OH dear

Ummm, hello there...

October is nearly finished and I can't say that is has been a slow month at all. I have walked the dog...alot and i have done nothing..alot.

And I have visited the shop Locavore and bought a new shampoo, well I have actually tried it before, so not "really" new.

I have also found a new channel on YouTube to watch...1000's of roots. I am so inspired by their kindness and smiling faces, watching them lifts my mind and heart.

Paris the greyhound is officially a member of this clan, and here she is enjoying life on her biscuit.

Her doggie personality is shining through more and more every day.

She is  a good dog for sure.

What's is left to mention... Right, here we go.... I am kind of dabbling in giving up Facebook, can you believe that? I am not sure how easy it will be, but it is a timewaster and I donot spend super much time on there anymore anyway .

Has anyone else given up Facebook? How did THAT  go?
I am getting in the stage on my life where I am ready to possibly give up this phenomenon.

So, I am thinking about doing my penpalling stuff in here, instead of on FB..atleast update here as well as in my private group.

I WANT to blog more often, about everything that goes on..so I am going to try to schedule this in my calendar to see if that makes a difference at all.

Highlands

Today the child is coming home from a residential trip up to Fort William, she has had a great time and she sent me this photo from the bus.


I will be very busy the next couple of days, work, work, work, double shifts both Saturday and Sunday, so I probably won't have much time to do anything else.

This is all for now really, I am sure I'll be back soon with something else at some point soon.

Hugs, from Linn

Good morning

Good morning Friends,

How are you all? I hope you have all had a great Easter holiday. We spent a week of the Easter holiday in Spain visiting friends that live there.

My friend's son was going to have his church confirmation in The Norwegian Sailors church known and "Sjømannskirken".

It was a beautiful confirmation with 15 young boys and girls declaring their love for God, I suppose.

We also drove to Barcelona and spent two night there in a room we rented through Airbnb, it was fine, we only slept there so I can't really say too much about the room..other than the beds were really nice to sleep in..and Tatyana and Christiano, the couple that lived there seemed nice. 

The day we were supposed to leave Barcelona, and drive back to Torrevieja, we had Hamburger and chips for brunch, and I even ate the bun. I was starving. But that was a really bad idea.

I got so ill, I couldn't sit or stand, I sank down on the floor just making sounds due to severe abdomen pains, just like gallbladder pains..exact the same place. 

So, it's safe to say that I will neve go back to eating bread, or even high carb ever again. 

It has been tough to get back on track , even when we came home, because the Princess just turned 13, and she has been celebrated by us, but  her partyfor her friends  is coming up...with pizza, cake, ice cream and sweets. I will have to stear clear of most of this though, for sure. 

Wish me luck!! 

Other than this..My mother in law looked after my pea plants when we were away, and they have been planted out maybe almost a week ago. Even if it is still really cold out there..unuaually cold by the way...they seem to survive. Hoping they will manage this next week of bitter cold nights!!

Hey, I also have good news on the tomato front...THREE of my plants have small buds which will hopefully very shortly turn into tomatoes!! yay!! 

After the summer holiday, I will order some cherry tomato plants, to keep us going with tomtoes through the winter. I am so excited about this! No kidding. 

Then my knitting....

The last sleeve is growing...little by little. IF this does not fit him..he's had it. I am not knitting a third version. Then it will be turned into a dress for myself. LOL. I do hope it will fit though. It was just a little too tight last time, and he also wanted it longer in the body..I have knitted another 10 cm I think. So it should be good. 

Other projects...searching for a job and decluttering my house.  Going better than ever!! YAY for that. The goal for 2017 was to get rid of 2017 things, and I am over halfway. It is more difficult now, because I have alot less rubbish to actually throw away. I am sure I'll get there in the end though.

Hope you are all fine, and i hope to see you all soon! 

LinnM

C T S

Good evening everyone!
It's has been a busy week for me, I have joined a challenge..the challenge is to get rid of 2017 things in 2017.
I am well on my way, I don't know how I have managed to actually get rid of nearly 600 tings in just one week. It's basically everything from paper clutter to pens that don't work any more.

Even the white IKEA dresser is going, hopefully tomorrow. I can't wait to get it out of the house.
I am not sure how I have managed to aggravate my Carpal Tunnel Syndrome once again...first I thought it was because I have been playing Slither.io too much...but now I wonder if it might be the whisking I did when I made mayonnaise.  I don't really know.

What I do know is that I have purchased a wrist support, super cheap one..but I think it helps a little. I am not a big fan of this particular one, because my hand sweats a lot with it on.

And I had joined InCoWriMo , but I have had to be super careful with my hand..so- so far I have only managed to write one letter, the letter is to Jennifer in Massachusetts. Might post it tomorrow, if I have the money to do so.

Oh...should I mention my kid...should I...well maybe or not? All I know is that I am really annoyed with my mother in law today. My daughter had an accident with her foot, and had a fair amount of skin scraped off. This was well over a week ago and the wound had gotten a nice scab on it and it was healing nicely. Today the mother in law made my daughter soak the wound so the scab got soft, and then she (the mother in law) managed to dry the scap so roughly so the scab was completely gone.!!
now it's all weeping and bleeding again. Oh my goodness...what was the deal with that please tell me someone!!!
I am hoping it will heal quickly, but I am sure she'll have to miss swimming next week as well!!
Rant over!

Better get ready for bed, it's nearly 23.00 o'clock.
Talk later <3 p="">

Hi again!

I am back after a long holiday, We have been in Norway for almost three weeks, it was fantastic. All of it was great for a change, and I didn't put on the usual 3-5 kilos either. I met up with my cousins and their kids, I met my old friend from School, I hadn't seen her for probably about 20 years ..and yes.

It was great, we went places, saw things I hadn't seen before and in general we came home feeling very happy.

It is great to be home in Norway, but it's wonderful to come home to my own house, my kitchen, my bed..and my stuff. So, yeah, I still have too much stuff...but it's mine!

We have been shopping school uniform, and we were ready for High School over a week ago.
She looked so smart when she walked to school with her friends that first day. She still looks equally smart.

And the best thing, I think she is kind of enjoying herself there..still getting used to the school and new classmates, but still..good stuff happening.

For myself, I have a plan, and definetly a plan involving this blog. Come next month, I might have a phone that actually works with Blogger, and that means I can once again upload photos, yay!

So, I will leave you all here, hoping you have a great day!

 The cat!

Marialinn

On the horizon

On my horizon I can view something new and different....

My experience after trying for a while now..to eat low carb...eat more fat, less carbohydrates and more wholefoods...well, we have been eating tons of veg for years now... we have literally cut out bread, pasta and potatoes since November...we do have carbs,, but not tons of it.

Today after really trying to get away from sugar....I skipped out of the kitchen...

I SKIPPED...with no effort, and I didn't even think about it until after I had done it.
I still haven't lost tons of weight, not really...but hey my jeans are very loose,....and I ahve to wear a belt.

The jeans were new in November. Lucky for me that I have already worn these jeans out by now,...so I can happily get a new pair of jeans that will last me for the next 4 months...until hopefully I'll need a new pair anyway..a size smaller.

Maybe wishful thinking, the goal is to fit into my bunad on 17th of May.
Here's a picture of my bunad..THIS in not litereally my bunad,  but this is what it looks like.

 I found this picture after a quick Google search. My grandmother bought it for herself when I was a little girl, and she gave it to me for my confirmation when I was 14, with the promise that she could still use it whenever she wanted. A few years ago I managed to finally take it twith me here to Scotland, and now that my granny passed away over a year ago..I really cherish this costume even more. 

Anyway...weightwise..I will weigh too much, and I still haven't been uinder 90.3 kilos..which was my weight this morning. 

I also finally found my excesise gear..so I can start on my c25k program again.

Wish me all the best!

