the empty shell

There is something so odd about seeing 

your old home stripped down. 

Bare naked. 

Like we removed all evidence of ever being there. 

Like it was just a dream.

the nova studio

So many hours were spent in here.

Bending, shaping, hammering..

Dreaming, making, sweating ( a lot of that actually)..

I loved this room.

But I realize I loved it for what took place in there,

not necessarily the room itself.

 the wall

 Seafoamy greenish blue. My favorite color. 

I had a wall like this in Atlanta too.

Maybe there will be another one in the new house?

 the living room

the door

I am going to miss this door

It opens up halfway to let air in.

The cats used to sit perched on top of the 

lower part of the door watching us while we

would fuss around in the kitchen or living room.

 The last truck load

the new living room

Must make room for actual living in there...

 the new dining room

 yeah, the dining table doesn't fit quite yet.

Give me a day or two and I'll squeeze it in.

the new kitchen

Those boxes I simply HAD to unpack right away.

How else would I be able to cook dinner for my hard working husband?

Did I mention that we are exhausted?

Happy but EXHAUSTED!

love~tess

The boxes are stacked from floor to ceiling.

Can't find my hairbrush. Or any of those important

papers I needed to keep track of...

Arms are sore and bruised from moving.

Feeling exhausted yet so awake.

It's exciting.

Lisa and Stella are settling in quite ok.

Despite the incident in the car.

A 45 minute car ride proved to be too much for Stella...

who hacked up all over a terrified Lisa...

Yeah it was pretty gross.

Yet I couldn't stop laughing at the whole scene.

Stella looking seriously confused with a white foamy puke around her little mouth.

Lisa staring at me with giant eyeballs.. ha ha

The next morning I awoke to find Bruno in our bed.

Not an uncommon sight as Bruno often sleeps with us.

Slightly odd though since I had packed Bruno with the rest of

Lisa and Stella's toys...

5000 boxes and at least one tired cat

photograph by Johan Blixt (my big brother)

Still waiting for the rest of my images from the photographer...

Packing is going forward but very slow.

It seems as we are both somewhat of pack-rats.

I think that easily happens when

two creative souls share a home.

You never know when that stump or copper pipe can come in handy!

The trick really is to make sure you remember what you have.

As I am rediscovering a trillion little things, opening

up taped boxes and closed drawers I realize that my

organization skills leave much to be desired.

I am quite successful in tucking things away.

Making it neat and organized.

But then my teflon memory kicks in and I

seem to instantly forget where I put what.

Or that I even had it in the first place.

 

 

So I buy a new "whatever" it might have been.

So now I have two. Hmm where to put it?

I find a perfect place for it 

and tuck it away... And forget. 

See where I am going with this? LOL

This time it's going to be different.

My studio space is going to be so much bigger.

I don't think words can describe how 

excited I am about this move!!! 

(yes it's worthy of multiple exclamation points)

Yesterday I tackled some fabric boxes I had.

Discovered some horrid curtains in purple and gold.

Sheer, glossy and quite ugly. 

Not sure why I felt a need to save 6 pairs of them. 

I must really have liked them at some point....

We're making giant piles for goodwill and only

tossing things that are broken or useless.

Lisa however is quite enjoying the tossed items.

Makes an excellent bed she says.

Happy Swedish Midsummer!

Tomorrow is the big move.

Wish me luck!

love ~tess

the art of downsizing

–Mom says I have to downsize like everyone else

and get rid of some of my toys...

Like Mr fluffy and the little santa...  *sniffles*

–Stella come and check this out! 

I am so not happy with this.

–Hey, what you got in there?

– Like half of my toys.. *heavy sigh* 

–Ok I'm all packed! When do we leave?

the honeymoon

There's not quite anything like doing nothing.

I like doing nothing.

No musts.

 

relaxing...

and lots of reading.

David read to me...

love novels ha ha.

And guess what? I think he liked them :o)

 walking...

breathing fresh air and 

getting moss stuck between your toes.

speachless...

sleeping baby deer

the mullet...

We decided to give David a new haircut. 

His long hair was driving him crazy 

in the gazing hot sun.

so of course I had to give him a mullet... 

before we made it into a mohawk...

I am really liking his shaved head.

SO HOT! :o)

 

...and I gave myself some bangs.

I know! I have totally been holding out on you!

I have this love/hate relationship with my bangs.

Today I am wearing them up... 

Maybe tomorrow I'll love them again and

let them come out and play...

sunsets... 

long talks about everything between heaven and earth.

Smores in the cabin. Lots of kissing :o)

diving... 

small confession...

I am a terrible diver.

I freak out. 

I can't open my eyes, so I can't see.

Scary stuff.

the cabana

the jordans 

ahhh that week went by WAY too fast.

It was pretty crazy. 

It was the first real vacation we have had.

