A bit sad....

This time last year I was at the Sheraton hotel in Stockholm eating gross and EXPENSIVE Mongolian takeaway with my little sis Darla and her family...(Per and Em where there of course) What a difference a year makes...I miss them terribly.

Hello World!

Yes,I'm still here.
I've discovered face book and well.....

I received a set of pulse warmers back in the summer from a very sweet ,generous lady.
To tell the truth I had never heard of them before and was a little skeptical when I heard they could keep you warm.
I was feeling chilly yesterday so I decided to pull them out and give them a try.Let me tell you people they WORK! I love love love them.

Not only do they keep you warm they are stylish. You feel so fancy wearing them. I wore them to the grocery store yesterday you would not believe how many ladies stared at me..I'm sure it was the pulse warmers getting all the attention and not the fact that when I had them on I would show P the items in the fruit and veggie section like Vanna White showing off the letters on Wheel of Fortune...

Later Peeps,
Mimi

If I were a mushroom...

Deadly but beautiful! LOL

Autumn is here.

Per and I went up to the cabin this morning just after we got E off to school.
Our plan was to install the new lock and close things up for the winter.
It was such a beautiful day he decided to cast a few times in the lake, while I wondered around looking for mushrooms and berries.
We didn't want to leave..The weather was perfect and the the place is so inviting.We decided NOT to close things up for the winter..Just yet... We have plans to go back up this weekend and spend the day..We know what's headed our way so we need to make the most of these gorgeous Autumn days.
Here are just a few of the pictures I took this morning.
Mimi

Sunshine on a RAAAAINY day...

I woke up feeling a little down in the dumps... it was rainy out... I had to drag myself to the mail box...Much to my surprise, the sun was shining inside my mail box. WHAT!?! How can this be?The SUN inside my mail box?

Sorting through the mail I came across a letter addressed to me.
The envelope had cherries, a turtle,a penguin and the cutest moose standing by a tree.When I opened it there was a very thoughtful letter inside.The letter AND the envelope made my day!!!

I want to say thank you to TWO very special people...You two know who you are!

1+1=11...

When life seems a little overwhelming and you struggle to make sense of it all... just remember this will pass and things will get better!


Thank you Emily for teaching me that sometimes life is as simple as 1+1 =11 ( 1...1...11)

Oh noooo!

Face Book has been taking time away from my blog.

Random thoughts...

Well summer break is over for S.We took him back up to University this weekend.
WOW! This house feels empty,clean*giggles* and so very quiet.You all know E is a very quiet little angel.
There were a few surprises when we got there.First the weather was beautiful SUNNY and REALLY warm. I really didn't expect the nice weather 7 hours FURTHER north.It was a nice relief none the less.

Second his apartment...WAS REALLY CLEAN! Except for being closed up 6 weeks and needing a dusting the place was perfect.Clean dishes,neatly folded clothes,towels and dish towels put in place,and the frig was cleared and fresh. NOT A MOLDY piece of fruit in sight and get this the rugs were hanging on the balcony to "air out".I wasn't sure how to feel.Happy or Sad?
Happy there was no mess waiting for me or sad I was no longer needed.Then I started thinking,this is the same kid that was just home for 6 weeks.The same kid that refused to make his bed because he feels awkward lying in a made up bed during the day while watching TV and eating.The same kid that left dirty socks/clothes ALL over the house.The same kid that would forget the dirty dishes he left in his room,his sisters room,the living room and outside on the picnic table.
It felt suspicious then a *LIGHT BULB MOMENT* we remembered his nice neighbor lady! Hmmm.

While I'm glad he is safely back up there in his own space WE ALL MISS him terribly and look forward to his next break.When he does come someone PLEASE remind us how we felt this day! Ha ha ha!

We still have no diagnoses for E.I'm stressed to the limit and pray the test we take tomorrow will give us answers and we can move forward.

I'm really excited to announce we have officially started work on the new Sun room! According to S we are not allowed to call it a porch after hearing E's and my plans for it.LOL! Pictures will go up soon as the work progresses!

TTYL Peeps,
Mi

A break from...

