A New Chapter in my Life ~ Blueberry Pancake Publishing

A New Chapter in my Life

Blueberry Pancake Publishing

Blueberry Pancake Publishing (blueberry-pancake-publishing.com)

For anyone that enjoyed reading my blog, I am happy to let you know that I am continuing to write. My real passion lies in children's stories. After teaching for many years, I find writing funny little stories for children quite a delight. 

I've started my own publishing company called 

Blueberry Pancake Publishing 

Here is the website if you would like to follow along. My first book will be coming out hopefully sometime within a year. I'm taking my time so I can learn and truly enjoy the whole process. 
Update... My first book was released on April 2, 2019
just in time for International Children's Book Day. And yes, we ship all over the world.

The name of my first book is
Excuse Me Sir, Do You Bark English?
Blueberry Pancake Publishing (blueberry-pancake-publishing.com)

Picture of the Day~A Friend

Picture of the Day

September 13~A Friend

Picture of the Day~ A Friend. Having a sad kind of day, cleaning out closets and keeping quiet. I pull from the back a painting from A Friend. My sister Laura painted this for me in January. It's the last thing she gave to me but she'll forever be in my heart. #americagirlinholland #theidearoom #sisters #friends

September Picture of the Day ~ Up

Picture of the Day

September 3 ~ Up

Looking up at the Sistine Chapel this summer. @theidearoom

My Little Dutch ABC Book G

My Little Dutch ABC Book

G

Gezelligheid ~ Wow! I’m having a groovy time at this fabulous place and time in life.

If gezelligheid was a song for lovers… this is what I think would fit… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COiIC3A0ROM

If gezelligheid was a party…. Maybe this song would fit… of course Superbowl Parties are the best!!! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20H2w1GLAmQ

And… if gezelligheid was a group of friends… how can I not reference my favorite tv show of all time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2fZb9tDXKE

Gezelligheid is a feeling of happiness, coziness (not so sure how cozy a Superbowl party is but it’s usually surrounded by fabulous friends) a flow or vibe with others… and a feeling of pure joy.

Starry Starry Night ~ My love for Vincent

Starry Starry Night

My love for Vincent

'Starry Night' by Vincent van Gogh (1889)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkvLq0TYiwI

When I first arrived in The Netherlands, I discovered that Vincent VanGogh had spent quite a bit of time in the Noord Brabandt area from 1883-1885. He lived in Nuenen, which is only about 15 minutes from my home. I love when visitors come to see me. This is usually one of our first stops. A little trip to Nueunen to the Vincentre. His painting are not there but the museum does a wonderful job of telling his life story. It's a short little display and you can get ear pieces in different languages. There is also a very nice little shop to buy a little souvenir for a friend or a gift for yourself. 

http://www.vangoghvillagenuenen.nl/the-vincentre.aspx

http://www.vangoghvillagenuenen.nl/the-vincentre/shop.aspx

Some of my favorite moments have been listening to stories about this man and the way he discovered himself in his paintings. He was a very confused little soul but what a gift he left for the rest of the world. Thank you Dear Vincent. 

Now in Nuenen is a new fietspad that lights up at night. Designer Dann Roosegaarde vision of Van Gogh's Starry Night's painting is now lighting up the Dutch heart's and soul's. 

Follow along and listen to the night... the Starry Starry Night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f68cdc27HWg#t=51

That’s Amore ~ My trip to Venice… The City of Bridges

That’s Amore ~ My trip to Venice… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69O4PXzAQ5Y

The City of Bridges

Well…. I can’t help but sing this song when thinking about my recent trip to Venice, Italy. My husband and I were celebrating 30 years of marriage and wanted to do something really special since we are living in Europe. Neither one of us had ever been to Venice so we were both looking forward to discovering the city together.

Upon arrival at the Venice airport we took a water taxi to our hotel. For some reason, back when I started having children I began to fear boats. Not small boats but fast boats. I think my fear of not being able to get my children safely to shore if something should happen stressed me out. That and watching the movie Titanic! Trust me.. I will never go on a cruise. But with no other option in my husband’s plan, 

I accepted his hand and climbed onto the taxi. Once I got over the shock and looked around I was giddy with delight. It was so amazingly beautiful!!!

After unpacking we decided to go casually explore the area of St. Mark's Square.. plus we had already figured out that there was a Hard Rock in Venice. Now… I realize, this may sound dumb to some people. Go all the way to Italy to have American food. Well… there are several reasons this is our thing. We are American. We miss the food from America.

