Author: jessicapeters95

Hello humans 😊 This is where you learn about me I suppose, though anyone reading this right now most likely knows all the boring details ;) I am Jessica Rose Peters-Hagenouw. (Always thought I'd be able to pronounce my married name but hey, life doesn't go as we plan.) June 11, 1995, tis the day Robert and Bonnie Peters received the most adorable, amazing, wonderful, surprise 3rd child they could have dreamed of. Speaking of being the third child, I have an older brother and an older sister. Both of whom are married and have wee little families of their own, making 'Aunty Jess' another name I go by. I grew up and have lived all of my years up till November 2015 in Saskatchewan, Canada. Making summers that are extremely short and winters that never end, vast open spaces, northern lights, unthinkable amounts of mosquitoes, lakes, forests and people waving to you on the grid road all different things that mean = Home. But Home is not where I'll be for some time. My husband is a Dutchman, living in Europe. Therefore I too have been living in Europe for the last few months. The reason I started this little blog/journal/writing thing, is to document a bit of my "whole new world," for those at home who wont be awake at 3:00 am wanting to hear about how I couldn't find flour at the grocery store. Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek into my little life 😊

Grands, Greek And Good Times

09/23/21

A pretty sunrise and macarons for breakfast, meant that the day began on a good note 😉

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We made arrangements to go and visit with Lake’s great Oma and Opa at their home during that afternoon, where Mike and I were served some hot chocolate and Lake was given a cookie to gnaw on for a while, as he’s still only got two teeth 🤪

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The toy trunk was opened and all kinds of goodies were taken out and examined.

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Daddy and Opa had to help show some of the toys and their uses 😉

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Among the things that were brought out for Lake’s entertainment were some traditional Dutch clogs.
We didn’t expect to get as much laughter out of them as we did, but I’m so happy this happened 🙈

Once he realized it was his feet making the noise, he definitely added some extra gusto into his kicks 😂  The other pair of clogs they had, which fit him better, came home with us 😜👌🏼

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Time came for us to end our visit there and drop Lake off at his Aunty’s, so we could go out and enjoy the Greek restaurant in Germany, without him 🤪
Needing to put our full attention on the food 😉
Syrtaki, the place we’d frequent now and then while living in The Netherlands, welcomed us once again.

The complimentary starters of a very heavily dressed yet somehow still tasty salad, little toasted bread slices with two type of butters came out and this time we added a cheese stuffed pepper to go with as well 😅
We got our regular two dishes, planning to share, as we so often tend to do.
It was good, and we overestimated our capabilities as to how much we could eat, but that’s what to go containers are for 🤪

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Taking that route along the Rhine river back to the car, we enjoyed the setting sun and Mike pointed out an overlooking apartment he’d once looked at getting for us before our wedding. Due to how far away it was from work and being in Germany where there’s even less English spoken, it had turned into a no go. But it’s interesting to think how things COULD have been in a way.

Dessert awaited us at the sister-in-law’s and little did I know, but she’d made one especially for me😉

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A lemon meringue tart!

I felt very honoured, and we enjoyed it very much, though we were very, very full at that point 😅
Lake had benefited from some personal bonding and we also, but then came the dessert and visiting with family thrown in, so it was a win-win all around in our books 😉

I Say Pancake, You Say Pannenkoek

09/22/21

1 week and 5 days in, I got my first day at the house to do nothing but unpack, tidy up, shower, laundry (though my kind mother-in-law did most of the laundry during our stay 🙈) etc.

12 days of being on the go, visiting people, and being out and about amidst other humans in some form or another, is, as some may know if they  know my personality, A. LOT. 😅🥴

I was so ready for a chill day. Meanwhile, Mike was not capable of relaxing in the day, wanting to know what we could do, or where we could go and when I stated no where and nothing, he managed to go out multiple times alone for different things, but that didn’t totally satisfy him 😏

He got us kibbeling and loempia’s for lunch.

