Pieces of My Mind

5 Tips to Cleaning out your Closets

2012-01-11T06:59:00.001-08:00

I go through periods where I won’t buy clothes for years and then all of the sudden I’ll buy an almost whole new wardrobe. It all depends on where I am size wise and how worn out my clothes are. There are many ways of organizing your closet, but I want to share mine. This is what I have found to work for me as we are preparing to move to Norway and now I know exactly what I need to purchase before my move.

Remove anything that does not belong in the closet
Divide your clothes into groups of what you would use them for – I have training, hiking/biking, church clothes/party clothes, every day/work clothes.
Go through it all and either mend or throw out any clothes with tears or holes – throw out anything with stains in them
Donate anything you have not used in the last year – if you are waiting to shrink into it if it is not a classic chances are that it is out of fashion when you finally fit it again
Hang everything in the groups that you divided them into or find decorative boxes to put everything into on the shelves.

Hope this will help you.

This time I cleaned out my closet and my oldest daughters closet. My daughters closet is the biggest closet in the house and where we keep some toys and anything that is not used right now. I had six boxes full of things that were packed this spring in wait of a future move, that is still in the future, stored in there and managed by going through them all to give three to donations and keep only three boxes. Feels good to have less stuff.

5 Tips to Clean Bathrooms

2012-01-11T06:41:00.001-08:00

Cleaning the bathrooms is one of the chores that I do the most often and that I find easiest to find time to do. It is so easy to just do it when you are already there and if you have all your tools there and don’t need to run around the house to gather them.

Keep rags (I use old wash cloths), sponges, swiffer dry mops and cleaning solutions in every bathroom – all you need is a little basket to contain it all
Keep one rag handy to wipe off counters when you go to bed every night.
Spray and scrub the tub or shower after your take your weekend shower – spray as you get out, let sit while you dress and then scrub and rinse
If you have children have them wash their own bathroom and if they can’t wash their bathrooms while the kids are playing in the bathtub during bath time
A couple of times a week take a swiffer dry mop and step on it, guide it around the floor and into the corners that you can reach for easy sweeping

Every so often I do a more thorough cleaning, but this keeps it very clean over long periods of time.

10 Tips to a Clean and Organized Fridge and Freezer

2012-01-11T06:24:00.001-08:00

Before After

From dirty to clean in no time

I have found that all tasks big and small are connected in some way and here are five tips that are connected and all have to do with keeping your fridge clean and organized.

Menu plan – even if it is only for a week at the time
Grocery shopping – only once a week which is made possible by menu planning
Remove expired foods and eat all leftovers the day before grocery shopping
Clean all the shelves once a week when removing the old and expired foods and make sure there are no spills hiding under the vegetable boxes
Every time you wash dishes take a microfiber towel and wipe off the outsides of the fridge and freezer

Before pictures

After pictures

For the freezer I have found that this works for me

Menu plan – always check what you have in the freezer first and unless there is a very good sale use what you have
Grocery shopping – only buy on good sales, but make sure you can fit it all in the freezer or use it all before expiration date
Once every six months try to use up everything in the freezer, the best time of the year is around Holidays and big sports events like the Super ball when prizes on some items go lower than usual and you can stock up
When the freezer is near empty, take out everything and clean it thoroughly with a damp microfiber rag
When putting everything back in organize it and make sure everything is labeled

By the way labeling everything that goes in the freezer is the smart thing to do or you will end up like me with a lot of beef that I have no idea what is for which makes for lesser than fun surprises when cooking.

5 Spots that are easily forgotten when dusting

2012-01-10T08:38:00.002-08:00

There are five spots that are easy to forget when you are dusting, but that are easy to spot by guests. Yes I am the kind of guest who notice every little thing, but I won’t tell you or think any less of you as I do often forget these spots in my own home.

Baseboards – are easily forgotten, but could need to be wiped down at least once a month
Doors – If you have any kind of door with grooves you will need to wipe these down once a month
Light fixtures – both floor lamps, table lamps, wall fixtures, and ceiling fixtures need to be wiped down at least once a month.
Ceilings and walls – those pesky spider webs or dust catchers can show up absolutely un noticed and un expected, check for them once a month and use a microfiber towel on a broom to catch them
Window sills – especially in bedrooms and bathrooms where there can be not only dust, but also mold growing, check once a month and use vinegar to clean up any mold.

Norwegian Sauerkraut “Surkål”

2012-01-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

I grew up with Sauerkraut to anything made with pork and my mom would just buy already made in the store to take home and reheat it there. Then when I went off to college I had a teacher who taught us an easy way of making it ourselves and believe it or not it also freezes well.

This recipe makes about 10 servings.

2000 grams (4 lbs) Cabbage (Red or Green depending on what you prefer)
2 1/2 Tbsp Caraway Seeds
5 Tbsp White Distilled Vinegar (7% is best, but 5% works just fine)
5 Tbsp Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Salt
2 cups of Water

Shred the cabbage as fine as you want it. I like to keep mine at a medium shred somewhat thicker pieces in between the smaller pieces.

Put the shredded cabbage and caraway seeds in layers in a big pot and sprinkle salt and sugar on top. Then pour the vinegar and water over it all.

Get to a boil and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes under a lid.

Add more sugar, salt or vinegar according to your preferences. Reheats very easily in the microwave.

5 Tips to Purge your Christmas Decor

2012-01-10T06:23:00.001-08:00

Christmas Decor

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Since we are moving back to Norway this year I needed to purge all my Christmas décor. We did sell our 6.5 foot Christmas tree before Christmas and instead we got a 3.5 foot tree which we are thinking of giving to my sister in law and her husband. Still we had way to much décor to bring with us, over three boxes full and I needed to purge it down to one. As Christmas is my favorite Holliday I have collected a lot of décor and some of it I brought with me from Norway. Here is how I managed to complete this task.

Gather everything and throw out anything that is broken unless you know you can fix it within the next day.
Sort it into groups of decorations that match and choose your favorite group or groups, put your least favorite groups in the donation box.
Make sure you have saved any décor that hold special meaning to you, wrap it up safely.
See if there is some décor that you can recreate later, take a picture and put this décor in the donation box.
Find the right size box and start packing your most favorite items then whatever don’t fit in the box will go into the donation box.

Norwegian “Medisterkaker” Pork Meatballs

2012-01-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

Medisterkaker is traditionally served at Christmas, but growing up we never had this at my home. The reason was that my dad didn’t like them due to their unappealing color. I on the other hand loved them and my mom and I would have them when my dad was at sea. My mom never made them from scratch. She would buy a bag at the store, come home and heat them up in a brown sauce.

When I went off to college I got a teacher who enjoyed teaching how to make traditional Norwegian homecooked foods and one dish she taught me was homemade Medisterkaker. I went home to my parents and made this for them, insisting to my dad that he had to try them. Turned out that the color of homemade ones are rather appealing and he is now a big fan of these.

2 lbs Ground Pork
3 tsp Salt
5 Tbsp Potato Starch
3/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ginger
2 cups of Milk

In your Kitchen Aid (or equal mixer) mix together the Pork and the salt till the pork is very sticky. Blend together the Potato starch and spices and add it to the pork mixing well.

Make sure the milk is the same temperature as the pork and add it a little at the time while mixing making sure it blends well together so it stays well together.

Form round or oblong balls and brown in a medium-hot pan then transfer to a pot with about 3 cups Pork Gravy (made with Pork Gravy Mix) on medium-low heat and let them simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve with potatoes, sauerkraut and soft boiled prunes.

Health Goals

2012-01-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

This is the year where I will

This past year my health has been declining due to my allergies and the stress in my life.

This new year I will take charge of my allergies by using any and all tools that I have against them. That may be by using my Neti pot, my allergy medicine and my asthma medicine a lot more than what I would normally do which really just means that I would follow doctors orders. I know I should always follow doctors orders when it comes to medicine use and by doing so I might not have experienced the decline in my health. As long as I can just get my allergies and asthma under control I might be able to avoid all these upper airway infections I have been having this past year.

Which brings me to the next point of starting running again. In August of 2010 I started to run by using the program of from Couch potato to 5K. By Thanksgiving I had gotten up to 4K and then I got sick. Since then I have only done a few runs and mostly just long hikes, but I know I can still do 3K without a problem.

It is just a matter of mindset

This fall I started the 30 minute workout program by Jillian Michaels and made it to week two when my knees started to give out on me. I want to get started again on it, but modify it a little to save my knees and at least not give up.

I also need to eat better. Smaller servings, more fruit and vegetables, less soda and unhealthy snacks. I still have a few extra pounds I need to loose and although I will try not to focus to much on it, it would still be nice to loose them and get down to pre pregnancy weight again.

My Goals are

Use my medicine to control my allergy and asthma
Use my Neti pot to keep infections away
Start running again and make it to a 5K
Start doing my 30 minute workout with Jillian Michaels
Eat better and control my intake more
And finally start doing Gymnastics again

My inspiration found on pinterest

How to be a better runner.

A Peak at Our Thanksgiving

2012-01-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

This years Thanksgiving Festivities were held at my sister in laws house. She, a friend and my mother in law were responsible for the food and I got to do the decorating. The china and silver belongs to my mother in law. We had 18 people altogether as family had flown in from the East coast, Arizona and California to help celebrate our last Thanksgiving in this country.

