Last Lunch Of The Year....

Bently smelled something good and he was right....Mamma was making lunch...and not just any lunch but the last lunch of 2012. Because it´s the holidays and Mamma is being kinda lazy she bought Ciabatta rolls instead of making them...and then she cut up some red, yellow, and orange pepper and some red onion and sautéed them, with a sprinkling of garlic pepper, until they were soft. She then spread some mild blue cheese on her ciabatta, some chopped walnuts, a couple pieces of 1% fat turkey meat, and the sautéed peppers and onions.....mmmmmm.....together with some low cal hot chocolate and a giant marshmallow (hey it IS the holidays still!) this made for the perfect last lunch of the year! Feast your eyes on this baby.....

Otherwise we´re just chilling on this last day of the year.....being lazy and saving up our energy for the New Year....

What are your plans for the last day of 2012?

See you in the New Year, have a safe evening and celebration!

Until next time my friends.....

The Curves Ahead...

Let me start by saying, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I truly believe this. This is why there are so many varied opinions of what is beautiful and what isn´t. As many of you know, I´m working on getting in shape, becoming healthier, and trying to find a weight I´m content with. I´ll never have a 14 year old body again, in fact, I´m not sure I ever had a skinny 14 year old body...at least not the pencil shapes you generally compare to a 14 year old. I´ve always been a tad big boned, I´ve got hips, curves and I´m proud of that. Of course right now I´ve got a lot of padding on those curves and I want to reduce that somewhat but I´ve been googling different things on curves, women´s weight and finding some interesting things I thought I´d share with my dear readers. I know this subject will hit home with a lot of you, after all, we women are never satisfied with our bodies and media tells us we should look one way but is it the right way?

I found this interesting little statue called Venus of Willendorf The fact that she represents a woman´s body thousands of years ago and has the name of the Goddess of Love and beauty should maybe tell us something? 

When I was growing up my heros were women with curves...like Superwoman...she was amazing and I totally wanted an outfit like hers...anyone else???

I think I actually had a Superwoman barbie and she had curves...totally cool! 

Another woman who has inspired generations and considered one of the sexiest women ever was this pretty lady...

I think one of the reasons she was so beautiful is because she oozed beauty from the inside out. Ever notice how beautiful people can be when they have a beautiful personality on the inside? I´m totally attracted to people (not in a sexual way, get your minds outta the gutter people!) who have fabulous personalities. The more good you are on the inside the more beautiful I think you are on the outside. 

My Mother´s generation grew up with beauty icons like this lovely lady...

My daughters are growing up with beauty icons like this....

Is this beautiful? Is this what a woman should look like? Thankfully the fashion world is slowly coming to their senses and realizing the true beauty in a full figured woman....and when we say full figured, this isn´t a promotion of being fat and overweight, it´s a promotion of being healthy, and many full figured women are just that, healthy but bigger then the so-called-women pictured above....

 This hotty was even a Sports Illustrated bathing suit model- GOOD JOB SPORTS ILLUSTRATED!!! 

Some of the top magazines in the world are also appreciating the full size woman as well and BRAVO to them...I truly believe media plays such an important roll in helping, especially the younger generation, in deciding what is acceptable and what isn´t....

Perhaps someday all fashion houses and media will appreciate the diversity that women have and understand once and for all that the "Normal" woman doesn´t look like this...

Does anyone remember seeing these photos running around social medias? I loved these...gorgeous women with real curves, real bodies...real inspiration...

There was a movement recently through a national newspaper here in Norway about loving your body and trying to stop promotion of skinny bodies through all of the popular teen blogs that millions read....

I don´t know these girls so I can´t speak about who they are, they might be completely good people but what are they promoting? Unhealthy bodies, unnatural skin color, Barbie makeup, and fake hair? Obviously these girls have substantial influence on today´s youth so wouldn´t it be wonderful if they influenced kids to appreciate the individual beauty, the healthy body, and feeling good psychically and mentally? It´s hard enough being a teen and then having the pressure to try and measure up to the girls like the ones in the photos above??? I´d rather show my daughters photos like these below along with the ones above and say, which do you think is more beautiful? Giving them a choice, rather then just showing them the examples above and saying....THIS is the goal ladies....

As I got into the new year with my healthy goals on my to-do list I know which body form I´ll be going for...definitely curves, with a little less padding but definitely curves....so until I achieve that goal, I´ll keep packing my padding into my clothes the best I can and working hard toward my goal....

A healthy, curvy, beautiful woman´s body which I´m proud of....

What do you choose??? 

Until next time my friends......

