At flyde med strømmen - Go with the Flow

Livet sker - og somme tider spænder det ben!

Favorit-Baby har været meget dårlig en en uges tid og var på hospitalet i går, hvor det viste sig, at hun har en slem bronchitis. Hun hoster, raller og har svært ved at trækket vejret, men ind imellem får man et smil af den seje lille pige. Efter medicinering hele dagen kom hun hjem i går aftes, og hun havde det bedre.

Så er det man tænker: Hvad kan man gøre for at hjælpe, mens største og mellemste Favorit-personer er der med hende på hospitalet?

Man kan lave en gang thai-kylling og sætte i køleskabet. Rydde opvaskemaskinen og lave småting, så det hele ikke ligner noget, der er væltet.

Og så kan man hente Favorit-storebror fra børnehaven, fordi han er en meget empatisk dreng, der ikke kan bære at høre Favorit-Baby græde, når hun skal medicineres hver 3 time både nat og dag. Hun skal inhalere gennem en maske, og det er ikke noget hit!

Så jeg har haft gæster i nat. Det var super hyggeligt, og vi legede med vand og lego (ikke på samme tid), spiste, havde gode lange samtaler, læste godnathistorier m.m., og i morges havde vi en munter tur til børnehaven.

Hvad der sker i dag? Det ved jeg ikke, for efter en tid, hvor Favorit-Baby havde det rimeligt, er det blevet værre, og så er turen igen gået til hospitalet.

Så måske skal jeg have overnattende gæst igen? Måske skal jeg lave lidt mere mad?

Med dagene som de er lige nu, er der kun en ting at gøre - at lade være med at stritte imod, men bare flyde med og gøre det bedste ud af det.

Life happens - and sometimes it makes obstructions!

Favorite-Baby has been quite ill during the last week and had to go to the hospital yesterday, and the diagnosis was a bad bronchitis. She is coughing and has difficulties breathing, but when things aren't that bad, you get a big smile from the cool little girl. After having medicine all day she was sent home, and she was feeling better.

Then you think: What can you do to help, while Biggest and Medium Favorite Persons are there at hospital with her?

You can make some thai-chicken and put it in the fridge. Empty the dishwasher and do ods and ends, so the house doesn't look as if an explosion went off.

And then you can pick up Favorite Big Brother from kindergarten, who is a very empathic person. He cannot bear to hear his baby-sister cry, when she gets her medicine every third hour - also during the night. She is having an inhalator mask, and that is definitely not popular!

So I have had a sleeping guest. It was so 'hyggeligt', and we played with water and lego (not at the same time), had dinner, lots of conversation, read goodnight stories etc., and this morning we had a fun trip to the kindergarten.

What happens today? I don't know, because after some time, when Favorite Baby was feeling better, it has become worse, and now they are at the hospital again. 

So maybe I will have a sleeping guest again? Maybe I will make some more food?

When the days are like they are now, there is only one thing to do - not to fight it, but go with the flow, and make the best out of things.

One down - One to go!

Stole! Ja, jeg holdt en lille pause, fordi der skete så meget andet, og nu er den første stol klar, og den næste står til tørring. Jeg er meget tilfreds med resultatet, og det var ikke så svært.

Jeg må dog indrømme, at den anden stol er blevet flottere end den første, men øvelse gør jo også mester!

På billedet er der en streg over ryglænet, men det er et genskin!

Hvis der skulle være tvivl, er det stolen til højre, der er blevet istandsat!

To prevent any doubts, it is the chair on the right, which has been fixed!

Chairs! Well, I took a small break, because so many other things were happening, and now the first chair is done, and the second one is drying. I am very content with the result, and it wasn't that difficult.

Though I must admit, that the second chair became better than the first one, but as we all know, practice makes perfect.

On the photo there is a mark on the backrest, but it is a glare!

Fortsættelse af 'Forkert Minimalisme' - Continuation of 'Wrong Minimalism'

Jeg vil gerne uddybe min mandags-blogpost, for det er jo ret kvikt at påstå, at der findes 'forkert minimalisme'. Men jeg taler her om den, der går over og bliver en mani.