Kibbeling being a delicious freshly fried fish with tartar sauce. The man even told Mike that the fish they use for it comes from Canada 🤔
But the seasoning and crunchy batter is 👌🏻

Lake decided to walk that afternoon!  As we were sitting in our various spots, he suddenly stood by a chair, turned and walked to Mike with no cajoling. From there he walked to me and then so on and so forth until Opa came downstairs to witness it and the game continued.

He walked between us all for some distance and time, and we figured our days of having a crawler were no more.

Opa offered to babysit Lake, while we were allowed to take out his Porsche for a ride 😎

The Pannenkoekhuis Strijland in Velp ended up as our destination.
A fairly renowned restaurant which we had never actually been to together/Mike hadn’t been for to years.

One sweet and one savoury were ordered to share, peaches with sugar and Italian.

The pancakes are a little tricky to explain, as they aren’t as thin and light as crêpes, nor are the as thick and fluffy as some North American pancakes. They are on the thinner side, but also more dense, bordering on a heavier, custard like texture.
We were without a doubt the youngest couple in there 🙈
It appeared to be ‘the’ spot for those who are let’s say…of a wiser and more learned place in having lived a more substantial amount of life 😜
The flavours on the Italian one were very nice, and the peach one was good as well, I’d just expected a little more than it came with topping wise 🤪
All in all, it was nice to try, we checked that attraction off of our list, and we probably won’t be headed back overly soon, but that’s just because we’re not huge Dutch pancake fans to begin with ☺️

John, Inge and Lake were met back in Doesburg, as they were finishing up a little snack at a restaurant there, and we didn’t have keys for the house.

Lake may have had a look of slight confusion for a fleeting moment, not understanding how mom and dad were suddenly on the path where he was after not having seen us for a while 🤪

We all headed back to the house then and later that evening, our delivery from Tout Pâtisserie arrived 🤤

The best macarons we’ve found in our European travels thus far 💗
The taste, the texture, the crunchy chewiness, the thick, creamy filling. They are amazing.

We always try to get them, but they are in some out of the way spots for us, so it gets tricky. Thinking of having them deliver, worked out perfectly 👌🏻

Lake showed his newly rekindled talent for walking once we got back to the house as well, getting giddier and picking up speed as well as some extra swaying, the more praise he received 🙈

(I say newly rekindled, because over a month ago, he was walking between us and from furniture and whatnot for a couple of days and then just stopped until now 🤪)

Where We Once ‘Winkled’

09/21/21

Winkel –  To shop.

A Dutch word that never fails to amuse me 🤪

We’d pre-planned a shopping date with Oma as babysitter for Tuesday, so we readied ourselves and drove to Arnhem.

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That’s the city we’d typically go to for a day of shopping when we lived here. It’s street shopping, meaning in and out of stores, walking down streets and allies, where I’d be completely turned around and lost if not for Mike always seeming to know which way to go, to get to wherever we are headed 🤪

It didn’t take too long until we felt like we needed food, so we went to one of Mikes favourite places to get fries. Spot him ordering below.

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It’s very much a Dutch thing to eat fries, but Mike REALLY loves them. 

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I love the mayo and peanut sauté sauce that covers up that fact that I’m eating fries 🤪

We walked and shopped and didn’t really find much. The stores being on what I consider to be the slightly pricier side and a fair chunk of them currently having very similar styles.

I always enjoy ‘Dille & Kamille’ a shop with a variety of home and gift items.

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Mike gets sick of my picking up all the little cutesy things, wishing I’d just look at something of substance, but I can’t help that A; little things are cuter and B; we have only suitcase room, so that’s what I’m keeping in mind 😏

This adorable wooden seashell hairbrush set was spotted in a children’s shop. I found it to be extremely precious.

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The €60.00 price tag meant it stayed there and wouldn’t be a gift for the newest niece though 🤪  
A follower wisely reminded me though that there aren’t only mermaids but also mermen, so technically it could have been for Lake 😜🙌🏻

There was a ‘pepernoten’ pop up shop due to it being fall and nearing their Sinterklaas season (look it up if you’re curious, I find it confusing 🤪 It’s like a pre Christmas thing, which is very much like Christmas 🤓) so we purchased a bag to take home. I remember mom getting ‘peppernut’ cookies from the farmers market when we were young, so there must have been a seller of European decent 😊

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Back at the house, nearly empty-handed from shopping, it was decided that a calzone, kapsalon and pasta would be ordered in for supper.

