Snapshot of life

Pin It

Today's catch at #halloween by a dangerous #pirate #sabeltann

Snapshot of life

Pin It

The 5-year old and mummy have #carved #pumpkins for #halloween. Not too shabby for first try (which is social media language for we-think-we-are-the-best-ever-and-if-there-ever-were-to-become-a-national-team-in-pumpkin-carving-we-would-be-the-first-one-they-call-and-now-we-are-waiting-for-all-your-likes-and-comments-to-validate-that).

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Another pirate boat chocolate cake.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Apple pie. Specially made for the 5-year old's birthday.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Late night snack. Pink lady apple, nectarine, blue grapes, and blueberries.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Saturday night snack - strawberries with a drizzle of sweet milk on top.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

A purple striped tunic for a small birthday girl. Knitted with Blackhill Højlandsuld and Drops Delight on 3,25 mm needles, size 12-18 months.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Getting ready for autumn. Autumn striped tunic knitted with Blackhill Højlandsuld and Drops Delight on 3,25 mm needle, size 9-12 months.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

The 1-year old's first shoes to be used in day care. My heart is torn between melting because of the cuteness of the shoes or breaking because of the thought of my baby starting day care.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

The yarn from garnudsalg.dk finally arrived. Oh happy days! Love the colors.

Space invaders cardigan in progress

Pin It

The 5-year old needed a new kindergarten sweater for next winter. Used the chart I used for my Space Invaders Baby Blanket (which is a modified mix of the traditional Norwegian pattern Marius and Arne & Carlos' Cheese Attack). I decided to make a cardigan, so I have added a 9sts steek in the front. I decided to go for a raglan as I couldn't be bothered to modify the chart for knitting in the round, nor did I want to have to sew in the arms because of bulk and lazyness ;-).

I am knitting on 3,25mm Chiagoo needles using Blackhill Højlandsuld (wool) from Garnudsalg.dk. I really like this yarn AND it is affordable - a winner! I am knitting with the following colors: Brandbil (red), Lys Indigo (light blue), Skifer (dark grey), and Kiwi (green)

Space Invaders/Marius Baby blanket

Pin It

 

A new nephew were announcing his arrival so I decided to knit a baby blanket. I have been fascinated by the traditional Norwegian pattern Marius for a while and I really wanted to knit a blanket using that pattern. But, at the same time I have had Arne & Carlo's pattern for Space Invader sweater sitting in my knit list for, like, forever, so it had to be a mix of those two patterns.

See more pictures and read more here.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Home again, enjoying a glass of wine and some cheese doodles after the children are put to bed.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

#red #old #house #tromsø #norway #northernnorway #angle

Snapshot of life

Pin It

#tromsø #view #beautiful #sunny #sun #summer #mountains #norway #northernnorway

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Dried fish in Stamsund, Northern Norway

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Grandma's old coffee cup is getting a new life as an espresso cup.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Productive morning. Made jam drop cookies with the 4-year old, made a batch of yoghurt bread rolls, and finished it all off with whipping up some spaghetti carbonara for lunch. 800 mummy points rewarded to me.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Rainbow spaghetti and octopus sausages. A thousands mummy points to me. My 4-year old worshipped me.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Preparing kalbi for today's bbq

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Bbq pork belly with apricots and pork ribs

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Getting ready to get shiny feet. Can't wait.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

First time on the swing

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Beautiful spring!

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Thursday is the new Friday

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Lawn decoration.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

The baby blanket is growing. It measures about 35 cm so far. I am aiming for it to be 90 cm long when it is finished. I say aiming as this is a bit of an improvised project. I knew I wanted to incorporate the Marius diagram, but not how and where. I have already had to rip it back a few times. The first time when I realised I wouldn't have enough of the blue colour to use it as the background colour all the way through. Yes, I know, bad planning. But as I only used 90g for background colour to the Latvian Garden Blanket I thought I was definitely in the clear with my staggering 200g of blue. The second rip was because I didn't like how the modified pattern turned out so I decided to try to modify it somewhat different.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

More shoe love from Bianco

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Progress. The baby blanket is slowly growing.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

A summer dress for pretty baby. I really like this shape as it can be used as a top when baby grows bigger. Knitted with 3 skeins of Drops Cotton Viscose on 4mm needle.

Snapshot of life

Pin It

Scarf finally finished. Started this baby in 2008. So took me about 5 years to complete. Looks good, but the yarn was a pain in the bum to work with. Crocheted on needle 3mm with 3 skeins of Can Can yarn.

May 21, 2013 at 10:24AM

Pin It

Pretty knitted party dress for a pretty baby. Knitted on 4 mm needles (US size 6). Yarn: Drops Cotton Viscose.

