Ønskesedler - Wish Lists

Mine ønskesedler indeholder i reglen praktiske ting. Ting, som jeg ønsker fornyet, fordi andet er slidt op.

Det forholdt sig lidt anderledes med et af mine ønsker på min juleønskeliste.

Jeg elsker nykværnet peber. Det er mit krydderi. Og groft salt. Så jeg havde en saltkrukke og en peberkværn.

Men kværnen blev mere og mere stram at dreje, og til sidst kunne jeg næsten ikke vride den rundt. Den var slidt op. Ikke fordi den var særlig gammel, men sikkert fordi den ikke var af særlig god kvalitet.

Saltkrukken er smuk i al sin enkelhed, men når jeg laver mad, går det ofte stærkt, og så griber jeg ned i saltkrukken med to fingre og fisker det salt op, som jeg skal bruge. Jeg har aldrig tænkt over det før, men det er jo faktisk ikke særlig hygiejnisk!

Så i julegave ønskede jeg - og fik disse dejlige kværne, som oven i købet har indstilling til, hvor groft der skal kværnes.

Smukt anvendeligt design.

My wish lists mostly contain practical items. Things, which I want to replace, becauce they are worn out.

It was a bit different with one of my wishes for last Christmas.

I love fresh grained pepper. That is my spice. And sea salt. So I had a salt jar and a pepper mill.

But the pepper mill became more and more difficult to turn, and at the end I almost couldn't turn it around. It had been worn out. Not because it was very old, but probably because the quality wasn't too good.

The salt jar is very beautiful in a simple way, but when I cook, I am often in a hurry, and then I grab down into the jar with two fingers and pick up the salt, I need. I have never thought about it before, but it is actually not very hygienical!

So for Christmas I wanted - and received these two beautiful mills, which even have a feature, so you can set how coarse you want to the pepper and salt to be.

Beautiful useful design.

An organized Home

Til min fødselsdag blev jeg ikke kun forkælet med at få en fantastisk dag i gave, jeg fik også fysiske gaver, bl.a bog, der hedder 'Remodelista The Organized Home'. Det er en... tja, hvordan kan det siges - en meget fornuftig bog. Masser af gode råd om at holde sit hjem enkelt og have en plads til det, som man behøver. Oveni er den meget smukt forarbejdet og fyldt med dejlige fotos.

Det inspirerede mig til at ændre en ting, som virkelig får køkkenbordet til at se bedre ud. Normalt står min opvaskebørste og skrubber i vasken, men det har jeg gjort op med. Det er selvfølgelig en ganske lille ting, men jeg er meget inspireret til at gå videre. Det kan jo både være kønt og praktisk.

Jeg er ikke sponseret - I am not sponsered

For my birthday I wasn't only spoiled with a fantastic day out as a present, I also had physical gifts. I got a book called 'Remodelista The Organized Home'. It is a... well, maybe you could say a very sensible book. Lots of good advice about how to keep things simple in your home and make place for the things, you need. On top of that it is beautiful and filled with lots of great photos.

It inspired me to take action to change something on my kitchen counter, which really made my kitchen look better. Normally my dish brush i standing in the sink, but I am done with that. Of course it is a very small thing, but I am inspired to continue. Things can be pretty and practical.

En kamp med mit fantasi-selv - Fighting My Fantasy Self

Når man vil have et liv, der indeholder det væsentlige, kæmper man somme tider med sit fantasy self, som jeg har omtalt tidligere.

Jeg har lige taget et kritisk blik rundt og fundet nogle ting, som har fået mig til at trække lidt på smilebåndet - af mig selv. Jeg er den 'lykkelige' ejer af både en stempelkande og en tekande med indbygget te-si. Meget smukke og velforarbejdede ting lavet af Bodum.

Det er dér mit fantasi-selv kommer buldrende ind. Jeg havde billedet af, af at jeg skulle leve lidt 'slow living'. Billedet af når jeg velovervejet går ud for at lave en rigtig god kop kaffe/te og sætter mig stille hen og nyder den.

