Last Sunday

We were at my Dad's for a pre-Christmas dinner.


Julia & Niina, sweet cousins.. the girls just loooove her!


I love when I can get a great shot of her.. not so easy with her teenage moods.

My bro..

Trigger happy.

The both of us.

I'll have to get the photo of me from him... :)

Do I hear jingle bells?

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

I've spent the day in the kitchen...

• Broke the kitchen scale.. also dropped the electric whisk and now it sounds funny.
• Been very annoyed with a cranky kid.
• Huffed when dragged the kitchen rug into the washer after older kid bombed carrot sauce onto it.
• But I do have one cake, and the carrot dish ready.
• Two loaves of bread rising.
• Potatos getting sweeter. Into the oven once the bread comes out.
• The ham goes into the oven overnight.
• That only leaves the red beet chevise and truffel mousse for tomorrow.
• And get this.. I've even wrapped presents.
• The tree comes in tonight.
• We have SNOW.
• We also have sleet.
• I may still be sane tomorrow...

A-may-zing.

Dinner?
Ha!
It's fend for yourself night...

From my house to yours

A very Merry Christmas!

Snow snow, beautiful snow...

Pretty powder snow has blanketed us.

There was lovely light on Saturday morning.

Happy winter!

Whoooosh..

For Tawny bear...

...clonk...

(the sound of me hitting the floor)
Heh!

I take it you got the chocolates :)
Love you to bits!

I splurged :)

I did something I've been wanting to do for a long while.. I went and bought myself a pack of the coolest photoshop actions from Totally Rad.
These actions ROCK!

I picked five favorite shots from this year and played.

Oh yeah.
I'll be having fun with these...

It's all about the light

Randomness...

..to release brain pressure :D

• I've learned that sarcasm is my first language.
• I've also learned it doesn't sink in with 1st graders... go figure, ha! And yet.. I'll speak it. Any.given.opportunity.
• I have an urge to paint. On canvas. I haven't had that urge for two years or so... I have a strong feeling I should go with the urge. Just not tonight. Or tomorrow.
• Tonight I need to vacuum... I've procrastinated (I'm also fluent in that language) by hanging up Christmas lights. The new led lights I bought for outside are WAAAAAYYYYY too bright. Something ironic about that in this darkness.
• Tomorrow I have dinner guests coming over.
• What's for dinner tomorrow? I'd like to know that too...ugh... I'm thinking chicken stew a´la Provencale. Topped with lots of red wine. And something ridiculously sweet for dessert. But would take like ten minutes to make... I was never good at math.. cooking yes, math no...
• I went to the doctor this morning since a joint on my left foot was painful. A bunion.. A bunion! Nooooooooooooooo...... that's like grandma stuff! I'm in complete denial... it must be the painkillers.
• It started hurting after spending some time playing football with the boys in the afternoon. I've also learned I'm really bad at football (and that's soccer for you football impaired stateside folks..).
• It's finally freezing.
• Which makes my bum knee ache...geezzz... I just can't win!
• I'm still procrastinating vacuuming..
• I got a new washing machine this week. It's like a spaceship. Way cool. Although with that price I was half expecting it to hang the laundry up too... damn it..
• We've had no crafts at the afternoon club this week.. it took the bigger boys (oh ok, the two men I work with *grin*) four days until they figured out I was escaping the noise by volunteering to do the dishes. This involves carrying them next door to Primary 1, unloading their dishes and loading ours into their dishwasher. Then going back a bit later to pick ours up. I can procrastinate all I want :D Hey it takes a while to do things properly.
• Next week, full crafts mode. Also no escape. Crap.
• Only 12 more work days until vacation! Cannot wait.
• On that note, I'm not ready for Christmas yet.
• Cards? What cards? [bangs head on desk]
• Could it please snow overnight? And make it all pretty tomorrow?

Over and out.

I'm so bad...

I feel so bad when I don't get around to blogging...
And then there is SO MUCH great blogging material I just can't tell you about.. school world.. I can talk about my own kids but not other people's kidlets..
Oh I wish..

It's been quite warm but rainy and dark here. Bah.
Where the hell is the snow???
I'm hanging up Christmas lights tomorrow.. provided I can find them all. Now why is that? You'd think it would be a great idea to actually store ALL the lights in one place.. sounds terrific.
Just n.e.v.e.r. happens.
I don't get it.
The mysteries of life.

Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it's the first advent tomorrow.
Whoa.
I hear the holiday panic train approaching...