The rain. Just after P stood in a down pour grilling our meat for dinner.I swear it stopped as soon as he stepped in the door.

Dinner was fabulous!

E and I spent the day washing ,ironing and packing S's clothes. Geez, the kid brought home at least 35 pairs of socks.We all know he is laundry challenged so we had socks stuck in every possible nook and cranny in this house.
Bless his heart he asked how long we were going to stay when we take him back to Luleå.I said " I don't know yet son" he said" you KNOW you'll need at least a couple of days to buy my groceries and get my apartment back in order"He is so very thoughtful.LOL!

Saturday!

We took a drive today to get away from the rainy weather. We live in a valley completely surrounded by mountains and when the rain sets in it stays.

I keep forgetting just how beautiful it is over by the coast.Best part of all it's only about an hour and half away.What's wrong with me?!?

Thank the Lord DB is back from Israel safe and sound.Not that she was ever in any danger I'm just glad she is home and I get to talk to her 4 or 5 times a day again! YAY!!

We are taking S back up to University next weekend.I can't believe how fast the time has passed and he is ALREADY headed back.

I do love his new apartment and lucky for him he has a friendly little neighbor lady that lives just across the hallway.I think she will even allow him to borrow a cup of sugar now and then.
I have a feeling he runs out of sugar a lot and makes his way over there loading up on the sweet stuff MORE times than not. Thanks friendly little neighbor lady!

E has a new little friend.Its a bunny! She hasn't named him yet but man he is cute.

Well P is waiting patiently for me to come in so we can watch a DVD together So I'll close for now.

Personal note to one of my blog readers... spɹɐʍ ʞɔɐq pɐǝɹ p1noɔ ı noʎ p1oʇ ı ǝǝs...LOL!

TTYL Peeps,
Mimi

Have you

watched the program I've been telling you about?

YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT... AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

No beep?!?!

With the rainy cold weather we are having I had no choice but to...BAKE BREAD!(in the bread machine of course)
Oh no? Oh yes! The first loaf turned out great.It was a Greek bread and YUM-E.

The second loaf.Um...well...yeah..NOT so great.It was suppose to be cinnamon raisin bread.I followed the instruction very carefully and wait 4 hours for the darn "beep" that was suppose to alert me as to when I should add the raisins.No beep came I continued to "wait" for the beep.I questioned every person in the house (many times).No one heard any beep/peep or any other strange signal .Not that they were listening for one... but I had to ask.

I think I was beginning to annoy S with my "beeping" questions, when I walked up to him - he actually made a beeping sound and when I turned around to look he took off.

E, yes, even sweet little precious E blurted out "I haven't heard your beeping beep mom".Then headed off to her room to doodled her boyfriends name a million gazillion times.

Realizing I must have REALLY been getting on their nerves I relaxed and watched videos on youtube while waiting for the beep.Yes, I know my family DID ban me from youtube after I was convinced I could cut hair(and even tried out my new skills on P) after watching a video...Nuff said!

The beep never came.The bread started to smell good then 5 minutes later it started to smell burned.BURNED?!? It must have risen too much and started to spill out of the little baking reservoir then it settled on the heating element and there it began to burn.It was a mess and I am glad that 4 hour (YES 4 HOUR) experience is O-V-E-R!!!
Well at least until tomorrow when I go shopping for more baking supplies and try again.LOL!

I am...

Blessed! Everyday of my life I am Blessed!!!

This and That.

S is coming home tomorrow.YAY!
Doll Baby is leaving for Tel Aviv. I wish I could say I was going with her but she has 11 hours on a *cough cough* AIRPLANE or AEROPLANE. (to me the latter spelling is too fancy smancy ) I don't want to look un-ed- you-MA-cated in front of the youngin'...LOL!

I'm not going to ramble on about my "new"(as of 6 years ago)fear of flying.
I hope she has a wonderful time and brings me back something nice... something REAL nice.*snickers*

The weather has been warmer but with the warmth comes the rain.
I did go back to the grocery store and I actually bought some meat because E said "lets try something new tonight" I said"ok, like what?" she said "MEAT?" ha ha ha Bless her heart.
I oven fried( olive oil of course) pork chops, jasmine rice, a Swedish brown sauce she loves,shredded carrots, a rocket salad and garlic bread.The sauce is actually called Brunsås(brown sauce).

