Christmas 2012

Here are some pictures from Christmas, better late than never, right!

We started our Christmas celebrations at lunch with Peter's parents and one of Peter's godparents.  Isolde got to open her first Christmas present (from her grandparents, so they didn't need to carry a quite heavy package to Peter's sister where we'd be spending the evening), a old-fashioned race car that has been on her (or mine..?) wish list for a while.  

"Helping" dad put the car together was as much fun as driving it.

Christmas Eve(ning) was spent at Peter's sister A and husband M, who had invited us, Peter's parents, M's parents, M's brother with family, and M's brother's wife's mum and husband, for potluck (we were responsible for herring and shrimp as well as chocolate and toffee for coffee treats) dinner and pressies.  We were 12 adults and three children so the noise was quite high for a while - but somehow the kids slept through it once they had gone to bed.

There were so many presents, probably at least a third of them for the kids, so we put most of the kids' presents aside for the following day.



Santa stopped by of course!

Isolde didn't want to let cousin O. have daddy to herself.



Cousins with an ear fetish...

Snuggly slippers in one of the boxes!

Christmas Day we continued the festivities at my parents.

Morfar and Isolde had fun with the sled for a while.  The next day the weather got milder and the snow started melting so it was good that they took the chance on Christmas Day.

Godmother Maria and Daniel stopped by for glögg and saffron buns and gift exhange.

An attempt to take a nice mother-daughter photo in front of the Christmas tree...

Boxing Day we were back in Stockholm and Isolde played with some of her new toys before we went over to Peter's parents for turkey dinner with his uncle and cousin.

The new Pippi house is popular.

Attempt to get farfar with his two grandchildren to all pose at the same time...ehum...

Friday Gallery: Bad Habits

Penny has chosen a very difficult topic for this Friday, at least as far as illustrating with pictures is concerned!  But I'm going to make it easy for myself and post something funny I saw today.

Considering Isolde's addiction with iPhones and iPads and with her approaching toilet training age, she will probably need one of these:

Two Years Old Today!

Turning 2 can be a bit tiring as you can see. We had the big celebration last weekend (photos coming soon) so this morning she "only" got to open one present and this evening we gave her blueberries for dessert, her favourite. And she got to wear the crown at pre-school today.

A Non-Year in Books

A total of five books. A miserable year as far as reading is concerned… (well, unless children's books count).  I guess that should be my 2013 resolution; to read more.

• “How the States Got their Shapes” by Mark Stein
• "Icons of England"
• "Det dyrbara" by Linn Ullmann
• "Gravidchock: reporter erkänner" by Belinda Olsson
• "Ketchupmamman" by Karin Lindell

2012 in Films

I didn't read much in 2012 (shame, shame, shame) but I watched quite a lot of films (though very few in the cinema).  A list, with the best ones at the top, in case you're looking for tips.

5

Hur många lingon finns det i världen

My Sister's Keeper

4

Safety Not Guaranteed

What to Expect When You Are Expecting

Hamilton - I nationens intresse

Unknown

Safe House

Le premier jour du reste de ta vie

Tower Heist

Eat, Pray, Love

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

3

Nativity!

Friends with Kids

How Do You Know

The Five-Year Engagement

Animal Attraction

American Reunion

Nanny McPhee

The Way Back

Bottle Shock

2

TED

The Campaign

Puss in Boots

1

The Adventures of Tintin

Elizabethtown

Friday Gallery: Expectations for 2013

I will write more about expectations for 2013 later but a quick post for today's Friday Gallery (hostess for January is Penny). Most on my mind right now is of course the little one in my tummy as well as Isolde in the big sister role. Can't wait for March to come!

2012 Christmas Present Exchange

In this year's Secret Santa that Emma organises every year I was treated to some Florida treats by Katrin aka Swede in Florida. I'm looking forward to devouring saltwater taffy and trying the orange coconut marmalade and especially the alligator beef jerky. Thanks Katrin!

