Auf Wiedersehen......

The time has come to officially close this blog as I'm soon no longer "Lost in Switzerland", but rather home in Sweden ;)

I'd be honored if you decide to instead follow me on my new blog, "Picnic in a Tree".
The new blog will continue in a very similar style, but about life in Sweden....

xox

Hello Cupcakes! I've missed you.....

A few photos from my baking session this weekend.... I haven't made Cupcakes in AGES! The white ones are Vanilla flavored, rainbow colored inside with a vanilla cream cheese frosting on top and the pink ones were made with the same, uncolored batter, with added lemon flavor (from lemon zest) and lemon butter cream frosting on top. Yummy ;p

....find the recipe for the Rainbow Colored Cupcakes here: http://linda-lostinswitzerland.blogspot.ch/2010/07/rainbow-coloured-cupcakes-recipe.html

xox

Motivation!

Yes indeed! Motivation!! Lots of it! I'm so full of it that I'm about to burst! I WANT TO GET FIT AGAIN, if it will be the last thing I do. I would have started earlier but have had an inflammation in my hip since Allison was born. Now it's only 6 months left to our wedding and I don't plan to walk down that isle, feeling like this.....like I'm older than my actual age, that I'm less fit than I've felt in years and heavier than ever. No thank you! So I'm saying HELLOOOOOO to healthy foods and training again and bye bye to giving into cravings that breast feeding unfortunately gives you (besides water.....I'm also saying HELLOOOO to water! Lots of it in fact!) and to giving into the temptation to just go to sleep after my little one has fallen asleep around 8pm. After all, I have my own Cross trainer now, so no excuses!

....and to be clear...this is not a new years resolution....I don't do those....this is just me, getting back to me, post-pregnancy.  I will just use this blog to occasionally write about doing this because I know, now that I'm doing it - there's no turning back! I would be too embarrassed..... Failure is not an option ;))

Strategy:
Nothing fancy.... Starting off the first month with using the Cross trainer at least 3-4 times per week, combined with daily walking and core exercises. No heavy dieting....well, not really! I will still eat everything, but in less quantity and in the right combinations. Sweet stuff only on weekends. In the second month, I'm hoping to have developed enough muscles in my back and abdominal area to be able to add running to this plan without jeopardizing my back and then I want to replace the more simple core training exercises with Pilates......and ooooohhhh strecthing!! Lots and lots of stretching! Right now, I feel about as flexible as a train!

Goal:
Loosing most of my residual preggers weight and getting back in shape before July 2013.

...and to boost my motivation even more, I bought myself a new running outfit that I won't freeze in! Like it? All from Zalando.ch

Running in Winter by anderssonlinda on Polyvore

Oh my......wish me luck!
Yaaaaaaay to getting back in shape! Let's do this!!

xox

Apartment for rent in gorgeous Essertines-sur-Rolle

Since we are leaving Switzerland to move to Sweden, our lovely apartment in the beautiful country side village of Essertines-sur-Rolle is becoming available as of April 1st.

It is a beautiful, newly built (2011) 4.5 room apartment on two floors with a big balcony, located only 10 minutes by car from Rolle, 3 minutes from Signal de Bougy (golf-court, massive outdoors playground and picnic area), 30 minutes away from Geneva airport, 35 minutes away from Geneva, 25 minutes from Lausanne, 3o minutes Valle de Joux and numerous downhill skiing slopes and cross country skiing tracks. In the village of Essertines, you will also find one of the best restaurants in Vaud - Auberge du Chasseur.
Oh....and for the small family - the village school is right next door to our house! 

Please help us out by spreading the word =))

You can download the online ad here below or find more details by searching on this link for apartments in Essertines-sur-Rolle: 

http://www.regie-couronne.ch/fr/objects/index&deal=rent

or check it out here on Homegate.ch: http://www.homegate.ch/mieten/104194881?a=default&l=default

If you or someone you know are interested in renting it, please contact me on linda-lostinswitzerland@hotmail.com or contact Katja Merkel at the agency on phone no: 021 796 35 00 or by e-mail: katja.merkel@regie-couronne.ch

Merci beaucoup!

The ad on the agencies homepage

The beautiful village of Essertines-sur-Rolle 

The building (here still being finalized....)

10-15 minutes by foot away from these amazing views of Lac Leman

Surroundings....

More surroundings....no words needed ;)

Entrance

Kitchen

Dining area

Living room area

Guest room

Bedroom

xox

For this little hand....

....I feel more love than I've ever felt for anything!! It's the most powerful, purest kind of love. For this hand, I would do ANYTHING....anything and everything! I will happily spend my life trying to make it feel safe, happy, warm, comfortable and loved....unconditionally! I would protect this hand with my life....sacrifice anything and everything without hesitation.... 

....now can you imagine how much love I feel for the rest of her?  ♥

xo

Incredibly unbelievably happily, head-over-heels, above the clouds in love -

Up among the clouds where we live....

The holidays are now over and life goes back to normal up here, among the clouds, where we live... 2012 was the best year yet......by far! Probably impossible to beat, (felt more happy and more fit that I've done in YEARS, getting pregnant, had an amazing road trip in Florida, got proposed to, had so many lovely people visiting us, spent a fab holiday in Sweden, gave birth to our beautiful daughter, got a new job offer, took decision to move back home etc.), but even so, I am looking forward to 2013 with great excitement! 

