Two girls, two countries, two postcards.

Week 53 {The End}

2011-01-03T06:00:00.001-06:00

Hi Shanon!
Happy New Year! Can you believe it's already been a year since we started our project? I can honestly say that I feel like last January was only a couple of months ago :)
So over to this week :) I got a head cold that started last Saturday and it's still with me more than a week later. I haven't been deadly ill but you know how it can be with a cold, you're not really up for much. We've spent most of this week in Falun with my mom and her husband, part of the time my sister and her husband was there too, which was also nice. Luckily for me and my cold we had some lazy days with them, we mainly watched movies, took walks and just relaxed. On Friday we cooked some great food (that I sadly couldn't feel any taste of due to the head cold) and struggled to stay up until midnight :) On New Year's Day we drove the long way home through newly fallen snow and were surprised at how alone we were on the roads. We stopped at an almost empty McDonald's to eat lunch and discovered that even the IKEA next door was closed, which was shocking to me - I didn't think they were ever completely closed :) It just made me feel like we were the only people out and about.
My photo for you this week is of my mom's chrystal chandelier, since I know you like chandeliers as much as I do :) I started taking photos of the prisms when the sunlight shone through them in a beautiful way, which made my mom jump up and start talking about cleaning it :) We spent some time searching for the chandelier spray and then she sprayed it while I held a big umbrella underneath it so the detergent wouldn't run all over the place :) It was just a bit of a funny picture, so now you know the behind the scenes work that went into this photo :)
This year full of postcards have been such a great project to share with you, I'm so glad you asked me to participate! It has taught me that every day has a photography in it, even if I only sit in the sofa with a book and a cup of tea - and that's a lucky thing since many of my days off are spent in that fashion :) So once again thank you!
Lots of love to you.
xoxo
Moa

Hello dear Moa and welcome to 2011!
If I had a bucket of confetti I'd toss it high in the air. =) WE MADE IT! YAY!!!!!
Getting right down to the business of this week, Ben and I are both sick with colds. Of course! Haha I spent the week alternating between blowing my nose, trying to clean up, and unpacking all the stuff that made it back to our house after being out of town at our families for Christmas. Unpacking a suitcase is one of my least favorite things, and it sits at the end of the bed for as long as we can possibly stand it.
Being sick, as well as having one of us pregnant, made for a very low key New Year's Eve. I sat on the couch under blankets, trying to stay awake til midnight, watching a ridiculous show on Bravo called Watch What Happens, which is a "talk show" that focuses on all the reality tv that airs on that channel. Super exciting times! Haha Even more exciting was the fact that Ben hung out in the basement playing computer games. It was a wild house around here! ; ) New Year's Day we did force ourselves to get out and take a trip to Ikea (yum, meatballs!). It was freezing cold which made us laugh the whole time. We also hit up a store for our laundry room tiles, which is where I picked up this African Violet. It's probably very appropriate that I end our project with some sort of flower-- we have such a soft spot for them!
I'm going to blog about this project coming to an end, and I have to say, I got quite sentimental thinking back over the year. THANK YOU so very much for undertaking this with me. I bet there were weeks where it was hard to fit it in, and maybe there were weeks like here, where it was hard to find anything close to lovely to document. But WE DID IT and I adore all of our postcards. It's been so neat to follow what you've been up to in Sweden. You have some of the prettiest light ever, and I'm so jealous of your baking skills and the fresh flowers you find. =)
It's been a real pleasure. Best wishes in 2011! I'm going to miss your photos in my inbox each Monday, so don't ever stop shooting. You are the best!
And I just might send you a postcard every now and then for old times sake. ; )
Xoxo,
Your postcard pal,
=)
Shanon

Week 52-- one postcard left!

2010-12-27T11:57:00.000-06:00

Hello Shanon!
How was your Christmas? I really hope you had a wonderful time. I feel like this last week has consisted of at least ten days, last Monday just feels like it was so long ago :) My Christmas holiday started on Tuesday afternoon and I had two days to make the last preparations. I baked a huge batch of "lussekatter" (lucia cats), saffron buns shaped like cats (or actually 8's) and I also made "knäck" which is a sort of toffee made from cream, sugar and syrup that boils forever on the stove. I always love those days just before Christmas when the air is filled with expectations of what's to come.
We spent Christmas Eve (which is the big day over here) at Martin's sisters place. Almost his entire immediate family was there, so we were around 11 grownups and 4 children. We had a very nice time, eating lots and lots of Christmas food and relaxing in front of the fire, talking and eating nuts and marshmallow santa clauses. They live about a 30 minute drive from town and all along the road there was lots of snow and pretty red, snowcovered houses with fairy lights. I just know you'd love it if you saw it :) All in all it's been a very nice Christmas with lots of hanging out time with Martin's family, but also lots of time in the sofa with a cup of tea, a movie and my knitting. Now I'm looking forward to New Year's Eve when we're going to my mum's place. I'll see you in the new year! :)
xoxo
Moa
PS. My postcard this week is of our pretty amaryllis. Martin bought two for me but this is the only one that's bloomed so far. I like that it looks like a peppermint stick :)

Hello Moa and Merry Christmas!
Christmas week came and went so fast this year! Next year I vow to get my shopping done in November and I also vow to BUY my baked goods. I spent too many days searching for the right gifts and ruining never-attempted-before recipes, that all of a sudden "BAM!" it was Christmas. I did enjoy the crafting that I undertook, so I think I'll bring that forward into next year. I already have plans for Christmas stockings. I can't wait for that. =)
So, anyhow. Let's get to the lowdown of the week. On Wednesday we hung the pantry shelves in the almost completed laundry room. It's been fun to see that come together. Thursday we headed out of town and straight to a restaurant to spend time with two of my girlfriends that I've known since grade school and high school respectively. We may live a distance from each other, but our parents are still live in the same houses we grew up in, so when we go back to see them it's easy to see each other. They gave me lots of pregnancy advice. Priceless!
Christmas eve was spent at my parents (where I took the photo for my postcard) and we went to Christmas eve mass together, ate, opened presents, watched movies, and played games. The next day we pretty much repeated the same thing at Ben's parents, only this time minus the mass and add staying up until 2:30 in the morning catching up with his sister. =)
My postcard gives a hint of the icicles hanging from the roof of my parents house which you can see through the upstairs windows. It was such a winter fairyland looking out into the backyard. There was a branch sticking up from under all the heavy snow covering a bush, and 5 little fat brown birds perched on it. If only I would have caught that! But you can imagine how sweet it looked. ; )
Til next week, and our very last postcard of this project. It's been a treat! See you then!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 51

2010-12-20T15:09:00.000-06:00

Hello Shanon!
How are you doing over in Minnesota? Here in Sweden we're drowning in snow, all you read about in the news is that there is snow and chaos everywhere. Planes and trains don't go anywhere and there are cars in every ditch (at least if you read the newspapers!). I feel like I've hardly had time to notice the snow since I've been so busy. The weeks just before Christmas are always super busy when you're a teacher, but I'm glad the end of the semester is almost here. On Tuesday afternoon my holiday begins and I'm SOO looking forward to it :)
Other than work related stuff I haven't had time to do all that much. I got my hair cut for the first time in about 7 months, which felt great. I'm waiting for it to grow out so I've postponed going to the hairdresser but now it was way overdue. The funny thing is that when it was just cut it looked so long and I was so happy about it, but since it's been trimmed and gotten lighter my curls have become even curlier so now it looks very much shorter although my hairdresser hardly cut off anything from the length. Such is the curse of curly hair... As you can tell, not much of substance happened this week, since all I have to talk about is my haircut :)
I hope your Christmas will be cozy and warm and that you'll enjoy lots of fun times with family and friends! Merry Christmas! :)
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
Week 51 and the holiday crunch is on here. My to-do list every day seems to get larger instead of smaller. Things come up and things I need to do get pushed to the next day and the next day. It's so stressful! I still have half my Christmas shopping left! ARGH!
=)
But if you remember, I said awhile ago that I was working on a crafting project involving felt. (I think I mentioned it?) Well, I finally got it done this weekend. It uses 4 of these felt flowers. I've made so many that I have lots left over to use on something for myself, which was what I had planned for them in the first place. A wreath for our entry. I suppose I'll get on that after Christmas. ; )
Other than that, the other exciting news this week is that Ben and his dad put up the wall for our laundry room and I'm so excited! It's white beadboard and looks really fresh and clean. We picked out all the white shelving, and need to narrow down the tile for the floor. I really can't wait. I think it's a female thing, but I'm incredibly excited for a nice laundry room! (I don't think the guys get it. But then again, I don't get computer games/equipment, and big ugly tv stuff.)
Now on to week 52, and Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful week to look forward to, full of everything you hold dear. I'll see you soon with our 2nd to last postcards!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 50

2010-12-13T10:53:00.000-06:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope you are well! I'm writing this postcard in the early morning hours with the tv on in the background. Today is the Lucia day in Sweden, it's a traditional thing that celebrates light. All over Sweden little girls dress up in white robes with glitter or candle wreaths in their hair (battery driven candles for the little ones and real candles for the older ones), the boys can either wear white robes and pointy white hats or be dressed as santa's helpers or gingerbread men. They then come into a dark room with candles in their hands and sing Christmas songs and special lucia songs. What was on tv right now was a very talented choir of grownups doing the same thing and it's very atmospheric and beautiful. If you google the word "Luciatåg" you'll see lots and lots of examples :)
This week I've started on the Christmas decorations, so now our apartment is much cozier :) We have big paper stars in the windows and glass ornaments in glass jars. The latter is a way for me to use them even though we don't have a Christmas tree. I would love to have a tree but we simply don't have any room in our apartment for something like that. We might, however, get a little Christmas juniper and decorate it as we've done for the two last years :) In my photo this week you can see a glimpse of one of our Advent candlesticks. This one comes from my grandfather and is from the 60's, I'm very fond of it as it reminds me of my grandfather. I just love all the lights during the Holiday season, it's much needed during these dark months - I say months as we always leave the more neutral Holiday decorations out until February or something :)
Have a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Moa!
I thought this week's postcard would maybe be of Bub's crib that we picked up this week, but we didn't get around to putting it together. =) I also thought it might be of some Christmas shopping, a family dinner out, or from a theatre production we were suppose to see this weekend... BUT we had a huge snowstorm and were snowed in for two days!
Nearly 2 feet of snow fell in Minneapolis this weekend (mostly on Saturday, and was the 5th biggest snowfall on record for the city) and the wind blew the whole time, causing huge drifts of snow on the roads, sidewalks, and around our house. I attempted to take a shot out the front door while Ben was shoveling, but I couldn't get the door open! =)
I love snow days like this. It's fun to watch the snow totals climb safely from a warm blanket on the couch. It reminds me of being young and having school canceled. However the snow got so high it covered some our bushes that Ben put Christmas lights on. Poor little bushes! You wouldn't even know they were there! Haha
I didn't really know that the snow was coming, but fortunately, when I was shopping this week I picked up ingredients for Potato Leek Soup (with ham of course), and stuff to make caramels, so we had fun stuff to eat during the storm. On Sunday morning I also made French toast with raspberries. I got carried away putting berries on mine and got a stomach ache from the tartness. Who knew you could eat too many raspberries?! ; )
Happy week 50 Moa! 3 more postcards to go!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 49

2010-12-06T10:10:00.000-06:00

Hello Shanon!
I just realized that it's actually week 49 now! Time has flown so fast these last few months and I'm really behind in my mental calendar and I didn't realize until now that there are only a few postcards left. I just can't believe that we've done this for almost a year! It's been such a fun project to share with you :)
Well, over to my postcard for the week. My photo this week shows the paper star that hangs in the window of my sister's and her husband's apartment. We went to see them this weekend and it was so nice. They live about three hours away by car, which is too far away in my opinion but still manageable. We live almost at the coast and they live about 250 kilometres to the west, which is what we call the midland. Even though we live on about the same latitude the temperature dropped considerably the further to the west that we drove. In Umeå it was about -5C and when we arrived at their place it was about -23C (which is about -10F). All the trees were covered in a thick layer of sparkly frost and it was all just so beautiful.
On Saturday we had a very relaxing day and we made a nice little excursion to a nearby village. First we visited a second hand shop where I bought some vintage books with the coolest covers. I actually only considered the cover when I picked my books, I think I'll use them in some future project. They were really cheap too, a whole shopping bag full for only 10 Swedish crowns, which is about $1.50. After that we went to the most lovely place ever - and I didn't have my camera! Can you believe it, the one time I really wanted it I didn't have it. The place was a super pretty little coffee shop run by a very nice lady. She'd decorated the cafe in a gorgeous and airy Scandinavian country style and she had the most creative Christmas decorations. On the walls she had her own paintings, which were also for sale. All the delicious pastries were baked by her that same morning. I took some shots with Martin's mobile phone camera but that can't compare to shots taken with my camera so they really don't help much. We'll just have to go back there some other time and then I will most definitely bring my camera!
Hope you'll have a lovely week my friend!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
I hope your week was wonderful! Week 49. Wow! Isn't it fun that the end of the project coincides with the holidays, so that our postcards can be very very festive? Almost like celebrating our project as well as Christmas, etc. as we come to the conclusion. Very cool.
I've been making lists of things I need to accomplish before March, as well as things I want to do and make for the holidays. This past week I picked up lots of good smelling candles, put ALL our decorations out- including my mercury glass pine trees, sparkly silver reindeer, nativity set (from my grandma), and every single decoration we have went on the tree. Last year we only put up a tree with lights. We didn't decorate it at all.
I've been marking recipes that I want to try and I've also started a craft project with felt. I'm hoping to make these wintery looking flowers, and I will probably put them on a bare wreath that we have. I also have other big ideas for them, but we'll have to see if I'm actually as crafty as I think I am. ; )
On Saturday we drove out to the country to my grandparents house, where my side of the family was having our Christmas party. (My grandparents leave for Arizona for the winter, so we have to do it earlier than normal, which I'm not really in favor of. I prefer to do it on the actual holiday, but I don't get a say. haha) I had planned on taking photos around the farm, but it was extremely cold. So I found a comfy chair to sit in and chat with my aunts and cousins all afternoon. Of course I did get up occasionally to fill my plate with food!
My postcard is from Sunday, however. While Ben and a friend of his were doing more work on our basement, the wife and I went out for lunch and shopping! We always have such a good time. What made it even better was that we went to Bachman's, which is a huge garden center, as well as a home decor store. So we explored thousands of ornaments and Christmas decorations, and just so many other fun things. Out in the greenhouse they had a Roadmaster bike displayed amongst the poinsettias. As soon as she pointed it out to me, I knew it would be my postcard to you!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 48

