{January 11 Angel Sister had 1st Birthday in Heaven together with Mom...}

My thoughts have been very much with my Angel Sister who had another Birthday in Heaven and this time her very 1st together with Mom...

It was on January 11, last year that I talked for about half an hour with Mom; my actual goodbye to her as I did not get any chances later.

That phone call I will cherish for the rest of my life. I congratulated Mom first on the Birthday of her Angel daughter.

We did chat about a lot of things. 

Mom had not slept all night... so scared.

But knowing that she could call on all the ANGELS she knew by name, she did calm down.

She also was speaking so sweetly about my Dad. She said: 'I still LOVE him very much!' 

Almost on her death bed and still worrying about him!

When I told her that she had to focus on herself now, that all would be well with Dad, she accepted her fate and has been very brave.

On January 27 of 2015 Mom joined my Angel Sister...

MISS them both very much! 

But I know they are very close to my heart and in Faith we are forever united.

Related links:
{R.I.P. Dear Mom} | previous post by me

{ANGELS We Know By Name} | previous post by me

{Feeling Pampered with Silk/Wool Cap from Blogger Friend}

Oh my, on Christmas Eve, I was for the last time out of the house and than a very bad flu floored me literally.

Did not even notice that 2015 ended... it went past me.

Only on my Dad's 95th Birthday I managed to be up in the late morning and call him in The Netherlands.

From than on I improved, but did not want to be out in the nippy, windy weather as the warm temperatures from Christmas had suddenly dropped, even getting some night frost.

What a surprise when on Thursday, January 7, the mail delivered a parcel from France.

A sweet hand knitted gift from Anett from the blog: Faden Stille whom I follow since 2010. We have become virtual friends!

Friday, January 8, I did join Pieter for Rotary lunch and afterwards I did wear my silk/wool cap for taking a walk. Wearing of course my coat as well!

Spunky girl looks fluffy during the cold weather.
Me, showing off my crows feet from a great smile...!

Driveway is still damp and the weather dreary looking...

But our Verbena continues blooming inside the fiber glass window boxes from Flower Framers of Cincinnati!

Enjoying my Chanel boots; bought from tip money for consulting work in California!

You can read more about that here: {My Favorite Boots}

My silk/cashmere Jodphurs from Bergdorf Goodman 1994 still fit me perfectly and I love wearing them in winter time.

Matching cables in my Escada silk/cashmere sweater from December 26, 1993 - actually my very first Outlet score bought at Potomac Mills in Prince William, VA. We were traveling by car to the funeral of our Jewish friend in Delaware when we stopped at this Mall for lunch.

Thanks a lot Anett for so much WARMTH!

It warms the heart and the ears on a nippy winter's day...

{Our 2015 Fifth Ave New York City walk and how it was in1911}

Just yesterday, on January 6 of 2016, the New York Public Library uploaded nearly 200,000 images that anyone can use for free! 

One very interesting page was about Fifth Ave New York City in 1911 and 2015

Guessing that many of you have ever visited NYC and now you can actually go back in time!
Below this post I will leave you the link for doing so...

This is at 10:50 AM on August 29, 2015 on the corner of Fifth Ave and West 38th St in New York City.

To the left, where the American Flags are hanging, you see the Flagship Store of Lord & Taylor.

Yes, we had absolutely lovely weather on our walk!

Now, courtesy to the New York City Public Library, we can actually see how that looked in 1911!

As seen in the top photo and below is another photo showing 2015.

How neat is that?

To the right you see the beautiful architecture of Tiffany & Co

Again, this is on Fifth Ave in New York City!

To the right behind this BIG BUS NEW YORK, you also can see the architecture of Tiffany & Co

Now, way back in time, top photo is from 1911, showing Tiffany & Co

Bottom photo is from 2015...

The site also lets you cross the street, to have a different angle view.

We both did not ride this BIG BUS...

Hope you enjoyed our Fifth Ave walk and being taken back to 1911, NYC!

 Street View, Then & Now: New York City's Fifth Avenue just click the hyperlink.

{Hummer Limousine in New York City}

On August 28, 2015 we did spot a Hummer Limousine on Broadway, near Wall Street in New York City.

With its full 10.5 meters of length, not an easy vehicle for inner city traffic I guess.

{Interlocking Plastic Water Filled Barriers in NYC}

Can't believe that almost 3 days of 2016 have passed by and I'm not really yet 'part' of it...

Slept most of the day today and yesterday I was thinking it is getting better. Wrong!

It made me think of the Interlocking Plastic Water Filled Barriers we saw on August 29, 2015 while walking alongside 5th Ave on the corner of 34th St.

Neat system!

Well, I too feel very heavily grounded and I do drink lots of water and eat lots of fresh fruits also.

On New Year's Day I managed to be up for cooking us a good meal in the oven with sole filets and brown rice in the rice cooker. 

But I'm not yet back to normal...

Another, not so pretty sight on the 5th Ave in NYC, on the corner of 32nd St.

We were shocked to see that much trash, also while riding the taxi from the airport into Manhattan.

Sorry for not being able yet to focus enough on reading your blogs...

Wishing you well!

{Happy 2016}

Sorry for my absence...

Got a very bad flu and was in bed for the past couple of days.

