All mornning I ‘ve been listening to this tune on repeat after finding it on REbeckas blog. we said it before but all you Swedish readers- head over to Rebecka and read her brilliant words and mind.

And I found this good ol clip on Kakans blog – another great mind..

I have a tendency to go crazy bananas when it comes to certain decisions. Most of the time I know what I want but when I get stuck, I go mental. It’s like the choice takes over my body to the degree that I cant do or think anything else.
Last week I realized I needed glasses. It’s a first. But lately I have had loads of headaches and difficulties to focus on stuff – I can read without a problem but I get tired. Or my eyes does. So I went to do a check up. Then I got stuck in the store for a while but at the end picked out these two pairs. This choice was easy, I just felt good about them and I brought them home to feel them up a bit. In the store I was positive about the brown ones but then when I got home suddenly the black was the winners.
After asking on Instagram I got more than 100 comments and most of you thought the black pair was best. Then my mind went into a roller coaster.
I think this is very interesting how my focus can stop and the indecision becomes so strong. I am very good at analyzing things. And yes this pair I will wear like all the time so in my world, right now, it was a kind of a big thing. But I always have a problem when being like this. I feel like I’m a drama queen. But after this session I think I learned a lot about myself.
The conclusion after all must be that yes, I’m a bit of a drama queen but it’s my way to cope and I don’t think it is as hard on others as it is for me feeling as one. The second thing is that when I’m over analyzing everything I mostly, in the end have a pretty good idea of my choice and why I do it – which is a good thing. I also learn alot about my self. I move forward. This thing about the glasses is not only about black or brown naturally it goes deeper.

But the thing I learned the most is probably that I always pick funny in favor of classic.
Yeah, the stairs would probably look more beautiful without the dots but it’s funnier with them.
I could have built a great normal looking bunk bed but it’s funnier with a unicorn.
I felt more beautiful in a normal sense of way in the black glasses, black is more common in that way we are more used to it – me too.
But in the end I realized that the brown was just more fun so in a week they will live on my nose.

When do you get stuck?

xxx
Isabelle

Just some stuff.

1. This is our garden.
2. This is our food.
2. This is our flowers.
3. My hair is getting longer and so are my feet.

I’ve been having The Sweet Dreams tune in my head and in my boombox ever since watching that couple singing it by the pump station from last week. This also made me dream back to when Eurythmics where huge and Annie Lennox was the coolest gal on two feet. (still is very cool). I remember we had a summer house just outside Stockholm and the neighbors daughter was equally cool. I must have been around 10 and she was 14 and gorgeous. Very knowing of all compared to me. She had a full new body and long hair. Wow Johanna was my idol. She had this grey hip hopish boom box with a built in Walkman or Freestyle as we used to say in Sweden. And she listened to all this cool music that I had never heard about. Sometimes she gave me mixed tapes. Since she was stuck with her dad at the summerhouse and I was the closest thing to a real girl friend we hung out. She told me about the world and I eagerly sucked it all in. Damn, I wanted a boom box so much and the later got a very good but not as cool cassette player (Do you remember sony sports - it was water proof. Not that anybody dared to try and how would I use it?)

Those where the days!

This is how cool Annie was!

and this is me. Apparently I found this elevator maintenance note in our elevator.  Edited it with some Tip ex and put it back up.
It says: “Just a minute! Service is going on. Isabelle will soon be back at your service ”

I must say a very creative idea…

xxx
Isabelle

Ok People. We are not great cooks but we could provide a pretty awesome scenery for our lunch together with our intern. So here it is Melissa , who asked: “I want to see some meals at your house! What does a regular Swedish family eat for dinner? For lunch or breakfast?”

We might not be your “regular Swedish family”, but this is what we had for lunch today!

Our intern is in the house. And she brought cookies! Do you have any questions for us?

Fist out the cheerleaders of Miami Dolphins did a cover of Call me maybe and some troops in Afghanistan did their version of the Dolphin version…

And this Gangnam style band version is also brilliant. I haven’t seen it before…

This week I will stay put in front om my screen and write, write and write. I will also order all the parts for a Sauna I’m building. And I will keep a tight watch on the weather in Corsica since we are going there in two weeks and after this longest winter since the Game of Thrones ice period every cell in my body has mayor warmth cravings.

What are you doing this week?
and do you have some special Corsican tips for me?

xxx
Isabelle

It´s been way to long since we talked about Ebay. Please let me know if you´ve found anything fun lately. And in return I´ll show you mine.
Hope you like them. Let´s start with the best one:

Photo of Liberace and two ladies.
Liberace. What a extraordinary human. This photo I really want have already bought. Can´t wait to get it.

Plastic Right leg.
One morning as I signed in to Ebay it said “Welcome back Jenny! Here are a some auctions recommended for you“  and this leg was one of those recommended auctions. Too funny! I laughed all the way through check out.

