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Waiting On A Miscarriage

The faint sound of sleigh bells and Andy Williams’ voice crooning, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” filled the small room. I lay on my back and stared up at the speckled ceiling tiles, my heart fighting off the crumbly ache that comes with bad news. I wished that they’d just turn the music off.

It felt far from the most wonderful time. In fact, it was quickly chalking up to be one of my least favourite days of this year.

The ultrasound technician had called me into the room a few minutes earlier. Shivering, I wrapped the blue cotton gown tight against my waist; my everyday clothes lay heaped in the changing room. I was here for a nine week ultrasound and the chance to finally see the newest babe growing inside of me.

“Is this your first pregnancy?” The technician asked as she directed me to lie down.

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A Swedish Christmas

A couple years ago, Andreas and I decided that we were too lazy to mail out Christmas cards and opted for a “Christmas video” instead. Turns out that videos are WAY more work than cards and this year’s video was no exception.

So what goes into planning a Christmas video, you ask? We start tossing ideas around in September (yes, September!) and begin writing and prepping so that we can film in November. (Andreas started working on this year’s original song back in October!) After a long day of filming, Andreas spends a good chunk of his December evenings busily editing the video so we can get it out to you before Christmas!

Phew. It’s a lot of work but the holiday hilarity is well worth it! Now we just have to start thinking about how we can top this one next year…

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6 Fun, Christmas Decorating Ideas for your Wall!

Christmas is the only time of year that my house gets decorated from floorboards to ceiling lights; the hours spent hanging lights and tinsel are well worth it. There’s just something about Christmas decorations that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside (perhaps partially due to the amount of glitter that I end up inhaling off of dollarstore tree ornaments?)

But with shiny tinsel on the tree, faux-fir branches scattered around the house, and cranberry scented candles shimmering on the table, there’s one prime decorating area that often gets overlooked – the walls!

So if you’re looking for a bit more holiday cheer, here are SIX quick ideas for your Christmas wall decor this season:

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The 45 Steps to Wrapping Christmas Presents with Your Toddler

A night of gift wrapping used to be synonymous with a roll of reindeer covered paper, a glass of eggnog and a Michael Buble Christmas CD. By the end of the evening, a pile of presents would sit under the tree dressed in shiny gift tags, sparkling bows, and delicately handcrafted snowflakes.

But with a toddler in the house, everything looks a little different…

While I envy your Pinterest inspired wrapping techniques, and gifts pretty enough to hang over the mantle, our boxes are going to have a little more “character” this year. But in case you’re still curious about that foot-shaped imprint in the middle of your present, here’s what it looks like to wrap gifts with a toddler in the house:

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2015 Christmas Video

Is it really mid-December already? Where did 2015 disappear to in such a hurry? Seems like just yesterday we were busy stuffing Alistair’s pyjamas full of towels to make this video. Hard to believe that another twelve months have past and we’re once again singing carols, decorating the tree (with non-breakable ornaments this year), and wrapping presents.

Realizing that the season of Christmas cards was upon us (and remembering how much fun we had filming last year’s holiday video) we donned our favourite ugly sweaters and got to work creating another Mannegren Christmas Special.

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Holiday Shrimp Dip

Every year, for as far back as I can remember, we’ve spent Christmas Eve at my grandparents home. While I thoroughly enjoyed stuffing myself with baby onions, mini pickles and tiny quiches, the highlight of the evening was always Grandad’s Shrimp Dip. Upon arriving at my grandparents house, I’d kick my shoes off and race – socks slipping and hair flying – into the living room, where a glass bowl heaped with dip sat on the coffee table. I would dig through the bowl for shrimp and shove salty, dip laden chips into my little mouth as fast as I could.

Grandad

This year, our tiny apartment was the place of honour for the Smith family Christmas Eve gathering. Sadly, Grandad passed a couple days before Christmas, which makes me all the more thankful for holiday traditions that are passed from one generation to the next. I will proudly carry on the shrimp dip tradition and, in the process, share this delectable recipe with you.

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We wish you a Merry Christmas!

‘Tis the season of Christmas Cards. Unfortunately, this Christmas your fridge will sadly be lacking a picture from the three of us. Perhaps next year we’ll get our act together soon enough to create a holiday photo (complete with colour coordinated outfits and a smiling Alistair wrapped up in Christmas lights.)  But we did manage to put together a little something special. What’s better than a super adorable picture of Alistair? That’s right. A super adorable Christmas video of Alistair (and his parents of course.)

Merry Christmas from Andreas, Liz & Alistair!

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“My First Christmas” Ornament

Our Christmas tree doesn’t have a particular theme beyond the mismatched assortment of ornaments that I have collected over the years. Perched on the branches are  half a dozen of my baby ornaments, a couple miniature figure skates, and two, brightly bedecked snowmen sitting on the words, “Our First Christmas Together.” I love the jumble of gold and silver beads, tiny chips on plastic apples and the paper Swedish flags purchased from this year’s Christmas market. Each ornament brings me back to a specific time, a certain memory. They’re mini snapshots of a Christmas past.

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DIY Floating Ornaments

This year, my Christmas decorations started going up mid-November – way earlier than they ever have before. With our newly renovated apartment, I wanted to make the place look really festive. We were going to do more than just a plastic tree and string of lights. This year we were going to go big! (So big in fact that I had to take down a wall of decorations as Andreas and I felt that Christmas had thrown up all over our apartment. Okay… not that big…)

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A few of my Favourite Things: Christmas.

It’s that time of year again. There’s something about Christmas that just feels different from the rest of the year; a tangible change in the atmosphere that marks the beginning of the festive season.

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