Visitors from Norway

What a wonderful week we shared with Kory’s second cousin, Jens-Fredrik and his son, Bent-Jarle! This was Bent-Jarle’s fourth time to visit us and they get better every time. We always visit with Jens-Fredrik and his wife in Oslo when we get a chance, so it was nice to have his feet under our dinner table for once – and he even liked the food. It was his first time to the west coast of America and he assures us, he’ll be back. They came to see the Olympic Ice Hockey game and even though America slaughtered Norway, they were still glad they came as the experience couldn’t be beat. They had an extra ticket so Kory was able to join them and he too said it was like nothing he’s ever done before – just the energy level alone was contagious. They spent the night in Vancouver and did a little sightseeing in the off hours. Except for standing in line for an hour to buy Olympic souvenirs, they had no complaints and they all came home beaming and pumped up

Kory spent more time with them than I did as I had to stay home and crack with whip with Kaleb. I schooled him a bit more than my patience allowed and as a result, he lost the “privilege” of his big summer half birthday party. He lied to me again, when he knew the next consequence coming was the loss of that summer bash. Oh how he cried, but honestly, ever since then, he’s been an angel. I told him he can’t “earn it back” as he is hoping to do because once it’s gone, it’s gone, but he can start to earn points toward having one again next year. His choices were taking him down the wrong path and this consequence certainly got his attention and helped him do an about-face. It also saved me thousands of dollars and many hours of planning, which I don’t mind doing for my sweet boy, but when he turns ugly, that’s a whole other story. He tried to argue with me saying that I wasn’t just punishing him, but all his friends too, as they look forward to the party all year long and I reminded him that is how sin is, it often affects innocent people. I hope he learned that lesson well.


Kaleb and I went to the Seattle Children’s Theatre this week and watched a play called “Nordic Myths.” Kaleb kept whispering in my ear each time they got the slightest detail “wrong.” He’s read a few books on the topic and apparently considers himself an expert on the subject. I told him they prefaced the whole play by saying many accounts of the myths have minor variations but he was still adamant (to the point of annoying) that they were misleading. This is how my life is. Once he gets it in his head that things are a certain way, nothing can change his mind.  If only that were a good trait.


Friday we took the day off school and spent it showing our visitors around or neck of the woods before they flew home Saturday. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful so we went for a nice drive, a lovely hike, had a picnic in the park then watched the sunset at Deception Pass. It was good to be outdoors and to feel the sunshine. I drove them to the airport Saturday and Kory went back to setting tile on our porch. (Maybe it will be done by the time our next guests arrive in two weeks.)

Today we drove to Bothell to attend our old church, as a new pastor started today and our friends John and Dee Foreman invited us down to hear him and to have lunch with them afterwards. God answered my prayers as John offered to spend some one-on-one mentoring time with Kaleb. John has an incredible gifting with boys Kaleb’s age and has taught Sunday school for many years and can get kids motivated to do things parents never could. He speaks life into those boys – tells them all they are his favorite, tells them all they are perfect, and brags about them until they nearly burst with pride. I’m sure Kaleb needs more encouragement as both Kory and I are wrung dry. Help is on the way. Hallelujah!



And now here’s the next installment of “Nuggets from Norway” as seen in this week’s LaConner Weekly News!

Pancakes

There are some special pancakes made in Sunnmøre, the area of Norway where we lived, called “Svela.” I never understood why Norwegians eat French fries with a knife and fork, but they eat pancakes with their hands. They sprinkle sugar, jam or a thick syrup on them and roll them up and eat them like a burrito anytime of the day or night. It’s often used as road food, since eating out in restaurants is prohibitively expensive.
Norwegians refer to “Swedish pancakes” (those thin crepe like things filled with goo), as just “pancakes” (pannekake) – because they aren’t about to give the Swedes credit for anything. Pancakes and bacon are a very common item on the dinner menu in Norway, and Norwegians can’t understand how in the world Americans could eat such a thing for breakfast.
The pancakes known as Svela look just like our American buttermilk pancakes, but they aren’t the same at all. The key ingredient in Svela is something called “Hjortetakksalt.”
I bought Hjortetakksalt a few years ago and brought it home so I could make Svela in America. When I opened the package I discovered it’s a powder that smells exactly like strong ammonia (or pee, whichever you prefer). The scary thing is, if you literally translate the name Hjortetakksalt, it means “thanks to the deer salt”… so ya gotta wonder what’s in there. (It’s actually the secret ingredient that makes the pancakes a little bit rubbery so they can be rolled up without breaking.)
One day a neighbor girl, Sabina, went blueberry picking with my son, Kaleb. Wild blueberries in Norway are even more prolific than wild blackberries in the Northwest. I thought I would treat Sabina to good old fashioned American blueberry pancakes – since she’d only ever eaten Svela before.
It was Sabina’s first opportunity to sample some American cooking so she was thrilled to sit down to a plate full of my pancakes – until she discovered the blueberries in them. She looked at me like I was crazy. She preferred the ones without. I guess she’s used to the pee.

