moving!

I have decided to give typepad a try (for free) for a couple of weeks and see how I like it. Blogging has become an important part of my daily life and I feel blogger does not quite live up to my expectations, I hope typepad will! I am not deleting this blog or exporting it since all the photos and formating of the posts would be lost. This way I can always come back to blogger if I feel like it :)

Hope you will join me at www.cosycactus.typepad.com. I have made so many fantastic friends through this blog and hope you will continue to share this journey with me and my family.

corner view ::the best kept secret :: Tromsø (Norway)

The best kept secret up here above the arctic circle? Well of course it is related to the weather! There is a norwegian saying which reflects this secret::

"There is no bad weather, just bad clothing"

Have a fantastic summer everyone and see you in september!

For more corner views::

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,

caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian,

athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, kelleyn, iris, demara, mus, ninja

casting on

Blogger is giving me grey hairs these days. I'm having problems uploading my pics and I have gotten some feedback about not being able to post comments. Is anyone else having problems? There is several of you that use other blog systems (typepad, wordpress...), have you ever been a blogger user? Are you happy with your "blog system"? I might be considering changing from blogger, but I don't know to what. Plus, I never manage to post my photos from flickr directly to my blog. And this bugs me, very much. I would feel safer if when people click on my photos they were directly sent over to flickr. Would love to hear your opinions about your blog system/program.

Anyhow, there has been a lot of knitting going around here these days (photo by the papa). The correct sentence would be, there's been a lot of casting on new projects. In a way I like the feeling of switching between projects, although I feel I never really commit to one so it usually takes twice as long to complete them. For a couple of them I have deadlines, my mums birthday in august and a soon to be one year old birthday boy in september. I don't want to say what I'm making yet in case someone is reading ;-)

Matias has discovered the wonders of the yarn spinner and gets excited each time I take it out. He loves turning to handle.

Otherwise we have been spending time outside in spite of the heat. Some of you wouldn't call this a heat wave at all, but for us above the arctic circle it is really warm :)

Matias found a worm as came running to show it to me. Unfortunately he managed to cut it in half. The releasing part is going a little slow. He likes to get small bugs and squeeze them. He doesn't mean it but its difficult to manage bugs with so little hands.

And look at those camouflage pants, don't they look fab ;-) ?

doing and making

So much going on these days, but so relaxing at the same time! The heat wave is still here (yay!) and believe it or not I actually think it is too warm! I think my body has acclimatized to cooler temperatures. The problem is it isn't possible to bathe in the sea cause it is really really cold, we are talking serious hypothermia after 5 minutes. If you fall off your boat here, you are likely to die after 3 or 5 minutes if you are not wearing a dry suit.

However, it is possible to take a dip in a bath tub on the balcony. And that is what Matias has been doing (together with his favorite bath duck of course!).

While the boys were having a splashing time, this mama was inside doing and making.

I had another attempt at doing jam. This time raspberry jam, and it turned out delicious! I used some pectin and a little less sugar. I also made a couple of loafs of oatmeal bread. We need to use up the 25 kilos of flour we received! The combination of homemade bread and jam is the best I know.

I also had a little affair with my sewing machine (I'm getting the hang of it!). As always inspired by the fantastic book "The creative family" I made Matias a couple of pants out of old t-shirts. This heat wave required an extra pair of camouflage shorts and some thin and light long trousers. I am very happy with the result, taking into account these are my first handmade clothing items.

Maybe I have also made new clothing for my husband in this heat wave? I'm sure he will thank me for such "airy" t-shirts ;-)

heat wave

Ahhh! What a wonderful summer day! The heat had a hint of tropical humidity to it today, very strange.

I finally got to wear one of my only summer dresses which I just love. Dresses that have buttons all the way down are my favorite kind, so classic and old fashioned at the same time.

