Lingonberries, big and small!

I cannot believe how long it has been and how much has changed since I last wrote!  There is just too much to catch up on, but I'll give some highlights.

The home inspection went very well.  This seems almost silly to say since I am now sitting on the couch in our living room (and we have lived here since September).  I didn't know how it would be to live alone (no neighborly noise to help me feel safe when I'm home alone, no Super to step in when the toilet breaks, no grounds team making sure the yard is mowed and the snow is plowed...), but I feel like Hubby and I are living a dream come true. We will make some changes to our home as time goes on to make it a little more unique to us, but right now, we are feeling very much at home.

Here are some pictures of that wonderful first weekend, when friends and family came to help us move in!

Hubby's parents brought us the most delicious cake to celebrate!

In October, we took a fabulous trip to Denmark and London with my sister, mom, and dad, to attend a wedding and see some wonderful friends and family.  It made the entire fall a complete whirlwind, because we left about 4 weeks after moving in to the house.  However, we are so happy that we went!  My cousin and her fiance live in downtown London and we loved seeing their adorable flat near their university!  Our Danish friends (who feel more like family) celebrated a beautiful wedding that lasted all night long!  We Americans didn't do too much to embarrass ourselves, even though their traditions were so different from ours.  Truly, their wedding was so magical (a highlight being when hubby asked me to dance with him... something that didn't even happen on our wedding day!)

Here are Hubby and I on a chilly night in front of Parliament:

Also around October, I started to feel as though something was lacking from our very full life and I became eager to hear the pitter patter of little... paws.  We had always said that we would not get a dog until we had a back yard for said dog, and so, with a house and backyard all our own, I started to go a little puppy-nuts.  Hubby?  He took a little convincing, but then he always does.  I have always been the impulsivity to his rationale.

In early December, after begging for a solid month and a half and dragging him to the SPCA three times, we met and fell in love with a sweet little pup who they had named Candy Cane (stupid name).  We promptly renamed her Kaylee (Firefly fans...  yes she's named after that Kaylee) and she has become an adorable little addition to our family.

This is one of my favorite pictures of her.  She's a blur in real life, too.

We love her expressive little ears.

Kaylee cuddling up in front of our fake fire.

We spent a fabulous Christmas in our new home with our family (minus my sister and brother-in-law, who went to NEW ZEALAND!).  

I will write an update of all the little projects I have been working on soon.  

Until then, I am sitting on my couch feeling very blessed.

Life is good.  God is good.  Little lingonberries are everywhere.

A Little Update...

This week, I have been:

Reading this book.  It's silly.

Chatting with some girlfriends at a jewelry party for this amazingly adorable company.

Enjoying this show... I'm so psyched that its back!

Having a cold... so watching a lot of this.

Finding a lot of junk in our house, as we continue to pack up our lives to move.  One of my favorite packed-up things? This big guy, who has lived in our common room for a year now!

Using up as much stuff as possible at work so that I don't have to move much to my new room.  Among the things that I'm not moving, this fun little project that my kids adored.

Going out for some ice cream at this little local spot... So sad that we're leaving it behind in the move!

Thinking about how great Moose Room is going to be this year at the Center!  I cannot wait to work with my kiddos again... and meeting some new little ones, too! (Sorry, no link here, just excitement!)

Finishing up lots of things... like the end of a terrific year in Reindeer Room at work (and saying good bye to some of my favorite kiddos... good luck in Kindergarten!), a beach quilt that I started and finished for myself (I'll post pics soon!), and some major packing hurtles (the dreaded dining room closet!).

Planning for the big move to our new home!  I cannot believe I will be sleeping there in two weeks!

Just a little update to remind myself that God is good, life is good, and little lingonberries are everywhere.

House Hunted

It's been a while since I have been on, and to be perfectly honest, its because a lot has been going on in my life and I have been pretty overwhelmed by it all.  I promised myself I would not use this blog to be angst-y, so I think I will just say that for a while, I was seriously wondering how much more I could handle before I just broke down.

But God works in mysterious ways, and I have seen even when I doubt He is near, He is carrying me through.  (It sounds sappy, but that is genuinely how I feel.)

It all started last week when we went house hunting with our realtor on Monday.  We have been looking for about 3 months and have only found really, really, super gross properties  without much luck.  On Monday, we only had plans to look at two properties.  The first was a house in a nice neighborhood with which we were unfamiliar.  The second was a house we had seen before and had initially written off, but we were now willing to look again.

