I'm into dusty pink at the moment, which I think is a lovely colour in spring. The sofa cushions have received new covers and a pink cotton plaid has found a new spot on the sofa. The images above are simply Internet finds exemplifying the muted dusty, pink I was aiming for.

The cushion covers can be found at H&M, the ring at Etsy, and the knitted blanket at Anno 1909. The nail polish is one of my favourites and also one I actually own, the "Rose Dust" from Mavala.

H&M online has begun their sale and I decided to take advantage of that by buying some bedlinen I've been pondering since I first saw them. In general, I think the quality of H&M's home collection, especially the bedlinen, is high with a rather "crisp and cool" feel and I'm looking forward to checking these out as well. The prices are certainly affordable at the moment and the colours are very summery.

It has been a beautiful day today and T. took the opportunity to mow the lawn for the first time this year. Some rain is expected tonight, but that is actually an advantage, since it's quite dry and water is sorely needed. Nevertheless, the gooseberry bush at the front of the photo seems to thrive and I love the light green of its fresh leaves.

Thanks to T., who has been amazing, most of the boxes (since we moved) have been emptied and there is not much more left to deal with in that regard. Most of the books have found their place on one of the innumerous shelves we have put up, the mountain of accumulated dirty clothes has been washed, and in general we probably know how to find our things more easily than we've done in a long time. We have been to the recycling station several times and, since it's not that far away, it has been quite easy to get rid of the superfluous stuff we've gathered over time.

Our previous home never became "home" for us, but somehow this house already is and it will feel great to spend our first Easter here in a few days' time. The bouquet of yellow tulips is a first glimpse while I continue to work my way through the stashes of work on my table.

Yesterday was windy but sunny and today it's, so far, only windy. Snow is supposed to begin to fall later today and it is said to continue for the next 48 hours. They have promised a total of approximately 30 cm/12 inches of snow and wind around 14-18 metres per second/31-40 mph, which sounds rather daunting.

The pink buds in the photo above give an indication of what it looked like yesterday and I'm simply hoping that they won't fare too badly in the upcoming days. I really long for spring!

UPDATE: Below is an example of what it looked like this morning, i.e. not as much snow as expected, but extremely windy (which doesn't show in the photo of course).

A colleague of mine celebrated her birthday last Thursday and I decided to give her David Design's Readers' Nest as a birthday present. I received one myself from my former colleagues when I had defended my PhD thesis and I've really enjoyed having it in my "reading corner." I thought this might be a good present this time as well and although it took some planning it seemed to be a hit. Apart from that, we're thinking about several presents at the moment. My mother-in-law's birthday is on Tuesday (and I'll definitely not disclose what she will receive), T.'s grandmother has not yet been celebrated either, and another relative will turn thirty in a few weeks' time. We'll see if we can come up with something nice for all of them.

An assortment of white things have caught my attention: Somewhat pricey, but fun, is Woofy which can help us hide the power cords for various appliances. The Spaghetti Measure might be both useful and nice looking, the soap dispenser from Lagerhaus we already have two of, but we seem to need one more, the Leaflower ring is beautiful as well as innovative, and the Flora skulptura 1 is yet another favourite in white from Paradisverkstan.

It has been a rather full week, in which I've travelled quite a lot while we're, at the same time, are trying to make our house into a home. T. has done a lot of work while I was away. Yesterday, I could chip in as well and we emptied a number of boxes. Today has been dedicated to our bedroom/study, where T. and I have put up 19(!) book shelves (and it doesn't seem to be enough). We'll see how we'll deal with the remaining books.

Tomorrow will be a busy day work-wise as well and then I'll be travelling again on Tuesday and get back home again very late on Thursday. The pace will hopefully calm down a bit after that, at least in terms of travelling.

The weather is glorious today, but we've spent the morning inside watching Vasaloppet on television (congrats, Norway!), while having breakfast with homemade bread (buns made by my mother-in-law) that were so yummy. (Thank you so much!)

T. is busy sowing strawberry and leek seeds to be planted in the garden later this upcoming spring, the boys are in their rooms focusing on their screens, and I'm just relaxing, watching the sun and the early spring wildlife outside our windows.

We're slowly adjusting to not moving anymore and today I've worked with things I haven't had time to finish in my regular job in the last few weeks. It's rather annoying to be behind, but that's the way things are at the moment. Priorities.

This morning was glorious, but then it turned both windy and cloudy and the weather conditions are okay, but not as nice as in the photos. The photo above shows our view to the east and the one below shows our view to the west. I enjoy them both.

