Just stopping by to let you know that I am still alive. I have been working hard on my exams and tomorrow I will be delivering the last one before taking of for Christmas holidays at my parents'. As soon as I get there I hope to get time between relatives and gift wrapping to add all the posts that I have been planning.
So hang in there

Mrs. Krogsæter

A Better Me Part I?

" There are no ugly women, only lazy ones"

                                                                         Helena Rubinstein.

I have desperately trying to loose weight the last few years. I am heavily over weight and it is having it's effect on every part of my life. I am SO sick and tired of my body holding me back! 

My main problem: I am too lazy!

Currently I am weighing in at a depressing 22 stones! It has to change. I AM changing!

We have just moved in to our new appartment, my 5th semester at Tromsø University has just started and everything is still not in place, but I have decided to set dieting as my main priority after studying.

So... This is me now:

And this is [hopefully] me next christmas.

I have set my eyes on reaching 10-11 stones at christmas next year! This is my long term goal... to half my weight! Phew.

To reach this goal of mine I have set many shorter term goals: 6 months, 3 months, monthly, 2 weeks and weekly goals. As I work at reaching them I can adjust my efforts according to results.

The guidance I needed (the proverbial boot in the rear) was a book called "Burn the fat, feed the muscle" By Tom Venuto that is written for body builders on how to get those muscles growing. 

I am by no means wanting to become a body builder, but I am very happy for the book! In the first chapter Mr. Venuto discusses how to motivate yourself, and this is helping me get going... finally... on reaching my goals, no matter how big.

Along with this dieting I am developing good habits all 'round in my everlasting struggle to be the perfect wife for my husband. This summer has given me a lot of time to think, read and ponder. I have gathered a lot of links, blogs, papers and other material that will help me along. I will share as I go.

Untill next time

Mrs. Krogsæter

Thrift shopping on Thrift Shop Day!

Today (August 17th, 2011) was Thrift Shop Day, and boy did I go thrift shopping!

I had made an appointement with my good friend Crowli to do a tour of the thrift shops to see if we could find a treasure or two, so we grabbed our wallets, our flats and some not-so-warm clothing (since it was 40 C outside today!). I was especially looking forward to see if I could find something new for our new apartment that we moved into 2 weeks ago. As it turned out I ended up with more stuff for me than for the apartment.

... typical...

So here's what I ended up with:

• 4 square silk/polyester scarves for 10,- a piece (1.8 USD or 1.1 BGP) from "Gjenbruk", a small thrift shop in the middle of down-town Tromsø.
• a pair of lovely wedge-heeled, rounded toe, shoes for 59,- (10.9 or 6.5 BGP) from "Fretex", the salvation army's second hand store.

Also, not from any thrift shop:

2 tops that i fell for, one red & black and one orange & black
6 pairs of socks
6 pairs of stockings, including one pair of back-seem stockings and one pair of silk stockings.

Pictures will ensue, but the lighting is just too dark now for a decent picture.

Next project is to actually find something for the apartment.


Wish me luck!

Recipe time: Recipe #5

This Friday I am posting a party dish. Enjoy!

Hearts of Palm with custard sauce.

Recipe time: Recipe #4

It is Friday again! Which means that here is another great recipe for you to enjoy!

This Friday it is:

Bacon Bread:

Recipe time: Recipe #3

Here's another one for you to enjoy. This one has an ingredient that might be hard to find abroad, but easy and cheap here: Fiskeboller (knetti on the Faroe Islands).

"Fiskeboller" with seafood-risotto

Recipe time: Recipe #2

Hope you enjoyed the last recipe, and here's another for you to enjoy:

Veggie stew/soup with noodles.

Recipe time: Recipe #1

Since I'm currently on holiday at my mom's I have decided to take advantage of all her old books and knowledge to post some recipes. Some of them, unfortunately, I no or really bad images of taken with my iphone since I left my camera up at the cabin. I will make and post better pictures as soon as I get back up north to (hopefully) our new appartment.

