How To Do It All

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Do you ever have those periods of time, when you just don’t seem to have time for half the stuff you want to do, and you can’t really figure out why? And what totally boggles your mind is, you cannot for the life of you understand how you normally manage?

Well, I do! I’ve been a bit absent, I know that – but I have one of those periods at the moment. So the answer is: I don’t know. How to do it all, that is. The ability to juggle many balls at one time comes and goes – and lately, I have only seen the back of it…

Still, we haven’t been doing absolutely nothing, so I’m gonna share a bit.Knuthenborg Safaripark - mosaic

A few weekends ago, we went to a place called Knuthenborg Safaripark – the weather was wonderful, and we had such a fun day. The name says it all, but it’s a huge park, where you can drive around in your car and get close to wild animals from all over the world. In some parts of the park you have to stay in your car (especially in the fenced area where the tigers can be spotted), but mostly you are allowed to get out and take a closer look. Both girls enjoyed it, and Mads and I did as well! More pictures here.

The Aarø Ferry

Last weekend was spent in Jutland with my brothers, cousins, and their families. We rented all rooms and apartments in Skillerbjerg Bed & Breakfast (totally recommended by the way – already booked it for the same weekend next year) and delegated the different meals between us. The place was big enough for us to have lots of room; it had a wonderful kitchen diner, and a living room with a pool table, darts, and plenty of soft furniture. It even had a big terrace outside with tables and chairs, but we had quite a bit of rain, so we didn’t get to use it that much.

The Ferry Trip Group photo outside the B&B

The place is near a tiny harbour where you can take a small ferry on a 10-minute trip to an island called Årø. I went on the ferry-trip with the girls, along with my cousin Elsebeth and her family, but we didn’t stay long because Ronja wasn’t in the mood for long walks, but we did take a walk to the little light house, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the place – hopefully next year.

We had a perfect weekend, and having time enough to hang out with our family, talk to everyone, and have the children play was really nice.

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Now it’s weekend. It’s raining with thunder and lightning, and there’s a beautiful golden light in the living room because of the setting sun and the dark clouds. I’m putting Ronja to bed in a few moments, and we don’t have plans for this weekend, which is quite nice, actually. Maybe I’ll have time for some rainy days sewing?

A Lovely Package

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This arrived in the mail yesterday from Superbuzzy.

Lovely package

I just love it all! I have been cutting fabric for a summer top for myself – yes, that’s right – another garment for myself. I have decided to take part in Spring Top Week over at Made By Rae, so I’ve better make a few things to choose from… It’s a wonderful idea and a great initiative, by the way – you should really join in the fun. Click the button below to learn the details. (It’ll also give you an excuse to browse through some gorgeous photos from Italy…)

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Mads and the girls picked me up at the train station coming home from work today. We all went to Vallø Castle to take a walk in the park, and Mads had brought bread for the ducks there. It was a perfect afternoon. The weather has been beautiful today, warm and mild. Frida was chasing ducks, going “RAP, RAP” (Danish ducks say this instead of “quack”) with a huge smile on her face, Ronja was enthusiastically throwing bread crumbs, and we were all just lazily enjoying the fact that the weekend has started, and there’s definitely a change of season on its way. We ended our walk by going into the yard of the castle, to check whether the 12 Dancing Princesses by any chance would be dancing in there. They weren’t – and the girls rode on our shoulders back to the car.

In our garden, the leaves are coming out on Frida’s heart tree – it’s going to be a wonderful weekend. :)

Frida's tree

Impressions from a Saturday

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First, remember there’s still time for you to have your name in the draw for my Valentine’s Give-Away that ends Monday night – so go check it out and let others know as well!

Yesterday we went for a walk in the park by Vallø Castle, which is not far from here. The sun was shining and – well, look for yourself.

Valentine's card... 

My Valentine’s card from Mads

Ronja's snow angel 

Ronja made snow angels

Walking in the snow 

Frida was suspicisous of the snow

Trees 

And the park looked as pittoresque as ever.

What a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Nearness and sled rides

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The train ride to work this morning offered a view of the rising sun in a clear and frosty sky with beautiful blue, purple, and red tones. The sun set long ago now, but we have had a beautiful deep blue sky all day long, and it’s just such a moodlifter after the amount of greyness we have been having lately!