MariaLinn

Time to rest

My oh my, I feel exhausted..so tired..!
The reason is that these last two weeks we have been working very hard with helping daughter preparing for her grade 1 piano exam.

Her exam was yesterday, we picked her up from school halfway through the school day,adn went home for lunch, change of clothes and some practise time on granny's piano.

She got 15 minutes in the practise room before she went to have the exam. Mr. John was very straightforward, no pleasanteries with him at all. And he was irish, so she thought he said G, when he said D.

Nevermind, the result will come within the next 19 days I think. Hoping she did well!!

Now, it's just a bit of violin practise and the concert on Monday..abd then we are pretty much ready for the Christmas holiday! 

Gosh, can't wait for a hoiday! 

Te only problem I have now is that I need to find the house phone..I have lost it somewhere inthe house. 

So...must go out and do my Avon round and then prettymuch get on with everything. Going to get our Christmas decorations up this weekend,...so looking forward to it !! 

yay!

So, I hope you all have a great day..and take care of yourselves!

Marialinn!! 

Brambles

Last summer, I discovered that the brambles that was growing wild in  my hegde had berries, and I picked enough for us to have as a dessert. I decided to not cut them down, but just see if I could get some more berries this year.

Yesterday was the third time I picked berries this sumer,and still there are loads just waiting to get picked when they are ready.

I got 900ml yesterday, and that was enough for 3 bown FULL of Brambleberries, and I made custard and it was just the yummiest ever!

It's amazing when the garden gives us some stuff we can actually use. I really just love it. At the moment I am trying to grow onions, and so far they are looking ok. They are still just mini's, but I COULD use them I think. Next summer..I might even try potatoes..!

Sunday morning dreams...

It's already Monday again, the weekends seem to go by so quickly, and as usual ,, it feels like I have done nothing. I know it's not true. 

Yesterday morning I woke up early, to let the cat out. I went back to bed to sleep a little more, which I did. But I dreamt about my grandmother--.AGAIN. 

This time I was at a cafe with her, and some women came and sat down at our table. She was a carer and knida knew my granny, but she didn't want to tell me her name. I got absolutely pee'd off with this woman..told her "we should sstart over again". So I went over to her, smiled, stretched out my right hand to greet her and said "hi, my name is Maria". She just smiled, and said, "I can't tell you my name". 

Wow, I was not happy, sparks probably flew from my eyes...and granny and I didn't even finish our pancakes (pancakes, really??) and left really quickly. I might even have swore at that woman as I left. 

Not fun waking up being in a bad mood because of something that happened in a dream. 

I realised it was actually my granny's 93rd birthday yesterday-..maybe that's why she was in my dream. 

This is the 4th time I have dreamt about her since her passing in January. 

I miss her.

MariaLinn

Princess party

Princess went to a party on Friday, and i did her hair. Was very happy with the braiding result! 

She had great fun, and they danced the night away..well..until 9 pm anyway. 

Happy birthday Freya! 

MariaLinn

Abnormal week

Yes, the week has started, the weird abnormal week when Princess Sunniva is away on a school trip...and I am all alone from yesterday (Monday ) all the way to Friday.


That is of course not stricly true, as the husband Kris is also at home...but he's a little boring and he also cought our cold so add on a little bit of grumpiness and you'l get what I mean.

Sunday evening Kris was out at a concert, not my music taste, so it was great that he could get free tickets from his workmate and they could go together.

That also meant that Sunniva and I could have a nice relaxing evening before she went. We lit candles and watched a film..super cozy...or "koselig" as i normally would say.

So, last night I Sunniva was away and I was wondering how she was getting on while I enjoyed a little bottle of some cider while watching Coronation Street.

It was Kopparbergs cloudberry cider, I really enjoyed that and will probably get it again. I OH so miss the cloudberry yoghurt I was able to eat many years ago.

 I don't think they make it anymore, I mean it's probably a reason why they call it Gold of the Forest.

