triangles are the new circle

my inspired-by-pinterest dreamcatcher totem homage to nature and the goddess is hanging on the door, warding off any evil spirits and bad karma that might want to enter our house this week. here's hoping it's a good one. (both the week and the magical yarn-wrapped stick.)

minnesota nice or things i like about the states

i had no idea that my promise to share a list of good things about the US would cause such a fit of writer's block.  i've found myself sitting at the computer, blogger compose window open, daily for a week and nothing comes out.  in some sense, it's not fair, because there are good things about the US and it's not really for a lack of those. maybe it's just easier (and more amusing) to write about the negatives or the puzzling things (tho' frankly the positives can at times be equally puzzling). but here goes...

things that are great about the states:

~ target. i've had serious withdrawals from the bountiful variety at fair prices and which also gives back to their communities and isn't evil and contains a starbucks as you come in wonder that is a target store. tho' i wasn't that keen on what was apparently their $200 rule - as in, you can't leave without spending at least $200. the trick was to avoid spending the lot of it on nail polish alone. we didn't always succeed.

~ minnesota nice. i learned this term from my friend lisa. it describes those pleasant little conversations that you have with clerks in stores...whether it's about the odd-looking handful of coins you're pawing through to find some quarters or about how you're turning down their store credit card because they don't have any stores near where you live or about what exactly you're going to do with that quinoa or where you got those fabulous sequined uggs. it's a positive interchange and gives such a boost of energy in your day. of course, it's maybe not fair to credit it entirely to minnesota (tho' it IS a marked phenomenon there, even in the big city of minneapolis), as my sister and i had one of those uplifting experiences in our local grocery store right in our hometown in south dakota.

it was the day molly got her shots and her rather brutal ear mite treatment. her vet appointment was at 1:30 and i thought it would take like 15 minutes tops, so everyone was waiting for me to return with her so we could go swimming at the river (sans cat, of course). the appointment took much longer thanks to the ear mites, so by the time i got home, the three children were melting (literally, as it was 107°F/42°C) and whining like crazy. we stopped by the grocery store for snacks (and crisp, refreshing american light beer) and the sweet young girl at the cash register said, "how are you guys doing?" in her best local accent (think the coen brothers film fargo). we responded that no one was whining, no one was complaining, no one has asked 56 times whether we were going to the river and no one had begged for any junk food or candy. and in the process, those things started to be true...and we started to laugh and our stress melted away. all because the girl at the cash register acknowledged us with a greeting.

let me tell you, the danes could learn something from this.

i was talking to a canadian friend (who also lives in denmark) about this the other day. she's a sociologist, so she's thought about it a bit more than i had (hard to believe, i know). i said that i missed those light-hearted, surface conversations with clerks or others in line at the store and told her how much i'd appreciated them while we were in the US. she said she thought they were actually deeper than they appear at first. that when the young very pierced and tattooed clerk in the gas station's eyes light up when he sees your funny coin with the hole in the center and hearts around the edge and begins to tell you about foreign coins in his collection, he's revealing something more about himself...dreams of travel to far-away places perhaps, or a hint at the desire that despite having had ALL of his front teeth sharpened into vampire-like points, he wants something more from life.

which brings me to the next good thing...

~ believing something more is possible. i know that the american dream has come to be a bit ridiculed around the world in the face of financial crisis and political buffoonery. but that pie-in-the-sky belief that if you just try hard enough, you'll succeed and get what you want remains strong in americans. but isn't there something charming about it as well? and something optimistic and hopeful? i think (especially in the upper midwest) there are still a lot of people who believe that if they work hard enough, they can change their lives for the better. not everyone thinks they can take the reality t.v. shortcut to success (tho' it may seem like that sometimes).

however, the american dream is a double-edged sword and has resulted in the bewildering acceptance by the poorest for the concentration of wealth being in the hands of the few, some of whom apparently would like to be president (just not the ones one wishes would (say that three times fast)). it's because everyone has a core of belief inside them that they could make it too and once they're also there, they surely don't want to have to pay a bunch of taxes.

but i've digressed.

