Lattemama

Pancake breakfast

2012-02-12T22:52:00.001+01:00

We've had a weekend off from activities and I almost promised the girls to go to town and have breakfast today Sunday.
Then we ended up going to town on Friday to have my phone looked at and yesterday my Mum treated us to dinner out to celebrate her birthday. So going out again today felt excessive.

Instead I promised the girls pancakes or waffles for breakfast.

I ended up staying up way too late last night playing games on my iPad and didn't turn off the light until a quarter to 2 am. I know. Stupid.

By 7:30 am both girls were up and wanted to watch telly. They can start it up themselves so I quickly went back to sleep.
Then at 8:15 am Isabel stomps into our bedroom proclaiming it morning and time to get up.
We both moan and tell her to leave and Rickard quickly goes back to sleep, but I can't for the life of me do the same.

I did try but I just couldn't relax enough.

In the end I went downstairs and started the pancake making.

I made a smaller batch this morning since I didn't want to spend all morning frying up pancakes so I only used up 2 eggs.

Sofia only ate 6 hearts and left the other 6 I made her but Isabel scarfed them all down and had a sandwich or two as well.

This is how I made them:

2 dl all-purpose flour (1 cup is 2.5-ish dl so slightly less then a cup)

1 tsp salt
4 dl milk (1.5% - skimmed, right?)
2 eggs
a splash of liquid shortening or melted butter/margarine
If you're not eating savoury toppings with this a splash of vanilla extract is nice to add as well.

Mix the flour and the salt. Add half the milk to the flour and beat with a whisk until there are no lumps (or at least not too many), then add the rest of the milk.
Beat in the eggs and the shortening and leave it to rest for 15 minutes if you have the time.

Heat up a skillet and melt a little butter/shortening to help indicate when the pan is hot enough. Pour in enough to cover the bottom of the skillet and let it sit until the batter is dry on top, then flip the pancake and fry it on the other side.

I usually heat up the skillet on max heat and fry the first pancake, after I flip that one I reduce the heat (7 of 9 - hah, how's that for a geeky reference) and fry the rest. The first pancake is usually a little paler than the rest.
If you have some shortening in the batter you only need to butter the skillet that first time.

These are more like crepes I guess. My mother would pour in the batter to cover the bottom, let it fry a second or two then pour the excess off into the bowl. That makes the thinnest crepes, but it also takes a lot longer so I never bother.

Today I poured the batter into a squezy bottle since I used my heart shape skillet. It's easier not to get too much batter into each slot.

Serve with honey, jam, cinnamon sugar, peanut butter, Nutella.

I like to spread peanut butter on one, add sliced bananas and a little dollop of Nutella or a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and some shaved coconut if I have it then put a second pancake on top.
Yummy!

Sometimes I fry up small pieces of bacon until they are really crispy then transfer them to a paper towel. Mix the batter but leave the vanilla out and put a tbsp of bacon pieces in the pan before adding the batter. Make them a little thicker to make sure the bacon stays put.
Serve with lingonberry jam or cranberry jam/jelly (don't serve with the sweet jams like strawberry or raspberry, it needs a bit of tang to compliment the saltyness of the bacon).

Phone issues

2012-02-10T19:45:00.000+01:00

I'm having issues with my phone and thought I'd take the time to blog while it's being reset.

I was working from home today. I had some manuals out on review and got them back the day before yesterday with loads of comments and somehow I get less distracted if I sit at home and make the adjustments.

I had BBC's Sherlock on in the background - I can't see the telly from the kitchen table where I was sitting so I could only hear it, and it's still compelling.
It's fun how much of the foreshadowing you pick up on when you watch/listen to it again and again.

Incidentally - I read they start filming the new series of Doctor Who on the 20th. They'll air series 7 this fall. It's going to be amazing I have no doubt.

I got lots done but I didn't finish - I'll have to pick it up again on Monday. I only work 4.5 hours on Fridays and get off at 1 pm.

Since my phone was acting up (the touch screen is being wonky on the left side) I decided to go fetch the girls and then take the bus to town.
Normally I would have walked past the school to pick up Sofia first so Isabel wouldn't have to walk back and forth, but then I realised there is a bus outside the daycare that we could catch and so I picked Isabel up first after all.

It was halfway from school to daycare that I noticed she was still wearing her wellies. So we ended up picking Sofia up and still walking back to school so Isabel could change into her boots. Had it not been Friday I wouldn't have bothered.

We caught the bus - it was only a few minutes to wait - and got off the bus downtown. We took a walk to their least favourite store - the phone store.
Once there the clerk couldn't help me and said I would have to do a complete reset and I needed to do a proper back up of the phone first so I couldn't do it there. Meaning we went there completely in vain.

The girls were happy though as it meant we went to a coffee house for hot chocolate, scones and cupcakes.

After fika we went to get Sofia a warmer jacket. She's had a thin fall jacket until now but it's gotten too cold to use it. Even though she wears a cardi underneath it's too cold.
She was very happy with the busy pink and purple print on the jacket we got.

After that we went to the pharmacy, the video game store, Matas (which is like Boots in the UK), the kitchen supply store and then we decided to meet up with Rickard who had the car today so we walked to Isabel's first daycare in town and the girls played at that playground.
I felt like a icicle once Rickard showed up and I'm still freezing.

We've had dinner and Rickard and the girls are watching telly and I'm battling my phone to make it work. Fingers crossed.

Working - or some equivalent thereof

2012-01-31T11:37:00.001+01:00

I bought myself a new mug to have my coffee in at work. Some tea lights to set the mood and then we're off.

New toys

2012-01-30T19:12:00.001+01:00

It's not a huge secret that I love the KitchenAid-brand. I got a KitchenAid stand mixer last year at this time and tomorrow I'll pick up a matching blender from the same company where I got the mixer.

It's the same colour as the mixer and I hope to be able to paint the walls of the kitchen in the same shade of green sometime this spring.

I have started craving a KitchenAid waffle iron, but it's just so expensive I can't really justify it. We'll see if I can save up for it.

I got a few other items as well from a few different online stores (Etsy mostly) but I'll hold off blogging about them until they arrive. I hope one will come in the next few days.

Chores

2012-01-25T16:00:00.000+01:00

I've been lazy these past few weeks, doing a lot of prepping but not as much sewing.

I would have started something tonight before dinner since Rickard fetches the girls today but I have a few errands to run .

- fill up Sofia's asthma medicine prescription
- a box and postage for Rachel who is having her baby - right now actually
- swing by the flower store to get something nice for the kitchen table

After dinner though, I hope to get something started - I have prepared a wallet with credit card slots for myself and I would really like to see how it turns out. I need to cut some more interfacing first to make it sturdier. I'm thinking I should add some fusible fleece as well but I'm not sure.

I have some denim for pants for the girls - Isabel needs more pants - she keeps out growing the ones she has. I also got a piece of linen/viscose for a second Wren dress for Isabel. She loves the blue one I made her but I'm not too keen on the colour - I got her a nice raspberry pink for a second one.
I have some very fine linen I plan to use to embroider something on. I was going to give it to Rachel's baby but it's not even started so maybe I'll send it on later.
I also found a lovely piece of white border embroidery fabric (broderie anglaise?) for a dress for Sofia. Maybe I can squeeze out a dress for Isabel from it too.

For myself I have a bag planned - I can't decide if I should use the fat quarter pieces I have at home and make the outside from different fabrics or if I should go ahead and order a yard cut of the fabric I would like to use. Decisions.
I also have the Sophia bag to finish, but I'm not feeling the love for it anymore - I fear I messed it up a bit - we'll see.
I should get started on the Weekender Travel bag as well since the Timtex pieces for it are cut and are all in the way in my sewing room. I swear over them twice a day I think.

Finally I have some book keeping to get to for my online store - it's not a huge task but I should get it done so I don't have to fret over it in May when I have to hand in the taxes for it.

The Turn of the Tide

2012-01-25T10:58:00.002+01:00

After what's felt like an eternity the Sun is finally making its way up the Sky early enough for me to catch the first rays as I drop the girls off at school and daycare.

The whole Sun isn't above the horizon until 8:15 am but that means the light starts to come out at 7:45 am giving us glorious sunrises during the coming weeks.

At least when it's not overcast and cloudy.

The temperatures have dropped too and this morning is was a very nippy -10C and all the door locks on our car were frozen. Thankfully the trunk faces our house and it doesn't get as chilly there so we can unlock it and still get inside.

Rickard leaves for work about 20 minutes before we do and he's kind enough to hook up the heather for me so I won't have as much ice to scrape off the windows when we head out.

Last night we went to the grocery store for some dance clothes for the girls and some food and staples. When we came outside again the Moon was a thin sliver of light low in the Sky. The night as so clear we could almost make out the entire Moon even though it's almost as far from Full as it gets.

Venus was a bright light high in the Sky and a few other stars were out, but I'm unsure what they were. Orion rises early these days - I love the sight of him. The familiarity of him and all the other constellations I recognise is comforting.

Changing it up

2012-01-12T11:19:00.002+01:00

I wrote in December about a lovely gift I was sent by a friend in the US.

Looking at the picture made me realise how dingy my lanyard had gotten. I nicked it from Rickard who got it at work two or three years ago.

It was getting a bit too much and yesterday I had a light bulb moment when I realised I could actually make one myself!

I used two strips of Happy Mochi Yum Yum fabric. I love this fabric it's so sunny and happy. I'm working on making some essentials for myself (wallet, purse, make-up pouch) from that fabric.

The lanyard is part of that.

The fabric strip needed to be 6/8" finished so I cut two strips 1.5" and started ironing into double folded strips ... see where that went wrong?

Of course they needed to be 3" to start if I was to make them double folded.

In the end I only cut one more strip and used the two that were too skinny and sewed them together.

I used the hardware from my old lanyard and the whole thing didn't even take 30 minutes.

Next up - a new wallet.

Old banners and the new

2012-01-10T12:48:00.002+01:00

Last year the banners on my blog came from a free printable calendar from Canon. I cut it out and put it on my desk at work.
But it only took a few days to realise it was not very practical (the cleaning lady kept messing them up when she dusted off my desk) so I took the time to photograph each piece and make a banner for each month instead.

I put together a gif-picture of it in case anyone wants to see all pictures together - it's sort of speedy though *shrug*

The new banner is a picture I took of my mini design wall where I've put up the finished blocks I have for my hexagon quilt. Not sure where I'm going with it. It's mostly a work in progress.

Day off

2012-01-09T14:31:00.001+01:00

Isabel's spring term starts with a day off. Both school and after-school care are closed so I took the opportunity to stay home.

Since I'm home Sofia has stay home too and they will both be back in school and daycare tomorrow giving them a long Christmas vacation.

I have a present planned for a friend who is having a baby in - any day now really - and I needed some embroidery floss.

So we went to town this morning for breakfast and some shopping. I always get motion sickness on the bus and today was no exception.
Thankfully it passes quickly once I get off the bus and into some fresh air - well as fresh as it gets downtown.

I found all the colours I was looking for and the girls both talked themselves into buying some craft supplies. Sofia got a (disappointing) paint-by-numbers kit and Isabel got a knitting ring that she's been engrossed with since we came home.

Happy Holidays

2012-01-01T21:04:00.002+01:00

If I had been on top of things this holiday season this is the picture I would have enclosed with our Christmas cards.

As it is I haven't been on top of much this holiday season so instead I'll post it here.

I hope your holidays have been filled with calm and joy and that you are ready to face the new year!

Ah well

2011-12-29T11:38:00.001+01:00

The girls were looking forward to spend the day and night at their grandparents' but Sofia behaved very weirdly this morning.

She came halfway up the stairs this morning and just tood there and cried. When I asked what was the matter she just shrugged and wouldn't or couldn't say.

She said her tummy hurt and sure enough a few minutes later she threw up.

So I spent 45 minutes waiting on the phone for her grandparents to hang up so I could ask them to fetch Isabel instead of me dropping her off. No fun bundling Sofia up in the car to have her throw up in there, and I can't well leave her home alone.

Eventually they hung up and my FIL came and picked Isabel up.

Now we're hanging out on the sofa watching Cinderella and experimenting with rice cakes and water. So far she says she feels better.

So still no experimenting with the new sewing machine.

Ah well, time for that later.

All done

2011-12-22T21:20:00.001+01:00

All wrapped up.

Herring mixed.

