A modern. fresh apartment in Malmö, Sweden

Morning and happy errrr Monday! One of the wonderful things about living in Sweden is that you never have to look further than the local estate agents for some really great home inspiration. This fantastic apartment in Malmö, southern Sweden is currently for sale via Bo-laget....

All pictures: Bo-laget

There are so many things I love about what the home-owners have done to this space. From the bright red bumling light over the kitchen table, the pretty coloured cushions on the chairs to the red chairs used as bedside tables and the colour of the hallway set off by the gold Hunter wellies.

Any little things you've noticed and loved?

Have a great start to the week!

Home…

The girls and I are home now.  The construction project isn’t done, however.  We even had many extra helping hands from loving friends, but unfortunately it was an even bigger job than we anticipated (hmm, that’s becoming a theme ;).  But it doesn’t matter.  I’m happy to be home with my whole family again. 

As I sit here with sweet Bailey in my lap (he missed me), there is not one ounce of pretty around me.  To be more specific, there are metal ladders hovering over me, the furniture is displaced, construction dust covers every conceivable surface, and the yard is littered with debris from last week’s demolition.  But I’m at peace. 

There truly is no place like home.  I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again… a peaceful home is not how it’s decorated.  Aesthetics merely add to what’s already there. That’s why I named my blog “Home & Harmony”… there is so much more that goes into creating a happy space besides the pretties you put into it. 

It’s about the people that inhabit it, and the way they interact… the way those individuals are secure because they know that everyone around them loves them deeply and has their best interest at heart.  It’s about Who they serve, and understanding that life isn’t about serving oneself, but about serving God, and thus each other. 

The fact of the matter is, this world is passing, and our eternal home awaits.  I’m thankful for the beautiful home that God has given me on this earth, and I’m not talking about the physical structure…but about the seven other people He has placed in my life, and for Him being the center of it all.  That is home.  Amen.

Holiday Waffle

Check out the new 'Soul' building at Surfers Paradise. 

It's a beauty. 

I took this photo on my run yesterday. We're down the coast for the school holidays. The weather is beautiful and the temperature is much cooler than in the height of the summer heat, at Christmas time.

This photo is rather deceiving. Queensland's tallest building, the Q1, is that building to the left of Soul, with the spire. It's over 320m tall and Soul is only 240m high.

We're staying in a smaller hotel.... near the ones I used to think were so tall in the 70's as a kid. I remember the Apollo, the Chateau and the Iluka were the 3 skyscrapers on the Surfer's foreshore in the 70's. You could see them for miles. How things have changed. 

We had rather an exciting afternoon when we stumbled upon the world's best lolly shop....

.... and we finished the day lying on the floor of our hotel last night, chins in hands, watching the night begin from our floor to ceiling windows. We saw what people were watching on TV in their apartments, people having parties on their balconies, we saw the reverse bungy jump in action and even a fight down in the main street.

It's interesting talking to real estate agents down here... as you do. The market down here has dropped 50% since the peak in 2008. There are some bargains to be had. I was told a story about the one million dollar pre-sales, in one of these big beauties, that were valued down to 400K by the time the new owners had to settle the contract at the original contract price, which was way above valuation. Ouch.

So we're chilling out. This last school term seemed exceptionally long! We needed this holiday. Especially my big son. He worked super hard last term. His head was never out of a book. He got good grades... good boy. He's going on the Japan school trip at the end of Term 3. He has never gotten below an A+ in Japanese over the past 5 years. He loves it. I promised that he could go to Japan if he made more of an effort speaking Japanese in sushi trains and Japanese restaurants. I said I would like to hear what I have paying for all these years. He's now singing like a (Japanese) canary! 

We had a fabulous Japanese meal last night in a little restaurant in Surfers. Big son had the Japanese dictionary out and was teaching me all about verbs and possession. Little one is a lot more out there with his Japanese and says every word he knows in the one sentence.

My boys are growing up too fast. I am cherishing every single moment with them.

So, I'm skipping between Brissie and the coast all week for appointments and orders... and of course orchestra practice tonight. String tutorials. Bit scared. Funny, I used to stand out the front of my bushband for 19 years playing solo violin.. and now in a big orchestra again, I feel so exposed! Doesn't help that they are all violin teachers... and that they play every day.... well. 

I'm getting there. 

The bathroom in the new house. Honestly, it's the best bit.

Still hoping nothing stops me from making it mine!

Still doing due diligence on the house block too. Hoping not to find anything scary and impossible to deal with. I have until Thursday and then I go unconditional. Also scary.

Healthy fear all round.

Happy Monday!