What I've been doing

I really don't know what happened. I planned to take a little break from all things computer while we were vacationing. Just a week. That week went plural on me, and I have to say that it was liberating. Of course I've missed this space and checking all the blogs I follow, but I hadn't realized that everything to do with the computer was also a bit stressful. My kids really own my ass, so it was just another thing on the list of things I want to do and don't have time for. That isn't a good thing, not at all. So I guess I needed the break, I really did.

The break wasn't an idle one, we've been very busy vacationing, enjoying everything summer has to offer, enjoying one another and just trying to get away with as much lazy living as possible. A peak into our summer:

                               :: Enjoying what little garden we have

                                :: Celebrating midsummer

                                :: I've missed the ocean, it was good to smell that salty air

                                :: The house we stayed in on our vacation. Love those flowers

                               ::Balcony +  potatoes = Balconatoes. Yeah, I did it!

I even have some crafty projects to share. My husband asked me to make him something to cover his iPad with. I got right on it and am very pleased with the result. In retrospect I would have added a few more rows - or better yet, checked my gauge before I started. I knit and crochet so tight, but never, ever check my gauge. Very bad, I know, and it's going to get me into trouble some day!

I love cable patterns. They look so complicated but are so easy. A knitting fake-out. You can find the pattern here.

As for reading, I finished Barbara Kingsolvers "The poisonwood bible". I have been curious about that book for years but never wanted to read it because it was on Oprah's book club. Ridiculous, right? But the book was really, really good. I love that it was written from the point of few of the five main characters, who were all so very different. Not only was the story entertaining and interesting, but I got to thinking about what hard work must have been behind this book. So much research about the history and politics of Congo, and the Congolese way of living. I definitely recommend it.

Joining knitters and crocheters worldwide for Yarn Along.

My kind of Monday

:: Monday started with a loud "you have to come see this!" from my boy. My first thought was that he had found some animal outside our front door, but no. The first poppy blooming was what had him all excited. Love that that made him so happy. He sniffed it and said "Mamma, it smells like summer now." How does he come up with these things? He knows just what to say to make my heart melt on a regular basis (which is good 'cause he gives me aneurysms on a regular basis too).

:: Communication breakdown weighing on the heart. The floodgates have opened and Esther is learning new words at such a fast pace, I almost can't keep up. And with those words comes so much frustration when I don't understand what she is trying to tell me. This girls sweet demeanor sure had me fooled, I think I will call her "pink fury" from now on.

   

:: Out when it's sunny, in with the rain. I don't know how many times we put boots and hats on to go outside. It keeps them both happy. He needs to run around and she has just discovered puddles and how much fun it is to get all good and dirty.

:: With all the thunder and rain we've been having today we needed an indoor project. Baking is always fun and some decadence on a Monday is just good for you every now and then. Esther was my helper this time, which is unusual 'cause she usually can't sit still for more than a few minutes. She acknowledged every instruction with an "OK" to let me know she was onboard, which was one of her new words today. We threw together what we had at home, making a delicious brown sugar, rhubarb and berry pie. 

:: Ending the day tending to my newest project, a homemade sour dough starter (using flour, water and honey). I'm on day four of caring and feeding this starter, and its gotten too watery. So I'm going to pour some out and put some new flour and honey in, see if its gets bubbly and slimy like it should. Sour dough starters aren't all that easy! I've tried before and failed - you absolutely have to use organic products. The other stuff is too just processed, it doesn't contain the microorganisms needed to get the dough going. Of course I could just buy a starter at the grocery store, but where's the fun in that?! 

Know I haven't been posting all that regularly - I was about to say lately, but I have never posted regularly, haha. Life just seems to get in the way a whole lot, not much to do about that! Hope you had a lovely Monday too!! 

The dandelion path

I just had to go out on a walk this morning to take a proper picture of the lovely dandelion path I found yesterday. If I was a little girl I'd most definitely imagine that walking down that dandelion path wouldn't take you to the houses beyond but to a secret fairy realm. That's what I told my kids. I prefer keeping the magic than talking about regular disturbance, closed grass swards, colonization opportunities and ruderal species ;) Being a biologist does sort of take the magic out of nature, but luckily I have this imagination to keep me tapped in to childhood wonder. I hope I never loose that.

Our morning walk was a bit longer than I'd planned. Little miss is too busy these days for her second nap in the afternoon, so I'm trying to keep her awake for longer periods in the morning so she won't be this angry, loud little thing when I'm trying to prepare dinner. There is nothing as stressful as an angry, crying and hungry child when you're making dinner. Add to that one that wants to be held and only having two hands - I almost can't stand it. So to pass the time we went for a stroll, camera in hand.

