The Boat Comes Home to Sweden

 

 

Sommarlov is almost over

I took a look at the calendar and realized that the girls have only 2 weeks left before school starts and I have 3 weeks. Wow! This summer went by quickly that is for sure. We have had some warm and sunny Swedish weather (probaby 80 plus degrees) for about 3 weeks and now a respite with the usual mixed up weather (sunny sometimes and rain the next but a nice 70 plus degrees). During the heat of things we enjoyed going to a different beach every day. I liked the private ones that you only know about by living here. You can either get to them by foot if you live close enough, or park your car and walk some distance. We parked and walked past a private observatory run by a university; past the Chairman of Volvo's home; past a traditional Swedish farm house painted falu red with white trim; past a forest and wheat field and thru a forest. We got to this secluded beach with rocks and little grass but nice swimming for the kids. So after several days of checking out new locations with hours spent at the beach I kind of was all sunned out. We bought a pool instead for a change of pace. A pool bigger than our back yard. I tried to fill it myself and did a poor job so it was pretty lopsided but the girls loved it. Today with summer winding down we borrowed a pump and emptied it.
Today I took a walk in the forest just 3 houses down from us. There is a wonderful walking trail that is lit for darkness. It was very calming to be on my own while the girls were with Mattias on the boat. I have also been weeding the garden a bit more. I wasn't sure what was a weed and what are meant to be there but as I've looked more have figured it out I hope. Liv spotted something red in the garden which turned out to be a potato. Well, we had several plants that were ready for digging so the girls and I enjoyed a the surprise treasures we found today. They are called mandelpotatis here. A different variety and size. We cooked them and at them and they were delicious. Now we are waiting for the blackberries to ripen. We get maybe 5 a day but the bush is wrapped clear around a wood shed so we are expecting hordes! We hope to freeze them for future use.
With so little time left before school we will quick have to get some visiting in and do little things around town. We will go to Mattias' family farm and then to visit some Minnesota friends who have a summer house here in Sweden. Mattias will have to work a couple days in Uppsala so we can decide if myself and the girls will travel there as well for a first time visit or hang at the farm.
This week we will continue to work on our house. Our kitchen is not finished yet but functional. We have not spent days slaving on it but pick at it when we feel like it. I would like to get moving on it more before the school starts again.

More later,
Carrie

The Boat Comes Home to Sweden

 

 

 

 

Mattias got the call that the boat would be arriving on the ship from Florida to Kalundborg, Denmark. He quickly arranged for his crew of family and friends to assist in sailing Windfall home to Sweden. Brother Jens, and old friends, Mats, Magnus and another Mats decided they would like to take the trip too. So, one way by train they traveled almost a full day to get to Denmark. It turned out to be a magnificent week weather wise which meant every one and their brother were on their sailboats at this time of the week. You see pictures of Windfall being loaded from the ship into the water. Other pictures are of the guys just enjoying the calm of the sea. They spent two nights on various islands and the first one had at least 500 sailboats docked. Windfall was tied up for the night against 7 other boats. It was perfect conditions, maybe too calm but a great time for the 5 friends to be together.

Minnesota Visitors

 

 

Our friends from Minnesota, Mike and Mary, made a two night stop at our place during a trip including picking up their new Volvo. A good deal to remember for those who want to buy a new car....free plane tickets, hotel for two nights, limo pick up and delivery of passengers, factory tour with lunch, dog and pony show included! Aside from trying to sell you a trip to Gothenburg on your next purchase, you can also spend time with us as bonus! We treated our friends to a crayfish (from the sea) dinner. Poor Mike got a nice hole in his finger from the pincers of the crayfish! Next day we went touring the quaint fishing villages in the Bohuslan region. The last day, Mary, Hanna and I had a chance to get out shopping while Mike and Mattias took the boat out to the islands around where we live for a photo safari by boat. So happy to see them both!

More later,
Carrie

Gotland Vacation

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed a wonderful time on Gotland with Mattias extended family visiting Carl-Axel and Åsa. Our week was complete with many activities----biking, beaches, eating lamb fresh from the neighbors farm, treating the Swedish folk to their first taste of S'mores to celebrate 4th of July, we drove past several Viking gravesites on the way back from a girl's afternoon out, visited a medieval museum just down the road from Carl Axel's farm; celebrated Eliane's 80th birthday with champagne and a nice meal, relaxing in the sun, playing board games with the girls and their cousins..etc. etc. We really took time to smell the roses, (pun intended as roses were certainly plentiful on the farm and all around the island).

Carrie

Sommarlov

Well, sommarlov, or summer break, really began a few weeks ago when the kids were finished with school but since I've been back in Sweden after my trip to the U.S., the weather has only today felt like summer. Finally, sunshine and blue skies so the girls and I took a trip to the beach. It was still a bit fresh in the water so only Liv went swimming as she loves cooler water. The girls did some crabbing and the usual sand digging before we came back home again. Mattias is suffering from a cold or flu type thing. He picked up some bug from his trip to Florida and has not been well since returning so he did not join us today. After we got back home, Liv was relaxing watching a Hanna Montana video and came to tell us a bird had flown in the house. Sure enough... I wasn't going to touch it so Mattias tried to coax it out. Finally, after banging the windows a few times, the bird found the door. Poor thing sat on the ledge heart just beating wildly and beak open wide--scared to death. Then if flew off. I'd hate to see it collapse on the patio! We don't have window screens in Sweden unless you fashion some up yourself so that is why the bird got in the house in the first place.
We are getting ready for our annual trip to Gotland. This time we'll be joined by brother Jens and family and Grandma Ingrid. We'll take the 5 hour car ride across the country to the East coast and then take the speed ferry for about 3 hours before arriving in Visby. Then we'll hop back in the cars and drive about an hour to south of Hemse. It will be a long day but the girls will have cousins to play with on the ferry so time should go fast. We'll stay on the island for a week which is just perfect. I just checked the weather report (I'm all about weather these days.) and it looks like rain for the first two days at least. Well, there are plenty of things to do on Gotland and since we'll be staying at Mattias' Great Uncle's place, plenty of exploring just around the farm. I'll take pictures!
So it's July and most Swedes are beginning their 4-6 weeks of summer vacation-- Mattias one of them. We are looking forward to many activities on the time off and are looking forward to house guests after we return from Gotland.

More later,
Carrie

Windfall is Coming to Sweden!

We had toyed with the idea of keeping Windfall in Northern WI but decided to ship her back to her original home, Sweden. Mattias finally got the shipping company nailed down and a confirmed shipping schedule. He flew to Ft. Pierce and met Windfall at the marina where he left her in January '08. The first picture shows her being lifted from storage on the way to being set back into water. Lucky for Mattias he was able to get her back in the ICW a couple of days earlier than planned. The marina lift operators were in training and used Windfall as their guinea pig! No catastrophes and Mattias was able to push off on Saturday. The first night he docked in Nettles Island, FL. The weather was beastly hot in the 90's and similar percentage humid, with afternoon storms everyday. Standing at the marina dock in Nettles Island, Mattias and others spotted this twister some ways out in the water. Most everyone stood watching and then wondered if they should seek shelter---like under the tiki hut! It was 5 o'clock somewhere--there--- and the boaters must have been one or two too many Mai Tai's not to get the heck out. But the storm passed and Mattias got a nice photo.

The next several nights Mattias was joined by buddy Ted from MN. He flew down to lend a hand and offer company. They travelled from Sunday-Tuesday night and landed in Dania Beach close to Port Everglades as a final stopping point. Tuesday alone they had 20 bridges to get through. Other than that, pretty uneventful with close to zero sailboats out and some rude powerboaters making huge wakes, knocking Windfall with Ted and Mattias aside. Both guys had their share of heat and humidity with drenched clothes during the day and decided to skip the last two nights aboard in favor of a/c, a cool shower and a hotel. Next day Mattias got her ready for shipment in July. On Thursday, both Ted and Mattias headed their separate ways after a fun journey.

A local FL captain will see that Windfall gets aboard in July for her shipment to Kalundborg, Denmark. The boat will arrive there the end of July and Mattias and friends will sail her over to us.

Happy Sailing!

