Blog-list-o-mania: Part 3

I have........

(x) watched a sunset

( ) used a fake id

(x) touched a snake

( ) experienced an earthquake 

(x) fallen asleep at school/work

(x) slept underneath the stars

(x) broken someones heart

( ) been mugged

(x) been misunderstood

(x) been singing in the shower

(x) taken care of a hurt animal

(x) won a contest

(x) jaywalked

( ) been expelled

(x) been in a car accident

(x) had a cramp

(x) felt left out

( ) walked through a forest in the dark without being afraid

(x) eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night

(x) danced in moonlight

(x) had full score on an exam

(x) hated the way I looked

(x) witnessed a crime

(x) questioned my heart

( ) been addicted to post-it's

(x) walked barefoot in the mud and squeezed the mud between my toes

(x) been lost

( ) bought a brand new car

(x) swam in the sea while the temperature was below 15 degrees

(x) felt as if I was dying

(x) wished I was someone else

(x) cried myself to sleep

(x) played with dolls

(x) been afraid of someone

(x) jumped out of a plane

(x) sung karaoke

(x) payed for food with just coins

( ) had a surgery

(x) cut my own hair

( ) never forgotten a friends birthday

(x) made prank calls

(x) caught a snowflake with my tongue

(x) danced in rain

( ) written a letter to Santa

( ) crashed a party

(x) held a baby chicken

(x) had a wish come true

(x) worn diamonds

( ) bungee jumped

(x) loved someone with all my heart

(x) made a somersault

(x) blown bubbles

(x) always had good grades at school

( ) broken a bone

(x) laughed until I cried

What of the above have you done?

xox

Video world premiere: Full of Keys - All the roses

I ♥ this song!!!

The single will be available for FREE DOWNLOAD from May 27th at www.fullofkeys.com.
Like "Full of keys" on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/full-of-keys/119691554772511


xox

Blog-list-o-mania: Part 2

5 things on my to-do list today


1. Wrap my left foot in a bandage (have hurt it somehow....very annoying!)
2. Pay bills....not overly exciting either...
3. Start packing for my trip to Sweden!
4. Clean up a mess I have made.....hmmm let's just say it involves a pile of clothes that has built up on a chair ;)
5. Make some back exercises and much needed stretching.


That's it really! I hope your plans are more exciting than mine ;) Wish you all a great day!


xox

Blog-list-o-mania: Part 1

Blogger lists....challenging and fun? Boring and non-creative? Ridiculous? Interesting? Well, I'll let you be the judge of that. I have anyway decided to start this series of blog lists that 1. Enables easy blogging for a while as the topics are pre-defined and 2. Allows you to get to know the bloggers a bit better.
I hope some of my fellow blogger friends will follow ;)


Here is list number 1:


Mention something that made you happy yesterday: Getting a little chocolaty Easter surprise by Chris, jogging in the beautiful sunlit forest, trying Roman rings again without getting Lumbago ;)) and being invited to dinner by Mr M and Mrs M.
What did you do 08:00 this morning: Just woke up, but was too tired to get out of bed and hence, stayed under the covers for an other hour while sort of half-sleeping.

What did you do 15 minutes ago: Started to write this post.
What was the last thing you said out loud: "Chris, do you wanna see the results of the portrait edits of the "S family"?"

What was the last thing someone said to you today: "Well done...."

What did you drink today: Fresh apple juice, Coffee and a glass of Citrus juice.

What was the latest thing you bought: Plenty of groceries and wine on Saturday!!

What color is your outer door: Yellow....

What's the weather like where you are: Sunny and warm!

What's your favorite ice cream flavor: Oh my....can not possibly choose just one!! I'm a total ice cream junkie!!! Favorite plain ice cream flavors: White chocolate and Hazelnut and for Chunky ice creams: Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, Cookie Dough, New York Super Fudge Chunk and Baked Alaska.

