{space & science center}

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Jay had a day off yesterday so we spent the afternoon at the Space & Science Center. We saw a Reptile Show, a Lego Exhibition, a Space Exhibition and all kinds of other fun stuff.

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{poor kitty!}

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Poor kitty had so many ouwies. Thank goodness we have a little nurse in the house. :)

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New poll - what's your favorite color? Mine are silver, white and black. They're the ones that are always there. Other colors come and go. Few years back, it was all about blue. Bright blue. Even my toenails had to be blue. Blue crept into my crafts, into our home. Right now all I care is that the colors in my home are warm. Canadian winters are so cold. I need that warmth that comes from warm colors.

In 1999 there was a neat article about color in the National Geographic magazine. Some nippets of info from that article:

*Popular with European painters for three centuries, mummy was a rich brown pigment made by grinding the remains of Egyptian mummies.

*Production of Indian yellow, an artist's pigment made in India from soil soaked with the urine of cows fed on mango leaves, was outlawed because the leaves made the sacred animals ill.

*Inmates are reported to be calmer when held in cells painted a specific shade of pink. That same pink suppresses appetite, while orange stimulates it. Yellow surroundings may imrove the performance of schoolchildren.

*In the Western tradition Aristotle's belief that all colors are created by mixing black and white prevailed well into the 17th century. Even Leonardo da Vinci could not decide the question, declaring at different times that there were six primary colors, or eight. In 1613 Jesuit teacher Francois d'Aguilon declared that there were three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue, which together with white and black could be combined to make all colors.

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{can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!}

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I honestly think it's cruel to make me wait until November. :)

They should have made half of Edward's face all sparkly in this poster (to match Jacob's).

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Eight looooooong months.

*sigh*

{sienna's room}

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Ok, some pictures of Sienna's room. It wasn't 100% ready when I took the pictures but I figured you all were dying to see these so... :D

In this picture it looks like the pictures are way too high up but when you see them in the room they look just right (the bed is a low one). I still need to print the pictures that go in the frames. I should get that done this week. The dot on the wall is a smiley face sticker. Sienna covered a little scratch on the wall. :)
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Above Sienna's footprints will be baby pictures of Sienna.

By the way, Sienna doesn't have flat feet. I was so worried that I wouldn't get the whole footprint that I pressed it a bit too much and got her arch printed too. It was almost impossible to get these footprints in the first place. Wiggly girl. :)

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Sienna's dresser.
I guess it's time for a not-so-babyish lamp. Moo-moo and twee-twee have been fun though.
The silver mobiles are from Aarikka.
Bear cross-stitch was a gift from a dear friend.
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Sienna's new curtains. They needed to be dark as sun shines in her room in the evenings (especially in the summer). Jay hadn't attached the second glass knob on the rod yet.
I can't stand the popcorn ceiling but I'm too lazy to do anything about it.
A ceiling fan lamp is a must - it gets really hot here in the summer.
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The bookshelf. I should have done something funky with it (wallpaper on the backboard f.ex.) but too late now. It's screwed to the wall. The turtle lamp is a perfect nightlight. The chair is an old rocking glider that I need to find a new cover for as I don't like the look of it. It's been the comfiest chair ever though. Great for those sleepless nights when Sienna was a baby.
One of these days we'll get rid of this carpet. A work in progress still I guess. :) Should have done it when we first moved in but we had enough to do back then.
Sienna's room is quite small but it's ok as she only sleeps there.
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Once again - the butterflies I made for her room. Me lovey these. They sparkle. These are between the dresser and the bed.
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I made a heart in a shadowbox frame from roses Sienna got as a baby.
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I've shown this before but here it is again. Cute.
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I made this teddy frame with scrapbook paper.
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Some of Sienna's friends. :)
So, there you have it.
My style is not girley girley as you can see. But it's still fun for a little girl. The room is very cozy at night when Sienna goes to bed. I love the earthy colors. Sienna's closet is pink at least. :)
Those of you who've seen the earlier pictures of her room: I took most of those wall stickers off. It was too cluttery looking. I left the bunnies, birdies & plants on the bottom of the closet door. A bunny and a fox are on the bottom of the dresser. And there's the pink owl beside the bookshelf.
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{check out this cake!}

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These pictures are in our kitchen. Right above the stairs that go to our tv room. Jay made the clown when he was little (it's made from yarn). Isn't it cute?

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I love this family portrait our niece drew for us.

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This is another masterpiece by Jay, from his school days. Click on the picture and you'll be able to read the fun story he wrote. :)
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Robin drew this Spider-Man.
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When I was little, I used to draw everyone as a princess. This is my mom as a princess. The original is only about 4cm tall.
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On our way out yesterday, Sienna wanted to take a picture of me when she saw that I was bringing the camera with me. Yes, I always look this tired. And please don't ask about the cropping. There's a reason for it. :) This is one of my favorite jackets ever. Underneath is a down vest from Eddie Bauer.
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Yesterday was fun. Sienna and I went to Scholar's Choice where I bought some gifts for friends who have had babies. Sienna also got some new paints and glitter to mix with the paints. Sienna loves playing with the Calico Critters doll house there.

Then it was time to go to church where I helped decorate the room for our Relief Society annual party. Our theme was "Let's Get 'Purse'onal" so the decorations were mainly purses & bags, balloons and ribbon bows around the back of the chairs. Pink, white and black. Tissue paper was put in the purses. It turned out really nice.

