Merry Christmas!

Unbelievable how fast the year has passed! It seems like the Christmas tree has just been packed away, when here it is again! The upside down family of Biddis, wishes all their friends near and far a very Merry Christmas, wherever you are!

For the full list of credits to these LOs please, see my gallery here.

December ezine is out, and it's gorgeous!

It is out, and it is beautiful, and Yours truly is in it as a DTM member in the highlight, you will also get the fabulous calendar, 4 gorgeous kits (one mine) and lovely freebies to surprise you. Add some awesome tips and tuts, and you will be glad to have bought a copy! Don't miss it here at SBB!

Страна причудливых кошмаров

Столько раз пришлось мне ответить на вопрос: Ну и как тебе в Швейцарии? что я решила обобщить мои ответы, а мне все хотелось ответить на каждый как-то особенно, по-личному что ли... что пришлось и внутрь себя заглянуть и копнуть поглубжее... Вот и общий свой ответ помещаю в Блоге, ну и чем я не Маяковский, только штаны немного уже...
Если одним словом отвечать на вопрос как? то напрашивается ответ на букву х... только не хорошо, а другое слово. За три года страна показалась мне ну очень странными сторонами, да и задом, простите тоже бывало. Страна Причудливых Кошмаров, да и только. Страна, где промывание мозгов народонаселению все еще идет своим чередом. А мне все вспоминается СССР. Помните, что общение мое с местным народом ограничено в основном средней прослойкой, в основном замужними женщинами среднего возраста с малыми детьми. Все в Швейцарии просто и понятно, если заранее принять постулат: Здесь ничего не делается, чтобы облегчить жизнь кому бы то ни было! Магазины открыты только в офисные часы. Выходные - они выходные для всех, для продавцов и врачей в том числе. Моя мама проработала в торговле всю свою жизнь, наверное она единственная, кому бы это понравилось. Даже, если вся семья работает, и нанимает специальную прислугу, чтобы за них делали покупки, пока все на работе, это может продлиться только до рождения детей. Из всех детских и учебных учреждений дети возвращаются (в разное время в зависимости от возрастной группы время) на обед, чем старше дети, тем дольше время в пути и короче время обеда. Как работать мамам - загадка. Из 25-30 женщин с детьми, знакомых мне лично, на полную ставку работает одна (иностранка)... Делайте выводы. Разговоры о Гуччи и Версаче к сожалению (хотя для меня к счастью скорее) я поддерживать не умею ни на русском, ни тем более на итальянском языке...
Врачи (детские в особенности) имеют тенденцию брать отпуск во время каникул! У них что, дети болеют только в школьное время? Или только в учебное время их рентабельно лечить? В школьное время дети могут болеть только 30 дней в году... 31 и ты остаешься на второй год, даже если ты семи пядей во лбу.
Я могу продолжать очень долго, поэтому ограничу себя и просто упомяну некоторые из сильно раздражающих вещей:
В воскресенье нельзя пользоваться бытовой техникой... видимо грешно.
После десяти вечера в домах, где рядом с тобой живут соседи нельзя, заранее прошу прощения, спускать воду в туалете... Не спрашивай!
Также нельзя вечером писать стоя!
Казалось бы, какое мне до этого дело? Не скажи! Поживи в стране дурацких законов и правил, как то: запрещено вывешивать белье сушить на улице или в комнатах с окнами (что, только в подвале или бункере, которые, я гарантирую, есть в каждом современном доме на случай ядерной войны) и т.д. три года, как я, послушай, что ты наверняка невеста по-интернету или "прости Господи", потому что а) не местная и б) и того хуже, русская, и почему-то душа, не привыкшая бунтовать, просит бури... Очень, знаешь ли хочется научиться писать стоя, и делать это исключительно после 22.00

Одноклассники.

