A new year and a new house

A belated Happy New Year! is in order, and an update on life, stitching and everything!
As for life and everything, the house is coming along. I've been inside, the heat is on, but there's no electric wiring done so not much to see so far. On the outside, we are still waiting on the roof tiles to be laid out, but according to the builders that will probably be started tomorrow. I have a pic, from the garden side, from before Christmas Eve - so imagine about 30 cms more snow everywhere and you've got a good picture of what it looks like. There's no ugly blue plastic either now...


Ah yes, snow - it's been snowing since the day they lifted the house onto the ground, it's been freezing cold (-18 deg C) and it seems the street workers here have taken the year off, because the road is at least 5 cms higher up than usual with several dents to make driving in our community very much like going on a kidney-shaker amusement park. At least we get a real-life test of the suspension on the car!

Christmas was good, nice and relaxed. I took H with me to Norway for a couple of days, where we got to spend time with my entire immediate family there - my sis, her sons, my brother and his kids, and of course my parents. It was great being there, but as all fab holidays, it was great coming back home again as well - and with lots of pics to scrap :)

It was not so great coming back to reality and school again, but there you have it. Life has it's ups and downs, or there wouldn't be so many of us around. School kinda sucks right now - I've got no motivation whatsoever, the course is so hard neither of us know which foot to stand on, and I've got an exam coming up again. One of my classmates kids told her they wanted her to stop studying, because she's never available for anything, always buried in her schoolwork... I've got a feeling the same goes for my family, but they haven't actually said it in so many words.

As for stitching, I've started on LHN's Needle Necessities (Jan 1st, actually) and decided I'll let Santa sleep for a while. He just doesn't call to me right now - he might call again in a month or so, but for now he'll be a UFO.

I have to get back to the books again - but I've made myself the promise I'll stop doing things "later" so we'll see when I post again. It's actually a lot easier to come clean and say that I won't be doing stuff, instead of saying I'll do it later. Later has a tendency to never arrive in my house....

Lots of love!

A jolly good time

I wish you all are having a fantastic Christmas - or whatever you do instead this time of year!

We have, as traditionally in the Nordic countries, already celebrated the birth of Christ, as the 24th is the Day here. We had a nice day with S' parents at their house - lunch, coffee and dinner, with presents spread out a little here and a little there. It's hard work trying to tell a 6-year old that she has to wait for her presents, when they are all there in the open, easily readable for everyone. So we don't. I have horrible memories of my parents at Christmas, telling us kids that the presents were to be opened AFTER dinner, which was always served at 5 in the afternoon. And of course my dad made a point out of eating so slowly that 10 ants would've finished his plate faster than he did. My brother finally had his revenge one year, eating as slowly as he could and so much that he couldn't open his own presents until a couple of hours later than the rest of us - he had to lie down for a while first. But my dad didn't win our own version of a food-fight that Christmas Eve! :) I love you, J!

Tomorrow I'll be going to my folks in Norway with H. We'll be eating, enjoying each others company and I'll be studying. I really do hate the fact that we students don't even get Christmas off, we have big assignments coming up right after New Year's... And then there's the next exam on the 16th of January, which our teachers kindly enough e-mailed us about on the 23rd, saying "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - remember that EVERYTHING from ALL course litterature will be included on the next exam." What a nice Christmas greeting... NOT!
I will never the less try to have a great time with my folks, and enjoy some off time with H - we don't have much of that around here, as there always seems to be something we HAVE to do.

On a side note, there is now a house on our lot. No roofing, but with all the snow we've got these past 3 days that doesn't show - it looks like a proper house, garage and all. It's the wrong colour and only a Tyvek sheet stop the wet from coming through the roof, but that is a worry I will deal with on Monday. The workers won't be back until then anyway.

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note to say: Merry christmas! :) We're going to MIL and FIL tomorrow (the big day here in Scandinavia) and then we'll be at home the other christmas days. We're actually having a christmas holiday - at least H and I are. I wish you all out there a happy and peaceful christmas - and that all your dreams come true... (Well, I can wish, can't I? ;) )

RAK

I made a small purse for Angela as a combined christmas and birthday present, and today I got word that it had arrived, so I can post a pic!


