Three sisters on the High Line
Cuckoo!
Today the sun decided to keep us company in the city.
It gave the colours, the buildings and the atmosphere an extra level of depth and made it the perfect background for our High Line walk in the meatpacking district.
It also created like a welcoming feeling to two first timers in New York:)
A day filled of sunshine, laughter and togetherness.
What a wonderful start of their American experience!
And tomorrow we have another blank day ready to be filled with more sunshine, more laughter and more sisterly bonding...
To be continued...
Tjingeling
The sisters have landed!
Cuckoo!
So my sisters finally arrived!
Happy, curious and excited.
With wide open eyes and a lot of wow's and ohhhs during our trip home from the airport with Manhattan in our background they both said that it felt surreal...
Now they are both sound asleep but if I would look closer I'm sure they are sleeping with a smile on their lips...
So full of life energy, enthusiasm and happiness to be here it can only turn out to be a weekend full of positive experiences and I can assure you that I will do my best to make them keep that smile on their lips.
Cant wait till tomorrow when their real adventure starts.
New York here we come!!!
HIppy happy Friday!
Tjingeling
Sisters in sight!
Cuckoo!
Today I'm dealing with dancing butterflies in my tummy...
Today is the day before very important visitors arrive.
Today is the day before two of my beautiful little sisters are coming to pay me a visit.
The pictures are from last summer in Sweden but the feelings I had seeing them then are exactly the same I have at this very moment.
I feel so lucky having these sisters in my life.
They enrich, complement and add so much to my life when I see them and those few days of getting together during the year really puts a golden shimmer to my days.
Out of my three sisters only one has been visiting me here on this continent, and I wish she would have been able to come again now and join us too to make us complete, but we can not get everything we want in the world...
Im so happy though that the two other sisters are coming.
Double sisters means double joy:)
Im so so excited and can't wait to hug them, to wake up with them and to be around them for a full weekend.
Lucky lucky me!
Life is good:)
Tjingeling
Retainer time
Cuckoo!
Today the birds decided to keep quiet, maybe it was too cold for them or they got so disappointed with the change of weather they did not bother to waste their energy on something so pathetic like singing for no audience.
Instead I was fortunate to have another singer inside my house.
The reason for her singing had nothing to do with spring feelings.
No, she from today needs to wear a retainer to keep her teeth from closing a gap so the new ones will have room to grow.
That my friends is as good reason as anything else to sing:)
The dentist told her to talk and sing as much as possible to get her tongue to get use to that foreign addition in her mouth but absolutely not try to touch the " brace" using her tongue or fingers, especially not in the beginning since the cement that keeps the retainer fixed needs to dry.
Later I realised the singing was a clever way to keep her tongue and fingers away from that metal rail because everytime she got quiet I found her with her mouth full of fingers...Lol!
It is anyway wonderful how easy it is to spice up a six year old girl's existence.
A retainer and the world is smiling.
Too bad though that the metal rail in her mouth does not show.
No matter what funny faces she is doing...
Have i mentioned that I love her?
Tjingeling
Bubbles and a golden edge
Cuckoo!
Im afraid I feel repetetive but I can't help how this wonderful new warmer sunlight affects me.
It's like it is creating bubbles in my veins...
And puts a golden edge to my home.
I just love the way the sun rays find their way through my dirty windows and make everything shine and glow.
The light might reveal a not so flawless home ( read dusty and messy) but it still brings warmth and hope of a change of season that makes any home vibrate with positive energy.
I can just sit and watch how the dust performs this dances in the sunlight, how the light reflects in the brass and how the leaves of the plants looks so much greener and healthier.
And I feel so good!
Have i told you how much I love this life giving sun?!
So tonight I'm going to bed with bubbles in my veins and a heart surrounded by a golden edge thanks to that yellow and warm globe in the sky.
Such a nice feeling:)
tjingeling
A moment in silence...
Cuckoo!
A weekend full of emotions has passed.
I've gone through sad, disappointed, worried, positive, happy and grateful.
I guess that is life in a nutshell.
Then it was just so nice to cuddle up in the sofa with magazines, books and a smoothie.
All alone but so enjoying the peaceful silence.
Nurturing my inspiration, body and soul.
Almondmilk, raspberry and almondbutter. Yummi yummi.
A qiet moment where I actually think I did hear some birdsong.
Or maybe that came from within me...
Nevertheless a moment of contemplation is never wrong.
Tomorrow is a new day, a new week and another blank page to fill up in the book of life:)
Tjingeling
A packet full of sunshine
Cuckoo!
My wonderful husband thought it was about time again.
Time for him to come home with flowers.
