2 Nov

It has been a crazy busy few weeks.  We’ve had guests, parties, trips, root canals (ouch) and a lot of movie-making.  To say I’m exhausted would be an understatement.  Oh and to top it off I’ve been off sugar for two weeks as well.  I’d like to tell you that I feel so much healthier and full of energy but I’m going to be honest; I’ve been a sugar craving basket case.  The stuff is worse than crack my friends.  It’s going to get easier, right?

Here are a few images of the past days.

Making pizza box skeletons to decorate the yard for Halloween.  In mad scientist clothing of course.

Choppy lake and snow covered mountains.  In October?  Not a good sign.

130 trick-or-treaters and a house full of friends celebrating makes the perfect Halloween.

Beach walk.

Multi-coloured leaf collection.

Arona on a sunny day.

Enjoy your week-end!

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A Kid’s Life: Holland

1 Nov

Time for another interview from my A Kid’s Life series.  Over the past months I’ve absolutely loved doing these interviews and learning about what families from around the world are up to on a daily basis.

Today’s family lives in Holland but is by no means the “average Dutch family”.  Both parents are from Colombia and have lived all over the world over the last 20 years.  Giova (the Mama) told me that she has adopted traditions and customs from all these different cultures and integrated them into their daily life.  I can relate to that!

Giova is one of the writers behind the charming blog One Bunting Away (the other is her sister who lives on the other side of the ocean).  She’s a creative soul and sweet as can be.  The sisters write about their lives and what they find beautiful and inspiring.

Giova is the also the proud mama of two boys of very different ages.  As you’ll see from her photos that there is nothing cuter than a big brother holding his little baby brother’s hand.  Heart melting really.

Now let’s hear a little about their daily life….

What country do you live in?

We live in Holland, but we are not Dutch.

Are you and your husband the same nationality?

Yes, we were both born in Colombia. We left 20 years ago.

Do you both work?  Or does someone stay at home?

We both work from home

How many languages are spoken in your house?  What one(s)?

Spanish is what we speak between us, but we all speak English, even the little one has started.

How many kids do you have?  What are their ages?

Two. One is 11, and the other is 2

Continue reading →

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“Traveling With Kids” Column on Classic Play! (House Swapping)

31 Oct

Time again for one of my Traveling With Kids columns on the wonderful blog Classic Play!.  This time I write a bit about our house-swapping experiences.  We’ve done three so far and they have all been very positive.  It’s a great way to “live like a local” and save some serious cash.   I talk about the pros and cons of swapping and the fact I’m still on the fence about what I really feel about it.  I’ll be honest, it’s weird having strangers in your house and using your things.  Take a look and let me know what you think about house-swapping and your experiences.

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Rhubarb Ginger Chutney

25 Oct

During the whole summer I proudly showed off my garden to anyone who dropped by the house and every single time I showed my overgrowing rhubarb plants I would say I was just about to make chutney with it.  I started saying this 5 months ago and yesterday I finally got around to actually making it.

I’ll be honest.  Rhubarb isn’t on my top 10 list of favorite fruits (is it even a fruit?).  It’s actually not even in my top 20.  The tartness of rhubarb usually makes my jaw ache and I personally find it tastes like what I think a mouthful of maple leaves would taste like.

But we planted it a few years ago and now we have a thriving supply of it all summer long.  I made a surprisingly lovely Cherry Rhubarb Lavender Jam (the jam that almost killed me!) and a few tarts as well.  But considering we live in Italy and down the street from an amazing fresh cheese farm I wanted to try making a chutney to accompany all that wonderful sheep and goat cheeses that we eat on a daily basis.

I first saw this recipe on Raincoast Cottage months ago and  it’s originally from Martha Stewart.  I had to change up the recipe slightly but in the end it turned out quite tasty and the perfect accompaniment with cheese, crusty ciabatta and assorted sliced meats for dinner.  Click for recipe…

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Celebration

22 Oct

This past summer my entire family spent six full days doing nothing but folding paper cranes.  We folded 1000 and for every single crane we sent positive and healing thoughts to a very sweet six year old boy.

This past week-end we were invited to celebrate with this same little boy.  The celebration was for the arrival of an amazing electric train set equipped with bridges, waterfalls, houses, mountains, trees and a double railway.  The train was given to him by the Make A Wish Foundation.  It was his wish.  And he was ecstatic.

We all celebrated and enjoyed the afternoon with him and his train.  It was a beautiful time.

We all left with hearts full of love for this sweet little boy.

On the way home we passed a field that had the most lovely late afternoon sun on it.  We stopped and I photographed my three children and as I did this I thought about how grateful I am for every day I have with them.  Every bedtime.  Every conversation. Every meal.  Every birthday.  Every milestone in their lives.   Lately I’ve been squeezing them a little tighter and telling them I love them a little more often.

