KATOLOGY

This is what running does to me....

2012-01-08T23:44:00.000Z

As I made my way up Arthur's Seat in a stiff wind going straight uphill, my mind quickly started playing tricks on me. Half way up I spot, on the ground, a half eaten Mars Bar. At this point I am in so much pain and I am freezing cold and all I wanted to do was bend down and pick up the chocolate bar. Not to throw it out. Oh no, I wanted to eat it!! A half eaten chocolate bar!! What is wrong with me???
Don't worry, I didn't pick it up and I finished the run and I am still alive, but what is wrong with me?????

I won the lottery!!!

2012-01-05T22:44:00.002Z

Well, it feels that way. I actually didn't win anything, but today a lovely lady from a closed down shop came in to our shop and asked if we wanted some glass jars. Sure we do. She gave us 20 big glass jars. What a nice gesture. She wanted no money, so I bribed her with sweets instead:)
With Valentine's just around the corner I know the perfect something for those jars!

2 Days in a row......

2012-01-04T21:46:00.000Z

What's happening to me?
All jokes aside, today was the "Clean out christmas from the shop" day. Santa Claus went back in the storage room, down came the fake snow and everything else that was remotely christmassy.
Up is a temporary display while I work on my Valentine's heart that will not be your usual red heart, but rather a heart made of up paper stars.
Kids are still on holiday from school and I think they quite enjoyed having the day to themselves. It's nice they are so big they can stay home alone. They do get a bit bored, but for one day it's okay.
After the huge winds yesterday, it's been a mild one today. At least in the morning. Now it's freezing cold and raining again and the wind has picked up. I hope it gets better before Saturday when I am running a 5K!!

2012

2012-01-03T17:48:00.000Z

2012 is here and while I have been away from the blog living my life in a sweet shop, I have been informed by people that there actually are people out there who reads this stuff. So I'll give it another go.
Christmas came and went as did New Years.
So, 2012 is here and of course with the new year comes those new year resolutions we all love to hate. Or is it hate to love.......
I u crest and some people don't have any resolutions and that's fine, but I have plenty and the most important one is to look forward to Chinese new year where I can start all over again. The truth is I have never been able to stick to any of the resolutions I have ever made. I still make them though. This year is o different. My resolutions are:

- sign up for at least two running races (already did that, now I just have to run them).
- finish all the little art projects I have lying around.

And that's it.
Sounds simple right? Well, it's only January 3rd and before you know it this year will be over too and I probably will not have gotten around to it. Oh well.

What are your resolutions?

Happy November

2011-11-01T20:55:00.000Z

Maybe I should just aim for 3 entries per year??
This is what happens when life gets in the way......in a good way.
Busy busy working away in the sweet shop, it's adorable, a lot of fun and a lot of work. Family is adjusting just fine, Joel is cooking, now that's adjusting!!
Nothing else happening here.

Spoke too soon

2011-07-22T22:35:00.002+01:00

Deal is back on. Slightly stressed.

Jinx

2011-07-20T21:53:00.000+01:00

And I totally jinxed it or maybe not. Anywho, business deal is now off and we move on to other things starting tomorrow where we look at another property.
Feel strangely relieved.

Let me explain.....

2011-07-19T17:02:00.000+01:00

Let me explain to you why I haven't been here for a while. I haven't wanted too.
Every time I tried writing something, I realized that it was just another boring event and that it wouldn't be interesting to anyone but myself. Then I said to myself, "Myself, write it for yourself." And so I write it for myself with the hope that someday my kids will look at this and say, "Hmmmm that grumpy old lady who thought she was so cool.....she was pretty cool after all." Truth is they'll probably say, "Hmmmm that grumpy old lady who thought she was so cool......she really was never cool."
Today my daughter did tell me that I was way cooler than another mom (another mom shall remain nameless as we don't want to hurt anyones feelings.........more on that later). That made me feel good. Until she said, "You're still not cool." Whatever. No dinner for you child.
Back to why I haven't been around. I have wanted to share something with you (well, myself in case I'm the only person reading this) and I haven't wanted to jinx it too much. I am about 24-48 hours away from signing my name on a piece of paper that will make me a business owner! Before you get all crazy and tell me I'm a nutter for wanting to work in retail and that I'll never have a day off and always be tired....spare yourself. I already know that and I also already know that I'm a nutter. But I'm okay with that.
I'm in the process (with a friend) of purchasing an already existing business located off the fabulous Royal Mile. Right now it's an old fashioned sweet shop (or candy store as they are known in the U.S). Soon it will be an old fashioned sweet shop combined with an art gallery and bespoke birthday parties in the back room. It has taken months for us to get here. In fact, it has taken almost 5 months so far. A couple of times we gave up, but we can now see the finish line and we're excited.
And if I just jinxed the whole thing and it doesn't happen, then it wasn't meant to be.
So that's why I haven't been around much.
Remember the little thing I wrote in the beginning about not wanting to offend people? I heard something yesterday that went something like, "you can't offend people, you can only be yourself and if people choose to be offended, then that's their problem". Is this true? I never knowingly offend people, but I am sure I have offended many. Whose problem is that? Right now I choose it to be not mine. I can only be me.
Lastly I have become addicted to pinterest. Fantastic virtual pinboard that is so inspiring. Check it out on www.pinterest.com
Peace Out

Get Your Plank On.

2011-06-28T21:53:00.001+01:00

I'm taking a break here as I'm busy planking away here:
www.rubensteinplanking.blogspot.com

June something....

2011-06-22T09:04:00.002+01:00

Time ran away with me once again, but I have been busy. Made a wee trip to Denmark to visit my beautiful nephew and to hang with the family.
Got bitten by a patchwork bug, so I have spent the last week sewing. Pictures will follow soon.

June 6

2011-06-06T17:57:00.002+01:00

Spent the entire weekend at an exhibition and did nothing else.
Must start sewing tonight.

June 3

2011-06-03T23:33:00.000+01:00

Today I cut all the fabric for my next cushion. It's funky. 3 different patterns, some light, some dark.
Tomorrow I will not be posting as I will be in Cockenzie all day for the exhibit. Wish me luck.

June 2

2011-06-02T16:05:00.000+01:00

And time to start on another thing on my list.
I have decided to make another cushion, just to see if it really was for real and not just a silly dream that I, Katrine Rubenstein, could actually sew and finish something.

Ta daaaa

2011-06-01T19:10:00.000+01:00

And here it is!!

My very first sewing project that I have actually finished. And enjoyed. And I didn't even cry once!

Thank you to Allison for the super easy instructions.

Next cushion will have more fluff in it and it will be made from fabric that I like, not just old sheets and a charity shop dress:)

I'm really proud of myself.

June 1st

2011-06-01T13:33:00.000+01:00

And supposedly summer is here. Well, let me know if you find it and send it my way.
For the first time in a year I miss just a touch of warmth. We have sun (now and then) but a little bit of heat would be nice. Just to warm up the old bones.
So, I'm officially kicking off my "do all these things before summer holiday starts" list and today my number one item to do is to attempt to sew a cushion.
SOme might say that's an easy thing to do and shouldn't take more than 15 minutes, but when you have to factor in the panic attacks, anxiousness and sheer fear it takes a little while longer. And that's just getting the sewing machine out of the box!!
Last might I cut the fabric (don't worry, I'm using old sheets and a cut up dress from a charity shop). I did that fairly well without hyperventilating. Today I am setting up the machine and actually sewing the pieces together.
Wish me luck.

We are going on a summer holiday

2011-05-31T18:44:00.000+01:00

How Cliff Richard you might say......
But we are and I'm excited. To be fair we are actually going on 2 holidays.
First we go to Denmark for a week, then we come home for a week and then we are off again.
The kids are going to Switzerland with Grandma and Bubbles and Joel and I are going on a week long date somewhere. We are dropping the kids off in la Suisse and then we are driving.
I'd like to go back to Milan and Lake Komo, but I guess we should see something new. Actually I don't care what we do as long as we have fun along the way. And we will. We always do.
Before the summer holidays start I have a whole list of things I want to accomplish. I start tomorrow. I will try to post every day what they are.

Starting a business

2011-05-31T18:41:00.000+01:00

Starting a business, or at least trying to, is truly one of the most frustrating things ever.
For the past 2 1/2 months, that's exactly what we (my friend and I) have been working on.
We originally wanted to open up a wee art gallery with workshops, but then we bumped into a lovely sweet shop for sale. We both fell in love with it and put in a bid. Now we are just waiting. I don't have much patience and I really just want to know what's going on.
But one thing is for sure, whether it happens or not we have learnt a great deal in the past few months. We know exactly what we want and don't want and maybe that will help us move forward.
But the little sweet shop still lingers in my head...

One year ago....

2011-05-31T18:37:00.000+01:00

I was busy packing up my house, selling practically everything I owned, saying goodbye to people and playing my very last tennis match. It was a time of excitement, happiness, sadness , anxiousness and a feeling of "Here we go again".
As you get older it becomes harder to make new friends and maybe it would have been easier to stay back and just get on with life the way it was. Maybe. But I never chose the easy way and I really wanted to be happy. Not just happy everything is fine happy. But truly happy. They way you're happy when your insides bubble with excitement.
It took a while (at least a couple of weeks and jetlag) and then the happiness settled in. It was a very selfish decision to uproot my children and make them move to a different country away from all of their friends, but when I see how they have both blossomed in the past year, becoming independent individuals who aren't afraid of trying something new, I am happy about our decision.
There have been plenty times over the past year where I have thought I was a terrible parent for putting them through this, and I am sure they think so too, but in the long run we are all much much happier than ever.
I still miss my friends, I will always miss my friends. But I have made new friends and I'm really happy.
Would i do it all again? While I have no intentions of ever leaving Edinburgh, I think I would do it again if the right opportunity came along. But I would probably wait until the kids are done with school. Maybe. I think. I don't know.
While I don't miss anything from life in Atlanta I appreciate the experience and I guess I'm just not housewife suburbia material. And that's okay. I thrive in the city. I love the noise, I love all the people and I just really feel at home here.
I have met some fantastic girls (they don't want to be ladies) and the support and friendship they have given me in the past year (well since I met them) is invaluable to me. I hope they know that. We have a lot of fun together and it's nice to be 100% comfortable around other people.
In April we made a trip back to the U.S. We spent 2 great weeks with friends and it was so nice to see everyone again, but it was also a really good feeling to have the longing to go home to Scotland. I was practically hyperventilating driving into the old neighborhood and I don't want that feeling ever again. I just wish my friends would pack up and move with me. Then all would be good.
I'm looking forward to seeing my "Sister I never had" in September, Edinburgh is going to be a dangerous place for a week. Must start training my liver pronto.
Happy first Edinburghversary to us:) And many more.

