life via iPhone, week 51

things I like lately

- labour and wait
- "Home" by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros
- I really have to make these Sarah Bernard cakes
- looking forward to start running again during our Christmas vacation
- fun travel plans in the new year
- a successful homemade bearnaisé sauce
- mail goodies from blog readers - thank you so much Lorena and Sarah!
- manchego cheese and fig jam on salty cracker
- Kong Haakon chocolate at the office
- Origrami
- Industry of One
- this article in The Guardian (thanks for the link, Catherine!): The death of photography: are camera phones destroying an artform?
- reading Mariell's column in BTmagasinet at the office (we hardly ever buy BT in print)
- Christmas lunch at the office
- Knot & Bow
- My New Roots
- drinking my morning coffee in front of the burning wood stove whilst waiting for Sara to wake up
- combining two of my nail polishes to one even better one
- the amaryllis bulbs we bought a couple of weeks ago are blooming
- Sara sleeping until around 0730 am all week (although she has also woken us up during the night most nights…)
- this cookbook looks beautiful (thanks for the tips, Lucie)
- our Christmas vacation starts today!

- - -

things I don't like lately

- being tired and having no energy - I blame it on the winter darkness, the lack of running and bad eating habits - will have to remedy that asap

- - -

PS: ask me anything!

Vanessa shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Vanessa?

I shoot film because I love the unexpected surprises that come along with it. The finality of the shutter sound, that click, it’s such a wonderful sound. You know in that moment you either captured exactly what you framed the shot for or something entirely different. Yes, sometimes it is bad, but sometimes when it’s good, it’s magic. Capturing magic can be done with a digital camera, it's just not as fun or special to me. Film started as a gateway to learn as much as I could before moving onto a bigger, “badder,” more expensive camera. But, I’m happy to say I’m just fine with my Pentax K1000 and using film. It might be love.

(This picture was taken in late Fall in Pennsylvania, USA. The snow was unexpected and not usual for this time of the season. It only lasted an hour or two before it all melted.)

You can see more of Vanessa's photos on her blog and Flickr.

what happened to those 2013 plans?

Easter 2011 at the mountain cabin | Kodak Ektar 100, Olympus mju II

This post by Ingvild reminded me of this list below (also posted here) that I made in early January. So, before I share my plans for 2014, I thought I would go through my 2013 list and see what actually happened to all those pretty plans.

- shoot more film - not sure if I have actually shot more film than last year, but I keep shooting film every chance I get 

- learn to properly use my new MacBook Air and Photoshop Elements 11 (I have only used pc and Photoshop Elements 2.0 until now) - I know my Mac pretty well by now, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I have not at all started using Photoshop Elements 11, I have in fact pretty much stopped editing my digital photos

- read in bed before I go to sleep - sometimes yes, too often no

- not check my iPhone for social media updates or surf the web right before I go to sleep - always... 

- become a better photographer, which means that again I must learn to kill my darlings - not sure about this; I can always try harder 

- use my hula hoop every day - I might have used it ten times all year

- cut down on sugar (I have eaten waaay too much of it lately) - I did very well during summer, but the rest of the year not so much

- loose at least 5 kg (damn sugar!) - at some point I might have lost two, three kilos, but now I've gained even more

- paint my nails more often - yes!

- wear red lipstick more often - yes!

- get my eyebrows done - no, still want to do it though  

- spend two week in Spain for our summer holiday - yes!

- get bikini tan lines - yes!

- watch Sara learn to walk - yes! 

- hike and ski a lot - maybe not a lot, because I would love to do more

- continue the dinner planning project - because we love food and find it easier to eat healthy dinners when they are planned ahead - yes!

- sort through my cookbook collection and actually start cooking from them (sounds familiar?) - I've just started, but I'm not at all finished

- 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!

- make more Blurb books - yes!

- continue the Friday tradition of "things I like lately" posts - yes!

- get back to work (not until September though) - yes! I also became a student again, which I did not see coming a year ago

- answer your questions - hopefully some time next week - yes!