He felt I've been a little low lately and wanted to cheer me up.
Wrapped in pink cellofan and with a pink ribbon a big bunch of tulips was presented to me as soon as I walked in from the car.
A packet full of sunshine:)
Did it work?
Oh my, I just love flowers and the colours, the gesture and the thought behind just made my day!
So uplifting and positive energy was packed in those flowers that even a sad heart suddenly ended up smiling.
They say diamonds are a girls best friend but I would actually add flowers to that quote too.
And my hubby!!!
Spoiled, loved and appreciated.
What can be better an ordinary Thursday?!
Tjingeling
The most dangerous job in the US...
Cuckoo!
When you are six years old almost everything in life is exciting.
Even the homework.
At least some...
To see that eagerness and enthusiasm in which my youngest one is taking on her tasks make me wish we all could keep that ability when we get older doing chores for example...
In this case she was making a poster about the most dangerous jobs in the US.
All by herself she came up with wonderful ideas like "volcanoologist" ,Sky worker and test pilot.
According to her apparently her dad has a dangerous work too because he can get fired and being forced to go back to Sweden one day.
What a terrible future:)
To have a threat like that hanging over his head the whole entire time...definitely counts as one of the most dangerous job in the US.
She was anyhow so focused on this poster she spent the whole afternoon on the floor in the kitchen.
Not the most ergonomic way of working but being surrounded by people, having a kitchenfloor-homework-picnic and no interruption with the exception of asking "Siri" a few times about her work made her successfully finish her job.
Happy, motivated and creative.
Why can it not be contagious???
tjingeling
An industrial addition to my kitchen
Cuckoo!
As big as my kitchen is its kind of strange I still need extra storage.
But I do, and what is better than a kitchen cart?!
Temporarly I bought one from IKEA and of course it had also to be put together in true IKEA style.
Luckily Im spoiled having small house gnomes in the house that are able to help assembling...
Thanks to the help from my son I have a cart now perfect to put baskets, pots, tins and other necessities that I can't find space for anywhere else.
I believe my poor "hubby" though curses the fact that I'm only 20 min away from that Swedish warehouse...
But till I have found the perfect one this industrial IKEA style will do just fine to keep all that stuff I tend to have a lot of, organised, neat and within reach:)
Tjingeling
Friendship, love and sunshine
Cuckoo!
This weekend has been so cold I kind of for a moment thought even the time would freeze:)
But no...
Only my hands, kneecaps and nose froze.
My heart stayed warm though through a "hubby date", visiting friends and a sun.
I swapped my flannel pyjama for leather and sequins.
Healthy food for deep fried and chocolates.
We swapped trees for steel and concrete.
Our lawn for a lake In Central Park.
Swapped waiting impatiently for a much anticipated reunion.
New american friends for old English friends.
Swapped good old memories for new beautiful ones.
Recharged that part of my heart where my beautiful friend resides...
Swapped sitting for walking...
Still keeping the smile:)
We swapped villas for skyscrapers.
Quiet for busy...
Grey for colours.
And I again filled my heart with friendship, love and sunshine!
Life is goooood!!!
Tjingeling
Four teeth less...
Cuckoo!
I get so amazed by all the love that overflows your heart and makes every cell in your body alert and ready to carry, support and comfort your child ,no matter age, when they are in a medical office.
My oldest removed his four wisdom teeth this morning.
I left a 18 year old man in the room where the procedure was going to take place but picked up a lost and small little boy when it was over.
He was in good mood the whole time although nervous but they filled him up with sedatives, laughing gas and music in his ears so when they were done he thought only five minutes had passed.
Dizzy, weak and completely numb he had to leave the surgery in a wheelchair.
I could almost sqeeze out a little tear seeing him so "small", so vulnerable but so brave.
My big little superman.
Once your baby, always your baby. At least under these circumstances. With a "dyper" on his head :)
Actually a clever little thing you fill with ice and fix around your head so you don't need to hold the ice pack.
Although i was not the one being operated on I'm the one feeling exhausted.
All these emotions are taking its toll.
I know though that I the whole night will sleep with one ear constantly listening for strange noise from his room.
Ready to jump out from my bed and run to rescue ( don't really know what I would do but at least I will be there)
But I guess that is what we moms do!
Tjingeling
Happy Hydrangea, not!
Cuckoo!
I love flowers!
I love Hydrangea.
They don't love me.
I don't know what I'm doing wrong but every time I buy ( which is every week) it feels like it is just a matter of hours before they start to look sad.
I ask in the store how to care for them, I do what they say yet they give up as soon as they enter my house.
