InstaOctober ((a couple of days late . . . oh well))

You can find me on Instagram

under the name

NATMADELEINE

♡

Birthday Vlog

Today I turn 25 - happy birthday to me ((haha)).
I ain't gonna lie to you; it's a little scary that I'm only five years from turning 30 - which is my "scary age" ... yikes!
But in a moment of self-celebration of me turning older and wiser, I thought I'd do a little something different.
Everyone has expectations - both from life and them selves. I'm no different! When I was fifteen, I thought that my mid-twenties would be razzle dazzle fantastic, and basically that I would live the life of a heroin in a chick flick movie ... oh, how different things turned out, haha.
So here's my vlog of 5 things my fifteen year old self thought I'd be, do or have when I was 25 - enjoy!

Side note:

The video is way longer than I intended it to be

and by the end I'm totally talking out of my ass ((so charming, I know))

but all in all I really enjoyed doing this. 

If you liked it too and want to see more vlogs, 

then tell me in the comments or via the Facebook page :)

Life Lately. Update: First week at University

Hiyah all!
Well, it's been a little while since last and there's a good reason for that.
You see, last Monday I started at University - Roskilde University Center or "RUC" as we call it (( I know, I feel so fancy calling myself a "RUCer" haha )) and it's just been a blast.
Although term starts on September 1st, this week and next week is the so called "Rus period" which means that all the newcomers or "Ruslings" as we are called, get to know the facilities around campus. We also do a lot of social activities so that we can get to know each other. There are about 130 people in my class, and so far I haven't even talked to half of them, haha.
But the people are awesome; everybody's so nice and positive and very open to meet new people.

However, it is exhausting! Everyday we have activities from 9 - 4 and then we have the option to stay afterwards and maybe grab a beer and just hang out. But since I'm still getting over my cold from last week, I have't really been staying after 4. I even had to stay home Wednesday and yesterday, Friday, because I'm still trying to bounce back from my cold. It sucks staying home, but I really wanna get well again.
You see, next Wednesday we have our "Rus trip"; from Wednesday to Saturday we'll all be going to Lolland and staying in an old camp spot. It's gonna be really fun, so I hope I can bounce back from my cold and be ready for a new and exiting week.

But yeah, since Uni is already taking up a lot of my time, my intention with this post was actually to inform you that f&f might go back to be kinda quiet for a while - at least until I settle into some every-day routines and habits for this new adventure.
But yeah, I'll try to update as much as I can, so just hang on and check the Facebook page for updates.

Otherwise I hope y'all had a great Summer and are enjoying this early Fall we've been having.
See you when I see you!
PS: If you miss me ((haha)) I'm still very active over at Instagram, where I post a lot of interior pictures from my home - so if you miss that, then head over and find me under the name NATMADELEINE

The first and only picture I've managed to take this week at University.

This was our first every lecture, and even though we were sitting in the "Small Auditorium" 

and there was no space to move at all, it was still a really fun and interesting experience! 

Four things right now

My Swedish Paradise

A little mid-day snack

Listening to PewDiePie as a "Summer Speaker" on Swedish radio

I want to ride my bicycle 

5 PM picnic on the floor

Today is a happy day!
Last night (( at 2:46 am to be precise )) I finally got the letter I've been waiting years to get.
It was an acceptance letter from Roskilde University, that said that I had been offered a place at the International Bachelor Program in Humanities starting this Fall.
By September 1st, I'll be matriculating in House 3.1.1 and I can finally call myself an official RUC (( Roskilde Uni )) student!

This is cause for celebration!
It's raining out today, so instead I'm having a picnic on the floor of my apartment.

Congratulations to all of the other happy 

 soon-to-be UNI students out there! 

Summer Vibes

Hiyah all, how are y'all enjoying this beautiful Summer?

Well well well, I had vowed to blog oh so much more after exams and graduating, but that didn't quite pan out, right-o? Yes-o! So I thought it was time for a new update and what I've been up to lately.

Well, right now I'm sitting outside in the gorgeous green garden of my Swedish Paradise. Yes, I've been here for a couple of weeks now, and since I'm going home tomorrow, I thought it would be nice with the annual "Swedish Summer Vacation" post.
I'm here with my folks, and mostly we've been enjoying the weather, sitting outside in the garden and living it up. We've made a couple of appearances out in the real world, but mostly I've been enjoying my Swedish Paradise oh so much.

Here are some pictures of my past two weeks here:

The standard shot of our beautiful old Swedish house. 

I just love this place; Summer or Winter, this place is gorgeous and cozy...

... As is the garden!

Look at these beautiful flowers, they're called "Lupiner" in Swedish and are here every Summer.

My mum is like a magnet for butterflies! ...

... This one actually landed on her hand and didn't move for 30 minutes!