Og hvad gør jeg så? Jeg drøner ud i køkkenet, plopper en kapsel i Nespresso-maskinen, trykker på knappen, og drikker min kaffe, mens jeg laver et eller andet. Eller jeg har spist til aften og vil have en kop te. Går ud i køkkenet, sætter elkedlen på og dropper en tepose i mit glas og kommer kogende vand over, mens jeg rydder af efter middagen. Missionen er fuldført.

Jeg må dog indrømme, at det med at bruge kapselkaffe ikke rigtig stemmer overens med, at jeg gerne vil være så forbrugsbevidst som muligt, men jeg afleverer kapslerne til genbrug og håber, at de rent faktisk bliver genbrugt som lovet af firmaet.

Der er sikkert mange gode ideer om, hvordan jeg kunne gøre dette til en slow proces, men det er ikke mig. Jeg er ikke kreeret til at være 'slow'.

Det samme gælder min Stelton isspand. Drømmen om det smarte cocktail party med isen, der skal puttes i alle de lækre drinks, og som ligger klar i spanden (som iøvrigt kun kan indeholde 10 isterninger). Når jeg en sjælden gang (kan ikke huske hvornår) skal bruge is til en drink, så går jeg ud og tager de isterninger ud, som jeg skal bruge lige nu og putter i drinken. Ikke særlig stilfuldt, men enormt funktionelt.

Så nu bliver de tre ting sat til salg, før de bliver skrammede, og før jeg får vasket dem af og  flyttet dem 128. gang.

Der er ikke meget slow living over mig. Jeg er ikke til langsom kaffe/te og isspande! Så er det afgjort!

When you want to live a life with the essentials only, you sometimes get into a fight with your fantasy self, as I wrote in a previous blog post.

I have just taken a critical look around and found some things, which made me smile - at myself. I am the 'happy' owner of a French press and a tea pot with a build in tea strainer. Very beautiful and well designed things made by Bodum.

That is where my fantasy self comes roaming in. I had the image of myself doing a bit of 'slow living'. The picture of me judiciously deciding to have a cup of coffee/tea and sitting down enjoying it.

And what do I do? I run out into the kitchen, put a coffee capsule into the Nespresso machine, press the button, drink my coffee, while doing something. Or I have had dinner and want a cup of tea. Go to the kitchen, put on the kettle and drop a tea bag in my glass and put boiling water over it, while I am cleaning the table top after dinner. Mission accomplished.

I have to admit, that the use of coffee capsules isn't quite in my concept of living as a conscious consumer, but I do give the capsules to recycling, hoping that the company do exactly with them, what they promise to do.

I am sure, that a lot of good ideas pop up, how I can make this into a slow process, but it isn't me. I am not created to be 'slow'.

It is the same issue with my Stelton ice bucket. The dream about the smart cocktail party with the ice which will go into all the smart drinks, lying ready in the ice bucket (which by the way can hold approx. 10 ice cubes). When I on a rare occasion (cannot remember when) need ice for a drink, then I go and take out the ice cubes, I need right now and put them in the drink. Not very stylish, but really, really functional.

So now these things go for sale, before they get scratched, and before I wash and move them into another space for the 128th time.

I am not Ms. Slow Living. I am not into slow coffee/tea or ice buckets! That is not the way I am designed!

Fødselsdag - Birthday

Jeg har haft fødselsdag og sikke en dag. Jeg blev forkælet af min dejlige familie hele dagen.

Først kom de med morgenmad og senere bortførte de mig til Louisiana, hvor der for tiden er en Picasso udstilling med hans keramiske værker. Louisiana er et smukt sted i sig selv, og det blev ikke dårligere af, at vejret var fantastisk.

Udstillingen var en god oplevelse, og den blev ikke ringede af at have en næsten 5-årig ved hånden. Efter at have sagt: "Jeg keder mig", inden vi var kommet ind ad døren, ændrede han mening. Han blev nysgerrig og syntes, at det var temmelig spændende, at en voksen mand lavede damer med skæve øjne og ugler. Han var også i Børnehuset, hvor der var masser af spændende ting i gang, og han fik lært noget nyt med limpistoler og pap. Jeg tror, at han vil med næsten gang.

Efter at have gået rundt et stykke tid fik vi frokost der ude, og så blev jeg kørt hjem til lagkage og kaffe, hvor vi slappede lidt af, og aftenen sluttede med dejlig mad og vin. Det bedste ved det hele var selvfølgelig det gode selskab.

