Cosycactus

the long weekend

We had a fantastic long weekend celebrating the national day. I baked and baked with baby in wrap all morning to get the cakes going.

 

The weather was fantastic all weekend. We hit 22 degrees on the the 17th of may, the warmest place in the whole of Norway according to the weather guy, incredible! I dusted out the skirts and no-sock-shoes. However the temperatures dropped again to about 5 degrees today, but I am happy we got lots of time outside without the many layers we usually need. 

There were quite a few cakes made this long weekend. Olive oil cake, pavlova, chocolate almond cake. We celebrated Norway, and the arrival of yet another little boy to the world. I think 2012 is a boy year, at least in my circle of friends and family!

And at the end of each day the boys have been listening to their bird book. It is so sweet to see them look at the photos of birds and then press the button to listen to the sound they make.

And now we start yet another week. Time is flying by and summer is just around the corner!

Oh and my random number generator (aka my husband) picked: Sylvía and Ibabe. Send me your addresses to my email (cosycactus@gmail.com) and will post them this week :)

one month

It seems like yesterday when this babe of ours decided to arrive, a week ahead of schedule. But babies have their own timeline and he was ready to discover this wonderful world. Its been a full month. A month of adjusting, of little sleep, of soothing belly aches, of brother love over and over again, of huge piles of laundry, of cosy moments and above all of welcoming this sweet baby boy into our lives. 

I think we will make happy-one-month-old cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

Yes, that sounds like a good idea on this sunny wednesday!

weekending

-We made "sunbuns" to welcome the Sun back. We still haven't seen the Sun but it is officially back although it doesn't rise above the trees yet. I am thinking next weekend we will finally see it!

-We ate dropped scones from this book both Saturday and Sunday.

-The boys sled and snow surfed down the barn ramp, so much fun!

-We went to give some food to the roe deer who live in the forest and who struggle to find food during the cold winters here.

I also knitted not one but two tiny hats this weekend! More on that tomorrow. I am feeling extremely productive recently, at least in the knitting front! I am also making progress on my manuscript which I hope to finish next week. It will be a long week with me working against the clock and pappa away on business trip!

But we just might see the Sun after two months without it so it will all be fine!

a productive end of the year

So its been a productive end of the year, at least knittingwise! In the last three months I have knitted more than during the whole year. It must be the pregnancy hormones! This is the hat I have been meaning to knit for ages now. The pattern is from Soulemama and I used a strand of merino wool and a strand of a merino and silk blend. It is absolutely perfect for winter, as silk is supposed to be warmer than wool. I used the rest of wool left from my neckwarmer.

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And yet another cardigan for this babe of mine. I think this baby is not going to be cold when he/she decides to come out! It is the easy peasy cardigan. And it is as the name states a breeze to knit.

And then some bootie love! I think I have found the perfect bootie pattern. I still need to test them on baby but I have the feeling these will stay on the feet. I am playing a little bit with different yarn weight which gives different bootie sizes. I will be knitting more of these after new year. I have a couple of cardigans I knit for the boys to show you still, I just need to get those buttons on.

And as for the new year knitting goals, I haven't really set any yet. During 2011 I completed about 90% of the projects I had lying around, which was my years goal. I am happy with that. This next year I suppose I should knit something the the Mr. He is the only one who doesn't have anything made by me (except hats and neckwarmers). Yes it sounds like a good plan.

I will be also taking another go at the 365 project during 2012. I was so happy to complete my first one during 2010 that I want to do it again. I will be posting a photo a day over here (actually 366 this year!). Well, I may not manage to post everyday but will be taking a photo everyday, you know how busy life can get. We have managed to get a better internet connection (better but still not good...) so I am again diving into Flickr and uploading my pics over there. It is such a source of inspiration!

And now I must begin the battle with the king crab that is waiting for me in the kitchen and get it ready for tomorrow. I think I will win. 

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

 

at the end of the year

So full our days have been. We have been battling a little sickness so we are a bit tired now after the big days are over now. 

