I have been busy

SO I need to post pictures. Its on the todo list today :).

I have been baking, cooking, no crafting ;(, and planning more for this ole blog. Ole in norwegian is 'ola' btw.

Wednesday morning I remembered you again blog I was on the last half of my walk and enjoying the sunrise. I was smiling outright people, it was shameful ;). I was trying to figure out again where the sun starts and sets in our sky, then I was trying to imagine the earth and the sun exposure for Norway. I was in this though for 2 minutes strait (long time, I hang with a 5 year old) and crinkled my nose and thought 'this shouldn't be so hard'. I shook off the guilt with 'here comes the sun', and thought maybe its the brain drain of asthma. Yes thats what I will tell myself. I even kicked the leaves on the way to and from the lake wednesday, I was giddy not oxygen deprived then. Did I come home and write you... no sorry.

Today Friday... on the same o walk I remembered you again when I found my sweet leaves in a soppy hot mess on the sidewalk. This is a lesson: play in the leaves while you can. They need to see the mulch pile. So more about the walk today. Pooh tastic pooh all over the sidewalks today. Especially around the lake. I am thinking the sheep might have ventured out of their double fence inclosure to stand on the sidewalk/toliet and go back to their green grass to eat and mock me dodging the pooh. Thanks sheep. I know they can get by one inclosure. Have you ever watched Shawn the Sheep, its eye opening about the real lives of sheep. And now as the pouring rain beats the window I am thankful I walked earlier.

I have had our car all week with Jeff being in Belgium. So I have driven downtown finally, parked in a parkering garage. Yes its called 'parkering'. Once I finally removed the driving bandaid (only driven to 3 places) I feel like a freer bird thank you Bliss! My new partner in crime, TB (for That B, TOB didn't work) she and I went clothing shopping yesterday. It was the most normal I have felt in a while. Also speaking of normal, TB told me about how many moms hang out afterschool at the playground and allow their kiddos to play. So tuesday, wednesday & thursday max played to his hearts content!! He now calls it his recess. We will be able to do it next week since Jeff will be in the US next week. Boo I don't get to go, but I do get him to bring back a whole suit case full of home ;).

Well now the sun is out, la. Time for a walk if I could have seen the future.

bye folks

dark days are coming

So this summer I would hear many phrases about one subject: enjoy the nice days because there will be plenty of not nice days ahead. We did try to enjoy them. Now the sun is setting completely before 6. By halloween it will be setting at 4:45 (complete setting mid 5pm). So I am daily thinking of what to do with our time. Well let me change that- what to do with Max & I after school. And what to do daily so i don't wan't to go to stay in bed all the dark morning. In planning these activities I have become a www.pinterest.com addict. So I will see an activity add it to my ever growing list. Well every so often I will make or do something from the list and put in under a list 'stamp it done' and feel a bit of pride I finished something. Last night I was searching around for a few more ideas and found a decoration for halloween that I already have done :(. I don't know why it bothered me. Maybe I need to change my mind and alter my attitude. After some consideration I decided to get over it and start adding my joy of getting things done and 'max activities' to my blog. So if this bores you I am sorry. I am excited I was making lists last night for the new update to my blog I thought I would add the fun time of research food purchases with the language barrier.

Thank you ahead of time for your patience with my new changes. I hope to meet all my new expectations but since I haven't been all that successful with blogging thus far I do admit that this is a work in progress.

The direction of my projects:

1- Make ahead meals. Yes we have all done this. Now wait and see my freezer & fridge though it is 'american style' (meaning all in one), but the freezer is small and not convenient for frozen casseroles etc. So I am trying to freeze quick meals, snacks & breakfasts that can be warmed up in the oven. I made a list of pre made foods that I buy at the store and fast food meals. I am going to try to recreate these at home in easy individual portions. I admit I have done the premade meals cause its easy and I don't need to learn all the ingredient names in norwegian. Dry Active Yeast was my search last night.

2- Crafts & Recycle crafts- AKA upcycling. This is fun for me. Jeff has been nice about it so far. I have a few pieces of wall art to already add to the old blog. I will tell you shopping for simple craft items has been hard at times and easier than I thought other times. Mostly it takes the planning of translating before you leave the house for the store (I don't have wifi outside of the house so I cannot translate on site at store). Luckily craft stores employees are some of the nicest people I have met here so I can ask them but they don't always know the term from my english explanation.

