Paris

I've been in Paris with Tim for the last few days, as this was one of my Christmas presents. Paris is a wonderful city, as you know I really like old things and new things and Paris is a perfect mix of both. It's a cozy city with fruit markets, Art Nouveau restaurants and modern buildings.

I especially like this picture of the Holy Family, I don't like these golden and very baroque images which you find in most churches, but this image is so beautiful because it's simple:

I also like these old shops which you can find everywhere in Paris:

And of course also modern architecture:

I really had a wonderful time there and I can truly recommend going to Paris, even during winter!

We just came home so I'll unpack my suitcase now.

Kram,

Isabell

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2013!

With this very old Christmas card I'm wishing you and your family a MERRY CHRISTMAS 2013!

Kram,

Isabell

Little Christmas Eve - Lilla julafton

Today on the 23rd of December is the day where everything needs to be prepared for Christmas. We've  decorated the Christmas tree, and in 30 Minutes I'll take the train to my parents to help them with the preparation of the food. I'm currently drinking coffee and eating some Lussekatter and enjoying my decorated apartment. Everything is ready for Christmas.

Do you remember my post about the ornament, which we got on our wedding for the Christmas tree? Tim and I have put them in the tree, our first Christmas as a married couple.

In Southern Sweden the 23rd is even called Lilla julafton ( Little Christmas Eve) because we decorate the tree and have a little celebration before Christmas and eat the crispy and warm Christmas Ham.

Have a nice 23rd december!

Isabell

Christmas Tree 2013

Sorry that I haven't blogged for a while but I really needed a few days off from everything as my old company really let me work until the very last minute and even longer. I was so tired the last days and I felt that I needed time for myself, just reading a book and even time for such a simple thing like cleaning the apartment for Christmas. Because we have chosen our Christmas tree for 2013! :) I don't know why but as soon as the tree arrives, Christmas arrives too, don't you also think so? Tim and I have chosen a quite big one this year and I just wanted to show you a quick picture which I took with my mobil to show you:

I've also put the golden snowflakes on the window:

And the special guest for every Christmas and Tim's favorite ( even though he's not a Christmas fan like I am), the little Tomte from 1912 from Sweden:

So I'm fully into decoration at the moment and I'll show you as soon as it is ready!

Kram,

Isabell

Flickorna Lundgren during winter

Today I went by the book shop and they had the book "the Children of Noisy Village are celebrating Christmas" in their shopwindow. I suddenly missed Sweden and the way everything is decorated in Sweden during Christmas time and the red wooden houses. Like my favourite coffee house in Sweden, Flickorna Lundgren which you see on this picture during winter:

Photo: listitsweden

If there was a way I would go there now and have one of their great cakes and cookies and coffee served in a copper coffeepot feeling like one of the 6 Children of Noisy Village! :)

Kram,

Isabell

Jul med Ernst 2013 - Christmas with Ernst Kirchsteiger

My favourite tv-series has started again: Jul med Ernst. It's only 3 episodes but it's one of the coziest tv series I know. Ernst Kirchsteiger is a very calm person and you can see that he's truly enjoying Christmas and the things he cooks, decorates or creates. In the first series of 2013 he has made a star out of white construction paper, which you can see in the pictures below:

Im going to watch the second episode now and you can watch it with me here. :)

Kram,

Isabell

Santa Lucia

Today people in Sweden celebrate Saint Lucia, Santa Lucia. Since I was a child I've always been Lucia in my family, dressed in a white long nightdress and a crown with lights on my head, singing the Lucia song. December is perfect for me not only because this is the best month of the year for me but also because I can celebrate all the Swedish and German traditions.

I've also attached a video where you can here the Lucia song and see how it's celebrated in Sweden:

Kram,

Lucia :)

Peaceful December

This year is is the first december since many years that I will really have a peaceful december. Today in one week is the last working day in my old company and then I'll have 2 weeks in which I can fully concentrate on Christmas and time for myself. Time to get up in the morning and turn on my Swedish lights, bake, decorate and just have time to read, to listen to e-books and stay at home in the warmth. It's been a long time since I was able to think about nothing and to just enjoy the day. I'll give all the responsibility for customers and projects to my colleagues and I haven't started the new responsibilities yet. How seldom is this in life? It feels so free and I can't stop counting the days...

Home Decoration Part 1

I've already promised you to show you my first home decorations so this is part 1 of it. As Christmas comes closer I will have to get my second box of Christmas decorations from the attic. :) This year it's the first year that I'm really going to have time to decorate, bake and prepare our apartment for Christmas as the 18th december is the last working day in my old company and I'm going to have 2 weeks off until my new work starts. I'm so much looking forward to it and to finally be able to blogg every day again!

