Living on the prairie

So, over this last week-end I have read all the Little House on the Prairie books. Such beautiful books filled of stories of an inspiring family! There was something charming with living back in those days, but reading the books also makes me grateful to be able to go to the shop and buy whatever I want without having to produce it myself 😀. It is so fun to read books about the stories of people that lived long ago, the people that made up the history of our world.

 

I think what is most beautiful about the books is the positive, sweet attitudes that the members of the Ingall's family had, both towards each other and towards life, despite the challenges. And as I look at the lives of people around me, I am reminded that we are all living our little prairie lives in our own way. We are all creating history, we are all leaving a legacy.

 

I also realized that living a little prairie life the way the Ingall's did is about living life to the full. Embracing the sunrises, the flowers, the fresh springs, the long winters, the hard work with a joy and a positive attitude...that is what makes life fun to live. Learning to squeeze out every last drop that the day has to offer.

 

Tonight I was meant to go to a baby shower for a friend, but it was cancelled because she had her baby instead. So I got to sit and enjoy the cupcakes I had made together with some friends and family and now I am sitting looking at the fire crackling in our fireplace and listening to my husband playing guitar and I am grateful... grateful for the life I have and the ability to enjoy living it, through the ups and downs.

 

These chocolate cupcakes were really good! Click here for a link to the recipe. The icing was AMAZING!!! I made a chocolate buttercream icing but threw in some extra cocoa and cream cheese:

125g margarine, room temperature

1/2 cup / 125 ml cocoa

2 cups / 500 ml icing sugar

2 tbsp milk

100 g cream cheese

 

1. Beat the marg until it gets whitish and light. Add the icing sugar and beat some more.

2. Add the cocoa, milk and cream cheese and beat until the consistency is smooth and creamy.

3. Spread or pipe over cupcakes.

 

Happy baking!

Love,

Heidi

 

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Do you know what I am looking forward to?

This...

A delicious braai (barbecue, grill, whatever you want to call it)! There is no better way to spend a warm summer evening than sitting around a fire with the company of family and friends, and the smell of freshly grilled meat. It makes me long for summer yet at the same time I can't help loving this...

The crisp freshness of winter and snow. Cosy nights snuggled up around candles, drinking hot chocolate. This is one of the things I love most about living in Sweden...the clearly different seasons. The new life of spring, the exuberance of summer, the bright colours of autumn and the crispness of winter. It is beautiful!

 

Here comes a recipe for one of my favourite meals to create some warmth in the winter cold. A delicious Thai chicken curry. You can adjust the heat of the curry by adding more or less curry paste.

 

Have a great week!

 

Love,

Heidi

 

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A sneak peek into the past...

So, 2013 has come to an end. It has been a year of growth, of love, of joy and ultimately of faith, learning to trust when all circumstances are saying " Impossible!" , yet believing that it never really is.

Challenging ourselves to a New Year's hike at Skurugata, a big canyon/gorge close to Eksjö

 

The journey of living life is fantastic and fun. The challenge is learning to live a life that is not just about me. It is so easy in our modern society that our eyes are drawn to ourselves...my desires, my dreams, my wants. And while there is nothing wrong in pursuing that, ultimately our focus should be on "What can I give, not what can I get."

My favourite chocolate cake recipe with milk chocolate ganache and fondant snowflakes

How many times don't we get stuck in our feelings, doing something if we feel like it, not doing something when we don't. Yet there is something so beautiful and so powerfully in sacrificing something of ourselves, be it time or money or whatever, in order to help make someone else feel better. It is in those sacred moments that we often end up feeling way better than we would have had we pursued our own wishes.

I love my family!

At the dawn of this new year, let us help each other to think more about others than ourselves. Let us help each other to reach our dreams together. Let us help each other to grow in love.

 

May 2014 be a blessed year of peace, joy, love and hope!

Love,

Heidi

 

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❤️LOVE❤️

Hello everyone!

 

I'm back after a break from blogging! It's been fun and busy running after 2 precious children, renovating and trying to find time to live in the now. It's so easy to long for moments in the future, or miss moments from the past, but learning to REALLY live in the present is a challenge at times. But it's been something that I've been thinking about lately, to make the most of the moments that we have because soon they will be gone and there will be new moments to enjoy.

One of my favourite type of moments is romantic moments, so when I was asked to make a wedding cake for today, I happily agreed! Celebrating LOVE is one of my favourite things to do!

(Please excuse the photos...the dark Swedish winter is not the most ideal for photography😄)

 

So as we head into the new year, let's remind each other to live fully and to LOVE fully!

 

Love,

Heidi

 

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A whole lot of diggin' fun!

Children are a blessing! I remember the first time I held my oldest son, the feelings were overwhelming. Somehow when you get a child, you think you know what love is, but actually, the more time I spend with him the deeper the love grows. It is amazing the ability that children have in impacting our lives.

Now it's 5 years later and I can't believe that my baby is on his way to becoming a thoughtful, intelligent, kind yet strong young man!

What a blessing he is! When he turned 5 in November he wanted to have a building/construction party, here is some snapshots:

When the kids arrived they had a visit from "Builder Bull" who took them into the basement for some challenges. First they had to find head bands which then split the group into two teams depending on the colour headband they found. The two teams then had different relays so they could run off some energy. After that it was time for lunch, a "Build-your-own-burger bar". After lunch the birthday boy opened his presents and then we headed outside for some digging-in-the-sand games. It was a chilly day so after the games we came back inside to eat cake and ended off the day by crafting our own bulldozers. It was super fun!

Elias, I am so proud of you my son. I so look forward to the adventures, the laughter and the memories that lie ahead!




To all of you with kids...remember to cherish the moments, they go by so quickly and can never be brought back!




Love,

Heidi

 

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Strawberry Delight

This week-end we celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday a little early because she is heading on an adventure to India for 3 months. I tried a new recipe with puréed frozen strawberries in the batter and it came out amazing. It was such a refreshing cake! I layered the bases with my favourite cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries...Yummy!

 

If you want to try this cake out, you can find the recipe over at Smitten Kitchen.

Happy travels, Mickie!

Love,

Heidi

 

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The legendary Lightning McQueen

Lightning McQueen is one of the most popular Disney characters, at least in my household of boys. So I was happy when a friend of mine asked if I could make a Lightning cake for her 5 year old son. A delicious chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream. It came out pretty cute!

Happy baking!

Love,

Heidi

 

 

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