30 – Smile

Finishing off with a smiley selfie! I’m not really someone who takes a lot of selfies, and I only took one lol:)
Next up, December countdown!

Xxx,

Line

29 – Memories

When I was little, my mother made this advent calendar for me and she would every year put 24 little parcels hanging from it. Since moving to Australia, I’ve used it for myself, Simon and all the girls, but this is the first year it only has mine on it again, as Melodie now has her own, homemade one. The other girls have theirs in a basket and Simon only gets one a day this time. I love it and have so many memories attached to it. Not because of the things I got in it – but because of what it symbolises.

Xxx,

Line

28 – Family

These loves<3

Xxx,

Line

27 – A first world convenience

This was slightly hard because to me the world convenience means something that makes life easier. And we do have many of those things around. So to choose one of my favourites it has to be this one:

The story behind this is a good one but I won’t put it here now – that’s for another time – Simon bought me this for Christmas last year when I wasn’t here and I was longing to go back to Australia and become friends with my machine<3 I know, super romantic! We’re off on new adventures this week, with Christmas cookies in the making! (Seven kinds, so watch out!)

Xxx,

Line

26 – All about perspective

(I skipped one again sorry)

I have placed myself at the beach today. The girls have gone fishing with Simon and I have something on later in the day so I figured I might as go to the beach all by myself before I go there and I can’t remember the last time I was at the beach all by myself!

I’ve got bathers on and had every intention of swimming but so far I’ve just been relaxing. I probably won’t either, as it’s a little windy and maybe cold. I’m a Viking and have been swimming in Norwegian winters, but not today!

I’m lying down just next to the sand dunes, they are quite high. Four kids have come up and play on the dunes, jumping down the sides and sliding down. They’re being noisy and laughing and they are literally right above my head.

So annoying.
Or is it? The mum came up and told the kids to go further away from me as I was clearly relaxing and probably didn’t want their noise. She apologised to me and said she’d get them to move.

That’s when I told her that at I genuinely don’t mind at all. They are kids, having fun and enjoying their time outside their house. They’re creating memories and friendships and they are not splashing water on me, not flicking sand on me and neither of them are badly behaved. I said to let them play.

The mum smiled at me and said thank you, but I felt like I haven’t actually done anything – I have just not been a child-hating bitch!

I would be a massive hypocrite if I were to be annoyed by a couple of kids playing at the beach – as I always tell my girls that outside they can run and jump and play to  their hearts content, I love watching them being kids and we should treasure all the children really:)

Xxx,

Line

24 – A quote

So this quote is my favourite in the world from anything I’ve read in books. If you haven’t read the book ‘Oh, the places you’ll go’ by Dr. Seuss you must have read something so you’ll know the wisdom behind his books and quotes – so often I find they are much more profound and deep and just as much suited to adults as kids. And this is my favourite:)

Xxx,

Line

23 – A detail

Xxx,

Line

22 – A tradition

I’ll call it a tradition, because it is most mornings:) I get to get up to a fresh coffee that Simon makes for me – and today is no different!

Xxx,

Line

21 – A physical feature

Sophia’s eye<3

(I posted both the original and the edited one – I edit them only because I like it but her eyes are more gorgeous in the natural one anyway so I thought it best to have both:))

Xxx,

Line

20 – A time of day

Bedtime and storytime!

I am totally filming her while we read this book one day – she is so animated! It’s their favourite book and they act it out and cast themselves in the roles – I love watching them:)

Xxx,

Line

19 – Favourite food

Okay so favourite food is up – and I love food so how can I choose just one thing? So I’ll do five lol – with stolen images from the Internet, because I haven’t cooked them myself for a while (and some I can’t cook!)

1. 

Lasagna looove always<3

2.

Maybe not the best photo, but Norwegian kjottkake made by Mamma – can’t be beaten!

3. 

Also a not very good pic, but ‘Ball’from Norway – potato dumplings – delicious and a favourite of so many Norwegians.

4.

I’ll cry at Christmas for not being able to have a plate of the best Christmas food there is – ribs and special sausage and chops and mashed swedes and julebrus<3

5.

Okay I’ll add one dessert thing:

 

Anything berries and chocolate – and I am totally in! 
Man, that’s hard – it is no secret I love food – and this makes me so extra hungry – I feel like cooking and baking and eating…:)

Xxx,

Line

16 – An observation

We planted a lime tree and a lemon tree out the front of our house when we re-did our garden. This was pretty much immediately after we moved back here from NSW so about two and a bit years now. We’ve been observing and watching and hoping for fruit, but the major reason for planting them is because I absolutely love the colours of these trees – the most stunning green!