Do you believe in love at fist sight: No, just attraction at first sight....which can be a good start. If it then turns into love, I'd call that very lucky ;))

Do you sleep deeply: No, unfortunately not...

Do you have nightmares: Yes, if I'm sick or stressed.

Are you happy with your job: Yes overall I love my job........all though not in all circumstances nor with all people.

Favorite thing to wear: Cosy clothes!! At home I almost always wear tights and long t-shirts, tank tops and/or hoodies. Victorias Secret's brand PINK has amazing stuff!!!

Favorite song right now:

What do you see if you look to your right: A lamp that I bought in an antique shop here in Schaffhausen.

What makes you happy right now: Having Chris in my life, having found a new, really great friend, going home to Sweden for 8 days starting Thursday, that spring is here, sunshine and the thought of playing soccer at 18!

What will you do when you are finished with this list: Shower and go outside for a walk along the Rhein.

Left or right handed: Right

Mood right now: Sleepy, relaxed and happy.

Favorite candy: Chocolate and salty licorice.

Wearing right now: Cosy shorts and a t-shirt....and with that, a serious case of bed-hair!

Plans for the summer: Hope to have my brother, his girlfriend and my little niece here for a visit. Also have a week in Sweden booked for Midsummer. Other that that, I just plan to do a lot of hiking, sports and photography.

Do you play any instruments: A liiiiiittle bit of piano.....and I love singing.

Morning or night person: Ha ha haaaa definitely not a morning person.....

What is most important to you: Love, family, friends, a good health and freedom to do, think and say what I feel!

Do you snore: Hmmm..... I think only if I have a cold.

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

The most disgusting bug: Worms and maggots. Urrghhhh.....

What are you looking forward to the most right now: Going home to Sweden this week so I can celebrate my niece's 1st birthday, see my friends and family and also eat some Swedish food =)) ....after that I will look forward to coming back home again to enjoy picnicking and hiking season with Chris......

xox

Easter weekend - I love you!

It is astonishing what a little bit of rest does for the soul. The Easter weekend's lazy days has brought amazingly sunny and warm weather, gourmet dinners accompanied by amazing people and fine wines, lots of laughter, interesting discussions, photography, as well as the follow up editing and some much needed sports ;)) Now I feel that I'm finally getting my creative energy back again....hence so many post this weekend! Below photos should bring you a flavor of what this weekend has brought to me:

Christmas rose blooming in the family H garden

The Friday menu's main course: An absolutely fantastic Trout cooked by Mrs H

...followed by the amazingly yummy dessert prepared by S...

We got to enjoy the magical golden hour....

Souri - the posing proud tiger ;))

...and I loved the colors of the umbrella and contrast towards the green grass.....doesn't this just make you wanna take your shoes off and walk around barefoot??

On Saturday I went out with my camera and found this gorgeous Rape field, already full in bloom!

..and I made a stop at one of my favourite photography places in a nearby German village....

This was the beautiful scene at the edge of the Rape field...

Saturdays menu started with Fried Green Asparagus with a topping of Apricots, Schalotts, Chili and Roasted Almonds....

...and for main-course: Oven baked Cod with a cover of Asparagus Potatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Tarragon and wild Garlic grass... Unfortunately, no photos of the dessert as it got too dark ;)

Blooming trees makes the bees sing.....and me too!

For the Sunday menu, Marcel had made this fabulous starter salad with, among other things, Green Asparagus,  Sugar snaps, Cherry Tomatoes, Carrots and Tiger Shrimps....yummy =p

I find Asparagus one of the best tasting and photogenic vegetables ;))

....followed by this incredibly creative dish of Nori-wraps containing Pike-perch filets, Spring Onions, Pepper and Ginger...served with an amazing sauce (won't share the ingredients as it was the Chefs own recipe ;))

...and to finish off, a Raspberry Panacotta.

Today, I think we will simply have to focus more on sports than eating! Looking forward to playing soccer at 18.... Enjoy the rest of the Easter!!

xox

Anyone up for a Cupcake Affair?

