We took a picture at the wreathmaking workshop last night of all the participants grouped together, holding their newly created Christmas wreaths up with their smiling faces peering through the middle. 🙂 This is the 3rd year that we’ve had this workshop on Thanksgiving evening here in Sweden, and it is always so much fun. Rosa, the proprietor of the shop, doesn’t mind when we going digging around in the back to find pine cones spray painted gold or strange little nuts and dried flowers to use in our table decorations. She feeds us pastries, pepparkakor and cinnamon buns and...

It’s not yet Thanksgiving in America, since it’s still the middle of the night there, and actually it’s not yet Thanksgiving for us either, since in Sweden, there IS no Thanksgiving, and our personal celebration is taking place on Saturday, which means we’re just using this fine tradition as an excuse to eat too much and party with a bunch of fun friends. Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Everyone else is making lists of things they’re thankful for, and I feel compelled to follow. Baaa gobble gobble Things I’m thankful for this year a husband who loves me and doesn’t...

No time to say hello, goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!

This is what came in the mail yesterday, mailed from Sydney, Australia, by my friend Kathey, who is my separated-at-birth twin. Despite my adoration of sushi, I’d never come across these before, and one of them was enough to convince me that they would appeal more to my husband’s palate. The man gargles salt licorice, so a little fiery burning ball of pea/wasabi hell shouldn’t put him off, right? He ate the entire bag in one sitting, over the course of the evening. And then commented that he might start puking blood any minute. 🙂 I told Kathey what a...

When we were still in Chicago, Anders and I had dinner once at the home of his Swedish colleague, Johan. Johan and Anna have 2 children, and their youngest, John, was then about 4 years old. I can’t remember how long we had been together at that point, but I didn’t yet speak Swedish. Anders, Johan and Anna spoke in Swedish a few times, but mostly the conversation stayed in English for my sake. During dinner, as the four of us were talking, in English, little John kept looking back and forth from Anders to his father, like a little...

I’m feeling crazy busy, overextended and stressed from all my commitments. In short, perfectly normal. The cookies didn’t get baked last night, so I’m having to resort to the Rice Krispie Holly Bar recipe that I told carrieb about, and which I used 2 years ago, because otherwise I will have to show up with store-bought cookies and one cannot show up at a Christmas cookie exchange that was planned over 2 months ago BY ME with store-bought cookies. I’m a loser, I know. But I got some fun eyeshadow at the make-up demo yesterday, so who cares? And quit...

Have too much to do today to be sitting here at the computer, but I’m at least caught up with comments on the zine project. 🙂 I’m not sure when I’ll be back online, actually, although I might be able to stop by the computer for a short visit this afternoon, just so it won’t feel lonely. haha! shower dress eat wrap prepare groceryshop drive drop-off drive buy jacket drive makeup demo drive eat bake cookies cookies cookies!

Happiness is: the arrival of a much-missed person the beginning of a fun new project (go, zine girls, go!) the discovery that the coat I want has been marked down 350 kronor and is now on hold for me to pick up tomorrow the pile of loot that much-missed person brought back for me 🙂 the hugs and whispered “I love you, too, mom” from my kids when I kiss them goodnight an unexpected e-mail from a long out-of-touch friend continuing the e-mail round-robin my mom, sister, brother and I have got going crossing things off my to-do list my...

He’s home! 🙂

A sheen of green has appeared, looking totally confused and out of season, on our giant sea of dirt. Maybe we will actually have a LAWN next year! Incidentally, Sheen of Green would be a great name for a rock band. My condolences to courtesy on the outcome of the game, by the way, and to my other Aussie friend, to whom I apologize profusely for forgetting in this particular instance, sorry ozswede!!! Karin is about to get pounded into a little pulp. She’s driving me bananas with her whining and grumping and accusatory demands. McDonald’s trip for dinner to...