Tagged: holidaze

04
Dec
2023

SOON THE BELLS WILL START

My friends Kathey and Russell are on their way to Antarctic right now. It’s their 7th continent, which means they’ll have been to all of them after this. Quite an accomplishment, even if it did take them 36 years. (technically, I think it’s taken them their whole lives, since North America was first and that is where they were born, haha!) They are posting photos and diary logs on Facebook and it is very fun to keep up with their adventures from the warmth of my home and comfort of my sofa. I’m fascinated by travel stories and accounts of...

27
Nov
2023

C IS FOR 22 YEARS OF COOKIES

I just made Rice Krispie Holly Bar cookies for the AIC Holiday Cookie Exchange which is tomorrow evening at the last monthly meeting of 2023. I’ve been organizing the cookie exchange every year since 2001. That’s 22 years worth of cookie exchanges. Incidentally, the same amount of years that Debbie has been organizing the wreathmaking workshop that I attended last week. Rice Krispie treats are a go-to cookie because they are fast and easy and they make a lot with minimal effort. Mine are Holly bars because I color them green and sprinkle red hots liberally on top before I...

25
Nov
2023

ADVENTALICIOUS

When is it officially the holiday season? Is it Halloween that really kicks things off at the end of October, sliding through All Saints and All Soul’s Days, to Thanksgiving (if you’re American)? Here in Sweden, it’s often First Advent which starts the holiday season and all the Swedes are sure to have their advent lights up in the windows and white lights twined around trees and house edges. But First Advent this year is next weekend, which puts Fourth Advent right on Christmas Eve. Do you even know what Advent IS? For many people it’s the start of a...

19
Nov
2023

25 YEARS OF TURKEYNESS

We had our annual Friendsgiving yesterday and per usual, I did not take one single photo of the event, and apart from the kids, no one had their phones out at all, so there is no virtual record of the evening. We invited 28 people and ended up with 24, which turns out to be pretty much the perfect number, actually. With two long tables filling up the living/dining room, and everyone talking, it made for a very crowded, loud space, but it was so fun! Lots of laughter, and non-stop talking, and even after the buffet was opened, everyone...

02
Nov
2023

THE WEIGHT OF AIR

Ugh, trying to lose weight is such a pain, especially when you like food. I keep bouncing up and down on the same half kilo, even though I’m pretty happy that I’ve managed to get down 6 kilos (5.5, no 6, no 5.5, no 6, no…SIGH) since the end of the summer, without trying super hard. I read somewhere that most people think that losing weight means you are evacuating it when you go to the bathroom, but the truth is that most of it is BREATHED OUT. Isn’t that weird? How can fat turn to CARBON DIOXIDE? If you...

28
Oct
2023

POSITIVELY RE-VOLTING

On Thursday, we had our Halloween fika in the afternoon. I had a crazy day as I had a birthday lunch to attend, then a dentist appointment, then had to get back for the fika. The team had decided on a fairly easy costume idea: we went as Marcom afternoon tea in honor of Helen who organized the fika and who has been our party planner, when she’s not been doing her regular assistant to the Vice President of Marketing job. She’s English, you see. One of my teammates brought fiberduk and we cut it into 2-meter lengths to be...

15
Oct
2023

ORANGE YOU GLAD IT’S AUTUMN?

It’s heading on for Halloween. I have signed up for the annual adult Halloween social for the AIC which Kirstin hosts, but honestly I hate dressing up. Every time I have to, I try to find the easiest, most simple costume idea I can…one that doesn’t involve a lot of shopping or face paint or elaborate things to put on. I signed up for 2 people but Anders doesn’t usually want to go if he can avoid it, so I might end up going by myself. Last year, I went with both kids and Karin came up with a super...

21
Jul
2023

TIP-TO-TIP: HALF-DAY ON ÅLAND, ANOTHER FERRY RIDE, STOCKHOLM, AND HOME

Our ferry didn’t leave Mariehamn until 2:30 pm so we had all morning to enjoy the town, after eating breakfast, checking out and packing the car. We walked back up the shopping street (where everything was open!) and over to the Maritime Quarter again, where we toured the little museum, visited some shops and the Beacon. It was sunny and hot and beautiful along the water. We came back down and did some shopping in town as well. I found a Moomin charm for my country charm bracelet (had already bought a little silver reindeer horn to symbolize being in...

20
Jul
2023

TIP-TO-TIP: FERRY RIDE AND 2 NIGHTS ON ÅLAND

We got up quite early and left Loimaa to drive to Åbo (Turku) on the coast of Finland, where we caught the Viking Line ferry to Åland. The ferry ride is 5+ hours, so we had breakfast on the boat. We sat inside for a bit, then went out on the Vista Sundeck on the back of the boat, which was lovely. Sitting in the sun and the wind watching the islands slide by. The boat was HUGE and the archipelago was extensive, lots and lots of rocky islands covered in, you guessed it: pines and birch trees. We got...

23
Jun
2023

READY, SET, GO

Today’s my first day of vacation, though it’s actually a day off because it’s a holiday here in Sweden: Midsummer Eve. Tomorrow is Midsummer Day, which is a bit weird because the actual summer solstice was 2 days ago on Wednesday, June 21. Sweden celebrates midsummer eve on the Friday closest to the solstice, though, so it FEELS like today is the longest day of the year, even though we’re actually already on the downward slide to darkness. It’s Anders’ first day of vacation, too, though he said he has a couple of work things he has to deal with....

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