3- Go to bed at a decent time 8-10pm. I have dreams of better skin, healthier body, clearer brain, and sleep is the answer supposedly, we will see. I am working on it. Though the sleeping through the night process is still difficult so yes you will see me online at midnight on my blog or fb. Max grinds his teeth at night so I get to listen to that if I wake up through the night. Yes Max sleeps with us :/.

4- Continue to explore the new digs. I have a new partner in crime here, she will be known as The Other B, or TOB. She has a little one that isn't in school but we will still have adventures. I hope to continue to describe foods & events from this Oklahoma girls slant.

So this new post was my goal for the morning. Now off to the grocery store- lesson #1 in grocery shopping if you shop at 8-10 am stores will slowly restocking. Slow is an understatement. They are very small stores so very few employees so don't take this as a slap at their workers. Its just I am used to overnight stocking. So on monday morning when I went after Max's busstop I found no cilantro. I was not frustrated though knowing that 'today is not the day for..' that meal. I am hoping that 10:30 will be a better time at this particular store. Oh and I don't know if I have said this yet but we have opted to drive one vehicle here. So most days I walk or bus everywhere. So the store is 700meters away (thank you google maps), 10 minute walk each way. I don't complain about the walk but sometimes I get passed by a person on a bike and then I get grumpy temporarily. I am a horrid biker, I am trying to get gutsy and just bike to store, update you later on that. Well I better go get my warm rainy gear on and scat!

Brrrr

Good afternoon people!

So today I went on my normal shopping trip downtown. I go to Sentrum (downtown) once a week usually. Yes I broke down and had a McDs chicken salsa meny (like a jr chkn sandwich meal, it has salsa & chips on the sandwich). I took the bus there and planned on taking it back but I missed it twice, then I gave up and walked home.

The walk home was the normal thoughts spinning around in my head. So let me try to spin them on paper, or pixels. I didn't mind the reason for the walk I met a fellow american momma at the grocery store, I heard her talk to her toddler in american and I finally asked her if she knew where to find nutmeg. She's two weeks new here. She has done an expat stent in australia also. So as unpleasant the walk up a few big hills I had a smile about meeting someone new. So then back to the thoughts on the walk. I saw the not so unusual young dad walking his toddler home from barnehager (preschool). The usual trash was here and there on the paths, little tiny pack of 'snuff' or something, they are like individual packets the size of a thimble but flatter. I saw the regular gross condom on the ground. Ew. I don't understand why the sidewalk is the discard place for that. Which brings me back to discarding. To trash your left over food OR to leave it strewn about on the table. Its not an instinct with all to throw their food away. EVERYWHERE! McDs, parks, sidewalks, playplaces (like pump it up), and I am not talking a few food items, a family of 5 leaves a table scattered with ketchup drinks, wrappers etc. Half way to home I realize when I saw bird poo on a car I forgot to do the poo check after I walked by the birds in the sentrum gathering place. Awe man I talked with that new woman and gave her my email and I probably had bird poo on me!! Did the check and cleared my crazy self. Then I was like self what where you thinking? Well self reminded me that I was in awe of the three HUGE ships in the harbor. I don't have a word other than HUGE TITANIC GIGANTIC HUGE. How did all three fit? I also considered in the last third of the trek to stop at a white house and say I'm home. Then a humorous group of 40 adolescent bikers rolled by and it guilted me into keeping the faith and walk more. I say humorous because its windy rainy and chilly so what are these people doing? Biking. No black cat crossed my path this time. Last week a black cat crossed my path, then waited for me to pass. It was beautiful, and a kitten. It looked at me and gave me that look 'Okay, if you want to take me home, its okay with me'. It waited there, I turned around three times looking at me like 'your cats back home will never know'. Haunting little imp. Hope its warm. Most cats here are kinda farm cat like, they have outdoor cats here and they all look scraggly with fur issues and fighting scars. This cat was fluffy and clean looking- meant to be an indoor little creature next to the fireplace. YES its a long walk, lots of thoughts. So there was a teenager walking home from school with a younger boy with downs, they were talking about time (yes I figured out the norwegian). This is when I am again reminded of public school getting out early afternoon, I can't remember its like 1230 or so.

So now you know why I don't blog daily its painful for me to regurgitate this stuff!! Its silly a the ramblings of the idle.

I must Max chat next time I open the blog!

Takk