~ diversity. the states is BIG. there's a lot of space. and it means that everyone, no matter how wacky their idea, probably can have a little plot of land or a building or a place where they can have a chance to try it out. the mormons have utah. homosexuals and hippies have san francisco. wackos have LA. hutterites have their colonies in south dakota. amish in iowa (and moving into south dakota). there are organic farmers and big-scale farmers. there are snotty, organic grocery stores and there are everyday normal ones. there really is something for everyone. and people come in all colors, shapes and sizes. and it seems there's room for that.

whenever i come back home to denmark after being in the states, i'm struck by how much the same everyone is. the clothing choices, the food choices, the cars, the haircuts, the shoes. it's like there's a danish uniform (and sub-uniforms within categories - nurses, schoolteachers, business people, etc.). of course, it's a bit similar to that in south dakota, where i grew up, but it feels like there's more space (and there literally is) to unfold yourself and be a little different.

so there you have it. and i even went a little deeper than i did with the more negative list. and got past that spot of writer's block.

and i do so love those american clouds.

lightening up

just to lighten things up a bit, for your perusal, the first issue of b.a.h. from bookhou:

Open publication - Free publishing - More bookhou

so much inspiration and goodness. makes me wish i lived in toronto.

flea market fancy (no, not the fabric)

husband and i spent the day at a flea market with like-minded friends. bliss, i tell you, bliss. here's just the first round of what we saw...

stacks of beautiful vintage crochet.
husband rather unnecessarily cracked that it was from the time before everyone spent all of their time in front of the internet.
and by everyone, i suspect he means me.

*sigh*

i saw a guy walking away with this, but i don't know what he paid.

from when silverware mattered.

i had this odd grandma moment looking at this. i wanted the whole set.

happily, the same did not happen with these, but i like how they're displayed.

royal copenhagen

a bit of more modern scandinavian goodness.

more tomorrow....happy saturday!

cowboy, indian and horse

just had to share this most charming belgian stop motion animation - a town called panic - featuring cowboy, indian and horse. as you might guess, horse is the sensible one. this is just part one, but the others are on youtube. totally worth watching if you have the time.

iMac, therefore iAm

have i mentioned that my new MacBook Air finally arrived? i really must thank the norwegian tax authorities for giving me back enough of my money that i could buy this beauty. i can once again hold my head high in the airline lounge.

everything i needed to know, i learned in the lobby of the manila pen

night in the lobby of The Pen - hipstamatic style

i'm in the heavenly lobby of the manila peninsula hotel, which is perhaps my favorite place on earth. everything seems clearer here, more relaxed and mellow. and it occurs to me everything i ever needed to know, i learned right here...

- white wine is best served in a chilled glass by a cute waiter with a flashing smile.

-  life should be accompanied by a live orchestra.

-  lighting is everything.

-  palm trees totally work indoors.

-  the ceiling can never be too high.

-  true gentlemen hold the door and greet you by name.

-  wireless internet is key.

-  it's good to read the IHT on a daily basis.

-  you can learn a lot (possibly about the US military) listening to other people's conversations.

-  people like to talk about themselves. rather loudly (at times).

- time truly does fly when you're having fun.

-  if you have to stage a coup, choose a really elegant place to do it.

-  travel is key to my existence.

-  being recognized and valued is important.

-  a proper pedicure goes a long way (ok, i may have learned that at the big mall across the street).

-  heaven is indeed a place on earth.


do you have a place that taught you what you need to know in life?

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i got an email yesterday, telling me that i was one of three winners of a photo contest from the viking harbor museum in bork havn. i get a big gift basket and a season ticket to the musem.  and what's even better?

