The Transition

Sarianne broke two of the fingers on her right hand when a door slammed on them last week, so she asked me to guest blog on sarianne.se so she doesn't have to do as much typing. I put together this post about the little changes I make in my life to get pumped about fall coming since the weather has already gotten pretty cool over here, and I figure I may as well get credit for it on my own blog as well!

Beauty

Nail polish - When the weather's warm I wear white or super light pink on my finger nails and hot pinks and corals on my toes, but when vacation is over and the days get shorter I switch to more muddy neutrals on my fingers like Mavala 119 Orchid Mauve and Max Factor Glossfinity 15 Opal, and deep reds and purples on my toes like Essie Sexy Divide and Kicks Classy Bordeaux.

Lip color - When I’m in the mood for a bold lip in the summer I go for corals and bright pinks, but when autumn comes I pick reds like Dior Addict in 745 and berries like Maybelline Color Sensation Shine Gloss in Stellar Berry.

Eyeliner - I always think a darker eye seems more appropriate when there’s no risk of sweating. My favorites are Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil and Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner.

Scent 

Perfume – Nobody likes to wear a heavy scent when it’s hot out, but when the weather turns I dust off my heavier, musky perfumes like Nini Ricci’s Nina and Victoria’s Secret Fragrance Mist in Seductive Amber.

Lotion – Most of the time I rely on coconut- or tropical-scented lotions for my summer scent, but when I’m wearing heavier perfumes I moisturize with unscented or vanilla-scented lotions so that they don’t compete or clash.

Candles – This is one of the best ways to get into the mood for cooler weather since you get the coziness of candlelight as well as a yummy smell filling your house. For fall, pick spicy and food-scented candles. Glade’s Apple Cinnamon is my all-time favorite but IKEA's Bräcka have scents like vanilla, caramel and apple that make your home smell amazing.

Food & Drink

Baking – Finally it’s not too hot to use the oven! I use this scones recipe to make weekend mornings feel special.

Apples – Everything about apples screams autumn. Caramel apples are obviously a favorite treat this time of year, but it can get messy and time-consuming to make them. I enjoy the combo in a much simpler way by just dipping apple slices in caramel ice cream topping.

Chai latte – I’m a big coffee lover, but the spices in a chai latte make me feel like I’m drinking a pumpkin pie. When the weather feels like Thanksgiving is around the corner (even if it’s three months away!) I forgo my usual café latte and drink a chai latte instead to feel like I’m back at Grandma’s.

Daily Jamie

Daily Jamie

Life's In Color Again

    

The Swede had been in Norway since last Friday on a fishing expedition with six other dudes and he arrived home early this morning. I'm so, so glad to have this face back in my day.

Daily Jamie

August 21st

August 22nd

Daily Jamie

Daily Jamie

Snap, Crackle, Pop

I remember the very first time I ever ate Rice Krispies. One day my mom came home with a grocery bag and announced that she bought a cereal that talks. My siblings and I were incredulous, naturally, but were proven wrong when my mom poured us each our own bowl and we all listened, astonished, as the cereal said to us, "SNAP! CRACKLE! POP!" Today, more than twenty-five years later, I got to have that experience from the other side and I was equally overcome. Parenthood is the most challenging thing I've done (learning Swedish is a surprisingly comparable, very close second) but the moment Jamie tipped his ear toward that cereal bowl alone makes it all worthwhile. Thanks for making a big deal out of little things like this, Mom. 

Daily Jamie

Cary & Rich's Pro Shots

Cary and Rich got the professional pictures from their wedding back from their incredibly talented photographer Nick Edmundson and I've looked at them - several hundred of them! - again and again. There are so many that are so beautiful but here are just a few of some of the ones that captured the fun of that glorious day. 

 

 

I mean, really, have you ever seen a more fun couple? I'm still so, so happy for them and so pleased to have been the one to do the honors.

 

Daily Jamie

Daily Jamie

Not Antiquing

Almost exactly four years ago, The Swede and I took a day trip to Norrtälje, about an hour north of Stockholm, where we discovered an awesome antique shop that we promised ourselves we would go back to just as soon as we needed a piece of furniture. Fast forward to today. We moved three years ago and have since replaced precisely EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF FURNITURE we owned at that time with the exception of our sofa. (Side note: when I moved to this country The Swede told me, and I'm quoting here, "that sofa is worth more than your life". To this day I hope something got lost in translation.) Do you want to guess how many of the new items we bought from that awesome antique shop? Did you guess zero? That's correct. Now, though, I'm craving a better solution to the mess that is our hallway, especially since cold weather is coming and that area becomes a real disaster when you add outerwear to the mix. So Jambo and I drove up to Norrtälje today and they turned the location into a dang paintball arena. The good news is, Norrtälje is charming as can be and we enjoyed our afternoon there anyhow. And I guess I'll just have to head to Ikea about that hall situation per my usual. 

Daily Jamie

August 13th

August 14th

August 15th

Småland

It took three years, but Jamie is finally old enough to drop off at the playland at Ikea so I can shop in peace for an entire hour. And listen, if it sounds like I'm being a jerk you should know that he's been begging to go in there every time we've gone to Ikea for the past year and was thrilled the first time he was allowed to slip on that yellow vest. This is very much a win-win. The first time I left him I stuck around for a few minutes to make sure he would be okay in there but he never even looked back and made, like, a thousand friends during that hour. Security is super tight and they have your cell number in case your kid starts freaking out or gets hurt so you can literally go test out the new Nornäs for sixty minutes if you want. I suspect we will spend many an afternoon here as the weather gets cooler and they only downside is the potential damage to my pocketbook.

Daily Jamie

The Business Cas Fashion Show

Well, you've seen a lot of what I've been up to this summer outside of work, so here's a little bit of what I've been up to at the office, namely, selfies. It's been a hot, hot summer and my section of the office doesn't have air conditioning so I've been trying to keep thing semi-professional without melting inside my business cas. These flowy pants are all the rage in Sweden right now and that is awesome because they give the ol' gams a little breathing room on a warm summer day. Plus they have an elastic waistband. I mean, does it get any better than that for workwear? I recommend putting some lace and a fancy necklace on top to feel less like you're wearing pajamas.

I got this top and jeans at American Eagle when I was in the States in June. I really like the way their jeans fit and feel, especially these since this particular pair are technically jeggings. I say "technically" because, even though they say jegging on the label, they are thick enough to hide all kinds of topography, if you will, the way jeans do. Also, I would never wear jeggings so American Eagle has clearly misbranded this product.

This was the last day before management got back from summer vacation. Obviously I was trying to squeeze the last bit of casual dressing out of the season. I may have been the only one at work sporting a drawstring waistband, but I promise there were others wearing t-shirts. 

And now that business is back in session I'm a bit more dressed up, here in pieces you've seen before but in a new combination. I was very productive in this outfit. At least that's the vibe I'm trying to send my boss.

Daily Jamie