Bouncing back!

366 challenge 61: Companion

I have had a very quiet and much needed month off blogging, well off everything, really. I have enjoyed my family and O has been working on getting the floors down in the house. Only 1.5rooms left at present and it is starting to look really nice.

I took the above photo when we were leaving a show, that J held with her gym class. O was carrying her and I was struck by their happiness. He adores his little girl and to J, daddy is the best person in the world. 

Reflection: Beginning of December

366 challenge: 111 Ball

This week, the days have been quite busy and chaotic. But all days have had one thing in common. Every evening, we have lit lots of candles in the living room and enjoyed some quiet time as a family with the few Christmas decorations that we have taken out (I think there will be more this weekend). Above i one of two pretty topiary trees that I bought last year.

To see more weekly reflections, please click here.

Close

366 challenge: 247 Tradition

Today the Tuesday theme is nära, which means near or close. Christmas is near and celebrating Christmas with my family is very close to my heart, so here is a close-up of my advent light holder, decorated with coffee beans, cinnamon sticks and dried mango (the last ingredient is new to me, but works very well).

Advent is celebrated on the 4 Sundays before Christmas, where one candle is lit every Sunday up to Christmas. It is a mix of the start of the church year, where advent means arrival (symbolising the arrival of Christ), but since it sounds so similar to the Swedish word vänta as in wait, it nowadays symbolizise the wait for Christmas, or the day that Christ was born.

In Sweden the advent candle holder with 4 candles was only introduced in the late 1900th century, even though advent is much older than that being a fasting period to prepare for Christmas, however as most Christian traditions, it has evolved from a pagan tradition when people celebrated the Mid Winter Solstice, Yule, by lighting candles. The Swedish word for Christmas is also Jul..

To see more nära contributions, click here.

Fototriss - Trappor (Trio of photos: Stairs)

366 challenge: Climbing

This is one of my favorite photos from this autumn. I had such a lovely day out with the children in October. C was helping J up these stairs and just as I took this shot, she looked back to check that I was also coming.

And a close up.

Snow in March in Sweden.

If you want to view more Fototriss contributions, please click here.

Advent Preparations

366 challenge: 14 Wooden (bouquet)

Today our household is a busy one. I wish I had my advent candle holder ready to show you, but it is still to be decorated later today. We have started putting out some Christmas decorations in the house, though and it must be the earliest ever in our household *and I am a little proud of myself*!

No santas are spread around the house yet, just some glimmering items and candles, lots of candles. I put the electric advent lights out in the windows yesterday, but not all windows, I will take a shot when it's all done.

This, little cone bouquet has made it out of my Christmas Boxes and with the day light gone by 3, I hurried out in the garden and I managed to borrow some of the last light of the day to take this shot.

The rest of the family is out buying ingredients for some baking I indend to do this afternoon.

I long for tonight, when the house will smell of soft gingerbread cookies, mulled wine and we have decorated our Avent candle holder.

I wish you a wonderful 1st of Advent.

Pink and White

366 challenge: 363 delicate

Pink & White

To view more contributions, please click here.

Wordless Wednesday: Lavender Gate

366 challenge: 46 Iron works

One last flash back from a lovely summer's day. To view more Wordless Wednesday contributions, please check in with Akson and Nejma.

Tuesday Theme - Golden

366 challenge: 261 Gold

Today's Tuesday Theme is golden. And what is more golden than autumn leaves? This is a beautiful autumn day in the park. The fact that this photo is taken on my birthday and I got to spend it with my family, makes it even more golden.

If you want to me more golden contributions, have a look here.

Bench

366 challenge: 40 Bench

I've had quite a hard day, so I am not going to pour all the details over you. This bench is however standing on a favorite spot of mine. I love sitting on this bench, and several years ago, when we were newlyweds, we drew up all our plans and goals *ie, we were sitting on this spot figuring out what things in life was most important to us*, and I would go so far as to say that without this spot in our lives, we wouldn't live the life we are living today.

In early October, I took my children to this spot. They brought some toys and they had a good 2 hours play by the trees and I sat on "my bench" and just enjoyed the view. When I stood up, I turned around and noticed the wording on the bench. I don't know why I haven't done so before.

I wonder who Cornelia was. Maybe she came to her decision to go to San Francisco, sitting on this very bench?

Preparations

366 Challenge: 16 Handmade

Brother and fiance arrived safely last night and this morning we all had a long breakfast together. The children received two jigsaw puzzles, C a world map and J a prinsess. Both were extatic and I know a certain uncle and antie, who probably will spend a substantial amount of this weekend doing jigsaw puzzles.