I was out to our staff Christmas party yesterday.
We went laser fighting.. I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. Man was it fun. I spent so much time just laughing. The opposing teams had a bunch of kids on them, and the reception lady went and told that we were teachers.. we had no chance of winning after that :D
Plus you couldn't find those fast little buggers.. they were so short coming around the corner.

Then we ate some great Thai food, went for a drink, then another one, then some dancing..
Ended up back home at 4am.
Hey, sign of a good party, right?
I have to say I work with some really cool people :)
Cheers guys!

Mondays should be outlawed

Pretty isn't it?

Or wasn't it?

No snow now.. it's just dark and bleary..bah.

I think either we should start school on Mondays (and Fridays too) at 10am instead of 8am, or make Monday morning naps mandatory...

Sounds like a good plan, doesn't it?

At least there were baked goods with chocolate at the coffee break that made it feel slightly better. Chocolate on Monday mornings should also be mandatory :D

My shoulders are jammed. Ugh. Started the day with pain killers. I think I have to opt for taking my nordic walk and just bear the pain in my foot, cause doing it the other way around just is not working..

In fact, I'm off for a walk as soon as my iPod has loaded.

I've had to load it up with music again, now that I finished listening to all the Harry Potter books. I'm really going to miss not having Stephen Fry's voice in my ears.

Does anyone have any good suggestions on books on cd?

It would make my winter walks so much more enjoyable.

Anyone?

..tap..tap..

..is this thing on?

sigh

It's been a while...

The last two weeks have been insane, to say it lightly :P

Lots of oinking in school, we were the first school in town to be hit with the epidemic.

Saara got it and it took her nearly a week to shake it off.

I subsituted for the better part of the two weeks... that meant I did someone else's job on top of mine, LOL!

At least the first week was nice and easy with half of our 1st graders at home..

I hope to find my senses and brain function this coming week.

Over and out.

More tomorrow.

Just don't hold your breath...hehee..

Winter rolled into town

And with it came darkness at 4pm.


Luckily snow wasn't far behind.
Mind you our pumpkin doesn't look happy...

Is that a frozen booger up his nose?!? LOL!
We were given this pumpkin after the school Halloween party, it was made by a group of 2nd graders.



Snow does make for some pretty pictures.

Second day home with both Niina and myself with slight fevers.
We're the lucky ones with swine flu raging in school.
Fingers crossed that we'll be normal temperatured (hehee) tomorrow as I have a hairdresser appointment...

Monday

It's strange how your body and mind react to sorrow.
I woke up on saturday with plans to make small gift boxes. After reading my emails all that creativity just left me. Poof.
Instead I puttered around the house for hours doing laundry, changing sheets, cleaning the fridge, dusting... menial stuff, just so I wouldn't have to think.
Only that evening could I muster that creativity back.


Those of you who don't follow my dollhouse blog, my friend was the bubbly person who made the tiny ceramic dishes I use for my miniature food.
Her laugh is what I'll miss the most.

Onwards and upwards, right though?

I went around school on friday looking like this:

I was the Queen of Hearts.

I wore a red skirt with white tulle tucked in at the sides...
The bonus part was of course that I could say to the misbehaving kids:

Off with your head!

Sadness...

Woke up to sunshine..

And a message that a good friend had died yesterday.

A friend so positive, vivacious, happy.

A friend who will be sorely missed.

I'm so lucky to have known her.

Dark...

[for my reflections photo series]

I'm not fond of switching back and forth with daylight savings time...

So I get one hour more of light in the morning... I lose one in the afternoon...

Besides that one hour of light disappears pretty darn fast this far north.

It's the time you start wishing for snow and that people would wear loads of reflectors.

I took a little trip to Stockholm over the weekend with the Dollhouse Assocoation folks to visit the miniature fair there. We had a fabulous trip, fun was had by all. We had workshops onboard and shopped to our hearts delight. (photos on that on my dollhouse blog)

I did have a daylights savings time incident however...

Before going to bed saturday night, I set the clock on my phone two hours earlier, to compensate both the time change and time zone change. So my phone asks if I'm changing time zones, I hit yes, and find Sweden. I notice it now says it's GMT +2 hours.

I wake up a few times during the night and at one point look at my phone and notice it's 3.15ish.. I thought i slept some, but when i look again it's only 3.30ish... hit the pillow again...

When we wake up, my friend says we should head for breakfast, I look at my phone and say but it's only just before 6, it won't open for another hour.

Umm...no.. it's 7..

