Tag Archives: photography

Smock

8 Nov

Today I sewed the most adorable little smock in the world.  So adorable it actually had me contemplating having a 4th child just so that I would have someone to wear it.  Little kid’s clothing is so sweet and small and gives me pain in my heart that my little ones have grown so long and lanky.  It’s true what all those boring adults said to us as kids about time passing so quickly (while pinching our cheeks).  I mean, it’s November folks.  November!  Sinterklaas (very important day for every Dutch speaking kid on December 6th) and Christmas are just around the corner.  Which means 2013 is upon our heels as well.  Deep breath.

So as I was saying before having that little panic attack, I made a gorgeous little smock from an easy Danish pattern my friend found in Denmark (it helps my other friend is an amazing seamstress and teacher and managed to figure out the pattern even if it was in a foreign language).

I used a beautiful fabric from Petit Pan and some great polka dot bias that I found at an Amsterdam market a few weeks back.  Unfortunately I was short a bit so I had to use some yellow bias for the neckline and armholes but in the end I like all the different colours.

I added a little polka dotted pocket at the front so that the little one can store all of their favorite treasures found on their path.  Emptying my kids pockets is one of my favorite things to do.  The things you find tell so much about their day and their personalities.  There’s actually an amazing initiative by some Dutch ladies that revolve around taking photos of zakschatten (pocket treasures).  Pop over here to read all about it and see some great photos of kid’s pocket treasures.

I’m going to be honest.  I would put my kid in this as a real dress with a shirt and leggings underneath.  It’s too sweet to be just a smock.  You’ve got to love the Danish design and French fabric combination.  Now off to make 10 more of these!

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Vanilla Bean Pudding

6 Nov

Since I’ve been off sugar for 2 1/2 weeks my baking has come to almost a full stop.  It’s sad really.  I miss all that mixing, kneading, stirring and blending.  Not to mention the eating of all those glorious sweets that I used to bake on a daily basis.  More than anything else I’ve been craving the Italian jam pie crostata.  I wouldn’t even try it for the first decade of living in Italy because it looked so dry but in the end it has become one of my favourite desserts.  I will be trying to make one this coming week-end (because I’m allowing myself the odd treat on Saturday or Sunday).  I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Because I was feeling so bad for my kids and the fact they haven’t been able to enjoy some good home-baking I decided to make them something special for when they got off the school bus today.  I was thinking of making a fancy fruit mousse or trifle but in the end I opted for the most basic of desserts.  Pudding.  Vanilla pudding.  I had never made my kids pudding in their little lives so I thought it was time to give it a try.  Plus, my mom bought me the most lovely little glasses that were crying to be filled with something delicious and creamy.

My kids liked the pudding but asked why there were little pieces of dirt floating in it.  I explained to them about vanilla beans and how wonderful they are.  They looked at me like they still thought there was dirt in their pudding.

It’s a simple and quick recipe and I’m amazed at how it turned out so smoothly and lump-less.  Read on to get the recipe…

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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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“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.

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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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