Today is my first full day at home, and I started a tidy up project. So...I have started..firstly I emptied the cupboard that was FULL of shoes, jackets and 2 chairs..and then I put our IKEA Trofast thing in there.

Now I have to EMPTY all the boxes, clean the shelves and then I can start putting everything back again.
WHY did I even start,,this is so much work!!!

I am sure it'll be better when I am finished.

Wish me oh so much luck! Not to mention that the Puma points Re-match started today and I need to get running before the day is over!

Take care, lovelies!

New Experiences

A new Experience coming up, and I am pretty sure every mum can relate!
The first time your child stays away.

Yes, it's happening. Princess Sunniva has been on a couple of trips before, but that has only been Friday to Sunday..three times so far.

This time , it's a school trip..Monday to Friday...and WHAT am I going to do when I have the whole day to myself for the first time in over 11 years?

We are busy packing, needs lots of extra changes in case they get soaking wet during their activities.

I am looking forward to it, but dreading it at the same time. I  am really looking forward to Sunniva coming home with lots of new experiences and maybe having grown a little..not in size but as a person.

But then I dread it, because I love being with her and I know she is growing up. My little baby is not a baby anymore. 

We still have a few things to pack, and still a few days to get everything in order.  But..yup..the day of departure is drawing nearer. 

Take care of yourselves and you loved ones, my dear friends! 

MariaLinn

Nature and such

What can I say, I love a little bit of outdoor activity me, so yesterday we ventured out for a little walk. The sun was shining, and we could hear the grasshoppers play their music,. Even I could hear them, I guess it means my hearing is still ok.

Butterflies and bumblebee...even fish in the water! 

A dog came to say hello while we sat down for a little rest All in all, it was a great day.

Then we came home, took my washing in..and that was that. 

I sat in the evening playing clas of clans on my phone 

(Not my clan picture) 

Well..in ticked a message on my phone. An old penpal, want to get back in touch!

How lovely, how wonderful..I do still write letters, so I am over the moon!!

Now this morning...I got a huge fright. 

I went to get my trousers, the ones I had pegged out yesterday to dry. 

I picked them up, and they buzzed,...what is that? Is it a phone?? 

BUZZ...a little phone??

BUZZ...Oh sh**, it's a bee or a wasp

I threw the trousers in the kitchen, closed the door , went to get the bug spray, and then poked them further in the kitchen..and again and again and again, moved them a half meter each time. Finally I was close to the door, I unlocked it, and got them outside..and not more then 5 seconds later a black and yellow furry bee fled the scene. 

I am not exactly in love with these things that buzz and can sting, so I guess you can say that I managed to keep cool. 

PHEW! 

I survived another morning! 

And as I have just ran 1.7 miles ont he treadmill,i will even say that the day is going pretty well, so far! 

Have a good day lovelies! 

MariaLinn

Summer holiday

The summer holiday is already nearly finished, and some weather we have had!!. Not much heat at all.

But still, it was really not too bad and we have managed to do  a few things such as

 Going to family do's and meeting new baby cousins, and in my case meeting my one and only nephew. (lurve that little boy)

 Going for a swim in the pool in my childhood home together with the larger family(dad's wife's grandchildren). This place which is still "home-home" to me. 

 Meeting an elg at the Tall ships race...surprisingly weird, but fun

 Seeing sand sculptures being made..impressive indeed!!!!

 Buying Hockey powder..I love it...just loooooove it!!!

 We saw loads of Tall ships...and they were all lovely

 It was great to be able to get on board the ships...I fell in love with the one from Equador..which is not this one..but this one is instead the worlds largest Tall ship, 4 masts it had..pity I get easily seasick..even if I did grow up spending most of my summerholidays in a sailboat.,..! 

 We have met old friends, and visited them..and took amazing pictures from their livingroom...

 We also met new friends, and got to enjoy the view with them.

 We got to see all the ships on the fjord going out to the startline for the last race for this year. 