...my zen master elizabeth's husband was one of the other two winners!  yay for us! :-)

here's hoping your week is as awesome as mine!

the simple things: for christina

today is the lovely christina's birthday. you know her, the fabulous cook and photographer with the beautiful soul over at soul aperture? well, in honor of her birthday, we're once again sharing the simple things. happy birthday, beautiful christina, may your day be filled with all of the simple things you love.

and in the spirit of spreading love and good karma in your honor, here are the simple things i'm loving right now...

a girl and her horse

heart-shaped stone on the beach.

calico cat on a crazy quilt

gorgeous yo-yo quilt made by my great-grandmother and found by me on a basement treasure hunt

magical light

painting light on the night sky

happy birthday to you, christina. you are a true generator of love in the blogosphere. and a big thank you to my dear se'lah, for letting me know, otherwise, i might totally have missed this.

simple things, simple gestures, simply beautiful.

a sparkling good time

the weather is completely glorious - low humidity, perfect temperatures in the upper 70s, low 80s (mid to upper 20s for you, my european peeps), sunshine, fluffy white clouds in blue skies. visits with old friends and new friends, baseball games, hours spent in a bookstore, hitting a gap outlet, getting to know our iPad (fabulous, i tell you), good food, loads of fresh fruit that's perfectly in season, loads of laughter and sparklers. what more could one ask of their holiday?

crocheting and blog camp and gratuitous yarn porn

learning to crochet granny squares

elizabeth and her family came to visit today and thankfully, they brought the sunshine with them. it actually hasn't rained here at our house since they were here. and that's a good thing. i'm really, really tired of this rainy, cold summer and could definitely use some consistent sunshine. especially as tomorrow is the solstice  and i would like to be able to see the sun in all its glory. so let's hope it holds!

beautiful crocheted basket liner by elizabeth + pears in the evening light of our terrace.

elizabeth is able to crochet anything she likes without the use of a pattern or most of the sight in her right eye. thanks to her expert tutelage, i am now crocheting granny squares with that yarn stash of which i have been so proud (see below). i hope to achieve elizabeth's facility with crochet one day, but at the moment, i'm having a few challenges figuring out exactly when it is you change colors (please tell me this is normal and if it's not, please keep the sniggering to a minimum) on the granny square, so i'm thinking they'd look quite nice all in one color. and do they really have to be exactly square?

yummy yarn stash

elizabeth brought a wonderful gift that's meant for the next blog camp, which is fitting, since it was one year ago today that we were enjoying the first blog camp! and the sun shined the whole time! so the danish summer is capable of being a good one. and i was supposed to have learned to crochet already back then.

back row: polly (who isn't polly) and marie (who isn't blogging anymore)
front row: b, me, sabin and extranjera

thinking of all of the good and creative people and things the blogosphere has brought to my life and feeling pretty grateful.  i think it's going to be a very good week.

* * *

oh, and since it's father's day, i wrote a little something to my dad over here.

loving monday

i know i've been harping on and on about the rainy, cloudy, cold weather we've been having and even i am tired of it (both the weather and the harping), so i thought that regardless of the weather, i would start the week by remembering that there are lots of things to love, so i give you what i'm loving right here, right now, rain or shine...

unexpected prezzies in the mail.
even better if they're a crocheted stone (all the way from canada)!
thank you delena!! 

more unexpected prezzies in the mail.
a sweet little book of amanda's own photos and a GORGEOUS card!
i wanna make little books like that too - waah!
thank you so much, amanda!!!

the variety of flowers i'm finding in our new garden.
picked this bouquet this weekend.
tho' the wind blew so much the past two days, this will be the last of the lilacs. (cry!)

stitching while watching t.v.
on my black-bean dyed linen.
which has changed color (on its own) to a lovely purpley grey.

more experiments in dyeing.
trying with those lilacs. i love lilacs, but i'll admit i'm not sure this is going to work.
and i love the light in my kitchen window.

i also love the girl effect, facebook (yes, facebook - i'm into it thanks to my AyePhone (which i also love) and the fact that you can choose "pirate" as your language), flickr and blog camp. and i love that my nephews, who currently are in possession of my sabin's iPad, refer to it as "the big phone." oh, and i also love the new blogger template editor (as you can see from my new look). i didn't change my old picture sizes, so if you look at old posts, the pix will bleed over into the RH sidebar. i wanted to remember when i made i the switch, so i left them.