Ready or Not

I love that spring is here early, even if we didn’t have much of a winter. I’ve never seen daffodils blooming in the fields before Valentine’s Day though, so spring is definitely very early this year. I even picked some daffodils in our yard today and put them in a vase for our company, that should be showing up any minute. Kory’s cousin and son are here from Norway to see the ice hockey game on Thursday (America vs. Norway), so we are lucky they are staying with us this week. We so love company!



I’ve been trying to clean the house a bit today as we dog sat two dogs over the weekend. And this is after I said I’d never dog sit again. Do people just not hear my “no” or do I just not say it? I’m not sure which. But I am sure the house is always a mess afterwards and it gives me great motivation and pleasure to clean up every last dog hair, which is good because company is coming!


I managed to get our taxes done this week, mow the lawn, hoe the garden, bake cookies with Kaleb and homeschool him more than normal so Kory could keep working on the porch tile (see photo of the “before”). We were hoping to have the porch done by the time the Norskies got here, but things always take longer than expected.


Kory took Kaleb and a buddy skiing on Wednesday and that was just what Kaleb needed – to have a friend along. I guess he’s getting to the age where hanging out with his parents isn’t his favorite way to spend time – especially if it’s with me. I’ve been struggling with him this week as I caught him in two more lies and I’m clueless as to what to do about it. Our home fellowship group met on Saturday night and we talked about parenting issues. They all think we spend too much time with Kaleb and that perhaps putting him in school might relieve some tensions. Kory is all in favor of that as he feels inadequate as a teacher anyway, but Kaleb is dead set against going to school, so we are currently praying for wisdom. Who knows what will happen. I love that boy, but he sure drives me nuts sometimes.


The big news this week is that the local paper started a new “feature column” called “Nuggets from Norway” – by yours truly! Very exciting for me, even though it’s only 400 words, but it’s a great way for me to focus on editing down my blog to become a book. The editor wanted each column to be on one specific topic, comparing life in Norway to life in America. It’s a great idea as, over time, it will give a good picture of life there, for those who are interested in such things. Since the newspaper isn’t on-line, I promised a few people I’d post it on my blog every week, so here goes:


Nuggets from Norway

Local writer Mickey Bambrick, whose work has been published in several editions of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, recently returned home to Pleasant Ridge in Skagit Valley.


Here in a new feature, Bambrick, with her characteristic heart-warming humor, shares her journal entries about the year she lived in Norway with her husband Kory Slaatthaug and their son Kaleb. As you will see, she found daily life in Norway, her husband’s homeland, very different from what she was accustomed to.

About vanilla …

By Mickey Bambrick

One day soon after we moved to Norway, I spent a good twenty minutes trying to locate vanilla and baking soda in the market.

I had no less than four people try to help me. I bought something called “natron” and hoped for the best.

When I tried to verify that the package contained baking soda, I asked the employee whether I could use it not just for cooking, but to brush my teeth, clean things with it, etc.

I got a most definite “No.” I figured they either they aren’t hip to the many great uses for baking soda, or I got the wrong thing.

As for the vanilla… a customer in the store overheard my repeated description of “black water” which was the best way I knew how to describe vanilla extract in my limited Norwegian vocabulary.

The customer handed me a container with some kind of powder in it, clearly marked “vanila” and wondered what my problem was.

I spoke again in broken Norwegian, saying “No, black water.”

She explained to me in broken English that her daughter-in-law was from Australia and she had the same problem – she wasn’t used to cooking with the vanilla powder.

But that’s all they have in Norway. Go figure.

She also told me her daughter-in-law only lasted five years and then went back home. “Too many differences,” she said.

I don’t know whether she was referring to the marriage, or the vanilla.

A Triumphant Week

Kaleb finally worked out the bugs on his website and his instructor sent him some code so he can password protect his old dog newspapers (so just his subscribers can see them), and now his weekly puppy website is finally a reality! (http://www.theweeklypuppy.com/) I couldn’t be more relieved. Kaleb was pretty proud too (see photo), and we were both doing the happy dance for a long time when we realized he was finally DONE with that process. Now to keep it maintained is another thing, but it won’t have nearly the same kind of pressure. Kaleb got an A on his final project (the website) and his instructor said it was one of the most interesting and entertaining sites he’s seen a student do. I thought that was a pretty good compliment for Kaleb, since this class is meant for junior high kids. They didn’t want him to take it because he’s so young, but he was determined and I begged them and they said OK. Overall he got a B+ in the class because he totally bombed his final exam with a C-. He didn’t study for it because he said he didn’t care about the grade, he just wanted to get his website up. I couldn’t argue with his logic, but because of it, he broke his straight A record with all the courses he’s taken so far with Johns Hopkins. What’s a mother to do. I’m still pretty proud.