Carrie

Midsommar Weekend

I had a terrific time in the U.S., first time without husband and kids. This gave me the devoted opportunity to spend time with family, a few friends, travel to Utah for Bev and David's wedding, return to MN to spend time for my nephew's college graduation and my sister's birthday and of course, little league games. It was very busy. Week two I spent with my sister who was now on vacation. I also had lots of time to shop and did so until money ran out! As things are generally more expensive in Sweden than in the U.S, I bought many clothes for myself and for Liv who has outgrown everything, and also lot's of birthday gifts for the girls to give to friends. Luckily I had those in my bag as when I came home, Mattias said Hanna had two parties the next day. He hadn't done any gift prep. What else did I buy...hmmm, dvd's (although the girls can't appreciate Jack Black's humor in Schoolhouse Rock--he was kind of frightening to them); kids workbooks; suncream although we don't need it as the weather is bad and various foodstuff like Ghirardelli chocolate chips, maple syrup; brown sugar; vanilla and salad dressing. So I was over the luggage weight limit but by being nice and friendly, plus a decent tip, I saved myself $150.00 with the nice curbside baggage check man.

So I came home to Sweden and the next morning, Mattias left for work on the other side of Sweden. A few nights later he came home for one night and left for Florida to travel with our sailboat, Windfall, and get her to Ft. Lauderdale to be prepped for shipment over to Denmark. He arrived in Florida on Thursday, spent one night in Ft. Pierce. Lucky for him it was the weekend. The marina crew was training so they could use our boat as an experiment and got Windfall into the water a couple days earlier than planned. She was dry inside and not a scratch outside. That really took the edge off Mattias and he was able to get a 2 day early head start down the IntraCoastal to Ft. Lauderdale. His buddy Ted is flying in to meet Mattias today and will assist and catch up with each other before Mattias flies home on Thursday. The weather in Florida has been bloody hot with afternoon/evening rain. Mattias said he caught a picture of a funnel cloud twisting some 1/2 mile from shore......Great!

It's summer in Sweden but you wouldn't know it by the weather...rain, rain, and more rain, plus kind of chilly by U.S. standards. The ground is really dry here so I guess I can suffer for the environment! It is also Midsommar weekend, the lightest time of the year in Sweden. With Mattias gone it has been a little quiet...we've been two ships in the night. The girls and I spent Midsommarafton at Mattias' dad's house. A delicious lunch with herring torta, different kinds of herrings; fresh potatoes; home smoked salmon and lax; sliced moose and ham with horseradish cream; little ham and cheese pies; chicken skewers marinated in homemade wine; schnapps; beer and of course, a strawberry and cream tort roll up with raspberry filling. The actual Midsommar day the girls and I went to a manor home for the annual festivities. It was very windy that day but we managed to hang on to our paper plates. Girls ate waffles with whipped cream and jam. We danced around the super tall maypole decorated with birch branches and watched a really good magic show. Back to Jan and Britt Marie's for leftovers!

Then today...it was raining the whole day. I tried to get our bedroom in order as clothes are piled to the ceiling. (With a smaller house we have double duty to keep it neat and tidy. I will have more organizing to do as I brought several more boxes over from Jan and Britt Marie's that we had in the small house there). We have a forest just a few houses away from us with a nice path that folks walk thru, ride or run. The horse trail runs right next to it. At night they light the path so it is a well used trail. We took a break and Hanna took my by the hand and said she knew the way as it was my first time. Sure enough, she led me right to the fire pit area where her dagis goes to during the weeks. We spent a good 2 hours walking and exploring. Came home to go to the grocery store and after I made some soup.

After some late nights up since it is so light out at night, the girls had to hit the hay earlier tonight. It is after 10 p.m. and still light out after all. Both have dagis or fritids tomorrow. I am into the Euro 2008 fotboll (soccer to you) championship. It has been fun to watch as underdogs have won several games. Tonight it is Spain vs. Italy. 78 minutes into the game and 0-0.

More later,
Carrie

Late Spring Update

It's been over a month since I've written. I feel like a sloth for having shirked my duties as writer, but want the dear readers to know that we've really been busy on the home front. We've moved into our new home, are wrapping up school for summer for the girls and for myself as well.
It has been great to move into our home, unpack and find a place for everything. The best part is mostly to have a home to call our own since we left the States in September 2007! We went from sailboat to small cottage to a home. With the gradual step up in living space sizes, I've learned that I can really live with a lot less than what we have. Everything from clothing to toiletries to kitchen wear to just plain STUFF! We paired down before leaving the States and will have to store or get rid of more as we just don't have room for all in our new space. Mattias, (man of many ideas), had the idea to open an antique store which is something worth pondering. We have many antiques, I like to shop at auctions so could be a good fit...we'll see.
The girls are happy to have a place to call their own. Their own newly decorated rooms with all their girly things. I am happy that they are happy in the new home. We have all been sleeping like babies back in our own beds. We feel the stress of moving around has caught up with us and now that we can relax, we are tired! We still have a bit of painting in the hallway to finish up, some trim work to do and the kitchen remodel needs to be finished. Then we can get the mud room laundry organized and so on.. So close, but we'll get there.
The girls are winding down school now. A successful first 5-6 months in Sweden. Both girls have adapted to social and school life in Sweden, are on their way to becoming fluent with the language and like the life here. We couldn't have asked for better school or dagis for Liv and Hanna. Liv was in her class performance with 3 other girls. They did the dance to Superstar for the Kaberet event. Hanna's class has been studying farm animals. Handy the cow farm is just across the road from her dagis and the sheep farm is in walking distance away. Today Hanna was to be a sheep for her performance, end of school thing. Well, Pappa is attending that as I am in the States now for several events. (no, not celebrating first trip alone without kids--well, I did have 3 nights alone once). My nephew is graduating from college, my dear friend is getting married in Utah and my sister has a BIG birthday. So, timing is good! Plus a bonus of getting a bit of time with friends so time will go fast while I am here.
Since I am in the States now, I'll miss my end of school events. Our class is planning a picnic at the beach in Onsala. I'm sorry to miss it as I have made several nice friends from class. I hope to have a little fest at my house this summer anyway so we all can keep in touch. I will continue my Swedish studies in the Fall and learned that I can advance a level now! I will really have to put the pedal to the metal after the summer since we will be focusing a lot more on grammar. It was tricky when I was in Junior High, and tricky now....but a good challenge for me!
Well, I had an odd burst of energy after arriving in MN tonight, but suddenly feel tired and have a craving for PEANUT BUTTER! Think I'll go make myself a piece of toast.

Nighty, night!
Carrie

Sweden celebrates yet another Pagan festival

In preparation for Spring's arrival, the kids at Liv's school had a hat parade where they wore their finest/most unusual hats. They cleaned up the area around the school with trashbags and the like and in the end, had a big bonfire. You will find similar activites in other neighborhoods. Right around now, cleaning days have been established. At our new house last weekend the neighbors were busy picking up Spring trash, sweeping the streets, spurcing up the playground, building fences together etc. This weekend, my father-in-law's neighborhood will host a similar event. Us? We'll be working on our house project. No celebration there yet! Read below, it gives some good history...
Carrie



Valborg - Sweden blazes into springtime

Published: 30 Apr 08 16:00 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/3671/

Winter's over. Summer is just around the corner. That's as good a cause for celebration in Sweden as any, and the revelry on Valborgsmässoafton - Walpurgis Night - on April 30th gets pretty heated.

* Easter - when Sweden's witches come out to play (20 Mar 08)
* The Lowdown: Lucia (12 Dec 07)
* Swedish Christmas treat hit by Iranian harvest (4 Dec 07)

Intensely so, actually, as massive bonfires up and down the country honour an 8th-century German abbess, St. Walpurga, or Valborg in Swedish.

For those of you ready to point out that the Swedish calendar recognizes Valborg on May 1st, keep in mind that as the holiday contains the Swedish word ‘afton’, it is on the eve of Valborg’s Day that things get hot.

Despite its modern links to Christianity, Valborgsmässoafton, which has been celebrated in Sweden since the Middle Ages, is one of two Swedish holidays which still resemble their pre-Christian merrymaking. The other is Midsummer.

The original pagan festival heralded the onset of the growth season. It attempted to ward off evil, ensure fertility and cleanse the land of the dried and dead of winter. Today, it is still the accepted gateway to long and warmer days.

