Daily Jamie

Comfy From Top To Toe

Ever since I found out about the big cabin purchase earlier this month, I've been piecing together a collection of cozy casual wear to bum around in there this fall.  I currently own more sweatpants than all of the sweatpants I've ever owned up till this point put together and I'd give anything to have that old Marietta College hoodie back in my possession.  Don't worry, I'm going to try not to become a What Not To Wear nominee; this is purely situational.  Anyway, the missing piece was footwear, which I realized when we were at the cabin last weekend and we were all walking around with our shoes on, which felt downright criminal after having lived here for twenty-seven months. (Sidenote: TWENTY-SEVEN MONTHS!?  Where did the time go?  And oughtn't I be better at Swedish?)  So I decided to solve the problem with a pair of warm, soft, Nordic-looking slippers.  Now the look is complete.  Sadly, however, as my usual bombshell look will tucked away for the cooler months, I don't expect my husband to give me a second look till spring.  Though I'll sure be cuddly.

Daily Jamie

The Only Kind Worth Living

The only magazine more ridiculous than American Horse has got to be Volvo Life.  This wasn't on some random waiting room coffee table, though.  It came in the mail.  Apparently we're subscribers.

Daily Jamie

Do Not Disturb, Do Not Destroy

When we first moved to our new neighborhood and began exploring the nearby lake, we found that several of the docks extending off of people's property had gates on them so that they couldn't be accessed publicly.  A few weeks went by and suddenly the gates were down and signs like this one had been posted all along the promenade, reminding those landowners of allemansrättan, everyman's right.  This law, in my opinion, is one of the coolest things about Sweden.  It means that everyone has the right to access any land excluding private gardens and the immediate vicinity of a dwelling, to walk, cycle, ski and camp, for example.  Picking of flowers,berries and mushrooms is allowed but hunting is not.  Allemansrättan was meant by the government to encourage a healthy lifestyle for its citizens and emphasizes their responsibility to maintain the countryside, which, of course, are both rather noble goals.  Furthermore, I can take a dip into the lake from whichever dock I please without anyone pulling out a shotgun. 

Daily Jamie

This One's For You, Mom

Remember how we went to take a look at the summer cabin that The Swede spent some time in as a child?  Well guess what?  The Swede's folks bought it back!  We went to go take a closer look on Sunday afternoon and also to start sorting through the stuff that the previous owners left behind, which was basically everything.  I was snapping a few pictures around the place when Sarianne hopped into the shot just in time, hoping, now doubt, that her biggest fan, my mom, would see the pictures.

We also took the opportunity to dole out the goods that we had brought back for everybody from the States, including his and hers and hers and hers GAP hoodies for the Segerstens.  So here you go, Mom.  Segersten city.  Eat your heart out.

Daily Jamie

The American half of Jamie isn't so wild about the sauna.

Mini Model

My mother- and sister-in-law have started a childrens' clothing business called Mini.  It's a perfect undertaking for the two of them because Mama Swede is a master seamstress and Sarianne is a master saleswoman.  And fortunately for them, there happen to be some pretty cute kids in the family to act as models.  Yesterday I took Jamie to his first photo shoot and he was a champ, maintaining a positive attitude during the many costume changes and working the camera like a pro.  He was going to do the job pro bono, you know, since these ladies are family and all, but they insisted in paying him in winter hats.  I'll put up a link to their website just as soon as it's up and running.

Daily Jamie - One Day Late

Daily Jamie

The Loser Cruiser

The Stockholm-area transportation bureau has this great rule that if you're pushing a stroller you get to ride the bus for free.  This is because when you get your ticket stamped or scan your pass you do so at the front of the bus, but if you have a stroller you have to enter the bus from the back door so the free ride keeps you from having to leave your baby at the back while you get your ticket stamped at the front.  I've taken advantage of this a few times since it's either a forty-five minute walk or a bus ride to the train station, but I decided today that I'm going to try to do it more often in the future once I realized that train ticket prices increased this month.  Not by much, but still.  So no matter how long it takes me to get where I'm going, when I'm traveling with Jamie it will be by bus.  I'm on maternity leave, after all; my time is cheap.  Oh, and now that it's autumn, stinky bus season is over.

Daily Jamie

Two-Headed Monster

It is the perfect early-autumn day.  The sun is shining and it's nearly as warm as any Swedish summer day, but instead of kids carrying towels and fishing poles down to the lake they're carrying backpacks full of homework home from school.  It even looks the same, aside from a few changing trees and a sprinkling of leaves on the ground, but it feels and smells totally different.  I strapped Jamie into the sling and set off on a walk around the neighborhood.  His neck is strong enough now that he can hold his head up and look around the whole time, sticking out his tongue like a dog to taste the breeze.  The first few days after a trip to America are the hardest, so it's nice to get a day like this to remind me why I love living in Sweden.

Daily Jamie

Usurped

Oh, Saba, you're still our little baby, you don't need to get into Jamie's crib to prove it.  Now get the heck outta there!

Daily Jamie

When we left for America two weeks ago Jamie liked his vibrating jungle seat, but seemed pretty unaware of the toy animals dangling off of it.  As I write this, though, he's kicking his legs wildly to the music while holding a conversation with the monkey.

Procrastinating, Big Time

Oj, oj,oj, the current luggage and laundry situation is exhausting me just by existing.  The Swede is done with his part so what remains is essentially just new clothes that I bought for myself and that Jamie received as gifts and the fact that the quantity is so overwhelming means, as you can imagine, that we made out like bandits.  As fortunate as we clearly are, I can't help but feel sorry for myself that I have to do this job and I'm so commited to putting it off that Jamie and I stayed in bed until five o'clock this afternoon.  Next up, I'm going to feel really sorry for myself when my baby never goes to sleep tonight.  

Daily Jamie