Big day

First:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN!!!

My nephew turns 12 today, we are eating donuts in your honor D!
*grin*

Second:

She got highlights.
Daddy gave his permission...he might have opened Pandora's box with that...LOL...
Johanna did a great job.
Saara is so very pleased!

CRISIS!!!! PAGING AUNTIE TAWNY!!!

Niina fell over with her bike yesterday.
Well, twice actually.
And something catastrophic happened.

No, no...she's ok.. just a little scrape on her knee.

One of her glittery swishing thingymajigs (yes I do believe that is the correct term) SNAPPED OFF!

I'll try superglue... but I'll give it a good three minutes.
This is all about street credibility.
She's the only 5 year old around, in fact she's the only girl of any age around here with cool attachments like this on her bike.
She's so proud when the other girls oohh and aahhh over her pink bike.
They don't sell cool bits like these in Finland.

I remember picking these up at Target for something like $3.
Tawny dearest, would you consider stopping by say Target after work and picking up new ones?
And while you are there, buy a nice big envelope too and on your way home stop by the [gasp] post office would you?
I know it's a lot to ask... post office and all... ;o)

But like I said,
it's a CRISIS!!!!!

PS. Niina says it won't hurt if it has a My Little Pony theme...

Hi baby..

... last night I found this baby thrush sitting happily on my bike.

Earlier I had spotted the nest high up a birch tree.

It might be a park day

Not sure yet.
The weather is perfect, but Niina's got a little tummy ache.
We'll see how she feels in an hour.

Saara got her report card on saturday.
An excellent one.
For all her hard work over the year she got a new iPod Nano.
Yes, we spoiled her.
We're allowed to do that on occasion.
(I did get for a very good sale price when Apple launched a store in town, wink)

On sunday I got to see my god daughter Lotta after a long while.
She's 22, studying biology and she just applied to veterinary school here in Helsinki.
I'm hoping she gets in, it would make her local.
Love this photo I took of her... it's so typical to peek over your glasses..lol...

Looks like it's snowing outside with fluff from the aspen trees in the air...
Cross your fingers.. I'd like to get to the park today.

-----EDITED-----

We did make it to the park!
Yay us! LOL!
The girls had a blast.
Here's a pic of our first official park lunch.

Chicken soup on the menu today.
Certain city play parks offer a free hot lunch for kids in June and July, usually a soup or a risotto.

And this taken through my kitchen window....

...the lilacs in full bloom.
Can you smell them?
Aaaahhhh...

Only one more early morning..only one more early...

..morning...only one more early morning...
My new mantra.

Until mid august when schools start and it's at the school 8.15 every damn morning..
I'm such a nightowl..
Tomorrow's awards and report cards ceremony..sure enough...8.15...on a saturday morning! Ugh. Make that a double ugh.

I recently made a layout about the fact that Niina incredibly enough chose an oufit for herself that actually matched. And looked cute too.

That being said...this is one of the outfits she put on the other day that gave me a really bad 80's flashback...

...shiver....

On to the playhouse. One of my dad's great ideas was to buy one that was not kid sized. Even adults can stand up in there, yay.
The girls had been quite content playing in it even with unpainted walls and mismatched furniture. But I wanted it to look fun and inviting.
Last year I finally painted the walls and floor. This year it was time to concentrate on the furnishings. Some stuff had been painted last summer already. I love how it looks now. And the girls brag about having the best playhouse ever, lol..

Welcome to What Street 9.

On the porch we have a real old cash register (my dad used to work for NCR= national cash register way back when... this was one the perks). Depending on the day it's a shop or a restaurant.

Step inside.

The table used to be bright red and in my room when I was about 5. I just added the wheels to it yesterday. That super cute fabric is from IKEA.

My grampa made this shelf for me when I was a little girl.

The new shelf. New baskets too :o)

Now this cooler is special. Would you belive it is over 50 years old? In 1952 Helsinki hosted the summer Olympic Games. That was the event that brought Coca Cola to Finland. This little baby is a collectors item. But it was collecting dust in the garage, so I thought it was in better use here.

Not quite sure of what's on the menu today...

Summer is here!

Yes it is.
It's June 1st.
I don't care that the temp is only +16C (61F).
It's summer, I say.