For det er sandt, at når man er kommet i gang, så bliver det lettere og lettere, og det kan til sidst føles euforisk at få ting ud af huset. Hvis man kommer til det stade, skal man standse op. For man skal ikke minimere sit hjem, så man ikke er i stand til at leve et normalt liv. Når man har ryddet ud, skal man kunne leve et liv, der fungerer. Og det er, set med mine øjne, hvad minimalisme drejer sig om.

Det er en lettelse både fysisk og psykisk ikke at eje mere end det, man behøver, og det man holder af. Så er der straks nogen, der siger, at de holder af alle deres ting! Men nej, det er ikke sandt, for hvis alle ting, små som store, betyder lige meget, så er der ingenting, der betyder noget særligt. Så bliver det hele en stor masse af grød. Man er nødt til at se på, hvad der giver værdi. Det kan være noget brugtbart eller noget smukt. Nu er de fleste brugbare ting smukke, hvor imod ting, der bare er til pynt, skal vurderes med meget kritiske øjne, for ting, der virkelig er meningsfyldte, forsvinder ofte i mængden.

Jeg kan selvfølgelig kun tale for mig selv om, hvad det betyder for mig at have de ting, jeg behøver og intet andet.

Det betyder, at jeg har tid til at gøre de ting, jeg gerne vil.
At jeg har tid til at være sammen med de mennesker, jeg gerne vil være sammen med.
At jeg har tid til at passe mit hjem og mine ting, reparere og vedligeholde.
Jeg ved, hvor jeg har mine ting. Jeg bruger ingen tid på at lede. Jeg ved, hvad jeg ejer.
Rengøring ikke er, hvad det har været. Bl.a. ordner jeg mange ting, når jeg alligevel har tingen i hånden, før den kommer på plads, så når den ugentlige rengøring skal laves, går det hurtigt.
Jeg har ikke stabler af to do-projekter. Jeg laver en ting færdig ad gangen.
Jeg kunne fortsætte denne liste i lang tid.

Har det altid været sådan? Bestemt nej. Men jeg har gennem årene forfinet, tunet strømlignet eller hvad man nu kan kalde det, mine ting, så de passer til det liv, jeg lever nu.

Behov ændres og dermed bør også ting, vi ejer, ændres. Intet i et hjem skal være fredet for al tid. Måske er der ting, du er vokset fra, og de bør fjernes, så de ikke tager plads op. Til gengæld kan der også være ting, som du skal anskaffe for at lette din dagligdag.

Du er ikke den samme person hele livet. Du udvikler dig, og dit hjem og dine ejendele bør udvikle sig i samme retning.

Sid ikke fast i fortiden, den er levet.

Rigtig god weekend.

Det er let at rengøre bestikskuffen, når den ikke flyder med uvedkommende ting

It is so easy to clean the cutlery drawer, when it isn't filled with a lot of  other stuff

I want to elaborate my Monday blogpost, because it is of course quite cheeky to assert, that there is a 'wrong minimalism'. But I am here talking about the one, which becomes manic.

Because it is true, that when you get started decluttering, it becomes easier and easier and can at a certain point give the feeling of euphoria, when things are leaving the house. If you get there, stop. Because you should be able to live a normal live. When you have decluttered, you should live a life which is functioning. And that is, in my opinion, what minimalism is all about.

It is a relief both physicially and mentally not to own more, than you need, and what you really love. And now some of you will immediately claim, that you love all yourthings! But no, that isn't true, because if all your things, big and small, have the same value to you, then nothing has special value. Then it just becomes a bit pot of stuff. You have to evaluate everything and decide, if it actually gives value. It can be something useful or something beautiful. Well, most useful things are beautiful, where as things just being there for the sake of 'beauty' should be looked at with critical eyes. Things, which are really special often disappear in the piles.

Of course I can only tell, what it means to me to own the things I need and nothing else.

It means that I can do, what I want.
It means, that I have time to spend with the ones, I love. It means, that I have the time to take care of my home and my stuff. To repair and maintain. 
It means, that I know, where my things are. I don't spend time searching for anything. I know, what I own.
Cleaning my house isn't what it used to be. I do a lot of cleaning, while having the things in my hand, before I put it back in place. and the weekly cleaning doesn't take much time.
I don't have stacks of to-do projects. I finish one thing at a time.
I could continue this list for a long time.

Has it always been like this? No, definitely not. But I have through the years refined, tuned and streamlined, or what ever you can call it, my things, so they fit the life, I am living now.

