When everything happens at once

Hi there!

 

My head is a real mess right now. There is so much going on I don't know where to start.

Me and M found an appartment that we really want, and yesterday we brought my parents and sister to see it. They liked it too and saw all the opportunities that we did. We did think we would be the only ones there, but the estate agent had invited other potential buyers as well. Made us kind of nervous to see how big the interest was. We booked an appointment at the bank this morning to make sure we would get the loan we need. They said okay, so we placed an offer and now we just need to wait and see if they accept it. Probably won't get any answers until the end of the week. It will be a constant stomach ache until we know. I don't know how many times I've decorated that appartment in my head.

Tomorrow we're going to Madrid, something that we've been looking forward to for months. What we didn't plan was that Lufthansa would strike today and tomorrow, which means our flight is cancelled. In panic we booked new tickets last night, and today M has been trying to get the money back for the first tickets and make sure our tickets home are still valid, even though we will cancel the first tickets. Still not sure what will happen since no one could answer, and didn't call back as promised. When he tried to call back they had closed their phone service. I like being spontaneous, but when things are planed and the time is limited I just want things to go as planed! But it will work out one way or another.

As this wasn't enough to mess up a girl's mind, I've also been thinking about education and there are things going on at work that I'm not sure what to think about. I really want to study to makeup specialist, but I need to know what happens with the appartment, and what happens at work so I know when it's a good time to start. It's just six weeks, and only one day in school, so I should be able to combine it with my job during the time. But still, need to fix that first! Why does everything always have to happen at the same time? It's close to impossible to think clear at the moment! A good night's sleep on that one?

See you soon, from another place in the world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas in October

Merry Christmas!

Our lovely days in the woods are now over and it's time to go back to reality again. Christmas have been wonderful and we can't wait for the real Christmas with the whole family.

First night we decorated Gingerbread cookies to hang in the window for decoration during our stay. Everyone enjoyed it and made some beautiful creations. The focus was on top, as you might see on the pictures.

 The morning after we got up really early for a few hours drive to a big wholesale store. We did find a few Christmas gifts and some things to M's apartment. I don't know any other guy that would go there voluntarily, and not complain once! M is kind of great, I must say.

For dinner we made a traditional Swedish Christmas table. Or sort of, we took a few of our favorites that was doable at the time. Meatballs, sausages, eggs with mayonnaise and shrimps, potatoes, mackerel in tomato sauce, beetroot salad... And of course a few picks of candy with chocolate, oranges and marshmallows shaped like tiny Santas. It all tasted like Christmas is supposed to do. We only missed the ham, and the meatballs should be home made. And all of Grandma's cookies.

 

 After dinner we played the Christmas gift game. In case you haven't heard about it I'll run the rules quite quick. Every contestant bring one, or a few gifts, for a given amount of money. They should be wrapped nicely. It's more fun to see everyone fight over your gift. Everyone around the table takes turn to throw a dice, a six and you get to pick a gift. Do NOT open now! When all gifts are taken, one person sets an alarm clock on a secret time (usually around 15 minutes or so, depending on how many people taking part). The dice keeps walking around, but now when you get a six you get to steal a gift from someone else. When the alarm rings you get to keep the gifts you've won.

 We finished of with some hot chocolate before we went to bed, and today it was time to go home and work for a few hours. Overall it couldn't have been better. It was so relaxing and, I think,  very much needed for all of us, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of mini-Christmas again before it's time to celebrate for real.

Hope you enjoyed reading about our little celebration!

Christmas is here!

Hey!

Almost done with my packing. Tonight I'm taking two of the people I love the most, my sister and my boyfriend, to our cabin for a few days of Christmas!

In Sweden Halloween is not a very big thing. They sell a few pumpkins in the store for decoration, and there might be a few kids doing Trick or Treat, but not much more than that. The next big holiday here is Christmas and we are excited! 

We all work hard and could use a bit of relaxation. We all love Christmas. No one else is on the same level as we are yet, so we thought, 'Why not go away for a couple of days'. And now it's all in for Christmas. (Don't worry, we will not go with all this until December. It will be packed down in boxes for a month or two after this. We just want a pre-taste.)

Tomorrow we will go to a big discount store, a few hours by car from the cabin. I think everyone in Sweden knows about this place, and people go there from all over the country. We will see if we can find some things for M's appartment (since I'm pretty much moving in one step at the time) and if we find some Christmas gifts we will purchase them now.

If we find some gifts we will wrap them tomorrow night, watch a Christmas movie, eat Christmas inspired snacks, play the Christmas gift game and just have a cozy time.
Have you started thinking about Christmas yet?

Home alone

Hi everyone!

Tonight M is out with his friends, so I'm all alone for the evening. Even though I miss him a little, it isn't too bad to have some alone time. I decided to make some lunch boxes for the weekend, then take a long shower before I put on my PJ's and joined my friends Tea and iPad for a night in. The iPad was a birtday gift from my parents, and might be one of the best things ever. It makes blogging and keeping up with the social network around it soo much easier. I went straight to buy a Bluetooth keyboard, which is absolutely perfect! It's like a mini laptop that fits into pretty much any bag. For work, on the bus or train... I'm in love!

When I logged in toTwitter I noticed there was a Bloggers Do It Better Chat that was about to start and I was happy to join in. I realized how much I've missed interact with other bloggers. It has been a while now since I've been so up to just about everything else. One of the best things about blogging is all the lovely people you get to meet.

I also realized I miss the Bloggers Do It Better Challenge. I don't seem to get notifications or e-mails anymore, so I'll have to find out what is up with that and see if I can join in again.

How do you spend the time when you get a night for yourself?

