-20.6C !?!

OMG! I know this winter is the coldest one we've had for at least the last...25 (?) years... and it keeps surprising me with is repeated "peaks" of coldness...but...come on...!! This morning when I got up I really, truly, honestly did NOT believe my eyes! -20.6C !!??!!? :O

I thought we'd hit the "all time high" (at least for this region of the country) when it was -17.5C at new years...but this is...COLD!! :O :O I'm glad I had no business outside this morning! :)

Soon enough we got some cloud cover so the temperature is now at the more..."humane" (?) :D -13C. *lol* I'm not geared up for this kind of cold...! I mean...when we went to Finland for Christmas's as kids it was even colder... once -32C (if I remember correctly) but we knew it was going to be COLD so we had the proper winter gear for it...

The kids have got their proper winter overalls and boots, but me...? or Stephen? Nope! :/ I've got the boots and gloves and a fairly good coat but I don't even own a pair of long johns (Stephen does!). To have comfortably "survived" this winter one would have needed a good set of thermal underwear and a fantastic "ski-wear" set...I'm faaaar faaaaaaar from comfortable in this weather! *lol*

But I do have to say...it is beautiful outside...! :) I much, much more prefer this to the grey slushy winters of recent... :) it's crisp, fresh and it glistens in the sunlight (something we've had plenty of this winter!). :) ...it just takes some getting used to... ;)

♥ E.

Early bird catches all the worms...?

Up early, stressed about getting to school on time... Get Stephen to drive 'cause we missed our bus. We leave the little ones at nursery and he drives me in to town. When I get here, school that is, I realize I'm an hour early! *sigh!* Oops! :/

Called nursery and apologized but she mostly thought it was a shame that we'd been stressed for nothing. :) My morning class on Thurday has been cancelled so that'll be our Monday... ;)

I do enjoy studying but not that much that I like just sitting around here waiting for time to pass... :)

♥ E.

Early bird! by MsLynx on Polyvore.com

All is good.

Never enough time...! All is well, school is good. I'm finding algebra and equations soothing... *lol*

I think I'll drop my creative writing class...even if it is a favourite... :/ I think I'll be able to do that kind of course in the future too...and then give it the time it deserves. I really don't want to feel I'm just floating along... I want to do well, learn and develop my writing skills and...at the moment I don't feel I'm giving it enough time...but we'll see...

Our little miss Erin had her very first appointment to the hairdresser's today! :D I've been trimming it a bit but now it's gotten too long and as she's refusing to have her hair up I decided it was time for a proper chop! :) I've been "brain washing" her about the great fun of getting your hair cut and explaining the whole process etc. and so on... *lol* She can be quite a grumpy miss at times (especially when it comes to her hair!) so I was half-expecting us to leave before she'd even gotten up in the chair... She did SO well!! :D *proud mommy!* Even if the hairdresser really wasn't overly great considering it was Erin's very, very first visit there...oh well... my girly was great! :D I didn't think it was possible but she's even cuter than before!! ♥ ♥ ♥

Erin's new 'do' - Jan. 25th 2010

The pink on the top of her head is a little star

that was sprayed on for "good behaviour". ;)

♥ E.

Time time time...!

How can I make it stop...for just a little moment...?? :/

January is almost over before it even begun! :O School's back on, I like ALL my classes (yes! even maths! ;)) and I've really got too many and should really drop one...but which one!? So, I'm not... :D I'm giving it a go and if it does get too heavy of a load then I will let one of them go...but it'll probably have to be about the teacher rather than the subject 'cause I really enjoy them all so far! :) Still haven't been to my first philosophy class yet (that's tomorrow!) ...we'll see, I doubt that it'll be any different from the others... ;) Just my luck! ;) ;) ;)

Oh...and on top of not having any time I've gotten totally addicted to polyvore!! I'm not even really sure what it is exactly, and I can't remember how I got into it... I think it's this community/blog-place for teenybopper Taylor Swift-addicted "fashionista's" to looks for trends and trash each other but for me it's become this place to de-stress... I love the super easy cut/paste way of creating these 'mindless' "sets" (as they are called) and I've gotten severly stuck some evenings looking for The Right Pair of earrings or whatever... I do like fashion and beautiful pictures (and people!) and I looove cute quotes (and there's pleeenty of them on Polyvore!) sooo...I sit, and "create" and even more time flies by... *shaking my head at myself* Sillyness!

Sooo...what else...? I'm freaking freezing tonight...! Double layers on, even - especially! inside. Our...is it called pellets in English too...?? Hmmm...well...the burner (?) to the pellets (which heat our house) is not working and it's (thankfully only!) -3C outside which is cold enough to make the house fairly chilly... Stephen can normally get the "thing" to work but no such luck tonight. Of course (!!) we figured out the Thing wasn't working properly too late so the shop's not open and there's no help to be gotten until tomorrow morning.

Thankfully we do have the fire place and the fan to give us some heat but it will (again thankfully!? ;)) focus the heat in to the living room and our bedroom. We'll all be in our bed tonight me thinks! :) ...we could be worse off...and might possibly be depending on how expensive it'll be to fix...but at present it's only a bit enjoying and a little bit cosy. ;) I doubt that my answer will be the same in the morning...! :)

Now I'm going to make sure we've got plenty of cosy clothes to put on in the morning, try and wash my make up off with freezing cold water and get ready for bed...

♥ E.

It has been done! ;)

Here's me in my new "pixie cut". :D

Oh! + the new coat I got for Xmas! ;) I'll see if I have the energy to put colour in it tonight or if I'll do that tomorrow... I think it looks OK, or what would you say...? :) I might still get the hairdresser to cut it even shorter at the back, mainly so that it'll not feel "long" in a few weeks. :) She (n.b. Sara!) was super sweet and thought the cut would definitely suit me. She's actually cut my hair once before and she'll get to cut it again (now that I remember her name ;)).