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Babysitting had gone well for Oma, and she’d taken Lake on a 20 km bike exploration 😅

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* I ask that you do your best to ignore any spelling mistakes, as on my iPad the set up is different, and I can’t find an easy way to do a spelling / grammar check. Thank you for your understanding 🤪

A Home Grown Flora Fascination

09/20/21

I loved the feel of the home we stayed in during our time in the more northern area of The Netherlands  🖤

Here, it’s somewhat described as ‘landelijke stijl’, roughly translated to ‘country style’. If I could replicate it to a degree with a little bit of my color love thrown in, I think I’d be pretty pleased with the result 🤪

It’s like, a classy boho/vintage with old charm thrown in, a blending of old and new, and so many textures…

New velvet, well loved leather, a sheepskin throw atop a wooden chair.

Little details all coming together to make for a home that’s not only comfortable, but also interesting.

Our hosts were also very nice, which I think in no small part lent to the homey atmosphere 😉👌🏻

Permission was asked, and granted for the sharing of these images 😉

Many of you may know them via their businesses,

Smit Kwekerijen

VIP Plants

Grow Jungle

Smit Natuurlijk

They do plants.

Like, lots of plants.

We’ve even seen their products in Wilson’s Lifestyle Centre in Saskatoon!
Which is actually a very Dutch like store, many products even say outright ‘from the Netherlands’.

But, back to the story at hand…

As they have their own business, Monday morning came with work, which Mike was able to tag along for.
I happily stayed back and enjoyed some downtime, sitting and writing, while Lake slept 👌🏻
By the time they returned it was near lunchtime and all the family returned to the house for it. Which was nice because then we got in more time to hang out even though it was a work day.
Afterwords, we packed up and headed out to visit the cousins at their perspective work places as well as the  store front.

Exploring those areas, we learned about the costs and time it takes to start new plants, how they securely pack the plants for shipping out and so on.

It’s interesting stuff, but as a non plant enthusiast/life giver, it all seems stressful to me in the fact that you can just let your profit literally die 😂

Supper was being made for us at some friends whom we previously always visited when we went to South Africa!
They moved back to her home, her being from Holland, so now we got to see them here and each of us had a new babe as well.
How things change 🤪
I had to walk outside with Lake  for a while to get him down for a nap, but after that, we had a nice dinner and visit together. Catching up, discussing houses, work, babes and all the highlighted areas adult life encompasses, before we headed away from the Groningen area, and back to Doesburg.

* I ask that you do your best to ignore any spelling mistakes, as on my iPad the set up is different, and I can’t find an easy way to do a spelling / grammar check. Thank you for your understanding 🤪

The Sunday Rhythm

09/19/21

An early Sunday morning greeted us.

Once again, preparing of myself, the son, the diaper bag etc. took way, and then we joined the family for breakfast. 
Adorning the table before us, were baskets holding different varieties of breads, various spreads, sprinkles and butter, cheeses, meats, juice and coffee.
A classic Dutch breakfast 😉🥐🥖🧀🥨☕️

It was a one-hour drive to church, which we experienced in the company of our hosts, as we rode together with them since we’d be returning to their house again afterwards.

We then rode back with another couple (Mikes cousin and his wife), since they’d be headed back to the house sooner and that’s always a plus where taking care of Lake is concerned, and when my having to mingle with fewer people is concerned as well 🙈

Some McDonald’s was grabbed on the drive back and for the most part, we discussed food. Which when you write that maybe it sounds a little sad, but it seems to always be a satisfying topic if the people you’re with, are like-minded food consumers 🤪

We got to tour some of their newly renovated home and loved what we saw.

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Black kitchen cabinets, high ceilings with beams for added texture and some really unique, window style room dividers which gave the space some boundaries, while also keeping it feeling open.

They live right beside the home we stayed at, so we eventually crossed the yard and relocated over there for the meal of Dutch snacks that had been picked up.