Пару дней назад я прислушалась к совету одной своей подруги и зарегистрировалась на вебстранице Одноклассники точка ру! Боже мой, сколько эмоций, сколько восторгов. Я нашла не только друзей, которых мне следовало бы отыскать гораздо раньше, и чьи адреса записаны у меня где-то, затеряны при переезде в новый дом в бездонных коробках, или даже возможно хранятся в записной книжке под самым моим носом... Нет, мне не хватало видимо их фотографий, чтобы ощущать реальность общения с ними... Но, что удивительно, я таки нашла людей, которых потеряла очень (или не очень) давно и таки пыталась найти в последние годы. Я нашла девочку, с которой за руку пошла в первый раз в первый класс. Она переехала во втором классе куда-то на север, и я потеряла ее на 25 лет!!! Я нашла подругу, с которой я работала, и которую обожала, расставшись при перемене работы в сумбурное для обеих нас время в жизни и прекратив общение на долгие десять лет. Я все десять лет пыталась ее найти, и вот, наконец! Господи, как же я рада, что эта чума докатилась и до Швейцарских предгорий. :) Но главное, эта страница, это странствие среди воспоминаний и знакомых лиц, *за несколько дней я пересмотрела много десятков фотографий старых друзей, - напомнили мне, что когда у тебя есть друг - сделай усилие его не потерять, потому что эта потеря принесет тебе боль. Я почувствовала эту боль и узнала, что она была там, на сердце или в желудке, я не знаю, все эти дни, месяцы и годы, все потерянное время. С той поры ушли из жизни три человека из числа моих сверстников, друзей, с которыми мне уже никогда не поговорить... Посему, спешите жить, спешите дружить, спешите любить! Не теряйте времени! А я ... займусь этим завтра! А сегодня... спать!

The perks of the one-eyed life

Since after the trauma the eye still remains unfocused a lot more than it used to be ;) I have discovered I can see the stereograms much better and faster, you know the ones that require unfocusing the eyes especially so that you could see the hidden messages... Well, with special thanks to Gary W Priester and Kazuhiko Kondo, who are specialists in stereograms, I have written a special message for my dearest Hubby who is away from the house for the moment. I am so looking forward to seeing him again tonight!
Here you go, try and see the hidden message in each patch... But don't break your eyes... :)

Pirate Mum

Getting in the spirit of Halloween, Mummy has been given an eye patch, and an eye injury to match it... So Arrrgh Matey! It hurts!!!

Home

I am quite proud with this page I have done, just wanted to share with you. I sure had fun making it! First of all this is a lift of Chud23 I am sure you can tell, this is the style unusual for me, therefore so interesting and intriguing and desirable to copy... I have used stuff by Shelleyrae of SBB: Graduated paper, aged frames, In the frame for corner journalling, Pattern grunge, Love Notes, and Note that elements, Jeri Ingalls Home slide, Patt4444 ribbon heart element from her blue freebie blog kit, Lori Wiley's glitter stroke, swirl, and star overlay, Ann Aspnes hinges, and Merkeley Designs of Oscraps burnt tags, thanks for looking.

Swiss kids encounter

The first time I became aware of the Swiss kids, was when three years ago almost to the date we have moved to a small Swiss village and were trying to find some kids for our girls to play with, Ok us being me, my dh was at work and happy straight away. We have met two families with the sweet lovely kids, who continue to be our friends today at the playground, I guess we were given them as a gift so that we didn't lose faith for we were to encounter a completely different herd. Our oldest was four, but missed reception to the local playschool by the matter of four days, and was to wait until a new term to join. The windows of our house that we rented were facing the School, so we could watch the other children play every day without being allowed to join in.
I remember the two of them standing with their small noses pressed against the glass, saying look Mummy! Our friends! They loved the children, they loved them all! We didn't know we missed the deadline for applying, we didn't know the application should be made in the Municipal Building (Mayor's office), so we went to school to ask, the teacher was very nice, and patient, she explained the procedure to me, and the above mentioned two days. But my daughter (4 at the time) wanted to stay and play since she has just met all these amazing "new friends" and could not understand why do we have to leave. She didn't want to leave so she started to cry. There are cruel kids in the world, but I have not seen so many in one place who jeered her off saying she was different from them and not allowed to go to school! I felt like crying seeing her misery. They kept teasing her, as she was trying to go and play outside fence everytime they went out into the school garden, and that's when the incident No1 happened. A girl of 5-6 who has met my oldest at out English friend's house (thank God for them) and knew her by the name, called her closer to the fence, grabbed her neck scarf through the net, and stabbed her in the neck with the stick. I could not very well verbally explain to the teacher what's happened, so the kid was unpunished... Mine had her trust in the good in people shaken for the first time. I have complained later and was asked to stay away from the kindergarten, since we are not allowed in, and keep the kids far, as if it was easy with the house nearest to it...
Within the first three weeks two more things happened which would change the character of my oldest daughter forever, and the other one that would change mine... The one that shook all of us, was us deciding not to approach the kids whilst at school but wait till the mothers collect them and join them in the playground, the girls were very sad and feeling isolated. They were going to the Playschool and playgroups forever, music lessons and suchlike in England, and suddenly lost it all one day... So we were waiting by the gate, and I have been chatting with a couple of Mums, when I became aware of some commotion, and the children running onto the road, mine first with the rest of them following with the screams, sticks and stones in their hands, throwing those at my babies...
I ran like I never did before screaming to mine not to run into the road and grabbing the smaller arms terrified in my arms, but leaving the older one to fend for herself... There was only one Mother who called back her child,.. and she was worried he'd run into the road... I have not had ONE of them mumble a word of apology or anything... there were 6-8 of them present fully equiped with mothers, who seemed not at all impressed by the scene. No need to say we decided against the playground that day...
The other thing that happened shortly after was of a different nature, and I will tell you soon. Thanks for reading this.