E and I have a couple garden projects we are working on and she wants to convert her old club house to a funky new hip one.We'll see how that goes.

Saturday...

Today is the first day in two weeks we could go outside WITHOUT wearing a jacket.
I hope this heat wave of 64f holds a few days.

You are NOT suppose to be cold in JULY!!!

I'm in a cooking rut.I went to the grocery store and could not decide what to buy.(I try to plan a few days ahead because you all know how I feel about grocery shopping) I ended up getting fruit,cookies,crackers and some ice cream but I ate the ice cream on the way home.

One more thing,If you stop by my blog please leave me a message.. I would love to hear from YOU!

Beauty and The BEAST!

I really shouldn't call HER that... She is a very sweet girl.LOL
Let's see he is getting up at 6 am tomorrow morning driving 2 hours just to catch a train to ride another 6 hours to see her...I think someone has been bitten by the Looooove bug!

Summer?

I was out walking with my sweetheart and took the picture you see on my header. It is just beside one of our barns.

The beautiful flowers are a stark reminder that it IS in fact summer.While the temperatures the past few days would beg to differ. They have hovered around 54-55f for several days now. I guess I shouldn't complain especially when Dollbaby tells me it's been 105f in Texas the past few days.

Almost finished.

The counter tops,floor and sinks are in.This has been a long 6 weeks and I am so thankful it's almost over. The electrician is coming next week to hook up the stove and add a cool new light over the bar area, Especially for Doll baby in hopes of her coming back to visit me this winter.
She complained there was not enough light in the kitchen. There will be now Miss smartypants.

Sorry

I know I have been neglecting my blog lately.
It has been so hectic around here with the kitchen repairs/remodel. It's been slow going because we have had to take extra precautions removing boards and drying out wet ones(we had major water damage) due to E's allergies.What should have taken 2 weeks has taken us about 6.The industrial fans were a no go because they caused dust particle to float about causing her to have respiratory problems.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel because the contractors are coming bright and early in the morning to finish up.YAY!

I'll let ya know how it goes.

Mimi

Lunch time...

Don't ya just hate when someone burst into your "office" and invites themselves to lunch?
Well that's exactly what happened to P today.She/He was in no hurry to leave.
By the way,his lunch is in the black back pack you see in the right hand corner of the pictures.No zoom in camera just a regular digital camera.

Happy Thoughts!?!?

The last few post have been on the negative side.

Let's liven this place up.
Mom's home safe and sound... YAY!
S is coming home Monday for a few weeks...YAY!
E has 4 days left of school THEN summer break...YAY!
Our kitchen is completely dismantled and will be for at least the next 4 weeks,AND E is allergic to ALL the dust particles floating around... NOT YAY!
She has an air purifier to help her breath... YAY!
I get a new kitchen when this is all over...YAY!
It's summer... YAY!
But it's raining and 45 degrees FAHRENHEIT...Not YAY!
P is tired and boring right now... Not YAY!
He thought the last line was funny... YAY!

Well that's all I have for now!
TTYL peeps,
Mimi

After 3 short months

Mom headed home today. I will miss her terribly.

Things that do NOT go well together

3 women(me,mom and E) stuck in the house sick with the flu and 1 man (not sick) needing/having to wait on all of us AT THE SAME TIME!

The flu and roast lamb for dinner..I'll spare you the details.

The flu and running out of ice cream and hubby doing something silly like being at work.

The flu stricken daughter sending dad to the grocery store for her favorite cookie and the grocery store being out of said cookie.

The flu ,your kitchen flooding, the insurance adjuster.

Having the flu with cranky daughter and cranky granddaughter the last 2 weeks of your vacation in Sweden(mom's gripe)

OK ,hopefully we'll all be better in a few days And just in time to see our kitchen completely dismantled ... Good times!!! errrrr...


