Officially a sleeping blog

I haven't updated this blog in SOOOOO long, it feels almost wrong to go here. I think I'll officially call it asleep, and just keep it in case I find a use for it again some day.

I don't have time for much these days, I changed jobs to a different hospital a bit further down the road, and working full time there takes up all my days and evenings. I'm not sure I like it either, the ward has serious problems with staffing and doctors, so actually caring for patients is hard. We're constantly understaffed and the phone keeps ringing off the hook without anyone having the time to answer it. Yeah, it feels like I ended up *way* south when I couldn't get a position at the stroke unit. I really miss them! I miss the organization, the doctors were mostly great and there were routines for things. I miss the people too, the nurses there were great, compassionate, knowing and professional ALL THE TIME. That's harder than it sounds, people!

The ward I'm working at now is for "medically finished" patients - they're there because they are waiting for a different accomodation, for home services to get started or to have their planning meeting. (That's at least one thing good about the Swedish system; hospitals don't just ship people home without knowing what happens next.) BUT we don't have our own doctors, we depend on the ward next door for that. Often the dr doesn't even know he's supposed to help us, and we have to page the on-call doctor for help. Like he/she doesn't have better things to do at the emergency unit... We usually only need the dr for easy stuff like prescription renewals and such, but that's important! If the dr doesn't do that, we don't get to give the patients their meds - which is why they're in hospital, I believe?

So, I'm beat after every single shift. I come home, make dinner, knit a little and then go to bed, dead tired. The graveyard shifts are the worst, when I'm at home and in bed at 23.30 pm and have to get up at 5 am the next day. I don't get paid nearly enough to keep it up like this for long, so after one month in the new job I've started looking for an other... Preferably one with enough staff to keep things running, and ways to get hold of the people you need to talk to.

Moved and snowed in

So we finally made the move. On Valentine's Day of all days of the year. So much for romance and candle lit dinners...

But it was a good move - I got to go to a party! H was invited to her friend's birthday party, which accidentally took place on the 14th of February, from 14 to 16 in the afternoon - so we got to stay out of the way while the rest of the bunch moved the last stuff and big S was so geared up he was angry for having to stop to eat. When H and I came back home, it was time for supper, H's room was all ready to sleep in, and the kitchen was all set up. Not much for me to do... ;)

We - or should I say S? - have spent every waking moment sorting stuff into their appropriate spot since then, and I must say it's looking quite like a home now. We've even got a new sofa! Of course it helped that we were snowed in for two days, and I have been forced to stay at home fixing stuff instead of being at WBP (Work-based Practice) and seeing sick people all day.

It started snowing Friday morning, but that wasn't too much, so I took H to the "water palace" (direct translation) to see if she could swim (she could! - with a life pad on her back...) and we made it back home as well. But in the evening the real snowing started.

The snow just kept falling, and the wind made sure to blow the snow to the front of our house and all over our little road - so much so, that I had the snowball's chance in H*** of getting the car those 100 metres to the big road and off to Town to "work". I had no choice but to call in. And noone came to clear our road either - Sunday morning my MIL got FIL to take her to "plowers central" here, and asked them if they were aware that we were snowed in. They had no idea they were supposed to plow our road!!! Come on people, we're actually right next to the main road into town, how can you not see us??? At last a guy came over, in the biggest plower I've ever seen - and he needed it. Just to get our 100 metres done took him 20 minutes! It sure felt good to get in the car and go grocery shopping, knowing I would be able to get back home as well... Yeah, the snowing and the wind blowing stopped by lunch-time, giving us a glorious sunshine and freezing cold. And lots of HUGE piles of snow for H to play in.


Our hero of the day!


Our house in all it's glory - please excuse the trash bin, it had only been delivered a few minutes earlier - and I honestly don't know where to put it yet.
Lots of love,

We're moving!

Yay! We've finally taken over the house and started moving our stuff. Bit by bit, book by book, we're rebuilding our lives...
Speaking of which, when visiting IKEA in Gothenburg (to get some bits and pieces for the house, you know) I learned a hard lesson: DO NOT keep your mobile in your front pocket if you want to keep it! I took H and myself to the bathroom, and as I pulled up my pants and pushed the flush-button (multitasking as usual) I heard H say "Mum your camera" and looked down only to see my mobile get flushed. And gone it was. I have to admit, I even put my hand down there to reach it, but it was irrevocably gone. (Yes, I did wash my hands several times after doing that.)

