Dagbók Hrefnu og Finns

Jamming Berries and Craniums

2014-09-06Uncategorized Standard

[Written 16 December 2014. Don’t tell anyone but this actually happened on 6-7 September 2014! ]

I’d only been at my new job for a few days when an email went out reminding everybody to submit their homemade jam for the jam-making-contest the week after.

Now, I have never made jam. Ever. But, I’m eternally competitive, so I was determined to try. (12 images total)

Saturday 6 September 2014

I’d seen a redcurrent bush (rifsberjarunna) by one of the local playgrounds that I figured might still have some berries, so I took the kids there one fine Saturday. We were in luck, because although almost all the obvious berries were gone, there were still juicy clusters hiding down low, and inside the big bush. Anna and Bjarki were a huge help in picking from inside the bush, and Emma helped by not running away.

It’s hard to take photos up into the air when you’re sitting/squatting/lying on the ground.

Worker Bee

2014-09-03Uncategorized Standard

Yeah, the blog’s been a bit quiet. Ooops! The main reason is that I started a new job on Monday, and I’m now trying to go to bed at a reasonable hour (hah!) which cuts down on blogging time. I’ll post more about the job later, for example when I’ve actually signed an employment contractRead more

Pétur and Signý Say Goodbye For Now

2014-09-02Uncategorized Standard

[… aaaaaand we’re into September… 02 September to be exact, even though today is really 16 December 2014. Aha.] Pétur and Signý took off this fall to study in the UK. They went to Bournemouth, and are studying in two different, but adjacent schools. They stopped by a few days before take-off, and a photoRead more

August Finished Off at Laugarvatn

2014-08-30Uncategorized Standard

[Christmassy things eat up evenings like there’s no tomorrow, so there’s been little to no blogging. This happened on a lovely 30 and 31 August weekend but is being chronicled on 14 DECEMBER 2014. At least it’s still the same year!]

We had the Laugarvatn summerhouse to ourselves on the last weekend of August, and invited Solla and Gunni to tag along. There were no big plans besides playing games and enjoying life. I think we succeeded! (Side note: This was the weekend where the Holuhraun eruption began, and as of this being written, it’s still chugging along.)

(It should be noted that we got to know Solla and Gunni through reading their blog while they lived in Santa Barbara, and we had just moved to Palo Alto. We met them once in Los Angeles, and then bumped into each other when our eldest daughters started taking weekly English lessons in Iceland on Saturdays after we moved back. Serendipity!)

Let there be photos! (19 images total)

Saturday 30 August 2014

The eternal struggle between 'computer time' and dwelling in the real world.

‘Computer time’ always beats the ‘real world’.

Grandma Ásdís with Emma

2014-08-28Uncategorized Standard

[Will I finish August before December hits? This happened on 28 August, but is being blogged on 26 Nov 2014. Hmmm…]

Grandma Ásdís and Emma were sitting on the sofa, looking cute. The camera came out and a bunch of photos got taken. Here are a few of them:

Granny has a magic thing.

Garden Fun with the 100 mm Lens

2014-08-24Uncategorized Standard

[Written on a dark 25 November 2014 evening, when the light of 24 August seems very far away. Makes for good memories though.]

Photos got taken this summer. Here they are. (13 images total)

Flower.

School Starts, Molars Removed

2014-08-22Uncategorized Standard

[Written 22 August 2014. Yes!]

Today’s been a busy day, with Finnur being a hero and staying at home both working and babysitting.

Emma kept being sick, with a fever and upset stomach, but no rashes. She wasn’t doing a whole lot better this evening. Here’s hoping she shakes it off over night.

Bjarki was out in the country with his grandparents, so he missed all the fun. Meanwhile, this morning, Anna and I went to the school to pick up their time tables. She spent the day inside reading, and outside playing.

At lunchtime, I went and got two molars (wisdom teeth, endajaxlar) removed. One required a full on surgical attack, the other a single small yank. I spent the rest of the day mostly in bed, trying to nap. It does look like the swelling is not going to be as crazy severe as two years ago, when the top of one was removed, but we’ll know for sure tomorrow. (3 images total)

The kids in Anna’s class all lined up in a row. They have a new teacher this year, which Anna’s ambivalent about.

Emma’s Second Day at Daycare

2014-08-21Uncategorized Standard

[Written 21 August 2014. Same day writing! Crazy!] Emma just barely passed the test for ‘well enough to go to daycare’ this morning, with her runny nose and watery eyes, but we figured she looked energetic enough, so off she and Finnur went. An hour later Finnur returned all by himself, because Emma was doingRead more

Emma’s First Day at Daycare

2014-08-20Family Standard

[Written 20 August 2014. Just barely.] Emma has officially started attending daycare. Well, she’s started her ‘adjustment’ to daycare – and because we are pros and have done this before, Finnur was the one who took her. (Yes, my maternal heart pretends to be all blue steel and “Pfffft, what’s the biggie?”, but I’m really aRead more

Birthday Party Day

2014-08-17Uncategorized Standard

[Written 17 August 2014. Shocking, I know.]

Today was an uber-birthday-party day!

At noon, I took the big kids to Hildur Sif’s and Arnar’s double birthday (10th and 8th, respectively). Emma and Finnur stayed home because a) Emma needed her afternoon nap, and b) she still hadn’t recovered much from her full-body allergic skin outbreak the morning before.

After Emma’s nap, I picked her and Finnur up and drove them to Finnur’s parents’ place, where they were celebrating Finnur’s dad’s 71st birthday!

(Actually, I dropped Finnur and the big kids off and took Emma to the weekend-urgent-care facility, just to be on the safe side. Diagnosis: an allergic reaction (he used the word ‘mixed’?) for sure, source unknown, but the severity possibly linked to the MMR shot she got on Thursday? Who knows?! Treatment: Keep using the same allergy medicine, it can take 3-4 days to clear up, if it doesn’t get her seen again.) (3 images total)

Grand-dad’s birthday cake, decorated by his namesake.