2010-11-29T07:00:00.001-06:00

Hi Shanon!
How are you doing? I hope your thanksgiving was lovely.
I really wish you could see what it looks like around here right now. It's been snowing like crazy here for a couple of days so right now everything is covered in fluffy, white snow (I know snow is said to be white but that isn't always the case... I'm thinking about dog pee, exhaust gas and other stuff that can discolour it!). In my photo this week you can't actually tell that there is that much snow but I just liked the warm tones in the background, they make me think of a Hawaiian sunrise somehow :) Anyways, I really like this weather, because it's getting me even more into a Christmas mood and that's where I'm longing to be right now :) I'm really having trouble imagining that Christmas is less than a month away, this fall has just flown by so incredibly fast! I started decorating a bit today, it is the first Sunday of Advent after all. Sometime this week when I feel up to it I'll go down to the basement and haul up our cardboard box full of Christmas stuff and do some real decorating. Since Martin won't be home he can't object to me putting up the vintage peach coloured Advent star (that he thinks is really ugly) in the window :)
Aside from thinking about Christmas I haven't really done that much this week. Martin got sick on Sunday night, right after we'd been to see the new Harry Potter movie. He got some sort of stomach flu that lasted for three days. Just when I thought that I was safe I got it too. I had been waiting outside for the bus in the freezing weather for about 10 minutes and I thought that was the reason why I was so cold when I got home. Then after a few hours when I laid in bed fully clothed with two duvet covers, and a blanket - plus I had a heater thing to warm me up and I was still so cold that my skin hurt, I kind of got that there was more to it than just being a bit chilled... But after a few days of misery I'm all good again :)
All the best to you!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope your week was great and that your weekend was as relaxing as mine. =)
Since it was a holiday weekend here in the U.S., we took advantage of the time and got out of town! First there was a birthday party Wednesday night, then lots of eating Thursday (Thanksgiving) at Ben's grandparents, and a little shopping and lots of laying around under blankets on the couch watching college sports the rest of the time. I should add at Ben's grandparents, besides eating, we also watched home movies from when Ben was a baby, up until he was around 7. It was crazy to think that that's all to come again. =)
I think my favorite part of the time away was simply being out of our messy house. Every day I have "clean/organize house" on my to-do list, but so much of the mess is just displaced things from our basement renovation, that I really have to just ignore it all the best I can. But having so much "in the wrong place" gives me crazy anxiety. I hate having big messes. So, it was relief not to see it all weekend!
My postcard is the all the traffic trying to get out of the cities on Wednesday. We meant to leave sooner, but I'm pretty slow and unorganized these days. Haha
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 47

2010-11-23T06:49:00.000-06:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope all is well over at your place. As usual I can barely remember what I actually did during the week :) One thing that I do remember is picking up our new teapot at the post office. Martin discovered that the old one was broken a couple of weeks ago and that actually made me a bit sad, since I've had it for quite a long time and it feels like an old friend. That might sound a bit ridiculous, but since I love drinking tea I have so many pleasant memories connected to it :) The old one was from the Danish brand Bodum and I wanted to buy the same brand again. After much mulling over the different models we picked this pretty, round one called Assam.
On Saturday night we had Martin's sister, her husband and their little boy over for dinner and a movie. We made a delicious taco-pizza and laughed at how their 1-year old ate his little pizza pieces. He actually had the plate on top of his head at one point :) A lot of my friends have little babies these days and it's so much fun to be able to play and cuddle with them. I can't wait to see what your little baby will look like and how he will be :)
Take care!
xoxo
Moa

Happy Week 47 Moa!
I thought I'd share a little gold goodness with you for the week. On Tuesday, before my prenatal yoga class, I stopped at Micheal's (which is a huge craft store here) and indulged in on-sale Holiday decorations. I bought a long strand of this glittered vine and affixed it to a wreath that I also picked up there. I nabbed some huge pine cones, along with a silver reindeer and some other Christmas-y things but I figure I can have this wreath up because the gold and the leaves can also celebrate Thanksgiving. ; )
I took some shots of the making of the wreath for Words To Shoot By, a photo blog that I'm apart of, but I took this extra shot for you because this is the prettiest part-- all the glittery shine! =)
As I'm writing this postcard to you, Ben is putting up our Christmas lights on all the trees and bushes in our front yard. (He's not in a good mood about it, but it's a really nice day out, considering how cold it's been, that I did some nagging, knowing that he'll appreciate getting it done now and not when his hands would freeze in a few weeks!)
I'll have to try not to turn them on until AFTER Thanksgiving. That's a big thing here. People can get quite irritated when Christmas decorations are up before Thanksgiving. But I think Thanksgiving should be earlier. It's usually so cold and dreary here, that we need to look forward to holiday fun asap. It goes so fast the way it is.
Hope you are well and have lots of holiday decorating to look forward to too!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 46

2010-11-15T16:15:00.000-06:00

Hi Shanon!
How has your week been? I've had one of those fly-by-before-you-notice-it weeks, where things kind of blend into a blur in hindsight. I do remember two things though.
The first is that I bought a pink bicycle helmet. Now this might not seem like such a big deal, but it is to me. I wore a bicycle helmet when I was a kid and up until I was about 12 years old. This was later than everyone else in my class and so it was a bit of a childhood trauma as you can understand :) Now, however, I'm getting older, wiser (I hope) and less bothered about being cool - at least that's what I tell myself :) - I decided that it was time to be a safer cyclist and use a helmet. I won't start wearing it until spring though, because I decided not to use my bike this winter since it's such a stressful thing to bike on slippery ice but I'll let you know how it feels the first time I use it in public :)
The second thing is that Martin and I went to a relax facility on Friday evening. We'd gotten a gift certificate to this place when we got married, but it's not until now that we actually came around to using it :) It was a very pleasant experience I have to say. We sat in a bubble pool, testing out all the different types of water massage that the jet streams gave, eating candy, exotic fruits and potato crisps and drinking some bubbly strawberry drinks. It felt quite decadent I have to say :)
My photo this week is of a pretty wreath that I bought last weekend. I plan on putting it up on our front door, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. I have to hammer a nail into the door first and you know how much work that is - not :D
Take care and I'll see you in week 48!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Moa!
Ta-da! We had our first snowfall on Saturday! It was very warm and nice leading up to it. Like "no coat" warm. And then late Friday night it started snowing. It was the really heavy and wet kind of snow that weighs down tree branches and is hard to shovel.
I found it nice and actually pretty that it was snowing. I had an craft fair on Saturday morning, so we had to load up the jeep during the snow (Well, Ben did it alone to be honest. I didn't want any part of that!) and on the drive over to the lake, where the craft fair was being held, I wished I could have spent some time shooting all the trees. But no such luck.
Funny story, after the show, while I was waiting at the curb for Ben to pick me up, a huge chunk of snow fell out of the tree I was standing under and smacked me in the arm. I thought someone threw a snowball at me! I was shocked! Hahaha With the weight of the snow, you could have probably knocked someone out during a snowball fight. Geesh, no thanks. =)
So, yes, it's finally here. Big sweaters, and winter white goodness. (I think I heard it might all melt this week, but it was the largest snowfall on that date in history for us. Very cool. I'm looking forward to more!)
Hope you are equally well, and that no trees have thrown snowballs at you lately.
; )
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 45

2010-11-08T12:35:00.008-06:00

Hi Shanon!
I hope your week was good and that you're finally getting rid of that cold!
My week was filled with fun things. My pupils had their autumn holiday this week, which means that I worked three days with other teacher stuff and had two days off. One of the days when I came home from work I smelled the sweet smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns when I came out of the elevator on our floor. I immediately decided that we should bake some too, so we made lots of delicious cinnamon buns and vanilla buns. They're sort of the same thing, you just make different fillings :) Now we have to stop ourselves from eating them everyday, or we'll be out of them soon! :)
One of my free days I had a visit from a dear friend of mine that also had the day off. We drank tea, ate mozzarella pizza for lunch and watched all four episodes of the BBC version of Jane Austen's Emma that came last year (I think). We both love romantic period drama so it was the perfect day as you can imagine :) I really love hanging out with a friend during the day, it's so cozy.
Take care!
xoxo
Moa
Hello there Moa!
I hope you enjoyed a nice week. It was well above average for temps here, so I've been happy about not wearing a coat or mittens most days. (Now that I think about it, since I still have my cold, maybe I should be wearing that stuff regardless! haha)
This weekend Ben's parents came to help us with our basement remodeling construction. Well, Ben's dad helped him. I don't have any part in that. I'm not allowed to even be down there half the time, which is fine by me! =) Ben's mom and I did some shopping instead. I got to scourer Anthropologie's sales racks, because I had a return to make there. I actually found a sweater I'd been hoping for. It was the last one. Score! We looked at furniture, had some lunch, and went to a giant baby store full of baby clothes, cribs, strollers, etc. It's a tiny bit overwhelming the amount of things this little person will need. But maybe that's just a pressure you feel, and you don't have to get everything that's out there. I'll try not to anyway.
My postcard is a of a handful of 3-6 month old shirts for him. I've been told everyone wants to buy you the teeny tiny clothes, so I jumped ahead to the 3-6 month stage. ; )
We also spent a lot of time during the day looking for a dishwasher and talking to cabinet designers about the part of the kitchen we need to redo to fit in said dishwasher. It was all very tiring and by the next morning I was completely knocked out from being on my feet all day, and my lovely cold turned into a nice big headache as well. I swear, one of these weeks I promise to stop complaining about all my ailments! =)
So on Sunday, I was forced to nap on the couch while Ben's mom did me a huge favor and finished cleaning up my gardens. If I wasn't so stuffed up, I'd breath a huge sigh of relief that it is all taken care of.
See you next week!
xoxo,
Shanon
p.s. Can you believe we are already a week into NOVEMBER?!? Did this year fly by? I can't wait to see your postcards for December. I hope that I end on a string of high notes for you. =)

Week 44

2010-10-31T15:21:00.008-05:00

Hello my friend!
I hope your week has been good. I've been at home from work this week too, but I'm starting to feel a bit better now so I took a little trip to town one of the days. I figured a good way to pamper myself was to freshen up my wardrobe a bit :) I bought two pairs of boots and some new shirt-tunics - which you can see in the photo, but I'm guessing you understand that :). I absolutely love shirt-tunics (I don't know if that's actually the right term for it but it's the best I could come up with), they're so comfortable and very practical. I love that they can be dressed up and dressed down as well. Today I wore one of them with black tights, my new pretty leather boots and a long pearl necklace and I felt very snazzy.
Another day this week I had a friend and her little baby boy over for a visit during the day, it was so lovely and cozy. We took a walk in the brisk weather and bought some mozzarella pizza that we had for lunch. While her son slept we drank coffee and chatted all afternoon. It was nice when he was awake too. I fed him banana slices and sniffed his hair, there's nothing like that sweet baby smell. I can imagine that you long for when you'll get to do that on your baby :)
Take care and have a great week Shanon!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Moa!
I hope you had a pleasant week. =)
This week I bought a big bag of Halloween candy and proclaimed that it was not for trick or treaters, but all for me! =) Well, I did share with Ben, but only the pieces that I didn't like. ; ) Is there any better way to share? Haha I think I nearly lived on Rollos for the week. Rollos are an American chocolate candy full of caramel.... Yuuuuuuuum!
I also finished up a book about two of Henry VIII's wives, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. It was historical fiction, and pretty entertaining. All the jewels and gowns... but the fear of death at every turn. I think I'd pass on the chance at power! =)
We had our first hard frost, so one morning I attempted to capture it for you. Now the last of my zinnias and snap dragons are gone, but for a brief moment they had a sugary look to them.
And now I'm reminded of Halloween candy again...
=)
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 43

2010-10-26T13:05:00.004-05:00

Hello there!
I hope you're doing well! I've been really tired and have actually been at home this week, taking care of myself. I've been drinking lots and lots of tea and watched many movies, including some period drama movies that I've never had the time to see before. You know I'm a real Jane Austen-fan and I love period drama - I have many of the movies and mini-series that have been made. However I bought some other period dramas several months ago that I didn't know much about. I spent 5 hours watching a mini-series that ended up being both tragic and a bit boring. That made me promise myself to stick to watching the Austen-movies and mini-series that I have at home, then I know what I'm getting :) Martin always teases me for watching old stuff over and over again rather than seeing new movies. For me it's about the comfort of seeing something that I know will end well. I really dislike movies that end tragically and that just ends up making you feel sad and discomforted :)
I also took some walks this week. The weather has been really nice from time to time and we've also had our first snow this week which has been really cozy. This was from the day before the snow came so there were still some leaves visible. I just loved the warm sunlight here, it's something to remember once the winter comes :)
Have a happy week 43!
xoxo
Moa

Hello friend,
I hope you had a wonderful and cozy week!
My week was stressful because we had some prenatal tests come back worrisome. It threw us into a panic, but I will cut to the chase and say that all ended well and things are great. =) I said all along that it was probably only the first time of a lifetime of moments that this kid will cause us to be stressed, worried, and scared, only for things to turn out okay. Because that's what we do right? We worry our parents sick, while we go about life, finding our way. =)
We also got to see him this week! Yup, a HIM, a BOY! (But you already know that, since I couldn't keep it to myself and have already announced it. haha) It's funny, I kind of thought it was a girl, and one of my friends even remarked that she hadn't given any thought to it being anything other than a girl. We both were faked out! But on the plus side, his birthday will fall during March Madness, which you might remember is a big college basketball thing around our house, so he may enjoy that a little more than a girlie girl would. ; )
So, anyways. My postcard is from some gourds I picked up when we went grocery shopping this weekend. That is a treat, because usually a do it by myself, but Ben came with this time. And I'm just noticing that there are three of them. Three. Soon we'll be that many. That's kinda cool.
=)
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 42

2010-10-18T12:43:00.000-05:00

Hi Shanon!
How has your week been? I was home sick from work a couple of days so I've mainly been taking it really easy. I watched a lot of movies and knitted some, which is a nice way to fill out the time when you're not well enough to leave your house.
This week's postcard shows some of the yarn I bought last time I visited our local yarn shop. These three yarn balls are so gorgeous (the photo really doesn't do the colours justice) and incredibly soft. It's a cashmere merino silk yarn and I'm going to use these for a pair of striped fingerless mittens that I'm going to begin knitting after I'm done with my present project which is a hat. I'm so excited, I think they'll be perfect for warming my fingers while I'm reading, knitting or reading blogs during the cold winter :)
Take care and I'll see you in week 43!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope things are well with you across the ocean. =)
This past week I was still trying to shake off my cold, and things got better toward the end of the week. Of course I still have the sniffles now, but I'm not going to aim high-- I'll just assume that part might just stay with me all winter.
On Thursday I had a doctor's appointment and Ben got off work early to come with me. He didn't need to, it was just a short blood test, but it was nice to have an afternoon "date" in the middle of the week. We did a little shopping afterward, mostly just perusing an art supplies store and the furniture and home good store called West Elm, which is where I got this owl. At first I was excited and said it was for the baby's room, but now it looks so good on the mantle, that the baby might have to fight me for it. ; )
The owl trend might be nothing new, but I'm so drawn to it lately. There is something kind, and wise, and warm about an owl. And this one is particularly sweet, don't you think?
Can't wait to see your postcard!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 41