So much for getting the flu shot on December 7!

Hope that tomorrow I feel better and can resume daily routine.

~

Wishing you all a very HAPPY 2016 and in good health!

Those lovely Camellias always bloom at this time of the year.

They look so perfect!

{Magnolia Blossoms on December 30}

Let's try if my FeedBurner will pick this post up again.

We saw at breakfast that our Japanese Magnolia, Magnolia x soulangeana blooming!
CRAZY... end of December and usually they bloom on my Mom's Birthday, February 12...

It has been raining on and off today and most petals were on the ground already...
This is done with my iPhone 6 Plus, not a quality photo but showing the blossoms!

To the left, most petals had rained off...

So much rain and still the sky looking very pregnant!

Blessings to all people that suffered from this extreme weather!
We can't complain too much here.

Wishing my Readers a Happy New Year!

{Our Christmas Eve Dinner at Ristorante da Maria}

Sorry for posting this late but since December 20, my FeedBurner was not working.

Rather annoying but nothing what I tried, pinging or whatever, worked...
Suddenly it was just back!
And off again after posting this... Arrrgggh.

So a belated post about our Christmas Eve Dinner at Dublin Farm Come Home To The Country at Ristorante da Maria.

Here we are in front of the Christmas tree with a Hot Punch.
There was a pianist who played during the 5-course dinner.

We have had heavy rain with flood warnings and unusual warm weather for Christmas.
Pieter's suit got a bit wet from getting out of the car to the restaurant...

My coat is on the coat rack...
Wearing my new cropped top in caviar from Neiman Marcus Last Call but to me it just is black color.

On the driveway before we left for Christmas Eve Mass.
We had donated a Poinsettia in loving memory of Mom and my Angel Sister Mariet

First Christmas without Mom... but it feels special for having one more Angel that we know by name!

My skirt is from Escada, printed hair calf and I've cut it shorter as it was below the knee and rather frumpy looking that way.
Panty hose are DIM PARIS which I bought in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Pumps are Chanel from Last Call at Sawgrass Mills, Florida.

Pieter's suit is from Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH in Woodbury Common Premium Outlet.

We both opted for the Fish; Red Snapper Fillet.

Appetizer: Potatoes au gratin with smoked salmon...

This was SO YUMMY!
First dish: Ravioli stuffed with Porcini mushrooms, topped with a 4-cheese sauce, white truffle oil, Parmesan and fresh herbs.

Our Fish Entrée: Red Snapper Fillet cooked in foil with a Puttanesca sauce.

Lime Sorbet

Strawberry Ice Cream Bomb with fresh berries and starfruit on strawberry coulis.
That was really heavenly!
Lady Chef Maria is the best in our region and she makes everything fresh and from scratch!
Don't you love Pieter's Espresso cup?!
We had a very joyful Christmas Eve, just the two of us.
Hope yours was likewise pleasant, or your Christmas Brunch, Dinner whatever your way of celebrating was.

{Making Healthy Chocolates}

If you have to follow a strict diet, most store bought chocolates are either too sweet or contain cream or other things you try avoid eating.

Well, that makes you have to make your own Healthy Chocolates!

So here we go, with two pound tablets of 72% dark chocolate from Trader Joe's, placed in a double boiler, Au Bain Marie. The lowest part is filled with some water and remember; only melting the chocolate NOT boiling it!

It is a messy job so I always make large batches at once.

This time I'd boiled some fresh cranberries first and set them aside.

Later I will blend in this flaked unsweetened coconut, again from Trader Joe's. 

To sweeten it up a bit I use Agave Nectar and also add some healthy Chia seeds and Lecithin Granules.

In the batch above, I added Pomegranate Seeds that I bought at Costco.

You just have to feel for yourself, depending on what you are using, if you also want to add some Almond Meal to give it some body. It should however be rather smooth!

Next I will scoop the chocolate into these Flexipan molds.

For the USA this link to Demarle at Home will show you some items.

I've bought mine mostly in France...

Also they have a FB Page: Demarle at Home

 This is slightly smaller in diameter and I filled another tray in heart shapes.

Each such Flexipan mold is being placed on an aluminum tray.

Using my Rösle spatula for filling the molds.

Covering up with a sheet of Press'n Seal that doesn't stick.

That way you kind of smooth them out.

This is the one I use...

After they have hardened up inside the refrigerator, this is how they look like...

For gift giving you can use some special cellophane bags with a gold fastener.

This is the end product and it tastes good with a coffee or tea!

All healthy ingredients but rather messy for creating...

Do you make your own chocolates as well?

{Dark Days Before Christmas}

We are having some really DARK & RAINY days before Christmas, complete with THUNDER!

Not easy for making any photos...

Around 4:00 PM in the afternoon...

Lit all candles in our green wooden Christmas tree.

The idea for using a candle with empty escargot shells I got from a blogger friend.

You can see on my CANDLES Pinterest board

This Baccarat crystal caviar bowl is missing its top insert so it is perfect for filling it up with shells.

The Hardanger Christmas table topper is from Bad Münstereifel in Germany.

Holly berries are from our garden...

Thunder for now but on Christmas day the sun is peaking and it will be 82°F, like on Thursday.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!


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