May 20, 2013 at 05:17PM

Pin It

Started knitting a baby blanket with colour work. The colour work is a slight adaption of Arne & Carlo's Space Invaders and the traditional Marius pattern. On 3,25 mm needles (US size 3).

Today's dinner: Home made hamburger with the lot

Pin It

via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/Y5vr7ziI0v/

May 03, 2013 at 08:17PM

Pin It

Stripey, the shrug. Used two skeins of Drops Delight for the stripes. Very pleased with the result.

May 03, 2013 at 08:01PM

Pin It

Stripey, the shrug. Just finished a bit of an experiment. Knitted a tube, then knitted on the rib before I cut it open to create a shrug. Quite happy about it. Love the color combo.

May 03, 2013 at 07:43PM

Pin It

via Instagram

Today's dinner - spare ribs and chicken wings (#blog)

May 02, 2013 at 05:08PM

Pin It

via Instagram

Stuck at a dead end - or dangerous tiger hiding in its lair (#blog)

#new #garden #lounge. Bring on #summer. #blog

Pin It

via Instagram http://instagram.com/p/Yui_jFCIwZ/

Travelling with children: Red Garden food court in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Pin It

Eating at the food court is so ridiculously easy and fun. The food court is exactly that, a court. All the food stalls are standing around in a square and all the tables are set in the middle. All the tables are numbered, so you find yourself a table first and take note of the number. You then walk around the food court deciding on what yummy food you want to eat.

When you order you tell the vendor your table number, and then they will bring you the food to your table. You also pay when you receive the food. The food prices range from MR5 to MR 20, with the majority priced about MR5-10.

As soon as you sit down a drink waiter will pop up and take your drink order. Juices and milk coffee was RM2-3 and a large beer was RM13.

Definitely try the fried oyster omelette! It's incredibly yummy and moreish. You can order it in different sizes depending on how many you are to share or how hungry you are, and you would want to upsize it. Really. Pure yummyness.

Travelling with children: Going to Sihanoukville

Pin It

Stopping for lunch on our way to Sihanoukville, Cambodia

On Friday we headed south to Sihanoukville and our rendezvous with hubby’s family. All of them. Well, almost all of them. His parents, four of his sisters, two brothers-in-law, two friends of the family, and six nieces and nephews had rented a minivan with a driver and taken the 10 hour drive down from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville to see the ocean for the first time. In Cambodia the number of seats in a car is no indication as to how many people can fit in it. On their way down, they picked us up outside Phnom Penh, two adults, one child, one baby, three HUGE suitcases, and a baby pram in a pram pack. It was a tight fit, but everyone was happy and excited.

The gals are ready for Phnom Penh

Hubby’s family come from a small village a bit outside Siem Reap, and most of them have never been outside Siem Reap before. Hubby’s mum visited the capital, Phnom Penh, for the first time for our engagement party. No one had ever been to the beach before let alone seen the ocean. Most Cambodians have never, and will never, go on a holiday. First, they rarely get any time off from work, and the cost of going on a vacation is just too high. One of hubby’s dreams, since he himself saw the ocean for the first time on a holiday with me when we first started dating, was to show his family Sihanoukville. We have talked about doing it for years, but seeing that we would have to shoulder the majority of the cost such as accommodation, transport, food, and suchlike for everyone, we had to save up the money for it first. But finally, the time had come. Everyone was excited about this trip and a mere bagatelle such as slightly cramped seating arrangement could not put a lid on the high spirits.

And if that wasn’t enough for excitement, it was also the first time hubby’s family would meet our new addition to the family. Little sister has always been a tad skeptical to be held by strangers, and has been known to tell off her grandparents when they fall out of favor with the little missus. And then there were this crowd where everyone wanted to see, touch, hold, and talk to the little missus. She tolerated stoically for a bit, but soon enough let everyone know that enough was enough already. Big brother took to the crowd like fish to water.

Travelling with children: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Pin It

The view from our balcony at Aqua Boutique Guesthouse, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Our main reason for this 9-week-long trip in Asia was to spend time with hubby’s family in Cambodia. The extra countries (Thailand, Malaysia, South-Korea) were just extras, added on by me when I got a bit too caught up in buying plane tickets, and a bit too immersed in my memories of when I used to backpack around Asia. Additionally, I have since before I reproduced, claimed that travelling can be done with children, and I am damned if I will be proved wrong. 

So after a week in Thailand we arrived in Cambodia where we spent two nights in Phnom Penh catching up with old friends. I lived in Phnom Penh for three years, that’s how I met the hubby, and some of my old friends are still around.