- print and frame family photos for Sara's room - no; I have printed some photos for the hallway though, but they are not framed 

- drink just a little bit too much Champagne more than once - yes!

- spend more time at the mountain cabin - wish we could spend even more time there, but it's too far to drive (7 hours one way) for a weekend

- kiss my husband and tell him I love him every day - yes!

ask me anything

It has been a year since I last did a round of ask me anything - this fun little game where you get to ask me any questions you like and I will do my best to answer honestly. In return I would love to hear a little bit about you, and maybe even a few words about why you visit this blog. Feel free to participate even if you have done it before. It is always a pleasure to hear from you, even if you just want to say hei. 

BONUS: At random I will pick 3 of you who will win a print of your choice from my little photo print shop (10*15 cm size only).

- - -

January 14: giveaway is closed 

what's for dinner, week 51

what we had for dinner, week 50

Monday: beef, homemade béarnaise sauce, salad

Tuesday: pantry pasta with whole grain spaghetti, leftover meats, onion, garlic, cheese and red bell pepper + cucumber on the side

Wednesday: homemade meatballs (from the freezer) and mashed potatoes/celery root 

Thursday: salmon + apple avocado salad 

We are off to Sandnes for our Christmas vacation, so no more dinner planning for a couple of weeks. I will keep record of what we actually ate though.  

- - -

What we actually had for dinner last week (pictured above):

Monday: Sunday leftovers + broccoli and kale soup (from the freezer) salmon pasta

Tuesday: even more Sunday leftovers (had the leftovers for lunch instead) white bean, tomato and feta salad + garlic baguette 

Wednesday: fish soup grilled ham and cheese sandwiches

Thursday: white bean, tomato and feta salad leftovers - hmmm… I think I have something mixed up; this was lunch on Wednesday, I think… I must have forgotten to photograph Thursday dinner

Friday: tandoori chicken, rice, mango/coriander cheese filled tortellini, pesto, salami and cheese + salad 

Saturday: beef stroganoff

Sunday: stroganoff leftovers 

- - -

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 - often just based on what ever is in our fridge, freezer and cupboards

- 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

light in the dark of winter

life via iPhone, week 50

things I like lately

pure joy | photo by Sølve

- finishing my exam and a big work deadline - now I can finally breath again
- seeing little birds eat the food we have hung for them in the apple tree in our garden
- I'm usually not a big fan of hot chocolate, but this one that Sølve for me made me change my mind - it was SO good!
- Bergen was a winter wonderland for about two days after the storm last week
- sledding with Sara (two years old)
- Sara hugging snowmen
- decorating our Christmas tree
- having friends over for an early Christmas dinner
- getting out the silverware for said dinner
- Dronning Maud fromasj (a mousse made of whipped cream, whipped egg yolks and sugar, gelatin, port wine and shredded chocolate)
- hva er de største milepælene som foreldre?
- a surprise morning visit from my friend Hanne
- Lucia celebration in Sara's barnehage/kindergarten
- these honest posts by Joy and Sydney
- updating my portfolio
- coffee in bed on a random weekday
- liking our Christmas tree more than expected
- a new season of American Masterchef on tv

- - -

things I don't like lately

- having no inspiration to cook and therefore eating a lot of not so healthy food
- haven't been out running for two months
- haven't taken very good care of my body lately

Kevin shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Kevin?

I think shooting film makes you a less fussy photographer, as a film user you're more likely to take a photo and move on. With digital people sometimes get stuck in a loop of taking lots of pictures of the same thing and picking the best later. With film you tend to shoot and move on, it's only when you get the film developed that you will see what you have. I love the anticipation of picking up a film. Also I find film photography a lot easier when it comes to post processing, I pick a film type before I shoot depending on what aesthetic I want. All I usually do with film pics is remove dust, scratches and maybe tweak the colour balance a bit. With digital it's a hole different story, lots of work before I feel I have a finished image.