En fantastisk 12-timers gave. Jeg var fyldt op af alt det gode.

It has been my birthday, and what a day. I was spoiled rotten by my wonderful family all day.

It started with them bringing brunch og later on, they 'kidnapped' me to the art museum Louisiana, where a Picasso ceramics exhibition is at the moment. Louisiana is a beautiful place in wonderfull surroundings, and the weather made it even more beautiful.

The exhibition was a good experience, and it became even more interesting having an almost 5 year old by the hand. After having stated "I am bored", before we entered the door, he changed his mind. He became curious and thought, that it was quite exciting, that a grown man makes ladies with crooked eyes and owls.  Louisiana has a Children House, where children can be creative, and he learned something new with glue guns and cardboard. I think, that we can talk him into going next time.

After having seen a lot of great art we had lunch there, and then I was driven home for birthday cake and coffee, and the day ended with wonderful food and vine. The best part was of course the good company.

A fantastic 12 hours gift. I was overwhelmed.

En ny ting til hjemmet - A New Item for the Home

Det er jo ikke det, jeg helst gør, men jeg har købt en ting, der skal findes plads til. Nu lyder det af så meget, og det er ikke noget stort og livsvigtigt... eller måske er det?

På min vej til et (mere) plasticfrit hjem finder jeg i ny og næ en ting, som jeg bliver nødt til at afprøve, og denne lille kontainer har fundet sin plads i mit skab. Den er købt hos Gå Grøn, som har mange spændende produkter, og jeg er allerede helt vild med den. Et minus - låget går ikke i opvaskemaskine, men det er til at leve med. Det tager jo kun et nanosekund at vaske det op i hånden.

Selvfølgelig skal der så ryge en plastic kontainer, så jeg har plads, og jeg har faktisk flere, der har revnede låg og andre skavanker.

Jeg har stadig plastic ting i mit køkken, fordi når de nu en gang er produceret, og så kan jeg lige så godt bruge dem, indtil deres levetid er omme, før jeg afleverer dem i plastic-skraldet på kontainerpladsen. Alt andet ville være dobbelt spild. Jeg er dog (næsten) sikker på, at ingen af mine madkontainere indholder hormonforstyrrende stoffer. Ikke særlig rart at skrive, faktisk! Nu får jeg helt lyst til at hyle det hele ud.

Men jeg glæder mig til at bruge denne lille fyr, så den bliver skrammet og ridset på den gode måde.

Så rigtig god weekend til jer alle sammen - og hvis I går på loppetorv og køber ind, så undlad at købe plasticting. Især legetøj.

Forresten, denne 'reklame' er ikke sponsoreret!

By the way, this 'ad' isn't sponsered!

It's not something, which I like to do, but I have bought something, which I have to find space for. Now it sound very big, but it isn't something vital... or maybe it is?

On my path to get a (more) plastic free home I now and again find a thing, which I have to try out, and this little container has found its place in my kitchen cabinet. It is bought at Go Green, which is Danish, but I am sure, that I have seen similar containers at Amazon. There are many different good products like this, and I am already over the top happy about this one. One minus - you have to wash the lid by hand, but that is fine. It doesn't take a nanosecond to do so.

Of course I have to get rid of a plastic container now, so I have space, and I actually have several, which have damaged lids and other flaws.

I still have plastic items in my kitchen, because now that they have been produced, I can just as well use them, until their lifespand is over, before I put them into the plastic trash at the garbage site. Anything else would be waste. And I am (almost) sure, that none of my food containers contain hormone disturbing substances. Not really nice to think about, actually! Now I want to throw them all!

But I am looking forward to using this little thing, so it gets it scratches in the good way.

So have a really nice weekend All of You - and if you go to a flee market to shop, then leave the plastic things behind. Especially toys.

Når tankerne altid kværner... - When Your Thoughts Always Grind...

Lyder det bekendt? Fornemmelsen af at man aldrig holder fri i hovedet?

Det er jo ikke nødvendigvis noget dårligt, men somme tider kommer man i en tilstand, hvor man mærker, at det ikke nødvendigvis behøver at være sådan.

