Carolien has had a busy week again. Are you joining me?

Yesterday was all about Halina's fortieth birthday. For weeks, 200 messages a day appeared in the app group with ideas, anecdotes, and preparation tasks for the big party. And man oh man, what a huge party it was, full of hilarious, emotional, and especially loving moments. We started the evening with a delicious Italian dinner at People’s Place No.5 where Halina was ’proposed’ by her best friends and family. In a real wedding procession complete with a bridal veil, Halina was escorted to the big party. Let me put it this way: the champagne flowed abundantly, the feet were off the floor, and this morning Jon and I had quite a bit of trouble getting out of bed...

As you all know by now, I am a huge fan of Scandinavian fashion. My entire living budget goes towards scoring the latest must-haves of the season. And let’s just say that the winter season is my favorite time of the year! Wonderful materials like wool, leather, and silk combined with beautiful winter coats that make my heart race. Owner Chantal of my favorite shop chain (yes, now 3 stores!) “Stijl” in Maastricht always discovers the coolest new brands. Years ago, I became addicted to Minimum and they have now added a high fashion line called Moves by Minimum. Each piece is a statement item ‘with my name all written over it’. And especially with all the holidays around the corner, this is definitely a collection to check out for that one perfect Christmas outfit or New Year's Eve dress. My outfits are already hanging ready!

When I met Sanne Langelaar on the set of Sneekweek, it was an instant connection. The same sense of humor, the same adoration for acting, and the same interest in... good food. So now we try out a new spot in Amsterdam each time with a menu of tasty AND healthy dishes. This week, the über-healthy spot “Alchemist Garden” was up. Sanne immediately sent me a photo of the collection of books stacked there: this is going to be a spiritual, dreamy, and super healthy afternoon... Luckily, besides the many ‘raw’ lunch dishes, there were also a few ‘raw’ desserts on the menu that we obviously had to try. And I can tell you: these desserts were absolutely on par with the ‘bad’ variants.

Only two episodes to go and the first season of Zwarte Tulp is already over on TV! But don’t worry, we are currently busy filming season two. As everyone has seen, Kat is pregnant and believe me: that will lead to many hilarious moments and outfits that are more wrong than right. Unfortunately, I can't reveal too much yet, but one thing remains: Kat and Ben still love each other unconditionally...

Last week you could read that my oh so fun trip to London was canceled due to ‘a bit’ of fog. As if that wasn't reason enough to pamper myself all week with sweet treats and a few Balmain x H&M items (really just the necessary pieces, of course), I received another blow today: my suitcase has gone up in smoke and is nowhere to be found... Now I had just packed my beautiful outfits to strut fully fashionable down Portobello Road, but unfortunately, that's no longer an option: at least not in those specific outfits. So there's nothing left to do but wallow in self-pity for another week and treat myself to all the desserts and online shopping purchases that come my way. Look ladies, this is how we always find a reason to throw our own party!