Clay Pigeon Shooting

2011-05-07T22:12:00.000+01:00

Today I tried clay pigeon shooting for the very first time. It was fun and I hit 3 of them. I think it's a good thing that I'm not responsible for hunting the food in our household. We would be very hungry.
Another beautiful sunny day in Edinburgh. We had rain yesterday. For the first time in a long time. Maybe we have already had our summer? If so, it was a nice one:)

Nail Polish Galore

2011-04-21T21:37:00.000+01:00

I remember when I was young and I was obsessed with nail polish. I would paint my nails at all times and often in stripes and crazy colors. Well, last week I must have thought I was young again, because I went nuts and bought a lot of nail polish in crazy colors and patterns (as in strips you put on with a pattern already painted on them).
I was excited to go to the U.S to pick up some of my favorites from Essie, but I was disappointed when I saw that you can now buy these at Target. So much for being "something special", now they're at Target! So nothing from Essie made it into my shopping basket this time.
Right now I'm sporting total glitter disco nails and I have to say I like it. Maybe I can just pretend my nails are miniature easter eggs that I can paint since I won't be painting any real eggs this year.
I'm trying to get Kirsten into the nail polish thing, but she has no interest. She did like the polish a friend gave her in the U.S. It changes colour when you go out in the sun. Pretty cool.
What's your fave nail polish?

Vacation

2011-04-20T23:40:00.000+01:00

Or holiday as they say here in the U.K.
We just got back from 2 1/2 weeks in the U.S. It was nice.
We flew into Atlanta which has the most horrible airport in the world. Not that I have been to every airport in the world, but I doubt there is another one as awful as that.
We got our luggage, got the rental car and set off to Florida. We drove for about 2 hours and decided to pull over for the night. It took us a while to find a hotel, everything was fully booked due to spring break, but we finally "lucked" out at some random not very nice motel with a giant spider in the shower!
Next morning we headed off to Siesta Key, Florida.
It was sooooooo nice to see Joanne again. And her family. But mostly Joanne:) We got settled in the house and went to the beach. And that's what we did for the next week. Slept, ate, drank, swam, slept, ate, drank, swam. Very very relaxing and beautiful surroundings. It was hot and we all got a nice tan.
Saturday morning we got up, said our "see you later's" and headed to Savannah. We spent part of Sunday there and I have always wanted to go there and I was so disappointed!! It just wasn't this magical place I had made up in my mind. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Memphis which wasn't great either.
Back in the car and off to Edisto Beach Island, South Carolina. Fun week with the family. We celebrated Bubbles' 70th bday, we ate, we drank, we slept and I swam. That's right, I got in those waves. It was nice. We also rode bikes and then we ate some more.
Sunday morning it was back to Atlanta and we got to spend approximately 29 hours in our old neighborhood. It was great to see friends and the kids had a hard time saying goodbye again, but we were all ready to go home. Joel was anxious to go to work and I was anxious to get back to the city. 29 hours in suburbia seems to be just enough for me:)
Now we're back home, very jet lagged and the washing machine is on duty to make sure we have clean clothes for Friday when we go to Manchester for the Easter weekend. And that's it for now. No more travels, thank you very much.
It was very different to go away with children who are now old enough to not be watched constantly. It was relaxing and we all enjoyed it.
Have a good easter out there and take care.

Internet, oh internet

2011-03-02T15:33:00.000Z

How I have missed you.
So, as you know we moved flat 4 weeks ago and we have had no internet since then.
I can't stress enough how horrible the customer service (NONE) has been with Virgin Media. Unfortunately we didn't have a choice as we had a year long contract with them.

We spent a week in Spain in February and now we are getting ready to head to the U.S next month.

That's about all for now.

I'm baaaack.

2011-02-03T09:57:00.000Z

At least for a little bit.
I'm playing a game with some Danish girls and we have to, for four weeks, get rid of a bad habit. Mine was spending too much time on the computer, so I have been living in virtually no computer land compared to what I did before.
Next time we play the game I will find something else to get rid of, I miss my computer time.

Karma

2011-01-10T18:34:00.000Z

Karma's a bitch.......it always comes back to you.
Sometimes in a very good way:)
A long long time ago, as in a really really long time ago I read a Danish blog on which the author was telling how a thief had stolen all her mother's christmas decorations. Seriously. Who steals christmas decorations? That's low.
Anyways, us readers of said blog decided to help out and so we sent the blogger a couple of pieces of decorations for her tree.
And then I forgot about it. Completely forgot about it. Until today.
More than 1 year after this I received a beautiful christmas card thanking me for my help.
At first I didn't know what it was about, but as I read further I remembered what I had done.
How thoughtful is that, to send a christmas card to someone you don't even know, to take the time to make and hand write a card.
I think it's fantastic.
Thank You, you made my day.

4 days in

2011-01-04T15:40:00.000Z

4 days in to the new year and I have to say, so far it's been a really good 4 days.
Long walks, good friends, family time. I love it.
Soon it will be a bit more hectic around here when we start packing for the move. Not looking forward to it, but refuse to stress about it.

Ouch...in a pathetic kind of way

2011-01-03T09:17:00.000Z

So I decided to knit a cardi for Erik, my new nephew.
It's going well so far, in fact it's almost done, but I must not relax very much when I knit. Today I woke up feeling as if I had been lifting weights, my arms are that sore.
That's pathetic. To get sore from knitting. Just sayin'.

Geocache

2011-01-02T21:39:00.000Z

Today we decided to try geocaching.
We were all set for our first adventure and off we went with Rufus in tow. We saw parts of Edinburgh that we have never been to. Walked along the Water of Leith and then the iphone with the gps decided to shut down!!
No more geocaching for us, but we kept walking. And we walked and walked and walked. When we finally decided to join civilization again, we realized we were pretty far from home, so we walked some more.
After we got home I decided to use a route tracker to see how far we went, and it added up to right around 4 miles. Not bad for a little walk.
Kids claimed they were tired, but I was the one taking a 2 hour nap on the couch!! Next to Rufus:)
But we will try geocaching again very soon.

1.11.11 on 1-1-11

2011-01-01T11:07:00.000Z

Funny how fascinating numbers can be for children.
Kirsten insisted on being up at 1 am, 11 minutes and 11 seconds on 1 January, 2011.
We had just gotten home from a party, she sat in her bed and said,"I did it" and then she fell asleep.
The last 10 minutes of the old year was spent listening to her saying things like, "I'm not taking a shower until next year", "I promise to be good for the rest of the year" and so on.
This morning she climbed into bed with me, curled up and said "Glaedelig jul Mor" (Merry Christmas Mom). We then practised saying "godt nytaar" or "Godt nyt haar" which apparently is very funny when you're 11.
I couldn't think of a better start to a new year.

Make it a Happy New Year

2010-12-31T08:58:00.000Z

My least favorite day is here. New Year's Eve.
The only good memory I have of this night is from many years ago when Joel and I ran the Midnight 5K in Central Park. That was fun. We were so cold, it was a brisk 13 Fahrenheit and we were bundled up like Michelin men. We ran the whole 5 K holding hands, cheesy I know, and at every water stop there was champagne. After the race we spent a loooong time getting a taxi, went home and rolled into bed, cold and exhausted. It was my best New Year's ever. Oh, and one of the very few where I managed to stay awake for Midnight.

For the past 24 hrs I have heard this question so many times,"What's your New Year resolution?" I used to always have one and I never stuck to it. Last year I even went as far as becoming an honorary Chinese citizen just so I could start over on Chinese New Years.
This year I'm not making any resolutions. Well, I guess that's a resolution, to not make any.

Today is also the day where a lot of people reflect on the year that went by. I chose to do this by generating a "most used words in your Facebook status" from 2010. The top 3 words were "happy","love" and "Edinburgh".
Judging by those words it must have been a pretty good year. It was. I became an aunt to a beautiful boy, Erik. I don't remember a prouder moment other than when I held my own children for the first time.

It was also a year of way too much cancer around me. Friends and family all battled this awful disease. Most won the battle, but we still lost one too many. I still don't understand it.

Anyways, wherever you are out there I hope you have a fantastic 2011.
Oh, and the sock knitting never happened........I got sucked into yet another episode of The Good Wife.

No patience

2010-12-27T11:48:00.001Z

I'm not very good at being sick. I have no patience for it. Suddenly I would rather be doing all the things I normally try to avoid such as laundry, cleaning etc. Joel has ordered me to stay in bed and do nothing. I think he very much wants me to get better as I probably kept him up all night sounding like a seal every time I coughed. Kirsten has taken o er as caregiver. She makes me endless cups of tea, sits with me in bed just to chat and she cooks and bakes! Lucas enjoys her baking and enjoys the fact that I'm too sick to try and get a kiss out of him. Rufus is curled up at my feet, my sweet little puppy. I don't know how I ever lived without him and I don't even like dogs!!
This morning I thought I should ask Joel what he thought about getting a bird, he wasn't impressed. I like birds. Oh well, maybe I'll get a fake one instead.
We are moving in 5 weeks. Very excited but still slightly nervous about living with blue carpets. I know, it's a stupid thing to worry about.
Well I'm going to attempt to knit a pair of socks while I just lie here anyways. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.........probably not well.

Merry Christmas....

2010-12-25T12:53:00.000Z

once again.
Since I basically missed all of last night due to my bedtime at 8.20 pm!!!! we are now in the process of making christmas dinner which we are going to have for a late lunch or as Kirsten likes to call it "linner".

Not happy:(

2010-12-24T17:36:00.002Z

As it turns out I am sick, have no energy and would like to just sleep. Christmas dinner will have to wait for tomorrow, pizza is on the way.
It sucks.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T09:26:00.000Z

So, Christmas is finally here.
Tonight we'll eat christmas dinner and open presents and tomorrow we'll hopefully not get out of our PJ's and just enjoy the day, each other and the leftovers.
This year we'll be celebrating just the four of us. We had plans to go to Cancun, but that was before we moved to Scotland and now it's a good thing we cancelled those plans as our passports are in limbo at some embassy somewhere!!
But before we can sit back and relax there's a house to clean, a doctor to visit (yes I am sick) a few presents to still be bought and of course the dinner needs to be cooked.
I had offered the family that we could have christmas in our PJ's, but only if we wore matching christmas jammies. They opted to dress nicely instead. I'm slightly disappointed.
Have a safe holiday out there. Enjoy your families, take care of each other and remember to say I love you, you never know what tomorrow will bring.
Peace Out.

This is why snow is great

2010-12-20T10:25:00.000Z

One reason that snow is great is that, on a very dark morning, it's easy to see where the dog pooped.
Once the snow went away, it wasn't so easy. So there I was at 6.30 a.m without glasses or contact lenses, trying to locate the poop. Thankfully my iphone lit up just enough for me to see it.
What did we ever do without those phones!!
Snow is also great because it makes it easy to walk and not slip. It covers the ice underneath. The ice which I almost slip on a few weeks ago and my shoulder still hurts.
Snow is also great because it makes everything bright and beautiful.
And that is why snow is great.

