Christmas decorating

I have finished decorated for Christmas now. I like not waiting to the last day before. I like enjoying the decorations and the feeling I get from having them around. Some things are a must for me at Christmas, like the tree, hyacinth flowers, santa figurines, Christmas themed table cloths and our Christmas bed sheets!

I have not put out a lot of decorations this year, I can't help but to think of when I have to take them down again. There is actually a special date in Sweden for when you're supposed to take the down the Christmas decorations, "Tjugondag Knut", it's twenty days after Christmas eve.

 

Source: picmonkey.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Source: picmonkey.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Source: picmonkey.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Source: picmonkey.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Source: picmonkey.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Source: picmonkey.com via Johanna on Pinterest

Source: picmonkey.com via Johanna on Pinterest

xx/Johanna

'Tis the season to be....COLD!!!

URgh!!! I really , strongly and utterly DISLIKE (hate is such a strong word) the winter in Sweden! Yesterday morning the temperature was -14*Celsius (7*Farenheit)!!! Inside our house it was 17*C (62*F)!!! That is just TOO F***ing cold!

And just when you thought it was enough, the thermometer outside the kitchen window showed -16*C (3*F)!!!!

I have to wear a beanie or the hood of my polar fleece hoodie inside, since I have no hair (alopecia universalis). And that just isn't right!

Me right now

I do like the four seasons we have in Sweden, that they are different from each other, but I just wish that we could turn up the heat a few degrees all year round. I mean summer here usually isn't very warm either.

I would like to live somewhere warmer, because the weather here is handicapping for me. When I'm too cold I can't think or move properly, everything slows down, maybe I'm a bear who needs to hibernate... BUT I like Sweden, the social security benefits we have, the safety, the mentality (most of the time)...

But I guess we all have weather issues. I read on Dixie DIY's blog that she thinks it's a little too warm for December in Texas, USA, 26*C (80*F)!!!!! Seems like the opposite of my problem even though we're both in the Northern hemisphere.

At least I've put up the advent lights in the windows, it gets a little lighter and cosier.

xx//Johanna

At work

Wohoo!!!! I have finished my work assignments for this week. It feels GOOD! This time of year we have to write short reports on the students' progress and level and for me that's always agony. Buuuut, I AM FINISHED! I don't have to write any more reports this semester. Yay!

Here's a photo from my office:

Have nice day // Johanna

We're expecting.... a kitten!

Ha! If you thought this was going to be about a baby, well a baby-baby, human baby.. Ha! No more of those in my future. Two healthy kids is quite enough for me. But I've realized I can't live without animals. I adore our little hamster Sigge, but he's just not cuddly enough for me. Although he's supersoft and quite nice for a hamster. Big Red likes him a lot too, they get along very well actually.

So me and Mr Red have decided (after some sweet-talking on my part) to get a cat. I so much want a dog, but it's just not possible, but a cat is totally possible, so we'll go there instead. We're getting a Devon Rex, they're kind of curly and have the cutest big bat-ears. They shed nearly no hair, which was the condition on Mr Red's part. I contacted a cattery in Norrköping called Zwelaboz owned by Pernilla. She currently has three kittens and we got to choose whichever one we wanted. We chose the female Xolo. The only downside is that she's only six weeks old so we can't take her home until December 8...

Enough text! Let's see some photos. First a collage I created in Picmonkey. BTW, we're calling the kitten Siri.

 
Isn't she cute?!!! Her eyes will be more green than blue when she gets older.

More photos...

The last photo is my favourite so far, just look at those little paws and that round little belly... :)
I ABSOLUTELY can't wait until we can take her home.

xx/Johanna

A new family member

I LOVE animals, well, all animals with fur. I SO MUCH want to get a dog, but it's not possible at the moment, so instead I decided to get the family a little hamster. I know, so typical first pet, but they are really cute AND easy to take care of. And since the kids aren't that old yet it will be perfect to practise with a hamster before getting a larger pet.

 

We named him Sigge and he's the standard hamster colour, but so cute. I'm training him to get used to be picked up and held, the lady at the pet store said I would do it for two weeks before letting the kids hold him themselves. He already seems fine with that, but he did bite Mr Red yesterday, so I think we will wait the two weeks before the kids can hold him. At least they can pet him a little when I hold him. They are very excited and want to check on him all the time. :)

Have a nice day // Johanna

Pretty window

Me and Little Red went to the supermarket and picked up some new flowers for the kitchen windows. Much prettier now....