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Our evening was then spent visiting and playing a game.

Amidst trying to get Lake to sleep, which he wasn’t so willing to do as the night before. This time being awake enough to realize he was in a different surrounding than usual.

All in all, though we were away from our home, and our home away from home, the Sunday rhythm changes little. Arise early, prepare for church, attend, a decent chunk of driving, afternoon lazing about, eating and so on and so forth 😉

 

* I ask that you do your best to ignore any spelling mistakes, as on my iPad the set up is different, and I can’t find an easy way to do a spelling / grammar check. Thank you for your understanding 🤪

 
 

 

Meneer En Mevrouw

09/18/21

‘…Going to the chapel, and we’re, gonna get married, going to the chapel …’

… or in this case, not ‘we’, but ‘they’, and in a converted barn and outdoor ceremony space, not a chapel. You get the idea though 😉

Packing and wedding preparing took up the morning, and then we were off on the two some hour drive to the wedding location in Groningen, where our cousin was going to be tying the knot. 
We ended up getting to the area a little earlier than expected, so we found some coffee and a cookie to hold us over until after the ceremony.

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It was humorous to us that the ‘to go’ cup proudly stated ‘I’m a big, hot cup’ when it was very clearly, ‘a small little cup’ in our Canadianized eyes 🤪
But that’s fine, and the white chocolate chip with macadamia nuts was actually really tasty 👌🏻

At the wedding location, Lake was more than ready to be out of his car seat and or stroller, walking with anyone who’d take him. Though going to anyone who’s willing to have him, has NOT been a problem whatsoever this trip 🤪

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He and I watched the groom arrive in a vintage mustang, and the bride exit the building, from a little seating area, away from the actual event.
He finally settled down and stopped his possibly unwelcome noises, once he found a stick to scratch the dirt with 🤪 
Daddy came for us, saying the announcer had said the kids were welcome to be decently free, since it was a smaller, mostly family wedding, with many of whom, had many small children 😅🙈 So, the stick held him over for a while, then his distant cousin the row in front of us and finally, the baby’s breath decorating the chair, is what took over in the area of distraction until the ceremony ended 😬

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‘Meneer en Mevrouw Ezra Hagenouw’, were announced 💗🎶💐 

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We were then dismissed, and the greetings began as everyone slowly made their way into the open courtyard area for the cutting and eating of the cake. 
That is when Lake and I again took our exit, as nap time was due.

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After sometime, the pleasant weather and jostling of the walk had its way, and Lake entered dreamland.
There wasn’t really anywhere to leave him that would be easily accessible/not loud, so I sat with him outside…catching up on blog writing while I had a moment. 
(While also trying to ignore my belly’s disappointment at missing out on the cake 🤪)
45 minutes later, his little nap ended and then his oma took over 😉

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Weddings in Holland generally have servers roaming about, taking drink orders, clearing away old ones. It’s such a nice  feature that makes it feel that extra bit of special. Though that could just be my perception of it since it’s not something I’ve ever experienced at a wedding at home 😋

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Chatting amongst the everyone passed the time until dinner was served, at which time Lake become our charge again, and we happily partook of the meal ☺️
An ice cream cart was presented come dessert time.

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Meanwhile, I’m not sure where Lake really was or what he was doing, but I assume he was for the most part with either his oma or opa 😅🙈 It was a smaller wedding and Mike was related to, or friends with almost all who were in attendance, so it was a nice place for Lake to mingle.

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He is also the one responsible for the destruction of this hay bale…

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These are the only ‘us’ pictures that were captured.

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The wedding moved into the enclosed side of the building as evening came and brought a chill with it.

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The time for speeches, slideshows and games thus began. 
Lake’s patience was waning but another nap via the stroller wasn’t going to be an option, as he knew not to fall for such trickery again 🤪

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Finally, the night drew to an end, and we drove a couple of minutes to the home of some family we’d be staying with over the weekend.

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Lake succumb to sleep the moment we drove out of the parking lot and stayed that way as we deposited him into the crib in our room…

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