 

“Traveling With Kids” Column on Classic Play! (Yangshuo, China)

18 Oct

It’s that time again.  If you pop over to the Classic Play! blog you can read all about our time in the Guilin/Yangshuo area in Southern China.  It was full of beautiful cycle trips, downriver rafting, making tofu and autograph signing sessions.  A seriously beautiful time with my family.  Even despite the 45 degree heat.  If you’re planning a trip to China with your family this area is a must!

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Sew Japanese

17 Oct

A few months ago I received some lovely Japanese sewing  books in the mail.  I’ve been admiring them for ages and I’ve finally made my first pattern from one of them.  This pattern is from the book Simple Modern Sewing by Shofu To Seikatsu Sha.  This is a great book that offers 25 different garments (including pattern pieces).

My Tuesday morning sewing group and I decided to start by making this lovely little sleeveless blouse with ruffle neck.  In the book it’s pictured in black linen but I opted for this very lightweight Max Mara cotton.

The original pattern has the ruffle going around the front and the back of the neckline but I opted to attach it only at the front.  For me a little ruffle goes a long way.

One of the main things that I noticed about Japanese patterns is how different they fit than the average “western” pattern.  They design much more loose-fitting and shapeless garments and I love how they look on the Japanese models in the books. For me personally I tend to look better in more fitted styles so I took this blouse in on the sides to give it a bit more shape.

I think a pattern like this is great because you can make it in so many different ways.  You can make it longer, shorter, with ruffle, without ruffle and change it drastically just be using a different fabric.  In the book there is also the option to make this particular blouse in three different ways: sleeveless (like the one I made) with cap sleeves or with butterfly sleeves.

So now all I need is some hot summer weather so I can wear this pretty summer blouse.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a while…

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Miniature Pretzel Bites

15 Oct


It’s cold and rainy over here today.  It seems as though the summer is finally over and that the heating system might need to be put to work again.  I have to admit that I’m absolutely not looking forward to winter and cold weather.  I’m one of those people who can never feel warm in the winter months.  I walk around the house with double wool socks, thick scarves and lots of fleece and I have the thermostat on 23 degrees and the fireplace on.  It’s one of the main reasons I moved away from Canada actually.  So wish me luck this winter and let’s hope for a short one.

To beat the chill I can usually be found baking.  Last week I made these miniature pretzel bites and they were devoured within minutes of being out of the oven.   The extra step of boiling the dough before baking is daunting for some people but it’s really not that bad!

I came across the idea to make pretzels over on Say Yes to Hoboken and the recipe is from the Our Best Bites site.  I decided to make the dough into miniature balls so that I could make several different flavours.  For this batch I made some savoury ones with sesame and poppy seeds and some sweet ones with cinnamon and sugar.  They really are so chewy and tasty.  My kids are asking for them on a daily basis now.

There’s nothing like Fleischmann’s quick rising yeast packets from Canada.  Good thing my mom arrives in a few weeks with some more.

Continue reading →

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Naviglio

11 Oct

Last week-end the weather was beautiful, the kids were keen and our bike wheels were full of air so we decided to do a beautiful bike ride along the Canals of Navigli.  The Navigli Canals run from the north all the way down into the city of Milan.

We started our ride in the small town of Nosate which is about a 30 minute drive from our house. We loaded all five bikes in and on our cars and off we went.

We started off on our bike ride mid-morning and cycled a few hours before stopping for a picnic on the lawns of the Villa Gaia in the town of Robecco Sul Naviglio.

The car-free cycle paths are beautifully maintained and wind along the canals through lush forested areas.  We were lucky with perfect warm weather and blue skies (without any mosquitoes!).

Every so often you have to cycle through an old town many of which have quaint little restaurants and bars in which you can stop to eat or have a drink.

Along the canals you come across many of these old abandoned Renaissance villas.  Who on earth abandons a mansion such as this?

It’s possible to ride along the canals from Lago Maggiore (Sesto Calende) all the way into Milan.  This time we managed a little more than 40 km but we hope to do the entire ride into Milan next year.

I really do live in a beautiful place.

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After Eight Brownies

9 Oct

Is there anything tastier than chocolate and mint together?  For me it’s one of my favorite flavour unions.  Deep rich dark chocolate with a hint of that fresh minty taste just satisfies my sweet tooth like nothing else (see recipe for my Chocolate Shortbreads with Minty Ganache Filling too).  And the mint just gives me the idea that it’s healthier.  It is green and grows in my garden after all.

For these brownies I did not use my own fresh mint but I did use an entire box of After Eights.  I made a double batch of my favourite brownie recipe and poured half the batter into the bottom of a glass rectangular baking dish.  I then covered the top with After Eight chocolates before pouring the remaining batter on top.  So easy and so tasty.  And of course the mint makes them really healthy and low fat.

These made the perfect little treat for a dear friend who just turned 50.

 

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