Today My Niece Will Be Getting One of These

Wow can't believe, that it has been 20 years since I got mine (in the picture)

For those of you unfamiliar with the hat, it is the symbol that a young boy/girl has passed the final oral exam towards being a student. Here the word student equals the word "graduate", and the school is a gymnasium resembling what equals to be the high school diploma. You can also graduate from a business school, but then it will be blue instead of burgundy.....

You receive it the when you get the grade from the final oral exam, wear it at the graduation ceremony with the class of your year.....actually you wear it everyday from the exam and approximately one week after the ceremony as these days involve a whole lot of partying.

Your grade average will determine which studies, that you can pursue pending on the number of applicants and their averages, as there are only a certain amount of spots at the universities/colleges - and you have to chose from the beginning which major you want to pursue: math, physics, law, medicine, Spanish etc.

An Apple a Day....

.... keeps the doctor away. Well despite having MS, it might be partly true - do not have to se a doctor very often and currently coping with the MonSter.

Although I grew up in a place where we had lots and lots of apple treas - hence a lot of apple jam, apple pies, apple cakes etc. But I just realised, that we never had homemade apple chips (nor did we have homemade potato chips despite of always having a year+ stock of potatoes). Wonder why that is, since it is so simple and cheap to make?

Or does it all comes down to the fact, that we are often locked in family traditions when it comes to food? I can not eat most of the food that my parents eat, as it is heavy traditional Danish cooking with a lot of gravy and meat, not compatible to my MS. I have travelled a lot and thus also influenced by the variety of food I have tasted - and when it comes to snacks I like my apple chips, which I bought at a store until lately. And soo not going to ask my mum, why we ever made some of these, as I will get the usual remark "Are you complaining about the food I serve?"

They are so easy to make: wash the apple and slice it into 7-9 thin slices and remove the core (or you can remove the core before the slicing) place it on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 2 hours at 110 degrees (Celcius), and you will get crispy apple chips. If you want a little salt or sugar or cinnamon flavour, drissle a little on the slices before baking - I prefer mine plain which are an extra bonus as they are low-fat :o) If you place the chips in an airtight container, they will be good for 1-2 weeks.

Me Time

Let's just say, that me-time was needed today, as yesterday's events reminded me, why I have been travelling during Christmas the past two years. Me-time includes lots of Christmas movies, tea, Ben & Jerry ice cream and some Thai style food with the leftover turkey from Christmas Eve.

Have received a lot of Christmas cards this year - some of them I have mentioned on Paper Craft Planet, since they were sent from fellow members over there. However 3 cards stood out a bit - not necessarily because I cherish them more than the rest, that I received.....

From a colleague that usually never creates her own Christmas cards:

From Dori - the first swap partner I had on Fran's monthly teaswap - she has seen my blog about coffee cups (not posting there often, but intend to change that in 2012)

Look at this detail: when I opened the lid, I found a Christmas note a a teasample :o)

From Karen at Meadering...One Moment please, a fellow blogger with MS and also a passion for photography, I got this card:

When folded out it looks like this. Have always admired those cards and now I own one...snowflakes, poinsettias, red, green.... my kind of Christmas :o)

Hope that a lot of you have received a lot of cards from family and old friends, friends you might have met through the internet (blogging, creative sites etc.), colleagues or even from someone you have not heard from in a long time.

Treasure Chest

I have a treasure chest - well it is in my eyes, as it is both useful but also with some treasured memories.

It is a sewing box from the 1930s and it used to belong to my mother. My mother had not used it since she moved away from home, so when my grandmother passed away I inherited it.

It is being used to what it was originally intended for

It also contains items no longer used - this embroidery I made in school at the time I had horses on my brain. It hung on the door to my room.

I also inherited my grandmothers sewing box, but unfortunately it was in such a bad state, that it could not be rescued. Inside that box was this little box which is more than 50 years old - and my grandmother used it for needles and so do I.

Dark Room

Sometimes it is hard not to get lost in a dark room - one looses the ability to look out the window and see life and opportunities.

