look ma, no petsmart!

some places we've visited so far

antalya, turkey
I miss hearing the call to prayer before sunrise every morning, the sunshine and the small winding roads in the old city. But I don't miss the olives for breakfast. See my blog entry
helsinki
The cruise from Stockholm was the highlight. Breathtaking, really. We found Helsinki to be down-to-earth, friendly and a just-right size. See my blog entry
london
Why on Earth did it take me so long to visit London?! Rivals Paris for best city in Europe. Avoid Oxford Street and Covent Garden, and head to Chelsea and Holborn. See my blog entry
paris
It was my third trip to Paris, but our first while living in Sweden. And, more significantly, our first with a baby in tow. Metro ≠ baby friendly. Centre Pompidou = 10x more fun with a little one. See my blog entry.
bergen and oslo, norway
Think Colorado. Flooded. Oslo is a refreshing little city and the fjords offered beautiful views in all directions. Not love, love. But definitely like, like. See my blog entry.
prague, czech republic
Yes, it has beautiful architecture. But no soul. Skip it and go to Budapest instead.
berlin, germany
We only spent a night here, but I could tell immediately that this was a city I could live in. Hope we can get back there sometime soon. Loved the new architecture, friendly people and the gigantic, wooded park.
tavira, portugal
A great place to relax, see endless fields of daisies, drink sangria and be surrounded by the smell of orange blossoms. See my blog entry.
amsterdam and delft
Amsterdam was one of our favorite European cities and Delft is a little gem you wish you could fit in your pocket and take home. Loved the individual style and easy-going nature of the people. See my blog entry.
budapest
Hurry, it's already been discovered. Wonderful cheap food and an outdoorsy mentality. See my blog entry.
dalarna, sweden
Reminds us of home. Really relaxing and laid back. See my blog entry.
hong kong and tai pei
Super friendly people and so romantic. See my blog entry.
nice
Loved Villefranche and the whole area east of Nice. See my blog entry.
barcelona
Loved the tapas and eating paella on the beach. See my blog entry.

October 28, 2007

Tilly is now sitting pretty, thanks to my new sewing machine. Yes, I am becoming domestic. It took 37 years, but I finally get why my mom used to pull out her sewing machine on an almost daily basis to make things for us.

It took moving to Sweden to inspire this newfound hobby. Tilly's dog bed has been developing a hole for weeks. And, well, there isn't exactly a PetsMart, Petco or Target within thousands of miles. IKEA sells a sewing machine for about $75, and I have been lusting after it since the summer. This week, one of our interior designers told me that he had just bought one himself and that he really liked it (even preferred it over his other more heavy-duty sewing machine).

So we picked up our little beauty on Friday night, and I made this new cover for Tilly's bed my first project. (Using IKEA fabric of course. This one's called Elisabet.) That was after Lewis had me practice on all his shirts with ripped seams that needed repair. Hemming his pants is next. I think he's already starting to add up all the ways we can make that 75 bucks back. :)

Seriously, though, I'm not sure I ever would have tried sewing if we didn't live here. Back in the States, my instinct would have been to order a new dog bed from L.L. Bean. Instead, we paid about $7 in fabric, and a few bucks for Velcro®. (I thought a zipper would be way beyond me.) The whole project took about 2 hours from start to finish.

So, yeah, I think I'm definitely becoming mom material... (just 11 weeks to go!)

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