This is a picture of the cake my friend made. It's still in it's wrapping here but I'm sure you can see what an AMAZING cake she made. The purse handle is made with a softened Tootsie roll. We also had other cakes and punch with floating raspberries.

The program was awesome. The young women (ages 12-18) were invited also and they did a beautiful music number. There were couple other amazing musical numbers too. Some people are so musically talented, I tell you (not me!). Someone told the story of the organizing of the first RS. There were three awesome short talks. First one by a teenager who showed her purse and what's in it and how it relates to RS and the gospel. Then my friend showed three of her purses. First her backpack from her university days. Then a small trendy purse. I actually asked for a copy of her talk as it really touched me. Here's a short quote about the trendy purse: "...This purse symbolizes freedom and hard work for me. It is a product of my first purse. I'm able to carry this purse because of the long years of studying and working hard at school. As a result of the backpack, my wallet in this purse is now filled..." Then she showed us her current purse - a large diaper bag. This is when my eyes went blurry with tears. Because she said: "My husband and I waited 21 years to acquire this purse (even longer than Jay and I did!). It has long been awaited for with much emotion. It was really difficult for us to acquire this purse and we gave up many times during our lives trying to get it. We tried so many avenues to it and often felt that this wasn't going to be a purse that we would get in this life time. But faith and 'purse'istence saw us through..."

Then another one of my friend's grandma talked. She's almost 86 years old. She told us about her family moving to Edmonton and how they lived in a dugout (a hole dug into the ground) when they first got here. They didn't have a house yet. Then they built a house but had no electricity. Eventually they had a radio. One of the few in the neighborhood and people would come to their house to listen to hockey games. It was neat to listen about life "way back when". It was so funny when she also told us that she thought her father was from Poland and had a Polish name. Then she eventually started doing family history and found out his name was Italian! :D She mentioned how she's well enough to drive still. Every Thursday she goes somewhere by herself and her family wonders where she goes. She said not to worry as all her boyfriends are dead. :) Etc. Etc. It was such an awesome talk as well.

Why am I writing all this? It was such a wonderful evening and I don't want to forget it. It was almost like a quick look at a woman's life in all the various stages of her life. Very 'purse'onal talks and the spirit in the room was amazing.

Afterwards we played a fun game "what's in your purse". We were asked if you had this and that item in the purse. If you did, you had to raise your hand and show it. The first three got a chocolate. Yep, they even asked if someone had Tampax in their purse. :D It was fun to see the stuff people had in their purses. Some women sure are prepared for anything. :)

Anyways, I came home so uplifted and edified. Us women know how to throw a great party.

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ps. My last night's dream involved Sting, Michael Buble and me singing "tuiki, tuiki tahtonen" (twinkle twinkle little star in Finnish). Don't ask. :D

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{playground fun}

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cocoon tropicalia by patricia urquiola for moroso

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If you love little trinkets and things why not display them like this. I'd probably cut a shape from wood and attach them on that. Less holes on the wall. Any shape or size.

picture: jane atlitw

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ihanan kevainen pussilakana

by jodii
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Went to the mall playground yesterday. It's nice to have a playground to go to in the winter too. We always go before 2pm so that we miss all the bigger kids who are out from school.
This mall used to be nice but now it's going downhill. Many cheap stores and vacant store spaces.
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{aboriginal art}

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imiyari yilpi adamson

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It's been a while since I've raved about Australian aboriginal art. Me lovey.

All these paintings are available at www.betterworldarts.com.au. You'll find the stories that go along the paintings there too. Click on the pictures to see them better.

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joylene loy

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margaret richards
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margaret richards
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melissa nungarrayi larry
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mulykuya ken
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peggy nampijinpa brown
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shanna nakamarra nelson
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{valmista}

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domestic candy -available here
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En meinannut kirjoittaa tanaan mutta nopeasti nyt sitten. Yksi syy miksi viikonloppu oli niin kiva on etta sain Siennan huoneen vihdoinkin taysin valmiiksi. No, viela pitaa laittaa valokuvia kehyksiin (mutta kehykset on jo seinilla oikeissa paikoissa) ja ostaa uusi paallinen rocking glider tuoliin, mutta muuten huone nayttaa tosi kivalta nyt. Laitan kuvia jossain vaiheessa. Nyt ihan havettaa etten ollut laittanut kunnon verhoja Siennan huoneeseen viela. Voi mua! Joskus osaan olla tosi saamaton.
Jay rakensi vaatekaappia kellarikerroksen extra huoneeseen. Puolivalmis huone jo.
No, jotenkin kiva viikonloppu. Ehka kun vihdoinkin mulla oli energiaa kunnon siivoamiseen ja jarkkailyyn. Paikat alkaa vahitelleen kunnostautua taas. Jospa nyt muutkin projektit alkaa saamaan vauhtia.
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{me lovey flowers}

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Yesterday I enjoyed this at lunchtime. Gotta love Veseys catalogs. Especially when it's still snowing outside.

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Of course I have to share with you all which flowers I liked the best. *roll eyes*

For some reason, this time I kept admiring the simple coneflowers. They remind me of sunflowers but they're smaller in size. These should actually be lime green in color (this photo doesn't do any justice).