It was only 6 months old, but still not worth the "self payment" on the insurance, so I had to dish out today to get a new one. I actually bought one exactly like the one I flushed, but I also invested in a mobile phone pocket thingy to hang in my jeans so I won't put it in my pocket again. Oh the times I have looked at those, thinking I could make one better, only to never get it done. That cost me SEK 2499.

And now I have to wait for a new SIM card to put in the new mobile so I can make calls again - I have to borrow big S' mobile tomorrow so I have one in case I need it when I'm off on the icy snowy roads to Trollhattan. (Yes, we had another snow storm and I had two (2!) properties to shovel the stuff away from.)

So, if you learn nothing else from this blog or me, learn this: Mobile phones do not belong in the pockets of females - that's why we have purses.

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!

Huge mortgage coming up...

Things have finally started to happen to our new house; today I made the call to the bank so our bank-person, Karin, could issue the papers to the builders so they can feel assured that we are for real. We are talking big bucks here, our mortgage will be at a hefty 2,4 million SEK - that's a LOT for this area, but at least we'll get a brand spanking new house, exactly the way we want it, and we don't have to do anything to it for at least 10 years. Unless we really want to, of course, but that would be purely recreational, not necessary in any way. Although I can actually see us putting up new wallpaper here and there before then, but I digress.

On Friday I will be quite busy - originally I'd planned on attending a lecture on pain and care of it, but now I'll be staying at home in the morning. Why, you may wonder? Well, we have a meeting with the planning committee, so that we can actually build the house the way we plan to. We don't actually have the permits necessary to start digging on the plot, we haven't actually bought the plot yet either, and even though it's just a formality at this stage, it feels a bit strange that our house will be delivered to the plot in less than a month and we have... nothing. According to the "plot office" (I have no idea what that would be in English) everything happens automatically once we've been to the planning meeting, so I'm betting all my money on that.
Right before that meeting, I'll pick up the paperwork from the bank, and afterwards it's back home, quick change of clothes, get in the car, pick up T at home, and then we're off to see New Moon and do some shopping! As it turns out, we're not actually going to the premiere, because that would be at midnight/Friday morning, but I'm excited none the less! T & I will be taking a small shopping round, I plan on getting little H new ballet shoes, and then we'll meet up with the others for dinner out before going to the movie.

The way I blabber about it, it sound like I haven't been out for years - and I haven't. Sad, huh? Oh well, I plan to make up for it eventually, it hasn't exactly been my first priority the last 10 years...
Gotta go read about hypertension and stroke care now, lots of love!

Vampires...

We're going to the premiere of New Moon here in Gothenburg!!! I can't wait...
I'll be going with my friend T, her brother, his girlfriend and a few others I have no idea who are, but T is my lifeline here - it will be great :)

They aired the last episode of True Blood Season 1 yesterday, so now Edward will be the next vampire I "see"... I don't know how I'll be able to wait until next fall for Season 2, but it will have to do. S really doesn't understand what all the fuzz is about, but then he's never been much into fantasy stuff. He went to see Harry Potter once, just to make me happy - since then he's bought me the DVD's instead, so he can read or something instead... I appreciate the fact that he tried it first! <3

Fabric give-away and exam results

This last exam has to be the quickest one yet: I was actually done after 15 minutes, but you're not allowed to leave the room until after 40 minutes, so I did the exam questions once more, checking everything at least twice before writing the answers on the reply form. And the results were in yesterday night (another record) - I passed. *happy dancing around the room* Now it's on to the serious stuff: respiratory diseases...

On another, more fun note, I entered a fab give-away at the Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe Wish me lots of luck!

A long post...