Even the sun peaked out and blessed us with its presence.

The traditional Canned Cranberry that my sister in law just has to have.

One of two types of turkey. My mother in law had a whole turkey smoked and then baked one breast. They were both delicious.

My homemade Cranberry sauce anno 2010. Yes it kept very well in the freezer.

My sister in laws homemade mashed potatoes. Every time we gather for a dinner that calls for mashed potatoes we all request that she brings it.

My sister in law and her husband celebrated their wedding anniversary the day after Thanksgiving and had their special glasses out for their anniversary toast.

The girls actually stood still long enough for me to capture their pictures and these even made it onto our Christmas cards.

I filled cornucopias with some decorative leaves, pumpkins and straws and put on a ledge behind the sofa. My sister in law had some big homemade ornaments that we hung from the ceiling.

A cheese platter with the best brie ever.

A friend of ours made a veggie turkey.

The vegetarian dish, unfortunately I don’t remember what this was.

Heaven on earth. Bacon covered water chestnuts drenched with maple syrup and baked in the oven. Yummy…

Homemade Pumpkin bread made by me. Mmm I still have a loaf in my freezer…

Norwegian Ginger Bread Cookies

2012-01-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

Norwegian Ginger Bread Cookies are crunchy and hold a lot of flavor. There are many different recipes for these and most of them will have you boiling the first five ingredients together. I didn’t like all the work of cooking the dough before baking it and found this recipe in a magazine about 15 years ago and have been making it ever since. It is perfect for any shape and for any house, train or village (yes I have make all that, but unfortunately have absolutely no pictures of them).

For this recipe you will need a measuring cup that shows metric measurements. At the bottom of the page is one that I will recommend.

1 1/2 deciliter Melted Margarine
1 1/2 deciliter Dark Syrup (the link is for a light type, if you can get dark it is better)
1 1/2 deciliter Brown Sugar
1 1/2 deciliter Sugar
1 1/2 deciliter Cream
3 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Clover
2 tsp Ginger
2 tsp Cardamom
1 tsp Baking Soda
9 1/2 deciliter All Purpose Flour

Mix it all up and let sit cold for 24 hours. Roll out till 1/8 of an inch using more flour and make cookies using cookie cutters.

Bake at 375-390 degrees Fahrenheit for 7-11 minutes.

They are to brown evenly and you might have to experiment with temperature and time. This is due to the different ovens and altitudes that you have.

If you would like to make a house like what I made you will have to find a template somewhere online.

Norwegian Caramel Cookies

2012-01-03T08:02:00.001-08:00

Back home in Norway we have some family friends that every year would make this delicious cookie that tasted like caramels. Every time we visited I would make sure to steal them all of the serving plate and eat them all because they were just that good. When I moved away to go to college I knew I wouldn’t be home for Christmas very often and I finally asked them if I could please have the recipe and they were so nice as to give it to me.

For this you will need a metric scale and a metric measuring cup, my recommended once are at the bottom of this post.

200 grams of Margarine
2 1/2 deciliter Sugar

Creamed together

Add

2 Tbsp Light Syrup

Blend together and add

2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Vanilla Sugar
6 deciliter All Purpose Flour

Knead it to a ball and roll out to long snakes that you push flat to about 3/8 of an inch thickness on a Parchment Paper.

Bake at 360 degrees Fahrenheit till they start to brown on the edges and are golden on top.

Take them out and instantly cut them with a pizza cutter. Break them apart when cooled down.

Norwegian Krumkake

2012-01-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

When my friends think of Norwegian cookies they think of Krumkake. It is the best know Norwegian cookie there is and with its delicate design and delicious taste it is no wonder that it is a big hit every year.

You can get Krumkake irons more or less everywhere and if you buy the one on the bottom of this post you will help support me and my blog. As you can see mine is very different from what I am recommending here in the post. My grandmother bought this iron back home in Norway around 1950. It was supposed to have a stand, but it got lost at some point. You can find the exact same one on ebay right now with a starting bid of $9.99.

Making Krumkake is easier than most people think and here is my moms tried and true recipe that we have used for over 40 years. To make sure the measurements are correct it is best to use a scale that shows the metric units of grams. At the bottom of the post is one that I would recommend.

170 grams Margarine
170 grams Sugar

Creamed together

Add while mixing

4 Eggs

Blend together

200 grams All Purpose Flour
2 1/2 Tbsp Potato Starch
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 tsp Grated Cardamom

and add it to the mixture of buttercream and eggs little by little while mixing it in.

At the end mix in

1 Tsp Water

Heat up your iron and put a full teaspoon of batter on the iron and shut it tightly. If the batter doesn’t reach the edges add a little more and if it runs of the edges add a little less. Let it sit till it is golden brown. Take your Cone shaper and working fast roll the cake onto the cone shaper, put it down on a cooling rack while you add more batter to the iron. Take the krumkake off the shaper when it has cooled down a little. It hardens fast so you have to work fast.

You can also make little bowls by laying the cake on top of a bowl, pressing down the sides a little. These are perfect to serve a little dessert in.

Krumkake is traditionally served with a side of Whipped cream mixed with jam typically Cloudberry jam.

50 Random Questions with my answers to them

2012-01-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

I found this on a blog I stumbled upon today called Marc and Angel Hack Life

These questions have no right or wrong answers.

Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer.

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? 25, I don’t know why, but it just sounds right.
Which is worse, failing or never trying? Never trying is worse than failing as you would never know if you could actually make it without ever trying.
If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? Because we always think about all the things that we should do which is usually things we don’t like, but we never feel like we have the right to do what we do like because we don’t feel like we deserve it without doing what we don’t like first.
When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done? Unfortunately yes. I make a lot of plans to do things, but rarely make the time to actually doing it.
What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? I would like to make sure everyone was well educated especially in geography, languages and history.
If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? Helping people and getting to know new people all the time. Maybe by running a coffee shop/bakery somewhere, having it me a meeting place for everyone.
Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing? I believe in what I am doing which is raising my children, but I am not settling for what I am doing as I want to do more and this year I will go back to Norway to start teaching again.
If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently? That would mean that I have less than 8 years left to live and if that was it I would travel more, sing more and dance more, wait that is exactly what my plan is for the next 8 years.
To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? Up until I moved here to the US I pretty much controlled the course of my life, but then when I came here I just had to trust that God knew the path I should take when all my plans got washed away. After almost 6 years here I find that my life again is going onto a path that I can control somewhat, but I have also learned to give the reigns to God and trust him in guiding me.
Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things? I think I feel it about 50/50 there. I am a perfectionist and I want things done right, but I also want to do the right things.
You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do? I speak up and ask them how well they know this person and then I call them on it and tell them how it is.
If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be? Stand your ground and be a friend.
Would you break the law to save a loved one? No, I don’t think so.
Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity? With my dad all the time. I though him insane when he insisted on getting electricity at our summer house by building his own water generator, still I admire his creativity and persistence in making it and love the fact that I can charge my computer while being there.
What’s something you know you do differently than most people? I know I live a less structured life than most of my friends. They have specific days for almost everything and have a hard time doing anything else on those days. I do like to do my grocery shopping on Mondays, but if a friend wants to meet me for a coffee or a play date I will make do with what I have at home and do my grocery shopping another day.
How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy? Not everyone likes crafting or baking. I don’t like playing video games, but it sure makes my hubby happy when he gets to play his.
What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back? I really want to work as a teacher and use my education. What is holding me back is the fact that I have to go back to school to get my teaching certificate here in the US to be able to teach here. That is something I can’t afford to do and therefore I have not been able to teach since I moved here right after graduating from the university.
Are you holding onto something you need to let go of? Except for a lot of stuff that I need to get rid of before moving? Probably the anger I have against my mother in law for the way she has treated me since we moved here.
If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? Norway, it is my home country and I will be able to get a job there as a teacher.
Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster? There is always a chance that it didn’t register the first time.
Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton? I would be happy if I were somewhere in between, but if I have to choose I think I would like to be a joyful simpleton because at least I would live a good life.
Why are you, you? Because I like me and God created me this way for a reason.
Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? I always try my hardest to be the kind of friend I would love to have, I just wish I was better at listening.
Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you? Losing touch with a good friend who lives near me because I always feel like it is my fault either by not being a good enough friend or that they just don’t like me which to me is quite painful.
What are you most grateful for? I am most grateful for my husband who loves me no matter what and for my two beautiful girls.
Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? I would rather lose all of my old memories and be able to make new ones.
Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first? Yes.
Has your greatest fear ever come true? Trying to think of what my greatest fear is, no.
Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now? No, but I still wish that we had not sold the house and moved here.
What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special? What comes to mind now is waking up on Christmas Eve and coming out of my bedroom where through the glass door to the living room I could see the Christmas tree all decorated with the lights all shining. I would stand there for a moment before opening the door and going in to see all the gifts under the tree. The anticipation was tickling like butterflies in my stomach and still I had to wait till after 6 pm to open any gifts. My parents would get up and we would eat a wonderful breakfast, visit my grandparents next door and just hang out and watch Christmas shows on TV till dinner. After dinner it was time for a nap or a book and after that it was time for cookies, soda, coffee and gifts. I have tried to recreate this for my children and I think the magic is still there.
At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive? In all honesty I am not sure.
If not now, then when? Now as I am working on setting as many doable goals as possible for this new year.
If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose? I have absolutely nothing to loose as I have already lost my mind.
Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever? Yes I have a few good friends like that.
Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? Passion that one is right.
Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil? Not everything is black and white as there is a lot of gray areas and all men are both good and evil.
If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job? No I would not quit my job, but I would try to do more good.
Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing? As I am a stay at home mom I would love a real job which I guess would mean more work.
Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before? Yes, every day is pretty much the same for me.
When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in? I am walking into the dark right now with a strong belief that moving to Norway is the right thing to do, but how our future there is going to be is still in the dark for us.
If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today? I would visit with my parents.
Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous? No, I would rather live 10 years longer to see my kids grow older and have families on their own.
What is the difference between being alive and truly living? When you are truly living you do things you enjoy doing and just being alive means living without passion.
When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right? Anytime.
If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake? People are naturally afraid of failing and find it embarrassing to fail, and in order to make a mistake you usually have to fail.
What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? I would find someone to babysit my kids just so I could exercise and tend to my hobbies.
When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing? Right now.
What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love? I love to create and many of my latest actions has been to create either by crafting or by baking and I have given most of it away expressing my love for people around me and for crafting and baking.
In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that? Most days probably not, but yesterday I took both girls to the local children’s museum and then out to eat donuts and I do believe I will remember that.
Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you? Some are made by others and some are made by me, that is how life is.