After a relaxed morning, I found myself alone in the house for a while. My brother visiting some friends of his and me sending my soon to be sister-in-law into the city with direction on how she would find a friend, she was going to have lunch with. O went with the children to gym class, so I had a blissful little hour in the middle of the day. All to myself. *nice*

Now, we are preparing for our much anticipated Halloween party tonight. It's "just" us 6, but if you are 3 and 6years old, getting the undivided attention of 4 grown-ups for a full evening with games, competition and dressing up, is heaven. At least for my two, so we are all looking forward to our Halloween evening.

C is decorating halloween biscuits beside me this very moment, and I thought *ok, they might not be completely handmade, since I bought a kit*, but I like the photo, so it will be in my 366.

Happy Halloween!

Exotic

366 challenge: 62 Exotic

This morning, I woke up to news headlines like "the city suffers arctic blast". Being Swedish I can't help but being a little bit amuzed by all the drama every time there is a cold spell around. I remember the first time I heard about these arctic conditions that was about to hit our city. It was in year 2000 and both O, my brother and I, switched on the news to hear about the terrible snowfall, only to be greeted by a News presenter standing at a supermarket parking lot surrounded with ca 1/2 inch (1.5cm) of snow, completely overexcited!

I realize that in a country where "winter wheels" (mandatory special wheels for your car, to be used during the coldest months) hardly exist, any degrees below zero is not to be taken lightly, but still. I can't help but giggle a little bit.

We didn't even notice this arctic blast. Apparently our city had it's first October snow in 74 years. I would have loved to see that, but we went to bed early to watch tv and slept with our window open all night *without noticing these arctic conditions* and this morning, I did my usual bare foot tip-toeing around our little garden patch.

Degrees below zero might be exotic to my fellow city residents, but to me, my garden palm tree is exotic.

Tisdagstema: Grå (Tuesday's Theme: Grey)

366 challenge: 196 Fog

I am trying out a new challenge today. Tuesday theme is another blogg challenge, I see popping up here and there. I am amazed by all the lovely people that I "meet" through all challenges I participate in, you have no idea how you make my day with your kind comments. :)

This week's theme is grå, which is Swedish for the colour grey. My contribution shows the view from my bedroom window, a grey foggy morning in February this year, when I lived in Edinburgh. I really miss the beauty of the Edinburgh New Town. It was an amazing thing to have right outside your window.

If you want to view more Tisdags tema contributions, please view here. (vill du kommentera på svenska är du välkommen att göra så.) :)

Fototriss - Sötma (Trio of photos: Sweetness)

Strawberries and cream


366 challenge: 208 Sugar


This week's challenge for Fototriss is Sötma, which means sweetness. If anyone is interested in the chocolate cake, here is the recipe for this lovely low carb cake. (I have reused my photo from when I first made this cake in June.)

To view more Fototriss contributions, please click here.

Show and Tell: If I could travel in time, I would..

366 challenge: My Daughter's Eye

Funnily enough, I have been thinking about telling you about his. I did sort of go back in time a while ago.

I'll start by letting you know about me and my mother. My mother had quite a hard childhood. that, I have understood during the past years, have put it's mark on our relationship. She had a particularly bad relationship with her mother and that sort of spilled out into hers and mine.

Anyway, when I turned 30, I put my foot down, letting her know that from now on, I was not a garbage bin, in which she could throw all her horrible feelings and experiences. I was neither an emotional punch bag for all bad things other people had made her endure. This didn't exactly go down with a treat and the years after that was a bit rocky, but I tried to stay firm, letting her know that with my children in the picture, I really expected some respect from her.

2 years ago she called me. On her own birthday, she called me, crying at 10.30am. It was as if she couldn't bear the thought of noone calling her. We had a great talk, she told me about her life and the people around her and we spoke about our relationship, why she had never been there for me. I let her know that ALL I wanted from her was for her to show interest in my children. I wasn't going to "give a good word for her", which meant that she would have to build up her relationship with my children by approaching them herself. (I hadn't said anything bad either,
I have a lovely grandmother myself and I think it's a fantastic relationship to have)

After that phone call, I haven't heard anything for almost 2 years. Not on my son's 5th birthday, not on my daughter's 2nd birthday, not at Christmas, not at my 35th birthday, not at my son's 6th birthday, not at my daughter's 3rd birthday.

I have been doing a lot of soul searching regarding my mother and around one year ago, I came to the conclusion that I was ok with the fact that we didn't have any relationship. By not contacting her and by giving her "an ultimatum", I had to go through the thought "what if something happens to her during our time of not speaking", and I came to the conclusion that I was at peace with my actions. However hard I was searching within myself, I didn't even miss her. Not one bit. I couldn't even bring myself to be sad by the fact that we didn't have a relationship.

I have had trouble remembering a really good moment between us. We didn't really have any, because she became ill when I was 13. She wasn't interested in me, she never was. She was the kind of mother who was in charge of the school parent association, who started up youth clubs for the children in our village, but funnily enough, she was never there for me. She wasn't interested in who I was. That's probably why it was so hard to realize, that when I had children,
she chose other children before mine.