Autumn sign

It's a big sign that autumn is here, when I feel the urge to make cabbage pudding (kålpudding). So I guess autumn is here, because that's what I'll be making today for dinner!

xx/Johanna

GREEEEAAAT PARTY!

I had a fantastic time last night at the party. My dress was fab and felt great in it. There was the nicest people at the party and my team won the quiz about the birthday boy! It turned out that I was one of the two people there who had known him the longest. We got really good food and there was even a band.

The worst thing though is that I'm a bit "tired" today.... But I guess the prize you have to pay sometimes... :)

xx/ Johanna

My first...

...orders for kids t-shirts! YAY!!! My two lovely colleagues, Lina and Malin, ordered a t-shirt each yesterday for their youngest. So now I have some more work to do in the sewing department...

Tomorrow Mr Red and I are invited to a birthday party. An old friend from university turned 40 and is celebrating with a party. I'm looking forward to this since my friend and his wife are two of my oldest friend. Yep, they met each other our first semester of university. We were all in the same English course and they eyed each other pretty much from the start and then somehow I was involved being some kind of messenger between the two of them... And then one night in a famous club in Karlstad almost 18 years ago, I found them snogging by a large stuffed wolf!


Have a good weekend, I think I will!

xx/Johanna

A lot of...

... sewing projects going on. So check out my sewing blog to see what's going on in my life.

xx// Johanna

Reading...

a book in French! Yep, that's right. I thought I would change it up a bit and try a Frenchie... I do read a lot of books in English, because I like English, I enjoy reading it and it keeps my level of English up (for work and so on). I also enjoy reading English novels in their original language, I get more "into" it. It has worked well so far, so why not try this approach to French?! (I'm an English and French teacher Lower Secondary school/Junior High/Collège level).

It's just that I'm not as good at French as I am at English... So it takes more of an effort and is not as enjoyable to read in French as in English, so what to do? Well, why not read a novel I've already read several times in English?! So, I ordered "Samantha, bonne à rien faire" ("The undomestic goddess") by Sophie Kinsella (just LOVE her novels!) on ebay. It arrived last week and I've already made progress. I read it with the original beside me, so if there are words I wonder about, I can look them up there...

I've also bought this book from ebay:

Another book by Lucy Dillon taking place in Longhampton, involving dogs and LOVE.... :)

xx/Johanna

Kitchen progress and a book tip

I went shopping with Little Red today and we made a quick stop at IKEA to buy handles for the kitchen island. Last time I was there, they were out, so I made sure they had them in today.

They had them and this is how it turned out. I'm very happy!

By the way, I have read the "sort of" sequel to "Lost dogs and lonely hearts" by Lucy Dillon, It's called "Walking back to happiness". It's not really a sequel, but the people from the first book are mentioned in this one. It's about how a young widow struggles after her husband's death, with herself, with their renovation object for a house and with the pushy help from her family. She's supported my her wonderful dog Minton. Yes, there are a lot of dogs in this novel too... :) It was quite as good as the first one, so I totally recommend it, and you don't have to read "Lost dogs and lonely hearts" first.

xx/Johanna

Encouragement from my bosses

One morning when I came to work, I found a beautiful rose in a small vase on my desk (everyone else too). It was from my bosses with a note that said: We wish you good work spirit (zeal) this school year.

It felt good to see the pretty flower on my desk, I just hope it makes it through the weekend, because I forgot to take it home with me on Friday....

xx/Johanna

Bzzz, bzzz, busy...

OMG, the last three weeks have been so busy I haven't had any energy to spare on this blog (made one post for my sewing blog though).

I was home with the kids one week when Mr Red went back to work. It was fun, but tiring. Thank god for caffeine pills... Especially since I went off energy drinks, I just couldn't go on drinking that much sugar...

Last week I finally went back to work! I feel very proud of myself for that. (Been on sick leave since February bacause of a burnout (depression caused by exhaustion). It has actually gone quite well at work, but at home in the evenings I'm totally knackered and have fallen asleep on the sofa every night at 8 after putting the kids to bed.

This week has been mostly about work too. Mum and dad came to visit Sunday to Tuesday with each of their dogs. Mum has an old pekingese, Kalle, and dad has a energetic yorkshire terrier, Lukas. Lukas and Big Red became soul mates on Sunday after playing with a ball ALL AFTERNOON. None of them grew tired, they just kept going! It was fantastic to see.

