Estelle turns one but the prince turns 11!

How cute is this little girl?  Happy belated birthday Princess Estelle!  More adorable pictures from the Swedish royal family's site here Estelle turns 1

She turned one on February 23rd but we were too busy celebrating our L's birthday (our little prince) to pay tribute.  He turned 11 on the 24th and we served him breakfast in bed with all his presents, which is the Swedish tradition.  We sang "Vi gratulerar!" (the Swedish birthday song) as well as "Happy Birthday" and enjoyed watching him rip open his many gifts. (His sister helped.)  We are so lucky to have this happy, funny, orange-loving little guy in our lives.  Vi älskar dig gubbe!

Dancing Queen

This not-just-in from Sweden via Redbook Magazine, August 2012: "In Sweden, workers of all stripes are abandoning their posts and heading out for 'Lunch Beat' parties: one hour of totally awesome - dancing with their fellow drones.... Stateside: Look for gatherings near you at lunchbeat.org".  Hey, I'm willing to start one in my kitchen tomorrow.  We'll just turn up Mix Megapol and get jiggy with it!  Musik

But I also have to tell hubby about the one starting up in Boston, MA on March 6th - check it out my man Dance!  (You would so love this if you got a real lunch break.)

Also, this just in (for reals) - the Abba Museum is opening on May 7th in Stockholm!  I so want to go, check it out http://www.abbasite.com/.  How can you not love their music (and their outfits). By the way, can you tell I love to dance? ;-)

Tangerine dreams

painting by me, kids in the pearly orange glow of Gotland 

Have you ever fallen in love with a color?  Well lately for me, it's been all about apricot.  My son, Master Luke, loves orange so I have been seeing it with new eyes.  The most recent project was a big orange and white fleece blanket for his bed - a bed creamsicle I like to call it.  Tomorrow he's going to get it and I can't wait!  My baby is turning 11 and it should be an tangerine dream!  As Frank Sinatra once said: 

"Orange is the happiest color." quote

This book is so "me" as my dear friend realized.  Even the shed on the cover is Swedish!

Kate and lagom - discuss

Coffee klatch - discuss amongst yourselves - lagom is it good or bad?  Like I said before lagom is the concept of "just rightness", a word that doesn't exist in the English language.  "Living la vida lagom" is the name of my blog because I'm trying to live a balanced life with a foreign flair.  Here's one person's take on lagom (see below).  We met Kate in Sweden and she blew me away with her enthusiasm, wit and work ethic. She, unlike many Americans living in Sweden actually learned Swedish (a big plus in my book) and taught it to my husband.  So ...

"Besides that, believe it or not, I miss LAGOM! I used to think that the idea of lagom was something I didn’t like in Sweden–that it represented a tendency to stay within safe, expected norms. Now I think I see it as a deep appreciation for balance, and balance is not something I would consider a strong point in mainstream America."

True dat!  See Kate's blog here for more musings on returning home to the States after living in Sweden (like me) and her adventures starting a new business, writing a blog and working at the Swedish embassy in Washington, D.C.  Color me impressed!
http://www.transatlanticsketches.com/

the beast

Uploaded from Picasa, a first for me, this is my pillow deluxe!  It was a very labor intensive project but one that I love because of the beautiful embroidery I purchased in Sweden.  I liked thinking of the Swedish woman (I think of her as old with a handkerchief on her head) laboring away on this embroidery in front of the fire, or "kakelugn".  I hope that you like it as much I do!  I made the pillowcase cover surround out of dark-blue cotton, and there's a closure in the back that allows you to hand wash the cover and stick the 14" x 28" pillow insert back in when you are done.  

A pale imitation

Last year Swedish Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest.  Oh the joy, our hearts swelled with pride! ;-)  This European music festival aired annually on TV is a festival of kitsch, a glorious mixture of singing Russian babushkas, skintight latex, and schmaltzy music. (Last year in Sweden we all voted on which country was worst, ate junk food and danced.  The kids got really into it.)  By the time the final rolls around you can sing along with your country's submission since it's been imprinted through many viewing and radio brainwashing.  Fun times.

Last year Loreen won.  Her submission "Euphoria" was a breath of fresh air, and her style reminded people that not everyone living in Sweden is blond and blue-eyed (Loreen is of Berber descent.)  The song was a clear winner, and obviously even a year later obviously made its mark.  This year Germany's entry "Glorious" is a pale imitation of "Euphoria" and it has created a stir for those involved.  They even had an academic compare the two songs, and it was found that "Glorious" had the same intro and similar beat, phrases and vocals! Read here: rip off?  Cascadas the band who performs "Glorious" of course shrugs off these allegations.  Check it out for yourself, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Y77A9-hQAp0.  

I think Natalie Horler, lead vocalist of Cascadas, clomping through this castle setting in clear Valkyrian style is a pale imitation of the beautiful and unique Loreen.  I guess we'll see what the voters decide at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest on May 18th in Malmö.  I for one can't wait!  

