{iloinen ystavan puolesta mutta vahan vihreekin}

i have too many talented friends. i'm starting to get a major inferior complex. :)

i have three friends now who have a photography business. they all take amazing pictures. the latest addition is talia. please check out her new photography business blog:

www.taliaudenart.blogspot.com

ihan oikeesti mulla on sellainen tunne talla hetkella etten osaa mitaan enka oo hyva missaan. kai pitaisi lopettaa itseni vertailu muihin. olispa ihana vaan olla tosi hyva jossain eika rapeltaa "vahan sita, vahan tata". huoh.

{i remember}

(image via google image search)


today is remembrance day. we remember the soldiers who have suffered much or sacrificed their lives for freedom. i don't know why but this year this day is really hitting me hard. my heart feels heavy as i think of all the lives lost and all the suffering due to wars in our world. so much heart ache and suffering because someone wanted someone's land or someone wanted power and wealth. some wars have to happen. when forces united to save the world from hitler's power and influence, for example. when russia tried to take over finland...
my heart always goes to my grandma's younger brother who died so young. he died during the last days of the war. what a waste. what a tragedy. he was so handsome. his life was ahead of him. he played the violin. he won speedskating medals with old, worn skates. many girls' hearts were broken when he didn't come back from the war. how i love my grandma's brother even though i never met him. Y
how grateful i am to be living in a free country. i don't take it for granted and the least i can do is to honor this day and to remember.

{gorgeous sky}

so i didn't get my gorgeous fall trees this year but there has still been lots of beauty and i've been taking many mental pictures as i'm driving about. today when we got home i had to snap some real pictures of the sky. it was gorgeous. the colors were amazing and it all looked beautiful against all the brown out there.

so grateful for beauty. Y

{ihania seppeleita}

i love simple wreaths.

www.amgrovers.com (wholesale only)
www.maccreative.co.uk
www.napahometx.com
napa = bellybutton in finnish
home = mold in finnish
:D
www.rubylane.com via www.papercrave.com
(cardboard safari wreath)

www.wreaths-unlimited.com

via www.visualvamp.blogspot.com

which one is your favorite?

ps. started reading the twilight books for the fourth time. :D

{chisu - sama nainen}

ihana! kiitti suville musavinkista.

{kids make everything ten times cuter}

ps. a new poll! ----->

how do you feel about snow?

{askarteluaamu}

today some of us women got together at church to make some crafts. we made three projects. one was this photo ornament. i actually just finished making it. i made mine a bit differently from the others. theirs were red/green and had cute colorful buttons on the picture instead of what you see here.
at the back i added some tiny number stickers to display the year.
the ornament is so simple to make. you need a 3" x 4" photo (or any size you want, even some shape than a rectangle), some scrapbooking paper (to cover the back), small piece of chipboard, some ribbon, bling bling or whatever you want to use to decorate it with.

another project was these hair decorations. another simple project. you just tie various ribbons to an elastic hair thingy.
the third project was cute "snowman soup" gift jars. i haven't finished mine yet but i'll post a picture when i get them done.
fun, fun. :)

{playdough fun}

image via google image search
image via www.sashasart.net
how long has it been since you played with playdough?
it's fun and therapeutic. whether you have kids or not. :)
you can make spaghetti or skinny worms with a garlic press or with a syringe.
you can hide little plastic bugs or some other trinkets or toys in the playdough for kids to find.
you can print a picture that kids "fill out" with playdough.
you can add beads or other decorations.
the sky is the limit.
so here's a great recipe for playdough (i got it from sienna's playschool).
playdough
5 cups flour (1,25 l)
1 cup salt (2,5 dl)
4 packages of Kool-Aid drink powder (to color the playdough)
1. mix these dry ingredients together.
6 cups boiling water (1,5 l)
1/2 cup oil (1,25 dl)
2. mix these wet ingredients together.
3. mix wet and dry ingredients together.
4. leave to cool.
5. knead when cool and put in airtight container.

{color quiz}

these were the colors selected for me after taking the color quiz. i don't like all of these colors but my colors have to be warm and earthy so this quiz seems to work. click on the image as usual to see it better.

to take your own quiz, go to:

www.prattandlambert.com

{that time of the year again}

microscopic picture of the H1N1 virus

(image found via google image search)

so - it's that time of the year again. many people have already been sick. lots of stuff going around. many of us are worried about the swine flu - H1N1. much debate has been going on about whether to get the vaccine or not. some are still confused about when to go to the doctor and when not.

to make it simple, here's a list of the differences between a cold and a flu.

a cold

• milder than the flu
• usually lasts for about a week
• contagious for the first 3 days (stay home!!!)
• usually begins with a sore throat, which usually goes away in a day or two
• runny nose and congestion comes next
• cough by the 4th and 5th day
• children might get slight fever, adults usually not
• if no improvement in a week, a bacterial infection a possibility, you need to see a doctor (possibly need antibiotics)
• to help cold symptoms: antihistamines, decongestants, anti-inflammatory medication

a flu

• similar symptoms as in a cold, but more severe
• sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, cough
• swine flu especially - might get vomiting and diarrhea as well
• most symptoms gradually improve over 2-5 days but can take a week or more
• pneumonia is a common complication
• if you get shortness of breath or fever that comes back after having been gone for a day or two - go to a doctor immediately
• to help flu symptoms: antihistamines, decongestants, analgesics (ibuprofen, acetaminophen)
• antiviral drugs should be started within the first 48 hours (tamiflu, relenza)
• stay home!!!

source for info: www.webmd.com

one tip most people don't know about:

the doctors here are recommening a salt water spray to clear the nose of bacteria. don't just mix salt with water. go to your pharmacist and ask about it. it works great for people with allergies as well. it clears the nose and helps runny nose and congestion. prevents illness as well by flushing bacteria out.

ps. i'm not a doctor. use this info with discretion. :)