I've been powertooling this morning.
Drrrrriiillllllling. Banging nails. Painting. Sewing.
It's all got to with the girls' playhouse.
New fun things going in there.
I'll show you tomorrow.
I just need that paint to dry...

Saara has a birthday party to go to at the local amusement park. Lets hope it doesn't start raining... because that would just suck.

Turn of the month also means a new design team gallery at AMLT.
Go check it out.
We had fun themes to work with
-using stickers
Cindy used a cool technique on her Sandy Toes lo.

-stitching on your page
Falyn's Something's Gotta Give had me giggling!

-the manufacturer assignment was KI Memories
Monica's Drum lo really is magical.

This is my favorite page of mine this month.
Can you see I like green?

Ramblings on an ordinary day

Typed right like my minds processes...in random... lol.

-pretty day.
-still no shovels. crap.
-omg...Tawny...only you would lose a wheelbarrow. then again you are also the only person I know who brushes their teeth in bed... I shouldn't be surprised. (ps. I miss you, webcam date..)
-IKEA is evil. have I mentioned that before...? Go there for one item, come out with atleast eight.
-Saara's shelf arrived today, now I only need baskets to house her junk...I mean...stuff...
-my ebay auctions didn't sell...completely forgot it was a holiday weekend on that side of the 'puddle'
-so cool that the portaits Saara drew of our hairdressers were framed and on display at the salon
-never think your child can hold not puking for the 20 seconds it takes you to reach home
-what really irked me was that when I informed Mika about the puking, his first reaction was not to ask if the kid was ok...but rather how dirty the car was and was I cleaning it
-just look at all of you crawling out of the woodwork :o)
-got my issue of Legacy yesterday with my 'no paper, no glue' page

-saturday is the last day of school
-why is it when you pay lots of money your furniture still arrives flat in a box?
-I really should get my camera out more
-Oooohhhh Christine... I know you're out there... does Devery have a trip to Helsinki any time soon? I'm out of page protectors..lol...want to go to Staples? How about coming over to deliver in person, lol...
-love the long days...just getting dark now as I type (at 11pm)
-Sharyn, are you sure you don't have my shovel?

More tomorrow.
Suski out.
:o)

Lonely blog

Well it just looks lonely since I'm not getting any comments.
I've had 130+ hits here in the last 5 days.

HINT HINT.

Yup, time to step up and do the right thing.
Heh.

Last week of school for Saara. Wooo hooo!
I've even changed my weather gizmo's caption... summer is here.
Yeah, redardless of the temps.

So... I can't find our garden shovels anywhere.
We have two. I used one just a week ago and now it's nowhere to be found.
Do we have a garden gnome who hides them? Or do the neighbor kids amuse themselves by snatching them?
I've no idea. And asking Mika is no use. See, he never ever touches or moves anything. Oh no. Stuff just levitates at his command. And then his memory is wiped clean. Probably with that cool gadget from Men In Black...major eyeroll. The fact remains, I cannot get the flowerbed moved without a shovel. Looks like I need to buy a new one. Want to bet the two old ones resurface the minute I come home? They'll be dancing on the steps singing: we were here aaaaallll the time.

Oh and another major gripe... the Alt Gr button on my keyboard is not working! Cannot figure it out... driving me bonkers.

I need to focus on something good.
Ummmm....
Let me think...

The sun is out :o)

A glimpse into my haven

These photos were taken yesterday (except for one).
I'll give you monthly updates so you can see the change.
Summer is short but vigourous this far north.
15-18 hours of daylight will do that...

Click on the photos, they all have text.









Raining again today... no escaping outside...

Just one more time

I promise not to bore you with the winning monsters too much.
But.
I was reading this fun blog today called Go Fug Yourself.
Something I check out about once a week.
Simply because I am a huge fan of bad taste.
The blog is dedicated to fashion faux pas that make you shudder.
Or cover your eyes.
Or run away screaming.
You know... fun stuff.

So today I found this entry on there.
I was tickled pink.
Or blue and white, heh.

My favorite quote :
I absolutely cherish the idea that the Finnish people want the world to see five huge guys dressed up as punk Skeletors and think, "Oh, man, that is so Finland."

