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;


søndag 19. november 2017

A Nice Christmas Offer From TravelBird

(This post contains affiliate links)

TravelBird is an online travel agency and currently they've got a really nice Christmas offer going on. If you purchase a gift card on let us say 500 NOK, you will recieve another gift gard for 250 NOK for free. It's a pretty nice deal in my opinion, so if you are unsure what to give to someone this Christmas, feel free to consider a gift card for a vacation. Let's face it, we all need a bit of a break at times.

Stock photo from Pexels

fredag 17. november 2017

Friday Finds; Holiday Party Cups & Drink Accessories That Standout

(This post contains affiliate links.)

Christmas is just around the corner, which means that chaos will soon unfold. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you a few cool holiday party cups and drink accessories that stand out. Sometimes it's all in the details and one doesn't need to do that much in order to spice it up a bit, as these items below prove.




torsdag 16. november 2017

Thursday Movie Picks; Movies With Strong Female Characther(s)

It's Thursday and time for a new Thursday Movie Picks post, thanks to the blogger behind Wandering Through the Shelves. The theme of the week was movies with strong female character(s) and here are my picks.


Breakfast at Tiffany's; What is there not to love about Holly?

Flashdance; Proving that women can be confident and sexual without selling their bodies to men.

Kill Bill; Let's face it - Beatrix Kiddo is not to be messed with.

Silence of the Lambs; Jodie Foster playing a badass FBI agent.

Chicago; Proving that men aren't irreplacable.

søndag 12. november 2017

Christmas Card Exchange

It's always nice to recieve something else than "just" bills in the mail. As it's soon(ish) Christmas, I wanted to do something for you readers. I decided that I wanted to create a Christmas card exchange.

In the form further down, you fill out the needed information, like address, how many cards you will be sending etc and after the deadline (Nov. 28th) I will go through the answers and hook you up. Please write in the form if you have any shipping restrictions and I will do my best to accomodate that. Also, don't worry, the information from the form will be solely for this card exchange and will be deleted afterwards.

Stock photo from Pexels
Just some quick rules;

  • Please send as many cards as you promise. No one likes being disappointed.
  • You're expected to purchase cards, stamps, etc yourself. Take that into account when considering how many people you will send Christmas cards to.
  • You have until November 28th to fill out this form. Afterwards I will figure out the puzzle as quickly as I can and give you the needed information to send your cards.
  • If you're under 18, you will need your parents permission to give out your home address. By sending the form, you will automatically claim to have that permission.
  • Most importantly; be nice and have fun.
  • If you can't write directly into the form below, please use this link.


fredag 10. november 2017

Friday Finds; Ready-Made Advent Calendars

(This post contains affiliate links)

Even though it is early November, it's time to think a little bit about advent calendars, especially if one is going to order online to make sure one gets it on time. Let's face it, some things are best to do a bit ahead. As an adult, I most of the time end up with either a tea or (slightly boring) chocolate advent calendar due to budget. That doesn't mean I don't look at the slightly more fancy and pricey ones, though.

Stock photo from Pexels
A little bit due to my dreaming of a more fancy advent calendar, I decided I could write a short round up of ready-made advent calendars for (mostly) grown ups if you want some inspiration.

Here is my list;
Rituals
The Body Shop
Molton Brown
LUSH
Whisky Advent Calendar
Scandinavian Speciality Coffee
Tea Advent Calendar
Organic Tea Advent Calendar

And here is two for the kids;
Kindness Christmas Countdown
Acts of Kindness printable Advent Calendar UK Version

It even exists an advent calendar for cats if you are in search for that.

Do you have an advent calendar, either for yourself, your partner or your kids? Feel free to comment below.

torsdag 9. november 2017

Thursday Movie Picks; Movie Adaptions of Books I Want to See

It's thursday again and time for a new Thursday Movie Picks-post, thanks to the blogger behind Wandering Through the Shelves. The theme of the week was movie adaptions of books, games, comics etc. that I want to see.

Here are my picks;
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
It's so interesting and magical that I think it would be suitable as a movie

Horizon series by Tabitha Lord
It's a series with both action and love, some ingredients that often is on the big screen.

The Laird of Duncairn by Craig Comer
There's a few action scenes that would be really cool to watch.

The Sweetest Thing by Fiona Shaw
It's a story that would be really nice in a movie.

The Almond by Nedjma
It has a perspective one doesn't see that often in movies.