Life in Switzerland.

I guess I am just about as fed up with living here as one could be! This is a sign I see every day when I leave the safety of the house, and it's one that speaks for itself! Along with the previous ones that were similar in meaning (we don't want you, Foreigners!) with the yellow and black hands grabbing for the Swiss passports, and the Screaming face NOOOO! At the thought that the rules for the foreigners to enter/ remain in the country might be lackened...
You can take a bit, but it just eventually gets to you! Believe me...
Not knowing the rules of the game doesn't help either... People do take advantage of that too. I must admit at once that we have lovely wonderful friends in Switzerland (though most of them are foreigners or married to foreigners) so they are not quite Proper Swiss. :) Or they are Swiss German, since there are three major parts: Swiss German, Swiss French, and our lot: Swiss Italian, they also frown upon each other, and define themselves as superior to the other two parts leave alone that 1 per cent of the natives: Romansch... The nature surrounding us is beautiful, but Gosh, I have not been to a more hostile place, despite the nice friends we have acquired, hostile as a general rule!!! And even though I am very fond of the mountains, forgive me, but today I hate it!!!

A new little present for you, for Halloween, I hope you like it.

Here is a little something for your scrapping needs for the upcoming Halloween. Have fun, leave us a link to a LO if you use the papers. Thanks.

my favourite freebie

This is one thing that I created (apart from my girls, and a few crochet hats :) ) and loved!

Today you can download the solid papers and a separate download for elements from this little kit I called Flax. It was available last year as a part of a Swap Mini Kit challenge, hosted by Charlene aka Chark, I wonder how she is, and where...

This is a mantis freebie for you

Here is a freebie mantis mini pack I have made for you with the photos of the chap that fell on me today. I hope you like it. Here is what I did with it.

~Wildlife Special~

Just yesterday on the way from school we saw this

attacking and trying to eat this little chappy,
as we were trying to take its picture, spoiling somewhat our photo opportunity by making the lizzard leg it for dear life, thank goodness they are naturally quite fast, so he made it to safety, but in the action shot you wouldn't know what it was, just a little blur of green with three legs in the air :)






And today another many legged friend landed on my arm,
as if to ask me what the time was, a remarkable green fellow... Is it a praying mantis?!? In the light of that I should try and upload my first wildlife special freebie to this blog ... See you then...

Our house is lovely!

You probably know how lovely it is living in your own house and how different it feels from the rented accomodation! I love our house!
P.S. I know Ruthipops will like it too! Even if she hates blogs! :)

We have moved!!!

After a few weeks' preparation, and many a round trips up and down the road with our trusty old car, not to mention many a trip up and down the stairs, we have finally moved!!! Hooray! The kids have been amazingly helpful, so in the end we decided against help from outside, and moved everything just by ourselves.

Look at that

I love what the girls from the element team have created for August at SBB. And you can find this colourful, bursting with happiness kit right here. And look what my little one and I have created with it.

Wow! Aren't I lucky?!

An amazing thing happened this morning. I woke up and found out that a friend of mine, a marvellous designer Shelleyrae of SBB has created a most beautiful kit for my daughters with their dresses in mind, have a look at her blog Dip Divas, link is on the right. It is available at SBB online store. I hope you love it as much as I do! I think it is gorgeous! Loving it to bits, Thank you Shelleyrae. With 12 papers and lots of elements this kit is great value and too sweet to miss! Size approx 78MB Contains: 12 papers at 12x12 and 300ppi 3 borders 2 journaling mats 3 ribbons 2 bows 2 ricrac 2 frames 2 floral watercolor stickers 1 sticker (wings) 2 swirls 3 buttons 1 bookplate 1 wordart and lots of fun for the scrappers with girls! ;)

My first one! Woo-hoo!

Hi, I am pleased to have my first post here, and let's hope that I always remember why I started it: to keep in touch with those who are near and far, but dear to my heart, to keep in touch with friends all over the world, the ones that I miss dearly. So here is the first post: to say This is dedicated to the ones I love! I will be learning for a while, so please, be patient with me.