 Dad and the girls

We did go sled riding the other day (Frida’s first), and it was lots of fun, even though the girls were too tired to be at the toboggan run for very long. Afterwards we went home to have some hot chocolate – Frida hasn’t tasted this before, and while she was skeptical when first looking into the cup, the next two cups went down within minutes! It was sooo funny to watch her while devoting her entire attention to her new obsession!

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And now I want to thank Mette for giving me this award!

The award is all about nearness, and I really appreciate it. Mette herself has a wonderful blog (in Danish) about her life, crafts, and her three beautiful boys. I’m going to pass on this award to other blogs that to me are synonym with nearness.

So go check out the following:

Lille-Ursus – I have been following her blog for as long as I’ve been sewing, and her warm descriptions of family and friends, as well as her attention to detail and things that make her happy – these things make me want to give her this. Also, Ulla gives out a lot of herself to her blog friends, and I’m proud to be among them.

U-handblog – One thing is her amazing generosity when it comes to all of her awesome tutorials. But really, because this award is about nearness, I also chose her because of the way she writes her tutorials – not too formally, but rather like you’re with her in a room having a laugh about the challenges on the way. That’s quite a skill you’ve got there, girl, and it’s a pleasure to read your blog!

MADE - because when I read Dana’s blog, I feel like she’s talking to me. Her pictures add an atmosphere of intimacy, and last but not least – I love her creations.

Colorfool – they’re hit by life at the moment, so the blog doesn’t come 1st priority, but when she posts, there’s plenty of nearness.

That’s all for now – but hey, I made something for you guys! More about that tomorrow – and remember the coupon code for Fabric.com is still valid! :)

Out for a drive

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Yesterday, Mads and I went for a drive with the girls.

In a field 

We used to do that quite a bit 5 years ago, when we were looking to buy a house, trying to get a feel of the different areas around Copenhagen. And of course, each time we have been searching for inspiration for something to do on the house – like constructional techniques, colours, roofing solutions, windows, etc. This particular weekend, we would have preferred to go for a walk, but Frida has a terrible cold again, so we went for a drive instead – just to get “outside” for a bit.

Alley 

The landscape that surrounds our town is quite beautiful, especially if you go to the south. It had been snowing a little, and Ronja was going on all day about going out for a sled ride. I think she was a bit disappointed, that there wasn’t anywhere near enough snow for that. We haven’t had much snow this winter – way back in November, we had some, but I think that about sums it up…

Trees 

I have been working on Ronja’s angel costume this weekend, and I’m rather enthusiastic about the way it’s coming together. I haven’t finished, though – still need the last bit of the underdress, and some detail work. I’m using this Ottobre pattern, which is meant for a regular dress (a bit to the dressy side), but I think it’s perfect for this purpose. Once again I have been getting some fabulous advice from the Ottobre English Sewing Group, which I cannot commend highly enough. I’m learning so much from being part of the group – it’s just brilliant for receiving help and inspiration, if you’re sewing Ottobre.

And then I received something this weekend. Ronja was certain it was for her, because of the sweet stamps on the envelope – including Curious George (called Peter Pedal in Danish). And the truth is, it will be for her as well.

From a friend 

Guys, take a look at this beautiful dress! It’s so wonderful – the shape, the sleeves, and that fabric too… Well, Sarah mailed me the traced pattern for it – isn’t she great? Thank you SO much, Sarah – it looks like it’s just the right size for Ronja, and I’m going to be making it among my first projects to come right after the angel costume.

And for you guys – if you aren’t reading it already, you should go have a look at Sarah’s blog – she does some beautiful sewing!

Wrap up

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I’m in the train right now – on my way home from work. It’s getting dark – and by the time I reach our house the light will be all gone. I wanted to post about 2008 one last time – just a few pictures to show you what we were up to in December.

It was a busy month. With me starting my new job, and all of us taking turns in having sore throats and then some. And Christmas of course – I know I wrote a bit about that already, but our traditions in December are very important to me and my family, so even though they do add a bit to the general bustle, we’re just not letting go of those.

Like going to the Tivoli Christmas market – Mads and I have been going there every year since we met, and it’s become quite an important event.