Few modern Swedes know, and even fewer care, much about the origins of the festival. Nevertheless, they cherish it.

Valborg, as it is fondly, and more conveniently, known, calls for a mountainous bonfire and a crowd. These enormous blazes are either organized by the local municipality or neighbourhood.

The larger, municipality-sponsored bonfires have a carnival-like atmosphere. The less flammable neighbourhood fires have a block-party enthusiasm.

Size doesn’t truly matter in a bonfire - you just have to find or ignite one. The imminent spring elates all and the community unites in spirit. Indeed, there's almost a spiritual feel to the gathering.

What happens at a typical Valborg brasa or bonfire? Bundled crowds of optimistic Swedes warm themselves facing the blaze. Mischievous children feed the fire with anything flammable they can drag and toss into the flames.

If you’re lucky you experience a most romantic experience where the crowd sings uplifting odes to the spring as they clutch their Valborg beer. These folksongs bring a nostalgic feel which reminds the outdoorsy Swede that better weather and coveted Swedish summer is soon upon them.

If you’re truly fortunate, this is your opportunity to hear some elderly, yet enthusiastic 'gubbe' - a certain sort of ageing Swedish chap - rally the crowd with his accordion. The rest of the year he is just the old man with the squeezebox, but today he is the music man, the centre of the party.

Valborg is one day - and they are few and far between in the Swedish calendar - when you can grab a strangers hand and skip and sing without recoil.

If you want the wild, student version then make the pilgrimage to Uppsala or Lund, the two biggest university towns in Sweden. Students guarantee your day will be filled with music, joviality and as much beer as you imagine. There are also rumours of nubile bodies rolling down hills. You’ll have to see it to believe it.

Pure tradition oozes at Stockholm's Skansen. The open air museum provides a backdrop of genuine Swedish countryside smack in the middle of downtown Stockholm.

However, the most intimate place to celebrate Valborg is close to home. Check your local newspaper or with your neighbours which local park will be lighting up a bonfire. After a long winter cooped up behind closed doors, a brotherly love extends throughout the neighbourhood.

This is your chance to get to know those people that barely lift their eyes at you the rest of the year. And besides, the old guy's pretty good on that squeezebox.

EA Fondelius (news@thelocal.se)
E

Carrie has a coronary!

Not raised on the metric system, I've had a hard time figuring out the conversion of certain things, and have relied on my husband to translate. Mattias informed me last week after I filled up the car again for over 900 kronor...that we are paying close to $7.00 a gallon for gas!

Civilförsvarsförbundet - Civil Defense

We had an interesting class yesterday at school. A man from the Civilförsvarsförbundet or Civil Defense society came to give a talk to our SFI classes. We learned about preparedness in case of War, catastrophe or natural disasters, plus who to call in case of emergency, similar to our 911. All in all, it was be prepared and what to have in case of the worst. And more importantly, help your neighbor.... Mattias was surprised that they still do these talks but I noticed he quickly pulled out the camp stove and filled several buckets of water when we had severe weather some weeks ago and were worried about losing power for some hours. His civil training combined with military training put him into survival mode. The man yesterday kept bringing up having water and dried coffee just in case. Yes, who can't do without a nice cup of coffee--and also a nice bar of chocolate to go with for extra energy!

It is Friday today. Hanna and I have the day off from school. She's catching up on toons, me laundry and this blog.

Our kitchen is being delivered today and will be installed next week along with other renovation finishing work. My task this weekend is to PAINT like a banshee. The girls are going with Grandma to her farm so we are freed up to have devoted time to do our house work. Our goal is to have the house complete (or in move in condition) before May 9th! That would be WONDERFUL!

Have a great weekend!
Carrie

A Spring Day at the Dagis

It's getting warmer in Sweden. The sun is shining more often here and the dreary days are getting longer and brighter. Today's set of pictures show Hanna's dagis. When I picked her up this day she was digging in the sandbox. Some other days when she is outdoors, she uses a saw, hammer,nails and paint to build things in the workshop. Other kids were playing with plants at the water tub. The forest behind the play area have not blossomed yet and things are still a bit brown. The dagis takes hikes in the forest one day a week. The play area outside is worn from play and when it rains, and it sometimes does often, the area gets muddy which makes rubber boats a necessity. The kids spend much of their time outdoors rain or shine. A friend said, "there is no bad weather in Sweden, only bad clothes". Kids are allowed to play in the water if they choose. After, they just go in and get a dry change of clothes. I'm very happy there are patient teachers willing to help out with this process as I know I'm less patient at home! At this dagis, we must have several changes of clothes, boots and outer wear. The first floor of the dagis houses the childrens clothing one one wall, and sets of rubber boots on another plus two well-used drying cabinets on another wall. There are kids aged 16 months old to age 6 that attend the dagis. Hanna is making new friends and loves it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See below for more pictures and new additions to the BLOG!

Spring in the Air!

 

 

 

 

I have some free time tonight and thought I'd plunk out some things while I have a chance. The last weeks we've had some seriously busy weeks. The weekend after Hanna's birthday was Påskvecka (Easter week) at the school and dagis. The kids celebrated by dressing as Påskskäring (Easter witches), a tradition from hundreds of years ago when some women were accused of being witches and they fled to an island called Blåkulla, on the East coast of Sweden.
After school we had Påsklov, (Easter break) and took a trip to the mountains in Jamtland where Mattias' family has a cabin. While the girls and I have been there many times, Mattias hadn't been there since I was pregnant with Liv. That's how many years? Well she's 6 1/2 now! I was anxious for him to spend time at his beloved childhood cabin as it's a place that we've come to love too. We packed the car and drove along with Ingrid in tow. The cabin itself is about a 12 hour drive from Göteborg so we made the first night stop in Mora, a lovely city in Dalarna, most famous for the Mora Vasaloppet ski race. We actually stayed at a hostel (vandrahem) that is on the line for the race. This was Easter week and apparently quiet in comparison as we were the only people inhabiting the entire hostel. It was great!! After a long car ride, the girls could run up and down the long hallway to burn off energy while we cooked tacos for dinner in the communal kitchen. Off to bed, we realized we had only brought 2 sets of sheets--enough for the girls. Luckily for Mattias and I, Ingrid had ironed and packed two tablecloths so we used those as bed sheets!
The next day we made it to Kolåsen by around 2:30 in the afternoon which gave us time to dig into the cabin since there we many feet of snow surrounding it and to unpack. The girls immediately put on their snow gear and headed outside, which for the most part of the week, is where they spent their time. The cabin sits on a hill which during the summertime is covered with wildflowers. In winter it's snow-racer, skier wonderland! We all enjoyed a bit of something whether cross country skiing, taking wild rides down hill on the spark (kick-sled), or as in Hanna's case, being pulled in the pulka, the same one Mattias rode in as a child. We spent Easter at the cabin and enjoyed a hefty meal washed down by snaps and a sweet marzipan freshly prepared by Ingrid and the girls for dessert. Mattias even took some relaxing time hemming his pants on the sewing machine.
We were not done with vacation yet. The tail end of the trip required a visit to Stockholm for Mattias' Great Uncle's 80th birthday party. Ingrid and Mattias' Dad's cousin, Gudrun, stayed in the apartment and our family stayed at a surprisingly nice vandrahem in the Söder section of Stockholm, just a short walk from the gathering being held the following day. We had pizza at Carl Axel and Åsa's on Friday night and we had time to stroll around Saturday morning before the party. Liv wanted some new pants as a sudden growth spurt has made her pants in to "floods"--something she was not too happy about. After the party we had the car packed and drove again a couple of hours to Ingrid's family farm where we spent the night at her house there. Up the next morning to look at a 250 year old army officer's farm that sits on some family land and needs work and TLC. Because of it's age and historic status it can't be torn down so could be considered a project for someone. Despite the mouse droppings inside, it sure was charming with the little house, small barn and playhouse. Hmmm?
We arrived back to Gbg. Sunday night and got ready for the week ahead. Mattias took this past week off to do some home projects and work and the girls and I got back into the school routine. At the end of the week, today, we officially bought the home we've been waiting to buy! It was the easiest process I've seen as Mattias literally signed only about 4 documents. This week he was already working with the carpenter to start some remodeling--this job yesterday was opening up a wall for french doors from our guest bedroom to the lr/dr area. I dropped Liv and Hanna off at their Grandma's for the weekend and since we have agreed on colors, I will start painting tomorrow. With any luck, we'll move in May.
So, the girls are with Grandma, Mattias is at the other house and I've just finished a frozen vegetarian falafel with chickpeas, a glass of 3.5% beer and a taste of chocolate pudding. Swedes have this fascination with sing-a-long show so I am watching a fairly good edition of one now after the Simpsons just wrapped up.
Think Spring!
Carrie