It would not be true, if I said, that my MS never have an dark effect on me. Luckily I am able to drag myself to the windows. It does not occurs often, nor does it last long. When I end up in that dark room, it is usually due to something happening in my world that suddenly reminds me of the fact, that I do have MS.

Saturday I got lost and ended in that room again - 2 family members needs surgery, and one of them I did not know about until 2 days ago. Suddenly my little knee operation seems unimportant - and yet it will have a positive impace on me when done.

Late Saturday night I browsed through these pictures on my computer (taken during seightseeing a while ago), and yesterday I realised, that they are a mirror image of the thoughts I had during the weekend.

Mothers Day

Mother's Day - Danish: Mors dag - calls for a card for my mum, who has been in and out of the hospital a lot the past month. Never hard to find the theme for her cards: flowers. She loves flowers and luckily my dad is very good at remembering Mother's day, her birthday and their aniversary date :o)

My dad has always been very proud of his garden and have always made sure that a lot of flowers is blooming throughout the summer - equally has he actually been good at putting together a bouquet of flowers and bringing them inside to my mother (the latter years she has not been much outside).

This weeks sketch from Watzingmouse Sketch challenge screamed "Mother's day card!" to me:

Design paper from Me&My Big Ideas, raffia ribon from Michaels, rub-ons transfers from Panduro Hobby and various flowers+brad from my stash.

Me-time......

Days like these - I just need some me-time!!

I took some days off work to go to a big family event and just got back home. "Just" wishing that I could have told others, that it was a great time and everything went well, but I cant.

Those two days with my family drained me from my strength, my joyfull spirit, my confindence/trust in other people and temperament was put to a stressfull test. Actually I have started to compare some of my family members with vampires, that is sucking all your mojo out of you - and it was one of my childhood friends who just have me that perceptance of those people. She has watched those family members from the outside, and cannot understand why I have not completely cut off my family.

My brother and my two nieces are the reasons why I haven't cut off the family from my life as they persistently tell me to stay just who I am. The other parts of the family complain about everything in my life:

• Why don't you get a bigger appartment?
• Why are you not yet married?
• Why don't you retire early because of the MS?
• Why do you use so much time with the creative hobby - you can't earn money on that?

Had some "hiding time" from my family - went outside in the snow and decided to take photos with my camera and forgetting all about the family. Strange that photography could be a lifesaver this particular week, since photos was a big source of my frustration.

I have found the photographer that took a picture 30 years ago and decided to give a framed reprint as a gift (they lost the original years ago) - the other family members told me a month ago, that the idea was really unique and that the gift's receivers would be thrilled. Those same family members decided to copy my idea and the receivers was swamped with tons of old photos - the receivers was wondering why this copy-cat mentality was present and had no idea how the idea originally surfaced.

Needless to say, that I feel let down by the family members and somebody think that I "took a shortcut" because I am to busy doing so much leaving me no time to find a suitable present.

I came home to find a "you survived" card from two of my best friends telling me that they like me for being me... I honestly do not know, what I would do without my friends.

On a mission....

I've given myself this week to complete the shopping for X-mas and birthdays in December - one thing that needs to be bought will have to wait another 2 weeks: my X-mas vation.....

Am already on the reach to reach my goal, as I bought 4 birthday presents and another 3 for X-mas... plus finished 5 homemade birthday cards and 2 for X-mas.... And the best thing: still within the budget.

There is a dilemma regarding X-mas presents in my family: my sister-in-law insists that my 2 nieces only gets items from the wishlist - which I never honour ... why?? ... well followed that "rule" for years, but she never looked at the wishlist from me (even though she insisted to get one) and gave me books I already own etc. ("Oh!! I forgot to ensure that you are able to exhange this" - and you never can)... My nieces however think that my travelling is "soo cool" and they insist on getting purchases from abroad. I try to spend a lot of time with them and actually listens to what they have to say - and so far I have been able to pick items for them, that they refuse to let out of their eyesight even for one minute......