All food is prepped and ready to go.

Now, feet up, a cup of coffee and a slice of saffron cake while watching old episodes of Castle. Aah, good times.

Bannermen

2011-12-14T14:14:00.000+01:00

Ugh - it's that time of year again.

New Years.

I should come up with a new banner for the blog.

The one I've had this year was a DIY desk calendar I photographed and put some text on. I made a banner for every month for a whole year so I could easily make the switch on the 1st.

I should really come up with something new. Maybe something sewing related.

Better get started on some ideas.

Cookie jar

2011-12-14T10:00:00.000+01:00

I was helping my grandmother with some Christmas baking in November and came across this container in one of her cupboards.

It's gloriously vintage and while I don't normally go for vintage I can not resist a pretty tin cookie container.

I told her I really liked it and two weeks later she came to my house for turkey dinner and brought the container for me to keep.

This is what she had put inside.

The bottom layer contains currant fork cookies and almond biscotti. The top layer is rolled up lace cakes that she had made the very same day.

She claimed she wasn't using the container any longer (and it was empty in her cupboard when I found it) and she wanted me to have it.

It even has the original sticker on it.

Keys to the TARDIS?

2011-12-13T09:53:00.002+01:00

It's no big secret that I love Doctor Who.

I've come late to it but I claim being Swedish for my defense and I'm sticking to that. It's not like they ever aired Doctor Who on telly here when I was a kid. (WHY???!?!?)

But I've seen it now and I love it to bits.

So last week when I came home on a particularly crummy day, I found a strange envelope in my mailbox.
In it was a TARDIS-key ring sent as a surprise from a sweet friend in Colorado. (Thank you Sandi!!)

It lives with my keys now and I love it.

Sadly it doesn't make my car any bigger on the inside ...

Winter is Coming

2011-12-12T13:45:00.001+01:00

Plans for our solstice celebration are coming along nicely.

I ordered a few sheets of bees wax from a bee keeper up north and I plan to make some candle decorations from it to stick to a larger candle that we can light in the evenings.

We had an impromptu astronomy lesson with the girls on Saturday night when we looked out the window during dinner and discovered that it was a lunar eclipse.

It was fun. They seemed to get it so I suppose I kept it at the right level.

I ended the weekend with some sewing. I got the invisible zipper installed in Isabel's Christmas dress and was cruising along to get the pleats done so she could try it on.
That's when I discovered I had a hole in the shoulder seam that I needed to fix and when I put a pin in it to keep it in place for sewing I jabbed the pin into the joint on my thumb and didn't realise until too late that it was actually bleeding.
So of course I got blood on the dress.

It was sheer luck that the blood sort of rested on top of the fabric and wasn't soaked up so I managed to rinse it out with some cold water.

It's dried now so I'll see about those pleats tonight. Once they are done all there is left is the belt loops, belt, side seams, and hems. Easy peasy.
I'll see about making some kind of brooch for her or something nice to have in her hair. I bought a plain headband that I'm thinking about decorating somehow. It's not my forte so we'll see.

Once the dress is done I have to get started on the Christmas presents. It's just two so there's no panic. Yet.

Gnome party

2011-12-09T08:26:00.001+01:00

Instead of a Advent Calendar with mini-presents that cost an arm and a leg and are rarely used again after New Years I decided to use my small collection of gnomes and put one out each night.

We had a left over clay tray that I filled with moss and some candle holders and pretty glittery stars and I set one gnome out every night after the girls are in bed.

I tried to arrange them standing up, but they always end up like this, snuggled together in a big gnome heap after Sofia's been checking in on them.

I'm sure Isabel knows I'm putting them there but Sofia's not so sure.

My main problem now is that I only have 15 gnomes and we have 24 days to fill so I have to look for a pack of gnomes today at the grocery store.
Maybe a big one for Christmas Eve.

If all else fails I'll get them some mini figurines from Lego or Littlest Pet Shop.

It was a spur of the moment decision on Nov 30th that made me put it together, and the girls are enjoying it so maybe it'll be a recurring thing.

Solstice

2011-12-08T09:54:00.001+01:00

I have wanted to do some celebrating on the Winter Solstice for a few years now. The Swedish word for Christmas is Jul which would be Yule in English.

Traditionally it has had nothing to do with Jesus and the church but it has been a celebration of the Solstice. The promise that light will return to us.

This is how sunrise/sunset happens in December. The decrease in the day is slowly grinding to a halt and around December 22nd the day is only 2 seconds shorter than the day before.
The solstice occur at 6:30 am and the next day is 6 seconds longer than Solstice Day.
Already in mid-January the days grow longer by 3 minutes a day.

I have looked around for a guide to how to celebrate it but found nothing that spoke to me. In Iran they celebrate Yalda on the Winter Solstice but their traditions all adhere to the local religion which I feel little connection to. So instead I have decided to make our own traditions.

I thought I'd make a saffron cake or a saffron wreath. The round yellow cake would be a reminder of the sun.
I know we'll need some lighting of candles and I have an idea to decorate a candle with suns and we'll light it every night until the Equinox in March or maybe even until the Summer Solstice in June.
I would give the girls something but I fear another gift exchange would be too much.

Tired

2011-12-07T15:32:00.001+01:00

It's 3:30 pm and the sun is gone. I think it still have a few more minutes before proper sunset, but the cloud cover is compact and it's raining and it's dark outside.

We're seeing a theatre recital with Isabel's class tonight. I had hoped to get something done on Isabel's dress for Christmas but it will have to wait.

Sofia's Christmas dress is all done. I'm working on the buttons for it and they'll be done tonight. Three more to go and then I have to sew them all on.

I'm not feeling at the top of my game either. I would like to dress in my jammies and crawl into bed early but I guess I'll have to buck up.

Countdown begins

2011-12-05T10:12:00.001+01:00

I've started to think about Christmas food.

What to make myself, what to outsource to mum, grandma and auntie, what to buy ready made and what to skip this year.

This weekend the girls spent the night at their grandparents' and R and I got ahead on the Christmas shopping.
We bought the girls' presents and their new Christmas underwear. I got a cute top for Christmas Eve.

After that we went grocery shopping and I found a ham for Christmas. Usually they only sell the precooked hams that you glaze yourself, but I prefer to bake my ham.

My grandmother is making the lemon flavoured herring and I'll ask mum to make her curried herring and I'll make a roe herring.

There are cabbage dishes to make - I have red cabbage from last year in the freezer, grandma is making brown cabbage, and I'll do up a Savoy cabbage dish with cream and mustard that I've made a few times and love.

Dad made liver sausage that my parents and grandmother like, I'm not overly fond of it. Red beets to go with that.

I'll be making a Janson's Temptation which is a potato gratin with anchovies and onions and cream.

We are making a batch of meatballs this weekend and I'll get some mini sausages from the supermarket.

What else - a few kinds of bread. A large hunk of cheese. A vegetable egg dish - probably broccoli or sprouts. Boiled eggs. Gravlax perhaps or smoked salmon with mustard dressing.

My mum makes delicious eggs with anchovies and a cheese sauce - but I think we'll skip that this year.

For dessert we'll have rice porridge with raspberry sauce, and I plan to make a large batch of porridge so I can serve it plain (for dad) or mixed with yoghurt and cream as Rice a la Malta with vanilla infused Clementine wedges.

We usually gather around 3 pm for mulled wine or coffee and cookies to watch Donald Duck wish us all a Merry Christmas.
The Donald Duck thing was huge for me as a child since we rarely saw cartoons on tv during the rest of the year. That hour on Christmas Eve was sacred. I still really want to watch it.
It's short clips from various Disney-movies, Cinderella's dress is made by the mice and birds, Snow White and the Dwarves sing and dance, Lady and the Tramp eat spaghetti and meatballs. They also include a clip from a recent Disney or Pixar movie - last year it was from Tangled.

After it's finished at 4 pm we put out the food and eat all evening. Then it's time to do the dishes and then we open presents, usually some time after 6 pm.

I think it's doable. 19 days left.

Change of plans

2011-12-02T09:36:00.001+01:00

Well, how did I do last night?

Most of my plans kind of went out the window when I came home to a very sad little Isabel who definitely didn't want to go to the stables. She's been hesitant about going for a few weeks and last night Rickard and she had a talk and what it boils down to is that we are letting her quit.
The classes were paid through January but she's been secretly crying because she doesn't want to ride. She even offered us money from her allowance to cover the fee we've already paid.

Instead Rickard took them all to the bath house for some swimming and playing and all was well. So I got two glorious hours to myself last night. I started the meat sauce and went upstairs to sew

So the results:
~~Bathe Sofia~~ - she showered at the bathhouse
~~Meat sauce and spagetti - get sauce started and let simmer while bathing and puttering around the sewing room~~
Dishwasher
Laundry
~~Quilt the runner~~ - I quilted a quarter of what I had left
~~Prep the Sophia bag~~ and start sewing the lining
Napkins/placemats - start prepping
Find the Christmas/winter curtains
Dresses for the girls - decide on the patterns and take measurements to decide sizes
Big purse bag - pick fabrics
Double pocket purses - pick fabrics
Baguette clutch - pick fabrics
~~Dinner~~
~~Isabel shower~~
~~Bedtime - find Julkalendern on SVT.se for the girls~~
~~Do some sewing until 9:30 pm then catch something on the telly with R~~
~~Bedtime before 11 pm please~~

There weren't a lot of sewing. Instead I decided to catch up on some telly that Rickard doesn't want to watch.

Instead I plan to decide on dress patterns with the girls this afternoon. I have a meeting with Sofia's daycare teacher to discuss her progress and then I'm picking up Isabel from school and we're headed home to a lazy Friday.
I even managed to figure out a dinner that wouldn't need me to go to the shops. Enjoy your beans on toast :-)

Isabel needs to clean her room and Sofia too, and I need to get organised in my sewing room so we'll probably putter around upstairs until R comes home.

Dirty blog

2011-12-01T15:35:00.001+01:00

Ok.

Quick ugly blog post about what to do tonight so I might retain it all

Bathe Sofia
Meat sauce and spagetti - get sauce started and let simmer while bathing and puttering around the sewing room
Dishwasher
Laundry
Quilt the runner
Prep the Sophia bag and start sewing the lining
Napkins/placemats - start prepping
Find the Christmas/winter curtains
Dresses for the girls - decide on the patterns and take measurements to decide sizes
Big purse bag - pick fabrics
Double pocket purses - pick fabrics
Baguette clutch - pick fabrics
Dinner
Isabel shower
Bedtime - find Julkalendern on SVT.se for the girls
Do some sewing until 9:30 pm then catch something on the telly with R
Bedtime before 11 pm please

Christmas stress

2011-11-29T10:04:00.001+01:00

I started quilting a table runner last night. With a bit of planning I should be able to finish it tonight. I have the binding sewn up already so as soon as the quilting is done I'm good to go.
I plan to machine bind it so I can hang the matching winter curtains as well.

I'm also starting to panic slightly at the thought of Christmas. We're celebrating at our house this year so there is a lot to do and I just realised I need to start on the girls dresses if they are to be done before Christmas.

I have an Apple Picking dress planned for Sofia and either an Apple picking or Jump Rope dress for Isabel. I got some gorgeous Heather Bailey Pop Garden to make them up in.

I need to start a to-do list so nothing gets left behind.

Pursed

2011-11-28T15:10:00.001+01:00

Well, we survived the storm. The brunt of it went north of us and people are power less and my boss's new house (as in still being built) has a flooded garage that contained flat packs with his new bathroom furniture.

He was less than thrilled.

I sewed a little purse last night. It sounds really pretentious, but it was a kit I got at u-handbag.com and it was super easy.

The colours are a bit off - it is November after all and I took this last night.

It fits my phone snuggly - I don't think I'll use it for that. It will be perfect for keys and credit cards, or for hygiene products. We'll see what it ends up like.

I got three more frames from Lisa at u-handbag.com and I have also ordered a bit more interfacing so as soon as that arrives I'll be able to make two more purses/clutches and one proper bag.

Not sure if one or more will end up as a Christmas gift. We'll see. Mum has been making comments about wanting something by way of a bag for a while - but no pressure.

I'm off in a bit to pick the girls up and figure out what to make for dinner. All our quick solutions were used up this weekend (potato hash and pancakes - not together) so I'll have to figure something else out.

We might end up with yoghurt and sandwiches ...

