And Sew On

Amsterdam

Well, we made it! We arrived in Amsterdam Friday morning after a 7 hour flight from Toronto. The kids did a great job on the plane, thanks to the on demand entertainment system. (One thing about having your kids not watch too much tv-- when they get the opportunity they are riveted!)

When we arrived our homestay partners picked us up at the airport, and brought us to their beautiful apartment in Central Amsterdam. (We can see the outermost canal of the old town from our front stoop.) Here it is, below. So pretty!

Although Audrey proudly told anyone who would listen that she only slept for an hour and a half on the plane, they both soon crashed:

Later in the day we had dinner and drinks with our hosts, bringing a little table outside in front of the red bench to enjoy the weather and people watching opportunities. Audrey and their youngest daughter, Jade, bonded in about 15 minutes and held hands most of the evening. They left around 10, and we all crashed.

The next morning we had to wake the girls around nine. They were not impressed, to say the least, but once we got them up and moving about, we set about just enjoying our first day. My goal with this trip is just to live in the cities we are in. I want to do activities, and see some sights-- but more important is to just experience each city as a part of day to day life. So we get up, have breakfast, make a plan, go wandering, go to the park, head home, have quiet time, dinner and bed. Sometimes, we just walk out the door and pick a direction. We call it "having an adventure", and even if it only lasts 30 minutes we see something new. Since they sometimes whine when I mention going out for a wander, I usually ask them to list the fun things we saw on our walk that we never would've found if we had stayed home. My favourite has been finding this wall mural and pretending to be a part of it:

I love that Audrey has the exact same expression as the silhouette-- and that Lily is holding hands with the bear. Lily would be the one in our family to just reach out and hold hands with a bear.

Amsterdam is experiencing a heat wave at the moment. I'm told that the last time the weather was this hot for this long was 2006! We sit in the back in the morning, and out front in the afternoon, following the shade. Yesterday we wandered toward the centre and saw lots of people on the canals in boats. (Almost none of them had hats on, which of course blew my mind. They're all blond and fair-skinned! They're not used to such strong sun!) Anyway, we got some fries, sat down at a boat launch, and watched them glide past.

The apartment we have borrowed is stunning. It's exactly what I was hoping to find when I signed up on HomeExchange.com. It has high ceilings, lots of windows, and a beautiful kitchen. I didn't want to stay somewhere that could be around the corner from us in Toronto. I wanted something that felt European, and this apartment has that in spades. It's also within walking distance of everything we need, which is ideal. One interesting thing the owners told is not to worry if we hear a woman screaming in the middle of the night. Apparently there is a natural childbirth clinic, of sorts, two doors down, and sometimes you can hear a woman in labour! They said the only thing to do is close the windows and hope for a quick birth. I have yet to hear labour screams, (I'm familiar...), but I can hear a newborn crying right now. I remember that sound well.

 

On with the tour! (Click the photos to enlarge.)

Dining room/kitchen/Q's office

Out to the garden:

Backyard oasis:

The vertiginous yellow staircase to the second level. These would not meet code in Toronto-- not by a long shot. Apparently they just recently had the second railing (on the right) installed, which is interesting because it's only on that far right side that the treads are almost wide enough for your feet. I can't imagine how it was before!

The girls each have their own room here, which they haven't had since Lily was a baby. Very quickly they have adjusted, and they are playing with the dolls and books left behind by the owners. Somehow other people's toys are always more interesting.

Did I mention the stairs are steep?



I'll be sharing more observations and photos in the coming days. Thank you for everyone who welcomed me back to the blog world. :) I'll see you soon...

 

Coming Soon...

Hello Blogland... remember me? It's been a while, I know. The last year (or two) I just got out of the habit of blogging, but this little space on the web is still special to me. I think I stopped blogging around about the time I stopped (or greatly reduced) scrapbooking. It's not that I stopped completely, as I still love to document my girls, and our family, but something about the paper and glue just lost its lustre for me. I still love to craft/sew/cook...but I think the impetus to blog really came from the scrapbooking world/getting published in scrap mags, which is just not a priority for me anymore.

Recently I received two e-mails out of the blue from former readers of my blog, asking if I would ever pick it up again. Both were European, coincidentally, and neither had ever commented on my blog before. I think as bloggers we always wonder if someone out there is reading...if anyone cares, frankly, so that was a lovely surprise. It made me think of revisiting my blog. When I read back over the posts, I realize it paints a wonderful picture of our family during that time. I remember the smell of babies, and the mind-numbing sleep deprivation. Life is different now, to be sure.

To give you an update...

