we are just back home from 2 relaxing, heart-warming days with friends. 4 kids, ages 3 to 9, playing together all the time & getting along wonderful. 3 women, enjoying the time together talking talking talking. what a wonderful life! thank you so much!

we celebrated a friend’s birthday today. had a nice afternoon …here are a few pics from the “coffee” table:

chocolate tart ... very yummy, very filling

beetles on a branch

apple casserole

… just in case anybody is interested … here are some impressions of our holiday treats:

xmas apple pie with cinnamon stars

christmas cookies

our dinner on christmas eve

regarding dinner, i like the christmas eve tradition of my childhood: we always had a quite simple meal. something like potato salad & sausages. of course i would not eat these any more but i don’t like to spend this evening on creating a complex meal. so we had a salad of red cabbage & oranges, raw burgers, rice for those not eating raw & an abundance of greens & vegetables with a sesame-dip.

in spite of not feeling christmasy at all a few days ago i really have enjoyed these days. & still do. calm, relaxed days. feeling cozy. grateful. time seems to stand still for a while. midwinter. i enjoy being with my kids, playing games, talking, snuggling. spending time with friends. thanks for these wonder-ful days!

os deseo unas felices fiestas y un próspero año nuevo.
que el 2010 venga lleno de buenas cosas y salud para todos.

merry xmas to all of you, & a happy new year! may all good be with you in 2010!

ich wünsche euch allen frohe weihnachten & alles gute, gesundheit, glück & vor allem liebe für 2010!

… just decorated our “tree”:

...

last weekend we celebrated my daughter’s birthday. we enjoyed two wonderful days, filled with friends, games, fun & some festive treats:

birthday cake

... en detail

papaya coco drink

papaya horses

yes, she loves horses

nora brought these funny ghosts