Throwback Thursday

Before I get into Throwback Thursday I have to share my day with you. Yesterday was probably one of the best days ever! I found out that my best friend Jeni got into the same graduate school that I did and that my other good friend Sam got the job she wanted! Needless to say it was a day of celebration! Things could not have worked out more perfectly for our friend group. Next step... look for apartments. Neither of have ever gone apartment hunting before so we are all new at this. Hopefully we can find a place that we all like.

Back to Throwback Thursday.... I was trying to think of what to throwback and I have decided to show you all my big fat cat TJ that no longer lives with me because my dad is deathly allergic to cats! He is one of my best friends and I cannot wait to have him back with me again!

The fluffiest kitty you have ever seen!

Snow Day

I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. Milwaukee has been covered with a healthy layer of snow and I am totally okay with it. One of my classes got cancelled today which means I only have my night class. This is truly the life. Although I love the clean, dreamy look of snow, I don't think that I am going to enjoy this weather when I have to walk to the gym. The snow reminds me of the time when it snowed in Rome last spring. It hadn't snowed in 26 years and of course it had to snow while I was studying abroad there! Everyone and everything stopped what they were doing to take pictures in the snow. My roommates and I were kind of upset because we did not pack any winter clothes, but I it was cool to see how the people in Rome reacted to the white fluffy stuff. The buses didn't know what to do so they just stopped working and everyone else was walking in the streets taking pictures and throwing snow. The Colosseum with snow was definitely a sight to see!

Kitty City with a little blanket of snow

Look what someone made!

The Colosseum with snow

Today is the start of something new

Today I found out that I got into Graduate School at Marquette University!! I have been waiting to hear back from Graduate schools for months now. What a relief it is to know that someone trusts me in furthering my education as a speech therapist! Words cannot describe the way I am feeling. I am thrilled that I will be embarking on this new adventure with a few of my close friends, but I am also sad that my college days are going by fast! I know that I am going to be a wonderful speech therapist and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for this girl.

Cheers to Graduate school and getting a Masters!!!

YAY!!! I did it!

Gloomy Day

Well today is the beginning of my week. Mondays I only have one class so today is sort of like my Monday. By the time this day comes I am ready for it, but I would still much rather be sitting at home making crafts and baking. What can I say?!

My Goals for today are:

• go to all of my classes
• take good notes
• don't stress about graduate school- I should be hearing back any day now from some of the schools that I applied to so I guess I will just have to play the waiting game.

Kristiansand Harbor around early evening. So peaceful and the sky is beautiful after a little rain shower.

Things to do:

• Proofread my self-reflection paper
• Start writing my African Dance paper
• Start studying for my Stuttering Exam next week!

Transformation

This past summer I decided that I was going to make this little room the BEST room in the Alpha Phi house. Needless to say it took a lot of garage sale shopping and planning to make this room a dream hideaway. I wanted my room to remind me of my travels in Europe while still having a little vintage, rustic feel. I think I can confidently say that I achieved all of that.

Step number one: Take tons of pictures of the room in its nakedness. I know it looks pretty helpless and it may seem that there is no hope for this room, but you are wrong! I see tons of potential in this little nook.

BEFORE:

{Ugly brown window trim}

{Possible desk area? Awkward slant}

After a summer of hard work, I can confidently say that it all paid off!

AFTER:

{Reading Nook with a green Queen Anne chair as the statement piece}

{Antique desk that I spray painted and stained}

{Nightstand, Norge mason jar, antique jewelry catcher, and one of my favorite Roma pictures framed}

{Italia Map above my nightstand}

{My bed with my favorite color combination}

Here are a few things I learned a lot from my experience redesigning my room.

1. Be patient- You won't find all the perfect pieces all at once. Sometimes they pop up when you least expect it.
2. Keep an open mind. What you first envision may change.
3. Garage Sale shopping is KEY for finding those perfect statement pieces.
4. If you work hard to produce quality work, it will all pay off in the end.

A Weekend of Relaxation

This past weekend was the definition of relaxing. I spent all Saturday catching up on my favorite TV shoes: Once upon a time, Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. Now I am all caught up and it feels so good. Although I felt extremely unproductive, it is good to take days off every once in a while. Sometimes after a long stressful week you need to recharge and just veg out (as my mother would always say, "Just sit back and veg!")

Just a relaxing walk along the Tiber River in Roma, Italia. One of my favorites.

Throwback Thursday

Today is a special day because it is Throwback Thursday. For today I wanted to take it back to the time I was in Kristiansand with my dear friend Anne May. Although it wasn't the nicest day for sight seeing, we were determined to take pictures anyway. Anne May took me to the top of a hiking trail so that I could really get a full view of her city. She felt bad that the weather was lousy, but I didn't mind because quite frankly this is how I pictured Norway. It was perfect.

cargo ship sailing out of the harbor

If I ever get frustrated or annoyed today (particularity during my Audiology Exam this morning)  I am just going to go to pretend like I am on top of this hill, just looking out over Kristiansand. How relaxing!

