School trip to visit Buddhist Temple

Last Thursday, January 29th, I accompanied the main Swedish teacher of my Grade 5 students to a Buddhist Temple in Bjuv as part of their religious education. As soon as we walked through the gates, we were in a different world, it seemed!
Through a Nun interpreter (Swedish to/fro Vietnamese) we learned about the birth of Buddha (shown below), how to sit properly to mediate, what different symbols are on the alter, what happens after death, meditation techniques, the most important Buddhist holidays, and many other things from the Buddhist Monk.
Beaming with joy at our visit, the Monk answered every one of the good questions the children asked of him, including a demonstration of how to put on a monk's robe! I was very proud of the kids show of respect and the quality and thoughtfulness of their questions. I'm not sure if we came away knowing more about the actual religion but we certainly had a brief glimpse into something very different than what we are used to in a church setting. I think it made the children even more curious to learn about Buddhism, and me, too!
Look at these beautiful prayer flags and decorations ... I was already thinking how I could make a small version!

Icey fun

It's been a cold week with low temps at night...so the lake is frozen thick near our house! This is one of our neighbors ice fishing! He uses a big trap that sits a meter or so under the ice, for bait he just uses oatmeal flakes! The little fish swim around right into the trap. These trapped fish he keeps frozen to use as bait during the spring and summer for salmon and carp fishing. To get over to the lake to ice skate we found it was easier to put Maya's skates on at our house then pull her on the sled over to the lake. She held my ski poles today on our short journey.
Not bad, not bad at all for day 2 of skating! (this was Sunday's trial) Maya holds her balance well, knows how to stand back up after a fall and keeps trying her best! The bicycle helmet makes us feel safer but it really doesn't sit on the head well with a cap under it.
Sunset around 3:45 as you can see in this photo....Maya alone with the 'kick support' sled.
Ready for some hot chocolate at home!
Today I got a turn to try ice skiing! (Maya took the photo.) Cross country skis are for me...no down hill! They go FAST on the ice! I only fell once and could even get up! lol I want to go out again tomorrow...got to take advantage when we've got such nice cold weather!

Three days left....

I've got 3 days left of my vacation and no more house guests (after 3 weeks worth). Although I am still sick (the damn flu-cold-cough-mucus thing but no fever), I'm not as bad as I was a few days ago as long as I don't talk too much (then I lose my voice or lapse into a coughing fit).
Anyway.....among my big plans for the next 3 days is to find a place for all of Maya's new toys (which includes about 9 Polly Pockets and all their gear--given to Maya by a friend of mine in Chicago who finds them at second hand shops) and BOOKS...oh, the books!

Now, this is where I need HELP! As a first time mother of only one child....I've not had too much experience with this.

How do I get a 6 year old to release her ownership of toys she hardly plays with anymore?

It was easy when she was younger, I simply took them out of her room, even in front of her, and she didn't notice as I dropped them into a bag marked LOPPIS* on the side. But now it seems she's made some sort of inventory of each little item! Since she's been older (around 4) I've been removing some things on the sly by placing them into a closet in a "holding area". So if she misses the item I can "find" it for her but if she doesn't mention it or miss it, then after about 2 months I've been placing that item into the LOPPISbag out of her sight. This method is not only time consuming but a part of me feels a little sneaky doing it this way and I'm not sure it's OK in the "good mommy" world. (If I'm honest, I'm not so objective either because I remove the items I don't like and leave the unplayed toys that I like!) On the other hand though, when I request her assistance in filtering through the toys, there is, of course, NOTHING she doesn't play with and she wants to keep it ALL! HELP...please give me ideas about how to go about this! She knows that her toys will go to a place where other children will use them...not just to the trash. Actually, she's ok with that...and even gives me one or two token items but it's not enough reduction in the clutter of her toy areas. We also read the above book...which was entertaining but not helpful in passing along the message!

Of course, her father and I should be role models for this desired behavior. Unfortunately, we both come from generations of sentimental pack rats! But when I do clean out my clutter, I should make sure she recognizes what it is I'm doing in hopes that she will follow my example one day!

Please leave me a comment about sorting through a child's toy area!
I can use some tips! Thanks!

*LOPPIS is a Swedish word for "flea market".