So, this weekend was eventful - H went to her first "big-girl" birthday party friday night! All other parents just dropped off their girls and went home again, but seeing as H is still rather new at this, I stayed and tried to make myself invisible. The birthday girl had decided on a pool theme, so after the initial opening of presents and eating of spaghetti bolognese, all 14 girls changed into their swimsuits and plunged in the pool. It's usually a bit late in the summer to be swimming outside, but they'd cranked up the heat to a fabulous 33 deg C (if it weren't so full of kiddies, I'd be tempted myself) so the girls were good. They'd also turned on the bubble bath indoors, to a reaking 39 deg C. (And for those of you not so fluent in Celsius, the human body is usually between 37 and 38.2 deg C - just so you know how hot 39 is...)

That was perfect for H of course, being half mermaid and all, and the girls were bathing/swimming for over one hour - the only reason they could be lured out of the water was that it was time for cake! H being her usual helpful self asked the parents if she could help with anything - and they said no thanks, that's ok. H broke down and needed her mummy for the first time that night. "I'm not needed anywhere", she said and made the hosts feel so bad for turning her down, she got to carry the cake to the table... Thank goodness she's quite careful and strong - the cake survived, and H forgot all about being sorry for herself. A few minutes of silence occurred as all 14 girls were busy shoving cake in their faces, and then they all ran around again, laughing and screaming with joy. After that - candy. All the other parents started showing up, and H was more than happy to go home - it was already one hour after her usual bedtime when we got home, but she crawled into daddy's arms and took some time to wind down before going to bed.

Saturday - Liseberg amusement park. I don't think I've ever seen that many people there before, and all families! Usually the kids get the kiddie part to themselves, and the teenagers use the rest of the park, but there were kids all over the place, and the kiddie end of the park was so crowded it was unbelievable - the queue to the kiddie roller coaster was 40 minutes!!! That was the first time we had tickets left when we went home, even though we were there for 5 hours straight - H just didn't want to stand in line that long. But strangely enough, there wasn't that much of a queue when we went to get lunch, we could even CHOOSE what table to eat at! It was nice getting home in time though - yesterday's candy was calling for H...

Sunday turned out nice and slow - after I got thrown out of the house... It was such a nice day, I really needed to take a long walk (which I did) but didn't see that myself, so big S told me to leave and not come back for a couple of hours... I almost walked around the entire town, there were just a few blocks I didn't see - I was out in the wind for almost two hours, and I don't walk slowly either! After lunch H and S went to my MIL's so H could take a bath (...) and H decided they should have dinner there as well - so I got several hours to spend how I wanted to. What I did? I got to work on this bag, in autumnal colours, a pattern from Rosalie Quinlan. I really like it so far, the fabrics are just great - but of course I didn't finish it, I managed to sew the bag bottom on the wrong way, so I had to frog it and then my inspiration ran out the door... I will try to get it finished this week - I really long for this bag now! I promise pics when it's all done ;)

Whew - that was a lenghty post! That's what happens when I decide to tell you something about my life, I have a hard time editing myself. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, H is now doing a lot better at school - no more crying when I leave her, and no more of the "I don't want to go" every night. She's still a bit apprehensive, but that's to be expected, so we don't fuss over that. All's well that ends well, right?
Lots of love,

So, microbiology, eh?

Microbiology is HARD!!! There are so many names of different bacteriae which cause all kinds of problems - I sincerely hope noone is expecting me to remember ALL of it...I do understand why we, as nurses, should recognize the problems and infections most likely to occur, but I don't understand why we need to know what the different antibiotics do to the bacteriae and what they're called! I feel the need for some chocolate here...

At least so far, I almost understand what the teachers are talking about - the immunebiology part is a bit tricky, but I'll get there somehow!

I'm not crafting at all right now - I'm so numb in my head when I put down the books at night, I re-read easy books like Twilight and watch True Blood on tv. Can you believe they NOW are showing it here in Sweden, when the lead male (Alexander Skarsgård)is swedish and it's a hit tv show in the US??? Yep, they are a bit slow over here, but to help things a bit they have a website where you can watch the latest episode online, in excellent quality, whenever you want, so you never miss an episode. At least that's something. After the first episode, I was seriously doubting anyone who thought anything good about Sookie, but she kinda grows on you - yes, she's naive, but also very kind and clever. Must be a great part for an actor, that's for sure. I look forward to the more steamy parts coming up... ;)

That's it for now - I'm working on a new blog layout, but computers combined with scrapping isn't usually my cup of tea, so I'm having some trouble with the sizing. I'll keep on trying, though!

