here it is again!
1. J-O-Y. Mama that spells JOY! Said with absolute, well, JOY, while tracing the bright red letters outside of Sprinkles with delightfully decadent fudgey milk chocolate cream cheese frosting fingers (I was meanwhile enjoying somered velvet) while celebrating B's birthday on wednesday.
2. What's in my nose? (umm, boogies?) No. Chocolate cake! Said every day, several times a day since the above wedensday. I'm starting to get a little concerned, but nope--only boogies in there.
3. Look! There's the North Pole. Over the mountains and then across the icy river! Shouted from the back of the car on our way into Riverside to see Santa as the crisp San Berdoo mountains came into view. I believe this one comes from obsessively watching Dora " A Present for Santa."
4. Mama, you look SO cute! Said with a kiss when I put on a nice sweater to go out for tacos.
5. Daddy needs to come home to put up MORE lights on our house! Said while admiring our haphazardly hung snowflake lights. I'm sure the fact that we go christmas-light-driving everynight has nothing to do with it ;)
and, just as i'm about to post this (and funny enough upload an image of the north pole) owen says: "i need to go see this guy. this guy's at the north pole" while holding a little santa claus ornament proudly taken off "this is my christmas shelf" with his special christmas books and ornaments he parades around th ehouse.
owen's friday five
oslo last weekend
I'm on way my back to California tonight, and so excited. I haven't been in Cali since Halloween, since we spent Thanksgiving up in Seattle/Puyallup. I travelled from Sweden back to Alesund last weekend and I'm sharing some pics from my stop in Oslo. I had about 4 hours to kill waiting for my plane, so I did some walking around Karl Johans gate (street) and picture taking. Not the best quality with my 2.1 mega pixel camera from the early '90s.
Tonight I fly back to Oslo.. stay the night.. then early tomorrow go from Oslo to Amsterdam to Seattle to Orange County.. home!!
(Karl Johans gate -- ready for the holidays)
(they setup a ski ramp and rail for some sort of competiton.. it was kids from the UK vs. kids from Norway.. of course Norway won)
(sign for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony... happened this week)
owen gets elfed again!
but this time he's riding with santa and mrs. claus! today owen had the ride some kids just dream of-- he rode on santa's sleigh for the "silent sleigh" parade at csdr. we weren't sure how he'd react to going off in a carriage with a big guy in a red fuzzy suit and an enormous white beard but we pulled into the school parking lot just as the parade was queuing up and "papa santa" came up to the window and waved and owen shouted "there's santa mama!" and he felt right at home on mrs. claus' lap (just as sweet and lovely as his own nana ;) and then i slipped the elf hat on, put on some reindeer antlers and ran alongside the sleigh waving at all the little kids shouting "there's santa and a cute little elf!" it was awesome. 
and this picture just went up on the carriage company blog-- owen is hiding behind his new "build a bear" cheetah named "blue bird"--but that's another story ;) that's molly the horse pulling the sleigh (not, i was corrected, an actual reindeer--but i assured owen that molly and rudolph were good friends). i'll keep my eye out for local coverage-- papa santa and nana mrs. claus were busy all day signing to the deaf children at csdr and there's nothing more amazing then seeing children light up when santa can sign!
"what number is it? what is this song about?"
since thursday has turned into friday i give you five for friday--
"owen said": the weekly top five
1. "no, west cannot go for a walk. he doesn't have a dog." said very matter-of-factly at the sandbox.
2. "i hear a trombone!" shouted from the backseat when track one: the Thelonious Monk Septet performing "Abide With Me" played from our lifted cd. musical genius? i think so.
3. "bye bye mr. sushi-maker-man!". my favorite of course because it includes a neologism-- said with a wave after sitting at the kanpai sushi bar for an hour and eating half a dozen california rolls and eagerly enjoying sake and toro.
2. of course this one gets its own number from the same sushi experience: "i must eat that octopus!" emphatically asserted while standing up on a barstool while getting a sashimi lesson. go little man! (so said the 2 dudes sitting at the bar next to us--that and "oh man mom, you're in trouble. no more happy meals." well duh.)
