Seasons within.....

It is definitely fall. Although I like the word "Autumn" better.

The heavens are roaring with thunder, the rain is pouring and then, all of a sudden, there is sun. A day of beautiful mixture from the infinite God.

As a child I always thought that God was turning on all his faucets so it could rain on us, and I still want to believe that. It brings me joy knowing God is busy on our behalf.

This summer we put our sprinkling system on a timer, and today was the day when I turned it off for the next two seasons! Part of the shut-down that takes place when a new season arrives.

My Spirit is not on a shut-down. This is the time of the year when I feel rejuvenated and long for a deeper and more meaningful relationship with my Lord and Savior. I need to replenish my inner spirit and God is the only One who can do that. There is a new season within......

The Pillow....

I've been having fun lately. I saw some pictures from a wedding where the ring bearer's pillow looked similar to this.

In about a week the ladies of our church are having a retreat in the Columbia Gorge close to Portland Oregon. http://www.menucha.org My friend Kim and I are in charge of hospitality

and I started to brainstorm right away. When I saw the pillow it became for me an AHAA.... moment!

I went to work and had fun shopping for different colored felt. Kim and I got together for an assembly meeting and as you can see this is No. 1 pillow out of 20...

On the back is a pocket for little chocolates and gift cards etc.

When our grand-daughter was baptized her gold necklace was in the pocket along with some pictures from her child-hood.

A friend from New Zealand visited me recently and the gift I gave her was, you guessed it, the pillow with a delicious chocolate in the pocket!

I am now thinking of all kinds of ways to give this as a gift. Christmas is coming and I'll have more fun.

Baptisms

Today, Sunday the 20th of September, was an amazing day!! Our grand-daughter, Annika, and our daughter, Kari-Anne, were both baptized in Torree and Alan's pool in West Linn.

We received an invitation to come to their home, to be a part of Annika's Baptism. So with great anticipation, we showed up this afternoon to a crowd of 70 people in a most glorious sunny weather and beautiful setting. 9 others, young and not so young, testified to their faith in Christ and were baptized by pastor Dale Eberle.

WE had no idea Kari-Anne had made the decision to be baptized, yet she was the last one to testify to her faith. It was all so beautiful and as parents we were so touched by these changed lives. One young and one not so young; one niece and one aunt. Annika's older sister, Caitrin, was also baptized. If you knew this whole story you would be incredibly touched by these three children coming together as one under the umbrella of Christ's protection and promise of new life.

Two years ago was my day of adult baptism and it happened in almost the same way as Kari-Anne's. I decided in the last minute as she did and we were both baptized in a pool! Like mother, like daughter, they say. It's true in our case.

Kari-Anne mentioned that she is so grateful, and so is her dad and so am I.

A heartwarming day

Annika's Christmas JOY!!

Our grand-daughter, Annika, was three years old when I took this video ( she is now 8, soon to be 9). She was so excited over her toys and that little girl was jumping for joy! Always greatful for every little thing...She still is...

Not the best video, but the content says it all.

Sofie sends a greeting to tante in Norway

Hei Kirsten, Sender deg en hilsen fra Sofie.

Looking back......

I have this desire.......to go back in time and record a little of my past, which includes Norway, my life there, my journey to America and my life here.  This could be a memorable memoir for my grand-children to read and enjoy later in their lives.
Stay tuned.

To knit is an inspiration and food for the soul

Above is my favorite book of magnificent Norwegian patterns. "Poetry in Stitches", in Norw. "Dikt i Masker".

In every stitch, color and pattern, I see this pristine and magnificent country way up north where the sun seldom sets in the summertime. It is a land bursting with color; in art, people, environment, song and music, on mountain plateaus, in the valley and by the sea.

Solveig Hisdal, the author and creator of the book in which her knit art is displayed, has captured this land with its history, vibrant colors, fantasy and fertility.

Above is textile excibited at Hardanger Folkemuseum and Drammen Museum.

This is an example of where Solveig draws her inspiration for her patterns.

This is my current project

My own stitches

More of Solveig's inspiration. Rosemaling on an old chest.

Strand Tea..

Talking about TEA, the following has become one of my very favorite teas; "Summer in Ceylon".

I dicovered this tea when I visited, what has become my favorite bakery, Saint Honore in Lake Oswego, OR.

At the time they featured it as the tea of the month and I fell in love with the sweet lemon Myrtle and Lemon Peel tea.

