A Fig in Sweden Portland

hej, i've been missing this

Last week, working from home got a lot more exciting. And work-like. Because two colleagues flew over from Sweden to work on a big project with me.

It was so awesome to see my friend, Peter, walk up to my front door. Here in Portland! For three days, we worked long hours. Mathis hung out with us, and I kept on working while I nursed him. (I think one could only really do this with Scandinavian colleagues.) Swedish filled the house, and I understood much more than I thought I would. When it came to Swedish comprehension, it was like I never left. After the first day, Lewis commented about how comforting it was to hear Swedish again. Like it's a part of us. 

I think it's more a part of us than either of us realized. Because it felt like home to me, too.

Here's what working from home with a 4-month-old can look like. 

Oh, and the best part about all those long days? Finishing up at 8 p.m. meant I could put Mathis to bed and enjoy my first night out without him. (Cheers to my first true girly drink in over a year!)

And here's to having more Swedish colleagues and doughnut fikas in the house again soon.

my swedish modeling days

There is one job that I honestly thought I would never be able to add to my resume: Swedish model. But for about 30 minutes in September, I was precisely that! (Truth be told, I was playing a New Yorker.)

Despite the fact that I am still devastated that we left Sweden before Sophie was asked to be in the IKEA catalog, it was a fun way to end my 5 years of employment there. (And, yeah, a little awkward, too... particularly when my hand touched my coworker's bare chest!)

it's only temporary

As a contrast to my last post, I thought I would show you the less-glamorous side of our life in Portland: our apartment. Since we will only be living here for 6 months, we're keeping the walls boring and hole-free. And since we have a full house of furniture coming from Sweden, we didn't want to buy anything we already have.

So, instead of a dining table, we have a plastic folding banquet table ("We can always use that," says my frugal husband) and folding chairs from Target...

I'm using a coffee bean container to hold our utensils...

I'm making toys out of cereal boxes. (Thanks for the ideas and free templates, Joel.)

We're all sleeping on the floor...

And we're eating off of 4 melamine plates.

Now, we did buy a few nice things: a red IKEA EKTORP chaise lounge sofa and a dark brown IKEA HEMNES TV bench. We figured the TV bench could take on a new life as a shoe bench once we moved into a house. But I actually really like it for the TV, which is also new. And big. Oh, and we bought a Blu-ray player that connects to the Internet and plays YouTube videos (hello, free Charlie and Lola videos!) and streams Netflix.

Sometimes I wish we had one more pot, and a proper mixing bowl. Until that day comes, I will continue to live the high life vicariously through my Netflix-supplied Mad Men episodes.

people i love (things i'll miss #1)

I remember when I visited Älmhult on our look-and-see trip, a woman on the train asked us why we were going to Älmhult. I told her I had a job interview at IKEA Communications. Her face lit up. Her husband had worked there for many years, and so had she. "It's a very special place," she said, as she jumped off in Malmö and wished me luck.

I've been thinking about her words a lot these past few weeks.

It's not often – or ever – that you care so much about the people you work with that you could tell them you love them. But that's exactly how I feel, and that's exactly what I said to them (and they to me).

This week has been one of fun, memorable, heartwrenching goodbyes. First a dinner Monday night, then lunch on Tuesday, then dinner again on Tuesday night, then lunch on Thursday, and then fika today. It has been so emotionally overwhelming that I just didn't think I could take it anymore.

Who gets this sad to leave a job?

I sit here managing a dichotomy of emotions... because when I am able to shake this feeling of deep sadness, I feel like my whole inside is smiling. Just to feel all this love this week, and to feel so lucky to have had this experience. It is incredible.

A special place? Damn right. But if I ever run into a nervous and enthusiastic IKEA applicant on a train, I'll be even more specific... it's the special people.

Next chapter in life, you have some very big shoes to fill.

the stuff that matters

There are a lot of things I've been looking forward to doing with Sophie since the moment she was born. Making stuff is very high on that list. Cookies, cakes, paintings, mouse houses, anything. Of course, some things are best left up to her to make on her own (mouse shoebox houses were a personal favorite when I was little.)

For the past few weeks, we've been coloring with crayons. And then on Sunday, as I started to make lingonberry scones, I whipped out the BEKVÄM stool so she could help. Help is a loose term. Her contribution was moving flour from one bowl to the other. She thought it was the greatest thing on Earth. And while flour was being sprayed every which way in the kitchen, I felt the exact same way.

I'm looking forward to many, many more messy hand moments of me and my girl making stuff.

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.

dual income for the first time in 3 years

That's right! My handsome husband was a model for IKEA today. Sophie and I stopped by the set to see him working it in a pair of PJs.

diy for miss sophie g

Chalk it up to having Swedish winter cabin fever, but I needed to do something about our dining room. I hate the fact that we have this room set aside for once-a-year events. I'd love to turn the whole thing into a play room for Sophie. But then where would we store the huge table (we want to take it back to Denver)?

