For them, for her

Last weekend I took Claire out again (Claire is my sewing machine). I've mention before that I have, erhm, problems when it comes to sewing. I am a total novice, and add to that the fact that I don't even have instructions to my sewing machine, and well - that would make anyone have less patience than normal, right?

But I am determined to learn, and with any handcraft you learn by doing. So I'm starting simple and hoping to take on more challenging projects in time. I have no one to teach me, so I do what any modern woman with access to technology would do. I use YouTube! YouTube is teaching me to sew, and this weekend I learned how to sew curtains with this tutorial. The curtain is for the kids' room, and I am so in love with this fabric. Isn't it just great for a childrens' room? Even though this was such a simple project I managed to botch the job. But this curtain will have to do for now, I don't think I can muster up more patience (or fight the kids off to leave me alone) to make another.

As for sewing inspiration, I have plenty. My daughters recent first birthday led to a purchase on Etsy. I wanted to get Esther something special, something she will use. I found this store on Etsy that makes the most adorable smocks, and ordered one for her. It fits perfectly, and since I also ordered the pattern I am hoping that I will be able to make more for her. The pattern is supposed to be simple, so hopefully I'll be able to pull it off. The prospect of being able to make one of a kind clothes for my kids has definitely given me the sewing bug. But for now simple is the word, I'm sticking to curtains!

I still can't really wrap my brain around my girl being a year old now, and after she hit that one year mark things started to go way fast. She is climbing everything, talking (or trying to, sounding like Flanders in the Simpsons - "doodelidoodelididdeli") and is showing just that much more of her personality. She is pretty content most of the time, this one, with a good dose of temper when needed and boxes off her bullying brother like a little kangaroo. She likes swinging and dancing and listening to music, and every time she sees an animal - she barks. All animals bark. She's scared of guitars, likes to eat paper and her shenanigans are either preceded by giggles or followed by her calling for me, just to let me know that she's climbed onto a bed or is getting into a trash can. I just love this girl to bits, can you tell? Oh, and she doesn't sleep, did I mention that? The little lady is up again, its 9 pm and she's up again....

While I'm mentioning purchases on Etsy, I just have to show you this sweet thing.

I came across tinywarblers Etsy shop back in 2009, and bookmarked it thinking that if I ever had a little girl I would get her one of her bunnies. I found that bookmark again just before Christmas, and this bunny made it to us just in time. These days I'm trying to stay away from Etsy, there is just too much loveliness to be found there. Thankfully browsing doesn't mean buying, and I have a birthday coming up!

Yarn Along

We have chickenpox in our home. So far only Sebastián has it but I'm waiting for Esther to get it as well. They were both exposed at the same time, so I'm guessing it's only a matter of time. So the past few days have been spent taking care of my boy and all of that itching, dictating the nature of my reading and what kind of knitting I can manage.

Sebastián received two books about Emil in Lönneberga for Christmas, and he absolutely loves them. What three year old wouldn't love the stories about Emil and all the trouble he gets into? We were lucky to find a new Emil-book at the library last time we were there - "Emil med paltsmeten" - and that's what we've been reading over and over and over again during these itchy days. Unfortunately I have no idea what this book is called in english, even after googling, sorry! But whether it is this book or any other Emil book, I recommend them all.

As for knitting, progress is being made slowly but surely. I have finished a sleeve on Sebastiáns cardigan and started the second one. I can't wait to finish this knit and see it on my boy! But this poor cardigan has a lot against it. Chickenpox, other projects and now work. I'm guessing I'll be working a lot on my secret knit in the next few days. I've been  sneaking a few rows here and there while we've been playing, just enough to satisfy my knitting needs but not so much that Sebastián feels that I'm not present. Blessed stockinette stitch, perfect for multi-tasking, sleep-deprived and hence absent-minded mamas!

Well, I've been trying to post this for a few hours now, but my boy can't sleep for all the itching and is requesting I read Emil again. I'm guessing this won't be the last time I read this book!

::Joining Yarn Along at Small Things::

What a great idea

I do believe I am a blog-o-holic. There are so many people out there with so many inspiring things to say and ideas to share! Thankfully I have the two crazies and other things in my life to keep me busy or my eyes would be square-shaped from staring at the computer screen all day long.