Why are they not happy in there???
I really give them a lot of tender, loving care but obviously not the right kind.
I want them to flourish, brighten up and bring flavor to life in my wintery home but for sure I need to find that secret formula to succeed in that.
If any of you know of any good advice in how to make Hydrangea happy please please tell me!!!
Im never giving up!!!
I have a feeling we will definitely be a good team as soon as we find the key to connect:)
Tjingeling
A day for the teachers
Cuckoo!
Today was "teachers appreciation day" at our school.
It is a way of thanking all the teachers for their hard work by serving them breakfast and lunch.
Tonnes of food were brought in only with the purpose of being indulged, enjoyed and hopefully appreciated by all those devoted, enthusiastic and hardworking teachers.
Most of the goodies except for the warm food were donated by parents and it looked so yummi I for a moment wished I also was a teacher:)
A couple of moms including me were there to help set up and to decorate.
Well decorate or decorate...
More to make things coming together.
Nothing complicated at all.
Just to put together an appealing "drink bar", put the cakes and cookies on plates, bread in a basket, and hang up some decorations to make it festive.
A small job but with big effects.
All the volonters that contributed to this event by being in charge, donating, setting up, decorating, breaking down, and everything else in between just made me so proud of being part of that community.
I feel so humble at all those people taking their time to contribute between jobs, activities and stress.
It is such a beautiful quality and I have a feeling or actually hope that all those helping hands together definitely also made the teachers day today.
Tjingeling
Wallpaper dreams...
Cuckoo!
Today i have been freezing the whole day.
Its been that kind of cold that goes through your bones and actually stays there...
To warm myself up I continued planning for my summer house trip.
I do know it's not anywhere close to warm there but it's the thought of that place that plants a warm and soft feeling starting from the heart:)
Before we moved in we decided to go neutral on the walls and then let time determine if we wanted to stay neutral or if we wanted to change something.
And now all this has sort of grew into me and I'm ready for a change.
I'm talking about wallpaper.
Beautiful, warm and embracing wallpaper that seem to speak the language of the house.
These are the ones I'm considering for one wall in my kitchen.
They are all from William Morris and has been in the back of my mind ever since I visited his summerhouse outside London.
Love love love all of them ( which does not really help) and think they will really contribute to that embracing feeling in my house.
There you can see which wall in the kitchen I'm talking about.
Then we have the boys room...
Here im thinking one wall covered in dancing cranes from a Swedish designer, Emma von Brömssen.
Will go perfect with the wooden plank floor...
We also have a guest room.
There im thinking of dressing one wall in another one from Morris...
This one or...
All three of them in a blue colour becsuse I think that room needs blue...
What all the wallpapers have in common is that despite the richness in pattern they still bring calmness, harmony and peace for your eyes.
They are timeless, age appropriate for the house and absolutely wonderful.
The only question now is which one to choose...
Not direct a life changing decision but still one that gives me goosebumps of excitement.
Yup, some need rollercoasters , I need wallpaper:)
Tjingeling
( wallpaper pictures from Pinterest)
Makeup time
Cuckoo!
My youngest has been in her own little world this weekend.
Dolls, lego, barbies and preparing her own store with dad by making a plan for budget, dress code, interior and everything that goes into the word "store" .
That has kept her busy only with breaks for food.
She has also spent a whole lot of time in front of a mirror putting makeup on herself.
Not the best pictures but at least it gives you an idea of how all that effort turned out.
Im so amazed by how detailed her makeup is.
Clearly she had an idea in her mind , worked it all out and I think she was quite happy with the result.
its not something I would have chosen but I'm just an old mom:)
In her world she thinks this is absolutely beautiful and who am I to ruin her little world?!
Instead I admire her effort, her coming through with ideas and her independent and personal way of interpretating beauty.
May she never live the "uniform life"!
Now she is all fixed and excited for the super bowl.
My daughter...
I love her all the way to the moon and back!
tjingeling
King Winter paid another visit
Cuckoo!
So we got hit once again by King Winter!
After the last storm almost all snow had disappeared although it now felt like it was planned like that just to give room for a new dump.
But I can not do anything but feel amazed.
So beautiful...
I went out this morning in my garden just to document how magnificent nature is when in the right mood.
When the world is covered in that fluffy white winter fur I feel that I have entered a magical place.
Its just the elves, unicorns and Bigfoot that are missing...
In those moments I love the winter.
Luckily I captured the winter wonderland in the morning because after lunch the sun decided to also be a part of the scenery and from then on it changed caractere.
Gone was the gloomy, fairytale landscape and instead a glittering, glimmering and complete clear world appeared.
