Some of the apartments on the base are very very big. Large for North American standards and near mansions in Icelandic standards.
This makes us look greedy for having a 4 bedroom apartment to ourselves, even if there is 5 of us.
This particular apartment style often has two small families living in it.
For example, the people across the hall from me. There are two sisters. One of whom in still married, the other is single. One has two boys that share a bedroom and the other has one boy in his own room. There, 4 bedrooms used up but two families.
They say this arrangement works well for them, but there is a problem with too many couches in the living room. Everything else is good.
This makes me miss my own sister more.
Even if we fought like cats and dogs, I would like to think we would be good roommates.
My three boys could share a room, her two could have there own. One room for me and Davíð, one for her. Perfect.
Showing posts with label my home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my home. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Just a few mushroms.
First I should apologize for not blogging in weeks. We are still alive and well, just getting through a small crisis.
You see a few weeks ago we noticed mold growing on the ceiling in Kasper's room. Since Kasper is allergic to mold we moved him into our room while we waited for the offices to open after Christmas holidays.
When they opened the problem was looked at and while we were assured this was not the deadly black mold, they would need to do work on the place and could not guarantee it would not come back. I guess there is a problem with the insulation.
Anyways, we switched apartments and moved about 100 meters over to a building that has never had mold.
Also the same building as my friend Lizzy.
Also an even bigger apartment. 150 meters! Thats three times the size of our place in Reykjavík.
So I have been in moving chaos and have a lot to catch up on, but its coming :)
You see a few weeks ago we noticed mold growing on the ceiling in Kasper's room. Since Kasper is allergic to mold we moved him into our room while we waited for the offices to open after Christmas holidays.
When they opened the problem was looked at and while we were assured this was not the deadly black mold, they would need to do work on the place and could not guarantee it would not come back. I guess there is a problem with the insulation.
Anyways, we switched apartments and moved about 100 meters over to a building that has never had mold.
Also the same building as my friend Lizzy.
Also an even bigger apartment. 150 meters! Thats three times the size of our place in Reykjavík.
So I have been in moving chaos and have a lot to catch up on, but its coming :)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Crispy fresh, frozen and a little flashy
Crispy fresh air is nice in the shower, Personally I like to have burning hot water with the window wide open. 43 degree water burning my skin and below zero air in my lungs. A good contrast.
This window also makes a good shelf. A place to keep the shampoo. The only problem being during the winter, like now, some things are freezing. The toothpaste and shampoo are currently defrosting at the bottom of the shower. It seemed a little too cold for them...
This window is also a little awkward because besides some little super rusty blinds, you are basically putting on a show for anyone who cares to look into the window while you are in there. OK, it is only a problem for women, but still, it is not like curtains can go in the shower... Lucky, I think no one looks up to the third floor.
This is not my shower, but it is the same. I was just to lazy to dig out the camera for this.
This window also makes a good shelf. A place to keep the shampoo. The only problem being during the winter, like now, some things are freezing. The toothpaste and shampoo are currently defrosting at the bottom of the shower. It seemed a little too cold for them...
This window is also a little awkward because besides some little super rusty blinds, you are basically putting on a show for anyone who cares to look into the window while you are in there. OK, it is only a problem for women, but still, it is not like curtains can go in the shower... Lucky, I think no one looks up to the third floor.
Monday, August 03, 2009
I will give you a home!
In Ásbrú it is common practice to simply abandon furniture in the recreation room.
Because these apartments are so big, when people move the often realize they will not have enough room in there new place for all this stuff.
I did know this before hand, so when we moved here, I was not all that worried about furniture.
And look at these treasures I found! Two beautiful lazyboys and another leather loveseat.
OK OK OK, I know nothing matches, but these are all so comfortable.
I will give this furniture a home, put it to use, I plan on having guests.
But when you come to visit, pretend to be color blind.
I am also kinda considering starting to sell this furniture I find everywhere on barnaland, for a little extra money. I just have not decided yet if it is OK to sell what someone else throws away...
Because these apartments are so big, when people move the often realize they will not have enough room in there new place for all this stuff.
I did know this before hand, so when we moved here, I was not all that worried about furniture.
And look at these treasures I found! Two beautiful lazyboys and another leather loveseat.
OK OK OK, I know nothing matches, but these are all so comfortable.