My new toy

2010-12-10T18:17:00.000Z

Ok, so for a really really long time I have wanted to get a knitting machine.
My mom used to have one and I was always totally fascinated by how quickly she could create things. I would help her wind the yarn and I loved seeing the sled go back and forth and knit super fast.
About 2 years ago I decided that I will learn to use a knitting machine. So I bought one. I took it home, opened the box, got completely overwhelmed to the point of hyperventilating and then I returned it.
However, moving to Edinburgh has made me realize (or, realise as it's spelled here) that there is room for creativity and thus I set off to buy another knitting machine.
Now, I don't know anything about knitting machines. In fact, I don't know much about knitting.
A new machine is very very expensive,s o I decided that I would go for a used machine and I clicked right over to gumtree which is the British version of Craigslist. Bingo.
Use knitting machine for sale, super super cheap.
I sent off a message to the lady selling it and before I could even begin to think about the fact that I have no patience for learning how to knit, no idea what I would do with the machine, I became the proud owner of a knitting machine.
There was only one problem. We were in the middle of a snow storm, the lady lived over in Fife and the bridge to Fife was closed. Oh, and my car was buried in a foot of snow and the diesel was frozen.
Knitting machine lady then called and offered to deliver the machine! How nice is that. She must have really needed the money if she was willing to risk her life on the icy roads. Once the bridge opened again, she would ask her son to drive her over as she no long drove herself. In conversation I also asked her why she was selling the machine and her reply was, "Oh, I can't use it anymore", which led me to believe that she might be an older lady.
Well, the machine was finally delivered to me a couple of days ago. The old lady pulled up to the front door where I was waiting and handed it over. Actually her son pulled up as it turns out the reason she no longer could use the machine is that she has gone blind!!
As a side note I would just like to say that I have never encountered more blind people and anorexic people than I have in Edinburgh. Not necessarily blind and anorexic (in fact that has never happened), but blind or anorexic. Turns out there is a big school for the blind and a treatment center for anorexic people right here in town.
Anyways, the knitting machine is now in my flat, but still in the box as I almost fell the other day and really hurt my shoulder and haven't been able to lift anything. That, and a small (read big) amount of anxiety. What if I get overwhelmed again and can't figure out how to use it?
Oh well, at least I already have a very catchy name for my on-line knitting company that I plan to launch once I have made lots of stuff................Check back in 10 years for an update:)

Why?

2010-12-09T08:44:00.000Z

I sometimes read a blog that I think is quite fantastic. Fantastic because it inspires me in many ways, both personally and creatively. It teaches me not to take anything for granted and it teaches me to try new things.
The person who writes this blog writes it because it's an outlet for her, because she doesn't mind sharing. She doesn't write it to become the most read blog in Denmark, in fact, I don't even think she cares who reads it or not. I think she appreciates the people who reads it, but she would be just as happy if nobody read it.
Anyways, lately there has been another blogger out there who continues to leave nasty, vile, evil and hurtful comment on said blog. And I just don't understand it. What would anyone gain from that? Is it envy that leads someone to do such things? Is it hatred? Or is it simply that said person is mentally ill and we should in fact feel sorry for her/him?
I don't get it. Life is too short to hate other people and I know that my life and time is too valuable to be spent on negative things.
Sometimes it's better to not say anything if you can't say anything nice.
That being said, I hope said blogger will seek help and maybe one day look back and be truly ashamed.

Ice Ice Baby

2010-12-07T13:53:00.000Z

So as you know we've had quite the beautiful winter weather here in Scoootland. And it is still beautiful, but nearly impossible to get around. Yesterday all bus traffic shut down for a while after the number 2 crashed into the museum.
Joel got stranded in London for an extra night which meant I had an extra night to spread out in the not so King size bed.
Today I naively thought I would spent 5 minutes clearing the snow off the car so I can drive Lucas to judo later on. Not happening.
After chipping away ice for 5 minutes, and we're talking 12 inches of solid ice, I gave up and decided that we instead will spent the entire afternoon on city busses. Let's hope they're running.
The government is advising people to travel with blankets, shovels and flashlights, but I don't think that's meant for those of us on the bus, so I think I'll leave that at home.
When I took el perro out this morning it was a crisp -23 Celcius, thats 9 Fahrenheit and let's just say it was cold. Didn't stop the dog from going absoloutely bonkers in the snow. He just loves it. And for some reason he always chooses to deliver last nights dinner furthest away from the sidewalk as possible, which means I have to trek through the snow in my pj trousers and wellies to scoop it up. What a sight. Good thing I am the only person out at that time.
The windows in the flat are old. So old and single paned that they are frozen on the inside which leads to a small river later on in the day when it melts. So I run from room to room trying to wipe up as much condensation as I can before it becomes necessary to get out the kayak.
Do I miss Atlanta weather? Nope, not one bit. It's so pretty here and it's nice to have an excuse to light the fire (in my case, flick a switch to turn it on) and curl up on the couch with some bad TV.

Hanukkah, December 1st

2010-12-01T08:49:00.000Z

This year Hanukkah starts on December 1st which is also the start of the countdown to Christmas.
We're not religious per se, but I do like the stories and traditions behind both Hanukkah and Christmas, so we celebrate both.
The first night of Hanukkah we light the Menorah, sing a song, eat latkes and Kugel and play the Dreidel. On December 1st we light the calendar candle, watch the kids' calendar tv show and eat christmas candy.
However, this year it looks like we'll be doing nothing as Edinburgh has been hit by snow for 4 straight days and the grocery stores are empty. No milk, flour, eggs, butter, meat. Nothing. It's like the DDR back in the days.
This morning as I was walking the dog I saw the milkman and for a split second I thought about robbing him. Seriously, robbing a milk man.
Today we are venturing out to the castle to take some more award winning pictures..........once the storm dies down and we can actually see what we are doing!!

The White Stuff

2010-11-30T14:26:00.000Z

And down it came. The fluffy white stuff that most people use the F word in front of because it makes it hard for them to get to work. I use the F word too, but I use the word FANTASTIC. I love snow!! It is so pretty and peaceful and makes everything so bright.
I love the fact that I get to witness it when it is untouched, mainly because I am walking the dog at 7 a.m.
I keep taking pictures of it and I lead myself to believe that my photographs are so good, that no one ever took a picture like mine. And I do this while standing next to 20 people photographing the same snow laden branch I have chosen.
At night I can barely sleep, I get totally excited by the prospect of waking up to lots of snow. I wake up during the night just to peek outside. I don't want it to ever stop!
Yesterday i took the kids sledding, or sledging as they say here in Scooootland. So much fun. Kirsten and her friend Bryony managed to crash into a small girl who took quite a flip in the air, but was unharmed, whereas the two girls ended up with bruises. Kirsten has a beautiful black eye today. But I kept telling them, as long as it was fun when it happened it's all good. I myself took quite a few turns down the hill. So much fun, but boy I need to do some Kegels. Either that or wear an adult diaper next time.
The plan was to go to the castle today for some more award winning photography, but Lucas has a fever and a stomachache, so we're enjoying the fluffy white stuff from inside.
The kids have been off school for the past 2 days, we're not sure why, but maybe the pipes froze or the janitor couldn't make it in to clear the school yard. Hopefully school will be back on tomorrow so I can get some stuff done.
The kids are excited to open their advent calendars tomorrow and we will also be doing a little singing at night to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. Time to dig out the holiday songs. Yeah.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T20:52:00.000Z

Thanksgiving is upon us and tomorrow we'll chow down on turkey and be thankful for whatever it is that we're thankful for.
This year I am thankful for a lot of things, and about an hour ago I realized that I will be thankful for store bought apple pie!
We tried, we really did. We measured, kneaded, rolled, cut and whatnot. We filled the pie crusts and made a beautiful lattice topping. I put the pie in the oven and then I forgot about it. The pie is burnt and not pretty. I put the second pie in and remembered it. Dug out a small piece of apple and tasted it. You would have thought I was having a seizure with all the facial expressions I managed to do in a matter of 5 seconds. As sour as a lemon.
So tomorrow I'm off to the store for some pie.

Well, that was strange

2010-11-22T19:20:00.000Z

Today I set off for my first job interview in a very long time.
I figured it would be good experience even if I wasn't terribly interested in the job. But hey, money is money and with a house still unsold................
So off I go in my finest suit.
The job called for a native Danish speaker with English as a second language.
As soon as I got there I was greeted and told I had to take a Danish test to make sure I actually speak Danish. To do that they got a Danish person to sit and talk with me for a couple of minutes.
So picture this:
Danish girl is in one chair, I'm in a chair opposite her. 3 feet behind us are her supervisor and the guy I'm interviewing with. They clearly do not understand what we are saying. Or more likely, what Danish girl is saying. She starts off by saying, "Unless you really really need the money, you shouldn't work here. It's a terrible company, they don't treat people well and I hate it, but I have no choice right now"
Okay then. How's that for a start. As she is saying this I am trying to hide my disbelief. I mean, her supervisor is right there plus another manager. I'm thinking it's a trick, that maybe she was told to say that to see if I would tell on her..........
5 minutes later she is done telling me how much she hates it there and that she is quitting soon and moving back to DK.
I go off for the actual interview which was fine. Just your standard interview "what would you do.....have you ever been in a situation.......what are your strengths..........blah blah blah"
The job actually didn't sound that bad and I have to admit I liked the place.
I was thinking to myself, do I say something to this guy or just forget about Danish girl?
In the end I told the recruiter about it and she was shocked.
I told her I wasn't, that things like that always happen to me.
We'll see if I get the job.

Sadness

2010-11-19T17:02:00.000Z

Today, two small boys woke up without their mother, a husband without his wife, parents without their daughter and we woke up without our very bestest friend.
Cancer sucks.

Panic Attack

2010-11-18T16:56:00.000Z

I need to learn to relax or as my loving child says, chillax.
I find that when I have all the time in the world I get nothing done and then I panic just thinking about it. I mean, has anyone ever actually seen a dust bunny grow so big it actually looked like a bunny? And why is it so important to have clean clothes when, in reality, we should just be happy we have clothes?
Somewhere inside if me I wish I could have the kind of house I so often see in a country across the pond. Stylish, neat and organized. But I feel so much better in a house filled with knick knack, dust and piles of crap. Then why do I panic when people come for a visit and I run around tidying up all these piles that look perfectly tidy to me to begin with?
I can literally lie awake all night panicking about what my house looks like if I know I have company coming over.
I honestly don't think the company would care, it's just me. I have even tried to hide all my laundry under my bedspread or just shoved papers into random drawers never to be found again.
This past week has once again shown me that I need to relax and not worry so much about it, life is precious and we never know when it's over.

Observation of the day

2010-11-18T14:55:00.000Z

Today I found out that Scottish specimen cups are much much smaller than the American ones.
I also found out I was supposed to bring a sample from home!! I wonder if I was supposed to pee into an empty peanutbutter jar and I wonder what the doctor would have said. Surely they don't expect people to have a supply of specimen cups lying around.

What Happens.......

2010-11-17T10:13:00.000Z

What happens to women when a boutique is going out of business and is having a liquidation sale?
Women turn nasty.
They (I write they, because I don not fall under this category) all of a sudden think it's perfectly okay to push, shove, steal, tug and even ram other women with their strollers!
Yes, strollers!! Who thought it would be a good idea to bring a stroller into a store that holds approximately 20 people max? Not only a regular stroller, oh no, a double stroller! And a flippin' dog on a leash! Really???
You would think the World was coming to an end and this was their last chance to purchase a pair of overpriced winter boots that they would have never laid eyes on before when said boots were uber overpriced.
Let me tell you, going to a sale like that is extremely exhausting. But the boots look really good.

What's for dinner tonight?

