There is even a Pink hunting season i Alabama...

I am overwhelmed of all the typs of advertisements that surrounds me every day, but it is fun to read, watch and listen to them, just because they are different from home. And they are tons of them over here, on radio, TV and the big pack of paper ads that arrives every Wednesday in or mailbox.

This time of the year is must be the hunting season in Alabama, at least if I read the ads. Because in them you can buy anything for that season and what amazes me the most is the selection of different guns and fire arms one can get - even in pink if you like it!

What also makes me laugh is the many pink versions there are on things. If there is a sport activity that women participate in there has to be a pink set up of the gear - in any sport.

I who have stared golfing have been to several stores looking at clubs and every sales representative took me immediately to the pink clubs, the pink bag, the pink tees and the pink balls together with the pink clothes I should wear. I hate pink!!! And why should I choose a pink rifle going hunting? It will glow in every environment - there is not very much of kamoflash over the color pink.

But I guess ladies here in Alabama likes pink. And their husbands likes to buy pink stuff to them, according to the sales representative I spoke to when I asked who the buyer is.

First grade and already in pursuit of excellence.

Well, it feels like it when I sit down with my daughter to get her daily homework done. At the beginning of this school year, about 3 months ago, she didn´t know what was waiting her - homework, routines, discipline etc. The routines are important and therefor everyday of the week looks exactly the same. Discipline is also important and they have rules to obey while in school like good behavior, learn to be responsible etc. The school has a high focus on the academics, which in my Swedish world, is a little bit too early when attending first grade. But they argue it is easy to form the students at an early age and it becomes easy for the students later. I guess some parts are good and some parts I just want to take out of the curriculum if I could choose (but that is due to cultural differences).

My daughter starts school approx 8 a.m. and gets out at approx 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. When we get home we have about an hour of homework ahead of us - (for a native it maybe is 20-30 min). I get out the blue folder, sent home with her everyday, where I can find personal notes from the teacher or general information from the school. I can also find a section saying: "Homework to do". I pull it out and it can be anything from two to four or sometimes five different papers that should be done until the very next day. We begin with spelling homework and try to learn how to pronounce and spell the words. They are usually about ten of them. Later in the week a spelling test will be held. We continue with math and we help her prepare herself for an upcoming test later in the week. If she is not too tired at this time I will help her finish whatever work she did not complete before the end of the school day.

This is tough for a girl that cannot even read or write in her own language and now in a very short time needs to learn English, a language she has not heard of or not understood until about now. But I am amazed how fast they learn. It goes fast and I wish I that capacity to learn a new language in one year. She works hard and I am very proud of her!!! It is amazing how flexible they are and trying to their best in any situation.

However, in the beginning it was a struggle and she could not understand why she needed to work when school was over for the day. Today, 3 months later, she has less unfinished work with her home. She tells me what homework she has with her home and there is much less protests when doing her homework and it goes faster to complete them every day. We are progressing and she is growing amazingly fast of learning it all - A Pursuit of Excellence I guess...

Inside the blue folder I have sections to look at. This blue section with a zipper I send personal and important messages the teacher needs to know about.

Every Monday I get a letter of what homework needs to be done thought out the week. I also get all the homework in math and spelling in this section. That needs to be returned the very next day.
When the homework is done I put this in the "completed" section so the teachers knows it has been done. I also sign the homework before sending it back.

Routine, routine is very important and I agree. This is the morning routine for my daughter.

Some of the homework that arrives home. Some are more difficult than others....

This is a picture of the car pool line I am lined up in while waiting the school to dismiss. I am at the end of the line and I probably have 20+ some cars in front of me. I don´t walk in to get her - I line up with my car and she is released as I pull up and where I will be identified as the right person.

Sunshine, warm weather, shorts and sandals and Christmas approaching...

In Southern USA where it is still warm and the sun is shining (today and most days) it is difficult to get into the feel of Christmas and the Swedish holiday season starting in two weeks - the first of advent.

