Lisa skipped to school...

Lisa gikk til skolen, tripp tripp tripp det sa, i den nye kjolen trippet hun så glad. OK, for those of you who don't understand Norwegian, that doesn't make sense. I know. I just had to write it. It is from a children's song, about little Lisa who skips happily to school in her new dress. (And that was just what happened to my little Sagalisa today. Read on:)

The first school dress I bought arrived yesterday, really superfast! I could hardly believe the dress could have got here on Wednesday if it was posted on Monday, but it was... Good on you, Royal Mail and Posten Norge, you haven't always been this speedy with your delivieries!

So today Saga got to go to kindy in her new dress. She looked so cute, but I am glad I have bought mostly sizes 4-5, because in my opinion it wasn't too big for her at all. Maybe a tad long, but that is easily fixed. Not too wide at all! Here, have a look:

© StineC

And in the mail today were two more small packets, they didn't take long to get here either. One was a grey pinafore dress which will probably be a bit too large for Saga yet, and the other a blue and white checked gingham summer dress which I also think may be a teeny weeny bit too large, but she'll grow into them both. Nice dresses in great condition at a bargain price - I am very pleased, and I know Saga will be too!

Feeling like a genius for once :-D

OK, so I haven't blogged in a while. Life has been miserable to such an extent that I wouldn't want to be responsible for causing depressions in other people by writing about it. Everything seemed to go wrong. First of all there was the thing about no money. We were behind with everything; school fees, payment for kindergarten, rent... Replacing the front window of Sven's car that someone had smashed while parked. Outrageous phone bills even though we hardly ever call anyone - what costs is having a line! Owing money for repair of the car after the crash in February. My tooth chipped and I had to go to the dentist and have it repaired. Haven't been to the dentist for two years because we couldn't prioritize a checkup of otherwise good teeth when Sven cracked a molar, got an infection and had several thousand kr in emergency dental bills. Then Sven's health problems caused him to fail his level at school and has to redo the semester, leading to a possible loss of rights to student loans and grants. And if this wasn't enough, the school-related costs I have had since August that I should have had a refund for, as well as money that were wrongfully deducted from my benefit, are being denied refunded and my participation in the program is terminated. The house is unmanageably cluttered and untidy and the children has worn holes through pretty much of their clothes and I am ashamed to send them to kindy like that whether they be darned or not. Who wouldn't want to curl up and die?

And just as I was going to make some dresses for Saga to wear to kindergarten... Have patterns. Have sewing machine. Have the time now that my studies have gone down the drain. What I don't have is money for the fabric. What to do? And then, by luck, a strike of genius hit me:

Buy used school uniforms off eBay, of course! Show me the wiring of English children if they don't play, too. Practical and modest enough clothes in hard-wearing and easy to care for fabrics, and at prices that even I can almost afford at this time.

I really do feel like a genius for thinking of this. And since Norwegian children don't wear school uniforms, I can buy whatever pattern and colour scheme I like and mix and match and nobody will care if Saga wears red one day, and green the next. Now, if only more people would sell to Europe/worldwide instead of only to the UK, I could get even more bargains. =sigh= But I am pleased so far. It will be exciting when the first uniforms start arriving, and Saga can try them on. Check back for school fashion updates!

Forum posts you know better than to answer...

When you hang out on bulletin boards and various forums, you quickly learn that there are people who post just to provoke the regulars. Or that there are posters that are a certain cause for irritation no matter what they write even though they really don't intend to, it is just an aspect of their nature to vex you with every breath they take, seemingly. After a while of opening the threads they've started, you begin to think "I'd better not" before you do, because you've started to see a pattern. And then, you simply stop reading their posts.

And then you have those people where you don't really need that period of learning what they stand for and why they're there. You don't need to read ten or twenty posts to see a pattern. In fact, sometimes you know just by seeing the screen name what they're up to.

