One More Week!!!

Not this weekend but next Jenny and her family are coming down south to have their eyes checked and she will get to stay here with us while the rest of the family goes back up to Ålesund!!! Can you imagine how excited we are to meet her???

Thankfully the Captain is coming home tonight so that we have someone to entertain us until Jenny comes- it’s ALMOST as exciting that he is coming home as it is that Jenny is coming next weekend ;-)) hahahahaha!!!

Have a great weekend folks…until next time..

Thanks For The Tour…

Just had to see if I could post this video or the link at least..I think this video is Norway and Norwegians in a nutshell…a gorgeous land and people who love to explore all the parts of it.  This chocolate- Kvikk lunsj- which reminds me a lot of a Kit Kat bar is their national “tour chocolate” whenever they are going out on a hike or skiing or what have you out in nature- they bring a kvikk lunsj with them (Kvikk lunsj- Quick Lunch). The end of the commercial says- For all those who make it possible- Thanks for the tour…Kvikk Lunsj- tour chocolate the last 70 years. I also love the music which is Peter and the Wolf- Safe Travels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDIjsg8_mfA

Eventyrhus

I just realized something today…my blog title has been spelled wrong!!! It’s been written- Eventryhus and it should be Eventyrhus!!! I am such a foreigner!!!! Eventyrhus- loosely translated means Fairytale house. This was how the house was described in the sales prospect when we were looking at this place. The first summer we were here we had so many butterflies around us I said it should have been called the Butterfly house…

 It is a fairytale house…in a fairytale setting…for us at least. I love the privacy, the calm of the woods, the birds chirping in the summer, the butterflies…I love the grass roof…I threw a bunch of Texas wildflower seeds up there when we got back from Texas in 2007 and I’m still hoping something will sprout eventually…perhaps this super snowy winter will wet the sod up there enough to wake those seeds to life??? Would be spectacular with Texas wildflowers on my grass roof in Norway…

In the meantime I have “my” beautiful woods….well…at least until they cut the trees down! Still, they didn’t take all of the woods and the cut stuff is pretty in it’s own way…

Until next time folks…over and out from Eventyrhus….

 

Goodnight

Meeting finished...day is done..Goodnight from the cabin in the woods..

A Deep Breath….

I must have gotten out on the wrong side of bed this morning….I think it’s the timber company’s fault…they decided that a little after 5AM was a nice time to pick up all the wood they chopped down….or I shouldn’t say all, he leaves some so he has a reason to come back the next day at a little after 5AM and wake me…the hum of his truck and movement of his crane is like an alarm clock I can’t turn off…grrrrrrrr…..

We’ve had some weird things happening around here lately and today another thing happened- I went to find my face powder from my makeup bag and it was gone…a week or so ago my deodarant also disappeared only to reappear on my bathroom sink the next day as if it had never been gone. I’m hoping the same will happen with my face powder but I’m not holding my breath…the other weird thing is twice now our one black and white cat, Oreo, has gotten himself into the apartment mysteriously…no one has been up there and yet we have heard his cries from the apartment twice now, opened the door and he comes strolling out as if to ask, “what took you so long?” There is no explaination for how he is getting into the apartment- but the Captain is coming home soon and he has answers for everything…

Went to put the dogs in the dog pen before work and I couldn’t get the one side shut…the door is so heavy that it didn’t hang right and the lock wouldn’t slide into where it was suppose to be. Afraid to take chances the dogs could get out while we are gone and scare the heebee jeebees out of someone (by size alone) I put everyone back inside the house- two girls in the bathroom with the door shut and baby gate down and two in the living room. Sarah and Julia were the last ones out of the house and they have closed everything down before without problem- so I went off to work blissfully unaware……

