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