Doing some research on the internet led me to their website and since then I have ordered my teas directly from www.strandtea.com (They are located in Sandy, OR of all places)

Last time I talked with Mr. Strand himself I was told that he orders all his teas from Asia and by his own smell and taste blends them together and the results are wonderful. The lemon in "Summer of Ceylon" is from Australia and adds a refreshing taste to the mixture.

When my sister visited me this summer, my daughter handed her a cup of the tea and without knowing anything about it's origin, she said it was the best tea she had ever had! And of course she ended up getting several packets to take with her back to Norway; a great gift.

If you like being surrounded by luxury then this is the tea for you!

Tea and Flowers..

Japanese Anemone. What I love about this flower is that it is beautiful even after it's done blooming. The green pod center remains on the stem and makes for an interesting addition to a bouquet.

A perfect Dahlia

Japanese Dogwood with it's fruit, which is loved by the birds and chipmunks

The actual name is Jack O'Lantern, but I call it "Sunshine"

I can't remember the name of this rose, but it is small and the flowers are very delicate. They change quickly from an exquisite bud to an open flower that is less intense in color. I love peach/orange/yellow roses and surrounded by blue Lobelia it is quite a show.

I love my flower garden! Our property is 1/3 of an acre, enough to spread my wings and enjoy the normal duties of a gardener which includes buying and planting plants, pruning, moving flowers and bushes around since a Gardeners work is never done, watering, fertilizing, inspecting, deadheading (I actually like doing this), getting dirty (I LOVE that part) and in the end enjoying a cup of tea with a good book, biblestudy or just simply soaking up and admiring the work of a gardener.

I have several seating areas in my garden, one for each mood I am in?

My favorite spot is a bench by our pond (when our pond is working. The motor seems to be on the blink quite often). When the motor is not working then a great second is just simply enjoying the colors around me from our deck, again with a cup of tea and perhaps a shortbread treat. I don't seem to enjoy coffee by myself, it seems to be more of a social drink, but a cup of tea....aaah perfect for the garden!

Three cups of Coffee......

Is there anything sweeter than having three cups of coffee with a friend? I don't think so.......Like the book "Three Cups of Tea", by the time you have that 3rd cup you are accepted, loved, trusted, respected, comforted and more...and you are perhaps discovering more of your own depth as well as your friend's. Something changes in you at those moments, you feel so validated as you walk away discovering the sun is shining brighter, the trees are moving in perfect tune with the wind, the clouds are brilliant and you are loving the moment for its simplicity and true beauty. All because a friend said "YES" to Three Cups of Coffee. Love you, friend...

It's a BIRD!

Last Friday was a beautiful day for a hike with a couple of friends. Oregon has the most incredible state parks and this one happens to be in Lake Oswego, a lovely community that takes pride in the environment, e statics and the joy of sharing it with others. One of their parks overlooks the Willamette River, which also flows gracefully through downtown Portland, into the Columbia River and in the end out to sea by Astoria.

As the three of us were enjoying looking at the beauty from a bench seat along the trail, we all noticed, in the distance, what looked like a bird sitting totally still in the movements of the river. For about 10 minutes this "thing" did not move and we halfway decided (in our own minds) that it must be some kind of marker. Finally one of us commented: "Is that a bird, and if it isn't could it be a marker". What followed is, to us, nothing less than a miracle. Because at that precise moment, the bird stood up in the water and flapped it's beautiful wings! What happened? - did God hear us or did the bird? In any case, we did get the answer; it's a BIRD!

Frustrations - followed by Calm..

Trying to figure Microsoft Excel on your own is not an easy task and today became one of those neck breaking (literally), backbreaking endeavors. My neck and back are hurting so bad from intensely looking at the PC screen and watching my computer doing the strangest maneuvers. All because I really didn't know what I was doing. I had a time limit and at the meeting I attended it was decided (and I agreed) that I should give up the job of keeping finances, to someone else.

I can now breathe again and I am ready to fly out of this prison where I have been for the last 5 hours! Oh sweet calm...................

Knitting

More grand-children

The upside down girl and her brother

Birds

Feed me Mama....On my journey to Lopez Island, Washington I came across this little critter in the entrance of the Catholic/Lutheran church. Could it be that he/she was trying out for the Hallelujah chorus? 
These are the small/big things in life that increases my passion and wonder. When I went on a walking tour of my hometown, Stavanger, Norway we were told by the guide to always look up if we wanted to see the city's past and the grandeaur of the old buildings (below were new and modern businesses). So when I take in the beauty of life I never forget to look up.

Charm.....and Flowers

Charm and beauty in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA