A world record in "book domino" - I love books!

I love books!  I love the feeling of holding a book in my hands while getting so deep into a story that I feel a part of the story. I also love the smell of a book and the anticipation before reading a new book and the sad feeling when I close the book after reading the last page.

After spending my Summers in NYC my friend always asked me if I had bought some cool clothes, well they stopped after always getting this answer "no, but I have like 10-15 new books I want to read :-)

So it might not be that weird that I am posting this video from a book fair in Antwerp, they made a new world record with a 6 minutes  "book domino" that ended up in fire works.

I especially love the part were the word books falls, isnt the world a amazing Place....

Not the best quality in the photo, but have a look at the video (that do not take 6 min)

How to live slowly on a rainy day with thunder and lightning outside !

 

How I am spending this rainy day with thunder and lightning outside :

 

Staying long in my bed eating a nice breakfast and reading a good book.

 

Down loading a couple of movies for tonight.

 

Getting dressed with clothes I feel  and look good in.

 

Driving to the next town over to look in shops with interesting interior (not buying anything, only to get inspiration for my day dreams).

 

 

 

Bying myself a new tea, this time with carpiriniha taste, I am so looking forward to try it later tonight.

 

Bying a tall coffee to go and then driving home to  downloading favorite music I have heard this Summer.

 

 

Later on I will make home made pesto, have a look here.

 

 

 

When it gets darker outside I will lite som candles and enjoy myself.

 

 

 

Have a nice day!

 

My "new" dining area

 

 

 

 

I have finally find the money and inspiration to renew the dining area in my living room. I have a dream to live in a large warehouse appartment with a large and open living space and large windows with a great view of NYC. Since I dont live in the States this dream will always stay a dream, but this dream have given me the inspiration to how I have decoratet my dining room area. I already have a red brickstone wall that I have painted white and now I have bought a sideboard that gives the room an industrial look. I also have  made a dining room table out of different parts from Ikea. The table is work under progress, but it looks like the main idea I have and will work great until I find the right furniture that fits and that I can afford to.

 

 

 

 

I like that this sideboard works like a show case for my favorite books and things.

 

 

 

I needed more chairs, and ended up buying these stools that are ease to stack and take very little space. I like the industrial look they give and they also give some roughness to the room .

 NYC has a special place in my heart and my Aunt took me to my first Broadway musical when I was 10 and came to NYC for the first time on my own. I have seen a lot of musicals and I have saved all of the playbills.

 

 

 

 

Incoperated in the new look I have two of this great green chairs that are almost a hundred years old. My Grandfather, The Dentist had these chairs in his waiting room at his practice. I never met my Grand Father, so these are kind of special to me.

Christmas - Marked in Seillans

In the end of November I made a spontaneous desition to visit my Aunt in our house in Seillans, a beautiful mountain village in South of France. With spontaneous I mean I rang my Aunt on Monday night (from Norway) who lives in Boston, MA, but was at our house in Seillans for a couple of weeks and asked her what she was doing the next weekend and I wondered if I could fly down for a long weekend. She laught and told me that I was crazy, but of course I could come. The next day I arranged to get two days off work, rescheduled a Doctors appointment and booked my tickets. Four days later I was on my way to my beloved Aunt in lovely Seillans for four days.

We were lucky that on my first day there was two different Christmas markeds, one i the next village and one in our village. I wanted to show you all some photos from the marked i Seillans.

 

 



 

 

The local farmes sold some of their produce, hams, sausages, chevre, jams, marmelade and other goodies.

 

 

This chevre is made just up the hill from our village and the nice lady who I have met many times, have 42 goats and are expecting a lot of baby goats soon. She also have a B&B and a restaurant at the farm.

 

 



 

 

We also got warmed red wine with some fruit in it that tasted just delicouse!

 

Merry Christmas!

A first and most likely a last!

In the begining of September I went to my friend Rossie's Wedding in the Berkshires and the ride to the Wedding was a school bus.

This is the first time I have been in an American Yellow school bus and it is most likely to be my last.

These yellow buses are kind of a ikon in American movies, so this was a cultural adventure in line with many other events this Wedding Weekend.

 

 

Fun !



Weird in NY

 

After staying in an apartment on the 16th floor on Fifth Avenue every Summer in my teens  I have always had a facination with roof tops and water tanks in NY. So while visiting NY this month I went around taking photo's of water tanks.

a little weird, but in NY everything goes.

 

Sweet Corn - my favorite

 

 

I think I might live in the wrong Country (climat),  the reason for this statement is that I just love fresh corn on the cob, sweet corn is just SO good. In the last three years I have only spottet fresh corn at the grocery store here in Norway two times and the quality is not good at all. I guess I have been spoiled on my trips to the States.

My home town should definitely be on the East coast, like Boston or more preferably New York City. Brooklyn might work too, my visit to my friend Rossie a couple of weeks ago gave me a whole new look at Brooklyn. I just love the place !!!

 

 

Over to the dish of the Summer. I prefere to boil the corn for a couple of minutes (4 - 10 minutes, it depends on how cooked you like you corn) and serve it with butter, salt and pepper. 

How ever it is nice with a little variation, so my Aunt made me this great Sweet corn and tomato salad with fresh basil, it tasted just divine.

 

What you need is:

 

sweet corn

red and yellow tomatoes

fresh basil

salt and pepper

 

Boil the corn to your liking, drain, cool, and cut kernels off the cob with a sharp knife. Cut the tomatoes in cubes. Toss the corn, tomatoes with shredded basil and serve it with nice fresh bread.