Bubbling with Swedish

Hello,
It's the end of another week and today is Saturday. Hanna has her 5th birthday tomorrow and we got home later this afternoon after her kiddie party at a local play place-- the kind with climbing structures and special room for the party food etc. She had 5 of her friends from school invited plus an older cousin and Liv for a total of 8. We enjoyed the afternoon and while it can be pricey to do these things, it sure makes it nice when we don't have to cook, clean and plan and then clean up after it all! Considering our living situation now, there weren't many party options for a small group of wild ones....
Mattias cooked salmon and baked potatoes tonight. We ate the fruit salad and chocolate cupcakes leftover from the party for dessert. He is getting the girls ready for bed as they are wired and tired from the day. Tonight is the finale of the Melodifestivalan--a kind of European contest that will decide who is the most entertaining singer/performer in Europe. Tonight Sweden is deciding their candidate. I haven't watched before but might consider it entertaining to check it out.
Both Mattias and I had a busy week. He was in Uppsala for two nights. He enjoyed a corporate team building event with an evening of go-karting. Little did his team know that he was a former go-kart racer while growing up so this event was just up his alley! Back home to settle more things on our pending new house. We got in there this week to remove some more items from the house and garage, vacuum, and absorb the atmosphere. We discovered new things about the house and took some more look/see's to get the work ideas in place. We are doing some verbal problem solving and hope to get it in place quickly once we settle the financials of owning the place.
I had a great week at school and as they say in Swedish, "Min huvud är bubblar med Svenska"!-- or my head is bubbling with Swedish! The program is really fantastic for three reasons-the method they use at the Kungsbacka Komvux called Suggestopedi; our teacher who is a bundle of energy; and lastly, the classmates. We are all gelling now and have a fun time while learning Swedish. I have been lunching with the Americans/Australians and Romanians, but lately enjoyed a girl's lunch with Yvonne, from East Germany and Farida from Russia. We tease Farida as the "Swedish police" as she enforces that we must speak Swedish while in class and out on breaks. She calls herself "Little Stalin". Another day I broke away from the American and Australian group to have lunch with the Asian ladies from China and Thailand. It is very interesting to hear people's background stories and learn why and how they got to Sweden.
Tomorrow we have a family meal as both Hanna and cousin Linus share the same birthday. He is turning 7 years. It was suggested that I bring calico baked beans and coleslaw to share with the bbq chix and spareribs. There was rumour of some sort of Princess Torta for dessert. Yummy!
More later,
Carrie

Weekend in Stockholm

Mattias and I are rounding out our trip to Stockholm this weekend without the girls who are with Farmor. We are here for part business, mostly leisure. Mattias and I took off to attend a special event for Astrid Sylwan, an up and coming artist (but pretty well established) who has received a significant stipend to travel to New York City for a month to meet other artists and absorb the culture for inspiration. Or at least that's what I think you'd do with a stipend! The stipend was from Carl-Axel's foundation and was presented by Carl-Axel and the artist, Peter Dahl. Peter is a modern day Picasso (literally), and between he and Astrid, it made for an interesting evening to be surrounded by such talent!
Friday and Saturday, Mattias and I had free days. We are staying at Carl-Axel's pied a terre overlooking the city. We got to sleep in and take a coffee and late breakfast in the apartment. On Friday we spent time exploring Södermalm neighborhood where the apartment is located then to dinner at Carl-Axel and Åsa's house some blocks away. We ended the evening by going to a great little British Pub just a couple blocks the opposite direction of the apartment. We thought we got a good bargain on a pint of lager for a little over $10.00 a pint! Saturday, today, we got up and took to the town by foot. Our first destination was Svensk Tenn and it took some time to wind our way out of Soder, through Gamla Stan, past the royal palace and up and down the path by the water. It was a busy shopping day in Stockholm and as suspected, Svensk Tenn was packed with visitors fawning over the ever lovely Josef Frank designs. We had a great time window shopping and rested our legs by having a delicious Lebanese lunch. We took the Tunnelbana back to the apartment and picked up Carl-Axel to go to a building supply store that had a number of kitchen and bathroom exhibits for inspiration. Later in the evening we walked back to CA's house and had dinner, this time joined by Ulla-Britt.
Sunday we'll head toward home but first stop and visit a Herrgård that Mattias' Uncle is interested in purchasing. They want our opinion on the property so we are happy to help out. After, we'll continue driving and try to visit Mattias' Mormor, (Grandmother), and have a coffee and some treats perhaps.
This week Mattias will be back in Uppsala for work and I will have child duty alone for a couple of days plus back to school on Monday for myself.

More later,
Carrie

Weekend happenings

I'm sitting in bed typing this blog and planning to hit the hay early tonight. A friend and I took the train in to Göteborg last night to meet up with 22 other English speaking moms and Mattias drove into the city to pick us up late. We met at a Thai restauarant on Vasagatan and enjoyed a delicious build your own meal buffet. There were four of us whose kids go to the same school and another gal I had previously met for coffee so I knew a few people, but the rest I met for the first time. We are all English speakers and for the most part, married to Swedes, although there were a couple of Swedish natives who lived in the U.S. It was another cultural affair with ladies from England, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the U.S.

Last night, Liv went to a pajama birthday party for a school friend and had a nice time. Hanna stayed home with Mattias and had an evening with cousins while their folks were also out on the town. It was a gorgeous sunny day today. The cousins slept overnight and Mattias cooked an American pancake breakfast with bacon and real maple syrup. Afterwards, the kids played outside on a newly discovered area around the house. Hanna had a play date with a friend and Liv went home with Linus and Johan for more playing. I met the parents of Hanna's friend and had a coffee at their house before leaving Hanna, and then joined Mattias at our potential new home. Mattias and his friends were at Rolf's house divvying up more of his household belongings. It is getting emptier and now we can see better the work we will need to do to get it to our liking, get an idea of furniture placement etc. We are still sooooo excited about moving in and can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I have asked the neighbor to help me with the garden. Rolf was a master gardener so I have big shoes to fill and don't think I can do it on my own. If I understood her correctly, Ulla told me that when the birch trees begin to form buds is when I can prune the rose bushes...oh, so much to think about and the work will follow!

We have another busy week ahead but Mattias and I will take some days together in Stockholm at the end of the week. I will share more about that later.

Off to sleep,

Carrie

REA, REA! Book Sale Day!

Today is Tuesday, February 26th. It is book sale day in Sweden!! REA!--Sale! the signs say. The bookstores have been advertising their books on sale for a couple of weeks now. They pretty much are selling the same books due to a monopoly. I did go to a local store in Kungsbacka and was disappointed in their selection of books for myself--I'm not interested in English language books on Elvis, motorcycles, or parents who killed their children. (like, would anyone really buy that last one? Creepy!). I did find several fiction books at the Kungsmässan Mall, mostly by English authors which you find a lot here. All stores sold the Stora Bok om Kök which is a compilation of recipes by the largest grocery store in Sweden. The prices varied between 99 to 149 kronor. Luckily, I paid the lesser price which equates to about $16.00-$24.00 vs. over $60.00 after the sales. I of course bought several children's books too. There is big hype about the annual sale because they have reduced the price of most book by about 50% or more! For me, when buying English language books which are very expensive, that is a bonus!

The picture today is of the sunset taken some steps from our little cabin. It has been misty and windy today so nice to see some pink sky!

More later,
Carrie

Happy Anniversary!