We walked alongside the river running through our little town. I have to say that through the years I have found this town lacking in many ways. It's situated between two major cities - Stockholm and Uppsala - so there really isn't much here. But it's small, quiet and a good place to raise kids in my opinion. But now things are happening here. The town is growing and what is more to my liking is that its getting prettified. I'm a sucker for pretty. The area around the river now has this beautiful statue of a girl crouching, I have to go take a better look sometime. And wildflowers were sown here last spring and are absolutely beautiful. We come here a lot with the kids now, they love throwing pebbles in the river and waiting for ducks to fly in. Once again reminded that it's the little things in life, isn't it?

Little miss has a thing for dandelions and I picked several for her on our way back home. She did her best to copy what she has seen her brother doing, but managed to eat more seeds than actually blow them into the air. I often get this pang of guilt when I think about how different these early years are for Esther than they were for Sebastián. He was the center of the universe and I had so much time to show him things and allow him to explore. Esther, on the other hand, has been tagging along with us from day one, at first quietly observing and now noisily observing and diving into the goings on of our daily lives. But her brother makes up for what I can't show her and do with her, she copies everything he does. I can already tell that he is her hero, despite the many murder attempts between those two....

Walking to the park I came across an apple tree in bloom, breathtaking! I was lucky that it has a little visitor that I could capture on camera. 

See those loaded pollen baskets? Hard at work, this one, and not caring one bit that I was following him around with my camera. Of course bumblebees can sting, but I've never ever been stung by a bumblebee. Despite that I like to pet them when they're sleeping on some big flower. Between their head and wings, they usually just sort of lift one leg and wave it in the air, but don't seem to mind at all. I have to show that to the kids too....

Hope you also get to stop and smell the flowers today! 

Ta-daaaaah!

Finally I get to share a finished project! I crocheted a pair of slippers, "Granny Rose", for my niece. They were a perfect fit and she loved them. And I love that she loved them.

I guessed that they would probably stretch a bit after being worn, so I made them  size smaller than her actual shoe size. They were very snug when I tried them on, but not uncomfortable in the least. I used a cotton yarn, "Drops Paris", from Garnstudio, and must say I didn't like working with it much. But the slippers turned out great, I have a mind to make myself a pair as well - but first I need to do something about all my other unfinished projects.

As far as reading goes, I've been stepping away from the computer and actually taking some quiet time to myself to just lie in bed and read. I borrowed a stack of books from my sister that she recommended, and decided on "About a boy" by Nick Hornby. It's an old book, but I haven't wanted to read it despite good reviews because of Hugh Grant. I know he is in the movie, which I haven't seen, and he is on the cover of the book.  I know lots of ladies swoon over this man, but no, he just gets on my nerves. I can't stand movies with him in them, always the same character. Always that creased brow, insecure look that is supposed to be so charming.  So that kind of put me off of the book. But I really enjoyed it. It was quite witty and made me laugh every now and then, and a very easy book to take in. Just what I had been looking for.

Next on my list is Barbara Kingsolvers "Poisonwood bible". Another book that everyone probably read ages ago, but as usual, I let silly things like it being mentioned on Oprah put me off of it. I'm planning on this book being a summer read, I want to take my time with it. Just as well, summer is upon us and the days are packed from beginning to end. We have the usual goings on here at home, I sometimes feel like I do nothing other than tidy up and cook. We're spending as much time as we possibly can outdoors, and we've come to the point where I'm having a hard time getting my boy to come in at the end of the day. My little corner of green needs weeding and watering, and I still have some seedlings inside to tend to. And a tree. Indoors. I have a thing for acorns, I love the look of them and their smooth texture, so I planted one to see what would happen. Grow it did, and now I need to figure out what to do with it. Can I make a bonsai out of it? Anyone have any experience with that? If that doesn't work I think I'll just have it in here until fall, and plant it in some special place outside.

Joining once again in Yarn Along.

A ta-dah! gone awry

Joining fellow knitters and crocheters for Yarn Along.

I had been hoping to give you a ta-dah!-post instead of a little glimpse as to what I have on my hook at the moment. I'll be done soon though and then this little gift can be given to a very special little girl who is being very patient with her aunt.

