Cinderella

Me as a princess the other day. This dress weighed tons but was so beautiful.

Packing!

Tomorrow night we're taking "the red eye" to Washington to start our trip to Europe. So a lot of packing is going on at this house right now. How is the weather in Sweden? What kind of outfits do I need? Shoes? Sandals or flats? Or high heels? Sunglasses? Jewelry? How many pair of jeans? Soo many questions every time a trip is planned and you have to think ahead for several days. And I'm usually a person who wakes up in the morning to see what kind of mood I'm in and what I would like to wear for the day. Oh well, at least one little person has his bag packed and is ready to go :)

Favorite from the past

Look what I've been eating way too many of....After Eight, an old school classic and still a favorite of mine. "Just one more...." Isn't that a classic too? And then all of a sudden the box or bag or whatever you're eating from is empty! I remember when I was little, mom had this little stand that looked like a cart that she put the box in and we always used to joke, "Is it after eight now? Are we allowed to eat them?" Or sometimes we melted the chocolate squares and ate them with pear halves as a dessert. That's another thing that is so great with what we indulge in, all the memories that come with.

Fairy tale

A little clue... who dropped her shoe?  :)

On my way home from a "fairy tale" shoot in Hollywood last night, trying to capture my makeup. Too dark in the car to be able to see anything though.. I'll just have to show you the picture once it's ready instead!

PS.

Dylan's candy bar at the Grove - it's open! I walked in and it was packed with people, lots of little kids of course. Candy in all shapes and forms everywhere. So colorful. I left empty handed though. I'm saving myself for Sweden. We really have the BEST candy in the world at home. And it's so pricy over here too. One pound of mixed candy costs $12.99 so about 20 Swedish kr for 100 g. It's not cheap being a little candy monster ;)

Out with the old/in with the new

A stroller is the perfect place to put all your shopping bags in! If someone else is holding the little guy that is.. :) (And don't worry, only the sandals were for me!)

My favorite sandals broke when out walking the other day :(  All of a sudden one strap got lose. My favorite pair that I wore almost every day and summer is not over yet.. But one great thing with breaking something is that then you are actually really allowed to buy something new! And I found the perfect pair from Sam Edelman. Black leather and very neutral. They will work well with everything.

Almost in Sweden

Yes, it says Norwegian church because that's how it started but all the Scandinavian countries are now represented.

Waffles and "Ris a'la malta"

Some errands brought us to the Swedish church in San Pedro, outside of LA, yesterday. I've heard a lot about it during my years living here so it was fun to get to see it too. What I liked the most was of course, the little Swedish store inside, selling traditional Swedish food items and candy! And the chance to a "fika", homemade Swedish cakes and waffles. Mmm, a little taste of what's about to come...because Saturday we're boarding a plane and starting the trip that will eventually lead us to two weeks with family and friends in Sweden. Can't wait!

Good morning...

...to Newberry Springs and everywhere else. I like having my cup of tea or coffee in a personal cup like that, a little souvenir from a fun trip or occasion. My cupboard has tons of them. Then I sit there and sip the warm drink and remember it all over again. Like this one, from Baghdad Cafe in Newberry Springs on last summer's road trip. That is the best trip I've ever been to. I got to share it with people I love and together we experienced so much. Baghdad Cafe happened by accident. We drove through the desert and all of a sudden it appeared in front of us. Remembering it from the movie, of course we had to make a stop. And those unplanned events usually turn out to be the most memorable ones. A road trip is always filled with them. All those little adventures along the way.

Poolside

I took my very first dip of the summer today. End of August already, I would say it was about time. And almost three months old, my little guy took his very first one ever. Not a full one of course, but dressed in blue swim trunks he at least got his little feet wet. One of the warmest days of summer, we couldn't have picked a better day for a momentary cool off. Followed by burgers on the grill, I would say my Saturday was nearly a perfect one.

Happiness

A Gucci rabbit

For mini fashionistas. Gucci zoo bag. Cute :)

Shoes..

Vanilla Bake Shop

And I got a little treat...three mini cupcakes from Vanilla Bake Shop. I consider myself a bit of a cupcake expert and I have to say these are among the best ones I've had. Sorry, no photo...they disappeared faster than giving me a chance to! But the red tongue gives away what I had...yes, a red velvet :)

www.vanillabakeshop.com

Family room

New day and new mall. The one in Century City this time, which is one of my absolute favorites. They have so many fun stores and restaurants and it's a nice place to walk around in. And they had the best thing I've seen, something I've never noticed before for apparent reasons - an entire room for parents and kids complete with diaper stations, private nursing rooms, a bottle warmer/microwave to warm up bottles/food, toys...everything! All for free. I'm really impressed. To have a comfortable place for feedings and diaper changes makes the trip away from home with a little baby so much less stressful.