maybe we can all change the world this monday, just by thinking of what we love and not about hating mondays (and that infernal weather).

weakness in the face of fabulous orange coat

i broke my year of not buying things the other day while house-hunting. i had an hour to kill and lo and behold, in a little bitty town called gammelby (old town) that had a handful of houses and a B&B, i ran onto a large, modern building which said it was an outlet for the danish clothing brand bison. i had to go somewhere, since i wasn't due at the next house for an hour, so i went in. the shop was full of tempting things, but not all of the prices were that tempting. however, i went weak in the knees (and the pocketbook) in the face of this fabulous orange wool coat for 50% off, to boot. i made husband take some pictures of me in it on our walk in the woods yesterday. i hope you agree that it was too good to pass up.

when you fall off the horse, you just have to get back on, so i'll try to pick up the shattered pieces of my year of not buying things and soldier on. and i'm thinking it will help that i have a fabulous coat to wear.

lego on the brain

i've got lego on the brain. sabin got the lego indiana jones airplanes yesterday and built them already last evening. every time she builds something, i am totally amazed at how ingenius the designs are. lego really pulled themselves out of the slump they were in a few years ago and got back to the basics of what they're good at. they made smart tie-ups with certain films - indiana jones, star wars, harry potter and there are even totally cool lego games for the Wii, where these little lego indy figures go around building things with lego blocks and whipping the heck out of the enemies. lego, as you no doubt know, is a danish company and the word is shortened from lege godt which means play well. and who wouldn't play well with things that are this well-designed:

check out that pirate's expression and his peg leg!

the pirate girl has a voluptuous figure to go with her treasure chest.

indy's shirt is rumpled and he's got a 5 o'clock shadow.

check out the little lego sean connery!

and that little door right below him actually opens and indy can store his suitcase and whip there.

doesn't indy look fetching flying that plane?

what a great expression on his little lego face.

with design that good, it makes it quite ok that the child still wants lego for her birthday, even when she's turning 9. i'm happy to keep buying it for her.

thank you all for your kind wishes for her birthday yesterday! they elicited that little proud snort thing she does when i read them to her.

cheerful christmas birds

from the spool birdie pattern

i said i was going to go make some.

the fabrics are the riley blake be merry line. purchased here.

i made 9 of them (not sure if there's deeper meaning in that).

and they're #94

i'm going to put some on a wreath, let sabin use some for her tree and decorate some choice packages with them.
might have to do up a few in purple for the tree.

corner view that's literally a corner view

corner view of my little corner by my desk. check out the fabulous eyeball print by the fabulous sandra juto on the wall! and the little skinny laminx bird on my computer. the good stuff in life is in the details.

lots of links to more corner views on the lovely spain daily.

back later with wordless wednesday. and then probably wordy wednesday, just for good measure.

thankfulness: why yes, it is another list

it's that time. thanksgiving. my favorite of all of the holidays. a day of fabulous food that you don't have other days (or maybe only on christmas). a day to pause and think about, if only for a few minutes, the abundance life really does offer. a day to share with family and friends. a day of card games and board games (in my family, growing up, anyway). perfect turkeys, sticky sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, spicy pumpkin pie with plenty of whipped cream. tho' we're not celebrating 'til saturday, i wanted to do my thankfulness list today, where it could enter the big thankfulness cloud out there in the world.

i'm thankful for...

: : these two people. and the times we have together, whether it's at the dinner table on a nightly basis or running along the beach in the wind as the north sea crashes on the sand beside us.  they really are my life.

: : i'm thankful for having a great kitchen in which to cook the thanksgiving feast and a whole lot of guests to share it with.

: : i'm thankful for friends - long-term ones who we can visit in our pajamas if we want to and new ones who we are just getting to know and who we solve the world's problems with over dinner and glasses of red wine late into a saturday night. and blog friends (more about that in a minute.)

: : my creative space.

: : books. and living in a home surrounded by books. i think it's good for the soul.