Your needs change, and therefore your belongings should change, too. Nothing in a home should be protected for eternity. Maybe there are things, which you have outgrown, and they should be removed, so they don't take up space, and maybe there are things, which you should buy, which can make your life easier.

You are not the same person all through life. You develop, and your home and your belongings should develop with you.

Don't stay in the past. The past has been lived.

Have a great weekend.

DIY er somme tider det bedste - DIY is Sometimes Best

Her til jul ønskede største favoritperson sig en ny hue. Det kan man jo godt forstå i denne kulde, og derfor købte jeg ham en.

Da han fik den, kiggede han lidt på den, kiggede lidt på mig og sagde: Jeg er glad for den, men jeg havde egentlig håbet på at få en rigtig. En hjemmestrikket en.

Så den anden hue blev returneret, garnet blev købt, og nu får han en hjemmestrikket. Sådan en opfordring kan man jo ikke stå for :-)

Here at Christmas a new skiing hat was on the wish list for Biggest Favorite Person. Quite easy to understand in this cold, so I bought him one.

When he got it, he looked at it, looked at me and said: I am quite happy with this, but I had kind of hoped that I would get a real one. A home knitted one.

So the other hat was returned, yarn was bought, and now he gets a home knitted one. I couldn't neglect such a request :-)

Den forkerte Minimalisme -The Wrong Minimalism

Det er op til hver enkelt person, der er interesseret for minimalisme, at sætte sine egne regler for, hvad minimalisme er.

Til trods for det er der alligevel en forkert form for minimalisme. Den, hvor selve rydningen bliver målet. Der, hvor man blive manisk.

Jeg har lige læst et interview med en kendt dansker, der en gang i 2015 erklærede sig som minimalist. På daværende tidspunkt kunne man læse i et interview, at han ejede 172 ting, og at han blev lettere for hver ting, han skilte sig af med. Han offentliggjorde en liste over alle sine ejendele og følte, at det gav han enkelthed i hovedet. Han skilte sig også af med sjældne og dyre ting, og sagde, at - selv om han gerne indrømmede, at han var gået lidt over gevind - så savnede han ikke de ting, der var væk.

Nu har han lige givet et nyt interview, hvor han i overskriften siger, at han ofte mangler en ting og bliver irriteret over, at han har smidt den ud.

Selvfølgelig! Han var jo blevet besat af selve rydningen, og det har intet med at leve minimalistisk at gøre.

Minimalisme behøver ikke at dreje sig om et eller andet antal ejendele. Det er heller ikke at leve som munk, eller i total hvide omgivelser med japanske måtter på gulvet.

Eller det kan det faktisk også være. Men hvis man er interesseret i minimalisme, kan man begynde med at fjerne de ting, som man ikke bruger. Det giver helt klart et enklere liv. Med mere plads, og at ting, får deres egen plads. Og ingenting, der bare flyttes rundt med.

Så før du begynder at gå radikalt til værks, så definér i dit hoved, på papir eller ved hjælp af billeder samlet på den ene eller anden måde, hvordan du gerne vil have, at dit hjem skal se ud og fungere i dit liv.

Der er nogen, der kan leve i en rygsæk, men det behøver vi ikke alle sammen at gøre - selv om vi gerne vil have et enkelt liv, hvor vi ikke drukner i ligegyldige ting.

It is up to each person, who are interested in minimalism, to make the set of rules of, what minimalism is.

In spite of that there is actually a wrong sort of minimalism. The one, where the declutter itself becomes the goal. The one, which makes you manic.

I have just read an interview with a well known Dane, who gave an interview in 2015 and declared himself a minimalist. You could read, that he owned 172 items, and that he felt lighter for each thing, he got rid of. He published a list of all his belongings and felt, that it created simplicity in his head. He even got rid of some very rare and expensive items, and that - even though he admitted, that he might have gone a bit overboard - didn't miss any of the items, which were gone.

But now he does miss some thing. He has just released a new interview, where he in the headline says, that he often miss different things and gets irritated, that he got rid of it.

Of course! He became obsessed by the declutter, which has nothing to do with living with minimalism.

Minimalism doesn't have anything to do with a certain numbers of belongings. Nor to live like a monk, or in totally white surroundings with Japanese mats on the floor.