The Popcorn bear is a freebie that came with some mag a while back - Angela loves Popcorn, so it was just perfect for her.

I added her/my initials on the lining inside - so she remembers I made it, and that it belongs to her! (Quite practical when the initials are the same... ;) )


I really loved this one - so much so, that I might make myself one very much like this. I think I'll use another design on the front though - I want Angela's purse to be one of a kind! :)

It's almost christmas - I have no presents left to wrap (I think?) and all the Christmas gear is out, but the feeling hasn't come yet. Maybe after my last lecture this year (on Monday) is over, and we've had glögg (almost like glühwein, for those of you who know what that is) and gingerbread men afterwards?

Update!

So, Hannah's birthday was a huge success - we had a dress-up party, so we had three little princesses and one fairy running around the house :) Princess theme on the dining table, balloons everywhere (not in the bathroom, thank you very much), chokolate cake with pink whipped cream and ice cream sprinkles around the candles (H did the decorating herself), hot dogs and ketchup all over the table... H got some great crafting presents, I am sooooo thankful we chose the plastic table cloth at the dining room table! The girls got so busy crafting, gluing and painting, the hours just flew by.
H loves having a tv and dvd-player in her room (yes, her father spoils her rotten), and she watched the movie she got from us (Ariel III) every evening until her aunt gave her another movie (Barbie as the island princess) which is now running EVERY EVENING. Yup, I make myself necessary elsewhere now and then, or I would go crazy I think... How on earth will I survive after Christmas Eve, when she'll be getting 5 Barbie movies?!?

My parents came to visit this sunday, part to celebrate H, part to exchange Christmas gifts and part to hear me sing. I survived the advent concert, even though I was so nervous I made up my own melody on one of the verses in the first song - but when I listen to it afterwards, the "personal" melody isn't what's bugging me, it's the fact that I sound hesitant. Note to self for future performances... My partner in crime, Erica, had a soar throat, but she still sounds great - I guess that's the difference between "just singing" and actually having a voice worth trying to make a living out of. If anyone is interested, leave me a comment and I can e-mail a sample from the concert :) It will be in Norwegian and Swedish, though!

It is snowing outside today - just like the "snow" on my blog, actually! All the Christmas decorations are up, I've wrapped and exchanged the gifts I had planned (just 2 gifts left, for my middle nephew and niece) and today I'll be taking H to the hair dresser to get her bangs fixed before friday - St. Lucia day! She's decided she wants to be a maid this year, so she won't wear the heavy crown but carry a candle instead. Very good choice, I must say!

I'll leave you to it, then shall I? I have some studying on the urinary system to do...

Test results are back!

I passed!!! I'm so relieved, even though I had a feeling I should've passed, I was still very nervous about it. I scored 31,5 points out of 39 possible, so I'd say it was acceptable ;)

Now to keep on reading, so I can understand the anatomy and physiology bit as well...


H's birthday is coming up(27th nov.), her present is all wrapped up. She's getting a DVD set with 7 Barbie princess movies - as if she didn't have any dvds to watch... She'll love it anyway, and we'll be putting our spare tv in her bedroom, so she can watch tv there if she wants to be alone. That happens a lot lately, she thinks we talk too much when she's watching... I'm just happy we TALK about something other than her! We've planned and invited her three gf's from daycare for her birthday, so now we just have to decorate the cake next saturday morning, set the table with princess stuff and get out of the way :D I love having a daughter! If only the days didn't end so fast...

I've started planning for Christmas as well - today the snow is barely covering the ground; it made that special sound when we walked to daycare this morning.
I've made a toy bag for one nephew, bought toys for the two youngest, made a wristlet for my sis, will make a "car junk bag" for my brother, but I have absolutely no idea what to get my parents or my niece and two nephews that are teenagers... I'm no good with teenagers, at least not when it comes to what to give them. I could go the safe route with my sis' oldest and get him glassware, but that is kind of boring... Any and all ideas welcome!