A few years ago 

 We enjoy finding all the Hard Rock’s around the world that we can. It’s a great way to collect pins, t shirts and hats and it’s fun to see how the different Hard Rocks are decorated and how they are set up in each local around the world… and such a great memory for us.

We spent the rest of our trip lounging by the pool, ordering fabulous cocktails, doing a walking tour of Venice, getting lost and loving it, discovering the beauty of the architecture, the amazing depths of when the water floods into the city and how the resilient people of Venice coped with the water. 

The city of Venice consists of 118 little islands. The city and lagoon are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wooden piles are submerged into the water and then deep into sand, mud and clay. The foundations and buildings are then built upon the piles. Truly amazing!

Celebrating 30 years of love in the City of Romance ~ Venice… Absolutely!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApsR4pDI5tk

Papa Please Preach ~ My Trip to Rome

Papa Please Preach ~ My Trip to Rome

After a month of computer glitches and fixes…I’m finally able to share about a little trip to Italy we took this fall.

I was not raised Catholic but became Catholic after getting married. It was a personal choice for me. So being able to see Rome was such a joy!

One of the great things about being an expat is meeting other people in your same situation. It’s the best way to find out where to go, where to get off the beaten path, which museums to go to and how to avoid the long lines.  And they are usually full of ideas on how to do as inexpensive as possible.

Here are some things I learned and enjoyed about Roma~

-There’s a reason there’s a shortage of Priests in the world…. They’re all in Rome. I would say the old saying… “You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a”… Priest or Nun, but that doesn’t sound very nice… so I’ll just say there are a lot in Rome.

-God is everywhere. What if God was one of us? What would you say?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gx1Pv02w3Q

- If you are a single, Swiss, Catholic, high school educated, Swiss military trained male over the height of 5’8” and between the ages of 19-30 you have a chance to become a Papal Swiss Guard.

- Vatican City is its own state within the city of Rome. Day or night this vibrant area lives and breathes the beauty of God.

The Vatican at night

The Sistine Chapel is truly amazing. Guards or workers tell everyone… no pictures and to keep quiet as people look around in awe. It was wall to wall of people staring up. Looking up to the beautiful ceiling painted by Michelangelo? Looking up to God for the plea for a prayer? 

The ceiling in the museum leading toward the Sistine Chapel

Right before you go into the chapel

No pictures? Ok…. Click

-As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” But the Roman’s do know how to build to impress!

-Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica was on my bucket list.

 People visiting need to visit their website before going because there are do’s and don’ts. You must be dressed appropriately and talking is kept to a minimum. But that’s hard to remember as you enter and everywhere you turn are amazing works of art that look like they belong in a museum. You sometimes just want to share with the person next to you what you are thinking or feeling. We wandered around looking and listening to our walking guide explains to us what each piece was. Then we checked for mass times. We had a few spare minutes so we found the gift store and bought a few memorable pieces for our children. We then gathered behind an area in front of the alter where mass would be held. People were already a few rows deep just look to see what was going on. I stepped up to a man standing at the gate and asked if mass was available to everyone. He said “Yes, but it’s in Italian.” Not a problem I said and we stepped in to find seats. It really wasn’t crowded because I think some didn’t realize they could come in. I’m pretty sure the gate that was about waist high was just there to keep people from milling around during mass.

Mass for me was an unexpected emotional experience. I attend mass every week and have attended mass in most places I’ve traveled to. One of my favorites was in Yellowstone National Park. But as I got down on my knees to pray for my family and anyone I could think of I couldn’t help the tears that spilled from my eyes. And I can say that mass in Italian is beautiful. I only understood a bit but that’s ok. It was a familiar part of my being and I thank God I was able to be there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQVz6vuNq7s

-Pope Francis~ I love how there are so many different religions in the world and I respect that everyone has their own way to pray or not if they so choose. For me.. I need prayer. When things go right or wrong in my life or the world around me, it is faith in my God that helps me get through.

With the new day of our Pope Francis I am so ever grateful to a man who answered a call from God to lead his people. To me this humble, kind, caring, loving, charismatic man is just what my heart needs to help me to keep peace in my heart and life.

I didn’t get to see the Pope while visiting Rome, but I know he was there. Seeing isn’t believing. 

Pope Francis.. This American Girl sends thanks, gratitude and prayers to you and the people you pray for. Papa please keep preaching your words of love and kindness. 