2010-11-09T11:39:00.000Z

What's for dinner tonight? Or, What do you want for dinner?
2 of the most hated questions in many parts of the world. I do try to be politically correct since there are countries where no food is available and I wouldn't want them to feel bad. Then again, they probably don't read my blog.
I ask one of the questions every day and every day I get the same answer. "I don't care."
Which is a perfectly fine answer, but then why do I care so much about dinner? Maybe because I grew up in a family where we had dinner every night. Like, meat, potatoes, gravy, real dinner kind of stuff.
We don't have that. Sometimes we have real dinner and many times we don't. Then we have omelettes (cinnamon is a favorite), cereal (I call it gourmet if it has raisins) or maybe some soup out of a can (the perfect place for soup).
I dream of slaving away in the kitchen all day. Of creating the perfect meal, sitting down and being met with oohs and aaahs and feeling like I accomplished equally important as saving the World. It doesn't happen. Don't get me wrong, the fam likes the food, but it's usually eaten in less than 10 minutes and then it takes a whole hour to clean it up.
I get asked one of the questions daily. And most days I say, "I don't know." Problem is the question is usually asked 30 minutes before dinnertime (which is 6 pm and always will be 6 pm), and I have been so busy with my hectic life (that's sarcastic, I don't have a job, but I thought it sounded important) that I haven't thought of anything yet. And that's how we end up with gourmet cereal, cinnamon omelettes (they really are very good) or maybe some soup out of a can (again, the perfect place for soup.)
I'm the only one who is bothered by these kind of dinners. They make me feel like an inadequate mother and how stupid is that!! How many women out there are truly inadequate mothers? Many, and they drink and do drugs and beat up their kids, husbands, lovers and probably the dog too. And I worry about dinner!
It has to stop.
Starting right now, I am entering the MWSFGANCDEN group and I will introduce myself: "Hi, I'm Katrine and I am a Mother Who Shouldn't Feel Guilty About Not Cooking Dinner Every Night."
And now you should say, "Hi Katrine".
Have a good day and by the way, we're having roast tonight.

Class # 2

2010-10-07T08:46:00.000+01:00

Off I went to creative writing, class # 2. Poem in hand. Apparently I write better under pressure. I managed to squeeze out a poem that got various reactions.
My dear Joel told me to please tell the class that the poem was not from my real life, to please show them I have no bruises and to please tell them my children are fed on a regular basis (even the gourmet cereal counts.) Remember, "gourmet" in my house is translated to "with raisins in it".
The teacher told me it was powerful and frightening and a student wiped away a tear.
I have no idea where that poem came from or what possessed me to write such a dark thing, but here it is:

Windows.

Outside the window
I see him hunched over her telling her how much he loves her
Inside the window
He is hunched over her telling her what a stupid, worthless wife she is

Outside the window
I see a family hugging each other while tears are rolling, they won the lottery
Inside the window
A family is hugging each other while tears are rolling, they're mourning the loss of a child

Outside the window
I see an old man sitting in his chair, holding a glass of whiskey. He looks content.
Inside the window
Is an old man sitting in his chair, holding a glass of whiskey and with a stomach full of sleeping pills.
He is content.

Outside the window
I see a small boy and a girl, playing quietly on the floor.
Inside the window
Is a small boy and a girl, playing quietly on the floor wondering when they will eat again.

Outside the window
Is the happy world
Inside the window
Is reality.

On a more cheerful note French girl looking for Sherman has decided to ditch him and come back to creative writing. Last night her theme was "nautical" and she was dressed head to toe in red, white and blue. Even her pen matched the outfit.
I truly admire people who can put that much effort into getting dressed every day.
Personally I have mastered the art of sleeping in a pair of leggings that I can just throw a shirt over the next morning and pull it off as "casual bohemian". NOT.

The avid reader will be pleased to know that we have now finished season 4 of Jack Bauer and since I am going away for the weekend we will not start season 5 just yet.

Tonight I get my groceries delivered. It really is very handy to place an order on-line and have someone else carry it up all those stairs. I feel slightly bad as the delivery guy makes his way up to my flat. I can hear him complaining the whole way up and I stand at the door ready to quickly grab my bags before the sweat from his face drips into my organic free range chicken.
I don't know why I would have a problem with his sweat on my chicken, apparently all the beef we eat (and I mean "we" as in all of us, yes, you too) has been rinsed in chemicals before we buy it. What could a little sweat possibly do.

Well, my good friend the washer is calling me. Have a terrific Thursday out there.

Jack Bauer

2010-10-06T17:18:00.000+01:00

Jack Bauer is taking over my life.
We are in such a hurry to put the kids to bed at night just so we can put on another episode (or 4) of 24.
Here are the excuses we have used so far:

1. Kids, it's time to go to bed. Now, we know it's a bit earlier than usual, but you have to get your bodies adjusted to the time difference for when we go to Denmark!! (It's a 1 hour time difference).

2. Kids, tonight you are going to bed a bit earlier than usual. You look really tired. (As they are bouncing off the walls)

3. Kids, tonight is a special night. You can eat dinner and watch movies in our bed until it's your bedtime. (Hey, that's an extra 3 hours of JB time)

4. Kids, Mommy and Daddy have something very important to talk about so we need you to play in your rooms and leave us alone.

It's really pathetic, but it's such a good show. We are totally sleep deprived because we keep saying "one more episode", "just one more". Almost done with season 4, I think there are 4 more to go.

Oh, the kids aren't stupid. They'll say "you're watching 24 again, aren't you."

I don't even want to add up the hours we spent in front of that television. I can only hope we don't find another must watch show after this.

Creative Writing

2010-10-06T14:44:00.000+01:00

I signed up for a creative writing class in hopes of......I don't know....just to have something to do I guess. Maybe learn a thing or two on how to write better. I'd like to be able to write the way I tell a story.

Being the keen people observer I am I spent most of the 2 hours observing the people who had signed up for this course.

Couple of Grannies, couple of mommies, couple of students and a couple of people who, according to themselves, just need that final push before putting the finishing touches on their books!! Their books!! Shouldn't they have taken the class before starting the book or is only the last part or the finishing touch that will be creative?

One girls, in particular, got my attention. Nice French girl dressed head to toe in bright green and gold. Green shoes, green tights, green skirt with a fairy tale scene printed on it, green sweater and a gold necklace that must have weighed at least 10 pounds. It was a carriage with 6 horses in front plus stuff running behind it. How she managed to carry that around all day, I have no idea. I thought it would be neat if she left it on while sunbathing. She would get a nice little scene printed on her neck. Of course that would require sun and since we're in Scotland..........you get the picture. Oh yeah, her glasses ere bright green too and the feathers in her hair. Very colorful indeed. And it only took her 45 minutes before she realized she was in the wrong class!
All of sudden she asks with her very heavy accent," Is sis not Sherman?" To which the teacher asked,"Who's Sherman?" We then realized she was looking for the German class down the hall. And off she went. I hope she found Sherman.

Anyways our first assignment is to write max 400 words on one of the following topics: Tight jeans, brothers, family holidays, windows or pay packet. Oh, and feel free to play with poetry!!

Class 2 starts in 4 hours, I haven't written anything yet. Roses are red, violets are blue...my jeans are too tight, where's my shoe????

I'm a loser baby....

2010-10-06T14:26:00.000+01:00

Okay, I feel like a total loser right now.
I'm supposedly job hunting which consists of me looking through all the postings on-line, deciding that I am either over qualified, not qualified or that I refuse to work for very little money.

On top of it all I am eating a whole pack of Jaffa cakes. And I don't even like Jaffa cakes. But they are there, so I eat them. I start off by eating one, thinking to myself that that has got to be the worst thing I have ever eaten. Then I decide that maybe my taste buds were a little off and that they might have changed in the past 20 seconds, so I eat another one. Now I'm not sure whether that second Jaffa cake was better or worse than the first one, so I eat one more. I then realize it's like alcohol. The first shot is awful, the second not much better, but after 4, 5 or 6 shots it's not that bad. And so the whole entire pack of Jaffa cakes is gone. Even the ones I told myself I would save for my children to get their opinion. But then I thought it would be cruel to have them eat something that wasn't good. That's being a good mother, isn't it? Albeit a mother who will get fat and die from heart disease because she ate that whole pack of god awful terrible Jaffa cakes.

Anyways, back to the job hunt. When I look at the postings I always come up with these scenarios that I probably shouldn't share with you, but you can choose to stop reading.

I am always drawn to the strange postings.
Why be a secretary when you can be a phone sex operator?
Why be a teaching assistant when someone is looking for women to participate in cat fights?
Why slave away in an office when you could be a street performer on The Royal Mile?
Why be a recruitment consultant when you can learn to drive a double decker bus?

The truth is there aren't a lot of jobs out there right now and the ones I do apply for (which is quite a few, and yes, they are quite boring, but so is the real me), I never hear back from.

So, I keep looking and reaching for those awful Jaffa cakes that are long gone.

P.S. I really don't like Jaffa cakes. Not at all. Not one bit.

Job, where art thou?

2010-09-27T17:37:00.002+01:00

So, I'm trying to look for a job. I look every day and I apply every day. And I hear nothing back.

Why?

Is it because I don't answer the questions right? Have I been off the market for too long?

I don't know, but it's frustrating. I really really really would like to do something. As this point I don't even care what, just something.

The kids don't want me to get a job. They want me to stay home all day and wait for them. Yep, that's what they told me. And when they come home form school they ignore me. But they must like me, right?

I am applying for social work jobs, teaching assistants jobs, fundraising jobs, any jobs. My only priority is that it can not cost me money going to work.

I keep toying with the idea of creating my own job, but that's probably better left in my brain.

Dear job God, if you exist could you please find me a job. Please? Pretty please with sprinkles on top.

Should one worry?

2010-09-22T18:32:00.002+01:00

Should one worry about others when writing a blog?

I need to be able to just write what I like and not think about whether or not I offend someone.

Do you write whatever you like?

Blog block

2010-09-13T18:22:00.002+01:00

I have blog block.

I don't know what to write, I don't think I have anything interesting to write about.

I'll get back to you in a week or so to let you know the future of the blog.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

2010-08-30T10:01:00.003+01:00

As soon as we moved here we bought tickets for the Tattoo. We figured we should see it once since we're here and even though I am not a bagpipe fan (to say the least), off we went.

It was fantastic and I will definitely go again next year.

From our kitchen window (if we lean out and to the right) we can see the castle and at nighttime we can see it all it up from the tattoo and we can hear the fireworks. Every single night. Scares the bejeepers out of me every time. Next weekend is the last tattoo of the season and the fireworks last for more than 1 hour!!! Her are some pics:

First day of school

2010-08-20T11:29:00.000+01:00

The kids had their first day of school yesterday.
We were all nervous as we got up and ready in the morning. The kids looked adorable in their uniforms which consists of a white polo and a blue sweatshirt, pretty boring.
We got them to the school, walked in and I thought Kirsten was going to break down. The look on her face was heart breaking. Like Joel said, "Today is the first day I would have bought her a pony had ske asked for one".
They got to their classrooms and were each assigned a buddy to help them around the first couple of days.
They both had great days, made friends and seemed happy. Kirsten was a little miffed that a lot of the girls in her class live in Leith which isn't too close to where we live.
They were excited to go to school this morning and when we got there Kirsten gave me a look that said, please leave now. So I left.
All is good.

