Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!


Hoping everyone took part in some sort of celebration last night, and got your Hallowe'en on!

This year I wasn't sure how I would feel about going out, but I ended up going to a party for a little and then out to the bars for a little, to meet up with a few friends, T'was a good evening!

I was of course Raggedy Ann, which was my sister-in-laws costume from last year, that she let me use. Again, because I didn't know how I would feel or if I could part with the little one :)

My poor hubby dressed up as Raggedy Andy, but for his pride I won't post a picture of him ;)

Unfortunately I just did a Wikipedia search about Raggedy Ann and Andy and it turns out Andy was Raggedy Ann's brother... Oh dear! Should have done more research on this costume!

I decided I would post an iPhone picture (which doesn't do it justice) of a cat I made from scratch, that I started perhaps 2 years ago and finally finished - on a craft day in June at my parents, while Endoplasmic and Moxy (my brother and his fiancé) got their wedding DIY's done.

I thought it was very suiting to the occasion :)

I will probably take a picture of baby Edie tonight as it is the official day for dressing up!

What did you (or will you) dress up for Halloween as?

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Zowie!


Zowie reminds me of a female verison Marilyn Manson with this teaser clip of "Love Demolition". I still love Marilyn Manson's music so it is a compliment to her! Zowie hails from New Zealand, and I can't wait for her new album!










For now you can purchase her "Broken Machine" single on itunes. I will post both the teaser and full clip of her videos! You can listen to more clips and read more about Zowie on her site and myspace!

Enjoy!






Monday, October 25, 2010

Best Invention Ever? - MamaRoo by 4moms!

I purchased this long before little Edie came into the world and while it was still impossible to buy in Canada. I searched and searched - and I finally found it on Ebay! Thank you, parents - for this wonderful gift :)


When we first brought home the little girl, she was just SO tiny and we had to wait to use this remarkable piece of machinery. For the first few weeks she cried whenever we put her in the mamaRoo, which made me so sad. She was just so tiny and didn't know how to appreciate it ... yet :)

As she reached her one-month mark, we finally decided to try again - and it was a hit! She loves falling asleep in it on the "tree swing" setting - listening to the ocean waves (and other built-in sounds) or my iPod playlist, as it has a little adapter hookup. So smart!

There are a few different settings that this swing can move to, like "car ride" and "kangaroo" - moving all so smoothly. You can also adjust the speed to your baby's comfort.

While you watch your baby swing, you'll appreciate the machine's sleek design - like a pod from outer space. The little ones will be able to enjoy 3 soft material balls, suspended in the air above them. They are black and white on one side - and in vibrant colours on the other, by the famous painters Seurat, Monet and Van Gogh. Again - so, so smart!

It's nice they have it on a rod that is adjustable to move from side to side. Sometimes Edie just wants to watch the world and see what is going on around the house, so it allows us to move them out of her way, so she doesn't get too upset :)


I have now seen the MamaRoo available on LussoBaby.com, with free shipping within Canada and the States. You can get them in an array of colours. We thought it would be safe to have the silver/grey in case the next little one is a boy!

Enjoy my little iPhone video of Edie riding the MamaRoo by 4moms!



If you want more information about the mamaRoo, including photos and videos - check out their site!

It's all about quality over quantity! The MamaRoo is the only one you will ever need. Period.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Robyn - Indestructible!

I've heard a slow version of this song as it is quite beautiful, but last week Moxy and Endoplasmic showed me a seriously sick version of the track that I can't stop spinning! I've been listening to this Swedish doll since she was talking about a famous Swedish fish dish on on the tv show YTV several years ago. Check out her radio edited version of Indestructible!  I am in love!

Enjoy!



Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Gluten-Free Norwegian Sugar Cookie (1-2-3) Recipe!

This is by far the easiest gluten-free Norwegian cookie recipe - besides peanut butter cookies I guess :)

They are delicious and simple! For a gluten-free flour substitute I used Namaste's "All purpose flour", which is amazing! I raved about their pizza crust some posts ago :)

The cookies are called 1-2-3 cookies, which also describes the recipe (and makes it easy to remember);

1 part sugar
2 parts margarine
3 parts flour
... and an egg for every 100g of sugar (which kind of makes it 1-1-2-3 ... but that's just confusing :-)

So - for example - 100g sugar, 200g margarine, 300g flour and an egg will make a nicely sized dough.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 Celsius).