Cantarella mushrooms are like a secret trade up here. 

They're pretty hard to find; you have to walk around in the forest for hours before finding a spot with  just five. If you find a Cantarella mushroom spot, you keep it a secret! And since we don't have a spot, we cheated and bought ours in town. 

Wednesday we drove the 100 kilometres to Öland. Öland is a long island on the east coast near Skåne, and it's the hangout spot for Swedish celebs - oh, and thousands of campers! I didn't spot any celebs, but I counted 164 motor homes! We drove and drove and drove to find a quiet place to eat our picnic dinner, and after 2 hours we finally found a fairly secluded stone beach with almost no people. It was a fantastic place!

On Thursday we visited the city of Oskarshamn. It's a beautiful city known for it's harbour and Nuclear Plant. Sounds heavy, but we actually took a tour of the plant. They weren't trying to persuade you to take a stance on the Good vs. Bad things about Nuclear Plants, but instead they showed us how they dispose of the waste. They bury it in huge metal tombs 500 meters under the ground. I actually got to go 500 meters under the ground, and it was a pretty interesting day.

In Oskarshamn we visited Sweden's longest bench. Not the wow-factor it sounds like (( haha )) but it was actually a really pretty spot with really pretty and well-kept flowers.

And this is (( part of )) the bench.

And the last couple of days we've just been home, grilling' and chill in' ...

... And eating delicious dinners!

Life: A Fantastic Gift!

Hello all!

If you read this post I wrote a couple of days ago, you'll know that I've finally graduated! Oh how life is wonderful!

This past week has truly been amazing - dare I even say the best week of my life?
It all started Monday, when I graduated - a day jam-packed with happiness and wonderful memories. Tuesday I had the day off, which was quite the lucky thing, since I was completely worn out from Monday.

Wednesday, Kasper and I had the most amazing day together - nothing spectacular happened (( except, of course, life and happiness )), but we spent the day taking a long walk, taking a lot of pictures, shooting personal videos and having the time of our lives. We made what seemed like 10 pounds of delicious gourmet pasta, ate, laughed and had fun. Oh, and Kasper is a
(( phenomenal !!! )) photographer, so in the evening he took a lot of gorgeous pictures of different things in my home - stay tuned for an upcoming post!

Thursday I attended the final graduating ceremony at my school - I met up with my other friends and graduates, we got our diplomas and had such a fun time. Later, Kasper came by and picked me up, and we went home to my place where we totally crashed! Luckily, there was a lot of delicious leftovers from the day before, so we ate like kings and watched Shrek and in general, just had fun.

And finally yesterday, Friday, I had a get-together with the old gang - if you've been following f&f for a couple of years, you might remember me mentioning them from time to time. The old gang is a group of friends I met a couple of years ago, and even though we've been separated for a year now, we've stayed in touch. And then yesterday, we met up and had a fantastic time together! First, we met at the old school (( which probably was the last time I'll ever be there - wow, that's a weird feeling )) since that was where it all started, and then went to the park for a couple of hours and then later, we ended up at a bar in town. We had such a fun time rolling the dice, laughing it up and screaming ourselves hoarse! I ended up going to bed at 3.30, and today I have almost no voice!

So yes, these past days have truly been amazing, wonderful and full of laughter - I now have the most amazing memories to last me a life time, and I'm just so utterly and completely and truly happy!

Pictures by Kasper Kay
KasperKay.dk

Finally

Hiyah all!

It finally happened - I've graduated!
Yes, after four long years of attending VUC High School for adults, I had my last ever exam (( we'll, high school exam anyway )) .
The tradition of "students//studenter" as they are called here in Denmark, is that they get a special hat - a so called "studenterhue" right after they've passed their final exam. All year I've been saying that I didn't want one, but last moment my dad convinced me - and oh how I am happy that he did!
Friends and classmates write small messages in the hat, and there are different traditions of ways of wearing it - fx, if you party till dawn, a little cut should be made in the shade. There are loads of different rules, and no way José I can remember them all ;)

Anyway, I had the BEST day!
My dad came and celebrated with me; he'd brought a lot of flowers, Danish AND Swedish flags (( I ám a Swede at heart )) and alcohol-free strawberry champagne. I had the chance to chat with some of my classmates as well, and in general just had the best day ever. My dad insisted on taking me to a portrait photographer (( that wasn't uncomfortable at all, haha )) and later we had a lovely dinner at our favourite place.
A lot of people called, wrote and texted me all day - I felt very popular (( haha )) and of course, I was very glad that I ended my final exam with a B :)

Today I was out and celebrated with some classmates, and then later, I was together with Kasper aaaall day long. We had so much fun; loving and living life, going for a long walk whilst taking a lot of pictures, drinking tea and making a delicious dinner - well okay, Kasper cooked ;)
Tomorrow there's a final ceremony for all of the graduates and Friday I'm having a party for the old gang :)

Finally I can go on summer break with a clean conscious, free as a bird and happy as can be :)

InstaMay

Why hello there, how nice it is to see you again!
Yes, I know it - I am not here very often. I know I sing the same song over and over again,
but oh how life just passes in a blur at the moment.
Already school's out for summer, and exams have officially started!
I'm already half way through; 3 down, 3 to go!
The next one is this Friday, and these past few days I've been in my Swedish Paradise,
enjoying the sun whilst studying outside.

