When Old is New

I have always loved antiques and old things. I love the charm of their imperfections, the hidden stories they seem to contain. My favorite items have been passed down to me from my family: My cast iron bed that my father slept in as a child, costume jewelry that belonged to my maternal grandmother and her sister, my great aunt, my mother’s engagement ring that was also worn by my paternal grandmother, numerous beaded and embroidered sweaters belonging to my mother’s mother, quilts made by both of my grandmothers, the list goes on and on. 

Since meeting my husband however, my antique collecting habits have changed somewhat. Influenced by my upbringing in Texas, living in California on and off for eleven years, and a Scandinavian husband, my tastes have undergone a transformation leaving behind a style composed of clean and modern, with bursts and fits of color, quirkiness, and the old thing or two mixed in here and there. 

(Kitty likes my wooden spoon too!)

There are still certain things that, no matter how much my taste in design and decorating is transformed, I will always be drawn to. The antique, wooden spoon above is a perfect example. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it. Once I clean it up and oil it, I think it will make a perfect scoop for my flour jar. I bake quite often so this means I will get to enjoy it on a regular basis. :-)

This photo is of the little antique shop where I found my lovely wooden spoon. The shop had MANY tempting items. I may have to go back and stumble across some other [hidden] treasures....

This photo was taken before Christmas but I just love their window display. 

What do you think? Do antiques and old things pull at your heart strings too?

Oh, and by the way, Happy Friday!

I hope you get to do something especially fun today!

Day 359: A White Christmas

In Texas it isn't so common to have a white Christmas. In fact, there is only one Christmas during my lifetime thus far when there was snow in Texas on Christmas Day. I still remember it vividly. I was at my brother's house and his youngest son at the time was beside himself excited. We had barely woken up and we were throwing on clothes and bundling up to run outside before it was gone. After running through the yard having snowball fights, my youngest nephew and I decided to go for a walk. He was pretty little but I don't remember exactly how old he was. Let's just say he was young enough that the notion of yard boundaries wasn't fixed in his little mind yet. We passed by one of the neighbors yards that had a snow man as big as my nephew and he took off running toward it. You have to react quickly when they are that age and luckily I reached him before he reached the snowman. It was terribly cute but a bit difficult to explain to his young mind that we couldn't take the snow from their snowman. To him, all of the snow was his.

It is so rare to even get snow in Texas and to have it, what little there was and so fleeting at that, on Christmas Day was a special treat. My nephew and I made our own miniature snowman back at home, complete with eyes, nose, mouth, buttons down his front, a hat made of leaves, twigs for arms, and a real candy cane. What a fun morning and wonderful memory. Today here in Sweden the snow is too dry to even form into a snowball but it is equally fun to throw a handful on someone (my husband).

A couple of years ago we had a particularly cold and snowy winter here and while we were visiting my husbands parents one weekend we helped shovel snow from the driveway as well as the roof over the garage. There was so much snow that a huge mound was created on one side of the driveway. My husband was up on the roof of the garage and asked me to video tape him, as he wanted to show me something he used to do as a kid. He walked to the middle of the roof while he was telling me the story and then all of a sudden he jumped down into the snow pile. We laughed and laughed and he was nearly covered from head to toe in snow. After brushing him off as well as we could we hurried inside to drink something warm.

I often think about how much fun my nephews would have in all of the snow here in Sweden. There is plenty to go around for everyone to build their very own, life-size snowmen and plenty of hot chocolate to warm us up afterward.

Wishing you all a Merry White Christmas Eve from Sweden!

Day 316: Delicately Balanced

I don't know how much longer I can contain my excitement for the Christmas holidays. I am trying really hard to be a good American and wait until after Thanksgiving but it is difficult. Especially when I am starting to see decorations and holiday-related items in all of the stores and we just recently delivered a whole slew of presents to our friends and family in the US. And just this minute I finished wrapping a gift for our niece who will be leaving on a big adventure this week. She will be passing through Stockholm on her way to her flight leaving from Stockholm's Arlanda airport so I asked if she thought she would have room in her bag for a small Christmas gift, since she will not be with the family for Christmas this year. Instead she will be enjoying the wonderful summer weather in Australia, with a stop over first in Thailand. Sounds like a fabulous adventure and we all look forward to Facebook updates and photos of her travels. So we will meet her and her friend tomorrow at the train station to give her big hugs goodbye and a small gift to open on Christmas day.