2010-10-11T13:51:00.006-05:00

Hi Shanon!
I hope you've had a great week. Mine has been kind of relaxed. Martin was away for a couple of days, so I got a flash-back to my days as a single woman :) I ate pizza two nights in a row and snuggled up under the blanket with tea and candy a lot. So actually things weren't that much different from when Martin is at home, except he has better character than me so we eat healthier food when he's at home :)
This weekend my sister and her husband came to visit us. It was the first time we saw them since August, so it was really nice. My sister and I planned a lot of knitting projects, she's a pro so I'm picking up many useful tips. Right now I'm starting on a hat that will be so cute, I can't wait until it's finished. Anway, we had a great time just relaxing, watching movies and playing Mah-Jong. One thing I love about having guests staying over are the long breakfasts. We ate lots of different yummy things and I finally got a good excuse to use the cute egg cups that we usually never bother with :)
Hope you'll have a great week 41 (Only 12 postcards left now, I can hardly believe it! I'm going to miss this so much when we're done).
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
My postcard comes from early last week. It's from where we had our a dinner date. On Monday, Ben and I celebrated the 16 year anniversary of the day we met. We went to different high schools, and we met one night after a volleyball game. I don't remember if he's school won or mine. I'm guessing his! His cousin was on their team and she was really good.
We met after the game in the hallway, where all the teenagers were hanging out on their way to the bus or to their cars. Some of my friends knew some of his friends, but at the time I don't think I really knew that. I just lost track of where my friends went, so I turned around and asked him, and made him help me go look! (He also offered to share some of his candy from the concession stand with me. THAT was the clincher! Haha)
I don't know why I was so adventurous and outgoing that night?! I remember getting ready after school before going to the game, and having the feeling that something was going to happen, that it was going to be a big night and something would change my life. If only those "psychic" feelings continued! Maybe I'd have won the lottery by now and be rich! Haha
So anyhow. We always celebrate the anniversary of that day. It's probably more important to me than the day we got married. It was the magic day that our paths crossed. It wasn't a day planned out or decided upon. It was just a day when something special happened. It reminds me of being young and hopeful, and up for anything.
=)
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 40

2010-10-04T11:17:00.002-05:00

Hey there Shanon!
I'm still amazed at your piece of happy news from last week :) I just wanted to say congratulations once again!
The best part of this week was when my mom, her husband and their two cute dogs visited us. They actually surprised me a bit too, because they were supposed to arrive on Friday night but on Thursday night the doorbell rang and there they were. Paranoid as I am I never open the door without looking through the peephole and at first I didn't recognize them, because mom had put on a hat and had the hood of the jacket on. I wondered to myself if it was someone that wanted to sell something, but then my brain clicked into place and I realized who they were :)
We had a lovely time, relaxing and hanging out. They were really tired after working the entire week with cleaning out their summer house that has been sold. My grandpa built that summer house in the 1950's and we've spent a lot of time there during the years but we all live too far away to take care of it properly now. It's kind of sad to think that we don't have it in the family any more, but these kind of melancholic separations are a part of life I guess. My mom kindly gave me some old cups that have been there since way back and that I'm kind of attached to. I'll never use them for drinking coffee but I'll keep them as treasured memories.
I hope you'll have a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hi dear Moa!
Can you believe that it is week 40? I had to double check. With 13 weeks left (yup, I had to count them, cause I assumed it would automatically be 12), I'm already looking forward to looking back on the year. I've thanked you a dozen times, and I'll thank you a dozen time more for doing this with me. =)
My favorite part of this week was the beginning of the blankets of leaves on the streets and sidewalks. The trees haven't even completely turned, but every day there are more and more leaves to step through, and I love it. In fact, one day, a single red maple leave made it's way all the way up to our top step, and when I opened the door and saw it, I actually said "Oh! Hello!" out loud. I'm quite dorky that way. ; )
This past weekend Ben had a friend and his dad come over to help tear down the walls and ceiling (and tear up the floor) of our basement, because we are redoing it. I felt like a nervous cat listening to all that work under my feet! I tried to keep busy by cooking for them and by heading out to buy tulip bulbs. I meant to plant them, but instead watched some Project Runway, and some other design shows, with my feet propped up. My hormones were working over-drive and anything remotely sad on tv brought on the waterworks! It's almost laughable how quick I can cry these days, and what triggers it. =) Awwwh, pregnancy. ; )
Happy week 40 to you my friend!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 39

2010-09-27T20:47:00.001-05:00

Hello Shanon!
How are things over at your end of the globe? :) Over here things are getting more and more autumn-like. We have had rain most of the week but the weekend has been great. Yesterday I visited a friend and we took a lovely long walk alongside a nearby lake. I've only recently discovered that little road by the lake and I'm definitely going to take more walks there as it is so pretty. There are several small cottages along the road and many of them are so picturesque, albeit a bit shabby. I really regretted not bringing my camera yesterday!
Today I had a super relaxed and very nice day. Martin followed his aunt and uncle to pick some funnel chanterelles in the woods but I decided to stay at home. Besides doing some work I knitted half a hat, ate candy and watched Gilmore Girls. Can it get more perfect?
I'm wishing you a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
I'm having a hard time remembering what happened this last week. But what's new about that! =)
It did rain and rain, and actually parts of Minnesota and neighboring Wisconsin had pretty severe flooding, which is too bad. It's not very common to have fall flooding, that usually happens in the spring, when all the snow is melting into the rivers. You probably know something about that, since we live in somewhat similar climates?
On Saturday Ben's parents came to visit and we went to the grand opening of an art house that is showing some of my photography. It's really a gorgeous little house, wonderful atmosphere, with really great pieces everywhere your eye lands. I think you'd love to see it!
Also, this weekend we decided to surprise our families (Ben's on Saturday before the art house, and mine on Sunday when we had them over for lunch) that I'm actually three months pregnant! It was so hard to finally break the news. Haha I enjoyed having a special secret to myself. It felt weird that I was so nervous to tell people, but I just was, and I talked to a friend that I've known since we were little, and she said she had felt the same way. So, I'm not abnormal! =)
So, there's my news. Pretty crazy huh?! It might also explain why I've not been as good about getting our postcards up bright and early Monday morning. I've been incredible tired and nauseous, but it's starting to get a little better. I wondered when we started this project, if I'd be writing this postcard to you this year. And the day is actually here.
I'm so glad I can share it with my lovely Swedish friend.
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 38

2010-09-20T21:16:00.004-05:00

Howdy girl!
Sunday evening is here and it's been a busy weekend. Yesterday we celebrated Martin's 30th birthday (a couple of days in advance) with a big party at his parents' house. We had a little over 40 guests and lots and lots of food, chocolate cake and guacamole :) Since a lot of our friends have had babies lately we had about five little ones that were crawling around the floor and there were just people everywhere. Martin got a lot of thoughtful gifts and I think the sweetest one was from a guy we know. He had baked two kinds of bread and also some cookies as a gift. One of those breads were a kind that we had gushed about when we ate it at his place over a year ago. I thought it was such a fun and thoughtful gift! Don't you agree that a homemade gift like that feels extra nice to get? :) The photo this week were of some bean packages that we had to leave at the kitchen table since our fridge was so full of all the food for the party :) I really like the design and the colours.
Today we were at another party for a friend who's celebrating his birthday the day before Martin. We ate good food and played with some more babies :) Another thing we did today was that we voted. Today is the big voting day for the Swedish parliament and it'll be very exciting to see the results. We're going to have some more of that homemade bread, tea and maybe some leftover guacamole :)
Have a super week my friend!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Dear Moa!
This week was once again, chilly, and wonderfully fall. I spent some time walking through a garden center (my favorite one actually) and it was peaceful, like a hidden park. The sun came out and it got warmer than I expected. I had considered bring fingerless gloves, but I definitely didn't need them. I think I'm getting ahead of myself with this "chilly" weather.
After checking out all the ornamental bushes that I'm considering putting in one of our flowerbeds (because I think it really needs height and visual interest in the winter... and also, shhhh, don't tell, but I want something less high maintenance!) I headed over to Trader Joe's to get ingredients for upside down mushroom tartlets. Unfortunately, the didn't have 1/2 of the things I needed. (And here's another secret, I rarely EVER go there. But it seems like such a staple in American blogland, that I thought it would be fun to tell you about it.) I left with a few things, plus this candy bar, because the wrapper was pretty! Nice shopping skills, right? =)
I have to laugh, because this story does not have a happy ending. After a LONG day of cleaning out our basement, I made the tarts, and they did not turn out. I think people down the block could hear me cursing Martha Stewart! But Ben, being the good (or I should say "starving") husband, scrapped them out of the pan and ate all 12 of them! They really did smell delicious, but they were not pretty, and if I'm going to go through all that, they better be pretty! =)
See you next week Moa!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 37

2010-09-13T10:38:00.001-05:00

Hello Shanon!
How has your week been? This has been another intense week for me. I really hope things will calm down at work because right now I don't have much time or energy for other things.
This week I was at a flower shop to buy some flowers for a person at work. I saw these pretty autumn vegetables (or whatever they are) and couldn't resist buying them. I really like the odd shapes and colours, they cheer up our kitchen table with their presence! :)
Yesterday I took a little trip downtown to buy some yarn, since I'm starting a little knitting project. It's a wide, rectangular shawl that I'm knitting in a black alpaca yarn so it's very soft and cozy. The pattern is a bit unusual since you knit the shawl on the diagonal, in the beginning it's only three stitches and then you increase. My knitting-skills are kind of rusty, but luckily I can call my knitting-crazy sister when I need help :) I think it's going to be very relaxing to focus on the knitting and clear my mind from thoughts about work and other things that can sometimes etch themselves onto my brain. And in the end I'll have a lovely long shawl that I can wrap around myself, which I'm sure will make the long winter more enjoyable :)
See you in week 38!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
This weekend we drove out to the country for some family stuff. There is so much more gold in the landscape these days from the fields heading towards harvest. We drove past apple orchards which made me crazy-- I wanted to stop and shoot! Or at least stop and eat! Haha
I'm so happy that fall is here. Hot Septembers are no good. I even got to do my favorite thing in the world on Sunday. *sigh* I got to take a nap outside. Heaven. I used to find cozy places on the farm when I was little, where I'd read, daydream, and inevitably take a nap. There's nothing like it. If only it could have lasted longer! I think I could have slept all afternoon.
The funny thing about it was that while I was under an old quilt snoozing, Ben and his family were a few feet away, swimming in the pool for the last time, because soon his parents will empty it and call an end to pool season. Fortunately they weren't rowdy, so it didn't interrupt my sweet dreams. =)
I hope fall is treating you equally as well!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 36

2010-09-06T18:25:00.003-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope you're week has been good. Mine has been crazy intense once again. Not only did I have a major cold, I was also planning and going on a little trip with the kids from my school. We went to a lovely place about half an hour outside of town. It was a place by a beautiful lake, I was completely amazed when I arrived and took in the views. We were there for about 24 hours and a lot of the time was filled with activities but I managed to sneak in a little time down on the pier by the lake. The sun was shining, the air was clear and fresh and the water was lapping - it was just wonderful. I so enjoyed sitting there just relaxing and enjoying the nature. There is just something so calming about water... I took this shot with a little compact camera that belongs to the school that I carried around in my pocket the entire time :)
Martin and I have fixed some things around the apartment too. We finally picked up the new livingroom lamp that we ordered a couple of weeks ago and it looks so good in place. We also put up some picture rails that we bought last week, where we're putting our wedding photos. Since we have several concrete walls in our apartment it's always a bother when we want to put something on the wall. We had to borrow a hammer-drill from a friend to fix the hook for the lamp and the holes for the picture rails. That's why I'm happy that we finally got our act together and did it, it's so easy to postpone things like that :) I can't wait until it's all done, then I'll put away some junk around here and snap a shot to show you :)
Take care my friend!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
Welcome to September! =)
I was so happy to see cooler weather this week. The hot August days took a toll on me and I was longing for cool weather. The first overcast cool day made me so happy. It's pretty odd to say, but I don't care. I'm excited to wear sweaters and boots, and bundle up under blankets. (Not that we are THERE yet.) I'm also looking forward to the leaves changing and American football. Mmmm... the crispness of it all. Fall is so special.
This week I headed to the garden center for chrysanthemums and sale perennials. I left having spent more than I planned, but very happy with it all! =) Two big pots of orange mums sit flanking our door, and two smaller pots of blackish purple petunias (that were on sale) make me think of Halloween. I know it's a tad early, but I couldn't help myself! (They'll probably be dead by then, but it's still fun.)
I got some other things that I already have in the garden, but wanted more of, including red cone flower, reddish/purple stemmed salvia, and some yellow lilies. I also placed an online order for some more irises, in colors that I don't have. I love irises, and they come in a million different color ways. It's dangerous! =)
So, the week was about gardening and cooler weather. Two of my faves.
See you next week!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 35

2010-08-30T18:50:00.004-05:00

Hi there Shanon!
Happy week 35! You know, I just can't believe we're almost in September, that is just amazing to me. I think time just flies by faster and faster for each passing year! A year now is like those lovely long summer vacations when you were a kid :)
This week as been an incredibly intense one and it raced by at an incredible speed. The kids came back to school on Monday and that means "business as usual" and very much to do. I've worked late the entire week, feeling very stressed out. Since I work at a very small school the teachers have to do things that are done by administrative personell at bigger schools, but usually things get a bit more mellow when we head into the third or fourth week so I'll just have to hang on until then. I also managed, for the third year in a row, to get a cold one week after the kids started. I had a sore throat on Friday and this weekend I've mainly been lying in the sofa, watching movies. I also have to admit that I'm prone to complaining when I'm ill, which my husband teases me for. I guess that's actually a good thing, having someone that (in a humorous way) will remind you of your shortcomings, it makes you aware of them so they don't take over too much :)
Since this week has been low on time and inspiration and since I was ill once I had some free time I didn't really know what to shoot at first. Then, at Saturday afternoon, I spotted some truly beautiful light coming in through the balcony door. I also spotted my new jeans hanging on the clotheshorse (I looked that word up, so I hope it's the correct one!) after I washed them and I decided to combine the two elements by dragging the clotheshorse to the balcony door. The result was a photo of my new jeans :) I personally really like the way denim looks close up, the structure of the fabric and the different tones. Maybe I was also inspired by having just watched the lastest episode of Project Runway :)
Anyway, I hope you have a lovely week!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa and Happy Week 35!
I've been thinking about you and how school is starting around the world. It makes me sort of miss the nervous excitement of heading back to school when I was young. All the new clothes, new crayons/pens/erasers, new book-bag, and often new hairstyle. =) And how by the end of the year I'd be so attached to my classroom and teacher that I'd cry on the last day, not wanting to move on. Do you have any of those? Cry babies, like me? Hehe
This week we walked to the falls with some friends and ate sea food at the restaurant there, called SeaSalt. I had a delicious craw roll. Everything about it was perfection, and I'm not just talking the craw roll, but the ice tea, the weather, the sound of the falls, and the live music playing while we sat out on the patio.
By the end we were walking home in the dark. (There was a long line waiting to order!) But that was comforting, in it's own way, walking home in the darkness. Then we sat around our fire-pit in the backyard and laughed at the dumb things we all say to entertain each other. =)
I forgot my camera on our walk to eat, but I did pick these zinnias the next day, and they do a great job representing the colors in my food. So there you go! It may not be a sandwich full of craw fish, but even if it's not as delicious, it's probably prettier. ; )
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 34