 

 

Rituals - Mild Eye Make-up Remover

Good morning!

As you may know if you've followed my blog for a while, I am a big fan of Rituals. One of my latest purchases was their Mild Eye Make-up Remover. I've been finding it hard to find something that really works for me. I have really sensitive skin around my eyes, so I tend to get really dry and itchy from some removers. I've been trying removers made for sensitive eyes as well, but the ones I've tried doesn't remove the eye makeup as well as I want, which result in me rubbing harder and irritate the skin anyway. But here it is, the perfect one for me! It will take miracle product for me to ever change from this one!

It contains Lotus flowers, that naturally cleans and protect the skin and Rice Bran oil that keeps the skin healthy and soft. This one does it's job and removes the makeup very easily, and it doesn't itch. Not even a little! Another very good thing about this one is the price. I pay about $14,50 for a bottle of 125 ml. I will definatly be re-purchasing this as soon as this one is empty. I'm also very curious about the other products in this range.

Have you tried these products from Rituals? What are your toughts?

 

 

Chicago - Tourist tips

Hi there!

So it's time for the last post about Chicago, for this time. Since we got to Chicago on an impulse, we didn't know much about the town before we got there. In this post I want to share some of the things we learned and might be useful tips for a visitor.

Airport transfer

When we got to the airport we asked for the best way to get into city center and was recommended to take a shuttle bus. For $46 we got to go with a mini-bus that left us just outside the hotel entry. It took quite a long time (close to 1,5h) because of the trafic, and we had to sit stocked up with a few strangers, but it was still perfect for a first time visitor that didn't know where to find the hotel.

On the way back to the airport we realized how much better the train was. It took about 40 minutes and costed us in total $6. The walk from our hotel was just 10 minutes long, so we saved both time and money. At the hotel they asked us if we wanted them to call a taxi and when we told them we wanted to take the train they just said "Smart move". It's quite easy to get stuck in traffic during rush hour.

Next time we go to Chicago we will skip the shuttle and just take the train. Especially since we now have a clue about the city and isn't completely lost when we arrive.

Shopping

If you, like me, are used to European (not to say Scandinavian) prices the shopping is great. Both Macy's and Nordstroms was like heaven to me! The have just about everything you might need, good prices to start with and quite a lot of sales.

If you are from abroad and shop at Macy's you can ask for a discount card at the information desk, and show your ID-card. This gives you 10% off, which covers the taxes.

If you have a day to spend, I would really recommend to go to the Fashion Outlet (read previous post) It's impossible to leave without a great deal!

Sightseeing

Since we didn't have much time, we didn't do much sightseeing, but we did take a stroll in Millennium Park which was quite an experience. The modern art was really cool!

A walk down to the pier to watch the skyline in sunset is also highly recommended. It was so beautiful, and powerful, for someone coming from a little town like me.

If we would have had one more day, we would like to go on a guided boat tour around the town as well. It seemed like a really nice thing to do. Next time, Chicago!

Other

If you haven't checked out The Cheesecake factory, do so! Yummy!

Bring a pair of good walking shoes, because it's really easy to get around by foot. And don't forget a jacket! Chicago is called the windy city, so even when the sun is shining the air can feel quite cold.

Don't come with full bags. If you like shopping you will need as much space as possible. Just bring the most important stuff!

So what do you think? Is Chicago a place you would want to visit?


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Fashion Outlet of Chicago

When we decided to go to USA we were recommended to go to a Premium outlet. We had our eyes on one in San Francisco, but since we didn't end up there we had to rethink that plan. We asked our friend Google if he knew a place in Chicago and was told to go to Aurora. Good thing, we thought, but wasn't sure how to get there. We found a tourist information and went in to ask for help. The lady we met told us that they had opened up an outlet center close to the airport, and that it was a lot easier to go to than the one in Aurora. The center was called Fashion outlets of Chicago, which is why we didn't find it googeling Premium outlets.

From city center we took the train from Clark Lane to O'Hare, and a shuttle bus to the outlet. When we got back home we found out that you could take the train to Rosemont instead and get a free shuttle. We paid about $20 for our shuttle.

The center has 130 stores, which is quite a lot compared to the malls I'm used to at home. And the prices are not to talk about. USA is really cheap compared to Sweden to start with, and with all these sales I can tell you I was in heaven!

To give you a hint about the prices in USA compared to Sweden, I bought a shirt for my brother that he has been looking at here. I didn't buy it at the outlet, and it wasn't on sale, but still it was less than half price of what I would have to pay here.

When we arrived we went to the information desk because we wanted to buy Green Saving cards with additional discounts. As we told them we were from Sweden we got the cards for free (instead of $5/each) if we could show our ID-cards, proving we were visitors. Most discouts were something like "additional 10% off if you shop for $100". We did use quite a lot of those discounts, so they would have payed off, even if we hadn't got them for free.

We arrived around 11a.m. and left after 6p.m. And we did some great findings! Brands that I would never be able to buy at home, to prices that I usually spend. US Polo and Calvin Klein became the stores that we opened up our wallets to the most. Did some fantastic deals there. If I did have to pick my absolute favorite from the outlet I think it would be my DKNY "cozy", a cardigan that you can wrap in several different ways. Original price on the price tag was $175, I paid around $50, including taxes.

We found the center big enough to have everything we wanted, but not too big so we were able to check out all the stores and still go back if we realized we missed something. There was a big food court so it wasn't any trouble finding a place to sit when you needed a break.

We would really recommend going to this outlet center, especially if you're used to European prizes. Keep in mind though, that this is the first one I visit and have nothing really to compare with. We will for sure go back there next time we go to Chicago.