I sent my gift to Cecilia in the UK. I was a bit late but I hope she has received it by now. She doesn't have a blog so can't check. I sent a necklace, a owl birthday card and sweets (must for Swedes abroad), according to her wish list :) No photo evidence though.

Can't wait for next year's Secret Santa!

London in December

I haven't yet told you about my latest visit to London earlier this month.  Originally I meant to take Isolde with me and visit a friend, K, in Abingdon outside Oxford (K has just had her second baby and her older daughter is just one year older than Isolde).  I then thought it would be nice with an extra pair of hands and my mum is always keen to go to England, and now she hadn't been for a while.  We started looking at flights and hotels in Oxford but the more we talked, we felt it was probably best not to bring Isolde, as we wanted to do some Christmas shopping as well - not Isolde's favourite pastime - and besides, with another baby on the way, when would I have another chance to travel sans children?  Probably not for a while.  And with Peter having made a trip in November it felt "fair" that I got my share of travel too. 

So it quickly developed into a London-focussed trip but with a day-trip out of town to see K.  We left mid-day on a Saturday and flew back on a Wednesday, which gave us a full three days plus some.  Last time I was in London, or England in general for that matter, was in February, and then I hardly had any spare time as I was doing a course, except for the weekend which we spent with K and her family (Isolde and Peter came along for that whole week). 

I hardly took any photos at all on this trip but here are the handful I took.

Christmas lights in Oxford, where we fought our way through the crowds our first evening in town and then didn't return for the remainder of the trip.

At least one visit to Starbucks was a must every day, mainly to take advantage of free wi-fi.

We stayed at the Hilton Metropol at Edgware Road, which I can recommend for the location and standard (at least at the rate we managed to get through hotels.se), but not necessarily for the view from our window, but then again we didn't spend that much time in the room so...

No visit to England without Afternoon or Cream Tea!  I think we managed to gobble three Cream Teas in as many days.  This one is at Muriel's Kitchen just outside South Kensington tube station (and we had one at Liberty too).

My mum with the latest addition to the M-O family, Seren.

A very delicious (non-alcoholic) drink in the hotel restaurant our last evening in town.

And of course no visit to England without fish & chips!  I like how it was presented - also at the hotel - on newspaper and with the lemon in a net.  And ketchup, mushy peas and tartar sauce on the side.

We were actually both very unlucky and lucky on this trip.  Let me tell you!

Story 1

• We're about to board the plane at Arlanda, Stockholm, and as the attendant checks my boarding pass and passport, she says "by the way, how far along [in the pregnancy] are you?".  "Week 27", I answer, "why do you ask?"  "I think you need a doctor's certificate from a certain week, but I think it's week 28", she says and asks me to step to the side so she can check in the computer.   She confirms that it's week 28 and writes a note in the system for the return flight so they will know then that I'm clear to fly.  I hadn't even thought about checking or getting a certificate as I thought it was from week 32 at the earliest that a certificate would be needed and I flew around the same time when I was pregnant with Isolde and no one bothered to ask then.  I know that you're not allowed to fly at all during the last four weeks, but I never thought it would be a problem with more than three months to go.  But turns out I might not have been allowed on the plane had it been one or two weeks later (I don't know if they mean as soon as you enter the 28th week, i.e. 27+1, or it applies from when you have completed 28 weeks, i.e. 28+0) so lucky start to the trip!

