Merry Christmas!

Christmas wishes to everyone!

Give us...a break

Every year MyMan and me try to escape a few days. In escape from the daily rush and the upcoming misty grey season we go chasing some (last solar) energy.
We used to do this since the beginning of our relation. And we hold firmly to our little tradition, certainly since little ones, house and career fill up our days and lifes. So this month we flew away...
guess where we spent some fine days together...

Barcelona,
Spain

And we loved it! Nice weather, for fall 25°C isn't too bad, and beautiful architecture made us promenade from breakfast till diner by sunset.
A brief summary of a great journey in a charming city:
Discovering the Old Town, El Barrio, a veritable labyrinth with its alleyways, courtyards and history. Tasting fresh fruit, juices and Tapas on Europe's largest open air food market, La Boqueria, with picnic in the park afterwards. Even cycling (yesyes, me on a bike!) along beach, wide lanes, squares and unique buildings. We had fun!
I know why I am looking forward to our trip every year again,
love you my sweet mr. B!

And to end,
divine what I brought home,
no souvenir but these beauties...

In 1981 Camper opened its first store in Barcelona.
And these are totally what I was looking for...

Lemon delight

What to do with ricotta cheese, a few eggs and a lemon?

Create this delicious little dessert...
Lemon De-light

How to?

Whip eggs (3) with cane sugar (50 g).

Add the ricotta cheese (250 g),
stir in the zest and juice of the lemon.

Mingle well and fill muffin cups.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 180°C, until done.

Enjoy hot or cold.

Sneakers with motive

Oh help. I just ruined my favourite pair of sneakers. I messed them all up while painting my godchild's babyroom. Yes, this summer, in two months, I became the godmother of two gorgeous little babyboys. They both are sooo cute!
So, I must admit, it was not my best idea of the day wearing these sneakers, but they were so comfy I have just forgotten to change them. And look at the poor things now...

Any other woman would be happy, this is defenitely a good reason to go shoehunting. But not me. I'm quite difficult when it comes to shoes.
This is the woman talking who once bought the same pair of sneakers twice because she liked them so much and was worried what to do when they would be worn out. Yes, that's me.
Don't get me wrong, I love to gaze at beautiful shoes, boots and pumps while windowshopping. But when it actually comes to my feet I have a hard time deciding. They have to look good and fit even better.

I've been looking around and it seems this fall/winter the fashion style tends to basic brown or eyecatching flashy colours, together with metallic accents.

So I'm calling up to all shoe-fashionista's in this world: help me find the perfect pair. I know it is a real challenge: comfortable, not Sporty Spice but yet feminine. Show me your ideas and I'm offering you...all my gratitude for leading me to the right pair that will walk, run and dance with me everyday again !

Autumn falls.

Well, hello there! It has been a while ...
But totally uploaded with solar energy after a fantastic summer, here we are, back at blogland.
What I do and what I see, let my interests, creative excesses and try outs guide you...
And feel free to comment, suggest, question or inspirate...

You can see it, you can feel it...autumn is here.
To celebrate this wonderful coloured season I participated at the Seasonal Celebrations Swap at InspiredMamaMusings.
Tip: keep an eye on her blog for not missing the winter edition!

So autumn is all about cocooning and cosyness and trying to handle the first chillyness.
Feeling melancholic when looking back to the past summer... and gathering ideas for the upcoming holidays ...
Seeing those warm colours of red/golden sunlight through the trees, coloured leaves, candlelight...
Hearing the wind outside and rain against the window, feet curled up on the sofa, accompanied by some good reading matter and hot chocolate.
Soft and warm turtle necks and woolen scarfs... Making walks through the fields and forest and collecting autumn leaves.
The sweet scent of homemade stew or cake...
You'll recover these things in the package I composed for my swap partner. Tammy, I hope you liked it!


Yes, that actually is a self-knitted scarf you see over there. My first attempt at knitting.
With a little help of this knittingcourse. It is written in dutch but with clear pictures of the basic knitting stitches. Very useful for a knitting layperson as this one.
And you, are you in the mood for fall?

Falling for you...

Happy Fall, coming back soon...

1. 5 Autumn Felt Balls, 2. HERFST..., 3. together, 4. Falling For You Card

Butterfly on a stick

No cruel intentions nor scientific experiments over here.

On a rainy summerday we made these bright coloured and sparkling butterflies. Simply using shimmer glue and wooden sticks.
Little Lady uses them playing around as a real fairy with magic wand.
I use them to brighten up my flowerless plants.

