Milestone Reached

November 10, 1983...

Well, October 2023 was my worst month with October 10, being only 40 kg or 88 US pounds...

Determined to GAIN weight + strength—I've managed to add 10% to that!

40 kg... 

On November 9, best friend Ellie and family from The Netherlands sent us these lovely flowers...

On Friday November 10, we gathered with friends (23 in total, including us) around the table at Ristorante da Maria ←click link.

This was our THANK YOU for all the help, driving me, food brought, laundry done, cleaning, praying or whatever.

AND it was also the day that we had our 40th Wedding Anniversary... See first photo!

We did not tell that to our friends, but I announced it after the prayer was said by a dear friend.

So grateful!

The waiter made this photo but we FORGOT to have one of Pieter and me together...

Pieter is on the left in the back and me at the head of the table.

Lady Chef Maria prepared us a delicious 5–course dinner and each guest had selected their Entrée of choice.

Me in my wool Escada suit visiting with friends... FIRST time I wore block heels and also earrings and rings... 

Rings would still fall off one month ago!

Pieter took this...

That's my little purse on the table, had no space on chair as I still use a pillow for my back. 

Me visiting with friends in–between courses...

Pieter made those photos, including from his salmon with shrimps... We both opted for fish.

All enjoyed their dinner and we felt very blessed for being alive and having reached this milestone!

Prayers do get answered!!!

Related link:

Our Contract for Life | previous post by me with photos that I got from Mom & Dad's estate — new to us!

May your 4th Advent Week lead towards a REAL CHRISTMAS

Yes, the year is getting thinner and we all are preparing for Christmas 2022.

May this 4th Advent week lead us towards a REAL CHRISTMAS

Far away from the commercial holiday it has become...

 The green cotton Zweigart Aida tablecloth now with a Mason's Mandalay Chartreuse plate for the brass spiral candle holders.

May the Enchantment fill our hearts.

~

If we do not live, speak and think in the language of enchantment, including naming angels and recognizing spirits... then the soul will go out of our lives and communities, and we will wonder why nothing seems to hold together and nothing seems to have value anymore. ~Thomas Moore

 

In the back is a group of angels looking on, all from South Tyrol, Italy.

The one on the left is a ceramic one and was a gift from Italian friend Maria from Ristorante da Maria and the others are all wooden angels from Italy.

Now two sterling silver candle holders with fluted bobèches have joined the Royal Selangor pewter ones that we bought in Singapore.

Royal Selangor is established in 1885 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The silver crocheted doily has been hand made by a former Turkish neighbor in The Netherlands.

Incredible work, I would not be able to copy that!

The silver tray was handmade for us in Kotagede, near Yogyakarta in Indonesia.

Two Mason's Mandalay Chartreuse ←(click it) candle holders and two silver plated tall ones with tapers and bobèches.

Each of them also holds a Hugger Candle Snugger.

Candles are Dutch Gouda. Yes, Gouda is a city that produces fine cheeses and candles!

Celebrating at Ristorante da Maria my Safe Arrival Home

 We certainly had a VERY GOOD reason for celebrating with a delicious dinner at Ristorante da Maria!

Lady Chef Maria Runggaldier as published in: 5 FIERCE FEMALE GEORGIA CHEFS YOU SHOULD KNOW←click link

On Saturday, June 25th we both went out for dinner...

We were so engaged in conversation that I FORGOT to capture the Appetizer and already had eaten a few bites from the First dish: Summer Lasagnette with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil pesto, topped with Parmesan and fresh basil leaves.

As always we both opt for the healthy living and select Seafood–Entrée:

Scallops and Shrimp over a light "putanesca" sauce with butter, cherry tomatoes, capers, green olives, garlic and fresh parsley.

Maria had potatoes with French beans and breaded egg plant with it.

Pioneer Pieter sure deserved such a great 5–course meal; he'd lost some weight doing such a Mega Task for weeks on end.

Happy to be together!

Wearing my Escada skirt and twinset.

Sorbet:

Pineapple/Lemon Sorbet

Dessert:

Semifreddo Parfait

Half frozen Moscato/amaretto Parfait with merengue, served with fresh berries over strawberry coulis.

~

It was heavenly—as always at Ristorante da Maria

Grateful to Friend Gil for Capturing Pieter's 93rd Birthday

 We sure are grateful to photographer friend Gil Gillis for capturing Pieter's 93rd Birthday Dinner with Friends.

Pieter is ready for Mass and for his special Birthday Dinner following...

Wearing the very same Escada silk dress with roses, Escada patent leather sandals and Majolica pearls, that I wore for Pieter's 80th Birthday dinner with friends and family. 

Pieter's Goddaughter then flew over from The Netherlands, for being here!

