American in Norway

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new camera..... Eva this afternoon.... off to a wedding reception, will post tomorrow... just had to tell you about my new camera!

I am playing Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Fiesta Finish !!! .... Oh sooo many pictures to choose from .... This is Dane laying on top of our boat in his life jacket.... I feel like the boy just dosen't get enough face time gosh darn it.... Unless you have been reading me for a while, your probably don't even know I have another child.... But I do.... he is my FAVORITE son.... Funny, smart, loving, & such a blessing... Ugh... where have the years gone... seems he was just a baby yesterday & now he is in 4th grade.... (mommy is about to have a moment...) Here are a couple of posts about the favorite son... mmm hmmmm... did I say blessing? Mortified Monday... , Best day E V E R !

Oh yes.... just when we thought things were back to "normal" ... See my baby girl... face painting at school... Cute? No? Eva this morning.... I am really hoping it is a reaction to the make up... however she has never had a problem before.... Called our Dr. who advised giving her Benadryl ( sp ?) to see if it helps.... So now I am taking her pictures to keep an eye on the swelling... better or not... I think so. Its just after the LYME disease this summer I am easily freaked out. Just never seems to end here. I know ya'll probably think I have Munchausen syndrome by proxy Nothing good to write about? lets push daddy off of a ladder... or stick some ticks on the baby.... or blow her face up like a balloon...... Some great blogging material.... YEA! So about the windows..... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I THINK... I am going to try to see about doing some panels... on the back windows.... really it is to finish them off... I like lots of natural light.... but t...

OK here are some of the windows on the first floor.... Please keep in mind I have yet to decorate..thus, the crap & nick knacks sitting around in the windows.... I don't know where to start! The living room /dining room are pretty open... as is the kitchen. Do I stick with one type of window treatment & carry it through? As you see, the house is VANILLA... actually the color is CAPPUCINO...but I think it is very vanilla & very PLAIN... We agreed to keep it light because of the very dark LONG Norwegian winters...... But, I want it to feel cozy & a home... I think the windows would be a good place to warm things up & add some color... No? Problem... 3 different sized windows... Should I try to hide the difference? is that possible?

Sigh.... now that everything has died down, family healthy, wedding over, kids back to school... I have something new to obsess about.... My new house.... I know WHAAA ... but really, I have the new house blues. I SWORE I would never build a house in Norway.... (I also swore I wouldn't marry a sailor, or allow my children to play with toy guns... & 5,000,000 other things... I should just stop swearing.) The difference between building in Norway & U.S.? In the states, when you build a house, it is actually FINISHED when you move in.... Here in Norway, it is usually about 50% finished. In the states when you buy a build job.... the price includes everything including grass.... In Norway... Oops... the price did NOT include the floors, or door knobs, toilets...... GRASS? PUH -LEESE. What I wouldn't give for a little roll out grass (sod) just so our house didn't still look like a building site. All of the little things we thought we would be able to do ourselves.... wit...

OK... there went the bride ,about two weeks ago.... But who is going to check out that post? What I REALLY wanted to say was HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to my Baby sister who is 25 today! I have a million pictures to post from her big day.... but I feel like none of them really do her big day justice.... Here are just a few shots of the precious couple ... & their big day They all seem to be enjoying themselves.... EXCEPT maybe ... THIS guy....doesn't he totally look like.... " Come on already ... HOW MUCH LONGER is this crap gonna take.... cause, really.... I do have something better to do." I am sure I will have to edit this post when my sister reads it.... but what the hell.... I thought it was funny.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIDDO... LOVE YOU!

OK so this post is a little late in coming... but mamma has had her hands full. As promised a post about Eva's CLASSY Pirate Party. Before we left for the states... the kids (DANE) got the idea to have Eva's B-day party at Chucky Cheese's. Unfortunately, the only Chucky Cheese's I knew of, had been closed down (probably by the health department...N I C E.) So I promised we would do something fun... even better. But as luck would have it.... when we arrived to Kansas City... they had built a BRAND NEW Chucky Cheese's by my parents house. After changing the date & locations a few times... we agreed that we would have the Pirate Party at Chucky Cheese's. My girlfriend Margot (Martha Stewart of the M idwest ) offered to get a party planned for me before we came over to the States.... but because Eva was dead set on having a Pirate Party & not something cute & pink like mommy wanted... I said not to bother... I would swing buy W almart buy some goo...

I finally did it today... I threw away my SKINNY clothes... & it actually felt pretty good. I found myself trying to make deals with myself.... Oh this is classic... & if only I lose so much weight... I can wear it again... But no.... it all went in the bags to go to "Good Will" These clothes are from BEFORE I got married... when I was the thinest I have been in my adult life. Last time my closet had a cleaning like this my little sister made me throw away all of my clothes from College... (2 years ago... I know... I am a LOSER) Oh believe me... I plan on losing weight... I promised Ramblings of a 30-Something Year Old Single Girl & my best friend from High School Song for Whoever that I would get going as soon as I returned from the U.S. I went for a 30 min walk through the forest today...(a girl has to start somewhere right) when I decided I was going to purge my life of everything cluttering it up.... too small clothes, crap given to me that I don't...