Jack Peach

2010-08-20T11:21:00.000+01:00

Since moving into the new flat we have been trying to get our TV, internet and phone hooked up. We have decided to go with Virgin Media, they're cheaper than SKY and they offer ESPN America which is important to Joel.
After moving in we received a few letters from Virgin Media (VM) addressed to Jack Peach to confirm that they were coming out to install the service. We called VM and told them that there wasn't a Jack Peach living here. They said it was impossible as they had been out to install some cables that previous weekend!
We have now been back and forth over the past 3 weeks. VM will not deactivate Jack Peach's service unless Jack Peach tells them to. Who is Jack Peach? We don't know, they don't know, and he is paying for service he is not getting.
We have now lived for 6 weeks without TV and internet. I know there are people out there who thinks life without TV is fantastic. Let me tell you something. They're lying. Life without TV SUCKS!! I miss my stupid mind numbing shows, I miss using the TV as barter for my kids, I miss laughing at a good sitcom.
Life without internet is virtually impossible. Every time you want to do something you are asked to download a form or sign up online or pay online.
Facebook is limited on the Blackberry I have access to every day before 8 am and after 6 pm, and it's a pain to read anything on that little screen. Plus I would like to share some pics of this beautiful place I live in. SKYPE is not happening right now.
And that is why I am at the gym. Not to work out, but to use their computers. So sad.

Yeah

2010-07-18T21:55:00.003+01:00

Today we got a lot of stuff done at the new apartment.
Joel made 4 trips to the recycling center, I made a trip to the local charity shop and we managed to find people on our street who took a lot of shelving.
I would lie if I said the place looks livable, but hopefully very very soon. It is nice to have the temporary place to sleep at.
We also found out that we can store bikes in a little shed and that the garden in back is communal. Lucas was so happy when he found out.
Tomorrow morning both kids are off to camp and I think they are both looking very much forward to not be around each other.

Moving day

2010-07-18T09:58:00.003+01:00

Was last week. 6 movers, 2 days and 360 boxes/pieces of furniture, 1 small apartment.
The movers in Georgia did a very poor job of packing and some very very important stuff broke (important to me, not to anyone else, read christmas gnome)!!!
They also took apart a coffeetable that doesn't come apart. Now it's completely broken, but we have no room for it anyways.
Sorting through all our stuff and realizing that we don't need all this stuff. Out it goes. Off to the charity shop around the corner.
Now storing an ice cream maker, blender and other kitchen stuff in bedroom. Spare room is lined with bookcases filled with books and games.
A new simple life. Nice.

It's rough

2010-07-18T09:56:00.003+01:00

It's rough being 9 and missing your friends and your backyard.
After a few tears and lots of hugs we have decided that today we must hook up the computer and skype. 2 minutes on skype cures everything.
Tomorrow camp starts and with that the hope of finding a few friends. 4 more weeks and school starts. Moving at this time of the year sucks big time.

Update

2010-07-04T08:02:00.002+01:00

Since the kids got here I haven't had much time to blog.
They are getting settled. We have the occasinal break down of crying and missing friends. It's hard to watch and calls for sleepless nights for me. So many thoughts: Will they ever be happy? Will thay make new friends? Can we live without a yard?
I already know the answers to these questions, but a mind is a funny thing, it plays tricks on you.
We have been going to the park quite a lot. There's a nice playground in Princes Street Gardens and in Queens Gardens West there's loads of room to just run around or hide behind an old tree. On July 31st we are going to a bday party to celebrate the garden's 203rd bday!
We have also been to the beach a few times. So nice to live close to water again. 20 mins on the bus and you're there. There's sand everywhere in the flat:)
Today we are supposed to head up to Linlithgow Palace for the annual jousting tournament, but it's pouring down, so maybe we'll have to reconsider.
Our furniture supposedly arrived yesterday. And supposedly it will be delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday. Which means we'll be moving into our permanent flat very very soon. How we are going to fit all that stuff in there, I don't know. I feel slightly bad for the movers who will have to walk up and down all those stairs.
So excited to set up a real computer and having access to Skype all the time.
We are slowly learning the local lingo and I have to say it's very charming when Lucas tells us he wants to go play footie:)
Peace Out.

And the kids are back.....

2010-06-22T17:30:00.002+01:00

We picked up the kids Friday morning at London Heathrow's Airport. So good to see them again. Now we're back in Edinburgh trying to get some kind of routine going. Hopefully soon.

Tennis

2010-06-13T20:08:00.002+01:00

So, since moving here I have been reseaching different tennis options.
Today I visited a gym that offered tennis on indoor courts. That's fine with me since you never know what the weather will be like here.
Okay, so in we go and they play on.........CARPETING!!! WTF!!!
Oh Honey, I'll be right there, just have to vacuum the tennis court.

A walk down the stairs

2010-06-13T08:39:00.003+01:00

As we were leaving the flat, we heard commotion from down below. Eager to meet anyone, we hurried down the stairs and came upon a tiny, very old woman.
She introduced herself and before we knew it, we were invited to come back after 5 (she was on her way out to hear her granddaughter play the bagpipes!! The things I never thought I would hear) for a glass of wine. We said thank you very much and off we went for the days adventure.

We went to climb to the top of Mt Holyrood to sit in Arthur's Seat. Never have I seen anything that spectacular. It's unbelievable to have all this nature smack in the middle of a city. We made it to the top and today we can't move:)
A quick lunch at a cafe and back home for a nap.

At 5.15 we ventured downstairs to meet Mrs. McWilliam. We brought a small bouquet of flowers which she thought was lovely. We had a glass of wine and a good chat about life in Scotland, children, her flat etc. Her flat was amazing. And interesting. Her bedroom was connected to the living room only divided by a bathtub!! Of course I got this mental image of this old woman lounging in the tub in the middle of her living room:)

At 7 we went to the Stockbridge Taphouse to watch the US-England game. It was great fun and we met a bunch of locals. Joel is still getting used to the stronger beer here, so by the time we walked home, it was a very very chatty Joel next to me. I don't think he'll be feeling too good today.

Today we are setting off on a "Let's find a place for Katrine to play tennis" trip. I am in serious need of some tennis!!

Siochaint!!

The Killing Station

2010-06-12T11:09:00.002+01:00

And off we went to see how the salmon is raised, calmed and well, killed.
It sounds babaric, but it was really fascinating. And I'm still eating salmon.
I won't go into details for the weak souls out there, but if we ever see each other I'll be happy to share over a pint.

Spent the night at Creggans Inn, what a beautiful spot with amazing food. I have to say the food in Scotland is amazing.

On our drive back from the killing station (it's not really a nice word, is it), we saw the bigest bull ever. Turns out it wasn't a bull, but a Highland Cow. Now that's a big animal.....with the cutest fringe ever. I wonder if Rufus is part Highland Cow.

Yesterday it was back to Edinburgh with a big decision in the bag. We are going to move into the flat we saw last week. This means the kids will go to a different school than first anticipated, but this one is nice too. The flat is located in the West End, approximately 3 minutes walk from Joels office. Lots to do in the area and right around the corner from, yes, you guessed it, the Castle.

Tonight we're off to watch the England/US game in a pub in Stockbridge, but first we're off to climb Holyrood.

Peace Out.

Loch Fyne - Part 2

2010-06-10T15:04:00.003+01:00

Went through the processing plant. AMAZING.
So, the salmon gets killed and the gills get cut. It thens gets iced and send to the plant.
When it comes into the plant it's all assembly line.

1. Fish gets cut,
2. Fish gets gutted.
3. Fish gets scraped.
4. Fish gets washed.
5. Fish gets weighed and sorted.
6. Fish gets iced.
7. Fish gets packed and shipped off.

It goes so fast. The workers mostly work with headphones on to avoid the noise. Most of them lost their sense of smell.

I had to wear a pair of steeltoed wellies, NICE!! Along with a white lab coat and a hairnet that I managed to put on to look quite stylish.

Loch Fyne

2010-06-10T13:41:00.002+01:00

Today I went with Joel to Loch Fyne to see a salmon farm!!
Actually I'm there right now and haven't seen it yet, but the drive up was unbelievable. 2 hrs west of Edinburgh and hello nature!! People say it looks like New Zealand, but I wouldn't know since I haven't been there:)
Mountains (they're probably hills) everywhere, sheep, cows, wildflowers galore. And oh, the lochs. They go on and on and on and are so beautiful everywhere you look.
Pictures will have to wait since I still don't have a computer to upload them.
We went to Loch Fyne Oyster House for lunch and let me tell you. I have had mussels before, many times. But these puppies were right out of the loch and the best ever.
In a little bit we get to take a tour of the facilities where all the salmon is processed. Before the salmon comes here, it get's killed at another facility. We'll go see that later. Lovely.
We're staying at an inn overlooking the loch.

Rain rain rain

2010-06-09T08:37:00.003+01:00

And so the Scottish summer is in full swing with rain every day:)
It has now rained for 4 days, but it's nice rain. Nice rain? Nice rain is when it's just raining with no winds and the temperature is still pretty warm. The air is nice and fresh and the best part? Life doesn't seem to stop just because it's raining. Lots of people out and about. It's really nice.
We're still considering the flat we saw on Monday. It really is very very nice, but se still haven't heard back from the school. We did go by and the secretary, who was sitting in a closet, was very overwhelmed and busy, but promised she would call us. We'll give her one more day:)

Last night we went for a walk and ended up in a pub in Stockbridge. People had their dogs in there, so cute. We got talking to a couple of local guys and we're meeting up with them on Saturday to watch the U.S. game. They're watching the England game.......

Tomorrow we're off to Cairndou I think it's called. Joel has some business there and I figured I would tag along and see some scenery.

Tickets for the Tattoo are booked. I figured I would have to experience it at least once eventhough I really don't like bagpipes. It's like facing your fears.

Joel found out that people here don't use dry cleaners for every single piece of clothing they own and he found out that it's very very expensive to have shirts dry cleaned. I guess he'll have to learn how to iron.

Just wondering...

2010-06-07T06:24:00.002+01:00

Sitting here on a very early Monday morning in front of the TV.
Again there is a sign language interpreter in the corner of the TV. I think that's great, but are deaf people only allowed to watch TV early in the morning?

Stay on the wrong side of the road....

2010-06-06T18:52:00.002+01:00

stay on the wrong side of the road...................that was the chant for today as we took our first UK drive. But let's rewind a bit and see what happened on Friday.

Didn't sleep a wink between Thursday and Friday, so when I did fall asleep Friday morning I didn't get up till 11.15. Off to see the first flat of the day. It was awful. No luck there.
Took a loooong walk to see the next flat at the other end of the city. Hadn't really thought about living in the West End, but the pictures of the flat were so pretty.
The flat was gorgeous. It's in an old old building, but the flat itself is completely renovated with brand new everything. 4 bedrooms which means we would have a spare room for storage:) Only downside: it's a fourth floor walk up!! I loved it and tomorrow I will go check out the school for the area (I know the school offers Gaelic and it's mandatory to play the harp!!)
Then it was off to see a house located on the other side of town, about 30 minutes walk from the city centre. Again, I loved it, but Joel thought it was too far away.

Saturday we went to open a bank account and then off to the mobile store for a phone for me. Of course I want another iphone and lucky for me they're free!! The contract is for 2 yrs and the phone is free and the monthly payment is less than half of the U.S. Oh, did I mention they'll buy back my $50 refurbished iphone for £180!!! Sounds good to me.

Then I took Joel by the flat and we explored the area. It's literally a 5 minute walk from his office. The area is okay, not as cozy as the one we originally were looking at. There is a big leisure center close by with a cinema, bowling, casino and a fitness center. Hopefully tomorrow we can go see the flat together.

The afternoon was spent napping in Princes Street Gardens. :)
We went out to a late Mexican dinner where they didn't give you chips, but popcorn!! Interesting, but good. I kept waiting for the movie to begin.