Lots of love,

Moving!

Time sure does fly when there's a lot to be done... We've been packing, packing and packing - the truck leaves on saturday morning! Today I'll be packing most of the kitchen utensils, except the really necessary ones of course - three plates, cutlery, a frying pan and something to cook stuff in, and it goes without saying that the coffee maker will be the last thing we pack. Can't have help without coffee to keep them going! The windows are mostly empty; we threw out some of our old plants yesterday, and the curtains are washed and hung, ready for my MIL to iron and hang in the new house (gotta keep her busy as well).

The main plan will be to transport H's room and her toys on the first load, and then H and MIL can stay at the rental to set up H's new room while the rest of us go back here and pick up another load. Unload, lunch, get in the truck again and pick up (hopefully) the last load. We'll put most of the banana cartons (yep, that's what we're packing up all our stuff in - that's a LOT of banana cartons!) in the storage and in the attic, and then we'll take our time unpacking only the most necessary stuff. After all, we'll be moving again before Christmas, so there's no use unpacking everything.

We have had some time to do fun stuff too, H and I - we've been to the beach a few times with my new friends from school (T and L - they both have kids about the same age as H), and H is loving it. I've even immersed myself in the wet stuff at the beach! It's actually kinda hot here - 30 deg. Celcius is high temps for Sweden, and we've been having it for a week now. I actually look like I've been outside, instead of my more normal "white as a sheet"-appearance. (Usually I take great comfort in what my mum (the nutty brown summer one) keeps saying: "White man should be white.")

I've had some time left in the evenings to do some finishing as well, but of course I've now packed my camera cord somewhere, so I can't upload any pics to the computer...

When we were at my parents' for a week, I had a morning in town all by myself - and of course I found myself a crafters shop - Lines hobby - with the most dreamy of all sewing rooms. About 40 m2 of fabrics, patterns, bags, books and everything associated with fiber crafts, with samples and all. I found a Rosalie Quinlan bag I wanted to do, and got some help finding the perfect fabrics for it - it will be a fantastic autumn bag, with sunflower lining :) I absolutely did not plan on spending all my money there - I was looking for a new belt for my jeans, for crying out loud! - but how could I not? It was a quilter's dream come true, and I'm not even a quilter! I'll have to remember to bring extra cash for stash shopping the next time we go visit my parents ;)

Now I have some packing to do, and no idea when I'll be online again. We don't have a telephone line or a broadband connection at the rental house (houseowner's mistake, not ours), but I'll do my best to come back here some time later in July. If all else fails, I'll go to the library and use the computers there. Until next time, all my love

This week's schedule

So, once again the blog has been less than updated... I've been so busy, as usual, that I haven't had the extra energy to blog. You might ask what I've been doing, so I though I'd give you the lowdown:

Monday - group work, preparing for a teaching lesson on Tuesday + went to Gothenburg to see Rigmor Gustafsson (Jazz) with S. Left home at 0700 to drop off H at MIL's house, and got home at 23.30...

Tuesday - All day in school, teaching eachother stuff. Tried Ashtanga Yoga and got VERY light-headed! Went to MIL to pick up H, had dinner there, went home and as soon as S got home from work, I had choir practice.

Wednesday - Left home with S at 0900 to go to Skövde and meet a contractor to see if they were interesting. Had lunch at a Thai restaurant - great food - and went home. Made a stop in Lidköping at "the porcelain city" (they used to manufacture porcelain there, now they have moved the manufacturing but kept the fabric sales) to buy some glasses and other bits and pieces. Got home, picked up H, cooked dinner, fell asleep on the couch.

Thursday - Left home at 07.15, S took his own car, to go see another contractor (Modulenthus) and hear what their offer was. Looks good, great building time and I really like the salesman - he seems honest somehow... Went to school, did a bit of studying, did the grocery shopping and went home to do some more studying. Picked up H, made dinner, fell asleep on the couch. S was at a concert in Gothenburg, so we went to bed at 22.30 - it was an early show.