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Knee High Coneflowers
Daisy-like. Simple. I like them.
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Anemone 'leveilei'
Cute.
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Green Envy Coneflowers
For some reason, this year I kept being drawn to all the green flowers. Mind you, they had a really nice hot pink variety too. But I couldn't share 100 pictures so I had to do some limiting, right. :)
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Pink Lily of the Valley
Ihania! So cute! I love lily of the valleys! White ones grow wild in Finland. These are such fragrant flowers. They do spread like crazy though so plant them in a pot if you don't want them all over the place.
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I have always admired these trees. It would be nice to bring some of the branches in the house in the winter and force them to flower in water. Early spring. Me lovey!
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Purple Ranunculus
Fun, deep color.
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These Hostas are fun with the bluish leaves. These would be nice on the side of our house.
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I'm not into Lilies but I love this dark, dark color. I tried to grow black pansies from seeds once but they never turned out. That's so typically "me". :(
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Calla Lilies are always elegant.
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Grasses are hip right now. I like this Golden Japanese Forest Grass variety.
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So, go to www.veseys.com for your own catalog (USA & Canada only). Eye candy for those of us who are only dreaming of spring right now.
I wish I had a green thumb. But I don't. I don't even have enough patience to do a lot of gardening. But a girl can dream, right?

What are your favorite flowers?

And who wants to come and garden for me? No salary but I'll make you lunch each day. :D

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ps. I actually enjoyed the Twilight movie better second time around. I wasn't expecting too much this time and was able to just enjoy it. Books of course are always 100 times better than movies.

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{australia & twilight}

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Much to tell, much to tell (it's been a good couple of days) but time for just couple of quick things. We watched this movie on Friday and loved it. I totally recommend it. I wish I could bring the cute little aboriginal boy home to me.

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Tonight we'll be watching this as Jay surprised me with this dvd gift set. The dvd was just released today!

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The set includes the dvd, a collector box (on the left) and some movie pictures. It'll be fun to collect any Twilight pictures into the box. Yes, I printed a few favorites as a memento. I feel like a teenager but it's all good. :)
It still sucks that they didn't do a better job with this movie (it lacks some major special effects to make the vampire stuff more cool & powerful). I'll still enjoy it - all the laughs too. It's not supposed to be a funny movie but some parts really are quite ridiculous. But like I said - I'll enjoy it. ;)
But I tell you - they'd better do a better job with the part two, New Moon. I'm hoping. New director. And I'm sure they have a bigger budget this time as they know this thing is HUGE. If you haven't got caught up in the Twilight phenomena yet - HURRY UP! :D
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Guess who's going to spend a day with Heidi Swapp in April?!!

I registered today for a full day Heidi Swapp scrapbooking event. Right here in Edmonton. I don't do stuff like this very often so I'm excited! :)

Info:

*house of three

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{filing ideas}

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bamboo veneer flower LACK tables

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Butterfly straws - Good Housekeeping magazine.

Scrapbook paper & vellum. Cut two slits in each butterfly...

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buttercup bag pattern
I've been looking for a new purse and this one's kinda cute. I could choose my own fabric and everything. The problem - would I actually have the patience to make one.
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{pink}

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marimekko unikko bib
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signature vases
www tjep com
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pottery barn
I'd like this for Sienna's jewellery.
They don't seem to have this at PB anymore. If anyone knows where I could find this still, please let me know.
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i think this is from car moebel (??)
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via hostess with the mostess
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Just getting rid of some of the pink pictures from my picture file.
Happy Friday everyone!
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{hannah nunn}

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Me lovey!
www hannahnunn blogspot com

www hannahnunn etsy com

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{finnish easter traditions}

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I'm still thinking of Easter. I thought I'd share some Finnish Easter traditions here.
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Vintage Finnish Easter cards.
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In Finland, people eat this gross looking stuff called "mammi" (there should be dots above the a) during Easter. It's made of rye flour, malt, syrup, etc. I never warmed up to mammi myself but many Finns love it.
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Kids grow this fast growing grass and decorate it with little chicks.
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Birch and/or pussy willow branches are decorated with colorful feathers. The birch branches are picked ahead of time and when you place them in water, they start to grow young green leaves.
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On Palm Sunday, little kids are made into "Easter witches" and they go door to door in hopes of receiving Easter eggs or other candy. They say a certain poem, waving the branches, that asks if the person is going to give them a chicken or an egg. Don't ask. I don't know how these traditions form but it's just what you do, ok. :) The origin of the door to door tradition stems from Eastern orthodox traditions. The witch part, which was probably some pagan tradition, comes from Sweden. Somehow the two traditions melted together and you get Easter witches.
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Aren't these girls cute? :) All of these pictures are from the internet as I didn't have my own pictures.