So true. So true.
Like I said before...
we rock.
Dude.

No rain today

But it's windy as he**... lol..

Major grocery shopping today. Tomorrow is a church holiday here, ascencion day or such, not sure of the english word. Helatorstai in finnish ;o)

My mind just went blank...
I got a textmessage from Mika (DH) that leaves me all confuddled (I like that word, I think it's a word...right?). Some big positive news might be in the air for his company... keep your fingers crossed. Toes too please, the guys so deserve this...

Ebay, yes... ---------------------------------------->
Link on the side bar there.
You'll find these two mini albums for sale.




Niina's last day of preschool ever today.
Sniff.
She's getting so big.

And talking of big... Saara's appetite these days!
She is going through a major growth spurt, she's eating like a horse.
She also has growing pains in her legs, poor thing...

Rainy day

I was planning on yardwork today, but that plan went out the window as soon as I looked out the window :oP

So instead I've backed up my photos onto a dvd (patting myself on the back for remembering) and watched an old Sherlock Holmes (with Jeremy Brett, the only true Holmes) episode on tv.
Feeling lazy.

After a long hiatus I'm back to making "stuff" to sell on ebay. Hopefully I'll get some of it up later today. I'll be sure to come link you.

I better go make a shopping list, my dad is dropping by this evening and I'm thinking a pie is in order... hmmm... apple or blueberry?

But before I go I'll show you my favorite garden detail right now.
The two red tulips being hugged by the bleeding heart.
Lovely.

Grand Opening

I've been cooking up some designs and finally got them done and uploaded to my very own Cafe Press store:

susanna's color theory.

Please come and take a look (there's also a link on the sidebar). Let me know what you think and tell me what is your favorite color.

Spreading color today...

Hell has frozen over.

Winning the Eurovision Song contest still feels surreal.
We rock.

After 40 years of trauma being last or second to last. Being happy for the one or two consolation points our dear Nordic neighbors send our way.

Lordi scored alltime record points.
SWEET!

I mean we had never ever even scored the full 12 points from anyone. Now we got them eight times. I still understood the full points from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. But from Greece and United Kingdom too? Way way way cool.

Hard to wipe this grin off my face.

(that is a traditional Lappish four wind hat on Mr Lordi's head. He is from Lapland)

Here are a couple links for you:

Helsingin Sanomat (our newspaper, in english..lol)
The official Eurovision site.


Rock really is a natural high.
Hallelujah!

EEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!

The monsters did it!!!
They flippin' won the Eurovision Song Contest!

Holy crap.

I'll post some pics tomorrow.

(our hockey team didn't fare as well... they are playing for bronze against Canada)

Wish I knew Spanish

Just so I'd know what Juanes was singing about on his new cd.
This is my new happy music.
Makes me dance around the house :o)

* Eurokitsch *

kitsch n.

1.Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts: "When money tries to buy beauty it tends to purchase a kind of courteous kitsch" (William H. Gass).
2.An example or examples of kitsch.

What is the ultimate example of Eurokitsch?

The Eurovision Song Contest.

This is something I have watched every May since I was a kid. Mostly because it is just sooo bad. You know.. like an accident waiting to happen... you just can't turn your head away...

3 minute songs that make you wonder what really makes the Ukrainians tick (cute boots though)? Or why oh why is Carola (of Sweden) obsessed with wind machines? Just who choreographed the Armenians (I'm guessing someone into bondage...)? And what designer had a nervous breakdown dressing the Polish (I'm not even touching the green and silver hair...)?

All in all good fun. And so KITSCH.
You need a bottle of wine and a open mind to watch this event.

For us Finns it has become a national trauma not to have placed better than #6 (back in the 70's). We have sent in songs that make you want to throw yourself in front of a car, they were so bad. Songs so bad you shook your head in wonder when the Swedes gave us the : Finland, one point. Finlande, une point. I think I would have preferred the zero... lol.

So this year... makes an exception.
BIG exception.
The Finns decided to kick some Eurovision ass.
We sent in the hard-monster-rock-scare-old-grannies-silly-band Lordi.
Singing Hard Rock Hallelujah!
These guys (and one gal) look like orks escaped from the Lord of the Rings film set...
They are publicly never seen without their masks.