Now, however it seems as if we are finally having some luck. Whether we will have proper fruit ready for using we don’t know yet, but there’s something! Then I’ll be enjoying a corona with homegrown limes this summer for sure:)
(So I do like using filters and whatnots on my photos, just for fun, but this one has none!:))

Xxx,

Line 

18 – Something old

I was driving around looking for a cool, old tree, because cool, old trees are awesome, but I happened upon this church instead, which is nearly 150 years old – so I reckon it qualifies:)

This is the church in One Tree Hill which is right up the hill from where we live, a cute little village so close to the city, but with such a country feel yet!:) I remember the first time I drove through here, I made Simon stop to take a photo of me with the sign, as my favourite tv show of all times is ‘One Tree Hill’ and now we live only minutes away! It’s funny where life takes us isn’t it! 

Xxx,

Line

17 – Open Spaces

I skipped one as I couldn’t figure it out, but I’ll get back to it:) Here’s number seventeen anyway – a view from the top of the block at our other property. Simon has been spending the last two days building a shed there and we’ve come there to see him. I remember looking at the view together with him when we were just dating – such a nice view!

Xxx,

Line

15 – A written word

Well cliché me was considering writing out ‘love’ or ‘family’ and post it, but then I asked Melodie, my little one who, given the choice to do anything she wants at school – reads, draws and write stories – what her favourite word was. Although her very first was her name, she admitted that her dream pet was her second favourite, and I asked her to write it out for me.

This is the same girl that asks me to put on the playlist with Disney and Hamilton in the mornings and finds libraries ‘so exciting’!

And she wants an axolotl:)

Xxx,

Line 

14 – A blessing

Okay so some days the kids fight like cats and dogs. And some days they don’t even want to acknowledge each other. Luckily, most days they have a good relationship.

Look at this. A few days ago I woke up without ANY kids in my bed or without anyone pulling the blinds open announcing that it was morning time and for everyone to wake up. I woke up to this:

MMelodie reading a story to Sophia – no fighting, no nasties, just pure love for each other – just the way it should be:)

Xxx,

Line

13 – An answered prayer

I think we’ve all been praying and hoping for warmer weather. It’s mid November and the pool has hardly been used. Today was the first day we went straight from school pick up to pool – enjoying strawberries and Zooper doopers:)

Let’s keep praying for days like these!

Xxx,

Line

8 – Something Big

I have to try to not just put of pictures of the kiddies, but I feel so many of these could totally relate to them, so be prepared. That’s why I had to think different with this one. Obviously, they are all big, Ricky has just toilet trained, Sophia is starting kindy next year, and Melodie is an old soul who reads and writes and drinks cups of tea. And because I will try to take the photo rather than find on on the internet, I needed to find something big:

 

Here it is, my BIG meal! Haha, yesterday we went out to dinner, and I ordered this schnitzel, and it came out being HUGE. Let’s just say Simon was not disappointed with it, as he finished off half of it anyway.

Xxx,

Line

9 – Something small

You may not know this, but today is World Diabetes day. I took a screen shot of the google front page who has changed their front page in honour of this day – which makes me so happy! Such a small thing for them to do, but it still means a lot to many out there. I told Melodie about it and she was very happy. Now she wants to work for Google:)

Xxx,

Line

10 – An ability

My goal for he summer is for Sophia to learn how to write her name before she starts kindly – today she had a ‘learning session’. She has four of the letters down but still learning S and A. So we continue:) o suppose this is more an ability she is learning still – not quite there yet:) but she is keen!

Xxx,

LINE

11 – Something natural

I was going to post a picture of the giant snail the girls have adopted but someone forgot to put the lid on the box, so he had escaped overnight! Then we went to the market and I realised; what is more natural than a bunch of fresh fruit and veggies?

One of the best part of living in Australia is the fruit and veggies are far superior to most in Norway – because we import it mostly. The stuff that is grown there is amazing, but the rest is only meh compared to here. That’s why I was excited to fins out there was a market near us, and altough I try to get there every week I usually forget:/ Its great for many reasons obviously; supporting local farmers and businesses, the stuff is usually better and fresher and the kids actually get to see it and it opens up conversations about where stuff comes from – and theb they ask to try new things which I am more than happy to let them do:)

(Also, all that food I bought today cost about $30 – and look at it! Love that it’s mostly cheaper too:))

Xxx,

Line

12 – An unanswered prayer

I’m not religious or anything but I think I may have prayed that this wouldn’t come true. But Sadly…

Xxx,

Line

7 – a surprise!

What’s so surprising about this, you might say? Well, that’s because I saw it today, on a car here in Australia – at my local shops! Whoever owned the car never came back while I was there, but the sticker was fairly new so I would have wanted to ask them… But quite surprising seeing it there:)

Xxx,

Line

6 – a need

I can see you all nodding there, we all know it – coffee IS needed!

Xxx,

Line

5 – a luxury

My own little piece of luxury in my own backyard<3 

Time for a hammock-swing me thinks!

Xxx,

Line