2010-08-25T15:27:00.006-05:00

Hello there Shanon!
I hope your week has been good. My week has been pretty intense, since I started working on Monday. I've been pretty wiped out during the evenings, just hanging out at home and relaxing. I have done some fun things though, two of which are shopping-related. On Wednesday we went to buy a new lamp for the livingroom. We got a really nice one the Christmas before last, but there was a problem with it so we returned it. We ended up ordering a really cool lamp that's kind of a huge purple lampshade hanging from the ceiling. I can't wait until it arrives!
Today I headed to a store nearby to check out the fall fashion. I always feel like I need some new, fun clothes to appreciate the arrival of fall. That way I can trick myself into forgetting that I'm sad that summer is taking its leave. I found lots of nice things in the store, almost more than I could carry to the dressing room. In the end I bought like two pairs of pants, a skirt and some tops. Now I can't wait for it to get a bit cooler so I can start bundle up :)
My postcard this week is of a pretty little thing I bought in Stockholm last week. I found it in a store that was basically my idea of heaven, lots of fun colourful things :) I'm not exactly sure what we're going to use it for yet (but that hasn't stopped anyone from buying something, right?). It can either be for salt or sugar or something else that (preferably) starts with an "s" and that you can sprinkle :)
Happy week 34!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
I hope your August has been going great!
This week my sister flew in from San Diego for a visit. We went out for sushi-- but of course I picked a place I'd never been to before and we drove around for ages looking for it! Then we went to a Twins game (The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team. The "Twins" stands for the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, that are separated by the Mississippi river.) in their new stadium, which was great. The food was good too!
A few days later we hung out at the lake. My favorite place is laying at the end of the dock, with my feet in the water, looking up at the clouds. My dad said he wants to put a bench in down there, but if it interferes with my laying around, then I'm opposed to it! =P
The next day I shot my cousin's high school graduation pics. I've actually never done such a thing, so I was nervous, but I did a lot of planning, scouting, etc. and she was a pro! It would be hard to mess up any shot that included her blue eyes and perfect smile. ; )
How is it that August is almost over? So crazy.
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 33

2010-08-16T20:25:00.003-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope you've had a great week! Mine has been fun but very intense, it involved travelling over 2100 kilometres (which is over 1300 miles). We left on Wednesday morning and drove to my mom's and her husband's place. It wasn't in the original plan to go there, but it was very nice all the same. She lives about 560 kilometres (350 miles) sout of us, which means that the weather was much warmer than here. The downside to living in the north of Sweden is that summer starts later and ends faster than in the south, I'd say the difference is a couple of weeks both in the beginning and the end which makes a big difference. Anyway, we left a kind of cool Umeå and arrived in the evening to a warm and pleasant Falun. We ate pizza in their greenhouse and talked about how much they had done in their garden make-over since we left them after our last visit, and it was all very cozy.
The day after that we left for Stockholm. On the way there I saw a traffic sign that informed us about an upcoming resting place called "The dala horse". I knew I had to check that one out so I made Martin head off the freeway and as I suspected there was an enormous dala horse on the resting place. I actually googled it just now, and this one is apparently the worlds largest dala horse - it's 13 metres high! I felt like a real tourist when I snapped shots of it, but I thought I had to show it to you :) We did lots more this week like going shopping in extremely hot weather and go to my cousins wedding (plus riding in the car a lot), but I'll tell you more about that another time :)
Take care!
xoxo
Moa

Hello lovely Moa!
My postcard is going to be short and sweet this week. My weekend dufflebag. =)
We drove out of town to see our new nephew, Jacob. Ben's sister had her second baby, a son, so clearly we needed to check him out! Hehe
On our way back home, even though it was super windy, we decided to stop at the lake to see my family. Even windy days are good at the lake! =) The waves were crashing over the dock and so we stayed inside and played a few quick hands of cards. Of course we took off once I was winning. Hah!
Lots of hugs to you!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 32

2010-08-09T07:15:00.000-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I had the exact same feeling as last week when I was sitting down to write this postcard: what on earth have I been doing this week?! After thinking about it I've been able to recall a few things, but somehow the days have just flown into eachother :)
After a few days of rainy weather we had some sunshine on Thursday and we decided to hit the beach. We drove off to a beach that is about a 30 minute drive away from our home. Last time we went there the whole place was covered in a thick fog when we arrived and we had to turn the car around and go someplace else (losing lots of valuable tanning/bathing time!). This time we had been there for an hour or two when the exact same thing happened. I got very annoyed and decided never to go back to this particular beach, even though it was a very cozy place. On the way home we stopped at a lake, but it just wasn't warm enough to be a perfect beach-day so we went home instead.
I'm beginning to feel that there won't be anymore lazy days at the beach this summer. I always feel a bit melancholy at the end of summer when the weather gets a bit cooler and school and work starts up again. I always want to hang on to the feelings and the memories of those warm, sunny days when you're free and can do whatever you feel like. Some people love the freshness of everything starting up and being new, but I'm more prone to wanting to freeze time at its best :) I try to motivate myself by thinking about the cozy aspects of autumn, like lighting candles and taking long walks among yellow and orange forests but I haven't managed to feel motivated yet... :) One thing that I've already gotten some use for, due to the cooler nights, is the quilt that you can see on my postcard. We bought it earlier this summer in a little boutique in the town where my mom lives. I had seen that exact quilt many months ago here in Umeå, but only a full size one for a bed, and fell completely in love with it. They were going to order the smaller one, but when it came it was the wrong one. After searching through every interior decorating store that I've passed, plus the ones online I had almost given up hope when I suddenly stumbled upon it and you can imagine the happiness I felt! :) That pretty quilt is the one thing that can make me feel that the slow approach of autumn isn't so horrible... :)
I wish you a happy week 32!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
I hope the first week of August treated you well!
When summer rolls into it's last month, it lights a fire under me to get certain things done while there's still time. This week I drove up north to visit a friend that I've known since 1st grade. It was very spur of the moment-- I think I gave her two days notice!
I think we talked NONSTOP. =)
We went out to eat at a place neither of us had been before and indulged in cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon among other things at a place in Duluth called the Zeitgeist Arts Cafe. The next day we headed back into town for lunch at a familiar place called Sara's Table (but back in the day, it was a market and butcher called Taryn's) and had all kinds of good treats including an apricot chicken salad sandwich and sweet potato fries. Yum!
Before the short visit came to an end we made a trip through a vintage shop where I picked up this handkerchief. I passed up a typewriter, a milk bottle, and a big metal fan. I figured there will come a day for those things. A simple hankie would do. =)
It was a wonderful time and on my way home I was overcome with happiness. It pays to take advantage of these last weeks of summer and do something out of the ordinary!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 31

2010-08-02T11:54:00.005-05:00

Hi Shanon!
I hope you're doing great over in Minnesota! This week I actually had difficulty choosing what postcard to send you, since we've done so many fun things :) That's a luxurious problem though, don't you agree? :) In the end I decided to send you this one of a bowl full of red currant. Martin and I were heading home from our closest little grocery store the other night when I discovered that we have bushes of red currant on the common of our housing cooperative. Since we own our apartment I figured we owned part of the bushes too, so we rushed up and got a bowl and some scissors. In about 10 minutes we had picked berries enough to fill the entire bowl, and I was really happy about that since I love red currant. Martin spotted a bush of white currant as well, and while I removed all the twigs and such he went out and picked a little bowl full of that. Red and white currant reminds me so much of my late grandparents' place. We used to visit them in the summer when I was a kid and they had several bushes of red, white and black currant. My sister and I used to pick berries and eat straight from the bush and I thought it tasted so good (only the red and white though, I don't like eating the black ones "raw"). My grandmother had a horseshoe-shaped flowerbed filled with lots of pretty flowers and I think that's where my love for peonies began... :)
Some of the other things we've been doing this week is playing with a lovely puppy and going out by boat to a very pretty island in the archipelago, but I'll tell you more about that some other time :)
Have a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Moa!
I'm writing this postcard in a sleepy haze after the art festival this past weekend. I spent all last week in mad preparation for an art show/music festival in a park here in Minneapolis. It was in a neat neighborhood full of great brick buildings and loaded with trees. I always over prepare, and have way more than I need of everything. That even includes the drinks and food I stashed in a cooler to get my through the two days!
Thankfully it was only a tad hot, but no rain! Our tables were under a tent, but our chairs didn't quite fit, so we hung out behind it on a big rug with pink folding chairs. I moved my chair around all afternoon trying to keep myself in the pieces of shade from the trees. =)
I had to get a shot of the bunting I used to decorate our tent. The trees supplied great bokeh for you in the background, and the blue structure coming up from the bottom is actually the tops of a playground that was behind us. We were entertained by little kids all weekend. There was one little girl in a bumble bee dress. You would have loved it! I wish I could have snapped a shot of that. =)
As we say good bye to July, I'm wishing you a happy August!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 30

2010-07-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

Hi there Shanon!
How are things with you? I'm hoping you're having a great summer. Here in Sweden we've had really amazing weather so far. It's just this past week where the skies have been increasingly cloudy and yesterday we had lots and lots of rain. However it's supposed to get better in just a day or two so I'm not too concerned about that :)
This was one of those weeks where I had to really concentrate to remember what we've been doing, the days have gotten so blurred together :) It's been a really nice week though, no hanging out at the beach (unfortunately) but we've seen lots of friends and that's great too. On Tuesday evening I had a very good friend over for a visit, which was so much fun. We drank tea and watched The Midsomer Murders, I don't know if it's airing in the US but it's a British series of crime movies that airs every summer in Sweden and it's very popular. The last couple of weeks I've watched that show on Tuesday evenings and then Miss Marple has aired on Wednesdays, so it's been a good summer for those of us who love cozy detective stories :)
Another thing that we've been doing this week is making lattes at home. We usually drink coffee after lunch, made with newly ground beans, but now Martin had bought some espresso beans so we tried them as well. It's so delicious, especially accompanied by dark chocolate... Yum! I'm making myself long for a latte just by writing about it, haha :)
I hope you have a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Dear Moa!
I hope you had a splendid week. =)
I did something a little abnormal, but totally necessary. I took off work to drive out of the cities to see my grandma and her sisters. We had a picnic at the lake where my grandma has a huge camper. I don't know if they are popular in Sweden, but campsites in Minnesota are filled with "5th wheel" campers that are like mobile homes! My brother and his wife, my mom and dad, two of my aunts, and some cousins were also there. But the guests of honor were my two great aunts, Rosie and Mary. Rosie lives with my great uncle in California and we spent many times with them when we lived in Monterey. I learned to use chopsticks with her family one night. When I think of Mary, I think the house she and her husband lived in when I was young. It was the fanciest house I had ever seen, with a path leading down to a pool that was inside a structure that seemed like a greenhouse.
While I was home my grandma had me pick out a silver and turquoise bracelet she had made. Her inspiration was Arizona, where she lives with my grandpa during the winter. She's always making something. I think I get that from her!
We ate lots of food, drank some wine, and just generally loved each other up! =) I turned out to be the last one to leave because I just wanted to soak up as much of them as I could. It was splendid. And before the sun set, I trekked to the entry of the campground to get this shot for you. A canoe full of flowers? But of course! =) Looking forward to your postcard and hope your summer is going swell.
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 29

2010-07-19T08:28:00.000-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope you've had a good week! We went home from my dad's on Monday and on Tuesday it was time to celebrate my father-in-law's 60th birthday. All the family on Martin's side were there and he'd decided that he wanted to celebrate it at a place called Älgens hus, which means The moose's house. As you can understand it was all about mooses, we even got to pet baby mooses :) It was so funny, because there were some Americans there too, and that made me think of you :) It was an older couple and to me it was so funny to hear their heavy American accents in the middle of the woods in the Swedish countryside :)
My postcard this week is from a lovely mansion that we visited yesterday. I got very bored yesterday afternoon (something that almost never happens to me, after all there are so many fun things to do :)) and went into the bedroom where Martin was playing Nintendo Wii. I lightly smacked him on his foot (it wasn't hard, I promise :)) with a magazine to get his attention and said that I wanted to do something or go somewhere. After a while he came around from his Wii-world and suggested that we go to this place. It's a very pretty mansion where they serve food and baked goods and it's right by the sea. We walked around there for a while and I took some shots but we didn't stay since none of us were hungry. I was also feeling a bit under-dressed. Not that there was a dress code there, but I just had on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt which isn't how I like to dress when I go to a mansion :) Martin thought I was silly, he said that there were other people there that were more under-dressed than me but you know how it is - if it doesn't feel right you're just not comfortable. But we'll go back there soon, and then I'll be more fancy :)
Have a great week!
xoxo
Moa
Hiya Moa!
I hope you had a pleasant week!
This week I walked to the post office under fear of rain, so I thought I'd shoot my umbrella for you. We had really bad weather throughout the state on Saturday night too, so it really does sum up the week.
Other than that, I spent the week preparing for an art fair that I have coming up. I'm nervous because I've not done and outdoor show before-- I'm worried about bad weather! I suppose the worst thing would be that all my prints would blow away in the wind or be rained on. Neither would end in death, so I should just not stress it...
In other news, I had a particularly nice Thursday. I drove a bunch of pieces out to a shop, someplace I'd never been, and it wound up taking me an hour to get there. That doesn't really sound nice, but on my way home, since I was dressed up (dressed up more than normal anyhow!) I decided to reward myself by stopping off at Anthropologie to pick up some sample knobs for the kitchen and while I was in that neighborhood I stopped at a restaurant for a quick bite as well. Eating my sushi out on their sidewalk tables, on a gorgeous evening all by my self, was heavenly. I was lost in thought until a lady with a labradoodle walked by. I'm not a big dog person myself, but those guys really pull at me. I think they are too sweet to be true! Argh, so cute! =)
So that was my week. I'm looking forward to your postcard dear!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 28