Today we took our first drive out to the country side. We went to see Linlithgow Palace and Blackness Castle. Very impressive and pretty even though we got our first taste of true Scottish summer weather - cold and rainy. Joel did the driving and I have to admit I was a little scared. But he managed and we made it back in one piece after having a lovely Sunday Roast at the local pub, Four Marys, in Linlithgow.

The country side was amazing. Sheep and cows everywhere. Saw a cow who must've thought it was a giraffe as he was stretching his neck and eating from a tree!!

Day 3

2010-06-03T19:37:00.002+01:00

Day 3 in Scotland and it's HOT!!! If this is what summer is like here, then I'm loving it.
Today I looked at two places. The first one I decided to have a look at was purely for entertainment purposes. It was way too expensive, but I had to see it as it was so ugly on-line and the fact that I had nothing else to do....why not.
So it was described as a flat, but it turned out to be an entire town house. It was located on a crescent in a beautiful old old building with a small park across the street. So I walked into a big foyer with a huge winding staircase. To the right of the staircase was a dining room. Red walls and red carpeting!!! Not pretty, but somehow it worked in that particular house.
Kitchen had green carpeting!!! Both those things are wrong, green carpeting and carpeting in a kitchen........yuck.
Upstairs were 3 bedrooms that weren't too bad, but there was also a living room. It had yellow walls and bright blue carpeting. For a moment I was looking around to see where I could buy the meatballs and the assemble it yourself furniture. Total IKEA.
That being said, it was a beautiful property and if it hadn't been as expensive I could have lived with the crayola carpeting.
Then on to the next property. This one was another 3 bedroom flat and it was a flat. You walked right into the livingroom which was tiny. And there was a stripper pole. Well, it wasn't really a stripper pole, but it was a pole in the middle of the living room. Not sure what it was for, it didn't look like it could really hold anything up. Place was nice, but way too small.
Oh, I made 2 friends today. I walked into a cooking school to get a kids summer program and ended up having a chat with the owner and the receptionist. They were so nice and I stayed for a while to chat with them and it was nice to actually talk to someone for real as oppsed to the fake conversations on my phone:)
Checked into getting a phone too, and for some reason the plans for iphones here are super cheap and you get the phone for free. But you need a bank account in order to get a phone and you can't get a bank account if you don't have a permanent address, but we're working on it.
Talked to a bloke in store, well he talked and I nodded. Didn't understand one word!!
Peace out.

Hello Scotland!!

2010-06-02T13:38:00.002+01:00

We are here!!
We almost made it without getting into a fight, but it wouldn't be a "Rubenstein" trip if nothing happened:) Had a bit too much luggage, but after some re-arranging and the purchase of a not so beautiful turqoise carry on, we managed to get everything on the plane without paying extra.
Landed in Edinburgh right on time and 3 minutes later had our luggage. That's what happens when there are all of 3 luggage carrousels:)
In to a cab and off to pick up the key to our apartment where we will be staying for up to 2 months. Get to the apartment building and realize that our flat is on the top floor and there's no elevator. Well, 71 steps later we unlock the door to find the most charming flat. 71 steps later 4 more times and we have all our luggage in there too:) We also have sore behinds:)
After some unpacking we decide to go grocery shopping. I quickly find out that I need one of those little "senior citizen" carts that I can wheel some groceries home in. What a sight that'll be!!
We have a key to the private garden across the street and it's really pretty. Looking forward to spending many afternoons there for the next 2 months.
Next door to our apartment building (which is from 1790!!) is an old church that is now a gym. So after 4 years in the bible belt I can now officially say I go to church. Who would've thunk it!!
We went to bed at 10 pm, so exhausted it didn't even face us that it was still day light and there are no blinds. Woke up at 5 am to day light. Wonder if it was ever dark??
Joel went to work and I set off to explore. Walked all morning, spoke to 5 different estate agents, sat in a cafe pretending I wasn't all alone in a new city, and even pretended to have a conversation on my cell phone.
Funny how when you are all alone in a new city you notice everyone else out with their friends....soon that WILL be me. I hope.
Oh, when I woke up this morning I turned on the telly (Figured I should start using the local language) and after watching the news in Gaelic I watched a music video that in the corner had a sign language person grooving along while signing...........
Once I get my own computer up and running (right now I'm in an internet cafe much like the ones you see on an episode of Law and Order - SVU) I am going to make over the blog and rename it The Kilted Kat.
Peace out for now.

Sorg

2010-05-27T16:08:00.002+01:00

Idag er dagen hvor vi siger farvel til dem vi kender i GA.

Jeg ved at nogle faa vil altid vaere med mig, andre vil forsvinde ud af hukommelsen.

Der er allerede graedt mange taarer idag og klokken er kun 11.

Jeg graeder isaer mange taarer for Rufus som jeg ikke ser foer til september. Aldrig havde jeg troet at en hund skulle blive min bedste ven. De sidste to naetter har vi sovet arm i arm, Rufus og jeg. :)

Der er ogsaa blevet graedt taarer for Marianne og hendes boern. Sikke en uretfaerdighed.

Idag giver jeg min Joel et ekstra kram, man ved aldrig hvornaar det er slut:(

Puha

2010-05-05T02:22:00.003+01:00

Saa er billetterne bestilt, flyttemaendene er booket og nu er der lige pludselig kun 3 uger til afrejse.

Vi glaeder os, vi er spaendte og nervoese. Alle de ting man nok skal vaere naar man nu flytter til et nyt land.

Foerst og fremmest er jeg mest spaendt paa hvordan jeg klarer ikke at skulle se mine unger i 3 uger!! De skal nemlig paa safari med farmor og farfar i Afrika. Noej, det er lang tid de skal vaere vaek. Men de kommer med garanti slet ikke til at savne os.

Min veninde Ellen tager kattene, nu mangler jeg bare at finde et sted til hunden.........og naar det er gjort kan det vare jeg igen kan sove om natten.

Scotland

2010-05-03T12:42:00.003+01:00

Saa har vi soerme vaeret en tur i Skotland!!

Der var super flot, ungerne elskede det og det gjorde vi ogsaa.

Vi fandt det omraade vi vil bo i, besoegte en skole og udfyldte papirerne til boernene, saa nu skal vi bare afsted. Lige om lidt.

Vi rejser herfra d.28 maj. Saa tager vi til Memphis til et bryllup. D.31 maj sender vi boernene paa en flyver til Chicago og vi tager til Skotland. D.19 juni henter jeg boernene i London, da er de paa vej hjem fra Safari i Afrika med farmor og farfar. Og saa starter vores nye liv i Skotland.

Her er lidt billeder fra Edinburgh.

Garage Sale

2010-04-18T01:31:00.002+01:00

Den sidste uges tid er gaaet med at faa samlet alle ting sammen til et stort garage sale.

Det skulle foregaa fredag og loerdag og vi var saa parate. Vejret var med os, masser af mennesker og idag kl.15 kunne vi lukke butikken og med god samvittighed saette os ned og drikke en oel. Det gjorde vi saa ikke for vi havde noget andet vi skulle, men ideen var der.

Vi fik simpelthen solgt saa mange ting.

Der er et par enkelte ting tilbage, men al smaatteriet (spil, toej dyr, biler, boeger osv) blev givet til en charity der kom og hentede det hele.

Saa nu er der tomt i garagen, eller der er ihvertfald kun de ting vi skal have med os til Skotland saasom cykler, skateboards osv.

Det har vaeret saa befriende at vaere igennem den her oprydningsprocess. Dejligt at komme af med alle de ting som vi havde fordi vi havde plads til dem og ikke fordi det var noget vi egentlig manglede.

Baade Joel og jeg ser frem til at bo i et meget mindre hus, mindre have og i det hele taget vaere mere naervaerende end her hvor vi ofte har siddet i hvert sit rum og set fjernsyn. Nu skal vi snart vaere enige om hvad vi skal se!!

Paa torsdag gaar turen til Skotland for at kigge os omkring. Eller det er ihvertfald planen, nu maa vi se om den der vulkan kan finde ud af at holde op med at lave flere askeskyer.

Vi proever at faa Kirsten til at glaede sig, men det goer hun ihvertfald ikke. Hun vil faktisk slet ikke med. Men det kommer hun nu og mon ikke hun nok skal vaenne sig til tanken og jeg tror der er store chancer for at hun bliver glad for at vaere der. Hun oever sig da i at stave anderledes (colour istedet for color).

Naa, men nu sidder jeg saa her og er fuldstaendig smadret. Efter at have holdt garage sale igaar og idag, golfet 9 huller og spillet i en poker tournament, saa er det vist paa tide at jeg kravler i seng. I det mindste kommer jeg ikke til at droemme om al det jeg skal rydde op, for der er ikke mere:)

Og saa kommer der nogle og ser paa huset imorgen. En dame var meget interesseret i at koebe og en mand var interesseret i at leje.

Sikke en masse lort!!

2010-04-08T05:22:00.002+01:00

Og det er ikke mave virus jeg hentyder til selvom den har vaeret paa besoeg siden fredag aften, men nu endelig er forsvundet igen.

Nae, det er alt det lort man gaar og faar samlet sammen. Papirer, halve kort spil, gamle ting der for laengst skulle vaere smidt ud, men som man af en eller anden fuldstaendig uforklarlig grund har holdt fast paa.

Det har vi saa faaet gjort kaal paa idag. Det blev ogsaa til 16 saekke affald!!! Ja, 16 saekke!!

Og vi fortsaetter imorgen. Det skal man goere naar man nu er i det humoer der hedder "hvis jeg ikke har brugt det de sidste 3 aar saa kommer jeg heller aldrig til at mangle det og derfor ryger det ud."

De to gaeste vaerelser er ordnet, boernenes vaerelser er ordnet (Kirsten syntes slet ikke det var sjovt.....lige indtil vi rigtig kom igang, saa hyggede vi os). Lucas er ikke god til at rydde op. Han vil bare gerne smide ALT ud. Ogsaa de ting han leger med for saa er han fri for at rydde det op. Saa han laa paa sin mega store FATBOY mens han fortalte Joel hvad der kunne blive smidt ud:)

Pulterkammeret i kaelderen er ordnet. Vaskerummet er ordnet, stuerne er ordnet og boernenes badevaerelse er ordnet.

Joel klarede garagen i weekenden mens jeg var syg.

Imorgen hedder det saa vores sovevaerelse, badevaerelse og vaerst af alt: LOFTET!!! Jeg hader at gaa paa loftet.

Der er blevet taget billeder af alt der skal saelges og de bliver lagt ud paa en blog indenfor de naermeste par dage saa folk kan se hvad der er istedet for at komme rendende for at kigge.

Efter en lang arbejdsdag tog vi i Super H-Mart og spiste Bento Box og derefter i biffen. Joel og Lucas saa "How To Train Your Dragon" og Kirsten og jeg snuppede "The Last Song" som jeg troede var en teenage love story-agtig film, men endte med at vaere den mest soergelige teenage love story, far har kraeft-film. Den var nu ellers rigtig god.

Den er filmet i Savannah som ikke ligger saa langt fra os, men det er bare et af de mange steder vi aldrig er naaet til, for hvorfor skulle man gaa i Rundetaarn naar man bor i Koebenhavn?

