a food list

Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

Soon(ish) I want to make...

- pumpkin soup with coconut milk
- teriyaki salmon with broccoli, kale and avocado
- veggie snacks
- breakfast waffle with avocado
- five-minute curried chicken sandwiches 
- roasted aubergine with coriander and tahini sauce
- innbakt portobello med spinat- og valnøttfyll
- hvitløksdressing av tre ingredienser
- golden milk
- ginger roasted pumpkin + quiona salad

5 good things

Kodak Portra 400, Minolta SRT 101

1. Picking up the one and only 2017 roll of film from the lab and finding this gem from last winter.
2. Being instantly inspired to shoot more film. One roll in one year should be pretty easy to beat.
3. Walking to uni in the afternoon sun.
4. Playing Wordfeud with fellow Norwegian teachers/colleagues.
5. Stroganoff for dinner (made by Sølve late last night).

a food list

carrot soup from the archives // Kodak Portra 160, Canon EOS 500N

Soon(ish) I want to make...

- Sarah Bernard in a baking tray
- burger with apple, bacon and red onion compote
- everyday lentil soup
- celeriac + beet salad with lemon, chili + mint (I'm no fan of mint; I think coriander could be a nice substitute)
- creamy French lentils with mushroom and kale
- garlicky kale quiche
- mushroom lentil spaghetti "bolognese"
- sweet potato fries using this trick to get them crispy
- roasted sweet potato with warm spices 
- chocolate mousse with avocado or this version
- cauliflower with tikka masala sauce

- - -

This post has been in my draft folder for ages. Time to make it public - along with all those other draft posts. So don't worry, there won't be a complete radio silence in this space while I contemplate one of life's big questions; to blog or not to blog. (THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your heartwarming comments on my previous post.)

When I finish my studies I want to

from the Bergen apartment archives - books and a suitable mantra

- make photo books from the past two years (I used to be really into it.)
- give darker mornings, yet again another try
- shoot film! This year I have finished one film. One! Maybe I'll do another round of a roll of film a month to make up for the sad 2017 number?
- make Sunday hikes a high priority family tradition
- spend a lot more time at the mountain cabin
- do my very best not to work during the weekends
- get back to proper dinner planning - maybe I should even dust off the old "what's for dinner project"?
- explore new recipes in my stacks of cook books
- have movie nights with Sølve - it's been ages since I last saw a movie
- binge watch tv series

Note to self: Don't get too excited about this already. You don't finish your studies for another semester...

thoughts from a university reading room, part III

So, the thing about studying part time, working full-time, being a mother of two, a wife and all that jazz... It's super busy and I'm really looking forward to this period being over (in two semesters, if I pass my exams) yet this is my priority. I want to be a Norwegian teacher and I want a permanent teaching job, so I just have to get these exams done. It won't be less busy if I wait a few years. I guess this is the price I have to pay when I change career midstream. Also, could never ever have done this without the support and help from my family. Someone has to feed my children whilst I dive deep into my books and miss their sweet faces. Totally embracing the concept of "it takes a village to raise a chid"!

more thoughts from a university reading room, part I and II

60 spørsmål

Sunset at the mountain cabin this weekend; now I'm off to bike home in the rain without rain gear.

I'm the only one left at work, I'm tired and I need a break. Found this fun list over at Listebloggen, and decided to fill my little break with said list. Sorry guys, this will be in Swedish/Norwegian - if you are curious about the random questions and answers; use Google translate.