Butterfly template over here

Thank you for a great start!

Thank you card for the pre-kindergarten teacher.
A gentle hand who guided Little Lady
through her first moments of school life.
She had a great start!

Template used from Crea Zara

Happy SUMMER time!

1. my fave picture of the day, 2. Tiptoe through the daisies..., 3. Pulseira #069c, 4. Watermelon Cup, 5. Little Girl Flowers and Bees Purse, 6. infants dresses, 7. Just poppies, 8. Start this game, 9. Mojito, 10. strawberry ice cream 2237.jpg, 11. Wellness Flip Flops, 12. green retro tote bag

Summer tomatoes

I'm still working on my package for the Celebrate Summer Swap. It is almost finished...But as my sweet Kids want to add some summer creations of their own too. This means it won't be ready to ship tomorrow. And as the 20th of june actually was our deadline, I'm in doubt...
On the other hand I guess my swapping partner won't mind finding some extra surprises. Do you, Kelly?
To compensate I'll give you a look at our favorite summer recipe. This is a simple recipe, ideal for a quick lunch or at a cosy picnic party on a lazy, hot summer day.

Into summer...

Have you noticed? Hint: take a look on top...
I spent a little time creating a new -summer- banner for this blog.
What do you think?

It's created with the Tropical Punch kit from DesignbyDani.

Still 3 weeks untill summer holidays...

On the menu...

Doesn't every parent loves to see his/her children eat vegetables?
No big problems here with veggies and my kids but here is a real favorite:
Dish of Minced Meat with Mashed Carrots

for 4 persons:
1 kg carrots
1 kg potatoes
bouillon
milk
nutmeg, majoram
sugar

Peel and cube potatoes and carrots.
-kids love to help on this one, and gobble up the little dices-
Boil in the bouillon till the potatoes and carrots turn tender.
Mash the vegetables, with milk, pepper, salt, nutmeg and majoram.
You can add a little sugar.

750g minced meat
1 sliced onion
oil

Heat oil and fry the onion and minced meat. Braise for ca. 10 minutes.

As an adult I enjoy when food looks beautiful on my plate.
Even for an easy and simple recipe as this one!
So remove and place in an oven dish.
Heat some minutes in the oven.

I'm curious, what's your home success recipe with vegetables?
I would like to try it out!

First summer preview

First strawberries at breakfast.
First bottle of sun milk opened.
First time tight-less -My sunglasses, those legs are shining!-
First barbecue eaten.
First icecream on a bench.
First cocktail in the evening sun.
Yes, today tasted like summer.
Together with the summer temperatures
I realised the summer holidays are approaching...
only five weeks away.

And oh, Inspired Mama has just opened up her Summer Celebrations Swap. She is accepting swappers until May 29th. It is sure to be a great swap, the spring one was fun, so check it out.

Favo-licious Findings...

...Blowing in the Wind...

1. Dandelion and the Wind print # Michellestonephoto's
2. wind chimes # 88Links
3. delicate T light candle holders # mudpuppy
4. soft flowers and ruffle shirt # heirloom08
5. fresh grass scented candle # a Breath of French air
6. cute baby T-shirt # WrenWillow

Can there ever be too much chocolate?

After filling our basket at home, Easter egg hunting at generous grandparents houses and even my granny keeping the tradition going on, we come pretty close to it.
It will take forever, or at least till the next holidays, for this chocolate to be eaten.
Have you recovered from your Easter egg chocolate overdose yet?
Here is a fun way to use up any left overs, great to make with the kids: Sticky chocolate grapes.


Chop up pieces of the chocolate into a bowl.
For melting the chocolate you can use a microwave.


Add some milk and the paste is ready for dipping the grapes into it.
As you can see, we used slices bananas too.


Arrange fruit on wooden skewers.
Let cool a moment in the fridge.


Serve to hungry kids!

Class of ...

My old primary school class is planning a reunion.
The idea started on the social network site Facebook where some of us got back in touch. Uncovering all these profiles is fun for curious people like me but now it's time to meet again, in person, to hear what everybody's been up to and what they are doing with their lives. Did the one who loved to cook make it into chef or the one who loved gardening, did he become a landscape designer? Who became the devoted housewife with a bunch of kids, who is the adventurer travelling all over the world, exploring unknown places and who is the businessman completing MBA programmes, writing notes on his blackberry?