Story 2

• On the Monday of our trip we went to visit K and kids.  We had agreed that we would take the train from Paddington to Radley, the nearest train station to them, and she'd pick us up with the car.  The train was running 15 minutes late so I texted K to let her know and sent a last text two stops before Radley.  So far so good.  We get off at Radley and wait in the parking lot.  After about 15 minutes we start wondering where she is (before that I hadn't worried about her being late, just thinking that it's difficult to be on time with two little kids) and I check my mobile to see if she's texted to say that she's late.  There's no text but no reception either!  My mum checks her phone which has the same provider (Telenor) and she doesn't have any reception either.  After another 10 minute wait or so we go to the pub next to the station to borrow their phone but I just get through to K's voice mail (the girl at the pub says the area has very bad reception). 
• I remember that K has told me that there's a bus into Abingdon so we go to the bus stop and hop on the next bus coming.  I figure she has probably sent me a text saying we should meet her in Abingdon instead.  The bus passes by familiar neighbourhoods - I have visited them once before, in February, but at that time they picked us up at another train station and I didn't pay too close attention - but I decide it's safer to go all the way to Abingdon (10-15 min journey).  We get off the bus in the town square and proceed to Costa café where I ask to borrow the phone and leave another message for K, as our phones still don't have any reception - all very strange!  We order hot chocolates and a muffin and stay there for 45 minutes to an hour in the hope K hears my message.  When she doesn't show up I'm starting to think something must have happened.  And why are our phones still not working?! 
• I borrow the phone at Costa a last time and leave a new message, telling K we'll go to the library - I've spotted a sign - to try to use the Internet to find her address (which of course I haven't written down on a note, as I was so sure we'd be picked up and also that I would be able to use my mobile) and a map so we can walk to her house.  At the library they luckily have wi-fi so I can easily surf on my iPhone and eventually I find K's address in my Facebook messages.  We copy a local map (2 pages for 20 pence) and walk for about 15 minutes to K's house (which was the way the bus came so I had remembered correctly). 
• Over 2.5 hours after arriving at Radley we ring K's doorbell.  She opens with "I'm so happy to see you!  I take it you have received my messages then?"  We shake our heads and she tells us that she had to go to the A & E with her oldest, I, who fell off the bed and banged the back of her head on the bedside table.  They had just returned home and K had just heard my messages, as she wasn't able to pick up at the A & E. 
• Happy ending to the story in that we made it in end and I. wasn't seriously hurt, but what are the odds of our phones not working at that particular time?!  We didn't have any reception for the remainder of the day and I heard once back in Sweden that Telenor had had problems that day, especially with international roaming.  I'm so grateful for public libraries and the resources available there, as well as for friendly innkeepers letting you borrow their phones.

Story 3

• Wednesday AM and we're on our way to Heathrow on the tube when I get a text from British Airways that our flight has been cancelled.  We had seen on the morning news that there was icy frost and fog and that a lot of flights were cancelled or delayed but since our flight wasn't until 2 pm we thought it would be fine by then. 
• The text said to call a number or visit the website to get a refund or rebook onto another flight.  I try the number right away but of course it's impossible to get through, as thousands of stranded travellers are trying to ring at the same time.  I want to avoid the cost of international roaming so I forward the text to Peter back home in Sweden so he can go online for us.  When we get off at Hatton Cross to change for the right terminal train he calls and is about to rebook us on an early evening flight from City Airport, also with BA.  However, the system keeps on failing every time he tries to pay for it - probably because hundreds of other people are trying to book the same flights - and eventually it's not a 2,000 SEK flight anymore but a 14,000 SEK one.  Peter gives up on that flight and tells me he will check other (non-BA) alternatives but that we should proceed to the ticker counter as soon as we get to the terminal.
• As you could imagine, once we get there the queues are super-long and they are handing out a piece of paper with the phone number (same one I had already tried) and the link to the website, and also saying that most people will be rebooked on flights the following day.  We position ourselves in the queue but after a while Peter calls and tells us he has found tickets for a SAS flight later that evening.  It will cost us 8,000 SEK and we know we're probably only getting 2,000 SEK back for the cancelled flight*, but we really want to get home the same day (especially since my mum has a meeting scheduled early the following morning and I have a cold and would prefer to get home to my own bed), so we take it.  Besides, even if BA would have rebooked us the next day they would probably not have paid for the hotel, as weather problems are considered force majeure.
• We get out of the queue and make our way from Terminal 5 (unfortunately, as the shopping there is so much better) to Terminal 3 to check in for our SAS flight.  The flight doesn't leave until 9 pm so we spend almost 8 hours sitting around waiting and reading, with a few pitstops for food or coffee and some taxfree shopping.  I'm very happy Isolde wasn't on this trip with us, as it would have been quite tiring to entertain her at the airport for all those hours (and also being "lost" in Abingdon for almost 3-hour a couple of days earlier).

