Category: Icelandic

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Icelandic Tuna Salad

Olof

As my family grew from 5 to 6 people last December, we realized that the Mazda 5 did not work for us any longer. We needed something that would seat 6 people and still have trunk space which the Mazda did not. It sits 6 but as soon as both seats were up in the back there went the trunk. We couldn’t even go grocery shopping. Well, we went car shopping knowing that even though I NEVER thought that I would want a mini van I test drove a Honda Odyssey 2014 and I was hooked. It was more than we planned on spending. By 8K but we knew that the Hondas had a good reputation and all my mom friends that have had them have said that even though their Odyssey had over 200K miles on it, it was still going strong with out needing any work on it. We are working on getting debt free so we have a big payment for another 3 months to pay off a card so since we bought the big space ship of a van (my goodness I am spoiled and in love with that thing) we need to get frugal. So I had to give the grocery bill another look over and figure out how to cut costs for the next 3 months. Lunch meat is expensive so I started making egg salads. My chickens have started laying again after a long break this winter.
Here is how we make Tuna Salad in Iceland.

Ingredients 
1 can Tuna in water
8 hard boiled eggs
half cup Fried Onions (you know that kind that you make green bean casserole with)
enough Mayo to blend it all together to the consistency that you like just keep adding until it looks good to you.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Curry Powder
1/4 teaspoon Paprika

How to get it all together
Find a bowl that you can put a lid on after like the Pyrex bowls or just any glass bowl and use plastic wrap to cover it later. Peal and cut up your eggs. I use an egg cutter for finer and quicker work but you can use a knife if you don’t have one. Open the can of tuna and drain it. Add the tuna to the eggs. Then add the fried onions and add at first 3 table spoons Mayo and stir but keep adding more until the salad is not too dry. Then add the spices and blend them in well. Taste it and see if there is enough to your liking. Some people like more salt.

I like to eat it as soon as possible so that there is still a little crunch to the fried onions but it is also good left over. Sometimes I do need to add a little more mayo later since the onions soak up a lot of the moisture but make sure to seal it tight with a lid or cling wrap before putting it in the fridge to keep. 

family, Iceland, Icelandic, Legos, Yule Lads

It’s About Family

Olof
Alex has started grasping toys and bringing them to his mouth

Magni having his morning banana

Óðinn enjoying a lazy morning on the couch.

As most of you know I am Icelandic and most of my family is in Iceland. My parents just left to go back home over a week ago after coming to be at my son’s birth. My mother is the best labor coach a daughter could ask for. It was so nice to have them here and her being the amazing help that she is didn’t hurt either.

This time of year becomes difficult for me. I miss my parents, my sisters, my nephews and nieces in Iceland. I´m lucky enough to have a brother and sister-in-law that live only 45 min away and they have three beautiful boys that are so good to my children. Tradition has become that we spend Christmas Eve at their home and now it isn’t Christmas if we wouldn’t go there. In my family, Christmas Day is spent in your PJs enjoying left overs from the day before and the presents that you received. Reading a book that you got while eating chocolate in bed. I’d like to keep that tradition for my family with the added American Santa Christmas morning.

My husband’s family is very good to us and normally we would all be heading out either the weekend before or the weekend after Christmas to spend it at my husband’s parent’s home which is a 3 hour drive away. My older boys just think the place is magic and my oldest says that he wants to move to grandma and grandpa’s house because they have lots of toys and he gets a big bed to himself. I smile when he says that, feeling the warmth in my heart that my boys are so loved by so many (this bringing me to tears just writing it out). It doesn’t hurt that his aunt Sabrina and uncle Danny spoils them rotten when she is there too, and my boys love their cousin Spencer. But I hate traveling long distances with babies because I can’t handle hearing a baby cry and 3 hours is just too long for a 12 week old. So I will be sending my husband and the older two this year and I will miss out on the fun.

Being so far away from Home (Iceland will always be my ultimate home) has advantages. I would never own a home this big and 2 cars in Iceland, it is too expensive. But the disadvantages are great. I have a 12 week old beautiful boy that my sister’s have never held (again bringing me to tears). Knowing that if they got to hold him and see is smile in person they would love him almost as much as I do. But being so far away my children are strangers to them and my sisters are strangers to my sons. I have also become a stranger to my sisters and my nieces and nephews.