Tak, jeg ved det! Meditation. Yeps, men det har jeg prøvet så mange gange og også over længere perioder, men på en eller anden måde ender det altid med, at jeg sidder og planlægger noget. Meditations-koden har jeg ikke knækket. Måske en dag...

Men indtil da, så når jeg næsten den tilstand, når jeg strikker. Så er tankerne ikke så påtrængende, at jeg ville kunne fortælle, hvad jeg har tænkt på i den halve time, hvor jeg har siddet og nørklet.

Så der er måske flere metoder at meditere på som ikke behøver at indebærer, at man sidder helt stille og kæmper for at få fred i hovedet.

Og der er andre fordele ved min metode. Nu er der en lille blå ulden sweater på vej til Favorit Storebror, og den skal strikkes færdig hurtigst muligt, for i næste uge skulle vi få polarfrost.

Så jeg får meget fred i hovedet de næste par dage :-)

Hvad gør du for at få ro i hovedet - eller i det mindste mindre støj?

Does this sound familiar? That your head never takes a time off?

Well, it is not necessarily something bad, but sometimes you get in a state, where you feel, that it doesn't have to be that way.

Thanks, I know! Meditation. Yeps, but I have tried it so many times and over longer periods, but it always ends up with, that I am sitting planning something. I have until now not been able to break the meditation code. Maybe some day...

But until that day comes, I almost get in that state, when I knit. Then the thoughts aren't that intrusive, that I would be able to tell, what I have been thinking about for that half hour, I have been sitting fiddling with my yarn.

So maybe there are more methods to meditation, which doesn't include sitting totally quite trying to make your head stop spinning.

And there are other advantages with my method. Now a little blue wool sweater is on the way to Favorite Big Brother, and it has to be finished in a hurry, because we will have very cold weather next week.

So I will have a very peaceful head the next couple of days :-)

What do you do, that makes your head go quite - or at least not so noisy?

Genhusning, svært at vente - Rehousing, Difficult to Wait

Der sker en masse ting her! Der bliver gravet, afspærret, lavet altanarbejde - og det går alt for langsomt. I hvert fald, når man venter.

Men det ser ud til, at det går efter planen. Det meste, der nu er i gang, er forberedelse. Og forberedelse tager tid.

Men spændingen stiger, og for nogle mennesker er det for meget. Temmelig mange flytter nu. Meget gamle mennesker og mennesker, der ikke har boet her så længe og ikke føler noget tilhørsforhold, bliver nervøse både for at skulle genhuses, og for at huslejen stiger, hvilket den selvfølgelig gør.

Men der var ikke så meget andet at gøre end at sige ja til renovationen, da bygningerne ellers ikke ville have været til at redde om 10 år. Samtidig fyrer vi mere for fuglene end for os selv. Vi fik flere og flere vandskader både i kældre og lejligheder, og sådan noget er også dyrt i længen, så der var ingen vej tilbage. Men jeg forstår godt nervøsiteten.

Jeg har både tilhørsforhold og ser frem til fornyelsen. At blive i 'mit' område og samtidig få en nyrenoveret bolig kan ikke være bedre.

Så jeg håber, at tidsplanen holder. Det kan kun gå for langsomt!

Før - i morgendis

Before - in thee morning mist

Nu - i dag efter adskillige lag køregrus. Man kan se, hvor mange lejligheder, der skal ordnes, før det bliver min tur!

Now - today after laying several layers of driving gravel. You can see, how many flats which are going to be made, before it is my turn!

I det fjerne - Altaner, der bliver klargjort til nye facader

In the distance - Balconies being made ready for new house fronts

A lot of things are happening her. Digging, fencing, working on balconies - and it is just going too slowly. At least that is how it feels, when you are waiting.

But it seems that all is going according to the plan, but most of the works going on now is preparations. And preparations take time. Quite a lot of people are moving out now. Very old people and people, who haven't lived here for a long time and do not feel attached to the area, get nervous about both the rehousing, and that the rent is going up, which of course it will.

But there wasn't much to do, but to say yes to the renovation, otherwise the buildings wouldn't have been in a condition 10 years from now, which would have been worth saving. We are heating our homes to stay warm in winter, and just as much heat go to the birds outside the windows. We had more and more water damages both in basements and flats, and that kind of repairs are expensive, so there was no other way left. But I understand the nervousness.

