Frida finds it hard to move around with the amount of snow we have, her legs just aren’t long enough yet… We did have a lot of fun though, but it was freezing, so we eventually headed home to get warm, make tea, and sink our teeth into the yummy muffins we made before we left.

Earlier in the day, while Frida had her nap, I made dresses for the girls’ dolls, Lise and Laura. I don’t make many things without a pattern, but I didn’t have one for these – it’s actually fun to make such tiny garments.

The fabric is from Stof&Stil, and the buttons were given to me by my sister-in-law who lives in Amsterdam – aren’t they sweet? There’s velcro below the straps, so the buttons are just an embellishment. The dresses were a huge hit, so I’ll probably make more for the dolls sooner or later.

Yesterday, early in the morning we had another heavy snow fall. I had been looking forward to all 4 of us going for a walk, but as Frida had a terrible cold that came with a fever, and Ronja wanted to do something else, I decided to leave them all at home while Frida took a nap and just bring my camera.

I decided to head in the opposite direction of the toboggan run and the crowds, so my feet led me to the woods and the fields. Usually, there is a gravel road that leads to the woods, but at the moment everything is so covered with snow that you just can’t see where the trail is supposed to be. I took my guess and made it there anyway.

Making my way back, I thought I’d take a shortcut, but as I haven’t done that before, the “shortcut” ended up leading me to knee-high snow in the middle of a field. Lifting my boots high and sinking deep again with every step was exhausting, but now and again when I stopped to listen, everything around me was just really quiet and beautiful.

I was terribly tired yesterday – the impressions from spending an entire Saturday at a bloggers meet-up, in an atmosphere of inspiration, warmth, excitement and creativeness were still very fresh, and the lonely walk was a nice way to collect my thoughts.

I eventually found the path I was looking for to get me back home. Frida was feeling really bad yesterday evening, and her fever reached new heights, so today I’m taking care of her at home. She looks terrible and is a bit more whiny than usual, but other than that she demands entertainment – just as usual.

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.

My Valentine’s card from Mads

Ronja made snow angels

Frida was suspicisous of the snow

And the park looked as pittoresque as ever.

What a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

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!

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!

Ronja gave me this little bird feeder Christmas before last, and it has been hanging there in the Japanese Cherry Tree ever since. I love the colours on it, and when the rest of the world is white it really comes into its own! I think I’ll go put a new fat ball on there a bit later - now that there’s snow all over the place.

Ronja’s swing set has hibernated for the day.

And I wonder if this will ever start again?

Maybe we will have time for a sled ride with the girls this afternoon, when I’m off from work? Let’s see…

But hey – I was ready for spring! It’s almost light when I leave for work in the morning now, and it’s not yet dark when I come home. The birds have started singing several times a day, and I want to sew stuff for spring.

This picture was taken Sunday in the afternoon after Fastelavn. I should mention that we – almost literally – haven’t seen the sun for weeks. And the few times that we have, it has been a glimpse through the grey, grey clouds, and then gone again… However, Sunday the sun was shining from a blue sky most of the day, and it was wonderful and much needed. It just has that incredible effect on your state of mind. Ronja was playing with shadows, and I grabbed my camera to catch it. I love this picture.

Now we go back to looking forward to the next sunbeam. In the meantime, if the snow stays, I’m sure Ronja will be thrilled – and Frida just might as well!

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.

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…

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

So what am I doing back here? I’m sitting on the couch, covered with a warm duvet. Frida and I took over Mads’ flu that put him out of business for a few days, and now I just hope that she and I will be well for tomorrow when there’s a big Christmas party at Mads’ work.

Karen and her family were supposed to visit us today, but of course I had to cancel that as well. Bummer. However, 12 hours on a plane isn’t much fun if you’re coming down with the flu, so it’s a good thing they will be back sometime during the next year!

 I promised you guys a picture of Frida wearing the Dolly daisy dress, and this is it.

There was just no way to get her to stand and not chase the camera, so you will have to do with this sitting image of the dress. I can just see her wearing this dress along with the little red shoes from my own childhood – she’ll be adorable.

I have been receiving a few e-mails and comments about the Onion-patterns that I have used quite a bit. I think you will be interested to know, that coming up in my next post, I’ll be announcing a give-away. Maria from ShopOnion.com has been kind enough to donate some patterns for you guys – and no worries, the patterns come with an English translation. So check back soon!

No, you’re right – the picture is almost cheating. We’ve had one day like that this past Saturday, and I just had to post a real winter picture. The rest of January has been all about beating records on high temperatures and rain. Saturday we got out the sled, and Sunday the snow was gone, leaving the sled a sad sight, the way it stood there in the rainy yard, filled with water.

As opposed to December when we took a break from working on the 2nd floor, Mads has been making some great progress upstairs these past weeks, finishing the insulation and mounting the first layer of wallboards – the last part with much appreciated help from our friend Martin.

Mads and Martin at work

It now looks like a room, the insulation keeps the place fairly warm, even though it’s not heated yet – and it’s definitely getting easier to see the end of it. We have a long way to go before it’s finished, but it’s a great feeling to be this far ahead in the process. As always, pictures can be seen here.

Ronja is getting so big – you’ll find a video of her singing “Bro Bro Brille” here. Have patience – it takes a few minutes for it to load, and the quality is not that great – however, the important thing is what’s on it.