When we pulled up to the first house, I have to admit, I got chills.  The neighborhood was really sweet; the kind of place where there are basketball hoops in the driveway and kids riding bikes in the street.  A Lutheran Church was on the corner entering the neighborhood and I thought how lovely it would be to walk to church on Sundays.  We have typically been looking at the worst house in a nice neighborhood, but this house was different.  It was vey clean and polished looking.

The inside was even nicer.  Hardwood floors, 4 bedrooms... it was truly a great starter home... and potentially more.

There was something even more special about it.  It reminded me so much of my Nana.  The house itself smelled like her.  I could see how much the people who had lived in the house had loved it, just like my Nana had lived in my father's childhood home until she died.  I felt like Nana was watching over us.  One of the really hard things about searching for a house since her death was the thought that she would never come visit us in this house.  But this house put my heart at ease a little; I strongly felt that she was walking through the house with me.

When we left, our realtor told us, "If its meant to be, it will be." On Wednesday, we returned to the house with hubby's parents and the first thing out of my mother-in-law's mouth was, "This house smells so welcoming."

All I could think was, "It smells like Nana."

It seems meant to be.  On Thursday, we put in an offer.  On Friday, after (potentially too much) talking,  we accepted their counter offer.  This coming Thursday, we have a home inspection.  I know that she'll be there, too.

Proof that life is good.  God is good... and little sometimes huge lingonberries are right in front of you.

Getting Life Back with a Few Mini Projects

Two weeks ago, incredibly unexpectedly, and very sadly, my Nana died from complications of leukemia.  In some ways, her death was a beautiful tribute to her life, with all of her children, children-in-law, and grandchildren (and her one grandchild-in-law) around her to say good bye at the hospital and then celebrating her life throughout the week at family dinners, the wake, and the funeral.  However, to say that the loss of her has left me feeling empty, exhausted, and heart sick would be the understatement of the century.  I'm not sure I will ever heal from the loss of her; all I know is that I now have to figure out how to live my life without her in it, and that makes me even sadder than thinking about the loss of her.  She was just that special.

To keep busy over the last few weeks, with her continued illness weighing on my mind and then her death, I have needed some distractions, and so I have turned to my escape, sewing.  I have completed three little projects.

The first was a placemat and napkin set for a girl at my work who got married.  I don't know her that well, but wanted to celebrate her wedding by giving her a "dinner for two."  For the placemats, I used a pattern from Fresh Picked for all Seasons, a book I found tucked away in a local quilt shop.  I think they were simple, but sweet.

I then made some simple napkins (a big square, folded twice on every side and stitched).

Some women at the office are pregnant, and everyone chipped in in order to get them a gift basket full of stuff.  I made some baby bibs as my contribution.  They turned out very nicely, I think.

My husband, who has been wonderful through this whole month and will do pretty much anything to make me smile, thought they made better Noodle capes than baby bibs. (Noodle would be the beloved stuffed dog in the pictures below):

Admittedly, Nana would have smiled, too.

Life is good.  God is good.  Little lingonberries are everywhere.

The House Hunt Begins

The hubby and I spent a fabulous sunny Sunday together going to some open houses in search of our first house.  We have been talking about looking for a house together since about February, but up until recently, we have made absolutely no headway towards actually doing anything about that.  Meanwhile, I can feel the walls of our little apartment closing in around me and I continue dreaming of our first little place.

In case you have never looked for a house before, the entire process is completely overwhelming and not very clear-cut.  We spent two months trying to figure out what our first step was (every website and book we could find listed a different "1st Step to Home Ownership").  When close friends recommended a realtor to us in early April, we felt like it was a sign to move forward. Our realtor has been so fabulous (and patient) with us, that we are feeling much less crazy.

With clearer heads and armed with the addresses of homes in our price range, we jumped in our car to spend the day together.  Two of the houses on our list were showing today, so we actually got to go inside.  Another house was supposed to show today... its not really clear why the doors were locked...

There were no clear favorites today, so the search will, of course, continue.  I don't think either of us was expecting to see THE house today, but it was nice thinking of ourselves somewhere new.

As for our apartment, the excitement over looking for a new house has encouraged me to make the space a little less cluttered and a little more livable.  Last night, I revamped our living room and got rid of some miscellaneous furniture taking up room.  It feels roomier now, and we're going to try to keep it that way.  Right now this place is home, and we need to make it feel that way.

Today was a perfect of example of just how good life is.  God is good, too.  And little lingonberries are everywhere.

Yet Another Pillowcase Frenzy

I promise that I sew more than just pillowcases... however, I have made a handful since I my last post.