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Kotilieden artikkeli virpomisesta:

"Virpominen on vanha itäsuomalainen, ortodoksisuuteen liittyvä palmusunnuntaiperinne. Virpoja heiluttaa pajunoksia virvottavalle ja lausuu virvontalorun. Virpoja ojentaa sitten vitsansa ja saa palkakseen makeisia tai rahaa.
Virvontaperinne ei liity sinällään millään tavoin noidaksi pukeutumiseen. Trulliksi eli noidaksi pukeutuminen on ollut täysin erillinen, länsisuomalainen perinne. Ruotsista rantautuneen perinteen mukaan noidat kiertelevät ovelta ovelle toivotellen hyvää pääsiäistä.
Kun Karjalan siirtoväestö asutettiin muualle Suomeen, virpomistapa levisi heidän mukanaan. Pian itä- ja länsisuomalaiset tavat alkoivat sekoittua keskenään yhdeksi perinteeksi: noidiksi, jotka kiertelevät virpoen ovelta ovelle. Yleensä pienten virpojien suusta kuulee tällaisen virvontaluvun: ”Virvon varvon tuoreeks terveeks tulevaks vuodeks. Vitsa sulle, palkka mulle.” Vitsoista annetaan palkaksi karkkia, kuten suklaamunia, tai rahaa."

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Me aina sanottiin: "Virvon varvon tuoreeks terveeks tulevaks vuodeks. Annatko munan vai kanan?"

Muistuvin virpomismuisto joka minulla on kun kaytiin virpomassa pikkusen serkun kanssa. Serkun eka kerta. Me isommat ensin naytettiin miten se tehdaan ja sitten oli serkun vuoro. Ovi avautui ja pikkuruinen serkku yritti loytaa rohkeutta virpomiseen kun akainen ukko sielta huusi etta "taallahan ei virvota!" Itkuahan siita tuli ja karsea ensi kokemus.

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I've been:

*Taking Robin to an eye exam and to get new glasses. He was excited to get the kind of lenses that turn into sunglasses in the sun.

*Cleaning cat puke off our bed and carpet.

*Paid $75 for a certain follow-up doctor visit (first visit was $250!). You don't usually pay for doctors here but this doctor knows he's the only one doing "bioidentical hormones" here so he can charge whatever he wants. Needless to say his work place is FANCY.
*Walking about like a zombie. Sienna's been sleeping terrible again lately and I feel like my head's in a fog. I'm too old to handle it gracefully. (read: cranky pranky!)

*Watching American Idol and trying to decide who I like the most.
*Reading book #6 in the Work & the Glory book series. Wondering how on earth those early church members got through all they had to go through. Mob violence. Killed and harassed due to their religion. Having to move from place to place seeking for a peaceful place to live. Church leaders prisoned in inhuman condition for bogus charges. Amazing miracles too among them. They must have had such strong faith. I'm so loving reading these books again for the second time. Yesterday I found out that one of the stories in the book is about my friend's ancestor! He was an old man when a mob came to harass and kill the church members. He was sick in bed, too sick to try to get to safety. A mob came in his house and shot him because he couldn't leave his house. Thank goodness the bullet barely hit him in the head and he survived. I couldn't believe it was my friend's ancestor. I got chills as she told me about him.

One story was about a woman who's one child was shot to dead (yep, the mob killed children point blank too!) and another was shot in the hip. A big part of his hip was missing. There was no doctor. The woman prayed in faith and she got inspiration to know what to do to help her son. She used ashes and water to make a lime solution. Cleaned the terrible wound. Then they got slippery elm roots and that helped the wound heal even more. It was a miracle that the boy didn't die. He always had a huge hole in his hip but was able to walk normally.

Anyways, many touching true stories and I have been so thankful for those early church members for sticking it out and staying faithful. I'm yet to read the worst parts though. How they had to leave Nauvoo, Illinois (a city they had built out of a swamp, tons of hard work) and in the dead of winter start treking towards the Rocky Mountains. That's how the mormons got to Utah. They were driven there by a mob. Many died on the way as they were not allowed to take the time to prepare themselves for the harsh journey. Children sometimes walked barefoot in the dead of winter. Their feet would bleed and often had to be amputated. Many starved to death. After leaving home after home due to mob violence, they finally got to Utah and started to settle the Salt Lake valley. Again they had to work real hard to build homes and farms as it wasn't a very good land for farming. They made many desert places bloom and flourish. They hoped they finally could be safe and live in peace but even then, trouble came. An army was sent against the mormons once again. For no reason. More harassement. Eventually things finally got more peaceful.

I'm lucky to live in a time when for most part we can live in peace. Yes, I've been abused verbally due to my church membership. Sometimes even still some of our church members are killed though. In Ireland, a missionary was killed by a 19-year-old. There's so much prejudice and fear towards our church. That's why I try to sometimes let people know that our church is not as weird as people think. We are Christians and we just try to live good lives. I try to teach a bit about our church in hopes that some of those prejudices about our church would finally start to disappear. So bear with me when I sometimes mention the church or something about it. It's not meant as shoving anything down on anyone's throat. It's just to spread knowledge and understanding.

I've heard about how couples who get married in the Salt Lake temple come out of the temple and people throw mud on them or shout insults. It's supposed to be the happiest day in their lives. I can't understand how someone can be so mean to do stuff like that.

I will continue to bring the church up every once in awhile. Please be understanding.

I live in hope that one day differences will be tolerated and there won't be any kind of hate or prejudice anymore. You gotta hope.

Ok, I hadn't planned to say all this. It just came. I just had Easter on my mind but sometimes things just come out that you hadn't planned for.