Advent weekend

2011-11-27T20:16:00.001+01:00

We had a lovely day yesterday in the woods with Isabel's hiking group. It was the last meet-up before the holidays and parents and siblings were invited.

When Friday drew to a close with rainy skies and fog I was not looking forward to going to the woods, but Saturday dawned with clear skies and an almost balmy breeze with 10 C. Completely unheard of for late November.

The group's leader instructed the parents to saw up a fallen tree they had their eyes on to make up a fourth side around their hearth/fireplace. So we were all put to work pretty quickly.

We were lucky all day. There was no rain and the sun was out but you could tell it is late in the year since there was not much warmth in the sunshine and the breeze got chilly as soon as the sun disappeared behind a cloud.

We made a fire and grilled some sausages. I brought dough to make stick bread and it was all delicious. As food tends to be when you work for it and spend time outside making it.

By 2 pm we called it quits. The kids had beaten us at tug o'war. They were very strong but I think if the rope hadn't been tied to a tree trunk parents would have given them a good run for their money.

By the time we came home we all smelled of wood fire and it was nice to step into the shower to wash it off.

I ended up in bed for a while reading a book and the girls both trotted off to play by themselves.

Sunday we woke up to dark headlines in the news warning us about the coming storm and by now it's very windy. I realise it's nothing like the tornado warnings in the US, but it's bad not far from here.

We have had warnings of winds up to 30 m/s (58 knots - not sure what the preferred unit is) so this morning we called off swim classes and Rickard and Sofia spent some time outside securing stuff - among other things they brought the grill into the shed - along with 4 bikes, a complete set of winter tires for the car, a lawn mower and a work bench and there is still room left over - Yes Rickard played oodles of Tetris as a kid. He's the packing wizard.

I'm going to turn of the computer because we have seen a few lightnings in the clouds from all the wind.
The aeroplanes have altered their approach for both Malmö and Copenhagen Airports and are flying very low above us. They do that when it's stormy.

See you all on the other side of this storm (it's supposed to taper off by 1 am so it should be alright by morning).

Winter is coming

2011-11-24T10:39:00.001+01:00

We were invited to a castle for a Christmas celebration with my office. Before the party started we took a walk in the castle's garden which has a view towards Ven Island in the sound between Sweden and Denmark.

It's 3:30 pm in this picture. The sun is setting.

We are well over a month from the Winter solstice and the evenings are getting shorter still.

Darkness is setting in.

Winter is coming.

Doll bed

2011-11-24T08:19:00.001+01:00

The doll bed in my last post has a bit of a story of its own.

It was originally made for my grandmother by her grandfather. Probably in the mid to late 1920s. My mother played with it I'm sure and by the time it passed to me it was painted a dark green.

My father repainted it cream one year in anticipation of a huge present I was about to get for my birthday containing a complete bedding set made for it by my aunt. I still have some of it.

The bed now lives with Isabel and my grandmother made new bedding for it but it is rarely made. Isabel uses it mostly for storage. She's not all that into dolls at the moment. At least not the kind you put to sleep in doll beds.

The bed is sturdy and will most likely see use from a fifth generation in time.

Blankets and my grandma

2011-11-23T20:03:00.001+01:00

When Isabel was born my grandmother knitted this blanket for her.

She had made the same blanket for my cousin who is born in the late 80's and she claimed the pattern was made up from a blanket the Princess Diana had used for her newborn son Prince William.
She found it in a weekly magazine she read all the time when I was a girl.

The blanket is huge and rarely used. Isabel was a very warm child who always kicked off her blankets and got too hot if forced to use one.
I think she had it in her pram a few times when we were out for a Sunday stroll.

When Sofia was born in 2007 my grandmother had suffered a broken arm and could no longer knit such large items so instead she made up two doll's blankets based on the same pattern for both Isabel and Sofia.
The pink one is Sofia's.

I love that my girls will have a connection to my grandmother. I was almost 20 by the time my great grandmother passed away but she and I were never close. I'm sure she loved me but we never connected.

My grandmother however, is one of the most important women in my life. My parents were away a lot in the evenings when I was a child and I stayed with my grandmother and grandfather until I was old enough to be by myself, and by then I often visited them anyway cause it was so boring at home.

Until I moved into my own apartment in 1996 I think I visited them if not daily then at least 5 times a week.

My grandfather passed away in 2005 just a week after his 92nd birthday but my grandmother is still with us. She'll be 89 next spring and although not as spry as she used to be - she's started using a walker after a few nasty falls the past few years - she's definitely not one to slow down just yet. She's broken both her arms and last year she also fractured her pelvis after such a tumble. She was in so much pain before the doctors realised she had the fracture. It think it was well over a month after the fall before they figured it out.

Whenever we have a gathering I make sure to invite grandma. I hosted our annual turkey dinner on Saturday and she was there.
She always accepts the invitations with a heartfelt yes, "I'm so happy to be able to join you", and she loves the girls so much and it's one of her great joys to be able to be around long enough to get to know them and for them to get to know her.

She's also joining us for Christmas and I helped her make almond cups two weeks ago because "I'm not as fit as I used to be" she said. Then a week later she arrives for turkey dinner with two boxes full of cookies - ginger snaps, currant cakes, almond crisps and rolled lace cakes.
So much for not being as fit as she used to.

Life altering

2011-11-22T10:43:00.001+01:00

I think we decided this weekend not to get a Christmas tree this year.

We are celebrating Christmas at our house and there simply isn't room for it with 10 people in attendance.

Plus (and this really is the biggest reason), Rickard seems to be allergic to the tree since he usually gets an itchy feeling in the back of his throat the day after we bring the tree inside.

The girls were surprisingly ok with it and said it wasn't necessary. I'm a bit sad about it, but I hope to find some nice light garland to decorate a pillar/mini wall we have that could serve as a substitute.

I think I need to go to town to see what I can find.

Afternoon Tea

2011-11-11T11:03:00.001+01:00

We went to Svaneholms Castle in late October to have Afternoon Tea with my parents.

The castle has a special place in our family history as both my parents and we had our wedding reception there.

They have been serving Afternoon Tea once a month there for quite some time and Rickard and I have been there twice before.
We always thought the girls would appreciate coming too so we invited my parents to come with us all.

The selection is great, but they have not updated the menu since the first time we went there in Spring 2010. That was no problem for the girls however who had never been before.

Sofia has been something of a picky eater lately but there was something for her as well. Scones and chocolate cake. And she really fell for the macaroons - pink of course.

Isabel has grown a lot the last few months. She's almost 1.50 m now (4'11") and the School Photo dress I made her in April is snug all over. With tights and boots it's still working but I think I may have to make her a new one soon if I'm to make her one at all.

Bags in the making - Fabric delivery

2011-11-01T11:32:00.001+01:00

Last week I blogged about the two bags I have planned to make.

I ordered fabric on Oct 22nd and last night when the girls and I came home from school I had three slips in the mail telling me to come to the grocery store to fetch my packages that were too big to be delivered.
Two contained the fabric and one package was from the UK where I had ordered the interfacings.

The fabric is just gorgeous! It has such a nice feel to them and the colours are rich and yummy.

The gold fabric I picked for the lining of the Sophia bag is not an obvious choice but I think it matches very well.

I think there will be time tonight after we get home from the cinema to chuck the fabric in the wash. Not that I plan to wash the bags a lot but the materials are chosen so that it is washable should the need arise.

Autumn Holidays

2011-10-28T12:21:00.000+02:00

Next week is the Autumn holiday week at schools here. But for some weird reason Isabel's school only give them three days off while other schools in town have the whole week off.

Anyway. She'll be in school Mon-Tues and have the rest of the week off.

Sofia has asked to be let to stay at her grandparents by herself so on Tuesday after I have dropped Isabel off I'll drive her out there. Tuesday afternoon I'm going with Isabel to see her teacher for a run up to see how she's doing in school. Since I'm not expecting any bad reports I have already told her we're going to the movies after since it's just her and me that night. Rickard's away until Thursday.

I'm taking her out for burgers or the like and then to see Tintin in 3D. I hope it's not too scary for her, but then she's watched Pirates of the Caribbean so I think she'll be ok. It's her first time watching a 3D movie and I hope she'll like it.

Wednesday before work I'm driving her out to her grandparents to stay until Thursday together with Sofia.

Thursday I have the day off and I haven't arranged when to pick the girls up but I imagine sometime in the morning. Unless they want to stay longer and their grandparents let them.

Friday both Rickard and I have the day off and I'm not sure what shenanigans will happen then.

On a sadder note - I dropped off my sewing machine for a fix up/tune up last night and they told me it would be 7-10 days before I would get it back.
*weep* I never get the urge to sew more than I do when I don't have a machine.
She also demonstrated a new machine I've been having my eye on and I think I've almost decided to get it in 3 months' time (I'll have saved up enough money by then). I'm not 100 % decided .. she showed me two different models and I'm not really sure which one I'll end up choosing.

The bigger model would take me another 6 months to save up for unless I ask for money for Christmas and my birthday.

Another Amy Butler bag in the works

2011-10-27T12:00:00.000+02:00

I wrote yesterday that I plan to make a Weekender Travel Bag designed by Amy Butler. To add to the crazy I also bought fabric for a Sophia Carry-All to match. I am planning to start on this one since it seemed a bit easier than the Weekender.

The outer fabric is the swirly, blue one. It's from the same fabric collection I bought for the Weekender but it has a very different vibe. I hope the colours will be close enough to make them go together.

I had planned to line it with a blue solid but I had a hard time finding one that matched. It's extra hard to do online and I had excellent help from a very nice lady at Fat Quarter Shop.

In the end I decided to go a different route and line it with a gold fabric. I really hope they go together.

While I wait for the fabric to arrive I think I will take my machine in for a tune up. It's been sounding weird and clunky and I think it is time. I finished Isabel's pants last night and I'm driving to town tonight to drop the machine off.

I've been in the market for a new machine for a while but I need to save up some more money since the one I have my eye on is quite expensive. We are keeping the one I have now because both girls are showing interest in sewing and I think it will be a perfect machine for them.

I'll probably take the time to do some cutting while I'm sans-machine. I'll prep for the Sophia and Weekender, but also for a Messenger bag for Isabel.

Amy Butler bag in the making

2011-10-26T12:00:00.000+02:00

I've had my eye on this bag for ages. I love the look of it and well made it looks very professional and sturdy. I have however doubted my ability to finish such a project.

Then the other day I was browsing my favourite US quilting cotton store and saw that Heather Bailey had come out with a collection of home decorating weight fabrics that looked amazing. And suddenly I just knew I was going to make the Weekender Travel Bag.

I've had the pattern at home for a few years and I've read the instructions. They seem straight forward enough, I just mostly worry about all the layers of interfacing and Timtex and zippers.
I guess the trick is to take it all one step at a time.

I'll use the grid dot for the outside and the bird print for the lining. The pattern calls for using the lining for handles and piping but I bought a striped fabric for that since the bird pattern will just look busy and scattered as piping.

I also found a store in the UK who sell interfacing where they compare their product to a Pellon interfacing product. Pellon is hard to come by in Europe/Sweden - at least I've always had trouble with that.
But at CottonPatch it was easy to find an equivalent to Pellon SF-101 and all the other interfacing types the pattern directions called for.

Another time it will be easy to shop for substitutes in town since I know what quality to look for.

I'll be reading through the pattern directions again to see what type of inside pockets are there to begin with. I'll also take the opportunity while waiting for fabric to be delivered to clear up in my sewing room to make better room to work.
I do love this part of sewing - the planning and preparing.

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

2011-10-26T08:10:00.001+02:00

We've entered that time of year when it's dark in the mornings as I drop the girls off and drive to work.

It's 8 am as I write this and the Sun still isn't up.

We'll get a short respite next week after the time change but it will only last a few days. Afternoons will be considerably shortened from now on until just after my birthday in 4 months.

To top it all off it's also raining today which adds to the darkness. In the parking lot at Sofia's daycare it was pitch black. Since it's a brand new place they haven't had time to lay down tarmac/asphalt and set up lights. I hope it's a priority because the pot holes on that lot are crazy deep.

Last night I almost finished a pair of pants for Isabel.

They need hemming, but I had to have her try them on to see how deep to make the hem. I also need to unpick the waistband seam because I forgot to reset my stitch length after basting a seam line in the waistband.