Foran os sad der to kvinder der konstant sms-ede paa mobilerne og bagved sad en spansk familie med 3 boern hvoraf den mindste ar lige omkring 2!!! "MAMI, PAPI" konstant under hele filmen og renden frem og tilbage. Det var da lige til at blive gak i laaget af.

Bahamas

2010-03-31T16:48:00.002+01:00

Joel og jeg tilbragte et par dage paa Bahamas paa den mest fantastiske strand.

Boernene blev passet af Mormor og Niels og det var selvfoelgelig gaaet godt. Kirsten havde ikke graedt en eneste gang, men jeg skal da lige love for hun tog revanche igaar aftes.

Puha det er haardt at se ens barn vaere saa ulykkelig.

Men det skal jo nok gaa og naar foerst vi har vaeret en tur i Edinburgh i slutningen af April, saa skal hun nok komme til at glaede sig.

Idag staar den saa ellers paa at faa fotograferet ALT der skal saelges. Der er godt nok meget, men det kan vel ikke vaere anderledes naar man skal over og bo i noget meget mindre.

Ikke fantastisk Dag

2010-03-24T08:54:00.002Z

Igaar kom dagen hvor vi endelig kunne fortaelle boernene at vi skal flytte.

Jeg havde det ikke godt med det, men Joel mente at det ville de tage i stiv arm. Han har aabenbart aldrig vaeret en 10-aarig pige............

Foerst begyndte de at grine og saa kom graaden. Lucas graed i 30 minutter og loeb op paa sit vaerelse og saa kom han ned og syntes egentlig at det var spaendende og ville gerne se billeder.

Kirsten graed i 3 timer i traek og holdt kun op fordi hun faldt i soevn. Stakkels barn. Og stakkels Joel der var fuldstaendig chokeret over hendes reaktion.

Jeg er sikker paa at hun nok skal vaenne sig til tanken og komme til at glaede sig.

Det var nok den absolut vaerste dag i hele mit liv.

Som Kirsten sagde, "It's just odd to move to Scotland. London would be one thing, but Scotland!!!!"

Fantastisk Dag

2010-03-21T15:42:00.002Z

Sikke en fantastisk dag vi havde. Vi blev vaekket kl.6 af 5 Amerikanske damer der stod og skraalede udenfor. De havde morgenmad med og kom indenfor en times tid.

Om aftenen havde vi 30 gaester til "stand up" dinner og drinks. Det var saa sjovt og hyggeligt. De sidste gaester gik kl.2 og der var der baade blevet sunget, danset og grinet.

Vi fik de fineste blomster, gavekurve, gavekort, vin og alkohol saa nu er vi da naesten klar til endnu en fest.

Kobberbryllup

2010-03-18T11:41:00.002Z

Puha, saa synes man lige pludselig at det bliver rigtig borgerligt naar man saadan skal hen og holde kobberbryllup. Altsaa, det bliver ikke med suppe, steg og is og orgelmusik, men det er kun fordi vi bor her. Jeg elsker nemlig suppestegogisogorgelmusik fester:)

Istedet bliver det til 30 gode venner, en masse forretter, desserter samt gode drinks.

Kjolen er i hus, dvs der er indkoebt 2 kjoler, for man kan jo aldrig vide........

Batteriet til kameraet er ladt op, det kunne jo vaere man var heldig at faa et godt skud af det yndige brudepar, som naar jeg kigger tilbage, ligner et par teenagers i det oprindelige bryllupsfotografi.

I naeste uge kommer der saa besoeg fra DK og Joel og jeg tager, forhaabentlig, til Bahamas. Vi skal ogsaa lige naa at fejre Lucas' 9-aars-dag. Boernefoedselsdagen bliver holdt imorgen, 8 kammerater og en tur i biffen og bagefter med hjem til pizza og kage. Han glaeder sig.

Ha en god torsdag derude.

2010-03-14T02:11:00.001Z

Testing 123 testing 123

Foraar

2010-03-14T02:06:00.001Z

Naar det nu ikke kan blive foraar udenfor, saa maa det blive foraar paa bloggen.

Husk solbrillerne naeste gang du kommer forbi, farverne er klare og staerke.

Fiskene svoemmer efter din mus, det er vist de eneste fisk vi kan holde i live her i huset.

Poker Face

2010-03-14T01:48:00.003Z

I disse dage er det vist ikke kun Lady Gaga der har Poker Face.

Joel er i det heldige hjoerne (nogle vil vel mene at det er talent), for de sidste 2 mdr har han simpelthen vundet saa mange penge ved at spille poker.

Igaar blev det til en 2. plads i en Texas Hold'em turnering i Las Vegas.

Jeg ved ikke om jeg skal vaere bekymret eller lykkelig for at jeg nu kan koebe den kjole jeg saa gerne vil have.

Mario Bros Wii

2010-03-14T01:14:00.003Z

Iaften spillede boernene og jeg Mario Bros Wii og efter 20 minutter var mine fingre total foelelsesloese!! Da jeg ville stoppe med at spille skreg begge unger, "Nej, Mor, det er saa underholdende naar du spiller for du ved jo ikke hvordan man goer!!"

Tak for kaffe.

Svendborg Politi

2010-03-13T23:33:00.003Z

"Svendborg Politi, hvad kan jeg hjaelpe med?"

"Oeh jo, jeg har lige modtaget en email fra en veninde at hun vil tage sit eget liv, kan I tage ud og kigge til hende?"

"Har du ringet foer?"

"Nej, men det er muligt der er en anden pige der har ringet."

"Jamen hun ringede fra England."

"Ja, og jeg ringer fra USA"

"Du fortaeller mig altsaa at en dame fra England og en dame fra USA ringer for at redde en dame fra Aeroe?"

"Ja, det goer jeg og jeg vil saette stor pris paa hvis du vil hjaelpe mig inden det er for sent."

"Hvorfra kender du lokal nummeret her til politigaarden?"

"Jeg er fra Svendborg og al politi i DK har det samme tlf nummer, men kan du hjaelpe mig?"

"Oejeblik"

"Ja saa er jeg her igen. Vi naaede ud til hende i sidste oejeblik. Hun er bevidstloes og vi indlaegger hende paa intensiv, men hun skal nok klare den."

"Tak og godnat."

"Godnat? Det er jo morgen."

"Ja,for dig, men jeg sidder stadig i USA og det er godnat for mig."

"Hvordan er en fynsk pige som dig endt i USA?"

"Jeg er altsaa temmelig traet nu, men tak for hjaelpen. Farvel."

Saa hold dog mund kvinde!!

2010-03-09T23:48:00.002Z

I fitness centeret er jeg begyndt paa noget boot camp. Altsaa saadan noget hvor der staar en og raaber af dig og faar dig til at goere en masse ting du ellers aldrig ville goere. Det er effektivt og der er lidt konkurrence over det, saa det passer rigtig godt til mig.

Naar jeg er afsted i fitness har jeg haaret i en hestehale og ingen make-up paa. Man kunne vel fristes til at sige jeg ligner lort og lagkage, men det er fint med mig. Jeg skal jo ikke ud og foere mig frem, bare svede rigtig meget.

Paa det her boot camp hold er der saa en del "fine" damer. Fine damer her i omraadet er de damer der bor i nogle meget eksklusive lukkede nabo kvarterer. Det er vist fair nok at sige at 95% af de "fine" damer er gift med aeldre herrer og dermed nok 2. eller 3. vist ikke 4. kone i raekken. De ligner allesammen hinanden for de har allesammen den samme plastik kirurg!! De moeder op til fitness i fuld make-up og haaret sat og der er ingen af dem der sveder bare lidt. Maaske har de faaet saa meget Botox under armene at der ingen sved kan komme ud (Og ja, det er faktisk en reel procedure).

Naa, men i forgaars skal vi saa holde en vaegtstang paa 10 kilo over hovedet og gaa ned i knae saa langt vi kunne. Den bevaegelse goer at du faar styrket ryggen, idet dine arme automatisk rykker lidt bagud. Vaegten skal vaere i haelene og det betyder saa ogsaa at din bagdel kommer til at stikke temmelig meget ud. Taenk sig, den ene "fine" dame naegtede at lave oevelsen, for det saa maerkeligt ud og hun ville ikke have der var nogen der skulle se hendes roev stikke ud!! Hun brokkede sig saa meget at traeneren til sidst bad hende om at gaa!!

Det var fint for mig for jo mere irriterret jeg blev paa hende, jo mere loeftede jeg og jo dybere i knae kom jeg. Hun klagede og klagede og klagede sig, til sidst kiggede jeg paa hende og sagde paa mit klingrende fynske "Saa hold dog mund kvinde!!"

Hvorfor melder man sig til saadan noget hvis man ikke vil?

Jeg har meldt mig til fordi jeg vil udfordres og det bliver jeg ogsaa. Jeg havde ihvertfald ondt i maven efter at have lavet 450 maveboejninger.

Lang Distance Muffins

2010-03-06T20:23:00.003Z

For 1 aars tid siden modtog jeg en email ang noget foraeldre moede paa boernenes skole. Eneste problem var at jeg ikke kendte nogle af de foraeldre der var paa listen og det viste sig ogsaa at min email er kommet paa en foraeldre liste fra en skole i Californien.

Jeg emailede tilbage og sagde at de maatte gerne slette mig da jeg ikke bor i CA. Svaret tilbage loed at de ikke vidste jeg var flyttet!!

Jeg forklarede at jeg aldrig har boet i CA og at de har den forkerte adresse skrevet ned.

Emails blev ved med at komme, og hver gang skrev jeg tilbage om de ikke nok ville fjerne mit navn fra listen.

Idag fik jeg endnu en email om det var muligt jeg kunne medbringe nogle muffins til det naeste moede. Jeg svarede at efter som jeg bor i GA, saa bliver det nok lidt svaert, men hvis de ville vaere saa venlige at sende penge til en flybillet saa skal jeg nok komme.

Saa maa vi se hvad de siger til det!!

Operation Paaskeglad

2010-02-21T17:34:00.002Z

Saa er det igen tid til Operation Paaskeglad.

Du kan trykke her og melde dig til. Det er sjovt og hyggeligt og altid rart at faa en pakke med posten....ogsaa selvom den nogle gange indeholder en totalt smadret chokolade paaskehare:)

Tyggegummi kongen Bobbel

2010-02-21T17:20:00.002Z

Eller er det mon tyggegummi kongen Lucas? Han oever sig ihaerdigt i at blaese bobler, men det lykkedes ikke. Han har saagar vaeret paa youtube for at finde ud af hvordan man goer. Og ligemeget hovr mange gange vi proever at forklare ham hvordan han skal goere tyggegummiet fladt, saette det bag taenderne og stikke tungen ud og puste, saa lykkedes det bare ikke.

Og saa graeder han, for det kan da ikke vaere rigtigt at han er den eneste person i hele verden der ikke kan finde ud af det! Og han har ondt i kaeberne af at tygge. Stakkels barn.

Og Kirsten har fortalt os at hun, efter lange overvejelser, har bestemt sig for at The Beatles er det bedste band der nogensinde har eksisteret og at Black Eyed Peas er nummer to.