Work was caotic..I just was off all day and in a foul mood…nothing hit me right and I was grumpy feeling at the drop of a hat..we had 15 kids and it was one of the first days in a long time we’ve had almost a full house (we were missing one kid) and a lot of the little angels are not feeling well, so they cry and are miserable and all that rubbed me the wrong way today- it was hard to muster up any- OH POOR BABY feelings…I was just grrrrrrrrr all day….Thankfully it was a short day so I came home thinking I’d just relax until the kids came and we’d take the lionesses and the old lab for a long walk to stretch their legs…as I pulled up into the driveway the old lab came waddling over to the car…I stopped the car- cursing under my breath at those darn kids for somehow forgetting Heidi outside- but it was Heidi so I wasn’t too concerned…but then out of the corner of my eye I caught one of the lionesses….Birdy come bouncing out of the woods and down toward the car…SHIT!!!! She’s been out all day too??? God- this was why I didn’t put any in the dog pen- scared they’d get out and scare poor helpless hikers in the woods…not that I think they’d ever do anything but they are big and they bark…until they see if you are friend or foe…and anything big, barking and alone in the woods- I’d walk away from scared to death of…so I didn’t want that and when I saw Birdy come bouncing out of the woods like Tigger on Winnie The Pooh…my heart sank. I was scared to death I’d find a note or something from the police warning me to keep my dogs confined or something..ugh…Unlocked the front door still wondering how these two got out and the other two had managed to open the bathroom door and open the baby gate and let themselves out into the living room where Heidi and Birdy had been….so I put Birdy in the car- took the other two out to the dog pen which now closed just fine (of course) and came and brought Birdy and Heidi inside..went downstairs and the door to the hall downstairs and the outside door were wide open!!!! ARRRGGGGHHHHH KIDS!!!!!! Of course all three of mine deny having been anywhere close to that door in the last two or three days…but it magically opened. The kid’s theory is the almost 13 year old lab who can hardly walk jumped up and opened not one but TWO doors and kindly let she and Birdy out for a little fresh air. I told them if that was the case we’d never have to let her in the front door she could just come herself…but that isn’t the case.

I have a meeting to go to for work tonight- not in the mood at all- I want to close my eyes and forget about today…but I’ll put on my smile for a few more hours and go and then come home and try and get some rest- as long as nothing else happens while I’m gone..

I’ll leave you with a couple photos that bring me peace…a deep breath in a hectic day…hope they give you the same feeling…until next time folks…

So I’ve Been Thinking…..

This lady is having a rough hair day don’t ya think???

A little too much curl on top maybe??? Hahahaha…no I’m going to be nice to my neighbour lady- she’s really quite nice- a good mother also…

This afternoon the girls and I took the lionesses for a walk…there was a beautiful fog laying over the lake and a perfect pink sky…Pink sky at night- sailor’s delight…Pink sky in the morning- sailor’s warning…

Speaking of sailors, mine called tonight with some good news- he will be home on Thursday- well, as of right now that is the plan but we’ve learned in this business never to hold our breath- take things a day at a time…but he’s coming home- soon- and that is the most important thing!! Last night he and a couple other guys got to witness a little bit of Carnival in Rio (Brazil), apparently they have a lot of different parades so this wasn’t the really big parade I saw photos of in the newspaper today- thank goodness….a bit too many nipples showing with those feather outfits for my comfort zone…The Captain said at this parade there were children all the way up to their 80’s, 90’s and everyone was dancing…he said you could tell they were born to dance like that…I’m glad he got to experience it, who knows if there will ever come another chance.

Jenny and her siblings went outside today for the first time…and as any good Norwegian child- they had a blast even though it was wet and cold!!!

I baked bread at work today- I had time and we had no bread that wasn’t frozen- so as all the little angels arrived at our barnehage they were met with the heavenly smell of warm homemade baked bread….can you tell I’m on a bread baking roll here??? Well, tomorrow we are having a sled day and we will take all the children outside to sled and play in the snow and grill hot dogs…I have a short day so my afternoon will be spent taking the lionesses on another round around the island here- hopefully we’ll have as beautiful weather as we have had today….

Have a great night folks…

More Bread….