Like today, when I logged on to a forum for young Norwegian Catholics to read a reply I'd been automatically notified about (great feature, btw!) and saw the name of a new user. I knew what was coming before I even clicked. I don't know... does it say more about the other poster or about me - when I actually replied to the foreseeable negative comment made by someone who called himself "Antichrist" ??? Somethings really are best left alone. Like the tooth that I chipped last week and couldn't leave alone, just had to feel it with my tongue all the time. By the time I came to the dentist the next day, my tongue was all sore. But it's fixed now. Just like good moderators keep trolls away from otherwise decent fora.

That's why I am so pleased with Catholic Online. Toothaches don't stay. And neither do I stay for more blogging, since Cecilia have a teething ache and can't seem to sleep. Good night! (But if your teeth ache from grinding them while reading my posts, blame yourself!)

It's tomorrow and I haven't........

Tomorrow is MJ's 5th birthday. It's not like I almost forgot completely, but I did forget to invite guests for his birthday party. I did forget to send in a picture to the local paper. If this wasn't enough, I have forgotten to gift-wrap his present, and if it hadn't been for the fact that Sven bought him his present on sale several months ago, I probably would have forgotten to buy him one, too. No, I can't wrap it now, because I have also forgotten to buy wrapping paper. But thankfully, there is at least a birthday present in the house. Never mind the lack of wrapping...

I have to bake a cake. I like baking cakes. No, correction: I like decorating cakes. And I like eating them. I don't particularly like baking them. But that has to be done. Unfortunately, my kitchen is a mess. Everything is a mess. I am a mess. I've got the blues, and although I have heard rumours that there do in fact exist people who do more houswork when they're depressed, I am not one of them. I have doubts as to the validity of their existance, to be quite honest.

Five years since my pudgy little baby boy was born! Time flies. And since he is getting older, so am I. Now that is a thought I so do not want to entertain. Getting old and gray-haired and still doesn't know what to do with my life. Regretting everything both done and undone. Yeah, you can see that I have a black cloud over my head today, can't you?

Hey, Black Rain Cloud, don't rain in my batter, OK ?

So much for azure moonlight!

It probably would be a good idea to write in the moonlight since, well, I called my blog Azure Moonbeams etcetera... But in all honesty, unlike some, I am no night owl. I just don't sit up all night.

Well, sometimes I do. Wake up at three or four in the morning. Wake up when Husband goes to bed, or when Cecilia wakes up, and then if the lights are on downstairs and I have to get up to switch them off, you bet I can't go back to sleep.

So, then, what do I do? Nothing productive, like working on my studies. Rather, I check out the message boards to which I am addicted. I have grown tired of one, so I am down to one now. Or occasionally play games online. Like the fun word game Bookworm, from Shockwave. But what I don't do, is blog! I used to, you know, when I were younger I kept a journal. OK, so it wasn't a blog, because nobody knew that a thing like the Internet even existed. (It apparently did, though. But not like now.) Maybe I should go back to writing in the wee hours.

Check back in a while and see...

No, I don't have a life...

It is Sunday. No Mass for me today. Since it is April, all Sunday masses will be held in the evening, and it is too late for the children to go at that time. Besides, taking the three of them to Mass all by myself is a bit too much yet. I have been alone with them this week-end since Sven has been working. I haven't seen him since early yesterday morning - and if it hadn't been for the fact that he was let off early, I probably wouldn't have seen him until ten p.m. tonight; he had to stay with my uncle's in town tonight. 20 km out of the town center, and there are virtually no buses during the week-end. The first that goes into town on Sunday passes by here at two in the afternoon, but if you manage to get into town, don't even think about getting back home... Hooray for "go public transportation"!

I wish I lived closer to town and had the luxury of going to Mass more often, even during the weekdays. To think of how I once lived right next door to a church, and could even walk from my corridor into a side chapel in the upper gallery of the church (we weren't supposed to, since the archway wasn't safe, but we sneaked over occasionally anyway) - and yet I didn't go every Sunday, let alone every day. I didn't know how lucky I was.

