Stunning!

I know I know, I’m bios, she’s my baby sister. But remember this face because I have a feeling we’ll see a lot of her in the future.

My sister

My youngest sister Lone, channeling Lagerfeld in a Swedish ad.

Too cool for words really.

I’m gonna shut up..

The Swedish viking in me have long departed, and I keep complaining how cold it is….

then I saw this picture from back home…I think I’m gonna shut up and be glad we don’t have a “Swedish” winter in Tokyo..

Merry 24th!

I started off Christmas with a banging headache, damn that glass of wine, and thank God for Advil! I should start binge drinking maybe, so then I can handle a glass of wine now and then…

Other than my brain trying to break its way out of my skull, the morning was great, just snuggling with my precious two. Chocolate milk and sandwiches and getting the last piece of chocolate out of the calendar. (Last piece, 24th….) By 9am I had finished vacuuming and mopping the floors, folded the laundry and the house was shining. By 09.10am my son had staged another break in. Oh well…

Tomorrow I’m roasting a chicken, making a sweet potato casserole, macaronies and cheese, salad and some other bits and pieces. Nothing crazy. And we’re having a guest, the kids babysitter Nancy is coming to eat with us. Her brother is having a house party and kicked her out of the house, Oh Christmas spirit! Hanna and Micah could not be happier, they love her.

I miss spending Christmas with my family though. I know what they’re doing in a few hours. It’s pitch black in Sweden at 8am, and my mom is a candle light freak, so the kitchen will be lit up like a cathedral at mass. Big breakfast set up, Christmas music on the radio, my stepdad walking around humming along to the music, coffee. Warm and cozy. Then in the afternoon they’ll have late lunch with friends and family. Glögg, ham, meatballs, sausage, purple cabbage, potatoes, cured salmon, pickled herring……I’m not jealous…

One of these years, we will be there, all of us together.

Getting there..

Ooh ho ho! I’m spending my last night before hubby comes home, in the company of Orville Redenbacher and a glass of red wine. I’m actually starting to feel a little Christmasy, finally. Could be the wine..or it could be that I got something done today.

We got out early this morning and went to the crafts store where I bought some fabric and lace. I made a quick version of a runner for the table..It actually helped a lot to cover up our hideous table.

getting there..

The kids are sleeping and I’m wrapping presents, candles lit. I’m feeling quite cozy actually. I like it I like it…

And of course, knowing that my husband is coming home tomorrow evening makes everything feel so much better. It’s lonely when you’re by yourself. I know I have two kids but once they go down, it’s just me. No one to talk to about how was your day and stuff, it kind of sucks…

but anyways..so I’m wrapping these gifts for the kids. I’m gonna let them open one each in the morning tomorrow, since us Swedes celebrate on the 24th. My husband still does not want to acknowledge  that a big part of the word do celebrate on the 24th and it’s “legit!” It’s been 7 years people…we’re still having debates about it. But hey, just look at the kids chocolate calendars, they only go up to 24…heeeey! I rest my case.

I hope you guys will have a great Christmas, in the company of  your loved ones! Goodnite!…this Santa need some sleep!

Heaven collects its angels

I lost my farmor (grandmother) two nights ago. She passed away in her sleep at a hospital in Stockholm. She was 95 and her mind still clear. It was her body that failed her at the end. In the past 10 years, she’s broke her neck, got a pacemaker, got treated for breast cancer and hyper thyroid. And still she’s been in good spirit and energy. Two summers ago I visited her at the summer-house, then she was cutting grass and moving street stones in her walker, cuz she was building a terrace like the once in Provence. haha And till the end she was active in the church choir and hosting lunches for her choir friends. Always taking great pride in her appearance, and loved to dress up, she loved hats, scarves and her clip on earrings. She was pretty incredible.

But last winter she fell outside and fractured her hip and pelvis and after that it went down hill. She was in pain and couldn’t walk properly, but all this time she still lived on her own in the same apartment in Stockholm that she shared for decades with my farfar (grandfather).

Me and my sister and our cousins spent every summer in their summer-house they built when my dad and uncle were small. It’s on a small island down south in Sweden. Such great memories, that I will never forget. My farmor always in the kitchen cooking up lunch or baking. She’d make some mean cinnamon buns, with pearled sugar and chopped hazelnuts on top, and she’d always make me my own batch without the hazelnuts, since I was allergic.

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It wasn’t easy for everyone in our family to get along with her, she wasn’t the “cuddly” type of grandma, she was pretty strict and old-fashioned  but with a great sense of humor. She was the best farmor I could ever have wished for. And I always told her that I loved her, when I spoke to her on the phone, and even though she never said it back, I know she loved me too. My reasonable side knew she wouldn’t live forever, but I still kind of thought that she would somehow. But like she always said her self, she’d live to 95 and then she’d let go, and she did.  haha So now she’s up there somewhere with my farfar, busting his chops again after 17 years apart. I miss her already.

As so often, singing. You were amazing farmor!

Can’t get enough…

A friend had posted this on Facebook this morning. What an awesome way to wake up! Three girls from the Swedish vocalist group “Erato”. It’s so good my toes are curling….

