Day 25: Culture Codes

One of my favorite things to read is culture codes. There's almost nothing like being on the other side of the world and suddenly you see something that reminds you of home (like a Norwegian salmon sandwich for breakfast in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, or seeing a long hauler from your country when you're far away from home). The more places you get to know, the more codes you learn. Today, a very Swedish phenomenon for you. Who can tell me what this is?

I first encountered this in a print ad, and I thought it was broccoli cream soup or similar. Well, kids, you're actually looking at a Princess Cake, a classic Swedish cake.
Let's take a closer look:

as you can see, the cake consists of a simple "sugar cake" sponge layered with seedless raspberry jam, vanilla cream, and whipped cream. All of this is topped with green marzipan. One important thing to know here is that in Sweden, whipped cream is always made without sugar (which was a shock for this Latvian to discover).

So while the Princess cake might look very heavy and sugary, the unsweetened whipped cream in combination with the raspberry jam actually makes for a very "fresh" tasting cake (if you remove the marzipan cover, which is meant to be eaten, but it also makes this cake too sweet for me).

To get neat slices, run your knife under hot water, quickly shake the knife off and cut (no need to dry the knife with a towel). Run the knife under hot water after each cut.

The Princess cake comes in different marzipan colors (pink, yellow, white, and even blue), but this lime green is the classic version.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this classic Swedish treat. 

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Day 24: Smooth Moves

Today's abundance tip: if you would like to be happy for almost the entire time while you vacuum the floor, do this -

replace the glider pads of your vacuum cleaner. Glider what? The small pieces of felt-like fabric that were once glued to the hard, flat plastic areas of your vacuum cleaner nozzle. The soft pieces that are now probably so worn out they're hardly even attached anymore.

I've done this a couple of times, and the effect of this tiny action is fantastic. Suddenly, the vacuum and I glide around. It feels almost like an infomercial. (Note that glider pads of this type work best on hard floors, like linoleum or wood. Carpet vacuuming is different.)

This time, I did not try to find glider pads that would be an exact or a close match to my vacuum cleaner model. I bought the cheapest glider pad pack that I could find (at the grocery store), and just improvised with sticking the tiny grey felt-like pieces on the nozzle.

I had prepared the nozzle by removing whatever was left of the old glider pads, and I also made sure the plastic was free of any dust or dirt. I stuck the self-adhesive pieces on, and then decided to wait at least overnight so that the glue would really take (not sure if it was necessary, but it made sense to wait).

Also, I am saving the "skeleton" (the part of the glider pad that was left over once I removed all the pre-cut pieces, you can see it in the baggie in the picture above) - there is glue on the back of the entire square, so I'll just cut out creative pieces when it's time to replace some worn out ones.

Bonus abundance tip today: All this glue talk reminded me of a great book by Marina Lewycka, We Are All Made of Glue. I absolutely loved it. If you're looking for a book that will feel like you have a smart and compassionate friend to come home to, this book is it.

Note: This is not a sponsored post.

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Day 23: Gratitude

"Gratitude is magic." - M.J.Ryan

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Day 22: Imperfect

Today, I am inviting abundance by

accepting imperfect.

I got these kitty and puppy stickers on sale, and I'm thinking of using these stickers for address labels for my Christmas cards this year. No, they won't match. Nope, this pale pink and muddy mint - not Christmas colors. No, they're not my dream Christmas labels. But I'm thinking that addressing a few stickers now will maybe help me get the Christmas cards out on time this year. Imperfect, but it might just work. I'm starting to stockpile non-Christmassy stamps, too.

I received a card in the mail yesterday - a "real" envelope among the bills, with my friend's handwriting on it. Seeing it was such a treat; it made me so happy. Here's hoping that come December, an envelope with a "sad kitty face" address label might bring a friend a smile after a tough day.

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Day 21: Create

Every fall my city organizes a Culture Night. It's free, open for all, and this one-night festival has grown so much over the years that you could walk around all night and there would still be new surprises to discover. One of the most striking pieces I saw this year was this -

a flower dress made by Ellika Daunfeldt and Emelie Smedeby of the florist school Floristutbildarna. The piece is called "Nature's Haute Couture", and it was on display at our art museum. I just love all the details, and I am in awe of all this creativity.

Below is the front of the dress, with a few more details:

those two soft grasses on the shoulder strap - so beautiful.

I am so grateful that I got to see this piece live. Today's abundance thought is this:

when someone makes something that takes your breath away, enjoy it - every morsel, take it all in, because this enjoyment will make you create something amazing in turn.

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Day 20: Go Out and See Things

... and let yourself be surprised. Like what you like. Allow yourself to imagine.

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Day 19: You'll So Thank Yourself For Doing This Come Christmas

Today's idea for creating more abundance in your life is this:

organize your address book. Yes, it's a big job, but you'll be so glad you did it.

I hadn't majorly edited my address book for quite a while, so every time I'd need to look up an address quickly, I would need to be super careful about not scattering all the notes I had tucked inside the covers "to be filed away later".

While editing, some decisions were easy - get rid of any duplicates, throw away anything that's outdated. Yet other decisions - you tell me. What do you do with phone numbers and business cards of your grandparents who've passed away? (I miss you.) Throw away a card with your grandma's handwriting on it? (I didn't.)

As a result of this edit, I realized I need to stick all the wedding programs and birth announcements in a separate box. I also cannot bring myself to chuck envelopes that the kids in my life have addressed to me - seeing their handwriting just goes straight to my heart, and makes me want to be a better person. So I am open to the idea that some pages in my address book will resemble a scrap book.

I am not completely done with the "big edit", but I'm happy with the progress I've made. Now for the title of this post - from this point on, I am officially gearing up for this year's Christmas cards. Writing Christmas cards is one of my favorite traditions ever. My now much neater address book will be a pleasure to work with.

Finally, a super realistic bonus tip: snap a picture with your phone of the two or three addresses you use the most but don't know by heart. I've done this, and I look the addresses up in my phone (among the pictures) all the time.

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