Just take a look what we woke up to this morning.... in all it's brillance and bright crisp white.... Breathtakingly beautiful SNOW!!!!
(update on guess blogger.... Smiley missed a few days of eight grade and needs to catch up on homework ... then he will be able to blog his trip!!!)
Thank You every single one of YOU for blessing my life with your friendship... For this I am so very THANKFUL!!!
This picture is not the best at seeing the bed and the bedding, but the room faces South and is so sunny that I really cannot get a better shot until after the sun goes down. When the room is complete with the walls and paint like I want and the window trimmings done, I will post more professional looking pictures. I also have some sewing to do for a down comforter cover, and all the other treasures that will make the Kingdom complete.... only missing my Tate.
Mesa was so interested in the crib and bedding. She keeps sniffing it and licking the crib.... Hmmmmmmmmm, does she know what is in store for her in the future????
I put this crib together ALONE.... Just got excited in the moment and did not call friends or family for help..... the antics were just short of a Cirque du Soleil performance. For you woman with husbands... KISS THEM NOW and tell them how much you NEED and love them!!!
This Hutch belongs to the same set of furniture that my Buffet came from. Also included was a table and four chairs that I did not need and someone else is enjoying instead. Missing drawer??? Lost on the freeway during the transporation of this treasure. I'm looking for a carpenter to build me a new drawer. Take you eyes away from the Starbuck green walls. Do not let the green influence how cute the Hutch is!!! The colors and mouldings will change soon.
A few coates of high gloss white Benjamin Moore paint and it looks amazing in real life!!! I used the same flowered knobs and silver handles that I used on the chest of drawers. Also on the shelves, I will put books, and a lamp. I have just what I want in mind for the lamp, but have not gone out looking for it.....I hate shopping!!! Also on the shelf... see that lamp shade??? It was bought and carefully transported from Norway. It is all embroidered flowers and birds and such. It was bought at IKEA in Oslo. I am not sure where I will put it in this room, but somewhere!!!! LOVE IT!!! Stuffed animals from my Secret Pals and friends..... Lamp on top will not remain the same color or maybe not even end up there..... So much decorating to consider.
I would term myself as a frustrated artist. I cannot paint or draw. Heck, I can't even cut a straight line. Somehow I needed to release my creativity in some way. I am not a crafter. Glue guns scared me. Mode Podge (oh man I love the sound of that word) is just now starting to be part of my life. Repeat, MODE PODGE (said again for you Julie).
I kind of taught myself. My first project was a sweater. The wool was bought on that trip and the pattern was written all in Norwegian. It helped that my Mom was able to translate the instructions but was NO help with the knitting.... To the right is that sweater. It has pewter buttons also bought in Norway. Since it was my first project, I can forgive myself for the neck being a little tight. At the 
same time, I bought my second project also written in Norwegian. (on left) Since then I have knitted many other sweaters and given away as gifts.... some for adults and some for kids. I have always knitted patterns with colors, some as many as 6 colors at one time.
the sweater from the book and post on this blog!!! I guess you didn't realize that 
this is an adoption/ knitting blog!!!
AFTER
Sanded the top, slapped on some BIN primer, two coats of Benjamin Moore semi gloss white paint, and new knobs and handles. The knobs were something I got at a specia
lity store and paid more than I should have, but so worth it. It matches Tate's Pottery Barn bedding to a "T". Next I will be painting another piece of furniture (Hutch) to put in the room. I have to do the painting this weekend because it is getting cold out in the garage and I am afraid the paint will not adhere and my hands will freeze. I love the details of the dresser. Scalloped edges and squares.... Not bad for paying $35.00 at a yard sale!!!
Saturday mid-morning there was silence.... Not a sound was heard from either the Seven year old or the Pup. This is what I found on top of my bed..... Look closely between Mesa's front legs you will see her "comfort ball". Oh man I love these girls!!!
Delivered by the men in blue… the USA postal service!!! I came home yesterday to find a box on my front porch with ladybug stamps ALL OVER. Opened the box to reveal these amazing treasures…. Survival stuff for the trip!!!
Last August, when the Bloggers Momma summit met in UTAH. There were six blogger mommas with no referrals for babies. The closest to getting her referral was m3, who was "next". Mary-Mia (m3) and Rod are just now getting back from China picking up Rose and Marie, their identicial twin daughters.
their sweet babies!!!
Once agian it is time for little ghosts and goblins to come a knockin'.... 