Journey to Pumpkin Pie

Last year I learned 2 things ...
1- not all pumpkins are for eating (Yuck...see Maya's face below in this 2006 photo)
2- pumpkin sellers will tell you that all the big pumpkins are for eating (or maybe they didn't understand my broken Swedish...)Last year I made the most horrible tasting pumpkin pies ever because I trusted the seller's words....ok, the fresh pumpkin didn't taste right but I thought that maybe the taste would improve with sugar and cooking...WRONG! And now I've been permanently bannished from making pies at my friend's Thanksgiving dinner. How could I go so wrong you wonder? Why not buy a can of pumpkin? Well, it's not available within an hour's car ride of my house. So I've got to do it from scratch! And you've got to have the right kind of pumpkin! Which leads me to tell you how I came about getting the RIGHT PUMPKIN this year! And if my sweetie Swede husband reads this...please forgive me but it's just too funny not to share!

In preparation for today's Thanksgiving celebration I wanted to make fresh cranberry sauce. The recipe I use calls for sugar and one whole orange with skin + two days of sitting. So my hubby takes the shopping list I made for him to the grocery store in the BIG city to buy all the stuff we needed...on the list I wrote 6 oranges with nice looking orange skin (NOT tangerines). He came back with 6 tangerines with nice looking skin. Thankfully he bought everything else I wanted on the list perfectly. But I was ready to make the cranberry sauce right then and there...he went to our local store to get me the orange with nice looking skin. This time he came back with 3 yellow GRAPEFRUITS with nice looking skins! I burst out laughing, then he burst out laughing...then Maya just had to join in because it was so funny that Pappa didn't know what an orange looked like! This time I went to the store! But it was the busy time of the day so to avoid the huge lines I went to a little shop run by an immigrant man....there I found the ONE ORANGE I needed. And then I saw it.....an OPEN pumpkin, one I could hold and smell before purchasing! He cut a large chunk off for me and assured me that I could eat it! This man I could trust! Another immigrant!
Isn't this cooked pumpkin lovely? What color! What freshness! What flavor!
Can't get that from a tin can! No way....this is THE good stuff!
I made a pumpkin pie (with gluten free crust), two crustless puddings, and one Martha Stewart Pumpkin Cheesecake!
Then along came an Indian princess and ate them all up! Well, she actually liked her Farmor's blackberry pie best! But I'm sure she'll enjoy left overs tomorrow!

I feel GOOD.....

Today I did something I've been wanting to do for a long, long time....SWIM LAPS!
And I feel good! really good....although I used muscles in ways I have not moved in many years! I already know I'll be hurting tomorrow. (took Advil when I got home to prevent some of the pain!) One of my problems/excuses for not swimming before was that I was not comfortable walking around in the indoor pool area in front of all the other fit and trim Swedish mothers....but today I decided it was now or never....and most of them have already seen me in a bathing suit before when we all were in Baby Swim classes together so.....who cares, right!? right. The timing was perfect because Maya's swim class was just about to start when I left her in the area where they meet with the teachers. The first & only person I met going into the "lap lane" was the director of pre-school programs for Perstorp, someone I know, and who is also a stocky person like me! Great...not sharing the lane with a Nancy Hogshead type! (ok, most of you don't know who Nancy Hogshead is....she was an Olympic champion who used to swim on my High School team...although on the Wikipedia--I just looked her up!-- I remember she transferred to a HS in Jacksonville.) So you can see that I was very glad NOT to be sharing a lane with even a former Nancy Hogshead! Malin, the person I was in the lane with, was so welcoming and encouraging to me for making this dive back into the water! I thank her...although I know she 's not reading this!

OK---so I had exactly 30 minutes to swim before Maya's class would be over and I'd have to "collect" her from the other pool. Goggles on, take a breath and plunge!!!! Oh shit...when was the last time I moved my arms & shoulders like this!? and my back...oh my back! breath...just breath....whew... made it across 50 meters doing breaststroke (the laziest of all strokes in my opinion). Now at the turn I decided to try freestyle (my favorite stroke)....arms ok, feel like lead but ok....is that my bum floating? no sleek propelling through the water (not that I ever propelled sleekly through the water as I have ALWAYS had an ample bum!) ....oh my God...am I having a heart attack after 75 meters of swimming? No, I"m not...the heart is just working hard...really hard...hasn't worked this hard since? well, since I used to go to the aerobics classes at the gym in Los Angeles over 9 years ago! It's a good thing, really...blood pumping all around! Keep going...just make it to the wall and I can change strokes again. A small voice inside my head was saying "CHEATER BEATER" and I know, I just KNOW it was Sara Sandeen's voice! (Sara, if you read this....I swear you were in that water with me and I was NOT cheating....because Coach Dee did not tell me I couldn't change strokes at the wall so just be quiet! I'm doing 50 meter intervals of whatever stroke I want because I'm coaching myself this time!) Next 50...side stroke left, next 50...side stroke right, next 50...upside down breaststroke, next 50...freestyle ( feels better than the first time), next 50...wimpy breast, next 50..."real" back stroke with arms UP.....and so on.... I moved my lumpy body for 28 minutes! Then it was time to get Maya.