Kram,

Isabell

Baking Lussebullar

I bake a lot of Christmas cookies and I like them a lot, but for me the best thing during Christmas is "Lussabullar" a Swedish Saffron bun. As soon as they are baked and have cooled down a little I put them in the freezer and every morning I heat 1 or 2 and eat them with salted butter. The recipe is from my family and I've already baked these with my grandma in Sweden early in the morning when it was still dark outside in order to wake up my parents with freshly baked Lussebullar.

Kram,

Isabell

Hej Tomtegubbar

Last year when I was in Sweden during Christmas, I found this saucepan with Swedish Christmas gnomes on it. It was in a little wooden house where they had fir branches at the entrance and sold Swedish antiques and linens but also cookware and of course I couldn't resist. Today in the evening I used it for a hot chocolate with cinnamon:

Heat some milk with cocoa and a cinnamon stick, it's delicious! 

Kram,

Isabell

Table Decoration

My Mum loves to decorate, I think that's something I've learned from her and she loves fly agarics for Christmas. This was her decoration for first Advent when I was at my parent's house on first sunday of Advent:

These small fly agarics are candle holders which she has bought in Sweden a couple of years ago on a flea market and she was so happy. I like the way she mixed it with the pine branch:

I'm looking forward to finally showing you parts of my decoration tomorrow!

Kram,

Isabell

Advent wrench 2013

This year Tim was on Fuerteventura to go surfing during the last week of November and first week of December and it's been the first Advent without him, so my sister was the one to light the first candle on the Advent wrench, which Tim normally does. Tim had asked me to come with him, but this is my special part of the year and I really need that part of the year. I like the cold, the snow and the shimmering lights and the Christmas markets, but also to come home, to turn on my Swedish Christmas lights and to watch every episode of the Swedish julkalender, which is actually a Tv series for children, a story divided into 24 pieces. But I'm still not feeling grown up, so that's fine for me :)

Kram, 

Isabell

Looking for moss

One of the traditions in my family is to go out together in the little forest close to my parents home and look for moss on first sunday of Advent. And why would anybody like to look for moss? Moss is a part of our advent candleholder and since my brother has been a child, my family has always gone to a forest close-by to look for moss together. Over the years we have been doing this during rain, snow and sunshine.

It's really a simple thing but we all look forward to be together on that day and to take the walk through the forest and have coffee and tea afterwards and of course some Christmas cookies while your cheeks are still red from the cold.

I think every family has there own tradition and it's important to have it and never to loose it. 

Kram,

Isabell

Christmas outside

I've spent the entire day with cleaning the entire apartment, so that I can start to decorate tomorrow morning. This is the weekend I've so much been looking forward to for many weeks now. And even the weather outside makes you feel like Christmas, just by looking outside the window and watching the snow:

And of corse even more when it's dark outside and they turn on the lights:

Looking forward to showing you my decoration tomorrow!

Have a lovely evening before first Advent!

Isabell

Advent calendar DIY

It's high time for the Advent calendar and I've found a very nice one on raumdinge blog, Valentina has really great ideas. The instructions are in German but the pictures and the printable santas will help you :)

Picture: raumdinge blog

Picture: raumdinge blog

Picture: raumdinge blog

Kram,


Isabell

Home sweet home

This weekend I've already started with some of the Advent preparations. My mother-in-law has sent me these very nice Christmas curtains last week, which she has sewn herself, and I finally managed to hang them. It's so strange that it feels like Christmas all of a sudden, just by dressing your window up with red and white curtains, but it is:

And the first Christmas cookies have been baked too:

Can't wait to start the rest of the decoration, I think I will do it bit by bit this year and show you :)

Have a nice sunday!

Kram

Isabell

Oh What a Happy Day!

Do you remember my new years resolution?

One of the sentences was "This is the point where I want to make a New Year's resolution to myself: In 2013 I'll do my outmost to find a new job and to have more time. Time for the ones I love and for myself." 

And I made it, I got a new job starting from 1 January 2014. I really can't believe it! After all the interviews and the preparations for these interviews for various companies I finally made it. (That's also the reason why I couldn't blogg as much as usually). They will send me the contract in a few days and I'm so much looking forward to cancel the other contract. In this company I really worked hard sometimes from 8 am to 11 pm while my boss called me from his golf class. Did you also have these situations in your life?