Picture taken on a Contax T2 on Agfa Ultra

You can see more of Kevin's photos on his blog.

portfolio update

As you might know, I work as a journalist, copywriter and sometimes photographer. I have worked freelance for years, but my freelance business went into a little hiatus when I got a part-time job in an ad agency, then got pregnant and was on maternity leave for almost two years after Sara was born in late October 2011. Now I've slowly started taking on freelance work again and on a whim I decided to give my portfolio a little update and facelift. Please have a look if you are interested: www.astridhagen.no. 

randoms, on film

August 2013 | Kodak Ektar 100, Canon EOS 500N

thoughts on dinner planning and grocery shopping

For several years I have planned and/or made note of our weekday dinners. It started with the dinner project in 2010. I simply wrote down what we had for dinner every day and shared the meals here on the blog once a week. And then I made this Blurb book. In January 2012 I started the What's for dinner project, which I have continued in 2013. Most likely I will keep it up in 2014 also. What can I say? I love food, I love cooking and I love dinner - also, I love being organized.

I already shared my pantry essentials; so now I thought I would share some thoughts on how we (well, mostly I) do dinner planning and grocery shopping.

Budget

Both Sølve and I love food and cooking, hence it is something we really prioritize in our everyday life - both when it comes to time and money. This means that I find joy in planning our dinners every week plus we don't really have a specific budget for food (and wine). We normally buy whatever we want and we eat well. This does not mean that we have lobster and Champagne every day though. A good discount on for example chicken filets, tomatoes or mixed lettuce, might be the starting point of a dinner. Also, we try hard to eat all the food that we buy and make; we (especially me) are big fans of leftovers. I think as long as you don't waste your food, you don't loose the money you spent on it. If you understand what I mean.

Shopping

Normally I cook our weekday dinners and Sølve cooks Saturday and Sunday dinners. Sølve normally does the weekend shopping Saturday morning at a well assorted supermarket. He never writes a shopping list and has a habit of buying too much of everything, so during weekends our fridge is pretty full. Come Monday, I check to see what is left to use for our weekday dinners. I'm a lot more organized than Sølve, so if I plan our dinners well, the fridge is rather empty again by the next weekend and we can start the weekend with a clean slate (or plate...). 

Our local grocery store (with a pretty basic assortment) is just 1 minute away by foot, so if we need any basics during the week, it is no stress to walk over there and get it. Also, Sara's barnehage/kindergarten is next door to the grocery store, so it is really very convenient. If our set up was not that convenient, I'm sure I would try to do all grocery shopping for the whole week in one go. 

By the way, I always write shopping lists, on my iPhone. No app, just a basic note. If I notice we are out of something, I'll make a note of it right away.  

Planning

I usually plan the weekday dinners by myself; weekend dinners are usually planned by Sølve and revised/accepted by me. As mentioned, I start planning our weekday dinners by looking in the fridge to see what fresh produce is there to use. I base the dinners on what produce need to be used first. Lettuce, for example, tend to go bad rather quickly. Hence I plan to use the lettuce early in the week and save for example the onion and root vegetables for later. I also check the freezer and cupboards to see if there is anything there to go with the fresh produce. I find that when I plan our dinners ahead, it is easier to eat well, varied and (rather) healthy. 

Recipes

I normally don't use recipes when planning and cooking our weekday dinners; they are mostly just variations of things I have made before. The what's for dinner and the dinner project archives are helpful reminders of what we have made before*. Sometimes I Google inspiration for recipes, especially based on specific ingredients or techniques, for example beet root greens or pulled pork. I do from time to time actually cook from my cookbooks - or at least find inspiration to make something based on a recipe found in a cookbook, food blog or magazine. 

Finally, you should read Natalie's genius meal planning 101 post. I love how organized she is!   

Feel free to ask questions! Do you plan your dinners? I would love to hear your thoughts! Any tips to share?