Later Gaters,
Mi

I knew it was just

a matter of time before I got The FLU!!!
Now I'm not saying I've started oinking like a pig or growing feathers like a bird.But what ever this is I have is nasty. I have a sore throat, runny nose,itchy watery eyes,cough and I'm aching in places I didn't even know I had. The silver lining is no one had the heart to tell me ice cream for dinner was a bad choice.

Good news I got my new refrigerator today... Yay! I'm officially a nerd I know! But I'm extremely happy with the new refrigerator because our old Husqvarna frig was 20 years old.

TTYL,
Mi

Lördags Godis.

Or as we say in engelska Saturday candy.
Traditionally here in Sweden kids only get candy on Saturday.
(To tell you the truth I see kids eating candy everyday of the week)

Well in our house we call our Saturday adventures Lördags Godis .We spent the day looking around a few antique stores, going to the garden center,grocery shopping(YUK) and eating ice cream in the sunshine.

Spring is finally here!Welcome old friend.The birds,the flowers,the green grass between my toes.
Best of all it is staying light until 11pm now and it just a matter of time until it is light around the clock and I'm walking around carrying a blanket and pillow searching for the darkest room in the house to sleep in.

WOW!!!

It has been a long time since I've been here.
I just popped in to say Hello.

Mom is still here with us and to be honest she is getting ALL my attention :)

I can not believe how fast the time has flown by since she arrived here 2 months ago.We are in the final few weeks of her visit and I'm not sure how I am going to feel sending her home this time.

I have so much to share but I think I'll do it another day.

TTYL peeps,

Mimi

Busy busy busy!!!

it seems I've had no time to blog lately..
Mom is here and we have been catching up .She celebrated her 75th birthday yesterday in style.
Tomorrow we are headed north to move S into a new apartment.
I'm sure I'll be back on the blog scene in no time...

later gaters,
Mimi

I'm the ....

worse( yet most beautiful) sister in the world.
Yesterday was my brother Beau's Birthday and I forgot to call him..
In all fairness I did have a 7 hour drive to pick up mom at the airport. I Waited at the wrong terminal,drank so much coffee I could see the air Then I lost mom and E while trying to find the lost car and lost husband.
Drove 7 hours home in fog,rain and then a snow storm.

NO excuse in the world will make up for me forgetting to call him...How horrible it must of been for him..It's not like his age wasn't enough to make him depressed oh and I'm not even going to mention the beer belly and bald head.
But his favorite most beautiful MUCH younger sister FORGETTING to call..It's TRAGIC

Happy LATE Birthday B.

Peace,love and forgiveness
Mi

Things that make my skin crawl.

I would like to start off by saying people that know me know I rarely rant about things in Sweden
(Well at least in public)
But after living here this long I just felt the need to get a few things off my chest...

1.How the hell do the trash collectors trucks always look so freaking clean?
2.Silent grocery stores.It's so freaking quite in our grocery stores.Except for the occasional baby that makes a peep.But only for a few seconds before the baby is rushed out to the car.
3.Small packaged foods and foods in tubes ..I love shopping but I detest FOOD shopping a) look at #2 b) because I NEVER know what to cook because nothing looks appetizing in those tubes.
Besides I'm unable to navigate a tube of toothpaste let alone DINNER from one of those contraptions.
4.How do the tall beautiful skinny Swedish ladies manage to walk on snow and ice in 4 in heels while I have trouble walking in my granny shoes with snow picks attached to the bottom.
5. Cold meatball sandwich with red/purple beet salad..Nuff said!
6.Telephone times/pull tab numbers..I freaking hate walking in and having to take a number then wait in line to pay for a bra or make a bank deposit..Telephone times MY GOD PEOPLE what if I have an important question at 1pm Tuesday and have to wait till 8am-8:45 am Wednesday to get it answered.Umm never mind I survived the accidental poisoning.
7.Oh my gosh school walks and outside grilling in -20 degree weather..seriously!!!
8.Stores closing at 6 or 7 EVERY NIGHT! I'm NOT joking!
9.WHY on Gods green earth does every Swedish town have between 10-15 pizzerias .. Someone is allowing this to happen.
10.Why can't I hate those delicious pizzas.(don't think American style pizza.These are totally different )

There's more but I thought 10 was a good number to stop with today.
For the most part I love Sweden.I definitely love my life and family here in Sweden.But like most ex-pats I find my self missing the comforts of home and want to only focus on things that make my skin crawl.

