Winter bloomed

 

After a very cold week I really wanted less grey, flat and bleak. What better than loads of fresh flowers? Maybe loads of fresh flowers and  a week of near spring-like weather! Happy Sunday!

Man things

I showed you my pretty little things last week. This week the guys are up. This is the man station, otherwise known as the only bit of bathroom space that isn't mine! The tray is from Madam Stoltz and the Iris Hantverk badger brush is via Objects of Use.

P.S. I'm still waiting for the confidence..his confidence to let me wield the straight razor.

Leather. Lamp. Llyod

A simple lamp in a classic form. Except it's the material, hardened leather, that makes the Lloyd lamp, by Nieuwe Heren for Puik Art. so compelling. Add to that handmade details like the gorgeous stitching, you have my newest lamp love.

Some more s'more granola

Jet-puffed marshmallows are one of my holiday indulgences. Except after a few I'm sated, so I ended up making s'mores for the kids. That used up about another four.. Needless to say, I still had plenty left. Plus I've gotten pretty bored with my current breakfast cereal so I figured it time to whip up some more granola, except with a s'mores twist..

Granola
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 cups oats
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup digestive cookies
100 grams milk chocolate chunks
1 1/2 cup chopped marshmallows
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Melt the maple syrup, coconut oil and brown sugar on low heat. Add to the oats, cinnamon, salt, crushed cookies, 1 cup of the marshmallows and chocolate chunks. Toss to coat. Tip onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for fifteen minutes, mixing halfway.  Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes and break into clusters. Add chocolate chips and remaining marshmallows. Allow to cool fully before storing. Perfect for breakfast or the way I love it.. as a snack, from container to hand to mouth!

P.S. Find the most perfect cereal bowl, the Haphazard Harmony at Droog.

Pretty little things

This post has been forever in the making. Well not really, but it was one that I had planned months ago when I purchased the most minimal of compact mirrors. Add to that my love of candles. soft colours and warm textures and you get pretty little things..

The candle and make-up bag are from Meraki, the mirror from Cool Enough Studio and the pomegranate lipbalm is from Sissy Boy. 

Spring in winter

It's been cold in the Netherlands! I mean frozen digits and no desire to pop my head out the door cold. So what better than a bit of spring in the winter? Well except maybe it being indoors, like duh! Little green world by Lotte de Vries makes me happy and reminds me it's not all grey and frost. I already see myself endlessly changing it up. Herbs, flower or plants. I think I'm in the mood for a big, bright, eclectic mix of flowers..

P.S. check out all her world. The bell jar is also a fave.

Layered silhouettes

When I saw these silhouettes from Cos, I was immediately sold. Cos is my go-to for strong, simple shapes. Minimal and striking lines. But layer up, in crisp, clean materials and deconstructed shapes it's a done deal!

Caramel, coconut & pecan creamcheese brownie stack

I had something completely different planned and then the kids came into the kitchen and I heard myself saying "Shall we bake a brownie cake, today?". What was I thinking? What the heck is a brownie cake? All I knew was that I wanted something more most and dense than chocolate cake and bigger than a bite of brownie. Luckily I had plenty of stashed chocolate and a forgotten tub of creamcheese.. But that wasn't enough because a plan had visualised in my head of layers of messy, topping-laden, fudginess. Out came the caramel, coconut and pecans. Can I stay good to go, decadent and the reason my kids ate dinner..

Brownie layer cake
125 grams milk chocolate
125 grams full-cream butter
2 eggs
200 grams fine white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
200 grams cream cheese
100 grams flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
3 tablespoon cacao powder
caramel sauce
100 grams dessicated coconut
2 tablespoons fine white sugar
50 grams pecans

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Line bottom of desired baking pans with parchment paper and butter the sides. Melt chocolate and butter au-bain-marie and let cool. Mix eggs, sugar, creamcheese and vanilla till smooth. Mix together flour, cacao and salt. While on low, pour in a small amount of the chocolate mix. Continue gradually adding the chocolate. Add the flour and mix only till just incorporated. Pour batter into tins and bake till slightly risen and lightened in color, about 20 minutes.

While the cakes are baking, roast the pecans. While warm break the pecans by hand into rough pieces. Roast the coconut and sugar on low till warmed and fragrant. Let the cakes cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing the sides. When completely cooled, place the first layer on a plate and spoon the caramel over the top. Add the second and third layers and repeat with caramel. Spoon coconut over the top layer of caramel and then sprinkle with the pecans. Finish with a last spoonful of caramel. Enjoy! 

Roleplay

Luckily, unlike the picture, the dishwasher does double duty around here. But washing up is one of the the tasks that is part of my role. My role?

If you asked me a year ago, I definitely would have answered that 50/50 is the way to go. Yet today, cooking, cleaning, laundry and most other household duties fall firmly in my lap. I do this next to my fulltime job and being mom to a four and five year old that spend half the week with me.

I used to joke that pregnant, barefoot and in the kitchen is my happy and at the same time heavily apologising for being so old-fashioned and non-feministic. Guess what, it is! No worries, right now I have my hands full with two, but being at home and taking care of my home is my happy. The difference is that I no longer feel the need to apologise. My partner has never touched the washer, iron or duster and has cooked a record two times but I never carry a bag or box, get driven around like miss daisy, have doors opened for me and yes I'm spoilt right along with the kids. When the door opens at six pm, we often rush forward as a threesome to be tickled, hugged and kissed.

