Week 38

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

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

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

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