a photo an hour

This is what our Thursday May 23 looked like:

7 am: rise and shine

8 am: Installing Office on my Mac. And then it died. Sara watches the garbage truck while I load the dishwasher.

9 am: getting ready to go to åpen barnehage (playgroup)

10 am: snack time in åpen barnehage

11 am: out for a walk to Gamlehaugen with the people from åpen barnehage

noon: lunch time

1 pm: nap time

2 pm: a long nap today and a coffee break for mamma

3 pm: dinner for Sara (she loves whole grain macaroni) and second lunch for mamma (whole grain macaroni with pesto and cheese)

4 pm: time to do some digging

5 pm: still digging, now with the neighbour boy, while mamma chats with his mamma and baby brother

6 pm: watching cartoons

7 pm: ready for the first run in a long time

8 pm: it was hard, but feels good

9 pm: after dinner foot rub

10 pm: just chilling

10:30 pm: a lovely sight just before bedtime

things I like lately

Bergen has really been showing off today | iPhone photo processed with VSCO Cam 

- Sophie Robert's photos
- having my fringe cut (I considered cutting my hair to shoulder length, but didn't have the courage to do it)
- mella & malla
- stop by the corner
- wearing Sølve's black t-shirts (I'm tall - 181 cm - so I find it hard finding t-shirts and other tops that are long enough for my liking)
- dandelion weeding our lawn
- Sunday morning room service
- a new picnic blanket from Åhléns
- super delicious lamb shanks for dinner Saturday night
- neigbours have cut down a large tree (sad face) which makes our kitchen window view even more beautiful (happy face)
- this post by Mammadamen
- the sneak peek of Jessie Webster's home on Design Sponge
- having two of my photos published in Frankie magazine issue 53
- renewing my subscription to Kinfolk magazine
- cookbook shopping online; this and this
- Printic (via Fine Little Day)
- cherry blossoms! and rododendrons have started blooming
- a fantastic weekend at Voss celebrating the Constitution day, skiing (!) and enjoying the sweet taste of summer
- updating Sara's wardrobe
- Sara's excitement over new sandals
- a lunch omelette with ham, cheese (Norvegia and Balsfjord) and chives from the garden

- - -

I don't like
- that something weird has happened to my MacBook Air
- I'm using my old, slow and noisy PC while the Mac is being repaired

sad mac

As mentioned on Flickr this morning, I have taken a photo an hour today (like I did this Sunday) and I planned to post the photos here tonight. Unfortunately it will have to wait because I have a sad Mac :-( Hopefully it can be fixed quickly. 

parsnip soup

After the weekend we had a rather random selection of vegetables left in the fridge, so I decided to make soup for our Tuesday dinner. The parsnips were in majority, hence a parsnip soup - with a little extra.

4 parsnips

1 carrot

2 potatoes

1/2 onion

1/2 red onion

2 stalks of celery

6 asparagus in small pieces 

4 cloves of garlic

1 dl cream

1 liter water

2 stock cubes/fond cups (I used Maggi chicken fond cups)   

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

ca 1 teaspoon of ground cumin

a pinch of dried chili

salt and pepper to taste

a lot of fresh parsley

Fry onion and garlic in olive oil. Add diced parsnips, potatoes, carrots, celery, stock cubes and water. Boil until vegetables are tender, puree. Add cream, balsamic vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper. Reheat if needed. Add asparagus and parsley right before serving. Serve with toasted bread with garlic parsley butter.

Yield: ca 4 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

Bonus: Sara liked it too!

what's for dinner, week 21

mussels from my film archive | Kodak Portra 160, Canon EOS 500N

Monday: whole grain pasta with onion, garlic, cheese and bacon 

Tuesday: parsnip soup 

Wednesday: my mum's homemade meatballs (from the freezer), boiled potatoes and gravy 

Thursday: homemade ratatouille and sausage pizza (from the freezer) + a mixed salad 

Friday: roasted salmon with fish & seafood spice mix (from Santa Maria) and a salad of mixed lettuce, red apple, red onion, avocado, walnuts and balsamic vinegar 

- - - 

What we actually had for dinner last week:

Monday: hamburgers

Tuesday: meat soup with meat leftovers from our Sunday dinner

Wednesday: white bean, tomato and feta salad salmon and roasted potato wedges 

Thursday: cod, bacon and greens white bean, tomato and feta salad

Friday (Constitution day): first course: baked salmon, asparagus and homemade hollandaise sauce, main course: roasted reindeer filet, pan fried mushrooms and a brown cheese sour cream sauce, dessert: pavlova with strawberries and red currants 