I hope you will enjoy these recipes and here's the first one:

  Seasoned mashed potatoes with bacon.

How to #1: How to make settingwater for your hair.

I found this recipe in my herbal book and thought I'd share with all of you. For anyone out there setting pin-curls or setting curlers the good old fashion way this is a great addition for your hair.

A settingwater that suits your hair can make your hair look great, healthy and make you «do» stay perfect longer. It also makes shaping those lucious curles or waves so much easier in addition to being heat protectant if you blow dry or use hot curlers.

We are moving

A few weeks back the owners of the house where we rent an appartment came by and told us that they were going to sell all the appartments. He gave us 3 choises: stay out the contract (2013), buy the appartment (not an option. It's too old for us to want to own.) or move out by 1st of june and get 3 months rent in compensation. Since I'm going south to stay at the cabin to read for my exams we decided to take the move out offer.

Since our last exam is June 3rd we had some practical details to work out. Luckily a good friend of us is lending us storage room and his guest bedroom for a while. Personally I'm leaving right after the exams, but my husband might have to stay in Tromsø to work. I hope not though. I've allready started to pack for the move. It takes a lot of time and we both have 2 exams in the coming month (my husband has 3 and a term paper) so i'm kind of stressed out.

Since it's only a short time to summer, and I have big plans for my summer this year (i'll say more about my summer plans later), I have spendt the easter holliday getting some things ready. 

Stay tuned to see what.

Hollidays!

Today i'm back south. We are here for a meeting of the family businesses. In a little while we'll be leaving for Alexandria hotel in Loen, and we are staying there for the weekend.

I'm looking forward to relaxing a bit and spending some time with my family.

Have a nice weekend everyone.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The best friends.

This is an old post I found on my old blog that I wanted to repost today, since I miss her a lot today... for numerous reasons.

"Not all friends are really good friends. Luckily for me I have one truly special friend that I can call almost any time, and that know just when I only need a shoulder to cry on. 

I sendt her a text yesturday that said that I missed her and that it had been a really crappy day (wich it had). A minute or so later she called me and asked me what was wrong and listned to everything I needed to say, comforted me and let me cry until I could cry no more. When I was done she told me things. Things that she knew would get me in a better mood... no not better mood... happy again.

So here's to you darling. I love you so much! You are the one person in this whole world that knows me through and through, inside - out and upside - down. I would not trade you for anyone, anything, in the universe; and no matter what happens I will always hold you in my heart. Know that I will never tell anyone what we talk about, and that you can tell me anything; just as I know I can tell you anything and you wont speak of it to anyone else."

I wrote this after I had moved up here. It had been a long day, the cat had made trouble and I was feeling really really lonely. I texted her a little after midnight, and she called me and talked to me the whole night. I think we talked for 4 hours! The only reason I would ever concider moving back south and living where we used to, is so that I can live closer to her. I know that kinda sounds creepy... but no one, not even my husband, knows me like she does, and she is the kindest, sweetest person i know of.

I also want to say something to my other best friend. Crowli. I know we disagree now and then, hell, a lot; but you have been there when things were not good. You have a talent of distraction that I envy you. No matter what is going on, I know I can come to you to get a break from my disturbed mind and that I will go home smiling. I have known you almost all my life (on and off:p) and we know things about each other that I know few, if anyone else, know. Know you too that I will never tell the secrets you entrust me and I know you will do the same. I also hope that we can have many more nights and days like that evening when we laid in the hammock and watched the stars as the night glided away. Also... I know we are very busy people and have been really anti sosial lately... so here goes; You hereby are given an open, standing, invitation to come over any time you'd like as long as I'm home (and I am every wednesday and friday, mondays after 12, tuesdays after 14 and thursdays after 16). And so you know now; next weekend we are going south for the annual bussiness meeting, so no DnD that weekend. Think you said you were going south too? 

And I have my first exam the week after, so no social activities that week..... sorry. 