After writing all of this out I count my blessings. My healthy, beautiful children, my amazing husband, my home, the food that we get to eat, the ability to get my sons something this holiday season, all the comforts of wanting for nothing.

From the Icelandic Yule Lad Skyrgámur or Skyr-Gobbler

We spent the morning putting these together
Wishing you all a beautiful day filled with love, comfort and loved ones.
christmas, Connecticut, Icelandic, Jólasveinar, reindeer noses., Spoon Licker, Yule Lads, Þvörusleikir

4th Yule Lad Spoon Licker or Jólasveinnin Þvörusleikir Arrived

Olof
As I look at my children and count my blessings for them being too little to understand the horror that happened yesterday in Connecticut, I have hugged them just a little bit tighter and made sure they have heard and felt my love. While too many parents are grieving their children today whether it be at the hands of a mentally ill young man or other causes I am blessed with having three healthy, AMAZING, little boys that are here with me, that I can touch, talk to, and observe. I´m sure that for those that lost their children yesterday this is not fare, and I agree, but I am thankful that the way of the world has lead to my family being whole and with me this holiday season and my heart goes out to those that are hurting today. In an effort to keep the magic alive for my little men we let the Icelandic Yule Lad into our home, bringing joy and laughter. This little present being extra silly for fun and reindeer games.

Spoon Licker or Þvörusleikur came down from the mountains on the 15th of December. In the past he would sneak into the houses and lick the wooden spoon used to scrape the pots. These days he looks for wooden spoons at the National Museum when he visits.

Þvörusleikir

The fourth was Spoon Licker;
like spindle he was thin.
He felt himself in clover
when the cook wasn’t in.
Then stepping up, he grappled
the stirring spoon with glee,
holding it with both hands
for it was slippery.

 Alex had a nice long nap yesterday so I got to work on Óðins stocking. Feeling a little better about it. Hopefully with my husband home this weekend I can really work hard on it.

children, Christmas Cat, Christmas gifts, cross stitch, Grýla, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Icelandic, Jólasveinn, knitting, Playmobil, Stubby, Stúfur, Yule Lads

Third Yule Lad Stubby- Jólasveinn Stúfur

Olof

LOL you think he had fun? One dirty boy!

Óðinn has amazing balance and I found him here when I looked out the window, checking out the Christmas lights

So the third Yule Lad or Jólasveinn came to town early this morning and stopped by my kids window dropping off another piece of the Playmobil Christmas Market. The Yule Lad who arrives on the 14th of December is called Stúfur or Stubby in English. He is a little, shall we say, vertically challenged. He is also known as Pan Scraper because in the old days he used to try snatching bits of food from the frying pan.

Stúfur

Stubby was the third called,
a stunted little man,
who watched for every chance
to whisk off a pan.
And scurrying away with it,
he scraped off the bits
that stuck to the bottom
and brims – his favorites.

These Yule Lads or Jólasveinar are the perfect example of how a person can change.  These 13 lads use to be nothing but trouble. Born to a troll (their mother is a troll and father is human) and their cat, the black Christmas Cat, takes little children that get out of bed on Christmas day with out new clothes and takes them to Grýla, their mother the troll, so that she can cook the children and eat them. Gory I know. But even with a background like that the jólasveinar or yule lads have turned in to kind souls that give good children a little something in their shoe. Traveling all over the world to all Icelandic children.

Expected some mothers over with their kids today so I baked some of my healthy chocolate chip cookies.

Can you see a difference from the one on top?

Alex hasn´t been feeling all that great so I haven´t gotten the time I needed to work on the stocking like I need to, or any other needle craft for that matter. I´m worried I won´t be able to finish. It´s like he has a radar on when I touch the projects that need to be finished by Christmas and starts crying after only a few stitches. Like the projects make a horrible sound as soon as I touch them that only he can hear. The second stocking photo is from this morning while the one on top is from 3 days ago. Sigh. Haven´t been able to finish much in 3 days.

christmas, Giljagaur, holidays, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Icelandic, knitting, Longies, Pebbles, Playmobil, Turtle Butt, Yule Lads