Can't be..

Take a closer look at my phone, click click... hey this now says GMT +1hour.. what the heyyyyy... I hate having a smart phone... switching to daylight savings all on its own..hmmpphh...

Lesson learnt.

From now on I'll change just time zones and compensate for nothing...ha!

I've been home with two sick kids for two days now. Unexpected free days with pay.. I can live with that... we've played yatzee, watched movies (I even sat through Hannah Montana the movie..), needlefelted, scrapped with Niina... all sorts of things. She's now feeling better and the two of us will be heading back to school tomorrow. Saara's staying home for one more day.

The first thing I'll be doing tomorrow is to make the decorative tablerunner (from paper) for the teachers' room for our Halloween treats tomorrow. Our American cook is making pumpkin pie.. yummmmyy....

Oh, and nobody ventured a guess on what I'll be for Halloween... think hearts..

And I need a sceptre.. :D

Another set

1. chick cupcake, 2. Special Winter Bed Bug, 3. Miniature Witch/Wizard Book, 4. impressionist cake, 5. Drunken mice, 6. thought of the day., 7. ginger-skeletons, 8. Shall I change my career to button washer?, 9. Halloween Wreath, 10. Rainbow Bento 1, 11. still playing, 12. Carrot Heads, 13. Miniature red velvet cake 1:12, 14. Apple, 15. IMG_0207.jpg, 16. build a ROBOT cupcakes!

I'm particularly fond of the winter hats for keys :)

Time for some more Flickr faves!

1. A party for you, and you and you!!, 2. Mythbusters: Jaime and Adam, 3. Ministry of Silly Walks Stenciled Tee, 4. Trees etc wip, 5. Embroidery, 6. Still sewing by hand..., 7. Spambroidery, 8. Mobile phone man, 9. Nightstand Makeover, 10. alice in wonderland card guard, 11. irish stones, 12. mad hatters hat, 13. gorgeous kid's room., 14. flowerbird - AVAILABLE, 15. Tigerskin with teeth, 16. The whole Cute-tip family

The third row could give you a tip of what I'm planning to be for Halloween...

Monday

Just so you know

*grin*

(credit where credit's due!)

I love days like this...

...when you notice the beauty of the last flower.


...when you can admire colors.


...when you get to enjoy the sunlight through the leaves.

...when you can find nature's treasures.

...when you can hear the leaves falling.

...when you find your patio table has grown a frosty fur overnight :)

Just chillin'...

We had white stuff falling from the sky yesterday.
Didn't stick though...

I've been surfing on Etsy a lot lately.
The other day I came across this lovely store called Wunderkind's shop.
I saw this cool DIY kit and a lightbulb went on above my head.
I wonder if I could manage... how cool would that be..
And I headed off to to Wunderkind's Flickr gallery for more inspiration.

You see I have been holding onto these two vintage spools not knowing what to so with them.
I finally figured it out.

I even had the wood parts I needed.

I got out the paints and when painting the eyes, realized it would have been wiser to pick up a smaller brush (you know one with three hairs), but I'm still so very happy with these two spool girls.

The bigger one wears a collar made from a bit of umbrella I found on the street and picked up. She's also wearing my favorite bit of ribbon :)

Thanks for the inspiration Wunderkind!

Want to take a walk in the woods with me?

I took my camera with me in Saturday so I can give you a look-see to what I have just across the street.
I'll just take you with me.. like it or not.. LOL!

It is a city owned little forest.
I spent many a childhood day playing in here.
You can't get lost in it, there's a road on every side.


Nothing like walking on fallen leaves.


This maple leaf looks like it's rusted :)

We are heading up this path and then taking a right turn at the silver birch in the middle...

Ooohhh.. pretty colors..

This is why I brought you here.

These are defensive trenches built during WW1 to protect the city.
They were never used.

But they still remain.
We used to come an play here all the time.
There even was a time when a classmate of mine and I snuck out of the window at midnight to come jump over these.

Hey, we had a Vampire Club. We were on grade 4 I think...
Why we used the creaky window instead of the non-creaky door, I'll never know.
Made sense at the time :)
My parents never knew what we did....

Now these stone trenches have been beautifully taken over by moss.

In fact there is lovely soft, lush, green moss everywhere.

And this... makes you wonder..

Many of the paths are now overgrown with new growth... very irritating..

But this little forest still has it's moments for me.

I can still find pussy willows, woodland anemones, lily of the valley, blueberries and raspberries here.

Did you enjoy our little walk?