Audrey is six and has just finished grade one. She's an avid reader, and loves to jump rope and read through my old scripts and scores. She is funny, smart, and just as stubborn as ever.

Lily is almost 5, and just completed her first year of Kindergarten. She's a cuddle monster who sings through her day. Whereas Audrey is likely to meltdown if something displeases her, Lily is more likely to be reduced to tears. Together they play all sorts of imagination games, and are obsessed with crafts, activity books, and whichever stuffy/doll is in their good graces that week. She loves to sing, and our house is like some sort of primary school opera. She narrates her day by recetitive.

As for Q and I, we both work from home to a large extent, so we share the parenting/home responsibilities, and the girls have no idea how lucky they are to have both parents around all the time. (My husband is now so in the habit of getting up in the morning that I sleep in most days. It's delicious and indulgent, and I adore him for it.) I'm not performing at the moment. In fact, my last gig was in Prince Edward Island where we spent 4 months last summer. Nothing has come up recently that fits into life (I'm not willing to work away from home, unless they can come), and my Arbonne business is booming and growing every day. I love that I have a home based business that allows us to be together and I can work around the kids and our life in pretty much every case.

As a matter of fact, it's because my work is so portable and flexible that we are able to spend a month in Europe this summer-- the real reason for my return to blogging! We will spend 2 1/2 weeks in Amsterdam and 10 days in Paris, with possible side trips to Brussels and Copenhagan. This is a dream come true for me. I have always wanted to spend time with the girls in Europe. My original goal when I started my business was to spend a year in France. However, for now, a month will do! We are planning a laid back, relaxed holiday. We will pick a few sight to see, and see well. We will also spend lots of time relaxing in "jardins" and on many a "terrasse".  I don't want to be rushing around seeing absolutely everything. I want to revel in the details and the moments... and the pastries and the chocolates! It's this trip that I plan to blog about. (If you, gentle reader, have suggestions for me in these cities, I am happy to hear them.) The girls are thrilled and excited, and we are busy tidying up our house as we are exchanging homes with families in both cities! I've always wanted to try a home exchange, so here's hoping it's the awesome experience I truly believe it will be.

So, stay tuned. The countdown is on. We leave in 2 1/2 weeks, and I can't wait to fill this space with our European experience!

 

 

Mexico

Be back soon...

A trip to Niagara on the Lake

Yesterday we took a really lovely trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Our friends, Mel and Stephen, live there with their daughter, Eleanor. Mel is an actress in the Shaw Festival, so we popped down for a visit during the day. When we arrived, the kids went upstairs to Eleanor's bedroom. The girls were completely besotted with "the big girl", and Eleanor was happy to have two little minions who were content to do as she said.

Mel poked around in the fridge, and in ten minutes had set out the most beautiful spread of food, straight out of Martha Stewart:

A late summer afternoon with friends, eating and drinking well. What could be better? The girls agreed:

One of my favourite moments was looking over and seeing Eleanor teaching Audrey how to make a fishy face:

Mel and I met in 2002, doing Anything Goes. Since then we have been wonderful friends, and although we don't see each other as much as we'd like, we have a blast when we do manage to get in the same room:

When I caught this cute shot of my hubby:

I knew the light was perfect to do a few shots of Mel and Stephen.

Stephen being a goofball:

Thanks for a great day, guys!

 

My Mirror City

The first time I visited Paris I knew it would always be my mirror city-- the place where I could imagine having a complete alternate existence and live very happily for the rest of my life.

The last visit was the first time Quillan and I had been there together and I looked forward to sharing some of the famous Parisian romance together-- albeit 6 months pregnant with an 18 month old in tow.

As is often the case, things don‘t always turn out the way you plan. It was one of the the coldest Aprils on record--  at one point it actually snowed. Our rental apartment, located on the Rue des Rosiers above a synagogue,  was very noisy due to the celebration of a high holiday no one could tell me the name of. Quillan got the flu, and Audrey rejected french milk, sending me to the grocery store to buy up all the milk alternatives they had. There were times I wondered what we were thinking embarking on this trip at all.

Still, looking back there are memories that I will cherish-- like Audrey having her first Carousel ride on a hand cranked antique carousel in the park in front of the Eiffel Tower. Picking up half a roast chicken and potatoes from a shop around the corner and managing to joke with the butcher --  in french. Seeing some dear friends who drove hours just to spend and hour lunch with us. Walking to the Notre Dame Cathedral on our first morning there, pushing the stroller over the cobblestone streets. Ordering coffee for Quillan each and every morning-- even though he was perfectly capable of ordering in french himself. (“Un cafe creme a emporter, s’il vous plait”-- milky coffee to go, please.)