As I was driving Kaleb home from his piano lesson this week I asked if there were any other things he’s been “sneaking” that he wants to confess, just so there are no more bad choices of his, waiting to be discovered. I told him there would be no consequences, I just wanted him to be honest with me so I can start to rebuild the trust between us. He fessed up to waking up in the night and playing his Nintendo for hours on end. I knew something must be up because a few weeks ago he insisted his bedroom door be closed when he went to bed. He also had been sleeping way more than usual and I told him he might need to have a blood test to see if he was anemic because he was so tired during the day. I really was concerned about his sleepiness, but apparently, it was his Nintendo addiction causing it. He said he stopped doing it when I was going to call the doctor, so apparently I solved the problem in an unsuspecting way. At least it’s out in the open and now he has a clear conscience.


I haven’t been as productive this week as I’d like, but I did purge one closet so that was my triumphant moment. I’ve been in “supporter” role all week helping Kaleb a little extra and doing way more cooking and cleaning than I like but I need to support Kory and all the household projects he’s now working on. He has the cement board down on the porch and he set some of the tiles on top to see how it all looks, and we are both more than pleased with our choice for the deck topping – so woo hoo for that.

I began the painful job of working on our 2009 taxes, which never seems like a good use of my time, so it’s hard to stay motivated. At least I have “Leave it to Beaver” to keep me company as I play the old episodes over my computer via the “watch instantly” feature on Netflix. It’s good background noise as I try to pick up a few parenting tips, but it seems Kaleb never quite gets himself into the same messes as “The Beav.”


We dog-sat a yellow lab over the weekend so tomorrow I have major cleaning to do as that was one messy dog. Friday we had friends here for dinner and they brought their two yellow labs along just for fun, so Kaleb was in heaven with three yellow labs in the house (his favorite dog breed). Kaleb had a friend here yesterday and was at another friend’s house today so he logged in quite a bit of social time this weekend, for which I am thankful. Otherwise, it gets pretty lonely up here on the ridge. The biggest thrill I’ve had lately is watching the daffodils in my yard begin to bloom. The ones in the fields will be popping any day now too, so my world will soon be filled with yellow! Woo hoo.

Life's Moving Along

This week has been rather full. I’m still trying to get back into the purging closets mode, but life keeps getting in the way. I’ve spent more time than I’d like, overseeing Kaleb’s school work. As of today, though, he’s done with his web design class and his website has finally been posted! It would be cause for great celebration but we’ve discovered it looks totally different in Internet Explorer than it does in Mozilla Firefox (the one we use). So there is still work ahead as he tweeks certain things, but the big push is off. He also took his final exam in that class today and we’ll be anxiously awaiting his grade. We were up against the gun because his time ran out TODAY so everything had to be done and submitted or he’d get an incomplete or we’d have to pay extra to extend his time with Johns Hopkins, but he made it. Hallelujah. I feel like I need a nap.
Kaleb has been the source of much angst this past week as he was supposed to be doing school work last Thursday, and come to find out, he was playing Pokemon games on a website, instead. I only discovered it because I accidentally checked the history of my internet usage, and there it was. It’s a good thing he was sleeping at the time so I had the night to cool off and figure out a game plan for his consequences, otherwise it might have gotten ugly. But the worst thing was, the next day when I confronted him with it – he denied it. He’s not one to lie to me, so it really hurt that he wouldn’t fess up. I was bummed out for days over that one. Thanks to modern technology, his sins found him out, and I don’t think he’ll be doing that again anytime soon.
Our house has smelled like fresh paint all week, as that business meeting Kory and I had last week produced good fruit and after he finished painting the bathroom he started the process of setting tile on our porch. For twelve years we’ve just had the underlayment plywood on the porch because we could never agree on a surface for it, but last Saturday we went to Seattle and found some rough slate that we think is just the ticket. Kory is going to do all the work (he’s not a tile setter), so I hope it turns out as planned. He was complaining tonight about having so many jobs to do (both at home and at our apartment building), and Kaleb piped right up and reminded him about how miserable he was lying on the couch all those weeks last Fall with a broken back and not able to do anything. Kory just smirked, and then stopped whining.
I joined a gym last week and have committed to going three times a week until we leave for Norway. I need to make room for all the mouth-watering cakes that I know are in my future. If I don’t drop a few pounds now, I’ll have no clothes to wear when we get there as we left all our clothes in Norway so we wouldn’t have to pack much luggage every year when we go. I also bought tickets a few days ago to fly to Spain while we are in Norway. One of Kory’s aunts moved there and invited us to come visit, so that is something to look forward to as none of us have ever been to that country.
Aunt Ruth has been in and out of our condo these last few weeks. She’s back home from the hospital but has applied to go live in a nursing home as she is afraid to live alone now that she realizes she can’t take care of herself. They have found some blood clots on her lungs, so that’s cause for concern. I hope she’ll still be around when we arrive in May, but it seems most certain we’ll be able to stay in our condo when we are there. Whew.
I’m glad now we aren’t traveling anywhere this winter to get warm. We’ve had such warm days here that I’ve even gotten some yard work done. I love being outside when the trumpeter swans fly overhead – they put on a better show than the Blue Angels. And on the way to Kaleb’s piano lesson last week I passed eleven bald eagles. The snow geese are even taking up residence in the field in front of our house from time to time so spending the winter on Pleasant Ridge this year has really been rather pleasant.