Healthier version of Bisquick

I have not found Bisquick in Norway yet so did some experimenting and this recipe worked great.

Ever need to make something fast with Bisquick, but then you realize you’ve even run out of that or you’re concerned about all the weird ingredients found in Bisquick? Give this a try:

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

Mix dry ingredients together, then add in the melted butter. 

Makes 1 cup Bisquick equivalent.

ADD A BIT OF LEMON TO YOUR LIFE

My mother-in-law gave me a great tip the other day.
When you use alot of lemons like I do.
 Tip #1 - Zest them all in one go and keep it in a
container in the freezer. 
Tip #2 Freeze the juice in ice cube trays. That way you always have lemon juice
and zest on hand. 


 Great lemon link to check out - http://ecosalon.com/20-unusual-uses-for-lemon-juice-438/
20 Unusual Uses For Lemon Juice

These are some of the things I use lemon juice for:
- Metabolism Booster
- Food Preservative
- Lightening my Age Spots and Freckles
- Odor Destroyer
- Stain Remover
- Facial Treatment
- Balance pH levels
- Sore Throat Soother


When life gives you lemons, use them to clean your house.
Love this quote.




Healthy benefits of adding LEMON TO YOUR LIFE

                Lemon Water to Lose Weight and Have More Energy

No other food known to man has what lemon hasn't even lime and other citrus fruit. Lemons have atomic power, a very special form of vitamin C, and are the best way to lower high sugar. Lemons regenerate the liver, strengthen stomach acids and salivary enzymes, and help the pancreas, thyroid, and adrenal glands,as well as all other glands and organs of the body. Also the lemon water helps to strengthen the back because of the Vitamin C it contains.

Lemon water has to be made from fresh lemons. Realemon from a bottle or can or plastic lemon does not work. Even freshly made lemon water is good only twelve hours after it is made. The lemon has to be diluted in distilled water. It the lemon juice is taken straight, it was eat the dentine off your teeth if there are any cracks in the enamel.

The formula for making lemon water is add one ounce of lemon juice to eight ounces of distilled water. You can dilute it more if you prefer. One average lemon contains one ounce of juice. You can take eight ounces of the lemon and water mixture 1/2 hour to one hour before breakfast, hot or cold, buy only four ounces per hour maximum is the best thereafter. The average person should have one to six lemons per day in two quarts of distilled water. If your sugar is high, you should take one to three lemons per day in one quart of distilled water. If you sugar is very high, you should take two to six lemons per day in two quarts of distilled water. At first, it may taste very sour. This means your sugar is high. As you continue to take it, it will start to taste better as your sugar goes down.

It is the best thing for quenching your thirst. Soon you will notice you no longer desire soda pop and other sweets. In fact, soda pop even starts to taste too sweet. If you take lemon water for the rest of your life, you can add 10 to 30 years to it. If the lemon burns your stomach, it is a sign that you lack calcium. Take calcium gluconate, four to eight, for four to sixteen weeks, till the lemon no longer burns your stomach. Again, lemon water is the most fantastic thing you can do to improve your health, increase your energy, and prolong your life.
~Source Unknown

Lemon Juice Remedy  A natural Cure for Acne Your cure for acne could be sitting on your kitchen counter

My method I use - cut up a lemon into 4 sections, take one of the sections and rub it around my face, (avoid eye area), take another one of the sections and squeeze it into a  1/2 cup of water to drink (first thing I drink in the morning). (refreshing and good for you), and store the remaining two sections for the next day. 

-smells great
-leaves skin feeling clean
-no artificial chemicals
-all natural (obviously)
-lightens any scarring

-makes your skin feel tight for the first 10 minutes

if you find your skin is drying out too much add a small drop or two of olive oil to the lemon juice and then apply to your face at night - avoid eye area.

JUST REMEMBER a lemon is acidic: a pH of 2 to 3. So be careful to not get any of the juice or rub it accidentally over your eye. If you do, rinse with cold water until you feel fine. 

*** Don' t put it on your face during the day if you will be out in the sun.

My overall skin tone has improved as well. 

Let me know if you try any of these remedies :)

My 6 year old teacing me Norwegian - how to say ice cream & flower

FLORIDA MEETS ILLINOIS & WISCONSIN

It was great to meet up with some American ladies - a fun outing and neat to hear about other adventures  and experiences.

