lørdag 23. desember 2017

Weekend Cooking; 16 Slow Cooker Recipes To Help You Stay Sane During Christmas

There's no denying that Christmas can be a bit of a handful at times, especially when it comes to cooking. With that in mind, I wanted to share some slow cooker recipes with you today.

The good thing about slow cookers is the fact that the dish kind of fixes itself and you free up some space in the oven or on the stove, plus you get more time to focus on the family. Pretty much a win-win situation, right?
Stock photo from Pexels
Here's the recipes.

Drinks

Breakfast

Dinner

Other

fredag 22. desember 2017

Friday Finds; A Gift Guide of Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

Some of us might be stressing over some last minute gifts to purchase for Christmas. Even though I'm an avid planner, sometimes life happens and then it's really nice to have some ideas on what to buy. What could make things (aka gift buying) even harder, is if the recipient is difficult to buy to. I think we all have at least one such person on the list.

Stock photo from Pexels
So today I wanted to give you some ideas for some last minute Christmas gift ideas and here they are.

  1. Starbucks gift card
  2. The Body Shop gift card
  3. The Body Shop gift set(s)
  4. Kiva card
  5. Etsy gift card
  6. Christmas Naughty Coupon Book (most suitable for partner)
  7. Christmas Coupon Book
  8. Stocking Stuffer Coupons
  9. A Year of Dates Coupon Book (most suitable for kids)
  10. Printable Love Coupon Book
  11. Last Minute Gift Coupons
  12. Gift set(s) from Boots
  13. Gift sets in general (esp. if it's with shower gels, coffee, tea or other "usable" stuff)
  14. Gift cards in general (esp. from a favourite store or restaurant)
  15. A gift donation to a favourite charity
Are you on track in terms of Christmas gifts? Or do you have a great suggestion in terms of last minute gifts? Feel free to share below in the comment section.

torsdag 21. desember 2017

Charming & Funny, Holiday Novelty Drink Napkins

As I've mentioned before, sometimes it's all in the details when it comes to decorating. A detail that is often overlooked is napkins, have you by the way remembered to purchase napkins for the holidays?

One way to spice it up a bit is to use some a bit more colourful napkins. It doesn't take much efford purchasing a pack of napkins, and placing them on the table, yet they can have a bit of an impact of you have "the right" ones (plus, a lot of people notice if you don't have any napkins at all).

So here's a few fun and/or charming holiday napkins you can look for.

tirsdag 19. desember 2017

Making a Home; Decorating the Christmas Table With IKEA Items

Yes, I know that I've already written a couple of blog posts about IKEA items this month. To my own defence, IKEA is a great place to purchase "everything" that one needs for the home, which means that one doesn't have to go to multiple stores to get what one is looking for.

Today I wanted to show you some pieces that could easily make your Christmas table a bit Christmassy without breaking the bank (another good thing about IKEA, it's not that expensive, which is a big bonus when it comes to holiday celebrations).

From top left; VÄLBEHÅLL Place matsVINTER 2017 Paper napkinsSMYCKA Artificial flower (red)SMYCKA Aritifical bouquetSMYCKA Artificial flower (white)SOCKER Bucket/flower potFEJKA Artificial flowerVINTER 2017 Champagne glassVINTER 2017 BowlVINTER 2017 Plate and VINTER 2017 Table cloth.

søndag 17. desember 2017

Gift Guide; Gifts for Her

(This post contains affiliate links)

We all have someone in our lives that can be a bit difficult finding a gift to. Today I wanted to share a gift guide with items for the (adult) women in your life. Most of the items are somewhat universal, so they can be suitable both for a 20-something and the 70-something.

lørdag 16. desember 2017

Weekend Cooking; Christmas Drinks to Try This Season

Christmas is getting even closer than before and I would guess that a lot of us are either attending or hosting some kind of Christmas party. If you are in need of inspiration for drinks, I've got you covered today, as I will share with you a few recipes in a round up. I've divided the list into two; one alcohol free and one with alcohol, depending on what you are searching for.

Stock photo from Pexels
Here's the list.

Non-alcoholic drinks

Alcholic Drinks

Do you have a fave recipe? Feel free to share below.

fredag 15. desember 2017

Friday Finds; A Collection of Free Printable Gift Tags

Probably one of my probably biggest fears when I'm going to wrap Christmas gifts is to find out that I don't have any gift tags and therefore cannot wrap the gifts until I've got my hands on some.