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I know this is a long posting but I thought I'd add one more thing. Some reasons why the early church members were harassed and hated:

*they didn't believe in slavery and spoke on behalf of the black people, even helped them, this was a very touchy subject back in those days

*many religious leaders started to speak against them as their own congregation members left them to join the mormons

*the church was growing so rapidly, people feared the saints were starting to become too powerful politically

*lack of knowledge, people just totally misunderstood the church and it's members

*many people in the "west" (Missouri was the western region of USA then) were outlaws or people who were rough and tough, they were easy to excite into action against the mormons, many people coveted the mormons' property and got it for free as the saints were forced to leave their homes and farms

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{green!}

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Sienna finished her green picture.
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My grandma always had a beautiful, huge Oxalis (shamrock) plant that flowered tons. I've managed to kill one myself. My thumb is not even a bit green. Darn it. I love these shamrock plants. They come with purple leaves too and I've seen yellow and pink flowers too.
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Go have some green fun! :D
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{some more irish stuff for ya}

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An old style Irish cottage.

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A storefront in Dublin. Pretty tacky but so so cute at the same time.
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This show is hilarious! Irish people have a great sense of humor.
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I'm so bummed I didn't see Giant's Causeway even though I lived pretty close to it for awhile.
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There are amazing cathedrals in Ireland.
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Even though Ireland is very green and lush, sometimes it can be very gray and dreary too, so the Irish brighten their lives with cheerful doors.

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The doors often have a metal knocker on them.
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Malahide Castle. Not the biggest but very cute.
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A gate at Malahide castle.
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My camera broke the day I arrived in Ireland so all these pictures were found from the net.

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{happy st paddy's!}

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Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!

What a fun day. We are all wearing green today. Are you? Sienna is making a green picture with green stickers and green markers. You'll see it later. Green, green, green. Everything's gotta be green today. :)

I'm proud to say that I have eaten green shamrocks (ketunleipia) in a forest in Ireland and walked the green hills there. Part of me will always be Irish. Y

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This is really cool:

DID YOU KNOW?

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{it's all about families}

Gotta love our church's "family commercials". :D

{easter on my mind already}

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www.marthastewart.com

(lots of Easter inspiration there, million and one ways to decorate eggs, for example)

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I'm totally in spring mood today even though it's -8C here and snowing a bit. Easter is one of my favorite holidays. The message of it (!) but also because you get excited about summer coming soon. It's never too early to start making Easter crafts. I want to make a bunny box (for Kinder eggs) and a bunny garland. Cu-u-ute! We always hide mini chocolate eggs all over the house for Sienna to find. In the States they hide them outside in grass but with our luck, it'll still be gross outside so an inside egg hunt is always better.

Oh, and did I mention how I love pussywillow branches. I so do. Y

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{tuli ja meni}

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Me lovey these crocheted pots and pouffes designed by Ineke Visser.

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Viikonloppu tuli ja meni. Perjantaina paadyttiin temppelin jalkeen syomaan Red Brick Pizza paikkaan. Tosi hyvaa italialaistyylista pizzaa. Mun on tehnyt mieli niiden BBQ kanapizzaa siita lahtien koko ajan. Jay oli toissa koko lauantain, Robin oli Jayn vanhemmilla. Sienna ja mina kaytiin Planet Organic Marketissa (tarvitsin deodoranttia ja niilla on yhta tosi kivaa sellaista joka ei aiheuta mulle allergiaa). Mukaan tarttui myos pahkinoita (ainoa paikka mista loytyy paahtamattomia, suolattomia ihan tavallisia peruspahkinoita) seka multi B mega vitamiineja. Sielta saa tosi hyvan merkkista kapsuleina jotka auttaa mua aina tosi paljon. Sitten suunnistettiin Scholar's Choice liikkeeseen jossa Sienna leikki kauan aikaa Little Critters nukkekodilla ja kaikella muulla kivalla siella. Mina selailin niiden katalogia ja olisin ostanut lisaa maalia meille mutta niilla ei ollut mita halusin.

Tanaan oli aivan ihana paasta vihdoinkin kirkkoon tosi pitkan paussin jalkeen. Outoa oli ettei tarvinnut menna Primary:n. Istuin aikuisten pyhakoulussa ja sitten apparissa ihan oudon oloisena. Kiva oli paasta kylla juttelemaan hengellisista asioista aikuisten kanssa taas. Kivoja keskusteluja ja mietin sitten etta on se kiva etta aina tulee vaihtelua. Kaikelle aikansa. Meidan srk:ssa on niin paljon uusia ihmisiakin joihin vihdoinkin paasen tutustumaan paremmin. Primary on ihana paikka mutta vaihtelu tosiaan piristi jotenkin taas.

Tanaan kaytiin myos Jayn vanhemmilla syomassa taas ja turisemassa. Suunnilleen joka toinen sunnuntai kaydaan niilla. Sienna paasee leikkimaan serkkujensa kanssa. Mun ei tarvi kokata. *thumbs up!* :)

Ai niin, taman paivan yllari oli lattana auton rengas kirkosta lahtiessa. Onneksi Jay oli mukana silla mulla ei ole hajuakaan miten vaihtaa rengas (no, varmaan auttajia loytyisi jos tarvisi mutta kiva silti etta tapahtui kun oltiin Jayn kanssa). Vararengas oli karsee talviteilla ajaessa. Ei pitoa. On ollut plussakelia taas ja lumet sulaa ja sitten yolla jaatyy jaaksi. Jayn vanhemmille mennessa vietiin auto "huoltoon" huomisaamuksi ja se pitaa sitten hakea sielta taas aamulla. Toivottavasti pystyvat korjaamaan renkaan ja ei tarvitsisi ostaa kahta uutta rengasta.
Siinapa meidan ihmeellistakin ihmeellisempi viikonloppu. :) Ooh ja aah. :)

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Edmontonians: make sure you check out Red Brick Pizza place on 111 Street, south of Anthony Henday. Yummy, yummy pizza. Me likey! It's kind of a fast food place but more hip and yummier food.