Saturday: first course: mussels cooked in white wine and lots of garlic, main course: grilled and roasted entrecote, roasted root vegetables and homemade bearnaise sauce, dessert: oreo ice cream 

Sunday: homemade sushi and grilled spicy lobster  

- - -

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu

- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)

- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners

- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning

- each post will be illustrated with one of my food related photos, either from my archives or a new one

life via iPhone, week 20

There are more everyday stories in the life via iPhone set on my Flickr.

hus og hjem - the article is online

Photo: Gidske Stark 

Just a quick note to tell you that the article about our home, that I mentioned in my previous post, is now online. Read it (in Norwegian) and see more photos here.  

PS: There are a few photos from our long weekend at Voss in this set at Flickr. I'll be back to regular posting this week. 

hus og hjem

Our home is in today's Bergens Tidende (the local newspaper). Please check it out if you are interested. (I don't know if it will be available online.) Thanks a lot Hilde Heian and Gidske Stark for this lovely feature. 

budding

Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago, on my way to the city centre to deliver this film to the lab to have it developed. Trees had just started budding and I found it interesting to see how different all the buds are. Of course they are;  leaves are different too. It was just really nice to see these eager, optimistic little buds after a long winter. Spring really is a magic time of year, me thinks.

There are more spring photos in the spring set on my Flickr.

- - -

PS: I have updated the about site with links to various interviews/mentions of Hei Astrid. Please take a look if you are interested. 

Jerry shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Jerry?

I started to shoot with film since I had my first “Visual Communication” course in the University 8 years ago. We were given a topic every week and were asked to shoot with Positive Slides only (It was KODAK ELITE CHROME as I remember), that’s when I first got amazed and completely fell in love with analog photography.

I am sure every film shooters understand why shooting film is enjoyable and un-replaceable. It’s about the picture quality, the color, the authenticity, the anticipation, the unpredictables, the surprises, the challenges, the entire developing process …and most importantly, your connection to the shot and memory with that particular capturing moment. It is always magical when you dig out a random shot and you can instantly recall and tell the complete story behind it.

In short, film, makes your shots meaningful and give photography its soul.

(So get yourself a roll of film now! You won't regret it :))

You can see more of Jerry's photos on his Flickr.

what's for dinner, week 20

When I finally got my appetite back I wanted a Tuscan white bean-ish soup. The ultimate comfort food: pasta bolognese. Lamb shanks before and after.

Due to sickness I didn't plan any dinners for week 19, neither did I make special note of what we actually ate - except for the dinners I photographed above. So, here's to a fresh, new week with delicious feasts ahead.

Monday: hamburgers
Tuesday: meat soup with meat leftovers from our Sunday dinner
Wednesday: white bean, tomato and feta salad
Thursday: cod, bacon and greens

We are off to Voss for the weekend and for the constitution day (May 17), so the rest of this week's dinners will be planned with Sølve a little later this week.

- - -

about this project

- every Monday I post the week's menu
- I also post what we actually had for dinner the passed week (because it is fun to see if we actually followed the plan)
- there might be links to recipes, but the menu will mostly just be basic ideas for the dinners
- Saturday and Sunday dinners will often not be planned ahead because we have a habit of buying whatever looks good in the store when we are out grocery shopping Saturday morning
- each post will be illustrated with one of my food related photos, either from my archives or a new one

life via iPhone, week 19

There are more everyday stories in the life via iPhone set on my Flickr.

life via iPhone, week 18

There are more everyday stories in the life via iPhone set on my Flickr.

things I like lately

she loves books, especially her big book about numbers | Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

- finally having a good, normal day after a crappy week
- our garden is coming to life; the grass has turned green, the blood plum tree has just started blooming and the apple tree is just turning green
- a big magnolia tree that has just started blooming
- yellow anemones and wood anemones
- this project; a homage to grandmothers and their food (via Mari in Israel)
- having film developed
- Sara says "takk" (thank you) in the sweetest way
- 19 degrees celsius on Wednesday - warmest day so far this spring
- the beautiful evening sunlight has returned to our livingroom
- currently enjoying the finale of Idol

things I DON'T like lately

With this beautiful view of Grøtfjorden seen from the car, Sara threw up on me the first time. 

