16 things to be thankful for in 2016

Happy new year!!
I hope there will be 2000 more things to be thankful for in the year ahead, but here is a start: 

1. A wonderful, loving, funny husband to live my life with every day.
2. A home of our own.
3. Having a job I like.
4. Studies that I find really interesting.
5. Our dear families that keep on growing.
6. Being an aunt to the sweetest kids.
7. Many great friends in Skien and beyond.
8. Unlimited access to books at the library.
9. Having everything I need.
10. Living in a peaceful country.
11. Plans to travel in the coming year.
12. Grace for every new day.
13. Starting the year with a clean home.
14. My smallgroup.
15. Being healthy.
16. The joy of changing seasons.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is not a holiday here in Norway, but I have celebrated it almost every year since I joined Youth With A Mission in 2006. Now that I am married to an American it would only be fitting to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house. With a manageable sized turkey of 6,2 kg (not a giant 13 kg one like last year!), and guests bringing sides, it was a joy to host the party for six other Americans here in Skien. We picked a Sunday for our celebration and enjoyed plenty of food and pie. I only knew half of our guests, but it was really fun to be in an American crowd and enjoy laughs and good stories together.

The Menu:

- Starter: Deviled eggs

- Turkey (of course)

- Mashed potatoes

- Scalloped potatoes (this was supposed to be a green bean casserole, but the expats could not find cream of mushroom here...)

- Sweet potato casserole with pecans and marshmallows

- Raw broccoli and carrot salad

- Gravy

Desserts:

- Pecan Pie (we made it from a family recipe from Mikes grandma!)

- Pumpkin pie

- Peach and pineapple cobbler

17th of May: Constitution Day

The parade, with "Verdenskongen/The King of the World" on the front row.

In Norway we celebrate our Constitution the 17th of May every year. This year it was 200 years since this important document was signed, and there has been much focus on this, with lots of events. For example a live event where a historian lectured about Norway´s history from 1814 till today in 200 minutes - 1 minute for each year!

Posing in our national costumes, one "stakk" and one "bunad".

I celebrated with friends here in Skien, watching the children's parade in the morning, wearing my national costume "Sunnmørsbunad", lots of good food, meeting new people, barbecuing, eating ice cream in the park, and watching fireworks. A lovely day indeed! The only thing I really missed today was singing a song from my region "Å Vestland, Vestland", but luckily I found a version with Sissel Kyrkjebø on youtube...

When I get married I will have to wear black stockings. 

When I came home, tired after a long day, I watched some of the national celebration online, and finally hearing the national anthem brought a tear to my eye. I am very grateful to live in a country with freedom and human rights.

The beautiful Brekkeparken in all its spring glory.

Ja, vi elsker dette landet! 

A Big Feast

We made it!
My little household (my roommate and I), made a full Thanksgiving meal for the Americans here, and let me tell you, it was a lot of work. Americans all know this, but I was not mentally or physically prepared for cooking a 26 pound turkey and many side dishes.

We started preparing on Wednesday night, baking apple and pumpkin pies, and a southern style onion cornbread. The next morning we got up early, I walked over to the YWAM base to pick up the bird, whom Jae lovingly named Larry. My fridge is not big enough for a turkey that size, so we kept him there till it was time to cook. It is only 2 blocks away, but my arms are still sore from that little exercise!

I had never cooked a turkey before, so I am very thankful for the internet, that provided me with all sorts of recipes. It was quite exciting to see my oven filled to the brim with a huge bird, and very satisfactory to be able to serve it to our guests, only a little dry, but okay enough for a first time.

In addition we made mashed potatoes and gravy (of course), green bean casserole, candied yams (Jae´s favorite), corn bread dressing (Mike´s great grandma´s recipe!), and grated carrots, because thats´s the way Eddie likes them.

After eating all that, we were stuffed of course. But it was good, and it was worth it, including the mountain of dishes. I got to use my old china too, and it delighted my heart to set a holiday table. It doesnt hurt that my fridge is full of leftovers either. I like this holiday!