A New Year–New Hopes and Plans

2011-12-31T23:26:00.000-08:00

I wish all my readers a Happy New Year.

May it be a blessed one for you.

Every year I start out with new hopes and new plans for my life, most of the time they disappear in becoming good intentions that fall flat. I was reflecting on why this happens and I think I know why.

I have never written my hopes and goals down ever so this year I will break my life down into bits and pieces and build goals on the different aspects of my life.

I will make one post per aspect and list my resolutions there with some inspiration to get it done found on pintrest.

Tips, tricks and encouragement is greatly appreciated as this will be a year of great changes for me and my family.

We will be loosing our home soon and will have to find a temporary place to live.
We will be moving to Norway this spring/summer with no jobs in sight as of now.
We will be starting in new jobs this summer/fall in Norway and the kids will start in a new school/daycare.

Mor Monsen cake

2011-12-31T07:48:00.000-08:00

This is a very rich cake that keeps well in a tight box or in the freezer. It is made at Christmas time as that was the time of the year when you would want to splurge on the good stuff.

You will need a metric scale for this and I do recommend the one at the bottom of this post.

300 grams Butter or Margarine
300 grams Sugar
8 eggs
300 grams All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
Zest of 1 Lemon
100 grams Currants
50 grams Pearl Sugar (Swedish décor Sugar)

Cream butter and sugar together. Divide the yokes and egg whites and mix the yokes into the butter cream. Mix in the flour, baking powder and zest.

Whip the egg whites till stiff peaks form and gently cut it into the rest of the batter.

Put Parchment paper into a pan about 10 by 20 inches big and pour the batter in.

Sprinkle with currants and pearl sugar.

Bake sat 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes till it’s golden brown on top.

Norwegian “Kransekake” Almond Cookies

2011-12-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

This recipe can in its variations be used for four things. Marzipan (almond paste), almond stick cookies, Kransekake and Sarah Bernard.

All you need is

250 grams Grated Almonds (some might have to be shelled)
250 grams of Powder Sugar
2 Egg Whites

Marzipan

Shell all the almonds by boiling them for a few minutes and then draining them. This should make the brown skin on them swell up so that you can just pop the almond right out of its shell. Let the almonds dry for a few days before grating them. Grate the almonds as fine as possible. Mix well with the Powder Sugar and add two egg whites. The end result should be an almond paste that is coarser than normal, but with lots of texture and flavor. Form into shapes, dip in Chocolate or enjoy as is.

Almond stick cookies and Kransekake

Shell half of the almonds and let dry for a couple of days. Grate them all together and mix just like the marzipan. Roll out to long thumb thick snakes and cut 1 inch long sticks. Bake till they are a nice light brown color all over at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes. When cool dip in Dark Chocolate.

For the Kransekake please follow the directions on the Forms that you have.

Sarah Bernard

Make the Almond stick, but form the paste to little balls that you press to flat little disks. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes till they are evenly brown. Put on a cooling rack and let cool.

Make a butter cream of

200 grams Butter
3 deciliter Powder Sugar
3 Egg Yokes
100 grams grated Dark Chocolate
1 Tbsp Dark Semi Sweet Chocolate Powder

Mix well till it is nice and creamy. Put a dollop on every disk, making sure they stick well.

Glaze

200 grams of Dark Chocolate
2 Tbsp Shortening

Melted together.

Dip the cookie into the glaze with the dollop first.

Let sit till it hardens. Keep cool and enjoy.

Norwegian Christmas Oatmeal Cookies

2011-12-29T07:08:00.000-08:00

These cookies are a must at my house for Christmas. I usually make two or three batches of them and are always giving these away as gifts.

They have a mildly spiced and nutty flavor to their crunch and they somewhat melts in your mouth. With them being bite size they are the perfect little treat for big and small.

4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups Sugar
1 3/4 cup Melted Margarine
6 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon

Mix it all together with a spoon and put balls the size of a teaspoon or half a tablespoon on a Parchment Paper.

Bake at 400 degree Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes till they are browned at the edges.

Scones after a Norwegian recipe

2011-11-03T13:28:00.001-07:00

These are so good and so easy to make, I love them.

3 1/2 cup (8-9 dl) all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 tsp baking powder
7 Tbsp margarine
1 3/4 cup (4 dl) milk or buttermilk

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Cut in the margarine till it is incorporated in the flour.

Add the milk and quickly work the dough till it all comes together. Do not overwork the dough as it will make the scones chewy.

Divide the dough in four equal potions. Make a round cake about 3/4 inch thick. Put it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Cut the cakes in four and prick them with a fork.

Bake in the middle of the oven for circa 12 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

The ones on the pictures were made with 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour.

Enjoy.

Thanksgiving Decor

2011-10-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the ideas I have found on Pinterest

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Marianne on Pinterest

A craft to do with my 7 year old.

Source: 320sycamoreblog.com via Marianne on Pinterest

Combined décor and Christmas gift for my sister in law.

Source: marthastewart.com via Marianne on Pinterest

This would look so lovely as a centerpiece either on the dining table or on the kitchen island.

Source: twotwenty-one.blogspot.com via Marianne on Pinterest

So easy and so pretty. And not to forget safe from toddlers who like to blow on candles.

Source: creativetryals.blogspot.com via Marianne on Pinterest

Would look so pretty on a little note to every guest.

Source: prudentlypaintedvintage.blogspot.com via Marianne on Pinterest

I would love to make these to decorate outside the front doors of both my sister in law and

my mother in law as these does not take up that much space.

Source: kindovermatter.com via Marianne on Pinterest

A collection of printables. Easy and fun décor.

Source: celebrationsathomeblog.com via Marianne on Pinterest

More of the same as the one above but with nuts and lentils.

These are some of the ideas I have for our big family gathering which will be the week of Thanksgiving. Since we are moving back to Norway next year the whole family will be coming from California and the East coast to Seattle to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Many of them I have never met. My sister in law is hosting, she and my mother in law are cooking and I have asked to please be allowed to decorate. Maybe I will even cook or bake something too.

One thing at the time

2011-10-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things happen that makes other things fade in the background and last week things happened.

This year I am Co Coordinator (Coco for short) for my church’s MOPS group. Leaving for Norway this summer I knew I was going to be the Assistant coordinator, but when I came home I learned that the coordinator was moving to Colorado and that me and the other assistant had to take over. Then there were an unnoticeable communication failure in the system that got set up and last week it surfaced and roared it’s ugly head.

Women were crying, angry, confused, stressed, feeling guilty without reason, anxieties soared and things seemed to be falling apart.

I had to start somewhere. My Coco and I had agreed upon me taking care of the Newsletter, Hospitality and Moppets so I started there. Newsletter was running smoothly, the Newsletter Coordinator was on top of it and I were done with my article and edits within a few hours. Hospitality was running smoothly as well and communication was good between me and the Hospitality Coordinator. Then there were Moppets.

One of my friends had taken upon herself to learn how to write a database for our MOPS group and she was getting frustrated trying to communicate with everyone involved. The Database involves Finance, Registration, Discussion group leaders, Mentors and Moppets and while communicating with Finance and Registration was going well she still got nothing done because the others were not communicating their needs to her.

For a whole week I had meetings with everyone involved and after changing the Leadership of Moppets I now have communication in place there as well. After later finding that Discussion group Coordinator and Mentor Coordinator was not communicating well, I had had enough and told everyone involved that from now on we will just have to have one meeting a month for a while where we can discuss everyone’s needs and expectations to this database. So now there is peace again.