February 24, 2008
Today Mattias and I are celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary! Actually, we are celebrating our Justice of the Peace wedding which happened with my sister Kris and brother in law, Elliott as witnesses at the Dakota County courthouse in Hastings, MN++ months before our formal ceremony in Gotland, Sweden in 1999! Happy Anniversary to us!
More later,
Carrie

P.S. Mattias also has the good fortune of celebrating his name day. February 24th of each year in Sweden has names Mattias and Mats on the calendar to celebrate. We forgot about coffee in bed this morning for the special guy!

Pictures Finally!

 

 

 

 

Saturday

We prepared the morning for Liv's school friends to come for lunch and play. I baked a banana bread with chocolate chips and then made pizza dough for our pizza lunch. The girls came over, sisters originally from Australia. Liv and Hanna were so excited to show them our digs and to speak English with playmates. The girls played with ponies, Barbies, build a fort outside, watered and watched a film before the end of the day.
I had a headache for most of the day and then took my prescription meds to see if that would alleviate it after 3 p.m.. It kind of did but I felt funny anyway. You see, Mattias and I, when were were on the boat, consumed much wine-- red wine in particular along with salty snacks galore! We decided that when we moved to Sweden, we would eliminate buying both wine and snacks. Not only to help the budget but for health sake. (never mind that a glass of red wine a day cuts cholesterol or whatever the latest finding is). And chip consumption only makes you want to eat more---empty calories. So, we have been here for over two months and I did give in and purchase one single liter of white wine a couple of weeks ago and then Mattias went and bought several bottles of red wine and a box of white last night. With our meal we finished one bottle of red last night, and hence, the headache today. Oh, and we also bought chips....So, the willpower held out until this weekend really which I think we have to congratulate ourselves on. Moral of the story, I'm really going to give up red wine again and see if that helps my headache situation!
I tried to take a little couch rest and had the girls playing house in the background. They were trying to spoon feed me pretend tomato soup which wasn't sounding too appetizing. Then they went on to play dog and owner! I closed my eyes for some minutes and felt better. Our family was invited to one of Mattias' old friend's house for dinner. He has 3 girls, two of which go to Liv's school. For the meal we had a delicious Raclette experience---the electric raclette platter where we cook the meat, and underneath are the little individual cups that you put veggies and cheese. put that under the heater lamp and melt the cheese. It is a very social meal. The girls loved it! They had fun playing with Mats and Carolina's girls too and were exhausted when we got home. We spent some time chatting with Jan and Britt Marie and then I Skyped my sister. It's closing in on 1:30 a.m. I best be going for the night.
More later,
Carrie

Friday

It's the end of the week. Yesterday at the Kungsbacka library was a celebration of alternative mother tongue languages to Swedish. Liv and I drove into the city after she finished fritids. We met her English teacher who is British but has lived in Sweden for many years. She has been the mother tongue teacher in Onsala for many years and is on her way to retiring but likes the group or the teaching I guess. She is a sharp looking lady and tried to fix us up for a playdate with some gals and their kids from England. One of the gals was friends with one of my new friends in Onsala and had heard about our family, newly arrived from America. A small world here in Sweden. We didn't get a playdate arranged despite the best efforts of the English teacher. A little too pushy but in a nice way! Liv had some artwork on exhibit at the library. The mother tongue classes encourage the student to continue learning the traditions of their home country or background. Liv had pictures of a cowboy and a map of the U.S. with Minnesota and Washington, D.C. We watched a dance performance of Thai students--one of which is the daughter of a gal in my SFI class. There was also a very flexible belly dancer, probably from Iran. Gee, if I could learn belly dancing, my mom tummy would disappear quickly!

I am feeling exhausted today and don't know why. Actually, I feel like I'm in a bit of a funk...would have been a great napping day, which is nice on a rainy day, and could well have taken one. It was my day off from school today and Hanna's as well. I had a good week at school and feel better prepared now that my teacher has provided me with a study plan. I have lots of work to do and look forward to it during the week, but not so much at nights or weekends!

The house was a bit of a disaster so I spent some time picking up and doing laundry. The space we are living in is very tiny so everything should be put away after it is taken out. That happens sometimes but clothes tend to get piled here and there. Liv had a good day at school today and got done at 12:30. She didn't have fritids today so was home earlier than normal. She is working on her book, "The bad haircut", or some title like that. It was something she started when we were on the boat. Hanna has been doing workbook things. We are making bread and waiting for the loaves to rise so we can get them into the oven.

Mattias and Liv washed one of the cars in the rain and wind. She came back in with a healthy glow to cheeks. Mattias now has gone on to get a haircut, stop at the Systembolaget-(liquor store) in Kungsbacka since that is the only one in the area--a 20 minute drive! Then he'll go to the grocery store for us.

Mattias' Dad and Britt Marie should be arriving back to the house after suppertime. We'll probably visit with them this evening. I best get to the bread now.

More later,
Carrie

It's Tuesday

The kids have just gone to sleep and I was able to leave them sleeping in our little house while I walked over to the "big house" to get this blog written and sent tonight. I don't have computer connection, or very good cell phone connection when I'm in the little house so the little things become a chore!
We spent a some nice Sportlov days at Elisabet's family home in Värmland. Elisabet's father lives in an expansive home built in 1822, (the carving near the fireplace says so). There was plenty of room for all of us to spread out, kids and all. We were able to get out and make a little sport and we spent one day downhill skiing with the kids. The mountain had made snow since there was only but a crust on the ground. It was my first time downhill skiing in Sweden and luckily, we brought our ski equipment with us this summer so we didn't have to bum out that those things were in storage!
Liv developed another ear infection and needed to be doctored on Saturday. She had a perforated eardrum so was feeling uncomfortable and had spent most of the night previous tossing and turning. On Sunday, the kids went sledding outside the house. The weather was springlike.
Back to school for all of us this week. Mattias is in Stockholm for two nights and had meetings in Uppsala today. He'll come home late tomorrow afternoon.
More students have been added to my SFI class. There are now 9 different languages that we all speak with one unified language of Swedish that we are learning to speak. Our class is gelling and it is a nice day to spend away from home learning. The SFI courses have most recently gotten some bad press in Sweden. That was on the news last night and was a bit of a bummer for our teacher who is probably my age, and has been teaching Swedish as second language for over 20 years! Our class has mostly "love immigrants" we figured and the area of Sweden that we live in, the Kungsbacka kommune, has not taken many, if any refugees, but will step up to the plate and do so very soon. Some from Iraq will be arriving and the teachers are scrambling, wondering how they will do it as the classes are already so full. Job security for some I guess....
I took Liv to the doctor this afternoon and for a haircut today. The stylist man put so much "product" in her hair she was beginning to look like a junior miss pageant contestant. It was pretty crispy afterward and Liv and I had a good laugh! I realized that I know a lot of Swedish, but it takes what seems like forever to get a point across. Mattias had warned me that I needed to leave the doctor's office with a referral for ear specialist. Even though the doctor spoke English, I still walked away with not the right paperwork! I don't understand the systems here... then I wanted to book a haircut appt. for Hanna and tried to explain to the man that she finished dagis at 3:30 and we'd arrive shortly after. Finally got my point across there using sign language and some creative use of words... It is exhausting sometimes but a challenge to keep plugging away at Swedish! Now I know why my girls are so tired and crabby at the end of the day!!
Mattias received word that we may be able to take ownership of our house in 2-3 weeks time! That is great news for us, and for Mattias Dad whose homes we occupy, and means we can get in and get to work on our new place. After some discussion and looking at floorplans, it looks like we will try to do some renovation before moving in after all. We are trying to secure the time of a carpenter to help us with moving some doors, adding some doors and removing and moving some closets. With a little snowball effect, that will mean we can remove some paper and repaper the walls before we paint. I have been to the paint store looking for a similar color to my beloved Benjamin Moore Linen White. The paint salesman said that 70's colors are the trend here now, along with bold wallpaper--white is coming on the trend again! White is coming?! I would like similar schemes to my old home--linen white on main walls and color in bedrooms etc. Will continue my search. I do enjoy the trends and like to see new ideas for inspiration anyway.
I will try again to get pictures posted tonight. Some of the ski trip, sledding and some delicious new cheese that I bought last week.
More later,
Carrie
Looks like the pictures aren't posting for some reason. I'll try again with that another day.