Considering that there's a fair chance that others might have encountered this panic as well, I decided that today I wanted to write a small list of blogs etc where you can download free printable gift tags. All of them look pretty and it's just an added bonus that they're all free, so there's one less thing to spend money on, as I guess most of us spend some money on Christmas anyway.
Stock photo from Pexels
So here's my little list;
Holly Jolly Christmas Printable
Downloadable Gift Tags
Cutest Ever Printable Christmas Tags
Cute Christmas Tags
FREE Printable Chalkboard Christmas Tags
16 Illustrated Christmas Gift Tags
Handmade Holiday Gift Tags
Woodland Christmas Gift Tags
Holiday Gift Tags
Naughty Or Nice Gift Tags
Special Delivery From Santa Gift Tags

torsdag 14. desember 2017

Thursday Movie Picks; Small Towns

It's Thursday, which means it's time for a new Thursday Movie Picks post, thanks to the blogger behind Wandering Through the Shelves and the theme of the week is small towns.

Here are my picks;

Winter's Bone; Not a cozy feel-good movie, but worth the watch.

The Village; I remember watching this several years ago and it creeped me out a bit at times.

Chocolat; A sweet movie in more than one sense.

onsdag 13. desember 2017

Wishlist Wednesday Week 50

(This post contains affiliate links)

I can admit that I have a weak spot for Le Creuset, esp. the items they have in the Cerise colour (though the other colours are nice too of course). The reason why I wanted to highlight the red colour is perhaps a bit obvious as we are in December and it's Christmas (red is after all a Christmas colour).

Don't you think that the items in the Cerise colour would fit the Christmas table nicely?


tirsdag 12. desember 2017

Making a Home; Christmas Decor Finds from IKEA

I've fallen a bit in love with IKEA's Winter 2017 collection as it has a lot of beautiful items and today I wanted to share with you some of my favourites in terms of Christmas decor. A few of the items are a bit Scandinavian-inspired as well, so if you have a weak spot for such items, you might find something you like.

mandag 11. desember 2017

15 Christmas Gifts In a Jar Ideas

Personally, I feel that one of the biggest challenges in terms of gift giving is what to give to someone who has "everything" and I guess I'm not alone with that challenge. Something that could work as a gift in these cases are gifts in jars, especially if it's of the edible kind. 

These types of gifts are sweet and inexpensive, yet a bit heartwarming. Those who know me well enough knows that I really love to give gifts that serve a function over various nicknack that will be stuffed in a drawer or a cupboard to be forgotten within a month. Gifts in jars could also work as hostess gifts or gifts to neighbours, teachers etc. in case one is in search of that.

Stock photo from Pexels

søndag 10. desember 2017

How To Decorate Your Christmas Tree For Less Than 45 Dollars

For a lot of us, a Christmas tree is a "must have" during the holiday season. Some have plastic trees, while others prefer "the real deal". Regardless of preferance, I wanted to give you some inspiration for how to decorate your Christmas tree Scandinavian-style for less than $45 with IKEA's Winter 2017 collection. Let's face it, one can decorate the Christmas tree without spending a fortune.

lørdag 9. desember 2017

Weekend Cooking; 10 Christmas Cooking Books To Check Out

(This post contains affiliate links.)

As I love to both cook and bake, I'm often looking in cookbooks for inspiration. Christmas is no exception to that rule (and please don't even get me started on my dedicated Christmas food and drinks Pinterest board, or Pinterest in general *cough*).
Stock photo from Pexels
As I'm probably not the only one, today I wanted to share with you 10 Christmas cooking books to check out.


Do you have a favourite go-to Christmas cookbook? If so, feel free to share in the comment section below.

fredag 8. desember 2017

Friday Finds/Gift Guide; 10 Stocking Stuffers Under $5

Are you on track when it comes to Christmas gifts and/or stocking stuffers? If not, I might help you out a little bit today.

I know that I'm one of those "weird" ones who's finished with all the gift shopping BEFORE December 1st (a deadline I've given myself each year after working in retail during the infamous holiday chaos one year), but the good thing is that it gives me a lot more time to do fun stuff during this month.

Oh, now I start to ramble a bit, nevermind that. What I wanted to share with you today was something so simple as a gift guide with 10 stocking stuffers under $5, all found on Etsy. It might be added costs on shipping, but if you're smart and have multiple persons who would love the same gift, feel free to buy more than one of whatever item. I've made a varied list, so there is a chance you might find something for both genders on this list.


