. . . potluckin' with friends

Last summer at my very first potluck with the North American Women's Club I signed up to host potluck in February, thinking we would be pretty settled by then (and, selfishly, who wants to get a baby out in the February cold weather if they don't have to??). February rolled around before I knew it and the email went out inviting all the women in the club to my home on Tuesday, the 7th. Leading up to the weekend before the potluck I had only received 3 RSVPs, so I didn't feel any pressure at all about the big event. I sent out any email giving details about where to park and asked for any more RSVPs . . . and then they came flooding in! I went from 3 to 16 people in 24 hours. I was thrilled that so many people were coming,  and glad I hadn't known it until right before -- no time to feel anxious!

apparently I like food . . .

Errands . . . with a little spoiling thrown in

Yummy lunch 

Thursday was a busy and productive day for me here! I was out and about for most of the day, and my feet paid for it later. My first exciting find of the day was a maternity store! I hadn't found one yet and couldn't believe my luck when I saw pregnant mannequins in the centrum today. I made a beeline for the store and was able to walk away with a few necessary pieces to help me get through the next six weeks in cooler weather (Victory #1). At another shop I bought a scarf and interacted with the cashier, who never even knew I didn't speak Dutch (Victory #2). My next good find was a couple pairs of flats for €10 a piece -- but I unfortunately returned them today because they were out of the size I wanted to exchange them for (Victory #3). Oh well. By that time I was starving and had a nice lunch at a bistro I hadn't seen before. The server suggested a baguette with chicken, bacon, and chili mayonnaise -- it was uh-mazing (see left).