Negin Sedghi

I have come to appreciate  home baked bread. This time to a whole other level. After almost 5 hours and a tripled recipe I can gladly store fresh and fluffy bread in the cabin and freezer.  In a hippie kind of way it makes me feel environmental friendly and healthy. Even though I baked 25 buns, I am already planning my next baking and which recipes to try out…

Saw this funny image on my facebook today.

Last time I checked I said more than  just “Hello”…

After stressful wedding preparations, family visits and alot of travelling back and forward I have found some nice ways to relax. A sisterly visit inspired for lovely balcony-breakfast, baking my very first bread and trying out new couscous recipes. Thanks for dropping by Monademona…

Photographer: Sara Choghrich

I know alot of you want to see some wedding pictures, and I promise that I will post a few in the next couple of days…but until then, late me show you what I keep looking at in my livingroom. All you flowerjunkies – aren’t these beautiful?!

The month of August has been out of this world for me. There are no words to describe the warmth I feel when looking back at the days before, during and after the wedding. Not only has the number of family members increased, but we have gotten older, wiser and at moments shown our inner child. The heart yearns to have us all gathered and the eager mind is already counting the days until we gather again. I wish everyone in this earthly world could experience the warmth of having a family. Whether it is close friends that love you dearly, or grandparents that are still around to be with you. Cherishing the presence of family is what August has been all about. Big Love to the Altieri’s, Sedghi’s and Nazerian’s.

Oh btw, being married rocks!!

Here’s a glimpse of us Sedghi sisters and brother at the wedding.

I am not a gadget freak. Maybe just a little. Thinking back I remember when it started with my brother opening up my very first Gmail account. I wasn’t that keen on changing, thinking hotmail was good enough (what was I thinking?!).

Slowly my mindset changed and I would catch myself promoting Gmail to my friends with the cheesy line ” Try it – you won’t regret it”. I totally should have gotten payed by Google since I definitely raised the amount of accounts. Now, whether or not Google is going to take over the world and become president, I really don’t care. Because they make the coolest additions to the gmail-accounts. I just noticed that you now can call internationally from your mail- also  it’s free to call to the US/Canada during 2010. How cool is that!! (I feel like a computer nerd)

So, I’m going to do it again. If you still don’t have a Gmail – Try it – you won’t regret it!

I guess marrying the most wonderful person on the planet isn’t enough. Now he is giving me gifts. I take it as a reward for marrying him.

Oooh…I love this wife-business.

This photo was taken by my awesome photographer, who happens to be my sister. She takes kickass pictures and was able to catch this during my meditative swimming – which I recommend everyone to do.
Get out there and swim your thoughts away…

The details of the wedding are getting done, and it is lots of fun to experiment with fabrics and paper, even if it took me almost half an hour to make the white roses in textile. In the end the result is worth giving the personal touch for the wedding….and soon, it is time!!

There are a lot of crimes being carried out by people in the world – and most of them are getting their sentence as a consequence. But what about the ones that aren’t guilty.

Imagine being locked up for 20 years in one of Iran’s worst prisons for just having a different faith. This is what 5 men and 2 women of the Baha’i community have been sentenced to. Once again the regime are taking “religion” into their own hand and belive they can own the role of deciding what faith people should have. Read more about their situation here.

The seven – Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm – were all members of a national-level group that, with the government’s knowledge, helped see to the minimum spiritual needs of Iran’s Baha’i community.

Ever since I started painting I have experimented with all kinds of colors, brushes and even finger painted on the canvas. And the shape has always been square or rectangular. Now I am up for a cool challenge to do a round-shaped painting. It turns everything upside down for me, since I’m not a professional. So thank the stars for google images, because it has given me some nice inspiration. What do you think of these golden treasures…

We are now one week away from the big day.
7 days left to a union I have longed for.
7 days until the most meaningful day of my life.
7 days until I become a wifey!!!

Could 7 days go faster, please…

I rarely follow other peoples blogs, but there is one artistic girl who posts very interesting stuff -  Kimia Ferdowsi Kline. She recently got married and has had very inspirational ideas, which is appreciative on my side. I liked this recent post which is a picture of a famous person. Take a close look..

He happens to be the president of some big country! Guess which one..

It started with one of the nephews getting a cold. And with all the kissing and the hugging, I am slowly getting nervous that it soon will be my turn. After all, now my brother and mom are sick and their soar throat are making me paranoid. So, together with an umbrella man (read below) I would like all the vitamins in my body to stay put and fight  the germs that might get my nose running on the big day.

Time for another orange.

Things are getting ready for the big day and the butterflies are growing in numbers. I daydream of looking around at family and friend, their smiles and wicked dance moves. Yet, there is one thing I have seemed to forgotten and also can’t do much about. I was reminded by it this morning when it woke me up with a loud noise of pouring water. The rain.

Honestly it can rain however it wants to, as long as it doesn’t pour down crazy. I have this frighting image in my head – as I walk out the door with my hear and makeup its as if someone has poured a bucket of water from the roof.

So, now I am wondering if anyone can walk around as the umbrella person, ready to protect me from any attacks from the horizon.

A few days ago I posted the result of my painting from the quote “The days of your lives flee away as the breath of wind”. This quotation of Bahá’u'lláh is so on the spot, especially when I realise how fast the days pass by.