Do you have any good ideas for cheap, yet fun stocking stuffer gifts? Feel free to comment below.

torsdag 7. desember 2017

Thursday Movie Picks; Ugly Duckling to Beautiful Swan Makeover

Wow, is it already the first Thursday in December? Time flies fast, but nevertheless it's time for a new Thursday Movie Picks post, thanks to the blogger behind Wandering Through the Shelves. The theme of the week was ugly duckling to beautiful swan makeover.

Here are my picks;

Disney's Cinderella; It is one of the more classical movies, so I thought it would be wrong NOT to have it on the list.

Three Wishes for Cinderella; It's an Eastern European re-telling of Cinderella, slightly magical and feministic and it's always aired 11 AM in Norway on Christmas Eve.

The Princess Diaries; For a bit of a good laugh, with the lovely Julie Andrews as a bonus.

tirsdag 5. desember 2017

Making a Home; 15 Christmas Crafts To Make This Season

I’m not going to deny that I enjoy Christmas. I also enjoy doing crafts. That means that Christmas crafts is seriously fun. At least for me, doing craft projects can be a bit calming (look at is as a sort of mindfulness). In some cases, the results of a crafty afternoon means having a pile of handmade and personal Christmas gifts one can give to family, friends and other loved ones. Also, the good thing is that it can be as cheap or as expensive as one makes it. And let’s face it; a lot of times a cheaper, yet thoughtful handmade gift can be a lot more valuable for the recipient rather than the expensive gift purchased last minute because one had no clue what to buy.
Stock photo from Pexels
Today I wanted to share a round up of 15 Christmas crafts one could make this season. Some are kid-friendly, while others are probably more suitable for adults. Luckily all of them are suitable as Christmas gifts, so if you make some of them, you can potentially tick off one (or several) gifts off the dreaded Christmas gift list.

Here's the list of Christmas crafts;

mandag 4. desember 2017

10 Christmas Events In Stavanger to Check Out in December

It's December, alright. It also means that there is plenty of Christmas themed events around the world. In my little corner on planet Earth is no different and here is a neat little list of things happening in Stavanger in December.

November 24th to December 16th; Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella Show
December 1st to 23rd; Christmas Workshop at Sølvberget
December 2nd to 23rd; Christmas Porridge at Circus
December 5th; A Christmas for Carol at Stavanger Theatre
December 8th; Christmas Sweater Party at Cocktailfabrikken
December 8th; Christmas Market at Sølvberget
December 9th; Live Advent Calendar at Sølvberget
December 13th; Christmas Lunch at Museum of Archaeology
December 14th; Screening of "It's a Wonderful Life" at Sølvberget
December 20th; Meberg Trio - Christmas Concert at Bøker og Børst

Stock photo from Pexels

søndag 3. desember 2017

30 Christmas Activities for Couples

In all the Christmas chaos, it's sometimes easy to "forget" the partner. So today I wanted to give you some ideas for "date nights" and other things to do with your partner this Christmas. Personally, I think it's important to sometimes slow down a bit, regardless of whether or not it's Christmas, though it can be okay to slow down a bit with the Christmas chaos.
Stock photo from Pexels
Here's the ideas;
1.       Go on a romantic walk through a winter wonderland
2.       See The Nutcracker ballet
3.       Go ice-skating together
4.       Have a snowball fight
5.       Go on a date at Starbucks (or another coffee shop) during the holidays
6.       Visit a Christmas tree farm
7.       Watch a classic Christmas movie and have a huge bowl of popcorn
8.       Play some Christmas music and talk instead of watching TV
9.       Take a drive to look at Christmas lights
10.   Mix a new cocktail together
11.   Go for an evening walk or run on a path that is lit with Christmas lights
12.   On a Saturday or Sunday morning, enjoy coffee in bed with a book or a stack of magazines
13.   Gift each other red underwear to wear during all those Christmas parties you both will attend.
14.   Catch snowflakes on your tongues during the first snowfall during the season
15.   Plan a dinner party with friends or just the two of you
16.   Recreate a favourite childhood Christmas memory, like watching a certain movie or bake cookies.
17.   Do a “hot chocolate critique” where you split on a hot chocolate at five different coffee shops/cafés and rate them in order to find your favourite
18.   Grab the camera and go outside in search for the best Christmas photo location
19.   Have a Christmas gift wrapping party. Get together and wrap all those gifts for friends and family while listening to some Christmas music.
20.   Create a shared Christmas bucket list
21.   Attend a local Christmas tree lighting
22.   Find an awesome sledding hill and go sledding. Go to a local coffee shop for a cup of coffee to warm up afterwards
23.   Check your wardrobe and pull out everything you didn’t wear last autumn/winter and donate them to the local Goodwill or similar
24.   Snuggle together under a blanket next to a real crackling fire while reading Christmas stories together
25.   Make an advent calendar for each other
26.   Bake Christmas cookies together
27.   Make a music playlist for Christmas Eve/Christmas Day
28.   Pick a Christmas tradition from another part of the world and try it this year
29.   Do an anonymous act of kindness for a friend or a family member