As for reading, well, I haven't really been reading much. I have tried quickly grabbing something at the library that I think I will like, but no, no luck. I have, however, been doing some writing. I'm re-writing my recipe collection into a new book. The old one fell apart and the fat stains and smudges on its pages stopped being charming quite some time ago. I'm sure there is some smart online site where I could store my recipes, but I like to do things old-school. I'm also trying to take time to write into my kids journals. I have one for Sebastián and one for Esther, and I like to jot down funny things they've said or done - anything memorable really - so that this noodlehead mother of theirs will remember all those quirky, funny and most adorable things that these kids come up with. I don't know about you but my memory is horrible, its so easy to forget those small things and just remember the big stuff. I don't want to forget that Esther likes to pull up her shirt, points at her belly button and says "eye", or that she has said her first words in english - SIT DOWN! Read that with an Arnold Schwarzennegar voice, we say it as a joke to her brother and it stuck. Or the funny (to us) fashion choices Sebastián makes. He says he's the most good looking boy at daycare, sporting a worn out vest, long johns and a baseball cap. And if I actually do get him to wear a pair of pants, he'll tuck the legs into his socks - always. I love that kid to bits, I really do. Both of them!

Pockets for Lori

Last week those of us that visit Loris blog were invited to participate in a special project. Lori posted about her coming trip to Africa, and her wish to knit little necklace pockets with gifts in them, to give to the Himba people she plans on visiting. She asked if anyone wanted to contribute, and it seems many thoughtfully did. 

I decided to crochet my pockets since I crochet faster than I knit, and since its easier to do around the kids. Only one enticing stick to hold on to, and if curious little fingers start pulling the yarn and manage to unravel something it's easy to backtrack and start over. I used a pattern found here, chaining 22 for the foundation chain and using a 5 mm crochet hook to match the size of Loris pockets.

Now I just hope these pockets actually make it to Lori in time. I'm such a birdbrain sometimes that it's scary. I used a prepaid national package instead of an international one, so now I'm praying to the postage gods that the package will get sent anyway since it was so light. Cross your fingers for me, or if you're in Sweden - hold your thumbs. Never have gotten used to that thumb-holding thing....

I have to say it felt really good to do something for someone else. It feels really good to know that some child might receive one of those pockets I made and find a little toy in there, just for them.

If you're curious about the other pockets that have been made, follow this link.

Underwear pizza and other tidbits from days passed

The weekend started with a much needed girls night out. I decided to try something new, so I had snails. Tasted sort of like mushrooms. All the garlic saved the dish, I don't think I'll have them again.

I woke up on Saturday not feeling very well, thinking that I didn't have that much wine the night before and then realizing that I was getting sick. Spent Saturday in denial, made home-made calzones (calzone sounds like the swedish word for underwear - "kalsonger", so we always call it underwear pizza), whole family involved. I supervised, hubby executed most of the work, Sebastián rolled pizza dough and Esther ate it. They were delicious, I do believe I will need to post a recipe soon.

Sunday spent on the couch with an earache, headache  - everything ached. But I didn't mind, I really needed to just be at home and do absolutely nothing. Hubby took the kids to their grandparents, ah, the silence...

...and then - the silence! Way too quiet at home, I missed the kids after a couple of hours. Was so happy when they got home. Seeing Esther walk around, fall around - her balance is still just a bit off. Sebastián wearing his spiderman suit that he refuses to take off (and he only answers to spiderman now).

And this morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that the acrobats of the air were back, the swallows are here! I adore swallows. Their high pitched cries are summer to me, and they just look like they are having so much fun the way they fly about. If I was an animal I'd definitely want to be a swallow.

Back on the couch, spiderman is next to me and Esther is sleeping in the stroller. Oh Esther, she is having a hard time letting go. I'm trying to get her turned off of boob food but she is adamant and won't give up "tah-tah". Sigh, I kind of want my body back now. Aw well, it will work itself out somehow, it always does!

All in all it was a good, lazy weekend. Now I just need to get back on my feet!

Getting out of the spiral

Watched this TED talk yesterday which got me thinking about this old post and my "three happy's". I wish I didn't have to reprogram my brain so often to positive thinking, but at least I know how to get myself out of this negative spiral I often find myself in. Need to take out my journal again, end the day with writing three things that have made me happy. And by happy I don't mean totally euphoric happy (although thats a good thing of course), small-smile-on-the-face-happy is more than good enough. 

Oh, and music helps too. We all have our list of feel-good songs that just pick up our mood a notch, don't we? This one always has me dancing...