Actually changing strokes each time was really good for my body because I worked and stretched many different muscles so I avoided getting any cramps. I did stop to stretch my lower back...that hurt the most but I didn't dawdle too long at the wall. My goggles didn't leak but I couldn't see anything of significance outside the water....as my goggles are not prescription. As my friend Lori said on her blog...that was probably a good thing because then I wasn't watching the time so much or clocking my laps which would have really depressed me! When I got home Bo asked how many laps I did in 30 minutes...I said I had no idea but that wasn't my goal...I just wanted to move my body safely without stressing the joints. Another time I will count laps....but later. Feeling comfortable in the water was the goal today. Floating freely in the water was wonderful for this 45 year old body! (Am I really 45 years old?)

I'm going to buy a 6 month card to save some money with the entrance fee (40 kronor = $5.00 for the pay each time fee, that's too much for 30 minutes!) .... with the card I will try to go each time Maya has her lesson and another time during the week directly after work is best. Bo will support me by taking care of Maya when he is not working. Yipee! Ideally, I'd like to go before work....but the pool is not open then so I can't be like Nancy Hogshead who used to practice before school each day! I guess I won't be making it to the Olympics yet again! But I can train myself for a healthier and happier ME! and that feels GOOD!

(and I about flipped out now...According to Natalie was also swimming today! weird, huh? so far yet so near! It's a Small, small world!)

Things I've done.....over the years

Things I've Done

To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. Let me know if you participated by leaving a comment!

Happy discoveries!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland & Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (all the time!)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (isn't that what they are for? lol)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (petted a lamb)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (only while playing "brännball" in Sweden)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (still learning!)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (on my list to do)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (both)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (and don't ask me about it unless you want to hear a REALLY long story...and I'll NEVER tell you the name of it!)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (only at a "kid" level)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (in northern Sweden & I've been rescued by one in California, on Palomar mountain!)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (of course!)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (not on a SPEEDING one)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish?)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (metaphorically)
90. Sat on a jury (only WAITED for days to be called up)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Gosh, I've done a lot of things...but I ain't done yet! There's still SO MUCH MORE to do during this life time!

Swiped from My Own Place....

Thursday over night at school!

On Thursday night I spent the night at school with 18 eleven - year olds and their Swedish teacher! What fun we had! (I've blurred out their faces but I wanted you to see how they were matress to matress all over the floor!) These kids had such fancy blow up matresses with their sleeping bags. In the USA this would most likely never happen...too much worry over law suits!! (Those spoil a lot of fun, I can tell you! Those fears and lawsuits restrict so much creativity! ) Anyway..... we (the teachers) put on a mini play for the students about being observant in situations and not jumping to conclusions. (I acted out the part of the "bad" kid that everyone wants to blame.) Then we played hide and seek on the school yard with our flashlights! Dinner of pizza, salad and soda....then a 'clue walk' through the basement of the school (with flash lights). Finally, a Disney movie and sleep time (they finally settled down at about 12:30 am). We teachers slept in the hallway so that we could keep our ears open for any problems....none happened, just a lot of talking! Still, I was exhausted the next day getting up at 7 am for packing up and breakfast then I met with another 6 parents for "development talks" throughout the day! whew! These 'cozy' activities really bring the class together as a group and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to be a part of them even though I am not the main teacher. It's something I love about working in Sweden....

Friday afternoon I met my family for our own cozy time at the summer house....we played games and I took a long much needed nap then Bo made dinner for us! Saturday morning Maya helped me plan a sewing project for a fun Christmas present for her grandmothers....I'm using the arm chair caddy idea from Hugs and Kisses but with our own designs...later I'll show them off! We "put away the garden" at the summer house so it's ready for winter weather. And the darkness is closing in on us.....time for candles every day!

Hello Kitty vs. Brats

While visiting at MY OWN PLACE, which has delicious & luscious creativities....I found out about this site....A Fanciful Twist...it blows me away, such imagination! Where do these people find the time to do all this stuff? I love it! I wish I had that kind of time...well, sometimes, I actually like spending my time like I do, usually. Today I played Hello Kitty -Go Fish card game with Maya, now that was a fun time! Really! (I also whipped the binding on my multi-cultural Santa wall hanging but I'm not done with it yet to show you.)

Maya is really getting into Hello Kitty and My Little Pets or something like that. She doesn't have any of them but she's spent a lot of time drawing the figurines she has seen on an advertizement. She's in the process of making a book about them (the pets). As far as Hello Kitty, she has a couple of little odds and ends, enough to keep her satisfied but now I know what she'll be asking for Santa to bring her! (and Hello Kitty goes scuba diving! haven't seen a mermaid one, yet) ...she was also starting to desire BRATZ but I nipped that in the bud with a big NO! Hello Kitty is so awfully, sickingly sweet but not sleazy!! Rather have sweet than sleaze, especially at six years old. What do you say?

Saturday's funny.....

If the candidates were trains........all abroard! It's almost time to leave the station!
Which train would you trust to carry our country for the next four years?OK...I"m so lame with the computer stuff sometimes...I took a photo of my computer screen and then loaded it up to my blog like I do my photos...I just couldn't figure out how to save it from an email (thanks Holly C!) and then transfer it to the blog...but it worked ok, huh?

Just tired out....

No news to post...tired out this week.
I went to a great 3 hour talk presented by a Swedish woman who teaches English near Lund. She uses many of the same approaches I use in teaching language to make it natural and FUN and affective! So that was reaffirming to me that she's had equal success with her kids...I know I'm doing right! ;-) Got so many new ideas to try with my students! I love learning new things! But I didn't get home from that until after 10 pm last night so I woke up tired out this morning....
Bo is sick with something icky...sounds like Darth Vader when he speaks. Maya and I have some sinus discomfort and headaches. Hope we won't follow his path of ickiness. I'll pop us some extra vits and echinchea (spell?). I was hoping to get my flu vacination this Friday but I don't think they'll let me take it while I'm not feeling well. darn.

Today was "FreeAir Day" (friluftsdag)....OUTDOOR Day is a better translation. I love it! Each season our entire school spends the whole day outside (rain or shine!) enjoying nature! Sometimes we have planned group activities and other days it's a long walk with free play time at several stops along the way. Brillant fall sunshine warmed our day and it was perfect for grilling! (My job along with another English teacher...I think we grilled over 300 hot dogs!) I'm pooped...and I smell like smoke! hummmm.....

My in-laws are here for the night....don't know how long they are staying with us but I'm sure my hubby loves it since he gets no simpathy from me when he is sick. (unless he is REALLY sick, of course!) Maya loves it when they are here. I like it too, as I couldn't have gotten better in-laws, but at the moment I just want to curl up with a book and snooze on the couch after dinner, now I have to be somewhat socialable. I'll survive! It's almost the weekend!

And it will be a great weekend....several of my friends from the American Women's Club (of Malmö) will come to our summer house to have CRAFTY DAY! 9 am to midnight! (some will sleep over, I think) Although I know what I'm going to work on...I need to pack up my stuff and my trusty Brother (sewing machine). Can't wait! We talk a lot but keep our fingers busy! I'll post photos afterwards!

Time to be social.....

Swedish Money

One of the things I LOVE about living in Sweden is the MONEY! (although I wish I had more of it!) It is so interesting and pretty! Check out this 100 kronor bill....(the lighting on the bill isn't good but you can still see it is quite colorful)....it's worth about $15.00 usd today. It's a commonly used bill. Who's on it?! A scientist! Carl von Linné famous throughout the world for creating the system of classifying living organisms. Plants were his speciality so they are on this banknote along with his portrait. Nice, huh?Women are featured on the next two commonly used bills...the 50 kronor ($7.50 usd) has Jenny Lind on it, a famous opera singer, known as the "Swedish Nightingale" who was very popular in the 1850's not only for her lovely singing but also for her philanthropic work for children's causes. And the 20 kronor bill ($3.00 usd) has Selma Lagerlöf on it. She was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909.
The 20 kronor bill is one of the most used...at least in my opinion. It's my favorite one! Selma wrote a great children's book about a little boy who flies all over Sweden on a goose. He has a variety of adventures and eventually becomes a better person for it.
Here's the book, an English version, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils....just like the picture on the 20 kr. bill! Now, wouldn't it be nice to see something like that in the USA?
Here are my choices for a new bill in the USA....what denomination? I don't know....(I could insert a horrible remark about the messy economy Bush is creating over there but I won't).
I really think that a bill with E.B. White on one side and Wilbur and Charlotte on other side would be friendly! But people with spider-phobias might not want to use it.
So my next choice is....Louisa May Alcott....
Couldn't you see it? Louisa on one side and all the LITTLE WOMEN on the other side!
But my absolute # 1 choice would be....Laura Ingalls Wilder! Not only a gifted writer but a true American pioneer! Wouldn't that be wonderful to see her on a bill and the house on the banks of the Plum Creek on the other side?!
Well, I don't think it will really happen but I have my fantasies! :-) Which author would you like to see on money?

