Such a long time without swallow love .
That has rarely happened in 20 years.
And I missed it so much.
❥
Our house was built in a time when it is easy to despair, to bow one's head and to mutter 'cursed' from time to time.
During a global pandemic.
Mmmmmm, nice.
I give them a stupid look, but what can I say?
I give them a stupid look, but what can I say?
❥ Screw it, we did it!
With restrictions, a first-grader at home, the chaotic conditions of the first pandemic year, and the usual madness.
At first, I had grand ambitions and wanted to document everything, share it all, and make everyone smile. But let's be honest, my stress level has been at its peak for the past year, and it just didn't feel right. All that talk and no action isn't really my style.
But now there's a whole year missing.
I'm making up for that a little bit now.
Festive & with a laugh!
Let's start in spring 2020.
Apart from the SWR20k series and my latest new edit #anaisanais , I was already mentally at the surveyor's, the excavation of the soil and the felling of a really old pine tree.
At first, I even found it very sexy to mess around in a construction worker look .
Ask me now! Sure, I'll wear my construction gear if necessary - but these days they're really getting on my nerves.
I crave something finer .
Even without a reason.
I couldn't care less!
I also love to stroll through my not-yet-existent garden and imagine how sophisticated I look (or could look).
I couldn't care less!
I also love to stroll through my not-yet-existent garden and imagine how sophisticated I look (or could look).
The tree to be felled was an institution on this property.
For as long as I can remember, practically my whole life, my grandpa did nothing but rake pine needles here. And in recent years, of course, the fun was passed on to me. To be honest, I did it dutifully and grew incredibly fond of the tree, but it was a nightmare.
And because this large, old, beautiful tree had a weak spot inside, it was allowed to be felled. Sad and exciting at the same time!
I stood there like a little girl, pursing my lower lip.
Following that came the real work, in which we chopped the tree crown into small pieces by hand and tried to push the tree trunks away from the actual construction area.
Sounds like work, huh? Sounds like losing 5 kilos, huh?
The second thing never happened. Perhaps it will happen during the overall construction? We 'll see .
After a short breather, work continued steeply and the foundation slab was poured.
I had the foundation stone for our home set in concrete in this space.
Right in the middle. YEAH!
For the strength and confidence that no one can overturn our marriage, family and home, a lava stone from Lake Myvatn in Iceland.
Icelandic salt and my favorite krona (coin from Iceland) from my birth year, symbolizing a table always set and bills paid.
It sounds strange. I know - but it's important to me.
This was and is home .
I remember decadent evenings by the fire and walks beside and on the concrete slab. This four-sided lump of concrete was my great joy, which I solemnly worshipped.
At that time, I knew nothing of the feelings that bubble up inside you when the right house is finally built.
It was like experiencing a wedding almost in a trance.
I think the comparison is relatable for many.
Something so wonderful happens , and you've worked towards it for so long, that at the crucial point it seems like a dream.
So there we stood, surrounded by machines, a huge crane, large building components, and my absolute dream team from the construction company.
You are amazed, try to answer questions, cook for everyone, and are so tense inside that you could wet yourself.
I cried like a baby .
With joy.
I truly realized we were building our dream house for the first time when we were lying on the bedroom floor, looking up at the still-open sky. IMBA !
Two and a half days passed and my house stood.
Clearly, without a floor, pipes, water , and interior fittings.
There weren't any windows yet, but it was standing.
At the heart of it all is a small person with big dreams.
There was also a topping-out ceremony and one of my favorite carpenters (I REALLY DO LUV THIS BOYS!) gave the topping-out speech for us and threw an old schnapps glass from my grandma onto the erected tree stump of the felled pine trees in front of our house.
The glass shattered into countless pieces. PHEW !
In the picture you can see some of the incredible men who made the construction possible. From the boss to the apprentice, simply top-notch and my absolute favorite team.
And me? Doing well and happy.
And me? Doing well and happy.
Since things are never boring at our house, our cat Frida Sausewind gave birth to her babies on the night before the topping-out ceremony, symbolically giving us a new beginning.
My lucky cat has since been given to our grown son , who is an exemplary cat dad. True love in the all-male household.
Does anyone know the correct proverb about a house only becoming a true home when someone is born there, gets married there, and dies there?
I find the latter a bizarre idea, but that's how it is. There will definitely be a wedding, because I want to celebrate our 10th anniversary again in Icelandic traditional dress and with all our loved ones, since we got married alone in Iceland.
The birth is missing. So since I'm out, Frida has to step in, and as fate would have it, on the day of her scheduled spaying, it was discovered that she's pregnant again. So in about 3-4 weeks, we'll have wonderful little beings here.
( And between you and me...) I think it's totally awesome! (Nice) Of course, our mouse will be taken to the doctor immediately afterwards, and all our treasures will only go into the best hands.
I wore a cloudless dress to the topping-out ceremony.
Oh yes, I thought I looked incredibly chic and was a refined lady again, at least for a few hours.
In short, I'll mention the really tough weeks of waiting for the windows, the problems with them, the interior work, which was not only exhausting but often caused head-shaking, and I'll stop at my 40th birthday .