Now, however, I'm home again.
I've allowed myself today off, but tomorrow it's back to the books.
So I hope you'll understand that blogging is just not n the top of my list at the moment . . .
. . . BUT! In about a month or so, when I've finally graduated and all of the parties are over,
I promise you that I will be back - really! So please, hang on and enjoy life . . .

. . . and while you do that, you can enjoy last months Instagram pictures.
I know things are slow here at f&f, but if you wanna see me in action, then check out my Instagram
((I update almost daily over there and almost no selfies, haha)) - info at the bottom of this post.

Well, you take care now.
I hope you'll return in a months time - I promise, I have a lot of new posts in mind, but time ain't really on my side.
Ciao for now ♡

You can find me on Instagram

under the name

NATMADELEINE

♡

What I've been up to lately

Hiyah all!

Oh how time flies! There are a lot of balls in the air at the moment, so keeping up with the blog has been set aside a little lately. However, I refuse to go totally MIA so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about what I've been up to lately:

Well first of all, last week I had mock written exams. In Danish they're called "Terminsprøver" and basically, they are a test of a test. This year I have both English and Danish on A levels, which means that I have both an oral and a written exams. The written ones you have to "try out" (( Terminsprøver )) first, so that you'll know how they work - and also, they give you a chance to get better prepared for the real ones. Last Monday and Tuesday I had mine; Danish on Monday and English on Tuesday. I think they went well, but getting ready for them was quite a bitch - which you can see in the picture above . . .

. . . and Tuesday at around 3 PM, after the English Terminsprøve was over, I finally went on "vacation" - this year I stayed home from Sweden, since it would've been a long trip for only a few days there - mega bummer! But oh well, I've enjoyed myself at home. After the written mock exam, I went out for a coffee and a chat with my friend Sascha. We've got our own little placed called Kaffekilden - basically it's Central Perk (( from Friends )) in Roskilde and they make the best cuppa coffee money can buy!

Even though it's officially vacation time for me, I've found myself with a book in my hands every day! I'm reading up on old Danish literature on Feminism from the 70's, which is really interesting! At the start of May I have to do a paper for school, and luckily we had the opportunity to pick the subject ourselves - and since I'm really interested in Danish Feminism in the 70's, that was the subject I chose. At first I was a little bummed out over having to read and read and read, but it really turned out to quite cool . . .  

. . . and since the weather has been absolutely fantastic (( ! ! ! )) this Easter, I've been sitting outside, drinking coffee, chain-smoking and just read book after book - which resulted in actually getting through that whole pile of books in just 4 days! Awesome!

Beautiful days turns into beautiful nights

- look at that night sky! Isn't it just amazing? Even though my apartment is right above a parking lot, I still have a lovely view to the right: The little lake and just a wide open sky. I tell you, there's nothing like sitting by the window with a cuppa tea and a ciggy and just watch the night sky turn darker and darker. 

I've been good with money these past couple of months, so at the start of April I did some net-shopping. 

I bought 10 dresses, some hair clips and these little lovelies. Now I'm ready for Spring and Summer, and as a plus I can wear something new every day for a long time! 

And the last picture is just a happy one! It's been so hot lately, so all of my plants (( I have around 35 in my studio apartment ! )) are just growing like crazy. I can't imagine not having a little green in the house; plants and flowers are just a fantastic source for a happiness! 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So that's a little of what I've been doing lately - basically just living life. 

I hope all of you had a great week and a lovely Easter. 

See you when I see you 

- hugsies ♡

Exactly one year ago today...

Well well well, as I live and breathe - it sure has been a while since I've said hi.
So hi there, how are y'all doing?

I'll tell you how I'm doing:
Exactly one year ago today I wrote this post on my annual Sound of Music evening.
True to form, I've lit a bunch of candles, I'm eating cheesy toasties and - of course - I'm watching Sound of Music.

Yes, already a year has passed since last I saw this wonderful movie - oh how time flies!
If you've followed f&f over the last couple of years, you'll probably know that watching
Sound of Music is an annual ritual for me (( as proved by the pictures below )) .
If you're curious what I wrote in the previous years' posts, you can find them here (( 2012 )) and here (( 2013 )) .