I will give this furniture a home, put it to use, I plan on having guests.
But when you come to visit, pretend to be color blind.
I am also kinda considering starting to sell this furniture I find everywhere on barnaland, for a little extra money. I just have not decided yet if it is OK to sell what someone else throws away...
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Clothing Man
Another great addition to our home, free because people were moving, is the clothing man.
Davíð's new friend who can help in making sure clothing is not left all over the floor.
He is kind of fun to dress up and will give you a jump if you only see it out of the corner of your eye.
Davíð's new friend who can help in making sure clothing is not left all over the floor.
He is kind of fun to dress up and will give you a jump if you only see it out of the corner of your eye.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Bathroom Madness - Like the cartoons
OK, I know not everyone is impressed by this, but maybe you are?
TWO BATHROOMS! The one with the bathtub, as seen here, can be reached by the hallway and has been names the kids bathroom.
When Stefán saw this toilet he was so happy. 'It is just like in the cartoons!!' The toilets in Iceland have buttons on top. Usually two, one for a big flush and one for a small one.
I guess he doesn't remember the ones in Canada.
The last picture is called the adult bathroom. You need to go into our room to get in this one. It has a big shower. You can lock the door and be alone, I like to shower alone.
Best of all, you can brush your teeth while looking in the mirror and not see toothpaste all over the mirror.
This is not the case in the kids bathroom.
SO AMERICAN! I love it :)
TWO BATHROOMS! The one with the bathtub, as seen here, can be reached by the hallway and has been names the kids bathroom.
When Stefán saw this toilet he was so happy. 'It is just like in the cartoons!!' The toilets in Iceland have buttons on top. Usually two, one for a big flush and one for a small one.
I guess he doesn't remember the ones in Canada.
The last picture is called the adult bathroom. You need to go into our room to get in this one. It has a big shower. You can lock the door and be alone, I like to shower alone.
Best of all, you can brush your teeth while looking in the mirror and not see toothpaste all over the mirror.
This is not the case in the kids bathroom.
SO AMERICAN! I love it :)
Stefáns Room
Stefán is also enjoying having his own space.
He never tires of drawing, writing and finding things to hang up. He is currently out of teachers gum and is begging for more. This too will have to wait a bit.
When I let them pick what bedding they wanted on there beds today I was surprised when Stefán wanted the Santa Claus blanket. Although Stefán has always maintained that he is a close friend of Santa's, I wonder if he realizes how long he still has to wait until Christmas.
Naturally the Star Wars men have a place of honour in the window ledge.
The Spiderman table set really needs to move out to the balconie, it is just crowding his room, but right now he says he needs it.
The Spiderman table is the store and the desk is where he works on movies and other projects.
He will defend every toy that is out, according to him they are all being used at the exact moment.
He also has a large closet, but how many pictures of those do you need to see?
He never tires of drawing, writing and finding things to hang up. He is currently out of teachers gum and is begging for more. This too will have to wait a bit.
When I let them pick what bedding they wanted on there beds today I was surprised when Stefán wanted the Santa Claus blanket. Although Stefán has always maintained that he is a close friend of Santa's, I wonder if he realizes how long he still has to wait until Christmas.
Naturally the Star Wars men have a place of honour in the window ledge.
The Spiderman table set really needs to move out to the balconie, it is just crowding his room, but right now he says he needs it.
The Spiderman table is the store and the desk is where he works on movies and other projects.
He will defend every toy that is out, according to him they are all being used at the exact moment.
He also has a large closet, but how many pictures of those do you need to see?
Kasper's Room
With this being the first time the boys have had separate rooms, they both are using the chance to express themselves.
Kasper has a sign on his door clearing telling everyone to 'Sta Át'. If you sound this out with Icelandic it says Stay Out. I am guessing that because he tried to write it in English he is talking to me.
He has also hung up some favorite art work of his, glow in the dark stars and an Iceland flag. He wants a Canadian flag too, but this will have to wait.
There is a huge closet for his clothing, he only fills half of. I guess when he gets bigger, his clothing will too and then he will need the space.
The desk is so great and so lucky for us we got it. I went to get the boys from the park last night and saw some people moving out of another building. They had a pile of stuff with a 'gefins' sign, meaning to give away. We talked to the and they are moving to Norway so we scored a desk, 2 chairs and a vacuum.