What I have learned from this is

When you don’t hear anything from somebody that is not necessarily good.
When no one else can I can, if someone else can I can’t.
Always take one thing at the time and solve it before taking care of the next problem.
I have strengths I didn’t even know I had and I am more organized than I thought I am and if not I can always wing it.
Tomorrow is always a new day with new sheets of paper and brand new crayons.
Whatever mistakes you have made there is no shame in admitting it, ask for forgiveness and then fixing it.
Working with friends are hard, but as long as you are open and speak truth about your shortcomings, your hopes and expectations you will still keep them.
Communication is key.
Pray and God listens.

So due to this I did blog about some pins with ideas for Christmas gifts, but I have not made a list yet, maybe I will do it tonight when I am done with everything MOPS for tomorrows meeting. I have not made a Thanksgiving décor list, but I have pinned a lot. And the room by room list is not yet made unless you count the mental one in the back of my head. And that new system for meal planning is not started yet, but I have at least blogged about one of my favorite baked treats this past week.

I am so blessed that I get to be the Coco of such a great group of women (we got about 86 women counting mentors and all) and I love all and every one of them and feel ever so blessed that I get to serve for them before I move next year.

And lastly a picture of what happens when mamma gets to busy with MOPS… thank you Sofie for being so good at entertaining yourself…

Linking up with

Easy Change Season Wreath

2011-10-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

A year ago I made a twine covered wreath and yes it took a long time to wind the twine all the way around, but it was so worth it.

I started out with some fall colored fabric flowers that I pinned to it and I had it hanging all through the fall till Christmas came and I hung my Christmas wreath up.

Then this spring I went to Joann and bought some sheet moss, twigs with leaves and pretty pink flowers, a nest, a few eggs and a little bird. I pinned those on using nails with big flat heads. That way when I am tired of the moss and all I can just take it off.

Then suddenly it was fall again and in five minutes I removed the summer décor except for the moss, added my fall flowers and voila fall is here.

I hope this might be an idea for you who have little space for seasonal décor.

Grateful Sunday 35

2011-10-16T20:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day and since we couldn’t be home due to our realtor showing our condo to some potential buyers the girls and I decided to go out for an early dinner and then head to a park to play. Yes it was just me and the girls, Jesse went to work at 4am and then headed to a soccer game after wards to see Kelsey Keller’s last home game for the Sounders, he didn’t get home until 11pm.

So lets see what I am grateful for this week.

341. God showing me personality traits I didn’t think I had.

342. God giving me strength and wisdom to solve conflicts of bad communication.

343. God teaching me humility to say I am sorry when I make mistakes.

344. God teaching me patience when working with adults.

345. Sunny days to spend time with my girls.

346. Little girl falling asleep on her potty.

347. An understanding husband when meetings and phone calls take up my time.

348. My body surprising me by being able to do more than I thought.

349. Safe bike rides with my little girl.

350. Prayers being answered for my friends.

Linking up to

The last pictures from Norway

2011-10-16T20:14:00.001-07:00

Before leaving Norway Isabel got to go with her Godparents to their home where she got to ride on Godmothers horse and sing Abba as much as she wanted.

Sofie and I went with my parents to my hometown and on the way were naps in the car, beautiful landscapes, a ferry and ice cream.

While in my hometown there were some gray weather, bike rides and a walk with my dad down to the new small boat harbor where we got to watch a boat exit the big harbor. I also got to see things before hidden by old harbor walls by the old herring oil factory where my grandfather once worked and which is now part gallery and part concert hall.

The time of the Midnight sun is coming to an end. We finally arrived in Tromsø where I went to College and Jesse and I spent the first three years of our marriage. We came up for my cousins wedding and got to see all our family for a wonderful weekend of adventures and parties.

Paper cranes were hanging from the ceiling. The kids where dancing. Isabel actually kept going till 2am while the rest of the kids left around 10pm. She is a real dancing queen.

The tables were beautifully decorated with subtle colors.

The bride were beautiful, the groom hansom and the flower girl oh so cute. The happy couple is Godparents to both of these young ladies.

The wedding cake. All the animals ended up with my kids and are now all over my house. I believe that all together there were about 12 cakes. We love cakes for all occasions in Norway. The day after the wedding we all met at the place where the party were held to help with cleanup and eat some more cake.

We had such a wonderful time and are so grateful that we got to join them for their wedding. So this was the last week of our stay in Norway and I will not be going back until I move back next year. Till then I will cherish all the memories from this trip.

Braided Norwegian Sweet Bread

2011-10-16T16:19:00.001-07:00

21 ounces or circa 5 cups (600 grams) all purpose flour
1 cup (125 grams) sugar
1 tsp Cardamom (I like a little bit extra so I do 2)
14 Tbsp (200 grams) butter
5 tsp Dry Active Yeast
ca 2 cups (3 deciliter) milk
3 eggs

1 egg for egg wash
Pearl sugar (I know you can find it at IKEA)

Mix flour, sugar, cardamom and yeast in a baking bowl.

Cut the butter into the flour.

Warm the milk up to circa 100 degree Fahrenheit.

Whip the eggs lightly and add them and the milk to the flour.

Using your dough hook work the dough well, cover it up and let it rise to double the size.

Knead the dough lightly and divide in three equal sized rolls. Roll each on out to a long roll and braid them together.

Let it rise for another 20 minutes. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle Pearl sugar on top.

Bake in oven at 400 degree Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

Enjoy.

Temperature Norwegian Style

2011-10-14T18:36:00.001-07:00

I was browsing some Norwegian blogs today and came across this one that I just had to share as it made me laugh because I am a Norwegian living in Seattle, with 68 degree Fahrenheit in my kitchen I am feeling cold, maybe a sign that I have been here too long.

A start on my Christmas gift list

2011-10-12T07:34:00.001-07:00

For my parents, sister in law, mother in law and father in law this would be the perfect gift.

Some canvases, paint and a sharpie marker makes perfect little butterflies of the print of

their feet.

Source: pinterest.com via Marianne on Pinterest

For the girls in the family, there is 5 cousins, these would be fun no matter how old they are.

Source: acreativeprincess.blogspot.com via Marianne on Pinterest

For my cousins and aunts it would be so nice to make these to represent their children.

Source: sarahortega.com via Marianne on Pinterest

Isabel could make these as gifts to those on her list.

Source: marthastewart.com via Marianne on Pinterest

A great idea for my girlfriends.

Source: thecraftingchicks.com via Marianne on Pinterest

My youngest cousin would love this for her camera and so would I.

Source: tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com via Marianne on Pinterest

One of my cousins like to ride his bike and I am sure his wife and he would like one of these.

Source: craftycupboard.blogspot.com via Marianne on Pinterest

I have a life

2011-10-11T22:01:00.001-07:00

My friend and I were joking the other day about our “work titles”. We are both “stay at home moms”, but lately neither one of us have been spending much time at all at home. She has four kids, all girls, the oldest is in kindergarten and the youngest is about 9 months old. I have two girls at two and seven years old. Her days are filled with dropping off and picking up one at school, taking this same one to her ballet classes, taking the second oldest to gymnastics classes and then doctor appointments and play dates. My days are filled with dropping Isabel of and picking her up from school, play dates for Sofie, meetings and volunteer work where I have to visit other peoples homes or be at the church. For a while I spent up to 6 hours a day at church working on volunteer stuff while Sofie was playing by my feet. Our new titles we found were “Stay in van mom” and “Stay at church mom”.

For a while I was worried I wouldn’t know what to do with myself ones this busyness subsided and I would have to go back to being a “stay at home mom” again. Things slipped at home and I just did a minimum when I was home.

Finally the day came and I had to find out if I had a life again. I got so overwhelmed. My house was a mess and I had to clean it up as our realtor told us that our buyers bailed on us and we again had to put the house on the market. When you have to you do it. Over the course of a weekend I managed to clean up the whole house and get it show ready. Now I do only minimum maintenance to keep it up and it is working out good.

I also finally got back at blogging again. Slowly finding me in all of this mom business and volunteer busyness. The next thing now is getting back at making lists. Christmas is coming up really fast now and considering the fact that I have to send gifts to Norway I need to get started a.s.a.p.

Also considering the fact that I have to start focusing on downsizing due to our upcoming move back to Norway I will have to start working through room after room to find what we want to keep and what we can give away or sell.

By next week I will have a Christmas gift list made, a Thanksgiving décor list, and a room by room list started. Also I will have started on my new system for meal planning.

I am linking up on Anti Procrastination Tuesdays to keep me accountable.

Wedding gift

2011-10-10T05:47:00.001-07:00

On October 1st my husbands stepsister got married to the man of her life. We were so fortunate that we got to go up to Vancouver BC. to celebrate the day with them and we wanted to bring a thoughtful gift even though they had asked for no gifts as their apartment is very small and they really couldn’t fit anything more there.

My first thought was that we should make a date for them, but we live to far away to set up something special. Then I thought of one of me and my husbands favorite things to do before we had kids, cooking together and having picnics.

I went to JoAnn and found a perfect little picnic basket, a couple of towels and two candles. Then to Trader Joe and found some crackers and tapenade for an appetizer, pasta and a sauce for dinner, chocolate covered ginger for dessert and a bottle of red wine to enjoy with it all.