My Nana is undergoing chemo for a rare form of Leukemia.  She's a fighter and, although the treatments have left her feeling tired and sometimes nauseous, she has remained a trooper.  I made her a set of pillowcases for days when she just needs to rest her head.  I thought that having something special to nap on might make the exhaustion a little more tolerable.  I also, admittedly, really miss her, and wanted to do something that would remind her I was with her in spirit.  I didn't take a picture before I put them in the mail, but they were brown and purple and made of really snuggly flannel.

My husband's friend's little boy turned four today and we went to a bounce gym to celebrate (a bounce gym is a gym where there are lots of blow-up castles, ball pits, etc.).  We were expecting to just watch the little guy and his friends jump and jive for two hours, but we found out that all of the bouncy blow-ups were suitable for grown-ups, too.  This made the party very fun!

The birthday boy is really into superheroes and villains, so I thought I would make him some superhero pillowcases for his big-boy bed.  Here they are!  Dun-na-nun-na-nun-na-nun-na BATMAN!

The fabric was so cute, but I had a lot left over, and (let's face it) no other little Batman fans around, so I thought I would make him a little pillow to match (I have a secret stash of pillow forms on hand... there's not a good reason why).  I dug through my fabric stash and found matching gray, teal, blue, and orange fabrics for the pillow.  I really just slapped it together last night, but I think it came out so cute!  Here's the finished product:

We had bought the little guy a Batman action figure to go with the pillowcases and it ran us $13! (Can you believe a little piece of plastic costs that much?!)  After finishing the pillowcases and the little pillow, though, I felt like he had a nice gift without the plastic, so my hubby and I were psyched to return the action figure and give him something soft and homemade.  Here is the whole gift:

I think it came out really cute and soft!  I hope he likes them when he curls up at night!

Ah, yes, but 2 sets of pillowcases are hardly a frenzy, right?  Well, I thought it was about time that I made myself some, too (and my husband agreed!) so I have two more sets in the works.  One made for me, which features polar bears ice skating.  It's exceptionally girly, but I love the fabric and I love polar bears.

The other pillowcases are for my husband and the band of the pillowcases (on the Batman pillowcases above, the band is navy blue) will be made from my husband's favorite pair of pajamas... which met their untimely end this year with a big whole in the seat.  I was nervous to cut the band for these pillowcases because I was only going to get one chance for success with them, but it was surprisingly simple.  They are shaping up to be very sweet, actually.

Sewing makes me so happy.  God is good, life is good... and little lingonberries are everywhere.

It's almost that time again...

During the spring and summer months, something magical happens.

Yard sale season.

So today (on the first day of spring), I am not thinking of daffodils or Easter eggs.  I am thinking of waking up early on a Saturday morning with my sister-in-law and our friend, getting Dunkin' Donuts, and driving around looking out for signs.  I'm thinking of the fabric, books, DVDs, arts and crafts supplies, and used furniture waiting to be put back out into the world down little neighborhood streets... and I'm thinking of the good deals that will be had by all.

I know a lot of people who think I am nuts for being such an avid yard-saler.  These people claim that yard sales are full of junk or that no matter how hard you wash yard-sale finds, they are never quite clean.  These are also people, and I must be very clear about this, who have never actually stopped at a yard sale.  Because it only takes one yard sale to be convinced that, for the most part, yard salers are normal people.

Don't believe me?  Look around your apartment (house).  Are you hoarding worthless crap that is covered in dust/mud/feces?  You're not?  Neither are 99.9% of the people selling things at yard sales.

Now look around your apartment (house) again.  Do you have something that you have never, once, used (hello, striped plaid plates that we got for our wedding from a distant relative)?  Or do you have something that you used to love, but now you don't really need anymore (hello, mug from the college my brother transferred from)?  Other, normal people do, too.  And they sell those things at yard sales.  Maybe your son just got in to the college my brother transferred from.  Or maybe the plaid plates that I really hate match your kitchen perfectly.  And both the plates and the mug are only fifty cents!

The friends I have that claim (with a fair amount of 'tude, I'll admit) that they could "never" yard sale are the same people that love my red and black vintage oriental rug in the dining nook ($25 at a yard sale, plus $10 to professionally clean it), or my black and white floral shower curtain ($3 at a yard sale, still in its original packaging), or my refinished dresser ($10 at a yard sale, plus sand paper, wood stain, and paint that I had in my basement).  When I tell them the shocking truth-- that my items are genuine-vintage and not Pottery Barn-- they shake their heads and say something like, "You must be more creative than me."  But I swear, I'm not.  It's just that when you only pay $10 for a dresser, you think, "I'm only out $10 if I mess this renovation up," and then it seems more manageable.  And when it comes out really great, it gives you more confidence to try something new in the future.