Kasper's bed is coming. For now he just has the mats but in 2 or 3 weeks he will get his own. A friend is moving back to the states and we are buying an Ikea bed from her. It is one of those that has a bed that slides out for underneath for guests. With this the room will look great!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/home.php?ref=home
Kasper has a sign on his door clearing telling everyone to 'Sta Át'. If you sound this out with Icelandic it says Stay Out. I am guessing that because he tried to write it in English he is talking to me.
He has also hung up some favorite art work of his, glow in the dark stars and an Iceland flag. He wants a Canadian flag too, but this will have to wait.
There is a huge closet for his clothing, he only fills half of. I guess when he gets bigger, his clothing will too and then he will need the space.
The desk is so great and so lucky for us we got it. I went to get the boys from the park last night and saw some people moving out of another building. They had a pile of stuff with a 'gefins' sign, meaning to give away. We talked to the and they are moving to Norway so we scored a desk, 2 chairs and a vacuum.
Kasper's bed is coming. For now he just has the mats but in 2 or 3 weeks he will get his own. A friend is moving back to the states and we are buying an Ikea bed from her. It is one of those that has a bed that slides out for underneath for guests. With this the room will look great!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/home.php?ref=home
My New Kitchen!
My new kitchen is so huge and American I love it. I guess I have not changed so much after three years in Iceland.
I have a huge pantry that I am currently trying to make look full by setting all the food at the front. I do not know how we will ever stock up enough food for this thing!
My giant fridge has a freezer part and an ice maker, how crazy is that? The dishwasher.....ahhhh this is the life. My American style coffee pot fits right in here!
See all those cupboards? Almost all of them are empty. I have dishes in 2 of them and a few cans of tuna in one. I need to get more food still, but I like that there will be a cupboard free for just baby stuff!
The apartment came with a microwave and an American stove, it heats up super quick. I am really happy with it...
The huge dining area looks a little empty at the moment but this will change.
With all these luxuries I know I will have a hard time ever leaving the base!
And if you didn't know before, now you see how important stuff is to me.
Actually, I never considered myself very materialistic before, but now I see how these things make me smile sooo much!
ás,
I have a huge pantry that I am currently trying to make look full by setting all the food at the front. I do not know how we will ever stock up enough food for this thing!
My giant fridge has a freezer part and an ice maker, how crazy is that? The dishwasher.....ahhhh this is the life. My American style coffee pot fits right in here!
See all those cupboards? Almost all of them are empty. I have dishes in 2 of them and a few cans of tuna in one. I need to get more food still, but I like that there will be a cupboard free for just baby stuff!
The apartment came with a microwave and an American stove, it heats up super quick. I am really happy with it...
The huge dining area looks a little empty at the moment but this will change.
With all these luxuries I know I will have a hard time ever leaving the base!
And if you didn't know before, now you see how important stuff is to me.
Actually, I never considered myself very materialistic before, but now I see how these things make me smile sooo much!
ás,
Thursday, April 16, 2009
again?
As though I did not seem crazy enough, the plan has changed again.
We have decided to move to the other side of the country again!
Now before you slam your head on the desk and question my sanity hear me out - I have good reasons.
First: Reasons to leave Þórshöfn
1. Work is slowing done for Davíð. He still makes full time hours but how much longer this can last is very unclear and nothing is promised. Businesses have no money for Electrical work and everyone is watching there money.
2. While housing prices go down in the rest of Iceland, Þórshöfn has a housing shortage so the town decided to raise the price of rent by about 10 000 a month.
3. Also because of the housing shortage there is no bigger place to move too and I want more then a two bedroom apartment for our soon to be family of five.
4. There is no hot water here so we heat it, Canadian style, with hot water heaters. Combine this with the higher cost of electricity out here and you have a deadly combination. This month our power bill, with heat, was 28 000 while in Reykjavík we paid about 5 000 a month.
5. Although I know Kasper loves it out here there is no services he needs, like a teachers aid with training and therapy that he needs.
6. The food costs a fortune, all the shopping is done in a convience store and the real groceries stores are actually hours away.
7. Last but not least, honestly I am crazy lonely out here. There are very nice people who have always been good to me but I need another North American to have coffee with. Someone who gets my jokes and doesn't hold the English against me.