Copycat

A while ago I read this post over at "the habit of being" and couldn't get the idea of this list out of my head. How great wouldn't it be to have a long list of things you want to do for yourself or others to tick off over the course of a year? Fun things, things that will help your personal growth, things you've always wanted to do but have been putting off and so on and so forth. So, here goes, here's my 33 before 33:

1. Find a reason to crack open the expensive bottle of champagne we have had at home for way too long.

2. Step out of my comfort zone when it comes to clothes & accessories

3. Go to one last concert with my bro (my concert buddy) before he leaves the country

4. Enjoy a quiet morning alone with my cuppa and other morning indulgences

5. Go crab-hunting with my boy

5. Take Sebastián to Iceland

6. Go completely organic on the beauty products front

7. Grow potatoes on my balcony

8. Find my abs again (where did you goooo?)

9. Knit a cardigan for myself

10. Have a pedicure

11. Take a knitting class

12. Make sourdough bread from scratch

13. Buy myself a new jug to replace my favorite one that broke

14. Do my best to make sure my crazies (that is, the kids) know their worth and feel good about themselves. 

15. Get that tattoo I've always wanted (eek! really?!)

16. Send my husband off on a chess tournament somewhere abroad

17. Spend a day at the spa getting pampered

18. Move out of the shoebox

19. Improve my photography skills

20. Paint the hall dresser robins egg blue

21. Go through our storage room and get rid of things we don't need anymore

22. Participate in a run of some sort, 5 km minimum

23. Finish my thesis

24. Get a full-length mirror

25. Send someone a hand-written letter (don't you miss those?)

26. Make dvd's of all the video's we have of the kids and watch them. (Oh boy is this going to make my cry and want to populate the world with my awesome offspring)

27. Go bowling

28. Take the kids to the butterfly house in Stockholm

29. Have a picnic in a meadow

30. Lie on a blanket in the sun with my bare feet on the grass

31. Give an unexpected gift

32. Go for more walks in the woods alone. Pure meditation.

33. Make a campfire with my kids

I'll end this post with a photo from this weekend. The white fluff came back, I really thought we'd seen the last of it. We'll have no more of this now, OK? We're all so very ready for some warm weather and I really want to start getting some of these seedlings out of my kitchen. The kids love them though, Sebastián is following their growth with excitement and Esther wants me to take the pots down for her about ten times a day so she can kiss the seedlings and say hello to them. These kids cuteness is just killing me.

One of those days

It's been one of those days spent cleaning and putting away and getting things in order only to have the floors dirty again in the matter of a few hours, the newly washed chair covers splattered in pesto, the kitchen floor littered with acorns and the washed laundry lying all over the bedroom.

One of those days spent mostly in the kitchen with the best of company, talking and talking and talking and laughing and eating way too much good food (excuse me while I undo a button).

One of those days that the kids are showing their best and their worst, excited by the company, and you sometimes feel like they are being raised by baboons.

One of those days that ends in a weary, content sigh. What would we do without these days and the baboon-babies that make everything nuts and wonderful all at the same time? And that big brother company that I am going to miss so so much...

Happy easter, hope your holiday will be filled with many of these good, crazy days.

Procrastinating (I'm good at that)

Winter made a come-back this weekend. All the jackets, mittens and hats I had stowed away had to be taken out again. Typical March weather around these parts, but the cold and little bit of white we had on the ground kind of knocked us out of our spring high. I think my boy took it worst of all, absolutely refusing to put on winter clothes again. Style is everything with this one and he has summer in his blood all right. It's all about long johns (and ONLY long johns), baseball caps, sneakers and a certain hoodie that is way too small on him - everything else is "ugly", not "his style" and he won't go outside if he doesn't "look good". *sheesh* He got away with it up until a certain temperature, after that I had to exert my maternal skills and get him properly dressed. 

Promising some time in the Uppsala city park playground and feeding ducks got him in his winter jacket in no time, and it was so nice to get out of the house despite the hail and snow and rain we got that day.  I thought Esther would climb into the pond with the ducks she was so excited, but Sebastián was scared beyond belief; fed the birds after  bit of reassurance and coaxing. Makes me wonder what the heck I am thinking letting him try out horseback riding tomorrow, but hey, if he shows interest then I think that should be encouraged. Maybe he won't run screaming at the sight of a horse? (fingers crossed, I'll be alone with the kids tomorrow doing this thing, please please please let it go well). Worst case scenario, he doesn't even get on the horse. 

Not much in the way of anything creative to share here, just the pics. My thesis is a thorn in my side to say the least, I try to use whatever time I can to finish that piece of work. Progress being made, slowly but surely. Speaking of which, best get productive while the little one is napping! 

A pimped vase and lemon curd

Easter is not far off, and even though I love Easter decorations we really don't have much of them. So I decided to make something myself. Something colorful.One of Lucy's projects came to mind, and I decided to pimp a vase of daffodils I have in the kitchen. Oh daffodils, you are beautiful but you smell horrible. Here's the pattern at Attic24. Very happy with how it turned out.

