Back home, snow & dealing with tech problems

The house is warm. The Christmas decorations are down (see my tips on How To Organize Your Christmas Clean Up). The tree is ready to be thrown out, making an incredible mess on my living room floor. I cleaned the fridges (I have two!!!) and it is all shiny and bright in there. It is snowing. And although I would prefer just staying inside all day, I will have to get out there with the car for a dentist appointment with Emmy Bo this late afternoon. Suitcases are still not unpacked but the washing machine is running full speed. I'm dealing with a pile of mail and bills (!!!) and trying to get on top of things at home.

I've been wanting to catch up with you all for some time but I'm having some technical issues... I'm focusing on setting everything straight this week and hope to back in full speed as of next week. Some of you might already know about the Christmas Adventure that went down the toilet (I published a blinker on Instagram and Facebook while on vacation) but I still think I have a need of sharing the whole story with you here on the blog as a part of a process of getting over my great disappointment and to find some clarity in what really happened.

Anyhow. It is good to be back home. I'm eager to set my 2017 plan in action and share it all with you. I want to show you some nice pictures from a drive through a Swedish snow landscape, some jollyness from Christmas at my brother's summer house in Sweden, updates of my crochet projects and much more. Until then, snowy greetings from a Winter Wonderland back home in Switzerland.

PS Anyone out there who is a Mac/Apple geek? I could need help setting up a new machine. Any help is appreciated. :)

Kärlek
Annette

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Merry Christmas Card Love

I love Christmas cards. I buy them. I collect them. I'm a sucker for vintage, for pretty, for classic... I guess I'm a sucker for them all really. Just look at the cute kittens in the ice skates... or the cute Robins on the branch... Unfortunately I hardly ever get around sending any cards though. I know, it is a shame isn't it? I want to change that. This year I sent just a few. I also just received a few. Maybe technology, e-cards and text messages are taking over but receiving a pretty, handwritten and signed Christmas card in heavy weight paper is the best feeling ever. The fact that someone has made the effort to choose a Christmas card for me, write in it and then walk to the post office to mail it to me - that makes me feel so loved and special. Therefor I have made myself a promise to put Christmas cards on the top of my Christmas-To-Do-List for next year. Nothing feels better than making someone happy. And what use do all these cards make if just chucked into a box? No, they need to bring a smile on someone's face (part from me once a year when I flick through them...)

So with a glimpse of my precious Christmas card favorites, me and the kids are on a jet plane to Stockholm, Sweden. We are looking forward to a big adventure and will see you again in the new year. A big thank you for all sweet comments, for hanging around, for engaging and supporting me in my blogging. Thank you for shopping my patterns, encouraging me to keep on designing and I'm so grateful to be a part of this community we have. Happy Holidays my lovelies. See you again soon.

Kärlek
Annette

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Packing, prepping, sweating, fixing...

Travel fever. Do you suffer from it? I do. After all these years with travels all over the globe, I still get incredibly jumpy the last few days before departure. My head stops working and I enter a "I can't do anything" mode... The list is so long and overwhelming, there are so many things to do before locking up the front door... and even though I make lists, I seem to not be able to tackle it all in one go. I sit, glued to the sofa, and stare at the most ridiculous shows and programs as my body turns into a freeze.

It is not until a good 24 hours before leaving the house that things really happens. I get frantic and accomplish more things in a few hours than in the whole week passed. I'm in the frantic phase now... Getting so many things done. Ticking off those things from my list:

- Paying the last couple of bills
- Call about the letter from the tax office
- Call about the letter from the insurance...
- Setting up the cats in the laundry room with cozy chairs, fur, crochet blankets and all...
- Making sure I have enough cat food
- Getting travel documents in order
- Wrapping the last few gifts
- Packing the kids stuff
- Folding the last run of laundry
- Wiping down the bathrooms
- Booking the shuttle to the port in Miami
- Emptying the fridge
- Taking out the garbage
- Bringing compost to the recycling
- Going through my emails
- Checking my Etsy Shop
- Preparing this blog post
- Charging everything that needs to be charged (including me...)- Making sure we have the night light, Ping Ping, chargers, passports, camera...
- Do my last day at work... Just a few more hours to go...

Well, we are ready. We ARE ready. We are READY! WE ARE READY! Not really, but we will be. I always pull it off in the end. Just got to make sure all kids are with me at 4.30 in the morning when we leave for the airport. Passports and money. Anything else can be purchased or fixed as we go I guess. Oh, I better not forget the memory card for my camera. Or the charger... Ear phones. Travel socks. Turning down the heaters, unplugging all electrics and of course, leaving the key for Madame to care for the cats. Oh, and lets not forget to breath shall we... Oh my gosh! I just remembered - What WiP shall I bring!!!??? The stress level is certainly high here...

PS The pattern for the Pine Tree Wrist Warmers will be released in January.
PS 2 I made the Christmas Greeting Card at Picmonkey.com. Great and fun free editing tool online. :)

Kärlek
Annette

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