14 months later... a gift guide!

it's been a long while since i was blogging. basically, life got busy with school (i am training to become a teacher and am almost done, fingers crossed) while working and tending to my health. all is good and looking forward to some extra time on my hands so that i can get back to this little blog of mine... will update soon on all the shenanigans that went on here.

for now, i am back with a holiday gift guide... including lisa larsson paintings (photo above) which makes me think of vacations in italy, available from wall of art.

i have coveted this lily candlestick holder since i arrived to stockhom, from skultuna 

tulip candlestick holder is another coveted one; it comes in a set of three too, just saying, from skultuna 

these plant straws are beautiful, they come in a variety of colours and are locally made right here in vasastan

this cute silver plated vase from skultuna, yes, please.

i have been on the lookout for a braided bag and i think i found it in this swedish designed one, from blankens

flower market poster (the paris one is lovely but there is more too choose from) from paper ministry

the lola vase is canadian made and i love it, from ssense

stoff nagel candleholder to grow my collection, available from nordic nest

the monika slip looks so comfy, from blankens

also from blankens, these knee high boots for stockholm winters, yes, please.

cute pinky pillow from h&m, perfect for our new sofabed where we can now accomodate friends and family, come visit!

louis poulsen's swoon-worthy ceiling lamp, from svenssons

oiseaux de paradis teapot, from svenskt tenn, to go with my mugs

bjorn winblad ceramic eva flowerpot, for a touch of scandinavian folk art, from rosendahl

happy holiday shopping!

christmas time!

finally, it's christmas time. 

i love these days. they start on the eve of christmas with a classic swedish menu featuring jansson's temptation and sill, bubbles, and board games. before bed, i do last minute wrapping, an activity i find enjoyable and relaxing.

the next day, we linger at breakfast, enjoying kai's cheesy omelet. and, as we eat and chat, we also begin opening our stocking stuffers (pic above).  i love my ABBA tee and stefan and kai unwrap lots of chocolate and licorice. finally, we open gifts while an 80's soundtrack is being played (much to kai's chagrin). the jean-luc picard biography made me laugh out loud. if you know me, you know i have a crush on patrick stewart. then, we take a gazillion selfies to get that one photo that will do... my boys are patient with me :) it lightly snowed too, perfect. it's become tradition to have meatloaf for christmas dinner. yes, simple but we love it with its sides of mash and broccolini. the evening ends with more board games.

the in-between days follow the same flow... leisurely (last pic) and filled with good food.

omg, i am so short... when did that happen?!?

merry christmas!

and then it was christmas!

while the swedes celebrate on christmas eve day, we spend the twenty-fourth preparing for christmas day. 

gingerbread cookies are baked, stockings stuffed and presents wrapped. the new animated christmas movie 'klaus' is on the television. its novel take on the origin of santa is very good. 

the last tea from of my johan och nystrom tea advent calendar warms me up. 

two new felt animals join the tree. the skiing mouse was gifted to me by a lovely friend.  the dog with his coffee was a cute find befitting my coffee loving hubby.

'civilization' the board game is won for the third consecutive time by kai. as we play, we fill our plates with a buffet of goodness and there's wine and christmas beer too. 

the relaxed and quiet christmas eve continued into christmas day. 

a special breakfast with whole wheat scones, soldiers wrapped in prosciutto, cheese puffs too.

loki happily spent the morning inside a bag :)

fancy skincare products, warm socks, a cozy cat sweater and more unwrapped. 

playing hours worth of 'terraforming mars', winning the first game after being defeated again and again in 'civilization'.

fun with the prettiest wooden cat pile game.

for christmas dinner, a meatloaf was served... not a very merry choice but kai and i were craving it and so stefan created the most delicious meatloaf ever accompanied with orange glazed carrots, the swedish jansson's temptation, and garlic fried broccolini. 

christmas breakfast and dinner were just two of many... stefan spent many hours in the kitchen over these holiday days making amazing food for kai and i. and i am grateful beyond words.

ps. to get the above picture took several tries thanks to this guy who was having some fun on my behalf, here i am sharing a few zoomed in outtakes:

merry christmas from my little family to yours!