After that I have elastic to put in and they are done! Isabel tried them on this morning and they fit beautifully.

The shirt will get snaps in the yoke because buttons will tangle her long hair and the yoke needs to be opened to put the shirt on.

I have more of the tan cord and I hope to stretch it into a pair of pants for Sofia as well. I'm pretty sure there's enough material.

Bigga and Bear

2011-10-14T10:21:00.001+02:00

When Isabel was little (littler) we bought her a Build-a-Bear. We asked not to have it stuffed too firmly because it had to be cuddly, but now five or something years on it's gotten a bit flappy and it could use a re-stuffing.
So I'm taking both girls to the Build-a-Bear store this afternoon.

Isabel asked nicely if she could use her allowance to buy some new clothes for her bear and I said of course.

Sofia insisted on bringing her bear along too and asked if she could use some of her piggy-bank money to buy something for her bear.

We also have to buy a present for one of Sofia's little friends who invited her to a party two weeks from now. After that I had fika planned - probably just a roll with cheese and something to drink.

Rickard is meeting us in town after work so we have to make sure to pass the time until he gets off so I'm taking the girls to the library. I think we'll be looking up a book or two on constellations and the mythologies around them.

We saw Jupiter again last night. It's as bright as any star and it was right next to the full moon.

I lit the candle in the lantern last night before Isabel and Rickard came back from the stables. It was still lit this morning because we had forgotten to blow it out. Ooops. Also - I put Isabel's riding clothes in the wash after dinner last night and forgot all about them. I took them out this morning. Air head.

Autumn

2011-10-13T09:59:00.000+02:00

It's still light enough before dinner to have the lights off, but once we're done and the table is cleared I light the candles in the chandelier over our dining table. With the light off in the kitchen our home take on a cosy, yellow glow.

Autumn is kind of nice - at least if you don't have to be outside in the rain and storm.

Stellar

2011-10-12T08:57:00.001+02:00

The no-longer-full Moon hung like a big shiny coin in the pale blue morning sky today.

I hold a deep seated fascination with all things astronomical and the girls seem to have picked this up too. They ask lots of questions about the Sun and the Moon and the stars and I'm so happy when I can answer them.

Last night there was a kids' science show on the telly in the evening. An astronomer illustrated the size differences between the Sun and the Earth, and both girls were completely fascinated.

The nights are getting darker and soon it's dark early enough for the girls to look at the constellations before bed. Isabel's born in July and is a Cancer and she wanted to see her constellation.
I told her we'd have to look up what it looks like and when we might be able to see it. I'm not sure we can see it in the Northern Hemisphere.
Sofia's a Gemini and that constellation is actually visible this time of year, but it rises late in the evening so we night not see it.
I'm a Pisces and I'm pretty sure I can see that here as well.

On Saturday the Earth passed through the Draconids. Rickard and I went outside at 11 pm to see if we could see any shooting stars. There weren't many, but the sky was clear and I could see most of the constellations I know by heart.
Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Polaris, The Pleiades, Cassiopeia were all visible but Orion hadn't risen yet. Jupiter was a bright dot, almost like a star.

I think we need to find a book with the Greek mythology stories regarding the constellations.

Rickard has an app on his phone that helps you find the constellations in the night sky. You just hold it up and it uses GPS signals to help you locate the stars, galaxies, planets etc. It even lets you "see through" the Earth at constellations on the other side of the planet that we will never see here.

Welcome!

2011-10-06T11:44:00.003+02:00

Our entry way needed some lovin' so yesterday we drove to the florist after school to get some cyclamen plants for the window box and I cleaned out the lantern and lit the candle in the evening. I like how cosy it looks when you come home in the dark afternoons.

I want to fix up the wreath a bit more but I'm not sure what it needs. I bought two mini pumpkins to start with and was gifted a dried corn cob to put there, but I think it will need a new moss coating before Christmas.

The window box could do with some green plants in between the flowers but that will have to wait.

A good clean up between the flagstones would not go amiss either.

It's a good start.

well now ...

2011-09-30T12:16:00.001+02:00

I completely lost track of the days and missed the Autumnal Equinox last week.

We certainly feel the days are shorter. We get gorgeous sunsets with our dinner and by the girls' bedtime it's dark outside.

This morning Sofia told me it snowed and when I said that it was unlikely she looked again and said "But it's dark out. Why is it dark out?"

I remember Isabel had difficulty understanding that at four too.

I have started lighting the candles in the lamp above our kitchen table after dinner. It looks so cosy with the lights lit and soon enough I'll go through a pack of IKEA tea lights in one and a half weeks.

Speaking of - an IKEA visit needs to be scheduled.

I need to trim the candle in the lantern outside so we can start lighting it in the afternoons. Rickard gets home pretty late and I like to have the lantern lit when he comes home.

I've not taken any pretty pictures in a while so there will be nothing to break this post up. I hope to have some by the end of the weekend. I have the day off tomorrow and I plan to spend it by the sewing machine.

Happy weekend!

(Also - how much am I looking forward to tomorrow's season finale of Doctor Who? ;__________________________________________________________; This much!)

Feel the wind on my face!

2011-09-30T08:33:00.002+02:00

Isabel galloped (rode at a gallop?) yesterday at riding classes!

First time ever.

She thought is was a bit scary and didn't want to try a second time but I'm sure by next week she's ready for it again.

Party time!

2011-09-17T23:46:00.000+02:00

Isabel turned 7 years old in July but since everyone is on holiday during summer we decided to postpone her party until later and today was the big day. 10 girls were invited but only 7 showed up. I had asked their parents to call if they were not coming but we had had no calls so I was a bit surprised. That part is always so annoying.

Anyway. I ordered flowers from the local florist and picked them up this morning. They are roses and some alstroemerias. I have no idea what the big green leaves are called but I think it turned out quite nice.

The girls got individual cupcakes to decorate. I had already coated them with whipped cream and I gave them prepped piping bags with tinted whipped cream and lots of different kinds of sprinkles and nonpareils.

After they had eaten we played spin the bottle so they had some activity while handing over the presents. Then some of them wanted to go play outside which I let them but it turned out to be quite a mistake as they ran off and pranked some of our mutual neighbours.

We ended it with some Musical Statues and then they got their party favours which were brown paper bags with candy that I dressed up with some baker's twine and home made labels. I had put them up on the wall and it looked rather cute I think.

Engaging

2011-09-15T12:49:00.001+02:00

15 years ago yesterday Rickard and I got engaged.

We had gotten rings together ahead of time and packed a picnic basket and headed to Ales Stenar.

We stood by the largest stone at the West end of the circle and exchanged rings. We took a picture of us too but it's non digital and I haven't got a scanner.

After that we drove to Skillinge, a little fishing town a few kilometers north east of Ales Stenar and had lunch at the Harbour restaurant there. We had fried, whole plaice with potatoes and a cold sauce and it was delicious.

We had taken out an ad in the paper the next day and my father called in the morning to ask where we had been the day before. We hadn't told them or Rickard's parents about it, and his parents even missed the ad so we had to call them to let them know.

We got married 4 years later.

Comparison

2011-09-08T19:51:00.001+02:00

I've been reading up a bit on more environmentally friendly cleaning solutions and the one thing that pops up everywhere is baking soda.

In Swedish baking soda is called bikarbonat (bicarbonate of soda) and the biggest problem with using it for cleaning is this:

The biggest box of bikarbonat I can find is the one on the right. It's not even a quarter of the one on the left.

The box on the left is from the American Store and even though it's imported it costs the same by weight as the kind I can find here.

I tried the baking soda to clean out the oven and it worked well so I think this might be one thing I'll actually buy there and not at my usual store.

First day of Fall

2011-09-01T11:13:00.001+02:00

September 1st - seriously?

I can't believe summer is over already. Theoretically at least. We have a chance of a few nice weeks still before the Autumn gloom sets in.

I received a parcel in the post yesterday from a friend in the States. I posted a few pictures from our crawfish/crayfish party and she offered to send me some Louisiana style (or was it Texas) crawfish boil.

I think we'll have to use it on shrimp since I doubt our dill boiled crawfish would mesh well with the flavours from the South.

My friend mailed me and asked if she could get me something else as there was room over in the envelope and I mentioned, sprinkles, spices .. I couldn't really come up with much when put on the spot.

So imagine my surprise yesterday when that envelope contained this:

My friend suggested trying the Gumbo mix first and I think that's what we'll do. Rickard was interested in the cornbread and chilli mix so I think we'll do that one next and I'm making up a batch of chocolate chip cookies with some of the chocolate exchanged for some butterscotch chips.

Now to take a stroll through our store with new glasses on to see what I can find to send back. This is going to be fun!

Thank you Johanna!

Progress

2011-08-30T23:34:00.000+02:00

Yeah - about that lasagne.

I made the meat sauce but in the end didn't have the energy to do the bechemel sauce. So I'll take a short cut.

I have some kale in the fridge that I have taken out to thaw and I'll mix that with a box of cottage cheese and use that instead of the cheese sauce.
We all like that variation.

That way I won't have to use as much cheese either.

--

I made a dent in the ironing! Awesome. Now there might actually be room to pin and cut the Nature Walk tomorrow after we come home from the parents' meeting at school.

--

Sofia has been begging for ages to have one of her favourite daycare friends over on a play date and it has just never fit in our schedule, but new term, new ways. Today I texted the girl's mom and offered to bring E home with us next week.
E was thrilled and Sofia too.

Then I did a double check in my calendar and saw I had forgotten about Sofia's dental appointment that afternoon.
But instead of rescheduling the play date I'll make a new appointment.

--

I've also gotten around to print the invitations for Isabel's party. Finally. I'll hand them out on Thursday since Rickard's picking the girls up tomorrow.

We're inviting all the girls in Isabel's class. With Sofia that adds up to 12 girls. Now I have the food/cake sorted, I just have to figure out some games or activities for them in case they can't come up with something on their own.

Apathetic

2011-08-30T09:37:00.000+02:00

I haven't sewn properly for what feels like weeks. I had a burst the other day when I did buttonholes on the girls' 2+2 blouses.
But since then. Nothing.

I have a pile of laundry to iron and my kitchen is a mess. The bathrooms need a good scrubbing and my wardrobe could do with a sorting.

But in the end, after the girls are in bed I sink into the sofa and do nothing.

Maybe it's the turn of the season, it's been cold and windy here for the past few days.

Isabel has started school and they have gym classes now. It said on the info paper we got that they would be outside as much as possible so I have planned to make her a Nature Walk Pullover and pants as a kind of track suit. The fabric is washed, the pattern is drafted and I just have to pin it and get started.

Tonight the girls and I are making a lasagne in preparation for Thursday when Isabel has riding class. I had planned to make a pie last night for our dinner tonight, but it never happened.
Maybe I'll get that done tonight instead.

For now I should get back to work - but first. Coffee.

A place for everything ...

2011-08-29T10:00:00.000+02:00

We have a central vacuuming system that I love but a huge downside is the 9 meter long hose that needs to find a home somewhere when not in use.
We tried the cleaning cupboard, but the container for the system takes up a lot of space there and we ended up not bothering and just leave the hose out for the next time.
With two kids in the house I run the vacuum pretty much daily anyway.

So I got a huge basket that had room for the whole hose and it's lived next to the stairs for a while.

Or rather, that was where I intended it to live but Rickard kept bumping into it when he came down the stairs and kept putting it in the laundry room.

But the laundry room is too small to hold the basket and still have room to sort through the laundry so that in turn caused me to ignore laundry cause there was no room to manoeuvre.
In the end laundry threatened to take over our lives and I moved the basket out to where I considered it to live so I could sort through it all. Then Rickard would stumble over it and move it back and the cycle would start over.

I did some cleaning yesterday while arranging things around the new table.
I'm not a fan of cleaning or tidying so I tend to put it off in favour of sewing, reading or movie watching, but after a bit it just gets out of hand (like with the laundry).

So yesterday as I moved the girls' shoes around in the hall to get that sandbox they tend to bring home in their shoes out of the house I did some re-arranging and suddenly the big basket found a place in the hall, just across the wall from where it was before, in a less trafficked area.

It's still neat and tidy in the basket, it's close to the outlet where we connect it and it's out of the way so that Rickard won't stumble over it.

I'd call that a win-win-win.

Now I'm just considering dumping the basket for this bin. It's a pretty steep price for a stainless steel bin that we don't really need.

