SMOONSTYLE

Here is something yummy for your tummy, that is, if you like bananas.

Watching 'It's Judy's Life' makes me drool most of the time. Food is a key ingredient to their videos and I totally love the fact that they are passionate about healthy food. I have tried some of their recipes and this time I was really craving banana bread. 

I used this recipe: Banana Bread

The only extra ingredient that I added were the almonds, simply because they were waiting to be used. 

So delicious!

My advice: eat it while it's hot!

This year has flown by like crazy. It was a beautiful year, filled with wonderful experiences. I found out that I was pregnant during the beginning of the year, Epica celebrated its ten year jubilee, I visited Australia, Indonesia and China for the first time, I got married, my son Vincent was born on the 2nd of October, two days later my sister-in-law gave birth to a baby girl, my best friend gave birth to a baby boy.

Among all this joy there was also sadness. While I was waiting for Vincent's arrival, I had to say goodbye to an aunt that died of cancer. I couldn't be at her cremation because I was long passed my due date and could give birth any time soon. That was one of the weirdest situations I have ever been in. Waiting for my son to be born while knowing someone close to me was dying. May she rest in peace.

Giving birth has been life changing. I was very afraid of it and thanks to hypnobirthing I experienced a beautiful delivery. I know now that I am strong and can handle all the obstacles in life (not that giving birth is an obstacle). I gave birth to a beautiful, bouncing baby boy and did it the natural way. For me that is the highest achievement.

The first Christmas as a family has arrived. Although Vincent is too young to enjoy it, he does love the lights and is totally mesmerized by it. It is so beautiful to see.

SmoonStyle has been a bit in the background since his birth, but I am sure that you can all understand that I had very little time for the blog. The new Epica record is almost done and has taken up the free minutes in between breast feeding and changing poopy diapers. I still have to go to the Netherlands after Christmas to finish the vocals. Our sixth studio album, can you believe it? Can you guess what TQE stands for? 

Thank you all for your loyalty and support. It keeps us doing what we love and we will keep on going strong together with you!

Enjoy this time with your family and friends, don't worry about presents, the real presents are the people that you love, health and happiness.

Love,

Simone, Oliver and Vinnie

It's the time of the year where I long for scented candle light and extra moisturized lips. When the seasons change, my lips tend to get really dry for a couple of days. The heater and cold wind dry are to blame.

I decided to give the Fresh sugar lip balm a try. They are quite pricey, but I read some good reviews about them and wanted to make the investment. So happy that I did, I really love it! A huge plus is that the color is just right for me. The perfect light rosewood that keeps my lips moisturized all day long.

My current scented candle that I am loving is from Caudalie. It is their Oil Divine candle which smells exactly like the oil. I do have to say that it is very strong. This little friend can make the whole house smell good in seconds. You don't need to burn it for very long. It can become a bit overpowering. Still, the scent is amazing. I got this candle in a christmas set from last year. I am sure that Caudalie will do something similar this year, so keep an eye out for that.

What are your favorite scented candles and lip balms?

On the 27th of November 2012, Oliver and me went to an animal shelter to visit the cats. Schwarzkopf left a void in our hearts and our home. Minou's original name was 'Mama'. They named her Mama because she was brought to the shelter with one of her kittens. Back then she was 2 years old.

She is pretty tiny for her age and incredibly cute. We immediately fell in love when we saw her. In the beginning she was very scared. She was hiding underneath chairs, sofas, in the kitchen corner.

Now, one year later, she has become cuddly and is entertaining us with her funny dance moves while chasing her toy mouse. She is a family member that fits the Palotais.

Happy belated birthday my sweet feline friend.