Opus pro iucunditas.

Unvoluntary spring clean.

This afternoon when I came home from the university I was med with the rank smell of cat urine, so i got into my comfy cleaning clothes at had at it.

A litle warning: I have been in bed with the flu for a week and the house looks like a tornado ran through it (most of it are all the clothes that my kind husband washed that I never got out of bed to fold.

The first thing I did was to run the "I'm looking innocent so you won't think it was me" cats out of the living room, grab all the pillows from the couch they urinated in and tossed them into the bathroom. Next it was the cover - straight into the washer with that one, and out with the potato flour (?) to take the moist out of the spots (they were still wet... ) and vacuumed it off after it had done it's job. Next I mixed up a cleaning solution from JIF, lemon juice (to battle the smell), a bit vinegar (also to battle the smell and to help clean the fabrics), hot water and sprayed it all on the couch. A new round with potato flour wich is drying as I write. Looking around then I figgured "oh what the heck" and decided on an early spring clean this year.

So i grabbed the dishes and started cleaning but had to stop after half and hour on account of lack of detergents. So this gave me a short welcome break since I was already short of breath and coughing like I'd been smoking for 100 years (no I don't smoke... anymore).

The plan for the night is to fold all the clothes, finish up the couch and wash all the pillows, sort all my lecture notes and place them in the correct binder... Then I'm going to bed for tomorrow is another day and it is full of cleaning to-do's.


Toodle-pip for now

.

10 things my husband love about me

Lately I have been thinking a bit about what makes my husband happy and what makes him love me, so I decided to write down 10 things that I know he loves about me so I can always remember. So straight from the husbands mouth: here goes.

1. My husband loves my eyes, although he couldn't answer what colour they are last time I asked.

2. My husband loves when my skin is soft and smooth.

3. My husband loves my curls. I have natural curls but I used to straighten my hair a lot. Recently though, I got a "middy" hair cut and now I curl my hair regurarly with pin curl sets. But I also just let my hair dry into my natural curls, and my husband always dotes over them.

4. My husband love it when I make an effort to look good. When ever I dress up and do my hair in new ways he always dotes on me. You got to love that.

5. My husband loves when I do arts and crafts (true! he just told me). He love how focused I get.

6. He loves it when I'm happy. As he just said "when your happy it's real. And it shows, and I love it".

7. My husband loves how he can be super nerdy with me one moment and the next moment i'll be super girlish.

8. He loves that I like Guinnies. (according to him that makes me a reall woman :p ).

9. He loves that I, according to him, defines myself by how I am, not how I look.

10. He loves my smile and most of all he love the smile I give him when I look at him with love in my eyes (his words, not mine)


If you have someone important in your life ask him/her what makes him/her love you and please share. :)

A new year - A new me.

It's 2011 and I have finally settled in to a new routine with all my new classes and such. With the new year comes new hopes and expectations, and this year is no different. Last year I had no resolutions, this year I do. They are not many, but they are significant. Here are my resolutions for2011:

1: Lose weight! (I will be starting a new post chapter on that one ^^)
2: Eat healthier. Both me and my husband has to have good wholesome food every day. This is a tough one since healthy food, unfortunatly ican be quite expencive. My husband has to eat properly so his stomac won't act up... plus he is allergic to a lot of different foods, while I have to eat healthy food to loose weight.
3: Get better at doing my hair and make up every day. No more "jump out of bed and get dressed"-days! If I'm going to embrace this new lifestyle, I have to do it fully and whole heatedly!
4: Get my old coppery red hair colour back. This is going to take a litle while since my hair is currently blue, but I have already talked to my hair dresser about it and she says it will be possible.
5: Do the dishes every night before bed.
6: Finish all my little projects. I have a ton of little projects that I have begun, but never got around to finish. Now I am going to!
7: Exercise at least 2 times a week.
8: Make every meal, every day. That is:  no more skipping meals!
9: Spend more time with friends.
10: Go out more.

And there you have it.