A nice glas of chilled white wine goes perfect with this salad on a nice hot Summer day (on any other nice day to).

 

If you don't have a fat issue, like most of us with a FOD does, you can also serve it with a nice olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.



Enjoy!

My day in Cambridge

 

After a long breakfast and some American tv, I made a sandwich for lunch and headed down to Harvard Square. After some shopping  a scarf and three books, I am such a nerd. I even got hit on in the book store!!!

 

 

 

 

I found a nice bench in this park outside of Peet's Coffee house where  I enjoyed my lunch, watched the people and listen to a street musician.

 

Peet's has a lovely Jamin tea.

 

 

 



 

 

 

On my way home I stopped in Cambridge Common and read for an houre in one of my new books and just enjoyed the nice weather and people watching before heading home for a snack and then heading out again for  my very first pedicure and my second manicure. So now my hands and feet are ready for the Wedding this weekend in the Berkshires.

 

 

Breakfast in Boston - St Thomas English Muffins.

Since I was 10 years old I have come to The States to visit my Aunt and one of the first of my American breakfast was St Thomas Englihs muffins. So as I like traditions , St Thomas English muffins are a must.
I used to have cream cheese and grape jam, but after I got diagnosed I have to settle for jam, this time apricot jam.
To make it a perfect breakfast I have to have OJ, tea and some fruit (this is more of an adult thing, not so much when I was 10.)

My wrapping this year!

Here are how i wrap my presents this year. I hate wrapping presents, but I am quite satisfied with this years wrapping. I have used red silk ribbons, ribbons with "God Jul" (Merry Christmas) and red hemp. For tags have I used pictures with Christmas motives in a Old Fashion style bought at my local scrapping store, Bikuben.

Here are the results:

Christmas & The City

One of the things I like about Christmas is the music, my favorite Christmas music are song like "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby, "It's begginning to look like Christmas" with Perry Como and "Driving home for Christmas" with Chris Rea. I get in a cozy and warm Christmas mood when listening to these songs.
As my friends know I have an on going love affair with the City of all Cities, New York City! My Aunt lived in NY when I was younger, when I was 22 and had just started to appreciate NY for everything it has to offer she moved to Boston. Don't get me wrong, I love Boston, but there is no city like NY.
So when I went to the music store the other day to buy a Christmas present I was not able to go out of the store without this Chrismas album calle "Christmas & The City"

I love every view you can get from Central Park.

No Christmas Three can be compared to the one on Rockefeller Plaza. I have a week spot for Christmas threes lights.

These large threes that have been in Central Park for a great many years are just amazing. I love to walk in the park in Winter time when there are no leaves on the threes and I can look at all the funny figures the branches makes. It looks so magical with the snow on the branches.

A Gingerbread man spatula.

My Man of the Year?

On my hunt for Christmas presents the other day I came by this funny gingerbread man spatula ( from Jernia). I got it for a nice price too. I think this will be my man of the year and it fit perfectly in my brown jar with my other kitchen utensil.

A Perfect Fall day in The Bean Town

On my first Sunday in my vacation I went for a walk in Boston Common and through Bostons Public Garden to get to Newbury street to do some shopping. The sun was shining and it was in nice and warm in the 60'.  I walked passed this couple enjoying the nice weather and each other, this much be the most perfect way to spend a nice Fall Sunday while living in a big city with the one you love.

I love the Fall colours and I am so happy that they were still in New England when I arrived.

"Make it simple!"

My African drums teacher Kossa thought me to make" it simple" when I choose my beat while playing the drums with the kids at work. We have a rime and rythm project going on and some of us have attended  African drum classes,  six houre intensive course last Spring and another shorter course today. We are learning, both children and adult a bunch of new and old rimes and riddles, its quite impressive how fast the children learn, I must admit that I am a slow learner. Can I blame it on my age and that my brain is so full of knowledge and wisdom that there is no room for  more???

On my way home from the course today  I suddenly realised that there is not only in my rythm and beat I should make it simple, it goes for most things in life too.

Sometimes I gets these revelations, I have no idea where they come from.

This is something for me to thing about when I on Saterday are going on vacation to Mexico and a couple of day with my Aunt in Boston.

LBD - A little black dress

This week I finally became one of the many women around the world that has a LBD in their wardrobe, my search for this little piece of resistance has been long. I don't wear skirts or dresses to often but I like to dress up once in a while. For years the mantra that "every woman should own a simple, elegant black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion" has been luring on  my mind, but I have never stumbeld over one that I like and that was affordable until last week. I am not partically fond of shopping clothes, so if I find something  it just by good luck.
The origin to the little black dress dates back to the 1920s design of Coco Chanel who wanted to create a dress that would be long-lasting,versatile, affordable, accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral color. The little black dress has for years been referred to as the "LBD". It is also said that if the dress is clearly part of a trend it is not counted as a "LBD", it has to be a dress that is classic and can survive for many years of fashion trends.
What I love about my "LBD" it that it is made of a fabric that dont wrinkel, so it is easy to put in a bag for a trip  or a long weekend and I can just pulled it out of the bag and give it a shake and it is ready to wear.

One of the most famous "LBD" was worn by actress Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

I would like to dedicate this article to my good friend Anne, who has been my inspiration to become a mini fashionista . Love you Girl!