I am attached to the area, and I am looking forward to the result. To stay in 'my' area and at the same time to get better living conditions cannot be any better.

So I hope that the time plan is going to stick. It can only go to slow!

Ind- og udlisten for januar 2018 - The In and Out List for January 2018

Så er januar-listen klar, og året er startet godt. Der er flere ting på ud-listen end på indlisten. Nu skal det ikke forstås sådan, at mit mål er at eje ingenting. Det har jeg også sagt før. Men der er ting, jeg 'vokser fra', og så er der er nye behov, der skal dækkes. Så her kommer det.

Ud-listen ser sådan ud:

1. Flere par sokker med huller! 
2. 3 tusser - de var brugt op (mit forråd er blevet brugt op og jeg blev godt nok overrasket over, hvor dyre tusser er blevet!)
3. Kettlebell - 2 kg er jo ingenting!
4. Kaj dukke - dublet
5. 2 meter hvidt stof - som jeg havde mange planer med, men det duede ikke!
6. Urtepotteskjuler - passer ikke i mine farver
7. Råhvid bluse - jeg kan ikke passe den længere
8. Sort top - den var slidt op og er nu smidt ud
9. Gymnastikbukser - det samme som ovenfor
10. Strikkebog - har ikke flere små mennesker i nærheden, der kan passe så småt tøj
11. 7 hjemmestrikkede karklude - jeg synes, at de er for tykke og tørrede for langsomt
12. Limpistol

Indlisten er heldigvis kortere:

1. 10 par sorte sokker, uheldigvis af dårlig kvalitet!
2. 3 tusser - til det daglige skrivearbejde
3. Fnugrulle - der kan vaskes. Så ikke flere fnugruller, der bare smides ud
4. Grøn plante - én var gået ud
5. Bog - om penge!

Bortset fra den sorte top og gymnastikbukserne, der bare er blevet smidt ud, fordi de var totalt slidt op, er alt gået til genbrugsshoppen.

Det er så dejligt at få ryddet det uvedkommende ud.

Now the January list is ready, and the year has started well. There are more items on the Out List than on the In List. Don't misunderstand me, I don't want to end up owning nothing, as I said before, but my needs change. I 'grow out' of some things, and other new things come into my life covering new needs. So here we go:

The Out List looks like this:

1. Quite a few pair of socks with holes
2. 3 markers - which had run dry (my stash has also run dry, and I was really surprised, when I found out, how expensive they are now!)
3. Kettlebell - 2 kilos, ha, not at all heavy enough
4. Hand doll called Kaj - the family had one already
5. 2 meters of white fabric- thought that I had a good idea, but I was wrong
6. Plant holder - doesn't fit my colors
7. Blouse - doesn't fit any more
8. Black top - worn thin and torn and has gone to trash
9. Gym pants - same as above
10. Knitting book - have no more kids around in such small sizes
11. 7 homeknitted dish cloths - I think that they are too thick, and they dry so slowly
12. Glue Gun

The In List is luckily much shorter:

1. 10 pair of black socks - unfortunately of bad quality :-(
2. 3 markers - daily writing material
3. Lint roll, reuseable - no more disposible rollls
4. Green plant - one had died!
5. Book about money!

Apart from the black top and the gym pants, which both went to the trash, all the other items have gone to the second hand shop.

It is so nice to get rid of the unimportant stuff.

Selfcare og økonomi - Self Care and Economy

I fortsættelse af min blogpost 'De 3 søm' har jeg tænkt meget på, hvor ofte der i bladene bliver talt om 'self care', og jeg læste en artikel forleden, der handlede om præcis det. At gøre noget for sig selv. Den tog en lidt anden indfaldsvinkel til spørgsmålet om, hvad det egentlig går ud på. Eller burde gå ud på. Er det at få en massage? At tage på ferie? At købe en ny kjole? At forkæle sig selv på en eller anden måde. At købe en lille belønning, "for jeg har været så.... et-eller-andet".

Burde self care være noget helt andet? Måske at tage ansvar for sig selv og sit liv?

