Thursday, May 31, 2012

Skype and yet another birthday party

Lil J has discovered Skype. He is chatting with his friends 'as we speak'. Now I love Skype but I need a proper webcam, not the one we have from prehistoric time and that turns you into a light green monster at night ;-) I just need to remember a webcam when next in town *snort* like I'll do that in the near future! I prefer to get me an iPad that has a webcam, despite the fact that I have the 1st version.. Early x-mas present p'raps? Definitely worth a thought!


Lil C, as I wrote in the last post, turned 12 last Sunday. Well, she's having her class party tomorrow out in a nice park. Big J will be master chef of the grill while yo momma (yours truly that is) will do the honours as mistress of ceremonies. I have the games ready. I have the hotdogs, ketchup, mustard, onions. Need to still get soft drinks and sweets. Need to bake the cakes. Yes cakes. She asked for two types and I said yes. Toopid momma you may say, but she doesn't want any of this fancy decor on her cakes, thank you very much. Just plain chocolate cake, two kinds that is. So what do I do with my fingers that are itching to make cutsie cake deco? I go ahead and make em! After all, I'm the baker... Pictures may follow.. We're crossing fingers and toes and praying for no rain ;-)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

London, Pentecost and summer party

We visited my aunt and uncle who live in Horsell, outside of London a few weeks ago. A bit of a family gathering as my parents, my brother and his family and yet another brother also tagged along.

First we went to a car booth sale (treasures found: 3 beeeeeyouuuuuuuuuuuutiful baggies and some whatnots). But what did we see?????? (I literally hung out of the window and over the top to take a picture of, much to my fellow passenger's shock).. MY CAR, or actually one EXACTLY like it!
Without the coke tin that is..


Big lil bro and lil lil bro (littlest lil bro was not there)
We also met up with my uncle, cousin and girlfriend
and their little bundle of precious sweetness.
We celebrated my nephew's second birthday
and I made a cake with one of his favourites:
Scoop from Bob the builder. Lisshhhhhh!!!!


Tadaaaa!!
One little note: I had not taken any of my cake/fondant decorating tools etc. and was not quite sure HOW I'd decorate this cake. While we were out in Guildford, we stopped at a shop I'd never heard of, but which my bro (a chef) and my aunt just raved about called Lakeland. I could have spent a week in that shop! So many things I'd not seen in Norway and the PRICES were very non-Norwegian ;-) this means cheap for the non-Norwegians among us! I bought some yellow fondant (as I planned on making Scoop). Renshaw was a brand I'd never heard of, but I needed yellow fondant, so I bought 1 pack. I feel I can write poems about this fondant, it is just GREAT to work with, non sticky, pliable.. wonderful!!!!!! How stupid not to buy more and all the colours!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOWEVER... Big J is going to the Formula 1 race in Silverstone in July. And since he's a man, he will travel light. Or at least he will be this time, he just doesn't know as yet ;-) One wild guess what he will be packing his suitcase with on the way back home?? :-D

We got home just in time for Norway's 17th of May or Constitution Day which is HUGELY celebrated.
Lil J and the flag of flags :-)

Two weeks later it was Pentecost and we were off again. This time to visit some friends in the beautiful town, or should I say: village, of Drangedal. Big J (hubby) had just gotten a VW beetle as a payment (long story, not mine, so I can't b bothered!) so off we chugged!



Visiting can be tiring work..

But Linea made just brightened up the visit!!
Isn't she the CUTEST thing??

Little C turned 12 on Whit Sunday
... and was duly woken with song, cake (mini cake made of fondant), present ('Pandora' bracelet) and a card from great-grandma K (she remembers every great grand and grand).

A few days later, big J and I went to my choir's summer party. This year we went to Capri, just past Strömstad in Sweden. We ate at a restaurant that served us kid size meals (seriously!), and where the staff simply ignored our Oliver Twist-like questions of 'please may we have more potatoes'. Nonetheless we had our fun and song, and a beautiful sunset!


Magic or just strong muscles??

~ Singin' time ~