30.   Invite friends over for an ugly sweater party

lørdag 2. desember 2017

Weekend Cooking; 10 Christmas Cookies To Try This Season

For me, one of the most fun things to do during Christmas is to bake cookies. I can't deny that I'm an avid baker, so Christmas is a nice excuse to have a bit of fun in the kitchen. One of my go-to cookies every year is a Norwegian cookie called Kakemenn (literally translated as cake-men, but can be made in a variety of recognizable shapes). Just as a random trivia, in the county where I live in (Rogaland), you can actually purchase kakemenn the entire year. Yes, I know it can sound weird for some, just as we have a cookie with the so-not-politically-correct name Jew Cakes (recipe found here, but don't worry, the cakes are yummy).
Stock photo from Pexels
I would guess I'm not the only one who is going to bake this season and because of that, I wanted to share with you a round-up of 10 Christmas cookies, so feel free to pick-and-choose if you want to make any of them, even the non-PC named Jew Cakes I mentioned earlier, so technically it's 11 cookies to consider. If you're hosting a Christmas cookie exchange, you could check out these free printables as well.

Here's the list;
Norwegian Kakemenn
Mint Chocolate Cookies
Meltaway Christmas Cookies
Gingerbread Men
Dark Chocolate, Almond and Orange Lace Cookies
Lebucken
Ginger Nuts
Cinnamon Star Cookies
Mexican Mocha Crinkle Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies

fredag 1. desember 2017

Friday Finds; Items For a Pick-Me-Up Christmas Basket

(This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you purchase anything through those links, you help keep Add Norwegian Lifestyle running.)

Christmas sometimes includes a lot of stress and buying gifts can be one of those stress factors. I know that first hand after I've worked at a bookstore (at a shopping center) before Christmas once. As a side note of that, please be nice to those who work in retail during the holiday, they have to be on their best behaviour the entire shift, even with the rude costumers who make Ebenezer Scrooge seem like a nice bloke in comparison.

Stock photo from Pexels
Apart from my own rule of being finished with all Christmas gift purchases before December 1st, I sometimes make multiple gift baskets with the same "theme" so I can purchase items in bulk. It makes it all a more bearable and I avoid the pre-Christmas chaos.

Considering the stress that the holidays sometimes can be, why not make a pick-me-up Christmas basket as gift(s)? All of the items I want to share with you today can be purchased in bulk at iHerb and you can get a discount if you order a certain quantity, so you don't even need to leave the house aside from picking up the package at the post office (yay, even though it's of course important to shop at small local independent shops as well).

Some items that would work great in a pick-me-up Christmas basket includes;
Twinings Christmas Tea
Moroccan Mint Tea
Peppermint & Tangerine Foot Soak
Shea Butter Soap
Way Out Wax Tea Lights

Do you have any great tips on themed Christmas baskets? Or do you have any thoughts in general about them? Feel free to share below in the comment section.

torsdag 30. november 2017

Thursday Movie Picks Television Edition; Workplace

It's Thursday yet again, which means it's time for a new Thursday Movie Picks post, thanks to the blogger behind Wandering Through the Shelves. The theme of the week was TV-series at a workplace.


My picks are;
Ally McBeal; I fell in love with it when it first aired WAY BACK.

Ugly Betty; Betty is so sweet, I struggle not to like her as a character, even though she's annoying at times.

Bomb Girls; Never underestimate women at a munitons factory during WW2.

tirsdag 28. november 2017

Making a Home; How To Pull Off Christmas On a Budget

Christmas can be an expensive affair, especially if one isn’t careful. There is also the aspect that not all of us can afford an extravagant celebration. With all of that in mind, I wanted to share with you some tips on how to pull of Christmas on a budget. Before I start I want to point out two things; not all ideas might work for you, and not all of them can be done this year.
  