These same friends are the same people that have a Kindle or Nook, something (and I should be clear about this) I will never buy for myself.  Every Saturday throughout the summer, I spend twenty-five cents for the same books that they are paying $10 for on their eBooks.  If I love a book that I read, I can lend it to a friend... and if I hate it... I'm out twenty-five cents.

So this summer, I encourage you to stop by when a neighborhood is having a yard sale.  Pay the twenty-five cents and buy lemonade or brownies from a cute seven-year old who is saving up for a new bike one quarter at a time.  Look through the used Christmas decorations and collection of unfinished needlepoint for the $1 treasure that you didn't know you needed.  You'll be hooked.

Life is good, God is good.  Little lingonberries are everywhere.

Trendy, Not Trashy

My sister's birthday is Sunday and my husband and I are headed to Massachusetts for the weeks, which means that we will be home for her birthday!  Her birthday is March 4, exactly 2 months before my birthday, so it's pretty awful that I always forget the exact day and end up sending a belated birthday card and gift.  I'm psyched, then, that not only have I remembered her special day, but I have made a little something for her to open!

About 6 months ago, I bought One Yard Wonders (buy it here) and I have been wanting to make this silly project ever since.  The"Not-Ugly Car Trash Bag" clips onto the back of either the front seats and trendily (new word... just invented it, I think) hides all the candy wrappers that you had previously crammed into the glove compartment trash from your car in a pretty little bag.  It even has a front compartment for recyclables or plastic bags.  

My sister drives a notoriously cute car, which she adores, so I thought a trendy trash bag might be something cool for her!  Then, I got so excited about finally getting to make this project, I decided to make one for myself as well.  Here's the fabric I decided to use:

Sewing them together was so easy!  The directions were easy to follow and everything.  My only variance was that I decided to cut the raw edges with pinking sheers rather than zig-zag stitch them (and this decision was largely due to my inability to cut straight lines, leading to yucky raw edges!).

Here are the adorable finished products!  This one is for the birthday girl:

And this one is for me:

Ever since I got this new job, I feel invigorated to spend some true "hobby time!"  It's so fun giving nice gifts on which I spent time and love.

It's just proof that life is good, God is good, and little lingonberries are everywhere.

Goodbye Old Job!

Today, I finished my job in the gift industry and I get ready to begin my new life as a social worker, which is something I have wanted to do.  Right now, I feel like this:

That's what I'm going to do now!

Little lingonberries can add up to great things...

So, I work in the gift industry, but have a degree in social work and have been actively pursuing a social work position.  Unfortunately for the social work field right now, beginning social workers do not have many options.  Social service agencies have adopted a largely "fee-for-service" model, in which therapists take on clients on an hourly basis (no salary, no benefits, large amounts of travel...) and do not get paid for sick time, a client not showing up, a client prematurely ending therapy, etc.  Some agencies do this better than others.  I have a friend, for example, who works FFS with a diverse 26-client caseload and weekly supervision (paid!).  She is also paid for paperwork (treatment planning), allowed to bill for phone calls and cooperative care with other agencies, and given a gas stipend.  I like this agency... I wish I lived in the same state that she does!

I, on the other hand, interviewed for (and was offered positions at) not one, but 2 agencies where I would only be allowed 5 clients for my first three months, would not be paid for paperwork, mandatory trainings, gas mileage (FFS is largely meeting with clients in their homes), and supervision would be mandatory... but I would have to pay for it.  I was getting discouraged... when I turned the jobs down, I had to wonder; would I be offered something better?  Or was I doomed to make four hundred dollars a month minus the cost of supervision?

Just when I was getting really discouraged... sending out resumes to anyone who would potentially have a position I was qualified for (even if I thought I would hate the job), NOT hearing back from anyone, thinking that maybe quitting my gift-industry job and volunteering for a year would be my way in to the field... maybe you know the desperation?, I got a job interview at a truly amazing organization.

On Tuesday, they offered me a full-time job.

So I got to go into work on Wednesday... and quit!  And to say that it felt incredible... like my adult life was about to start, like I hadn't wasted a year and a half somewhere where I was unhappy... would be the understatement of the century.

So here's what I've learned from this:

Sometimes when you are only focused on the lemons, you miss the little lingonberries.  

And you should really be looking for the little lingonberries, because, let's face it.  God is good.  Life is good. And little lingonberries are everywhere.