I have the same "gift" for picking a present when it comes to the friends with who I exchange X-mas presents - but for me it's all about paying attention to very small details that actually makes the difference....

Then there are the X-mas cards - did I score an own goal when I started creating my own X-mas cards?? There is no way back: several of them have expressed that they are always looking forward to receive this years card (as well as birthday greetings etc...)

Well my friends stood by me after I got diagnosed with MS - so this is my way of paying them back.... :o)

Christmas ... Loving it - or hate it?

Well.... Despite all I love it. But there are some details I dont love - but refuse to let it spoil my Christmas...

The blog-post the other day from Melanie's Randomness hit it spot on: families can be a funny thing during Christmas. What is my family like then.... well when I saw the movie "Family Stone" it made me smile, as I recognised a lot....

My family.. well...

My mom has not accepted that I am actually able to live a fairly normal life despite being diagnosed with MS thus always commenting everyting I do "are you sure should be doing" this and that - "oh no that will be way to hard for you" etc... she has no confidence in my abilities what so ever... She is diagnosed with another disease, and she just gave up - didnt bother to find out, what she can and cannot do with that disease... Ergo - I feel like she's bringing me down....

My dad... well doesnt want to argue with my mother, because then she will be afterhim the following day... Somehow I dont blame him - on the other hand: I could use his support.

My sister in law doesn comprehend why I love my small apparment - and generally believe that I am stupid for not finding a bigger appartment (that opinion is luckily not shared by my brother), she constantly ask me when I am going to get kids (well, if it happens it happens - but it is not something that I am desperate for - and yes I do like kids) and "why can you not hold on to a boyfriend"......

Her husband - one of my two brothers is just like my dad....

My uncle always ask me "are you sure, that you are not a lesbian" - not accepting my answer being "No" - and he has seen some of my ex-boyfriends.... My aunt always tell people how food should be cooked... she is not a chef but used to work in a kitchen....

Then there is my absent brother - he cut contact with the family when I was 12 and nobody bothered ever to tell me, why he might have done it... I tried looking him up but invain - so every Christmas for years I was sad, because I felt like he was missing. The famility always teased so I always ended up with tears in my eyes. Some years ago he suddenly contacted me and asked for my help - he was stranded abroad and desperately needed to come home. I helped him - and never heard from him again... that is I know where he lives, but he is the one who should contact me and not the other way around. But now I have an adult view on his personality, so even thugh he owes me money for the airfare - I feel that I have closure and no longer miss him at the Christmas table..... My family got wind of me helping him out and now they complain about me not telling them where he lives etc how they would like him to participate at Christmas etc....

So when I dropped the bomb this year, that I was not going to be home for Christmas but instead going travelling... some of them went "Thank God - now we dont have to adjust the traditional Christmas food served in our family to adjust you MS-diet"

Ok that remark really hurt - there are some dishes in the traditional family Christmas food that I can eat, but then I can just eat a little more of the other dishes.... But it also cemented my decision to go travelling: this is the first Christmas after I got the MS-diet plan, so it will be hard avoiding all the dishes, that I can not longer eat but actually love. They fail to realise that some of the aspects of following a diet are hard, but you accept it because your body suddenly starts to function normally without the no-go food.

Despite my family I still love Christmas - my Christmas tree is decorated with ornaments brought home from my travels, my appartment will be decorated for Christmas, homemade cards are sent to friends and family (that is my way of getting back at their bad behavior because it always makes them feell guilty - they receive so many greetings from their friends and distant family but they never sent cards to them - on the other hand they complain of somebody suddenly stops sending them Christmas cards), the CD-player will play all the Christmas songs.

I am so fortunate that I have friends who share my joy about Christmas - they know my appartment is way too small, so I cant throw a Christmas party. But on the other hand they know that I would happily bring some homemade dishes if they ask me to when they have Christmas parties, so I feel like contributing to the Christmas cheer even though it wont be at my own place.

I love Christmas - just not with my family.