 We also did a little bit of colouring in..and got new books and pencils for this. (Thank you Aunty N and Aunty B). 

 I even got wool to start up a new kofte...my own pattern this time..! Happy...happy!!!

 Oh, must not forget the salmon tunnel..that was just cool

 The steps where that salmon can jump..

 And indeed they do so...I could see a salmon tail..welll done to Kvås

 And here's a beautiful picture of the outside...

Then the holiday was over for this year...and we landed in Liverpool...

And we acidentally came across some Beatles art..stopped in the roundabout for some pictures..and then were on our way...

Back to Scotland...!

And now we are here...weather is still rubbish and things still need to be done.

Breakfast needs made and eaten, and dishes and laundry is waiting.

Still, It IS nice to come home, and this time I will have even more binbags ready for my decluttering..oh yes!.

No mercy.

MariaLinn

The other day

The other day, the sun was shining and the weather was lovely. Real summer weather..

But now...

Now we are back to grey cloudy and wind again. Still fairly warm..but not much sun. 

What is on my mind these days? 

Firstly..jogging..I am really trying very hard to jog several days every week. So far July has been a really good month. 

Also, I am really interested in old stuff...viking stuff, natural stuff...old ways. 

do you understand what I mean? 

I have several boards on Pinterest about Vikings and also reusing and also organising. Guess that the main interests these days. 

*****************************************************

We are leaving for our summer holiday soon, and we have a couple of parties to attend. 

Daughter got to choose new shoes and this is what she chose.

She is over the moon about them, loves them so so SO mucha nd have been wearing them nearly every days since she got them. 

I love seeing her so satisfied with something. 

We are in the middle of packing, so the house is a total tip. The plan is to get it sorted the next couple of days.

Hasta la vista, lovlies.

P:S. My fingers and crossed for my best friend and her family today, May all go well !!!

Big hugs, MariaLinn

Going forward

It has been a few days of business, I haven't been on the treadmill since Sunday, because yesterday I had to take daughter to the orthodontist, and we came home with recommendation of removing 5 of her teeth. I guess there will be a couple of visits to the dentist in the nearest future.

Also, daughter is going on a camping trip with the Guides, and we got the information about when to do and what to bring along. It's all very exciting, as she has never been sleeping in a tent before.

The good news is that I have lost a bit of weight since last week...so today I actually weighed 91.6. Very happy about that!! First time I have been undet 93 since last year. I have been stuck for a looong time! But I think i have managed to get myself moving again! Yippie!!

Anyway, time to get moving...it's school and activities today.

HAve a great day, MariaLinn

Read this on fb (Natali)

Women's asceticism is the main women's asceticism is not fasting, not a vow of silence and not hardening.
The biggest austerity is to be a woman, develop their femininity, cultivate your feminine energy, share it with your family, to create a harmony, and the main thing in itself.

Try: a) talking like a true woman-soft and pleasant words;

b) look like real woman wear woman's clothes: dresses, skirts and cheerful colors, dress chastely, but fashionable and beautiful. Walk soft, rolling gait;

in) feel like a true woman-by developing the best feminine qualities-humility, care, kindness;

g) come as a real woman-wisely, patiently, d) to deal with women's Affairs: needlework, cooking;

And you will understand that this is a very, very difficult, but happy fruits such austerity will not keep you waiting.
It is very important to any woman to be beautiful and smart talk. Even the bitter truth-only kind words. And we're used to hack off the shoulder "truth uterus". Unfortunately, we have not been taught that neither family nor home. Not taught to speak simply good. But already "in the blood" to criticize and condemn. 

Important skill of his wife-the ability to be satisfied with what you have. Often, on the contrary, his wife unhappy, poisoning the lives of yourself and loved ones. You have to be able to be focused on her husband and invest only in one (without thoughts and comparisons with other) all my faith and energy. And then the man is moving forward.

MariaLinn

Endings and beginnings.RIP

There are always endings of different things in life, sometimes it's the ending of single life, sometimes the ending of being without children..but then there are also beginnings.