Tomorrow we go to Göteborg...while the others are exploring the city and play areas, I will be at the Göteborg Book Faire scouting out bargains and looking for fun reading materials for my students! No sewing...not even in the car because I'm driving most of the way!

Sunday night stitching

After getting Maya settled down into bed** I was finally able to sit down and do a little stitching on the Angel's Stitchery Swap project...I didn't do so badly considering that I've hardly ever used an embrodiery hoop for anything. My main problem was that I was watching a DVD in my OPRAH 20th Anniversary series that I really have wanted to watch since I got it 2 years ago (I think, can't remember) but....complications with Region 1 DvDs (North America) vs. European region 2 (?) and our various dvd players that won't play it upstairs or downstairs and stuff like that....(I'm sounding like a techno Winnie the Pooh story) ....anyway.....the real problem I have with doing embrodiery and watching Oprah is that I ALWAYS cry when I watch her show! Either because I"m so touched by the stories or her comments or I"m so happy or I'm so moved....it makes it really hard to see the small stitches through my tears! (with my new progressive eye glasses I can no longer lay the blame on the dizziness I used to feel while sewing and watching TV!) So next time I'll stick with the funny episodes of that collection while I'm sewing! (I don't watch much regular TV because I'm too lazy to figure out what's on and when...it's much easier to avoid the Swedish and plop in a DVD or VCR tape in English!)

**You know how I"m always complaining about not having time to sew...well, one reason is that I don't like to sew down in the basement while my daughter is asleep upstairs (2 floors away) so that limits my time very much. So this weekend I bought a new baby monitor (the one I had when she was small gave out on us years ago). No more excuses that I have to be in hearing range while she sleeps....now I have the monitor on outside her room so I hear all the way in the basement if she wakes up and is looking for me. Problem solved? Not tonight...our first night using it...Maya was so excited that I had set it up so she popped up and down out of bed to talk into it directly just to make sure it was still working! "Can you hear me Mommy? I think I need a glass of water so that I'm not so thristy anymore." "Mommy, can you hear me? I want to cuddle more." AGH! GO TO BED! I'm sure it won't be so exciting tomorrow...I hope!
I probably shouldn't have told her about it! Live and learn!
Some of you are probably wondering where my husband is to help out...well, he often works at night so he's not around and tonight was one of those nights! Just so you know...

Getting ready for another visit from the USA! Friday Erin and Nathanial come for a week visit! We are looking forward to seeing Erin and meeting her honey-pie...they are travelling around the world before starting graduate school in the spring semester! Oh...to be young again!

BACK to SCHOOL night

Hello! Just got back from the fall parent meeting at my school! I LOVE PARENT meetings! I think it is so interesting to meet the children's parents each school year. Makes me understand my students better! I teach 4th and 5th grade so I keep "my" parents and their child for 2 years at a time, so in the fall I get to meet the new 4th grade parents. Before they introduce themselves, I play a little guessing game with myself to see if I can match the parent with the kid. Their facial features, gestures, hair and body language are my clues...usually I guess correctly. It is great to see the 5th graders parents again after the summer break. Most of my students and their parents come to all the "Developmental talks" twice a year (we have no formal grading system in the Swedish school system for children this young, yet) so I have some contact with them between meetings. Probably the main reason why I like parent meetings so much is that I get such positive feedback from the parents about my English/Spanish/Art programs...sure makes it easier to face each work day knowing that the kids REALLY do like what we do in class together! I have learned that I am one of those teachers who seems to get along to a variety of students...even the students no one else can say anything positive about. I had a couple of really grateful parents give me hugs for just that tonight! So if you're a parent of a school aged kid...and your child likes going to school...PLEASE tell the teacher! It feels so wonderful to be appreciated for all the work we do to help children learn. And it isn't always so easy!