New Year, Clean Slate, New Start

Hello everyone, hope you´ve had a warm and wonderful holiday so far. We´ve had a lovely time. It´s been very quiet and that is both a good thing and bad thing. I notice that I am the kind of person who enjoys routines and during the holidays there are no routines. We go to bed late and wake up late (or some of us such as yours truly still wake up 7 hours after she goes to bed, no matter if it´s 1AM or 2AM or whatever...) So our days are totally off. My dearest son told me he´s a night owl I told him he´s only a night owl because his easy going Mom lets him stay up late and he sleeps all day and when he finally wakes in the afternoon, he stays up late again- a terrible cycle. We also eat terribly....no wait, I mean we eat way too good, but not the stuff we normally should eat. I´ve bought way too much junk which I actually thought between four older kids in the house, would be eaten. But no.....and let´s put it this way, all this junk in the house is like having tons of alcohol in an alcoholic´s house and hoping the alcoholic will stay away from it...ugh...so difficult. I know I should toss it, but that goes against my grain too...I don´t throw money away...hahahaha...

So I´ve been out walking...not a lot but some. We´ve had a couple really beautiful days during Christmas and it´s magical when winter lays like a beautiful blanket of white over the trees and ground and the sun shines through like pot of gold at the end of a rainbow....

As we come to the end of the year I always look forward to New Years almost more so then Christmas. Why? Because I love fresh starts. I love clean slates and chances to do things differently. A whole new year laying before us, moments awaiting us, adventures and experiences to come, new people who will enter our lives and old people who might leave our lives, everything is possible! I love that! I am one of those people who likes to make resolutions each New Year and I am one of those people who seldom keeps her resolutions. I always have good intentions but not enough gung ho too keep it going...but here I am again at the end of this 2012 and looking forward to things I plan on doing...things I would LIKE to achieve in 2013. 

One thing I think about is of course my health..I think if we look back in the archives here on my blog at all my New Year posts you´ll see this same wish..and it´s still here again...someday I will be able to write that I´ve made it and I´ve really got a good start this year as I began with Easylife in September and it´s working...slowly but it´s working. Of course I´ve probably had a set back now during the holidays but nothing I can´t bounce back from and I will...it´s incredible to have the support of a group and I think it should be a requirement for anyone wanting to lose weight or start a healthier lifestyle to have a support group. You can´t do this alone!!! 

Another thing I want to work on and so does the Captain is our financial situation. We make good money but every month we´re down to the last kroner and left wondering where did it all go? Neither one of us are very financially capable although I´ll say the Captain is a lot more interested in the subject then me. I just want to know that when I swipe my card it won´t say, Declined! ARGH! That is so embarrassing and has happened more then once...so we´re going to try out that wonderful thing called a budget which is suppose to help us see where the money is going. Should be interesting. We think we have an idea where it´s going but hopefully now we can really see it and hopefully we can actually begin saving....oooo....I get so excited at such thoughts!!! Do you have a budget? How is that working out for you? Do you feel financially in control? Any tips for a new beginner? 

Another thing I´d like us to be better about is being more social and not just social on the social medias but with people we care about. The Captain and I are very happy hanging around our house. Although he could probably think to get out a little more often then me. I feel I see people at work and around the area and it´s enough and when I get home I just want quiet...but it´s not very social, I know this and I can´t expect to have friends when I just sit up here and not make an effort. At the same time though, we´re not party people. We enjoy a good meal with good friends, a little wine and good conversation but are past the days when it was fun to go get stinking drunk and drag ourselves around from one party to the other ALL night long....that is NOT us anymore but it seems to still be a popular thing for a lot of adults around here so not sure how we will work that one out, but where there is a will there has to be a way right? 

I also have some dreams I want to try and get closer too. I am not living the life I want to live right now, I´m living a life of existence but not the life I dream of. It´s easy to fall into a rut and just make the days go by, pay your bills, do what you have too in order to survive but as far as we all know we only get one run at this life thing and to just get by isn´t gonna do it for me. So I want to start trying to get closer to my dreams...closer to what I think I really want and further away from what I feel I just HAVE to do because I have to survive. 

I would also like to explore simple living a little more. Not fanatically, I will never do anything to an extreme...but I do believe we´ve become a society which has become very dependent on THINGS, and how happy do these things really make us? Can we live with less and be happier? Have you ever tried any simple living ideas and how has that worked out for you? 

I want people to be more aware of how much they mean to me. I have so many wonderful people in my life. Some are in my life more then others but everyone who is in my life, touches my heart in a special way. I think a lot of times that I´m good at letting people know how much they mean to me but there is always room for improvement. I´m a hugger and I love to give hugs and get hugs...it´s such a great feeling and you really feel how much someone cares the harder and longer they hold you in their arms...I´m gonna be hugging a bunch of you out there next year...so get ready....hehehehehe....