I wanted to make the towels a little special and found this H in one of the fonts on my pc. I printed it out on freezer paper (just make sure it is the ruff side up in the printer) and then cut out the black part, ironed it on the towels and used black fabric paint on a sponge to fill in the cutout. I love freezer paper stenciling. They turned out just perfect.

I assembled everything in the basket using some red ginger ribbon to make bows matching the basket and added a card. I really hope they enjoy this little gift.

A wedding gift really doesn’t have to be expensive, it is all about the thought you put into it.

What was you favorite wedding gift or what is your go to staple when it comes to giving wedding gifts?

Grateful Sunday 34

2011-10-09T08:06:00.001-07:00

331. A day all to ourselves, just me and my husband at a wedding last weekend.

332. For the strength to pray in front of 80ish women for the first time.

333. For the wisdom he gives me in his word.

334. For the colors on his palette that he paints our world with now.

335. For always providing what we need and gently saying no when we ask to much.

336. For little girls who needs to pray.

337. For friends who stay friends even though time parts us.

338. For fellowship with other moms.

339. For a basket full of love.

340. For Him teaching me to forgive.

Again linking up to

Committed

2011-10-09T07:14:00.001-07:00

My second book to read this summer was “Committed – a Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage” by Elizabeth Gilbert the author of “Eat, Pray, Love – One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.”

I recently finished Gilbert’s bestseller Eat, Pray, Love and when I found Committed ready to download at my library I just knew I had to read it too.

Just like Eat, Pray, Love this too is a memoir. The difference is that it also contains some socio-historical bonus sections as she is trying to make peace with the complicated institution of marriage.

I still find it amazing that I actually found this book immensely interesting and that after being married 10 years could learn so many new facts about marriage that I didn’t know from before. For example that society didn’t invent marriage, couples did that. Society just tried to control the couples, but have never been able to do so.

I would definitively suggest this book for my friends and family to read as I really enjoyed reading it myself.

I was not asked to write this recommendation for this book, but I am an affiliate of Amazon and will make some profit if you use this link to buy the book.

Healthy Banana Bread

2011-10-07T21:49:00.001-07:00

My kids love bananas and I love bananas for my smoothies, but some weeks we just don’t eat enough of them and they get too old for our taste.

This time I decided I wanted to try out a new recipe for Banana Bread and after checking out several different ones I ended up mixing three recipes into one.

3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup ground flax seed
4 ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup yogurt naturel
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp bakingsoda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

I mixed the sugar, flax seed, bananas, milk, yogurt and egg in my kitchen aid till it was more or less smooth. Then blended together all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl before adding it to the wet ingredients and just folding it together till all the dry ingredients were just moist. Pour into a greased bread pan.

I baked it on 350 degree Fahrenheit for 1 hour, but I think that was just a little too short and it could probably have used another 30 minutes.

It tasted delicious and is kids approved. Not too sweet and definitively full of good stuff. Enjoy.

My New Design

2011-10-06T14:43:00.001-07:00

Yes it has now been almost two months since I last posted anything. A little embarrassing when I was able to keep posting for the two months I spent in Norway without internet. I just got writers block and my life got 10 times busier than normal all of the sudden.

I want to shout a great big Thank you to The Girl Creative who redesigned my blog for me.

She was so easy to work with and she knew exactly what I wanted even though I had no idea myself. All I did was answer her questionnaire and add a picture of some color inspiration I found and some blogs that I liked the design on and she figured out what would work for me. I am absolutely in love as this is more me than the photos of my family that I had made myself a while back. They were just to dark and busy for me, but I had no idea what to do myself. So thank you, thank you, thank you to The Girl Creative.

Right now I am just trying to get my labels hooked up with my pages. Not the easiest thing I have ever tried, but I think I just found a tutorial that might get me there. Then I will start working on a new routine of writing posts. I have to find something that works for me and also find out what it is that I really want to write about.

Since my schedule has become a lot busier than it used to due to my MOPS group and the fact that I am trying to get out more to see friends than I used to it is hard to find time to write and that is why a schedule for my blog might be good. When I was on vacation I would spend one or two nights a week writing and working on my photos and then I would schedule them one or two weeks ahead. It really worked for me then and I will try to do the same now.

Thank you for sticking with me.

Learning new stuff and making changes

2011-08-13T22:44:00.001-07:00

As I am back in the US and back online again I have been spending some time catching up. My Google Reader had over 1000 posts lined up for me to read and that took me a week.

Also I were intrigued by what people were saying about Pinterest and Polyvore and decided to try them out. I must say it was quite fun and addicting. What I didn’t realize is that what I was playing with on Polyvore actually got posted on my blog. Not that it is anything wrong with it, I just weren’t aware of it. I am constantly learning new things and soon I hope to be able to have a button for Pinterest on my blog too.

Being back to the states means no more posts about Norway… well who am I kidding, of course there will be, just not so many. Instead I will try to post about the crafts I make, projects I have accomplished or procrastinated on, recipes, things on my mind, pictures of the week, and things I am grateful for.

In a year or less we will be moving back home to Norway and in the meantime I will be blogging a little about how we get ready for the big move. I am seeing a lot of list making in my future.

Anyways, I thought I would just let you know that my blog will be changing and that it will take some time so please bear with me.

Thank you for hanging out with me and if you are patient I will throw a giveaway quite soon.

A couple of nice outfits

2011-08-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

A couple of nice outfits by lot-elf featuring a pencil skirt

Old Navy pocket tank
$13 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy scoop neck tee
$13 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy denim jacket
$25 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old navy
$40 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy pencil skirt
$30 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy lace up wedge
$37 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy tote bag
$35 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy scarve
$13 - oldnavy.gap.com

My purple outfit

2011-08-12T15:32:00.001-07:00

My purple outfit by lot-elf featuring old navy jackets

Old navy t shirt
$15 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old navy jacket
$25 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old navy
$40 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy wedge shoes
$37 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy tote bag
$35 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy loop scarve
$15 - oldnavy.gap.com

My trip home

2011-08-12T06:31:00.001-07:00

It was so nice to be on vacation, hanging out with my family and not having to worry about a thing, but coming home was nice too.

I will have to write about Saturdays wedding at a later time, but I wanted to tell you all that it was the best wedding I think I have ever been too. (Disclaimer: I have only been to three, one being my own). Isabel turned out to be a party animal and a dancing queen, when everyone else under the age of 18 had left and gone home by midnight, she was going strong till 2am.

Our trip home started already on Saturday July 30th when my aunt and uncle took Isabel with them up to their home in Senja, we would later meet up at the wedding in Tromsoe. Monday August 1st my parents took Sofie and me to their home in Melbu. Wednesday August 3rd was my dads 67th birthday and my parents took Sofie and me to Harstad where we said our good byes and took the boat up to Tromsoe. Thursday Sofie and I went shopping. Friday we did some shopping and then hung out with family. Saturday was the wedding. Sunday we hung out with family and said our good byes before packing.

Monday (Norwegian time) was the big day for flying home. The trip from leaving the house we stayed at in Tromsoe till we walked in the door at home took altogether 18 hours which is a new record as my plane is usually delayed or something else just happens, (record for longest trip was 29 hours). So in US time we left at 11:30 PM Sunday and came home at 6:30ish PM Monday.

Isabel and I didn’t sleep at all going home, but at least I got Sofie to sleep four hours. Having to hold Sofie on my lap the whole time was hard, specially when she was screaming refusing to fall asleep. All I could do was just hold her and wait till she fell asleep. Thank goodness that we had a very kind grandmother sitting next to us who was very understanding.

Isabel kept herself entertained by playing on her DS and watching kids shows on the airplane TV. I am so grateful that they have enough kids shows to last the entire flight. Still don’t know why I had three carryon’s as the only thing the kids touched was Sofie’s babydoll, the snack, and the DS.

When we got home we went to bed at our regular bedtime. Tuesday morning we got up at our regular time and started doing or regular stuff like laundry and picking up around the house. Later we went to a park and met up with all of our friends.

I am happy to report that the only one really experiencing any jetlag is Sofie, but all things considered that is nothing.

So we are finally home and I will be back to regular posting again pretty soon, trying to get some crafts done in between. Just have to get my craft stash back as it is now in storage at my sister in laws house in wait for our future move.

Have a great weekend you all.

Cheese Sandwich

2011-08-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

I found this little kitchen tool in a storage area while I was going through a few things trying to find something to use for decorations.

It doesn’t seem to be too old and even though none of my parents ever remember ever seeing it or even it being used, but it has definitively been used.

One day I decided to try it by making myself a cheese sandwich of some store bought bread and some cheese that we had.

While you butter up the bread and put the cheese in there you have to let the iron warm up on the oven for about 10 minutes. You get it evenly heated by turning it around after half gone time. Then you place your sandwich in there and let it sit for 2 minutes on one side and another 2 minutes on the other side. After this you open it and check to see if it is done.

Nice and crisp on the outside…

And nice and gooey on the inside…

Embroidered kitchen set

2011-08-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

We are on our way home now to the US. I just wanted to share this with you.

