Savouring – The Snuggles, The Food, The Family Time

09/26/21

Lake and I had church from the couch on this specific Sunday.

He slept in until 10:30 and was back down for a large nap only an hour and a half later, after only having laid on the floor, or me, during his awake time between. Refusing any food or drink, aside from coffee 🤪

I can’t lie and say I didn’t actually sort of like the snuggles and calmness 🙈
It truly was the first time in his first year of life (aside from the baby days when he didn’t really have any say 🤪) that he willingly clung to me, and wanted to continue doing so 💗

The rest of the family that had attended church, returned with lunch from another Greek restaurant that we had on our ‘to eat’ list 😉

We decided that it did have the better meat compared to the first Greek restaurant we’d went to.
Looks aside 🤪 Why does it seem like some of the tastiest foods, look the least appealing?
So, if you’re ever in the area, make a point to go to ‘Grill Am Bahnhof’ and order Gyros, you can thank us later.

Lake stayed asleep until after lunch, which is always a nice treat 🙈 Once he awoke and seen the kids, he really perked up and seemed to be doing better ☺️

We went for a little visit to some family/friends from church later that afternoon and then popped in to say hello to some more family after that 😅 Mike has no shortage of family, friends and friends like family and so on and so forth, so if we ever had ‘spare’ time, it wasn’t hard to fill 🤪

Originally we’d planned to go back to John and Inge’s that evening, but after learning they’d both be working, we figured we’d might as well stay another night at the sisters, if she’d have us 😉

Once the children were all in bed, we were treated to an evening spread of veggies, sausages and bread with a feta/tomato dip 👌🏼

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 🤪

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…

,

Uncontrolled Consumption

09/17/21

Friday morning’s breakfast was the lemon meringue tart we’d purchased the day before in Doesburg.

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(It fell over before we got it in the refrigerator and was then cut into before I could attempt a photo. That’s one reason I’m bad at food blogging, I often get lost in the allure of eating and thus forget to actually document the item, pre-consumption 🤪)

I take my lemon meringue tarts that we purchase during trips, pretty seriously, so I like to make a little event out of it 🤪
Appraise the presentation, taste the curd alone to see how lemony it really is, find out if the meringue is too airy or of the thicker consistency which I so enjoy, etcetera.

This ones meringue was on point, thick and texturally pleasing, not just an airy puff that disappeared upon biting into it 👌🏻
The curd was pleasant,  though perhaps not as wonderfully tart and smooth as some I’ve had.
The downfall of it, in my opinion, was that it had a white cake like base, rather than a crumb bottom.
I prefer having the crunch and contrast in textures, but understand them wanting to do something different from the typical tart.

That afternoon, I had a smattering of packing and preparations to complete for the upcoming weekend, as we’d be attending our cousin’s wedding and then spending a few days in the part of Holland it was being held in.

A dinner date at our sister-in-law Sarah’s was in place for that evening. So we, along with Inge, went for a little afternoon outing to the home and garden centre called Intratuin, to fill the void until we had to leave for dinner.

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As always there was much home decor to see, and imagine finding uses for 😉 So it’s both a good and a bad thing, that we’ve only got suitcase space 🤓

After dropping Inge back at the house, we were then on our way to Sarah, who lives in Germany as you may or may not recall, depending how much attention you’ve paid over the years or if you’re a newer curiosity quencher and have only just begun reading along on our travels 😉

Schnitzel was on the menu 🤤👌🏻

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That’s the thing about visiting… everyone makes sure the dish they feed you, is your favourite 💁🏻‍♀️🤪
The schnitzel along with all the sides, was delicious ☺️

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We stuffed ourselves, no surprise there, and finished it off with some more after eight crème.

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Lake was as always, entertained thoroughly by the ‘children’ 😉👌🏻

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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 🤪

The Finale Of ‘The First Birthday’


09/15/21

Lake slept through his first night in Holland, minus a bottle delivery somewhere in there.

We messaged the Oma downstairs, to come retrieve him at 8:00 if she would so desire 😉

We wanted him up to try to help the jet-lag become fully extinguished, but we ourselves really did not feel like getting up at that time 🙈

So, Oma and Opa did take him, and a happily decorated downstairs awaited him for the morning of his first birthday 😉

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He had a fun morning with them, a ‘special bonding time for just them’ let’s say…the fact that us parents still slept, having nothing to do with it🤪

Come afternoon, Opa had a break to take from work, so it was time for Lake to open his present from them 🎁 

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A super cute little Vespa was unwrapped and made for the perfect photo prop as well 😉

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Though I’m not so sure what the chances of getting it back home with us are 😬🙈

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Later in the afternoon the little one wasn’t super pleased with the idea of a nap, so Mike and I took him for a walk, which is almost always a guaranteed way to get him asleep, for at least a little while.

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We ended up going almost 5.5 Km, walking through the neighbourhood and to the bridge/‘water lock’ nearer town, reading how they created a way for the fish to swim upstream, despite the river technically being blocked off.

Lock – A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways.

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Journeying on, we walked by ‘the switch’, a second hand store we frequently went to when we lived here, but they’ve since downsized and it was a little bit disappointing 😒

Back at John and Inge’s, it wasn’t long until Opa and Oma De Jong came over for a little afternoon dessert in honour of the day 😊

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A cornflake, white chocolate and almond base, topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

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A really nice, light and simple dessert that satisfies the sweet tooth without being over filling ☺️👌🏻🍓

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Uncle Erwin also popped in for a little while on his way home from work, getting in some soccer training with his nephew – aka, keeping him busy so us other occupiers got a break 🤪👍🏻

It was also the night for broccoli tart. A celebration treat especially for the parents for keeping Lake going for a year I suppose 🤪😅

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All in all, I think it’s a good thing in a way that Lake won’t recall this birthday, as it would be a fair bit to live up to 🙈

A pre birthday cake & gift giving in Saskatchewan, a pre birthday at his Aunty Judith’s with a meal, cake and gifts and then decorations, gifts and treats, after a morning spent with Oma and Opa on the actual day OF his birthday 😅

Special or just spoiled? You decide 😉💗

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