AND....did I ever mention that I LOVE MY JOB! Although I fantasize about having another career or just working at home, I think that I wouldn't find it nearly as exciting as working with students every day! Because no day is like the next....always something new to think about, do and try again! Those kids make me laugh, cry, yell (on the rare occassion), and challenge me to be better and better!

Do you remember all your teachers? From how far back? Why are some of them so memorable? Are you in touch with any of them still?

GROSS DOGGY

While I was working on that previous post...Bo took the dog out for a walk...Pepe came back in, ran up the stairs to give me a doggy HUG....and he smelled like, excuse me, SHIT!!! Alllllll over! qucaklllllyyyaldlljrurt yuck! and double yuck! So I put him outside until I could gain control of my senses again....then Bo and I escorted him to the basement shower where I doused him in doggie shampoo. Wet dog smells so much better than SHIT dog! I'm not convinced if he's totally clean, however the smell is probably coming from the laundry basket where my stinky pants are hiding in shame after having been rubbed on by shit dog! GROSS GROSS GROSS...I'm not so sure he should go on a leashless walk at night anymore!

And luckily for you all...I don't have photos of this episode!

Mushroom Sunday

For those of you who didn't know this....we live in the forest. Therefore, we have access to all the beautiful things that grow, live and sit there...to look at, smell, touch, eat and photograph! (If you want to see any of these photos in a bigger size, just click the photo mosaic and it will POP UP in a larger format for you!)

Here are some of the colorful things we saw on our Sunday walk with my Swedish family! I've mentioned this before but now I'm showing you proof...my father-in-law is an expert mushroom hunter! He teaches mushroom classes every fall in Malmö with field trips to local forests to put theory into practice. Every time we go into the forest with him I learn so much about these little fungii. The variety of mushrooms, their characteristics, their strangeness...their delicious flavors....when Robert is with us on a mushroom walk we always take home a greater variety for eating because he knows so much more about them. I trust him completely! He would NEVER take a risk of poisoning us. If we find a mushroom that he's not so sure about he puts it in a separate bag so that he can look it up in a book (or two or five) later. Maya is fascinated by all this knowledge and she knows the mushroom picking rules thoroughly! Never eat mushrooms in the forest. And always show them to an adult. Some are for looking at and some are for collecting.
Our silly dog loves to go with us....and he carries his own leash with an owner at the end....actually, we allow him to walk on his own because he is a very good dog! Can you find him the leaves below?
Barbro, my mother-on-law, is an excellent mushroom prep cook! We ate these fried in a little olive oil with pepper and salt....with raclette grill for Sunday dinner! YUMMY!

With this warm and wet fall... we'll be finding a lot more to dry, soup, fry and pie!
******************************************************************************

PS- Because I can already anticipate your question....NO, Gilbert, we don't pick THAT kind here!

PPS- check out these mushroom and pumpkin decorations! click HERE

My First Swedish Wedding (other than my own)

September 6th....a special day for two wonderful couples!

Fifty-six years ago on September 6, 1952 Polly and Paul Doughty became wife and husband! On September 6, 2008, Kristofer Nilsson and Frida Emmertz became husband and wife!

*********************************************************************************************************

Saturday turned out to be a great day for a wedding in Bosarp, Skåne...warm and overcast but not eye-squitting sunny or humid! Bo's cousin, Kristofer married his sweet heart, Frida in an old church (1847) along the eastern coast of Sweden. (We were just there with my brother 3 weeks ago.) It was my first Swedish wedding, other than my own and I learned so many new things about getting married in Sweden! We had a lot of fun participating in the festivities, chatting with family and new friends, and eating delicious food....

This post is mostly for my mom and dad...they know the couple from family parties. But if you're interested, keep reading. It was a creative party!
Follow the photos to understand the day....(left to right, top to bottom) Click on the photos for a bigger size.
1) We drove to the restuarant where the reception dinner was to be held later in the day and parked the car. We all boarded two "vintage" buses and rode together to the 1847 Vitby Church (2) on the top of a hill. (3) The minister greeted us before the ceremony and the couple walked in together smiling to all the guests. (middle photo) The ceremony was sprinkled with palms and songs, prayers and oaths, tears and smiles, rings and kisses! (4) The couple rode in an old fashioned bright red firetruck decorated with branches, balloons and bells. The two buses followed and delivered us to a park (5) over looking the Baltic Sea. At this beach side park there were bronze-age rune stones (6) set in a circle around a central boulder. Just simply beautiful and historic! The wedding families gathered for photos and photos (7)...this is the Nilsson family. (8) Maya had a little chat with her Great-Uncle Bengt on the field. (9) The amature photographers were wild outside and inside...probably 1 million photos were taken! (10) Kristofer, Frida and Kristian (groom's brother) shared in the champagne toast. (11) Maya playing around with headless Bo (the program cut him off, not me!) (12) A lovely archway photo at the church.