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ps. Jayn vanhemmilla oli tosi paksu kirja Holocaustista. Selailin sita ja on se kylla karseintakin karseaa aikaa meidan maailman historiassa. Ei voisi millaan uskoa etta ihmiset voivat olla niin kamalia (liian lieva sana!) toisilleen. Mutta pakko uskoa. Tarkeaa tuollaiset kirjat mutta sitten mulle tulee aina niin paha mieli ja olo. Tavallaan en saisi lukea moista kun oon niin herkka mutta on kylla tosi tarkeaa etta meista jokainen muistaa mita tapahtui ja ettei asiaa unohdeta. Minusta on uskomatonta etta on ihmisia jotka eivat usko etta tuo tapahtui. Ja viela uskomattomampaa on etta nazeja on edelleen. Paljon kurjuutta tassa maailmassa. Pitaa yrittaa itse elaa niin etta tuo vaan positiivisuutta maailmaan. Olla valonpilkku tassa joskus pimeassa maailmassa.

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{yey}

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Salt Lake City temple in fog.

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Yey, date night this afternoon. We're going to the temple (it's been too long!) and then either to a movie or out to eat. Look forward to spending some quality time with my one and only. Y
Happy Friday everyone!

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{butterflies and cake decorating}

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This is the dress I got for a friend who adopted a baby girl. It's from H&M and has the matching diaper cover too.

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I also made her some butterflies to put on the wall in the baby room. I told her she doesn't have to put them up, she could do whatever with them. But she did like them. She said the baby has a butterfly quilt in her crib so this was perfect.

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Babies are pure magic.
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Sienna wanted to paint butterflies yesterday. I drew the pattern on colorful cardstock and way we went. At the end she had black paint all over her hands hence the handprint on this one. :)
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Let them dry and cut them up. Bend the wings gently. Use sticky dots to attach them on the wall. Love these.
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Mine are so boring compared to Sienna's but at least I had fun painting too. Kids are such natural artists.
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I did go to the cake decorating class yesterday. I had so much fun! I didn't have a cake but a friend wanted me to decorate her cake as she was busy with other stuff. So ta-dah! - the very first cake I've ever decorated with cake decorating tips. Not bad for a first one. We learned how to make white looking frosting. You have to get "white margarine" (not all stores sell it). Normal butter or margarine makes it dirty looking. If you're not good at drawing free hand, you can print any picture and use it as a pattern. Then you get this clear gel looking stuff (I forgot what it's called already, you get it from Michael's) and draw the lines of the pattern right on the paper. Then you put the paper upside down on top of the cake and tap gently. The gel transfers on the frosting and then you have the pattern on the cake. Cool. :)
We did a very simple pattern due to a time limit. But you can go as crazy as you want with patterns and all the different tips. These kinds of cakes are fun for kids' birthday parties. If they have a favorite cartoon character, for example, you could draw that on the cake. Etc. The sky is your limit. The icing is way too sweet for my taste but kids love it. I want to find out how I could use whipping cream instead. I think there's stuff that you can use to make the wh.cream "sturdier".
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Here are the recipes, in case someone's interested:
Best Cake Ever
1 Box Cake Mix
1 ½ cups Water
1 pkg pudding (4 serving size)
½ cup Oil
4 eggs
1 TBSP Vanilla
Mix together the cake mix with the dry pudding - try to get out as many clumps as you can – using a wisk works well.
Add eggs, water, oil and vanilla and mix with a hand mixer for about a minute.
Pour into sprayed/buttered 9 x 13” cake pan and bake at 350F for 35 minutes.
Variations
Chocolate: Devils Food cake mix & Chocolate or Fudge pudding
Vanilla: White cake mix & Vanilla pudding
Lemon: Lemon cake mix & Lemon pudding
Spice: Spice cake mix & Butterscotch pudding
Buttercream Icing
1 cup White Margarine (Superstore has it)
1 tsp Almond extract
2-3 TBSP Water
4 cups Icing Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2-3 TBSP White Corn Syrup
Mix with hand mixer margarine, water, and flavourings with 2 cups icing sugar. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add remaining icing sugar and mix well. Add the corn syrup and mix again.
If you want Chocolate icing just add desired amount of cocoa (usually ¼ - ½ cup).
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There you have it. :)
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ps. I should have brightened the cake picture. The frosting was white. :)
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{bohemian rhapsody}

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We just had about 20 of these Bohemian Waxwings in our front tree that looks exactly as the one in this picture. They were eating the dried up red berries. I looked closer and realized that there were about 40-50 of them all together. Some were in our neighbor's tree waiting for their turn to eat. We're happy to provide them with some refreshments. :) Sienna and I watched them for quite a long time. They are absolutely beautiful! This is the second time they have visited our tree. The first time was two years ago. I hope they'll come visit us every spring. They are a sight to see.