Anyway, *this is getting long*, about 1week before my birthday, I had the weirdest dream. It wasn't so much as a dream, but a memory, that I was reliving. I dreamed that I was walking beside my mother in a park. When I woke up, I was all emotional and I really remembered how my mother was when I was about 2-4years old. I remember how we walked through the park, holding hands. We were singing and she was smiling and looking at me. I remember that look now. It is such a strong memory for me, and I recognize it. I remember her smile and how she looked at me. Happy.

Maybe she was thinking of me really hard that night, or maybe it's just my love for my own 3year-old daughter, which made me reach into myself and made me able to take this emotional step forward *within myself* in my relationship with my mother. Maybe this text comes out flat, as I am trying to describe my dream, but this is what I came to think of when I saw this week's theme for the Tell and Show.

I've been time travelling and I revisited myself as a 3year old little girl. :)

A couple of days later, she called me on my birthday. The first phone call in 47 months.

We had a really good talk.

To read other Show and Tell contributions this week, look at the following blogs: Nilla,Simone,Anna,Desiree,Annika, Anne,Petra ,Anna-Saltis ,Millan ,AuroraBuddha,Anki,Lullun, Marianne,Victoria,Susanne,Lia,Cecilia,Leopardia, Anne-Marie, Marina, Marie, Strandmamman,
M.K.B , Ulrika, Jemaya, Nina, Kicki, Barbamorsan

Desire

366 challenge: 27 Desire

What a morning! O has done a long row of nights and mornings with the children, so last night I asked him to wake me if J came down early in the morning, so he could have a sleep in. This morning she woke up at 7.40. A really good time, I think. I was picturing myself cosying up with her in the sofa, a cup of coffee and laptop. Just me and her. A quiet moment.

We started the morning with some exercise. A couple of rounds from top to bottom of the stairs. There is a drawback of living in a narrow townhouse, there is a lot of stairs (!) and when you first forget your bottle, then your little blanket and finally Kitty the cuddly cat, there is a little bit too much stair climbing for me.

Anyway, when J was sitting comfortably, she started making "tummy bug noises" (she has been unwell now for a couple of days), so I ran for a bucket, remembering all scrubbing labour of the last couple of days. After another 20 minutes we realized that it was false alarm.

I made my coffee and my hopes for that quiet computer moment was slowly filling me again. Just as I grabbed my coffee, a little too tired, I managed to spill quite a lot of it on the dining room floor. As I was wiping it up with a towel, I notice a whole trail of nasty stains that the cat have done on the floor. She must have caught something on her foot. So I get some cleaning stuff and started some more thorough cleaning of the floor. Finished, my thoughts of my cup of coffee is back and I put the cleaning products in the cupboard again.

As I walk through the dining room, again in a really good mood, I completely forget the wet floor and *squat* manage to make some sort of split and bump my knee hard on the wooden floor.

Now I have managed to limp my way to the sofa, my coffe is cold, but I am going to try to sip it up before C comes. I can hear him upstairs. The commotion of the day has started.

I wish I had one of those summer mornings in Sweden, when I could sneak out into my little garden patch and pick some wild strawberries...

What would I do without internet? (and 366)

I remember back in 1991. I had just taken my exam at the Swedish equivalent of college and I was doing my first computer course. I had actually applied for language classes, I think it was German, but they all got cancelled and they called me and asked if I wanted to do computers instead. Ok, I thought and that was the start of it all.

One of the teacher at this course was very suspicious at everything computers and I remember he thought it would only lead to a world of doom and gloom. Buying your tickets online instead of going to the box office and perhaps encounter some friends along the way. They would in turn invite you to dinner and there (!), look what you would have missed out on if you would have done it online.

Today it's the complete opposite for me. I work online, I keep in touch with friends online, I read my news online and I shop online.

366 challenge: 27 Job

Part of my job as a stay at home-mum is to get the shopping done. Today as all my bags arrived I was thinking of the amount of work I save by shopping online. Yesterday, by the comfort of my sofa and while 0 was putting the children to sleep, I just clicked on to my grocery store and checked my "last" order to see what I needed from it and added some more items. Today 10 bags arrived, all colour coded: purple for cupboard, orange for fridge items and blue for freezer items.

Today I was checking in on friends abroad, that I haven't spoken with in years while I was unpacking all my bags.

366 challenge: 9 Newspaper

I even got a newspaper for free for shopping so much! ;)

366ers! New Format

I just want to mention that I have a new format on my blog. Or rather an old one.

I am still doing my 366, but I am merging my themed photos with my more "diary form-like" blog.
After each themed foto, I always put the 366 theme description for you to see.