Next: Why Reykjanesbær will be better:
1. Davíð's employer has work for him out there, at least for the summer.
2. In the fall Davíð has been accepted into school to get his ticket in Iceland. This will be crazy easy school for him because he has been working as an electrician for so long and they have is spread out over a 4 year program with easy stuff like English lessons. What better way to wait out a horrid recession then going to school?
3. We are approved for some amazing student housing on the old American army base. For about half of what we pay here we will have a 120 meter apartment, not just 80,plus storage. My new home also has all appliances, even a dryer - a luxury I have not had since I left Canada. There is also a dishwasher - also an object of dreams for me.
4. We will have three bedrooms - enough for all of us!
5. The advantages of a smallish town, about 1000 people on the old base, with in a bus ride to the city.
6. School on the base for the kids.
7. Home on a bus route to am amazing outdoor pool.
8. Free busing around to next towns and all the way to Reykjavík.
9. 4 min. bus ride to Bonus, the only store in Iceland that has reasonably priced food. Too bad the vegetables are not so good!
10. I already have friends out there - 2 of them! One from America and one from Australia (a nice one)
11. The base student housing is full of kids, it is meant for family's with a playground on every corner. When we showed the boys, they wanted to move now.
But they have to wait until July when we get our new place, until then we dream.
We have decided to move to the other side of the country again!
Now before you slam your head on the desk and question my sanity hear me out - I have good reasons.
First: Reasons to leave Þórshöfn
1. Work is slowing done for Davíð. He still makes full time hours but how much longer this can last is very unclear and nothing is promised. Businesses have no money for Electrical work and everyone is watching there money.
2. While housing prices go down in the rest of Iceland, Þórshöfn has a housing shortage so the town decided to raise the price of rent by about 10 000 a month.
3. Also because of the housing shortage there is no bigger place to move too and I want more then a two bedroom apartment for our soon to be family of five.
4. There is no hot water here so we heat it, Canadian style, with hot water heaters. Combine this with the higher cost of electricity out here and you have a deadly combination. This month our power bill, with heat, was 28 000 while in Reykjavík we paid about 5 000 a month.
5. Although I know Kasper loves it out here there is no services he needs, like a teachers aid with training and therapy that he needs.
6. The food costs a fortune, all the shopping is done in a convience store and the real groceries stores are actually hours away.
7. Last but not least, honestly I am crazy lonely out here. There are very nice people who have always been good to me but I need another North American to have coffee with. Someone who gets my jokes and doesn't hold the English against me.
Next: Why Reykjanesbær will be better:
1. Davíð's employer has work for him out there, at least for the summer.
2. In the fall Davíð has been accepted into school to get his ticket in Iceland. This will be crazy easy school for him because he has been working as an electrician for so long and they have is spread out over a 4 year program with easy stuff like English lessons. What better way to wait out a horrid recession then going to school?
3. We are approved for some amazing student housing on the old American army base. For about half of what we pay here we will have a 120 meter apartment, not just 80,plus storage. My new home also has all appliances, even a dryer - a luxury I have not had since I left Canada. There is also a dishwasher - also an object of dreams for me.
4. We will have three bedrooms - enough for all of us!
5. The advantages of a smallish town, about 1000 people on the old base, with in a bus ride to the city.
6. School on the base for the kids.
7. Home on a bus route to am amazing outdoor pool.
8. Free busing around to next towns and all the way to Reykjavík.
9. 4 min. bus ride to Bonus, the only store in Iceland that has reasonably priced food. Too bad the vegetables are not so good!
10. I already have friends out there - 2 of them! One from America and one from Australia (a nice one)
11. The base student housing is full of kids, it is meant for family's with a playground on every corner. When we showed the boys, they wanted to move now.
But they have to wait until July when we get our new place, until then we dream.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Wall of postcards
This is my wall of postcards. It is the coolest, but as you can see it still has missing spot.
Send me postcards!
Email me if you lost my address!
I want mail!
OK OK I promise not to be evil, but it is looking so good. I have postcards from everywhere and now when people come over, they have to look at them all and see if they had been to these places.
Send me postcards!
Email me if you lost my address!
I want mail!
OK OK I promise not to be evil, but it is looking so good. I have postcards from everywhere and now when people come over, they have to look at them all and see if they had been to these places.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
