Welcome

A warm welcome to all of you to our blog: Crafty Dutch Girl!

This place isn’t so much about us, but more about you! Did you have ever have that feeling that you don’t really belong?

Was there a time in your life you moved away from a city or town where you grew up and you went to a new school or work place, you met new people, but you left your routine, your friends and your home?

Getting settled in your new environment isn’t always easy. Are you going to be there for a few months, a year or indefinite? How much can you settle in? Can you call this home now?

So many questions you might have and insecurities. You might even feel homesick at times!

Living and/or working abroad is even a bigger step. A new culture, new language, new food. It seems like a vacation in the beginning where you explore the town or city and try new foods and meet new people, who invite you to new places, activities and parties. And then you realized, you still need to go back to work (in this vacation-like environment), pay the bills in the language you barely know, raise a family in a new culture.

How is that going to turn out?

What is an expat life?

This is the life of an expat. I always thought that an expat is a person that lives and works outside of their home country for a limited time only. But it can also be a family living abroad for an unlimited time….like us! Source

To live in another country since 2006, it feels in some way like a new home, but you always feel like a foreigner, because you are. When visiting your home country, you feel left out too, because you missed YEARS of changes.

Keep your past and work on the future.

But nothing can take away your heritage, your (family) traditions from your home country. This is what this blog is all about. This is our journey how we found and created our new lives abroad. We try to find creativity in everything we do and know from our own home country and bring it to our new home. Some people shared their home country food with their new community and some people created things from their home country.

How can we help?

We like to share the things we brought from our country in our Family Traditions Page. The activities we do with our children, things we used to do with our family. Some of these Kids Crafts we did at our school, or we learned from our parents.

The Dutch places we find here in America and the beautiful places we visited in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. It is all part of us!

Maybe you have a job, but you might need some extra creativity in your week. We love to create things and learn new things, like this blog and things to keep us sane, like these projects in Crafts for moms. Maybe you can use some of these downloads to make life a little easier. Maybe you can enjoy things abroad that you like to do, like sport or music.

And best of all, to impress not only your own family, but friends, let them taste your family favorite homemade recipes. The classic ones or the ones with a twist, just to make it a little different to please everyone’s taste buds!

We love to connect to you and to help each other and share amazing creative ideas!

Enjoy our blog!

Who are we?

What’s my name?

Danielle Wallace

And a fun one, my maiden name?

Geerards

Can people pronounce my name(s) where I currently live?

Not really, if it comes up, they try to pronounce my maiden name after I repeat it slowly at least 3 times. It comes down to:” Jeehard”.

Where do I live now?

We live in South East Iowa, the United States of America

Where am I from originally?

I was born in a small town called Neer and lived in Heel and Roermond in the South of the Netherlands.

Why did I decide to leave the Netherlands and move abroad?

In 2000 I met my husband in the Netherlands. We met at an outdoor volleyball tournament. In 2005 we got married and our first child was born in June 2006. In September that year we moved to the USA. We bought a house in South East Iowa. I got to stay home with our child J. and my hubby worked in Colorado.

Do I have a family?

Now we have a family of 5. J. who is non-binary (born in 2006), K. a boy (born in 2007) and M. a girl (born in 2013). And of course my hubby and I.

Do they all speak Dutch?

My husband can have a basic conversation with my parents for example. At the moment our oldest talks Dutch and texts me in Dutch. Our 2 youngest barely speak Dutch, but understand some Dutch. Our son more than our daughter.

How often do we visit the Netherlands? And what do I usually do?

The last time was in 2016, usually every 3 or 4 years. We visit friends and family, showing the kids the places where we lived, eat Dutch food and going on day trips.

What is something I miss the most? And what NOT at all?

Family and friends of course, but also certain kinds of food, like bread, or pudding, white asparagus, cookies, pies and some candy. Traffic is a thing I don’t miss at all and actually sometimes the weather. I don’t like the humid, hot summers here in Iowa, but I love the cold, snowy winters.

What makes me a Crafty Dutch Girl?

The Crafty Dutch Girl Blog is about living outside of the Netherlands, but wanting to live the Dutch life.

We like to keep the traditions like “Sinterklaas”, making food instead of buying it at the Dutch grocery store, traveling and exploring the world to find Dutch things, being creative and saving money. Having a family, we definitely need to save money, but I’d like to give my children the opportunity to explore who they are and what they like.

In Europe I worked as an occupational therapist for 9 years before I moved to the US. It was almost impossible to get a license here. There were many jobs, but I had to go back to school to get my license. Then I found out I was pregnant with our 3rd child. Now my hands are itching to find solutions for problems and to do all kinds of creative projects from Home Improvements, to learning new skills like crochet or woodworking….and blogging. I’m loving it!

If I could have any superhero power, what would it be and why?

My husband and watched “The agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”. There was a lady who played an in-human who could run very fast and could pick the bad guys’ guns before they pulled the trigger. If I could do that several times a day (I mean run really fast, not so much the gun part), with things I don’t like to do so much, like cleaning, then I would have more time in the day to do the things I love to do!

What is my favorite family vacation?

Fortunately our family are good travelers. I’d love to tour the USA (or any part of the world) in an RV or Skoolie.

What did I want to become when I was young?

Okay, don’t laugh: a roller-skater or an elementary school teacher.

What did it turn out to be?

An Occupational Therapist, a mom, and now a blogger.

What are my hobbies?

Volleyball, gardening, exploring with my kids, like biking, geocaching, crafts, computer games, etc.