These times are strange times. A roommate of mine from the previously mentioned dorm (for lack of a better word) was ordained a deacon last Saturday. At the exact same time, we celebrated a baptism. Some hours later, our beloved Pope, John Paul II passed away. So many things happening - two days before, Terri Schiavo died. It feels as if I have been glued to the TV for the past two weeks. First the Terri Schiavo case, with intense prayers and finally her death, then the pope's illness, and then his passing - then on to the funeral (which was duly videotaped - two different channels, while watching two others)... I need a break from television now.

What I need, is other people. I need to get out, to see people, do things besides the endless chores around the house. The trouble is, I live very isolated, and it isn't just because I live outside of town. It would be pretty much the same if we lived right in the center of the town. I don't know any people. And there is nothing to do.

Cecilia's godmother came over to visit for a week for the baptism. It was so wonderful to have someone to talk to. To hear about other people living the faith. Doing silly things - and quite marvellous things, too. Hearing about a close-knit community. It was almost like having friends. The contrast to my own isolated and lonely existence was so clear that when she left, I got rather depressed. Have to get out of it, though.

But now you know why I'm on the Internet so much. I really don't have a life.

One thing done =hooray=

I have been thinking of my blog all day long, wondering what I should write today. Since there is nothing new to write, the smart thing would be to put it out of my mind. But as you can see, I couldn't.

As if there weren't better things to do. You know what I were going to do today? OK. First of all, I thought the kids had to be in kindy by 7 o'clock. Ghastly early, but when hubby starts work at the hospital at 7:30 they have to be there even earlier than usual. Which means leaving home no later than 6:30. And we need at least 45 minutes to get ready, more if there's a lot of snow on the car - you do the maths. So also today. And since my DH had slept all night for once, he got up and into the shower. He just never came out of the shower again. So after 15 minutes I go in there and have a lecture ready about running late etc. And then he tells me he has the day off at the hospital. Which I ought to know, of course, but I forgot. =sigh= No need to get up until at least seven o'clock, and my blasted alarm went off at 5:45!! (Aaaaaarggghhhhh!!!! Can we call my early wake-up-call my Friday penance, pretty please?)

But we get the kids off to kindy, and I plan my day. I have a baby dress to sew up before the baptism, and a little bonnet. Didn't get any sewing done yesterday, or the day before. Nor the entire past week. Had to do it today. But before I could do that, I had to tidy up the table and change the tablecloth. Wouldn't want the creme satin fabric to be ruined by old spaghetti sauce, butter smears and curdled milk.

But then I also have a whole heap of laundry that's sort of folded, but not put away. Have to do that also. What else? Laundry that is dry, but not folded. What else? Clean, but wet laundry, that has to be hung. Finally, even more laundry that has to be... well... laundered.

Then there were dirty dishes, and a ghastly dirty stove top that I just couldn't put off cleaning any longer, not even for three seconds...

How far did I get?

Nowhere, actually. Hubby removed everything from the table and changed the tablecloth, and mopped the floor. I poured about a cup of soap over the stove top and scrubbed it, then left it... Then it was about time for us to leave to pick up the kids from kindy again. I dropped DH off in town, since he works night shift tonight. Came home with the kids and fed them. Then put them to bed. Time? A little past seven. Scrubbed and rinsed the stove top and although I can't say it shines, spotless, it's about as good as it has ever been for the past fifteen years. The poor stove is almost as old as I. But proud of myself as I may be, I haven't really done all that much to be proud of...

What was it that I were going to do today - sew? OK, I could take out the sewing machine, rub the sandy feeling out of my eyes, and... But you know what? I'm tired.

G'night!

Jumping in

March 3rd, 2005
I've been thinking of getting me a blog for a while, and while I stood undecided on top of the diving board, someone sort of pushed me in ;-) Not that I have all that much interesting to say, mind you. It would be incredibly self-centered and conceited to think that people from all over the world will clog bandwidth just to read what I have to say about everything and nothing, but allow me to indulge just a little bit... I hereby promise that I will NOT update my blog every day.

'til later,
StineC