We stayed at a great little guesthouse called Aqua Boutique Guesthouse where we paid US$45 for an apartment for three included breakfast. Can’t fault that. The more we are travelling, the more we appreciate the ability to shut the door to the bedroom. For all of us to stay in a normal hotel room is doable, but slightly inconvenient. And it also means that the kiddies won’t go to bed before we do. Being able to put the kiddies to bed and then go and sit in another room was a luxury we hadn’t had since we left home. The breakfast at the hotel was the normal fare. Eggs – fried, scrambled, or omelet – a side of bacon and tomato, two toasts with butter and jam, juice or coffee, and a small plate of fresh fruit. The staff was very helpful and happy and the location is pretty smack bam in the middle of town.

The Siam Paragon in Bangkok

Pin It


So thenTook a tuk tuk to the Siam Paragon in Bangkok. Were thinking of visiting the Siam Ocean World, but decided not to when we realised the entrance ticket was 1100 bath per adult and 900 bath per child. Instead we went windows shopping admiring all the chanel and prada and whatnot and had some food at the food court. A bit later we met up with a friend of the hubby from back home and went for a lovely lunch at a Thai suki restaurant. Suki is a type of soup where you will get a burner and a pot of stock on the table, and then you can order different type of vegs and meats to put in according to your taste and preferences. We ended up bying a selection of seafood, some nice duck, and lots of different vegetables, mushrooms, and fungus.

Then we went for a walk around the Paragon and Siam Centre. There were lots of interesting displays in Siam Centre.

And of course the best toilet sign ever :-).

Travelling with children: Train trip from Aonang/Krabi via Suri Thani to Bangkok

Pin It

Waiting for the bus to Suri Thani

Later on Sunday we packed up all our stuff and headed towards Bangkok. We wanted to go by train, but the closest train station is Suri Thani which is about 2 hours by bus from Krabi. But, not to worry, all travel agencies will sell you a combined ticket.

We got picked up from our hotel at 4pm.We were the first to be picked up, so then followed a round trip through most of the beaches around Ao Nang to pick up more travellers before we arrived at the bus station at Krabi around 5pm. Here we got our train ticket and we were told to wait for the bus to depart to Suri Thani at 6pm.

The bus trip to Suri Thani was pretty uneventful although a bit bumpy, and at one point big brother fell of his seat due to the bumpy ride. But, no one got hurt and after a kiss and a cuddle all was good. Little sister slept through most of the bus ride, and woke up in an excellent mood when we arrived at the train station.

Having some grub at a street stall

We wanted to find a restaurant where we could eat and drink a few hours seeing that we arrived at the train station at 8pm and our train was scheduled to depart at 23.30pm, but that worked out more difficult than we expected. The only two restaurants close to the station was in the process of closing up, and besides that there were only a couple of street stalls and a coffee shop located on the second floor. Seeing that we are lugging 75 kg of baggage around (25 kg of presents and clothes to be given away and 15 kg worth of baby pram) we decided to stay on ground level and sat down at one of the street stalls. But, not a bad decision. Had a yummy meal of green curry, shrimp omelet, spring rolls, and an egg roti with chocolate sauce for dessert. And all this for the net sum of 350 bath including drinks (about US$12).

Watching over our pile of luggage

Eventually we made our way over to the station and set up shop at the far end. And started to wait or the train. And waited. And waited. The scheduled departure time came and went without any train showing up. At last, at 1 am the train finally turned up and we hauled all our luggage, one sleeping baby girl, and one very sleepy 4-year old onto the train. 

Waking up at the train

We had bought 1^st class tickets in a sleeper car with three beds. In Thailand there are two types of 1^st class tickets, either seats in an open carriage where the beds are behind curtains, or slightly more expensive, seats in a private compartment. We weren’t sure which one we had ended up purchasing as the travel agency guy didn’t seem to know nor care and only kept telling us “yes, 1^st class, yes, yes”. But to our delight we had ended up with private compartments. Normally I am quite happy with the open carriage, but with a baby and a 4-year old in tow it was lovely to not having to deal or interact with anyone else. Actually, we got two tiny compartments as each compartments only holds 2 beds (an upper and a lower) and we had bought three seats, but there were a door between the compartments which could be opened, and the fourth bed was empty (lucky us). For all this we had paid about 5200 bath including the bus from Krabi to Suri Thani (US$175). The 4-year old were thrilled with the upper bunk. It was his very first time sleeping in an upper bunk, and on a train to boot…

Yummy breakfast on the train all
wrapped in plastic

The next morning we were woken by some brisk knocking on our door at 9am. A man from the restaurant carriage was standing outside holding a menu with pictures, wanting to know if we would like breakfast. We ordered fried eggs and toast, and rice porridge. Both meals came with orange juice and coffee and set us back 100 bath for each.

Then we wheeled away a few hours admiring the scenery and waiting to arrive in Bangkok. When we arrived at 11.50am there were lots of men with trolleys waiting to help passengers with their luggage for the net sum of 60 bath. With the amount of luggage we had we couldn’t fit into a taxi, so to the 4-year old’s delight we ended up getting a tuk-tuk to the hotel.