A Fig in Sweden Portland

there's a season for everything

Snowsuit bought. Firewood search in progress. Sweet potato soup for dinner. Heaters on. Bulky sweaters unpacked. Fleece hanging on coat hooks. Rake in hand. Hej, fall.

the roaring 20s

Sophie started her 20s today. Months, that is. Which gives me a good excuse to post these very Oilily-esque photos of her. The mish-mash of colors and patterns seems to always work with little girls, doesn't it? We were on our way out to run errands this weekend when I dashed back in and grabbed the camera.

Besides having fun with fashion, here are the other highlights of life with an almost-2-year-old:

• Sophie mimicking our mannerisms. Like saying a long "ummmmmm" at the start of sentences in a conversation and crossing her arms when she has something really important to say.

• Finding her perched on some piece of furniture. She seems to get quite a feeling of satisfaction climbing up on things herself.

• "Playing" Go Fish with her deck of Hello Kitty cards.

• Lots of Sesame Street and Baby Einstein. Lewis and I now sing Bert and Ernie's "La, la, la" song for kicks. La la la ... linoleum!!!

• Lots of love. I don't mean to gloat, but I'm definitely on the receiving end of a lot of hugs and kisses lately. And, believe me, I am milking this mommy's girl time while it lasts.

duktig means clever, and here's the proof

We went to the antikloppis (antique flea market) in Moheda for the last time before it closes for the season. Unfortunately we came home with an empty car. We came close to buying a wooden cradle for Sophie's future brother or sister, especially after I peered in and saw this at the bottom.

But we did manage to add a few Swedish home furnishings to the place over the weekend... an ensemble of IKEA play furniture for the small play area at the end of the dining room. I have been eyeing the new DUKTIG kitchen ever since it came out. Some of you may remember that I had grand plans to make Sophie a play kitchen. Ha! Thanks, IKEA, for giving me a good reason to be a slacker.

15 days as a single mom

Tomorrow my two-week adventure into the world of single parenthood ends. Lewis will be back from the U.S., and I'm giddy just thinking about the moment he walks through the door.

It's been a great 2 weeks and a really hard 2 weeks. I felt overwhelmed the first few days figuring out how I was going to shower, get dressed, eat, feed her, get her dressed and drop her off at daycare on time. (I was never late, but my grab-whatever's-clean outfits were a little embarrassing.) Just as I got the hang of it, we both got sick. And then just as she was getting better, she got sick again. Middle-of-the-night fever spikes are no fun to manage on your own. Yet, I feel pretty proud of myself that I did.

More than anything, though, I loved being Mrs. Mom again.

this is the way the ladies ride

My grandmother used to sit me on her lap when I was little, bounce me up and down as if I was riding a horse and sing the following song:

This is the way the ladies ride
Tritty-tritt, tritty-tritt
This is the way the ladies ride
Tritty, tritty-tritt

And this is the way the gentlemen ride
Gallop-a-trot, gallop-a-trot
This is the way the gentlemen ride
Gallop-a, gallop-a-trot

But this is the way the farmer rides
Hobble-y ho, hobble-y ho
This is the way the farmer rides
Hobble-y, hobble-y ho

I remember asking her to do it over and over and over. Now I sing it to Sophie, and she can't get enough of it either.

But today she got her chance to feel the REAL kind of tritty-tritt – on her first pony ride! It was part of the annual festival in town, Älmhult Days. She screamed with excitement as we approached the pony but I'm not sure she was completely comfortable riding it. She had no concept of holding on, which is why I'm basically keeping her on. By the end of it, she was singing songs, though, so I took that as a good sign.

A big thank-you to my friend Anna for letting me tag along with them and for documenting the big event for us.

 

red is the (not so) new green

One of my new favorite retailers is a company called Howies – the Welsh version of Patagonia. Their autumn catalogue was shot in Sweden and includes some nice features on Swedish life, including one about the use of red paint on houses and how eco-friendly it is.

I'm not sure I've ever mentioned this before on the blog, but there are three main house colors in Sweden: red, yellow and white. And just to prove it, here's a picture from our ferry ride outside Stockholm.

 
It's part of the reason why we kept our house yellow (our combo looks a lot like the house that's furthest to the left and cut off). A Swedish friend told us that back in the day, red was the cheapest color to buy and that you had to pay more for yellow or white. People with yellow houses, in particular, were seen as wealthier. And now it turns out we're also not as friendly to the Earth. We suck.

and she don't wanna stop

If the video of Sophie dancing does not automatically appear, you can click here.