I do what I enjoy and I enjoy cooking. When I'm in the kitchen on weekends and I turn around and all three are playing or the kids are playing and my partner is fixing something (yep, that's your role baby) I'm happy as a clam. And while my alarm goes off at six a couple times a week, for him it goes off at five, five times a week. After twelve hour workdays, of which four hours of travel, I want my partner back and so I do try and have dinner on the table, do the clearing up and get the kids ready for bed. Nothing is cast in stone and he helps whenever and wherever he can, often quicker on the weekend with getting the kids dressed and fed or getting the forgotten groceries after dinner and when I'm sick I don't have a worry. However 50/50 it is not because that is not our goal.

The goal is happy, a home filled with joy. It is! Do I wish the laundry basket wouldn't replicate so quickly? Yep. Do I feel stressed trying to figure out a meal plan for the week? Hell yea. But it doesn't rival the happiness of a hug and thank you while I'm cooking, evenings spent together, my nightly foamy latte brought to me on the couch, or the fact that the most asked question is "What can I do?".

Breadwinner, housewife, head of the home, caretaker. Traditional, eligatarian. There are tons of studies on the effects of different relationships models and roles but for me it's about personalisation. What works for us, right now. Because in the end it's willingness and heart that make it work.

Pastel pad

This home stopped me dead in my tracks. I love it! Because it's nothing like me. I love white and if I do colour it's bright. So even more interesting is this combination of soft apricot, blue-gray and no white. The warmest form of minimalism.

It is the first residential space by Swedish design studio Note. The team work in several fields of design including product design, of which the Silo is one of my favourites.

F.I.T.

January is the time to get fit(ter), right? I'm starting a new workout routine this month but it's actually more pared back than bumped up. My old routine was three runs a week, one power yoga class and one cardio training. Plus daily core exercises. This was my routine for a good year and half. Except it was really starting to wear on me. My whole day was geared around getting my workouts in. Running became an enormous chore instead of peaceful and motivating. So when other aspects of life, like being a mom and a partner took center stage, it actually felt good to not have exercise in the driver's seat.

Working out is however important to me. Important to the way I feel and definitely in the way I look. So exercise is a must but what, when and most importantly how much? It's team gym! I typically avoid the gym like the plague because an introvert but I went with my guy a couple times and loved it. Right now it's all about the motivation and nothing beats duo workouts with an extreme if secret competitive nature. I refuse to do less reps, period! Plus I've never been more sore and that's a good thing. I'm working different muscles, in different ways and changing it up feels good.

My weekly routine;

• Wednesday:  cardio/strength
• Thursday:  cardio/strength
• Saturday: mindfulness/stretch
• Sunday; running/core

The idea is to build out the running to two later. For now though nixing the fifth workout and the dailies will hopefully give me more space in my mind and a rock solid body because I love a bit of at home nudity (too much info?).

Pictured are my essentials are my BKR 1L water bottle in hot pink, my iPhone, headphones and flipbelt, which is the most comfortable and versatile holder in like ever! 

With a bang!

A love of cooking doesn't mean I don't have "what the heck are we eating this week" anxiety. Especially with a kid who asks what's for dinner the day before.. On those days the best bet is simple, quick and easy.

Enter my favourite bangers (Merquez sausages) fresh from the butcher.  A fresh, crusty baguette, shavings of cheese and we're almost there. Add in slowly braised sticky onions and dinner is served...

Sticky onions

300 grams onion rings

2 bay leaves

sprigs of thyme

garlic

olive oil

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/4 cup bbq sauce of choice

1 cup chicken stock

white balsamico

butter

Add the bay leaves, thyme, onions, oil and garlic and toss with bbq sauce and brown sugar. Cover with chicken stock and simmer on low for two hours or until reduced. Add a splash of balsamico and knob of butter and let cool. Grill the sausages and brush with balsamico during the last minute.

Sunny sunday

It's a beautiful day. The sun is shining. I feel good. And no-one's gonna stop me now, oh yeah. Ok, ok, a bit OTT but it really is a beautiful day. Just cleaned away the last of the holiday greenery and got the garden winter ready. A bit late but I really can't be bother to go outside when it's anything less the brilliant sunshine. Now time to sit back, have a coffee and enjoy the sunshine streaming in... have a great Sunday!

Toybox

There have been quite a few changes to our home but this is the one I'm most proud of. An actual DIY! My partner has more tools than I can imagine necessary, I asked for a sander and he came back with a selection of three! And so making something seemed like the logical answer to the question "where to store the toys?".

We made this giant storage box slash bench from plywood. The design changed with the built ans it is felt-lined and there are no finger holes to take away from the clean lines, instead there is slight overhang, that you don't see but allows you to open it perfectly. I also love the kickback because stubbed toes are never cool.

Even with the insane amount of toys we gave the gave  the kids for Saint Nicholas and Christmas, nothing overflows and after bedtime the living is once again a tidy, non-toyzone area. Add to that the fact it is extra sturdy and a perfect spot to sit or as my daughter prefers to lie, it is a great addition to the space.