Busy Busy Busy

 I've been really horrible about posting lately, and I'm sorry about that.  But in my defense, things have been more than a little busy lately.  In the last week or so, we moved out of our lovely home and into an apartment/hotel in another town near by.  We've come full circle once again, because these are the apartments that we staying in when we first moved to Belgium, 3 very short years ago.  This is a difficult move for me, because as happy as I am to be going back to our friends and family in the states, I'm sad to be leaving the beautiful country of Belgium.  I know the odds of us ever getting to come back here are pretty slim (practically non-existent), so I'm trying to take in and enjoy every last minute that we are here. 

 So here is our last week in a nutshell.  We went to a nice little carnival in Peer.  It looks pretty empty here, but we walked around a lot when it first opened, and the crowds came later in the evening. 

 I paid one last visit to my favorite antique store, Slegers-Heise, with some friends and shared a few laughs.  I really do love this place.  You never know quite what you will find there.  I really wish I knew the history behind this grouping, don't you?  By the way, you'll be very proud to know that I didn't actually buy anything there!  (Of course, the fact that my household goods are shipped and they didn't have any new scales might have helped a bit on that one.) 

 I attended a couple of local weekly markets with friends as well.  I'm going to miss these so much.  It's so much fun to walk around, buy fresh produce and other interesting items, and then have lunch in a small cafe and chat. 

 One last trip to Achel Abbey with friends as well.  Heavy sigh.

 I have started organizing our belongings at the apartment in preparation for our flight out.  I'm sure the airlines won't have a problem with our 700 pounds of stuffed suitcases.  Maybe I need to organize a little more. 

And last, but not least, I've probably gained 10 pounds with all the eating out I've been doing with friends this week.  (There is a waffle buried under all that ice cream and fresh fruit.  The fruit makes it a healthy meal, you know.)  I'm going to add a Belgian waffle maker to my Christmas Wish List.  My booty won't thank me for that, but my heart will.  It will remind me of my time spent here, and that will make me smile.  It's so hard to say goodbye to the friends that I've made here at KB.  There are some really fantastic people stationed here, and they made our Belgian experience just that much better.  One step closer to home.

I Said Good-Bye To Slegers-Heise ... Really... This Time I mean It

 I've been without a vehicle for a little while now, so I've been doing chores around the house and not much else.  On Monday, I took Russ to work so I could have the car to run some errands.  I know it sounds suspicious, but that's really what happened.  I had to pick up the kids dental records, some groceries, and a few other things in preparation for our upcoming move.  I finished quicker than I expected, so I decided to just swing by Slegers for one last visit.  All of my furniture has been packed and shipped out, so it seemed like a pretty safe idea.  It's not like I was planning on buying anything, you know. 

 I took one last walk around the building, admiring the antiques and wishing I had room for that lovely carousel. I was just about to leave when I saw it. 

I know.  I already have 4 scales (packed and on their way to the states), but doesn't it drive you crazy to have things displayed in even numbers?  And it has a big "B" on it.  It's like it was made especially for me!  What?  Only 30 euros?    Ugh!  I was standing there, debating purchasing it, when my cell phone started ringing.  Seriously?  Were his Spidey senses tingling?  Is he having me followed?  Long story short, he said to just go for it.  Worst case, I'll just mail it to our new base.  I mean, it's not like I can just pop back over to my favorite antique store and pick up another one, right?  Hmmm.  I might have to think about that one.

Slegers-Heise Antiques

I just had to take my Mom to my favorite store in Belgium... Slegers. We spent a rainy morning just walking around the warehouse and checking out all of the goodies. And they did have a lot of goodies!

Now Mom understands why I like to go there. And in case you are wondering, she's just as much an enabler as I am.

So... I came home with these three lovely treasures. Actually, I picked out the green one immediately, but it turned out that they were sold as a set. I got an awesome deal on them, so I'm one happy camper. What a great way to spend a rainy day.

Pretty Kitty

Who's a pretty kitty?

I AM!!!!!!!!!!

Antiquers Anonymous...It's A Ten Step Program

When the lovely folks as Slegers invited me to back my vehicle inside their warehouse to load it up, I knew I had a problem. OK, maybe it's not as bad as it sounds. Truth is, I only got a few fantastic items, and Denise got the BIG DADDY. She snagged an antique double school desk, complete with ink well. GORGEOUS! In all the excitement, I didn't get a picture of it, but maybe if I ask nicely, she'll send me one and I can share it with you. Anyhoo, I got to drive into an antique warehouse...score one for me and scratch another item off of my strange and unusual "To Do" list.

In case you're curious, here are my goodies. I found another trog - this time in light wood. My other one is in a dark wood, so this is totally different. (At least that's what I keep trying to explain to Russ. He's not buying it either, by the way.) I also found a long, skinny type of trog and a round sieve. It might not make any sense to you, but I have a picture in my head of what I can do with these treasures, and that's all that matters. Just go with it.

