Pockets for Lori

Last week those of us that visit Loris blog were invited to participate in a special project. Lori posted about her coming trip to Africa, and her wish to knit little necklace pockets with gifts in them, to give to the Himba people she plans on visiting. She asked if anyone wanted to contribute, and it seems many thoughtfully did. 

I decided to crochet my pockets since I crochet faster than I knit, and since its easier to do around the kids. Only one enticing stick to hold on to, and if curious little fingers start pulling the yarn and manage to unravel something it's easy to backtrack and start over. I used a pattern found here, chaining 22 for the foundation chain and using a 5 mm crochet hook to match the size of Loris pockets.

Now I just hope these pockets actually make it to Lori in time. I'm such a birdbrain sometimes that it's scary. I used a prepaid national package instead of an international one, so now I'm praying to the postage gods that the package will get sent anyway since it was so light. Cross your fingers for me, or if you're in Sweden - hold your thumbs. Never have gotten used to that thumb-holding thing....

I have to say it felt really good to do something for someone else. It feels really good to know that some child might receive one of those pockets I made and find a little toy in there, just for them.

If you're curious about the other pockets that have been made, follow this link.

Underwear pizza and other tidbits from days passed

The weekend started with a much needed girls night out. I decided to try something new, so I had snails. Tasted sort of like mushrooms. All the garlic saved the dish, I don't think I'll have them again.

I woke up on Saturday not feeling very well, thinking that I didn't have that much wine the night before and then realizing that I was getting sick. Spent Saturday in denial, made home-made calzones (calzone sounds like the swedish word for underwear - "kalsonger", so we always call it underwear pizza), whole family involved. I supervised, hubby executed most of the work, Sebastián rolled pizza dough and Esther ate it. They were delicious, I do believe I will need to post a recipe soon.

Sunday spent on the couch with an earache, headache  - everything ached. But I didn't mind, I really needed to just be at home and do absolutely nothing. Hubby took the kids to their grandparents, ah, the silence...

...and then - the silence! Way too quiet at home, I missed the kids after a couple of hours. Was so happy when they got home. Seeing Esther walk around, fall around - her balance is still just a bit off. Sebastián wearing his spiderman suit that he refuses to take off (and he only answers to spiderman now).

And this morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that the acrobats of the air were back, the swallows are here! I adore swallows. Their high pitched cries are summer to me, and they just look like they are having so much fun the way they fly about. If I was an animal I'd definitely want to be a swallow.

Back on the couch, spiderman is next to me and Esther is sleeping in the stroller. Oh Esther, she is having a hard time letting go. I'm trying to get her turned off of boob food but she is adamant and won't give up "tah-tah". Sigh, I kind of want my body back now. Aw well, it will work itself out somehow, it always does!

All in all it was a good, lazy weekend. Now I just need to get back on my feet!

Getting out of the spiral

Watched this TED talk yesterday which got me thinking about this old post and my "three happy's". I wish I didn't have to reprogram my brain so often to positive thinking, but at least I know how to get myself out of this negative spiral I often find myself in. Need to take out my journal again, end the day with writing three things that have made me happy. And by happy I don't mean totally euphoric happy (although thats a good thing of course), small-smile-on-the-face-happy is more than good enough. 

Oh, and music helps too. We all have our list of feel-good songs that just pick up our mood a notch, don't we? This one always has me dancing...

Copycat

A while ago I read this post over at "the habit of being" and couldn't get the idea of this list out of my head. How great wouldn't it be to have a long list of things you want to do for yourself or others to tick off over the course of a year? Fun things, things that will help your personal growth, things you've always wanted to do but have been putting off and so on and so forth. So, here goes, here's my 33 before 33:

