I kick off my shoes and rest my back against the cushions in the couch. Outside I hear the little ones run and laugh, but in here it is heavenly cool and quiet. I stretch my legs, fully intending to ...
Chris can make some seriously mean sauces. A whiskey sauce that could make you drunk, not because of an absurd amount of alcohol in it, but just because you could eat an entire bowl without stopping....
This weather we are having, with its moist heat, with the blue skies that without warning can turn dark black and back again, leaving us with just the echo of a loud thunder and some raindrops as pro...
Just seconds ago I wrote a long blogpost around these pictures. And then, just when I wanted to do some last editing before publishing, everything I wrote somehow was gone. I considered for a moment ...
After a couple of weeks without tending, my garden looks like it has gone wild. Wherever you look there are columbines, waving in the wind. Not only in the soil, but between rocks and fences and even...
She frowns a little, crinkles form above her nose. She starts over, pointing at every letter, shaping the sound in her mouth, almost tasting the words that she’s forming. Then she looks up at m...
I look around and secretly slip out of the back door, my camera in my hand. I had some surgery just a week ago and I am not really supposed to carry around anything heavier than a cup of tea. And tha...
In these last couple of days before my surgery I notice I am drawn to the simple pleasures in life. Pleasures to keep my mind busy, and my heart light: Going treasure hunting with the whole family in...
Yesterday he was ill, our littlest dude. With red cheeks, because of a high fever, he crawled into my arms. His whole body was shaking and shivering and no matter how tight I wrapped my arms and body...
“Stop the car!” I whisper-shouted. Chris, without blinking an eye, parked the car on the side of the road. He knows me so well. The children, awoken from their nap in the backseat of the ...
A friend asked me this weekend what I would do differently if I had the opportunity to go back in time and live my life again. Even though the answer to that question popped into my mind within a sec...
“Come quickly and take your camera!”, my mother shouted as we came into their house. In the backyard we saw something moving behind a tree. Something with ears. Something with a little ta...
A spring market at the school of our children. Money had to be raised to rebuild and redecorate their playing ground. And for that, the children worked. They worked hard. Every corner of the school w...
Let me start by saying that I really, really dislike garden gnomes. There is just something about those happy looking fellows, fishing in a pond or waving under a tree that freaks me out. Their smile...
Hey little girl, what are you thinking, standing so still? You shake your hair, adjust your headband. And then you seem to fly away in your thoughts, to a world miles from here. What are you dreaming...
We had a lazy day at home, Olivier and I. After some days filled with wild spring celebration, visits from family, lots of rope jumping, bike riding, ice cream eating and sun admiring, today found us...
I looked to my left and my heart stopped for a moment. That light. That gate. Without blinking I grabbed my camera and took this shot. It took me a while to realise that the gate I was looking at was...
It was a moment of utter enjoyment. Sitting comfortably in my parents’ backyard, leaning backwards, looking at the sky. Admiring the ultimate beauty of the blossoms that were hanging over us. H...
While riding my bike out into the dark with my mother I sniff up the scent of the night. It’s different than during the day, isn’t it? And I realise it has been ages since I went out, rea...
Welcome lovely spring time! You entered with a beautiful sunrise, silly birds loudly frolicking in our trees and stunning colours emerging everywhere around us. It is a time for butterflies in our st...
She is not as attention-grabbing as the purple tulips that sway in the soft spring breeze. Not as frolic as the crocuses, that pop up in various colours all over our garden. She is not as present as ...
Sometimes, in between all the running up and down the stairs, for clean clothes, a hairbrush, forgotten socks, or while playing hide and seek, I have to sit down for a second and close the door behi...
It was still rather cold this morning. Chris even had to remove some ice from his car before leaving for work. But that light, that lovely low sunlight in the early hours of this day, was nothing les...
Spring is on my mind. To be more precise, spring is in my brain, body and heart. Somehow all I can think of is light, sun, warm, pastels, bright and yellow. Oh yes, yellow. Never one of my favourite ...
They brought me breakfast in bed. With a rose, croissants and all kinds of delicious treats. We had long talks. They left crumbles all over the bed. Then we had a tickle fest ending in a family hug. ...
That sounds rather impressive, now doesn’t it? “How to make vanilla rum extract”. Like it is some kind of magical, difficult process for which you could use an extensive tutorial, t...
During our children’s vacation we went to ecodrome. It’s a place where children can explore, read and learn all kinds of information about ancient times and look at some exotic creatures....
I dreamt we were sitting together under the golden rain I said something stupid and he kissed my lips. PS. I know this is not a photograph of a laburnum (or golden rain as we call it in The Netherla...
We got out the glue, the pastels, paper, pen and lace. We cut fabric and drew trees, birds and a red coloured sky. After some hesitation (I admit honestly) we tore up photographs and scribbled our fa...
Sleeping in until nine, having breakfast in bed with the five of us, playing outside all day, or with lego for hours in a row – we had a lovely spring break so far. And yesterday, with the sun ...
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