The song is originally by Robyn, one of my favorite Swedish artists

Inspirational

I was toasting a sandwich this morning and as I was waiting I happened to notice the cover of this old Swedish cookbook I have. I got this book on graduation day in 8th grade. It was a “prize” from the home economics teachers for outstanding performance during the year. Yes, I too was shocked.

The book was printed 1980 and I do use it all the time as it has a lot of basic recipes in it. But I’ve never really looked on the cover of it, until this morning.

My mouth is so not watering...

yuuu....mmm....y...

I mean would you look at that plate! hahaha Look at that dry piece of ham, all crinkled up and the meat! Talk about wanting to kill peoples passion for cooking. “Ahh you say you wanna cook? Here, get inspired by THISsss!”

I mean was that the best they could do? “Give me your sexiest most inviting dish for the cover”…….Ta daaa!

Neext!

Not quite the trip i planned

We got back home a few days ago. Back to beautiful sunny southern Cali. We spent about 3 weeks in Stockholm, staying with my mom and stepdad and brother. It was great and it was cold. I do not miss the Swedish winter that’s for sure.

I had so many plans for this trip, to see all my family and all my friends that I haven’t seen is so long. Dinners, drinks, playdates…..

But I think after the stressful week we’d just had, my heart had been beating twice as fast since the quake and it took me days after coming to my mom’s house for me to calm down. I was drained, the kids were drained, jet lagged and emotional. My son who is usually always this happy chummy little guy, turned in to the biggest mama’s boy. He was like a band-aid on me and wouldn’t let anyone else hold him. I couldn’t even take a shower or go to the restroom without him screaming his lungs out, crying hysterically. It was kind of cute the first day but it got old pretty fast. He wouldn’t even sit in the high chair next to me at the dinner table, he had to sit on my lap or he’s scream.

Some days I just broke down, I missed my husband, I felt like everything just got so rushed through. We didn’t leave Japan on a good note I feel and everything just felt weird, I was out of orbit.

However, I did manage to meet up with 2 of my oldest friends, my sisters, my grandmas and cousins. Even though it was just for a quick coffee with some but at least we got to hug…

So, first week it’s all about getting over the jet lag. My kids both took a day each to have the vomits. Then of course the second week I got sick. It’s all about timing, and it sucked! Green snot, ear aches and a swollen throat. AND add that screaming adhesive of a son. I just wanted to crawl under a rock.

But you know, some days were better than others and we got small stuff done here and there and before we knew it, it was time to go home. On a flight leaving at 6.30am. Meaning we had to get up at 3 and leave at 4am. At 10pm the night before I start throwing up like it was going out of style…all night, till an hour before it’s time to wake up. All I’m thinking to myself is that I have to make this 14h trip with 2 kids, feeling like I did. I mean common!!

But, I did it. I got us all back safe. We almost missed our connecting flight in Amsterdam and our luggage was delayed by 2 days and 17 hours (don’t fly DELTA), but who cares now, we’re home. I’m so so grateful to be home.

 

back with papa in sunny California

 

 

I keep in touch with my friends over in Japan, they’re doing good but all theses aftershocks is really starting to wear on people. I feel for them, I can only imagine how stressful it must be…I miss the old Japan, like I used to know it.

 

A hook up!

It’s my daughter’s birthday next week. She’ll be 3 already!

So when my mom asked me a while ago what they should get her for birthday present,  I knew exactly.

My mom has made it clear that nothing can cost too much when it comes to her grandkids. I’m not gonna argue with that, so I told her, a bike trailer. Hanna loves to go on the bike with me but since fat boy got added to the mix we can’t really go anywhere on the bike. So, yeah a bike trailer for 2 kids would be awesome.

They’re not popular in Japan for some reason, I don’t understand why, cuz it would be perfect for all these mothers balancing 2 kids in two different seats on their bikes.

10 days later anyways, a bike trailer came, sent with a big happy birthday to Hanna from her grandparents. And I’ve been dying to take it for a test run. We decided to go to Nogawa park for a little picnic and I thought I would easily screw this hook on to my bike and we’d be ready to go, but I ended up having to take it to the bike shop to loosen some screws and take off Hanna’s seat in the back. Took about 30 minutes and 2oo Yen. (dirt cheap, thanks!)

Then when leaving the shop, the guy tried to tell me something important that I didn’t understand anything of.

“ummmm….?”

He tried again, this time simply by crossing his arms and saying “dame”, pointing at the trailer. “No, dame, too wide, no ok drive”

“ummmm? ok…so you helped me put this on and now I can’t use it…that’s what you’re trying to say huh….hmmm..”

I think maybe he tried to tell me I needed to get some permit or something so I’ll have to check that out but I’m going to this damn park today so they just have to pull me over then. My daughter was too excited, I couldn’t let her down. So we went, and I’m loving the “rocket” as my daughter calls it. The kids behaved surprisingly good too, sitting so close to each other for the 20 minutes it took to get to the park and people where pointing and shouting “Oh cool! Wow! Awesome!” when they saw us coming down the street.

Suuuch a great gift, they totally hooked us up with this trailer. Thank’s mom and Magnus!!

Now all I have to do is show my husband the greatness of this thing, cuz he’s really skeptical. He thinks I’m gonna be on the high way weaving between trucks while our kids are drinking juice boxes in a little tent on wheels. He’ll come around.

Oh and I’m gonna get myself a helmet. Gotta set a good example.