1. "we can't see santa claus. it's not christmas yet." very logically stated when i asked if he wanted to see santa on the toys for tots christmas train down in san clemente.
the scandanavian poll
is on hold, btw, but i'm still taking informal votes in the form of comments posted below, by email, or general conversational rant. feel free, however, to vote for fudge ;)
insomnia and elves
so instead of lying in bed thinking about all the things i needed to do and trying to make a plan for some momentum with this neverendingsagaofadissertation i thought i'd get up and print the 48 pages of this draft i've been adding to for weeks with one eye shut and see if tomorrow it makes sense then i read about floods , honey elixrs , rookie pitchers, and tigers and then i thought i should delve through the hundredthirtysome messages in my inbox which led me to check out the links to family blogs which then led to the most productive of all:
i elfed the fidfam!
pics from Karlstad
(Karlstads Cathedral was built on Lagberget 1723-1730 by Christian Haller. However it took sixty years before the church was fully decorated. Some parts of the Cathedral were destroyed in the great fire of 1865. The church was rebuilt and got its present exterior. The Cathedral was renovated the last time in 1998 and got new bronze plates on the steeple.)
(The peace monument erected on the city square on the 50th anniversary of the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden)
("Sola i Karlstad" - Sun in Karlstad - The statue was made by the sculptor Herman Reijers and was unveiled in 1985. Despite it's beeing only fifteen years old, the Sola statue has already become an important symbol of Karlstad.)
(just a funny sign in the elevator at my hotel)
saturday six
i missed last week'sthursday thirteen although i was thinking of the thirteen best and worst things about being sick (an excuse to watch cartoons all day, eating white bread toast, phlegm, waking up at 4 am wide awake because you fell asleep at 6 pm. . .) so instead i thought i'd get festive and sneak in a saturday six (or you know, six dozen):
favorite christmas music
6. a charlie brown christmas. the whole album.
5. silent night. anyone singing it anywhere at anytime moves me to tears.
4. and you've gotta have ella fitzgerald singing sleigh ride
3. ok so i'm cheating here and sneaking in a few-- under the rubric of "new favorites": jack johnson's rendition of rudolph the red nosed reindeer and the bird and the bee singing carol of the bells (which is just a fabulously lush and festive and glittery christmas carol anyhow) from the new starbucks collection stockings by the fire (yes i look forward to a new christmas cd every year--this one is highly recommended and includes old favorites--cheating again!--like dean martin's i've got my love to keep me warm) and then i can't get enough of rufus wainwright singing hallelujah from the lifted--songs of the spirit compilation (i've had this at least a year or so, but i did notice the 'bucks still carried it)
2. of course i can't help but get sentimental now when i hear frank sing i'll be home for christmas
1. and lastly the entire collection of john denver & the muppets a christmas together with john warming our hearts with the peace carol and what could be more fun then the muppets singing the twelve days of christmas?
sweden
I came out to sweden this week to help out another Rolls-Royce site that we are implementing. I left Seattle on Tuesday and arrived in Oslo wednesday morning with the hopes of an easy train ride to Karlstad, Sweden (the town where I am staying), but, the trains were not running, so I got here by the combination of a one hour taxi ride and a 4 hour bus ride.
I am enjoying my first non-work day here in Karlstad by avoiding the wind and rain and near freezing temps, and taking walks around the mall (and their Ikea-ish shops), and getting my Löfbergs Lila (same stuff you can buy from Ikea) coffee from a place called Waynes coffee. It is very ironic that they say this about this town:
"Karlstad is often associated with sunshine and the symbol for Karlstad is a happy sun. Karlstad is reputed to be one of the sunniest town's in Sweden and a local waitress, known as "Sola i Karlstad" (Sun in Karlstad) for her sunny disposition is also commemorated with a statue."
I braved the weather a bit to take the following pics:
(my hotel)
(town square while I am trying to shield myself from the wind/rain under the big x-mas tree)
don't forget to vote
for the fidfam poll that is--over there off to the right. it's a fun new feature with blogger so i thought i'd try it out. i think the teacher in me loves any opportunity to write multiple choice answers ;) next week's poll will be a bit more personal. should the owen & cara component of fidfam stay in the OC or go scandanavian? hmmm. put that in your thinking caps ;)
riley's thankful thirteen
13. the turkey on thanksgiving
12. the pumpkin pie that my mom made
11. owen
10. victor
9. cheesecake
8. missy and jenni
7. grandma and grandpa
6. my WHOLE family! macy, papa, and mom
5. my friends
4. my teacher
3. to be invited to birthday parties
2. my toys, all of them
1. i'm thankful to be me!
thanksgiving thursday thirteen
i'm stealing this idea from d.'s post who borrowed it from z. and it's always a fun feature. it seems appropriate to launch it today, thinking of thirteen thanks.
13. whole food. i love that owen's alphabet includes words like asparagus and acorn squash; rutabaga and raddichio.