Last week I was feeling a bit under the weather, and not all too keen on spending time outdoors. We needed indoor activities and I was quite tired of our usual play. Thanks to all the reading I do online I came up with the idea of recycling our used crayons. It was quite fun for Sebastián to break the crayons that were worn and ugly, and to sort them by color. I enjoyed it too, so fun to do something different for a change! Here's the post that put the idea into my head. 

Unfortunately we didn't have any fun silicone forms, just your regular muffin forms. But we were happy with the results nonetheless!

Creamy capuccino carrot soup

There's a café in downtown Uppsala, Café Cappuccino, that serves the most delicious carrot soup. I have been dreaming about this soup for weeks, and since I rarely go into town I had to take matters into my own hands. Its been so long since I've had the soup at the café that I'm not even sure if mine tastes anything like it, but it turned out so good that I've made it again and again and again.

This recipe is for about four people.

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
7-8 medium-sized carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 L broth (chicken or vegetable)
1,5 dl cream
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
shrimp
2 dl sour cream/ creme fra iche
fresh herb (parsley for instance)
olive oil
salt
pepper

Start by frying onion and garlic on medium heat in olive oil, adding celery and carrots once the onion starts to get soft. Fry the veggies for a few minutes and then add broth and bring up to a boil. Let the soup putter for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Take the pot off the stove and puree the soup until it is smooth. Lastly, add cream, salt and spices, and heat up the soup again. I usually vary the amount of cream I have in the soup, depending on what I'm in the mood for. If I want something heavy I add more cream, if not I just add the amount written in the ingredient list.

To give the soup a little extra flavor I mix about about 2 dl sour cream (or creme fraiche) with about half a clove of minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Pour your soup into a bowl, add a large tablespoon of sour cream sauce, a handful of shrimp and strew your fresh herb over the soup.

Simple, quick and delicious. Enjoy!  

Yarn Along

Time for knitting and reading has been scarce as usual, but that hasn't stopped me from starting on two new projects and a new book. I ended up getting that hot water bottle that I was dreaming about in my last Yarn Along post. I love the heat, dislike the plastic-y feeling, so I started knitting a cover for the bottle using this pattern.  Credit for this project goes to Jennifer Letts over at S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen, who suggested I make a cover for my bottle. Thanks! I'm in no hurry with this though, so this knit will be the last thing on my priority list.

What I am in a hurry with though is my boys sweater, it's coming along oh so slowly. The sweater now has a secret knit to compete with, a project I've been planning for a while but haven't gotten around to.  This new knit is being kept on the down low since its a present for someone that I think checks this space out every now and then. I'm using the same yarn, Drops Delight, that I'm using in my sons sweater, but different colors. I mostly prefer yarn that is 100% wool, alpaca or what have you, but I can't resist the colors (and the price)!

My new read, "The Sea House" by Esther Freud, caught my eye when I was with the kids at the library. We were just about ready to leave when I saw it on the shelf in the international section. I've never heard of the author before, but her sharing my daughters name and the title made me grab it before we left. Really, picking a book because of the authors name and the cover, how very juvenile of me! In all fairness I did open the book and read the inside cover, which drew me in:

"It is the story of one generation living in the footprints of another; of a landscape shaped by lives, and lives shaped by landscape."

Landscape shaped by lives and lives shaped by landscape, how could I resist that? I'm hoping that this book will capture and convey the soul of the sea. Growing up I was never far from the sea, and I often miss the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean. Maybe this book will take me back to that in my mind. That's the beauty of books, isn't it?

::Joining Yarn Along at Small Things::

A-ha!

Don't you just love those a-ha moments, those uplifting realizations that in one way or another make life just a little bit easier? Lately I have realized that ::

::my children do not need me all the time. Trust that they are competent people, that left to themselves are quite capable of a lot of things really. We've had a rough six months with little Esther, who has been an absolute horror when it comes to the sleep department. After finding this gem of a blog, I realized what at least part of the problem was: me. I have always been putting her to sleep, she has no idea how to wind down on her own. Changes have been made and I am marveling at how much better she is sleeping now!

::part of the reason I am so tired all the time can be blamed on my poor diet. I've recently started keeping a food diary of sorts for Esther and myself since she has a lot of stomach issues (I'm still nursing her). I need to figure out what causes her belly aches so that she will feel better and sleep better at nights. What I ended up seeing was just how badly I was eating. Esther got all the fruits and veggies needed, and I got "quick fixes" throughout the day. I'm sure many eat much worse, but this was far from what I consider balanced and healthy. Again, changes being made, which I hope everyone in the family will benefit from.

