The holiday season seems to have a scent all its own. Delicious scents permeate the air as the weather changes outside. There’s nothing like coming home to a house that smells like fresh baked goods. I’ll admit that I too have my lazy days but I still want the house to smell scrumptious. So what should I do? Make a simmer pot. What is a simmer pot? It’s a pot of water with various ingredients. It’s sole purpose is to simmer on the…
Some people spend all their lives dreaming of a white Christmas. There’s something romantic and magical about watching snow fall. Once outside, it’s like the world has flipped upside down. The quiet stretched out forever. Snow starts out as larger rain bits. Instead of drops of water, there are fluffy drops that clump together as they fall. If the storm ends up being heavy enough, you get large chunks of it. It can pile and last forever even if the…
The holidays are always a busy time for everyone. So it should be no surprise that this December will be as busy as the last one! Make lots of cakes and cookies Especially my mom’s delectable Rum Raisin cake. She makes it from memory (and eyeballing all her ingredients) so her measurements didn’t work well when I made it myself. This year, I’ll be on the lookout for a recipe that fits all her instructions and tastes like home. Decorate…
The Dutch don’t Halloween (it’s getting better!) but I wanted to bring a bit of that here. In America, Halloween parties revolve around spooky costumes, fun friends and fantastic food. Since I wasn’t going to dress up, I decided to cook up some of my favorite Halloween treats. Holiday inspired goodies I put together some mummy frankfurters (traditional hot dogs don’t exist here!) It was so weird to buy a can of wieners for our meal! There were 7-8 inside…
There are pros and cons to the “To Do” list. One, there’s the pressure to complete the list, which could swing in either direction… Either way I’m making my own this month so that I can stay on top of some simple goals. Plan out Thanksgiving We were too busy to celebrate Thanksgiving last year! We had just gotten Booker and I was too preoccupied to gather recipes and grocery lists, let alone make the food needed. This year we’re…
With the colder months rolling in, I find myself gravitating towards more comfortable and layerable items. Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year, so I couldn’t help but get a bit festive with my wardrobe! Spooky sweater with eyeballs I love how simple this knit sweater is. Just rub your hands up and down on the eyes to hide or expose them! It’s super cute and I’ll be wearing this even after Halloween is over. Black jeans I’ve been…
With autumn comes the familiar flavors, scents and sensations that I grew to love growing up. The days get shorter, the nights become chilly and sweatshirts are everywhere! We rarely had weather cold enough for real winter coats, lucky us huh? The ground is with fallen leaves. Pumpkin spice flavors dominate storefronts along side Halloween costumes and goodies. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to decorate my house for the holiday I loved most – Halloween. I wanted to…
It’s difficult to remain happy as warm summer days are replaced by short and colder ones. Even though I love the rain and autumn in general, I find myself getting too cozy at home and unwilling to go out in the rain. So how do I get the motivation to get up and moving? Indulge in healthy versions of comfort foods I love autumn for it’s comfort foods. It’s cold outside and a full belly makes me content but let’s…
The one thing I love about minimalism is that you purge what makes your life hectic and embrace what you enjoy. I got rid of so many things when I came to The Netherlands. That included lots of unnecessary things from unworn shoes to clothing with tags still attached. While I cannot call myself a true minimalist, I do my best to keep free of unwanted clutter so that I can be stress free. However that does not mean I…