Peace Peeps,
Mi

23 Random things about Mi...

1.I love the color Pink!
2.I eat,cook and do a lot of things with my left hand but I write with my right hand.
3.I'm a clean freak but my closets are usually a mess.
4.I always speak my mind.
5.I love to cook and eat Thai food.
6.I grind my teeth so much at night I have to sleep with a night guard in to prevent my jaw from being out of line.
7.I have two children.
8.I'm a Believer.
9.I'm terrified of snakes and bears but obsessed with watching anything and everything about them.
10.I'm afraid of flying.
11.I love wine.
12.I love shopping but rarely buy myself anything.
13.I NEVER put the trash in the bin outside.I usually get someone else to take it out there,because I would be standing there cleaning the big bin out.
14.I can not sew but wish I could.
15.I love my husband VERY much.
16.I wear fake finger nails.
17.I sometimes work on the deck crew in our sawmill.(that means I help load logs to be cut then unload the scrap that gets cut off) and I still have on my fake nails under my gloves.
18.I love to feel green grass between my toes.
19.I love ice hockey.
20.Lax/Salmon is my favorite meat dish.
21.I shave my legs ever night even when I'm sick.
22.I speak a mix between English and Swedish at home with my family.(Swenglish)
23.I talk to Dollbaby EVERYDAY eventho, we are 5,000 miles away from each other.

While I was away...

We've celebrated our Anniversary and Valentines day.

Let's see we've been socked in with - 20 to -30 degree weather OR the days it warms a little it starts to snow like crazy.I'm talking SNOW people. Like up to 12 inches at a time.

I've had the stomach flu off and on for a week.
We've redone the entry way.
E started Sex-Ed class at school the same week she got her first boyfriend.Luckily all the things they are teaching them about makes her" sick to her stomach"..*snickers*

One of our sheep died :(

My MIL had surgery and my Mothers doctor has not given her the "ok" to come to Sweden , her tickets are booked and it's only 11 days until she leaves.

There's more but I don't want to sound boring ha ha ha!

Puppy Love!

Em has a bad case of Puppy Love right now.
It's the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life.
She giggles all the time...She even tells us her cheeks are sore from smiling so much.
She tells me EVERY TIME he sends her smiley or heart through text or while they are chatting..
It's so sweet and innocent.
Can it just stay this sweet and innocent until she's.... 25? OHHHHH P-L-E-A-S-E!!!!!

YAY!!!

I got a new dryer------I got a new dryer!!!

Mine has been on the blink for a couple of month now.To tell the truth the last couple of weeks I've resorted to hanging the wet clothes around in the laundry room just to get them dry.

Then this morning, the delivery guy knocked on the door with by BRAND NEW DRYER!!!

Can you tell I'm excited?

I can't wait to cuddle the warm towels coming out being placed in the laundry basket.I hope someone folds them before they get wrinkled..ha ha ha

I gotta lotta to say...

But can't seem to find the time or inspiration to blog.

I'm really bad at this blogging thing.It's very weird too BECAUSE I read a lot of blogs everyday!

Then when it comes to posting a new one here I freeze up.

I don't feel my life is less interesting -I love my life. But when it comes to putting it into words it gets difficult.

I think I'll start writing short one or two liners each day and see where that goes.
I used to be so witty and funny and now my blog seems dull and boring.

New Year..

New Hope..I know I am late with this but hey,I've been busy.

Wow 2008 gone already..Where did it go?
There were times I just wanted it to end ...But now that I look back ,it went so fast.

There were many changes for our family in 2008..I can say with all honesty they were ALL for the best.

We've had tears and fears,laughter and joy...The tears and fears were for the most part only a drop in the bucket to the Laughter and Joy this family has experienced over the past year.

With the departure of a few and the arrival of many we have pulled together not only as family but as friends.

Yes 2008 was a life experience and I wouldn't change a thing about it.