Måske burde self care være

• at være ansvarlig i pengesager. At leve for det man tjener. Ikke for det man låner.
• at købe ordentlige fødevarer. At spise ting, der er godt for én de fleste dage i ugen og gå amok en gang imellem.
• at have en bolig, man har råd til at bo i. Ikke en bolig som strammer økonomien, bare fordi man gerne vil vise andre, at man har magt over tingene.
• at få rørt sig, så ens krop ikke 'sander til'. Ikke nødvendigvis at træne 3-4 gange om ugen, men at få rørt sig hver dag.
• at omgås mennesker, man elsker og sætter pris på og sortere dem fra, der kun dræner og spreder negavitet.
• at erkende, hvem man er, og hvad man har og at handle derefter. Ikke efter hvad naboen kan og gør - for det kan han/hun måske slet ikke, når det kommer til stykket, for man ved aldrig, hvordan tingene ser ud under overfladen, og om folk kæmper for at bevare et image.

Self care er ikke (nødvendigvis) at gå ud og spendere en ny bil, taske eller et par sko. Det varmer kun i øjeblikket. Self care er at ansvar for sig selv og sit liv uden at skele til resten af verden - og at være stolt af det - og så sover man så godt.

DET er self care!

F.eks. bo dyrt eller bo billigt. Bestem, hvad dine penge kan strække til.

Eg. live expensivelly or cheap. Deside,what your money can stretch for. 

In continuation of my blogpost 'The 3 nails' I have thought about, what the magazines say about self care, and the other day I read an article, which was about exactly that. To do something for yourself. But it took a different angle than usual to the question about, what it maybe should be. It is to have a massage? Go on holiday? Buy a dress? To spoil yourself in some way. To buy a little reward, "because I have been so.... something".

But should self care be something totally different? Maybe to take responsibility for yourself and your life?

Should self care be

• to be responsible with your money. To live for what you earn, not for loans.
• to buy quality food. To eat things, which is good for you most days and go wild once in a while.
• to live in a place, you can afford. Not a place which stretches the economy, just because you want to show the world, that you are on top.
• to have some exercise, so you body doesn't 'rust'. Not necessary to exercise 3-4 times a week, but to get moving every day.
• to be with people, you love and appreciate, and sort those away, who are draining you and spreading negativity.
• to acknowledge, who you are, and what you have and act from that. Not from what the neighbor can and does - because maybe he/she cannot, when it comes to the point, because you never know, what's under the surface, and if people just are fighting to take care of an image.

Self care isn't (necessarily) to go and spend money on a car, a pair of shoes or a bag. That feeling only lasts for a moment. Self care is to take responsibility for yourself without comparing with the rest of the world - and to be proud of it - and then you sleep to well.

THAT  is self care.

Et kvinde med attitude - A Woman with an Attitude

For nogle uger siden så jeg en tv-udsendelse, der hedder 'Kender du typen'. Denne gang var de medvirkende på besøg hos en ung kvinde, der bor i en et-værelses lejlighed. Jeg kender ikke så meget til hende, men forstod, at hun er instagrammer og blogger, debattør, feminist og studerer tv- og medietilrettelæggelse.

Hun ejer stort set intet udover en seng/sofa, et sminkebord og 2 garderobestativer med klassisk tøj og nogle hylder med mærkevaresko- og tasker. Alt sammen investerings-objekter. Og intet andet.

Det, der fangede mig, var hendes kompromisløshed. Hun havde totalt vægtet sine egne værdier og ikke omverdenens, og man kan selvfølgelig diskutere om dyre tasker og sko er værdifulde, men man kan ikke diskutere, at her er en kvinde, der er helt stringent med, hvad hun gør og vil.

Det er beundringsværdigt - i mine øjne. Ikke nødvendigvis lige hendes værdier, men vi kan alle lære af det hendes attitude. At turde være os selv og arbejde for de ting, som vi VIRKELIG gerne vil have og gøre.

Vi kan lære ikke at skæve til, hvad der forventes af os. Vi kan erkende, hvem vi er, og hvordan vi fungere bedst. Vi kan erkende, hvad vi har behov for, selvom det ikke er på top-10 listen over coolness og trends.

Jeg er sikker på, at det hele ville blive meget mere spændende, hvis vi lukkede vores egne drømme ud og gik efter det, som gør os gladest helt uden at bekymre os om, hvad naboen tænker, tror og forventer af us.