Studying nook

2011-08-28T20:30:00.000+02:00

We have this area in the living room/dining area that is definitely underused. I have put an extra table there when we had parties to display cake and cookies on.

After the party was over the table just stood there and collected junk and it always looked untidy.

So the other day when the IKEA catalogue arrived in our mailbox (yes, in Sweden it is delivered in the mail once a year and I usually hold on to it to keep it as reference through out the year if we find that we "need" something) I had a brain wave when I saw a table on the front page that would suit our needs. Needs that hadn't been defined until then.

Isabel started First grade last week and even though she won't have a lot of homework I want to instil a homework routine for her if I can.

During my first years in school I recall preferring to do my homework where my parents were. In our case that usually meant the kitchen (or various conference rooms where my parents went to political meetings to discuss boring grown up stuff while I studied maths or Swedish or somethingorother).

I don't know what Isabel will turn out to prefer but just in case she wants to be where we are then I had to prepare a place for her in the living room.

Both Isabel and Sofia loves to paint and craft which added another dimension to the decision.

This table folds down and takes up about 30 cm (1') of space when not in use. It has three drawers down the middle on either side that although too small to keep paper in are perfect for all the crayons and pens and pencils my girls like to use.

The sides folds up individually and both girls can fit on the same side.

The sheet I use as a background for photographing what I sew make a nice wall protector. It has been sort of an unwanted stepchild, always moved around down stairs and always in the way where ever we put it.
We have since added a piece of moulding to the sheet to keep it from getting stuck to the wall.

Another good thing about this table is that it's the same width and height as our kitchen table so when we have lots of guests we can expand that table using this new one. It folds out and becomes 150 cm (60") long which together with our 210 cm (82") table will seat both our families when we celebrate with room for a few stray friends as well.

I'm pretty sure we'll add to the area if Isabel turn out to use it. I'm considering a better notice board. And I have been thinking about dressing the table in oilcloth to protect it a bit more. Sofia loves to do water colours which is a killer on the table surface.

Do you Pinterest?

2011-08-28T20:08:00.000+02:00

I love Pinterest.

Rickard is cautiously reluctant to it.

Our conversations lately often start with:

Me: I saw this thing on Pinterest...
Him: Uh huh.
Me: Well, if you move this and change that you could to this!
Him: ...

Well. A few things I see on Pinterest are easy enough to make.

For instance this easy to make dry-erase board. Easy as could be. An empty photo frame of any size you like. In it you put a piece of fabric, wall paper, scrap book paper, news paper clipping, what have you, glass on and it's done!

Well, here's my version. I used a glittery scrap booking paper I had at home and added some hooks to the underside of the frame so I could hang a note book from it where we write our grocery shopping list.
Just copy the info from the board and erase and you won't forget the milk next time.

Out door daycare

2011-08-27T22:38:00.000+02:00

I found a bunch of pictures from Isabel's time in outdoor daycare 2007/2008.

This was taken at the Lucia celebrations in 2007. It was super cold and late in the afternoon so Isabel's a bit tired and vacant.
The baby in the pram to the right is actually Sofia!

Here they're all seated with individual bowls of pop corn. I guess they were celebrating something. Isabel is fourth from the right wearing a green/black hat.

Although they were outside all the time they had a shed with some dollies and a doll's pram.
Isabel liked that part.

She moved to a traditional daycare in August 2008 when Sofia started daycare too.

Wild horses couldn't drag me away ...

2011-08-25T23:59:00.000+02:00

Isabel started riding classes again tonight. It's her second term and we decided to give her proper riding gear after having ridden in jeans and sweatpants last term.

We went to a horse supply store not far from home to see if we could find some riding pants for her.
Just inside the door they had a rack that said 30 % off Riding Pants. Excellent I thought and started looking through it for a suitable size.

That's when I caught sight of the price tag. Full price 1700 SEK ($270).

Uhm. No.

Just next to that rack they had a more modestly priced selection at 120 SEK.

She also got a pair of boots so she didn't have to ride in her winter boots in 20C degrees.
A pair of gloves and a whip completed it and she was more than happy.

I threw in a pair of stockings too. I had seen some girls at the stables wearing lovely Argyle-patterned stockings over their pants and I liked the look of it.

Today when I picked her up I brought the clothes with me and she had to change at school. One of her little friends went with her into the bathroom to watch her change and pleaded with me to be allowed to tag along.
I had to say No since Rickard's taking Isabel to the stables and they usually get home very late. She argued vigorously but had to accept defeat at last.

It was a very tired Isabel who came home tonight at 7 pm. Rickard was bored, bored because the class had been riding a long tour outside and he could not keep up but had to wait at the stables.
Isabel was so tired and sweaty and was sent straight to the shower before dinner.

Next week I'll pack her a more substantial afternoon snack and have her eat it when we fetch Rickard. She insisted she didn't need any food before class but I made her a sandwich that she ate and forced a banana on her as she left.
It was devoured in the car after class in two bites.

She's quick to give up if something is physically demanding (she takes after me there) but when it comes to riding she hangs in there no matter how tired she is. And she goes back for more.

First grade

2011-08-22T22:59:00.000+02:00

My little big girl started first grade today. The picture shows her on her first day of preschool and today, first day of first grade.

The daycare that Sofia's been in has been converted to school rooms after the opening of the new daycare Junibacken two weeks ago.
Isabel's home room will be the same room I used to drop Sofia off in just before summer. Weird.

She has a nice teacher, Marie. In Sweden teachers are usually called by their first name by both students and parents. We don't do the mrs/miss/mr thing.
Neither do we do it when talking about the kids' parents. If referring to me or speaking to me Isabel's friends would all call me Lotta (or "Isabel's mom" if they don't know my first name).

We went to the supermarket after school to get gym clothes for Isabel. This will be the first year she'll change clothes for gym class and shower in school. And as a treat I let her chose our dinner tonight. She went through a few different alternatives before she finally settled on fish fingers.

She got home work for her first week of school to be handed in on Friday and she finished it tonight while I cleared up in the kitchen and cleaned delicious chanterelles for our supper (before the fish fingers).

A little bit of everything

2011-08-19T11:12:00.000+02:00

I'm slowly "recovering". Not sure what it was last week that had me tired and dizzy, but I've made a point to go to bed earlier this week and drink more water and I feel better.

I do have a suspicion that my iron levels are low and that's why I felt off. I have a bottle of iron supplements in the fridge that isn't opened. I should use that but it tastes vile so I hesitate.

The dizzyness also took away my sewing mojo and it hasn't really returned. I got some done last night and I hope to keep it up tonight to have 2 finished 2+2 blouses by Monday when my big girl starts school. First grade.

Fall is also definitely on its way. I feel the tug to make preserves as I always do at this time of year.
Last weekend I made preserved pears. In lingonberry and in ginger syrup. We haven't tasted them yet. I think we'll eat the lingonberry ones this weekend.

Almost one year ago Rickard and I went to New York where I had my first ever Pumpkin Spice latte and I have been feeling a craving for it for a few days.
If I can get into town this weekend I'll get a can of pumpkin and try my hand at making some syrup for a spiced latte.

I can find a fresh pumpkin in the stores in a few weeks but they are usually HUGE and I'm not sure if they're good for anything other than carving.

Today I'm taking my grandmother grocery shopping. My mom usually does that but she and my dad are in Germany until next week and my aunt is busy at work so I said I'd do it.
I'm so happy the girls are getting old enough to form memories of my grandma. She is the only one left from that generation on both our sides. And she is the only great grandparent Isabel's met more than once, the only one Sofia's even known.

Isn't she stunning?

I knew my great grandmother, grandma Inez (Isabel's second name is after her) and she passed away when I was 20, she would have turned 90 if she had lived to her birthday that year.
I hope my grandma can hang around for that long too - although it's not likely she'll hang around until the girls are 20 or even in their teens. Grandma turned 88 this spring but she's spry and fit so hopefully we'll have her with us for many years to come.

I haven't seen her in a while now so I'm looking forward to it.

At the playground

2011-08-15T20:08:00.000+02:00

On Sunday I felt a bit weird. I was dizzy and tired and felt I needed some air. So the girls got their bikes out and we all headed to the playground.

It's a pretty empty playground and there were no other kids there. But they enjoyed climbing, going on the swing and bouncing on the bouncer.

Sofia's not a very good biker yet. Her balance is off and if we try to correct her she'll get anxious and start to cry. She will not be able to ride on her own this year. She had the support wheels and a stick for us to hold her. She fell over once on the way and almost fell over a couple of times. But she got on the bike again and kept trying.

Something to remember

2011-08-15T12:00:00.000+02:00

I just had to post this picture of my little cherub Sofia.

Funniest thing - I was looking at her smile and realised that by this time next year she will probably not have those teeth any more. And she will not be gloriously 4 years any more but a really big girl at 5 years.

4 is so wonderful - they are getting out of the troublesome threes (or is it terrible twos?) and have all these ideas and thoughts and musings that are so incredibly wonderful to listen to.

The other day when Rickard was walking home with Sofia from daycare to pick up Isabel at school she wouldn't stop talking for a second and among others was the little gem I posted last week.

"Sometimes when it's quiet and I am thinking it's as if someone is talking inside my head. .. I'm thinking a lot of things. All the time."

Wonderful 4.

What took me so long?

2011-08-14T22:56:00.000+02:00

I saw a bike like this online about two years ago and I managed to track down a dealer in Sweden who could import it for me at a decent price.
My old bike was ok but a bit uncomfortable for my back and neck.

When it finally arrived it was a bit too small for me - or rather it was too low and I couldn't stretch out my leg properly while biking to get the maximum cycle stroke. The bike stood in our shed until a few months ago when we tried to find a new pipe for the seat - not sure why it took so long.

A few weeks ago my FIL took pity on me - we had been to a bike shop and they shut me down and said it was impossible to find a pipe that was longer than the one I had.
He called shenanigans and contacted a proper hardware store that had a pipe cut and lathed for me.

I need to have the pipe finished some how - I'm thinking chrome - because it will rust.
The bike is a dream to ride now with the longer pipe. It has no gears so it's a bit tough to get into cruising speed but once there it just rolls along.

I have also checked back with the web shop that sold me the bike and found a gorgeous light, bell and maybe a bike rack.

Rickard cut up an old wire bike basket I had that didn't really match the bike and kept the "chassi" and instead attached a cane basket to it with ties.
The web shop have gorgeous baskets too, but I'm really keen on the bike rack. I have e-mailed them to make sure it will fit my bike too.

On the Fence

2011-08-10T23:00:00.000+02:00

One day in Rickard's last vacation week, he and his father built us a fence.

Our driveway is adjacent to a bike lane that leads into our communal back area and sometimes the kids coming from the playground cut across our driveway.

This isn't a problem, they do no harm but we plan to put down gravel of some kind there soon and we want to more clearly mark this as ours.

There are also plans to lay down asphalt on the bike lane and we wanted a clear boundary on anticipation of this.

We also have loose plans to build a car port some day and the plinths will then serve as foundations for that roof.

The ground where the plinths were going in were riddled with large stones and it was packed really hard so Rickard had his work cut out for him.

The girls loved to watch and hung out there quite a lot. At least until it started to rain.

Sofia enjoyed keeping an eye on the men at work.

And she did her best to help as well.

This is from day two. You can tell because all the plinths are in, and the edging stones too.
And it's raining.

The day before I took the girls to the grocery store in the afternoon and then we swung by and picked up grandma so we could all have dinner together. When we came back Rickard and his dad had finished work and been driven inside by the torrential rain. Rickard was soaked through. His right sock was dry on the heel otherwise he was wet through and through.

The next day they were better prepared for the weather and it only rained in the morning.

This is the result by early afternoon on day 2.

Here they are building the gate for the fence so we can exit near the house and not have to go all the way around.
Sofia decided to try out a saw as well. She did really good.

Next year she might help us fix up the attic for her and Isabel?

Beware the voices

2011-08-09T20:33:00.001+02:00

Sofia: Sometimes when it's quiet and I am thinking, it sounds as if someone is talking inside my head.

Different candy

2011-08-09T17:27:00.000+02:00

We had a parcel in the mail on Friday from the lovely Melani. It had fabric (for me) and candy (also for me - just kidding).

The girls were very interested in the Pop Rocks, and I was curious to try it after having heard so much about it through Mythbusters. (That episode where they (fail to) blow up a pig's stomach with pop rocks and soda was hilarious - and gross).