A few days ago on January 2. 2015 there was a very important ending, the ending of my lovely grandmothers life. I still haven't quite understood that I will niot be able to see her and speak to her ever again. We were very, extrememly close, she was a mother to me.

She herself said, she didn't only have three children, she had five. First her own three sons, and then me and my brother. (our dad is her son).

And now it endeth...there is a new era in the Tonis clan. I am not sure what it will be like, who will take over as the gatherer of the clan?

In memory of my dear grandmother, I will hereby take the same name I gave my daughter. The same name my farmor had. Maria. I will add it next to my given name in her memory.

Hvil i fred (r.i.p)
Farmor, i hjertet for evig!!    (in my heart for eternity)

MariaLinn

Casting off

I am just so happy, I started casting off the skirt..I am nearly finished! Cannot believe it to be honest and I know the result will be amazing when 17th of May comes around. It will be a great celebration this time.

I am so excited, I will have to find a needle and thread to sew the bias tape on the inside of the skirt, to avoid too much sagging.  I just wish I could show you right now, but hopefully I'll have the opportunity to take some pictures in a few weeks time.

I just wanted to let you know, and now I'm off to daughters room , we are changing a little in there and now I have to tidy up after myself, so she can start fresh again come Friday!

Take care of yourselves my lovelies, and do let me know about your project  and your own blog.

<3 nbsp="" p="">

A Wish

After realising that Scotland will still continue to be a part of United Kingdom, although not a very united kingdom, life still goes on. A while ago I finished my Fana kofte (jacket) but I still have no pictures to show.

I wish for a phone, camera or something that will let me upload my pictures so i can show them to you all.

But for now, nooothing!

I have been knitting on my Melissakofte, here's a picture of Melissa herself and her mum that has written the pattern. Melissa herself found it at a flea market when she was 15 and has since used it alot. She was a part of the reality tv series "the farm" in Norway. I haven't seen it myself, as I don't live in Norway, but I love this kofte. Luckily for me, the pattern was released in the magazing Famoilien, So when my grandmother had saved this magazine for me, I was so so so so happy.

I am using Sjølingstad wool, I visited the factory in Southern Norway this summer and purchased some wool. Originally I had another kofte in my  mind, but I am happy with my disicion.
The colours I am using are pink and black.

Oh, i am nearly finished with my daughters "bunad skirt", I have been knitting it for a while now, and I think another week and I'll have t completely finished. I am so happy and so excited,  My daughter is 10 years old, and nearly my height so it has been a pretty big knit. I more plans for it though, such as a vest and a belt and also maybe an apron. We'll see how much time I have.

It needs to be finisehd for 17th of May 2015.  It will end up looking something like this I hope!

Today I am home alone, doesn't happen that often so today I have changed bits in our livingroom. Not so sure if the husband will approve, but he's away so I get to do what I want!
So, time for some more knitting and  then some dinner.
Take care my lovelies

A beautiful day

The day started out really nice, Princess was out of bed and dressed by 07.00 am, I was amazed.
Everything went fantastic, we were out of the house without any rushing or shouting. It felt great. I even had to wear my sunglasses, because of the sun.

Yes!! The sun is shining today and I have a houseproject on today, going to try and tidy up the playroom and if I do well, I can even show you a pictureof the result.

I have been busy knitting, and have several projects on the go. Feeling great about that.

Now, on to another thing...I posted a comment in an onlinenewspaper about remembering dreams and I noticed I got a message back about possibly being interviewed. Well,I haven't responded as I live abroad and don't really fancy getting my dreams out there..except onmy own blog I suppose.

I have been dreaming lately, and I do remember in the morning but now at noon I have forgotten it all. And I have found out when I get a good sleep I dream, if I am exhausted I never remember any dreams.
Maybe I should get myself a little notebook to have beside my bed, so that I can jot down what I remember the second I wake up.

We'll see. Better go out and enjoy this weather for a little while...it's STILL sunny!