And the best is that we managed to eat outside without having to wear a jacket. Matias was running around without a diaper and was not willing to sit at the table :) We are kind of beginning to potty train now and we let him run around a lot without diaper. He doesn't always manage to reach the potty, actually he hardly ever manages but at least its a start!

Anyhow, we ate norwegian shrimps ("reker"). They are the norwegian summer specialty. We bought some from a local fisherman while taking a small trip to the harbor. They must be eaten with white bread, some mayonnaise and some drops of lemon on the top. They are best eaten together with white wine, but we skipped that part.

Lets hope this "heat wave" continues through the weekend!

25 kilos heavier

A good friend of ours gave us today a 25 kilo bag of flour. Yes, 25 kilos! I could not get it up the stairs!

So what did we do today? Well of course, we baked!

First we made some simple cup cakes that Matias helped decorate with icing and smarties. Those went down in seconds.

And while Matias was napping I made strawberry muffins using Soulemama's recipe (without the rhubarb). It is the first time I bake with maple syrup, and I can assure you it wont be the last! The muffins were just delicious. I'm aware that mine turned out a little weird and maybe not very appetizing but really, they tasted yumi. I gave some to my friend who gave us the flour, she loved them too.

I also made some cauliflower soup for dinner since the recipe required using some flour :-)

-1 cauliflower cut in small bouquets

-3 dl water

-1 tsp salt

-6 dl vegetable bouillon

-3 tbsp flour

-3 dl milk

-3 tbsp cream

*Cook the cauliflower for 5 minutes in the salty water and then set them aside.

*Add the vegetable bouillon to the boiled water.

*Mix flour and milk and add the mixture to the pot with the water and bouillon when it boils.

*Boil again and add the cauliflower.

*Cook until the cauliflower is soft and add the cream.

*Taste and add some salt and pepper if needed

*Enjoy!

I froze have of the batch I made today. It will make a nice lunch dish or a starter over the winter.

I hope to experiment with some jam making this weekend.

Hope your weekend is full of yumi moments too!

creative space

Today was one of those days. One of those days when I actually have achieved a couple of things written on my "to do" list. And the best of all is that they are related to crafting. For once I haven't crossed out from my list "make bread", "write monthly budget" or "put away laundry".

This, is my teeny weeny crafting area. Also known as the dinning table, and at the back on the wall you can see my second sewing project (the first one is still not finished), our information/family board.

I covered a cork board I found at the Salvation Army shop (for just 10 norwegian crowns or 1 pound) with two different fabrics. One is the strawberry fabric I used to cover my jam glasses and the other one is a mix of greens. Depending on our mood we can use one or the other. I am planning to sew an autumn/christmas one too. I hope to hang up on the board our weekly menus, shopping lists, postcards sent to us, and all those little notes that take up space on our fridge door.

I got the inspiration from the book Seams to me by Anna Maria Horner. In her book she uses a magnetic board. Well maybe it isn't much of a sewing project but for me this is a huge step towards getting to know my sewing machine.

I have also come to understand why some people prefer sewing to knitting or crocheting. I mean, within a couple of hours you have a fantastic handmade piece instead of having to wait for weeks (or months!) for your knitting to be done.

I have also finally put up a little inspiration/art exposition wire for Matias. I have been meaning to do it forever, and I am really happy it is up now.

The two prints to the right are made by the fantastic Genine over at etsy. The other two pictures are made by Matias. The one closest to the left we did today with homemade finger paint.

Matias does not care too much for coloring brushes yet and prefers to use his fingers. I found the recipe over at the "Salt and Chocolate" blog which was originally taken from the Martha Steward page. I have just discovered this fantastic blog and want to share this super simple recipe with you::

-4 tablespoons of sugar

-half a cup of cornstarch

-2 cups of cold water.

Mix all three ingredients and heat over medium heat until the mixture is thick. Cool down, divide into 4 or more containers and add food coloring.

Well now, this was a long post. Luckily is was all about crafting goodness, which is what lifts our spirits, right?