Nothing will ever dull my love of Paris-- not snow, not transit strikes, nor the occasional cranky Parisian. In fact, I wish I could peek into the life of that alternate me, in my parallel life, in my mirror city.  How fascinating that would be.

 

Olympic Wrap-Up {part one}

A few more photos and anecdotes from our Olympic experience-- now that we are back home in our home sweet home! (We got back at about one a.m. last night after a long, tiring flight. Neither of the girls slept until 30 minutes before the end of the trip. All is forgotten now, though. We are settling in perfectly.)

I am so thankful and thrilled to have been at the Olympic Games. I have always loved to see skating live, but the Olympic events were even more high energy and high stakes. Even being way up high, you could feel the pressure and excitement of the athletes.

Tessa and Scott were incredible. I swear I could feel my heart beating down to my toes while they were skating. I was so nervous! I think this was my favourite few minutes of the trip:

 

I was also present to see Joannie Rochette skate her short program just two days after losing her mother. She did an amazing job, and I cried like a baby through the whole thing. What a brave girl.

With the unexpected turn the hockey took, Quillan and his brother, Dave, went downtown for the Canada v. Russia game. The crowd were crazy, and the tickets were expensive, but here are two very happy hockey fans:

We watched the gold medal game on tv and almost lost it when it went to overtime. I'm really glad they pulled it out! Yay Canada! Yay world! You all put on a fantastic show.

On the way home yesterday we saw lots of athletes waiting for their planes-- Czech, Croatian, American and Russian jackets were to be seen all around. Audrey and Lily were given three pins by random people-- a Swiss one, a Coca Cola one with a polar bear on in it, and Turkish pin that stuck into Audrey's boot! It was a fun end to our Olympic experience to see athletes returning from whence they came.

Tomorrow I'll wrap-up our travelogue with our trip to Victoria!

P.S. I am going through serious scrap withdrawl. I'm in the midst of planning some Olympic pages, plus a minibook of the trip. Will share that planning process tomorrow!

Close Encounters of the Skating Kind

I'm planning a big Olympic wrap up post with lots of photos and deets from the events I saw, but today I hope to tickle your funny bone with a few of my fave skating encounters.

As you may have read in a previous post, I am a skating fan. My sister-in-law calls me a groupie.

Tomato-Tomahto.

I was, however, thrilled to have a few close encounters with different skating personalities over the five events I attended:

First, I nearly peed next to Tatiana Tarasova. That is, I ran into her outside the bathrooms. Tarasova coaches Mao Asada, and is pictured here with Sasha Cohen. I think she was wearing the same coat the other day. She definitely had the same hair:

 

Next, I was waiting for hot dog, when I turned and came nose to nose with Victor Petrenko. He coaches Johnny Weir. I might have asked him for a photo, but the guy was hungry. I couldn't interrupt his hotdog.

I also came within spitting distance of Josee Chouinard (a fave Canadian skater of mine), and coach Frank Carroll.

A few other interesting things:

- During each 5 minute warm up session each skater got a little intro. I assume they had to fill out a generic list of likes-- it might have been a checklist, actually, because most were very similar. We joked that it was like a drinking game mixed with a personals ad. All the girls loved music and shopping, and all the boys liked movies and cars. I expected "long walks on the beach" to be next. My favourite was Johnny Weir's which ended with, "Johnny speaks French and Russian, and has a small clothing line in South Korea."  

- There were many fans who brought banners and dressed up. These two girls took the cake at the women's short-- pleading for friendship between South Korea (Kim Yu-Na) and Japan (Mao Asada): 

Fashion award goes to this mother/daughter team and their fabulous boots:

Finally, the "what in the world does this have to do with figure skating" award goes to these gymnasts/contortionists who "performed" throughout the events. I have no idea why they were there, but they did get their picture taken a lot:

We are ready for the hockey game later this afternoon-- go Canada! It should be a great game.

Vancouver Day 5 and 6

Hello from the Sunshine Coast-- a 40 minute ferry from Vancouver, where my in-laws live. (It's also where they filmed The Beachcombers, if you are old enough and Canadian enough to remember that!)

This post will be long on photos, short on words, as I managed to slice open the tip of my finger this morning (note: I'm fine, Mom) and it's not easy to type with a band aid on your pointer.

Day Three:

We went to the mall in the morning to search out Olympic wear-- the pickings were slim if you were over the age of 7. We got cute Olympic track suits for the girls, though, and they are big so they will fit for at least another year. I just LOVE all the design on the Canadian Olympic wear:

 

 

(Those are all kids wear.)