: : blog camp. and the way it has transformed cyber friends into real life friends. and that they want to come back again.

: : collaborations and potential collaborations and having my creativity pushed by the creativity of others.

: : a fresh start and a light heart.

: : the weaving lessons i'm going to start in january.

: : living a place where i don't have to worry about health insurance, unemployment, child care or homelessness.

: : i'm thankful to all of you for reading what i have to say and leaving your comments (i know everyone is saying this in the blogosphere today, but it means a lot and you know i don't like to be sentimental). and i'm really happy you told me about the loading issues, so i could make some adjustments - please do let me know if it loads better now!

happy thanksgiving everyone! even if you're not where it's thanksgiving, it doesn't hurt to pause and be thankful, just for a second.

monocules©

we are working on something really fun around here and i'm really excited about it. as those who came to blog camp 2.0 know, sabin invented these little one-eyed guys. with some help from my sister and a clever and creative friend of hers, we have dubbed them monocules©. and we are working on their story. and a whole product line. and i'm giddy. because it's totally a family project. sabin invented them and makes them, husband's spinning the story, my sister came up with the name and me, i'm the paparazzi, posing them fetchingly in the garden. it's a collaboration made in heaven. are they super cute or what? we'll be sharing their stories very soon.

creativity update: the home stretch

when i last left you with my creativity count, we were at #78, the ghosty cupcakes from halloween. also that evening, sabin was wearing a halloween-themed ugly doll costume which i slaved over but failed to get a good picture of. you can see her face peeking out of the mouth, rather far away, in the middle of this picture. somehow, that is the only picture and she refuses to put it on again for the sake of a blog photo. i know, her priorities are all skewed, i'll work on that...

#79 - sabin's halloween costume

#80 - the very best pumpkin i've ever carved in all my thirty-twelve years.

#81 - rainbow baby quilt, going to a very special home.

#82 - our latest little fun monster guys. sabin and her friend sewed these (you can see that),

but i'm counting them because i made the pattern and helped significantly.

#83 - a new pillow design, which will go up in my etsy shop this weekend

(it has a partner that's similar, but not exactly the same)

#84 - anna maria horner fabrics + wool = a pretty scarf

this one's for my neighbor (the one who reminded me recently about how sometimes you have to close one door before another one opens) but there will be a similar (tho' even more fabulous because it has embroidery) one in my etsy shop this weekend.

* * *

on the creative front, i'm really excited because i've signed up for a weaving course which starts in january. i talked to the most delightful older lady about it on the phone and i just can't wait. i found a weaving laug like the one at the museum in randbøldal in a town much closer to home. i've also got a lead on a loom, tho' it happens to be in scotland, but husband's a logistics expert, so i'm sure we can figure that out.

* * *

tonight we opened a jar of the apple chutney i made back in september and i am happy to report it is fantastic (that's the very jar we opened, the dark one there on the right)! if you have any apples left from your apple trees, run, don't walk and make this chutney, it's not too late. we had it as an accompaniment to a wonderful chicken gumbo from jamie oliver's new america cookbook this evening, but we will be eating it with just about anything...a roast, a curry, our thanksgiving turkey...it's wonderful! and so satisfying to have made it myself. in fact, i don't think i counted it before, so it's #85.

only 15 more things to go in the year of creativity! i think i'm going to make it.

* * *

p.s. dear blogger, i HATE your new photo uploader. it sucks beyond belief. bring back the easy, good one from blogger in draft. please, pretty please? you know, the one that lets us upload our photos, choose where they go and when and then lets us change them to the size we want without changing the html in 3 places....yeah, that one. give it back! don't make me ponder wordpress....

p.p.s. dear blogger, thank you for helping me very quickly via twitter. and while i'm still not entirely happy with the new photo uploader (only 5 photos at a time? please, that's pathetic), i can now make my photos the 800 wide that i want to without distortion. it's a bit more cumbersome than it was, but it is pretty cool to be able to look up pix that are already in the picasa albums and i'm sure you'll keep improving it. oh, and please send some sunshine.