What is my favorite animal?

Red panda

What is my favorite Dutch food? And American?

Luckily I can make most of the foods, but I miss the “Maatjes Haring” and any kind of bread to make sandwiches and “tosti”. For dessert: “Limburgse vlaai”, like “rijstevlaai” or Kruimelvlaai”. American food….hmmm, there is a really good burger place right next to us and I just love their burgers. I eat a few times a year beef, and it is mostly their burgers.

What is the most unusual thing I’ve ever eaten?

I cannot decide if it is some jelly like green stuff in Japan once or sea urchin in Greece.

What is my favorite family tradition?

I know it is almost over, but it is/was “Sinterklaas”. The kids really love the indoor treasure hunts and the candy in their shoes.

What is my life slogan?

Being Crafty isn’t just a hobby, it’s a Way of Life

What’s my name?

Mieke van Eerdt

And a fun one, my maiden name? 

Teeuwen

Can people pronounce my name(s) where I currently live?

Lol, I’ve learned to listen to a lot of variations of my name. And when in a waiting room, I can usually tell by the mild panic in the eyes of the assistant, that they are looking for me.

Where do I live now?

I live in Canada, in a town between Vancouver and Whistler. Many people are very outdoorsy here. Lots of mountain bikers, rail runners, rock climbers and water sport enthusiasts here. 

Where am I from originally?

I’m from Budel, a town in the south part of the Netherlands.

Why did I decide to leave the Netherlands and move abroad?

My husband and I decided to move to Canada, just for a little abroad adventure. Well, Iife happened and we are still in Canada after 16 years.

Do I have a family?

We are a family of four, my husband F, me and our two teens S (14) and N(12). With N we get to enjoy a whole lot of extra furry, scaly and feathery additions. If it was up to her, we would be living in a zoo, but for now we’ve managed to keep it to budgies, an aquarium, guinea pigs, a cat and recently chicks! All the rest of our family lives in the Netherlands and Germany.

Do they all speak Dutch?

Yes, we speak Dutch at home. I’ve heard my kids talk in their sleep in both Dutch as English.

How often do we visit the Netherlands? And what do I usually do?

We try to go back every year. Usually we hang out with friends and family and do tons of day trips to soak up as much culture and love as we can. We have visited Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Breda, Maastricht, Roermond, Scheveningen, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Cologne so far, but the bucket list is endless.

We also like to visit amusement parks, nothing beats a visit to “the Efteling”! When the kids were younger, “Toverland” was a great alternative. Sometimes we get lucky and we can go to a show or concert . Those tend to be more affordable then what we get here. We usually plan our trip out of season, so all the places we visit are not too busy. It’s always great if we get to go somewhere with friends or family. That way we hit two flies with one slap ( ; 

There are countless museums that are interesting for kids as well. Super fun and hands on exploring. 

What is something I miss the most? And what NOT at all?

Of course I miss my family and friends the most. The culture of a quick and spontaneous visit, old buildings and city trips you can do in a day. I don’t miss the fast pace of life. People even talk way faster than the laid back Canadians.

What makes me a Crafty Dutch Girl?

I think by being Dutch, I’m always looking for a cheaper version than what I can find in the stores. My mom was a German Kindergarten teacher, so we were always crafting growing up. I also like to think ‘out of the box’ . I never exactly follow a recipe or manual …

If I could have any superhero power, what would it be and why?

I would love to be able to fly like Supergirl… just quickly popping in with my parents or friend…

What is my favorite family vacation?

Most of vacation budget and time are usually spent in the Netherlands. That is our choice and we love it, but just before the pandemic started we took a short trip on a cruise ship. Absolutely loved it! Fine dining, amazing shows and every morning a new place to explore! I would definitely want to take another trip like that!

What did I want to become when I was young?

When I was a little girl, I wanted to become a nurse.  

What did it turn out to be?

I became a Occupational Therapist. While working in Germany, Danielle and I were colleagues and became friends, when we both started our own practices. 

What are my hobbies?

My house is stuffed with projects I want to start or are half done.. I love to bake sourdough bread, fermenting food and trying out new things like making Kombucha and sauerkraut. I love doing pottery and sometimes you can find me on the trails hiking or running.

What is my favorite animal?

That’s a hard question. As I mentioned before, my youngest loves animals. Last year she adopted a cat -his name is Catric Stewart-. Such a great cat, so stubborn! But I also love the new chicks. They just hatched two weeks ago, but soon they will move to their chicken mansion, complete with chandelier!

What is my favorite Dutch food? And American?

My fav Dutch food must be “erwtensoep”. Once I wished it for my birthday meal, so my mom made it for me and my German family who came to celebrate !

Here in north America I love the diversity of food. I wish I could try a different restaurant every week! 

What is the most unusual thing I’ve ever eaten?

I’ll try probably whatever I get offered, if I don’t think it will make me sick…

What is my favorite family tradition?

“Sinterklaas” is still one of my favorite traditional celebrations. What I really love about it, is how this tradition has changed over the years. We are learning and do better every time. But its not a “Sinterklaas” celebration without “pepernoten” and Chocolate Letters and putting your shoe out!

My absolute favorite tradition that we adopted here is Halloween!  I like to decorate the house with a different theme each year. Last year we created “the Mad Hatter tea party”, with the smoking caterpillar on a giant mushroom.  While the kids were still in Elementary school, I started an annual Halloween dance, which grew out to the party where all kids were waiting for.

What is my life slogan? 

Why be the same, when you can be different?!