Bradley speaking the Norwegian language

Is St. Patrick's day a Norwegian Holiday?

Is St. Patrick's day a Norwegian Holiday?         Hmm I was wondering the same thing so here is some info I found online  - check it out below :)

Norway’s impact on Irish heritage and culture.  At one point each of these well-known Irish cities (Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Limerick, Howth and Fingall)  were Norwegian/Viking settlements. 

In fact the Viking/Irish interaction was so well known it was not only documented in Viking saga’s, it was also detailed in the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters the Annals of Clonmacnoise and The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill. Further accounts can be found in the arabic writings of the accounts of Ibn Ghazal.

In the 700s, pressure on land in Scandanavia had forced many nobles and warriors to seek land elsewhere. Some of these were younger sons, who stood to inherit nothing of their father's estate. Noblemen with little to lose began to gather together groups of warriors and go down the coast pillaging settlements. With the invention of Viking long boats, the raiders eventually began reaching further across the cold waters of the North Sea. By the late 700’s the Vikings were finding themselves on the shores of modern day England and Ireland.

At first the Vikings came for riches and slaves, finding both in large supply within Ireland’s abundant Christian monasteries. Often, the slaves were sold to Vikings traveling back to Norway, but many were kept in Ireland working in a Viking-held town (I’ve heard that this was such a prevalent practice that even today there are remnants of Irish tartans found in Norwegian bunad materials).

However, this raiding period would not last long, and by 950 the Vikings had stopped raiding in Ireland altogether and developed instead as traders and settled in the lands around their towns. It was during this time that Norwegian culture really affected Ireland by providing place names, like Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Wexford, Strangford, Leixlip, Carlingford, Youghal, Howth, Dalkey and Fingall [an area of modern-day Dublin]. Also a few of their words were also adopted into the Irish language.

So, today, when you celebrate St Patrick’s Day with a green beer and an old folk song, be sure to offer at least one toast to Norway.

here is some other interesting info:

Olaf of Norway

Attribution: JimmyMac

995 - 29 JUL 1030

KING AND PATRON SAINT OF NORWAY

Olaf Haraldsson was king of Norway from 1015 to 1028 AD, and he was known during his lifetime as Saint Olaf. His mother was Asta Gudbrandsdatter and his father was Harold Grenske, thus he was raised as a pagan and became a Viking warrior in the Baltic region in his earlier years and the country’s patron saint who achieved a 12-year delay from Danish domination and extensively increased the acceptance of Christianity in Norway. Norway’s first national legislation is considered to be his religious code of 1024.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/_4cryingoutloud/3586341516/
http://heritage-key.com/ancient-london









How to celebrate the Great Day Abroad
If you can't make it to Ireland for St Patrick's Day, then here are some ideas on celebrations around the world:

• If you're in London and don't know where to go, head off to the Duke of Wellington on Eaton Terrace (The Iron Duke, as he was otherwise called, was Irish) behind Sloane Square. It's fab, has a wonderful Irish landlord and used to boast the only French barman with an Irish accent in the world.
• St Patrick's day in Norway will be if not best, then most expensive St Patrick's day ever. All things start out as they're supposed to, in that Irish pubs seem to follow you around the world no matter where you go. After a serious afternoon warming-up session of several pints of Guinness you'll realise all of a sudden that the bartender has given you a slip of green paper every time you buy a pint of the black stuff. Beer isn't exactly cheap in Norway, so you may be thinking that enough vouchers will entitle you to a free pint. Unfortunately, this isn't the case - the tickets are for a lottery which is usually drawn just before closing time to ensure that you stay and drink even more excessively-priced pints. By the time the raffle is drawn, most people are too drunk to see their hands let alone see if they've won a prize.
• If you want to be Irish for a day in urban Eastern Canada, St Patrick's Day is celebrated in numerous ways. Among the most popular of all activities is that people wear green stuff at least somewhere on their body - if you don't have a plethora of green shirts and trousers, green underwear will suffice but be prepared to prove their colour. Then, no matter how cold it is -10°C, 0°C or -20°C, a parade is held with everyone taking part wearing suitably Spring-like attire. Drinking starts at the crack of noon which usually means taking time off work.
• The US celebrates St Patrick's Day in much a similar way to Canada. Most large cities have a block party, with live bands - although they're rarely Irish themselves. You'll have to find a good Irish pub in the neighbourhood for that - and a source of flowing Guinness or Harp's. School children take the green attire thing a bit further; anyone not wearing at least some bit of green is subject to pinching by their properly-clad peers. Another tradition that is peculiar to the States is the consumption of vast quantities of cabbage and corned beef.
• All over the world, as a testament to the industriousness and widespread emigration of the Irish, everyone becomes Irish for a day. From Bangkok to Adelaide, a typical St Patrick's day party may include Irish nationals celebrating their heritage, heaving a few pints of stout. Another favourite way of celebrating St Patrick's day is going to watch a band playing folk music, with accompanying bodhrans, fiddles, and all. Everyone knows the words, so can sing along, or can make them up as they go along.