Stock photo from Pexels
So, let’s start.
  1. Write a budget for Christmas which includes ALL expenses – food, decorations, gifts and whatnot, and stick to that budget.
  2. Write a list of all the people you are going to give a gift to and brainstorm gift ideas.
  3. Start buying gifts early and by early, I mean January. Personally I’ve got the rule of being finished before December 1st with all my Christmas gifts and starting as early as January has helped me a lot so I don’t need to spend too much money in one month on Christmas gifts (added bonus that I can focus on doing other stuff in December).
  4. Make inexpensive handmade gifts, like gifts in a jar, cinnamon ornaments, baked goods, your imagination sets the limit basically.
  5. Instead of giving individual gifts to every single person on your list, why not combine gifts to couples on your list. For instance, I have given one gift to my grandparents, instead of individual ones to both my grandmother and my grandfather. Another option is to give gifts only to the kids.
  6. Speaking of gifts to kids; don’t overdo it and give them a gazillion gifts.
  7. Generally speaking both for kids and adults, it’s better to give ONE thoughtful gift as opposed to expensive gifts purchased in panic.
  8. If you can, set some money aside each month for Christmas.
  9. Take advantage of post-Christmas sales to stock up on gift wrapping paper, gift tags, decorations, table ware etc for next Christmas. You can also use the chance to get a head start on gifts for next year, as a lot of stores often have sales on gift sets.
  10. Take advantage of sales, coupons and discounts in general throughout the year. Sometimes you might come across the perfect gift for someone.
  11. Just a bit of a comment on purchasing gifts on sale; count the retail value, not the sale price. You might risk purchasing even more for person X “just because” the original gift was on sale.
  12. Make your own Christmas gift tags. I’m going to publish a post on printable gift tags in December, so feel free to stay tuned.
  13. Make your own Christmas decor.
  14. Store your decorations well after use.
  15. Give handmade coupons as gifts – like “babysitting for one evening” to the couple that never gets out on a date because of kids etc.
  16. Use your common sense. Sometimes it’s best to just state the obvious, because it’s sometimes forgotten.
Do you have any great Christmas budget ideas? Feel free to share below.

mandag 27. november 2017

Menu Plan Monday Week 48

In the last few weeks I've completely forgotten to write the Menu Plan Monday posts, but it's time to write a new one, thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. I've had so much stuff to do, like attending a chocolate making course, doing the last Christmas gift shopping (I have the rule of being finished before December 1st) and a bunch of other stuff, like having birthday and updating my bilingual book blog.
Stock photo from Pexels
Now, time for the menu plan for this week.
Monday; American Stew
Tuesday; Leftovers
Wednesday; Fish Cakes
Thursday; Leftovers
Friday; Spaghetti Bolognese
Saturday; Leftovers
Sunday; Fish Gratin

What's on your menu plan this week? Feel free to share below.

fredag 24. november 2017

Friday Finds; 8 Christmas Inspired Things To Do in London During December

(This post contains affiliate links.)

I've been in love with London since the first time I visited that city around 20 years ago. At the moment I unfortunately don't have enough cash in order to travel, but it doesn't stop me from looking at fun things to experience in that city.

Here are a few events that I would consider checking out if I had enough cash to travel in December and I've found them all on AirBnB.


torsdag 23. november 2017

Thursday Movie Picks; Origin Movies

It's Thursday again, which means it's time for a new Thursday Movie Picks post thanks to the blogger behind Wandering Through the Shelves. The theme of the week was origin movies.

My picks are;

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; It tells some of the origin story of Harry.

The Hobbit; It is the origin story of LOTR, even though one needs to have read Silmarillion to understand some of the things that happens in both The Hobbit and LOTR.

Hannibal Rising; The origin story to one of the creepiest psychiatrists ever known in fiction.

onsdag 22. november 2017

Gift Guide; Unique Unicorn Gifts for Kids & Adults

(This post contains affiliate links)

Sometimes, we all want to have a unicorn. Unfortunately they don't exist, at least not the horsey variety, though sometimes some people stand out like a unicorn (remember to always be a unicorn). As Christmas is approaching, I wanted to share with you a small gift guide with unique unicorn gifts for kids and adults.

Here you go;