I mean we have traveled together but always 

to see family. Which we all know is usually more

on the stressful side then the relaxing one.

I can't wait to plan our next vacation.

Just him and me.

And a beach!

happy monday!

love ~tess

 It's time to make room for new memories

It's safe to say that my clothes have been spilling out from the 

wooden closets and the newly acquired gray dresser and slowly

taken over the bedroom (and possibly parts of the living room...)

They are out of control and needs to be taught some manners.

Seriously

Don't they know that they should crawl from the floor 

into the white laundry bins in the bathroom?

And the dirty socks seem to multiply in droves on the floor next to the bed.

And beside their serious lack of crawling abilities some of them

should have been taken straight to goodwill a long time ago.

Like the tops that have been washed so many times

I can't even remember what color they once used to be.

Clothing I purchased a lifetime ago.

Dresses, pants and skirts bought for a completely different life.

As I pull out each drawer, the memories are surfacing quickly.

It's almost overwhelming.

Memories of a much younger tess.

A hopeful and happy tess.

Before heartbreaks and responsibilities.

Before life REALLY had begun I guess.

From a time when things were easy.

Matters were black and white back then (or at least that's what I thought).

Everything was OH SO clear.

As I unfold and sweep my hand across the soft fabric 

I realize that I have been holding on to these clothes for all the wrong reasons.

Not because they are my favorite pieces or that they make me look fab.

Honestly, most of them are way too small and just make me feel fat...

But I realized today that I was holding onto them as if they somehow

could stop time. Freeze it, and make the happy moments last forever. 

As if keeping them neatly folded in a gray dresser would

keep me closer to my old friends 

and preserve those happy memories for eternity.

Silly I know.

But I didn't realize that I was doing it until this very moment.

I wonder why? 

I am in such a wonderful happy place in my life right now. 

Married to my best friend.

Maybe I was supposed to hold on to them for all these years.

Waiting for the right moment to let go.

As I filled up blue IKEA bags with clothes, shoes, belts and 

purses I could feel myself breathe a little easier...

Smile a little wider :o)

With sunlight in my heart and plenty of room in the memory bank,

I am so ready for the bright future!

I love you for reading my ramblings

~tess

the train of thoughts have left the station

I have to constantly remind myself to slow down. 

I know it's not the first time I've blogged about this 

and I am sure it won't be the last.

When I am excited about something my brain goes into hyper speed.

It's hard for David to follow my train of thoughts sometimes.

HA! it's even hard for me to follow sometimes!

He says it's like I'll jump on the Express train while he's 

still standing on the train station checking the time table...

I  get frustrated. Putting unrealistic expectations on myself. 

There is so much I want to do. 

So many things I would like to try. To play with. 

So much!

I am only 32 but I am terrified I am running out of time. 

Crazy I know. But that's me. A little nuts at times :o)

So you're probably wondering what brought on this 

crazy hyper speed train of thoughts today..

Not sure actually. Can't remember where it started! ha ha

Somewhere between planning my new studio space,

deciding that I am going to do craft shows next year, 

realizing I need a booth set up, 

wondering if I should apply for that square thing that lets you

take credit card, 

needing a new iphone to be able to use the square, 

 thinking about Davids truck that died yesterday 

(poor thing.... the truck that is, I think Davis is exciting about a new truck), 

super excited to move into a new place, 

I really need to sort through my wardrobe, 

hmmm wonder if I'll be able to set up a 

proper space for my enameling stuff?

Phew I am exhausting myself today.

I think it's time for another cup of coffee... or a nap maybe?

:o)

puss & kram!

~tess

a new set of eyes

at first I was bummed...

haven't worn glasses since 2004.

Thinking about wearing them in the rain...

coming inside after been outside in the cold (fog anyone?),

leaving red marks on your nose...

Boo

But David said I looked sexy. 

And suddenly things were looking a bit brighter :o)

And you know what? It is nice to see the world a little clearer.

Maybe I can get used to these after all.

Hope you are also having a bright and clear Saturday night!

love ~tess

My favorite mug...

...until Lisa decided it looked better in multiple pieces..

Hmmm good thing she is so darn cute when she plays dead..

Thank you for all your lovely comments on our big day!

I am waiting for the rest of the photos from the photographer so hopefully,

sometime next week I can put together a blog-post about the whole day.

It didn't rain! We got so lucky :o)

I am slowly getting back to the normal routine... meaning

we have to pack everything up and move to our new home!

Studio time will be a bit limited during the next couple 

of weeks, because everything will be in boxes...

It feels strange not to have played with silver 

and stones for about a month!

But my head is spinning with ideas...

love ~tess

in love...

...completely and forever...

I am the luckiest woman in the whole world.

I wish you could have been there with me.

When I come down from the white fluffy clouds 

I am currently floating on I will show you more photos..

It WAS a magical day.

love ~tess