1.Hur gammal är du om fem år? 42
2.Vem tillbringade du minst två timmar med i dag? Sverre. Han våknet tidlig, så vi fikk masse tid sammen før barnehage og jobb.
3.Hur lång är du? 181 cm
4.Vilken är den senaste filmen du sett? Hmmm... Ser alt for lite film for tiden. Begynte på Good morning, Vietnam, men ble ikke ferdig. Men har sett hele første sesong av The Crown på Netflix sammen med Sølve.
5.Vem ringde du senast? Sølve
6.Vem ringde dig senast? Sølve
7.Hur löd det senaste sms:et du fick? "Jaaaa!" Svar fra Sølve som er enig i at barna skal tidlig i seng i kveld slik at vi får litt tid sammen bare han og meg.
8.Föredrar du att ringa eller skicka sms? Ingen av delene, men typisk at jeg melder i stede for å ringe (litt telefonskrekk), men synes det er fryktelig kjedelig å skrive meldinger for det tar så lang tid.
9.Är dina föräldrar gifta eller skilda? Gift
10.När såg du senast din mamma? Torsdag i forrige uke - og om én time
11.Vilken ögonfärg har du? Blå
12.När vaknade du i dag? Ca 0530 - av Sverre
13.Vilken är din favoritjulsång? Kling no klokka, tror jeg
14.Vilken är din favoritplats? Hjemme
15.Vilken plats föredrar du minst? I kø med utålmodige barn.
16.Var tror du att du befinner dig om tio år? I en hverdag med litt mer fritid kanskje? (pga eldre barn, ikke lenger fersk i lærerjobben og student samtidig)
17.Vad skrämde dig om natten som barn? Husker ikke
18.Vad fick dig verkligen att skratta senast? Enhjørningkunst
19.Hur stor är din säng? 160 cm bred
20.Har du stationär eller bärbar dator? Bærbar
21.Sover du med eller utan kläder på dig? Med lang pysjskjorte
22.Hur många kuddar har du i sängen? Fire; to til hver
23.Hur många land har du bott i? Kun i Norge
24.Vilka städer har du bott i? Ørland, Randaberg, Moss, Sandnes, Bergen, Stavanger
25.Föredrar du skor, strumpor eller barfota? Barfot i sandaler
26.Är du social? Ganske
27.Vilken är din favoritglass? Mövenpick sjokolade
28.Vilken är din favoritefterrätt? Is eller sjokolade
29.Tycker du om kinamat? Ja! Går alltid for stekt ris eller chop suey
30.Tycker du om kaffe? Ja! Sterk kaffe med melk
31.Vad dricker du till frukost? Kaffe
32.Sover du på någon särskild sida? Nei
33.Kan du spela poker? Ja, men jeg er ikke spesielt flink.
34.Tycker du om att mysa/kela? Ja, jeg gjør vel det.
35.Är du en beroendemänniska? Usikker på hva som egentlig menes... Google, Google... Aha! Å være avhengig av noe. Tja, jeg er vel avhengig av familien min, hjemmet mitt og å ha det ryddig rundt meg. Blant annet.
36.Känner du någon med samma födelsedag som din? Nei
37.Vill du ha barn? Ikke flere enn de to jeg har
38.Kan du några andra språk än svenska? Norsk, selvsagt, og engelsk. Leser greit dansk og svensk, og skjønner en del tysk fortsatt, selv om det aller meste har forsvunnet.
39.Har du någonsin åkt ambulans? Ja, da jeg ble fraktet fra Haraldsplass sykehus til Haukeland sykehus (ikke særlig langt) med sprukket blindtarm.
40.Föredrar du havet eller en bassäng? Svømme i basseng, bade i havet.
41.Vad spenderar du helst pengar på? Mat
42.Äger du dyrbara smycken? Tja. Sølve liker å skjemme meg bort litt...
43.Vilket är ditt favoritprogram på tv? Ser ikke på tv
44.Kan du rulla med tungan? Ja
45.Vem är den roligaste människan du känner? Vennene mine
46.Sover du med gosedjur? Nei
47.Vad har du för ringsignal? Såkalt klassisk (iPhone)
48.Har du kvar klädesplagg från då du var liten? Ja, noen få
49.Vad har du närmast dig just nu som är rött? En penn
50.Flirtar du mycket? Eh, tja, nei, vet ikke
51.Kan du byta olja på bilen? Nope
52.Har du fått fortkörningsböter någon gång? Nei
53.Vilken var den senaste boken du läste? Akkurat ferdig med "The Secret History" på lydbok, og "SVK" høytlesing for Sara.
54.Läser du någon dagstidning? Er innom Aftenposten, Dagbladet og NRK på nett hver dag
55.Prenumererar du på någon veckotidning? Nei, ikke nå lenger. Pleide å abonnere på massevis - særlig interiørblader - men ble lei.
56.Dansar du i bilen? Aldri
57.Vilken radiostation lyssnade du till senast? P2
58.Vad var det senaste du krafsade ner på ett papper? Planer for de kommende norsktimene
59.När var du i kyrkan senast? I min farmors begravelse
60.Är du lycklig? Ja!

thoughts from a university reading room, part II

A brief moment of sun yesterday; today is all about the November rain - not to be confused with this.

- getting the hang of retroflex, palatalisation and apocope; dative case, jamvekt and kløyvd infinitiv not so much
- there is still a lot that I don't have the hang of (at all), but I know I will pass this exam (too)
- Norwegian dialects are quite interesting (PS: Dialektriket)
- strawberry jam for the win
- I love those huge windows
- the grass is very green, even now in late November
- how can people go around with bare ankles in this weather?! (It won't make you chic, just cold.)
- did anyone reply to my comment about Phantom quotes on Facebook yet?
- need to check again; which of these is the retroflex one - this ɲ or ɳ?
- time to check out the nynorsk curriculum
- but first coffee!
- and chocolate
- also, need to refill my water bottle
- and find a bathroom
- I wonder what that blond girl next to me is studying
- time for that coffee

thoughts from a university reading room, part I

a Wednesday list

Tuscany, Italy - June 2011 // Fuji Pro 160S, Olympus mju 

- Sverre woke me up at 0515 - I don't approve!
- we had fresh bread delivered on our door step - this time organic multi seed spelt bread
- looking forward to lunch with said bread plus philadelphia cheese, salami with Italian spices and apple slices
- I have had a Norwegian lesson on how to give oral presentations
- I have had an English lesson about eating bugs
- feeling a bit sore from my run yesterday
- plan to do a lot of reading today for my upcoming exam in Norwegian dialects - just one more week to go!
- dreading the pile of student papers that need to be graded when I have finished my exam
- in desperate need of more coffee
- have no plan for tonight's dinner - what are you having?

in procrastination mode

What autumn break looked like for me when I was a high school student, about 20 (!) years ago. Hiking, sleeping under the stars (and rock shelters) and waking up in frost, singing by the campfire - happy that one of my friends strapped her guitar to her backpack for the hike. Oh happy days!

It's autumn break this week. Sølve is at work, both kids are in kindergarten and I'm home alone (bliss!) - with a bunch of high school student papers to grade (bliss ends). But currently I'm in procrastination mode... Today I have

- had lunch in the sofa whilst watching Gilmore Girls
- done laundry
- done the dishes (damn broken dishwasher!)
- browsed canva.com for invitation ideas for Sara's upcoming 5th birthday party -
- made a killer tomato soup - the key this time was lots of fresh basil plus I used Coppola brand tomatoes instead of my usual Mutti - it might have done a difference too
- made a new batch of Molly's granola #5
- rediscovered drill & design blog
- prepared posts with the film photos from the August and September rolls
- had a look at the curriculum book for my next exam
- picked up about a hundred (ok, ten maybe) stuffed animals from the living room floor

What are you up to today?

thoughts from a university reading room

- sitting here kind of makes me feel young; everyone seem to be in their 20s
- blankets are provided - how sweet
- and how neat are those book rest thingies?!
- realised it is probably 15 years since I last hung out at a university reading room - back in the days whilst studying media science in Bergen
- I think I'm starting to get a hang of the syntax analysis
- ... eh no, apparently not
- what on earth is the point of all this grammar stuff anyway?!
- I'm in a good flow, I can do this, grammar is interesting
- I wonder if anyone has commented on my last Instagram upload
- *the sound of panic* the exam is in only THREE days!!

a Thursday list

The crazy little box lady lunch/work day snack: raisins, celery, kiwi, cucumber, snap peas, blue grapes, walnuts, almonds, carrots (from the garden) and a Philadelphia/salami sandwich

- Sara has ordered tacos for dinner tonight - planning to have mine with chicken, mango and fresh coriander
- my parents are having dinner with us tonight
- Sverre woke up at 0530, smiling and babbling
- I thought I was running late for my first class, but in fact I was one hour early
- Sølve is off on a boys' trip to France today - until Monday evening - lucky guy! I have ordered him to bring home macarons.
- I'm currently listening to an audiobook version of "The Book Thief" (in English this time, not Norwegian) and I think I like it
- I'm wearing blue jeans, a white blouse and red lipstick today
- some of my students are constantly singing "Baby" by Justin Bieber and it's stuck in my head
- some of my other students are writing short stories and I'm looking forward to reading them (but not so much grading them - an autumn break task)
- hungry for these two delicious looking dishes

