Wow

This place is amazing, I don’t think you can come much closer to paradise! We’ve been in the Maldives for almost a week now and we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We arrived here last Saturday morning after quite a long flight from home. When we landed in Male, the capital of the Maldives, we waited for about an hour before we hopped on a sea plane that was going to take us to Kuredu island where we had booked a beach bungalow for two weeks. Going by a sea plane was really cool and you could see the multiple islands from the sky, it was beautiful. We were greeted with smiles and a welcome drink, then we were shown our bungalow. It is right on the beach and has got everything you need. The bathroom and shower is outdoors on the back of the bungalow ☺

You can’t really complain about anything here; the white sand, the beach, the sea, the friendly people, the lovely food and the beautiful wheather is exactly what we have been dreaming of. On Tuesday night we decided to book an à la carte restaurant called the Beach where we both had lobster on the beach. Unfortunately it started raining that evening so we had to sit under the roof for the rest of the night but it was still an experience I for sure will remember. Fredrik has also gone for a couple of dives and when he went for his ”tune up” dive earlier this week he was lucky to see a huge turtle ☺ Yesterday he went for a longer dive while I was staying at the bungalow and he saw a big variety of fish. Today we had some visitors in the water near our bungalow, we saw a black tip shark and two sting rays!

On Saturday we’re going to a smaller island called Komandoo, we got a free upgrade (sometimes you’re lucky ;)) to a jacuzzi beach villa! We’re staying there for our second week and we’re really looking forward to it. It’s a smaller island, I think it is only about 5-10 mins walk around, compared to a 40 min walk where we are now. But it’s supposed to be really romantic and beautiful there as well. Before we’re heading off to Komandoo we’re gonna go for a snorkelling trip tomorrow morning and also a sunset cruise in the evening where we hope to take some pics of the sunset and get sight of the dolphins around. I can’t say anything bad about this trip, we’re enjoying every minute of being in paradise!

Reebok easytone

I don't know what has happened lately but I haven't been good at updating my blog. That'll have to change I think. Right now I'm lying in bed because I'm really tired even though it's only after 9pm. I've had a really good weekend but that is over now and I was thrown into a new week once again. It don't really mind since we're going to the Maldives in less than three weeks now. I'm longing for the sun and I can't wait to take off with my darling for two relaxing weeks in the sun.

On Friday last week F and I celebrated our first anniversary. I can't believe it has been a year already. We went on our first date a cold night in February last year and one year on we're happier than ever :) To celebrate this we went out for dinner in Old Town where we enjoyed a three course dinner together. We had a lovely time and talked about that night on the 17th of February 2011 when we first met @ Fashion café in Sundbyberg. My darling - I love you to bits!

On Saturday we went to the afters of a wedding, Lina and Hilton finally got married and they looked so happy together. The dress was absolutely gorgeous on Lina, she looked stunning. Congratulations again you guys!

Earlier on that day myself and F went to Solna Centrum and he bought me a pair of Reebok Easytone trainers that I've wanted for quite some time. They were on sale in Nilsons and now I'm really excited to try them out. I'm looking forward to when the snow is gone and it gets brighter, because then I can start going out for walks in the evenings again!

Essie nail varnish

Last weekend I bought a new nail varnish from Essie, the colour is turquoise & caicos. I love the nail varnishes from Essie, they have so many lovely colours and give a really nice finish to your nails. I think I will use this one when I go to the Maldives in..... less than five weeks! I can't wait, can't believe this trip is just around the corner :)

But before I head off there is quite a lot to do in work, but the fact that I'm going away keeps me highly motivated which is good. Right now I'm watching The big bang theory, I just love it. I was really sceptical when F asked me to watch an episode a while ago but now I really enjoy watching these ultimate nerds! ;) I hope you're having a good week, it's already Wednesday tomorrow :)

Dinner @ Aifur

In a few minutes I'm gonna jump in the shower to start getting ready for tonight. Myelf and F are heading out for dinner together and we're gonna try E-type's restaurant Aifur at Västerlånggatan in Gamla stan. I'm really excited about it and I'm looking forward to spending some time with M & M :)

Earlier on we went to Solna Centrum to get some things done. F bought some clothes and I bought a new Essie nail varnish and some other stuff. We ordered fresh smoothes from the juice bar and mine was with ginger, mango, orange and banana - it was yummie! I'm getting hungry again so I better go and get ready cause we're heading into town in about an hour!