Hope you will still see my 366 photos.

Low Carb Pancakes (366)

366 challenge: 346 Pancake

6 months ago I posted this post as my Challenge contribution to the 366 challenge.

I am so extremely proud to say that 6 months down the line, I am living my low carb life. Quite a lot has happened health wise during this period:

• I have lost 8.9kg, which is ca 19.8lb.
  
• All swelling, which has made my joints ache, is competely gone.
• Even though I have cronic sinus problems, I have gone from taking 8 really strong pain killers a day to 0 pain killers.
  
• I now sleep without help of a little pill.
• Skin has changed a lot, I look healthy and concealer or foundation is a distant memory.
• My migraine is gone.

Most of these things happened after just 1-2 weeks of eating low carb (well, part from the weight loss). For anyone not knowing what a Low Carb diet is, here it is summarized:

• avoid all carbohydrates like pasta, bread, potatoes, rice, sugar. Remember that all carbohydrates are converted to sugar in your body, so fruit sugar and for example brown bread is also to avoid.
• Eat normal amounts of organic fish, meat, poultry.
• Eat "above-ground" vegetables, since they are less rich in carbohydrates. ie, choose broccoli over carrots etc.
• Don't forget the fat. Eat organic full-fat products. Avoid any light products.
  
• Decrease your intake of omega-6, which is inflammatory and increase your intake of omega3.
• Try to eat as organic and unprocessed as possible.

That's about it. :)

How on earth have you cut out carbs??? is the question I get from friends and family. But think again, I don't only cut out carbs, I cut out carbs and add full fat products, so for breakfast I have coffee and cream, for dinner I eat a nice sirloin steak with cream sauce, or a lovely salmon with sallad. The cravings are completely gone and I am feeling great!

So I am happily celebrating my first 6 months of a healthier life with sharing with you a pancake recipe that I just made for lunch, low carb pancakes. To do these pancakes you need:

5 eggs
4dl double creme
2 dl grounded almonds
pinch of salt
organic butter for the pan.

Mix all the ingredients together and make your pancakes with organic butter. Serve with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

Precious

366 challenge: 87 precious

An not very promising Thursday turned out to be a very memorable day. We started the day with scans at the doctor's. My endocrinologist has decided to have another go at what could be causing some of my health problems. I have actually been a bit nervous about starting this whole investigation, but now that it's started I am quite ok.

In the afternoon a trip to the post office turned into a very unplanned afternoon of first dining out with the family and then a trip to the park.

Just what I needed, an unexpected day to recharge my batteries. On the photo, J is sitting on a massive log here, very proud to being able to climb ontop of it, just like big brother. My precious girl.

EFIT 5 October 2008 (One Photo per Hour) + 366

This past Sunday, I thought it was time I had another go at the EFIT project. For you who don't know what it is, it is a Swedish photo project. EFIT is short for Ett Foto I Timmen, which means. One photo per hour. I had hoped that we would have a great day doing family things and cooking fabulous food, but no. So, here is a normal plain Sunday in my life.

If you are a Swedish visitor, I am just as happy to receive comments in Swedish (vill du kommentera på svenska är du välkommen att göra så.) :)

10.06 I wake up after a well-needed sleep-in. Both children have been up during the night and the last time I was upstairs with them was 4.30.. (yes, realizing now that you shouldn't take pictures of your crome taps seconds before you hit the shower, but I have zoomed this one and it's safe to post!)

11.20 We are out of coffee, so I have some yogurt and a finncrisp for breakfast. A working breakfast by the computer, telephone and other things officy.

12.20 Still working and I motivate O to put our venetian blinds up. This is the window, when he starts.

13.25 Job done and J inspect daddy's work. (I am really pleased!)

14.25 With the living room being so cosy, we feel an urge for buying a telly. We shouldn't, but are just going to have a look...before we leave I spend roughly 35 minutes looking through most our boxes to find the children's new rain coats. I finally find them and we're off!

366: 227 Blur

4.30 Going from one store to another, we drive though a beautiful park.

6.30 No TV *store closed just as we arrived*, realizing all bigger grocery stores had closed we went to a local Sainsbury's. As we were getting in the car, the kids noticed this "castle". They were very impressed.

7.30 Back home I get the honour of doing a test drive with our new family member, Hetty.

8.30 We all have dinner together with "mysljus" (cosy lighting). Children are very tired (and so are we!), so I forget about the EFIT during our bedtime routine.

23.00 After getting the children in bed, I work for about 1h before we go to bed. Now I am in bed watching an all time favorite our ours. Svensson, Svensson, a swedish sitcom *O falls asleep after ca 10 minutes and I switch on Desperate Housewives, which I fall asleep to*

I hope you have enjoyed my EFIT day!

To view more EFIT contributions, please click here.