* I'm working on a post that I hope will be helpful for both me and you; it will be titled "our easy everyday dinners list". 

what's for dinner, week 50

what we had for dinner, week 49

Monday: Sunday leftovers + broccoli and kale soup (from the freezer)

Tuesday: even more Sunday leftovers

Wednesday: fish soup 

Thursday: white bean, tomato and feta salad

Friday: tandoori chicken, rice, mango/coriander 

- - -

What we actually had for dinner last week (pictured above):

Monday: pasta bolognese

Tuesday: Chinese take out

Wednesday: roasted vegetables (beet root, potato, celery root, carrot, onion, garlic), feta and pan fried salami and sausage

Thursday: broccoli and kale soup (from the freezer) Wednesday leftovers 

Friday: homemade pizza pantry pasta (whole grain spaghetti, pan fried salami, garlic, Jarlsberg cheese, fresg ground pepper)

Saturday: steak, roasted vegetables (potato, carrot, celery root and beet root) and homemade aioli

Sunday: a classical Christmas dinner: juleribbe and Dronning Maud fromasj

- - -

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 - often just based on what ever is in our fridge, freezer and cupboards

- 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

life via iPhone, week 49

PS: You can still get a holiday discount in my little print shop!

litt jul

Just a little bit of Christmas from last year. Snowflake and flying pig ornaments are made by my talented ceramicist friend Fia.

just a little bit of Christmas

I prefer to keep Christmas decorations simple in our home. For lots more Christmas inspiration, head over to NIB!

things I like lately

snow storm from the archives + random snow gif fun from Google+

- mini stickers and contact cards from Printstagram

- Joy's tips for traveling abroad with a toddler 

- Restaurant Day, via Ingvild who has participated a couple of times

- a postcard in the mailbox from my friend Nikki

- this interview with Kinfolk designer Amanda Jane Jones

- my friend Maria of Zoo Payne has just started up her photography business! check out her beautiful portfolio at Bygdefotografen

- men that open the door for me

- dinner out at Brygga 11 with my fellow PGCE students - I love this tradition!

- meeting truly inspiring, good people

- advent calendar at the office

- discussing wedding dresses with my good friend M who is getting married in April

- homemade chocolate mousse on a Monday

- seeing how it is slowly beginning to look like Christmas in the homes of people I follow on Instagram and blogs

- finishing a few (big) Christmas gifts early

- my new facial masks from Origins; this, this and this - I love them!

- my new black wool/silk scarf from Becksøndergaard (I have been in need of a new simple black scarf ever since I lost my old one (had it for more than 10 years and loved it so much) in Stockholm) - I have several scarfs from this brand and I highly recommend them - so comfortable!

- snacking on almonds

- L'Occitane verbena shampoo at in my hotel bathroom (the scent of verbena reminds me so much of our honeymoon at Crillon le Brave)

- publishing my darker mornings book

- these words by Ine

- the smell of clementines

- coffee in bed Sunday morning (Sundays are my sleep in days) and hearing Sølve play Handel's Messiah on the stereo in the living room for the first time this Christmas season

- summer Spain memories

- sending out photo print orders (the holiday sale is still on!)

- being warm and safe inside during the heavy winter storm 

- - -

things I don't like lately

- I spilled my drink on my Mac; the topcase and trackpad need to be changed and it costs a fortune (I hardly ever swear, but I have sworn so much over this...)

- destroying my Mac at a very, very bad timing as I'm in the middle of exam, big work deadline and Christmas gift making that all depend on a computer

- dealing with big changes at work (which is actually a good thing too)

- too much comfort eating lately and therefore putting on too much weight

Stephanie shoots film

Why do you shoot film, Stephanie?

I would probably not shoot film without several years of taking digital pictures. I don´t believe analogue photography has to exclude digital and vice versa.

My digital years have been worthwile: I learned to handle the camera in manual mode and figured out what works and what not. But still there was something missing. I started to “destroy” my pictures by adding grain and scratches, increasing contrast. One day i went to a decedent estate auction sale and came over a box with seven or eight analogue cameras. This started my love for film and a rather manic camera collective behaviour.