So, as you can see, a bit of adventure on this trip to say the least, but all with happy endings I guess! :)

* We know now we're getting the 2,000 SEK back but I'm still in contact with BA regarding the difference, and soon probably with my insurance company.  Wish me luck!

Friday Gallery: Half-Year Report

Västmanländskan's last theme for December and also the last theme of 2012 is the traditional halvårskoll, i.e. six-month "check"/report, this one for the last* six months of the year.

I just made a photo calendar with photos of Isolde so I'll use those as inspiration.

In July Peter was still on parental leave (and took this great photo) and I had a couple of weeks' leave.  We spent a week in Nice, France (with a mini-break across the border to Italy), and had a lovely time but the holiday was a bit different than planned, as I had a lot of morning sickness at that early stage of this pregnancy.  I spent most of the first part of each day in bed trying to eat and getting enough strength to be able to head out and spend the afternoon at the beach. 

In August I had a couple of weeks off work again, which we spent mainly at the summer house, and towards the end of the month Isolde started pre-school/nursery and Peter went back to work after nine months at home.  One of the other highlights of the month was Lady Gaga in Globen.

September was very much a month to get into the new routine of dropping off and picking up at pre-school and getting through Isolde's first bouts of sickness (those pre-school germs, you know!).

Like September, October was a lot of "every-day life" and as I have been quite busy at work all autumn  I accumulated quite a lot of overtime and did at least one overnight business trip in October.  On the other hand I've had a lot of saved leave days so I have been able to take almost every Friday off all autumn.  We spent a couple of weekends at the summer house - where this photo was taken - and also attended the wedding of one of Peter's best friends, on a beautiful but chilly autumn day.

November went quickly despite it being the darkest time of the year (though it doesn't bother me much, I just light candles :)  Peter went to visit a friend (the one who got married the month before) who's currently living in Israel (or Palestine, rather) at the end of the month and I had a few days on my own with our little crazy girl.  It coincided with pre-school being closed for so-called planning days so we spent it with family and friends.  In November Peter and I also celebrated our second wedding anniversary and went to Gastrologik for one of the best meals - or food experiences - I've ever had.

Winter arrived in December and Isolde got to ride to pre-school in a sled instead of a pram, which was very popular.  I spent four days in London with my mum, Christmas shopping and catching up with a friend.  My dear friend Jenny who moved to Brazil at the beginning of the year returned home with partner and daughter to spend December (and January) in Sweden. 
 

* I think I missed the one in the summer though..?

God jul! Happy Christmas!

Status half-through Christmas Eve:

• Peter and I dozed in bed from 6 am onwards, when Isolde woke up, while she was watching telly and played, until we got up for breakfast just before 9 am.
• Late morning Peter visited his grandmother together with his father and sister while Isolde and I got ready.
• Around noon we walked over to Peter's parents for lunch with one of Peter's godfathers, an old tradition.
• Santa (aka the grandparents) brought Isolde her first Christmas gift, a cool steel ride.

• When we got back home we watched Kalle Anka while Isolde went down for a nap.
• Now I'm still on the sofa watching Home Alone while Peter is also resting.

And tonight we're off to Peter's sister A and husband M for dinner together with Peter's parents, M's parents, M's brother and wife P, and P's mum and husband.  And of course Isolde and little cousin O and O's cousin A.  15 people in total. 

Tomorrow we'll continue the festivities with considerably fewer people at my parents with my brother.  If we survive tonight ;)

Greetings to all of you!  Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

 

Our Christmas card delivery is stuck with UPS somewhere so I haven't been able to send them.  So in the meantime and in case they never arrive, here it is. 

 

Friday Gallery: Christmas Preparations

With 3 days to Christmas, Västmanländskan's third theme "julstök", meaning Christmas (messy) preparations, is a very appropriate theme, as all of us, I'm sure, are busy cooking and fixing and buying the last presents. I bought my last presents today (except for Peter but we have sort of agreed to go shopping together for each other so-to-speak after Christmas when we have more time and the sales have started) and tonight and Sunday we're preparing some food (mainly herring) and goodies. So far I don't have many, or any really, pictures of the julstök but here are some of earlier preparations as far as Christmas decorations are concerned.

