advent calendars

Happy first of December!  Have you all sorted your advent calendars?  Not to brag… but I’m so loved I have 4 advent calendars.  Pfft! Ok so I'm bragging :)

In Denmark it's traditional to give small gifts all the days of advent (mostly for children but hey).  We have smiliar traditions in the States but I never got more than the box with chocolates behind the doors.  This is much better I've decided!

I made Christian’s advent calendar this year with this fun little christmas box thing and filled it with delights. 

And just when I thought I was creative... I came out from my weekly night meeting with the US and what do I see in the living room? 

 

Is he not the cutest?!  These are the socks Christian used as a kid with his older brother back in the mid 80’s.  I seriously have the cutest, most creative, thoughtful BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD.  Though he totally blew the tops off what I did for him… I couldn’t be happier!

The little green ribbon ran down to my first gift that I got tonight actually – a chocolate advent calendar.  But real chocolate bars - no mini santa thingies.  Premium European chocolate :D

 

Then we have our annual lottery advent calendars – kind of like a month long scratch ticket, if one has the patience.

Speaking of patience… my former boss and now good friend sent myself and Sarah (also former employee of his) a ‘digital advent calendar’.  I clicked Dec 1 just to see what it was all about and it told me “Have patience, it’s only November 29^th” LOL.  Yeppp.  Today I tried it and I'm not sure what it's about... maybe craft ideas??

So that totals 4 calendars for me, spoiled and loving it!

Our 'advent' candles are a little less traditional than the wreath but I like them :)

Happy Advent Everyone!

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dear santa

So I've done my research and have decided which digital SLR I want.  Check her out.

image from cnet.com

The Canon EOS Rebel T2i (in Europe known as 550D) is all I want for Christmas this year.  Pretty please, Santa!!!

I've read tons of reviews and the Rebel T2i seems to give me the flexibility of a learner's digital SLR with some good features for the more advanced (when I get there).  It's not cheap, well for a Christmas gift that is.  It is apparently cheap in the world of digital SLRs (sheesh).

image from canon.com

So yes she's all I want!  Christian and I have a competition right now that might mean he helps buy half of it and I buy the other half but if that doesn't happen before Christmas I just hope Santa knows what a good girl I've been!

Grandpa, for Christmas I'd like you to teach me how to use her and will appreciate any hand me downs you'd be willing to give up!  I'm not sure if you're more of a Nikon man - can't remember!

Speaking of being home for Christmas and spending extraordinary amounts of money - we're booking tickets home for the holidays today!  

Thank god we're DINKs living in farmland, seriously wondering where I can get more kroner... Maybe I can convince Christian that I can become a professional photographer and charge people some day... hahahaha. Erhm, probably not. :P

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live & direct from DANMARK

It’s me, I’m alive and officially living in Denmark, GASP!  Yayy.  It’s been a LONG time in the works but so happy the time has come for me and Christian to have our happily ever after. :)

Our travel back to Boston and our flights over went off without a hitch.  Didn’t sleep much/well on the way over so imagine my grogginess when SURPRISE YAYYY WELCOME TO DENMARK parade was waiting outside baggage claim. J So cute.  Nearly all of Christian’s family was there to greet us LITERALLY with bells on… ok with noise makers, flags and banners and shouts of cheer.  It was awesome.  Only embarrassing for like half a second, mostly just so heartwarming!   Unfortunately they forgot to take pictures :(

More surprises on the way home!  The flag pole at our house had an Danish and American flag waving and a big banner in the driveway saying “Welcome Home!” – too cute.

We went to Christian’s Mom’s house for some frokost (lunch) straight from the airport.  Upon arriving at Mors house was my new beautiful bike, who I have since named, Maggie.

Isn’t she cuuuuute?!  I looooveee her! Christian’s uncle (professional florist) did the flowers on the basket and the whole family went in on the bike as a present to welcome me to Denmark.  I am 93% Danish with this bike.  I will be 100% Danish when it’s raining out and I ride it anyway.  :P 

Frokost consisted of nearly all my favorite Danish foods – Frikkadeller (Danish meatballs), Danish rye bread, potatoes, and get this… RIS ALMONDE!! Uhmm whoa.  So awesome.  Ris Almonde is a traditional Christmas dish so it was quite the treat! Tak Mor!

Once we got home after lunch I come in to the house and see… more surprises!  I had a brand new bedroom rearranged.  Chr got crafty and made us a new headboard – he picked the fabric and everything. How frikken fracken cute is he?!   He rearranged the furniture and gave me some space for all my CRAP! ;)

And on the bed?! PRESENTSSS.  Gosh I love him, he knows the way to my heart.  Some fun, little ‘getting set up in Denmark’ presents like the shampoo brand I use, toothbrush, some oreos for when I miss home, perfume, pj pants and an IPHONE.  Man… he really is working hard to buy time on this puppy business. :D

Look outside and…??? A manicured garden and some beautiful outdoor furniture complements of Ann, Christian’s Dad’s girlfriend.  She is awesome!  She tidied up the garden that definitely needed mending, planted flowers, gave me a gardening starter kit and the table and chairs. SO sweet.  I am so lucky to be loved so much even all the way across the ocean from home.

Tuesday we went to the Kommune (county) to register me as officially living in Denmark. :D Social security card is in the mail what what!  I need to register for school next but we haven’t quite gotten that far yet. 

I’m working remotely for my old job 28 hrs a week which is awesome for some income but adjusting to ‘working from home’ in a new country takes it to a whole new level.  I just want to unpack and decorate and play in the sun? haha. Speaking of, the weather here is gorgeous!  Light out until 10pm, love it!