Or in a way - it can be like that, too. But if your are interested in minimalism, you can start by removing things, which you don't use. That gives a simple life. A life with more space, and items, which have spaces of their own. And nothing, which you just move around with.

So before you start a radical declutter, take the time to define in your head, on papir or clippings, showing how you want your home to look like, not to mention how you want it to function.

Some people can live in a backpack, but not all of us have to do that - even though we want a simple live, where we don't drown in a lot of unimportant things.

DIY - Istandsættelse - DIY Repair

Mine elskede stole! De stole, som er fra en gang i 1960'erne. Jeg har ganske vist ikke haft dem så længe, og jeg har fået flere hen ad vejen. Fordi man sidder så godt i dem.

Jeg bor småt, som I ved, og når jeg har gæster, er det godt at sidde ved et bord med gode stole, for der er ikke så mange andre steder at flytte hen, da jeg ellers kun har en bambusstol og en 2 personers sofa (og nogle stabelstole i tilfælde af det store ryk-ind af venner og familie!). Men det er heller ikke noget problem.

Men de trænger til en opfriskning! De er gamle, de er slidte, og de er ikke pæne mere. Men de er gode, så de fortjener det.

Dog synes jeg, at man altid skal gøre op med sig selv, hvor meget det kan betale sig at gøre. Somme tider har ting levet sit liv ud. Men disse stole bliver istandsat nu. På forskellig vis, for tre af dem er betrukket med stof og 3 med læder. Jeg har besluttet, at jeg ombetrækker dem med stof selv - det har jeg gjort før - og de, der er læderbetrukket, er i meget forskellig stand. En er nærmest perfekt, og de to andre har krakeleringer.

Jeg starter ofte sådan et projekt med bævende hjerte, men med god hjælp og vejledning fra Skindhuset i København er jeg nu begyndt at farve stolene, og det bliver rigtig godt. Jeg har farvet et sæde, og selv om jeg endnu ikke har givet det læderfedt, er jeg virkelig henrykt over resultatet.

Så om ikke ret lang tid er 3 af stolene, som de skal være mange år ud i fremtiden, og de andre tre har jeg allerede fundet stof til. Det er dog ikke købt endnu, for jeg skal kigge lidt mere.

En ting ad gangen, så bliver tingene gjort!

My beloved chairs! The chairs, which are dated from some time in the 1960s. I haven't had them for that long, and I started out with two, and now I have six. Because you sit so well in them.

I live in a small place, as you know, and when I have guests, it is nice to sit around a table with good chairs, because I don't have many other places to move guests to. I only have a bamboo chair and a two-seater sofa (and some stack chairs in case of an invasion of family and friends!). But it isn't a problem at all.

But they are old, they are worn, and they don't look good any more. But they are so nice, that they deserve to be taken care of.

Though I appreciate my chairs, I think, that you should always consider, how much you want to keep repairing things. Some times an item has lived out its life. But these chairs will get a shine up now. In different ways, because I have 3 chairs with leather and 3 with fabric. I have decided, that I will reupholster the fabric ones myself - I have done that before - and the leather ones are in different conditions. One is almost perfect, and the other two have grazing.

I often start projects like this with a shaky knees, but with great help and guidance from Skindhuset, Copenhagen (of course, if you don't live here, this address is no good, but there are a lot of good information on the website) I have now colored the first seat, and even though I haven't given it leather grease yet, I am so happy with the result.

So in a short while 3 of the chairs are in a conditions, which will take them a bit further in life, and I have already found the fabric for the 3 other ones. I haven't bought it yet, because I will browse around for a bit longer.

One thing at a time, then things get done!

Ind- og Udlisten for 2017 - The In and Out List for 2017

Der kommer et tidspunkt, hvor der ikke går så meget ud af huset mere., og måske er det ved at nærme sig.

2016 var jo et vildt udrydningsår, og man kan jo ikke blive ved! Jeg afhændede 150 ting og bragte 59 ting hjem, heraf var 18 udskiftninger, hvilket vil sige, at jeg anskaffede 41 nye ting.

I 2017 har jeg afhændet 55 ting og fået 37 ting ind i huset, heraf er 13 udskiftninger, så her har jeg anskaffet 24 nye ting.