So I made it my mission yesterday to rearrange some stuff to make space for a little play area. There's this dead area that's about 1 meter by 3 meters. We went to IKEA yesterday and today and bought a play rug and a RAST bedside table that I'm going to turn into a play kitchen. We're also going to hang some curtains across the room, so we can close off the play area when we want the room to look "adult."

Lewis is usually resistant to my crazy interior design ideas, but somehow I sold him on this one. This should keep me busy until the weather warms up...

I hope my play kitchen looks something like these from www.ohdeedoh.com:

or

us in 1958

Figures our first-ever family portrait would be taken in an IKEA store!

The stylie furniture is from 1958 – a mock-up living room to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the very first IKEA store in the world, which is here in Älmhult. I found out they were doing these free portraits when I ran over to the store yesterday morning to pick up a baking dish. A photographer I work with was taking the photos and suggested I bring Lewis and Sophie over later that day for a family pic. We were crazy busy getting ready for the 10-person dinner party we were hosting. But I thought it would be such a cool thing to do for Sophie's photo album. So we made a quick dash over there in between the lasagna and veggie tray.

Speaking of IKEA, I just finished my first week back at work. I'm working two days a week for a total of 12 hours (running home at 12 and 3 for Sophie's feedings). Most people probably think I'm crazy to cut my 1-year maternity leave a little short. But I actually love what I do and love the people I work with. And I still get to spend lots of mommy time with my girl.

Lewis is enjoying his time as Mr. Mom, as well. When I got home on Monday, he told me if I wanted to work more days that he was all for it.

what would Ingvar Kamprad do?

The new 2009 IKEA catalog is out (yippee!). In case you don't get one delivered to your mailbox, catalogs are going to the highest bidders on ebay.

I left on maternity leave before any of the pictures had been taken, so it's the first time I've seen everything. Looks great, I think. But I'm biased. :) 

table for 3

Lewis and I have been together for 13 years, and we just bought our first kitchen table. Or as the Swedes say... a matplats. Growing up I always had one. It's where we had our everyday meals. The dining room was for special occasions.

For 13 years we've eaten dinner in front of the TV. Breakfast and lunch have usually been eaten on stools at the kitchen counter. But now we'll be eating our meals with Sophie at the table. We've been trying this solid food thing for a month now and had a big breakthrough last week. It was Sophie's first time sitting in her highchair at the table, and she actually opened her mouth and leaned into the spoon. Lewis and I were jumping up and down, and ran for the camera. It's hysterical that such a small thing makes major news around here.

(The table we got is the IKEA NORDEN table in beech. The chairs are SNILLE office chairs – super comfy and a great deal at $19.99 a pop.)

mom gets a night out

For the first time since the last IKEA party – way back in December – I put on a pretty little dress and went out on the town. Errr... in this case forest. The ICOM summer party was Thursday night out in the woods about 20 minutes from here.

I fed Sophie and put her to bed, and then my job as mom ended for the night. It felt very strange. But it was great to get away for a bit and hang out with my friends from work. The party was quintessentially Swedish, everyone said. It started with a midsummer feast under tents with lots of singing and drinking snaps (not me... I was driving). Then the dancing started on the other side of a little bridge. There was this random open-air dance hall out in the middle of nowhere. They had a band playing music like "La Bamba" and the music from Happy Days. Oh and there was a horse in the middle of the dance floor. Too bad my camera phone didn't get some better shots.

As I was driving home at the early hour of 11 p.m., I was thinking how lucky I am to be out here experiencing this... even after almost 3 years living here.

sand and surf

Yup, I bought that tent-doohicky from IKEA, and Sophie and I hit the coast yesterday for some r&r. I was in heaven, and Sophie seemed to really like it too. She was mesmerized by the ocean and never fussed the whole time we were there. The tent thing worked out well. She was shaded, and it gave me some privacy when I had to feed her. Not that I really needed it. Here's the view to our right and our left.

And my favorite view of all...

beach daze

The thermometer has been cracking the 10-degree-celsius mark lately and I'm already dreaming of the days I can take Sophie to the beach. Our IKEA News brochure arrived this morning with a cool beach umbrella-type contraption that will be perfect at keeping the sun (and wind) away from the girl. I think we just might have to do a little shopping today. :)

goodbye 9 to 5

And hello 4 a.m. to midnight...

Yesterday was my last day of work, and today starts my 1-year maternity leave. A few people said they were really jealous that I won't have to work for a year. Though I expect the work I'll be doing is actually quite a bit harder than the work I've been doing. Of course, the reward will be huge.

I thought that I would be more sad to leave the office yesterday. But I think I am so excited about the things that are about to happen that I am completely distracted.

The only thing that bums me out about leaving work is not being able to see my friends every day. I work with an amazing group of people, and they are a big reason why I love my job so much. After 2+ years of working there, I feel like I really belong. And that's hard to give up. Even if it's only temporary. The good thing is that I live right across from the office, so I know that I will see everyone really often once the baby and I are able to get out of the house. I'm looking forward to making trips over to the studio to see the kitchens and dining rooms I worked on get built.