Bad blogger, need sp*nking...

I know I know - I've neglected my blog. But I have updated the look, see? I've been so completely swallowed by the big hairy monster called school, I almost haven't seen my own blog either... I have tried to go visiting other blogs I like to read, to be updated, but I cannot guarantee that I have commented...

So, what's happened in my life these past 4 weeks? Well, I've started actively thinking about what I eat, how much and when. When I was at my first WIL-week (see previous post) I weighed in, and not owning anything resembling scales for people myself, I had to wait until last week when I got back at WIL again before I could see if it actually had made a difference. Yes, I can slightly feel it in my pants (them being more roomy and all) but it's still fun to see the numbers on the scales! I lost a grand total of 1.5 kilos... Yay! At least it's something, I was afraid nothing would've happened - that would really have discouraged me I fear... Physicians say the best rate of losing weight is about 0.5 kilos a week, and as I average just below that, I am happy. *small happy dance* Now I take that as a positive lesson, and move forward - it's six weeks until the next time I'm on WIL, so I'm hoping this weight loss will keep on in the same rate. If so, I'll reach my goal weight before next summer. Long term goals are good for you, right?

Other than that, I have been reading and thinking and am slowly turning into an academic thinker. Finally, I'm starting to understand the special language spoken in higher education... I've also been thinking about christmas presents, so they will eventually turn up here - noone in my family knows about my blog (at least I think they don't???) so it's safe to spill the beans here ;)

We haven't completely stopped looking at new houses, we just had a very long break... Now a few interesting ones are popping up - some people desperately want to move before christmas, and most people don't want to move around christmas because they want it to be nice and settled and organized, so that means houses from the end of october are cheaper to buy here. Plus it might have something to do with the current financial situation (yep, we feel it here as well when the US are in a bad shape)... Judging by the way we've done things so far, we could be done in a week's time when/if we decide to move anyway, so christmas isn't the big issue here. Daycare, school and work are! I have no idea what the daycare situation is like in that area (other side of town), and that is a serious main priority. Driving for half an hour in the WRONG direction isn't what I plan to do for months...

Talking about christmas - I had a phone call today from our cantor, asking me if I would like to sing with a big band at a concert 2nd sunday of advent... Yes of course!!! I'd love to, even if it is right in the middle of probably some of the toughest courses in school - anatomy and physiology is next... This is a chance I just cannot turn down, I hope they go for it... I haven't had the confirmation yet (duh) that it will actually happen, but it would be so much fun - I've written it on my calendar already :)

Gotta go, it's getting late and I want to have a little quality time (read: snuggle on the couch) with hubby before bedtime!
Until next time, may the winds be always favourable and the stash plenty!

A new year with new chances

Back on the job again, with new memories from a Christmas and a New Year's Eve that definitely won't be remembered for its special cozy family gatherings... We spent most the Christmas break apart, and when we did see each other, we were arguing. Life isn't easy here... Enough said about those things!

H has come down with a cold that, according to the doc, has decided to reside in her tummy - so she wakes up every few hours at night, crying with pain. The only thing to do is give her pain meds, and because they only last for 4-6 hours and she refuses to take them at night, we're stuck with her crying from about 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. when I get up for work. She's been like that for a week now, so hubby is taking her to his mum for safe keeping a couple of days so we can get some sleep. And probably we'll be arguing a bit as well, as he's decided H is sick because H and I went to my parents' house for a couple of days. As if she wouldn't catch colds anyway...

We've changed office at work, so everything is a mess, but we're getting there. Looks horrible though - the office is smaller than the one we had, the sounds carry throughout the floor, so it isn't fun at the moment. Plus I've got a soar throat, so talking on the phone all day isn't exactly what I dream of...

I have a couple of small finishes, and a list of stitching goals to post. Will do so when time permits!