Friday - Home studies, at least that is what I call it. Lots of surfing and fondling all kinds of stash to see what I HAVE to take with me so I can craft a little while we're NOT in our own house. Went to rehearse this sunday's repertoar with the pianist, got home, had something to eat (a sandwich), picked up H early so we could do some gaming before making dinner and watching Peter Pan with her. S was at a concert in Gothenburg (3rd time this week!), so I went to be alone - S wasn't home until 01.00...

Saturday - is today! So far, the only plan is to try to get some studying done, and get the bathroom cleaned, so today looks relaxing enough.
Sunday (Tomorrow) - I will be in church from 10 till 12 singing, my inlaws are coming over with lots of boxes, so we'll start packing the things we won't need until we've moved to our own house again. (We're hoping to be moving in before Christmas, so the XMas decorations will definitely be stored.)
And then it's monday and school again...

So, that was my week - there's a certain pattern in the afternoons, don't you think? ;) How was your week?

The aftermath...

So, Easter didn't turn out quite the way we planned (does anything ever?) - we DID go to my parents' and had a good time there, but H started complaining about her ear aching (which I immediately thought was an ear infection) and got pain killers every evening, which seemed to be enough - no pain at all during the day. I suspected her cold had gone to her sinuses, and the extra pressure felt like it hurt in her ear, so I didn't do anything about it.

No problems for a few days, but on Wednesday afternoon she looked like someone had hit her - her eyes were all red and puffy, and there was yellow goo coming out of them. Oh my goodness, I thought, not an eye infection! I hurried out of the house thursday morning so S had to stay at home with H (I was fully aware that they wouldn't accept her at daycare, but I didn't tell S that) and I could go to school that day. Home again, H was playing outside with S like nothing had happened, even though her eyes were still a bit red and puffy, they weren't as gooey anymore. Yesterday I didn't have school, so we stayed home, watching movies and sewing a little (started that bag I mentioned earlier), and H looked excellent. We planned for her to go with S to her grandmother's, so I could study today while they were away.

Then the evening came.
Friday evening and night is supposed to be all cozy and laidback, right? Nope - the moment we started talking about bed, H said her ear hurt again. Of course I thought "oh no, not an ear infection!" because H had been outside with just a cap on her head two days in a row, and I tried getting H to take a painkiller before going to bed. No such luck - S massaged her head so she went to sleep (what a great way to fall asleep, btw!). We started watching "Australia" and two hours later H wakes up, hysterically screaming that it hurt. Half an hour later, H had finally calmed down, now in S' bed but had refused to take any pain meds. The night actually went great from there on - we slept like babies next to eachother.

This morning, S had figured out what the problem was - H is having her 6-year molar... And as soon as he said it, we all knew that was it. When H knows why something hurts, she usually "thinks it away" and it doesn't bother her anymore. That doesn't apply for things she thinks will hurt, that she has never tried before, of course.

Ah, the blessed children! At least that meant she's now safe and sound at her grandma's, S is on a guitar show in Gothenburg and I have all day to study - ahem, that is, I COULD be studying, I'm at the sewing machine instead. That's a lot more fun! :D Thank goodness I have something to keep me from studying, I wonder what school would be like if I were to actually study the hours I'm supposed to?

Happy easter!

It's easter, and I'll take little H with me to see my parents - it's been a while, and H has been haunting me ever since christmas that she wanted to go... At least I can take 4 days (almost) off without feeling guilty about school! (I'll only be taking one book with me, and I only mean to study about 30 pages - almost a vacation.)

other news: we've received offers on our house, there are two families bidding against eachother (which is good news for us) and we'll be getting a little more than we expected! Zippitydoodah!
We have NOT decided on what house to build yet, but we are studying plans like mad to decide soon - the sooner the better, as we really don't want to move around that much...

When I went to school on tuesday, one of my classmates LOVED my bag so much she wanted me to make her one just like it - and is willing to pay for it! So of course I had to stop by the fabric shop to get a little more lining material - I don't have enough of the one I used, plus I don't think she really noticed what it looked like inside. I will be sewing that the coming tuesday, I think - why bother with studying when there is crafting to be done? ;)

Lots of loving thoughts for Catherine - she's having her baby Jonah today!!!

the lot has been chosen...

Yesterday we went to see our lot! And yes, it is in S' home town, in a newly planned area, so all the houses and gardens will be new ones; probably lots of kids for H to play with! They've even planned a playground next door down from our lot, and a hill for sledding down in winter...

