Somgs my Mother taught me # 5

Sleeping time
"I can endure anything if I only can sleep,"my Mom used to say. 
"There's a lot of healing in a good night's sleep," went another of her sayings.
In spite of that, we are a family where the females are affected by insomnia.
"Never think going to bed with cold feet", was rule # 1. 

Warm socks are a good solution. Mom making socks for the entire family Christmas 2011. She used left over yearn and would always knit the heels with double thread.

Hot water bottle, electric mattress heater, or even better; a soft adjustable electric blanket makes the bed inviting.
That is definitely a must. The bed must be a relaxing, welcoming place to be. Soft pillows, a thick feather duvet, a bottle of water, reading glasses and a pile of good books. For harsh nights I have added my own remedy; Astrid Lindgren's videos. They mellow my mind and focus thoughts on happy memories.

 The sleep of the righteous after a long day's work.

My parents would also ALWAYS  read one or two prayers and a homemade one, summing up the day and place it all in the hands of the Lord.
They had a book from which they read one or two chapters before we went to sleep.We got to choose the books.
In Norway in the early fifties there was housing shortage. That meant that we had tenants living upstairs like everyone else in the valley. 
That was a good thing to me. I shared bedroom with my brother till I was 7, and we really had a good time singing, guessing riddles and making noice in general before falling to sleep. 
People need people. I've always pitied babies being placed in a room of their own. Especially when the parents are telling not to go and look after when a baby cry." He's just being difficult, wanting  to get up". 
Goodness, gracious me, little children are not monsters. If they cry, they have needs, and should not be taught, that crying doesn't help.

My Mother taught me that. She practiced learning by doing.
Good routines before bedtime are a must both for adults and children.
No TV or homework the last hour before bedtime. A light meal with a mug of hot chocolate or milk & honey to drink.
Tidying up, folding the day away, half an hour on the bath, circling down to the bed.
Then the songs, the lullabies.  
Funny thing is, in Norway many choose on of the famliar lullabies for funerals too. They are so comforting.

 

This was one of my mother's favorite bed time songs.

Songs my Mother taught me #3

Here we go around a juniper bush is a Christmas feast song where the children are singing about laundry. So do we do when we wash our cloths, rinse our cloths, hand up our cloths, roll our cloth, iron our cloth, wash our floor and go to church and home again.
Laundry was supposed to be done Monday morning, or late Sunday evening really. My mother was constant about keeping the Sunday holy, but before bedtime Sunday night she would put very dirty clothes to soaking the night over, likewise the whitewash to cook the night over. Next day she would scrub by hand every single item and put them over in rinse tanks, 3 at least, before hanging it out to dry in open air. 

 My mother had two children in 15 months and an endless row of diapers.
There was no folding, there were stretching, rolling and ironing. 
Except for wool of course.
My mother taught me how to handle wool. Later on when we too had washing machine and dry tumbler, she would never, ever put wool in a machine. Even the bought wool under wear was washed by hand. Why??

 Till her last year at home my mother preferred drying under open air to tumbler. She fell, of course, but that did not stop her.

Wool is both strong and delicate at the same time. If you wash it in say, warm water and rinse it in cold water, which will happen in a machine, it will inevitably shrink. Wool must be washed and rinsed in the same lukewarm temperature.
If you shrub, rub or centrifugate a wool jumper it will shrink, get knotty and out of shape.

Outside the home where I grew up in my red sweater.

After you have gently crushed and squeezed the wool garment, clean in mild, liquid soap or shampoo,rinse it at least three times in water of the same temperature. Never use fabric softener, but you may need a teaspoon of 7% vinegar if you are afraid the colors will bleed.
Then find a bath towel, lay e,t,c, the pullover on  the towel, fold and roll it hard till its about dry. Especially jumpers should be dried lying. If you hang them, they tend to go out of shape. When dry, you may steam iron gently with a cloth between the iron and the jumper.
Some yearn says the are mashinewashable, believe me, they are not. Some machines claim to have a wool program. Believe me, it doesn't work.
How can I be so persistent? Because I didn't listen to my mother and ruined beautiful, home knitted garments.
Even at the home where my mother spent her last months they managed to ruin a beautiful, bought 500 dollars jacket of wool and silk. In a machine.
I've chosen to illustrate my point by showing a red jumper my mother knitted to me when I was two years old.

Mr. Nisse likes reading. Like me he's fond of John Cowart's books. And the sweater is still red. 

