It's the little things. Like sitting in the shade while the girls picked flowers for me. A while ago, Ikea mailed out instructions for daisy chains (daisy chains = Swedish furniture?) and I've been holding on to in case the opportunity ever presented itself. Such a fun, simple activity.

I am recovered! Stitches are out, strange side effects are gone and my one week bedroom vacation has come to an end. It was high time to go outside. 

Tops on my list of favourite things to do is wandering very very slowly through flea markets. After a while your eyes start to fuzz and everything looks the same, but everything before that point is pure happiness. The biggest flea market in town came this weekend, and off we went to comb the stalls.

What we got:
Right off the bat, Claudia scored a freebie. A wooden bear with wings. Completely random (creepy) and she loves it.  

Eloise found an über Waldorf-inspired doll that she's named Henny.

I found a little craft type sewing machine for 5 euros and a pair of broken, vintage, Ray Ban sunglasses for 50 cents. Though they may make me look like a have a broken nose. Still, 50 cents!

We had a little picnic lunch and found a fake bird. Then we found a tick in Eloise's hair and it was time to go. Still a great day and one that made me very grateful that my recovery went as quickly as it did. It was good to be outside.

Wow. Okay. Do surgeons really need to slice through someone's belly button? In what world is this okay? I don't care that I had a rotten organ removed from my body. I DO care that you touched my belly button. Ew. Yuck. Not cool. (Click over there ---> to see more.)

I might be just a tad obsessed with puff pastry tarts. The possibilities seem endless. This one celebrates summer, with yummy veggies and a three cheese blend. 

Three Cheese Tart with 
Summer Vegetables & Rosé Sauce

You will need:

One package puff pastry
8 oz tomato/pizza sauce
8 oz creme fraiche (or 1/4 cup heavy cream)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
3 cups sliced veggies - 
I used zucchini, red pepper and sweet onion
2 T olive oil, for frying
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake your puff pastry for about 7 minutes, until just starting to brown. Remove from oven, and set aside. Maintain oven temperature.
2. Start heating a shallow frying pan over med/high heat. Add your olive oil and sliced veggies and sautee for about 7 minutes, until tender. Add two tablespoons balsamic vinegar and one teaspoon sugar and give it all a stir.
3. Meanwhile, place your pizza sauce in a medium bowl and add the creme fraiche. Stir until your sauce is pink.
4. Prepare your cheeses and place in three separate bowls.
5. Take your puff pastry and visualize where you want your crust to start. Spread your sauce to your imaginary line, add your veggie mix and top with your three cheeses.
6. Add it back to the oven for 10-15 minutes, checking that the edges don't turn black. Remove, let stand for five minutes. Slice and serve.

My condolences to those afflicted with lactose intolerance. If there is a fate worse than that, I have no idea what it could be. Cheese is the best.

This past weekend we went to the smallest suburb of Albersloh, to visit a friend and to take our bikes on the trail. I met Ashlee through German lessons a while back. She's a newlywed, and thinking about babies. This was her reaction to the girls:

It was true love, I think. 

We packed a picnic and rode off. We had to stop early though, as there is a massive military base nearby with warning signs aplenty. You can keep riding, but some kind of frequency puts anyone with a pacemaker or heart condition at risk of imploding if they cross an invisible line. So we turned around and fed some ducks. There is no way my anxious mind was going to cross that line.