A little windy

Sleep Deprived

For some reason my simply wonderful day yesterday ended with barely any sleep last night. I will never understand why sometimes I just have a difficult time sleeping, but either way I definitely need an energy boost this morning. I might have to make two coffees to keep my head above water. Good thing, I have a pretty low key day filled with studying and dance class.

Let's take things back a bit to Italia (my second home). If I could have anything in the world right now I would have a cup of coffee from this cute coffee place in Florence. The coffee in Italia is simply wonderful. I'm not quite sure what they put in it, but it does the job. Oh how I wish I could just cozy up at some cute vintage coffee shop and sip on one of these delicious creations...

Cafe Americano per favore

Simply Wonderful

Normally I don't do this, but I just have to talk about my randomly awesome day! I have to just simply list all of the great things that happened to me today because it's easier to read.

• My 9:30am class got cancelled.
• I got As on both of my quizzes from last week!
• I got out of class early so I had time to set up my room for clinic aka I actually got to go home for lunch.
• Clinic was crazy fun/stressful, but I survived and was still smiling when I left.

For those of you who are wondering what clinic I'm talking about I am currently a wanna be speech language pathologist still in the preliminary stages of getting my degree. As of right now I have a cute little client that I work with every Tuesday and Thursday. Although some days are rough, I love every minute of it.

We all need to enjoy these special days as they come. What makes this day even better is that it was completely unexpected.

The Flavian Palace in Rome, Italy

African Coffee Cake

Now I know what you are all thinking... "What makes this cake African?" Well I'm not exactly sure why this cake is named the way it is, but all I know is that it is a huge hit! Make this coffee cake for guests to munch on in the morning and they won't want to leave!

Doesn't this just look divine? This is exactly what I need in the morning.

Deb's Famous African Coffee Cake

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup salad oil
*Mix all of the above ingredients until crumbly. After mixed, take out 1 cup of the crumbly mixture and set aside.

Add to the remaining mixture:
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
* Mix together and pour into a 9x13" baking dish.

Layer as follows:
Batter, 1 cup crumbly mixture, and top with cinnamon (I always like to put a little more on top because I LOVE cinnamon)

*Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

Frosting:
4oz. butter (1 stick)
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Enjoy!

Zucchini Barsssss

Zucchini Barssssss

Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs beaten
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (i always add more because i love cinnamon)

Frosting

• 3 oz. philly cream cheese
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp skim milk

1. Mix all of the cake ingredients together with an electric mixer

2. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes in a jelly roll pan or any 9 x 13 baking dish

3. When cool, frost with frosting.

Things to remember: If bringing zucchini barsssss to a party, make sure that you wait until you get to the party to frost them or else the frosting will melt all over!

Zucchini Barssssss

Valentine's Day

Today is the day of love.  Love is definitely in the air because I can feel it! Today is also a very special day because it's my little brother's 20th birthday! I am going to make him a beer cake and his favorite zucchini barssssss.

Zucchini Barssssss

I wish you a very happy birthday Nick! I hope all of you wishes come true and that you spend your special day with the people you love. AKA me hehe

 

 

 

 

Up North

Meet the family

When I visited my family in Norway it was almost as if I was reconnecting a long lost family. It is so crazy how similar our families are, but yet it doesn't surprise me.

First I'll start with Anne May's family... Anne May has three beautiful children. The oldest Adrian with 8 years, Oda with 6 years, and the youngest Alida who is just as cute as button. She was just 11 months when I visited.

Adrian loved playing soccer with me! Good thing I knew a thing or to about how to play :)

Oda loved to help around the house and dress up. One night while making dinner she came up to me with these big pearl earrings in. Ironically I was wearing my pearl earrings too! What a coincidence haha. She is so cute.

Last, but certainly not least is baby Alida. She was such a good baby. She never cried a single time I was there.

Those children are just so well behaved and so cute! Anne May is a great mom :)

I am very close with Anne May. She was so kind to let me into her home and take me around Norway. She was my translator, mother, and friend while I visited and I am forever grateful for her kindness. I miss her everyday because whenever I think of Norway I think of her. She is truly family and the fact that both of us cried when I arrived and left just says it all.

{Forever family}

{Anne May teaching me a thing or two about Norwegian baking}

I can't forget about Anne May's brother Jan Erik and sister Monica! They were so kind to me. Jan Erik showed me nature and Monica made me laugh all the time! What a fun family :) Jan Erik reminds me of my brother Nick. I honestly believe that they are long lost brothers. They act the same and they are obsessed with hunting and fishing. I cannot wait for these two brothers to meet in person!

{From right to left: myself, Anne May, Monica, and Jan Erik}

Anne May's parents Inger Brit and Kristen are awesome. They remind me so much of my parents especially Inger Brit. She acts just like my mom. She's always smiling and just adores her grand children!

 

I cannot wait till I can come back and be with this family again. Hopefully my family and I can visit soon so we can all be together!

A visit from mi madre

My mom came to visit my brother Nick and I this past weekend in Milwaukee. I love being able to spend some quality time with her because she is the best mommy in the world! She is literally always smiling and knows how to make me feel better. Whenever I'm having a bad day at school I call her up and vent to her. She always seems to know what to say... I guess that's just because she's my mom and she's always supposed to know what to say right?!