:: I need to slow down. I haven't been enjoying the day to day all that much lately, and I realized that I haven't for some time. So many things around our everyday life is constantly being done the quick way, to make life "easier". It isn't though, it's actually doing the exact opposite. Doing things the fast way means that I can cram more things into each day, and with all the cramming comes very little room for enjoying. I need to take time to smell the roses (we actually do have roses out in our neighbors little green space, how horrible is that? Roses in December, what is the world coming to...).

::we need to unplug. I'm not against my kids (at least the older one) watching television, but lately its just gotten out of hand. The TV helps me get things done, but honestly its just not worth it. I read a quote about parenting that went something like "The days are long, but the years are short". That is just so true, and I want to make sure I am making the most of these days that I have with my kids.

Let go. Take better care of myself. Slow down. Unplug. (And don't forget to play).

Yarn Along

For Yarn Along this week I present: a sleeve. Correction: barely half a sleeve. Did I mention I'm a slow knitter? To give myself some credit though I have to say that this cold I've had all week has me floored, and I'm going to sleep shortly after the kids are tucked in. Fickle cold this one, I wake up feeling fine and as the day progresses the itchy throat and feverish feeling returns.

Even though I am temped to go to bed early tonight as well, I am even more tempted to get started on my new book.   I gave up on "The left hand of God" by Paul Hoffman, partly because the book seemed like it was written to be a movie and because the story took such a strange turn halfway through that I felt like I was reading some other book altogether. So, I returned the book to my sister as promised and promptly set about raiding her bookcase for a new read. I came home with four books, "Hypnotisören" (The hypnotist) by Lars Kepler being one of them. I have heard from several people that it is a real page turner, and the plot sounds quite gruesome. I wouldn't say I dig gruesome, but a scary plot with unexpected twists and turns usually always sucks me in. No, I don't dig gruesome, I just like to be entertained...

So now I'm all set for a cozy evening in my armchair, tea by my side and the colorful blanket you see in the photo keeping the chill off (Hey, I have a measly half-sleeve to present, let me brag about something!). Seriously, I'm just cold all the time these days. I've been dreaming about going back to basics - how about a hot water bottle warming up the sheets at night?

Yarn Along

Since I am dreaming big when it comes to my knitting, I'm thinking of giving Yarn Along a go. I think this will be a great way to get my knit on and a fun way to share my projects.

I've been perusing the blogs that are signed up and even follow a few already, and I can say that I have nothing on these ladies when it comes to knitting. So much, so fast and such lovely work! I've been knitting for a few years but am mainly self-taught. I don't have too many projects under my belt, so I still have a lot to learn.

At the moment I am working on this cardigan for my son. I've been making slow progress (as usual) but am finally doing the sleeves. This is actually the first cardigan I've made, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I'm doing this right. Every so often Sebastián asks me if I'm done knitting his cardigan, so I'm trying to keep at it.

My sister visited a few weeks ago and forgot her book here, which I of course swooped down on. I always love a good fantasy book, but I have to say that I am a bit disappointed with "The left hand of god" by Paul Hoffman. I'm half-way through this book and even though the storyline is good it just feels like a book that was written to be a movie. I hadn't heard of this book before, but apparently there was quite a fuss about it when it came out. I'll give it another go, but my curiosity in seeing what happens to the characters has dwindled. We'll see if the book is able to suck me in again, if not, I'll be returning it to its rightful owner.

I'm not really one for new years resolutions. I just make promises that I usually don't keep, and I don't like setting myself up for failure.  But I do have hopes for this new year. I hope that I will get some inspiration back when it comes to biology, I really need to get back in the game and although I am all about living in right now I need to look ahead when it comes to the inevitable - being back on the job market. I also hope that I will make it into this space more often. I haven't been doing this long but I have missed the photographing, paying attention to my inner voice and the sharing involved in blogging, even though I do believe my mom is my most avid reader. I also want to make more time for knitting and crocheting, I NEED my creative projects. Who knew that messing around with sticks and string could be so therapeutic, and the results so gratifying? 

All of these things that I am hoping for in this new year all come back to one thing. Inspiration. And time I suppose, but that one I have a hard time controlling. But inspiration, yes, that one I can do something about. So INSPIRATION is my word of the year, what I am striving towards and hopefully I will look back on 2012 and be inspired by all that I have managed to do!

This photo is totally unrelated to this post, I haven't been taking many pictures these months I've been away!