Seasons and climate in NORWAY

Norway shares the same latitude as Alaska, Greenland and Siberia, but compared to these areas Norway has a pleasant climate.

SummerLate June to early August is when the weather is warmest and the days are long and bright. Temperatures in July and August can reach 25°C - 30°C. At the same time there is hardly any humidity in the air. 

Sea temperatures can reach 18°C and higher, making swimming a popular pastime.

The warmest and most stable weather usually occurs on the eastern side of the southern mountains, including the south coast between Mandal and Oslo.

Even further north, summer temperatures are rather pleasant – sometimes reaching as high above 25°C.

However, the summer weather can be wet and changeable, especially in Western, Central and Northern Norway.

If you want to experience the midnight sun, you will have to travel to the northern part of the country, above the Arctic Circle. 

AutumnIn the autumn the landscape is painted in golden colours. The temperature drops slowly through September, making for good berry and mushroom picking weather.

During autumn the land areas lose more heat than the sea, and eventually the coastal areas have the highest temperatures. In September the outer part of the Oslofjord usually has the highest mean temperatures. Later in the autumn, the warmest areas are usually found on the coast of Rogaland and Hordaland.

Winter
In winter much of Norway is usually transformed into a snow-clad paradise.

The lower inland areas, both in the southern and northern parts of Norway, can have very low mean temperatures in winter. Temperatures can reach below -40°C in the inner areas of Finnmark, Troms, Central Norway and Eastern Norway, even if this does not happen each winter.

By contrast, the coastal areas have comparatively mild winters. However, gales, rain and clouds can be frequent and heavy.

Spring
May to mid-June is when the scenery in Norway is at its most spectacular, with trees and flowers waking to life, snow in the mountains and melt water swelling the waterfalls. Orchards of flowering fruit trees along the Hardangerfjord in May are images of paradise.

There are several public holidays in May, and the Norwegians make full use of them to celebrate springtime after a long winter.

Spring is the season when the temperature differences between the southern and northern part of the country are largest. This is also the time of year when daytime and night-time temperatures differ the most.

In early spring a zone near the coast of Western Norway usually has the highest mean temperatures, but in May the highest temperatures are usually found in the southern part of Eastern and Southern Norway.

The weather in spring can be very varied. There may be days when it is cold enough to snow, and days when it is warm enough to sit outside in the sunshine. Spring months can also be very windy.

Remember that the weather and temperatures can change quickly, especially in the mountains. So whether summer or winter, autumn or spring – prepare yourself for the wilderness and bring good footwear and warm clothes.  

Source: Seasons and climate in Norway at visitnorway.com 

Average daytime temperatures

	Oslo	Bergen	Trondheim	Bodø	Tromsø
January	-2.3	2.7	-1.6	-1.3	-3.8
February	-1.3	3	-0.7	-0.9	-3.1
March	2.4	4.9	2.1	-1	-1
April	7.3	8	5.1	3.8	1.7
May	14	12.9	10.5	8.5	6.1
June	17.6	15.1	13.2	11.8	11
July	19.9	16.6	15.3	14.1	13.7
August	18.7	16.3	14.9	13.8	12.5
September	13.7	13.3	11.3	10.7	8.4
October	8.1	9.8	6.7	6	3.3
November	2.3	5.8	1.8	1.7	-1
December	-1.4	3.3	-1.1	-0.5	-3
Source: Meteorologisk institutt http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Articles/Theme/About-Norway/Seasons-and-climate-in-Norway/ Did You Know? Highest temperature recorded in Norway is 35,6°C (Nesbyen 20 Jun. 1970). Lowest temperature recorded in Norway is -51,4°C (Karasjok 1 Jan. 1886).