Today....

Men worked hard... painting. Me worked hard on my texts. Me fed men at regular intervals :)


The weather was just gorgeous after so many weeks of rain... Waiving hands to Tracy, my friend at the other side of the Oslofjord - I'm sure you enjoy the nice days too! :)

Sometimes, a small breeze passed, otherwise it was really SO hot... After working since 8 am, H. and friend called it quits in the late afternoon... Yesterday they worked till 9 pm!


That wall (above) only received the first layer... more work to do...

H.'s mother's house, next to ours... it's a small house built three years ago, she enjoys it very much and has her garden to take care of behind.

Toska had been out all night hunting... guess what she did all day :)


Happy enjoyed the day a bit less... it was too hot. But I'll bike in the woods with him tomorrow, promised!

Afterwards it was time to deliver the hired lift back... it was of huge help for painting the highest parts of the house... but it took a couple of hours to secure it in place each time it was moved...

Told you it was hard work...


I'll leave you with a photo of a wooden figure I got for hanging my necklaces... Waiving both hands to Nicole and Kara this time! Oh Tracy, you'll recognize the necklace with the little sparrow.... I custom ordered earrings for it too! :) I'll promise not to wear it when we meet! LOL
I just adore this torso... The shop had three more models, small and big, and I think I just have to get another one! Isn't it a splendid idea? I got this one with some parts prepainted in white, but it is also available in bare wood to be painted to one's liking.

While shopping, i didn't resist to some goodies on sale... I also thought of someone who likes... oh I can't say what and who it is, but something is on its way.... to somewhere :)


In the evening I just suggested we drive to our fav' restaurant at the lake.... We deserved to relax a bit... Our guests arrive in just a week and we are soooooo late with work... Will we manage to empty, prepare and paint the living-room in just three days? I'll keep you updated!

Well, it's more or less me today! :)

Little visitor

And just as I was painting, H. who was working beside me called me to look... I hadn't noticed this poor scared creature shivering right at my feet!

Middle of the week update..

Wooo-hah! I didn't expect this summer to be such a busy, hard-working period! I'm not complaining though, we're getting loads of things accomplished. This is basically the first year after H.'s heart operation when (knock wood!) he has no health issues to handle and everything is super fine health-wise.
This little fellow , my only nephew, is going to visit me with his dad and mom on his way back home to Switzerland after a short vacation at grand-father in Poland, aka my own father. Can't wait to see him again!! It's such a sad thing I only get to see him twice a year or so. He's a wonderful, bright, happy little guy, already fully bilingual and learning his third language, English, since a year. Hopefully H. will be able to have discussions with him one day :)

It's been raining and cold to moderately warm since early June, which ruined some plans we have to adapt daily. Basically, we should have painted the house from the outside two weeks ago with the help of a friend and his son. Some works happened, but the weather is so unstable that we're painting in every free moment when it also doesn't rain. Ah, but it's a delight to see the result, the old ugly brown house has already partly turned into a much nicier light cream version. It's my first time painting the outside of a house and I've yet to decide whether I like it or not. Could be almost called funny, but then since the house is big, the work never seems to end...
Our guests arrive in just over two weeks and we have a long way to go. We also need to start and finish painting the big living-room downstairs... ah, we had ambitious plans we need to revise a bit.
Not only the weather plays tricks on me, but also the huge amount of regular work I got to do this month... For the three past weeks, I worked way beyond human capabilities... and it goes on and on.
Cross-stitch, well... I manage to put a stitch here and there sometimes... but I've already decided that yes, I will put that big order (craft supplies) from Panduro very soon, we're tough on money but I just need to reward myself for this insane period! It *is* insane... Just a moment ago I was smiling to H. who looks rather poor today and told him we just need to go through the next two weeks... and once our guests leave, we can sleep in and watch the birds fly and whatever else we'll feel for doing! Our favorite place in the wilderness is almost fully booked in August excepted for 5 days but we've decided to drive the 600 km (on way) there and relax, it is worth it. A long way to drive for such a short time, I know, but it's a magical place. And I'll think of a place where we could stop over for a night or two additionally. One possibility could be Lillehammer, a place very dear to us both, but we haven't managed to go there for the past couple of years, at least. Lots of great shops on its long pedestrian street and so many lovely memories... :)
I'm now hooked to etsy and I've decided to show some beautiful items I've been getting this year, from wonderfully skilled ladies. Maybe I'll inspire you to visit them... I'm sure they would love you to see their work, and they deserve your oooohs and aaahs! :)