Daarlig service

2010-02-21T16:47:00.002Z

Altsaa, nu er jeg godt klar over at vi befinder os et sted i vores liv hvor vi maaske ikke gaar paa de fineste restauranter med boern, men jeg synes altsaa stadig man har ret til bare nogenlunde service. Fredag aften begav vi os afsted til Ruby Tuesday's som er en slags Jensens Boefhus med salatbar. Vi fik et bord i den ellers fuldstaendig tomme restaurant og bestilte drikkevarer. Drikkevarerne kom og vi bestilte noget guacamole som belv leveret 5 minutter senere og vi afgav saa vores bestilling. Saadan cirka 42 sekunder senere (ej det erl idt overdrevet, men det var ikke meget mere end 5 minutter) stod tjeneren der med vores hovedretter. Oeh, vi var stort set ikke gaaet igang med forretten endnu, men okay.

Jeg tog 2 bidder af min burger (som slet ikke smagte godt, maaske er det fordi jeg ellers ikke spiser koed) og saa stod tjeneren der igen og spurgte om vi var klar til noget dessert!! Altsaa paa det tidspunkt havde vi vaeret paa restauranten i 30 minutter!! Oeh nej det var vi ikke klar til. Ville vi have en "to go" box? Nej, vi er ikke faerdige med at spise. Okay, vil I have regningen? Ja, giv os regningen og lad os komme ud herfra.

Saa kommer hun med regningen og spoerger om hun kan tage nogle af tallerkenerne og da vi siger ja, saa raekker hun haenderne frem og vi kan selv faa lov til at give dem til hende.

Det var naermest komisk saa daarligt det var. Og da vi gik sagde tjeneren, "Kom endelig igen."

I don't think so.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T15:01:00.003Z

Vi hygger med morgenbroed, te, aviser, kakaomaelk, chokolade i hjerteformede aesker og mig ifoert min smukke nye halskaede fra badkittyglass.com

Ha' en smuk soendag.

Naa ja, vi fik for oevrigt 10 cm sne som nu er forsvundet. Men da det stadig laa her havde vi en fed kaelkebakke i haven. Indtil en nabodreng hamrede hovedet ind i hjoernet paa terrassen, efterlod en del blod i sneen og bagefter blev syet med 11 sting. Av siger jeg bare.

Spinning

2010-02-11T13:59:00.002Z

Altsaa saadan noget cykel halloej i fitness. Ikke noget jeg bryder mig specielt om, men jeg goer det nu alligevel.

Og saa morer jeg mig invendigt over de maend der deltager i fuld Lance Armstrong gear. Hoejhalset cykelbluse der bliver lynet bagi, selvfoelgelig er den gul med nogle firma navne paa, matchende shorts, og en lille fiks kasket.

Av for Pokker

2010-02-05T01:31:00.003Z

Idag skulle jeg til laegen. Et helt almindeligt aarligt eftersyn. Der bliver vejet, maalt, hjerterytmen bliver testet, der bliver lyttet til det hele og saa trykker hun lidt paa foedder og ben for at se om de er haevede. Og i den anledning synes jeg jo ligesom at jeg skulle barbere benene(lidt forfaengelig maa man vel vaere). Saa det gjorde jeg og bedst som jeg havde faaet skiftet om til det der stykke stof man har rundt om sig ved laegen, opdager jeg at jeg ikke har faaet smurt benene ind og de ser noget toerre ud. Og saa er det jeg ser en hel flaske et eller andet med ordet "moisturizer" og saa taenker jeg at jeg lige kan smoere ihvertfald det nederste af mine ben ind mens jeg venter paa laegen.

Jeg snupper lidt "lotion", smoerer det paa og begynder saa den mest heftige regndans nogensinde. Det er nemlig ikke lotion jeg har faaet fat i, men saadan noget sanitizing handwash der er proppet med alkohol. Det gjorde ondt paa de nybarberede ben skulle jeg lige hilse og sige. Efter at have hoppet rundt og sagt en masse interessante ord inde i mig selv, fik jeg det meste toerret af igen og saa kom laegen.

Og hvad har vi saa laert af det? Det er fuldstaendig ligegyldigt om benene er toerre:)

Sart, gammeldags eller hvad?

2010-02-03T13:43:00.003Z

Jeg taenker tit paa om det mon er mig der er gammeldags, sart eller bare slet ikke med i sprogudviklingen.

Jeg laeser en del blogs og ofte har jeg oplevet at blogs der er skrevet af kvinder der er ca 5 aar yngre end jeg er bruger et sprog som jeg slet ikke kan forlige mig med.

Det hele er, undskyld sproget, fucking, pisse, skide, fucking fucking fucking, pisse pisse hele tiden.

Er det saadan man snakker? Og hvis det er saadan man snakker, goer man det saa kun derhjemme? Eller tager man det, i mine oejne, grimme sprog med paa arbejde og ud i al offentlighed?

Jeg forstaar ikke at man ikke kan bruge andre ord til at udtrykke sig.

Jeg forstaar ikke hvordan et ord som fucking er gaaet hen og blevet saa normalt i DK. Selv boern bruger det. Her bliver du bortvist fra skolen hvis du siger det. Det er bare ikke et ord der skal bruges i al almindelighed, og slet ikke af boern.

Maaske er det bare mig? Men saadan er der jo saa meget.

Konkurrence soeges....

2010-01-31T22:33:00.001Z

Er der mon nogen der gider komme forbi og opfordre til lidt konkurrence i fitness centeret? Jeg kan altsaa bare bedst naar der er noget konkurrence over det.

Kom nu, saa langt vaek er jeg heller ikke.

Billeder

2010-01-31T15:28:00.005Z

Lucas med 3D briller
Joel og Kirsten paa vej til fest
1/2 trae

Vinter

2010-01-31T15:08:00.002Z

Vinter har de vist nok af i DK. Jeg tror de er ved at vaere traette af al sneen, fygen, og den iskolde blaest. Jeg elsker snevejr. Jeg savner snevejr. Men det er nok fordi jeg ikke bor i det.

Det er nemt at forestille sig at man bliver hurtigt traet af det hvis man hver dag skulle op og skovle, pakke boern ind, pakke boern ud fordi de skal tisse lige efter de er blevet pakket ind, pakke dem ind igen og saa efter 10 minutter saa fryser de og vil indenfor og have varm kakao. Jeg vil ogsaa have varm kakao.

Og selvom vi jo bor i noget der burde vaere en del varmere end det er lige nu, saa kan jeg hurtigt taenke mig til bunker af sne og kolde roede kinder. Mine kinder var ihvertfald baade kolde og roede igaar efter at have loebet 5 km i 1 grad "varme" og regnvejr. Jeg glemte den varme kakao igaar, saa jeg tror naesten at jeg bliver noedt til at have den idag......med hjemmebagte boller til.

Igaar boed ogsaa paa en biograf oplevelse uden lige. Den unge mand havde et stort oenske om at se Avatar i 3D og eftersom Joel havde en date med Kirsten til noget dans, saa blev det mig der maatte gaa med ham. Jeg var ikke helt opsat paa det, men paa den anden side saa kunne jeg jo blot ifoere mig de store flotte 3D briller, lukke oejnene og tage en lur. Men lur blev der ingen af. Filmen var fantastisk, den flotteste jeg nogensinde har set. Lucas var meget imponeret og fra hans lille mund kom der ofte et "awesome" ret saa hoejt saa jeg blev helt bekymret for de andre mennesker omkring os, men de svarede nu bare igen med et "super awesome". 2 timer og 40 minutter sad vi helt opslugte af Pandoras verden og en film som vel egentlig kunne betegnes som sci-fi, men som alligevel var saa trovaerdig at man sagens kunne forestille sig et Pandora derude et sted. Samtidig en film der rykkede lidt ved bevidstheden. Bevidstheden om at vi kun har den jord vi lever paa og at vi nok burde lytte lidt mere til den og passe lidt mere paa den. Fantastisk film.

Idag staar den paa ren afslapning, vasketoej og klargoeren til endnu en uge fyldt med lektier, aktiviteter og forhaabentlig en fest, for d.4 februar skal Kirsten have togskinnerne af og saa skal det fejres med tyggegummi, spare ribs og majskolber!!! Ih hvor hun glaeder sig.

Og sa er jeg foroevrigt saa hamrende traet af diverse blogs med totalt opstillede billeder som skal se helt tilfaeldige ud, og det goer de bare ikke. Er det mon ikke et tegn paa at bloggerens liv ogsaa helst skal se opstillet ud for at daekke over en mundaen hverdag der maaske ikke har saa meget at byde paa som bloggeren maatte oenske?

Ha' en forrygende soendag og husk at nyd vinteren mens den er her.

Og forresten har jeg faaet de mest fantastiske hjemmestrikkede sokker af min dejlige mor. Hvordan har jeg overhovedet levet uden?? Og hvordan vasker jeg dem?

Argh

2010-01-21T21:16:00.002Z

Hvor er jeg bare traet af skolelaerere der for alengst skulle vaere gaaet paa pension!!

Kirstens laerer er i den grad mentalt faerdig som laerer. Hun har ingen taalmodighed, raaber af boernne, siger nogle underlige ting til dem og vaerst af alt, saa laegger hun deres lektier saa hun ikke kan finde dem og saa kommer pigebarnet ulykkelig hjem med en daarlig karakter fordi hun aldrig har afleveret lektierne. 2 uger senere finder laereren dem saa inde i en skuffe eller et skab. Det er ski da irriterende.

Det er bare hver dag Kirsten kommer ulykkelig hjem fra skole fordi laereren har raabt ad dem eller skaeldt ud over et eller andet latterligt. Selvfoelgelig skal der skaeldes ud hvis der er grund til det, men jeg kan ikke se hvorfor hun skal skaelde dem ud og raabe ad dem fordi de ikke sidder paa stolen som hun synes de skal!!

Heldigvis er der kun 4 mdr til sommerferien, men traels, det er det altsaa.

Ih hvor er det for daarligt

2010-01-20T21:09:00.002Z

at jeg ikke kan tage mig sammen til at skrive lidt oftere paa bloggen. Dagene suser bare derudaf.

Der sker ikke det mest spaendende men lidt oplever man vel alligevel.

For 2 uger siden var jeg saa smask hamrende heldig at kunne tage en tur til New Jersey og overraske min veninde Anni som staar midt i sit livs allersvaereste kamp. Kampen mod brysktkraeft der indtil videre har taget begge bryster, leveret 2 flotte nye bryster, taget al hendes haar og en masse tid. Men er der en ting kraeften ikke har taget er det hendes fantastiske humoer. Jeg er saa fuld af beundring overfor hende. Nogle af hendes veninder havde arrangeret en fundraiser for hende og hendes familie (det er nemlig rigtig dyrt at have kraeft i USA). De fik samlet naesten $4000 sammen og selvom det ikke raekker langt, saa hajelper det da lidt. Det var skoent at se hende og vi havde en dejlig dag.

Der er kommet ny computer i huset. Vi er blevet beriget med en imac og indtil videre er vi meget glade for den, og vi haaber at vi laerer at bruge den:)

Jeg tager mine daglige ture til fitness centeret og bliver forhaabentlig staerkere og staerkere:) Hvis man saa ogsaa kunne blive tyndere og tyndere ville det jo vaere skoent, men det ser ikke ud til at ske.

Nu er det vist tid til at snuppe en kop kaffe, taende for Oprah og strikke et par pinde inden turen iaften gaar til strikke klubben.

01032010 - Lazy Day

2010-01-04T00:25:00.000Z

Toast risk NY Times movie walk Rufus tea nap dinner tv bed