Was up until Midnight last night so everything is moving in slow motion today…too old to stay up that late anymore!!! Sarah’s train was cancelled so she had to take a bus the 1.5 hours up here from the airport, so we weren’t home with her until around 10 in the evening, after getting dogs in, fed, chatting with Sarah- it was suddenly midnight.  Then I woke early this morning (typical me) and so outside of laundry and baking more bread I’ve done zippo today…a very very relaxing Sunday…hope you’re having one also..

Baking Bread

 

So after cleaning house today, I needed something fun to do- so I thought I’d finally bake bread using my wood stove. 

 

Someone thought I needed help getting the fire going….what is that saying again- curiosity killed (or in this case burned) the cat???

I don’t use a recipe for my bread- I just do a little of this and a little of that and hope for the best!!! So I’ll just tell you what I added and you can guess how much it looks like….

First is a couple teaspoons of salt and I use a couple teaspoons of honey but you can use sugar or whatever sweetner you want. Then I added a little Rye flour.

     

Next I used some flour that I got from a local farm that produces their own flour- its not as fine as the flour you buy in the store but it works nicely. I then added some oats.

Some flaxseeds and sunflower seeds and then I added the dry yeast, olive oil, and warm water.

 

Finally some plain ol’ flour to knead with……

After heating up the wood stove ALL DAY your house should be nice and toasty warm so the dough should rise nicely in the heat. Once it’s risen for um…I don’t know- an hour?? You roll it out into two sausage looking rolls and place them in buttered bread pans…and then into the oven…voila…

Then after about…um…an hour??? (or until you can tap the bread top and it sounds hollow inside) If you are lucky you’ll have something that looks like this..

And tastes….HEAVENLY with a little butter and honey…mmmmmm……

Just A Test

 Just testing Windows Live Writer which I downloaded today…uff, please hold me responsible for any and all weirdness which might come about until I’m familiar with this system…hahahaha…

Yesterday morning I woke up and went to put coffee water on and saw this little lady down south of my trash cans….

 

Her buddy, Buck, was right behind her..and another little fella I didn’t get a picture of..I love my woodland friends…wish they’d come closer so my zoom lens could capture their sweet little faces better…

I’ll write more later- planning to clean and bake today..so I might have some baking photos for you later and tonight Sarah Beara comes home!!!!! YEAAAAAAAHHH!!

Until later my friends…

J.E.N.N.Y........

Five weeks old today!!!! Her breeder told me her favourite place to sleep is in her food bowl....that's a sign...this little girl belongs with us....I'd sleep in a food bowl if I could- looks cozy....

Where Does Amy Live???

One of the best things about working with little children is never knowing what is really going on in their sweet little heads or what could come out of their mouths next...take for example a conversation I had with one little girl when she arrived with her mother, she was showing me a new toy she had gotten and I told her she was very lucky to have a mommy who worked at a toy store because she certainly must get new toys all the time- to which she agreed with me- but then she said "you have a lot of toys too" I said, "Oh no honey I don't have any toys anymore..." she nodded her head and said "Yes" and pointed into the living room of the daycare at all the toys in there. Her mom and I chuckled and said "Ohhhh....well Amy doesn't live here honey!!" Never thought that the kids think I live at my work place but I guess now that I think back to another story where a mother told me when they drove home one evening past the daycare, her son began crying-"Amy Amy Amy!!" and pointing toward the daycare- it makes sense that these little buddies of mine think I live at my work place!!! I wonder where they think I go when I'm not there??!!!

It's been snowing here all day long and between work, running kids to the dentist and the ski hills I haven't had time to take many photos lately- so for now I'll leave you with a couple gorgeous sunsets from Texas that I took when we were home last time...there is certainly something special about a Texan Sunset... Until next time my friends...

Love And Friendship

A short while ago I was discussing with Sarah how to recognize true love and friendship. I've been trying to give her tips on how to spot true love and friendship and here is some of those tips....