Beautiful flats

Don't you just love these gorgeous Michael Kors ballet flats!? You can get them on Net-a-porter for €225!

I'm currently watching Sveriges Mästerkock on tv and dreaming about these shoes. I've just enjoyed a fresh mango and now I'm gonna make myself a cup of tea. Tomorrow is Thursday already, that means that there is only one more day before my baby's coming home. Can't wait for him! ♥

Different weekend

This weekend will soon come to an end and it feels like it hasn't even started. I think it's because of the lack of my darling. On Friday after work I went to a bodypump class before I headed home. I was really tired afterwards so I just made some dinner and headed for the couch where I watched The voice on telly. Yesterday morning I woke up at around 9 o'clock but stayed in bed for another hour. After that I made some breakfast and cleaned up in the apartment. My baby came home from Åre in the afternoon so I went to pick him up at his workplace. Later on last night we drove over to the Hellman's family in Vallentuna where we got to play with Benjamin and Elias again. Elias is getting bigger and stronger now and he's such a cutie. When we first came in he started crying when he saw me (I think it was the glasses) but after that we made a great connection :) Lisa & Kim had cooked lamb and it was very nice. They also served creme brulee for dessert, that's one of my favourites. We had a lovely time as always with a lot of laughter before it was time for us to head home again!

This morning myself and F got up at around 7:30 as he was meeting his colleagues at Arlanda around 9 (he's off to London this time). I gave him a lift out and had high hopes for the day but I was really tired afterwards so I've mostly watched TV today actually. I feel like doing some scrapbooking but I'll probably do that during the week instead. Below you can see a layout I created when myself and Emmeli were down in Enköping at a scrapbooking event last September. I used the material from the kit I received when I got down there and the photos are from last spring when F and I tried out the roller blades :)

Linguini

Tomorrow is Thursday and I'm going to work as usual, I'm giving F a lift to work as well since he's heading up to Åre tomorrow night and he's leaving the car at home. Luckily he's coming back on Saturday so I get to see him for a little while before he's heading off to London on Sunday again. Tomorrow night I'm meeting up with Maria and we're having dinner at restaurant Linguini. I'm so looking forward to it, both the Italian food and spending time with Maria. We haven't seen each other properly for a long time and we promised each other we'd go out for a proper Italian meal after we had finished the Italian course. Tomorrow is the night! :)

Catch of the day

Right now I'm lying on the couch exhausted from the 10 km run I did on the threadmill after work. I've just watched Sofias Änglar on TV and ended up crying, the things that some people and families have to go through is unbelievable. Had a great day today in work, I'm feeling energized and I'm quite excited about the year ahead.

I thought I'd show you a layout that I did when I was down in Enköping in September for a scrapbooking event. I love the photos that I used in this layout and I'm happy with the format of the layout, the colours and the material that I used. The photos are from Sicily last July when F and I ordered lobster, prawns and fresh fish for dinner. The head chef let us pick and point on what we wanted :) We had such a good time in Sicily, I'm longing for the heat and the sun right now. Luckily it's now less than 7 weeks until we're going to the Maldives!

Hair oil

A few months ago I decided to order a hair oil that I had read about in a magazine. It's called Orofluido oil and is a mixture of cyperus, argan and linseed oil. It smells of amber and vanilla and I just love the silky texture of it. It can be used on dry hair to reduce frizziness, add moisture and give your hair a shiny look. You can also use it on towel-dried hair and it will reduce the blow-drying time significantly. I could really notice since I've such thick hair that takes forever to blow dry normally. I can really recommend this hair oil, I love it!

