Uh oh!

We're about to start a new year! There are so many friends I should have had time to see this year, so many things I should have done. Now I'm running out of time!
Where did all these days go? Why did 2011 just fly past and never stop for a moment?

 

Photo is borrowed

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a blessed Christmas, and hope it will be a joyful holiday for you all.
We've started the the day out in the woods - on a bright, sunny morning.

Bad hair day

Well, the truth is: Every day is another bad hair day for my sons ;-) Every morning all the beautiful curls are like felted wool.

Tons of water, a special brush and patience is what it takes to fix it in the morning.

Knitting

People who know me, know I like to knit. But I only knit in periods. Sometimes I'm very fast, and sometimes things takes forever to finish. This took for ever. But now they are all done, and will be given away to two adorable little personalities.

Four Sundays preparing

We have been preparing for Christmas, preparing for the little king to come. The very last candle of advent is lit. Let all the four of them shine brightly!

I can't show you everything we've done so far. Some are secrets.

But we decorated our ginger bread church. The powdered sugar icing wasn't half as successful as I had hoped, it was all liquid - I didn't have enough powder. But the kids were happy anyway :)
The snow is coconut powder. It doesn't look to bad after all.

Saint Lucy's day

Well, we are not catholics nor are we obsessed with saints and stuff. But this day has been celebrated here in Norway for a while, and it is quite pleasant on one of these dark winter days in December, with the little kids carrying candles (mostly electric "candles") and singing.
The family activity for today was baking the traditional St. Lucy's buns. They are saffron-scented  sweet buns in funny shapes.

 

This fall, my little daughter has had her hear in cornrows for months. It certainly doesn't look all that good all the time, so I have to refresh it every now and then. Here are two pics - one from the fuzzy two weeks braids, and one from the neatly refreshed cornrows. And this time we went for new colors on the elastics too :-)

Advent

Christmas is approaching! Three candles are lit and time goes by doing family activities. I'm used to Norwegian advent candle songs, but this one is beautiful too!

A candle is burning, flames warm and bright,

a candle of hope in December's dark night.

While angels sing blessing from heaven's starry sky,

our hearts we prepare now for Jesus is nigh.

A Candle is burning, a candle of peace,          

a candle to signal that conflict must cease:          

for Jesus is coming to show us the way;          

a message of peace humbly laid in the hay.

A candle is burning, a candle of joy.          

A candle to welcome brave Mary's new boy.          

Our hearts fill with wonder, and eyes light and glow          

as joy brightens winter like sunshine on snow.

 

And we've been cross country skiing  in the Winter Wonderland today!