SportLov week

We've been plagued by colds, fever and unidentified stomach aches in our house. Hanna has missed the past three days of school and Mattias and I are still suffering from our cold. Liv seems to be okay and has been going to fritids during this week off which she's enjoyed. I guess we've picked up our share of new Swedish bugs since being here!
Today I met three other gals for coffee in Kungsbacka. It is nice to meet new people--Australian, Swedish another American, and to chat in English relating to our respective new home in Sweden. I should, however, give up the treats related to the coffees if I want to keep up the various meetings! After coffee I walked a couple of undiscovered blocks in Kungsbacka and found a toy store and a kid's clothing store, both of which I never knew existed. I was able to pick up a little something for the girl's Valentine's Day tomorrow at the toy store and a couple pair of pants for Liv. Seems like Hanna is moving into Liv's old size here....
Mattias, Hanna and I went to do a look and see our future home yesterday. We are still satisfied with our decision to buy Rolf's home and are getting ideas for renovation. Since it was built in 1966, many details remain the same but it could use some refreshing as in paint, new kitchen, bathrooms and other details. It sounds so much like a similar project that we embarked on in Minnesota--am I ready for another of the same?! Rolf's household goods and personal items are still in the house and the executor is getting them ready for dispersal. Until that happens we won't be moving in, but it should be within in the next couple of months. We probably won't go all out renovating until we've lived there anyway but it is fun to get ideas going. We are anxious to get our container of our own household goods and clothes back to us. Mattias has been going to his business meetings looking a little more casual than he'd like as all our clothes are in storage.
We leave tomorrow afternoon for Elisabet's family home in Varmland. It will be a good 4-5 hour drive before we are there so hopefully the girls will take a nice nap on the way.
More later,
Carrie

Busy week

It was an incredibly busy week with our household.
I started my Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) class in Kungsbacka on Monday. It goes Mon to Thurs until June. I was nervous about starting as the class began a couple of weeks ago but I seem to be right up to par with the rest. We have a really fun teacher and they use a Bulgarian teaching method. Bulgarian of all places! It is called Suggestopedi and we use music, rhythm, role playing etc. to learn the language. It is not just sitting behind a desk listening and reciting back to the teacher. One afternoon a week we have a writing class and two afternoons a week we do a self study with computers or other materials in the Study Stuga at the school. I am enjoying being in a class with people from all over the world. We have a few Americans; Australians; Thai; Chinese; Polish; Czech; Romanian; Iranian and a guy from the Middle East.
With my schooling, that takes me away from home for many hours in the week. I am not so used to having to be organized when I walk out of the house in the mornings!
Hanna started her dagis inskolning this week. She is getting right into the routine and we are not required to stay along with her all day after all as she trots off and is happy on her own. She has made friend with a couple of girls and will have a playdate planned soon.
Both Hanna and Liv spend many hours outside during the weeks and with that we are constantly looking for mittens; not so dirty jackets etc. I will have much laundry to do this weekend!
I was invited to attend a Parent Teacher Association meeting at Liv's school this week. With my limited Swedish I attended and got to hear about the issues at school and although it is a bit uncomfortable, I figure this is a good way for me to understand the system. I think the topics for discussion here are similar to home--bus safety; playground behaviour; speakers; and the lunch lady came to talk about nutrition. She said they were introducing more organic foods to the school menu including all dairy products, knackebrod (hard tack bread), breads and some veggies. A new friend invited me to attend and she helped to translate.
This morning was my day off from school. I did child drop off duty and Mattias is working on legal things for his job. I met up for coffee in Kungsbacka with two English speaking Moms-- one Australian and one Swedish who I met through a English speaking parent website. The Australian's girls are friends with Liv at school and the Swedish gal lived in the U.S. and Zurich before moving back home to Sweden.
There are several other mom's that use the same site and for some coincidental reason, there are four of us with kids at the same school and all the girls have the same English as First Language class together. It will be nice to get to know these gals.

Next week in this area of Sweden is called SportLov week. That is a week's vacation (held over a three week period in the entire country of Sweden) that is for families to make sports together. Many go to the mountains for skiing, some play indoor sports, other fly to exotic places and have vacation. Hanna will be at dagis for her Sportlov; Liv will not have school. We will travel to the Värmland region later next week and spend time with Jens, Elisabet, Linus and Johan at Elisabet's family home. There is snow there, unlike here, so that will be great fun for all kids.

I am actually in bed now suffering from an achy body as a result of a cold that just came on from my husband. I took a big gulp of NyQuil and think that will kick in soon so I can get into a nice slumber. It is a rainy miserable day out and good one for a nap anyway.

More later,
Carrie

Fettisdagen! A sweet holiday in Sweden

Todays is the National Semlor Day. Fettisdagen Day. The wiki article tells some fun stuff about the Semlor--that the average Swede eats 5 between Christmas and Easter.
I've eaten two so far. Hanna's dagis baked semlor and we had fika (take a cup of coffee) there today. Yummy!


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the Etruscan goddess, see Semla (mythology)

A typical semla.
A typical semla.

A semla is a traditional pastry in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Estonia, associated with Lent and especially Shrove Tuesday. The name derives from the Latin semilia, which was the name used for the finest quality wheat flour. In the southernmost part of Sweden, Skåne and by the Swedish speaking population in Finland, they are known as fastlagsbulle and in Denmark they are known as fastelavnsbolle (fastlagen and fastelavn being the equivalent of shrovetide), and in the rest of Finland as laskiaispulla. In Estonia it is known as vastlakukkel.

The oldest version of the semla was a plain bread bun, eaten in a bowl of warm milk. In Swedish this is known as hetvägg and originates from middle German hete Weggen (hot wedge) or heisse Wecken (hot buns) [1][2]. Today, the semla consists of a cardamom-spiced wheat bun which has its top cut off and insides scooped out and is then filled with a mix of the scooped-out bread crumbs, milk and almond paste, topped with whipped cream. The cut-off top is then put back as a lid and dusted with icing sugar. It is nowadays often eaten on its own, with coffee or similar, but there are still those who eat it in a bowl of hot milk. In Finland, the bun is sometimes filled with strawberry jam instead of almond paste, and bakeries in Finland usually offer both versions. (Many bakeries distinguish between the two by decorating the traditional bun with almonds on top where as the jam filled version only has powdered sugar on top).

The semla was originally eaten only on Shrove Tuesday, as the last festive food before Lent. However, with Protestantism the Swedes stopped observing Lent, and the semla in its bowl of warm milk became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today, semlas are available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter. Each Swede consumes on average five bakery-produced semlas each year, in addition to all those that are homemade [3].

King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771 after consuming a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne, which was topped off by 14 servings of semla, served with bowls of hot milk. Semla was the king's favorite dessert.

This was the sweet chosen to represent Finland in the Café Europe initiative of the Austrian presidency of the European Union, on Europe Day 2006.
References

1. ^ Nordiska Museét: Fettisdagsbullen
2. ^ The special treat FASTLAGSBULLE
3. ^ Aftonbladet: Svenska folket laddar för fettisdagen

Sunday

Mattias and I had a quiet morning with the kids at Grandma Ingrid's overnight. We were planning to talk but instead realized that we were quiet over breakfast enjoying the peace and able to think without interruption! I cleaned up the little house then surfed the net a while reading about Super Tuesday and the plight of Britney Spears while Mattias helped his dad change the tires on his camper.
The kids soon arrived after lunchtime and Liv was shuttled off to a birthday party of her friend Felicia. Hanna and I met up with Elisabet, and cousins Linus and Johan for a little afternoon theater at a local school. Part of a cultural group getting theater out in the community so we attended the first in a series.
We got back home and both girls played while I cooked supper and updated our calendar. Then it was books and bed for the girls. Hanna starts her preschool orientation tomorrow which she is really looking forward to. I will start my Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) language class which is 17 hours a week until June. I have classes Monday-Thursday pretty much all day when you include lunch breaks. These weeks when Hanna has inskolning, Mattias will join her there. Liv will have her second English as mother tongue (Modersmål) class tomorrow afternoon which she enjoyed last week. Her teacher is an immigrant from England and the other girls are from England and Australia so if we're lucky, Liv will take on a British accent. HA!

More later,
Carrie

The Weekend!