Other than that visit, work.... I had two lessons of my own yesterday and participated in the other three on my schedule with my substitute. She's great and actually was a student of mine 12 years ago... :) The students in 7th grade seem really sweet and I hope we will have a good time together this school year.

Well, now I'm off to decide on the work tops for our kitchen, new ones or not....That is the question...

xx/Johanna

Kitchen happenings

Yep, we went ahead with my kitchen plans, went to IKEA and bought new fronts for the kitchen island AND new bar stools (the old ones were hideous, too high and totally uncomfortable).

I think it looks GREAT! Sure, we HAVE to change the worktop, but it's ok for now. And the stools are so comfortable, so finally I can actually sit at the kitchen island, as intended. :)

xx/Johanna

Book tip!

I just finished the loveliest book! I started reading it just the other day, and was hard to put down and I finished it just a few minutes ago. It's a real feel-good novel, and if you like chick-lit, you will like this one too.

In English the book is called: "Lost dogs and lonely hearts"

It's about Rachel who inherits a house and a kennel for homeless dogs from her single, childless aunt. She has recently separated from her boyfriend/boss and quit her job, and now has to deal with everything that involved with inheritence (taxes, lawyers, relatives and their wishes...). Fortunately, the homeless dogs, and Rachel, get a lot of help from volunteers, the very insightful employee Megan and the local vet...

You also get to follow some people who get involved inte kennel one way or the other, foe example Doctor Bill who adopts a frightened, but lovely poodle named Lulu.

I really recommend this book if you want something positive to read!

xx/Johanna

Not much

Soooo, not much going on over here.... I'm home with the  kids all week before work, daycare and school start again on Monday, and that's a handful. I LOVE my kids, but they can be real trying... Big Red's favourite pasttime right now is to tease his little sister. And for Little Red everything is "poo"... Nice, huh?!

So, just trying to survive the week... ;) Well, tomorrow we're of the see my best friend Eleonor at her house. Maybe we finally will get so see their newly built upstairs (I know, it's crazy, they put on another floor on their house to get two floors...).

I'm thinking about making some changes in our kitchen. The kitchen is white with white tiles and a beech work top. We also have kitchen island which is brown wood with a white worktop. It sounds weird, but it looks good. But now, I've grown a bit tired of the mismatch and want an all matched kitchen, all white with dark grey worktops. I know exactly what worktop I want, it's just a question of how much it will cost.... Probably too much.... :( Fortunately the brown wood parts aren't difficult OR expensive to change. LOVE ikea! Well, we'll see what will happen in the kitchen department...

xx/Johanna

Weekend trip

This is the last weekend of our vacation and we're away on a weekend trip. Yesterday we visited my sister and her family and my mum in Tranås. We celebrated my birthday with af delicious barbecue and cake. I got an electric toothbrush and a gift card for a new bra.

My kids got to ride the lawnmower (the kind you sit on and drive) and Big Red even got to drive it himself...

Today we've been at Kolmården, Sweden's biggest zoo, all day. We're now at the hotel ( Vildmarkshotellet), and have another day ahead of us here at Kolmården. The weather has been really good, so I'm pleased.

xx/Johanna

Happy birthday to me!

Today is my 38th birthday... OMG! Only two years until 40.... Well, since a few years back I have a goal for my 40th birthday, so it won't feel so terrifying, and that is to become the best-looking I've ever been in my life, prettier, nicer body and so on.... I had a serious setback last year when I lost all my hair, it's much easier to be pretty when you have hair... Trust me! But, it's no excuse to give up. I can't say that I have come any closer to my goal so far, but I still have two years left.... :)

My best friend Eleonor came over after work and had banoffee pie with us. It was delicious! I had two servings with extra bananas (since the kids suddenly don't like bananas) and one and a half hour later I'm still totally stuffed. So good!

So far, I have received 1/4 of an overlocker and a gift card for Panduro as presents, so I'm quite happy! I'll see one of my sisters and my mum on Friday, so I'll probably get something then from them.

xx/Johanna 

Caaaaake

So I've made the banoffie cake, pie... whatever... And I CAN'T WAIT until I get to EAT IT!!! It looks and smells de-licious! It was easy enough except for the waiting when boiling the can of condensed milk... Two and a half hours!!

Pictures coming tomorrow....

/Johanna *waiting*

Birthday cake

Tomorrow is my birthday and since I've already received my birthday present from Mr Red and the kids there's not much to look forward to, except a birthday cake!