Adopting holidays: Thanksgiving

Thanks to YWAM, this is the fourth year I have had an American roommate (and there will be MANY more to come). One of the great things of living in multicultural communities is learning new customs and culture traits. Celebrating Thanksgiving must be one of my favorite American adoptions.

This year, for the first time, my roommate and I have decided to make a complete Thanksgiving feast at our house. I have never celebrated in the States, not even in a home, but at a couple of different YWAM bases I have learned to love the food. The next couple of days will be spent preparing all the dishes, and I might be back with recipes a little later. It is only fitting that the American is in charge, so I am prepared to learn.

PS. Free Thanksgiving printables by Nest of Posies.

A pretty big resolution for 2013

The new year is right around the corner! 2012 has been a long year, so much has happened. Still, this is not a post about what was, but some thoughts for what is coming. 

Earlier this fall I read about some girls who made a "Shop-stop" resolution. Around the same time, there was a lot of publicity around a documentary about H&M and underpaid factory workers. Clothes, and all kinds of stuff for that matter, can be found at giveaway prices in some stores, and who pays the price for all our shopping? This has been in the back of my mind for a long while: How can I be an ethical consumer? I don´t think I am a raging shopaholic, but there is still room for some improvements. A friend of mine had a similar project  a couple of years ago, and I have wondered if I could do the same one day. 

Some reasons for this project:

- Contentment.

It is so easy to admire everyone else´s home, wardrobe and all their pretty things. Especially with so many blogs and pinterest, there are hundreds of opportunities for me to be discontent - every day! I want to learn to be more content.

- Use what I have. 

I have so much, and with everything from clothes, music and cups to hobby supplies, it is easy to forget what I actually have when I see something new and shiny. So I would like to focus on what I have, instead of all the things I could have.

- Be more conscious of my spending.

- Saving money. 

I think I will be surprised by how much I actually spend on all those little things. 

- Avoid impulse purchases. 

These usually don´t stand the test of time anyways, either because I really didn´t love that sweater I found on super-sale, or because cheap stuff just doesn´t last very long. 

- Deep cleaning.

My friend said she realized more of what she really liked, so I think I will be able to sort out a few things that mainly takes up space and gathers dust. 

- Free time.

Less things means less tidying up, which equals more time for other things :) 

Simpler living, but not so simple rules:

- I will by no new clothes, shoes, accessories, etc from 1st of January 2013 till 1st of January 2014.

- I can knit and sew/redesign clothes and buy used clothes.

- For every new thing I acquire, an old one will have to go. This rule is not just for clothes, but all new things that come through the door.

- Items that are worn out/broken can be replaced if truly necessary (socks, umbrella and other needed things).

- Gifts are exempt from the rules. 

It was easy to talk about this some weeks ago, but with only a few days left of the year, I found myself buying t-shirts on impulse without even trying them on yesterday. Wish me luck! 

PS. "Live Simply" poster and many more prints by Shelli Dorfe.

Gratitude

A beautiful summer day in England. 

Yesterday I sent out my newsletter, and here is an excerpt:

November is a month where I usually get reminded of thankfulness. Now, I´ve actually been thinking a lot about thankfulness for a couple of months. As Christians we are called to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God´s will for us in Christ Jesus." 1.Thess. 5:18. This is certainly not easy, but there is a real challenge to see our lives as gifts from God, and give him the proper thanks, not just for the obviously good things, but in ALL circumstances.

Some things I am thankful for:

- Translating Bible teaching for the DTS.
- 35 great students this fall.
- The Bible - God´s true word to you and me!

- A new roof on my building.
- Parents who help me build things.
- Thinking about becoming an aunt soon!

What are three things you are thankful for today?

Read the rest of the newsletter here.

PS. If you like this, you can subscribe here and get these letters directly in your inbox!

Scandinavians at heart

Whether full-bred Scandinavian, some Norwegian ancestry or just generally Scandophile, my traveling companions and I not only stop for anything Scandinavian, we seek it out!

We stumbled upon this store in cute little Georgetown.

The gals at the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival.

Watching people dance around the May pole. 

Also, there were vikings, old people dancing traditional Norwegian, Swedish and German folk dance. And of course, Elin Palmer, as I wrote about earlier. It was great to share our love for the place we all have called home at some point, and I am thankful to have friends all over the world who know and love my nation! 

