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Friday, June 26, 2015

off the bookshelf: hausfrau by jill alexander essbaum


I picked up this book on a whim for our trip to Bali. I'm glad I did and read it in about four days.

Admittedly, this book is a bit racy. It's the story, though, that pulled me in. Anna Benz is an expat living in Switzerland with her husband Bruno. They have three children and she is, as the title suggests, a housewife. From this, though, comes her discontent, her boredom, her isolation. A number of affairs leave her unsure of what to do next, and unsure of who she is, as if she feels increasingly separated from who she thinks she might be or should be.

This book is beautifully written. I felt compelled to read it with every turn of the page. I was still thinking of Anna's story long after the story ended. It made me think, it made me question, it made me reflect. I think I was trying to connect with Anna the whole time, and there were times I could, but it was both difficult and made me wary. I wanted to yell at her, at her stupidity, and I wanted to break down and cry with her, offering her a hug as though we were longtime friends. While the cover illustration makes it look lovely at first glance, Hausfrau is a sad and heart-wrenching story of a woman lost, one that played with my emotions and that I really enjoyed reading.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

paris in two days

On our way back home we detoured a little from our stopover in London to spend two short days in Paris. Most of what we did was dictated by our tiny travel companion, but we were still able to wander around a lot and get a glimpse of this beautiful city.

Sacre Coure







my favourite shot of the trip!

Arc de Triomphe


Eiffel Tower



another favourite!

Louvre

guess which day we went...






One day we'll go back!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

lately


We just got back from quite the adventure with our 13-month old! From Manila: London, England - Paris, France - London, England - Iceland - Toronto. As you can see, she was a bit shocked with the temperature change when we arrived in Iceland.

That first fifteen-hour plane ride was so long. If I thought Mara wouldn't eat it, I definitely would have made this for the flight. Maybe she'll have matured over the summer so I can make it for the flight back? ha.

Instead, Jeff bought a bunch of plane-friendly (quiet) toys that we wrapped up for her! Every few hours there was a new surprise + some of our favourite author's books on the iPad. They're really, really well done.

I'll be looking to make this flourless cake when we're back in the land of mangoes in late July.

Before we left we finished Fortitude. My big question throughout the series: What is this show trying to be?? It was the very last episode that brought it all together.

Even though we're finished school for the summer, this is great: How to Escape Education's Death Valley.

Need to buy a cast iron pan so I can make us these.

The Internet has made me so excited about cooking. I've never cared, really, but now I get happy about trying new dishes. This was one of the latest great dinners.

I was just reading a post about capsule wardrobes - 37 pieces is supposed to be magic. I probably have 37 of each of the usual wardrobe pieces - 37 dresses, 37 tops, 37 sweaters... you know. On that note, we're off to do some shopping for the day.