After the spinach and salmon mini empanadas and champagne on the cliff, we boarded the buses again and rode back to the restaurant in Brosarp. Maya's Swedish grandparents took her home to our house (about an hour and a half away) so that Bo & I could relax and enjoy the evening. The dinner was delightfully fun...I wished my Swedish was better so that I could have understood ALL the jokes and stories but I did understand the geest of most of them.

(Follow the photos again by number...left to right)
Each guest received a little booklet at their place on the tables (1 & 2) . I sat across from Andrea, the bride's little gragarious sister with a loverly voice and Kristian, the groom's big brother (3). Our seating arrangement was in the little booklet and each guest had been assigned a number (4). Also in our little booklet, beside each of our numbers was a description of us! Yes, they wrote a personal note about each of the 90 guests!!! In the description, it said who we were with...mine said "She is married to no. 42." (5 & 6) That gave everyone a starting point for conversations although we had to do a little reading first! The dinner entertainment was completely organized by the hostess of ceremonies (toastmistress), Frida's cousin. Various friends and family stood up and read poems, sang songs, told jokes, gave helpful advice, etc. to the newlyweds! It was VERY TOUCHING! So loving, personal and FUNNY! One of the ideas that I just LOVED was from two of Frida's friends (7), they passed out papers (8) with all of the anniversaries on them (first anniversary - paper, 25- silver, 50- gold, etc....), we were to pick an anniversary then on another piece of paper write a note, wish, saying or whatever to the couple about the anniversary we picked, then place our personal message in an envelope with the number of anniversary on the outside. The two women in charge of this are going to send Frida and Kristofer the envelopes on those anniversaries! WOW...what a committed friendship! I choose Wedding Anniversary 28 - masonite- because that will be exactly half way to my parents anniversary 56th-- the day that K & F got married. PHOTO (9) shows one of the surprise visits....a char woman showed up and told silly jokes about love and marriage and she even sang a love song to the pair! (She's actually their dog's groomer who also is a part time actress.) PHOTO (10) shows one of the weirdest Swedish traditions....each time the groom leaves the room ALL the men are supposed to go over and kiss the bride on the cheek. And the same happens when the bride leaves the room...ALL the women jump up and go to kiss the groom. As you can see from Frida's face...this is the fun part of being the bride!

Another weird tradition they have is when you clang on the glasses, the newlyweds must kiss--OK, we have that in the USA, too...but here they must STAND ON THE CHAIRS! (I was nervous for Frida each time she stood up on the chair with her long train and high heeled shoes!) And if the guests thump on the table tops, that means the couple must go UNDER the TABLE to KISS! Poor bride! I was thinking if I was to get married again with a dinner like that I'd wear a sweatsuit bride's dress with all that climbing around! he he

After the dinner, we had cake and coffee and liquors....then the band started playing at 11:30pm. We watched for a while but as Bo is not a dancer, and I wasn't ready to make him start dancing...we decided to head home, arriving around 1:30 am....then we chatted with my in-laws for an hour before going to bed! What a fun evening!

It was a WONDERFUL event and I'm so glad that Bo and I went to ALL of it! And now I'm joining my friend Natalie in waiting patiently for my daughter's wedding...'cause I want to be involved with creating something like the wedding I went to on Saturday! (oops, I guess Maya should be the one to decide, huh?!) OK...someone else's daughter needs to get married soon! Let me know...I've got new ideas for you!

Chasing at school

After Maya recovered from her long day at school & after school care, she told me over and over again with lots of laughter about her adventures in the school yard during recess times! It seems as though she is part of a little gang of girls who are being chased by the boys in her class. I heard all the details of where and how they ran and ran, hid out then ran some more...escaping each time from the clutches of the boys! At one point she was being held on the arm by a boy (a good family friend of ours) and she managed to wiggle out of her jacket to escape yet again! Someone else brought her the jacket back...my first response was "you didn't leave your jacket on the ground, did you?" After she finished telling me all the details of this play, I asked her WHY they were chasing them... I asked if the boys wanted to hit them, kiss them, or play with them? Maya responded "Oh, if those boys had wanted to kiss me, I wouldn't have minded. I like getting kissed!" OH PLEASE HELP ME! She's only in kindergarten! Maybe she's watched one too many princess movies from Disney! I have to be happy though, at least she's hanging out with a group and not alone! (She's usually a shy, loner kid.) Maybe the dinosaur t-shirt she wore today was an attraction to the boys...who knows!