 This dough is different ... and a bit tricky the first time around. But it's proper fun too - and kids will love it. It's a cold dough - and any kind of mixer is a definite no-no.

First, pour the flour onto the coldest surface you can find (marble counter would be perfect). Make a mound out of the flour (think of making a mountain), then create a crater at the summit, big enough to hold the sugar. Pour the sugar into the crater, and create another little crater in the middle of that again.

Dice up all the margarine into 1cm x 1cm cubes (yes - there's supposed to be a LOT of margarine). Sprinkle all these cubes all over the flour and sugar. Finally, crack the egg into the sugar crater and take a moment to witness your volcano.

Now - for the fun part. Make sure your hands are cold (you may want to run them under cold water for a bit, then towel them off). If this dough gets warm - it'll get all sticky.


Now, make like a giant and dig into that volcano! You want to grab as much dough as you can - and squeeze and kneed. Don't add any more flour at this point ... then you'll get a dry dough that falls a apart later.

When you finally have a nice, firm ball - put it in plastic and place it in the fridge for a little ... just to cool it.

Bring it back out onto the marble, which you should sprinkle with flour first, adding a bit to the top of the dough as well. Roll it out to about half a cm thick (quarter inch or so) and use your favourite cookie counters to make small cookies. Place it in the oven for 6-8 minutes (depending on the oven, you may want to experiment) and let cool. Then throw on some tasty icing for an extra little treat :)

Mmmm...

Enjoy your gluten-free Norwegian cookies!


Sunday, October 17, 2010

She Keeps Growing! 6 Weeks and 4 Days Young.

Check out what is happening at Hunnie Bunnie Babies!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

If I Moved Back to Norway, I Would Live In A Treehouse - Literally!

The same builders that built our old apartment in Stavanger, Norway, will be starting on a new project in Sandnes (where my favourite restaurant is). If I was to move back, it would be because I made the list to own one of these wicked Treehouse apartments! Well, I would also have to afford it, of course ;)


Breaking down the Norwegian text, it says that there will be 3 buildings with 33 apartments. As you can see, you slide open the glass doors on the balcony for nice days, and the greatest thing is that the outer glass is double insulated so you can also enjoy the balcony as an extra room in the winter time!

You can check out the layout of these apartments, as there are 3 different layouts of sizes and choices and they are all so lovely! They are designed to float on the tree-trunks.

It's a very environmental project, where every building has central heating distributed to the apartments from gas, water and geothermal power from the earth (click here to see a little animated diagram).

Also, the gardens will be made as orchards and there will be bicycle parking for every apartment.

The coolest thing about this project in my opinion, is not only that you live in this environmentally friendly tree, but that the exterior of the buildings change colour with the seasons! Insane! I am in love!!! You can see more about them on their site.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's been quite busy in the Hermansen Home. We have our Norwegian family visiting so I have been lacking on the posts! Tis' quite the party :)




We actually had our Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house yesterday and the food was amazing always. My mom goes above and beyond making me gluten-free stuffing, gravy, apple crisp and pumpkin pie! I am truly spoiled. Thanks mother!
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, and I will try my best to get back on here soon! Perhaps with a Norwegian cookie recipe! Mmmm...

I know I've posted the very top picture last year, but I can't help it as I love it so much!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Renew London Construction Program 2010 is making a HUGE Roundabout!

Yes! It looks like London is getting a little more European, making a huge roundabout at the Hale and Trafalgar intersection. This will be London's biggest construction year ever!  You can check out this PDF of all the projects this year, even if it's almost over. It's pretty exciting!

I know theoretically how to drive into one, but to actually try it out ... we will see :)

It might just be a disaster like the Griswolds in European Vacation "Look Kids! Big Ben, Parliament!". Click here to see the clip, as I couldn't embed it! It's a classic :)

Monday, October 4, 2010

A Month Old!


Check out what is happening at Hunnie Bunnie Babies!