Later that day we went to the Men's Long Program:

 

(All the blue seats are the press area. It stretches over two levels!)

(Yay, Olympic zamboni!!!)

(My MIL and two SILs)

I almost had a heart attack while Patrick Chan was skating. He wasn't perfect, but his skating quality is so amazing. He's just begun to set new heights in this sport:

I was really happy for Evan Lysacek. He put together two amazing programs. I am not a Plushenko fan, and he certainly didn't endear me to him with his preening and strutting on the ice. I even saw him remove the silver medal from his neck before stepping off the ice. No class.

Seeing the medal ceremony was so thrilling-- that's what makes the Olympics unique!

 

Day 6:

This morning we decided to head downtown for a bit before driving to the ferry terminal. We took the Sea Bus (a small 15 minute ferry) from North Van into the city. We headed straight for the Olympic flame, about a ten minute walk away. Although we didn't venture across the street to the viewing platform, we did get some great shots:

 

We didn't spend much time downtown as it was very crowded, and I almost got left behind stopping to take photos:

 

This next one is a view of downtown Vancouver from the Sea Bus. If you look closely you can see the Olympic flame just to the left centre:

Finally, the ferry to the coast. British Columbia is breathtaking. It is indescribable:

 

There you have it!

I am still lamenting leaving my SLR behind-- I'm sure I am not getting the best out of this new camera either. I'm trying to remember, though, that it's important to just take photos. I'll be glad I did down the line.

We're here for the weekend, then back for the Dance Free on Monday, and the Women's Short (our last event) on Tuesday.

Vancouver, Day 3 and 4

Yesterday, Maria and I headed down to Pacific Coliseum for the Men's Short Program. We caught the bus, and I have to say the public transit has been amazing-- extra buses and extended routes, with lots of volunteers pointing the way in and out of the stadium. There were singing groups performing along the way, and vendors selling flags and pins. The magestic mountains made a beautiful backdrop for the day:

Here is my ticket-- I bought a ticket holder attached to a lanyard, which has all the events printed on it. It was $13, but it keeps my tickets safe and uncreased. Each ticket cost either $150 or $250, so I wouldn't want to lose one. I'm planning to put them into a scrapbook page later on:

Beautiful decoration around the inside of the stadium:

 

A view from our seats-- it doesn't look too great from this photo, but we could really see everything the skaters were doing.

 

People must have thought I was crazy, because when the Canadians were announced I kept turning my camera to the audience, rather than the ice! I love all those flags waving and people cheering.

 

Today I am hanging out with my SIL and the four girls. We piled everyone in the car and went to an indoor playground for the morning:

 

It was great fun for the kids-- and pretty serious exercise for the mommies, too!

Oh, and I forgot to mention last time that the one thing I neglected to pack was my SLR camera. Argh. I'm still kicking myself. I have my new point and shoot, but I don't know it very well yet. It's photographic opportunity of a lifetime, and I just wish I had my main camera to shoot with. Ah, well. Perhaps this will force me to enjoy the moment-- rather than always looking through my camera.

Vancouver, Day 1 and 2

Well, here we are in Vancouver, and we're having a great time-- although not getting much sleep. (Lily does not compute pacific time. She's been up at 4:45 the last two mornings.)

A run down of the last two days:

We got up at 4:30 for our flight to Vancouver, steeling ourselves for a painful five hour trip with two kids. However, we were pleasantly suprised to have the easiest flight we've ever had. (I am knocking on wood as I type this.) We went right through check-in and security, walked to the gate just as pre-boarding was called, and sat down in our seats:

 

Audrey was good as gold the whole time, Lily wanted to walk a lot, but was happy as long as she could do so. They both slept for at least an hour, too.

 

We even landed 20 minutes early! Amazing.

My brother-in-law picked us up and brought us back to their place, where the girls have been playing with their cousins ever since. Lily even had her first pig tails:

 

...and Audrey just adores her big cousin:

 

Four little girl cousins, just three years apart:

The day we arrived I left with my MIL, Maria, for our first event. We took public transit to Pacific Coliseum (the Olympic ticket also counts as a bus pass for the day). We got through security quickly (although Maria's granola bars were confiscated), and then we had lots of time to take photos and shop before the event started:

A native sculpture stands at the entrance to welcome guests and competitors:

 

Preparing the ice:

 

The event was beautifully skated. The top 7 teams were separated by only 10 points. It was thrilling to be a part of it all:

 (Canada's Dube and Davison at the beginning of their short program.)

Off to the Men's Short today-- more photos tomorrow!