Louisiana Art Museum in July

Earlier this summer I took my parents and Maya to the Louisiana Art Museum in Denmark. The museum was named after the founders 3 wives who were all named Louisa! (He wasn't married to them all at once, however.) Its location on the Oresund Sound between Sweden and Denmark gives it a beautiful view of the water and Sweden on a clear day. It's only a short trip away from us and we can go either by car or ferry/train just as easy. Since I take my 5th grade art class there each spring, I get a free ticket to go back during the following year with 2 guests. (Small kids are free) The art collection is wonderful...mostly modern art with the modern classics (Hockney, Picasso, Monet, Moore, Warhol, etc) and they always have a great touring exhibit. The KIDS CREATIVITY ROOM is FANTASTIC!!! All materials are FREE and the children can create to their hearts content! There are college art students doing "practical work" there to help the children if needed. Maya choose to do paintings, something she could do at home any day...but that was the only room that wasn't packed with kids the day we went so I can understand her attraction to that space to create without distractions. Maya's favorite painting in the exhibition halls was this David Hockney above...Grand Canyon! Isn't it interesting how she was drawn into a painting of an American landmark?! She sat down and made a sketch of it in her little notebook that we take around with us to museums. (Bad Mommy lost this notebook during our trip to Dalarna! And I haven't been forgiven yet.) We'll be back again another day to see a new exhibit and Maya can draw it again, if she wishes, in a new notebook!

Now, you are probably wondering why I stuck this blip about the Louisiana in here...well, a Swedish quilter blogger buddy of mine makes these remarkably beautiful photo mosaics on her blog....so she sent me the website and I had to try it out with my own photos!(THANK YOU STINA!!) I love it! I will be practicing more in the weeks to come...even more photos on my blog for family and friends to see! Oh, I just love learning more things to do on this computer!

Handicrafts I didn't take home....

There are moments in my life when I wish I could instantly change professions...travelling around in Dalarna was one of these times for me. I think that I would have made an excellent Ethnographer. I LOVE learning about other cultures wherever I go. I have a minor BS degree in Anthropology but I never fully developed my studies beyond those courses due to a few situations that I won' t bring up here. The energy I feel when I'm learning about a new culture and its traditions and objects is invigorating to me! I get a little wild...as you can tell from these posts!

Just a few photos to show you some lovely and funny things that didn't make it home with us!
Handicraft Store sign...Dalahemslöjd (Dalarna Home Craft) This one is in Nusnäs, home of the red horses! Another cute, cute store....in Sundborn. (Carl Larsson's town)
Ceramic shop in Sundborn...she had beautiful work but if I bring home another ceramic object I might be thrown out with the trash!
Inside a shop in Nusnäs, painting Dalahorses...see the copy of the traditional mural paintings hanging behind her? It's in a special style found all over Sweden...furniture, clocks, wooden items, etc.
Woolen woven pillows and blankets at a shop in Leksand....Maya loved this stuff! What expensive taste she has acquired already! ouch!
A DalaPIG with a wine bottle hanging out his a - -! Could you see this in my dining room?! lol Almost wanted to buy it for my brother-in-law's wine shop in Germany!
Gorgeous needlework! This was on display at a museum but at the shop you could purchase ready made traditional outfits (sold separately) or you could buy kits to make yourself! You could also rent the outfits to wear during "high holidays"! Both for men and women! Mid-sommar must be absolutely magical in Dalarna with so many people wearing the traditional clothing! (I'll put that on my list to see on day!)
Close up of the woven belt and silver handle embroidered purse...these outfits, especially the woven belt remind me so much of the weavings from Perú. (Later I'll post examples to demonstrate what I mean.)
Close up of another outfit...look at the lace work! Woven ribbon to tie up the bodice through those beautiful buttons!! (OH, I didn't take photos...but Maya & I purchased 10 buttons similar to these for a future craft project.) Many of these dainty collars of white were cross-stitched as well as laced! What work...what patience...what nibble fingers! What long winter nights to work by candle light making this stuff! WOW!
This mobile for decorating the home reminds me of the dream catchers from the American Indians.....this is made of leather, tree bark, seeds, and string.