I haven't been doing much reading lately, but I have been perusing a cookbook I got for Christmas from my sister-in-law. Its a swedish book, "Söta saker", which means "Sweet things". Only cakes, cookies, jams and marmelades in this one. There are so many good looking sweet things in this book that I've mostly been drooling over the contents instead of actually making them (so I can drool whilst I chew). A pair of sad looking lemons changed that though. I couldn't let them go to waste, so I used them to make lemon curd. Why haven't I made this before? Absolute riot for the tastebuds. First you get a "Oh my god that's sweet"-shock followed by a "Wow that's sour"-shock. Yum.

While I'm sharing pics of my kitchen adventures, I can tell you that I have had a premiere pea shoot sallad here at home. I threw together a few differnent kinds of lettuces, fresh spinach, tomatoes, feta cheese and a handful of pea shoots. Topped it all off with a olive oil and lemon dressing. It was good! I could taste a slight pea-flavor every now and then and knew I was chewing on something I had grown myself. Going to plant some more peas, definitely want more shoots to add that extra little zing to my sallads!

Joining Ginny for Yarn Along.

White, yellow, purple and lots of sunshine

Just look at what I came home to, aren't they gorgeous?! Coming home to flowering crocus in my little bit of green, sunshine, 15 degrees celsius and no snow whatsoever put a big smile on my face. Couldn't have asked for a better welcome in Sweden,  after the absolutely crazy weather we had in Iceland. There was snow, rain and very windy weather. In Sweden there's a saying that translates "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing". As in if you dress right you can be outside in basically any weather. Well, whoever came up with that should experience what Iceland can dish out....

I came home to flowers with flowers. My aunt took me and my brothers to her studio and told us to pick a piece to take home with us. "I don't knit so you get this instead" is what she said. Well, I'll take this anytime! I just need to find the perfect spot for this painting, called "A sea of flowers".  Definitely adds to this spring high I am on right now.

Twist & twine. Take a look at those colors, now that's something. *sigh* Yarn dreams...

I love Alys

I can't find the fox. The fox that has been with her everywhere for the past few weeks. She takes him to bed with her and he's calmed her down when she's been upset. We had it with us when we went shopping today and I have a vague memory of her running around with it when we got home, but maybe that's just yesterdays image I haven't let go of yet? I have looked everywhere. Thankfully Esther can survive without it, especially since her brother lent her his little bear. I just feel so guilty for loosing it, she loves that dirty little fox! Just get her another one, or some other stuffed animal, my husband says. But no, I'll be on the phone tomorrow, calling all the stores we visited. Hope I can find it!

Not how I was planning on starting this post, but I just can't stop thinking about that fox. And kicking myself for not writing down the name of the manufacturer. Ok...moving on.

Things are definitely happening outside. A quick glance at my little bit of green - or brown as it is now - a couple of weeks ago, revealed that my Bleading Heart has started to grow. I thought it was a bit early in the growing season, but not long after I spotted the beginnings of Tulips and Snowdrops in neighboring gardens. Spring is making its' appearance. Standing in sunlight now actually makes you warm, so we've been spending lots of time outdoors and rediscovering new ways of playing. A few large rocks and some trees are the perfect setting for a little home where I was served moss-balls and bolts for lunch by my boy. Delicious.

While we were playing the postman came by, carrying a little package I've been waiting for. I was so in love with everything Alys Fowler after I saw her tv-show that I just couldn't resist ordering one of her books ("The thrifty gardener"). I ran inside, made myself a cup of coffee and ran back outdoors to enjoy a first glimpse of the content in the sunlight. La dolce vita....

I was not disappointed, not at all. As of yet I have only skimmed through the content, and from what I can see there are lots of tips in this book on everything from how to plan you garden to how to make your own compost. It seems to be directed to beginner gardeners, which is perfect for me. I received a copy of a seed catalogue at the same time as this book, so now I just need to start planning. Alys Fowler makes it seem so simple to just grow whatever you want, wherever you want. I've a mind to try my hand at potatoes this year, on my balcony. That's right, taters on my balcony! Why not? It will be an interesting experiment if nothing else!

I went ahead and planted those peas I mentioned in an earlier post, and wow have they grown fast! It only took a couple of days for them to germinate and now, a week and a half later, they are more than 10 cm high and their tendrils are wrapping around each other. The photo below was taken after just one week. I've had a first taste of my pea shoots. It'll be a couple weeks more before I can use them in a salad, can't wait.

While I'm sharing pictures of plants, I promised Lori over at Lori times five a picture of my Sweetheart vine. It's grown absolutely wild, this plant has, but I don't have the heart to cut it or try to tame it somehow - I like it messy.