I saved the candy until Saturday evening when the girls get to eat it, and I had Isabel try it first.

She was expecting a lot more "explosion in your mouth" after seeing the package but after that initial try she had some more and thought it was a lot of fun.

Thank you Melani!!

RIP Hat

2011-08-09T11:03:00.002+02:00

I came across this picture today and I have to say that even though I disliked her colour choices, that hat was really pretty!

I think I'll have to sneak a denim one in the sewing list before fall. The white one I made her is a bit sensitive to dirt.

Kivik - The King's Grave

2011-08-08T11:54:00.002+02:00

One of the last days of Rickard's vacation we drove south to Kivik on the south east coast of Scania*.

My father has family not far from there and when I was little we often drove there to visit them. These days we mostly drive down there because it's a beautiful place to be.

In Kivik you can find all the usual trappings of a touristy place (in fact we managed to drive down there at the last day of the big Kivik Market) but a little bit outside the village there is an Bronze Age grave site called The King's Grave.

It is a circular mound of rocks some 75 meters across and 3.5 meters high. It was believed to have been almost three times as high when it was finished, but over the centuries people have plundered the stones to use in constructions elsewhere.

The grave was discovered underneath the mound in the 18th century and quarrying stopped.
But it wasn't until the 1930's that a proper excavation was done.

Inside the tomb are 9 slabs with petroglyphs on them. The chamber was constructed after the excavation and it is possible to enter and look at the slabs for a modest fee.

When the grave was first discovered it was believed to be a King's grave because of the size of the slabs. It was later discovered that the grave site contained two graves and markers indicated that it had been used as a sacrificial site as well as a grave, and the bodies found were all in their teens rather than the middle aged King you'd think was buried there.

Near the grave site there is an old mill that has been transformed into a café and we stopped there to have some ice cream and home made apple cake.

--

*Scania (Skåne) is the province where I live. It is the southern most tip of the Scandinavian peninsula and we used to belong to Denmark in the Middle Ages. In 1658, Scania was handed over to Sweden at the Peace treaty at Roskilde.
Our dialect still has many sounds and words in common with Danish.

Sofia at 4

2011-08-04T23:30:00.000+02:00

Sofia appears to be our more imaginative child. She also gets herself into more trouble than Isabel ever did.

- she likes to draw on herself with pens, preferably felt tip
- she cuts her own hair (and refuses to acknowledge me when I ask her about it)
- she will hide clothes she doesn't like to wear so that I won't find them and force them on her (this is a guess after she balled up the latest dress I made her and hid it in a box in the hall where we keep mittens and scarves)
- she will take dvd-sleeves up to her room and cut into them with scissors

- she will bring a purse to town for all her essentials (i.e. lip gloss, nail polish, mirror, comb/brush, scissors, band aids)
- she will wear a Barbie tiara in public that her sister got in a Happy Meal
- she accessorises imaginatively (black satin ribbon around her ankle)

Fun fair

2011-07-31T23:38:00.001+02:00

We've had a few weeks with unstable weather but on Wednesday this past week we got lucky.

I had planned to meet my Mom for lunch - and maybe even my Aunt who works in town - and then take the girls to Folkets Park (The People's Park - a park with a few big playgrounds, a mini-zoo and a fairground) for some rides and some play.

Both girls wanted to try out the harnessed trampoline but I only got really good pictures of Sofia using it.

The weather was great. A bit overcast but sunny and not too warm. We went for lunch, the Aunt could only come in for a quick Hello - she was in the middle of a very hectic start-up process for the next theatre production she is involved in.

Then we walked back to the Park and bought some tokens for the rides.

Isabel has never been big on rides and she made sure to choose the smallest, slowest rides she could, without a lot of spinning or speed.
Sofia appears to be a bit braver when it comes to rides, but she followed Isabel's lead and rode with her big sister.

We ended the day with an ice cream from Ben & Jerry's - well, Sofia preferred a doughnut. They both got to pull a string and win a stuffed animal.

Grading - how I do it

2011-07-27T00:20:00.001+02:00

I talked to a friend about grading patterns the other day. She wanted to use a popular O+S pattern but it only went up to size 5. I have a few patterns in size 8 that I adore on Isabel, but she is migrating into a lengthened size 10 by now so this is something I have done a few times.

When I told her I had successfully graded the pattern in question to a size 6 she was interested to know how I did it.

So, here are some pictures of another pattern I was grading anyway - I hope it will give her and maybe someone else the general idea on how to grade a pattern.
It's not failsafe and there are probably many other ways to do it, but this is how I learned and it gives you a place to start - make adjustments as needed.

Also this works only on patterns where all sizes are stacked on the page.

I start by drawing straight lines through all corners, marks and notches on the pattern piece.

Then I measure the distances between the sizes - sometimes the distance between sizes vary a lot. Take into account how much you need to enlarge by.
I find it is easier to grade a size at a time instead of doing it all in one go. But that's up to you.

In this particular pattern the distance between all sizes were 1/4" and that was about the amount I needed to get in my finished garment too. (1/4" on each side of a front and back pattern piece will give you 1" all around).

When you get to a corner you should get the lines to meet nicely along the line unless you have graded to add lots more in width than in length - or the other way around. Then you'll need to even out the line a bit.

If you grade on a curve try to follow the curve of the previous sizes - sometimes it helps (if you're not drawing on the actual pattern paper like I usually do) to set a start and end point of a curve then slide the original pattern piece so that it aligns and use the curve in your new size.

This is all a very basic way of doing it I guess. I'm sure there are lots of more scientific ways to do it but it works for me.

If you grade several pattern pieces - like in a blouse you have front, back and a sleeve, make sure you add the same amount on all sides so that you don't end up with a ungraded sleeve to sew into an enlarged bodice.

Toiles may be a good idea. (I guess some call them muslins).

Trial and error is the motto of the day.

Put a bird on it

2011-07-26T23:57:00.000+02:00

After five weeks off Rickard went back to work yesterday. The girls and I are home together two more weeks before my vacation time is up.

We decided to do some crafts so in the morning we went to town to get some white tees. Not an easy task I tell you. Most stores prefer to sell tees with their logo on them, but at H&M we found what we were looking for.

The girls each got three tees to embellish.

I helped them get paint on the stamps evenly then they did the stamping themselves.

I prefer crafts that are easy to wash up and clear away so we mixed the paints on paper plates left over from Sofia's party. All the brushes were old and worn so I threw them all out after we were done.

The results were varied. I was given permission to print one tee for each girl and I made an artsy-fartsy owl on a branch with balloons (cause you know - owls need them to fly, right?) for Isabel but when I tried a "Roman Holiday" theme for Sofia (the crown and the Vespa) she out ruled me and requested skulls as well. So it's more of a "Roman Pirate Holiday" I guess.

I do regret now not getting more tees (they were very inexpensive) to try some transfers on. I got some transfer paper for my printer that I'm dying to try out. Maybe I'll give it a go on some ribbon I have to make labels.

Ah well, we need something to do next week.

Silence is Golden

2011-07-24T17:47:00.000+02:00

Some days you can't really find the words to express what you feel.

Our next door country has been through an incredible tragedy and it's so horrific the words really fail me.

<3 #norway

Fish update

2011-07-15T11:09:00.002+02:00

We bought fish last year. Two fan tail goldfish that the girls named Ubbe and Tess.

A few weeks ago they started behaving weird. They were digging up the plant we had in their tank and then they swam over it, splashing their tails so the water splashed on the wall behind the tank.

As a temporary counter measure we took the plant out of the tank and put it in a bowl next to it.

One day as I was feeding Ubbe and Tess I took a closer look at the bowl and saw little creatures swimming around.

Turns out the splashy behaviour was some kind of mating activity and they had spawned without us noticing.

The bowl held the plant and maybe 30 little fishes, not even half an inch long.

We moved them to a big vase we found in the attic and gave them new water.

Since then a few of them have died, but the ones who has made it have really grown and are starting to show the first signs of fantails.

At least that's what it looks like - it could be just fish poop.

Vacation days

2011-07-14T23:02:00.001+02:00

Oh dear, it's been a while since I put something up here.

I've been on vacation for almost 2 weeks now and the days just blend into one another.

I have 3 more weeks off after this one is done. One of them together with Rickard and the final two alone with the girls.

So far we've been cherry picking at the grandparents' place. Made it into jam and cordial.

I've made strawberry freezer jam. I hope it will last us as long as last year's batch has (there is still some left from last year)

I sewed up a dress for Sofia. I hope she'll wear it on Saturday when we have company over.

I also made a dress for Isabel. It was supposed to be her birthday present but I couldn't wait.

Tomorrow is Isabel's birthday and she'll be going to the pool with Sofia, Daddy and Grandpa. I'll be at home making pies and maybe a dress for her if I can squeeze it in. I had intended to make it for her birthday but decided to sew her something else that she had asked for but we hadn't discussed in detail before - so I hope it will be a nice surprise for her.

More on that tomorrow.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to! - Well, she didn't want to!

2011-07-10T00:39:00.000+02:00

We had a party for Sofia last weekend. She turned 4 a month ago and wanted to invite her friends to a party.

She requested a dessert table like the one I made her last year and I obliged.

I made a lemon pound cake with lemon icing and we served home made strawberry syrup in little glass bottles.

Each child got a party favour to take home that I made myself from two paper plates that were stapled together and stuffed with candy, some streamers and a balloon. I decorated the plates with self-designed stickers and a ribbon.

I also made chocolate chip cookies that I slipped into cd-envelopes and put a sticker on. Kind of cute I think.

I also made her a cake as she requested. Chocolate cake filled with apple butter and sliced bananas. Frosted with whipped cream. I used the icing from the pound cake to write on the cake and it turned out spectacular if I do say so myself.
I haven't the world's neatest handwriting so this picture makes me proud even though it's a lousy picture.

So. Much. Frustration. Gah!

2011-06-30T09:04:00.001+02:00

On Tuesday I got a slip in the mail telling me I had a parcel to collect at my usual pick-up place.

It's from someone whose name I recognise and I know almost exactly what's in the parcel.(TimTams!!)

So yesterday I drove to the grocery store to do the shopping and to pick up the package - can't let Timtams lie around uneaten like that!

Only - the parcel wasn't at the store! It hadn't "arrived yet"!

"But I got the slip yesterday" I said.

"Uhm, no - Uhm, let me see. No it's not here. It's not been registered in the computer."

So no TimTams for me.

This morning I called and there was still no package and I was advised to call again this afternoon. Sigh.

Fingers crossed it turns up, please.

It's completely possible that the package is there, at the store, only it was missed in registration. So if it's not turned up this afternoon I'm going to have them search the mail room.

You don't dangle Timtams in front of a person's face like that!

Party plans

2011-06-30T08:28:00.001+02:00

So, my little one had a birthday a few weeks ago and on Saturday we're having a party for her little friends.

I try not to go over board on the planning, but I do admit to having a bit of an Amy Atlas-moment now and then.

Last year I went a bit over board and we had leftover candy for months. This time I'm going to go easy and not over-do it.
There will be lots of cake, but we're going to my parents in the afternoon so maybe I can bring it there.

I have a few crafts I want to do before the party and I hope to find the time tonight so I don't have to do it last minute.
I'm picking up flowers on Friday afternoon and maybe the girls can help me dress one or two embroidery hoops with ribbons to hang over the table.

So wish me luck and I'll post pictures after the fact.

Do Not Disturb the Creative Process

2011-06-29T14:00:00.000+02:00

Both Isabel and Sofia got very invested in me painting the board I started using as a background.

They kept asking me when I would do the painting and wanted to be a part of it.

I wasn't very keen on letting them loose on my board so I told them they could paint once I was done.

The weather was very nice on Sunday and I gave Sofia the left over paint after I was done with my pink (Honeysuckle) side and she got an old door from a cabinet of some sort to paint on.

She took it very seriously.

Picture background

2011-06-28T15:15:00.002+02:00

A while ago I read a photo tip on one of my favourite sewing and fabric blogs that in order to get pretty pictures you could use a piece of MDF board painted in a cool, kitschy colour as a background.

It gives the pictures a uniform look and I think even though the background in my case is a pretty loud colour it calms the picture when you don't have to look at a cluttered background.

It's also possible to move the board around in search of the best lighting. Something I could benefit from 50 % of the year.

