I rarely get a good picture of Petra truly smiling (not least because she thinks for some reason that “smile” means “take a deep breath through your nose” — yeah, don’t ask me), so I was happy that this one turned out. You know, four is a pretty good age, all things considered.

Brynja woke up this morning with some crazy bedhead. It was so spectacular I was almost a little jealous — back in my ’80s heyday it took a serious investment of time and AquaNet for me to get a ‘do that big, and here she is making it look so easy.

We’ve had such beautiful fall weather here the past several weeks, with lots of blue skies and sunshine. The temperatures have been mostly moderate, with only a couple of of nighttime freezes, and it’s still plenty warm to go out with just a light jacket. We have had a bit of rain here and there… Read More Haven

Petra’s pre-school had a dress-up day today, and while I thought there were a number of possibilities for her costume, she was of the opinion that “princess cat” was the only way to go. Clearly she was right.

I noticed this evening as I was clearing the table after dinner that though it wasn’t quite six o’clock, it was full dark outside. I’m sure it was just last week that it wasn’t getting dark until nearly six-thirty. And of course it doesn’t stop there, not by a long shot. On Sunday we’ll be… Read More Winter time

We bought new paint for the hallway way back in the spring, intending to get the job done before my mom came over in July. Of course, apart from the handful of large test blotches I slapped up here and there, it was same tired, old paint that’s been there since just after we moved… Read More Delay

The other night I was making waffles for dinner, and I decided to fry up a couple of packages of bacon as well. Lydia came into the kitchen as I was laying the bacon strips in the skillet and asked what they were for. “We’re having them with dinner,” I said. “Aren’t we having waffles?”… Read More Proof positive she’s been out of the States for too long

Every night, after the bedtime stories are read and the two of them are tucked in, I put on a CD for Tage and Petra to listen to as they fall asleep. We have a dozen or so “kid” CDs for them to choose from, about half stories and half music, and they alternate turns… Read More Easy listening

This afternoon Olof, Brynja, and I drove three hours up to Haparanda to do some shopping at our nearest IKEA. It’s a good thing Olof brought his wallet, ’cause I spent all my money on concert tickets this morning, and there are still plenty of stores to visit before we head home tomorrow afternoon.