It's been absolutely fantastic spending our first Christmas and new years together as a family of three, getting some down-time in preparation of what's to come. Moving back to Sweden in 3 months time!

Christmas eve was spent in all silence at home in Essertines, just the three of us, snuggling, opening gifts and also shopping some of the last gifts at "Tristan Chocolaterie" - an absolutely fantastic chocolate shop, very close to where we live with, dare I say, probably the most delicious chocolate I've ever tasted.... A bit pricy, but sooooo worth it! Guys, I mean it! If you're in the region, stop by at this little cute place and don't miss the milk chocolate chunks with whole hazelnuts inside. OMG! TO.DIE.FOR. 

The rest of Christmas was spent in Schaffhausen with Chris's family. A lovely few days which among many other things contained an amazing evening with Fondue Chinoise, lots of happiness, laughter, good food, really beautiful gifts and seeing some great friends....

New years eve was spent at home, in silence, as Allison got a fever from her vaccination shots.... We did however manage to have a three course dinner with a Chevre Chaud salad as a starter, Moules Frites (one of my absolute favorite dishes) for main course and then having dessert (white chocolate covered mango, strawberries and pineapple in the oven served with ice cream) and Champagne in bed as we wanted to stay close to our little girl. For the first time since before teenage years (at least as far as I can remember?!), I fell asleep before midnight but don't feel even a teeny-tiny little bit bad about it! I was just so happy that Allison could manage to fall asleep and rest the fever away.

On new years day, we headed out on a little 2-stop-road-trip to the mountains, passing by at Chris's uncle in Frenieres and then on to Chris's auntie in Crans Montana, where we spent the night. We loved it and the weather was amazing so we went for a walk enjoying the amazing views they have up there, finally surrounded by the snow we were unfortunately missing during Christmas!!

Some photos to enhance the flavor of what I just wrote:

Yes....we literally do live among the clouds.... It's magical!

A view of Mont Blanc and the French Alps from where we live...

I love the forest! So much beauty.....

....and the sun was peaking through the trees, making a magical light.

I have a thing for leafs =)

The perfect ingredients for a perfect walk: Allison sleeping in the buggy, Chris, sunshine and a thermos of hot tea....

...the view coming back from a walk in a nearby forest.

Superb Chocolate quality at Tristan!!

Me on new years eve

Chevre Chaud Salad with Avocado, Pomegranate and Roasted Pine Kernels....
Photo unfortunately taken with the iPhone, hence the crappy quality =o/

Moules Frites! =p

Pink Champagne.....my only requirement for new years eve!

Out for a walk in the snow....

The beautiful little fairy-tale-like village of Lens

Our walking views....

.....leaf....again =o/

Again, poor iPhone photo quality.....but loved the light!

This photo was taken from the car window on the way back from Crans Montana....completely unfiltered or unedited, just the gorgeous, natural light over Lac Leman (Lake of Geneva)....to bad I only had the iPhone in the car.

.....oh and I also really feel that I want to brag about receiving the most amazing christmas gift this year from Chris!! A new portrait lens for the camera AND private photo lessons that will be given to me by my favorite wedding photographer, Erika Gerdemark! I can barely believe it!! I'm sooooo thrilled!! She will also be the photographer at our wedding in July, booked since a few months back ;)

Wishing all you lovelies a healthy and happy 2013!

xox

It's Christmas time, people!

Just want to take a few minutes to wish you all a VEEEEERY MEEEEERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We will be celebrating Christmas in a climate where "...dreaming of a White Christmas" is probably all we'll be able to do.....dreaming of one I mean! I've heard that the temperature is supposed to be more than +12 degrees Celsius tomorrow... Not so white in other words, but certainly the most special one we will have had so far as for the first time, we will spend it being a family of our own.....and talking about first times, I couldn't think of a single thing to wish for this year! I really mean that...... Who really needs more than this..?I've never been happier!!

Below, an Instagram round-up and some additional photos from the last few days to give you a flavor of what our Christmas is looking like so far.

OK, so maybe I had one wish.... I was hoping Christmas would look a bit like this...as it did a week ago.... 

Instead, it looks a bit more like this....not too shabby, but not really "Christmasy".

A small reward after our walk this afternoon - a "Christmas style Cappuccino"
accompanied by Chris's homemade "Zimtsterne"

The tree has been decorated since a little over a week and now there's just a feeeew gifts still missing underneath it ;)

Deco details ;)

For me, as a Swede, there simply wouldn't be Christmas without Glögg, but it needs to be the one from "Blossa" (and not the IKEA food shop version!)..... =p

Wrapping the last few gifts.....

Uhhmmm.....this bowl was really overflowing yesterday when we came home from the Lindt Chocolate shop... Oooops! 

That's all for now and all that's left to say to you, before the festivities begin is: Enjoy, love, laugh, sing, eat, hug, kiss, dance, take some moments to remember the loved ones that for whatever reason can not be there with you and allow yourself during these precious days to be as lazy as it gets!! You deserve it and hopefully, Santa know that ;)

With love,

xox