No pics allowed...

I really don't like it when I can't post pics... I've tried every way that I can, but I still only get error messages... Apparently, it's quite common to get those errors with Blogger. :(

The preparations for Christmas are almost done - I have a little stitching to do for my brother and sister, and then it's done! I'm stitching angel ornaments for them, from the World of Cross-stitching, previous Christmas edition. My mum will be getting a biscornu with roses on from Aurelle (http://aurelle.over-blog.com/article-6415486.html), a new pair of stork scissors and a stitching "bourse". (I'll find a link to those another day.)

Sewing machine excercise day! :)

This past weekend

Whew - the weekend is over! I love my parents and my nephew, but I'm not used to having that much NOISE around me! My nephew and H played really well together, despite the 5 year difference in age - they kicked some ball in the hallway (all doors closed makes a fab 4-meter stretch), beaded a bit, chased eachother... :) All was well and H loved her first birthday party! :)She got a beautiful red watch from her grandad, and it almost hasn't left her arm since. She keeps checking what time it is... She also got really nice presents from her auntie (my sis), my brother's kids, and a beautiful little porcelain figurine with a child saying the Lord's prayer from my brother; that one has to stand at her place at the dining table so she can admire it all the time...

Friday was a pain in the B... Snowing and raining, early start in the dark, so it was really hard on the eyes. Then a few more ok hours in the car, we went to the meeting like we were supposed to, and then head back - and the snowing started again. This time the snow was dry though, so the visibility was good. I made a stop at IKEA to buy some shelves for my "crafties" and a very nice man helped me load the (surprisingly heavy) shelves in the car. TG for Estate cars and helpful strangers!
I started driving at 6 in the morning and got home at 7 in the evening, so it was a really long day. I was exhausted and fell asleep at 10 without as much as making a stitch...

My dad helped hubby put the book shelves together on saturday and took the old shelves apart and put it in their van. I think we made a really good deal - I got two bookshelves (Billy 80x194) and they got my old one (120x190). They needed it for stuff in their bedroom... Of course there were two screws missing from the IKEA doors, but IKEA is always very helpful when it comes to nuts and bolts - just give them a call and they'll put whatever is missing in an envelope and send it to you. :) So I now have excellent shelving for my stuff - I could even fit my sewing machine! I don't think I'll post any pics though, I need some boxes to put my fabrics in before it looks perfect behind the doors... But now at least I have doors I can close on my mess, and hubby is happy he doesn't have to see it! :)

On the stitching side of things I discovered a band sampler SAL over at http://tites-croix-de-caro.over-blog.com with great pics of all the stitches, so I had to start it yesterday. So far, I've finished the three first bands - I HAD to do something other than my secret stitching, although I should really get a move on that now... Xmas is closing faster than I thought, I have to finish H's advent calendar as well. At least now when I've got my new shelves, I know where the hangers for her calendar are! ;)

Pics will come when the timing is right... Until then, happy stitching!

Found it!

So, now's the time for pics! Lots of Happy Dances here today... :D
First off, the HP bookmark and the thimble pod, not the best pic, it's just to give you an idea:


And then there's my L&L angel - I think she looks fab! The beading was a bit tricky, but yet not too difficult, even for a beginner like me. :) I wouldn't tell anyone to not stitch it just because of the beading, even if you're all new to xs - Marilyn makes really good patterns, not too hard to read. She hasn't been ironed or washed yet, if you look closely and see her wrinkles ;)


I also stitched up a small square from Sheepish Designs called Baby alphabet - it just took me two evenings, and I used a beautiful handdyed floss from Annicka Brial called Aurora borealis. I think it turned out really nice!


I still don't know what to do with all this stuff, but I guess I will find a use for it some day soon - christmas is coming, isn't it?

Long time no write...