I want to spend more time doing fun and exciting things with my kids. Yeah, Pål is also one of my kids now (Sarah´s boyfriend of three years) he´s been in the family long enough that he is now considered one of the kids. I want to continue to get to know him and I want to continue to get to know my own kids...they are changing all the time right now...moving into adulthood and I´m watching their development with great interest. We´ve got some humps in the road ahead we have to work through, Mamma and Captain are pretty good at giving advice to others about their kids but when it comes to our own we´re total suckers...we spoil them rotten even though we know we shouldn´t and we don´t do everything as we should...but thankfully we see the mistakes we´re making and are doing our best to correct them before it´s too late...we want them to be decent, law abiding, caring and giving individuals who can take care of themselves and be happy in whatever they are doing. Isn´t that what every parent wants for their kids? It´s a hard job though...they have their own opinions and meanings as to what is right and wrong and we butt heads more then once or twice about things and getting the youngest to understand that as long as they live here we decide and that we´re deciding in their best interest isn´t always easy to get them too understand but we can´t give up...someday they will see that we´re doing our best because we love them. At least we hope they will see that...hehehehehe....

What are your dreams and hopes for 2013? What would you like to see more of in my blog in 2013? 

Until next time my friends....be well...be merry...be safe....

Christmas Cheer, Granola, and A Little Norsk

As promised here comes a lighter post with some Christmas cheer! I also thought I´d finally give in and try to add some Norwegian in my post for my Norwegian readers. Please don´t laugh though, I´m not perfect in Norwegian so when I write something wrong, just try and understand what you think I meant to say or read the English version for correct translation ;-)

Som lovet her kommer en lettere blogpost med litt Jule glede! Jeg tenkt også at jeg skulle endelig prøve meg på litt Norsk for mine Norsk lesere. Være så snill og ikke le da, jeg er ikke perfekt i Norsk så når jeg skriver noe galt, bare prøve å forstår hva du tro jeg mente eller lese den Engelsk del for å få riktig oversettelse :-)

I thought I would share some photos of my Christmas decorations here. I love to decorate my tree with ornaments that have meaning. Of course it´s nice with the red and gold balls as well but Christmas is a time of year where I reflect and think over the year that has gone, people who have been in my life, things I´ve done and it´s always nice to look at ornaments that remind me of something in particular...or someone in particular...the ornament underneath is one Sarah gave me one year for Christmas after my Mom passed away. She said this way Mom could always be with me at Christmas....which she is...

Jeg tenkt jeg skulle dele noen bilder av våres Julepynt her. Jeg elsker å pynte juletreet mitt med pynt som har betydning. Selvfølgelig er det fint med rød og gul kuler også men Jul er den tid av året hvor jeg reflektere over året som har gått, folk som har vært i livet mitt, opplevelse vi har hatt og det er alltid koselig å se på pynt som får meg til å tenke på noe spesifik eller noen spesifik....den pynt her er en som Sarah gitt meg et år etter Mamma døde. Hun sa at på den måte kunne Mamma min alltid være med meg i Jul....noen hun absolutt er.

I love when I´m out traveling to find ornaments that can remind me of a wonderful trip I´ve had, usually with good friends and family. Such as our trip to Paris in 2011 with the Captain´s cousin Unni and her husband Endre...such a wonderful trip! 

Når jeg er ut å reise så elsker jeg å finne julepynt som kan minne meg m en fantastisk tur. Often en tur jeg har hatt sammen med gode venner eller familie. Som våres tur til Paris i 2011 sammen med Kaptein´s søskenbarnet Unni og hennes mann Endre....for en herlig tur! 

I also love to remember where I come from and when I visited Texas I had to get some cowboys for my tree and as much as Norwegians love their flag on the Christmas tree, so do Americans...

Jeg også vil huske hvor jeg kommer fra og når jeg var på besøk i Texas så måte jeg kjøp meg noen cowboys å ha på juletreet. Og akkurat som Nordmenn elsker å ha sin flag på juletre det gjør vi Amerikaner....

I also love fun ornaments that make me smile, remind me of when I was a kid...or my kids were little...in fact, I love Christmas decorations all around the house that give me that childish feeling...

Jeg elsker julepynt som får meg til å smile og minne meg når jeg var et barn eller når barna min var liten...faktisk syns jeg det er gøy med julpynt over hele huset som gi meg en barnslig følelse...

I also think it´s important to remember the true meaning of Christmas as well and while not everyone in the world is Christian for those who are, Christmas was the celebration of the birth of Christ. My Dad and Mom gave me this nativity scene for my birthday, so it´s extra special for me.