Wearing my special handmade bracelet, a gift from Blogger Friend: {Rose Bracelet from Enma in Spain - Blogger I Admire} ←click on link.

We were greeted by friend and Lady Chef Maria Runggaldier from Ristorante da Maria ←click on link.

She hails from Bolzano, the capital of the Province of South Tyrol in northern Italy.

Both of us were quite surprised to find our invited friend Gil Gillis, the previous owner of our local TV station, with his professional camera...

How precious for having these photos as a lasting memory!

Thank you so much Gil for you thoughtfulness!!!

Now Gil is in the group as well, standing next to me, as Tara, the young lady on the right, took over his camera.

He personally has trained Tara, to become a professional photographer herself with TheFurgPhoto ←click it.

Pieter received his dessert with a Birthday candle on it and we of course sang Happy Birthday to him.

As a Dutch touch, some white tulips in vases with pebbles, graced the table.

Ristorante da Maria

Our Menu 

All in all, it was a perfect evening.

This text on a towel, wrapped around a wine bottle that Pieter received as a gift from our friends, sums it up perfectly:

THE SOUTH

Where tea is sweet

and accents are sweeter.

Summer starts in April.

Front porches are wide

and words are long.

Macaroni & Cheese is a vegetable.

Pecan Pie is a staple.

Y'all is the only proper pronoun.

Chicken is fried and 

biscuits come with gravy.

Everything is "darlin"

and someone's heart is

always getting blessed.

FOND MEMORIES! 💖

On my FB Page Mariette's Back to Basics

1,249 views on Pieter's LinkedIn profile.

Yummy 5-Course Italian Dinner at Ristorante da Maria in Dublin, Georgia

 We sure are glad that friend and Lady Chef Maria Runggaldier got FINALLY back home from Italy after having been stranded there for almost 1.5 year...

So, we once more enjoyed her excellent cooking at Ristorante da Maria.

Arriving at the elegant Ristorante da Maria...

Pieter wearing his navy Burberry blazer and I wear my Escada silk blouse and wool vest with red roses.

And still in my soft leather boots, gift from Italy.

It would have been Mom & Dad's 73rd Wedding Anniversary on February 26.

Appetizer:

Zuppa di granchio al pomodoro

Tasty Tomato Crab Soup, English peas, pearl onions and celery leaves

Such a YUMMY and spicy soup...

First dish:

Involtini di pasta con cariofini

Oven baked home made Pasta Rolls stuffed with baby artichoke cream, topped with Parmesan cheese and butter flakes, served on a zucchini veloutée

Fish–Entrée:

Cuore di merluzzo alla mediterranea

Pan seared Cod Fillet, served in a Mediterranean sauce with fresh tomatoes, oregano, shallots, olives and capers

Sorbet:

Sorbetto ai lamponi

Raspberry/Lemon Sorbet

Pieter also did wear his Brioni shirt (Last Call Neiman Marcus score...) for which he also needs to wear his cuff links.

Heinz always knows how to serve an espresso coffee for Pieter, with his dessert...

For both of us, it is very much like being back in Italy.

Maria is an authentic Italian Lady Chef and the only one in our region.

She has an excellent staff as well, they learned so much from her over some 18 years!

At least, her sous chef and staff managed to continue with serving delicious meals on Friday and Saturday nights, while Maria was stuck in Italy.

Dessert:

Crema catalana allo zenzero con frutti di bosco

Ginger flavored "Crema Catalana"

It was indeed a yummy 5-course Italian Dinner...

Related links:

Lovely Birthday Dinner at Ristorante da Maria | wearing my same Escada outfit...

{ROSES} | showing you the back of my Escada wool rose cardigan...

Lovely Birthday Dinner at Ristorante da Maria

Yep, another Birthday has passed by - way too rapidly but I've started another year once more.

It was such a lovely day with sunshine, warm weather and lots of LOVE.

Happy me at Ristorante da Maria, enjoying a romantic birthday dinner...

Wearing my silk Escada blouse with roses and woolen Escada cardigan with roses.

Husband Pieter enjoying his dinner... Lady Chef Maria is the BEST and her 5-course dinners are always special.
Apart from celebrating a blissful relationship!

This is me on my Birthday and yes, the Japanese Magnolias were opening up fast!

My Pieter against the picket fence as the best view was from the neighbor's garden as there's the sun early morning!

That is today, February 12, on Mom's 5th Birthday in Heaven...
Magnolia petals are falling off.

Lovely birthday weather! It was 24ºC or 75ºF and next day 27ºC or 80ºF and that's when we biked together in shorts for the first time.

With all the phone calls, video calls etc. etc. I had my breakfast kind of late... but happy with sunshine and with Pieter's red roses in a vase and some fresh camellias from our garden.