We picked up a board cut to size at the hardware store last week and I picked out three colours I liked and had them mixed. I only bout 1/2 litres so it was fairly inexpensive.

This particular colour is one I have in mind to use for our kitchen so it served a dual purpose. The leftovers will be used to paint some samples on our walls to see if it will work.
This particular shade of yellow/green matches my green Kitchen Aid mixer perfectly - what? You have to pick inspiration from somewhere! ;-)

I decided to paint the other side of the board in a complementary colour - figuring if one side didn't work with the garment I put on it the other side would.
For the other side I took inspiration from Pantone's colour of the year - Honeysuckle.

So far it's working out very well.

I do have one regret, I should have made the board slightly smaller since it is a bit awkward to move around. I took it upstairs thinking I could house it in my sewing room, but I think it needs to find a home downstairs as the lighting is usually better there.

I need to work on my light finding skills. Even though I love these pictures - I do realise they could have utilised the light better.

So the search goes on.

A Skip in the Hopscotch.

2011-06-28T08:30:00.000+02:00

I made Sofia a new skirt a few days ago.

One night a few weeks ago she woke up early in the evening before I had gone to bed and she was a bit agitated. So to calm her and cool her down (her room faces south and gets really warm in summer) I took her to my sewing room and she had a look through the pile of pattern descriptions I have.

She likes to look at the paper dolls.

So together we decided I would make her a skirt and a dress.

I have made this once before for Isabel. I used cord that time, which is not an ideal fabric for this pattern.
The quilting cotton from Moda was perfect though. It's designed by Oliver + S and called Modern Workshop.
I think the scale is perfect for little girl's clothes.

She was very happy with it and even got to help pick out the buttons for it. Although I admit I did prod her in a certain direction and she ended up picking the same ones I would have.

Nature Walk for Midsummer

2011-06-27T23:27:00.000+02:00

We celebrated Midsummer's Eve in Sweden on Friday, and even though it's the start of summer it does get a bit chilly in the evenings and I wanted to make a sweater for the girls to wear.
I've been eyeing the Nature Walk Pullovers for a while (I love the pants that come with that pattern!) and decided to give it a try.

I bought green and red fleece at my local fabric store, dotted and with penguins. I love how they look so surprised!

Isabel was away at camp for 5 days when I started them so Sofia got first pick, and she wanted the greens.

I used white broadcloth to line the pullovers. I feared if I lined it with fleece they would turn out too warm to wear now. I also used the same broadcloth for all facings.

I'm actually glad Sofia picked the green as I believe Isabel fits better in the red one. She was very pleased with it when she saw it as she came home from camp.

I made the two pullovers in tandem - it made it a bit more productive. And I finished them both in two nights.

I will definitely make them again, but I will add some width to the body as they turned out to be a bit slim for my girls. I will also do them in a different fabric. The fleece was a bit thick. I think I'll try them in some sweatshirt fabric or jersey.

I also want to experiment with the pattern and make them in one piece - maybe omitting the pockets. I'll bet they are a really quick sew that way.

Ready for an Ice Cream Social

2011-06-27T23:19:00.000+02:00

Last night after the girls were in bed I sat down to make Sofia a new dress.

I had the Ice Cream Dress in size 6 cut out and it was all ready to go.

I had hoped to get the yoke done before Sofia fell asleep, but no such luck.

In all it took a little over 2 hours and 40 minutes to get it done.

Sofia picked the fabrics herself from my stash of Modern Workshop by Oliver + S (with a little help from me) and I think it turned out very well.

I made this as a blouse once before an I remember having problems getting the back of the yoke look neat. I think I fiddled with it that time and made it work, but this time I wanted it too look more than ok.
So when I still couldn't get it to work I put a ~~bird~~ label on it.

I brought the dress with me to work to show my co-worker and when I came home I told Sofia to go look in my purse for something that was hers and she came back unfolding the dress with a sweet smile on her face.

I think she was very happy with it.

Tents and air mattresses and bad backs don't mix

2011-06-27T20:06:00.002+02:00

Rickard began his 5 week vacation last week and was toying with the idea to take the girls camping. He decided to try it out by camping in our garden. The tent is meant for two people, but it fit them tolerably well.

Unfortunately, the mattresses he used were too thin for him so he kept waking up with aches and pains and when he turned over the blanket fell off him (we only had two sleeping bags and the girls appropriated them) and he got cold.
So Sunday morning he was pretty tired as they came back inside at 6:45 am.

So after we had visited with my Dad at the hospital we drove to the camping store to get him a proper air mattress, plus some stuffs for Isabel's birthday.
And then he decided to try the new mattress out this night on his own just to make sure he could handle sleeping on it. (He's got a history of throwing his back out really bad and didn't want to chance anything)

So last night at 11 pm he got dressed and went out into the tent and went to sleep (and I got some sewing done)

And this morning he came inside at 6:45 am when I was just heading to the shower before work.

His back was perfectly fine, but I somehow threw mine out as I reached for my towel after my shower and I have been in pain all day.

Which has really put a damper on my sewing. Gah!

Posted for accountability

2011-06-22T10:59:00.002+02:00

I try to divide my sewing evenly between my two girls. Lately Isabel has been a bit more difficult to please though.

And since she was just given a huge pile of clothes I haven't felt like I need to sew as much for her.

So after having a "bit of an oops" at the fabric store the other day I decided to make fixed plans on what to make of everything.

I know it looks like a lot, and it is, but I don't think it's impossible.

- ~~I'm making one Nature Walk Pullover for each girl from green and red fleece with dots and penguins.~~
- ~~Sofia will get a School Photo Dress from pink and white gingham and I plan to use some eyelet lace as piping on the front and sleeves.~~
- ~~I'm making an Ice Cream Dress for Sofia from some red Modern Workshop-fabric and a Hopscotch Skirt in a yellow MW.~~
- ~~The groovy mod print on the upper right will become a Playdate Dress using a blue/green solid as the yoke. Also for Sofia.~~
- I'm trying to fit in two 2+2 Blouses with short sleeves on the fabric will dolls, using some beige/white seersucker/gingham for ties and patch. ~~I hope Isabel will like it and not think it's too Babyish.~~ I asked her and she liked it. Score! I might get some chocolate brown twill to make them each a 2+2 Skirt as well.
- Finally I hope to squeeze in two Family Reunion Blouses on the 30's inspired green floral. Some red buttons and some red ric rac would be nice too. That would be one each.

~~I had planned to have the fleece pullovers done by Midsummer's Eve but I'm not keeping my hopes up. I'm cutting Isabel's pullover tonight so if that goes smoothly I might get some sewing done.~~

New clothes - not Mommy-made

2011-06-15T14:49:00.000+02:00

Yesterday when I came to daycare to pick Sofia up one of the teachers who work in one of the other homerooms asked me if I was interested in some clothes she had weeded out of her daughter's closet. They were all in the 140-160 size range and she knew of none other than my Isabel who might fit in them.

Turns out she lives just down the street from us so she came by after work to drop off 6 or 7 (I can't remember) bags of clothes for Isabel to try.

She was in heaven. We divided the clothes into piles. Keep, Maybe keep, Donate, Future Sofia-clothes.
Not everything was age-appropriate and I had to tell her No on a few occasions. Some designs were just meant for an older girl. After all, she is only 7.
The piles grew and when we had to stop for dinner we had two bags left and a huge pile for Isabel to take up to her room and put away.

This morning she put on a wrap skirt and a pretty shirt with a green ruffle and butterflies and she was happy as a clam.

Flowery

2011-06-14T14:06:00.000+02:00

It really was time to do something about the front entrance. The two large pots were full of wilted daffodil bulbs that needed tending and I really wanted to change up the look with some summery flowers.

We had to move the herb box Rickard made me to make room for the inflatable pool so it looks a little crowded.

The dahlias are lovely and the colours feel very summery to me. It makes me smile every time I come home. (Although that may not only be the flowers.)

Happy birthday Sofia!

2011-06-13T10:41:00.000+02:00

On Saturday we had a party for Sofia to celebrate her birthday. She requested a chocolate cake and I made cardamom buns and bought a box of almond cookies.

She got a floating device, a beach towel and a two-piece bathing suit, a ball and some money.

She changed into the bikini right away and ended up taking a dip in our pool as soon as she had finished her cake.

Extra long long-weekend

2011-06-04T17:46:00.004+02:00

When we realised that the Ascension Day holiday woul coincide with June 6th (Sweden's national day) we decided to go to Stockholm for the weekend.

We took Wednesday off and drove to Jönköping in the morning where we checked into a hostel. We got two bunk beds in our room but upon closer inspection Rickard and I decided to fold up our beds and sleep on mattresses on the floor as the beds looked a little flimsy.

In the morning we packed up and drove to Gränna which is not 10 km from Jönköping.

Gränna is famous for their red and white peppermint sticks and we wanted to let the girls see how they were made. Isabel in particular is very fond of peppermint - polka as we call it.

Pretty much all places in Gränna selling polka sticks have arranged their shops to have a show kitchen so customers can see the polka being made.
The picture above is from one of those kitchens and they even came out in the store and let people taste the soft polka "dough". Yum.

I got to sample some cut offs and the one I got was salty licorice/raspberry and I would have bought a stick or two of that but they were out on the shelves and we had already bought a truck load at another place.

After Gränna we drove on to Stockholm with a quick stop for lunch at Saltå Kvarn. I love their organic food selection and they served a very tasty goat's cheese toast with beets and a carrot salad that I will definitely try to replicate at home.

We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon and although I can't remember I think Rickard and the girls went down to the basement where there's a jacuzzi and took a bath.

Friday we were supposed to go to Junibacken. A sort of interactive museum of children's book characters with real people dressed up and exhibitions you can climb on.

Our hotel is rather far from the city centre and it took 20 minutes to walk to the train, 20-25 minutes on the train then it S a looooong walk from the train station To the boat we had to take to get onto Djurgården-island where the museum is.

When we finally got to the boat the girls were grumpy and tired and sweaty (it's unusually hot this weekend) and there was a line from Hell to get on to the boat. I think at least three boat loads were queueing and we were not intetested in standing in it.

So instead we took a walk back to the train and went back to get the car at the hotel and instead drive to Drottningholm and eat Subway subs in the garden there.

The castle was gorgeous as always. The huge oaks shaded us nicely. The geese in the park has babies but had pooped everywhere so it was a bit hard to find a good spot. But we succeeded.

The girls were asking if we would see the King, but we said that was highly unlikely. The King has received a lot of bad press lately so I think he likes to keep a low profile.

Today the girls and Rickard went to the bath house next door that has slides and climbing walls and wave machines. They had a blast.
I spent the morning at the hotel instead as I don't bathe.

We had intended to go to Trosa tomorrow and spend the night, but decided to instead drive straight home after we're done at Tom Tit's Experiments. It will be a long drive but it will give us a full day home on Monday before it's back to work on Tuesday.

So tomorrow we're celebrating Sofia before breakfast and then we plan to leave at 10 to be in Södertälje at 11 when they open.
Then we drive home and have the girls changed into their jammies somewhere on the way where we stop for supper.

So tonight will be the last night I can hug a 3 yo that is all my own. Tomorrow I will have a 4 yo instead.

I have a TARDIS!

2011-05-30T00:31:00.000+02:00

Happy Mother's Day to me!

I got just what I wanted - lots of hugs and kisses from the girls. A card from them both and some crafty stuff.

Then I got this *points up* from Rickard/the girls along with a black tee that says "The Angels have the Phone Box" which is also (of course) from Doctor Who.

The TARDIS is a 4-port USB-hub that lights up when I connect something and it even makes the "whorp-whorp" noise. It is so awesome!

I'm a winner!

2011-05-27T11:32:00.000+02:00

Hurrah! I won a give away at Lilla Lotta today! She was giving away some cotton ribbon with Red Riding Hood and the wolf on it and I won a 1 meter piece.

I took the opportunity to place an order with her as well for 5 more ribbons. I love her illustrations. Check out her Etsy store! It's filled with goodies.

Kind and thoughtful

2011-05-23T14:10:00.000+02:00

An afternoon last week I heard a mysterious thumping/clunking coming from Isabel's room.

A few hours later she came into my sewing room and gave me this:

(For Mommy from Isabel / Daddy and you are the Best)

At the Seashore ...

2011-05-19T22:22:00.000+02:00

Last night I sewed up two Seashore dresses for the girls.

