Simply beautiful. Those are really the best words I know to use indescribing the place where true conference was held third past week.
You can read more about The Art Factory and the Holladays at www.artfactorykandern.com
Simply beautiful. Those are really the best words I know to use indescribing the place where true conference was held third past week.
You can read more about The Art Factory and the Holladays at www.artfactorykandern.com
It all started with a short train ride in the Netherlands from Amsterdam to Haarlem* to fulfill a bucket list item. Excited would be an understatement as we approached the city that was once the home to Corrie ten Boom (you can read about her here).
We arrived ahead of our scheduled appointment to tour the Hiding Place Museum, so we found ourselves wandering a bit. And just down the street from the museum and the Ten Boom Juwelier, we stumbled upon a charming boutique.
Sissy Boy offers a nice selection clothing and home decor, a pairing that seems increasingly common in northern and western European shops. And while its merchandise looked quite nice, it was the cafe that drew us in.
Daily is Sissy Boy’s in-house cafe. It showcases the simple and clean design we’ve come to find so many places in Europe, as well as an assortment of pastries and breads, and a menu of breakfast and lunch items.
We all ordered scones with cream and jam.
I highly recommend this. Highly.
And we found their coffee and espresso very good as well. Nothing hand crafted, but they obviously were using fresh, high quality beans.
If you have the opportunity to visit the Netherlands, by all means you should see the Ten Boom Museum in Haarlem. And while you’re there, stop by Daily at Sissy Boy for a nice little treat!
*Be sure to schedule a few extra hours in Haarlem. A beautiful place to simply walk up and down the streets and along the canals. More picturesque and quieter than Amsterdam!
You see, my dream wasn’t to be pregnant. My vision had nothing to do with maternity clothes. I battle my weight enough as it is, thank you very much.
I wasn’t one to “ooh” and “aah” over newborn garments. I never longed to go through the birth process.
No, my dream was to wear the hat of cheerleader, chef, housekeeper, chauffer, referee, nurse, and general multi-tasker. I longed to put our child to bed, read him a story, sing him a song, say prayers together, and tuck him in.
On a day like this, extra attention in the form of hugs or conversation might be the opposite of what she desires. But you could take the time to buy a card, write a thoughtful note, send some flowers, or give her a give certificate for a spa service. Find a way to let her know you care!
I found myself skipping church almost every Mother’s Day. I couldn’t bear another year where I remained in my seat while the pastor asked all of the mothers in the congregation to stand and be recognized.
There is a word in Swedish that I so wish we would adopt in Norwegian:
As I’ve come to understand it, fika is a pause/break involving coffee (though sometimes people replace that for another beverage, particularly for children), and generally would also include sandwiches or pastries.
We’ve heard fika used as both a noun and a verb. A brilliant word, a brilliant concept. Maybe it should go beyond Norwegian adaptation. Perhaps every language should adopt fika!
Last summer while visiting our supervisors in Stockholm, we checked out two cafès that seem to be prime spots for fika – or maybe to fika! I’m highlighting one of those spots today for the kaffetur.
Johan och Nyström‘s Concept Store is located in Södermalm, one of our favorite areas of Stockholm. Not far from a train station, J&N sits prominently on a corner, just begging for you to stop in.
And once inside, if you’re anything like me, you will certainly fall in love with the look and feel of the cafe. It’s not that large, although there is additional seating outside and in the loft. But it boasts beautiful colors, and is incredibly organized, clean, modern, and just an overall delightful place.
As we typically do, Zack and I each picked a different coffee. It gives us a chance to try more than one. We tried the Picknick blend, as well as their selection from Nicaragua. Both were prepared as a pourer, and they were quite good.
If you look closely here, you can see both AeroPress and pour-over |
I love shops that really take their time with coffee. It is so much more than beans and brewing. It truly is an art.
And so it is with J&N. They offered pour-over and AeroPress. Processes that take time, but processes that are certainly worth the wait.
I highly recommend a visit to this shop if you’re ever in Stockholm. While we did have coffee at one other place in Stockholm that I found to be slightly better, you just can’t beat the combination of quality coffee and ambiance.
A perfect spot for fika! (In fact, they actually offer a Fika blend: http://johanochnystrom.se/en/products/fika-en/)