The temperature dropped drastically yesterday and we went out at midnight to a crystal clear, frosty night with fireworks already crackling around us. We walked up around the corner to the open field and set off our own fireworks while watching the light show. Angie’s little boy Alex is terrified of fireworks and, forced to come with us, he had Anders’ ear protectors over his hat and his eyes screwed tightly shut for the entire half hour we were outside. Karin had a blast being in charge of the fireworks and choosing which rockets to give her daddy to light....

Our sleep/wake schedules get completely screwed when we’re on vacation. We stay up way too late, and as a consequence, sleep even later in the morning. I, who could happily sleep in until 10 every morning, passed that mark today because I was up past 1:30 and Anders woke me up when he came in at 3:30 a.m. Karin gave her pacifiers to Santa and has been struggling all week since to fall asleep at bedtime. Normally, she’s asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. Now, she’s awake for several hours, with huge dark circles under her eyes,...

Conversation a few minutes ago that made me laugh until I cried: Karin: Mama, can you sing the Charlie song? Me: What? *puzzled look* What Charlie song? Karin: You know, the fa-la-la-la-la song. Me: Oh! You mean Deck the Halls? Karin: Yes! That one, the Charlie song! Me: (singing) Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, ‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la OH! JOLLY! hahahahaha!!!

One of the nicest Christmas presents I received this year was from my mom: she spent the entire year finding and buying greeting cards and then filled a box with dividers: Birthday, Blank, General, Sympathy, Congrats. So, I now have hundreds of cards to choose from whenever there is an occasion for making someone’s day. Which is what that gift did for me. 🙂 The rain is coming down, drip drop, and has been for what seems weeks. There are huge standing puddles of water everywhere in our giant sea of mud yard. The water table is full. The ditch...

I must have done something extraordinary in a past life or else someone up there really likes me. I’ve thought about it for a long time and I know deep down in my heart that it must be true. I’m living a charmed life. Although…I’m only approximately halfway through it, so maybe the shit is about to hit the fan. Nothing REALLY BAD has ever happened to me. I’ve lost loved ones, but not unexpectedly (except my 4-legged loved ones). I’ve never broken a bone. It’s not the kind of luck that allows me to find bills of large denominations...

After getting up at 3:30 a.m. to take my mom to the airport, and then out again to another airport at 11 to drop off John and Simone, I was completely wiped out and took a 2-hour nap this afternoon. I could sleep all day if the kids would let me. Anders took Karin to the mall to buy ice skates for her (to match the hockey helmet she got from Santa) and the house was SO QUIET. Weird. Just another way to sum up how damn busy I was in December: The number of books I read per month,...

Thank you for your caring comments on my last post. My brother is home again and doing fine after getting “a big shot in the butt.” It’s definitely a kidney stone, and he’s on painkillers and some special medicine to help him pass it. They were at the hospital for several hours, and we ran to the American store for goodies to cheer him up when he got back. We have guests coming tonight and are making turkey tetrazzini for dinner. Packing has commenced, which makes me sad. I don’t want them to all leave!! Christmas went WAY too fast....

My brother went by ambulance this morning to the hospital with terrible stomach pains. The paramedics think it’s possibly kidney stones and not appendicitis. He wasn’t feeling well last night but made it through The Return of the King. Anders went to the hospital with Simone to act as interpreter. I’m no good at waiting.

…to the gills. Yesterday: mayo herring, tomato herring, onion herring, fried pickled herring, gravlax, warm-smoked lemon salmon, hard boiled eggs, deviled eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers, red cabbage, brown cabbage, 6 kinds of cheese, knäckebröd, bread, crackers, grapes, christmas ham, meatballs, prinskorv, jansson’s temptation, boiled potatoes, rice pudding with strawberry syrup sauce, christmas cookies, coffee, cognac Today: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli, haricots vertes, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, christmas cookies, coffee, cognac, eggnog

It’s Christmas Eve in Sweden (well, the morning of). Anders is slicing potatoes for Janssen’s Temptation. The kids are watching cartoons. Mom, John and Simone are eating breakfast. I thought I’d put up a quick entry and then go shower. Anders’ parents are arriving in time to watch Kalle Anka and Tomte is expected to arrive sometime afterwards. 🙂 A friend of ours is playing Tomte again this year as we couldn’t use any family members due to the fact that the kids are a little too sharp and would have recognized any of the usual suspects immediately. It’s been...