I'll just enjoy my evening and I'm going to enjoy Christmas this year even more!

Kram,

Isabell

 

Shyness Bed linen

Shyness is a Swedish brand and their bed linen "Duvet" and "Dawn" are my absolute favorites. The Christmas version is red, but you can also get the colors blue, sand and grey. It's a traditional pattern in a modern interpretation, so it's perfect for me :)

Picture: bycharlotte

On this picture you see the grey and the red version:

Picture: bycharlotte

And in a typical Swedish wooden house surrounding :

Picture: bycharlotte

Kram,

Isabell

Lights in Munich

I went to Munich city center today and I couldn't believe my eyes, they have already turned on the Christmas lights! Very early this year, was my first thought, but why not? It's already very dark outside early in the afternoon and it really helps to make the dark time better. And it's always sad that they put the lights down immediately after Christmas, like that we all can enjoy it a bit longer...

Kram, 

Isabell

Decoration with copper

Copper has a very long tradition and this year copper can be found in every furnishing shop and magazine. The shining red/orange color turns everything into a warm light and makes winter even cozier. I found this picture in a magazine and I like it a lot:

Picture: Sköna hem

 I would also like to have these glasses, they are simple and nice with the snowflake pattern. Maybe a good alternative to the traditional red, white and green for Christmas?

Kram,

Isabell

First hints for Christmas

Munich is preparing itself for the advent and Christmas season. Today when I went through the inner city I've already found some of the huts built up and waiting for Christmas to come. I like it so much, that's the first hint that Christmas is close. While it can be a very stressful part of the year for others (the newspapers are already having headlines like "how to enjoy a peaceful Christmas without stress") I simply enjoy this time of the year. I think most of the stress is because we all tend to wanting everything to be perfect: the Christmas tree, the decoration, the food, the gifts... instead of enjoying the time we have together with the ones we love.

For me it's all about enjoying the little things in life, like the anticipation for Christmas market

or passing by the display windows of some shops and restaurants with a cozy lightning and decoration.

That's part of Christmas for me too.

Kram,

isabell

Bees wax candles

One of the typical things you can find in Germany during winter and the advent season is bees wax candles. They really smell like honey and when I was a child one of my teachers in elementary school was a beekeeper. On the first of december she had arranged a fir branch, a straw star and a bees wax candle on each table for every child. I can still remember that moment when I entered the class room and as it was winter it was still quite dark outside and she had lit all the candles, transforming the entire class room in a sea of warm lights and the air had this special honey scent. This memory came to me today when I stood in the grocery shop looking for something completely different and I saw these candles after a very long time.

Picture: bienenschwarm

The result: I bought a package of bees wax tea candles, if you ever get a chance to buy these, try it, I'm sure you will like it as much as I do!

Kram,

Isabell

Waiting for Christmas - Nigella's Christmas

After my first ginger bread yesterday, I'm very much longing for Christmas to come. I can't wait to see all the small lights in the trees and houses, to stand at a Christmas market and have a "Glühwein"(a hot spiced wine) with friends and smell the scent of waffles and cinnamon while it's dark outside. To have these cozy sunday Advent afternoons with candles and Christmas cookies, while the snow is falling down and you can watch it. Last year I watched Nigella's Christmas on one of these sundays, I'll watch a few minutes now... a little anticipation :)

Kram,

Isabell

My first Lebkuchen (ginger bread) this year

The last years I've always tried not to eat Lebkuchen (ginger bread) before the first advent. But as I bake a lot of different cookies and there is Lucia and Saint Nikolaus, there is always plenty of sweets during december and the ginger bread doesn't get the attention it should have. That's one of the reasons why I had my first ginger bread this year today. The other reason is that they taste so delicious that you can't resist, let's be honest.

Picture: lambertz-shop

 Have a great evening!

Isabell

Lantliv Jul magazine Christmas 2013

As you know I like to listen to Swedish radio, watch Swedish TV Series and I also read Swedish magazines. It's important for me to keep the Swedish language up-to-date, as I speak German most of the time. I found a very nice app which is called Qiozk, where you can find many Swedish magazines and also one of the best when it comes to Christmas and Pre-Christmas Joy :) : It's "Lantliv" with their Christmas Special for 2013. No hesitation, not for a second, I had to buy that immediately and now I'm sitting here after work, with a cup of cinnamon-apple tea and I'm scrolling throw the wonderful Christmas decoration pages, here are some of the pictures :

Picture: Lantliv

Picture: Lantliv

Picture: Lantliv

Picture: Lantliv

Kram,

Isabell