Gott nytt år!

Happy new year!

See you in 2009, may all your wishes and prayers come true.

Christmas - can't live with it...

Yesterday morning started like every morning since Christmas Eve when Olle tore the wrapping off his hockey game - with a very serious tornament.
























For the first time in a long while we had to clear the windows of ice before driving off. It was a wonderful day, clear and crisp, perfect for a walk in the forest.


Don't you just love things like this?
Someone has put these apples in the middle of the forest, off the path, for birds, and perhaps deers, to eat. So delightful and loving!




















Here's a story to learn from.
My plan was to give Mr Helylle a cup of sour dough, a recipe and this lovely Pyrex bowl for Christmas. (And another home made sweater.) We try to make our bread ourselves as we both enjoy baking.

I fixed the dough from a friend some days before Christmas Eve, we put it in a green glass cup which I hid in the garage to keep it cold so it wouldn't start fermenting. Problem was, we; my friend and I, had been drinking wine and having a good time so when I got home I wasn't completely my ordinary sober self. Therefore the hiding process wasn't executed in the best of ways.

Two days later when standing in a shop looking for a gift for someone Mr Helylle suddenly pointed a green cup and proclaimed loudly:
"There's a cup just like that in our garage with some sludge in, what is that??"

Here a more collect person would come up with a plausible explanation, turn around and say: "What about this vase?" What did I do? I blushed, became mute and started crying. Yes, I did.

It took a while to sort out why I hid it so poorly ("So it's my fault that you search the garage three days before Christmas??") and why he couldn't understand it was a present ("I didn't expect to get sludge").

The sludge spent Christmas Eve in the dark and quiet garage but is now performing it's task quite admirably in the kitchen.



















It's a lovely bowl, isn't it?

What to learn? You tell me.

God jul!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Yes, it was a blessed Christmas. This is the first photo with my brand new camera. Merry Christmas to you too, mother!

A tea drinker's dream, ot at least so I thought. A bit disappointing, though, lame taste but nice aroma.

Childhood decorations I can't go without. Tree ornaments that the girls can't go without.

A zoological, antropologistic and sex liberal approach to home decorations and Christmas

We had visitors this weekend, my brother and his family, from the west coast. They came bearing gifts, among which a little piggie. Immediately made friends with the goat-candle-stand from last Christmas (courtesy of Ylva).

Seems animals were the theme, we also got these!

And a bottle of homemade glögg. Thanks for your nice remarks on my wall paper. It was a hasty decision made when we moved into this house a year and a half ago. This time of year I think it works very well, maybe because the rest of the year I think it looks like a Christmas gift wrapping paper..?

My brother, and his wife and their two teen-agers all left for home pretty early so we had time to fix a few things in the bathroom. A little cupboard from way back got a western pin-up girl fabric instead of the chicken wire I put there when I thought shabby chic was new and exciting - 10 years ago. It was white then, naturally.

Closer......and a real close -up of the pin-up. If you klick on the link: I know this because it was in our local paper this morning. Can you believe that?? This is the floor. Now with the right angle of inclination so the next person in line doesn't have to wear wellies to go in and come out dry, as soon someone has taken a shower. A great improvement (but not on our expense, ha ha)!
Why is this kind of foot-photo so attractive? I like them a lot and I see them in so many blogs. Sometimes I think it's a reminiscent from the days we put our hand- and foot prints on the walls of the caves we (who, me?) lived in, like you know, "I was here" kind-of-thing.

Happiness is a new soap

Yesterday my Christmas soap arrived. Look at the beautiful parcel!Of course I didn't wait till Christmas. The fragrance is wonderfully christmassy and most likely makes you nice and good - just like gingerbread does, at least according to the old saying. Thank you, Soffy!

I have also received another early Christmas present, a set of lovely marzipan fruits. Why I can't show you any photos? Well, ehh, for some reason this lousy camera of mine refuses to take any gastroscopic pictures worth showing...
Thank you, Sara!

From the angle of my angel

This is my favourite outfit. I love the dress, sneakers are comfortable so what can go wrong? Quite a lot, it turns out. Hyacinths, no Christmas without that sweet scent. Every year I plan to bring them up myself but I'm always too late and have to run to the florist continously so we don't go without. I'm with Mary here, choosing joy. Or at least I'm working on it.

Do I have a guardian angel? I once was told I do and I like the idea as such, but would really like it to interfere more. While it's hanging around anyway, I mean. I feel a little overwhelmed right now by things that go wrong. Dishwasher breaking, craftsmen working in the bathroom (they had to do it all over again because there was a flood of water out in the hallway every time someone showered!), flat tires, family conflicts, CD-players that won't work - any of them, personal finances and other stuff I won't mention for supersticious reasons. I know, all trivial, mostly material stuff.

A winner in a crowd!

Can you see me?? Here I am, listening to some smart people talking about leadership. All is not Christmas and craft in my life though I often wonder why not.

Guess what?? I have won my first blog-give-away! I'm receiving a Christmas soap from Lush anyday thanks to the generous Soffy. I'm so happy - and the bathroom is coming along nicely so I'll put in there!
photo: Soffy