2010-07-12T12:45:00.001-05:00

Hi Shanon!
Happy week 28! I hope you're having a lovely summer so far. We left my mother's place on Tuesday, spent Wednesday and Thursday doing laundry plus organizing stuff in our apartment. On the way home from mom we stopped at IKEA and bought a whole lot of things. Martin said before that his goal was that we would be out of there within an hour and that we should spend less than a thousand Swedish crowns, which is about $130. None of that happened, we spent more than two hours there and bought a lot more stuff than we had planned. But all of it were good and needed things, that's the story I'm sticking to :) Among other things we bought a long pile rug, which is really cozy and I love burrowing my toes in it :)
On Friday we went to my dad's place. Since we got here we've had really lovely summer weather. Today we visited a fort in a neighbour town, which was very interesting. Afterwards we went to a super cozy coffee shop in the middle of nowhere. It was such a lovely place, like a big garden with a blossoming meadow right by. My postcard for this week shows a dessert we ate earlier this evening, it's a raspberry fromage cake that was super yummy. I love how deliciously pink it is too :) Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a picnic by the sea, if the weather allows it - I'm keeping my fingers crossed! :)
Hope you'll have a lovely week!
xoxo
Moa

Hi there Moa!
I hope you had a pleasant summer week in Sweden. We've been having rain, followed by sun, followed by rain, followed by sun. The result is that my flowerbeds are bursting. I thought I'd better finally share a shot of them for my postcard. Well, that and I worked a lot during the week, so I don't have much else exciting to share. ; )
I've been really happy that my red echinacea and white phlox are blooming. The red echinacea is named Tomato Soup, which makes me laugh. I planted it last fall, so it's the first time I've gotten to see it in full bloom. It's a really deep bright red, completely unlike the pink echinacea that is so common.
I'm especially excited about the phlox because it is very fragrant, and I love the scent. You can smell it from around the corner! I'm also happy because last year I planted some zinnia seeds near it, which grew taller than I though, and crowded out the plant, so I didn't get to enjoy as much. It was hard to find it in there!
We sat in the backyard this week and planned where to put in another flowerbed this fall, as well as which plants will need dividing. It's hard to imagine that when we moved in there were zero flowerbeds here. I wish I could invite you over for lazy afternoon of chatting and shooting flowers! =)
Wishing you another great week!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 27

2010-07-05T14:36:00.004-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope you are well and that you've had a lovely 4th of July weekend! I travelled to my mom on Monday and I've had a lovely time here all week. The weather has been so warm and sunny that I had to go sit in the basement once to get a bit cooler :) We've done lots of fun things here, like going out for coffee, shopping in interior decorating stores and shopping flowers for my mom's garden. They're re-doing their entire yard and they've put up a conservatory with some patio furniture where we've eaten breakfast many mornings. When I sit out there, sipping coffee, I really feel that that's life :)
Yesterday Martin and I went to an old manor house with a baroque garden with fruit trees. They have a really nice coffee shop there, but it was so incredibly hot (+30 C) that we left as soon as I'd shot some photos :) I thought of you when I was there, I think you would really like it! My postcard shows part of the orchard and one of the old houses on the premises. To me this is about as idyllic as it gets :)
Now I'm off to look at a movie with my family! :)
Have a lovely week, my friend!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope you had a wonderful week!
This week we were suppose to go to the U2 concert here in the new football stadium (the Gophers' stadium) but a month or so ago Bono had a surgery, and the concert has been postponed. So no postcard pic of that! =)
(Now that I think about it, that concert was scheduled for a Sunday, so it would have been last week's postcard. That's the thing about summer, the weeks run together!)
On to this week then...
After 2 weeks of side pains (I can't believe it's been a year since that surgery! And a whole year since your lovely get well package! ) I was back to running again. I need some new running shoes, mine are worn down so far it's probably a hazard. Haha I so love going to the lake to run. That's the thing about Minnesota, there are lakes everywhere. Is Sweden like that?
I see everyone else wearing ipods while they walk or run around the lake, but I love hearing the birds, the waves, and the wind through the trees. I even enjoy catching pieces of conversation from other people. (I don't enjoy the people who walk and talk on the cell phones. That is unbelievable weird and annoying! But I digress.) Then we headed out of town for 5 days. It was the 4th of July weekend here, plus our anniversary also falls on the 4th, (Long story why! It's kind of a pain that it's the same day. I wouldn't recommend it.) so we spent the weekend in the country. I think laying on the dock with the waves splashing around us was the main activity on our anniversary. It was incredibly windy all weekend, but nice just the same at the lake. Watching the sunset, and the fireworks start up all along the shore was wonderful. (Except when we were driven inside by mosquitoes! It was a major attack! Hahaha)
It was all just really nice. What summer should be.
My postcard this week is of the sun streaming in at the cabin on Friday. I was making a sweet potato salad and had to grab the camera quick when the light starting dancing on the walls and floor. I thought you might like it. =)
Here's to another wonderful summer week ahead my friend!
xoxo,
Shanon
p.s. I apologize for my bad writing style. I put so much in parentheses because I think too fast while I write. And I just write quite poorly in general. It probably does your head in to translate/understand me, especially on days like today! Sorry!

Week 26

2010-06-28T00:15:00.001-05:00

Hello Shanon!
Happy week 26! Can you believe we're already halfway through this year?! I know I can't :)
On Friday we celebrated Midsummer's Eve here in Sweden. There are many traditions associated with this holiday, like dancing around a leaf-clad pole while singing songs about little frogs. You can also pick seven kinds of flowers and put them under your pillow - this is supposed to make you dream about your future love. I think I only did that once when I was a kid, but my mom made me put the flowers in a plastic bag so they wouldn't smudge the sheets. That must be why I didn't dream about anyone :) I haven't actually danced around the midsummer's pole for years, usually we just celebrate by meeting up with friends and having a good dinner. This holiday is actually very much about everything that is quintessentially Swedish, like flower wreaths in the hair and red cottages with white trims. The cottages should ideally be located either on the countryside with meadows nearby or in the archipelago near the water. A Swedish beer brand made a tv-commercial many years ago that really sums it all up (except that it's very beer oriented of course), if you search for "Reklamfilm Pripps blå #3" on youtube you will see what I mean :)
This year we spent the holiday with a dear friend of mine and her baby (her husband unfortunately had to work all night so he couldn't be with us). We had a lovely dinner and played lots with her cute baby and I was so proud when I managed to put him to sleep all by myself. I took some shots of the lovely food and dessert that we ate, but none were any good, so I decided to share this one instead. We brought her some mums and these were the "baby mums" that originally grew on the stems, we cut them off and put them in a little vase of their own. It's a lucky thing that my friend and I have already found our dream husbands, seeing as we only managed to scrape together one kind of flower :)
Have a great week my friend!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
Happy week 26!
This was an unusually busy week for me. So often I spend the week working on photography and then on household things like painting the kitchen or gardening (as well as working my retail job of course!) that I usually don't find much time to see friends. This week was packed with people however. So much so, that one day I was called into work unexpectedly, and by the time I got home I was so tired I had to cancel on one lovely friend. Luckily, she and I will get together soon to make up for it.
I spent time with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who came to town and asked me to come along for some shopping. (I'll walk around Ikea anytime!) Next my husband and I got together with a long-lost high school classmate of his, whose wife actually contacted me on Etsy, not knowing that our husbands grew up together. (Small world!) And then I spent one morning with some girl friends and their kids at a playground. Even though I'm the kidless one there, it's really nice to just have the time to chat without it being a big "to-do." And their kids are so funny! (I laugh at things I probably shouldn't, but I can't help it!)
So, on to the postcard. I wanted to either shoot the daisies that are beginning to bloom, or the multitude of snapdragons that I planted over the weekend. But it rained so hard that the thought of the garden put me in a bad mood. Everything is weather beaten and worn. So I thought some of the treats we picked up at the farmers' market would make a great postcard. All the red makes me happy, and they are some of my favorites. Now that I think about it, I could have included some raspberries as well, but they don't last long in this house. We ate them too fast!
Happy halfway through, Moa! It's been a blast, I can't believe we are heading into the 2nd half. So crazy!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 25

2010-06-21T11:49:00.001-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope your week has been good! I finally got my summer vacation this Thursday when I had completed the workday, and it feels very nice. It's actually a bit difficult to fully grasp, since we worked so hard on our last week of work. I haven't got that real summer holiday feeling yet, but it'll come once I've been home for a little while. What would also help is if the sun would show itself instead of hide behind dark clouds! :) The last couple of days it's mostly been raining like crazy...
On Friday we were going to some dear friends for dinner and on the way there we stopped at a garden centre to get some flowers for them. As I can rarely just buy what I'm supposed to and then get out of the store, I decided to buy this lovely flower for ourselves. It's a type of lavender that's called butterfly lavender in Swedish, but I couldn't find an exact translation in English. I think it does look kind of like a butterfly too, the petals on top look a bit like wings to me :) I'm just saying this because a lot of the time I can't really find connections between names and what flowers or other things look like :) Anyway, back to the garden centre! When we got to the store it was raining so much that I made Martin drive to the entrance so I could run inside with the speed of the wind. While I was inside I happened to run into a very dear friend who was also there shopping and she'd actually bought the exact same flower that I had found, just a little bonus information :) Together we rushed out to our separate cars, but I felt sorry for her because she had bought more flowers plus some bags of soil too so she couldn't just fling herself into the dry comfort of her car :) I have to clarify that I actually volunteered to help her, but she said she could make it on her own :)
Here's to a new week of sunshine and warmth!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Dear Moa!
I hope you had a lovely week.
This week I met a new friend and we took a walk around the lake near my house. Walking around the lake discussing design, travel, life, and art. I felt like I exercised my brain as well as my legs. It was outstanding!
Then for the weekend we left the city to go out to my parents' cabin for Father's Day. There is not much that is more relaxing than listening to the waves and the birds, sitting around in lawn chairs, soaking up the sun. This postcard is the view I enjoyed there, while reading a marvelous book. I don't know why I hadn't read it before, but I can now say that East of Eden is my favorite book ever. It's such a sweeping story of family, of the desire to be loved, and of the struggle to make peace with our faults and failures. I know you really enjoy the romance of the Brontes, but if you'd like to read some Steinbeck, I would recommend it. (Also, it's lots less depressing then some of his other works i.e. The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men! Haha) To be honest, I sobbed at the end. =)
Wishing you a wonderful week. And here's to lakes and literature!
=)
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 24

2010-06-14T08:30:00.001-05:00

Hi Shanon!
How has your week been? I've had a very intense week to say the least, but it's been a good one all the same. All the pupils came back from their trip to Europe and were back at school on Tuesday, so then things were back to normal - meaning lots of hustle and bustle going on :) But it was very fun to see everyone again, even though I really enjoyed only having one pupil :) On Wednesday we had a sports day where all the kids in the school (aged 6-16) played a sport that is similar to baseball, but the rules are much simpler. We had lots of fun, even though it rained after lunch when the winning team met the teachers. We won by the way, which made lots of the kids kind of grumpy :) On Thursday evening it was time for the end of term celebration and it was very emotional to say goodbye to the ones that will move on to high school. One of the girls held a speach and she started crying a bit - I'm not ashamed to say that I teared up too... But hopefully they'll come back to visit some time. Since we're such a small school (only about 40 pupils) we're like a big family in many ways... Now I'm just longing for my own summer holiday, which starts on Friday. It's going to be SO nice to have some time off when I can just relax, work a bit with some projects for our home and just have fun.
Speaking of fun: we had my sister and her husband over for dinner on Friday. We ate delicious food and played Mah-jong until late in the evening. She also brought some knitting needles that she didn't need. One of them was a circular knitting needle, that she'd tied together with a rubber band so that it looked like a heart. I couldn't help taking a shot of this and I liked how it turned out. I dedicate this shot to my knitting crazy sister :)
All the best to you and I hope that week 24 will bring many pleasant things! :)
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope you had a great week!
My delphinium was in full bloom this week, but unfortunately it's been rainy. They are tall and delicate, so they don't hold up well to storms. This just means that I've been enjoying the stems inside this year. I have to pull of many petals to actually get the stem into a vase, but I can't throw them away, so there are bowls of them around the house as well. Since taking this picture in fact, there are even more!
I also spent a rainy Saturday going to a cousin's graduation. My parents stopped to pick me up on their way, so that was interesting riding in the back seat like a kid. Only I think I was MUCH better company now than when I was younger! =) Ben stayed home to watch the US play in the World Cup, but once we returned we all went out for Mexican food at the little place in our neighborhood. While we were there I was explaining to my parents why I like drinking the Mexican beer, Pacifico, with Mexican food. My mom out of the blue said "Mexican beer would NOT go well with Swedish meatballs!" I think I about died laughing at that. It's probably a true statement, but I was not expecting to hear it! Hahaha
I spent another rainy day on Sunday, in bed, with books and magazines and movies. I also spent it napping and eating cherries and walnuts. Things that all seemed strangely decadent, but it's hard to be motivated after so many days of rain. I know I'm lucky to enjoy such a lazy day.
Here's wishing us both sunshine!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 23