In the mid 90’s I embroidered a nice kitchen set that I wanted to keep in Aanderbakkan. It took me 3 – 4 years to get it all done.

I still love the colors and the design.

Grateful Sunday 33

2011-08-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Wedding day of my dear friends Grete and Frode. Grete and I are related as sixth cousins and my moms younger brother and her moms younger sister are married, so we share an aunt and uncle too.

Grete has been a part of my life since I was 11 and she was 5. She would come and spend time with me when I was going to college and I always enjoyed our late night chats.

When I first met Frode about 10 years ago, I instantly liked him. He is such a great guy and my husband enjoys spending time with him too.

I am so happy that they met and that they yesterday got married.

CONGRATULATIONS GRETE AND FRODE!!!

I am so grateful

321. for having such good friends as Grete and Frode.

322. for Grete not listening to my advice of not getting involved with this much older man that she met many years ago.

323. for them being like an aunt and uncle for my children and for becoming Sofie’s God parents.

324. for always having an open door for us when we come.

325. for coffee and cakes enjoyed together at our favorite restaurant.

326. for long chats and advices given back and forth over so many years.

327. for always being so positive and spreading joy to everyone around them.

328. for including us into their family.

329. for the love they have for each other.

330. that their wedding turned out so beautiful and special and that I was able to come and celebrate this day with them.

Pictures from our fifth week

2011-08-06T08:52:00.001-07:00

Every afternoon after dinner while my parents takes a nap my kids get to watch a movie, ever so often this is what I find when I’m done with the dishes.

At the local store for our weekly icecream.

I really didn’t get many pictures this week, but here are a few from our hike on the beach of the rock formations. I would think a geologist would love it out here.

Pictures from our sixth week

2011-08-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sofie decided to help grandpa water the flowers, but ended up watering herself instead. I think I ended up with almost 70 pictures of this event, but these are the ones that really shows her play.

Every day Sofie will run back and forth between the old barn and the house either carrying or pulling her little truck or a couple of buckets.

Just across the fjord is several summer houses. I had never been there before and on the 25th of July we took a little trip over there after meeting one of the families at the grocery store a few days earlier and being invited over.

Turned out that we are all related too, my dad got to meet his fourth cousin and I a couple of my fifth cousins. My great great grandmother was the sister of their great great grandma and they even had a really nice picture of the two of them together.

It goes like this on my side counting down to my children

Great great great grandma Karen

Great great grandma Petrine

Great grandpa Lind

Grandpa Anders

Mom Marianne

Isabel and Sofie.

Isabel has managed to elude the camera again.

On my mind

2011-08-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

To think that one man can do such harm…

No one will ever quiet our democracy…

We will take our freedom and our feeling of safety back…

We are a country of safety, quietness and peace and no one can take that away from us…

I will always feel safe in my country…

I will never stop speaking my mind…

I will never stop voting…

I will never want my country to stop helping those in need…

We have the room and the heart for those coming to us in times of great need…

Random thoughts inspired by the resent events in Oslo.

Hiking: it is all about ups and downs

2011-08-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

This year is really the first time I have ever gone hiking here. Growing up my dad was always too busy to go hiking or he decided it was to difficult and hard for me. Instead I would go with my mom who only likes to go hiking on flat ground.

This is a series of pictures from two very different hikes. The first one is from the beach, the only “flat” surface to go hiking on and one I would always do with my mom when I was growing up. The other one is from the mountain / forest where I would only go with my dad as it is and up and down kind of hike.

My dad built a little bridge over the river from the material he cut down to get space for a bridge.

Sandbakkan is the closest farm to us, but after they moved from it in the 60’s no one has been back to take care of it and it is now taken back by the forest. I used to call the tree Isabel is standing by my umbrella tree as a child because you would never get wet under it if it rained. Every time it rained my mom tells me I wanted to go there and just sit for an hour or so just watching the rain quietly.

Crossing a river on the beach.

Always with a bucket in hand in case she finds any treasures. On this hike she had to stop and go through it all twice because her bucket got so full she could hardly carry it.

Sofie is always with us in the Beco on my back. Good exercise considering that I am carrying about 21 lbs with me.

Our other hike went up the river. I had never gone this way before and it was truly spectacular. Behind us is two waterfalls and with all the mist in the air we got quite wet.

My dad was so excited to show us this big rock that has fallen down from the top of the mountain and got stuck about half way down. There is a nice little cave under it and fresh water too.

This picture is taken by me when I was inside where my dad and kids were on the previous pictures.

This is from the back of the rock.

The view down on the farm / summer house.

The view across the fjord.

Unfortunately I got no pictures of the hike up the mountain. This is due to the fact that it is all going uphill and you need both arms to pull you up otherwise you will fall right now and get hurt. Going down is hard to get pictures of too as you need both arms to hold on to any trees so you don’t slide right down and get hurt.

I am so proud of my kids who has no been to places no kids younger than Isabel has ever been before.

From fjord to table: Mackerel

2011-08-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite dishes is a good salad and fried mackerel. The good thing is that it is very easy to get the mackerel although not so easy always to get the salad.

The other day we were sitting around the table trying to figure out what we wanted for dinner when we saw out of the window that the fjord were boiling. You can see the fish with your bare eye when it comes in to feed and the fjord was full of them.

We ran down to the boat and got in. Isabel threw out her line and almost instantly had 5 mackerels on the line.

We went home and my dad prepared the fish ready for frying while I made a salad and my my boiled some potatoes. (I will have to try to remember my camera next time to take pictures of this).

Then I rolled the fish in flour mixed with some seasoning and fried them in margarine. In less than an hour the dinner was on the table fresh from the fjord.

It just can’t get any better than this.

Cutting down tree tops

2011-08-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

A few years before I was born my dad planted several spruces up by our summer house. They don’t grow here naturally, but people planted them in the 50’s-70’s to use later as building material. About 15 years ago my dad did cut down a few and built a garage back at our home from the material he got out of it. Still most of it has gone unused and grown quite tall and around our summer house that has now become a problem. Last winter a few broke because of the strong winds that hit us here and one treetop landed on our house and broke a corner of the roof. That is why this years project has been cutting off the remaining treetops.

That is my dad in the middle of a tree. You can’t even see the bottom of the tree here, but because the branches doesn’t go all the way down my dad had to use a latter to get up the first 6 feet of them. After that he uses the branches to climb.

When he gets half way up he cuts off all the branches while sitting on a couple of branches up there. The rope you see is not for his security. This he ties about four feet above the place where he makes the cut and then I stand on the ground pulling as hard as I can to get the treetop to go where we want it and not on top of the house which is in the right hand corner of this picture.

Here he is standing tying the rope to the tree for me to pull. After that he sits down again, ties a rope to himself around the tree under the cut he is making. Then he saws the tree right off.

Afterwards the whole family helps cleaning up while my dad cuts the top into fire wood.

Haircuts

2011-08-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

I don’t have any training as a hairdresser other than cutting my husbands hair for the past 10 years and once in a while cutting the kids’ hair. Still both my dad and my kids either needed or wanted a haircut and since we are so far away from any hairdresser I got the job of doing it. All you need is a very good pair of haircutting scissors.

Isabel wanted to have her hair cut short and I got the job.

Sofie needed to see and got her bangs cut.

Grateful Sunday 32

2011-07-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

Wednesday is my dads birthday and I want to dedicate this Sunday to him.

I am so grateful

311. that the midwife who delivered my dad managed to save his life when he was born by quickly dipping him in hot and cold water.

312. that his grandfather managed to save my dads life twice when as a child he first almost went under the ice in the river and later when he fell head first into a pond and couldn’t get up on his own.

313. that my parents both went to work on the Coastal Cruise Liner in the late 60’s and then met when they worked on the same boat.

314. that my dad now as a retiree finally has time for fun.

315. that my dad’s health is still pretty good and that he can still go on long hikes with me.

316. for my dad teaching me to always do my best and that it doesn’t matter the result as long as I have done my best.

317. for my dad trusting me and not getting angry when I make mistakes.

318. for the love my children showers on my dad and the love he gives them.

319. that my dad not often comments on my mistakes.

320. for my dad being my dad.

Pictures from our fourth week

2011-07-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Just a few random pictures…

On my mind

2011-07-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

July 22nd

Two tragedies happened in Norway today. A bomb in Oslo, the first since WWII, and a shooting in a youth camp, the first ever in our country.

We learned about it when we turned on the TV to watch the news.

It is unbelievable. This is something that happens elsewhere, not here in our safe little country.

We still don’t know how many is dead or hurt or who did it.

I just hope and pray it was no one I knew.

I am glad I am home though, instead of in the US not knowing what goes on.

I am not scared, not really angry either, just confused that it should happen here.

What an end to an other wise wonderful day.

I give a white peony to those affected by this tragedy.

A Poem

2011-07-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

A child’s hand

A Lady bug

Where have you been, where are you going?

Please stay a while?

Little lady, I will care for you

Little lady, take of your red coat and stay for a while

Little lady, please don’t leave

Little lady, with not words of good bye

A child’s tears streaming down red cheeks as the little lady takes her coat and flies off into the world.