Second Yule Lad Showed this Morning

Olof

As I listen to Dean Martin’s Baby, It’s Cold Outside play on Pandora, my kids are busy playing with what the Yule Lad Giljagaur, or Gully Gawk in English, brought them this morning. Like I said in yesterday’s post the Yule Lads come to visit us. They got another piece to their Playmobil Christmas Market this morning. As a therapist I listen to their play differently than most mothers and it warms my heart to hear the play with out much drama or hurt. Maybe acting out a Dr’s visit that they had a few weeks ago that wasn’t too pleasant or just fun play. Warming my heart knowing that my children are happy, healthy and well cared for wishing the same for the rest of the world but knowing full well that there are troubled people out there that have children and that their poor mental health causes scars that can not be taken back from a child. This is the only reason I miss my job at the moment is helping teens work through those scars and be able to look at the scars as a painful memory and not something that is controlling their life right now.Then hoping that my help will help them not passing the pain on to their future children.

Any way, here is some information on today’s Yule Lad:

In the early hours of  December 13th Gully Gawk walks down from the mountains of Iceland to magically get a small, little something in each good little child’s shoe. Before milking machines were invented he had a habit of stealing into the cowshed and slurping the foam off the milk in the buckets.

Giljagaur

The second was Gully Gawk,
gray his head and mien.
He snuck into the cow barn
from his craggy ravine.
Hiding in the stalls,
he would steal the milk, while
the milkmaid gave the cowherd
a meaningful smile.

And Alex wearing the Pebble that I made for Magni two years ago. He is also wearing the turtle butt longies I made for Ódinn when he was a year old. He was also wearing them in yesterday’s post. They keep him the perfect temp while he is in his little bouncy seat. It makes me so happy when my knitting gets used.

Wishing everyone a beautiful, loving holiday season filled with being in the moment with family and friends.

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Merry Christmas Everyone! Icelandic and American Traditions.

Olof
Happy Holidays to all my readers. I just wanted to share a glimpse of what it is like on Christmas Morning for us. We are extremely lucky to get to puzzle together traditions from two different countries. That of my Icelandic background and the American traditions of my husband.

My knitting corner got a new lamp from my parents. It is the Eiffel Tower which was so fitting since we just came back from our trip to Paris. 

A cold coke made with real sugar and Nóa fine chocolates from Iceland. This is a family tradition from my side.

My Oldest brought this home from daycare. These are so much fun.

Traditional Icelandic Christmas Folk art

For as long as I can remember there hung a Santa head like this one but different between the living and the dinning room of my parents´ home. Now this one hangs between the living and the dinning room in my home.

The American Stocking Tradition and my new Master´s degree folder. I graduated with my Master´s in Psychology on the 15th of December.

These are all Icelandic Yul lads or Jólasveinar. They use to be trouble makers back in the day but now they are nice and leave presents in children´s shoes which the children leave in the window of their rooms. There are 13 Santas and they start showing up 13 days before Christmas. One comes each day before Christmas but little boys and girls have to be very good and go to bed on time to get anything.

American pancakes made with whole wheat for Christmas Morning breakfast.

Coffee a must in both countries.

Knitting basket over flowing but being ignored. I´ve not had the time or drive to finish these long forgotten projects.

O got his first camera. He loves it. It´s a Vtech – Kidizoom Spin & Smile Digital Camera
We got a pic of us taking pics of each other.

I got one of these. It is a Brilliantstore Logitech 720p Webcam C510 from my boys, the cats and the opossum that lives in our backyard. I will be starting some video podcasts soon on reading and knitting for mental health.

I got The Book Lover’s Journal from Santa. He left it in my stocking. I was so happy when I opened it up and saw that is doesn´t just have pages for book reviews but also for the books you have, books you are borrowing, books you want, book clubs you´re in and so on.

M got his own Wooden Train Tracks which he has not been able to stop playing with. Now they can lay tracks clear across the living room floor.  I was so happy to find the cheaper version that fit the Thomas stuff.

We´ve had way too much fun with Quercetti Marble Run today.

O got a new game for his MobiGo. Toy Story 3
I like this game system because there is both a touch screen and a keyboard.

Got Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share for the hubster. He follows his blog so I thought he would like the book. It´s from the boys to him.

Apparently these were good plain for a snack after opening presents.

What are some of the traditions that you keep with your family? Do you go chop down your own tree? All do secrete Santa? How is your family holiday different from everyone else´s?