With a few supplements, I've made it so far... Eating healthy and drinking only coffee at breakfast time, with cocoa added. A mug of unsweetened soy milk from Trader Joe's, half an avocado, half a banana and a mandarin. Multi grain bread from Costco with cheese and crunchy almond butter without salt.

A lovely bouquet from a lady from our R.C. Church...

Wish I could pass on the fragrance of those lilies!

Lily buds have fully opened, but one at the top left. Pure PERFUME...

Hope you are also enjoying some sunshine in your life.

Sending you the very best for your area to enjoy!

{Birthday Dinner at the BEST Restaurant for Healthy & Delicious Food}

Having both worked SO hard for weeks on end, this Dinner the day after husband Pieter's actual Birthday was just PERFECT! 

Me completing the 36 photo albums, before 1999, to make them all digital and Pieter doing garden chores and helping me out with domestic chores as well.
Mega Task done of archiving done!

My upper back was kind of nagging me but fortunately it did not graduate!

So here we are; looking a bit tired but being very happy for many reasons.

Just LOVE this suit, it is more than 35 years old but still perfect and since Pieter never ever gained weight - it FITS!
His Thai silk tie with clovers is just perfect with it.

Yes, aging we all turn gray and maybe bold, skin looks different but important is that our mind is still working and feeling young and positive.

Pieter does have problems with his right knee but the topical (expensive, out of pocket) ointment is soothing his pain. 

So here we are at Dublin Farm "Come Home To The Country" in Lady Chef Maria's Ristorante da Maria

Looking tired... but oh so happy with Mission Accomplished!

Wearing my Escada suit that I could not afford when we saw it at the boutique in Budapest, Hungary but I found it on eBay! 

Meanwhile I did catch up on my sleep and my blood pressure was looking just PERFECT.

First course of five... All made from scratch; using the best and the most healthy ingredients (not the cheapest either!) and therefore it is for our health conditions the BEST.

~

Appetizer:

Oven baked Strudel with Spring vegetables and mozzarella, topped with Parmesan, fresh herbs and olive oil, served over a crème fraîche

Menu is in Italian and in English since Lady Chef Maria is Italian

Also Maître d Heinz speaks fluent Italian - they function as a great couple!

It is hard work together for running this special B & B with restaurant...

First dish:

Pasta 'Mini Penne' tossed with 'Mammarosa' sauce, a tomato based sauce with cream and fresh herbs topped w/basil pesto and Parmesan

~

Note: the reason that I label Ristorante da Maria BEST Restaurant for Healthy & Delicious Food is mainly because she knows how to season with special fresh herbs, instead of over-using the salt! 

YES, that IS an all American SIN...

If I would eat at restaurant chains frequently, my kidneys would go down very fast!

So I'm very, very careful with my sodium intake and never had any problems eating here.

Fish-Entrée:

Pan roasted Steelhead Trout Fillet, served with a lemon/Vermouth/cream sauce

~ 

Both, Pieter being a heart patient himself and me with my 48% functioning kidneys, we ALWAYS select fish!

Chef Maria does not drown her Entrées in a sauce but it is drizzled with it and that makes the taste so pleasant - never overpowering, nor taking away from this quality fish.

Always with vegetables too and I personally love that slice of lemon which is real easy to cut away from its peel and enjoy with the fish.

Lady Chef Maria makes incredible DELICIOUS Sorbets!

This is a Pineapple/Lemon Sorbet

Sorry for having scooped out some before remembering to take a picture...

TADA... Maître d 'Heinz' (seen in the back of the picture) did bring the Birthday guy his special Dessert with candle...

Out of courtesy I did never zoom into other diners' table, only the one table to the left and right of us. One family was arriving late; they could not find the place... 

~

Crema di merano

Meraner Cream with vanilla and mixed berries

Pieter also enjoyed his usual espresso with that, to round off yet another heavenly meal!

Yes, I too did splurge on this delicious dessert; I always eat Lady Chef Maria's desserts! And also I drink one glass of wine along with my meal.

That does not cause any problems with my blood sugar levels.

European desserts use FAR less sugar anyway, instead we often use Vanilla, the real thing; not artificial vanilla.

~

May there be many, many more Birthdays to come; God willing.

Pieter's left eye is also causing him problems as the eye surgeon at the time when he had his retina detached, first wanted to complete his Tuesday cycling... thus waiting too long before doing surgery on Pieter. 

Result was that it was not very well after surgery, mixed up sight with half being far- and the other half of that eye being near sighted.

Hence the enlarged eye due to a very thick lens on that side...

Tomorrow morning he has another eye doctor's appointment but there really isn't much that can be done...

Thanks for your loyal visits and wishing you all a happy week and enjoy each day and all the little things!