Yesterday was the semifinal.
And we got into the final.
Too cool!

Then it's time for the most talked-about entry in this year's contest: Lordi, the hard rock monsters from Finland. Wearing platform shoes that must be 12 inches high, lead singer Lordi growls out 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' in front of a stunning display of pyrotechnics- this isn't just a few sparks; we're talking huge jets of fire. Huge bat wings unfurl from Lordi's back and by the end the now-smoke-filled arena is stunned. Terrifying but brilliant.

They have gotten so much publicity out of this. Very clever move of the band.
And they are the protest vote. The song to vote for to change the contest from kitschy eurodisco/ballads to music that people actually listen to more than once.
I hate to say this...but... they might just pull it off.

And there are more possibilities in the air for this weekend.
A hat trick.

Winning the Eurovision Song Contest.
Winning the World Championship Hockey tournament (preferably against the swedes, ha!) However we first have to beat the Chzechs tomorrow.
Aki Kaurismaki winning the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Oh it's nice to dream... lol...

PS. if is hasn't been obvious, the green parts of the text are links.

Still alive

Just very busy this week.

Saara had camp school mon-wed.
I was there to help on Tuesday.

Yesterday we were at a jewelry store opening do. Fun times.

I have a mountain of laundry.
And another mountain of ironing...

I found my scrapping mojo.
Yes, it was lost for a bit.

I should do yardwork, but it is too chilly.
Instead I'm going through stuff for the garage sale we are holding together with our neighbors the weekend after this.

Saturday I'm taking the girls to see The Great Circus of Moscow which is in town.

Only 16 days to summer vacation.
I'm so ready for no-schedule-days.

Hehehehehee...

Conversation with Niina just five minutes ago:

"Mom, your hair used to be long."
(she had been looking at old, old photos)

"Yes, as long as Saara's is now. And curly."

"Curly all over?"

"Yup. Then when Saara was growing in mom's tummy, all my curls disappeared. Just like that!"
[said snapping my fingers]

"They got really straight?"

"Straight like they are now."

"Sooo... still a little crooked?"
[I fall off my chair laughing]

A little plug :o)

My brain has been on overload these past two weeks, too much going on.
I completely forgot to brag about the awesome May gallery at AMLT!
We also have a cool contest to enter.

Cindy's Splendor LO is amazing. It makes me smile everytime I look at it.

Out of my own, I really am happy with this one

Color theory (part two)

...aka why I should never go to IKEA.

It's an evil place for a colornut to enter. Because they have cute summer bags, funky birds, lovely fabric, drinking straws that scream fun, the perfect popcicle maker,and how did they know I needed new kitchen towels, supercute napkins, fabulous picnic lunch bags and delicious pictures for the playhouse walls.

I only needed to get those pictures...

Color theory

I'm all about color.
Just look at my clothesline up there, makes me smile just to look at it.

But I do have a preferred color.
One that I am drawn to.
A color that makes me happy.
It also makes me buy things I wasn't planning to buy.
Just because they were the right shade of

green.

Like this ring and the skirt.

Didn't need them, but could not leave the store without them. (the ring normally resides in my right pinkie, but I couldn't get a photo of it, no matter how hard I tried LOL! Hard being right-handed at times ...)

And yes, the title also refers to the new KI Memories release. Guess which color theme papers I'm getting?

*grin*

I'll be outside

It's supposed to be 18-20C (that's 64-68F) for the rest of the week.
If you need to find me, I'll be outside doing yardwork, digging flowerbeds, planting seeds, designing and dreaming, and if I just can't think of anything else...washing windows.

Feel free to come hang out.

Join me!

Come on, come on!
Can you see what I'm doing?

***

I'm HAPPY DANCIN'!!!
Wooo hoooo!

***

Niina got admitted to The English School of Helsinki today. They only took 36 kids in. She starts Primary1 next August.
The same school Saara goes to.
My old alma mater.

Put on those dancing shoes and come jam with me!
We'll turn up those 80's tunes.
*grin*

PS. My new banner celebrates the start of drying clothes outdoors. In two weeks... have to wait until there is no alder pollen in the air anymore.