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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Sunday, December 6, 2015

{A Happy Saint Nicholas with Chocolate Letters + Update}

        A very stressful week with a Happy Ending!
Dad is home again and did NOT need any heart surgery at all.
Prayers did get answered big time and we all feel so blessed.
My sister Gerd with daughter Lindsay did bring Dad home this afternoon.
Perfect timing for Saint Nicholas!
This is last year's order of Chocolate Letters for Friends and Extended Family...
Most people prefer MILK chocolate; what is your preference?
Mine is DARK...
Husband Pieter's is MILK or MELK in Dutch...


Before my sister Gerd, with her daughter went upstairs to Dad's room at the VieCuri hospital in The Netherlands, Lindsay did IMPROMPTU play at the Grand Piano:
Lindsay's version of Comptine d'un autre été l'après-midi by Yann Tiersen
Just click the above link... ENJOY! Sorry but Gerd has deleted said video...
And last but not least; THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Chocolate letters are great gift ideas for Santa Claus...


Related links:
{Chocolate and Silver Alphabet Letters for Saint Nicholas} | previous post by me
{Since 1896 Dutch CHOCOLATE LETTERS - Have YOU Tried Them?} | previous post by me
{Chocolate Letter LOVE} | previous post by me

Friday, December 4, 2015

{My 22nd Birthday as an American!}

YAY, I finally, after full 7 days could call my Dad in the hospital in The Netherlands!
One of my brothers did turn around and made sure that Dad's package of TV, Radio and Telephone got hooked up. 

He had been deprived of this for SEVEN full days.

The good news is that his heart seems to have been just OVER STRESSED.
Dad is like my husband Pieter a very hard worker and he'd been doing some physical jobs prior to all this.
Prayers got answered and after this medical test, through the vein in his wrist, things look positive and we hope that he can go home on Saturday!

Now his Australian Brother and other elderly choir members can call him as well.
At least he has a very happy American daughter!

Thank you all for your sweet comments during this very difficult time for both of us.
My Dad in The Netherlands still does not know anything about his real heart condition.
On Wednesday they were supposed to check it out but there obviously was an emergency with another heart patient and the cardiologist had to postpone Dad's procedure.
They have planned that now for Thursday...
BUT there still is no phone connection! It is available at the hospital for EACH patient but needs to be hooked up and then of course relatives and friends need to be informed about the direct number.
Also my uncle in Australia, Dad's younger brother is being cut off from any contact, as well as all those living long distance that can't be there in person..
Let's hope that soon they will start using their brain and heart as Celia from Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista so well wrote on my FB Timeline.

BUT...
December 3rd is my 22nd Birthday as an American Citizen!
Photo is from September 12, when we went to the Dublin Theatre...
My hair is shorter now.
Being an Escada fan, I'm wearing an all black Escada outfit; Spanish style pants, top and sandals.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

{There You Go Again... Update}

SORRY for having been missing in action but this is why:
On Thanksgiving Day, while we were having a lovely dinner at the home of our 'American Family' my Dad was having a heart attack and ended up in the hospital.
This is a photo, taken on Friday afternoon when my brother Piet (he took this photo) with brother Jan and sister Gerd went to visit Dad at the hospital.
Jan used his iPhone 6, for letting Dad do FaceTime with me.
Exactly the same way as he did with Mom during her final days...
This is what I had on my FB on Saturday, asking for prayers as we are waiting about the outcome for Dad's health.
It looks like he has CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) since he had a lot of fluids in his leg and difficulty breathing.
This morning, at Church, I snapped this shot from our Church bulletin where Dad's name is being listed among those needing a prayer.
Both of us do strongly believe in prayer and we are grateful for all that do pray for my dear Dad!
Mom & Dad have both knelt at this Christ Episcopal Church together with us and Dad sang at this Church...
So many memories and people in this town know my Parents.

Okay, now about the THERE YOU GO AGAIN...

Being over 8,000 km away from home it is NOT easy dealing with a parent that is in the hospital or on his/her death bed.

Dad holding me as baby...


Like in January of this year, when I lost my sweet Mom after guiding her 17 days during her hospital stay.
I owe a lot of gratitude to my sweet and very close brothers (2) and other brother and  sister.
But there are 2 more that are rather toxic!
The brother who thinks he is in charge has completely left me out of the family App so I will not receive any updates or know who is visiting Dad on any given day.
Yesterday, my toxic brother went to visit Dad in the afternoon - no update to anyone!
In the evening my toxic sister went to visit Dad in the evening - no update to anyone either!

Dad 7 days in hospital without phone connected ←click link for Pdf with 70 comments on FB and scroll down a little.

That is living through hell, plain torture for NOT knowing anything.
Neither have they provided Dad with a phone; so I cannot call him.
Only when my close siblings visit Dad, will I receive any update. 
A photo is so welcome; like the above first photo.
Today it made me very happy to hear again an update. 


Guess what the toxic brother who thinks he is in charge did to me in January?
He forced me to take down ALL photos from Mom.
{R.I.P. Dear Mom} with Mom's sweet photo... (you can click the hyperlink).

I had to take down all the photos that were made here in Georgia, while Mom was visiting us.
My toxic brother threatened me with being left out of my Parents' will if I did not take them down.
Although I never understood WHY, I have given in, hoping it would restore the peace in our family, after first making screen shots of each and every single comment of sweet people from around the world.
Like on my blog above, I had lots of comments on my FB posts.
It was what carried me through those tough times as we could not be at the funeral for two reasons: I was still having physical rehab and also because we were paying huge medical bills at the time.
click to enlarge...

All those comments meant the world to me; they did lift me up and also very much my dear husband Pieter, who suffered heart cramps from all the stress and hurt caused by those toxic siblings who did never consider my dear Pieter's age of 86! That's NOT how you treat the elderly...
At 7:00 PM the 'day' ends on Blogger and Pageviews get counted anew.
On the actual day of Mom's death, up till 7:00 PM, I did have 1,550 pageviews...
From 7:00-9:00 PM when this was taken, it were 102 pageviews.

No words can tell you HOW grateful I am to those that lifted us up.
From so many countries, from all religions and I respect them all.

On FB, I did get again numerous comments and visits on my post: R.I.P. Dear Mom ← just click it to see the Pdf with everything I'd saved before deleting.
Mom is in heaven  ← just click it to see the Pdf also.


 Sweet foster-daughter Anita from Indonesia, did video Skype me from their car, before I went to bed on Saturday evening.
She always has been very loving and supportive.

So, once again I did put Mom's photo back on my blog.

As the oldest daughter, I don't want to be a victim to this kind of useless bullying by those toxic siblings again.
Bitter siblings keep viewing that post very frequently; up from 630 views (see above) to 1763 now...

They have fed Dad with lies and made up stories, trying to cut me off.
That is so rude for manipulating a grieving Dad at his frail age of 94!
It proves of a sick and hateful mind.

Let us hope they will change and above all, letting Dad have a peaceful time till he will join Mom in heaven.

That is very much our prayer!

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MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS © 2009. All rights reserved - Text and images may not be copied for distribution or sale.

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