Men måske har naboen også nogle spændende drømme?

Tør du flyve? - Dare to fly?

A couple a weeks ago I watched a tv show, called (directly translated) 'Do you know the Type'. This time the hosts were visiting a young kvinde (if you press the link, it is all in Danish, but take a look anyway). She lives in one room. I don't know much about her, but found out, that she is a blogger, on Instagram, debater, feminist and studies TV and media at the university.

She owns a sofa/bed, a make-up table and two clothes racks with classic clothes, some shelves with designer shoes and bags. All of the investment pieces. And no more!

What caught my attention was her uncompromising attitude. She totally weighed her own values and didn't care about the outside world's opinion, and you can of course discuss if bags and shoes are of any value, but you cannot discuss, that this is a woman totally rigorous with what she does and wants.

That is - in my eyes - admirable. Not her values in particular, but we can all learn from her attitude. To dare being ourselves and work for the things, which we REALLY want to have and do.

We can learn not to lean against, what is expected of us. We can acknowledge, who we are, and how we are functioning the best. We can acknowledge, what we need, even though it isn't on the top 10 list of coolness and trends.

I am sure, that everything would become much more exciting and fun, if we let out our own dreams run free and went for, what makes us the happiest without worrying about, what the neighbor thinks and expects from us.

Maybe even the neighbor has some exciting dreams?

DIY igen - DIY again

Jeg er inde i en bølge af  DIY projekter, og det er jo ret sjovt og vil bestemt dumt ikke at udnytte det. Nogle mennesker er kreative hele tiden. Det er jeg ikke. Jeg oplever al ting i bølger. Somme tider er jeg inde i en læseperiode. Somme tider i en maleperiode og somme tider en håndarbejdsperiode.

Men her på det sidste har det faktisk været ret regelmæssigt. Jeg har næsten hele sidste år haft noget mellem hænderne, og det er dejligt.

Sidste år strikkede jeg en plaid, som blev færdig en gang i forsommeren, og det var så dejligt at strikke, at jeg måtte fortsætte med en sweater. Jeg kastede mig over en model, som bliver strikket fra halsen og ned. Det har jeg aldrig prøvet før, men det er ikke sidste gang, jeg gør det.

Da den var næsten færdig, fik jeg en bestilling på en hue, så den lavede jeg og vendte tilbage til sweateren - som nu er færdig, og nu er halvdelen af den næste hue lavet, så snart har Største og Mellemste Favoritperson en hue hver.

Da jeg i sidste uge passede Favorit Storebror, lagte han for første gang for alvor mærke til mit strikketøj, hvor efter han 'bestilte' en sweater i blå og grøn med knapper! Han er snart 5 år og går ganske meget op i, hvordan han ser ud - undtaget når han leger i mudder eller finde sjove ting i den vådeste plet i mellem træer og buske - heldigvis! Så den går jeg i gang med, når jeg har fået købt garn en gang i den kommende uge.

Og så ligger der et mønster til en pude i min håndarbejdskasse. En broderet pude! Ikke noget jeg normalt giver mig i kast med, men jeg har lyst til at prøve, og det vil jo være dumt ikke at udnytte den det også.

Af en eller anden grund kan jeg ikke få den rigtige farve frem, men den er altså lys grågrøn

For some reason I cannot get the right color on the photo, but it is light greyish-greenish

I have entered a wave of DIY projects, and it is a lot of fun and would definitely be stupid not to take advantage of. Some people are creative all the time. I am not. I do everything in periods. Sometimes I have a period of reading, sometimes a painting period and sometimes a knitting period.

But lately the need of having something creative in my hands has been on a regular basis. I have had some kind of knitting all year last year, and it is nice.

Last year I knitted a blanket, which was done early summer, and it was so nice, that I had to continue with a sweater. For the first time I tried knitting a model, which was knitted from the neck and down, and it is not the last time, that I will do that.

When it was almost done, I had an 'order' for a hat, so I made that and returned to the sweater - which now is finished, and a new hat is in the making, so now Biggest and Medium Favorite Persons both have a hat (soon).