I used it till I grew out of it, then I passed it to toddler Serina and some years thereafter the youlenisse (Santa Claus Norwegian style) was dressed up in the same sweater.
He's still going strong. the jumper had 60 years jubilee this winter.

Since the jumper is red I also sign this up for Ruby Tuesday 2. 

 Photo and poem © 2012 by Magical Mystical Teacher

Christmas Carols # 21

This carol originates from Germany, but we consider it Norwegian. I found this clip where Sissel is singing with Vienna Opera Children's Choir in German and Norwegian. The text  on the video is Spanish. I know that Trey reads Spanish.
A happy amateur have also made his video. I think his original Norwegian videos are great.

Norwegian Christmas Carols # 6

This carol was first played on Children's TV. This version shows the a collection of ancient Norwegian Stave Churches. Hope you enjoy.

Norwegian Christmas hymns and carols # 3

Third day in Advent. Yesterday we lit the first candle and attended a Christmas concert in The Church of Our Saviour.
Norwegians gather in Advent to sing and listen to traditional Christmas hymns. The churches are filled up. I think it's wonderful. The power of genuine lyrics and familiar singing attract people all over the country.
This psalm is about the church bells chiming the Good News; Christ is born.
Kling no klokka is sung in various way to the same old folk tune.
The many choirs are inspired to find their tune.
Therefore I have willingly given you 2 different examples. Enjoy
I actually tried to post 3, but had to stop. The third simply would not appear.

For the Youth

This poem (it's not actually a hymn) and this very scene melted my frozen heart.
I needed that special song to get my ice converted to tears and leave my body.

Psalm Poll Results

These have been taking part in the poll:
Kel, Gunnar, Serina, Amrita, Terry, Crown of Beauty, bottel, John Cowart, Pete from Chelmsford, Constance, Dad Golden, Carol Joy, Sonia, me; Felisol

Abide With Me A lot of Indian music

All heaven declares

All my Tears & Be Still My Soul by Selah

Alltid freidig når du går

Amazing grace

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

And Can it Be

Andreas Boccelli - The Prayer

Be Still My Soul

Be Thou My Vision

BLESSED ASSURANCE

Blessed Assurance

Blessed be your name

Bob Dylan - Every Grain of Sand.

By the Rivers of Babylon By the Sea of Crystal Saints in glory stand

Cantata and fugue in D minor J. S. Bach Chopin

Coldplay - Fix You

David's 121 st Psalm.

David's 121 st Psalm.

Deilig er jorden, Wonderful is the Earth.

Dyp av nåde - er hos deg

Dype, stille, sterke, milde

Eg veit i himmelrik ei borg

Eg veit i himmerik ei borg

En rose er utsprungen

En rose er utsprunget

Et barn er født i Betlehem

Every Grain Of Sand Bob Dylan

Fager kveldssol smiler

Fagert er landet du oss gav

Father God I wonder

First We Take Manhattan

From Heaven you came

Give me Jesus by Fernando Ortega

Gjør døren høi, gjør porten vid

Glade jul, hellige jul

Go Down Moses with Louis Armstrong

Gregorian mass song

Gud sign vår konge god

Gud signe vårt dyre fedreland

Halleluja Händel

Han er min sang og min glede

HANDEL - Hallelujah Chorus

He the pearly gate will open.Words Fredrick A. Blom

Hellig, Hellig, Hellig

Her kommer dine arme små

Herre Gud ditt dyre Navn og Ære, ("Good Lord, thy precious name and glory"

Herre Gud, ditt dyre navn og ære

Himmelske Fader, herleg utan like Hjem, hjem (Home, home) How firm a foundation ye Saints of the Lord

I den stille klare morgen

I denne søte juletid

I need Thee every Hour

Ingen er så trygg for fare

Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Ja vi elsker dette landet

Jeg er så glad hver julekveld

Jeg er så glad hver julekveld Jeg er så glad hver julekveld Jeg har en venn

Jeg synger julekvad

Jesus lever, graven brast

Jesus take me as I am

Jesus, din søte forening

Kimer, I klokker

Kirken den er et gammelt hus

Kjærlighet fra Gud

Kling no, klokka

Kyrie Eleison! Gud Fader miskunne deg…

Landet där solen ej går ner

Led like a lamb

Leid, milde ljos

Leid, milde ljos (Lead, Kindly Light)

Let My People Go

Litlefuglen

Lover Herren! Han er nær

Majesty (worship his Majesty)

Matt Redman - Blessed be the Name

Med Jesus vil eg fara

Mercedes Benz My tribute

Missa Creola

Morning Has Broken

Naglet til et kors på jorden

No livnar det i lundar

Nobody Knows

Nærmere Deg, min Gud(nearer my God to thee)

O bli hos mig! Nu er det aftentid(Abide with me)

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Oh Happy Day - Edwin Hawkins Singers Oh holy night Oh, night devine

Old rugged cross

Old rugged cross

Old rugged cross.