LagreLagreLagreLagre

a food list

from the February roll // a roll of film a month // Kodak Portra 160, Canon EOS 500N

Some time, in near future (hopefully), I will

- make simple avocado pasta
- make broccoli couscous and broccoli salad (minus the raisins - I'm no fan of raisins in dishes like this)
- make this kale soup
- make this pasta prima vera
- make this mushroom pasta with goat cheese
- make these brownie muffins with chocolate frosting
- make this broccoli flatbread
- make these spinach wraps
- make these ham, cheese and spinach puffs
- make this cold noodle salad with cabbage

- - -

food list no 1 // food list no 2

to do // week 8

Totally unrelated to my to do list, but still a good gem from my archives (the light!). Summer vacation, 2012. Tranum, Denmark.  // Fuji Velvia 50, Canon EOS 500N

- not eat sweets all week - including the weekend (it has gotten a bit out of control lately)
- not use my phone after I have gone to bed in the evening (I used to be good at this, but not so much anymore)
- drink a green juice every day
- send a package to my sister
- find a date and possibly book flights for a visit to my sister in Tromsø
- apply for jobs (I only have a temporary position)
- drink enough water, including hot water with honey, lemon and lots of fresh ginger - I need to fight off this annoying cold
- unpack after our long weekend away
- take good care of my little ones who are both feeling poorly
- cut Sverre's finger nails - they get so sharp when they are long!

How about you? What's on your to do list for the week?

10 things on my weekend to do list

apple cake (recipe here) from my archives // Agfa Precise 100, Minolta SRT 101

- order prints from my iPhone photos via the Social Print Studio app (I have ordered print from this app before and I'm very happy with the result)
- change the sheets on our bed
- hang pictures around the house (with the help of Sølve)
- go for a pram walk with Sølve and Sverre (Sara is at her grandparents' with her three nieces)
- pick up a package at the post office + send a package
- wrap the gift for Sara's kindergarten friend who's birthday party is tomorrow
- watch a movie with Sølve tonight during Sverre's evening nursing marathon
- eat omelette with bacon and cheese for lunch (made by Sølve)
- eat apple cake for lunch dessert (made by my oldest niece)
- start planning the credenza/sideboard cupboard for our living room (we are using IKEA kitchen units)

start of maternity leave to do list

from the 2011 archives (shared in this post) // Kodak Portra 160, Canon EOS 500N

- frame some of Sara's drawings plus the Apple Papple poster for baby boy's room
- visit IKEA to buy a book shelf for one of the rooms in the basement suite
- make baby boy's bed
- assemble and make baby boy's cradle for the living room
- clean living room windows
- get a bigger pot and replant the new big green indoor plant
- make a new batch of taco seasoning
- pack the hospital bag
- buy newborn diapers
- put my feet up and read a book - as often as possible

Sunday happenings

Current state of our living room

- my mother-in-law is sewing curtains for the big living room window - lucky us!
- Sølve and Sara are cleaning the exterior of our house - we bought paint for it yesterday; granite grey (granitt fra Butinox) - I hope it's a good choice
- I'm trying to grade 8th grade English midterms - really struggling with my focus!
- just had a delicious berliner with vanilla custard from the local bakery
- drinking my second cup of coffee
- making plans for all the things I will do around the house when my summer vacation starts
- making a mental note to remember to make a dinner plan for the upcoming week
- listening to Sara singing and talking to her pappa outside
- learning the difference between lay and lie, and how to conjugate the two - tricky!
- planning to have a slice of the fresh fyrstekake (kind of an almond cake) after I'm done grading three more papers

Sunday plans

August 2014, the last month in our Bergen apartment // Kodak Portra 160, Canon EOS 500N

- mail goal today: grade a bunch of 8th grade Norwegian midterms
- tidy my home office for a few photos to submit to this little home office challenge
- have egg, bacon and Sølve's homemade bread rolls for brunch
- drink lots of carbonated water
- plan dinners for the coming week + possibly share the plans here (I miss my regular dinner planning)
- be on kitchen duty whilst Sara and Sølve work outside - I think the plan is to clean the house (we are painting it later this month)
- thaw cardamom buns and have them for dessert with whipped cream
- get Sara's things ready for kindergarten tomorrow
- go to bed before 10 pm (I have been SO tired this week)
- water our house plants

