UFFDA..!

When I bought the store Nordic Galleri in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, I found all kind of stuff with the expression “Uffda” on. It was on mugs, t-shirts, towels, trays and more. I thought it was funny, we do use the expression Uffda all the time in Norway, but I had never thought about it as something special.

Since then I have been thinking that I should knit hats with Uffda on. And today I finally got it done. Let me know if you like them, I am planning to make more in a variety of colores. They will be available for purchase at Nordic Galleri:).

Her is what Wikipedia says about Uffda:

“Uff da (sometimes also spelled huffda, uff-da, uffda, uff-dah, oofda, ufda, ufdah, oofta, uf daa, or ufta) is an expression of Norwegian origin adopted by Scandinavian-Americans in the 19th century. It is an exclamation that is relatively common in the Upper Midwestern states of the United States.

Uff da is often used in the Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest as a term for sensory overload. It can be used as an expression of surprise, astonishment, exhaustion, relief and sometimes dismay. For many, Uff da is an all-purpose expression with a variety of nuances, and covering a variety of situations. The expression has lost its original connotation, and it is increasingly difficult to specify what it means now in America. Within Scandinavian-American culture, Uff da frequently translates into: I am overwhelmed. It has become a mark of Scandinavian roots, particularly for people from Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, northern Illinois, Minnesota, and Upper Peninsula of Michigan.Uff da can often be used as an alternative for many common day swear words.

In Norwegian, uff or huff is an interjection used when something is unpleasant, uncomfortable, hurtful, annoying, sad, or irritating.Uff da is most often used as a response when hearing something lamentable (but not too serious), and could often be translated as Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

:)





 

 

Happy Birthday!!

Gratulerer med dagen til min herlige jente, Lisbeth, som er 17 år i dag!! I januar for syv år siden var vi i Disney World. En kjempe kjekk tur. Her er du sammen med Stitch, en av mange figurer du møtte og som jeg “kastet” deg i armene på så jeg kunne ta bilde!! Sånn er det når mor har jobbet der og er tilbake for første gang på mange år….da tok jeg helt av, og brøytet meg frem i alle køer for å sikre meg bilder!!

Glad i deg, stor suss fra meg og Stitch (og Theo…)!<3

Happy birthday to my wonderful girl, Lisbeth, she is 17 years old today!! In January seven years ago we were in Disney World. A great trip! This is a picture of her and Stitch, one of many characters she met, and I “trew” her into their arms, eager to take pictures! This is what happens when your mom has worked there and this was the first trip back after many years… got very excited and made sure we got a lot of pictures!!

Love you, kisses from me and Stitch (and Theo)!<3

My Disney Christmas!

Every Christmas I bring out this cute pictureframe with my Disney picture taken in 1994. It was a Christmas gift for cast members that year. I remember it as it could have been yesterday:) I remember how fat I felt, not happy about having my picture taken…. I remember that I loved that black cotton dress. It had buttons all the way down the front… and I remeber wearing a black sweather around my waist to “cover” whatever fat I thought that I had around my hips and waist…

Looking at that young girl in the picture today I want to shout to her: You are perfect, not fat at all, no wrinkles and no worries, only a lot of fun in a magic world with wonderful people!! Dont get me wrong, I did have a fantastic year, one of the best in my life, but I am just so frustrated that I did not like my body and waisted time thinking I was fat…!

Today I weigh some 30+ kilo more, and I think I can call myself fat! I dont feel fat like I did 20 years ago, but this time I have to face it, I am accually FAT! The scale dont lie, neither do my jeans…..

As I am storing away my picture for next December, I am giving myself a challenge. I am going to loose those 30+ kilos and have a new picture taken! Im gonna get a new black dress and I am not putting a sweather around my waist this time. And then Im gonna keep that picture for the next 20 years and remember how perfect I felt that day! 🙂

Cant believe its been 20 years….:)) Does that mean am OLD…?

Chip (or Dale, who knows?) snapped off the frame…need glue..! Took him with me up on a mountain looking for Christmas snow…! He brighten up a boring rain/snow picture..!

 

 

 

Leaving Fergus Falls…

Its almost time to say goodbye to Fergus Falls and Minnesota. I`m off to Norway tomorrow morning! Had a nice walk downtown and around Lake Alice, a beautiful day to be outside!

Enjoy the rest of the fall, it will soon enough be freezing cold… and I will be looking forward to come back when the temperatur is below 0….!! See you in all in a few months!! Lise

 

Back in USA!

Har tatt turen tilbake til USA, det er tid for årets Høstfest i Minot, North Dakota. Meg og Aina har et par dager her i Fergus Falls før vi kjører nordover mot Minot i morgen. Det er mye jobbing og forberedelser, men i dag var det så fint ute at vi tok noen timer fri!