I've Been Off Looking for Lingonberries...

Sorry I haven't written in a bit, but Christmas has been craziness.  Because I work in the gift industry, Christmas starts in late October and then it is Christmas everyday all throughout November and December. It's also kind of like the Superbowl everyday, because the entire year has led to this and the company either makes money or it doesn't... and for a while there, it was touch and go.

My husband and I traveled home for the holidays to see my parents and entire extended family, which is always wonderful and stressful at the same time.  This year, I chose to see the wonderful.  We took a family picture and had a fun night out at the mall the night before Christmas Eve.  On Christmas Eve, we gathered with my mom's family, and I marveled at the 4 generations gathered in one house.  My mother's side of the family is the Swedish side, so also, there were actual lingonberries on the table, which reminded me of my little abandoned blog.  On Christmas Day, its little cousins and lasagna, truly the best, most relaxed way to spend the holiday.

On New Year's Eve, we started a new tradition by going to my husband's friend's house.  I am getting to know his wife and she is such a sweetheart!  They have three little ones, a little girl who is still in a crib, and a little girl and a little boy who are officially both in big-kid beds.

I thought these pillowcases would be snuggly for such grown-up kinds.  When Gus Lizard and Coconut Monkey heard they could snuggle up with new pillowcases, they said that they should be presents, too!

These pillowcases come out great every time I make them!  So easy and fun!  Find the pattern here! In fact, I have some more pillows to make for friends and family, so I think I am off for a night of self-care and pillowcase sewing.  Sounds just fabulous. ;)

Despite having a rough week, I have to remember:  Life is good, God is good, and little lingonberries are everywhere!

Unfortunately, it would appear that I cannot sew on this blog...

... so my living room continues to be full of fabric.  Also, Joann's had a really good sale this weekend, so a little more fabric came into my life.  This weekend, I cut fabric to make pillowcases, so I will post a picture when they are done.  I am doing a craft fair next weekend in hopes of selling said pillowcases, but if I don't I will donate them to Conkerr Cancer, a non-profit here in Philly that donates pillowcases to children fighting cancer.  The pillowcases dress up their hospital beds during their stay.  It sounds simple, but some of the best things are!

Other than that, not much happened this weekend.  I watched some wonderfully sappy Hallmark movies (Christmas has started on the Hallmark channel), and got in touch with some people who I have been neglecting.  It's amazing to me that I constantly put off calling, e-mailing, or good-old-fashioned writing the people I don't see everyday, and yet it makes me so happy to hear about their lives.  I also made plans to see the upcoming Twilight movie with some friends.  I love those ridiculous movies and I cannot wait to see them with the two friends that will appreciate the silliness with me.

My husband surprised me yesterday morning by wanting to come out to do some errands with me.  I was shocked, because the errands were boring and really didn't involve him.  We had a blast together, though.  We went out to lunch and even got some Christmas shopping done.  It felt good to be with him.  It was like a date, even though we were only going to do some silly errands.

As stressed as I might get sometimes, life is good.  God is good.  Little lingonberries are everywhere.

A Creative Spot (That doesn't take over my living room...)

Hello world!  This is my very first entry on "Life's Little Lingonberries," a space I designed to be fun and creative place for me to write about my life, both the fun-and-creative part of it and not.  I promise (and for all I know, no one is reading this, so this is a promise to myself) to use this space as creative space only (and not as an angst-y, complain-y space).

What should I write about in my first entry?  Well, maybe I should say why I am calling this blog "Life's Little Lingonberries."  First of all, I was raised in a household that celebrates our Swedish heritage and one of the fabulous things about being Swedish is lingonberries.  For all of you non-Swedes, lingonberries are little red berries that taste a little like cranberries and, among other great uses, are candied to make lingonberry jam.  Lingonberry jam tastes fantastic with things like Swedish pancakes, Swedish meatballs, Luda... you know... yummy things.

Before Ikea (where you can buy lingonberry jam at the food market), lingonberries were hard to come by.  Even though I can now have lingonberry jam whenever I want (we live within 15 minutes of an Ikea), I still save it for special occasions.  It tastes like special Christmas Eves, and sleepy Saturday mornings when my cousins had slept over the night before, and the occasional Swedish meatball slow cooker dinner on a cold winter night.  In short, lingonberries are special.

I have decided to make an earnest attempt in my life to start looking for the simple, special things in my life, both the ones that I stumble upon and those that I create for myself and I am going to be thankful for them.  Wish me luck as I find Life's Little Lingonberries... I encourage you to find your own.