Photos from this week

I haven't blogged in ages, since a uncooperative computer stopped most of my internet access. Now it is working well again. I also have been getting used to the idea of being pregnant again, now in my 17th week, and struggling with debilitating morning sickness which is starting to pass now. Now that I am doing fairly well, I don't have an excuse not to post. So here are some photos from the past week.

Last weekend, we had Isabelle over for a sleepover. The girls did a lot of arguing, not helped by being stuck inside due to torrential rains, so finally we had to just put them in their rain clothes and send them outside. They didn't mind, and jumped in all the puddles. Then they were climbing and sliding down the big piles of crushed limestone and dirt we have lying around for landscaping. They were completely covered in gray limestone, so Stefan had to go out and hose them off before they could come in.

We have had at least 2 little foxes hanging around the house, coming several times a day. They have been pooping everywhere too. Stefan and Haylie are still on vacation, and are home during the days. This little fox snuck up on Stefan while he was working on the landscaping, and was right behind him before he noticed. It came back when they were sitting on the step, totally unafraid. This picture is taken without zoom, just a few feet away from them. Stefan finally had to throw a stick at it to scare it off. We are going to end up with one in the house one of these days if this keeps up.

Here is what Stefan has been working on, at the front of the house. Haylie is in the background on the big dirt pile. I have moved some of my perennials that we brought from the apartment there, and in the middle is the fountain I got for my 30th birthday. Now we just need stones to cover the green mesh; we will collect some from the shore next time we are at a rocky beach.

We are making a little patio, which together with the front step will be covered in Hoburgs limestone, like we have in the entry but not polished and cut. They will be irregularly shaped pieces which Stefan will have to put together like a jigsaw puzzle. You can see a few of the pieces we brought home last week next to the step. Now we just need more and we can make the patio. The front was a nice place to sit in the sun in the early mornings, and in the shade during the heat of the day in the summer. Stefan has wired the fountain and the spotlights on it to switches in the house. It will be nice when this gets done, so something feels "done" on the outside.

Haylie was having fun on the big dirt pile, digging and burying her feet, including her shoes. The feet came up without the shoes, and she had to dig them out.

The dirty feet, standing on the Hoburgs limestone.

Rock 'n' Roll Hello Kitty

This weekend, Haylie had 2 birthday parties to go to. Here she is dressed up and feeling rock 'n' roll before going to her friend Hilda's party.

This week we got our closets put together and everything in place in them. Now our room feels organized. We even put up the first picture frames since we moved. Busy organizing the storage room and the guest room today. I mostly feel like I am moving crap around more than anything else. I did get 3 boxes of old clothes sorted for goodwill, but now it is a matter of getting them out of the house as well. I went for a walk in the woods and other than a bit of a breeze, it is a nice day. We are having the first of several housewarming parties next Saturday, this one for the family. So the rest of the week we will be working on cleaning and getting ready for that.

This was March 25th. As the snow started melting away, the stuff left from building the house under it became visible. We have spent the past few weekends burning and driving stuff to the recycling center. Now the snow and the trash are gone, just leaving mud, wildly growing thorny shrubbery, and piles of rocks behind. But that is natural at least. Last weekend we got Haylie's trampoline put up for the spring, and she got out her bike and has been riding a little on our street. She has been collecting Ladybugs and worms as we do yardwork and letting them jump on the trampoline with her or having them swing on her tree swing.

On Easter Sunday, we were at Stefan's mom's for dinner. Haylie and her cousins painted Easter eggs.

We got our bathroom light fixture and Stefan put that and the mirror up on Thursday night.

It is called Curling Classo from Belid.

Stefan has been working on all sorts of projects today, the biggest one being putting up the sliding closet doors from Mirro, which he picked up this morning. He is working on the one in Haylie's room as I write this.

The one in the hall is the same as in Haylie's room. It made the hall seem so much less cluttered as soon as the coats were behind doors.

He even put up some hooks at Haylie height.

I put away the Easter stuff today and put this on the table instead. The bowl reminds me of Grandpa Lloyd. It used to sit next to his chair where he would sit and take turns between sleeping and muttering to himself, so it reminds me of him. The Hardanger beneath is one my Grandma Delores made.

The birds! They mark the spot!

Haylie was getting antsy this afternoon, so she and I drove to the library in Visby and checked out some books, and then to the park across the street. She played a little on the playground and we fed the waterfowl some bread. The swarming seagulls were exciting in a slightly scary way.

Almedalen in winter. It was slightly above freezing again today, so the snow is more slowly evaporating than melting.

We walked briefly over to the shore to look at the waves. The boat from Nynäshamn was coming in, and Haylie thought it was exciting how all the sea birds and ducks were bobbing on the waves. She had a close call slipping on the ice and almost ending up in the water, and learned (temporarily) why you should listen to your mother once in a while.

Happy 94th Birthday

Stefan's Grandma Kally turned 94 today. We were at her house for lunch and coffee on Sunday. Here she is seen being forced to pose for pictures whether she wanted to or not.