I'm asked to make the invitation card. So I searched in overcrowded shoeboxes, scanned some old class photo's, spent some time scrapping and this is what I've made of it...
Brings back sweet memories...

Inspiration from Vinnie Pearce. Check out her beautiful scrapkits!

An Egg-cellent Easter!

A wonderful Easter to all of you & happy egg hunting!

1. easter crafts, 2. easter gift, 3. vrolijk pasen!!!, 4. Vrolijk Pasen! Happy Easter!, 5. ~ Happy Easter ~, 6. Little Wishing, 7. Bunnies in teacups, 8. egg still (2/2), 9. Chocolate Eggs in crate, 10. Valrhona Chocolate Easter Eggs, 11. Fresia 002, 12. Bunny for the little girl, 13. Another Easter Egg Wreath (Nog Een Paaseitjes Krans), 14. Chick in an Egg Easter Card (detail), 15. Peeps, 16. Easter Basket

Celebrate Spring Swap

Remember my first swap I did participate, the Celebrate Spring Swap organised by the lovely Inspired Mama.
Meanwhile I know my swap partner has received her package, so I can share some pictures of what I made of it.



Little terracotta pots, painted in bright colours orange and pink. Filled with little chocolates.
And also: Seeds. Recipe for Asparagus Quiche. Bubbles for the kids.

I hope she liked it and it brightened up her spring home!
Me, I received a packet from the Inspired Mama herself.
It contained a gorgeous little felted nest and bird, complete with two felted eggs.
This is just beautiful! It looks great on my little spring table, but is also fun to play with for the kids. Also the recipe sounds delicious: a veggie pasta salad. Thank you very much, Erika!



For who wants to try this spring project at home, Inspired Mama has made a tutorial you can find here.

The next one will be a Celebrate Summer Swap, I'm looking forward to it!
Anyone who still needs to be convinced?

Birthday -close to Easter- Treats

This week we celebrate Little Lady's birthday. See three little fingers popping up. And she enjoys: sitting on the special birthday chair, wearing a birthday crown, a lot of little extra privileges and of course, treats for the class!
How delighted she was, carrying this big biscuit box, filled with chocolate muffins -oh so carefully- to school.
My mummy heart filled with a warm glow... Our baby girl turns into a beautiful little lady, but way to fast.

Recipe for about 1 dozen:

100 g chocolate (dark with praline filling)
3 eggs
80 g powdered sugar
100 g butter
80 g plain flour

Preheat oven to 220°C.
Melt together the butter and chopped dark chocolate.
Whisk together the eggs and powdered sugar until it foams.
Stir the chocolate and the flour in this mixture. Make sure the batter is smooth and the chocolate is evenly incorporated.
Fill muffin tins and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.

These are decorated with some candy eggs in a chocolate nest.
Yummy mummy!

Itchy green fingers

Oh, how they are itching, these green fingers of mine. Itching to get out into the garden, to get digging, sowing and planting. And then, anxiously waiting for the first green to peep up.
Luckily I saw this homemade chia pet at The Crafty Crow, a great idea to introduce my littlies to the joy of watching something grow with the anticipation of Nature.

To work!

You need: women's nylons-Garden Cress seeds-soil-small bowl-
paper, pens or paint, glue

Sprinkle the seeds into the end of the stocking,

rolling them around to cover where you want them to grow.

Next fill with a handful of gardening soil.
Tie it off tightly in a knot.

Draw or paint a funny face and glue it on.

Place these funny little guys, knot side down,

in a small saucer of water.

Keep them watered and in the sunlight.

Watch their hair grow!

Btw. Take yourself some time to check out The Crafty Crow. She collects the most amazing ideas to play and craft with the kids. It's one of my favorites!

Happy SPRING Time!

1. Blue Grape Hyacinth, 2. Fill my heart with gladness..., 3. Swedish Design Blogs, 4. Self portrait, retro look II, 5. White Valentine's day tulips, 6. Sunlight through sheer lime green top, 7. Baby Swan Covered in Weed, 8. White rabbit, 9. Magnolia Stellata, 10. Glamorosi - Pastel Gemstone Earrings with Hammered Sterling Silver, 11. Infant Daisy Flapper Beanie and Maryjanes - celery, yellow, soft ecru, 12. felt heart ornament with button wreath, 13. Anna strikes AGAIN! Amazing fleamarket finds..all the way from C.A.!, 14. Spring Tag Set, 15. Tulips in sunlight, 16. Les oeufs brouillés aux asperges vertes, 17. Spring Bird Hello Card, 18. A peaceful seat to rest a while, 19. That's a BIG Noise from a Lil lamb..:O))), 20. bahar başıma vurdu...