Det kan man jo sætte mange regnestykker op over, men det vil jeg undlade, for det er ikke interessant.
Indtil nu går det den vej, jeg gerne vil. Der kommer ikke mere ind, end der kommer ud, og langt de fleste ting, som er blevet afhændet, er gået til genbrugsforretningen.

Ud-listen for december ser sådan ud:

Sort bh - fordi den var slidt op
Ecco sko - var begyndt at gå dårligt i dem
Moppe og spand - trængte til ny
Sorte jeans - slidt op
Sort læder kalenderomslag - brugte det ikke, selvom det var pænt
Hullemaskine til kalender - ikke brug for den uden kalenderomslaget
Peberkværn - var så svær at dreje!
Shoppingnet - det var bare blevet ulækkert
Grå sweater - slidt op
Omslag til iPhone - har en android
Lyskæde - ikke lige min stil
Citronpresser - virker ikke rigtig
Læderfedt - lugter såå sødt af honning. Kunne ikke klare den lugt!

Og indlisten ser sådan ud:

Sort bh = erstatning
Sort sweater - manglede en
Grå sweater = erstatning
Kalender for 2018 - den kan jeg ikke klare mig uden
Moppe og spand = erstatning
Sorte jeans = erstatning
Sorte støvler - med i mine vintertøjsønsker. Har to par nu. Et par pæne og et par til høj sne
Pink tørklæde - var med i planlægningen af mit vintertøjs-ønsker
Shoppingnet - så lækkert! = erstatning.

Jeg har ikke nogle planlagte indkøb lige nu, men når sommeren kommer, ved jeg, at der kommer til at ske lidt med mit sommertøj. Jeg er ret sikker på, at jeg har pakket ting ned, som er i en stand, så jeg måske ikke vil kunne forstå, at jeg har brugt det sidste sommer :-)

Med hensyn til anskaffelser til mit hjem, så er de sat på hold. Som jeg har talt om, skal jeg genhuses, så det er ikke tidspunktet at købe nyt.

Jeg er egentlig rigtig godt tilfreds med resultatet og vil fortsætte med kritisk at vurdere mine ting. Det bliver lettere og lettere.

Nogle af tingene på ud-listen - Some of the things on the Out List

There comes a time, when not so many things go out of the house and maybe that is close now. 

2016 was a wild de-clutter year, and I guess that I can't continue that way! I got rid of 150 items and bought 59 items, of which 18 were replacements, which would mean, that I got 41 new items.

In 2017 I have gotten rid of 54 items and 37 things have come into my home, of which 13 are replacements, so this year I have 24 new items.

I could make a lot of calculations over this, but I will not do that. I don't find it interesting.

Until now it is going the right way. I don't accumulate more stuff, and most of the items, which go out, are going to the 2nd hand shop.

The Out List looks like this for December

Black bra - the other was worn out
A pair of Ecco shoes - suddenly started to hurt my feet!
A mop and a bucket - needed new equipment
Black jeans - worn out
Black leather calendar cover - didn't use it, even though it looked nice
Puncher for the calendar
Pepper mill - it was so hard to turn!
Shopping tote - it became disgusting
Grey sweater - worn out
Cover for iPhone - I have an android
Light chain
Lemon squeezer - doesn't work
Leather grease - smells soooo sweet of honey. Couldn't stand that smell!

The In List is here

Black bra - replacement
Black sweater - needed one
Grey sweater - replacement
Calender for 2018 - cannot do without a paper calendar
Mop and bucket - replacement
Black jeans - replacement
Black boots - included in my planned winter clothes purchases. I have two pair of boots now. A pair of nice ones, and a pair of practical ones
Pink scarf - included in my planned winter clothes purchases.
Shopping tote - so nice! - replacement

I have no planned purchases right now, but when summer comes, I know, that something will happen with my summer clothes. I am quite sure, that I have items, which are in a condition, that I probably cannot understand, that I have worn them last summer :-)

Purchase for my home are on hold for now. As I have told you, I am going to be rehoused, so now is not the time.

I am overall quite happy with the result and will continue keeping a critical eye on my possessions. And it becomes more and more easy.

Nytårsforsætter - New Year's resolutions

Først vil jeg gerne ønske jer et rigtig Godt Nytår! - og så vil jeg spørge, om I har nogle nytårsforsætter?