2010-06-07T15:04:00.003-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope all is well with you! I've had a busy week with lots of things happening. One day after work I went to a garden center and bought some plants for our balcony. I even bought three tiny strawberry plants that I'm hoping will give some berries, although I have a feeling we'll just have to buy strawberries if we want more than one every now and then :) The most fun thing, however, was my sister's graduation from med-school that took place on Saturday. We actually celebrated her all weekend long and it was very nice. I'm so proud of what she's accomplished! :)
From one thing to another. I had thought about yet another flower shot for this weeks postcard, but then I thought that it might be fun to mix things up a bit. Instead of some pretty lilacs, I shot my new blusher :) I have a favourite brand called Make up Store, a Swedish brand that has stores all over the world (at least I think so). They're a bit pricier than the usual brands like Maybelline and L'Oreal but the quality is often much better too. I used to have a good blusher from Maybelline, but they cancelled my colour so I had to try another one. The colour that I got looked good in the box, but it was hardly visible on the cheek so I had to use lots of it for any effect at all. Last week I got tired of that and walked into a Make up Store to see if they had anything good to offer. The saleswoman helped me find a pretty colour (that was actually very similar to the other one) and the difference was enormous. With this blusher I only have to dab the brush into the blusher and then I get a perfect blush on the cheeks. And since I'm so in love with it I decided to share my discovery :) Also, the colour is called Sugar spice which I think sounds very pretty :)
That's all from me. Hope you have a happy week 23!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Moa!
Happy week 23!
This week I made some cookies that I meant to make over Memorial Weekend, but never found the time to get one of the ingredients. (This always seems to happen to me when I try to make something when we are out of town. I need my own kitchen, I guess!) They are rosemary shortbread cookies. I used rosemary from my own garden, which smells incredible. It's unexpected and makes for a savory cookie, not quite sweet but really good.
The light was interesting when I shot this postcard for you. We had just returned from visiting our friends and their new baby Stella, and I knew I had to get this shot done before I had to run in to work for a few hours. It was a strange and stormy day. The light in this reminds of the big mountainous clouds.
Oh! Not really on the same topic as cookies or clouds, but I have to share this... the little baby was fussy and crying as soon as I started holding her, but after rocking her a short time, she soon fell asleep and even though she was really tiny, I swear I could feel her breathing change into that deep restful in and out. I was so proud of myself! =) It cracks me up that I find this important enough to share in my postcard to you. But doesn't it feel like an accomplishment when something like that happens?
And while I'm being completely random... on Saturday night I walked my first red carpet. LoL I went with my friend to a bash at the hair salon she goes to, and they actually had a red carpet with a photographer. I didn't know that we'd be going to it, so I was so under-dressed. I think I could even hear the photographer delete the photo after she took it! How funny!!! =)
Wishing you a great week with lots of fun random surprises!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 22

2010-06-01T08:03:00.001-05:00

Hi Shanon!
Happy week 22! :)
This week's postcard is something as unusual as a sporty postcard, as I took a shot of my brand new sneakers, that I bought yesterday :) They were kind of a surprise buy, since I had a cute pair of Nike sneakers from last year that were white with a pink swoosh. The thing was that I had started to feel a wet sensation when it rained, but I shrugged it off as being imagination. Last week, however, I really felt that one of my feet was wet and as I looked closer I noticed that there was a split in one sole. I was really disappointed since I felt that they were really "me". I'm not much for sporty outfits and those sneakers were perfect since they went well with my work outfits. My husband returned them to the store and got all the money back (he had an errand there anyway, but I was secretly happy that I didn't have to do it as I'm kind of bad at complaining about these types of things - especially when it's been a year), so I could buy a new pair. After experiencing the exact same thing this year - that almost all sneakers are too sporty-looking for me - I found these that were great.
As you can tell not much has been going on this week, since the most interesting thing I have to tell is that I bought a pair of sneakers :) My work has been really relaxed since all the kids but one in the junior high class that I teach are away on a two week long bus trip through Europe. I had the chance to go with them, but since I value comfort and calm I don't think it's something that would work very well for me. These trips tend to be very hectic, intense and sleep-deprived :) Talking about it with Martin has however made us dream about going on a trip of our own, but we'll see when that might be :)
I hope you will have a sunny week!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope you had a great week and weekend!
I'd tell you about the week, but I can't quite remember it now. The weekend was too full! We went out of town for the long holiday weekend here. It was Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is a day to remember fallen soldiers and it is celebrated on a Monday, making it a three day weekend for most people. We left the city on Friday afternoon and since we are from about the same area, we can see all our relatives in one visit. There was lots of golfing and swimming in the pool at Ben's parents house. (Sitting near it for me. I hate swimsuits, yikes!) And we also spent a long day at my parents' cabin, playing yard games, eating, and cooling off in the lake. We also played a few card games. Awwwh, card games on a picnic table. That's so summer at the lake to me. =) We got in a nice evening with my good friend at her parents' house (it's all about "the parents' house" when you go visit back home, since none of us live there anymore! haha) and we also visited my grandparents and saw some of my aunts and uncles. It was a FULL weekend!
I remember several summers when I did all this, hanging out with both of our families, by myself because Ben was deployed. I'm so lucky that his time in the service was a safe one and he finished it up and now gets to spend these holidays with us. I wish that for everyone serving right now. That one day they can come home and have their deployment a distant memory and just play card games on a lake on a warm holiday weekend in May.
See you in week 23!
=)
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 21

2010-05-24T07:52:00.000-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope you've had a lovely week! We've had a really warm and sunny week, which has of course been lovely. I realized however that there was still a bit of "can this really be true" going on in my mind. Even though the thermometer showed relatively warm weather at 7 am and the forecast had predicted that it would be a warm day, I was still hesitant to wear the really summer-like clothes. This resulted in me being super hot (as in sweaty, not good looking!) two of the days, which was not pleasant, let me tell you. I have some sort of strange fear when it comes to walking around in clothes that look like they're too summery when everyone else is wearing weather appropriate garments.
Due to the warm weather flowers and trees are blossoming everywhere. The other day when Martin and I took an evening walk I suddenly felt a familiar smell, and when I looked around I saw a bird-cherry that was springing into bloom. Apart from lilacs, bird-cherries are my favourite bushes/trees, they have that lovely smell that makes me want to stick my head into the blossoms and keep sniffing. My postcard this week is of a tree with pretty pink blossoms that's growing just outside our apartment building. I don't know what kind it is, it may very well be a pink variety of bird-cherry, but it hardly smelled anything. Anyway, with these pretty blossoms I want to wish you a happy week 21 - let's hope it's a good one!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope you had a wonderful week! I bet you are super busy with "end of the year" teacher duties, but with all luck I will receive a postcard from you. =)
This week we began the task of painting all the trim and all the cupboards (and drawers) in our kitchen. It was an unpleasant wood stain color before and just made the room dark and dreary. Ben's mom was here a few days to help me, she has lots of experience doing this sort of thing. And it just wouldn't be a very fun thing to do alone. (We painted while Ben was a work. He really would be no help anyhow. I wouldn't trust him! Haha)
Unfortunately I'm not done. After the coat of primer and first coat of paint it became incredibly humid here. I just don't feel right continuing when the weather is so gross. It probably only means that everything would just take twice as long to dry, but I don't feel like tempting fate. Considering the last coat will take 7 days to cure, I don't want to do anything that will mess things up. It's expensive fancy oil based kitchen paint and I hate sanding. So for those reasons I'm just going to wait until this weather passes.
On a positive note, the weather has been great for our garden. Our flowers are growing like crazy. The clematis vines are to the roof of our garage, the peonies are starting to open, and the irises are out of control! Haha It was too windy this weekend and several large stalks from an iris called "Perpetual Joy" broke off. They were about chest high on me, so quite tall for irises, and they just couldn't handle the wind. But now I get to have them in the house, which I wouldn't have done if it weren't for them breaking. So, it's been really nice. I thought they'd make a nice postcard to you, with a hint our painted kitchen trim. =)
Wishing you "Perpetual Joy"!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 20

2010-05-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

Hi Shanon!
Happy week 20! Can you believe we'll be halfway with this project in a couple of (or six) weeks?!
I have to start by telling you about the amazing changes in weather here: we're having summer right now! All of a sudden the weather snapped and it's been around +23C (73F) for several days. Needless to say I'm super happy about it! :) It's amazing how everything has just sprung into action in the nature too, all the leaves have burst out in just a few days... Between the sunshine and warmth, however, we've had thunderstorms and heavy rain, so the weather has been acting out so to speak :)
On Thursday evening we had my sister and her husband here for some dinner and mah-jong. It's just lately that I've been "bitten" by mah-jong and I find it very entertaining. The weather was just starting to get warm that night so we had the door to the balcony open and enjoyed the mild breezes while playing the game (and having chocolate cake, fresh pineapple and tea). We all got the feeling of warm summer evenings and the thunderstorm that night reminded us of a particularly extreme one that took place about 15 years ago. It was just one of those lovely evenings that makes your heart warm. This weekend has been really lovely, it's almost been like summer in miniature: everyone is free from work and the weather is perfect. The downside is that it'll probably swing back to +10C really soon, but I'm going to enjoy the warmth as long as I can! :)
Hope your week will be sunny and delightful!
xoxo
Moa
PS. This weeks postcard is from one of the sunsets this week. I stood on the balcony and enjoyed it. Even though the setting isn't the most ideal with the ugly office building, I think the amazing sky makes up for that :) DS.

Hello Moa!
First of all, I didn't expect that I'd have another postcard that involved shoes! Haha But I thought you'd like to see my sweater and round-toed buckle shoes that I wore on our date night this past week. They have a really high (but thicker) heel, and I was wearing tights so my feet kept sliding forward in them. I felt rather Cinderella-ish, because I kept feeling like I was going to step right out of one. =) (That's a nice way to put it, right? Instead of, "Argh, they were so annoying!)
Anyways, back to our date night. A week or so ago we decided to get tickets to see the musical South Pacific as it stopped on it's tour here in town. I'm fortunate that Ben likes doing this sort of thing. I think his mom introduced him to the theatre when he was young, so he's probably seen more shows then I have! It's nice to be able to dress up and go out on the town, even on a random Wednesday. =) We went to our favorite sushi place in St. Paul called Sakura, which just so happens to be in walking distance to the Ordway, where we saw the show. It was raining that day, so I had a black umbrella with multi-colored polka dots. It stopped raining while we were eating however, so I didn't get to walk romantically to the theatre under it, but it was better on the hair-do that way!
Since we were rushed that night, I took the shot for the postcard on Sunday. The weekend weather was a different story-- gloriously warm and sunny!
Happy week 20 Moa! It's been 20 weeks of gorgeous postcards from you. I can't wait for more!
Xoxo,
Shanon

Week 19

2010-05-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hello Shanon!
Today you're getting a glimpse of our new living room curtains. I bought them on Saturday when I was walking all across town in search of the perfect handbag. I didn't find a bag, but at least I got some pretty white curtains. I always love thin and airy curtains that sway in the breeze from the open balcony door, there is just something so soothing about the soft swooshing of the fabric.
My search for the perfect handbag, on the other hand, was a huge fiasco. I ordered a leather handbag online a couple of weeks ago, that I had been admiring for months and that I was sure would be perfect. It cost a lot more than I usually spend on bags but I SO wanted it. When it arrived I was very disappointed, the colour wasn't a pretty brown but a very reddish brown that I didn't like at all plus the leather felt dry and sad. I sent it back and thought that I would try my luck in the stores in Umeå instead. I walked around for about two hours yesterday (in unusually hot weather), visiting every single store that sold bags, without finding anything good. I had no problem finding nice handbags in synthetic materials, but I really wanted a genuine leather bag this time. I did find one great bag, but it was about double my budget so that didn't help at all. It just made me think about the fact that ordering online can be a great thing when it comes to certain things, but it can be difficult with clothes and things like that. It makes you realize that such a big part of liking a sweater or a bag is that it feels right when you hold it - not to mention how distorted colour information can get before it reaches your eyes! Well, I'm just hoping that when I try again in a couple of weeks either the stores will have gotten some new bags or that super nice and expensive one will be on sale :) Well, that's enough about my shopping adventures and mishaps...
Have a happy week 19!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
This week we had some nutty weather, but I'm gonna concentrate on the beginning of the week when I finally got over to the lake to exercise. I'm terrible at running, in fact I can probably walk faster than I run! But it was so nice to do whatever you call what I do around a tree lined lake. I shot my postcard for you after my workout, as you can see, my running shoes are sneaking in the shot!
Now to the unfortunate news-- later in the week we had snow! Haha Well, not here in Minneapolis, but a few hours away up north. We did have frost, and I didn't get any of my flowers cover, so hopefully everything made it. But I thought you might enjoy hearing about it, so we can shake our heads in disbelief together. =)
So, here's to warm weather and to becoming a better runner! Okay, I'm not that excited about the running part. I just thought it might be good luck to throw that in there. ; )
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 18

2010-05-03T11:11:00.001-05:00

Hello girl!
Happy week 18! Can you believe it's finally May? I'm counting down the days and the weeks until the summer holiday now, it's 5 weeks and 3 days :) We do have a week of teacher stuff left after that, but still... summer is near!
This week was filled with work stuff and I didn't have time to do much else. We did manage to squeeze in a little trip though. My husband bought some new tyres and rims that are apparently much cooler than the ones we had. They happened to be in my hometown so we visited my dad at the same time, which was a bonus. On the way home we stopped halfway and visited some dear friends and ate pie and talked. They have a very beautiful home and it made me think about how nice it is to be inspired "live". Usually I read magazines and blogs and see lots of photos of gorgeous homes and pretty details, but it's even better to walk around in an inspiring home. It made me long even more until we buy a house of our own and can arrange things precisely as we like them. Not to mention that we'll be having a garden...
Another inspiring thing is finding pretty colour combinations around your home. The other day I found my favourite notebook lying on top of a magazine, and I so liked how the colours matched. Pink, white and turquoise - it doesn't get any better than that in my book! :)
Hope you'll have a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I had a weird predicament this week. I was lonely. Ben was out of town 3 days for work and I turned into a big baby! But isn't it nice to miss your significant other once in awhile? It's romantic in it's way. When we first got married he was in the military, and so we were apart more than we were together back during those years. I think because I couldn't indulge myself in loneliness and tears back then (cause you just can't expect to get through nearly a year being sad every day!) I think I have delayed effects from that every once in awhile now. But then he comes home and I snap out of it! =)
I thought I better get a postcard of our tulips for you before they are over for the season. The purplish ones are much more grayish blue in real life. They are so interesting! They almost look like feathers in the way that each petal has veining through it and ruffles to it's edge. And I don't remember planting the orange ones. I'll have to check my packaging from last fall, I save it especially for this sort of moment!
We are having an earlier than usual spring here, and I had planted many more tulips than ever before, so it's been a really pleasant spring. I'm wishing this for you, if spring would hurry and warm up Sweden for you!
Lot's of warm wishes to you!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 17

2010-04-26T08:53:00.002-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope you've had a great week! I've had a good week, even though I've been really tired due to a bit of illness. The best part of it was on Saturday when we went to a flower market/exhibition that was held at a high school in the area. People sold plants, trees and even potatoes and there were also some gardening companies that wanted to promote their services. As we don't have a garden we couldn't buy any of the lovely rose plants and peony plants but I really enjoyed seeing them and dreaming about the day that we can buy them! We did buy two geraniums, 3 kilos of almond potatoes and a cute little frog decoration that you can stick into a flower pot.
When we were there I took lots of photos (of course!) so I had a bit of a hard time deciding which one I should send you. In the end I chose one of a flower that was in one of the greenhouses. I thought it was really pretty, even if I'm not usually much for orange-red tones (I'm more of a pink girl as you know). Sometimes it's good to try and step outside of your regular colours :)
This week we're getting up the chairs and the table for the balcony from the basement and I can't wait to sit out there when it's a bit warmer! :)
Hope you'll have a lovely week 17, Shanon!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
This week I was thinking a lot about all the fun shops in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area that are run by small business owners. Flower shops, clothing shops, ice cream shops, and then I of course thought about bakeries! Macarons are one of those confections I've been seeing everywhere, but I've never tried. I remedied that on Wednesday by stopping at Sweets Bakeshop! Lemon Raspberry, Salted Caramel, and Banana-- oh my!
Truth be told, there is nothing in my little espresso mug in this shot, I ate them too fast to even make tea! In fact, I had to use lots of restraint to get home with them and not pull over on the river parkway and eat them among the budding trees and pretty water, but they made it back for the shot! =) If anything, this postcard project is teaching me discipline. lol
Mmmmmm... what yumminess can I shoot for next week? Well, I might learn discipline in certain respects, but if I go this route, I might also gain weight!
Lots of macaron love to you!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 16