With one trip to Ikea down, I’ve got some things to help organize the chaos I have dropped EVERYWHERE in this house.  It literally looks like a bomb went off, whoops. Christian is leaving for some work in Norway for a long time come Saturday so I’ll have plenty to keep me busy with, that’s what I keep saying anyway!

This evening I finally went and got some exercise after an almost two week sabbatical from working out – boy did I need it!  I think I’ll join the gym Christian belongs to up the street.  I might embarrass myself in class when she says to lift your arm and I lift my leg because my body vocabulary is still coming along but oh well.   I wonder what the Danish ‘gym scene’ in this old lady town is like.  Eh god.

So that is the word on Denmark thus far.  More updates to come. I’ll email friends and family shortly re contact details/skype/telephone number etc.

Love you and miss you all! Xo

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birthday week in review

Yes it’s me. Me and my $14/mo neglected website. Whoops!

I think most of you know that since I got back from Denmark over the holidays everything has been absolutely manic.  Not even joking.  January turned into Tornaduary.

All things aside, life has been pretty great.   It’s a good thing to be busy… I’m pretty sure, anyway.  I was just in London last week for a few days, more on that some other time. This is my dedicated princess birthday blog post!

I turned 25 last Monday.  Richard (my boss) and I found ourselves to be the only ones willing to get a drink after dinner on monday night in the spirit of our birthday.  the birthday that we share… yes it’s weird… really weird. 

But my princess expectations of my birthday week were not forgone.  I celebrated on the Thursday night before I left for London with some friends at Cactus Club – my second home.  Went out a bit in London while I was there and then ultimately my hubby finished up my birthday week with a bang!

I got to Denmark on Wednesday night, completely shattered from sitting in a meeting room for three days straight.  In I walked to the bedroom to collapse and suddenly what did I see?!

My very own princess mirror!  I don’t think I complained a lot but Christian never had a full length mirror at his house.  This is obviously an issue.  Which was gracefully resolved by this beauty!  So shabby chic, I can’t believe he’s going to let me have my big girly mirror in his room!  Woop!

Better yet… Check out this hot Gaga inspired card he wrote me:

How friggggggen adorable is he?  He is my second half, my better half and more.  I love you, Christian!

Moving onwards with my birthday week… we went out Friday night to a tapas dinner in København and then out to the bars in Nørrebro with friends afterwards.  I finally found a bar in København that serves up proper margaritas.  Fresh ingredients (I nearly collapsed) and she knew what I meant when I said …. On the rocks no salt.  Rock on. 

I literally ran home at 5am… it was cold, I thought I was going to die.  Seriously… felt like I was in Antarctica wearing a cocktail dress and tights.  Whoops!  However, Christian told me that my “running” wasn’t much faster than he could walk behind me, pfft!

Saturday I didn’t emerge from my dyne until 1pm at which point operation cook dinner for 13 people commenced.  Slicing and dicing and baking and pan frying… We used every bowl, pot, pan and piece of silverware in our tiny kitchen!

Dinner was held across the terrace at Farmor’s house.  Lots of girly decorations (Thanks to Christian’s Uncle Bjarne for the gorgeous flowers).  Jilly style for sure.  Food was great, but we were so exhausted (and smelling pretty badly of onion and meatballs haha).  

In the end my birthday week celebrations culminated with drum roll please…LAGE KAGE…  whoa.  This the end all, be all for cakes.  I’ve been talking about my lage kage from Farmor for about a month now. 

It was obviously just as good as I dream about it (sick, I know).  The butterfly decoration was actually some teamwork between Christian and I and was made out of Marzipan. 

I suppose you want to know what “Pillefinger” means… basically it’s like poke/tickle finger.  It was a word I made up when I was trying to remember the different names of all the fingers in Danish.  It was kind of suiting, though.  I tend to poke and tickle Numsemund a lot.  I’ll let Christian explain his Numsemund nickname…

Or not.  I will.  It literally translates into “Buttmouth” hahaha.  I also made this up.  I think it sounds cute in Danish – and the fact that it’s absurd makes it all the better!  I am so clever!

And that was my princess birthday week in a big coconut shell.  I hope you had fun reading… or looking at the pictures.  I probably would have stopped reading by now.  :)

Love you monsters! Xx

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warm and fuzzy

Every once in awhile someone does something so completely thoughtful and amazing it blows you away. I am lucky enough to have had many a moments but yesterday was extra special.

My Christmas present from my dad arrived yesterday. He had my one and only baby blanket redone. It's gorgeous....

It's not the best picture (camera phone) but all the stitch work in the squares is the original, that's why they're yellowing in comparison to the whites. Some of the stitching is coming undone but after nearly 25 years, and likely 10 years of heavy use, it's to be expected.

The blanket was originally stitched and sewn by my late great Aunt Mary, my grandpa’s sister-in-law.

I may not have been a thumb sucker but that blanket went EVERYWHERE with me, including college. My dad found it digging through all my college storage at his house.

My dad's friend's wife apparently is a master quilter and agreed to try to give my blanket another 25 years. It’s now sturdier and warmer with thicker fabrics. So absolutely special. She did an amazing job.

My dad signed the card, "Love, Daddy (Pop-Pop)"... Whoa. Pump the brakes dad! ;) But yes, some day one of children will hopefully love it as much as I did.

Thanks pops, you rock! Xx

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Ps. I wrote this quickly on the T. Please note that my life is absolute chaos this week and the next so I will be hugely MIA. :)