♥ E.

Pixie?

I'm finally getting my hair cut today, it's looong overdue! I've needed to colour it for about as long so my hair is a right mess now and I can't wait to get it chopped and then coloured at home tonight.

Lately my hair has been short, but I've still been thinking about cutting it even shorter. A "proper" pixie cut. A super short (possibly longer at the front), layered, "messy" cut...?? :D I think I've been flirting with the idea for long enough now...just need an OK from the hairdresser that it suits me...and I'll take the plunge! ;)

Time to go! I'll let you know how it turns out... ;)

♥ E.

Changes...

Doing some changes here on the blog, please let me know if the text colour is ok or terrible...! I've changed it so many times today that I don't know what looks ok and what doesn't... :) Taking a wee break from it now though, do let me know if it's too dark/bright/whatever!

Sooo...what's up? Not much, a lot of work lately and I might still do some more - but I'm kind of hoping that I'll not. Spring term starts next Wednesday and I'd love to be off for a bit beforehand. I'm looking forward to my classes even though it's been better than I'd thought being back to work...everyone's been sooo good and kind and it really doesn't feel like it was almost 4½ years since I last worked there...!?! :)

I worked on New Years Eve too and was just going to do nothing afterwards, but since my bus/train back home went on a weekend schedule I'd have to wait at the bus station for over an hour after finishing so we decided the day before to go to my big sis's for a while... S got there with the kids after lunch and I was at there just in time for my mum lifting warm cinnamon rolls out of the oven! :D "Fika" first and then dinner! ;) My cousin Kati with her family came over too and it was good catching up. Our lot finally decided to stay the night... Anton and Erin were both asleep about 9 and I thought I'd be in bed too before long but managed to stay up for the fireworks...15 minutes later I was asleep! ;) :)

And then...? We've been home again and I've been working...and it's been unbelievably COLD!! On New Years Eve it was -15C when I went for my bus in the morning and I thought "we'll this is as cold as its going to get!"...but then yesterday it was -17.5C and I thought it must be wrong. No it wasn't! I was freezing my butt off!! I can't remember it ever being this cold around here before...! I've not dared to send the kids outside to play the last few days, not until today when it was a more humane temperature of -2C outside! :)

Anton fell asleep (it's tiring to play in the snow!) watching Tinkerbell (for umpteenth time!) and it's after 3 now so he needs to wake up. Better go!

♥ E.

Decade in Review...

From January 1, 2000 - December 31, 2009....
How Many...

People did you kiss? One needs to kiss a lot of frogs before one find her Prince... ;) I found mine in September 2000 and kissed a few frog at the start of the year. Let's say more than 5 less than 10 and leave it at that? :)

Countries did you visit? 4...maybe? Sweden (lived in Scotland in 2000) , Ireland (for about 3 minutes but still!), France (for about an hour or so) and Finland...

Places did you live? I changed my address 7 times in the last decade. Major moves being from Scotland and back home to Sweden and then from our flat to our house... but, moving together with S in Scotland was kinda big too I guess... ♥

People did you date? Hmmm... Not much of a dater - more of a kisser! *blushing* I think I've only dated one person in my life...! That was the summer before I met S. ;)

Times did you get drunk? Whoa! :/ *lol!* Too many to remember sounds terrible but it's sort of true...! Not even once in the last five years though... (not so sure that compensates the previous 5?!)

Books did you read? No freakin' clue!! 50? Not likely to be less, probably more...

People were living with you? In total during the last decade I've lived with... 15!

Animals were living with you? Grand total: 13 (10 fish moved in at Xmas -09)


What was your...

Favorite movie? Difficult one to answer, move in with a movie buff at the beginning of the decade and he "forced" me to watch a loooad of old (and new ones!)...hmmm... Frequency, Star Dust, Mother of Mine, Moulin Rouge...to name a few.

Favorite concert? Only been to two in my whole life and only one in the last decade. Tracy Chapman played at the Playhouse Theater in 2000 and it's my favourite one of the two (the other one being Bruce Springsteen in Stockholm -98?)

Worst experience? There's been a few along the years... Most of 2009 kinda sucked but we're moving on... What's important is that the "worst" moments have brought the best out in people close to me and they've shown me what truly matters in life! :)

Happiest moment(s)? To name one is impossible. My wedding day! My babies! ♥

Biggest change? This whole decade was a big change: I grew up really... I went from single girl to wife and mom. I think life was the biggest change. It's hard to imagine that any decade ahead will be as full of new experiences as the last one has been...

Biggest surprise? Life again... I mean, I could have never imagined life to be the way it is now at the beginning of 2000. Stephen, Sweden, married life, motherhood...all have had they're own surprises.


Did you...

Break a bad habit? Sure, and started "new" ones... ;) My temper is always a work in progress.

Start a relationship? Yes :) A few in fact.

End a relationship? No, not really... I might have grown apart from some people but I'm still hoping that I might grow closer to them again...

Change jobs? Kind of...but not as big changes as I would have hoped... ;)

Change living situations? A few times! From live-in-au-pair to living in S's student flat to living with S to moving to Sweden and staying with big sister and brother-in-law to our own place again...from apartment to house...

Lose a loved one? I've lost family members.

Start a new hobby? No. Well...! :D Started line dancing with my sisters, loved it but stopped when we moved to our house...so gave it up but it was great fun and I could consider picking it up again.

Have an addition to the family? Yes! Stephen, Ossie, Charlie, Julia, Elsa, Anton and Erin.

Get married? Yes! April 26th, 2003

Get divorced? No.

♥ E.