Thinking about our niece about to embark on this great adventure reminds me of the times in my life when I have had similar experiences. When I moved to California for a dance scholarship, when I traveled to France for a summer study abroad program and even as recent as our move almost three years ago to Sweden. I love the build up of anticipation and excitement that comes with the preparations of a big adventure, though the excitement for some of my own big adventures has also been fairly bittersweet. The excitement at the prospect of all of the new experiences I would have was delicately balanced with saying goodbyes to my family and friends. And even as difficult as the goodbyes have been, the adventures and experiences I've had have been wonderful and life changing.

My move to California over twenty years ago really helped shape who I've become as an adult and I don't regret one single moment. And though I miss my own family dearly, living in Sweden has afforded me the chance to become closer to my husband's family and that is truly a valuable thing. With all of the modern conveniences like Skype, internet telephones and airplane flights that are available to us today, living so far away from home is not nearly as difficult as it would have been years before. And I can easily say that traveling abroad to France, and subsequently Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, was as big a part of my education as graduating from college. Seeing other parts of the world and how others live, glimpsing history via historical buildings that have withstood time for centuries and just experiencing a different way of life are some of the most valuable things one can experience.

But one's adventures and experiences needn't be on a large scale. An adventure can be as simple as driving around your state or country, camping along the way and eating tuna out of the can or peanut butter sandwiches to save money. It can also be as simple as getting on your bicycle or into your car and just driving somewhere for the day where you've never been. Adventures hold a delicate balance of happiness in our lives. I can't wait to plan my own next adventure... though I have yet to determine when or where it will be. Where will your next adventure take you? Wherever it is... just remember... it is waiting for you...

West Texas Lajitas Adventure 2006

Road kill? Damsel in distress? Nope, just a crazy gal on an adventure!

Day 301: Trader Joe's

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 1990, I clearly recall seeing the signs for a specialty grocery store called Trader Joe's. One of the girls in my dance scholarship program always talked about how much she loved Trader Joe's. She would always say, "Trader Joe's has the best this" or "Trader Joe's has the best that." Two years passed before I finally made my maiden voyage to Trader Joe's. And from the minute I walked in I regretted waiting so long.

I don't know how to explain it but there is something truly magical about Trader Joe's. It is definite one of those stores that energized me the moment I walk in. I soon had a growing addiction for their products. It was love at first sight and over time I developed a strong and deep bond with Trader Joe's that has continued for many years. However, when I moved back to Texas from California, my love affair with Trader Joe's sadly ended. There were simply no Trader Joe's stores in Texas. I continued to love Trader Joe's from afar and anytime I traveled to a city that had Trader Joe's I made it a point of adding it to my list of "must see" places during my visit. And my trip home was usually made with a slightly overstuffed suitcase due to all of the wonderful Trader Joe's purchases.

Somehow I have a feeling that today will be no different, as today is a special day. I will be visiting my first Texas Trader Joe's. You see, just about three years ago my husband and I moved to Sweden from Texas. Approximately one year ago I received the bittersweet news that Trader Joe's would be opening stores in Texas. (Finally!) Were they serious?! I nearly had a heart attack when I heard this news. (Trader Joe's why have you forsaken me?) Before I moved to Texas from California I made a point of asking at every Trader Joe's I frequented if they would be opening stores in Texas. I mean, they were opening stores in various places all over the country so why not Texas? At the time I was told that, yes, Trader Joe's would be opening nationwide and within five years. This included Texas I was told so I was pretty happy. Yipee, right? Ummm. Let's see... I lived in Texas for about six and a half years before moving to Sweden and I've lived in Sweden almost three years now. Trader Joe's just recently opened in Texas. That's nearly a ten year wait, Trader Joe's. Does that sound fair? What's up with that?

Well, I can honestly say that If I wasn't so happy to have you within my occasional grasp again, I might complain about the wait that has taken almost twice as long as promised. Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly a promise but I took it that way. I loved you and needed you in my life. But hey, that's okay. I'm fine, I can deal with it. So the minute I knew we were traveling to Texas, a visit to Trader Joe's became a priority. You may be wondering what it is that is so special about Trader Joe's. As I said before, it is really somewhat difficult to explain but here are a few items that could be found in my shopping basket from today's visit: a couple of bags of peanut butter filled pretzels, oatmeal and tea tree oil soaps, a giant one pound plus chocolate bar, chocolate covered orange jellies for my mom, spiced cider, cracked wheat sourdough bread, vegetarian Italian sausage, wine, a wide assortment of other treats and a brand new re-useable Trader Joe's shopping bag. Sigh. Trader Joe's, I love you and I have missed you so much. When do you suppose you'll be opening in Stockholm?

Trader Joe's in the old Alabama theater in Houston, Texas.

It was a chilly day today in Texas but look at that gorgeous clear blue sky.