a Saturday list

pancakes for breakfast - on Sara's request

- I have just finished another paper, in addition to the one I handed in yesterday (just a short - 600 words - report on my supervised field experience)
- I'm slowly starting to work on yet another paper - the last one I have to write before my oral exam - hallelujah!
- getting mentally prepared to finish said paper before taking some much needed days off at the mountain cabin - best stress relief: getting things done!
- thankful for living close to our parents and for all the help we get from them with Sara - could never done full time work plus part time studies without them!
- listening to the cozy sound of a crackling fire - even though it is spring, it is still cold enough to light the wood stove
- I made American pancakes with oats flour for breakfast - success!
- enjoyed said pancakes with raspberry jam from Steinstø - bought at the farmers market in Bergen - which I miss a lot
- I have just enjoyed a piece of guilty pleasure: toasted white bread with butter and cheese
- proud of Sølve who is working hard on preparing our garden for lawn seeding
- looking forward to homemade pizza for dinner

What have you done today?

in 2015 I plan to

my first bike, ca 1984 // slide film photo by my dad 

- move out from my parents' and in-laws' houses
- move into our Stavanger house
- make and organise a new home
- starting living my everyday life in a new house in a new city
- start planning our weekday dinners again
- start cooking again in general
- drink more tea
- take my vitamins and fish oil capsules every day
- buy a bike and start biking again
- start making a lush garden of the mud whole that is currently our garden
- read at least three novels (yeah, not much, but trying to keep my goals real)
- finish the 2014 Blurb book
- finish my PGCE degree (PPU på norsk)
- update the about page on this blog and my website
- have regular movie night - with popcorn - in our home cinema room in the new house
- start shooting film again (haven't done it since the summer vacation)
- celebrate Sara's 4th birthday and let her invite her little friends over for her first kids' birthday party
- meet my nephew for the first time
- travel to Tromsø to see my sister's family's new house
- start a tradition of an annual family Christmas party in our house
- have house guests stay in our new house
- host dinner parties with old and new friends
- drink my morning coffee on the terrace
- not travel abroad (renovating a house is not cheap...)
- stay at least 15 days at the mountain cabin (we live much closer now than when we lived in Bergen)
- not check my iPhone for social media updates or surf the web right before I go to sleep
- start moving my body again (exercise has been a non existing word in my vocabulary ever since we moved to Stavanger)
- keep working as a teacher - but I don't mind doing some freelance work too
- have regular date nights with my husband (now that we live in Stavanger, we have plenty of babysitter options)
- give my little print shop a little more attention

So, what are your plans and wishes for 2015?

what happened to those 2014 plans?

August 23, 2014 - the day we moved from Bergen

Before I share my plans for 2015, I will go through my 2014 list and see what actually happened to all those pretty plans.


- cook a new meal from one of my cookbooks each week - I did it once or twice, then forgot about it

- eat in moderation (my jeans have been too tight for too long, and it is no longer baby weight…) - now they are even tighter... sigh!

- keep up my running routine - eh, no

- take good care of my body - for a little while, yes, all autumn; not at all

- read in bed before I go to sleep - nope

- spend a weekend in London with my husband - yes!

- spend a long weekend in Paris with my husband and our fellow Champagne and food loving friends - yes! which reminds me I still have film photos to share from this trip

- finish reading D2 every week and not let them pile up - during spring, yes, during autumn; not at all - haven't read a single issue

- focus on quality - not quantity - in the photos I take - can always be better

- focus on balance and simplicity - not really - this autumn has probably been the most busy ever due to the move from Bergen to Stavanger, a new job, studies, house renovation, living with my parents and in-laws - and I had no idea it would be like this when 2014 started - what a year!

- spend time outside every day - not as much as I wanted to, especially not during autumn

- continue journaling life through photography - yes!

- continue my Monday photo organizing routine (every Monday I transfer last week's photos from my cameras to my computer and upload a backup to my Flickr) - yes!

- continue the Friday tradition of "things I like lately" posts - yes! most Fridays at least

- continue the dinner planning project - because we love food and find it easier to eat healthy dinners when they are planned ahead - I thought I would continue all year, because I like the project, but I lost the drive and stopped the project some time during spring. Hope to get back to it when we move into the house and start making our own everyday routines again.

- continue to make note of good things and stay positive every day - yes!

- continue to love my little family all the way to the stars and back - YES!