This is what it looked like when H got to one corner of the lot, and I stayed at the other end. It's almost exactly the same square metres as the one we have today, but of course there's no house in the new lot yet, so it feels HUGE! (You probably want to go clicketyclick on the pic, or you stand no chance seeing H in it ;))


It was a beautiful sunny day, almost summery - H got to take off her jacket for just a few minutes when she was running... And of course, today she's got a cold and a fever - that's to be expected, isn't it? (It was NOT I who let her run without the jacket, it was her dad, who usually is SO protective of her...)

A so-called ad

I've actually got an important issue to post about: the rescue of a so-called "old forest" here in Sweden. It will be demolished mid march unless a lot of people click on the ad on the rescue site - it works just the same way as the breast cancer site, you just click it once a day, and the sponsors pay for every click made.

Please help me! Go to Ett klick för skogen and click on the bubble that says (in swedish) "Ett klick för skogen klicka GRATIS" (you know gratis = free, right? ;) ) as often as you can!

I'm so busy studying for my next exam on saturday, but I think I understand and remember most of all the stuff things are called in latin... I remember asking Angela what you call the "knuckles" in the spine, and now I have been taught that they are actually called vertebrae in latin as well... You guys have it easy!

I've actually gotten a lot of crafty stuff done this Christmas holiday, but I discovered yesterday that some of it (i.e. two small xs pictures) got packed away with the rest of the christmas stuff...
I've worked on Barbie clothes as well - H NEEDS a winter coat/bathrobe for her Barbie, she doesn't know how to LIVE without it ;) But the snap on button didn't cooperate, so I ended up with a huge hole in one of the pieces - nothing to do but rip that piece out, trace a new one and hope for a better reinforcement when it's time to punch in the button again... (The "male" part of the button sits perfectly on the other side, and I ain't doing all of it all over!) Handstitching is actually faster and better, I think, when making teeny weeny Barbie tops and knickers... "-Can't have them running around in dresses without knickers, mommy! Their teensy bits get cold!"

Oh and btw I thought I might explain my goal #9 with the snuggling: Usually in the evenings, when Hannah's gone to bed (and since sometime before christmas, she's slept in hubby's bed) I'm stuck in the study with my books and hubby's in the living room with the tv and laptop, so we don't see eachother much, let alone snuggle. But yesterday H actually went to her OWN bed, so we got to kiss eachother goodnight IN BED NEXT TO EACHOTHER!!! I'm totally amazed... And we actually got to sleep next to each other all night as well, I was half expecting H to come into bed with us sometime during the night, but nope! This year's goals are off to a flying start :D

Lots of love, this snowy windy day

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...

6 Random things about me

Angela tagged me to share 6 random things about me.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.


Ok, I'm giving it a go:
1. I've actually been tagged on a similar question before, and I didn't post. No idea why, it kind of slipped my mind, I guess.

2. I'm lactose sensitive - I think, or am I having IBS? I don't want to have IBS, so I tell everyone I can't handle lactose. So far it's been working good...

3. I'm a serial craft starter. The only craft I've actually picked up on a regular basis, is cross-stitching. That's probably why my shelves are crammed with xs-stuff, and a few bits and pieces here and there of other crafts: knitting, papercrafting (mostly cards, I can't get the scrapbooking thing going), jewellery making (beads everywhere...), PENS for all kinds of writing, and then there's the growing pile of fabrics, sewing thread and zippers...

4. I'm a procrastinator. Have I said this before? It sounds familiar somehow... Anyway, I always do the fun things first to try and convince myself I don't have to do the boring stuff, which of course is a blatant lie and it never works, so I always end up doing the boring stuff when I'm almost out of time.

5. All of my socks have some kind of pattern or special colour - it's a lot easier to sort them after washing that way. :) I hate it when I try sorting hubby's socks - they're all black, same patterns and same make - there's always one missing! I never have that problem with my own socks, so I use the same system when I buy socks for H. Only her socks are a lot happier than mine, with butterflies, birds, flowers and lots of different colours.