Having my family gathered is a blessing no words can describe. Playing with my siblings babies and catching up with each and everyone is something I cherish thousand times more because they all live so far away. Not to forget, in only a few days I will get married…a day I have beem looking forward to for so long.

At the same time life DOES flee away as a the breath of wind…so I am loving every single moment that these breezes bring to the life of the Sedghi’s.

Confrontation isn’t the easiest thing in the world. It takes a lot of virtues to handle things in a diplomatic, just and humble way. But sometimes I stumble into weird moments when I just don’t know how to confront a person – so instead of saying it, I show it.  This is also called the Scandinavian way. For instance when someone accidentally cuts in a line, or walks away from their spot in the que and returns to the same place people will sigh and stare – but they would NEVER confront with words.

I came across a situation today, where I didn’t know how to tell the old man sitting next to me on the bus to “STOP staring at what I am writing on my laptop, I am not writing about you so stop sneaking into my privacy.” Instead I sighed, closed my laptop and starred out with my arms crossed.  As a statement.  The guy got it and stopped starring. Thinking the coast was clear I opened the computer again and not more than a few moments passed until he did it AGAIN!  This time, I changed my position and angled the laptop towards the window so he couldn’t see. We both knew what was going on, but no one said a word.

How does a person confront that!

Pictures when departing Åland…my favourite island!

Finally, after such a long time, I have finished painting this over one meter long canvas. It is one of my absolute favourite quotes by Bahá’u'lláh :

“The days of your lives flee away as the breath of wind”. A good reminder of how precious and extremely short this earthly life is. Another really good quote reminds us to not be so self-centered – something that is very much needed in this world:

The more we search for ourselves, the less likely we are to find ourselves; and the more we search for God, and to serve our fellow men, the more profoundly will we become acquainted with ourselves, and the more inwardly assured. This is one of the great spiritual laws of life. – Shoghi Effendi

I’m no sucker for diets or stupid ideals for how women “should” look like. The main reason for a diet or exercise should only be because of the health.

Until now. The moment has come for the type of awareness all the magazines talk about. They type of articles I usually laugh at, thinking what dork is actually going to fall for it.  The type that tells you how to loose weight for a wedding – by eating less, not after 7 pm, and certainly not junk food. All of a sudden I keep thinking if what I am eating, at what time and how much. What the heck, I guess I’ll make this one exception…which in the end is going to make me look smashin’ in the dress which will only be worn once in my life!

Nope, I am not talking about a king, queen or celebrity. After all, I’d pay more money to have my gorgeous sister and her muffin-cake-I-EAT-YOU daughter come over from the states. And the day has come!

If love and agreement are manifest
in a single family,
that family will advance,
become illumined and spiritual.

Ever since my co-worker and friend told me how I should save ALL my receipts and make sure to ask for a refund in case it lacks quality and breaks – I have gained confidence in my “consumer complaint”-skills.

To add that my beloved future husband taught me a trick or two on how to confront a clerk, I have really made that extra effort to call and demand my money back.  Today was one of those days and it had to do with my lame mobile internet. I went aaaall the way and even got to talk to their boss…and man I was cool about my complaint. Until she gave me the answer that made me realize she was right and I was wrong.

Now my next step is to learn how to take a defeat.

It’s the second of August and we are one step closer to the BIG day – exciting! Today I went to try on my wedding dress for a last fit. And if there are moments in life when you feel like a princess – that’s one of them. Now we just gotta find someone that can film our memorable day and everything will be set.

Meanwhile I’m crossings my finger for a little sunshine, because today I was one step closer on getting all soaked in my flower shoes.

Scones - the perfect and simple pleasure on a sunday!

• 
• 7-8 dl flour
• 3 dl milk
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 100 gram butter

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and mix it into flour. Grind the butter with your fingers into a grainy mass. Mix in milk and stir into a dough,  stop mixing when you can shape it into a dough. Divide the dough into four pieces and flatten into round cakes, about 12-15 centimeters in diameter. Cut two slits in each cake, in a cross. Place on parchment paper or greased baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Serve freshly made and warm with butter and rasberry jam!

Let me introduce you to my very first oven baked kebab. Juicy and darn good – which I can thank my dad for! It only takes about half an hour to prepare the kebab in the oven as long as its marinated with simple ingredients the night before. In the end the tomatoes are added in the oven to make them warm and juicy. Don’t forget to add some somac and fresh onions.
This food will melt in your mouth.

Chilling with my beloved, listening to the pouring rain
outside and simply loving life to this pretty song…

While looking through ads for apartments in Stockholm you tend to come across really weird ones. Like this one which I’ve translated into English.

“Rent my studio of 26 square south of the south…Will only rent to girls between 20-35 years and that you have long nails that you can send a picture of before you come and look at it. Preferably French manicure.

Would like to hear from you with a picture of you and your nails. Rent 3000 SEK / month electricity to come. One month’s rent in advance in writing contracts.

I think not.

I love the feeling of  simple-everyday-excitement. For instance; when drinking ice cold water after a thirsty hot day. Or when you’ve been cold all morning and you are about to go outside and let the warmth of the sun quickly make you feel all fuzzy.

I kinda have that feeling when I now have my wedding shoes all set. I look at them and I get that warm tickle in my belly that can’t waaaait to dance at our wedding! Have the people I love around me, see them smile …and of course make them dance ALL night!