I can't believe it's actually been almost a month since the last time I posted! I just have to face it - blogging regularly isn't my thing... I hope you won't hate me for that? *trying to look extremely cute*

I've been extremely busy at work; actually I have about a dozen things I need to do right now as well, but my guilty conscious was running havoc on me. The thing is, they've given our department more things to do, which we haven't done before, and we haven't been given the manhours to do them. So we stress on, and before long we will snap and crackle before the boss' office door. We've been told to prioritize - as if we weren't already doing that! At least we have been heard complaining about the situation, even if nothing really has changed. Some people here still don't think we have anything to do in my department, but they also think that sales and marketing can be removed completely from a company without anyone really noticing...

At home, I've been working my way through the three last Harry Potter books in english. I'm on the last one now, so don't expect me to come out of hiding again for a couple of days! The final battle is drawing close...

I've been working on my L&L angel as well, she's got a face, wings and all, now it's down to the beads and the PB01-gold :) Feels good, I might actually finish her before Christmas! ;) Updated WIP-pic will come when I've finished my HP book!

I've started pondering Christmas pressies too - some, like my sis, will get a nice lavender bag to keep in their underwear drawer or somewhere else where they might want something to smell nice. I've already completed the bag for my sis, I just need the final finishing touches - a ribbon to tie it on top, and the lavender itself. I have it all at home, so it's the same thing there - pic coming when I come out of my HP obsession :)

Well, I've got to finish the last 100 pages of HP now, so I can get everything else done! Tada for now!

I'm off from work today - they closed on me! lol It's great, I get a whole 6 hours to myself, to clean the house and wrap the last gifts for Hannah. I've got the Christmas cd's on and try to find the Christmas spirit in all of this hot weather.

My parents came to pick up all their gifts on Wednesday, and thank God we were a little unwilling to say goodbye... If they had left 30 minutes earlier, they would've been dragged along in a land slide! The road just collapsed, taking 8 cars and two trucks with it. The news are all over the media, blaming the department of Transportation for pushing the build of the new road there so there wasn't enough time for measuring and anchoring the ground before completing the road. So now travels to my family in Norway will take even longer - it was the main highway from the swedish west coast to Norway. They have no idea when the road will be ok again, so traffic will be in chaos for a long time.

Stitchy note: I'm getting there on my christmas stocking, but it won't be ready for this christmas... I'll see what to do in the mean time, I really want Hannah to get a christmas stocking in the morning! I can't find my camera either, so no pic today! :(

Oh, I've been soooo busy this last week that I haven't even had time to think about blogging... My colleague N is ill, so I try to do the work for both of us. Needless to say, I don't succeed, but at least I get the most pressing things done!

The 13th of Dec. was Lucia here in Sweden, and my precious was celebrating at daycare - her crown was hurting her ears, but she didn't say a word as long as they were all "performing" but afterwards she cried her heart out when she got it off... My brave little one! Go here: www.sweden.se to read more about the Swedish Lucia tradition.

I've almost completed all christmas presents, thankfully my hubby provides the pressies for his part of the family and I do my half - it's working wonders for us! So far I've got pressies for: My niece and 3 nephews, my sister and brother with family (chocs...) and my "step-nieces" (my brother's gf's daughters). I had planned for my parents to get a pic of Hannah framed for Christmas, but it doesn't look too good... It should be going in the mail, but I still haven't seen anything, so I might have to come up with something else. Maybe some homemade chocs? I still have to get my one cousin and her daughter something as well - I'll probably get my cousin some nightwear and her daughter some santa's to decorate her room...

Christmas closing in!

I've been busy lately thinking of Christmas pressies - it doesn't matter how early I start thinking, I still have some presents left to buy come December...

It sure doesn't look like it's going to be Christmas in 20 days - it's raining all the time, and all water supply towers are full and can't take more, so now people are starting to worry about floods here. Normally that kind of talk starts in late february! It's also very warm, about 10 deg. C which is at least 10 degrees too much! No sight of snow, but maybe I should only be happy about that? No ice on the road, no salt on the car... ;)

I've got a few more pressies to buy today, so I'll get that done and I PROMISE I'll get some pics of my WIP and angel done tomorrow.