...and the Finnish names

Well, the sun made my day...I have a lot of gravel in my driveway...it shall not be there...but in my garden...I'm making me a sunny spot!

...this stone...this fantastic memorial stone with the 423 (I think) family names...

My grandparents DNA says that I am a descendant of thoose from Finland who came to Sweden and Norway for about 400 years ago. Two of the family names that comes along in my genealogy are Havuinen and Lehmoinen. You see the names on the right side of the picture.

Theese two pictures or maps says where I am from...kind of!  The first one is my grandmother Mimis map...the second one is my grandfather Einars map.

Mimi

Einar

...it's a tiny little bit scary...that a "q-tip" in my mouth...can see where I am from...fantastic...enjoy your day...

1. January 2013

Happy New Year to you all!  This year will be a good one, I think.  We - the women - in Norway have a 100 years celebration to attend to.  A 100 year with universal suffrage!  Congratulation to all of us!  Freedom in our own way.
The people in Nordre Osen has always been strong and selfdeterminated.  Long before 1777 - they had an idea that they too should have a church.  They didn't get any help, well nearly any help from The Norwegian Church.  But they did what they had to do - like us, the girls - they build a church - a red church.  And in 1777 the peolpe in Nordre Osen could use their own Church. 

 

Nichlas did decorate our Christmas Tree this year - he likes doing that.  I bought him this one some years ago...

 

 

And of course I have some nisser - here are two...I don't think they are married...)

 

 

 

Have a Splendid and Happy New Year - make yourself some goals, I've made mine...and enjoy...:)

Christmas Day 2012

A Very Merry Christmas to you all!  We spent Christmas Eve togheter with my mother and my brother.  Ribbe, pølse og surkål! Roasted spareribs!!, sausages and sour cabbage...all Norwegian style.

We have plenty enough of snow...the blue sun has vanished and it's dark outside.  The fire place is warm...the mittens are on...yes it's Christmas and winter in Norway.

 

...even my diningroom is getting there...

 

 

Have fun and do not forget to enjoy...!

The Last Sunday In My Summervacation

My Vacation is over - it ends like it started - with rain.  Norway is pretty green now - I usually have red tomatoes from my garden this late in August - but not this year - the Sun has not been here.  Last Thuesday I took a class in making cupcakes - Manuela fron Passion4Baking had classes in Hamar - and I couldn't resist!

Anyway - yesterday it was so warm outside that we could make a BBQ - and my son Nichlasen and my brother made dessert...

...I think they enjoyed it!

My mother made the salad and I took pictures...I was a great evening.

And the Tower of Cup Cakes...cakestand bought in Sacramento!

...do not forget to enjoy life or cupcakes or both...

25th July 2011

Hello to you all - it's still unbeliveable what's happened to Norway.

It's been some horrible days - so many young life has gone away - so many families has been destroyed - because of one man and his thinking.

Here's a link to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Here is a link I found on Solorlagets facebook site Paradise Shattered

My son, Jan-Nichlas, works in Oslo - just nearby where the big bomb exploded and destroyed the Norwegian Government Office Building. I'll talked to him just minutes after it happened - he is now home - safe and sound.

It's so unbelievable - so tragic - we are a little nation - a little country - not 5 million people - we respect each other - we have a wonderful democracy and openness- we are proud to be Norwegian.

We'll continue to fight for our fundamental values like freedom and democracy.

And it's vacationtime...whatever that is! 

Trying to read the paper...with candle in an old glassjar! called Norgesglass!

But it's cold at Stangelandet...about 60 / 70 Farenheit...no Summertime at all!

This is Varg...my Svedish Lappdog.

Thank you for reading my blog...and do not forget to ENJOY...even when the world are kind of black! right now.

Norway 22. July

...in deep sympathy with all The Norweigan people...

Last Monday in April

Hello to you all that drops by my blog!  I really appreciate that - seeing all the countries that has been a trip to Norway - looking at my blog - Thank you!

Sitting here with my freshly brewed cup of coffee -

...here's to you and here's to 40 years of conversations unfolding, stories being shared and ideas being hatched - all over a cup of coffe... from Starbucks Tribute Blend 40 years togheter - Congratulation!

- and a freshly baked cupcake

...I found this blog - Passion 4 Baking - and I just had to try to make some cupcakes - I did not have the absolute ingredients  - so I used maple syrup instead of corn syrup and cane sugar insted of sugar - Delicious!

...have a nice day - and enjoy...it's fantastic!

Hipp Hipp Hurra! It's Norways Birthday.

Today is Norways Birthday.  Our Constitution Day.  Congratulation!
"A day to honor freedom, our rich heritage and our common bond as citizens of this great country"  I borrowed this sentence - It says it all.

Nichlasen is in Oslo with his father - Varg and I are home alone - doing nothing!  This is a day to reflect over our freedom and to celebrate.  We the Norwegian people have a lot to be proud of and to remember. 

Today is The day when everybody! talks about the weather - here on HedEmarken it's grey with some ray of sunshine - it's 13 Celsius pluss and 55 Farenheit.

We do have bunads / national costumes from nearly every part of Norway.  This is the Solør Odal Bunad.  Even though I don't live in Solør anylonger - I'm Solung in my heart!  So it was easy to choose which bunad I should wear! 

This layout I did some years ago. It's not the layout you should focus on - but the picture.

It's my aunt Randi waving the Norwegian Flag in Kaffegata - The Street of Flisa - on 17th of May 1941.  My Grandfather Simon commanded his children out in the snow - with the flag - and he did take some marvelous pictures this day - even tough The World War II was going on in Norway.

The handsome young man is my uncle Johan - he passed away in 2004.  You can see the famouc birches in Kaffegata behind my mother Grethe.

This is my Grandfather - Simon Andreas Johannesson Holter - 1898-1969.  He dared in 1941.  I think he belived in freedom for everyone, he was strict - very! and he was conservative...I think.

Have a nice day - where ever you are and enjoy...Hipp Hipp Hurra!

SISTE DAG I FEBRUAR 2009

Hello - and good afternoon - sitting here talking with my son on msn. Strange this "thing" writing letters on my wireless keyboard - and Jan-Nichlas staying in Oslo writes his own words on his laptop! and I'm reading them here in Ottestad - amazing and strange - and I'm very happy and lucky! Bet you are too!
This is a layout from scrapliftcompetition at - The Pink Forum - I didn't win, but I had a lot of fun - and I tried Prima flowers - a lot of them - it was quite challenging.
The picture is taken August 2007 - it's the SAND i Ryensjøen and the only cloudberry I saw that year.
It's still WINTER here in Norway - we have tons of snow - I'm not a snowfan! But the SUN is here and the sky is blue - spring is right around the corner!
Have a wonderful day and enjoy!