Friday Gallery: Lucia

Apologies for the late posting but better late than never, right!

Some pics from Isolde's first* Lucia.  We weren't allowed to take any photos at pre-school (these days people worry where images of their children will end up) but we did take a few of just Isolde.  This year's celebration was rather low-key as the children in Isolde's room (Nallen) are still so little (aged 1-2), so we just sang a few songs together (i.e. there was no performance as such) and had fika. We had done a little collection for the teachers so they were given their Christmas presents at the same time.  One of them is unfortunately leaving for another job so hers was also a leaving gift.
 


I wanted to watch the Lucia celebrations on TV in the morning but Isolde just wanted me to switch to the children's channel.  Hopefully next year we can watch it together :)

With daddy at pre-school

 

Little Santa, Tomten, rides her "reindeer", practices sliding down chimneys (although Swedísh Tomten doesn't really do that...) and admires herself in the mirror.

 

Chilling in the evening with the little guy that arrived in the post from Marianne the same day.

 

* As in her first proper celebration at (pre)school. Last year we didn't do anything in particular.

Friday Gallery: Faith, Hope and Love

Making it easy for myself today as I'm busy packing for a Christmas shopping trip (and catch-up with friends) in London Saturday-Wednesday together with my mum.

Found this very timely ad for a new exhibition at the Maritime Museum. Not that I'm particularly fond of tattoos (rather the opposite), but could be an interesting exhibition.

By the way, Västmanländskan is Friday Gallery director for this month and has chosen today's and three other themes: Lucia, Christmas preparations (julstök) and Half-Year Check (photos from the last six months).

Winter Wonderland

Photos from this morning. Now there's lots more snow!

Friday Gallery: Big and Small

The whole text I had written just disappeared! Stupid app! :( So now this is a teaser photo only and I will rewrite text tomorrow because now it's bedtime.

Girly Week(end)

Peter whisked off to the airport in the wee hours of today to visit a friend in Israel for a few days so Isolde and I are on our own until Sunday evening.  Isolde's pre-school happens to be closed tomorrow and Friday for teachers' planning days so I've taken some leave and we have lots of fun things planned for the next few days, including the weekend.

• Tomorrow Thursday we're meeting up with Malin and little rocker Jack for shopping and lunch in Skärholmen (I may pop over to Ikea if Isolde is in the mood afterwards).
• Friday my mum and aunt (who's visiting from the west coast) are coming into town for shopping, lunch and fika, and they will also watch Isolde while I go to see my midwife*.
• Saturday we go down to Södertälje in the morning and Isolde gets to spend the day with her grandparents (my parents) and my aunt while I go to see my good ol' girlfriends for a day of chatting, eating and massage (the massage therapist is coming to my friend's home). 
• Sunday we head back home after spending the night at my parents and have nothing definite planned for the rest of the day.   However, the first Sunday of the month is usually when we try to meet up with our parent group (mummy group that turned into a daddy group when the fathers took over).  Weather permitting it's the park and otherwise an indoor alternative (I think I'll invite them here for fika).

* First visit since the initial visit, except for the two scans.  When it's your second child they don't need to see you until towards the end of the second trimester (week 26 or 25+4 on Friday), unless you wish to see them before then or there are medical reasons for extra check-ups.

Friday Gallery: Books

I have hardly read anything this year. The list of read books on my blog is the shortest ever and I should be ashamed. Not sure what happened. I've always been an avid reader. Well, I do know what happened. I blame a combination of smart phone ownership (and all those blogs out there I want to read, as well as Facebook), motherhood, work and too many magazine subscriptions.

So what's the cure? I don't really want to give up those other things either. I really like actual books and having a library at home so I don't want to stop buying real books but I'm starting to seriously consider asking Santa for an eReader this year. What's more important? The experience of reading or having a full bookshelf that looks good in the living room? The former. Really. I could always continue to buy the books I like the most so I have them IRL too.