It isn't common in Sweden to have a baby shower. I think they see it as bad luck and prefer to give gifts after the baby is born. Which sort of defeats the purpose of the shower in my opinion, because once the baby is born you usually have everything you need. A very unpractical choice for such practical people.

Anyway, my American copywriter friends gave me a really sweet send-off. A fika baby shower. Complete with a really yummy chocolate cake and ice cream. (I am totally getting in all the chocolate I can now before the baby comes because chocolate causes colic in babies when breastfeeding. The sacrifices we moms make!) They also gave me an adorable Danish-designed onesie from Småfolk, and a relaxation candle made of figs!

My sister and mom also threw me an across-the-pond shower. So I have been completely overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Because of all the gifts we've received, we've been able to get everything we need for the baby's arrival. All the cloth diapering stuff... clothes... bouncy seat... car seat... health items... sling... and completely furnish the baby's room (see it all in an upcoming post). At this point all we need is the baby.

10 days to go, but I hope he or she makes an early escape!

a princess at Christmas

I don't think I have ever written about the princess cake. It's a Swedish specialty and is known for its green marzipan exterior. Inside is a sponge cake with whipped cream layers. It's common to serve for birthdays and other special occasions.

This week I've been all about the princess cake. I feasted on one Wednesday afternoon at a holiday copywriter meeting. And then I had another when my team wished a coworker a happy 40th birthday. I saw another being served today and steered clear.

But there were more goodies to be had this afternoon at our annual Christmas gathering with IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad. All employees flocked to the distribution center -- a gigantic warehouse -- where we listened to Christmas carols, ate pepparkakor (gingerbread), julgröt (christmas porridge) and glögg (mulled wine), and heard IKEA's leaders speak about the business. The highlight of the event was collecting our Christmas gift and then shaking Ingvar's hand. I thought I would work up the nerve this year to say something more than merry christmas. But I froze up. I couldn't even get a decent picture of him (it's the blurry pic at the bottom).

IKEA really is a special company. I can't think of any other that would have an event like this. Where the founder of the company personally thanks each and every person. It's so uncorporate. It has the intimacy of a really small family business yet it's one of the biggest companies in the world.

Then my coworkers and I hugged each other before heading home, where I passed out cold on the couch for a few hours. Like any exhausted 8-month-pregnant princess would.

my domestic diva-ness

It's official! I finished my first quilt. All with IKEA fabrics. It's a bit poofy because I used a summer-weight IKEA synthetic quilt as the "batting." This presented quite a problem this morning when I went to quilt the three layers together. I did one row and it looked terrible. I spent like 30 minutes ripping out the seam.

That meant I needed to initiate plan B... tying knots of yarn at the intersections to hold the layers in place. This required working up the courage to step inside the little sewing shop in Älmhult. The shop looks like it's designed for die-hard sewers, so a beginner like me was a bit intimidated. Especially with the language barrier.

I brought my canvas shopping bag thinking I was only buying yarn and some polyfill for a nursing pillow I'm making. HA! I walked home with the yarn and polyfill PLUS 4 different jersey cotton fabrics to make swaddling blankets and little hats PLUS some real quilt batting for quilt #2.

The woman in the store spoke perfect English, and I even chatted with another woman who was planning to make baby blankets to get some ideas. (Mom, we are totally hitting this store when you come visit!!!)

I feel like such a geek, but I am just totally giddy about this new-found craftyness.

(Update Sunday night: So much for being a diva! I just noticed I messed up one of the squares. Oh well. Even divas started somewhere...)

look ma, no petsmart!

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!)

peter the pachyderm

If this doesn't say "proud pappa to be" I don't know what does...

(You can get your own huge, super-soft elephant at my favorite swedish store near you.)

baby room by IKEA

I think this is a record. Three posts in one week. Actually, my real M.O. is to try and bury that belly picture I posted. What was I thinking?! Must have been the hormones.

While I anxiously wait for my belly to get with the pregnancy program, I've started planning out the baby's room. And, of course, it's going to look like it came straight out of the IKEA catalog. We already bought the crib and changing table (for a grand total of like $80), and now I'm trying to figure out how to decorate the room. I've never been a huge fan of overly cutesy baby rooms. But I want it to be colorful and happy. These new IKEA BARNSLIG baby textiles seem like the perfect way to inject some fun energy into the room.

I'm going to use at least two of them in a baby quilt I'm attempting to make by hand. And then maybe the red hippo one as a window covering. I'm also going to use the animal print one as inspiration for my own paintings for the room. Poor kid... his or her first view of art is going to be pretty disappointing. But, hey, I had to save a few bucks for that stylie pram (which Lewis bought me for my birthday last week! It's the red set at the bottom.)