The other day I was standing in line at the bank.... In front of me was a momma and a bare footed 3 month old baby in a car seat settled on the floor next her momma..... Three months is the age where babies are discovering their hands. The unrestricted JOY and wonderment of this new discovery showed on this baby's face. Each uncoordinated movement cause an avalanche of other jittery joyful movements. While this little sweet thing stared, watched, moved and sucked her hands, her tiny little toes were clenching and kicking. Her hugh eyes would move from furloughed brow to bright smiley joy. I stared in facsination taking in all that I saw. ME, as a total stranger, was in awe of each and every movement this unknown baby was doing. Tiny pink toes and dimpled fingers. Normally I would have gone along with my business, not giving this baby a second thought. This time however, I started thinking of Tate. Was there anyone who was so lovingly admiring in facsination her discoveries of hand and feet? Did someone kissing and playing with those toes? Tate, momma has a lot of catching up to do with you when you are finally in my arms. There will be admiration, astonishment, and joy in your every movement no matter how old you will be when you are finally with me. This I will promise.... to admire and accept the perfectness of who you are.
It is the SUBJECT.... 
One by one, good friends are getting their referrals and leaving to picking up their babies!!!
On the flight back from Norway, I got to experience something unique and quite special. About half way into our flight, the Captain came on the intercom interrupting all who slept. He was a seasoned Pilot of 30 years and has flown this routing often. Only one time before has he flown over Greenland when it was not fogged over. We were blessed with a CLEAR and sunny day in Greenland. The sight was amazing and something that I didn't want to waste time by hunting in my carry-on for my camera. So y'all will have to just take my word. As I gazed down, you could see a layer of white with variances of grey. Small fishing villages lined the edge of the water. Meeting the ocean were glasiers where you could see the cracks just ready to split off and plummet to the sea. Floating all along the coastline, were Icebergs. Some so large that you could actally view where they submerged into the water. INCREDIBLE!!! Oh man, I love Nature and the wonders it presents to me.
It finally happened today. I sat down with nothing to do…. NO commitments to anyone, NO jobs to go to, NO sickness to get over…. It was just me and the Mayflower pup. Heavy on my mind is all the STUFF that I need to get done.
AHHHH.... A dog and her "comfort ball"..... 
First, this is M, Ingeborg and Scott's second child. M loves animals. When she heard I was coming to visit, her first concern was "Who was going to take care of Mesa?" For three years now she has been taking weekly riding lessons. I just love this picture of her. She is only 8 yrs old, but look at the elegance and beauty this little horse gals has!!! It was so much fun going and watching her riding lesson!!!
moved to Norway, I borrowed both Ingeborg's daughter's BUNADS and had my nieces Twinkle Toes and Sparkles photographed in them to give as a surprise picture gift to my mom. When I was asking Ingeborg if she knew where I could get a dress, Ingeborg disappeared and came to me with THIS DRESS!!!! I was teary and speechless, and those who know me, know this does not happen too often. This dress represents a history to me.... Good friends and loved snuggle girls, and my own nieces in this dress!!! Tate will always have a connection to Ingeborg, Scott, B, M and Snuggle boy. This is the cutest Norwegian Costume BUNAD that I have 
ever seen!!! In the close up, you will see a sterling silver broach or SOULYA (spelled wrong but ou sound is a special letter in the Norwegian alphabet). My mom and Tate's nana bought her this and will give her the gift when she is big enough to wear this dress. It should fit a 3-4 yr old.
Our first stop was a weekish stay with my Uncle Kaare and Aunt Ingeborg. There we ate like royality and talked and talked in Norwegian (I listened and listened). I never knew how much my mom could talk and even in my sleep I could hear her talking in Norwegian, my head was so full of it!!! Uncle Kaare lives in the area that my mom grew up in. Here all eight brothers and sisters shared a large farm which included acres of forest. The only wish my mom had was to take a walk in her childhood forest. This forest was a major part of her childhood memories. Both my parents grew up during WWII and the occupation of Norway by the Nazi Germany. There were a lot of sacrifices and things she went without, soooooo this forest provided hours of fun, imagination, and a sense of protection. All this she and my Uncle talked about while we "walked" in her forest. Sadly, my 82 yr old Uncle Kaara (Cora) was recently diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. We were so happy that we could
visit with him while he was still his high energy FUN self!!! On my mom's side of the gene pool, there are tons of artists. My mom's oldest (deceased) brother Bjarne, was a very successful and well know artist in Norway and other parts of Europe. My Uncle Kaare is a great local artist. I have hanging in my dining room an original oil painting by him..... something that I love and cherish especially because he let me pick out my favorite painting and gave it to me, a gift from my much beloved Uncle. My Aunt Ingeborg was from an ocean harbor area that is know for its local charm and beauty refered to as "the End of the World". Here we spend time in a little cabin owned by them eating pounds of peeled-your-self shrimp right out of the ocean, laughing and MORE talking. We hiked to the top of this cliff place where one of the most interesting Lighthouses is located.