This Boot was Made for Walking!

I was sitting in my living room today staring out at the beautiful snow that had fallen over night, working myself in to a much deserved pity party about having so much snow this year when I remembered… I live in The Netherlands! Pity Party over and trying to remember that one of the “charming” aspects of The Netherlands is the amount of rain that helps to keep this beautiful country green. And what is snow… just glorified rain!

So, I paroozed through my photos trying to remember what life was like when it was little warmer and we had a little bit of sunshine. But something even more magnificent caught my eye. Pictures from my recent girls trip to Italy.

I can’t believe I took a fabulous vacation to Tuscany in Italy and forgot to write about it. Ok “forget” is a pretty strong word. Let’s say… temporarily put to the back of my mind while real life marched on. But with the calmness of the snow… I had time to gather and reflect upon one of the most beautiful trips I’ve ever taken.

My friends and I had decided we wanted to take a “girls trip” somewhere. Anywhere! And with the help of cheap plane tickets thanks to Ryan Air, Tuscany went to the top of the list. I can’t remember what my ticket cost but it was around 100 Euros round trip with priority seating and an extra bag. Yes, I’ve mentioned before I’m a brat. Hahaha. I had big plans to make sure I got to bring home gifts for my kids and my sisters. I was not about to argue with Ryan air about the weight of my luggage.

We flew into Pisa from Eindhoven, then we bussed our way to Florence. Arriving in the evening a little late the owner of our apartment for the week met us at the door with the key. He had kindly just turned on the heater. . Turned on the heat might be a tad generous… two days later we were finally nice and toasty.We rushed out the door to our first delicious Italian dinner thankful to have been given a great recommendation from him.

The next, day fully invigorated by our chilly night’s sleep, we headed out the door for a bus tour of Tuscany.  Our stops included the beautiful cities of Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa. We also stopped at a vineyard for a lunch and wine tasting.

 The warmth of the fire and the wonderful wine really helped to warm our spirits in the cold rain.

My favorite highlights of the day were:

The Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta of  Siena

The Piazza Del Campo

This was my favorite! Twice a year this area holds a horse race called the II Palio on July 2^nd and August 16^th. Ten horses and riders race the small circle three times around on bareback. Thousands of spectators fill the Piazza to watch and experience the race that lasts about a minute and a half.

The Palazzo Pubblicco

San Gimignano

The Baptistery Pisa

Leaning tower of Pisa

After the bus ride back to the apartment we were all looking forward to a warm cozy room. Hmmmmm…still looking.

The next morning fully rested and ready to take on Florence we headed out the door towards the Ponte Vecchio. 

I love how the Ponte Vecchio opens up all their stalls/stores in the medieval style stone arch way bridge during the day and at night they sleep all closed up all going over the Arno River.

We did a FULL day of walking around Florence and here are my favorites of the day.

The Piazza del Duomo

The Baptistery of the Duomo

The tombs of the Santa Croce

My very first cannoli

Wednesday we headed over to the Accademia di Belle Art to see… 

drum roll please…

David by Michelangelo

From there we went to ..

The Basilica of San Lorenzo 

and the Medici Chapel 

 Then onto the Santa Maria Novella 

then back to the Duomo Museum to see 

The Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti

 owing its name from Michelangelo who looked at beautiful doors and said.. “These doors are fit to be to the Gates of Paradise”. I would have to agree!

Our last day we headed over to the Uffizi Gallery one of the oldest art museums in the world, with the watchful eye of the guards telling us .. NO Cameras… um ok. Until I saw her.

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

Picturing the Goddess Venus emerging from the sea, this was truly the icing on the cake for my trip to Tuscany. I sat in awe of the beauty of this painting. The Gallery was filled with wonderful things to see and I’m sure everyone had their favorite. This was mine. All I could sing for days was Venus by Johnny Mathis.

We had lunch outside in the courtyard of the Gallery trying not to get swarmed by birds. It didn’t help that a lady kept feeding them right by us. A little last minute shopping then back to Pisa to catch our flight out EARLY the next morning. Our flight was so early Ryan Air didn’t even bat an eye at my bulging suitcases.

Traveling to Italy for some much needed fun with my friends was fabulous. I thank God every day for putting this unique opportunity of being an expat into my life at a time when my children are grown and I’m able to take off for short little trips with friends. Now the real question is…. Where to next?

P.S. Easter Sunday.. cold, saw some snow flurries and have the fire going. Nice!