When I last week had Favorite Big Brother on a sleepover, he noticed my knitting for the first time for real, and after a talk about knitting he 'ordered' a sweater in blue and green with buttons! He is almost 5 and is quite interested in, how he looks - except when he is playing in mud or finding stuff in the most wet spot between trees and bushes - which is great! So I will start that, when I have bought yarn some time next week.

And theen there is a pattern for a pillow. An embroidered pillow! Not something which I normally jump out into, but I want to try, and it would be stupid not to follow that idea, too.

De 3 søm - The 3 nails

Jeg er blevet lidt fristet til at tage fat på noget økonomi-snak her i begyndelsen af året, selv om januar nu er slut.

Når folk klager over økonomien og om, hvor hurtigt pengene forsvinder, får det mig altid til at tænke på mine bedsteforældres økonomisystem. Det bestod af 3 søm på væggen over køkkenbordet. Det vil sige, at det var egentlig 3 kroge, men vi kaldte det 'sømmene', det var nok til at styre økonomien.

Det vil sige, min mormor styrede. Det blev der ikke talt om, men det gjorde hun! Min morfar fik sin løn i kontanter, og når han kom hjem med lønningsposen, blev den hængt op på det første søm. På næsten søm hang diverse indbetalingskort, huslejeopkrævninger osv, der var kommet ind i løbet af måneden, og på det tredie søn hang en tom pose. Når månedens udgifter var betalt, kom resten af pengene ned i den sidste pose, og de skulle slå til hele måneden. Der var ikke noget, der hed at låne penge til noget som helst.

Hvis der var udgifter, der skulle betales kvartalsvis, regnede min mormor ud, hvor meget der skulle lægges til side, og det beløb blev lagt 'væk'. Jeg ved ikke, hvor 'væk' var, men pengene var der, når de skulle bruges. Det samme gjaldt for, hvis der skulle spares op til en ny kjole, et sæt tøj til morfar, jul, ferie m.m.

Men pose nr. 3 indholdt altid det beløb, der skulle slå til til den kommende måned.

Svært? Næh, det er egentlig meget, meget enkelt. Kan det lade sig gøre i dag? Ja, og måske endda lettere i dag end tidligere.

Man skal have

en budgetkonto, hvor lønnen går ind, og hvor alle udgifter trækkes fra
en opsparingskonto, hvor der bliver sparet op til årets store udgifter, der ikke er 'livsnødvendige'
en rådighedskonto, hvor det beløb, som man skal leve for resten af måneden, står.
Sværere er det ikke.

Det svære består udelukkende i at erkende, hvad man har råd til, eller måske vigtigere -hvad man ikke har råd til.

Prøv at leve dette år uden at spendere mere, end du tjener. Det er en meget befriende følelses.

 En lille pung kan godt indeholde en god økonomi

A small purse can easily hold a good economy

I am tempted to talk a bit about economy here in the beginning of the year, even though January has gone.

When people complain about money and about, how fast they go, it always makes me think of my Grandparents' money system. It was three nails on the wall above the kitchen table. To be correct I think that it was hooks, but we called them 'the nails', and they controlled the money.

Or my Grandmother controlled it. Nothing anybody talked about, but it was her doing. My Grandfather got his salary in cash, and when he came home with the salary envelope, he hung it on the first nail. On the second nail all payment forms, which had come in during the month were hanging, and on the third nail was an little empty bag. When the expenses were paid, the left over money was put in the third bag, and that was the amount, which should last through the month. No talk about getting any quick loans on any kind.

If there were expenses, which had to be paid every third month, my Grandmother calculated, how much she had to put aside to cover them, and that money was put 'away'. I don't know, where 'away' was, but the money was there when needed. She did the same, if money had to be saved for a new dress, a suit for my Grandfather, Christmas, holidays etc.

But bag no. 3 always held the money, which had to cover living expenses of all kinds for the coming month.

Difficult? No, actually very, very easy. But can it be done today? Yes, maybe easier now than then. You should have

A budget account, where your salary goes into every month, and where all expenses are paid from.
A savings account for all bigger purchases during the year, which aren't vital.
And an account, which holds the money you are allowed to spend until next payday.
It isn't more difficult than that.

The difficulty is entirely to acknowledge, what you can afford, ormaybe even more important what you cannot afford.

Try to live this year within your means. It is such a freeing feeling.

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!