Today was the first day of 4 th Grade for Dane & missed it.... I had to work this morning & was gone before he woke up.... Whaaa .... ( I LOVE... LOVE ... my job... but today... I was kind of wishing I was a SAHM again..) And although I left instructions for Bjørn to take a picture before Dane went to school, I guess I forgot to leave instructions on HOW to take the picture.... By HIMSELF ... on the way out the door... etc. ( ooo , do we think someone is PMS ' ing ?) & what is the deal with Eva's hair? HELLOOOO ?....first day at the new preschool... they are going to think we let her run around like a wild animal.... (In all fairness, Daddy is only working with one hand ... So I guess I will have to let it slide...) Fourth Grade is the first day of school I really remember. I had just moved to Houston..It was in Mrs. Wiegel's class that I met one of my oldest & dearest friends.... Michele, who would be my Maid of Honor & RCCL sailing mate.....

A ha... I found a few pictures on my I-phone... Too bad the photo I had of SOMEONE using LEE Press On TOE NAILS ... was on the old camera... & the fake toe nails are lost F O R E V A .... (are fake toe nails a new thing? Or am I just that out of it?) Anyway... back to my picture On our flight over to the states... Eva was refusing to put her seat belt on. I explained to her that she had to have it on, or the pilot wouldn't take off. She finally agreed, but only after I agreed to not pull it too tight.... Eva: "because if I put it too tight... my legs will fall off!" me : Huh? Eva: "Look mommy...see... ?" then she points to the picture on the seat in front of her...

I got an award! I have a Kick A*S Blog... at least Therese thinks so... Hugs & a great Big Thanks Therese! Therese at The Musings of a Mom gave me this award, So here are the rules: * Pick 5 Bloggers that you feel are Kick A** Bloggers* Let em' know in your post or via email, twitter or blog comments that they've received an award* Share the love and link back to both the person who awarded you and back to Kick A** Blogger Award * Hop on back to the Kick A** Blogger Club HQ to sign Mr. Linky then pass it on (which you can also get to on the above link)Pretty simple, right? The award goes to: Jill - The Perlman Update the most energetic mommy I "know" . This girl has adventures from all around the world & makes living in Norway sound B O R I N G.. She has a BEAUTIFUL family & is a whiz at posting from anywhere to keep us updated. Laural over at Mamasphere ... the girl is just F U N N Y ! She was nice enough to play along when I had mortified Monday &...

Time to play Candid Carrie 's Friday Foto Finish... I couldn't wait to start sharing some of my pictures from the U.S.... These are photos from my baby sister (aka Martha Stewart) wedding last weekend. When Alicia & her new hubby Ryan walked out of the church after the ceremony, Dane & my nephew Tyler set butterflies free.... If you look closely... you will see a butterfly behind Eva's bow The wedding was amazing... with every little detail planned out by my sister. I am sure I can do 15 posts about the wedding alone... Maybe I should save the best for last & start with my "Keeping it Classy" Pirate birthday I had for Eva instead?

Guess I will start with the trip home yesterday.... It was like catching EVERY green light on your way to work.... Y E S.... it went THAT well. The kids and I flew into Chicago for an overnight before heading back to Norway... (Remember, this was supposed to be a family vacation before hubby decided to fall off of the roof.) I was dreading the trip back because I had to get across town from Midway to O'Hare ... Plus, I had to figure out what to do with the kids & 8 pieces of luggage until our flight left 8pm on Tuesday night. Just as I was about to throw out an extra 100, to add a day room to our hotel stay, I came across the Holiday Inn in Elmhurst . B I N G O... MAYAN ADVENTURE INDOOR WATERPARK AT HOLIDAY INN CHICAGO ELMHURST ... - it is your typical Holiday Inn... nothing fancy..but it was clean & the service... AWESOME.. Not sure what they are giving their employees in Elmhurst but they are some of the most friendly helpful staff I have encountered EVER... Anyone w...

I was going to wait until I got home from work to pop in and say HELLO.... But I missed all of you so much, I just had to drop a line before I get back to the REAL WORLD. Off to work, & am very TIRED! I at least, was worn out enough to fall into bed after getting home from the airport last night... but the kids... (or should I say WILD THINGS) have been roaming the house most of the night... they should be a lot of FUN today. Let's see if my mother in law has really missed them as much as she said! I snapped over 900 pictures over the past few weeks... Don't worry, I don't plan on making you sit through all of them. (My adorable husband broke down & bought me my new dream camera for our anniversary.) Oh soo much to share! Can't wait... but first off to the office... wish me luck!