Still a winterland, still beautiful but very different from the morning.
Is it not amazing that we have the privilege of enjoying so many sides of every season...
Love love love it!
Hippy happy weekend!
Tjingeling
Sunshine, skating and sugar
Cuckoo!
Last weekend Olivia was invited to a birthday party in the city.
Skating was on the schedule and after that a lunch at the Sugar factory in the meat packing district.
What a day!
The sun was embracing us with its warming rays and all the kids were chatting and giggling and filled with so much warm and positive energy they could easily contribute to the global warming:)
Many kids, many Uggs, and many smiles!
Bella somehow always manage to be included in the friendship groups which I find so generous and absolutely amazing of the girls. They were taking turns in helping her out on the ice so afterwards she told me she had the best time in her life... How heartwarming was that?!
Personally I was also lucky enough to be surrounded by laughing girls, skyscrapers and beautiful friends.
A great way to spend a Sunday in the city if you would ask me.
After a ride with the subway we finally arrived to the exciting Sugar Factory where you almost always have a chance to bump into celebrities ( this time Salma Hayek was there to the kids big delight), and where you get sugar filled drinks big as swimming pools.
When the level of starstruckness, food and sugar was about to burst the day was over and we all headed back.
The carride home was just one long praise over a fun filled day with sun, skating and sugar.
Can you ask for more on a Sunday?!
Tjingeling
Dreaming...
Cuckoo!
I knew it!
This whole beautiful flood of sunlight we were experiencing yesterday triggered my summer house nerv.
Made me longing, dreaming and wishing for a visit in the very near future:)
The atmosphere, the relaxed feeling and all the wonderful memories that are associated with this place makes my heart beat faster.
Still an ongoing process regarding "making a home from a house" but that is a journey I love to be on:)
I think just the word "summer house" lit a small fire inside my body.
It means bare feet, picking flowers, family, no routines, strawberries and wellbeing.
I just love being there.
Yup, a visit very soon is a must.
Tjingeling
Sunshine in my kitchen
Cuckoo!
Yup, today I'm taking a break from everything and everyone.
I have between one filled laundry machine after another only been enjoying the sun.
The life giving, energizing and beautifying sun.
My mind absorbs every little beam, distributing them out to all those small sun starved cells and It just feels so good!
My kitchen also benefits from the flood of sunlight.
Its like everything is shaking off that dull costume that belongs to the winter and just starts to glow.
I love it.
The light, the playful shades and that injection of wellbeing that comes with the sunlight.
Yup, can't do anything but feeling good!
I read somewhere that:
"To live is not enough! We also need sunshine, freedom and a little flower"!
I so agree!
Maybe I would add chocolate to that quote too though...
But a sunny kitchen is definitely good enough!
Tjingeling
Ajax-mode
Cuckoo!
I feel I want to praise my other half who is not fighting the same war my dad did but still have a fight of his own.
This fight is about loosing weight, eating healthy, excercise and sleep.
Nothing of that has been a natural part of himself for many years.
This time he seems to be in for a real change though.
He has namely put himself into Ajax-mode...
Everyone who knows him probably understands what I'm talking about:)
He is so stubborn, determined and goal oriented this time so I kind of almost expect to have a "new" man by my side within a near future:)
He eats healthy, he is moving, he is getting to bed earlier and he is GLOWING!
Its amazing how a change of lifestyle can boost the energy, lit the fire and make someone beaming of health like he is doing now.
Im so so proud of him, watching all his progress.
In the pictures above he set off on his first biketour since a year and his first training session for the 5 boroughs bike tour in May.
A race I will also attend so question is where I was...?
Well I was inside enjoying a cup of tea, a magazine and feet on the table thinking " next time" 😜!
I can definitely say I need just a small portion of Ajax-mode...
Tjingeling
A positive phone call
Cuckoo!
Some weekends are slightly better than others.
This passed weekend belong to that category.
I think it is about the atmosphere...
When harmony is in charge everything else falls into place.
Good mood, togetherness and sunshine.
And as a happy ending to that a phone call from my dad...
He was passing on a happy message...
His cancer is almost gone! Yay!
He underwent an aggressive treatment during fall and now it was time to evaluate the result.
Nothing left!!!
He is happy, my mom is happy and I am so happy.
Suddenly there is room for other than anxiety, worryness and darkness.
Now he is not afraid of facing the future, to plan, to hope and to dream.
The sun decided to start shining in his life again!
Even here at this side of the big blue sea the world looked brighter, more colourful and full of promises after that phone call.
Love, family and health!
What more can you ask for the last weekend in January?
Tjingeling