Having an eReader is no guarantee for me actually reading of course but since it's at least thinner and probably also lighter than a book I'd be more prone to keep it in my handbag. What do you think?

Hormones

I'm not the kind who seems that affected by the extra pregnancy hormones in my body in terms of mood swings or temper problems (ask Peter, he will confirm), but I'm very close to tears several times a day.   There's so many sad - or happy - triggers out there...

• Reading brief headline on the front page of one of the tabloids about family tragedy where a depressed dad killed his son and himself
• Seeing an obituary for someone who has died too young
• Hearing a teenage boy read a poem about his late mum whom he still wanted to tell so many things
• Getting a brief cuddle by Isolde before she whisks off to her toys in the other room
• Listening to a speech on the vision and values of Fryshuset regarding the young people they work with (check out their latest initiative, to be launched on 4 December)

And that's just today.  I have become much more emotional in general due to age and also since I became a mother, but the pregnancy is adding an extra layer of emotions.

Isolde at 22 Months

Time for an update on the adventures of Isolde!  At 22 months, she...

• can count 1, 2, 3, 4, but mostly just to 3.  She obviously hasn't understand the concept of counting for real yet but she's learned the pattern.
• doesn't say that many completely clear words but some three-word sentences like "ut och gå" (go out for a walk). 
• has had her first "serious" illness and was precribed antibiotics for an ear infection.
• hogs the slide together with little friend A at pre-school. 
• wants us to play the same two songs all the time and she does her standard dance moves.  Gotye's "Somebody that I Used to Know" is the favourite and the other one is Alizée's "J'en ai marre" but Peter says she doesn't like it as much anymore.  But when we play Gotye it's "igen" and "igen" and "igen" (again).
• likes to draw and does it several times a day.  She had a period of making dots but has now started making circles, which I guess is the first step to figuratives.
• has an irregular sleeping pattern.  It takes 30 minutes to put her to sleep most nights instead of perhaps 10 minutes before.  And she still wakes up around midnight and it's tiring to get her to go back to sleep in her own bed so she almost always sleeps with us.
• likes walking to and from pre-school and holding the frame of the pushchair.  I think those that walk when they go to the park with the pre-school group have to hold onto the prams, so she's following the "routine" :)
• throws little tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants but they are not that bad (yet) - short high-pitch screaming - and you can still talk her out of it quite easily by distracting or giving her something else to do and preferably a choice as well.  She just wants to be in control and make her own choices I guess.  Within safe and sound limits set by us of course.
• favours daddy but not to the extent that she gets upset when he leaves or that she minds if she and I part from daddy if we're out and about and he's off to another shop or what have you.  But she asks about him a lot when he's at work or with friends and there's a lot "pappa, pappa, pappa".
• is interested in all body parts and points to every limb and wants us to say what it is; nose, mouth, knee, toe, etc.  And then she tries to say them herself.
• is a bit more interested in stuffed animals now and sometimes wants to take one or more to bed. 
• takes off her nappy and wants to run around naked.  But doesn't tell us before she needs to pee even though we try to keep a check on her.
• says "hej då" (bye) all the time and to everyone and to everything.  Even when she makes sandcakes at the playground, she waves goodbye to them before destroying them.
• likes to cuddle and kisses and hugs us a lot and she likes sitting close on the sofa or in bed.  She also likes sitting or standing behind me when I sit on the sofa, with me leaning on her.  It's a "game" she wants to play every night.
• plays at the sink almost every day when we cook dinner and there's always a bit of a puddle of water in the kitchen afterwards.  She loves taking baths and she's started "swimming" with her tummy down in the tub. 
• likes being chased around the flat and is starting to play hide-and-seek.  She hid in the space between the bookcase and the corner the other day and I passed by her twice without spotting her.  But now I know her secret hiding place :)

Secret Santa is Back

Emma has launched this year's Secret Santa.  Visit her blog for more details (in Swedish) or send the following details to her email:

- Name and address
- Blog url (if you have a blog; not required)
- Three wishes / things you like
- Three things that are not you
- If you participated last year, include who you sent to and received from respectively so you don't get the same person again :)

Let Emma know by 25 November if you want to participate.  The gift has to be sent before 5 December and the value is around 100 SEK.