Euphoria here.

Happy Valentine's Day

on the island, 2.14.13

Fat Day?

Happy Fat Tuesday, called Fettisdagen in Sweden, the land of the skinny jeans.  We celebrate it with these beauties, called semlor or fastlagsbullar, and they are worth every calorie and subsequent leg lift at the gym.

Just a simple cardamon bun, with a daub of delicious almond paste, and filled with whipped cream.  It can be eaten as is (preferably with a good cup of coffee and friend) or settled in a bowl of warm milk.  My mouth is already watering.  I'm going to link to this gorgeous site to give you the recipe (semla recipe) and some atmospheric photos of Sweden. Enjoy the beautiful pictures, and hopefully a mouthful of this delicious treat sometime soon.  I'm making myself hungry just writing this ... to the kitchen, stat!  The gym can wait. 

So Cool

Hej, guess who's Too cool for school?  We are!  Nords are in.  :-)  I mean the Nordic people of course.  From Feb 19 until March 17th "Nordic Cool" will be at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  Wish I could go!  Let's just pull some copy verbatim because Alicia Adams, Festival Curator, really seems to get it:

Nordic Cool 2013 manifests the intersection of life and nature, art and culture. Appreciation of and respect for the natural environment are reflected throughout the Nordic countries-and they're deeply rooted in the arts there, too.

The impact of the region's long, dark, and cold winters (sometimes brightened by the amazing light of the aurora borealis). The sounds of the surrounding sea. The long horizon. The midnight sun in summer. All of these elements create a unique environment in northern Europe. The purity of the water and air. The lava rocks and evergreens. They all comprise a landscape and natural world that is truly breathtaking.

Along our journey to discover and ultimately create Nordic Cool 2013--and to answer, or at least attempt to answer, the question "What is Nordic?"--I experienced the art, culture, people, land, and values that are honored daily. Among them: nature, sustainability, innovation, design and technology, children's well-being and rights, gender equality, and diversity.

Right on! OK, so I'm not so cool but my Nordic peeps are.  Try to go if you can.  And speaking of cool, we were of course hit with blizzard Nemo and I was hit with the flu so I'm a little off my game.  Hope you don't mind my copying A. Adams sage words above but we're a little preoccupied with this cool stuff right now!

Laughing babies + learning new languages

Communicating isn't so hard.  Just check out this video!  Really though shouldn't we teach children foreign languages a lot earlier - maybe not as young as these babies - but then again, why not?  I started speaking Swedish to Master Luke when he was a baby, and used to sing Swedish lullabies to him endlessly.  Then English started to sink back into our daily lives more and more, especially after we moved to a new city and I wanted to meet new moms, as well have playmates for my son.  It's not until we moved to Sweden last year that L. and his sister K. learned the language, and now that we're back in the States it's still a daily struggle to speak Swedish, and have them speak to me.  I do think the earlier the better to learn a new language, I never understood why we wait until middle school when everything's soooo embarrassing to start!  Here's one place where you can get a earlier immersion in a new language for your child:

An international exchange at age 10? Yes! Your child age 9-17 can be matched with a French, Spanish, or German child their own age and spend 2-8 weeks in that family developing a wonderful international friendship and learning the local language and culture. Visit us to learn more. http://www.adolesco.org/

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Love Lego

Lego men taking a lunch

Charles C. Ebbet's photo from 1932 entitled "Lunch atop a Skyscraper" (1932)

Did you know many of the men in the classic photo above are reputed to be of Swedish descent?  They are dangling their feet 840 feet above the ground while building the RCA building at Rockefeller Center in NY.  I love the Lego take off in the photo above.  You may already know that Lego is based in Denmark so it seems especially fitting that they should  make their own version of the picture.  Now I am tempted to put L. to work!  With his two huge bucketfuls of Lego we should be able to do a pretty good reproduction ourselves. :-)

Oh, and I've learned that Mike Stimpson, a British photographer, is in the man behind the Lego reinactments.  Love it!
Lego Guy

Swedish Ice Hotel

http://www.travelandescape.ca/2013/01/a-visit-to-the-worlds-first-ice-hotel/

Visiting the original ice hotel in Jukkasjärv near Kiruna, Sweden, is of course on my bucket list, as is going to the Jokkmokk market in February to see the Sami arts and crafts. The Sami, formerly known as the Lapps, are the northernmost indigenous people and they have an amazing history and culture.  The Jokkmokk festival. yes in Jokkmokk, always starts the first Thursday in February.  Check it out:: http://www.swedishlapland.com/en/Destinations/Jokkmokk/Whats-on/Jokkmokk-Winter-Market---the-biggest-festival-of-northern-Europe/  Maybe next year I'll plan a trip to the Arctic Circle, see those Northern Lights, go to the festival and stay at the original ice hotel.  Who's with me?

Renrajden, photo by Petter Johansson