Mom’s Sunday steak

2011-07-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite Sunday dinners are boneless beef stew meat. (A little disclaimer here, my husband is a meat cutter, he is not here with me in Norway and I am not able to ask him exactly what this is).

Fry the meat with salt and pepper in some oil till it is brown on all sides.

Put the meat in a big pan and add some water to the frying pan to loosen all the bits and add to the big pan.

Make a brown sauce by using the brown sauce mix from the grocery store also in the big pan.

Let it cook for three hours or more till the meat falls apart.

Serve with cooked carrots and potatoes.

Enjoy.

My mom cooking in the the free.

Safety in boats

2011-07-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Lately on Norwegian TV there has been a lot of focus on Boat Safety and the use of life jackets.

When it was decided that we were coming here on the summer and that we were to spend most of the summer at our summer house I told my mom that we needed new life jackets for the kids.

My kids have never had their own life jackets and when ever Isabel has been with my dad in his big cruiser she has never really needed to wear one, but has had my old one just in case.

My dads view is that it is good to have, but just not necessary. My parents keep their gear in the boat, never wears it and if something were to happen they would not have time to put their gear on before they drown.

At least now I have managed to get my mom to wear hers, my kids got tip top life jackets, I am wearing mine and my dad is not so much. Hopefully he will at least provide whoever is with him in the boat a life jacket from now on.

I beg you, if you are ever in a boat, especially small like ours, to please use a life jacket.

Haircuts

2011-07-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

My dad went home to my home town to pick up some supply and to get a haircut. Unfortunately for him all the hairdressers but one had vacation and the one left was booked up. Lucky for him my mom new where my old hairdresser kit was and brought it back to me.

Mind you I have never had any training as a hairdresser, nor have I ever worked as a hairdresser. My only training is the fact that I have cut my husbands hair since we got married 10 years ago and also my dads, my cousins, my kids and my own hair on and off too the past 7 years.

I didn’t get any pictures of my dad, but I did get before and after pictures of my kids.

Isabel who has been growing out her hair since she was two and for 5 years has refused to see a hairdresser more than once a year decided to let the locks go.

It is a little uneven, but not too shabby and the girl is so happy.

Sofie has been so hard to get to sit still that I decided to save her bangs and get them long, but now she refuses to have me pull them away from her face using clips or ties and it was time for the cut again.

Look at that pretty little face. Haircuts not so fun though.

Always looking up

2011-07-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

When I go on vacation I always try to read a lot. Having my E-reader with me made this task very easy. The night before I left for Norway I went online to my local library and checked out several books. What I love about this system is that I end up borrowing books I never would have read otherwise.

The first book I read was “Always Looking Up – The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” by Michael J. Fox.

This was a far stretch for me. A memoir divided into themes of work, politics, faith and family. Me reading about American politics, it would never have happened before the E-reader. (I’m sorry this is sounding more and more like a commercial for E-readers, but I really do love mine).

Rarely do I find a book that makes me laugh out loud or make me want to read passages out loud for people around me. Fox really is an optimist and he has a way of describing his hardships of living with Parkinson’s that is so right on, raw, but still positive and humoristic.

He also explains his view on stem cell research. I have never been able to make up my mind on this topic. It’s not that it doesn’t interest me, but it just hasn’t been necessary for me to learn much about it. Not being able to vote in America and it being to much of a hassle to vote in Norway (not that stem cell research has been on the agenda in Norway as far as I know anyways) I have just let the topic rest. This spring however I got to learn about the option there is out there to adopt frozen embryos that in vitro parents have offered for adoption and while that sounded like the perfect solution, Fox offered a more nuanced view of it and I find that I have to support him.

No matter what you think of stem cell research, or what you thought of Fox as an actor I believe you would like this book.

Grateful Sunday 31

2011-07-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful

301. for hand me down clothes for my kids, making it feel like Christmas in July.

302. for having lots of aunts around for the kids to always have someone to turn to other than mommy.

303. for hot baths without kids interrupting.

304. for getting to chat with my hubby on Skype.

305. for surviving two nights all alone with two kids at the summerhouse for the first time.

306. that after the storm comes calm sea.

307. for 75 degree Fahrenheit, thunder, lightening, heavy rain and hail.

308. for hearing Sofie starting to talk more and more and for it being in Norwegian.

309. for hearing Isabel communicating more and more in Norwegian and also understanding more.

310. that there is more Mackerel in the fjord than ever before.

Pictures from our third week

2011-07-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

In our third week here we got visitors over the weekend. My aunt and uncle from Bergen and my aunt, uncle and cousin from Senja.

Some mornings are slow. So slow that mommy even forgets to change and get the girl in proper clothes before she runs out to play or as she is doing here, putting the last finish on our new patio.

My uncle from Bergen is married to my mom’s older sister, loves hiking, used to run a marathons and morbidly likes to take pictures of dead mice as they get caught in my dads traps.

Isabel wearing one of many dresses and other outfits brought by my aunt and uncles, trying to figure out her new sling shot from Greece.

My youngest cousin, loves to take pictures, hates to be taken pictures of, my favorite cousin, my God child and Sofie’s God mother.

Hanging out and enjoying the beautiful weather we had this week.

Sofie showing off her new dress from Greece.

My aunt from Senja has been with my my moms younger brother for 22 years and she is as important to me as my mom, Isabel’s God mother, owner of a horse, not camera shy like my uncle, funny and spunky.

My aunt from Bergen is immensely crafty, mother of four of my cousins, she is my moms older sister, big loving heart, reminds me always of my grandmother.

It was so wonderful to have so many of my family come here to see us. I had not seen my aunt and uncle from Bergen in 5 years and it was such a happy coincidence that this would be the year they were coming up here to visit as they only come this way every other year.

My family from Senja are coming back later to spend more time with us here before we go up to visit them. Isabel might even travel up north with them when they leave here.

This little fellow is a baby mouse that had managed to get trapped in a bucket in the barn. I found it and decided to see if I could keep it for a while for the kids to see and I actually got to feed it and study it for half a day before Isabel let it loose. Now it might be one of the many my dad have trapped…

The History of Aanderbakkan

2011-07-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

There has been people living in Aanderbakkan for at least 5 generations. What I know for sure is that my great great grandfather was married to a woman who had been married to a man from Aanderbakkan and that might be how it came to be in my family. My great grandmother was born to my great great grandfathers third wife and was his 7th and last child.

The house as it is today was built by my great grand father sometime between 1904 when his second child was born and 1907 when his third child was born. My grand father was born in this house in 1911 as was two more of his siblings. 5 children was raised here in the early 1900’s.

My grandfathers oldest sister had polio when she was young and was therefore more or less unable to walk, but that didn’t stop her from getting around. In the summer she would go from farm to farm on her three wheeled motor cycle sewing for people as she was a very talented seamstress. She lived almost her whole life in this house, but the last 5 which she spent in the neighboring farm of her oldest brother.

The oldest brother got his own parcel of land from his father and built himself a house there where he raised his one son. The son and his son and granddaughter now uses that farm as a summer home.

The next sister got married and moved to a bigger place with her husband.

Then there was my grandfather who took over the family farm and raised a stepdaughter and a son, my dad, here till they moved in 1954. They didn’t come back to the farm for close to 15 years till my dad got himself a speedboat. That is when this became our summer home.

The youngest brother bought some land in town and brought up his kids there. That farm too is now a summer home.

The brothers lived off of their farms and their fishing boat. Then in the 50’s things got harder and my grandparents moved to the town where my parents are living and where I grew up. There they worked in the fishing factories till they retired.

My dad still remembers living together with his parents, his grandparents and his aunt in Aanderbakkan. He still remembers falling in the river as a child being rescued by his grandfather who was chopping wood by the barn. He remember the child safety of being tied with a rope so not to run off and fall into the ocean.

These days my parents being retired gets here as soon as the snow is gone in spring around mid April and leave before the first snow in fall around mid September.

10 Years Together

2011-07-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

I must admit that the most resent picture I have of me and my husband is almost 1.5 years old.

I don’t think anyone thought we would stay married this long. A little sad to admit, but we had a lot stacked against us.

We met in 1996 when I came to Santa Rosa, California as an exchange student. He was a senior at the high school I attended as a senior as well and we came to share two classes together.

I first became friend with his best friend and slowly we became good friends too.

When I moved back to Norway we lost touch and I started at a new school, got new friends and a boyfriend. I ended up moving in with my boyfriend, but after a destructive relationship I moved out and decided to try to get in touch again with my friends in the US.

This was February of 2000. Jesse answered and we soon became pen pals again. In August he came to visit me in Norway and proposed to me. I didn’t even know he had a crush on me. I said no as I felt that I really didn’t know him. We kept in touch and he didn’t give up. In December of 2000 I came to visit with him and he proposed again on New Years Eve. I said yes.

June 21st of 2001 he moved to Norway and we had 1 month to learn to know each other. July 21st 2001 we got married.

It has been a roller coaster relationship. The first three years was spent getting to know each other again. Time and time again I questioned whether I had made the right choice getting married to him. Then Isabel was born, Jesse got depressed and homesick and after 5 years of marriage, living in Norway, we moved to the US.