This will be the fourth year I participate.  Here's last year's account, 2010 and 2009.

Bring on Christmas season!

Friday Gallery: Buttons

Victoria's third theme for November is buttons.  Remote controls can be quite tricky and so can modern microwaves and (induction) cookers.  So Peter has prepared a "baby-sitter's guide" for our less techy baby-sitters (usually our parents - and especially his parents...).  We actually have a third remote that we use, which combines to two in the lower picture, but since it took me a while to learn how it works (and I still forget many of its functions that I don't use very often) we figured it would be too difficult for occasional sitters :)

I don't know how to turn this picture around!  It looks fine on my computer but then Blogspot rotates it *argh*

Friday Gallery: My Favourite Room

Victoria has chosen "My favourite room" for this week's theme. I like all rooms in our home - and I promise to show you more of our home later - but if I have to pick one it will have to be our living room because that's where we finally have some curtains in place. Just a year and a half after moving in. Well, 10 months since our renovation was complete - we never planned to put any up before then. It's difficult to choose fabric and then find the time to sew when you have lots of other things to do, and sometimes not the inspiration. Luckily my mum helped me start and a few weeks after our first sewing session I finished them. It's not the exact pattern I was looking for but it will do until I found the right one. 6 metres of this fabric only cost me 150 SEK so it was a bargain anyway. I haven't taken any nice shots of the curtains yet but this photo of Isolde convalescing on the sofa shows the pattern and colour at least. We have to buy some new pillows that match because I moved the cerise one for our bedroom. Once we have new pillows the room will feel properly finished.

I have sewn curtains for the kitchen too (and am very proud over the fact that I managed to buy the fabric in France using only my rusty French) but will show them some other time.

Have a nice weekend! Except for some family activities (e.g. my brother's birthday) we will be resting all weekend so that Isolde will get well from a stubborn virus that has now turned into an ear infection and I from the cold I've caught from her and a migraine that started yesterday :(

Friday Gallery: Cooking

Victoria is the new hostess for Friday Gallery for November and her first theme is "cook food" (laga mat). 

For a few weeks we've been trying out what it's like to subscribe to a food service (matkasse) and so far we're very satisfied customers.  We've tested both of the two biggest Swedish providers, Middagsfrid and Linas matkasse (now also available in the UK), and both are really good, but Middagsfrid is top notch.  It's a bit more expensive but also provides more organic and less frozen ingredients, and  it is slightly tastier and has more exciting recipes.  So Middagsfrid is the one we will continue with.  Their recipes are perhaps slightly more complicated (i.e. takes more time to cook) than Lina's but that's alright with us.

We both enjoy cooking and what's great about these recipe bags is that we still get to cook but without the hassle of having to come up with ideas and actually going food shopping (except for breakfast and other basic supplies).  And since they only provide ingredients for five meals we still get to use our own creativity two days a week.  That said, since we subscribe to a four-serving bag, we get enough to eat leftovers for several days, though we usually opt to bring it to work for lunch. 

With the 895 SEK it costs for a week, we've actually been saving money in total as we don't have to buy lunch every day (well, I used to bring leftovers most days before but Peter would usually buy) and we don't end up buying unnecessary stuff at the supermarket.  So money well worth spending in my view!  And it saves times too of course, time that can be spent on other things (including blogging, ha ha) and others (like Isolde). 

One of the weekly vegetarian dishes: oven roasted root vegetables, halloumi, tomato and red onion salad, with houmus and garlic sauce.

One of the weekly fish dishes: haddock cooked in the oven with rice and peas

Victoria's themes for the rest of the month is:
9 November: My favourite room
16 November: Buttons
23 November: Books, books!
30 November: Big and small