1. Find a reason to crack open the expensive bottle of champagne we have had at home for way too long.

2. Step out of my comfort zone when it comes to clothes & accessories

3. Go to one last concert with my bro (my concert buddy) before he leaves the country

4. Enjoy a quiet morning alone with my cuppa and other morning indulgences

5. Go crab-hunting with my boy

5. Take Sebastián to Iceland

6. Go completely organic on the beauty products front

7. Grow potatoes on my balcony

8. Find my abs again (where did you goooo?)

9. Knit a cardigan for myself

10. Have a pedicure

11. Take a knitting class

12. Make sourdough bread from scratch

13. Buy myself a new jug to replace my favorite one that broke

14. Do my best to make sure my crazies (that is, the kids) know their worth and feel good about themselves. 

15. Get that tattoo I've always wanted (eek! really?!)

16. Send my husband off on a chess tournament somewhere abroad

17. Spend a day at the spa getting pampered

18. Move out of the shoebox

19. Improve my photography skills

20. Paint the hall dresser robins egg blue

21. Go through our storage room and get rid of things we don't need anymore

22. Participate in a run of some sort, 5 km minimum

23. Finish my thesis

24. Get a full-length mirror

25. Send someone a hand-written letter (don't you miss those?)

26. Make dvd's of all the video's we have of the kids and watch them. (Oh boy is this going to make my cry and want to populate the world with my awesome offspring)

27. Go bowling

28. Take the kids to the butterfly house in Stockholm

29. Have a picnic in a meadow

30. Lie on a blanket in the sun with my bare feet on the grass

31. Give an unexpected gift

32. Go for more walks in the woods alone. Pure meditation.

33. Make a campfire with my kids

I'll end this post with a photo from this weekend. The white fluff came back, I really thought we'd seen the last of it. We'll have no more of this now, OK? We're all so very ready for some warm weather and I really want to start getting some of these seedlings out of my kitchen. The kids love them though, Sebastián is following their growth with excitement and Esther wants me to take the pots down for her about ten times a day so she can kiss the seedlings and say hello to them. These kids cuteness is just killing me.

One of those days

It's been one of those days spent cleaning and putting away and getting things in order only to have the floors dirty again in the matter of a few hours, the newly washed chair covers splattered in pesto, the kitchen floor littered with acorns and the washed laundry lying all over the bedroom.

One of those days spent mostly in the kitchen with the best of company, talking and talking and talking and laughing and eating way too much good food (excuse me while I undo a button).

One of those days that the kids are showing their best and their worst, excited by the company, and you sometimes feel like they are being raised by baboons.

One of those days that ends in a weary, content sigh. What would we do without these days and the baboon-babies that make everything nuts and wonderful all at the same time? And that big brother company that I am going to miss so so much...

Happy easter, hope your holiday will be filled with many of these good, crazy days.

Procrastinating (I'm good at that)

Winter made a come-back this weekend. All the jackets, mittens and hats I had stowed away had to be taken out again. Typical March weather around these parts, but the cold and little bit of white we had on the ground kind of knocked us out of our spring high. I think my boy took it worst of all, absolutely refusing to put on winter clothes again. Style is everything with this one and he has summer in his blood all right. It's all about long johns (and ONLY long johns), baseball caps, sneakers and a certain hoodie that is way too small on him - everything else is "ugly", not "his style" and he won't go outside if he doesn't "look good". *sheesh* He got away with it up until a certain temperature, after that I had to exert my maternal skills and get him properly dressed. 

Promising some time in the Uppsala city park playground and feeding ducks got him in his winter jacket in no time, and it was so nice to get out of the house despite the hail and snow and rain we got that day.  I thought Esther would climb into the pond with the ducks she was so excited, but Sebastián was scared beyond belief; fed the birds after  bit of reassurance and coaxing. Makes me wonder what the heck I am thinking letting him try out horseback riding tomorrow, but hey, if he shows interest then I think that should be encouraged. Maybe he won't run screaming at the sight of a horse? (fingers crossed, I'll be alone with the kids tomorrow doing this thing, please please please let it go well). Worst case scenario, he doesn't even get on the horse. 

Not much in the way of anything creative to share here, just the pics. My thesis is a thorn in my side to say the least, I try to use whatever time I can to finish that piece of work. Progress being made, slowly but surely. Speaking of which, best get productive while the little one is napping!