The feeling when you get a roll of film back from processing makes me happy every time. Film with all it´s flaws adds another dimension to pictures. A certain feel that digital just can´t give you. My pictures often turn out more natural and vivid. Film gives them a soul. I rarely do any post processing when taking analogue pictures. I spent hours in Photoshop to get the same result with digital. And they would still not feel as random and spontaneous as film which i just love about it. You have to let go on one hand. You´ll never know the exact outcome. On the other hand film demands quite a lot of concentration for every shot as well (at least if you can´t afford scores of processing and living on parental allowance like i do right now haha). It´s a bit of a challenge.

See more of Stephanie's photos on her blog.

Christmas gift idea: photo prints - with discounts!

Be aware of a little shameless self promotion here...

I'm having a holiday party over at my little photo print shop. All prints are €5 (instead of the usual €8) this week and next week (until Friday December 13). 

If you want your print(s) by December 24, please order before December 13 if you live in Norway, Europe, USA/Canada. Please order* by today, December 4, if you live in Asia, Australia/New Zealand. These dates are based on Posten's shipping deadlines. 

- - - 

*Please note that if you order any other photos than the four pictured above, it might not get to you in time, because I have to have the prints made first. The four above should not be a problem though, as they are already in stock. 

Christmas gift idea: photo books - with discounts!

Be aware of a little shameless self promotion here...

the front page of 9 of my 12 public books; I have made 40 books all together 

If you are thinking of getting a nice photo book for yourself or other photo book fans out there, now is the time. Blurb has some great holiday offers!

Here is my Blurb bookstore with 12 books to choose between. 

The ANY20

Take 20% off of any book order, no minimum. One book or many, softcover or hardcover, large or small - it's up to you. Offer good through December 8. Use the code ANY20 at checkout.*

Two books, one great offer

Buy two Blurb books and Blurb will give you 20% off your order - plus they will throw in free ground shipping† (or take $10 off expedited or next day shipping). More is always merrier with Blurb. Offer good through December 8. Use the code BETTER20 at checkout.**

† A $1.99 per additional unit ground shipping charge will be applied on orders of more than 2 books

- - -

Make sure to check the shipping deadlines if you want your book(s) by December 24.

- - -

* Offer valid through December 8, 2013 (11:59 p.m. local time). Valid for printed books only. A 20% discount is applied to your product total. Maximum discount is USD $100, AUD $100, CAD $100, EUR 75, or GBP £65 off product total. This offer is good for one-time use, and cannot be combined with volume discounts, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.

***Offer valid until December 8, 2013 (11:59 p.m. local time). Valid for printed books only. A 20% discount is applied toward your product total with a minimum order of two books. Maximum discount is USD $100 off product total. Up to a $10 shipping discount is applied toward your shipping total. This offer is only valid for orders shipping in the United States. This offer is good for one-time use, and cannot be combined with volume discounts, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.

what's for dinner, week 49

what we had for dinner, week 48

I don't have much energy or inspiration to cook these days. Too much going on with exam, work deadlines and life in general. Luckily we have yummy dinners in the freezer, we have a good repertoire of go-to dinners that are quick and easy to make in busy times, plus Sølve makes amazing meals during the weekends. So, yes, we still eat well. 

Monday: pasta bolognese

Tuesday: Chinese take out

Wednesday: roasted vegetables (beet root, potato, celery root, carrot, onion, garlic), feta and pan fried salami

Thursday: broccoli and kale soup (from the freezer)

Friday: homemade pizza 

- - -

What we actually had for dinner last week (pictured above):

Monday: Sunday leftovers frozen pizza (Grandiosa)

Tuesday: fish soup with ginger and lemongrass Sunday leftovers with pasta and salad

Wednesday: stir fry with pork filets homemade pizza from the freezer

Thursday: dinner out with fellow students in Leirvik, Stord

Friday: homemade pizza homemade Italian meatballs and salad

Saturday: chicken filets with rosemary and garlic, boiled Amandine potatoes and sauce

Sunday: roasted red deer filet, Brussel sprouts, boiled Amandine potatoes, sauce and rowan berry jelly

- - -

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 - often just based on what ever is in our fridge, freezer and cupboards

- 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

life via iPhone, week 48

summer Spain memories, part IV

Fuji Superia 200 + Kodak Ektar 100, Canon EOS 500N