By the way, it's not even close to spring here yet. We've had majorly cold weather for the past few days. -30C stuff. Even colder if you count the windshield in. Yuck. By Friday it's supposed to be +5C at least. Spring, oh spring. Where art thou?

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fabric covered magnets
paint different chairs into kitchen chair set

How About Orange often has fun ideas. I like these two.

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{energy!}

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skylar's lace stencilled floor - royal design studio

(via style files)

Jotenkin aivan ihana.

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I didn't want you to miss this cute idea. Feel like felt crafting? Go to...

*orange you lucky!

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I had energy yesterday! Party on! Feels like a long lost friend is back. I got some much needed cleaning done. Much more to do but I was so excited to actually have some energy for change. Yey. Hope it continues today as there's an Enrichment tonight. They're having a cake decorating class and I so want to go. I'm excited about my new church calling. Fun, fun.

I found out I need to teach at least one class. So I'm starting to ponder what I could teach. What do you think mateys? Have you seen something (in my blog) I could teach as a class? Any ideas what would be a fun class? Brainstorm with me, will you. :)

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{start them young}

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Sienna has always loved helping. It used to be "helping" but today I was thinking that now she's actually starting to be a bit of a help for me at times. She helps set the table, helps clear it, etc.

I think it's important to let kids do things with you when they want to, even when they can't really help. I bought Sienna her very own little handheld broom and dustpan and when I sweep the floor, she does too. When I dust, she "dusts". When I vacuum, she "vacuums" with her "popcorn toy" (that's what we call that long toy that has little balls in it and they move, pop & make sounds when you move it back and forth). When I wash some dishes by hand, she's right there next to me standing on a chair "washing dishes". Sometimes she only copies me for 1 minute. Sometimes longer. I don't always have patience for the washing dishes part, but I try. I try to say things like "this is fun, isn't it?" so that she grows up thinking cleaning is fun. Start them when they are young and eager and maybe they'll learn to love those mundane, every day chores. Sounds good to me.

I'll never forget when this one family invited me for dinner. They had couple of young girls. That day the youngest one (I think she was about 8 or so) had made the chicken in the oven (I didn't even know how to cook a chicken in the oven back then, I was maybe 18 myself) and the older one made something else. Their mom evidentally had let her girls cook with her since they were young. So I'm starting Sienna young with that too. I show her what I'm doing when I'm cooking (when she's interested) and let her stir the food, etc.

Maybe this is something really obvious to the rest of you but I must admit that I didn't know how to cook too many foods by the time I had my own place (I was 17, mind you).

It was actually Jay who made me realize how young you can start teaching them. I kept thinking "stop bothering me when I'm cooking" kind of thoughts but then I saw Jay holding Sienna on her lap a long, long time ago while he was making scrambled eggs and she loved being involved. I realized way back then that kids are never too young. You can involve them as soon as they are interested in something. Then it won't be a battle later.

So next time your little ones bother you when you're doing chores or cooking - just get them involved. Give them their own chores to do (depending on their age & ability). It's amazing what kids can do when you just show them how. I sure enjoy doing things with her rather than by myself. Most of the time. She makes things fun. Gotta love being a parent.

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{banana bread}

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I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes here again. This is a "even-if-you-can't-bake-it'll-still-turn-out-nice" recipe. Fool proof. Vilkutusta Suville. :D En tieda miksi taalla kutsutaan tata banskuleivaksi kun on sokeria taynna ja on minusta siksi kakku. Johtunee kai muodosta mutta hoh silti.

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BANANABREAD
3 bananas, mashed

1 cup/2,5dl sugar

2 eggs

4 TBSP/60ml oil

1 1/2 cup/ 3,75dl flour

1 TBSP/15ml baking soda

1/2 tsp/2,5ml salt

cinnamon

(crushed nuts)

(chocolate chips)

Mix all the wet ingredients together in a big bowl. Add dry ingredients through a sieve to prevent lumps. Mix well. I don't measure the cinnamon. Just sprinkle some in there for yummyness. I always add some crushed nuts (pecans/walnuts, whatever I have at home) and chocolate chips in it too. Butter a bread loaf pan and pour the batter into the pan. Bake in 375F/190C oven for an hour. Yummy! The bananas should be (very) ripe. This is a great recipe for those bananas that are starting to go too brown to eat.

TIP: Use a potatomasher to mash the bananas. Lot faster and easier than with a fork.

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You can do it, Suvi! :)

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{tapahtumarikas viikonloppu}

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Paljon kerrottavaa.

Ennatin sentaan jossain kayda perjantaina ennenkuin tulin taas kipeeksi. Mutta siita kohta, ensin selitykset kuvista.

Nama kuvat on West Edmonton ostarilta. En tieda onko enaa mutta jossain vaiheessa ainakin oli maailman suurin ostari. Muistan kun ensin tulin tanne Kanadaan ja kavin siella niin "eksyin" siella helposti. Nykyaan paikka on lapikotaisin tuttu ja tiedan aina minne menna. Nama kuvat on otettu vain yhdesta pikkuosasta ostaria. Tassa osassa on kaikkea veteen liittyvaa. Sukellusveneajeluita, veden alaisia luolia joissa akvaarioita, nuo tormailyveneet...
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Talla hetkella siella on sea lion esityksia (mika ihme toi oli suomeksi, ei hylje mutta...), aikaisemmin on ollut delfiineja. Taustalla lasin takana nakyy Fantasyland Hotel jossa on teemahuoneita (esim. Rooma...).