Living together in the US has brought with it it’s challenges as well. I had just finished my education as a teacher of comparative religion and was hoping to find a job here, but no luck. Instead I have stayed home with the kids. My husband has realized what makes him happy and we have grown stronger together.

In our 11th year we have a lot of changes coming again. We are selling our condo, moving in to a rental and preparing to move to Norway.

We have spent 10 years trying to figure out where in the world we belong and have finally arrived on Norway. It is exciting to be able to go on another adventure with my husband and knowing that he and I are so flexible that we can do this together.

Happy Anniversary honey, I love you.

And we really need to see a photographer soon for some better pictures of us together again.

Laundry Day

2011-07-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Depending on the amount of clothes the girls go through I do laundry ones or twice a week while I’m here in Aanderbakkan.

The first thing we have to do is fire up the oven under the water tank. A lot of wood is used to get the water hot.

Here you see my mom filling the tub with hot water from the big hot water tank my dad built about 10 years ago after the old one cracked open.

The bathtub is handy for washing the clothes in. First we let them soak with soap, then we rinse about 3 times with clean water before we rinse once in water with softener.

My dad built this rack when I was a baby over 30 years ago and it still looks brand new. It is all about the kind of wood you use.

Instead of wringing the clothes we have a clothes roller that presses out the water. We do this between every change of water. And after that last rinse we run the clothes two times through it before we hang them outside to dry.

This room is not only our laundry room, but also where we take our baths and showers. You find it down in the barn next to the room where we keep all the firewood.

This morning, July 6th, I went down to fire up to heat water for cleaning the house as it is too hot to fire up the stove inside the house to heat water there. While I was preparing the fire a little mouse climbed up on a bucket right beside me. When I moved, it froze and stared at me with big round eyes. Then it scurried down into the corner behind some stuff. I went over and started to dig down there and all of the sudden the mouse ran right over my foot.

It is the joy of living simple, close to nature.

Isabel’s Collections

2011-07-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Almost every day Isabel will take her little bucket and run down to the beach to go treasure hunting. She finds all kinds of seashells…

Dead little crabs…

The parts of big dead crabs…

Rare big shells…

Beautiful rocks…

She keeps her collections in jars in our bedroom window.

Grateful Sunday 30

2011-07-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

If you look closely at the picture you can see the rings formed by the mackerel hunting their pray.

I am so grateful for

291. The quiet hours in the morning when I can sit downstairs looking out at the weather, listening to the waterfall outside and the fire in the oven, reading or writing while nursing my first cup of coffee for the day.

292. being able to watch the mackerels feed right outside my window, spotting the little whales that live here feeding on those mackerels, life goes on.

293. taking a nice hot bath in a bathtub so big that I can cover myself in water.

294. snuggling with my girls in the morning when I go upstairs to wake them up for the day.

295. long walks in beautiful surroundings where you can spot signs from both moose, fox and sheep.

296. looking for crabs on the beach with Isabel.

297. being out in the boat knowing that my dad trusts me and my abilities to handle the boat so well that he isn’t worried even when I have my girls with me.

298. seeing the contentment on Isabel’s face when she’s in the boat.

299. seeing the love on my girls faces when they see their grandparents and the love on my parents faces when they see the kids.

300. my dad working so hard to secure this house for another hundred years.

Pictures from our second week

2011-07-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

My dad built this boat dock by himself. Before then we just docked right on the beach. In front is the equipment elevator that we use to haul things up to the house. Right here the buckets are holding rocks that my dad is using to finish off the sitting place up by the house.

Here my dad is putting in place a big flat rock he’s found, filling in with the little rocks that’s in the buckets.

Isabel is constantly carrying around her little buckets to collect things.

Sofie is stuck after locking the door on herself preventing her from doing her favorite thing of running around the house, in one door and out the other.

My dad using the sitting place for the first time for the first barbeque of the year.

The girls and my mom enjoying the sun on the stairs, teasing me and my camera.

She never likes to be in front of the camera.

Grandma making sure any ouches are taken care of.

A rare picture of me and Sofie, taken by Isabel.

My Daybook

2011-07-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... the sun is shining. Our second sunny day since we came to Norway this summer. I really hope this will last so the girls and I can go swimming soon.

I am thinking... of how lucky I am to be right here, right now.

I want to do something fun today since I did nothing but laundry and baths yesterday.

I am thankful for... my great grandfather who built this sturdy house in this exact spot and for my grandfather and dad who has taken such good care of of this old house.

From the learning rooms... sounds absolute quietness. Though Isabel will every once in a while find her math book or cursive writing book and work on those for a while.

From the kitchen...I can smell the coffee my mom just made as I am sitting by the kitchen table eating my two pieces of bread and working on this post.

I am wearing... my favorite jeans and t-shirt, my pink watch and faith bracelet, and as always around my neck hangs my cross and my husbands heart.

I am creating... the best summer memories that I can for my girls.

I am going... to take the kids out in the boat today I think to row as far as I can before I start the engine.

I am reading... Norwegian magazines and “Good Girls Don’t Get Fat” by Robyn Silverman.

I am hoping... that this weather will last for the rest of the summer and that I will stop itching from all these mosquito bites.

I am hearing… the water fall, the fire and my mom as she is taking her medicines.

Around the house... we have been cleaning and picking up and getting rid of old clothes that are not in use anymore. Making space for the rest of the family that will arrive in a few weeks.

One of my favorite things... just looking out of the window…

A few plans for the rest of the week: going in the fjord tomorrow to civilization to get online and post all the posts I have made since I came to Norway, checking my email and look for more books online. Go fishing again. Take more walks and go exploring with my dad and the kids. Cook good meals with my mom. And try to get in some exercising.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing…

Linking up to

Transport

2011-07-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

In 1997 while I was an exchange student I would get a lot of questions about what kind of transport we have up here in the arctic in Norway. Sometimes I would get so tired of their questions that I would tell them I had to go to school by reindeer driven sleds.

Being that we are spending our summer at our summer house it can seem like all transport in Norway is by boat. As it may be true for some places here, it is not true for the most part of Norway. Just like any other country we depend on cars, busses, trains, airplanes and such. But being a nation of sea fare we also use a lot of boat.

Where our summer house is located there is no possibility to make roads as it is too remote and the mountain is too steep up from the ocean to run any roads along. Because it is so remote most of the people living out here moved away in the fifties and sixties. Now some properties are deserted and falling down, given back to the mountain and the forests again. Others are being used as vacation homes / summer homes.

To get to our summer house we have to go for 30 minutes by boat. To get to the bigger town to go shopping we have to ride the boat first and then the car for another hour to an hour and a half depending on traffic. It is sometimes a hassle, but honestly when you only go maybe once a month or so it isn’t so bad. And then we have the local grocer right by the boat dock when we go in the fjord where we get all the essentials that we need on a daily basis and this we do about once a week.

It is such a relief to have the quietness of no cars, alarms or anything. The only thing we hear out here is the seagulls, the waterfall and the occasional boats going by.

Living free

2011-07-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

The kids are thriving here in Norway. Isabel is able to go outside whenever she wants to as long as she tells us where she is headed and stays somewhat within sight.

It is quite different from where we live in the US. Isabel is sometimes out by herself there too, but I always have to keep an eye on her and she has to stay right outside the door. She hates the restrictions of being outside there with no space at all and not being able to go out whenever she wants to.

Here she is out and about all the time. As soon as grandpa is out the door, she is right behind him. They work in the barn on wood work projects, she helps him bring in firewood, they work on laying rocks down for the new patio, they go fishing together, or they go to the river to get potatoes for grandma.

Some days she will run down to the beach to look for crabs and sea shells, other days she will run around the garden with Sofie, other times she will run to what she calls troll valley to say hi to our trolls which by the way are just some very big rocks that I was convinced had to be trolls when I was a child.

Of course she is missing having someone to play with outside, but spending so much time by herself here is good for her and her imagination.

Sofie is enjoying the freedom to play outside as well. Running out one door and in the other, around and around the house. She has had a few accidents so far as the property is on a hill and running can then turn into a tumble into a flowerbed.

It is good not having to think about any sex offenders in the neighborhood. It is good not having to fear any kidnappings. It is good not having to fear that my kids will venture out into the parking lot or the street and get hit by a car. It is good to let them live free.

My Parent’s Summer Garden

2011-07-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Almost every single flower here is common both here and where I currently live in the Pacific Northwest of Seattle. I do however not know the names in English on most of these, but I will add them where I do know them.

Lupin.

Strawberries.

Currants.

Rhubarb.

Rhododendron.

Plums.

Might be plum, but could be cherry.

Carrots.

Lilacs. What I did forget is the potatoes.

Grateful Sunday 29

2011-07-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for

281. a trip that went really well.

282. fellow travellers that were nice and helpful.

283. Isabel who managed on her own and was a huge help to me.

284. Sofie who managed to sleep a little despite all the newness of it all.

285. being able to hug my dad and my mom again.

286. all our luggage arriving at the same time as us.

287. no carsickness or seasickness.

288. a husband who really appreciated the gift of love that the kids and I gave him for Father’s day.

289. being able to catch all our flights despite being delayed from Seattle.

290. the kids and I actually survived a 20 hour trip without any major tantrums.