Sleeveless shirts

I really like the sleeveless shirts that you can see out in the shops at the moment. These two come from Vero Moda and Topshop respectively. My favourite one is the white one to the left from Vero Moda. I just checked their website a moment ago and found out that it's sold out. I'm not surprised as it's really pretty I love the details like the beads on the collar, the hidden buttons and the assymetrical shape of it!

Chewy cranberry cookies

Yesterday I made the most gorgeous cranberry cookies. I never make cookies normally but I found this recipe in the blog Söta Saker and I just had to try it out :)

100 g butter
1 tablespoon of honey
1 / 2 cup of water
2 cups of oat flakes
2 cups of flour
1 cup of pumpkin seeds
1 cup of sesame seeds
1 cup of dried cranberries
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 pinch of salt

Melt together honey, water and butter over medium heat in a saucepan and let it cool down. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then stir the mix into the butter mixture. Keep stirring until you have a sticky mixture and then shape into small balls. Put them on a baking tray with parchment paper. Bake in the oven at 175 degrees for fifteen minutes.

Food @ Byn

Last night we enjoyed such lovely food @ Byn, we were still full when we woke up this morning ;)

My love

Another layout I created last weekend was this one of a photo of me and F when we were out with the boat this spring. We went to Fjäderholmarna and sat out in the sun at restaurant Rökeriet. It's day I remember, there was nothing to complain about, absolutely nothing! :)

The cardstock paper was so nice in itself that I worked more with the decorations around the photo. I'm quite happy with it!

The girl with the dragon tattoo

Tonight myself and Fredrik are heading into town to go to the cinema, we want to see The girl with the dragon tattoo. We've talked about going to restaurant Byn for a long time and so we thought that we'd have dinner there first :) I'm excited about seeing Rooney Mara doing Lisbeth Salander, but I doubt she's as good as Noomi Rapace. Anyway, we'll see tonight!

Earlier on today we played badminton with Marcus and Maria in Sundbybergs rackethall. It's so much fun playing badminton. I'm not very good  (yet!) but I'm certainly trying and F is giving me a lot of tips which I appreciate!

Reading

Over Christmas I read the book One Day by David Nicholls, I borrowed the English version from a colleague of mine. When I had finished reading it myself, Jessica and Michaela went to the cinema to see the film. I really liked the book, but was a bit suprised about the ending. Though, I suppose it was not one of those books with the predictable happy ending and I really liked the format of the book where the writer tells us what is happening in the lives of two friends one day at a time, on the same day each year. The film is good, but not as good as the book. If you haven't read it, please do because it's worth reading.

I normally don't read that much, I only tend to open a couple of books during my summer holidays. But it's quite relaxing so I'm gonna continue with a book that I bought in Italy in the summer of 2010 - This charming man by Marian Keyes.

Scrapbooking challenge

During the weekend I found some time for scrapbooking and did two new layouts :) I started with the January layout challenge for Svensk Scrapbooking by interpreting the below sketch:

I found a couple of photos from last Easter when Maria, Marcus and F came over to my place for dinner. I had bought everyone an Easter egg and I think it was the first time Marcus and F met each other. My result looks like this:

Nice walk

On Friday, F and I decided to go for a walk around Södermalm in Stockholm as the weather was really nice. It was about -2 degrees and the sun was out, no wind either. It was a lovely walk and we were not the only people walking that day :) When we came in to Götgatan we sat down at Wayne's coffee and had a bite to eat before we walked the last bit back to the car. We're not very good at heading out for walks but when the weather is as beautiful as it was we just had to!

Adele - Set Fire To The Rain (Live at The Royal Albert Hall)

My God does this woman know how to sing and perform! She is my favourite singer by far right now and I would love to watch her live at some stage. She is such a beautiful woman as well. I ♥ Adele! (Thanks Anna for the tip ;))

Me and my beloved brother

He he, don't you just love old photographs. This one is of me and my brother (quite a few years ago) and it looks like we're having loads of fun ;) I wonder what we were laughing about!?