12. having parents who are phenomenal grandparents. this of course needs a thirteen of its own.
11. music. dancing, singing, bongo-druming, air-piano-playing, lalalalaing and the joy that goes with it.
10. choice. along with words like freedom, liberty, democracy, choice gets wrapped up in political agendas and become banal soundbites--but they're still important ideas to revisit, reinvigorate, and reconsider. atlantic monthly did a great feature on the american idea that i think provoked an important conversation. but i think of all the choices i 
do have, and the levels of choice--from where i live and where i eat to how i work and love.
9. good coffee. this, along with the other dozen, i've grown to love whether it is french press, stovetop, or espresso with michael--and no one makes a better "coffee house" latte!
8. the color green. when we first painted our living room green we had at any given point six or seven brushstrokes on the wall everything from key lime cream to burnt sienna sage until we found the shade that fit our lives. i remember the guy at home
depot telling us that there are more shades of green than any other color--and it seems fitting as i look outside of the northwest window and see at least twentysix shades of green between the frosty grass and t he evergreen. i think it goes along with whole foods and living a thoughtful life that respects bees and trees.
7. virginia woolf. inspiration.
6. friends. for making cupcakes with. for celebrating wednesdays. for being there even when they're far far away. for being part of that thread.
5. alaska airlines mvp gold status. for making getting here and there and toge
ther easier.
4. sierradog. like number 3 he just gets better with age.
3. red wine. and i'll also sneak in dark chocolate.
3.brothers and sisters that make phenomenal aunties & uncles and a new generation of cousins. you know, family. for playing wii with. for drinking microbrews with. for sharing the thankful stuff with.
2. socks. fuzzy, argyle, stripey, knee-high. for keeping your feet warm
1. having love. i have a keychain that says 'live the life you love; love the life you live.' i bought it when owen was born to remind me that during a time of change. and i'm thankful everyday that michael and owen help make this possible.
bonus: new love. celebrating the new life on the way-- b.'s stella coming in april and s & j's baby cardinale coming in june. really, what could make us feel more thankful?
that was an easy thirteen and i can quickly think of a dozen more like looseleaf adagio teas, irish cheese, velvet pillows, making ravioli, hand-knit scarves, writing poems with three and six year olds, sidewalk chalk, roses, sesame street, real live friendly neighbors, postage stamps, ocean mist, being able to stay for the parade at disneyland, and zerberts from owen.
what are your thirteen?
we love jack
this morning i had what anne lamott might term a gluttonous morning--sleeping in nearly until ten while owen snuggled up with grandma connie and daddy and watched jack's big music show.
i know this because when i came downstairs bleary eyed owen joyously shouted: "mama! i'm a baby bongo bird and you're a mama bongo bird!" and he proceded to show me how to play the bongo drums on the ottoman, the couch, and my lap. we discovered jack and his musical friends a couple weeks ago and i find myself singing laurie berkner's "the cat came back" in my head (apparently she just did a song for weeds--which is next on my netflix queue) which was in our favorite episode featuring "scat cat"--a cat that mel (jack's dog) met at animal music camp--in which she teaches us all how to yes, scat. then of course there are the trachtenburg family slideshow players which to me seems right out of a vintage bettlejuice winona era. anyway, i'm thinking the music cd is on the top of our christmas list and i highly recommend tuning into a little jack. it'll start your day out right. and then of course being able to kiss owen byebye and go to work with daddy at the forza coffee shop in p-town and then having him shout with glee "i'm going to play with grandma!" is pretty swell.
day 1 - new site
We started working at another RR site here in Norway today -- on the island of Longva. This one has a bit more of an interesting commute. As you can tell from the map it involves a 45 minute ferry boat ride (to island of Haramsøy, the left side of that island) and then a 15 minute bus ride over to Longva. Total round trip costs 216 NOK (over $40) per person... We'll probably be here until end of June as the schedule is now. I'll post more pics from my commute over the next week... It's pretty dark here now during my commute however...
