Cosycactus

this is where i am

There are two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle 

~ Albert Einstein ~

This is how I spend most of my day, holding this newborn babe close to me since this is the place he likes to sleep best. Always amazed at how tiny he is and that he is finally here.

I think I choose miracles.

Happy weekend!

happy easter

Just popping in this rather abandoned space while I am sitting at my office trying to finish writing this article and drinking lots of raspberry leaf tea that is supposed to help during labor, but which I hope wont start for another couple of weeks! Only a few days to go and I can freely enjoy being at home with my boys for easter (and beyond!). It will be nice to take a long break from work. 

I have planned some easter egg hunting and some easter egg painting. 

Wishing you all happy easter days with your family!

" I don't want to get to the end of my life

and find that I have just lived the length of it.

I want to have lived the width of it as well "

-diane ackerman-

 

Found this lovely quote over at habit.

Just what I needed today.

Happy Wednesday!

35 weeks

Just wanted to share a couple of pics today, more for my own memory than anything else. To remember this is what I looked like today, the first of March 2012 starting week 35 and still going strong.

Happy weekend :)

trying to catch up

I can't believe it has taken me so long to post again! I am still not finished with my essay, although I am nearly there. Days go by and the daylight gets longer and longer each day.

During the weekend we could nearly feel the warmth of the sun on our faces. Soon, very soon the mornings of having coffee bundled up while sitting on the veranda will be back. We still have too much snow but I am hoping this year it will melt faster than last year (when we had snow until mid-May...)

We have also made glittery birthday cards, played a lot with trains and I have started obsessively knitting longies for this babe who will sooner rather than later appear in our lives. I can't believe I only have a few weeks left, although I am asked each day by my dear sons if I am going to "explode" soon since my belly is so big. I personally think this pregnancy has been the one with the smallest baby bump, in spite of it being so similar in all other ways to the other two. Might this mean it is another boy? Time will show is what I keep repeating to all family members who ask (every single time they call) if we know the babys gender yet. It was easier this time around to pick baby names as well. It took us a long time with the first one, a little shorter with the second, and this time we decided pretty quick.

Anyway, I hope to deliver this essay by the end of the week and start working again on my manuscript which has to be sent to the journal soon. I also hope to catch up on blog reading which I haven't been doing at all these days. And of course I have picked out some new knitting projects and have a couple to show you, once I put the buttons on. So much going on!

 

a crock pot question

Just a couple of random pictures to ask you a question about crock pots.

I just purchased one on a super sale (70% reduced!!!) last week and I am very eager to try it. I have been wanting to buy one for a while but the price has always kept me from doing it. Does anyone have any good suggestions for a crock pot book recipe or blog? I have searched a little but there are so many books I don't know which one to get! I am loving the idea of leaving the house and having dinner ready when getting back, specially the days I am at work.

P.S. There you a have a little glimpse of the baby bump taken today at 27 weeks! Time is flying by and should take more pictures of this growing belly of mine.

weekending

Two main things this weekend:

- Time spent outdoors. Winter is being very mild this year. We have snow but the temperatures are between 0 and -5 Celsius, when at this time last year we had -20!

-And finally completing projects which mostly only needed buttons. I have another two tiny cardigans and one cardigan for Matias waiting for buttons to be sewn on. I even have the buttons, I just don't know why I can't be bothered to sew them on! It must be like folding laundry, I always wait until the last minute... And I am nearly done with Erik's cardigan as well, I only need to knit the sleeves and of course the buttons. I am hoping in finishing it this week since Christmas is next weekend (already!!!)

Happy crafting in this last week before Christmas!

back to (normal) life

I have been sitting all day in front of this table measuring my seedlings. It has been very boring. I have only been saved by the audiobook I was listening to in the meanwhile, "The winter sea". I am in love with this book and although I am only half way through it I know I will read it (or hear it) again in the future. It is placed in present day and historic Scotland, very close to where my family lives. Very exciting.

Apart from working I have not done much this week. I had high hopes of doing lots of stuff now that I was alone in the city. Cinema, shopping, eating out..... However, when evening arrived (and I'm talking 6 p.m., not later) I felt exhausted every single day and only wanted to get to my room and sit on the sofa and knit! I must definitely be getting older, and I suppose being pregnant doesn't help. Anyway, if nothing else I have enjoyed a quiet week. And that is always good.

What I did do is have a look at SLR prices. They have gone up a little since I bought my last one nearly two years ago, and I think I am going to go for the Canon 550D which is the newer version of my old one the 450D. However I don't know which lens to choose, they offer the standard 18-55 mm or 18-135 mm (for a little higher price). I must investigate which is best.

Tomorrow I am flying back to my boys. Family life will resume its usual pace, but now that mamma has had some time off I am looking forward to it all!

away

I am in Tromsø until Sunday working with my supervisor. Tromsø is about an one hour plane trip from our home.

I am actually here alone.

No toddlers or children or husband running around. No lunches to make, or toast in the morning or stories at bed time. And I might just actually sleep a whole night without someone waking me up!

It is strange to be all alone, but at the same time refreshing.

It is the first time I am away from little Erik, but I am very sure he will be fine with pappa and big brother.

Life goes on... although I miss them already!

summer is over

It seems summer is over in our part of the world and autumn is upon us. Although the leave color wont start to change until the beginning of september, we have basically inaugurated autumn since the beginning of the month. It is strange to think that in most other countries august is the warmest summer month. 

Our garden is doing great and we get now regular visitors, like birds and hares, eating our red currants. We took a quick peek into our potatoes and it seems they are thriving! The potato sort we planted is not supposed to be very big so I think we will be having tons of potatoes for the winter. Spinach and carrots are being harvested when needed for dinner preparations and the raspberries are starting to turn kind of red.

We have also been bilberry picking (those berries called by many in europe blueberries but which are not). We have to be careful where we pick our berries due to our proximity to Russia and the abundant pollution that blows over the border from some of their factories.  

Erik did not seem to like the berries although he did not give up and kept picking and eating just in case this one was a good one!

As you can see the days are getting colder, hats are on and several layers are needed when going outside. It is a welcoming feeling this one of autumn. It was a relatively good summer with many days of intense heat and we are now ready for cooler temperatures. 

I am working on my field work preparations to which I am leaving in only one week. We have also had several days of illnesses and we have taken it easy for many days now.

Matias is going for the first time to the cinema today, I wonder if he will sit during the whole film!  I have completed a couple of knitting projects (both for myself) but I can never manage to take pictures of them, maybe when my mum arrives next week we can have a small photo session.

I have also discovered the kindle app for my iphone which is giving me many good hours of reading, like for example when a toddler needs me to stay with him in bed and wakes up often. I can just lie there and read a book in the darkness!

Many random thoughts but not really much happening around here my friends! I thought I would just check in anyway since it has been a while.