Because he was absolutely wonderful.
Not just as expected. But richly rewarded.
My dearest people had traveled especially for me.
My dear Nina from Hamburg rode in and wanted us to go for a drink all afternoon. Basically, get out of the house. Action!
And since I know that her life's middle name is storm , my desire was more like this:
Relaxing on the sofa with makeup removed , gin and a mask on.
PFOLLL MY THING! HAAAALLLLOOOOW !? ?
She surrendered to my lethargy, feeling slightly lost, and so I was surprised in my dining room by my dearest ladies. Just like that.
There sat my black fairy Nina from Lengende and the dream woman Sam, both of whom I love uncontrollably.
The surprise was followed by a joint gift from all the Swallows, which made me go a little bit crazy. My very own paper-painting blanket for my new favorite spot in the house. Yessss, you're staring, right?? A GIANT blanket. And since this blanket has now found its place, I'm dedicating a post to it and this spot. Because it's so beautiful and reminds me every day of my ladies, who, amidst all the madness, still found the time to send me something so loving for my 40th birthday. Best gift ever & here's my little Frida, who loves this spot and the blanket.
Don't laugh, but it's becoming a tradition for me to go on a proper grandma-style boat trip on my birthday. With champagne, sipping , staring, and general amusement.
And towards the afternoon, my little favorite magpie Nicki completed the group, making us a group of 5.
So now I am 40 and richly blessed.
I DO LOVE IT!
I DO LOVE YOU !
Thank you for this lovely time-out .
My heart is dancing.
Yes, the sun shone out of my ass!
What followed was a wonderful start to the next decade, lots of love and a very happy Nikkes .
❥ ❥ ❥
With enormous energy, we headed towards the last few meters in the old apartment, from which we wanted to move out by renovating all the windows.
Packing boxes, trudging to the construction site, cooking, planning, getting little sleep, and finally moving into a completely unfinished house. The tiles were laid 30 minutes before the move, and my emotional state fluctuated between hysterical collapse and a "who cares?" attitude .
Happy that a certain level had dropped, worried about the upcoming tasks and the how!?, idiotic beside myself and living from hour to hour.
The interior work was not completed by Christmas; walls had to be torn open again due to a planning error, the fireplace was out of the question, and many small and large uncertainties had to be overcome.
But what was much more important.
We were sitting in our house, had enormous support from our neighbor and friend, the best support from our construction company, and learned to appreciate a lot through small milestones.
There was, for example, the matter of the stairs. We didn't have any.
It simply hadn't been planned for. Yes, my expression says it all.
So that we could finally start using the upper floor with our child, a borrowed construction staircase suddenly appeared . I ceremoniously ascended this staircase and have appreciated it every day since.
There were times when I was internally going berserk, and we were saved by someone who stepped in. Evenings by the fire overlooking chaos, but with my husband by my side. The absolute bright spot: a new teacher for our daughter who was like winning the lottery. Happy huskies, curious cats, and overall harmony in the house.
At Christmas we still had no kitchen, no baseboards, bare walls, but we had a wonderful little celebration and my grandpa was visiting.
A sense of calm had returned; no tradesmen at 7:00 in the morning, no decisions were needed – just us and the construction site.
That was soooooo necessary and a quick recharge for everything that still needed to be organized.
I now have a kitchen. My grandfather's beloved workbench is right in the middle of it. A perfect combination. My window seat, overlooking what will later be a vegetable garden, is installed. I'm gradually cleaning all the glass surfaces, and the morning view from bed is simply stunning when you open your eyes and the blinds. I can see the treetops from the bathtub and the lovely , well-kept cemetery from my grandmother's window. All my books have found their place in the gallery, and every time I'm in the hallway, I'm truly delighted by what a tidy sight it is!
Now it's time to get the trowel out again for the hallway, grit your teeth, and finish everything . Small things like installing the last baseboards, making it a bit more homely here and there, and putting away and sorting the last boxes in the summer.
The status quo makes me proud and happy, and for the first time I'm okay with saying: We'll do that later.
Because what's much more important now is getting back in the saddle, implementing my ideas anew, and taking care of my baby, Schwalbenliebe.
To a certain extent, I ignore the chaos around our house, meticulously plan the raised beds, and even grow a few plants in the kitchen ...
And I'm starting to live again . With my loved ones.
The swallow's nest is standing.
The swallow's nest is standing.
❥
Oh, and the weight hasn't decreased.
I actually conducted a thorough study on this and can announce a perfectly plausible result. YES!
Since I cooked for everyone, and quite often every day, I naturally ate a lot too. Always. And I'm not ashamed of it, because I'm just an incredibly good cook!
Only the weight gain... that's definitely the cause, and the calculations have shown that my physical exertion unfortunately wasn't sufficient. My mental exertion, on the other hand, was enormous, but my fat reserves couldn't care less . Very unfair, I think.
So, to sum up: the food was to blame.
❥ ❥ ❥
It's wonderful that you waited so long for me.
It's wonderful that you waited so long for me.