Today I got such a lovely surprise... totally unexpected! Dear Irene sent me a belated birthday gift, actually many of them - a piece of lovely pink Lugana, a pink skein, two pink ribbon rolls (soooo adorable, just my style!!) and a box of birthday chocolates (ooooh how yummy!! H. didn't get even one this time! LOL) and two cards... for Happy and Toska, can you believe! Irene, you had me in tears when I discovered them... I laughed so much! How lovely of you... and how funny!!!
The dog card is 100% edible but for the moment I am saving it... just to look at it more. I'll take shots when I give it to him!
The cat card is with catnip... I'll have fun presenting it to Toska (who got her nails shortened today after ruining a new cream leather couch... and is *offended* now for the rest of the day, I guess, as much as a cat can be and show it to the world).

Also, Donna received her birthday giftie...

Pinkeep from Patricia

I'm drowning under regular work and painting works, so this message will be short... tomorrow I'm delivering the last urgent contract translation, have to work all night again... I think I translated over 300 pages in the past two weeks...Oh, I so look forward to sleeping in on Sunday!! The next huge job is for in three weeks, so that'll leave me time to breathe and update this blog... have lots to show!!! I've been reading most blogs I regularly read but haven't had time to leave messages...

Just a quickie now... today I received my Prairie Schooler Pinkeep exchange from Patricia in Australia and it made my day :) Thank you so much, Pat! I LOVE kangooroo card!!! Thank you for the rayon threads as well... Did I say I love the postcard? :)

Patricia wrote such a lovely message... she also said it's her first pinkeep, would you believe? :)

First we take.... Oslo!

..after Leonard Cohen's concert in Oslo... we're just back after a **fabulous** evening.... Just unforgettable!!

(clickable)

HOE freebie exchange

Now that Karen K. in Australia received it, I can show what I stitched for her :)
It is a Sheepish Designs freebie, stitched on Antique Parchment linen from R&R, with my choice of GAST/WDW threads. For the finishing, I used silk blue marine ribbon, fabric from The FatQuarterShop and a hemp cord in rust color. I did some free-hand "embroidery" on the sides and to tack the ribbon to them. Oh, that was an ambitious project... even if it doesn't look so, it took me an awfull lot of time to do the finishing... As I always say, I am no fast finisher! Especially since I was trying to fulfill an idea of my own... I loved the result, which was a big pillow to hang and I am relieved to hear that Karen liked it too :) I was thinking that she might like to hang it at an entrance or her shop.... :)

Norwegian bunad (national costumes)

I've always had a strong interest in Norwegian bunads - in their different styles, origins, in the accompanying jewellery and it was a real treat some weeks ago to visit Norways' biggest travelling exhibition of private bunads. So many were exhibited... I spent a long time analyzing details and trying to remember various details :). Bunads are worn not only on May 17th, Norway's National Day, but also on all important occasions. In a way, I found it practical - you feel you've got nothing to wear for that cousin's wedding? You wear your bunad! At the beggining, I had to get accustomed to this habit - why would anyone want to wear a national costume for a family event? :) Norwegians have a very strong perception of their national identity and that's something I learned to love. Bunads represent the various regions, and you usually choose your own according to where your or your husband family comes from. In some families, teenagers get their first bunad at confirmation, sometimes one coming from their grand-parents, often in pieces that can be adjusted to size.

Oh see the details....

The two children costumes below represent Karasjok, a town in the extreme north of Norway, in Finnmark (Finnmark is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland (Lapland) to the south and Russia (Murmansk Oblast) to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea (Atlantic Ocean) to the northwest, and the Barents Sea (Arctic Ocean) to the north and northeast - for more information and a map, click HERE).

These were a bit funny, they reminded me of our own Polish Zakopane style (prawda, Elu?)

That one was a bit out the ordinary (skirt)...

I love it...
But there were many, many more bunads...

Some from the world-famous Hardanger area... see the embroidery on the lowest two red bunads...

From some northern counties in Noway... (Troms etc.)

That would be one for Follo, the district we are in... (one of the three in Akershus county)...

Here's one from the Svalbard Islands...

Two from the Gudbrandsdal valley (I took that shot thinking of you, Tracy!) - one in the background. Some other regions...

See that beautiful handwork...
These were from Oslo...
More beauties...More bunads....

HERE is a short wiki article on this topic and I invite you to see more pictures I uploaded to a webshots album. I hope you enjoy looking at them!