Look beyond the exterior- a one eyed cat or a one eyed horse are my examples here..not the prettiest things to look at but full of love. Young people are very concerned with appearances- wanting to look good to attract the opposite sex- but young people grow old, time takes it's toll on any living thing- you'll do well to invest yourself more on the inside of someone then the outside...

Life is hard, unfair,..it's ugly sometimes and it's beautiful sometimes, it's a never ending roller coaster of emotions and moments...someone who can laugh with you through the good times, never waver through the bad times, and loves you to the end is who you want to share this amazing journey (Life) with....

Friends you can be yourself with..who you can cry with, laugh with, and just be with...that is true love. My grandfather once said when you die, if you can count FIVE TRUE friends in your life- you've lived a rich life. People come and go in your life, you have many acquaintences, "good" friends...but true friends..those who know you inside and out and have been through the bad and good with you on life's journey- those friends are few and far between...treasure them and appreciate their love. Also remember- some of the truest friends you can have might have more then two legs and a bit of fur...remember to value their faithfullness and friendship as much as the two legged kind...

Well, this is just a little something I thought I'd like to share with you today...I'm sure many of you out there have a heap of advice for spotting true love and friendship also- so feel free to share and I'll pass your advice along....

Until next time folks...

Have A Super Duper Day!!

A little smile before I head off to work with the kiddos...just want my cyber friends to know I'm thinking of ya...will post again later today....CIAO!!!

The Potato Lady Was Coming With Me!!!!

Here she is, my potato lady that I waited all afternoon to get hold of!! I went to the auction today and dragged Thomas and Julia with me, telling them of all the fun times I went with my parents to auctions and how my sister and I had so much fun...They bought it and came along with me and when we got down there it was STUFFED with people!!! As I looked around and saw all the neat stuff I figured this must be a good auction with so many people attending. They had tons of paintings on the walls and the potato lady caught my attention right away. I just LOVED her expression on her face, which I don't think I did justice in capturing with my camera but she is so concentrated and so into her job....she was wonderful and I kept watching her throughout the afternoon falling more and more in love with her. So when the time came to bid on her, I wasn't going to let her go, but thankfully no one put up a real battle with me..a small one but nothing major and I got the potato lady. I sent the photo to Stig who didn't seem to thrilled...oh well...

I also liked this photo of three girls walking barefoot in a field...simple and sweet. Was able to snatch that one up also without too much of a battle from anyone thankfully. None of these are originals, but that is ok...keeps the risk of being robbed down...hahahahaha...

While sitting there watching this one woman bid on EVERYTHING practically and not just lifting the bids by a little but a lot, and usually getting whatever she bid on, a chair was lifted and she started bidding on it..I started also...don't ask me why...I don't know why...but I did and I won the chair...thinking it was just one chair I went to get it, only to find out he had a mate who was in worse shape then the first one!!!! I honestly don't know if you could get a furniture maker to sand the chair down and fix the seats, the one seat is ripped and you can see the HAY inside that was used to fill the seat. Of course if you sand them down you lose the detail but the detail is slowly chipping away, so I'm not sure what exactly to do with these chairs- any ideas? For the moment I've tossed the sheep skins on them and will figure it out later..I didn't pay very much for both chairs so that was the positive there. Stig said it was dangerous to send me to the auction alone...never know what I will come home with and there is a little truth to that..I get carried away sometimes. Thomas was begging me to bid on EVERYTHING so he could wave the card in the air...hahahaha...but I can't really blame him, I bid on it...didn't want that lady to have everything...hahahaha...

Remember I said if they started cutting the woods around our house I'd tie myself to a tree??? Well, they started- this morning at 720 actually....when we got home there were several trees taken down. Looks like they are thinning out but who knows how much more they will take. When I get home from work tomorrow maybe I can see my house from the main road cause all the trees are gone. Stig said the positive would be being able to market our house with views of the Mjøsa lake...but NO THANKS...I love my privacy...I'll keep that and walk five minutes out of here to see the lake if I want too. I'm exhausted so I'll leave you with this for today...

Until next time my friends...