Sunday, November 25, 2012

Theatre

The Boy's class spent a great part of the semester rehearsing a play.
It wasn't just any play, it was a classic fairytale from folklore tradition, about three goats crossing a bridge, under which a horrible troll lives.
It's the small goat, the medium goat and the big goat and The Boy was the small goat.
Bless his cute little heart - because CUTE he was :-)


The theatre teacher told us about their work. 


The two classes that each had rehearsed a play! 


The small goats passes under the bridge here. 


He said his lines and walked away to lie down. We were as proud as could be, of course!!


This is the medium goat :-)


The strong brave big goat has arrived! 





The end of November is soon with us and if September and October went fast, I don't know what to say of November? I didn't see it!

My biggest laugh and/or memory of November year 2012 may very well be that I finally upped and went to a doctor for a condition that I've had for a year but all the time thought would go away.... I know it sounds idiotic but I didn't think much of it and got used to it even. It's weird and disgusting and hilarious all at the same time but here goes:
the skin inside my mouth would steadily come off during mornings. I'd drag skin parts out for a couple of hours and then the mouth would burn the rest of the day and the next day we'd start all over again, 
my mouth and I.

Until hubs one day said:
-You have GOT to stop this skin dragging now, dear!!!
Then I googled it and realized it most definately could be mouth fungus - oh, the disgust!
Off to the doctor I went and now I'm on a strooooong remedy since I've cultivated this darn thing for a year, when the doctor thought days would be bad enough..... It's me in a nutshell.










Afterwards they each received a rose for the good work.  The Boy knew how to treat a rose!


And I gotta say again: I can't believe he's this big already. Acting in a school play and all...




Be still, madly pounding heart of mine..! 


A playful dad just had to try out the hair the troll (aka his son) wore :-)



Next week December arrives and with it first of advent. By then all swedes put up special Christmas lights but The Boy and I went ahead and put them up today! We had a grand moment getting them and putting them up together.
I treasure it like magic, these special times together and I remember moments with my firstborn and then my heart goes..... hot like a volcano and the breathing gets tough.... Life. The years. They pass so quickly. And I'm so lucky to have these two precious boys and it makes me feel like the luckiest there is, in the whole of the universe.

So, we're walking towards December - the first real hardcore winter month.
Have a wonderful week, friends, and a great Monday!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

All my IG's were lost... :-(

So, I was gonna show you IG-shots from Mårten Gås with friends, my outfit etc. I asked hubs to empty that iPhone of mine, since it contained about 4000 pics, and he did. And now it's all gone....
No shots hence.

You can, however, see all my IG-shots here:
http://instagram.com/annalarissa


A tiny load of shots from this week follows below:



We got home baked hard bread from guests. Tasted delicious!




Sunday, the day after Mårten Gås, we celebrated 12 years as married.




Jogging :-D 


 Cosiness by the fire, in mama's lap <3


Going out to AW with another local friend. Yeah - that makes two local friends!! 
;-) 




Local friend no 2 and I ;-D 


I met a childhood boyfriend, who I was going steady with twice when I was about 9-10 years old.
Hadn't seen him at all for the last 25 years but recognised him instantly.
Wow!! Yeah, he was very nice and handsome too :-) 


Charged to the see the amazing soccer player Zlatan score four goals towards England,
 among them: one hattrick and one bicycleta (spelling?). Amazing!!!! 


Mr Love. 


Cancelled train = me-time at Starbucks!! 






My manager-colleague at work and I during festivities! 






Peace and balance
I feel such harmony this month and I'm as amazed as happy! I go around feeling all good about me, the family and my life in general. Since I worked hard at figuring out ways to carpe even more diem, after my vacation this year I can now thank myself for succeeding :-)

My method contains, amon other things:
-I have Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday booked for running or gymming and if AWs occur during those days I don't try to make up for it - it's lost. That way I sure do stress less.
-If I feel worn out, from not sleeping much enough or from stressing or from not seeing my family enough - I skip exercising. No guilt allowed. I then rest on the couch or in a bath.
-Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday are exercise-free and they're heavenly!
-Weekends I allow myself to relax and chill as much as I can! If I feel I need to watch movies an entire day, I do that. No guilt, no cleaning.

This works incredibly well for me. I feel very harmonic and happy and I really do treasure each and every day, as I think one should strive for. Looks and weight and a clean house are less important than wellbeing.


Today I doubled my jogging route, just to see if I could - and I sure could! I probably could have trippled it!!! Gym training for the legs seems to do wonders. And the daily bicycling of course.

A new week is awaiting us.
I wish you a great week!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

New tradition: check!!

The "Marten Goose" celebration is over (ie Mårten Gås!) and hence a new tradition is started!
We had eight weekend guests: three came to us Friday and the rest arrived Saturday. I had taken a day off to clean and cook but would have needed at least two.
Just make dinner probably took about ten hours and cleaning about ten too.

However intense, the time with the guests was great. Heart warming, fun and invigorating :-)


Still beautiful autumn here.




The most exciting plant to look forward to the upcoming spring is the "new" Magnolia.
Can't wait for it to bloom (hopefully)!


Little darlings keep blooming - I just can not believe my eyes! Hey guys, it's almost winter now...




Nothin' but love for ya' <3


Halloween is over. It really marks fall here and paves the way for winter. 
But not just yet.


Our beloved friends came Friday and The Boy's beloved friend. Good-great times :-D





The Mårten Gås-tradition is very old in our country and especially in the south, where we live! It is an evening for "black soup" (goose blood soup), goose and potatoes and gravy and then Scania apple pie (since apples are all over, this time of year and people can't eat them fast enough).

Little did we know that cooking goose - mainly preparing it - took hours and hours and hours!!!! We were faaaaaar from ready when the guests came. Far from it and sweaty.
At midnight I took the apron off. But not until then.
Crazy times!!
Next year I'll have two days off before the guests arrive and will make both soup and apple pie the weekend before.
Lesson learned, hence.



Yeah, the master-geese-chef - that's me!


Stuffing that in itself took quite a while to make...


I was still able to step outside and pick my own herbs in the garden. Quite lovely!


Hectic times! The Boy caught us with the camera.


The calm after the storm. Sunday and the friends take their iPads to the staircase 
(anything to keep parents' hands off...!).




The Boy made decorations at school <3


We take one step at the time toward winter.







Even if I was crazed during the weekend with the cleaning, guests and all - and tired like I don't know what after - I feel a special kind of harmony inside. I feel love and thankfulness and I feel at peace with everything in my life. It's a good life, it's good days for me.
Sunday wasn't only the day of departure for our friends, it was also Father's Day and our 12:th wedding anniversary. Of course resting was the only thing on the agenda but it all takes place inside me and I rejoice about it silently and tenderly.

Life around the age of 41 is.... good.

Have a fantastic rest of the week!
Nothing but love <3