2010-04-19T08:08:00.001-05:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope April is treating you well :) Here we've had what in Swedish is called "April weather", meaning crazy weather. We've had snow, hail, rain and stormy weather. When I looked out the window a minute ago it was raining a lot but now it stopped again... I love seeing the photos from your garden, it's such a nice substitute until we get some more flowers and grass over here :)
This week has been kind of hectic for me, with lots of things to do. We've finished the glass cabinet and actually bought a livingroom table that we're going to paint. My mom teased me the other day and said it was good that we'd gotten ourselves a car with a big luggage compartment, now that we've started a furniture business :) But we just think it's fun to find furniture that is well made and then fix them up and get pretty pieces for a fraction of the cost compared to buying them new. We also got some help from Martin's dad to put up a new cabinet and new lights in the bathroom, as a little mini-makeover. In all this I had a pretty bouquet that was forgotten on the table, even after it had wilted. But I think there is something so beautiful about wilting flowers so I shot them in the lovely sunlight as my postcard to you this week :)
Hope you'll have a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope you had a splendid week! Mine was busy, but fun. On Thursday I went to an event that is held once a month, called W7 Collective, and I knew that it would be so fun to send you a postcard of the Nelle handbags that were there. Aren't they pretty all in a big swoop together? You wouldn't believe how soft the ribbon is on them. They are handmade and are incredibly yummy. I wish I had a reason to buy one, but these days my main concern is a bag I can fit my camera into, not to mention the fact that I never go anywhere fancy! Haha Sounds like date nights need to be reinstated around here! =)
It was actually Minnesota fashion week, so there were fashion shows all around the city. I didn't make it to any, but next year I will! I watch Project Runway, that counts as credentials, right?
I'm looking forward to your postcard! Have a great week ahead!
Your fashionista friend, lol.
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 15

2010-04-12T06:30:00.003-05:00

Hello Shanon!
Happy week 15! Hope you've had a great week and that you've gotten lots of Easter candy :)
I've been on Easter holiday this week so I've enjoyed some free time. The weather has been pretty boring, mainly grey skies, so I haven't been out much. Today, on the other hand, the weather was sunny and lovely. Martin changed the tyres on the car while I painted parts of the glass cabinet and he just wore his t-shirt, it was so warm and springlike :) We've actually been painting the glass cabinet five out of seven days this week and now it's almost finished, I'm so excited about bringing it home and being able to arrange it!
We also decided to paint our smaller dalahorses white. They used to be wooden, but we thought they would look even prettier in white and that they would match the dresser better (the one we found at the recycling centre for free last fall and painted light grey). Do you see something familiar in the background? Yup, that's one of your pretty photos! :) I framed them both and placed them on the dresser in the hallway, and they look so good there :)
Take care and enjoy the flowers in your garden for me too :)
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
Happy Spring to you!
So far not very many of my bulbs have bloomed, but it's definitely been warm and lovely here, so I'm not complaining! =) This is the lone Mount Hood daffodil I've gotten from the garden this spring. I think certain daffodils are not prone to repeat year after year, and Mount Hood must be of that variety. The green leaves all came up from last year, but only one flower has appeared so far. Usually I feel bad about cutting flowers and bringing them inside, but that lone flower looked pretty sad out there by itself and it's lasting quite a long time in a vase, so that's nice. =)
I was really sore this week from my surgery last summer. In two months it will have been a year, so it's crazy to me that I'm still recovering. But then again, it sure was nice to just sit in a lawn chair while Ben dug a new flowerbed yesterday! I did plant a couple containers that flank our front door, and I planted a few small shade plants under a tree, but I tried to go easy. Happily I feel pretty good right now, so it was worth it to be more careful with myself.
I hope you like the dice that are sitting on this dresser, with the daffodil. I think they are sort of pretty to have out. We play this dice game with our close friends, so it reminds me of them. But also, I think there is something hopeful about dice. The whole "roll the dice" saying... =)
Talk to you soon Moa! Have a lovely week!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 14

2010-04-05T06:19:00.001-05:00

Hello Shanon!
Can you believe it's already been 14 weeks? I'm kind of baffled when I think about it. Another thing I'm baffled about is the fact that it's snowing again. We've had some lovely days with lots of melting snow and now this. Not that it'll stay on the ground, since the temperature is still over zero degrees but still... Well, over to more pleasant things like Easter! I love Easter, because it's a lovely long weekend. I've had time to relax and do fun things that I normally don't have time to do.
For instance, I started working on our glass cabinet the other day, putting on spackle paste and sanding it down. Now it's time to start painting and that's the fun part. I'm kind of lazy and think that the groundwork is really boring, painting is fun though, because then you see the results right away :) I also baked some bread for the first time in months and it turned out really delicious. There's nothing more tasty than eating bread that's just out from the oven, yum! :)
Hope you'll have a lovely spring weekend!
xoxo
Moa

Happy Week 14 Moa and Happy Easter!
This week was exciting because we had our first blooms in the garden. Blue flowers really are my sentimental favorites, so it was especially nice. They are Siberian squill and they are pretty small but very joyous. =)
My older neighbor lady has a bunch of them poking through the rocks in the front of her house. We are always talking flowers when we see each other outside and one year, after commenting on how much I enjoyed them she surprised me buy digging up a bowl of them for me. I think lifelong gardeners have such giving hearts! Last fall I ordered a bag of them so that I could develop my own drifts of blue flowers in the spring just like hers. It's always exciting to see things come up and it's neat to spread them throughout the neighborhood.
So anyhow, I didn't get much candy for Easter, but I did get blue Siberia squill. Haha
I hope your week was full of nice surprises as well!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 13

2010-03-29T12:44:00.001-05:00

Hi Shanon!
How are things in Minnesota? Are you preparing for Easter? I have to say that I'm going very easy on the decorating, I'm not sure that we even own any Easter decorations. Easter is one of those holidays that sort of creep up on you and take you by surprise, maybe it's because it's never on the same date. Perhaps I'll buy some pretty decorations next week when they're on sale, so that I'll be prepared for next year :)
On Tuesday it's my birthday and the celebrations have already begun. On Saturday we had Martin's family over for dinner (tacos, with lots of guacamole!), my family lives quite far away so I'll celebrate with them next time I see them. Since I have to work all evening on Tuesday, Martin and I decided to have a little celebration yesterday. We made delicious cannelloni and I got my present, which is the beautiful plate you can see on my postcard. I've had my eyes on that plate for a while, and I was so happy when I opened my gift. It's quite large and perfect to use as a platter or for fruit. Right now there's just one lonely avocado on it, but I'll have to do something about that :)
Hope you'll have a lovely Easter!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I can't believe we are on week 13. It feels like we've been writing these postcards for such a long time already, then I think about how much more of the year we have left and I can't imagine what on earth will happen and what our postcards will look like!
This week we went out of town (out of the cities and out to the country) to get our taxes done. In the past we've often done them ourselves, but with my business it was a little more complicated, so we used my parents' tax guy. Are you asleep yet? Very boring stuff here! Haha
This is a postcard from the drive back after we were finished. There might be a patch of rolling hills, or a lake, or a town every once in awhile, but most of the drive is flat farm land and groves of trees. You can see forever and you are basically on a 2 lane road that runs straight, so it's a good time to listen to music and talk about everything and anything. We get into some pretty heated discussions! Sometimes I wonder if after years and years of this habit, how will we be one day when there a kid in the car? Will our "future someday" kid think that their parents fight a lot? Or will we change? Or will they be screaming about their own issues and distract us to the point that we never have our long talks in the car anymore?
Things I'll have to wait and see I guess.
Wishing you sunshine and long talks Moa!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 12

2010-03-22T08:15:00.001-05:00

Hi Shanon!
I hope all is well in Minnesota! Here in the north of Sweden we're enjoying sunshine and melting snow, whereas there seems to be snowstorms going on in other parts of the country. Sweden is almost a 1000 miles long from the north to the south, so we have different climates across the country. Usually us northerners are always jealous of the southerners who have warmer weather, a richer abundance of species when it comes to flowers and trees plus they're so much closer to the continent which makes travelling easier. But for today they can be jealous of us and our sunny weather :)
Now that the sun is getting brighter and the weather is getting warmer I'm feeling more creative. I have lots of stuff I want to do, but there is never enough time because of work. One of our projects is to paint a pretty vintage wood/glass cabinet that we bought. We're going to paint it white and use it for books and other stuff. I'm so looking forward to seeing the finished result! Some other white and pretty things are the gillyflowers on our kitchen table. They've been blossoming for about 10 days and are such a joy to look at, and naturally I wanted to share the happiness with you :)
Have a great week Shanon!
xoxo
Moa
Hiya Moa!
It's Sunday afternoon as I write this postcard to you. It's been 4 straight days of college basketball here. It's known as March Madness, when all the top schools begin their playoffs for the National Championship. It's also Ben's birthday weekend. His birthday is on Monday, tomorrow, but we tend to indulge and celebrate over the weekend as well, whichever weekend is closest to the actual date of our birthday. We also tend to open our presents/cards/etc. early. We are impatient in that way! Haha So, my postcard this week is of my present to him. It's a fancy golf shirt.
I have to say, I'm ready for the weekend to end. It's been a four day weekend in our household because the games started on Thursday. I do really like watching college basketball, but the house is a mess, I'm a mess, there are pizza boxes and guacamole bowls everywhere. Send help! lol
See you here next week. If I manage to pull myself together well enough! =D
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 11

2010-03-15T09:40:00.001-05:00

Hi Shanon!
Are you getting any more spring signs over in Minnesota? This past week we had some really warm days (like +8C) so lots of snow melted. I took a little walk on Friday with my camera, dressed in my new spring jacket. The sun was shining and even though it was a bit colder again, I pretended that it was May :) My postcard this week is from that walk, I snapped a shot of a carpet-beating rack that was peeking out from under the snow. I always love when things that have been hidden during the winter start coming forth again, even if it's nothing more romantic than a muddy mitten :)
It's been a lovely week for me since I've had my sports holiday. I haven't done any sports (besides the photo walk, that counts right?), I've mainly watched movies, read blogs and hung out with friends. It's so lovely to be able to relax and do whatever you feel like. I was also inspired to sew a bit, which was so much fun. The best part is that it's only 2,5 weeks until the Easter holiday, so I'll soon have more time to be creative. My next project is to find a glass cabinet and paint it white, we'll see how that goes...
Hope you'll have a great week ahead with lots of sunshine and fun!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Moa!
I'm sending you a postcard this week of my Saturday morning. It's a ritual here for Ben to make us fried egg on toast on Saturday mornings. There is cheese under the egg that gets all gooey and delicious. My favorite part is that I never have to make them. Don't things taste better when they are made for you by someone else?
Before he makes them he often gets himself a coffee, and me a chai latte at our neighborhood coffee shop, but this weekend I had some black tea-- and got all jittery! I'm imagining that soon it will be warm and sunny enough that this ritual will again involve orange juice and sitting out in the backyard. (After we had breakfast we did our first batch of yard work for the year! Yay Spring!)
I should also tell you that I made oatmeal cookies this week too. I don't bake very often, and when I do it's usually cornmeal muffins, but I had a craving for cookies this week and talked myself into making some instead of buying them. I was proud of myself because they turned out good, but like I said "things taste better when they are made for you..." Haha Such a bad theory, I know! =)
Wishing you sunshine~
Shanon

Week 10

2010-03-08T07:47:00.001-06:00

Hello Shanon!
Happy week 10! I'm so excited that we've finally hit March, it's kind of the month where spring starts showing it's first signs around here. Let's see... Dripping from the roofs? Check! Sunny mornings? Check! That special spring air? Check! We've had some really lovely days of sunshine and glistening snow, so I'm starting to have spring feelings :)
I can actually feel myself getting more social too. In the winter I prefer to stay at home as much as possible, under a blanket in the sofa if possible. Naturally I socialize during the winter too, but I just don't have the same energy for it. But now I'm feeling like calling friends and setting things up. On Saturday I spent the whole afternoon with a very dear friend of mine, who recently had a baby. We had a great time chatting, drinking tea, hugging her sweet baby and, last but not least, eating our favourite mozzarella pizza. I actually had a flower shot planned for this postcard, but then I thought - why not take a break with the flowers and show you something a bit more unexpected :)
I hope you have a great week ahead!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I just had to share this happy view with you this week-- you can see grass here! Don't get me wrong, there is tons of snow everywhere still, but on the edges of yards grass is starting to peak out and announce that it's only a matter of time before it will be back. Yay!
I spent several days this week taking walks, enjoying the sun and blue skies, even though snow is everywhere and water and ice need to be carefully walked upon or jumped over. I enjoyed being able to say that I didn't need to wear a coat outside, although I wore several layers and a big wool sweater instead. But NO coat. That made me super happy and hopeful.
I even spent time almost everyday shoveling snow from parts of our yard where it's still really high, to other parts that have melted already. I'm a big nerd in that way, but I don't care. It was nice to be outside and to be doing something! I think it embarrasses my husband. He tells me to let mother nature take care of it. But why not help? Right? =)
Have a great week Moa! I hope sunshine is on it's way to you as well!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 9