A lazy Saturday catching up on sleep and play and bill paying (fun)! I intended on visiting a bookstore outlet in the city to see if they had English books for a song. I took a second look at the ad and saw they closed at 2 p.m. By the time we finished lunch and drove it would be too late. After I finish my library book, I will be ready to read more and like the convenience and choice of a purchased book...Instead, we took a late afternoon drive to Farmor (Mattias' mother) Ingrid's house in Göteborg for dinner. She visited India last year with friends and was inspired to make us a nice Indian meal of Chicken Masala, Basmati rice with turmeric for color, a lovely green salad with unusual greens. Hanna helped her to roll out the chapati's!. The girls stayed overnight and had a nice soak-play in the bathtub while Mattias and I were still there.
I am trying to upload a picture of the weekend treat, but the connection but not be working so will save that till tomorrow's addition!
To work off our treats and healthy eating, Mattias and I will take a huge walk tomorrow, Sunday, despite wind, rain, hail (as in today), or whatever nature gives us!
More later,
Carrie

Wednesday

This morning Hanna and I went to the Kungsbacka library for storytime. The theme is charming Alfons Aberg. We checked out some English books, Swedish cd's and dvd's. Hanna used some extra time on the computer working with Pippi and Bamse games. Afterwards, we treated ourselves to lunch in the acclaimed library cafe. Hanna ate a pannkakor with jam and cream. I had a bowl of fisk soppa. (fish soup). I was craving it after eating the same last week but was disappointed this week. The base was fantastic but the fish were too fiber like-- like the texture of fresh ginger root in my mouth. After lunch we went upstairs to the temporary Alfons Aberg play area. I'm reminded at these places that I should wear my best socks because you always have to take your shoes off. Likewise at preschool and gradeschool. (no fancy school shoes needed here!).
Home again and coffee with Mattias who is studying the Volvo manual for our new, used car that Mattias brought home on Tuesday. He just informed me that the Komvux (adult ed) Swedish for Immigrants teacher called him. Sounds like I'll be starting my Swedish classes this week! We'll get signed up tomorrow. I don't know the whole course yet but it will be 17 hours of class per week. Yikes, that will be intense. The teacher said there are a few other Americans in the class as well. I am looking forward to starting but it will throw a little wrench into our coordination with the girl's school. I was planning to accompany Hanna to her dagis (preschool) inskolning (orientation). Mattias and I will have to do some juggling as he is also working at home when he's not going to Uppsala once/week.
Mattias and the girls are outside now checking on the secret hideout on the rocks. What they don't know is that it is as plain as day to see, but I'll let them keep their special secret!
Mattias will sit Linus and Johan tonight at their house as Jens is out of town and Elisabet has Italian class. I promised the girls that I would make chocolate sauce for ice cream. (Jo Dell, that's alternate treat for today since the soup did not do the trick!).

More later,
Carrie

Sunny Sunday

Sunday was a beautiful, warm and sunny day! Something to write home about because it lasted for pretty much the whole day and then you know what happened the next day? It turned cold, misty and gray again! Again!!
The girls played outside for several hours. We got out their bikes from last summer and they enjoyed touring the neigborhood. Both have outgrown their bikes but it was better than nothing and they didn't complain at all. Hanna wanted to bike to our favorite blueberry picking spot. Sadly, we visited in the wrong season...oh well, a few more months. After biking, digging, playing with Itzy the dog, and playing hideout on the rocks, they enjoyed a nice mug of hot cocoa. See the ocean out there? It's there between the trees. This is the view from our little guest house we are occupying.


More later,
Carrie

Rainy Saturday

It has been raining all day today. Finally, the sun shone late in the afternoon but that was after days and days of gray and rain. So even a little sun is better than nothing.
Liv got home last night after a day full of school, friends and fun. She was literally exhausted! I'm sure hearing Swedish, speaking Swedish and being on best behaviour all day took it all out of her. When we got home, it was a "get your pajamas on at 6:30" kind of night. Hanna and I had gone to an overstocks store and she had picked out a couple of dvd's for the night. We figured out that we were able to adjust the language settings to English so the girls sat and enjoyed a nice evening after Liv "calmed down".
As they were watching the movies, I went through receipts trying to figure out how much money we've spent since arriving in Sweden and to get a grip on costs for food. I'm up in the air about the food costs. Food like pork is plentiful and relatively cheap; beef is super pricey; people buy this flash frozen chicken that is really tasty and surprisingly cheap in comparison to the other choices. And since fish and seafood is right out our back door, we can buy that too. I just need to get my confidence in order when ordering since I don't understand weights and measures yet in metric and my Swedish is even worse. Yesterday I spoke to a clerk in Swedish and she answered back in English. Okay, I'm trying!!! I am getting used to being an oddity and have people stop and look when the English comes out of my mouth.
We spend at least $100.00 on gas each time we fill and since I've been driving a lot this week, had to fill up for the second time. I think eventually, we'll need a more economical car, something with bio diesel to help alleviate the expense.
I have figured out that craft supplies for the kids projects are really expensive What,with a bottle of craft glue priced at over $3.00, I regret not snatching up those bottles of Elmer's when they were marked at 20 cents after school started! I will be on the search for an Oriental Trading type of company to see if we can buy some things for cheaper. Hanna and I made a stop on the bookstore yesterday to exchange a permanant marker--that was nearly $4.00 as well! Couldn't believe it! The English book choices for myself, paperbacks are close to $20.00 a book. I also should have stocked up as I thought I had more on hand here than what I actually do. Kids books, even in Swedish, are equally expensive. In order to find the bargains, I have been scoping out many stores to see what they have on hand. I like my bargains you know and hope to re create my Target end aisle experience somewhere here.
This morning we slept in, I cooked a lasagne, and after lunch we went to the Simhallen for a swim. I figured it would be super crowded but was manageable after all even despite the weather. I realized I really don't understand so much Swedish when the lady makes an announcement over the P.A. I hadn't a clue what she said but since others didn't budge, I figured I would have to either. I am doing a pretty good job watching what others do. Like there is no sign by the whirlpool hot tub, but when the bubbles stop, everyone hops out and sits on the edge, waiting for the timer to go on again. I don't know the intervals but this must be some kind of thing everyone knows about but us! The girls enjoyed the afternoon and had fun on the super slide. We wrapped up the afternoon with an ice cream and then arrived back home around 4.
We just finished supper at Jan and BrittMarie's and the girls are watching their dose of Bolibompa which is the name for the kids programming that occurs in the morning and at 6 p.m. They are pooped and we'll head to our cabin after the programs. I will try to find some t.v. tonight for myself. The past oouple of nights have been a Dancing with the Stars type show--pretty much the same set up as in the U.S.--only cornier music like the theme from Friends. "I'll be there for you...". I've also watched some obscure sports that you would never find on Prime Time U.S. t.v. like cross country ski races and European handball games. Sweden was playing like Czech Republic or something. I also caught a little Californication, which I think is HBO at home. Also on Prime Time and nothing censored here!
More later,
Carrie