Calling all Cupcake lovers!!

I wanted to turn the spotlight briefly towards one of my newly found favorite stores, located in the centre of Zurich, with a very reasonable walking distance from the Zurich main station. It is a wonderful little gem of a shop who makes and sells very pretty and amazingly yummy cupcakes. The store is called Cupcake Affair and if you, like me, love Cupcakes - I recommend you to go there and give it a try!!!

My favourites so far are Marilyn Monroe, a Chocolate Cupcake with an amazingly yummy Raspberry filling and Spring fling, which is a Poppyseed and Lemon Cupcake filled with delicious berries. Both so good that if I was a dog, my tail would be wagging by the pure thought or smell of them ;)


Something else that I love about the assortment at Cupcake Affair is that the Cupcakes come in two very handy sizes, one normal sized version and one mini sized version, which is just perfect when you are indecisive (like myself) as you can, instead of only choosing one flavour, make yourself a little take-away variety pack! The assortment is not huge though as their philosophy is that only the very best recipes make it to the store....

The store seen from outside

Cupcakes!

The current assortment

Pretty and practical take-away boxes

Address: Spitalgasse 12, CH-8200 Zurich

The opening hours are Mon-Fr 11:00 - 19:00, Sa 10:00 - 17:00 and closed on Sundays and Bank holidays. You can also call or order by e-mail. Details can be found, in German and English on their website: http://www.cupcake-affair.ch

PS. Also a BIG plus for the friendly staff!!

Enjoy!
xox

The Busy Bee and her two weekends of Italian atmosphere

Coucouuuu!

I have been crazy busy as of lately and, as you have probably noticed, as a subscriber of this blog, also in a low mood. Well, we can't be all shiny and happy all the time ;)) Anyhow, the reason why my mood is now finally back to normal is because of the last two weekends! Both so magical and full of lovely moments, amazing food, shopping, love, sunshine, laughter and relaxation....

Photo blog: Ticino

If you know Switzerland, you will know that Ticino, or the Tessin as it's called here in the German speaking part, is the canton closest to Italy. The atmosphere and landscapes there are very different from the German part and of course, Italian is also the language most commonly spoken. Two weekends ago, we went there with friends and it was so lovely! We were in Locarno and had an amazing spring weekend with 30 degrees and sunshine the whole time (which for a Swede, in April, is unbelievable!!!)!! During this weekend, I also feel that I discovered a new truly great friend and I must say, here in Schaffhausen, I have missed that desperately. The four of us had an amazing Saturday evening with a divine Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto together with wine, a very fun game (sorry, but I don't remember the name ;)) and a huge amount of much needed laughter!! Medicine for a tired soul.....really! 

On Sunday, we went for a little trip to the Verzasca dam that James Bond bungeed off in Golden Eye (impressive place!!) and then we went down to the river to dip our feet in its still very cold, crystal clear waters.....where unfortunately, my camera battery died =(

 Photo blog: Rome

Last weekend, a long weekend, was spent in Rome. It was my first visit there and I really can't understand why it took me so long to finally go there!! It is one of the most impressive places I have ever seen......and we didn't have a boring moment. So full of historical beauty and well, the food.....oh my GOD!!! Definitely one of the best culinary experiences as well!! I LOVE pasta, pizza and ice cream - and the Italians are certainly the masters in this area, without any threat ;) We walked during almost the entire stay, when we were not sleeping, which means we covered more or less the whole city and visited places such as the Vatican, walked around in the area of the Colosseum, entered the impressive Pantheon, walked up the Spanish steps, shopped on Via Condotti, saw Fontana di Trevi among many MANY other interesting places and buldings. Really, if you haven't been there yet and you are thinking about where to go for a weekend trip, I recommend Rome with all my heart!! It was certainly not the last visit there.....

I wish you all a very HAPPY EASTER!!!

xox