Denne nydelige høst dagen måtte nytes med en tur til herlige Glendalough State Park. Vi tok turen rundt Annie Battle Lake (5k), og avsluttet med en frisk dukkert. Enkel middag, drive thru Burger King picnic!! Life is good, now back to work….!

Last night of knitting…:(

Always nice to come home to Norway!! I should have been in bed by now, but I am not tired since I slept until 1pm today… Jetlag… I figured if I can stay awake for a few more hours, I might be able to sleep the rest of the night.. Looking back at the few days I had in Fergus Falls made me realize that I had not shared the pictures from out last knitting group at Crates of Yarn. We had a wonderful time with lots of good food, you girls make the best potlock ever!! But it was also very sad, this was our last knitting group at the store! Soo sad that they had to close, but it is hard to do business in a down town like Fergus Falls, hard to survive financial! Its really a shame, the down town is beautiful and the stores have so much fun and interesting stuff, there is plenty of parking and several cafe/restaurants. I challenge everyone to spend a few hours downtown and explore all the greate stores!! And brag about it, post it on facebook, spread the word that we have a beautiful and interesting downtown!!

Kirk and Wendy, the two fantastic owners of Crates of Yarn!! Thank you soo much for having us all there every Thusday night!!

Between coasts exibition.

We visited the Otter Tail County Historical Society in Fergus Falls this morning. They have an exhibition about western Norwegians in the USA: about leaving home and finding another between deep fjords and skyscrapers.

If you are in Fergus Falls this summer, you must stop in and see the exhibition, it is really great. I loved all the stories about how they left Norway in search of the American dream, but also the stories from second and third generation Norwegians. Brings out laughter and tears!

Svett trenings økt ved Central Lakes Trail!

Over tredve grader i skyggen stopper ikke oss når vi har bestemt oss for å trene… Jogging og rollerblading, perfekt kombinasjon!! Men svetten randt og vannflasken ble tom på null komma null… Det var veldig deilig med en dukkert etterpå!!

Central Lakes Trail starter ved Fergus Falls og strekker seg mange mil sørover mot Minneapolis. Det er et gammalt jernbane spor som er asfaltert. Fantastisk flott til sykling, jogging og rollerblading. Om vinteren er det snowmobilene som tar over!

Mine 20 år gammle rollerblades funker fint enda!!

 

Nordic Galleri – a hidden gem!

Thought I should share some pictures from my lovely store Nordic Galleri in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. My store is a unique gift/souvenir shop located in the heart of Otter Tail county. In the store you will find lots of souvenirs like trolls, flags, signs, mugs and trays. We also carrie goat cheese and chocolate from Norway. A big part of the store is bridal registry. Brides love to come to our store and look at our pretty china. There has been an increasing interest in our special china called Wik and Walsøe from Norway. The last year we have had several brides registered for Wik and Walsøe. Since we are the only store in USA at the time that sells Wik and Walsøe, they really get a china that not everybody else has! And for our Norwegian visitors, we do have American made souvenires and gifts, or melkesjokolade for you to survive your trip thru USA! 🙂

If you are in the area or driving past on I-94, make sure you stop in and visit. We are located at Lincoln Ave.. Follow the Norwegian flag..:)

Cant have a Scandinavian gift store without trolls!!

Royal pewter from Norway!

And of course, we do have viking helmets!!

The beautiful melamine trays and china mugs from Ashdene.

The beautiful motives from Carl Larssons pictures!

The pretty Beach collection from USA!

Plain but beautiful Sophie Conran for Portmeirion dishes.

Our lovely Wik and Walsøe china!

 

Sister City Nordhordland and Fergus Falls

Det har vært noen hektiske dager etter at jeg kom til USA på torsdag. Har ikke hatt tid til å blogge før no.

Turen over dammen gikk greit, var litt styr med å skifte flyplass i New York, er glad jeg slipper det på hjemturen..

Fredag var jeg tilbake i butikken min en liten tur (bilder kommer senere). Kjekt å være tilbake! Men det ble ikke mye tid før vi måtte avgårde til Vestlands Stevne som ble arrangert her i byen. Jeg og Sean Taylor var blitt forespurt om å snakke litt om vennskaps by avtalen mellom Fergus Falls og Nordhordland. Sean er formann i Fergus Falls Sister City komitèen, og jeg er medlem.

Noen bilder fra fremføringen.

 

 

Jeg fikk overlevert en fin Centeniel medalje av Warren Eidsness som er president i Norhordlands lag i USA. De feiret 100 års jubileum.

 

 

Litt bytting av pc underveis…

 

 

Jeg snakket litt om Nordhordland og om hvordan jeg endte opp som eier av butikk i Fergus Falls.

 

 

Sean informerte om vennskaps by avtalen og hvordan den oppstod.

 

Ferdig!