Last year I wanted to order a banana and toffee cake from Coop Forum, but typically enough that didn't make it during the summer, so I had to settle for an ordinary cake with whiped cream and fruit. But this year I will not miss out on banana and toffee, so I will make a banoffie pie for the first time. I googled "cake banana toffee" (in Swedish) and found this recipe which seems good and easy enough. I'm boiling the can of condensed milk as I write. On this blog it said that the cake is even better the next day, so I will probably make it today and keep it in the fridge until tomorrow. Good plan, huh?!

xx/Johanna

Shopping with Little Red

Today I went to the shopping centre with Little Red, while Mr Red and Big Red were busy in the garage. She behaved really well and thought it was ok to go into many shops. We had lunch at the Swedish hamburger restaurant Max. Our main goals with our shopping trip was to get some new nail polish.
My nails look kinds of bad due to the alopecia, and I feel better about them when I wear nail polish, which was on rare occasions before.
Anyway, we found nail polish from l'Oreal at a good price, so I bought three of those (thumb, index and long finger in the photo). I let Little Red choose one for herself, pink of course (pinkie finger) and I chose a nice green one for Big Red (ring finger). Weirdly enough the five shades look good together, so I'll keep it like this for af few days.
I also found a new handbag, which I felt really good about. Good colour and size, and it has both af shoulder strap and handles. The price was reasonable, so I went ahead and bought it! 
All in all, a nice trip to the shopping centre.
xx/Johanna

My scalp is red

Yep, that's right, we had some seriously good weather going on today. It didn't look like it this morning - totally grey outside - but then the sky cleared up and the sun was out. it was actually WARM outside, not just in the sun, but the air was warm, hasn't happened all summer....

So we were out in the garden all day, the whole family. Mr Red sat in the shade as usual, the kids were playing in the inflatable pool and I was soaking up as much sun as I could, which now means that my scalp is red. (FYI, I have alopecia universalis, total loss of body hair, which means no hair on my head). I hope the skin won't peel, like it did after midsummer.... Just so annoying...

Well, otherwise it was a lovely day. I finished a book, my mum lent me some Nora Roberts novels this spring, but I haven't felt like reading them until now. They're really good and easy to read, easy on the brain.... But it's nice to be reading again, after not feeling like reading at all for a month or two. That's really one of my favourite things, lying out in the sun and reading.

Otherwise, I'm pretty tired, after being away and having visitors, even though we've had a really good time. I just get very tired from being around people all the time. I hope I can gather up some energy and get moving on my next sewing project. I haven't even used my new overlocker yet.... :(

Off to bed now.

xx/johanna

Visit from Arboga

Today my husband's brother and his family have been here visiting. The kids have been playing non-stop all afternoon with their cousins (a boy 5 years old and a girl 3 years old) and having fun.

The adults have been out on the terrass having colourful drinks (again! That's twice this week...) and chatting.

Since the weather wasn't all that good this morning, I decided against a barbacue tonight and thought we would have tacos for dinner, which turned out to be a very popular decision!

Now everyone is off to bed, me too!

Godd night/Johanna

Pretty Orust

Today the weather is beautiful (maybe the best day of the summer!). We went down to the ocean to try and fish crabs. We had nog luck in finding bait though, so we had to give up on that idea. So we just enjoyed the sun and the sea...

xx/Johanna

Vacation on Orust

Here we are on the island of Orust, spending time with my sister and her family. The kids are playing (and fighting) with each other and the grown-ups are having exotic, colourful drinks on the terrass. :)

Tonight we're barbecuing different kinds of fish, yum!

xx/Johanna

Organising

Instead of packing for our trip tomorrow, I have been doing something else... Isn't it always like that, when you HAVE to do something it's more fun or interesting to do something else, even if that normally is boring as hell?

So, I've been organising my closet and drawers! Clearing out clothes I haven't used for a (long) while.

I have a chest of drawers...

A closet...

And after going through both of them, I ended up with this, to put away for now...

Yes, that's a whole LARGE ikea-bag full of clothes I don't use much (at all)... But I'm not ready to toss them or give them away yet, so they have to live in the walk-in closet for a while.

Talking about the walk-in closet, that's where I have to continue, because it looks like this right now it can't qualify as a walk-in closet, because you can only set one foot in there...)...

Look at the bar, can you see that the left half is mine? Coat hangers cramped together.... 

And there's this closet to have a closer look at as well, even though I cleared out some things earlier this summer... (I share this one with Mr Red).

Well, better get packing...

xx/Johanna