One cannot avoid what season of the year we are approaching - any store you walk into displays their latest Christmas decoration and are getting ready for the big Christmas shopping spree.

However, walking around in the store in shorts and sandals does not get me in the right mood quite yet! But I am trying to get into the feel of it and together with my mother we walk through department stores to interior design stores where Christmas and winter country now rules...

So here I am walking around in shorts and sandals and trying to portrait an American Christmas tree and the decoration I should get this year. And what is the best looking tree in our Swedish tiny apartment back home? I must say that Americans do have lots of space since many of them have these huge trees. Some of the trees below will actually take up a majority portion of our living room space in our apartment down town Stockholm.

I also must give the American Christmas trees and their decorators some applauds because the trees they look fabulous and inspirational (even if they are plastic). But I am also amazed on how much stuff actually can fit in one tree. Below you see a great collection of American Christmas trees from a nearby Interior design store.

Should I have this one... Absolutely stunning but lots of decoration in it. I could hardly see the tree..

Or should I go with the more winter like...
Our the maybe city like tree... look like the three outside the shopping centers.
Or should I go with the traditional American Christmas tree with lots of bows...

Christmas tree at Target... what size do I need?

This is a Christmas outdoor decoration. I am guessing the southern version....

Elvis and Graceland...

These passed two weeks I have had my mother visiting us in Alabama and we have had great fun together. She had only one thing on her wish list while visiting and that was a visit to Graceland and to see where Elvis lived - the pop star of her time. Since it's only a 5 hour drive, one way, from Montgomery it would be an easy trip to make especially when it is a clear free way all they way through Alabama, parts of Mississippi and into Tennessee.

I never thought in my life I would visit Graceland - the home of Elvis and nor did my mother. But we got there and wow... I must say I am impressed by everything. I whom is not an Elvis fan will not understand, but seeing his house and get a glimpse of what his life was, I can understand that he is a true legend of his time.. and will be so for a very long time. I also found out that he has been until now the most sold dead artist in the world. Michael Jackson beat him this year. Elvis Presley´s house Graceland is also the second most visited house in the country after the White House.

We stayed at the Heart Break Hotel in Memphis, just a few steps away from Graceland itself. At first I felt the whole environment kind of cheesy. You could see recorded and televised concerts of him, his name and picture on tons of things one can only imagine. I guess, its all business, and for a non-fan it seemed absurd. But I found that his fans thrive in it.

Graceland itself was awesome. WOW. He bought the house back in late 50's for a 100 000 dollars. Its not a big house compared to today´s measures and everything inside and outside has kept the same since his death in August of 1977. The cool jungle room, or the billiard room which was covered with the same fabric from the floor to the roof. The sofa in the same fabric blended well in.....

The graves of the Presley family was some what very emotional. Some fans were quiet, other talked with him, some had clearly emotional breakouts and others had to sit down because they cried too much. I never thought a pop star could have such an impact on his fans still today, more than 30 years after his death.

If you pass Memphis you need to see Graceland, even if you are not a fan.

This is an early photo of Elvis and his mother and father. Born in Mississippi in 1935. His round cheeks is because he had his mouth full of peanuts...

This car he gave to his mother - and as I understand it she was very special to him. He had several very nice cars in his collection but this is the only pink car.

The Presley family graves. Graceland receives flowers daily from fans all over the world, to put on his grave...

Not so flattering photo of him.

Impressive collections of awards, prices, etc... This used to be his racquetball court.

This is the famous jungle room. Scary if you would find a house on the market looking like this today, but I guess, Elvis was a little cutting edge of his time. But he had the money too..

OK. The billard room. Totally covered with the same fabric from wall to wall and roof. Including the sofa. The room gives you a wired feeling and it becomes narrow.. Don´t ask me but there got to be several 100 meters of fabric in this room.

Anythings you can print on you can find Elvis on it - starting with candy for kids...

A fury phone....
Elvis in his best looking years according to my mom... She had this portrait of him above her bed. She slept good that night.....