Salvation

Voila! Don't mind the messy bedroom..

Believe me. It was huge.

It's so incredibly hot in LA right now it's really unbearable. It's tough for me so I can only imagine how tough it must be for the little ones. Yesterday I was so careful making sure My little one got enough liquid but must have forgotten about myself. He didn't want to go outside for a walk in the stroller (I don't blame him though), so we were pretty much stuck inside in a super warm apartment and even though I thought I was drinking enough apparently I wasn't. So the longer the day progressed I was starting to feel really bad and eventually I ended up dehydrated with a migraine :( Today, I wanted to make sure it didn't happen again so I packed the car with me, baby and stroller and took off to the Beverly Center. It's cool in there and at least we got some hours of relief. And while I was "stranded", why not make the best out of it...so I came home with another striped sweater, (how unusual..) I can never have too many. Since baby got one from grandma the other day, mommy wants to look just as nice! I also enjoyed a really tasty Chicken Ceasar salad at the food court. It was one of the biggest salads I've ever seen and when I got it I asked for a box to go right away because I was sure I wouldn't be able to finish it all. But I did! Almost every little green leaf included. Guess I really needed the extra nutrition because of yesterday. Anyway, stay cool everyone and happy weekend!

Beautiful

Look how beautiful my flowers are by the way. In full bloom!

Earthquakes, earthquakes..

Things happen even when I'm not awake to witness them of course. Apparently another earthquake hit Los Angeles late last night. This one was a little bit bigger than the previous one a couple of weeks ago, a 4.4 magnitude. My flowers in the vase on the table had been shaking, as well as the chandelier above them... And just now, about ten minutes ago another one, 4.5 magnitude, hit the greater Los Angeles area! Even if I'm up and about I totally missed it though! Maybe because I constantly have my own little force of nature right next to me... ;)

The best mom

Can you believe this? My mom sends me a package like this every now and then, like every second week! Swedish magazines and candy! I LOVE finding a package from back home right outside my doorstep. But who doesn't, right? And today little guy got something for him too! This adorable striped sweater. He likes stripes just like his mommy.

MY time

Mmm. Have I told you I make the best tiramisu btw? :)

A friend in the park. And a ladybug landed on me. Doesn't that mean good luck?

Looks like I was missed too!

Mommy got some alone time today. No chores, no musts, just being me for a while. So I went to the nearby park, stopped by at Starbucks first and ordered a latte and a little tiramisu cake lollipop and then hit the grass with my magazine and bare feet. Ah, lovely! I used to do do this so often before, when I was free from auditions during the day. But I don't think it's been as appreciated as right now. Everyone needs some alone time every once in a while. Then after an hour or so I started missing a certain one or two...and went home again, a little bit more refreshed and energized.

Last night at LACMA

I'm wearing a top by Pieces Kensie, skinny jeans from Acne, bag from Marc by Marc Jacobs, my favorite sandals again and big ring from Designtorget, Stockholm.

A great group of friends gathered at the art museum to listen to a jazz concert and enjoy some wine and cheese on the lawn. Such a nice way to spend a Friday evening and ring in the weekend. I didn't know you could bring your own picnic like that. People sitting everywhere in the green grass while the sun slowly went down to the tune of music, it was so cozy.

Motherhood

There it came, the smile I've been waiting for all day. The one that makes everything worth while. All the diaper changes, crying, the hours I spend always being there - for him, not for me. I sat by his crib, read "Itsy bitsy spider", stroke his little head, so small it can almost fit into my palm. Mommy is tired, mommy wants to sleep. Why don't babies do what mommies want? But that smiling face, that sparkle in the big blue eyes looking up on me, he couldn't give anything better back. And that's exactly what mommy will remember when I'll finally put my head on the pillow and leave another full day behind.

Sweetheart

I was so lucky, I got to eat red velvet cake for this shoot!

I just read an article about a resent study showing that people who have a big sweet tooth also are much sweeter in general. That the ones who have a tendency to go for the sweet flavors instead of for example salty or sour ones are real life sweethearts - simply really sweet and nice people! So since I'm the biggest candy&cake lover there is, that must make me the ultimate sweetheart, right?! ;)