- a 2,5 hours flight alone with a sick Sara
- beeing thrown up on so many times I forgot the number (poor, poor Sara)
- Sara throwing up in the car, on the plane, in the car again, and finally at home
- diarrhea that is not in the diaper
- diarrhea in general
- being totally drained for energy; wanting nothing else than sleep
- being worried about my poor sick child
- a ton of laundry due to throwing up and diarrhea
- feeling poorly myself, and so does Sølve too

Sometimes motherhood is really hard. Sometimes you just wish that someone would take care of your child so you can sleep for a long, long time.

Lucikly Sara is up and running again, but her sleeping/napping is totally off. Yesterday she wouldn't nap in her bed and not in the pram whilst out walking (she started to stand in the pram...), so finally I had to take her for a drive - and she napped her typical half hour. Then Sølve stayed up pretty much all night trying to get her to sleep. Sigh!

This week has not been the best so far. I'm really hoping it will get better soon.

used

The used duel is the theme of this month's challenge over at NIB (Norwegian interior blogs). Our home is full of used furniture and other home things. You won't find me first in line at the flea markets, but I do love a good treasure hunt for used goodies with a story to tell.

The stool and (wash) bowl are from Sølve's grandmother's cabin. The blanket on the daybed is inherited from my grandmother.  

The old fruit crates are from the basement at Åsly, the family holiday home. The binoculars are from WW2. 

The Figgjo Flint "Sissel" plates are from Fretex and the cutlery are from Sølve's grandmother's cabin. Old tableware from Figgjo Flint, Stavanger Flint, Egersund Flint and Porsgrund Porselen are some of my favorite things to go treasure hunting for. 

The orange sofa is from Fretex, the blanket is from Sølve's family, the fruit crates are from the basement at Åsly. (The beautiful "Gran" pillow by Fine Little Day is just bought in Fjeldborg's lovely shop.)

The green wing-back chair was one of my grandparents' first purchases as newlyweds. The dining chairs are all inherited from family. 

Same stool as above. Cup and saucer are Figgjo Flint, from Fretex. 

The mason jars are mostly from the basement at Åsly. The jug was a gift from my mum, who bought it in an antique shop.

The chandelabra is from Fretex. 

The cake stand was a wedding gift from my aunts and uncles, bought by an uncle who has a lot of knowledge about antique glass. 

All photos above are from my archives. I have not had the energy to take new photos over the last few days. Luckily we are all (mostly) up and running again today.

on sick leave

Sara and I have returned from our long weekend visit to Tromsø (a few photos here; more to come) and daddy Sølve is back home from Provence (for work). We are currently working our way through Sara's first case of the stomach flu, so it will mostly likely be silent here until she is up and running again. Fingers crossed we don't get sick too... 

things I like lately

Kodak Ektachrome E100VS, Canon EOS 500N

- this salad and dip sound delicious (via The Wednesday Chef)
- oh! lovely (via Mackapär)
- the pregnant husband (via A Cup of Jo)
- this home (via Mackapär)
- Sara/Sweet Harvest Moon's blog and tumblr
- the first dandelions of the season
- sweet buns from Godt Brød
- making a perfect pizza dough
- visiting my sister and her boyfriend in the arctic north (Tromsø) - even though Sara has had a fever today; hopefully she is alright tomorrow
- Sara did SO well on the flight up
- enjoying the first al fresco meal of the season last night with my sister

avocado tuna salad

This is a quick and simple salad that I find perfect as a sandwich spread. Normally I just make it with good quality canned tuna (in olive oil), avocado, a little lemon juice, Maldon salt and fresh ground pepper. This time I also added some diced cucumber and fresh coriander. Sølve likes a little mayonnaise in the mix; I think the avocado gives enough grease, if you understand what I mean.

To sum up, this is what you need

1 can of tuna (ca 100 g)

1 avocado, mashed

juice from ca 1/4 lemon

a piece of cucumber, diced

coriander, finely chopped

Maldon salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Mix it all together in a bowl and serve on a slice of bread, for example toasted whole grain bread. It is enough for 4-6 slices of bread, depending on how much you spread on each slice. 

our Easter holiday on film, the end

Kodak Portra 400, Canon EOS 500N

more mountain cabin posts | the mountain cabin set on Flickr | more Kodak Portra 400

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PS: Save $10 off my books until May 2