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

Once To Every Man And Nation

One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus

Only A Sinner Saved By Grace

Ovan där/ Bye and Bye

Overmåde fullt av nåde Pie Jesu

Psalm 121

Psalm 16

Psalm 18

Psalm 91

Psalms:

Påskemorgen slukker sorgen Revelation Song

Shine Jesus, Shine

Silent Night

Slavekoret Nabucco

Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. U2

Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Så ta da mine hender

The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco

The Hallelujah Choir by G.F. Handel

The Love of God

The Old Rugged Cross

The Passion" - Adrian Snell (the whole album)

There is a fountain filled with blood Throught it all

Tryggare kan ingen vara

Turn! Turn! Turn! The Byrds

Ungdommens frelser

Velt alle dine veie

Vår Gud han er så fast en borg

When I survey

Å hur saligt å få vandra

Å leva, det er å elska

Å salige stund uten like

One hymn got 4 votes;
Old rugged cross.

Three for;
Abide with me,
Amazing grace,
Davids psalm 121,
Handel, Hallelujah Chorus.
Psalm 137 (choir of the Hebrew slaves/By the rivers of Babylon)
Jeg er så glad hver julekveld.

I've chosen psalm 121 to represent the ones with three votes.
It's such a special psalm in our family.
My Dad loved it, and of course knew it by heart.
When Serina was 4 years, she suddenly asked out of the blue at bed time;
"Mother how far away is God?"
For a moment I was bewildered; then a sentence from Psalm 121 came to help. "5 The LORD is thy keeper; the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand."
The smile upon my girl's face as she let her right hand making shades upon the wall. "Is it true? Is he really here?" I found my old Bible and read the hole psalm for her, to confirm what I just had told her. And I know He was there then and he is here now. AMEN

I humbly thank all the participants, and if I have counted wrong, please let me know.

THE PSALMS, HYMNS AND SONG POLL 3

The psalm and hymns poll is still going on.
Terry sent a vote from her Dad Golden.
He's partly mine as well; my prayer child.
His song is also one of mine, The Old Rugged Cross.

THE PSALMS, HYMNS AND SONG POLL 2

John Cowart says: For a real toe-tapper, I don't think you can beat "Once To Every Man And Nation".
Other than that, they're all just songs.
Since he was the first to answer the call, I thought we might listen to him.

THE PSALMS, HYMNS AND SONG POLL

In our family we like polls. My brother and I have spent hour and days, trying to decide which are the hundred best pop melodies. When Gunnar first created our home site, we interviewed family members to find the best books, songs e.t.c.
http://home.online.no/~jackobse/elise/alltime/retrodem.htm
The other night, as we spoke on the phone, my brother challenged me to invite my blog readers, family blog readers included, to decide which are the psalms, hymns or spiritual songs, meaning the most to you.
We'll come back with a top 20 list before Easter.
If you don't have a blog account, you can post under anonymous and sign the name in the post.
I do hope you answer the call.
Songs and music play such a great role in all aspects of our lives. Wouldn't it be a nice thing to share?

DECEMBER FOURTEENTH

Serina is home.
Peace in heart, peace in mind.
We shall be together for three weeks.
The greatest gift.
I've chosen a lullaby for today.
Not any lullaby.
It was written by a man, Per Sivle, who lost his Mom at the age of 2 1/2. He would cherish the memory of the first song he heard all his life.
Later this very song has been sung by most cradles in Norway.
My Grandmom sung it to her children, my Mom sung it to me, and I sung it over and over again to my daughter.

Den fyrste song

Lars Søraas words: Per Sivle

Den fyrste song eg høyra fekk, var mor sin song ved vogga, dei mjuke ord til hjarta gjekk, dei kunne gråten stogga. Dei sulla meg så underleg, så stilt og mjukt te sova, dei synte meg ein fager veg opp frå vår vesle stova. Den vegen ser eg enno tidt når eg får auga kvila, der stend ein engel, smiler blidt, som berre ei kan smila. Og når eg sliten trøytnar av i strid mot alt som veilar, eg høyrer stilt frå mor si grav den song som all ting heilar.

I know for sure these two guys' moms have song to them too.