Map (my other site Tenfjord is also shown):
Marina in Haramsøy (summer, obviously not my pic):
eau de muffin
owen's latest explorations have been of the olfactory sort-- today while getting his tennis shoes on he said to me, "mommy i smell like dog food." we tested that out and fortunately, no, he did not smell like dog food and mommy tried to explain that dog food was a yucky smell and ummm soap was a nice smell.
so when we got shoes on he stopped on the steps and said "mommy, you smell like a muffin." which was a lovely compliment indeed since the very first thing he said when he woke up at 7 this morning was "mooommmmmmyyyy i need a carrot muffin!" and after an afternoon bath he was pleased to conclude that in fact he smelled like strawberries and not dog food. apparently he is an epicure in the making.
priceless
running like sand crabs, and singing "dig! dig! dig!" under the pier. new uses for old things
so this morning when i came home to find sierra's head covered in streaks of blood i thought of this regular feature in real simple--you know, like using dental floss to slice vintage gorgonzola. and it goes something like this:
(caveat: this is neither a technically "new" use nor an "old" thing)
tattoo waterproof bandages
original purpose: keeping little boo boos clean (or keeping the children's tylenol company in the bathroom because the mere mention of band-aid is enough to cause absolute hysteria and thus rendering the need for boo boo control unnecessary)
aha! use: keeping a minor cut contained on a dog's ear so that it does not smack against the side of his head and leave bloody welts every time he shakes his head causing one to panic that there has been a major accident or that a small animal has died and been flung against the wall
reward: shiny, happy people; and, of course a dog who is not bleeding everywhere
other uses: emergency stickers to soothe said hysteria
note: sierra is wearing marlin and shark from the finidng nemo variety pack and was stoically cooperative--the first set of bandages lasted all day and removal for a second round was painlessly executed
how to make orange chocolate cupcakes
first, juice the oranges:
then, once you have combined all ingredients whisk well:
so lest you think it's all fun and frolick here, o. and i got sucked into this amazing pbs documentary on the disapearance of bees. we were playing with our bugs in a box and it seemed fun, but it was actually quite fascinating and frightening--the bottom line is that if the bees continue to disappear at the current rate (of an aids-like disease called CCD) we will all be eating gruel by the year 2035 and the earth will be a greyer place. perhaps in addition to planting pumpkin seeds (owen's latest obsession) we might just become beekeepers to help keep the color lavender in the world.
of course we can't forget d-i-s-n-e-y-l-a-n-d
this year we all got socal disney passes to mickey's house but learned the hard way that you do not tell a toddler you are going to disneyland until you are packed and ready to get in the car. and even then it's tricky. but we had a relaxing day with nana & papa strolling around that big playground in anaheim. here are a few of our favorite moments:
"daddy, i rode the rocket ships with YOU!"
hanging out by the castle in our mickey hats:
look at my pink dolphin! mommy won it with me in california adventure land!
"i'm big! i'm big!" (37 inches!) "let's ride the ladybugs!"
and speaking of harvest
today we went down to the harvest festival where owen got to hug three sheep, take two pony rides and milk one pretend cow. edy & jerry (of the "you've got a beard!" fame) came out for the day and joined us for the fall frolicking and some ribs and spicy sausages (and of course cotton candy). here's a still slideshow from the afternoo
n:
speaking of happy pumpkins
here is owen's happy pumpkin glowing over our roast harvest vegetables and barefoot contessa/ jamie oliver inspired roasted chicken. i massaged a butter- thyme -proscuitto mixture under the skin which drizzled onto the squash medley (jamie) and then slabbed some proscuitto on top of the chicken breast to crisp up which i then later added to our spinach salad (contesssa). mmmmm. i love the fall harvest! and although i didn't get any pics we enjoyed our cupcakes with some hearty minestrone which was soup-tacular (yes, really i did just write that) by the addition of a quick homemade pasta (simple 1 cup/2 egg mixture in the food processor) with fresh lemon thyme and rosemary. and right now i'm going to pull a roasted pork out of the oven--a simple trader joe's recipe we're testing out with some pork sirloin and peach salsa. we'll report back on that one!
super owen's halloween appearance
we enjoyed our first year of trick or treating out here at the ranch-- owen loved getting into his costume and spelling out superwords on his superalphabet pants! he liked ringing doorbells but was more interested in walking into people's houses than collecting candy-- and then he wanted to hold the chocolate in his hand and absolutely not surrender it to the pumpkin basket. but on the subject of pumpkins, happy ones are best. we managed half a dozen houses or so before the scary ones (pumpkins and ghosties) became too much and it was time to come home for these fabulous choco-delicious cupcakes (highly recommended!).
ode to screwdrivers and cordless powerdrills
while waiting for the ash to clear last week we congregated with our neighbors molly, petra and stella and assembled ikea furniture. it seemed like a perfectly productive way to spend a wednesday evening and gave us lots of practice for more charitable work to come. and, it seems, stella and owen are quite handy with power tools. they were eager builders and kept exclaiming "look! we built it!" every time we put in a new set of screws. after twentythree mind numbing textless steps we did indeed build it.
