Friday

I love Anders and beer. 

On Friday said goodbye to friends in Stockholm. 

Far left Malin and Elsa just back from NYC on their way to LA just stopping in Sweden for summer.  I think this might be Elsa's first time in Sweden? 

To the right, lovely Lisa & Paula 

Supreme gift: Malin wrote down her favorite places and had the rest of our friends do the same. 

Bye bye.

The current state of affairs.

This could be yours.

One of my grandmother's best friends lived here when I was little and I got to visit every now and then. I remember swimming in the water, a coppery brown due to the high level of iron. It tasted sweet and metallic, and I felt like such a grown up person because granny wanted to swim with me, all the way to the little bridge.

 This place was so magical to me. It looks just the way I remember it, except for the fact that there was also an attic with old old clothes and wicker strollers and an indoors swing hanging from the ceiling.

It's for sale now. 

Måns, levitating.

Cleaning out the office.

Bought her years ago because she was just too cute, but now what do I do with her? Bring her? Pack her? Give her away?

Last Friday in Sweden for a LONG time.

will miss this: walking niki to daycare. 

These are such bittersweet times. Sweden in June is always hard to handle for many of us. The dark and cold last for so long, then suddenly (if you can call months of waiting suddenly) the world is embraced in a delicate green shroud, smelling of violets, roses, jasmine, lilies of the valley. The sky is every color, the sunsets blows your mind every night.

When I was little, my mom used to play Billie Holiday, Vivaldi and Buffy Saint Marie on the record player.  I loved them all but then she also played Eric Satie's Gymnopedies and I would tell her she had to shut it off. She would ask if I didn't like it and I had to tell her the truth: I thought it too beautiful, couldn't stand it. Sweden this time of year is the same.

Today I'm dropping my kid off at daycare for the LAST time. I've been dropping off and picking up kids at daycare since 2003. It's what I do. No more. They're all grown up. Last night was also the last night the kids sleep in our house for at least two years. Anders and I will stay for a few nights but the kids will sleep at my parents' while we finish packing up and cleaning.

I feel like I'm so so ready and then again not ready at all for this next step. I'll miss my family so much.
Dad turned 70 on Wednesday. My brother and I took mom and dad out for dinner - my first family. We never really see each other just the four of us any more. Do you? Do you hang out with just the people in the family you were born into? It's so special, if you're lucky a time warp of love.

Mom and dad 1971

Mom and dad 2013.

Yesterday cleared out my office, found this pic from when I was 16.  

I'm flexible. It's really not that useful though. Better to have a flexible mind. 

My kids, myself.

Found an old pic of me and Björn at grandma's.

First run, 7 weeks post foot surgery

BEFORE:

Here it is, the foot that was always hurting. 

AFTER:

Back from run, hanging out with one of my favorite people.

The run was not smooth, had lost so much stamina and speed.

Weirdly enough it still felt fantastic to be out running again. 

AFTER THE AFTER:

Put on make-up, silk clothing and put myself in a nicely lit place 

to create this idealized version of myself with the help of PhotoBooth.

Can live with them, can't live without them.

Next Christmas will look different

Looking through old pics

Kerber Love

looking for a pair of shorts that let you move freely while feeling like you're really dressed not just shortsing around?

look no further, kerber.se has two solutions for you.

solution 1 shown on model

solution 2 shown on model (and on me above)

Ladies, I have THIGHS and I like that I do. But it's often hard to find shorts that cooperate. That's why I'm happy enough about my new shorts to write a whole blog post about them. Now, time to sort laundry.

ps. you can buy kerber clothes straight from here.
ps 2. Yes top is from kerber too.

Working hard or hardly working?

In my profession or perhaps just for me, in my life, working hard doesn't really work.
Instead, best results are achieved dancing in my chair, attacking work with joy and a playful mode.

All my life, throughout various educational institutions, no one ever suggested this was the most advisable way to get stuff done. So I'm putting it out here. For some jobs, this is just as true as WORKING HARD.

Thank you, Pharrell!

You have NEVER been better, you have improved my quality of life with appx. 200% with your latest BODY OF WORK. KEEP IT COMING. Also, thanks for taking the time out of a busy schedule to read this.

