacquard Français.

So what do you say about my Easter Chickens?

Related links:
{RARE ANTIQUE ROSE: JEANNE D'ARC (1818 FRANCE)} | previous post by me showing hand crocheted doily by Elly
{Our Garden's Winter Blooms for Christmas} | previous post by me showing hand crocheted doily by Elly
{Easter Season} | previous post by me showing the brass window decorations with link
{Our Organdy Beribboned, Porcelain and Brass Easter Eggs} | previous post by me showing the brass window decorations with link

{Daffodils in CIRCLE Vase & Leonardo Figurine Bunny SPEEDY}

• As promised before, I will show you our Circle Vase again with another display. 
• Here you see our glass Leonardo Figurine Bunny ´SPEEDY´ with daffodils, displayed on top of the glass circle. 
• Nice Easter decoration; if the timing for the daffodils would have worked. 
• These photos are from February 24 and no more daffodils have bloomed since. BUT we got the photos and we have the bunnies!

• That's our CIRCLE vase again, with the 18 bud vases that are joined together.
• As I did mention in my previous blog post (see link below), there is a separate circle of glass, to use as a shelf.

• Those bunnies are made of glass by Leonardo in Germany.
• Their name is Hase (German for Bunny) Speedy.
• We got a 16 cm (6.3") Speedy and a 26 cm (10.2") Speedy.

• Can you see the glass shelf?

• Different light and only the small Speedy on the glass shelf. Now you can also see part of the bud vases.
• I used my two table cloths from Le Jacquard Français; one as a back drop.

• Love Speedy's cute tail!

• Here you see the full circle of the top layer with 9 bud vases...

• Detail of shelf and bud vases.

Hope you liked this early Easter setting.

Related link:

{JUST enough Daffodils to fill our CIRCLE Vase} | previous post by me

{Challenge Accepted + Easter Photos}

On March 19, I already did receive a challenge request from Alessandra, in Italy, for listing 10 things that make me feel good. She is writing the blog: Shabby but ohh so chic!! ←click for getting to her blog.

Okay, now it is my turn for listing those 10 things, after having waited till first several other challenges got taken care of. 

After our trip to Curaçao we first got our tax papers done. Will write about our Curaçao vacation soon; promise! 

Our garden was also begging for weeding and still needs lots more done. 

On Saturday we finally hung the long crocheted peacock curtain at our friends' home. That was a gift from us and after I designed them, a sweet elderly lady in The Netherlands did crochet them for me. My task was for sewing on numerous brass rings for hanging. My husband Pieter, did hammer in the brass nails for the rings... Mission accomplished and even before Easter!

Happy Mom in the USA...

Okay: 10 things that make me feel good...

1. Looking at Mom's photo, taken while here in the USA, still makes me smile when thinking about all the great times when we had Mom & Dad over to visit us in the USA. Seeing Mom so relaxed and happy in this photo, being on vacation and enjoying it. She worked hard all her life, gave birth to 8 children and had her health issues.

She looks like an angel with her pink feather boa. A nice transition for when she really will become an angel...

2. Calling each Sunday after Church with my Mom & Dad and hearing their voices. Feeling blessed for having Mom still around after 4 years of kidney dialysis.

3. Happy times when video calling with Liz or Anita, our daughters.

4. Having my soul mate Pieter still with me and healthy and strong again after his open heart surgery in September 2010. Enjoying the trips we make together, while talking for hours on end in the car or when walking.

5. Enjoying a cup of coffee, or our version of Chocof (Chocolate from Dutch Cacao + Coffee) with some dark chocolates with pomegranate (from Costco).

6. Getting into a fresh made bed with clean linens, it makes me sleep like an angel under the down duvet and on the down pillows.

7. Having breakfast in our bay window in the sunshine and having fresh flowers from our garden.

8. Having friends around the table for dinner and enjoying a home cooked meal together.

9. Gardening together at our great property that we can claim all as our own. Such a treasure compared to what you can own in the Old World.

10. Watching our seven felines frolicking in our garden and being purrfectly happy - just like we!
~~0~~

Ten things is by far not enough for listing it all... 

It is a joy for reading your blogs and for visiting you around the world!

Now I would like to pass on this 10 point challenge to:

1. Kerri from Artisanbella

2. Claudia from NuNu's Garn-und Stofflabor a multi-talented lady that is also great in English.

3. Véronica from Los Mundos de Nika Vintage who is also very artistic.

4. Michiko from Michiko who needs ALL our help and support after her severe accident on December 15. We need to give her lots of BLOG-LOVE. 

5. Ginger from Savannah Granny who has been having health issues and today is her Birthday so she needs some BLOG-LOVE too.

Okay, mission accomplished in about three weeks...

Don't feel pressed for taking this on. But it is my aim always for helping some others by sending visitors and hopefully followers, their way. A friendly word goes a long way!

Hope we soon will have flowers again like here, from our own garden. 

We lost most roses last year due to the heat and drought but we do have the first ones blooming already.

Happy Easter setting from previous years...

• The book from which I  made the organdy ribbons for the eggs...

High Tea/Coffee for friends...

The bay window is a favorite breakfast area and for all settings.

Have a nice week!