HAPPY NEW YEAR WISHES

Hi friends! Happy New Year! All good things must come to an end but, we’ve enjoyed our break right up to to it’s finale. We’re back in Sweden, after wonderful, warm Christmas holidays in the US. The kid’s Christmas and cousin fun never misses a beat but, in addition to jet lag | here |, I caught my first cold of the year on the way over  and then, on the way back, one terrible, terrible bug that truly threw my plans to eagerly meet you here in the very first days of January, out the window. I much prefer to focus on the fun and beauty …. (continue below)

that met us back in Sweden. We’d become quite used to a green winter and I even noticed a pink rose starting to bloom on the night we returned! However, our first blanket of snow has transformed our neighborhood into something purely magical.  Jan 6th brought my hubby’s anticipated scrumptious King’s Cake (Gâteau des Rois| recipe) and this year a King beat out a queen.  If you like brioche, this variation is so good that we make 2 cakes, just for us! We all look forward to the one time of the year my hubby steps foot into the kitchen, brushes the flour from his cheeks and bakes. Merci, cheri!

Henry, our dog who looks like the snowball, is made for the snow and we hardly get him to come in, these days! That’s perfectly fine with me though because local winter walks, meandering in and out of our forests and along the banks of the sea, are so full of allure for all, this time of the year. (It’s amazing how much ice the boys can find to crack and what one can do with a snowball!…)  Last winter, Francesca and I had the most wonderful afternoons spent on classic cross country skis due to a snowy winter: a type of sport the boys were less than supportive of — it’s all about speed — but, I’m encouraged to think: what will the new year bring?!

Peace. Joy. Happiness. Love.