Spring recipe to swap

I'm finishing my package for the Celebrate Spring Swap. Tomorrow it will be ready to ship, all the way to Canada. Curious to know what's in it? Patience, my friends. It had to include a handmade seasonal decoration, your family's tradition to welcome spring and your favorite seasonal recipe.
My first swap, I'm so excited! It was fun putting the package together. Matching things and colours together until everything fits just right, I just looove it.
Just as much as receiving surprises. So from now on, I'm keeping one eye on our mailbox and an other one on the Seasonal Celebrations Flickr group.

Oh all right, here's for you the release of a delicious spring recipe...

Asparagus quiche!

Leftover Salad with WhiteLeaf

I don't like wasting food. Regularly you can find me in the kitchen making a stock-list of what's left behind. And what's better than give these leftovers a second life by creating a delicious lunch salad?
Ok, in wintertime a good warm, tasty soup would do. But since we felt a little spring in the air, we prefer to chop the rejected portions into nice little chuncks, mingle them with some creativity and finish it with some imagination as some extra flavor.

After looking through the fridge I've made this salad with WhiteLeaf, also known as chicory or Belgian endive.

Recipe:

Slice the Iceberg lettuce and chicory into 1cm thick strips.

Toss together with bit sized cubes of apple.

Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep the whole fresh.
Place chunks french cheese eg. Brie on top of it

and add some raisins.

Dress with warm honey.

Result: A good-tasting salad and colleague-eyes gazing into my lunchbox. Bon Appetit!

Invitation Baptism

I made the invitation-card for the baptism of Little Boy.

It is kept very simple, as the celebration will be,

just us, grandparents and his godparents. And the priest.

A close, intimate but intense ceremony.

Still working on it by selecting words, music and readings

which express our gratitude, hopes and dreams for this new little life,

so precious to us.

Spring is in the air

At first, I don't see, hear nor feel the first signs of spring...I smell it.
And today, there it was. This warm, earthly scent of Nature awakening.
I opened all doors and windows to get that breeze in our little home. It gave such energy!

We went for a long walk through the fields and orchards. Snowdrops laid a white blanket between the trees, here and there spring crocusses brought dots of colour on the dampy soil. And how cliché you can get, lambs were hopping around on loose feet. And so did our Little Boy, his first steps outside the house. So cute and so much fun!
It's a pity I can't show you any pictures since I forgot the camera on the roof of our car. (Fortunately it was still there when we came back. Yes, honest people do exist!)
But much more I wish I could sent the fresh scent to you, so you could all take a deep new breath.

And what's up with this need to clean windows when I feel spring in the air. Recognizable to anyone?

Finally I found this Celebrate Spring swap at inspiredmamamusings
Sign up until tuesday, march 3th.
As you noticed I'm totally in the mood for this one, so... I'm in!

I DO feel like dancing.

Every morning, in between the rush to get out of the door and starting up the computer at work, there is a little break. Me, my car and the morning radio. From calming classical to pumping beats, depending on the hours of sleep and morning madness before.


This week is Crazy Top 10 Week on the local radio station, I tune in on...the Pink Top 10.
Oh boys, this is fun! I Do feel like dancing! I feel the movement coming up, and at the traffic lights there I go...
My arms go pumping, my hands go up, then down and up again, fingers shaking toward the driving mirror and back again, shoulders heaving up to the right, holding there for a moment before falling back leftwards and my hands sweep up, up, up...

What a way to start the day.
On the stairs towards my office I'm still humming...
You can dance, you can ji-hive, lalaaa the dancing queen...

The Pink Top 10 on 4fm-radio:
10 Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing
9 Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way
8 Army Of Lovers - Crucified
7 Sylvester - You Make Me Feel
6 Shirley Bassey - This Is My Life
5 Dana International - Diva
4 Kate Ryan - Je t'Adore
3 Liliane Saint Pierre - Soldiers Of Love
2 Abba - Dancing Queen
1 Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive

First post.

This one seems to be terrible important. What should a first post be about?
Should I introduce myself? Tell you about my past 30 years. About my daily living with two cute-kids and their super-papa. My dreams and hopes.
Or the one too many hobbies, and too little time...

Let's keep it short. I want to share with you these little things that pass my way and bring joy into this life.
A treat for all senses...
Enjoy!