Der er jo både for og imod at lave planer om fremtidige aktioner og nye vaner, for man kan jo begynde på nogen nyt, når man vil! Men det føles alligevel, som om der er noget nyt i vente ved et årsskifte. Jeg tror, det er fordi, at man begynder på en ny kalender med en masse blanke sider i. Et ubeskrevet år.

Jeg har altid være en stor tilhænger af nytårsforsætter, men i år ved jeg faktisk ikke rigtig! Jeg sætter nye ting i kalenderen - og så får jeg mega-dårlig samvittighed, når jeg hverken har tid eller energi til følger med. Det er selvfølgelig, fordi jeg er urealistisk i min planlægning, men det er jo fristende at prøve at spænde buen.

De fleste af os vil gerne

• stå tidligere op, så morgenen ikke bliver hektisk
• gå tidligere i seng, så vi er udhvilede om morgenen
• lære noget nyt
• motionere (mere?)
• tabe 69 kg!
• læse mindst en bog om måneden
• få frisk luft hver dag
• lave god, nærende kost hver dag
• være nærværende med dem vi elsker
• se vennerne oftere
• o.s.v.

Prøver vi simpelthen at presse for meget ud af livet, og dermed også af os selv?

Der er et råd om, at man skal begynde småt. Det har jeg prøvet at omsætte til at lære et nyt sprog. Rådet var: Lær et nyt ord pr. dag. Det var en metode, som absolut ikke fungerede for mig, fordi det er løsrevet viden, og jeg vil gerne lære at tale det. Det gøres bedst on location, men så længe er jeg aldrig i landet. Så hvad gør man? Terper? Det kan jeg gøre i en uge, og så glider det for mig.

Er det så, fordi jeg ikke ønsker mig det? Jo, jeg ønsker mig det, men der er bare andre ting, der sker!

Måske har jeg bare for mange ting at tage mig til generelt, så der reelt ikke er tid nok. Narrer jeg mig selv - er jeg bare doven?!

Hm, i år tror jeg, at jeg bare fortsætter med det, jeg plejer. Noget ambitionsløst måske, men det ved jeg, at jeg får gjort! Og hvis jeg kan overkomme mere, så er det jo bare fantastisk.

Så jeg tror, at jeg vil ønske alle et rigtig dejligt Nytår med og uden nytårsforsætter - bare du gør det, du allerhelst vil!

Skal vi kravle ind i 2018 sammen? (handskerne er superhelte-handsker!)

Should we crawl into 2018 together? (the gloves are super hero gloves!)

First I want to wish you a Great New Year! - and then I want to ask, if you have any New Year's resolutions?

Now there are pros and cons making plans about future actions and new habits, because you can actually always start something new, when ever you want! But the feeling that something new is starting is a fact at New Year. Maybe because you start a new calendar with a lot of empty pages. A clean slate.

I have been a big fan of New Year's resolutions, but I am not quite sure this year! Because I put things in the calendar - and feel really bad about if, when I don't have the time nor the energy to act on it. I know - it is due to unrealistic planning. But it is tempting to stretch yourself a bit, right?

Most of us want to 

• get out of bed earlier to have a calm morning
• get to bed earlier, so we are rested, when we get up
• learn something new
• exercise (more?)
• loose 103 pounds!
• read at least one book a month
• get some fresh air every day
• make good, nourishing meals every day
• spend quality time with the ones, we love
• see friends more
• etc.

But are we simply trying to squeeze too much out of life, which means squeezing to much out of ourselves?

There is this advise, that you have to start small. I have tried to make that work learning a new language. The advise was: Learn a new word every day. That was a method, which didn't work for me at all, because it is 'detached' knowledge, and I want to speak the language. What of course is best being learned on location, but I am never in the country that long. So what to do? Cram? I can do that for a week, and then it is sliding for me.

Is it then because I really don't want it? Yes, I do, but life happens!

Maybe I just have too many other things to do in general, so the time is actually not there? Am I kidding myself - or am I just lazy?! 

Well, this year I think, that I will continue with what I normally do. Admitted, not very ambitious, but I know that some things will get done then! And if I can overcome more, then it is just great!

So I quess that I wish everybody a very nice New Year with or without resolutions - as long as you do, what you want most!