Check this one out. It's a square trog. I know. It's the coolest, and is now home to my phone books. If you don't own a square phone book trog, then you really don't know what you're missing. I recommend you go out and buy one right now. Go ahead. I'll wait. Here's the last of my purchases....my scale. Russ keeps asking what my fascination is with scales since we moved here, and I really can't explain it. They are just very interesting to me. I have a few pieces of blue and white enamelware, so the second I saw this one, I knew it just had to come home with me. A scale, fresh flowers, and my Starbuck's mugs. It just doesn't get any better than that. (Except maybe if one of the mugs was filled with coffee...)

P.S. Here's a pic of Denise's awesome desk! She's a beauty! (And if she encourages the girls to do their homework without any hassles, then she was well worth the money!)

Hamont...Antiques and Windmills

I go to Hamont a lot. Well, one place in Hamont, to be exact...Slegers-Heise Antiques. In fact, I just made a quick run over there to check out an amazing bench. Not just any bench, mind you. THE bench. The very one I've been looking for all last year! I saw it on their website under "new arrivals" and Russ told me to just go and get it. I won't bore you with the details, but once I got there, I found out that it was already sold. *sadness*. I spent a little time in the store anyway, wandering around and telling myself that maybe the bench wasn't as amazing as it looked after all. Maybe it had a big crack somewhere, or maybe it smelled like an old man's stinky feet. Maybe. Anyhoo, after my great disappointment, I decided to make the most of the beautiful day and actually check out the town. I had no idea that Hamont was home to this beautiful windmill called Napoleansmolen. It was built in 1804. You know that I have a thing for windmills, so this made me feel a lot better. How could you possibly feel sad when you live in a place with such beautiful things to see and explore? This plaque on the side of the windmill gives you a brief history of the building. If your Nederlands is a little rusty (like mine), then check out their website. It has some great pictures, and really has some interesting information about the windmill and the town of Hamont.

I have a thing about European churches, too, and this is the one in the centrum of Hamont. Very pretty! Things were a little busy when I was there, but I plan on heading back on a quiet morning some time soon to take more pics of this beautiful building called St. Laurentiuskerk (St. Lawrence Church). It's a Gothic Revival church and it was built between 1903 and 1904. Enough exploring for the day. It was time to get back home and start searching the internet for that perfect antique bench... One that's even more amazing than the one that "got away". *snif*

Surprise For Stanley At Slegers-Heise

A couple of days ago, I mentioned that there was one more thing that Stanley was interested in seeing before he left Belgium. He'd heard a lot about antiques, and was curious to go and see the place that I've been raving about...Slegers-Heise. He wasn't overly excited about what he might see, mind you. He just wanted to know what all the talk was about. After all, as Russ would say, it's used furniture, right? Not so, little man, not so. I have a special surprise for Stanley, inside the magical world that is the antique warehouse. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It would appear to be just another big warehouse, but in reality, entering this building is like being allowed to peek into your rich (and somewhat eccentric) old aunt's attic. There is no telling what you will find! Ahhhhhh. Lots and lots of glorious antiques! They aren't all about overpriced merchandise and snobby attitudes in here. Everyone is welcome, and anyone can afford something inside. (Granted, the furniture is pretty expensive, but fairly priced). I tend to buy the inexpensive, but interesting, items that are found on the second floor. This is where I bought my scale, Speculoos cookie molds, and bread rack.) Things are literally stacked everywhere. You can meander around, poking in and out of aisles, searching for hidden treasures all day if you like. The owners are very kind, and are quick to offer you a cup of coffee and answer any questions that you might have. If you ask for a specific item, they will take you right to it, but I prefer to just wander around. Now do you see why this place is so much fun to explore? You probably also see why the hubby tries to avoid it completely.

Tucked into one of the corners, slightly hidden behind random pieces of furniture, lies the surprise I had in mind for Stanley. Remember when I said that there's no telling what you'll find in this place? Well, I wasn't joking. This lovely carousel has been in here since I first started coming to Slegers. I can't imagine why someone hasn't snapped it up by now!

Stanley wanted to get a closer look at it, so he went over to check it out. Yep, he wanted to buy it. They do ship furniture, but unfortunately, they couldn't ship this back to Florida for him.

It was a little out of his price range, too, so Stanley just had to sit there and day dream about it instead. He sat in the fire engine and pretended to race around, while my friends and I continued on with our browsing. I didn't make any purchases today, but I have my eye on a few goodies for later on.

Note to hubby: If you happen to read this, these doors are really awesome. Wouldn't they look fantastic in our retirement house, leading into your "Man Room/Office"? They deliver. I'm just saying.