Toys from Blues Brothers
I´m not going to buy this. The kids would be fighting over it. Viola would say “I need the Blues mobile because I want to run the nazis off the bridge“. And Frank would plead. “No I want the Blues mobile so I can pick up Jake in prison“.

Old Soap Magazines
The memories come pouring over me as I read these headlines for Days Of Our Lives on old Soap Magazines. DOOL (short for Days Of Our Lives) and I have had some good times together.

Like when Hope came back from the dead as princess Gina. Oh the joy. And all the loveable personalities  John has had: The priest, The solider and The art thief. Or when the alien twins came to Salem. But the story about Marlena getting possessed with the Devil has left few untouched and is usually what people (non DOOLers)  want to discuss when they find out I watch the show. Sure it was really well played. But long time DOOLers know that there is so much more to this ever lasting TV drama. For me personally it has always been about Sami Brady.

She got me hooked on the show with the way she stole her sisters boyfriend. The men of DOOL are usually really easy to get into bed but with this faithful hunk named Austin she had to get creative. Her elegant plot involved sexdrugs, fake maternity test, fake amnesia, a dying father and a whole lot of determination and an accomplice: Lucas, whom later turns out to be the real father to her baby. She almost made it to the alter. Here you can see it all falling apart for Sami.
And then ,this clip, Sami 15 years later. Same old story that I can´t seem to get tired off.

OK enough already Jenny, you are rambling!

Ok ok one last thing: All you DOOLers out there reading (is there any?)  will agree with me on this. There is no better surprise like the one when you realize the stranger next to you at that awkward dinner party is a DOOLer. Nothing beats it!

More “Jenny goes shopping on Ebay…”  in this post and in this post

And this little find.

Howdie runners!

How do you all feel?
This week has been a turning point for me. I ahve had so much energy. I’ve been running 4 times. Not very long and not after the program but still been able to push my body better than in a long time. Yay! I also went to Zumba. I love Zumba. Once I just swallow my pride and go with the flow it’s so much fun. Hilarious though how stiff and very very Swedish I feel when doing it. Like I never moved to the rhythm before…

Well good luck with the program – this week you should be able to pass 9 km!!! Way to go!
Here comes the program from coach Kvitter Javelin.

xxx
Isabelle

The whole program after the jump:

Warm up before all workouts:
Copy exercises from earlier weeks, I guess you are an expert and that you have your favorites by now. Keep in mind that its good to vary, though.

Stretch after every workout:
Stretch calves, hip flexor, front thighs, rear thighs, outer thighs and buttocks after every running workout.

Some inspiration:
Good stretches
More drawing of good stretches
Back muscles strengthening exercises.
Do it like the pro’s

3 sessions / week

Day 1:

Our way to a 9k running distance
Its good if you have looked out a loop of 9k before today’s workout.

If you cannot measure out a loop in advance and do not have a marked jogging trail, treadmill etc you can use, you can use time instead. In that case jog or run for 60-70mins.

Start jogging, continue in a tempo that feels good for you. During the 9k you pick the tempo you like. You can jog, run or walk but keep going until you have reached the goal of 9k, or your time estimate (60-70mins).  If you need to walk pretty much you add on extra minutes.

Day 2:
Intervals – alternate running and core stability
Choose a route or location where you can lie on the ground (I would not have chosen a street in the city )

Jog for 10mins
Run for 1k or 5-7mins
Stop running and start, without pause, to stand in the plank position for 30-60secs
more plank position.
Run for 1k or 5-7mins
Stop running and start, without pause, to stand in the plank position for 30-60secs
Run for 1k or 5-7mins
Stop running and start without pause to stand in the plank position for 30-60secs
Jog for 10mins

Day 3:
9k distance running
Today we will jog or run for 9k… Yes I know that’s pretty far but if you bring your best jogging temper and hit the distance you will be hugely satisfied afterwards.
Maybe you can use your loop of 9k you ran at the Day 1′s workout?

OBS!! Choose a tempo not faster than you can talk during your workout.  Take it very slow if you need but don’t stop. Your pulse should not disturb you!

Take a pause! Good Job!

And for all the earlier sessions go here.

Next week a sweet little 4th grader will come to our house for a one day internship. In Sweden students do this quite a lot. And we are very happy to have been asked. She loves to draw and Jens will guide her through the basics of the digital world of illustrating  and hopefully he can show her some other useful cool tricks.  And since I´m always around she will get me in the deal as well. Yay!

And with me being all about this blog I want to involve you.
You´re always forced to see my world through my eyes. And even though I´m sure you are smart enough to realize that my eyes are quite distorted. I still want to give you a chance to get an honest answer about what life at our house is really like.

Is there anything you would like to know or see?