Tivoli Christmas Market 2008 

Tivoli Christmas Market 2008 

A while ago, we had some snow, and Mads and Ronja went sledding. I wasn’t feeling good at the time, and Frida was having a cold, so we stayed behind. I do hope we get another snow fall during this winter – you never know.

 First sled ride this winter

On Boxing Day we went for the traditional Christmas lunch with my side of the family, which is always a cosy event. We don’t get together too often, so this annual event is much anticipated. After lunch Ronja and I went with a few others for a walk by the fjord. Ronja had a cold, so she and I didn’t go quite as far as the others, but then we had a quiet mom-and-daughter moment instead.

Reflective 

I’m not going to say more about 2008. Now it’s all about 2009, and 2 days ago I actually managed to do some sewing. Just a pair of pants for Frida, which were needed, but I do hope that I will have more time for my sewing now that we’ve entered the new year. I don’t have any new years resolutions this year in particular – just looking forward to the new year in general.

 Sunset

Friends from the internet

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I know I mentioned, that I love the internet – but I really do!

At the moment, Karen who has the wonderful blog My dharma…work in progress is visiting Denmark along with her husband and her beautiful daughter Ella. Karen and I got to know each other through the Ottobre English Sewing Group (which I described earlier here). Wednesday, we met up at Copenhagen ZOO to spend a rainy, chilly afternoon together. Once the girls were past their initial shyness, they seemed to enjoy each other’s company greatly - I love the way that language isn’t really a barrier to children, they chat away and apparently isn’t bothered much by the fact that they speak different languages. I translated a bit here and there, but actually they did pretty good without translation.

Looking at the lions 

When we got to the zoo, it was raining quite a bit, so we started out having lunch, snacks – and coffee for Karen and myself. Meeting someone that you have seen in pictures many times is so funny, and Karen and I had no problems finding something to talk about. After lunching we went to look at the animals, and from time to time, Ronja and Ella held hands, which was so sweet.

Holding hands 

Frida was awake during lunch, doing her best to charm Karen with a bunch of big smiles. Other than that she slept pretty much through the whole visit, only waking up when we were about to go home. Copenhagen ZOO is a big place, and we didn’t manage to see all that much of it, due to the weather and the children getting tired. However, we had a wonderful time, and I loved meeting Karen and Ella. It would have been great to have a fabric store or a sewing machine nearby, but that’ll be next time. :)  If you wish to read more, go here to read Karen’s blogpost about our day!

 Looking at the elephants

Karen and Ella brought two sweet little birds for Ronja and Frida, that Karen made them! The pink bird immediately turned into one of Ronja’s favourite things, and Frida enjoys walking around with her purple bird in the mouth – for some reason…

Birds

Lots of fresh air

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This past weekend was spent outside in the very changing weather. Saturday we had a very nice trip to the kite festival by the Eremitage Palace. Below you see a huge bear-kite that someone had in the air. It had a smaller bear behind it, which is seen here. Ronja thought they were funny, but in this picture she is enthusiastically holding one of our own kites.

Ronja below the big bear kite

It was raining on and off while we were there, but it was so fascinating to see hundreds of kites in the air on such a small area. Ronja’s beautiful new butterfly-kite proved to be a bit difficult to keep in the air – it kept moving in one direction and towards the ground, so perhaps some tweaking is needed. However, Frida’s lively miniature clown-kite was lots of fun. I do think even Frida enjoyed looking at all the kites, and the cheerful clown-kite really caught her attention because we were able to fly it quite low.

Frida's tiny clown kite

Many people brought handbuild kites, and it was really amazing to see how much energy and creativity the true enthusiasts that were present put into it. Mads has become so hooked, I believe he may have found himself a new hobby – and the rest of us don’t mind!

Autumn

Sunday Mads and I participated in a 7.5 km run called Gribskovløbet. The girls came along in the baby joggers, and even though the route through the forest on muddy trails with gnarled tree roots proved not to be all that suitable for the baby joggers, we had a very nice time. I know I mentioned this before, but running with a child in a baby jogger presents a whole new scenario, compared to running by yourself without anything (or anyone) else to worry about. I’m only slowly adjusting to that, and quite frankly, I think it’s hard. Mads is a lot better at it than I am, but I’m determined on improving my running - even with a baby jogger. We’ll see.