But yes, it sure has been a crazy and wonderful year - and now, here we are again.
A lot of things have changed, a lot of things have stayed the same
- for one thing, I personally think I'm way better at taking and editing photos now . . .
. . . wonder how it'll be in a year from now (( haha )) ?

Well, I'm off again - it's time to smile and  time to sing . . .
. . . Cheers!

Klunserlife

Hi all, how are you doing on such a rainy day?

A week ago, I told you through the Facebook page, that I was planning a post about a mirror
I found down by my buildings dumpsters. Well, now it's time for that post!

There's a Danish term called "Klunse" or  (( to be a )) "Klunser" - there's no direct translation, but basically what it means is that you find other peoples thrown-out items in thrift stores or even down by the dumpsters. Actually, if you're a good "klunser" and have your eyes open, you can find little treasures everywhere.
I'm lucky to live in an apartment complex where a lot of the older people living here throw out their stuff - quite often actually.
Don't get me wrong; it's not like I'm crawling into the trashcans (( haha )). But once in a while, when I'm down by the dumpsters, there are these little treasures that someone didn't want, but can be of use to me.

Such a thing happened to me last week, when I found this awesome mirror. Someone had just left it so the garbagemen could take it with them, but I was quick and snatched it up before they - or someone else - could.
I didn't know where to put it right away, so I just placed it up against my living room window.
But actually, I've come to really appreciate it there, so now I've "accessorised" it with a couple of candles and herbs (( which needed sun anyway, so it was a win win )).

Just in case I didn't explain it too well, here's the definition (( and a rare selfie )) on the concept of "klunseri" :

Have a lovely and wonderful day
- are you participation in the 100 HAPPY DAYS challenge? If not, get to it then ♡

100 HAPPY DAYS!

Hiya, interwebs friends!
My favourite blog is "A Beautiful Mess" hosted by Elsie and Emma.
I read it many times a week, and actually more often than I read (( or look at pictures at )) any other blog.
Just a minute ago, I scrolled through the latest posts on ABM, and I stumbled upon this fantastically amazing concept...

... It's called 100 Happy Days! The question behind the concept is:

Ever since I stopped drinking (( almost )) 3 years ago, I've been tremendously happy with myself and my life.
However, lately life has been stressful; my grandfather is in hospital, I have final exams in just a few months and the constant stressful situation of "will I//won't I get in to University?"
So yes, life has been a little rough lately, but I mostly manage to keep my spirits up
- I have amazing friends who carry me through when I need it, and for that I am very grateful.

What I'm trying to say is, that even though life is a mix of up's and down's,
I (( thankfully and luckily )) still have a very happy life.
HOWEVER I - like so many others - I forget to be thankful for what I have, and I forget that I actually AM happy!
That's why I think 100 Happy Days is an amazing concept.
Everything you need to know about the "challenge" is right here,
but basically the concept is you documenting your happiness for a hundred days.

You might ask yourself:

Well, if that doesn't win you over, I don't know what will (( haha )).
If you think about it, it's a very simple challenge. I plan on starting this Friday - the 28th - where I can celebrate 3 years sober.
I thought that would be a good starting point.
I must say I'm looking forward to it, although I think it's going to be quite the challenge to snap an Instagram pic every day.
BUT: You'll never know if you never try.

So here's to happiness!
Remember to tag your status update, picture or tweet with the hashtag:

STAY HAPPY // STAY POSITIVE // STAY PEACEFUL 

Coffee Break

Hiya all, how are you doing on such a grey - but warm - Tuesday?

Well, it's my day off today, and I'm planning on having a very relaxing a chill day.
Right now I'm enjoying a little coffee break - what's better than a big cuppa joe and some home baked cookies?
Anyway, I'm gearing up for tomorrow: I have most of the day off, but tomorrow night I'm going to Copenhagen with some of my classmates from English. We're going to grab a bite and then visit the theatre to see an english play. It's going to be really great; lately I've felt like I've been in a little bit of a rut.
Same thing day in and day out; school, homework, coffee, dinner and then bed. Now, however, the days are slowly getting a little longer, we have more sunlight and people are a bit more cheery because of it. I know exams and stress about getting into University are just around the corner, so for now I'll just enjoy these fun and relaxing days.

I hope all of you are hanging ten - I know blogging is a little scarce these days, but believe me, I'm trying. I get the sense that most of you are more interested in personal posts, either with a little DIY project or some Life Lately. stuff, but I don't always have time for those. Sometimes it's easier to let you know that I'm alive and haven't forgotten you by posting some interior pictures from other homes.
However, know that I still really enjoy blogging, but I'm a bit pressed for time lately.

Otherwise I hope all of you are enjoying life and are looking forward to Spring
- we have very subtle signs of it here in DK, but it sure is coming!

Have a lovely Tuesday
Bye bye birdies ♡