6. I have a normal blood pressure. I've always thought my pressure was low, but now when we've been learning how to measure it, I've discovered that my blood pressure is excellent. At least in my arms it is, noone's tested my hands or feet - they're bl**dy cold all the time. I don't think there's much cirkulation in the "ends"... Jumping Jacks usually do the trick when I get too cold, though!


I hope you've learned something you didn't know about me - now, who to tag? I have absolutely no idea, especially since I read so completely different blogs (has to do with #3 above)- and never make any comments... So, if you happen to pass by, and haven't already posted one of these, .... TAG!

Follow-up post

*Gasp* *shocker* I'm posting several times this week! Well, don't get too used to it, as my next class is Anatomy and Physiology - I'm guessing here, but I think I will have my hands full...

I just thought I'd give anyone interested an update on my exam yesterday! It actually felt good - I thought I didn't know anything, and then the test landed on my desk and as I started reading the questions the overall feeling was: "Hey - I know this stuff!" I still spent 3 hours on it, as I first made a rough sketch of what I wanted to say and get my juices flowing, and then actually started writing my answers on the test papers. A full score would be 39 points, but approved is only 23 points, so if I haven't completely messed up I should be approved. (Not approved or approved are the only grades used.) There were some tricky questions, which I might not get full score on, but I believe I can afford that...

S and H went to see H's grandma and grandpa - and won't be back until tomorrow, so apart from having to vacuum the house and do some dust-busting, I'm free to do whatever I want until tomorrow afternoon! I think I'll go fondle my stash now... After all, I have a 12 houses sampler waiting for the final stitches, and then there'll be pics here again!

Stop scaring me!

My hubby (S) has always had a bad spine - two of his vertebrae don't stay put, so he regularly needs to go to a chiropractor to get them back in their place. Naturally, these vertebrae are connected to several nerves, and when these nerves get pinched, he has difficulty breathing and his chest hurts. Usually he recognizes these symptoms for what they are, and goes to his chiropractor to get it fixed.

Yesterday however, he woke up in the middle of the night and his left arm was numb. Sensory loss in the left arm, chest pains, difficulty breathing - does that ring a bell to anyone? ... Even more so when he called our local health care center, and they told him to go to the ER. He ran out of the house, with tears down his cheeks, and drove there himself! It's not far, but I still didn't feel that was a good idea - driving with a possible heart attack???

Anyways, I got H to daycare and drove after him to the ER. He was so small, in a hospital bed with the required gown, and soooooo cold. He didn't want me there, because (and NOW he chose to tell me) he just thought it was his vertebrae acting up again. I went to school, and he didn't come home from hospital until late in the afternoon - they had to make sure with every test possible that it wasn't a heart attack. So, the good thing is he's been thoroughly checked with all kinds of tests and weird cameras. But it sure was scary...

School's in!

First day of school went rather well - lots of information, 119 new classmates, new building... We've been divided into two large groups which in turn is divided into 10 "base groups", so I will probably not get to know all of them... We'll be presenting the others in the base group to the other students today, so we've already started getting to know eachother a little. The day ended in a blinding headache, so I was very happy H is staying at her grandma's.

I'm going to get her today after school, but I can't say I look forward to it - she's not well (we can't find out if it is a prolonged cold or if it is allergies), and I can't afford not going to school... I'll be losing too much information if I do. Got to talk to hubby about that - who's daytime occupation is the most important?

Why is it that the mother is always expected to take sole responsibility for the kids? I think we have a very equal relationship on all other levels, but somehow HIS job turned out to be more important than mine. And it seems as though it will continue now when I've started studying as well - it naturally ends up being my job to stay at home when H is sick, if he has to do it - he calls his mother... Don't get me wrong, my MIL is a fantastic woman, and I have no problem whatsoever with H being with her, but we shouldn't take advantage of her either! If they lived next door it wouldn't be a problem, but now MIL lives almost an hour away, and she doesn't have a car nor a drivers licence. FIL is at work every day (even though he technically is retired), so that's no option. My parents have a 4-hour drive here, so we don't have anyone else.

It's at times like these I wish we had bought a house close to either family instead of choosing to go halfway each... But we both needed the space to our families at the time, so here we are, with both feet stuck in the middle of a huge puddle of quick-dry glue...