Things I like lately

Via Modern Hepburn

Oslo.

Seeing the king and the rest of the royal family.

Flowers from my boyfriend.

Art at the National Gallery.

The theatre and an acting sister.

The Bible.

Waiting to become an aunt!

Walks and wildflowers.

Coffee with friends.

Summer! 

A year of thankfulness

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of living in my very own apartment!!

A year of parties.

 

A year of restyles.

A year of gardening attempts.

(Yes, attempts. It did not go very well, but I will try again later)

A year of cooking, and so much more! 

I am so thankful for my little (but more than large enough) apartment, 

thank you for a great year!

Words that make you think

Today I am thankful that I can read and write. Pretty basic, but during this writer's seminar I have been thinking of what I want to write about. Yes, I enjoy looking at pictures of pretty dresses and interesting interiors, but I can scroll through hundreds of them and not have anything to really take away with me. Some writers are different though, they are authors that make me read, pause, re-read and ponder the words on the page. Words that make me think, urge me to look at my own thoughts and actions with a critical eye, and hopefully spur me into action. I want to write like that too. Not to say I will stop posting about cooking or music, and maybe this idea isn't for my blog at all. 

Ann Voskamp is one of those that make me think, her blog is based on her life with her family on a farm. This is her goal for her writing, in her own words: "I keep writing it out here everyday, the words I am seeking to live — about this wondrously messy, everyday-holy life…. about slowing to see the sacred in the chaos, about finding the beauty and quiet." I can highly recommend her writing, if you want words that make you think. 



Picture source, found via Pennyweight

Ethiopia Project

This is what I am a part of - providing schooling for children in Ethiopia! Five years ago I went there with a team myself. (See my 2007 archives for the stories) We visited the first school we built, met the children there and worked on the grounds.

Now, our DTS teams just returned from outreach, and brought me greetings from one of the pastors we worked with then. It makes me happy to think about the wonderful people we met there, and it is so inspiring to see the result of what we do and the effect it can have on communities.

Video made by Tim and some of my co-workers in Skien.

hello, may

May has been beautiful this far, with lots of sunshine (but only a slight red tint on my skin), flowers, books and fresh air. 

Summer is coming, and it is exciting! 

Art from this art journal tumblr.

The colors are coming!

I dont think I can express how much I LOVE spring!

All the flowers, the sun, light and longer days - it is simply lovely.

Last weekend I visited some friends in Østfold. We spent time in the sun with their cute baby girl, relaxed and thrifted a little. Im not quite sure what the little wooden figurine is for, but the graphic card it was attached to was screaming my name, and I had no choice but to bring it along. Happy colorful triangles from the 80s, who doesnt like that?

I couldnt pass up these glasses either. They were so cheerful and fit perfectly for the season we are in, and for 5 kr each, I will gladly take them home. 

Soon I will be off for a long Easter break in Oslo, Ålesund and Bergen with family and friends. Maybe I will see you there?? 

Thrifted - gifted

You might say it is a little late for Christmas, but last year we exchanged gifts on Valentines Day, so we were actually a little early this year. My roommate of two years, Lyndee, moved back to the States last fall, but is gracing us with a winter visit for the month of February. She brought back gifts, and technically, this was a Christmas gift.

These little bells brought some Christmas feelings, 

but I think I will save them for next winter´s projects...

A vintage 1940s table runner, and a pretty green clutch.

I love it when people know what I like, thank you so much Lyndee!!

I will

Fennel and Rosemary baked lamb, Pizza Bianca, honey baked fall vegetables 

and a Chocolate cake with (whats according to Jae) the most delicious frosting in the whole world.

These were the things we ate at my wonderful birthday dinner yesterday.

(All recipes are tested and approved, and can be found in this Sweet Paul magazine.
But I have to tell you my extra magic trick for the frosting: add some coffee!)

I am so grateful to all my friends who gave me lots of encouragement,
gave me lots of extra attention and showed me love
 - thank you!! 

Picture source: weheartit.com via Ragnhild on Pinterest