Week 2 Sweden

So, things are coming together for us. After applying for Personal Numbers last week we received them this week. A personal number in Sweden is like a Social Security number in the U.S. but we get a lot more for it. With the numbers, we are able to obtain free daycare for Hanna-paid up to 15 hours per week if I am not working and 40 hours if I am working or in school; literally free healthcare; barnbidrag (child money)-which is a payment to us each month for each child until they reach age 18; and foraldrar pengar (parent money and time)-which is paid time off, up to 420 days!!!! (yes, we couldn't believe it either) for each child up to age 8 years old. Mattias will have to work for 6 months before the last one comes into effect but will be able to take the time with the child and get paid! And I'll be able to take the Swedish for Immigrant classes for free. I am anxious to get started on these. Once the numbers get into the system, that seems to create a trigger to a lot of areas. Mattias received a mail from the Police Dept. wanting to know about his hunting rifle. They would like him to send in the gun cabinet receipt once he purchases it! (too bad we didn't have that system at home when I nagged and nagged him).
Mattias is doing his Chairman of the Board gig and traveled to Uppsala again this week for a Board meeting. He'll do that once a week each month. Tomorrow he goes to a Board meeting for a separate Foundation and then will spend time in Stockholm with his Great Uncle Carl-Axel and then to Gotland to pick up our new (used) Volvo sedan. He'll take it onto the ferry and drive it home next Monday. This morning he went to Goteborg to visit the man holding our container shipment. Seems we get some money back from the Customs Dept. on this. That will be nice.
Liv is loving school but has been exhausted after her days and is "acting out" some, usually at 4 p.m. for some reason. She has been invited to a couple of events. On Friday after school at 12:30, she'll travel by school bus to her friend Elin's house--that is Liv, and 10 other girls and they are invited to stay for Tex Mex dinner. I'll pick her up at 6 p.m. and that would make 5 hours of girl fun--lucky for the parents to take on such an endeavor! School buses in Sweden are like coaches you take on a sightseeing tour--more plush. Not sure how you can obtain permission to take an additional 12 home but guess they worked it out. In February she is invited to go to another friend's birthday party. We will see if they do things differently here than at home.
Hanna and I visited her school for an hour on Tuesday. She was real curious to see what it would be like. Hanna played with Princess dress-up things, legos and did some jumping in the tumbling room. Next week we'll visit when the class goes outside and the week after will start our orientation. I've enjoyed spending one on one time with Hanna but know she is ready to hang with kids her own age. Yesterday we went to the Kungsbacka library for storytime. En route, I managed to fishtail the car as the rain turned to ice suddenly. That was my first experience and by law, all cars even have snow tires which didn't do much to help my position. I learned a lesson and drove more slowly after that.
After school today, we'll take an hour drive South to Ullared, the outlet area to see if they have reasonably priced outdoor gear for the girls. Liv spends at least twice a day outdoors at school and Hanna will spend much more than that at her daycare and we are short of things. I will do this with Mattias and the girls as we've heard Ullared can be quite hectic with tour busses, but also cheap prices! With a horrible exchange rate, that sounds appealing.

More later,
Carrie

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Florida and beyond...

After Christmas we decided to continue further South and landed in New Smyrna Beach, FL. When we were traveling we learned that a good friend and mentor of Mattias in Sweden, Rolf, had passed away. He was very ill due to cancer and fortunately,we were able to say our goodbyes with visits to his home this past Summer and Fall. With this event, it felt like a good time to wrap up our trip a bit earlier than planned. That was a bittersweet ending to a wonderful few months of the cruising life, but the right thing to do. Plans had been a bit up in the air in regards to our whereabouts so before New Year's, the girls and I flew to St. Paul to make a final visit to my sister and her family. With us out of the way, Mattias took a couple of extra days on his own to travel further South to Ft. Pierce, FL. Once he arrived, he spent more time to clean out the boat thoroughly and got it ready to be lifted out of the water to put into dry storage. It will be later this Spring that Mattias and his brother will travel to the U.S. to get Windfall back into water and sail her to Ft. Lauderdale where it will travel by ship to either Denmark or the Netherlands. We will meet it there and sail it to Sweden some weeks later. Mattias arrived in St. Paul on New Year's Eve where we celebrated with pizza and beer and early to bed.

We spent the next several days in St. Paul, relaxing after our sailboat travels and getting ready for the next big trip--the final move to Sweden. We spent some nice, relaxing time with Kris, Elliott, Matt, Cam and Carl. The "big boys" were home from college and Kris and Carl had time off from school too. Remarkably, with a full house of nine people, my sister didn't go off the deep end and we all managed to find a nice place to sleep. The girls hung with the boys, played Guitar Hero 3, we had a sushi fest and got some bonding time with Riley, the dog. Kris was my shopping accomplice and helped me select some necessities including 9 pair of new shoes, in just my hard to fit size, and 4 for the girls among other things. Anyway, it has been a long time since I've done some power shopping and she was just the right person to take along.

On January 9th, we set off for Sweden! The flight over was not so full so Mattias and I each had a row with the girls and they were able to stretch out for a couple hours nap. We arrived after a 3 hour delay with our nine bags in tow. All of our other belongings been shipped this Fall and is still in the container in storage.
First week in Sweden:
The first week has been a busy one! It was only last night that we all slept through the night. For a while there I was wondering if a 3 a.m. snack and read would be a habit for us all!
With my Permanent Residency status, and the girl's passports, we got ourselves enrolled in the Swedish tax system, signed up for health care and schools. We are living at Mattias' Dad's home in Onsala until we move to our permanent home.
He has outfitted his guest house nicely for our stay and we are continuing to tweak it to our needs. Since he remodeled his own house, we have inherited a full size range and some extra cabinets in the kitchen. Today we removed a couple of beds to put in a sofa bed that will give us extra floor space and put in book shelves for storage.

We have enrolled Liv and Hanna in their respective schools. Liv started the Swedish Förskola Klass. Because she is only 6 years old, this is school before the "real school" starts. This year, they teach kids to socialize and get used to the classroom setting. They pretty much play and learn. The academics part start next year--so Liv has a couple of years on them academically, but can concentrate on learning Swedish and getting used to something new. This grade school does mixed age classes. Liv's class has 25 students from Year F, 1 and 2 and three teachers. Her F class group breaks out and then they are 10 students with one teacher. Her school has about 350 students from year F through 5 total. The F-class starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m. and Liv eats lunch at school. There are "lunch ladies", but here the kids serve themselves. There is a hot meal served and bag lunches from home are unheard of, they get salad and choice of breads. For the most part, the menu looks great, chicken with curry sauce, oven baked salmon with dill sauce, and taco buffet for a few selections. I told her she didn't need to eat the blood pudding when that is served--but she said, what if I want to try it?!

On the morning we went to visit the school we got there and about 5 little girls took Liv's hand and showed her inside where the cubbies and classrooms are. It was so sweet! We entered the classroom and there were tea lights burning on the tables where the kids sit. (never would that happen in the U.S.)! It was still dark outside since we are so far North so it was pretty cozy! When were leaving, an older girl gave Liv a little cross stitch piece with Liv's name stitched on it--Oh my gosh, make my heart melt! Her teacher is a gem and so kind to the kids and parents. The kind takes rubs the kids cheeks and gives them hugs. I smile a lot since she speaks only Swedish to me but can catch some of what she says! Liv is loving it and making new friends and is not shy of speaking Swedish. Liv's cousin is in the same F Klass along with a girl who's mother is from Australia.

This region of Sweden, the Kungsbacka Kommune, has the highest population of children and families in all of Sweden. It is apparent in the daycare area where there are wait lists for several months and the kommune is required to provide something for you. A minimum of fifteen hours a week for a non-working parent, is paid for by the government, and if more hours are needed when you work 16 hours or more, the family pays only about $100.00 per month depending on income. Thankfully, we have been on the list since Hanna's birth and were able to enroll her into a dagis that her cousin goes to as well. It is called Ur or Skur, meaning, "Rain or Shine" and has a unique pedagogue. The kids spend the majority of their time outdoors, rain or shine, and do most everything they can do inside, outside,--play with dolls, workshop, eat etc.. Hanna will transformed from an inside comfy girl to outdoor girl before we know it! They do use the inside of the daycare on days of extreme weather and it has a great feel and will be engaging for Hanna as she learns Swedish and gets used to a new environment. We have a couple of weeks to go before the two week orientation starts where I will also be involved to some extent.

Mattias started his work and has already traveled to Uppsala back and forth by speed train. He will have a busy schedule the rest of January when he'll be doing some additional travel to Uppsala, Stockholm and Gotland.
Near the middle of February, I hope to start my full time Swedish for Immigrants course. The government pays for my schooling free of charge so I hope to "get my money's worth"! Once the girls are used to their routines, I am looking forward to getting my own. I will probably do some sort of work, but don't know what that is at the moment. First, the Swedish language...

There is to be a big storm coming this weekend. Lots of wind they say. We can see the ocean from the window and the tide has come in much more than normal and is very choppy. The sun is shining so that is a good thing! We still need to get out to so some more provisioning. Tomorrow we will celebrate Jan's, (Mattias' dad) birthday. I baked a carrot-pineapple cake with cream cheese frosting. Was originally craving pineapple upside down for some reason, but didn't have rum in the larder but had all the fixin's for the other cake. Hopefully it will be edible!



More later,
Carrie