Mi madre and I having fun making Krumaka.

Everytime my mom visits us we always seem to do the same thing, which is totally fine with me I just like being with her! Here is the Hovda family's usual weekend routine in Milwaukee...

• Night One: Mom picks me up from MU and then we go pick Nick up from UWM. I can't forget to mention how she screams and runs up to me at the Phi house when she first arrives. I always look forward to that moment because I just feel so special and blessed to have a mom like her. After we pick up Nick we decide where we want to eat. Our choices are Rock Bottom, Cheesecake Factory, or the Capital Grill. This weekend we went with the Cheesecake Factory first because Milwaukee was busting with people. EW. After we stuff ourselves we head to the hotel to pass out in our food comas.
• Day 2: We wake up super super late (catching up on some much needed sleep) and head to brunch where we continue to stuff ourselves. Then we go shopping! (Nick doesn't really like this part too much, but he puts up with us) After a long day of shopping we head back to the hotel to relax before dinner. Night 2 restaurant options usually include either the Rock Bottom or Capital Grill. This weekend we went with the Capital Grill and boy was it good! I always have to order the citrus glazed salmon because I just have to. After a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable dinner we had back to the hotel and veg out/ enjoy yet another food coma.
• Day 3 is always the hardest because this is the day that mom has to head back to Wausau. I can tell by her body language and the expression on her face that she dreads leaving us, but she knows that she has to get back home to dad and the pups. This day consists of lots of driving and running last minute errands for Nick before she starts her journey home. This weekend we got to have a quick dinner before she left. The Hovda's can't leave Milwaukee without having dinner at Rock Bottom first. Lucky for me I don't really have class on Mondays so I didn't have any trouble fitting it into my schedule. I ordered a pretty light entree considering how much food I consumed over the weekend, but my mom and brother ordered their usual entrees. After dinner my mom dropped us both off and went back home, but before she leaves she always has to leave us with a little money and a present from Walgreens. she is so cute! This time in honor of Valentine's day she got us both cards and a little something special to decorate our rooms!

After a fun weekend it's time to focus on school and get back to reality. Although I had a wonderful weekend with my mommy, I did miss my third floor ladies so I need to reorganize my room and life in order to prepare for the tough week ahead!

Things to look forward to...

1. Valentine's Day/ Dinner with Andrew at Buckley's downtown
2. Nick's Birthday
3. The weekend.

A little bit of Norwegian history

When I was in Konsmo my family took me to see the biography about my great grandpa Jens Thorson. My mom has told me so many stories about him and how some people called him the "King of the Norwegians," but all of that didn't really mean anything to me at such a young age. When I first saw the poster, it all came together. Jens Thorson was literally a god in the Helle Valley.

Since I can't read Norwegian, I had my cousin Anne May translate for me. Basically my great grandpa is a pretty big deal. The house in the background of the top picture is the same house that my mom grew up in... pretty cool huh? The farm in the picture below is the famous Thorson farm that my great grandpa started in Minnesota when he first immigrated from Norway. I have many fun memories of playing on that farm with my uncles.

Lazy Saturday

So it's Saturday again in Milwaukee and today has been the definition of a lazy day. Laying around all morning watching my favorite Food Network shows, eating cereal, and drinking freshly brewed coffee is exactly what I need after a long week.

Favorites of the day...

• Watching my best friend Jeni do her thing making cards... (I wish I was that talented)
• Listening to chill music
• Sitting around our janky kitchen just living the good life 

 Who says Saturday can't be the new Sunday?

Things to do:

1. Find my little big brother an awesome birthday present because I'm the cool sister
2. Make something cute for my man for Valentine's Day! Why do I always wait until the last minute to buy presents??! I guess it runs in the family...

Here is how it all began

While studying abroad in Rome, Italy I made the crazy decision to contact my long lost relative Anne May to see if there was any way that I could come visit her and the family in Norway. The last time I met Anne May was when I was three years old. I don't remember a single thing from those early years, but for some reason I never forgot about her. Maybe it was because she spent hours doing my hair when I was the flower girl at my Uncle's wedding. There was something about her that stuck in my mind. The only two things I remember about her was that she was beautiful and nice.

Not knowing if she would remember the bratty flower girl from America, I messaged her on Facebook. I didn't even know how to begin writing her the message because there were so many things I wanted to tell her. "Hi my name is Elizabeth! I'm not quite sure if you remember me, but you did my hair for Uncle Curt's wedding?" What a weird way to start off a conversation, but there was no way around it. Sure enough after a week of no response, Anne May messaged me back saying that she definately remembered me. It's so crazy to think that after 19 years of no contact with my Norwegian relatives, a simple Facebook message reunited our long lost family. 

The end of April seemed to work well with both of our schedules so I made sure to mark the trip in my planner in ALL CAPS (with a few extra exclamation marks added in). Before I knew it my ticket was booked and all I had to do was wait for my little to feet to land in Norway! 

{Airplane view of a little town in Norway}