Happy greetings
- the end consumer

GOOOOOOD MOOOORNING!

I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH.

thanks to Jenny Hammar for opening my ears to this very tune.

moving in two weeks

Do Americans still eat this?
Or is it that all Americans except for new yorkers do?
I'm letting the kids try tonight.

What language is this? Dutch? So awesome, I understand it all, feel like if I invented a language, it would sound and look exactly like this.

KOOK 6 KOPJES WATER, VOEG DE MACARONI TOE.
No problems, my loettle friendtje!

Also LOVE the Serving Suggestion which is basically: Use a fork.

Personally, I had a shot of veggies.

Best blog find in ages

MY TWO LOVES! IN ONE TUMBLR! BEYONCE + OLD ART!!!!

http://beyoncearthistory.tumblr.com

tack soraya!

Ett hår av hen – Metro

Ett hår av hen – Metro

det verkar gå hem mest när jag skriver känslosamt men den här gången behöver ni inte vara rädda för att grina.

Dad's party

WE LOVE THIS MAN

My brother and I paid tribute to our no.1 male role model in life.

Same people, different continents, different age

Dad

Here he is, playing hide and seek with the grandkids, for real thinking he BLENDS INTO THE LANDSCAPE with his jacket and pants. LOVE HIM TO PIECES.

Ändå skönt

Jag gillar när man snubblar över annonser som den här. Alltså sommarvackra tår vet jag inte om jag har  men nagelsvamp har jag i alla fall inte. Och inte heller är jag i närheten att tycka att meningen med livet är att ligga på en strand, så extatisk över min brist på nagelsvamp att jag känner ett okontrollerbart behov av att flärpa upp sand i ögonhöjd på folk en liten vindpust därifrån.

Tomorrow...

dad with me, a long time ago

is the day of my dad's 70th birthday party.
Such a great day. Can't wait to celebrate him.
Love him so much.

dad with Niki and my niece Rut 2 months ago

dad with Vanja, also 2 months ago

Such a sad obit.

The world can't afford to lose people like Mott Green. "He was electrocuted while working on solar-powered machinery for cooling chocolate during overseas transport".

We need so many more people like that. And skilled electricians.

My beer commercial

If I was in charge of making a beer commercial it would feature one tired female.

We hear her stomach growling. She sighs.  Her house is a mess, the kind of mess you have on a daily basis even if you're a tidy person because that's just life when you live with a family. We understand her whole family is sleeping.

She starts to tidy up. Picks up a magazine off the floor. Stomach growls again.

She walks to the fridge, gets a beer out. It's a Corona. Magazine and beer in hand she throws herself down on the couch.

Voice over (don't know if it's a man or woman's voice? Perhaps a plethora of voices?
No, just one voice. Likely a woman's.).

The voice says:

"We don't think it's a great idea to have a beer instead of a meal. But if you do, and we know you do, then at least treat yourself to a great one. Corona."

Ps.
Mom, if you're reading this, I will eat real food too. Just postponing making dinner for myself while thinking of beer and commercials.

Ps 2. Mom, I'm a grrrrrown woman. I can do whatever I like. Getting a second beer now. With some cheese. And saltines. And then some kind of chocolate for dessert.

My great great grandmother

Here's my great great grandmother Karin in a straw hat seated next to her sick sister Ruth back in 1905. Ruth had tuberculosis and was staying at a sanatorium. In the day, they moved the beds outdoors as I understand it. This picture is so sad and beautiful. Ruth died not too long afterwards.  Karin mourned her the rest of her life.

Click the image to see it up-close.

Today, 3 years ago

Married the wonderful Mr. Frostenson. I love him.

GROWN WOMAN

The love for this song is immense. Just one more week and then I can go running again after surgery.
CAN'T WAIT.

I love swim school

Daft Punk's effect on the workday

Relaxing after swim class.

Lidingo vs Brooklyn

Within a few weeks we'll be trading nature and basically no people for people and basically no nature. 

Skiers this way.

Beaver was here. 

Swan lake. 

Horses welcome.

That red house in the distance is a cafe.