And now the plans for the New Year begin. Last year I decided not to even think about new year resolutions/lists. This year it will be different. I must say I am happy 2011 is nearly over, it has been a wonderful year but also challenging in many ways.  I know 2012 will bring lots of new challenges, among them a new baby and our adjustment to being a family of five, but I will be most of the year on maternity leave and the juggling between work and family life will be easier. I must say I am finding it difficult to find the balance between the two worlds and at the same time I realize I cannot live in only one of them. 

On a happier note we are going dog sledging tomorrow! So exciting!

Happy last week of the year!

Merry Christmas

There was such a beautiful light today.

I just wanted to share a few photos of our morning walk and wish you a very merry Christmas in case I don't pop into this space before next week.

We are putting our Christmas tree up today, good times I'm telling you!

Until the next time, keep warm and hug your loved ones a little bit longer during these days of Joy.

first advent weekend

We had a batch of new snow last week and that made us go outside this weekend to make among other things lots of snow angels. It is all so beautiful dressed in white, and now that the advent lights are on all over the place, everything gets this magic close-to-Christmas touch.

And when the darkness is upon us, at about 1 p.m., we retreat inside to keep on moving around like for example jumping on beds. We have been busy also inside making making making! We made the advent candles made of rolled bees wax. Very simple and magical for the children to make. I am still laking a proper candel holder for them.

I have also been picking up loads (and loads) of paper clippings. We have been making paper stars and snow flakes which are a perfect and simple way to decorate the house and give the room a holiday feeling. We took a trip on Sunday to our local Christmas fair where there was lots of wonderful handmade things to buy (and eat!). Its so nice to be getting into the holiday spirit already!

And a little secret is that Santa seemed to arrive a bit early with mammas present this year and so a wonderful new SLR camera appeared at our door last week! It is the newer model of my old SLR. I am so happy once again to be able to take proper indoor photos in poor light and to not have the feeling anymore that I am missing all those good photo moments which my small point and shoot camera just couldn't capture.

So yes, Christmas has definitely started already at our house!

halloween

What a lovely lovely halloween evening we had! The boys were very fascinated by the pumpkins and how they glowed in the evening. We spent the afternoon with friends. We at dinner together and then gathered around the fire with face paints to try to make some simple face art.

It was raining for some part of the afternoon but stopped right in time for us to go outside trick or treating in the dark.

At the end of the evening we sat on the floor enjoying the treats collected from our neighbours. The boys ate some sweets (and then mamma and pappa ate some too!), but they were so exhausted that it was easy to put them to bed in spite of all the excitement. 

I apologize for the terrible photo quality. The light is really not the best and my small point and shoot camera is starting to struggle already. I am hoping Santa will bring me a new SLR this Christmas cause I really miss it!

Anyway, today we woke up to snow! Finally! Not sure how long it will last but the temperatures are pretty low already so I am hoping the rainy days are over.

four!

My boy turned four this weekend! I made him a football inspired cake and we had a party on Saturday with his friends. It is the first time he has an official birthday party with guests. He was very excited.

We still have no snow. We are getting a little anxious since the daylight is quickly dissapearing. The sun sets at about 2 p.m. and it is pitch black by 3 p.m. The snow makes everything lighter, even in the absence of sun. We are getting prepared to celebrate halloween today. We were a little ambitious this weekend and wanted to bake and carv pumkins on Sunday. In the end we made some cookies and it was mamma who ended up carving the pumkins after the boys went to bed. Its the first time we are going trick or treating and we are keeping costumes to the minimal. Basically no outdoor costumes since we need so many layers of clothes when we leave the house! We will however paint their faces and gather at a friends house to eat dinner before going out to the few neighboring houses to ask for sweets. I am excited about incorporating some celebration in this dark time of the year for us living so far north. Pictures to come!

biking

Matias is biking! Such an important milestone! He is so happy about it and wants to bike everywhere now. It just happened from one day to the next, its strange how the brain works. He was able suddenly to coordinate hands and feet and off he went. 

Our internet connection is on and off all the time. It is very irritating as I cannot post whenever I want. I am however taking photos and hopefully at some point will be able to post all that I want. 

Until then, have a happy week!