We have just moved to a new house and we're still discovering all the novelties. Heaps of boxes still "decorate" every room and we still have stuff at the old place, but we're slowly moving towards a more cozy feeling in here. Above you can see the view from our house this evening as the sun was setting.

And now it's time again. In July 2011 we moved to the first rented house in this region, which then the owners decided to sell and subsequently we had to move, and since then we've moved both in March 2012 (to the rented house we stay in at the moment, which is for sale as well) and now, again, in mid February 2013 (to yet another rented house, which isn't for sale). This time we're supposed to stay approximately a year and a half, since the owners plan to move back then, but we believe this will suit us nicely.

We've had quite a few problems in the house we currently rent, and it will hopefully be a relief on so many levels to move to the next house, but before that there is a pretty tough transition period of constant packing, moving, and unpacking. We have begun to pack all our books, which is a huge job, and we'll continue with the rest of our stuff soon.

This house seems to "want" red things. It somehow comes alive as we decorate for Christmas. Our Christmas tree is decorated in white, silver and red — for instance these red glass baubles from IKEA. The cushions on our grey sofa are red and I'm actually also wearing a bright red cardigan from ginatricot.

There is no snow outside anymore and the window by the kitchen sink was filled with all dried up basil plants. Since we've had to do all the washing up by hand the last 4+ weeks (the dishwasher broke down and the landlord has not managed to find someone who can install the new one waiting in the hallway), the view has been rather boring and today I decided to do something about it. These deep red poinsettias, also bought at IKEA, are quite nice.

Now it really feels like Christmas at our house! I'm well aware of the fact that we're decorating the tree rather early this year, but there will be people here tomorrow, my parents will arrive slightly afterwards and stay until Christmas Day, my in-laws will be here for one night while my parents are here, and then, when my parents have left, we'll be off to T. parents for a few days, so we thought we'd make sure that as much as possible was done early this year. It is the way it often is during the holidays — a full schedule.

Another reason why it's not a problem to decorate the tree already in mid December is that we have used the plastic on this time, since my father is allergic to real Christmas trees, which of course won't be bothered by us not watering it. Otherwise we're pretty set with regard to Christmas preparations. We still have some Christmas candy left to do, a few presents left to buy, and some food to prepare, but on the whole we're quite relaxed and looking forward to the holidays.

A clean kitchen, fire in the fireplace, candles lit, bright stars on the window sills, dinner in the oven, and a good book. I'm sure there will be some glögg for us later this evening and hopefully something enjoyable on television. Life is good.

Probably not outside where we live, but perhaps a bit white on the inside? We have just bought some long candles (from IKEA) and I also managed to get hold of last year's big hit: the STRÅLA angel — all in white. There will be red, too, of course: the chequered bed linen in our bed and the plain red in the beds of our two sons, the bright red table cloth on the living room table, and the red cushions on the gray sofas.

Christmas is approaching and we're getting in the mood for it.

We have signed a contract today. We are about to move again — to a new house not far away from the one we currently live in, but the major difference is that this house is not for sale and we will be able to stay there until both boys have finished their current schools. This will hopefully bring some peace and quiet.

The new house is slightly smaller, but hopefully this won't be a huge problem, and it was built in 2005. It is white with a blue door, has some very nice features inside, a wonderful view and a large garden. We are to move in by mid February.

This is the corner where I usually read, be it for work or leisure. I really like the calm and tranquility of my spot. This is also where I practice yoga in the mornings. If I turn around and look in the other direction I can see our dining table, and this view can be seen below.

I just felt like making things a bit more festive since Midsummer is almost upon us. It also happens to coincide with T.'s birthday so festive is clearly the key word. I'm thinking about how to deck the table in a manner that suits my own aesthetic taste (and can be used again) as well as the occasion (light, summery, flowery). I'm thinking of using these from Lagerhaus, use our large, white and plain plates, and then find som really beautiful flowers to spruce it up further.

Since the burglary we have tried to get things organised again. Our new, large — and heavy — safe has been painted black and lined with purple felt and we're now thinking about what to keep there and what might be possible to keep safe in other ways. My old jewellery box has moved in with what I have left of my two grandmothers' jewellery and some of the necklaces, bracelets, and rings I have received myself over the years.

Doing so I realised the need for a new jewellery box and while googling I found this beautiful stackable one from Stackers. I think I'll put it on my wishlist as some point in the future. One of the advantages is that the parts can actually be bought separately as the need for more storage arises. Clever.

We've managed to get hold of a safe! Admittedly, it's not the one in the picture above, but a slightly bigger one, which we hope will be able to keep our valuables safe. It's very heavy too, which should be an advantage. Now we just have to get it inside, too...