(Taken with my phone late last night)

This afternoon I had them try the dresses on.

Too tight in the chest and tummy on both of them, and the armscye was way too high and yet the straps were a bit short.
Not much right there.

I took out the side seams 1/4" which gave me about 1" extra width. I hope that's enough.

Turned out though that I had made some alterations to my machine and the needle was not in the right position so my machine plate measurements were a bit off, which would explain some of the tightness.

Sofia's dress is done so I'll have her try it on and see what the results are. Only then I'll alter Isabel's.

Found while browsing

2011-05-12T14:45:00.000+02:00

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

-by Ruth Hamilton, 1958

Pretty much sums up my attitude towards housekeeping.

KCWC Day 3

2011-05-12T08:56:00.000+02:00

I went to the fabric store during my lunch hour yesterday to get buttons for Sofia's coat.

Came home and Rickard had dinner ready and then my parents came for coffee.

When I brought the coat up to my sewing room I was sure I had the buttons in the pocket of the coat but after finishing the hem I searched for them and they were gone.

I had taken them downstairs to show my mom and Sofia had picked the white buttons (I bought brown too but she didn't like them) but I couldn't find them anywhere.

So instead I mucked around on my computer and then went downstairs to have coffee with Rickard.

Just as I was going to bed I had a final look in the sewing room and found the buttons in the trash bin.

They must have fallen out of the coat when I turned it upside down to hem it.

Thus endeth my KCWC day 3 without much to show for it.

Senile

2011-05-10T14:21:00.000+02:00

This morning before work I drove to the convenience store to get lunch. I also bought two cheese rolls for breakfast and one roll to eat with my lunch salad.
I rounded it off with a bottle of yoghurt to have with breakfast.

When I sat down at 9 to drink the yoghurt, the bottle was opened and only half of it was left.

And I have absolutely NO recollection of me opening the bottle. At all.

So the question is - did I buy an opened bottle at the store and neither I nor the clerk noticed?

Or did I open it and drink it without remembering it?

Scary either way.

New coat - KCWC Day 1

2011-05-10T09:51:00.000+02:00

I spent the weekend sewing a new coat for Sofia. The one I made her this winter is too warm by now so she needed a new one.

I based it on the School Days Coat by Oliver + S but instead of a hood I put in a collar.
I also added some width in the back via a box pleat. Turns out I didn't really need to, but now it's there I sort of like it.

I still have to do some hand stitching on it. The lining needs to be sewn to the coat. I also have to find buttons that are large enough and make button holes for those.

The coat is so much fun to sew. It comes together easily and beautifully.

The size 6 is large on Sofia since it's meant to have a quilted under coat in it, so I'm planning on tracing a size 8 for Isabel and see how it fits her.
In a light denim with a cotton lining it should fit her with just a few minor alterations. Length, specifically.

This is part of the KCWC Spring 2011 challenge - Day 1.

I love my new phone!

2011-05-09T11:57:00.001+02:00

Well, the SIM-card did arrive before the weekend!

When I came home on Friday it was there, waiting for me. I did a little happy dance and went inside to continue what I was doing when Rickard asked me how I could possibly stay downstairs doing the dishes (or whatever) when I could go upstairs and start up my new phone.

So I left the dishes to him and did just that.

An hour later he realised I would probably not go to the store to get groceries after all so he packed up and went instead.

Mmm, tacos.

Phone issues

2011-05-05T10:17:00.001+02:00

So, I went ahead and ordered an iPhone. I've wanted one for a while but had almost decided not to get one as I have a perfectly fine phone already, an iPod Touch that Rickard gave me last year and I bought an iPad in NY last summer.

But .. well, I really wanted one. So I decided to go ahead after all.

I ordered the phone on Thursday afternoon last week. On Friday I got a txt-message saying I could pick up the phone at my parcel pick-up place (the grocery store).

The SIM-card would come later.

So Monday I was looking for it when the mail came. Nothing.

Tuesday I was looking for it, but the envelope from the telephone company had a different content and no SIM-card. I called them and asked how long I was supposed to wait and the guy told me it would be there Wednesday at the latest.

Yesterday I was looking for it, but still nothing so I called again. "You are call number 76 in line. We will answer your call as soon as possible." 20 minutes later I had a person on the line telling me they had sent out the card Friday last week.

Ok where did you send it?

Uhm ... *keyboard clatter* we sent it to "address where I used to live - 4 years ago"

??? Why did you send it there? All other mail from you comes to my current address, and the phone too that I ordered at the same time.

Uhm ... *keyboard clatter* oops, we must have made a mistake. I will send you a new SIM-card .. but wait since we already sent you a new one that hasn't been activated, I can't .. uhm ... let me see ... uhm ..

I don't really care what you do so long as you send me a new card to my current address, de-activate the one I will never get since mail forwarding doesn't last 4 years, and make sure I have the new SIM-card before the weekend.

Uhm .. yes, I will take care of it.

This morning:

After I had dropped the girls off at school and daycare I took out my phone to see what time it was - "SIM Inactive".

So now I have an iPhone at home that I cannot use. I have a SIM-card at the post office in town where I used to live, looking for a home that it will never arrive at.
I have a phone that I kinda-sorta need that has a de-activated SIM-card.

Not many rights on that list.

I just hope the new card arrives before the weekend.

Mother's Day

2011-05-04T11:02:00.005+02:00

My Timey-Wimey detector necklace has been shipped!

For Mother's Day on May 29th I have asked for a t-shirt from ThinkGeek, and a new coffee mug.

Isabel bought me a pretty mug with snowmen on it for Christmas, but I would like one more suitable for Spring/Summer too so I can change.

It's still a few weeks away.

When I was a child we never celebrated Mother's or Father's Day. My Father's family didn't have that tradition and my Mother only gave her Mother a call on Mother's Day. I think she buys Grandma a flower only these days.

(Picture from here)

Rickard's family has always celebrated with gifts and dinner so we're often invited there on Mother's Day.

More Playdates

2011-04-26T14:27:00.002+02:00

The girls and the husband went to the bathhouse on Monday (Easter Monday) when we had out last day off for Easter.

It gave me time to finish Sofia's Playdate dress with elephants.

I'm not entirely sure about the yoke - due to how I combined the piping strips I "lost" the dots in the piping fabric.
The construction of the dress makes it possible to fix it easily, but I'm not sure I should put that much effort into it. I still might. I just haven't decided.

The buttons are from a mixed bag I bought at the fabric store. I also got all fabrics there except the batiste for the yoke which I got from April. I have since ordered 3 more yards of it as it is a dream to sew with!

... it goes ding when there's stuff ...

2011-04-26T11:05:00.002+02:00

Rickard and I started watching Doctor Who a few weeks ago (wow, isn't it more than a few weeks?) and are now up to Season 5 with the new Doctor (Eleven).

Some say you never forget your first Doctor - who for me would be Christopher Eccleston but for me the Doctor is and always will be, David Tennant. (I have to make a reservation here as I've only seen 7 episodes for Eleven.)

I was thinking the other day about how curious it is that I've never seen it before. Swedish television airs all sorts of weird shows from both the US and the UK, but I can't remember ever catching even a single episode of The Doctor on tv.

The other day I was browsing Pinterest (my drug of choice) and came across this necklace.

(Image borrowed from Etsy)

It's my favourite quote from my favourite episode so I snatched it up as soon as I saw it and I'm F5-ing Etsy daily to see if the status of it has changed from Paid to Shipped.

It will go perfectly with my T.A.R.D.I.S-bag (in the making) and a tee that I have asked for as a Mother's Day gift.

Playdate anyone?

2011-04-25T12:06:00.002+02:00

I made Sofia a Playdate Dress last year with a green elephant fabric.

She's worn it a lot of times and I love the silhouette of it. I've also gotten a lot of comments on the fabric. Apparently elephants are popular.

The fabric is a generic cotton fabric I found in the Patchwork section of my local fabric store. It came in green, purple and red (and apparently also brown, black and orange).

A few months ago I bought a length of the purple colourway, earmarking it mentally for another Playdate dress. It's such a great everyday dress and since we're gearing up for Spring/Summer Sofia needs more play clothes.

So I took out the purple fabric and some white batiste to use for the yoke and paired it with a mustard polka dot fabric for piping and facings.

I have the yoke sewn up and I'm trying to figure out how to attach the piping so that it binds the inside seam of the yoke at the same time. I have an idea - just working out the chinks.

At Your Liberty!

2011-04-25T08:00:00.002+02:00

I was browsing Pinterest the other day and found this link.

It led me to browsing Purl Soho and I ended up buying the mini-stack needed to make the quilt in the post.

I have read so much about the Liberty lawn and always wondered what the fuss was all about. And I can tell you buying that stack might actually have been a mistake as I have been looking around the net for suppliers to buy more.

It sure is pricey, but what a lovely fabric! Very sheer so any garment made from it would have to be lined.

I would love to make Isabel or Sofia a Class Picnic Blouse from it.
If I use a contrasting fabric for the yoke I could get away with using only 1 yard and then it wouldn't be unreasonable.

Easter

2011-04-24T23:57:00.001+02:00

We were celebrating Easter Saturday at my SIL's place. Her in-laws were also visiting so with kids we ended up being 14 people.

We were asked to bring some food to the table and we made a "matjesillstårta" (as in herring cake - not as bad as it sounds, in fact bloody delicious if I say so myself).

We went for a long walk/bike-ride in the morning. The girls rode their bikes and Rickard and I walked. I think it ended up being something like 5-6 km (3.5 miles) and I was a bit sore once we finally came home. (Silly me was wearing flip-flops and my soles aren't toughened yet.)

On our walk I had time to ponder the girls' dresses and I realised I wanted to make some bloomers for Sofia (and ideally for Isabel too) to wear underneath for modesty. I find that long walks are good for these ideas to turn up - and to be planned out.

When we came home I went upstairs and traced the Bedtime Story Pyjama Pants. I cut them off 3" below the leg notch and then cut them out from some creamy gorgeous cotton batiste I bought from a fellow O+S-junkie in the US.

To give them a nice finished edge I contemplated a ruffle, but ended up using one piece of lace I had got from my MIL a few years ago. It's hand crochet lace and it worked out wonderfully.

Sofia was mighty pleased with them and I liked their heirloom feel.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to make any for Isabel before we had to leave. But I think I'll use the Nature Walk Pants as a starting point for hers. I'm thinking adding the yoke to the pants leg and using a similar waistband as the pyjama pant. Maybe add a few 1/2 inches of width since that pattern is for stretchy fabric.

I have one more piece of lace that I could use to hem hers.

In the end Isabel wore a pair of cropped leggings and that worked well too.

I need to learn to factor in a few extra inches for length when I make dresses for Isabel. O+S dresses in size 10 fit her beautifully, but she needs an extra 2" or maybe even 3" for length.

Happy Easter!

Postponed

2011-04-20T23:45:00.001+02:00

So, the dresses that needed blogging?

Well, all I needed were buttons so I could sew the buttonholes.

I knew I had the perfect cream coloured buttons for the yellow dress and so I went to look for them. Turns out I only had five and I needed seven. Had I needed six I could have made adjustments, but two missing buttons were too much I think.

So I took a trip to the fabric store on my way to pick up the girls from grandpa and got some buttons. Naturally they sell them in packs of six so I had to get two sets.

I got one set of coconut buttons that would look seriously cool I think, and I also got two sets of MOP buttons, just to be on the safe side if none of them like the coconut buttons.

So why are there no pictures you ask?

Well, of course I forgot the dresses and the buttons at grandpa's when we drove home.

We're going to the grocery store tomorrow and I'll swing by their place on the way and pick the dresses up - as well as all the other stuff we forgot.

Instead I finished (almost) a set of Class Picnic Shirt and Shorts in French General.

I haven't hemmed the blouse as O+S-clothes tend to be a bit short on Isabel. I also need to sew in a tab in the back to help Isabel see which side is the front/back. Hence the needle.

I didn't have enough fabric for the yokes so I used a solid red French General for that and the elastic casings.

I used the same red for the facings on the shorts, but paired it with a mattress ticking in red and white.

The shorts look huge, but I can't check the fit on her as she is in bed sleeping.

Isabel wasn't sold on the top - she thought the colours were too dull and dark. I hope she'll come around.

Maybe it's too sophisticated for a 6 yo?