Jeg syns også det er viktig å husker den ekte mening med Jul og mens ikke alle i verden er Kristen for de som er så er Jul den feiring av Jesus´s fødsel. Denne vakre julekrybbe fikk jeg av Pappa og Mamma til bursdagen min så den er ekstra spesial til meg. 

I recently entered my house in a contest that is being held by a national Norwegian newspaper called Dagbladet. The contest is about who has Norway´s most Christmas house. When I´ve seen the competition, I wouldn´t say we have the most lights but I think we have a lot of Christmas feeling here and it´s just fun to show off the lights we have. I´ve actually been contacted by the local newspaper as well who want to come and do a piece on our house as well. They will be stopping by later today when the lights come on at 4PM. So that will be fun! 

Jeg nylig meldt huset mitt inntil Dagbladet´s julehus konkurranse og selv om jeg vil ikke si vi har like mange lys som de andre i denne konkurranse så syns jeg vi har mye julestemning og det er gøy å vise frem de lysene vi har. Jeg har faktisk vært i kontakt med den lokal avisen også som vil kom å skrive en liten artikkel om våres hus også. De kommer senere i dagen når lyse kommer på kl 16. 

I want to share a recipe with you as well before I close this very long post. I´ve only baked some almond biscotti for the ladies I work with so far this Christmas and a little bread for us. So I haven´t made a lot of stuff for obvious reasons- I´m trying to lose weight. I have promised my kids that I will bake a little we can have on Christmas day but if I bake now it will be eaten now, so we´re waiting. However, I have tried a granola recipe that is really good and I´d like to share with you. You can find the recipe HERE. I didn´t have chocolate chips so I did what I always do and chopped up a semi sweet chocolate bar and added that. I also had a little amount of peanuts which I chopped up and added as well. This recipe worked well as bars but it did crumble somewhat easy so the way I enjoyed eating this was in vanilla yoghurt with some fresh blueberries and a little crumbled granola on top. This is a little sweet but it´s Christmas, a little sweet is ok! I borrowed the photo from the recipe´s homepage since I ate mine so quickly I didn´t think to take a photo of it...hehehehe...The great thing with granola is you can really add what you´d like. If you don´t want chocolate, add raisins and nuts...the recipe is flexible like that!

Jeg vil også dele en oppskrift med dere før jeg slutte med den veldig lang post. Så langt i Jul så har jeg kun bakt mandle biscotti til damene på jobb og litt brød til oss selv her hjemme. Jeg har lovet ungene at jeg skal bake litt til Jul men om jeg bake det nå så spiser vi det nå...så vi venter. Men jeg har laget litt granola som er kjempe godt og du kan finne oppskriften for HER.  Jeg hadde ikke sjokolade knapper som vanlig så jeg gjorde hva jeg vanligvis gjøre og det er å hakke opp litt dronning sjokolade. Jeg hadde også litt peanøtter som jeg hakket opp og brukt. Denne oppskriften fungere bra som bars men den smuler litte grann så jeg fant at den måte jeg likte dette best var i vanilje yoghurt med litt fersk blåbær og smule granola på toppen. Den er litt søt men det er snart Jul og litt søt er lov. Jeg har lånt bilde fra oppskriftens hjemmeside...jeg spist min altfor fort og rakk ikke å ta bilder...hehehehehe....det beste med Granola er at du kan bytte ingredienser veldig lett. Om du ikke vil ha sjokolade, så kan du bruke rosiner og nøtter for eksempel. Oppskriften er fleksible! 

I am not sure I´ll find time to blog again before Christmas. I have another day of work before Christmas break and a few more things to do before the big day. In case I don´t get to blog again before Christmas I want to wish all of you the warmest Christmas wishes. I hope you will be in the loving company of friends and family this holiday season. If you´re alone, I hope it´s because you choose to be and are ok with it. If you´re working this Christmas like my honey, I hope you can find some enjoyment in the holiday, whether it´s a good meal or a good drink...or both...A very very Merry Christmas from Eventyrhus here in Norway to all of you!

Jeg er ikke sikkert jeg finner tid til å blogg igjen før Jul. Jeg har enda en dag med arbeid og noen små tinger jeg skal gjøre før den stor dagen. I tilfelle jeg ikke finne tid å blogg igjen før Jul så vil jeg ønsker dere alle den varmeste Jule ønsker. Jeg håper du vil være i den glade selskap av gode venner og familie denne høytiden. Er du alene så håper jeg det er fordi du velger det selv og trives med det. Hvis du er på arbeid i denne Juletiden slik som min kjæreste så håper jeg at du kan finne noe gleden allikevel med høytiden...enten en god måltd eller en gode drikke eller begge....En riktig riktig God Jul fra Eventyrhus her i Norge til alle sammen! 

Until next time my friends....

Inntil neste gang mine venner......