Kally and Stefan

Haylie is outside right now. It is a nice sunny day. We went shopping today and bought her some new clothes which she will probably refuse to wear. One dress is already in the return pile because it didn't feel right. She also refuses to wear short sleeves - only long sleeved t-shirts. And she had a spaz because her new tights that she picked out didn't feel right. She pretty much will only wear lycra blend products that fit like a glove. Nothing baggy, nothing tight. And god forbid anything should be wrinkled. Now she just came in and is having all tags cut off of her underwear because they are bothering her.

She is out slopping around with water and snow. She manages to go through all her mittens and gloves within the time she is outside by getting them wet. When all the gloves are wet, it is time to come in.

We put up window film for privacy in the bathrooms. This is out our main bathroom window.

I was home from work with some stomach flu of the vomiting variety two days this week, so she was home with me. Here she is seen dancing ballet after watching "Barbie and the 12 dancing princesses" for the fifth time.

Tonight we are going to Henrik's birthday party and tomorrow, Great-Grandma Kally's.

Our kitchen table and chairs have arrived

Our kitchen table and chairs were delivered yesterday. We ordered them from Tofta Möbel AB, since they always have the best service. They are from BITC. Strange taste that we have (as many less creative minds have pointed out through the course of the past year), we have combined materials here too. The table is Walnut veneer. We still have to oil it before we start using it, and 2-3 times a year.

We aren't 100% about which way to have it yet. I like it this way, but Stefan is convinced it would be better perpendicular to the window. We are going to have to get a feeling for it for a while and switch it around before committing to anything and buying a light fixture for above it.

By popular demand

See, it really is big. Or high, at least.

This weekend

Haylie bought colored pencils on Friday night when we went to Ica Maxi to go pick up a package from Grandma and Grandpa. She spend a large part of the weekend nicely coloring My Little Pony pictures. I guess colored pencils were the secret to getting her to color. She is a perfectionist, so it is easier for her to stay in the lines with a smaller utensil.

We got some more done in the house this week. The plumbers installed the bathroom sink in our bathroom, and Rikard was here again and put up the shower wall and door.

The cabinets/sink are from Aspen. Unfortunately the hardware to hang up the cabinet on the right didn't come with it, so we have to wait until that arrives. Then it will also be off the floor like the sink is. They are both in walnut. We haven't picked out a light fixture for above the mirror yet.

Our shower is done except for a couple glass shelves on the inside of the pillar and the magnetic closing for the shower door. But it is usable.

The floor

The builders put up the cabinet on the right of the fan, and installed the drawer pulls for the kitchen and laundry room.

Lots of snow still. It just keeps snowing more without melting at all. That is uncommon for a winter on Gotland.

Stefan bought a bonsai tree. He is just the kind of person to have a detailed long-term project like that. Now he is reading up on bonsai trees on the net.

At the plant store, I bought bulbs and materials to make two plantings of spring bulbs, one for myself and one for our friend Eva for her birthday. This was Saturday afternoon.

This was Sunday morning. Now, Sunday evening, there are 6 mini daffodils that have bloomed, and 4 purple crocuses (croci?). I planted them in shallow zinc tubs and covered the dirt with pebbles. The pearl hyacinths have a way to go before they bloom, so hopefully they aren't all done at once.

Haylie picked out a butterfly for ours.

Stefan had an I told you so moment today. About 7 years ago, he got this copper basin or whatever it is from his mom. I then asked him, "What are you going to do with that?", as we put it up in our attic for what seemed like all time.

Well, he now found a use for it. Firewood. It looked very nice too. He was smug.

Here is our one and only hallway. I ordered the lighting seen above from the electrician, who put in these nice lights from Hide-a-lite. They aren't all that common in Sweden. They add a really nice touch, and we don't even have to turn on the lights in the ceiling. We just use these in the evenings.

Now they installed the outer part of our furnace, which meant that we had plenty of hot water when Stefan showered tonight, which we haven't had up until now.

Here is my bathtub

The plumbers installed the bathtub today. It is from Gustavsberg and is enormous. I wasn't quite expecting it to be that big. I think we will need a step ladder to get into it.

Queen of the (sledding) hill

I took a walk around the neighborhood (which isn't that big) with Haylie behind me on her "snow racer". A snow racer is a Swedish sled on runners with a steering wheel and brakes. Walking down the plowed road was no problem, but trying to cross our backyard to our little sledding hills (rubble from when they excavated for the house and garage) was not easy. We have the most snow there has been for 20 years (so I have heard), and our whole backyard is over knee deep. I can't find my nylon pants either, so I had to wade through in my rubber boots, with them rapidly being filled by snow. It made me want snowshoes. I rather like snowshoeing, much more than cross-country skiing. It might be worth getting a pair if we have more winters like this, for taking walks in the woods behind us.

There were lots of hare tracks in the neighborhood, as we walked. Haylie and I have seen a few on the road during all the move-related driving. Yesterday at 6 PM we saw 3 deer as we drove through Sanda. There is one field where they are every night at that time.

I digress. I finally got to the sledding hill, which we both had to climb up. After that one time I was exhausted, so I dragged her to the front door. After that Stefan and his dad went out. They are making a sledding hill by shoveling and packing snow. Those are two determined guys when it comes to stuff like that. You would think they were planning on sledding.

Caught unawares through the window.

She was doing snow angels while leaving the grunt work to her dad and grandpa. That's my girl.