I have been to all sort of lighthouses on the East Coast, but none have been as unique and interesting as this one. This is a lighthouse of old. The way this works is, you would lower the metal basket down and build a raging fire in it and raise it up where is would mark the way for passing (??VIKING??) ships??? Hey, I might be stretching here with this Viking stuff, but it does make it kind of exciting doesn't it??? One day my mom and I headed for a ride along HER beach and play area while Aunt Ingeborg and Uncle Kaare was preparing for a big (delicious) dinner party in our honor. It was such a clear and beautiful SUNNY day and we headed along a beach road really unknowing where we would end up. I love being tumble weeds and just going where ever the road takes us. We had a general direction and destination point which was the town that my mom played in the ocean and on the beach. Also the place where she got a glimpse at age 12 of the five year older and breathtakingly amazingly handsome man that later became my dad. That is another story in itself. Along our journey we stopped at a beach were 3rd an
d 4th grader kids were playing. I love the way the Norwegians raise their kids with respect to nature, the weather elements and the excersise. This class had walked for one hour while wearing their rubber (called Gummie) boots and rubber overalls. There they studies ocean sciences and had a big bonfire where they were roasting bread dough on sticks and splashing and playing in the cold ocean. To my surprise, one of these Norwegian students was a Chinese adopted daughter. Here you can see her roasting 
bread dough and the some of the other kids playing in the freezing ocean water. The teacher in the navy (background) told us that in other grades, these kids go to a 6 week course in ocean science where they learn everything with the ocean, to fish and ocean kayak, to learn eco preservation, and just learn to love the outdoors. You could just tell by the faces and the energy that these young students showed that school was FUN and any weather was reason to head out and enjoy their childhood. Rounding out this day trip, we made it to our final destination... Asgardstrand summer place of Edvard Munch (the Scream) and most importantly my mom. 
Here you see my mom and I hanging our enjoying the views, history of my mom's, sun and especially EACH OTHER. I am not sure how many more of these pricelss days I will be blessed with spending time with my Mother. So ends the first week in Norway.......
, but those need to be scanned and uploaded..... Something I will have to do later.
These kids were so cute and it was so much fun hanging out with Scott and Ingeborg. Ingeborg was the one who challenged me to adopt. First by keeping the plant she gave me alive, then get a dog, and then to adopt a baby!!! When they decided to move to Norway, I sooooo missed them and was delighted that I could hang out with them in their beautiful home and see those amazing and beautiful kids. The kids are now 10 (B in white), 8 (M in pink) and the snuggle boy who I used to kiss and hug all the time, now is too big (just turned 5)
and too cool for me to snuggle with..... I did gradually get a hug and snuggle by the end of the week. Scott and Ingeborg live in a beautiful house overlooking the Oslo fjord. To get to work, Scott takes a 20 minute ferry to Oslo and will have a 10 minute walk to his office. Life is so healthy and active in Norway!!! Besides the beautiful views, right out their door is forests that families walk (hike cause it has incline) in the Summer and Cross country ski in the Winter. The schools are right on the edge of the forest and the kids will spend all day learning and playing in these forests. While I was there, the snuggle boy who is in pre-school spend two full days hiking into the forest to play and prepare for the winter by building lean-tos of pine bows for winter shelter and play. The snuggle boy was full of excitement telling me of his adventures each day after Barnehagen (Children's preschool)..... What a healthy way for children to grow up. I really can only think of one time that these kids had the TV on....
this was to distract a cranky 5 year old because his best friend and my new boyfriend could not play. In the blue above you see the snuggle boy and in the green is the buddy (S who is almost 5) and my new boyfriend. The snuggle boy had a Birthday party on the Saturday I was there. It was so precious because the kids all came dressed up. One little boy came in a dark blue suit.... kind of looked like when the Jehovah Witnesses come a knocking. S decided to dress up in his Hawaiian shirt, long khaki shorts and two mismatched blue socks..... SPORTING THIS FIN..... and looking so cute and COOL!!!! I asked if he would be missed if I took him home.... Unfortuately he would have and those plans were squached!!! Ingeborg took me to Ikea and we shopped and ate lunch and shopped some more. 
We will be getting an Ikea here in SLC next year so this just wet my appetite for clever storage solutions and house stuff!!! I will post more soon with pictures of the yarn and Norwegian dress that I got (from Ingeborg and her girls)..... caused teary eyes.... MORE TO FOLLOW!!!!
A harvest of thoughtful and amazing gifts!!! So thoughtful is my SP that she waited for me to return from my trip to assure Mesa and me of the FUN of the mailman knocking on the door, Mesa barking knowingly that she has a treat and present waiting on the other side of the door and the anticipation of ripping open the box to the gleefully wrapped gifts!!! I am sitting her sucking on the most amazingly DEEP DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES!!! How did you know my deep dark secret passion for truffles??? Halloween cookie cutters for a little seasonal baking and decorating next Halloween when Tate will be here for her first Halloween with me.....
