August and half of September abroad.....

We have driven and home exchanged through Germany, France and Italy for the last month.

This is us today. SwedeDaddy's new nap spot, at the pool of volcanically thermally heated water in the swimming pool in Ischia, Italy.

We are going to go snorkel and swim here, by the grottos and then enjoy the natural hot water pools by the shore.

We chased summer to Italy this year, and are loving every minute....back home next week, though. Did I mention how much we love home exchange?!

Home for July

Swededaddy's nap spot, the hammock

We are home in July. We worked on our chore lists and traveled in June, and plan to travel again come August. So this is our month at home, July. We are savoring the sweet summer at home, doing a bunch of nothing. SwedeDaddy is home on pappaledig, which means he is not working and we all are just together. We sleep in, eat pancakes, work in the garden, and swim. I think I left the house to do something other than pick something up at the store or go swimming for the first time in two weeks when we went out picking berries. It is enough for us that we can open the house and use the whole space around us with out having to suit people up in snow gear or keep things closed up as we must in winter. We have a nice big fenced yard, and so in summer, our house becomes a lot bigger. We mostly eat on the porch, and the kids run in and out all day.

Swededaddy takes stroller walks - bike rides to the grocery store with the girls

They feed the ducks

At home in the yard, SwedeGirl jumps on the trampoline

Eager to copy her sister, SwedeBaby gets a turn on her own trampoline. She has this until she is big enough for the large one

They play with the kids in the neighborhoodThe flowers are blooming all over the yard. I transplanted these from the abandoned garden we found....I had tried to grow some from seeds so I was happy to be gifted with this short cut!

I planted these from seed. I planted lots flower seeds, and it has been so dry precious few have bloomed.

The Roses. We are grateful to those who lived in this house before, the planted such pretty landscaping, and we have lots of roses.

The peonies were amazing this year

And this is a healthy big old stockrose, right next to the garden

It attracts bees

Pollination!

I have always loved these, so glad I have these pretty blue flowers in our yard. Hortensia, I think.

So we just hang out close to home......

We have had friends over for a BBQ, here is the dad playing in the back yard. This backyard set up has been good- the kiddie pool, slip n slide, and swing set next to the garden. There is a lot of hose time going on in the back yard wit hall the gardening, and when the kids are not swimming they fill the watering cans with pool water and go water the garden. Great fun for the baby, and she is doing something useful which makes her feel important.

Water spray

Splashy Swimming

Slip n sliding.....

Pool water in watering can on the way to the garden....

I found two matching elephant watering cans at various yard sales and thrift shops. This pink elephant is so cute, huh?

We have not gone many places, but when we do it is usually to swim in the local pool or lake, It usually ends in ice cream, too. We have had some sunny sandy swimmy days at our favorite nearby lake shore.

Sunny

Goofy

Sandy

Swimmy

Relaxing

Walking in the woods. We were on a mission to collect elder flower to make saft/ elder cordial, but we were late in the season and got very few flowers, then let them go to far before we did anything with them. Oh well, next year.

Our favorite big old tree. It looked like lovers this day, the female to the right and a male to the left.

This little grasshopper hopped onto Swedegirl and stayed with her all afternoon. Here I was grasshopper sitting while she climbed the tree....

Grasshoppers were our 'animal medicine' guide on our move to Sweden. Animal medicine is a native American idea that if you are open and receptive, animals will show up in your life as a messengers of spirit, and by noticing the nature of the creature, you are being an offered a lesson for your life journey. Grasshoppers are the symbol of an opportunity to take a big leap forward, and leave old karma behind. They are considered good luck. We had a huge 3 inch grasshopper hop on us one occasion as we planned what it took to leave Florida. It was so distinct we both thought, oh, this is an animal messenger moment! While this little guy was not making such a big statement with his size, the fact that he let himself be our 5 year olds pet for about 5 hours straight left an impression! This little guy was a fun reminder of our totem grasshopper from when we moved, as our two year anniversary of arriving in Sweden is tomorrow. When I told my incredulous best friend I hoped to move, we noticed we were standing under a poster that said leap of faith. We made the leap. And here we are.

And ready for the next leaps.

We can take it!

It is my mantra, my intention to increase my capacity for joy, love, adventure, and abundance....

Strawberry Picking!

I love the Swedish word for strawberries- Jordgubbar- or little earth gnomes. Swedes take great pride in their berries, their summer berries must be Swedish, as they will argue strongly no others are as sweet.

Find a self pick berry farm in Sweden.

It would not be a Swedish summer with out loads of strawberries, and it would not be a mom blog with out a post about strawberry berry picking!!! So dear reader, here you get to see how we covered our bases!! Really, what could be sweeter?

Out in a field of berries next to the grains

Under a pretty clear blue sky

Out on the edge of town where the food comes from

You can pick your own sweet little earth gnome strawberries.

The bushes were packed

The baby learned the best part of picking your own is eating bunches of sun warmed berries in the field

The Momma

The berries!

7 kilos and then some, about 16 pounds, for 186 kronors or 25 dollars

The plan? Eat them up, and freeze the rest for smoothies!

Perfect Day at our Favorite Beach in Southern Sweden

I admit I have raised eye brows at the idea of a Swedish beach, thinking it was a bit of an oxymoron. Whenever we went last summer it was windy, sea weedy, or just too cold. No Florida paradise like where I come from at least! But today was the day I realized it is no joke, you can have a sunny, sandy, almost like a Florida beach day in Sweden! But it will be like Florida in March, just nearly 80 f degrees, and the water will still give you goose bumps!

Everyone was out enjoying the good weather, it was a happy kind of crowded, everyone glad to celebrate the sun and share the beach together

Sand Dunes

Some Family

Little Cousins having some fun

Big cousins making the fun

Maybe taking their roles as mummies a bit seriously?

SwedeBaby Love

At Play in the Dunes

Sandcastle building

Now, if that water was a bit warmer than 68 or so, I would be just that much happier... I learned when we had our pool in Florida anything under 80f feels too cool for me, but you take what you can get! That is the temperature of the Gulf at my home in January, and no one but my daughter is swimming in it I assure you! When the outside temperature reaches 80 like it did in Sweden today, it is like it is 100 degrees.... so the water at least qualifies as refreshing if you make an effort to relax and just plunge in it.

I even had the fun surprise of seeing a Florida friend on walk by on the beach! I knew she was in Sweden, but did not expect to run into her at all! She lives in my old town, and will be blogging about her adventures visiting her husband parents in Sweden for the next few weeks, too, on Catching Caterpillars.