2010-03-01T06:45:00.001-06:00

Hello Shanon!
Happy week 9! I'm super happy that it's finally March, I can just feel spring coming closer. We've had snow storms here this weekend so I can't really see any signs of spring, but I'm keeping my faith :)
This Saturday we took a little trip into town, since I wanted to buy some new shoes and pillows. I had promised Martin that I only wanted to visit two stores and that was that, but in the end our trip sort of expanded. It happens so easily, doesn't it :) I ended up buying a pretty, blue scarf and some lovely spring flowers - among them this grape hyacinth. In the last few minutes before we were heading to the car we also ran upon a romantic quilted throw for the sofa, and I've been looking all over town and all over the internet for a nice one so I was very happy. They didn't have the right size in the store, so we had to order it, but I'm so looking forward to crawl underneath it with a book and a cup of tea. Perhaps you'll see it next week :)
Have a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
Is it Spring yet? =) This week I spent more time being crafty. Some things went good; I made a few pairs of earrings. Some things went bad; my cross-stitch project took a turn south, but that's what I get for free-handing a design after not cross-stitching for about 15 years! And I went fabric shopping. How fun is fabric? It's like a stationery addiction, only with more options. My mom gave me a sewing machine right before Christmas and I've been slowing trying to remember any knowledge I once had, hoping I vicariously picked up some skills when my mom made me curtains, and dresses, and other fun things. But now that I think about it, the only thing I remember making for myself was a stuffed Care Bear. I, of course, made it "free-hand" and it wound up with teeny tiny arms and one abnormally large foot! So, I've stuck with making bunting so far, and plan to (as you say) "bunt up" my whole house for Easter. =) I'm also working on some fabric envelopes.
*sigh* There really is something to be said for making things with your hands. I love photography, but it can get so technical, and I sometimes feel a bit removed from the images when they are on the computer. Making things by hand seems to fulfill something even deeper inside. It's lovely. Even if you wind up with a bear with one abnormally large foot. ; )
Best wishes until next week!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 8

2010-02-22T09:06:00.001-06:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope all is well with you! I'm good, although I've been feeling kind of tired lately. In two weeks it's time for the winter sports holiday however, so I'll have some time to read books and drink tea. This is one of the great things about being a teacher :) In old times I guess the meaning of this holiday was that the kids were supposed to be outside and go cross-country skiing, but these days they are mostly inside, playing computer games. Although I'm not one to talk because I spend a lot of my time in front of the computer monitor too, but I'm editing photos so that's totally different - right? :)
Another thing I want to do when I have some time off is to do some baking. I really like to bake, but I rarely have the energy for it when I'm working. The other day I did make some peppermint rock candy biscotti though, a new recipe that I found somewhere on the web and I actually used some of the peppermint canes that I had left from Christmas (not the ones that were hanging in our tree though!) :) The end result was so-so but I liked how the peppermint canes looked against the colourful packaging of the sugar, the baking soda and the vanilla sugar :)
I hope you'll have a great week Shanon! I can't believe we're already on week 8! :)
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope your week was a good one. It was a weird week here. I don't know why I'm calling it "weird" other than I've usually known exactly what I wanted to write to you about, and this week I don't know what to say. That in itself is weird, right?! I spent the week working on a bunch of little projects involving thread and yarn, but they aren't exactly at a point where I know what I'm doing, so I didn't think they'd make a good postcard. We went out to eat a few times, and the food was definitely yummy AND pretty the first time, but I'm rotten at taking good foodie shots in dark restaurants, so no postcard there either. Geesh!
We went to a dinner theatre for Ben's company on Friday and considering that was a big event-- we did dress up afterall!-- I decided that it would be as good a postcard as any, so *ta-da!* I bring you the neon sign at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre! The musical itself was ok. I enjoy going to shows, so that was fun, but it was based on a movie that I really liked when I was young, so it couldn't really compete in my mind. ; ) Doesn't that make you think of how a movie is never as good as the book, if you really really loved the book?
Anyhow. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
xoxo,
Shanon
p.s. Sorry for ANOTHER building/sign postcard. I'll try for something different next week! =)

Week 7

2010-02-15T07:30:00.001-06:00

Hello Shanon!
This week's postcard has a romantic theme since it's Valentine's day today. In Sweden it's called "Alla hjärtans dag", which means something like The day of all hearts in English. I got a huge bouquet of gorgeous roses from my husband as a Valentine's gift. Not only do roses look great, smell good and make your home feel extra pretty - they're perfect to take photos of too! I've shot these poor flowers from every possible angle and against all kinds of backgrounds and light :) My motto is: shoot them while they're alive, which might sound a bit contradictive if you don't think about it from a photographer's point of view :)
To my enormous joy the light is really starting to return to this part of the world. For several days the sun has been shining into our apartment and that warm sunlight makes me happy every single day. It's just amazing how it fills every dark corner - not to mention how it exposes previously hidden dust collections, but that's another story...
I hope you'll have a great week!
xoxo
Moa

Hiya Moa!
I hope you had a nice Valentine's Day yesterday! Even though I was surprised with chocolates and tulips, I had already decided on my postcard for you because I had spent almost every day at the Pilney Building in St. Paul (which is right east of Minneapolis, across the Mississippi river, and is why we are known as the Twin Cities). It's strange how I normally shoot flowers, or close up details of fashion and home life, but when it comes to this postcard project I've already shot several buildings. I find it so crazy! But I suppose my daily life actually consists more of buildings, structures, and events, more then it revolves around flowers (but just wait until summer! haha) so it's been nice to document them.
I was in the Pilney Building so much last week because some of my photography was shown as part of a collective of artists. It was really fun to help set up my work, and to be there to mingle with shoppers and other vendors/artists/crafters. The Pilney Building was built in 1913 and the architecture is very Flatiron, like the famous Flatiron (or Fuller) Building in New York. Pilney was actually the name of the grocery store and butcher shop that was in the building for most of it's history. There are high stamped tin ceiling and it just has that full of life feeling inside, like the quality a grocery store has. Very homey and comforting. The feeling that reminds me of shopping for groceries with my mom when I was little, in small hometown grocery stores, not big chain places with very little soul.
I hope you are well and I look forward to another week of postcards with you!
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 6

2010-02-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

Hello Shanon!
I snapped the photo for this week's postcard in a tiny tiny village called Olofsfors, which means Olof's whitewater (yes, I had to look up that last part). My dad was visiting over the day and we decided to take a little trip to this historical place. There used to be some sort of facility for working with iron there and in the old days many people worked there and I'm sure that the place was more buzzing than now. It was a beautiful day: the sun was shining and there was newly fallen, untouched snow everywhere. Still, there was something a bit sad about the place. I kept imagining how it must have been before, with lots of people going about their business - now we hardly saw a soul, except for the occasional car driving through the village. It just makes me a bit melancholic to imagine all the places around this country (and in other countries too, I'm sure) that are slowly being abandoned for the cities. It makes me want to move someplace outside of the town to a small cozy village where everyone knows everyone and you leave your door unlocked at all times (kind of like Stars Hollow now that I think about it), and then I want to live there forever to make sure that the place will remain alive. It might not be a completely rational thought, but that's how those tiny places make me feel.
The house in the photo was one that we walked by. And since this is a postcard from Sweden, the house must of course be red with white trims! :)
Hope you'll have a lovely week, my friend!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
And happy week six. =) It was a pleasant week here. Lots of pretty days of snow falling. This usually happens. I get to the point where I hate the snow, then come back full circle and love it again. I love the feeling of being inside a snow globe that has been gently shook. I like knowing that I don't have to weed a garden and I like not having the pressure of "I really should get out and enjoy this hot weather even though it's too hot and I don't want to get all sweaty." Yes, I talk to myself in my head like that. =)
This week the paperwhites that I bought as bulbs back in week three have been blooming. They are two feet tall in our kitchen window and making the whole house smell like flowers. Can you believe that Ben actually thinks that they stink? To me, they've made a world of difference, and are probably the reason why I can enjoy the snow falling outside again.
I also got my sewing machine out this week and made some bunting. It's yellow, and hanging in the window above the paperwhites. It's so cheery and happy. I've already made some more. I want to hang it everywhere because it makes me soul smile. Although, now looking at the yellow one in this postcard, it reminds me of slices of cheese! Haha Well, I suppose that's smile inducing too!
I hope your first week of February was lovely.
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 5

2010-02-01T07:30:00.008-06:00

Hello girl!
I'm writing to you from a snow covered country. This last week we've had snow, snow storms, more snow and then some more storms :) Usually the snow isn't really a problem, but this Wednesday I could hardly get home from work because the car got stuck in all the snow. Luckily I had some great co-workers who helped me out. As I drove in to our parking lot I got stuck again and blocked the way for a neighbour who then also got stuck in the snow. Other neighbours followed and in the end we were five people who helped each other to shovel the snow (which blew right back due to the storm) and push the cars in the right directions. At first I was kind of annoyed at the whole situation but after a while I tried to see the fun in it. It was nice also to talk to some of the neighbours that I hadn't seen before. Usually we just say hello when we pass each other in the elevator, but now we got a chance to socialize (and work out!) a bit more :)
None of this has anything to do with tulips of course, except that they are my cure for cold winter days. The more snow that whirls around outside the window, the more I enjoy my spring-like and happy tulips :)
I hope you'll have a great week!
xoxo
Moa
Ps. Yesterday I saw a movie with Renee Zellweger that took place in a snowy little town in Minnesota, and then I thought of you :)

Hi there dear Moa!
This was a very hard week for my family. As you know, my brother and sister-in-law's baby died shortly after she was born. It was a cold week, with lots of sadness. At first I didn't know how I was going to go about doing this postcard to you. I also didn't know how much I would share here. But the thing is, it is life. The good and the bad, the wonderful and the devastating are all apart of life. I didn't know and still don't know where 2010 will lead, but the best I can do is look for the moments that are beautiful, that are kind, that are quiet, and that are happy. Even in the saddest times they can be found. Family is beautiful, hugs are kind, just standing together is quiet, and sharing a laugh is happy. Saturday was full of all of those things. And Saturday began with this gorgeous pattern of frost on the windows in my bedroom at my parents' house. Now I am wishing for peace and comfort to get everyone, especially my brother and sister-in-law, through their heartache.
Thank you my friend, for being apart of this project with me. I especially needed it this week.
XOXO,
Shanon

Week 4

2010-01-25T07:50:00.004-06:00

Hello Shanon!
I hope all is well with you and that you have recovered from all your birthday excitement :) A thought struck me just now: this is the last postcard in January, and I can't tell you how happy that makes me! I think January is probably the worst month of the year (ok, maybe it's a tie with November), it feels so long, dark and cold. February is also very winter-like, but at least you can usually start feeling the smell of spring by the end of it. I'm so longing for that lovely sound of snow melting and dripping along the roofs... Right now I need some more tulips to tide me over! Another thing that makes cold evenings more cozy are waffles! This Friday we made lots of waffles for dinner and ate them with homemade jam and vanilla ice-cream while watching a movie. That's probably the most perfect comfort food ever :)
Hope you'll have a lovely week!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Moa!
I hope your week was good. Can you believe we are already done with the first month of our postcards project? It's been so fun so far! =) I spent my week doing so many household chores that I probably could have shot a sponge and summed up the week. But that wouldn't do! My postcard is instead from the National Pond Hockey Championships that are held every year on the lake near our house. This was actually the first year I went because it's been amazingly cold in the past. 30 below zero kind of freezing! It wasn't that bad this year-- thankfully! There are 251 teams that play on 25 rinks across the lake. I know absolutely nothing about hockey, but it was fun to finally go. Now that I'm back inside however, just thinking about it makes me want some hot chocolate!
xoxo,
Shanon
p.s. It's a good thing we went the day we did, the next two days it rained! RAINED. In Minnesota. In January. Crazy.

Week 3

2010-01-18T07:30:00.008-06:00

Hi Shanon!
The inspiration for this week's postcard is none other than you! Remember we talked about perfumes and how difficult it is to find the perfect one? Well, since I just got a really lovely one that makes me happy every time I spray it on, I thought: why not shoot it? :)
I bought it when we were wandering around the airport in Stockholm on our way to London in December. We had about 9 hours to spare so we visited every tax free store in the entire airport, hoping that time would pass faster. I walked around in a perfume store and sniffed aimlessly on different perfumes when a shop assistant asked me if I wanted some help. We hadn't actually planned to buy anything at that time, but she turned out to be absolutely amazing at picking out fragrances! First she helped me find this one, that I just loved instantly, and then she helped Martin find one that was perfect for him. The funny thing was that we happened upon her several hours later in another perfume store at the airport and she was as surprised as we were, we wondered if she worked there too and she wondered if we'd missed our flight, since we were still there so many hours later :) Anyway, I hope you're happy with the perfume you chose!
Have a lovely week!
xoxo
Moa

Hello Moa!
Happy week three! It's only Tuesday here, but I'm already writing my postcard to you because yesterday was my birthday and there probably won't be anything this week more exciting than that. Hehehe
Here is a little snippet of birthday goodness: a lavender plant that I picked up for myself, a piece of the cake that Ben made for me, and a little moleskine notebook and pencil, all atop a decor magazine. A flower shop, a bookstore, out for dinner, and homemade cake from my honey... needless to say, my birthday was filled with many of my favorite things. It was a really nice day. And I'm so glad I can share it with you through this "postcard." I hope your week was just as swell! =)
Xoxo, Shanon

Week 2

2010-01-11T08:34:00.005-06:00

Hi Shanon!
Yesterday I bought my first bouquet of tulips for this year! They're so crisp and fresh and I like the way the stems almost squeek when you hold them together :) I'm hoping that these white flowers will lead the way to spring and to the return of the light! The buying of the tulips did at least coincide with warmer weather. After several weeks of freezing all day and sleeping in pajamas, thick socks and extra sweaters, I'm finally starting to thaw! Not that winter will be over any time soon in this part of the world, but the mild weather is still making me dream of spring flowers, fresh grass and endless amounts of light :)
I hope you'll have a lovely week!
xoxo
Moa

Hi Moa!
I hope your week went well! I accomplished getting to the Louvre exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts this week-- on a freezing cold day when the roads were a mess! I'm really glad I made it. Walking through a gallery or a museum is so calming and mesmerizing, not to mention cozy! Especially on this particular day. The one troubling experience I had was getting to the "front" of the building to get this "postcard" for you. The main door is on the side and I couldn't find a way to the front without walking around it from the outside. I was frozen! Ahhh, the things we do for the shot we want... ; )
xoxo,
Shanon

Week 1

2010-01-04T11:40:00.007-06:00

Hi Shanon!
I'm so excited to be writing the year's first postcard! This one is from my dad's house, which is about 170 miles from where we live. All of Sweden has been covered in snow these last few weeks and the temperatures have been around -20C, that's about -4F. We've taken some snowy walks, wrapped up in warm clothes, but mostly we've relaxed in the living room where the fireplace is. I've read lots of books this Christmas, and the one I liked best is called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. It's a really heartwarming book, which is good for cold weather!
xoxo
Moa

Happy 2010 Moa!
So much of the time that we were in Duluth over New Years I was thinking of your cities in Sweden. This is what it looked like out our hotel window. We forgot to ask for a room facing Lake Superior, so we were looking up the hill instead! It is kind of pretty though, sort of like a Christmas village, if you squint. ; ) I hope you had a cozy New Year's Eve, and that the year is off to a great start!
XOXO, Shanon