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Tuossa vanhanajan laivassa on joskus haajuhlia esim. Parkkeeraan usein juuri tahan hotellin viereen silla Booster Juice on tuossa laivan takana josta aina haemme smoothien Siennalle ja mulle. Vasemmalla on myos Chapters kirjakauppa jossa kaydaan usein. Siella on yleensa Thomas the Tank Engine junia joilla lapset saa leikkia mutta talla kertaa ei ollut. Hoh. Siina sitten selittaa lapselleen etta mihin Thomas on havinnyt. Laivasta oikealle pain olisi ollut Europe Boulevard jossa on hienoja liikkeita Euroopan kadun nakoisena. Jos muistaisin sieltakin joskus ottaa kuvan ja sitten muistakin ostarin osista kunhan joskus ennatan. Mutta jos haluatte enemman tutustua ostariin niin kaykaa ostarin nettisivulla:
www.westedmall.com
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Niin, perjantain sain olla melko hyvinvointisena. Ostarille mennessa vatsaa nipisteli vahan mutta ei muuta. Yskaa oli ihan pikkusen vaan. Olo melko hyva. Sienna sai parit uudet vaatteet ja ihastui hopeiseen Hello Kitty vyohon joten tottakai sekin piti ostaa myos. Sain vihdoinkin ostettua lahjan ystavaparille jotka adoptoivat vauvan (ja jota en ole edes viela tavannut kun olen ollut kipea, grrh.)
Ostarin jalkeen tavattiin Jay Ikeassa. Syotiin ja Sienna leikki lasten osastolla. Ostin verhot Siennan huoneeseen. Annoin periksi. Mulla on jo vuoden verran ollut kangas Siennan verhoihin mutten ole saanut aikaiseksi niita ommella. Ehka nyt Sienna saa jopa verhot huoneeseensa. Voi mua. *silmien pyoritysta*
Perjantai ilta aiottiin ihan olla vaan kotona ja rentoutua tv:n aaressa aanitettyjen ohjelmien parissa. Robin oli mennyt Jayn vanhemmille viikonlopuksi. Niin luultiin. En voi kertoa mita tapahtui (saantojen takia) mutta Robin taas vauhdissa ja oli iso hassakka sen kanssa. Jayn piti lahtea sita hakemaan myohaan illalla kotiin. Grrh. Sanotaan nyt vaan etta juttuun liittyy vatsatauti, elokuviin meno, muka satutettu niska, ambulanssi, luultiin etta Robin oli kadoksissa ja vaikka mita muuta. Mielenkiintoista ainakin tama meidan elama Robinin kanssa. Mulla on kauhea hinku kertoa koko juttu taalla mutta kun en saa. Melko mielenkiintoisen kirjan tosiaankin saisi kaikista naista jutuista.
Lauantaina sitten minuunkin iski oikeen kunnolla tuo vatsatauti. En syonyt tai juonut mitaan koko paivana mutta veskissa piti juosta koko ajan. Sunnuntaina olo olikin sen mukainen. Ei energiaa, ei yhtaan. Heikotti alysti. Hyva kun suihkussa jaksoin kayda. Lepasin koko paivan.
Lauantaina ennatti tapahtua muutakin. Meidan ystava tuli kaymaan joka on talla hetkella meidan seurakunnan piispa (seurakunnan johtaja siis). Tuli vapauttamaan mut Primary presidency counselor tehtavastani ja sain uuden tehtavan. Nyt olen Apuyhdistyksen (Relief Society) toiminnoissa mukana. Appari on maailman vanhin ja suurin naisten jarjesto. Siihen siis kuuluu kaikki yli 18v kirkon naiset. Mun tehtava tulee liittymaan kuukausittain jarjestettaviin "tapahtumiin". Miten ne nyt selittaisi lyhyesti. Tehdaan siis naisten kanssa kaikkea kivaa, opitaan yhdessa. Milloin leivotaan jotain, milloin askarrellaan tai tehdaan kasitoita, milloin vaan aidit kokoontuvat yhteen ja lapset leikkivat. Sen sellaista. Valilla jarjestetaan isompiakin juhlia kuten tan kuun apparin vuosijuhlan juhla. Saa nahda paasenko auttamaan. Jos nyt selviaisin tasta sairasteluputkesta.
Niille jotka ei tieda - meidan kirkossa kaikki tehdaan vapaaehtoistyona. Olen iat ja ajat tehnyt vaikka mita kirkossa. Jokaisesta tehtavastani olen tykannyt ja oppinut aina hurjasti. Naissa tehtavissa olen saanut opettaa luokkia (ei vaan pyhakoulua mutta esim askarteluja myos), organisoida teinarityttojen kesaleiri ja kaikki siihen liittyva (ruuat, yard sale jotta saatiin lisaa rahaa leiriin...) ja vaikka mita muuta. Mahtavaa kokemusta. Ihania muistoja. Jopa jotkut karseet muistot tyttojen leirilta on muuttuneet sellaisiksi joille nauran nyt. :D
Siinapa mun viikonloppu. Tapahtumarikas. Edelleen vatsa on kipea mutta ruoka sentaan pysyy sisalla taas. Ruokahalua ei kylla ole ihmeemmin vielakaan. Eiko olisi aika jo sanskun parantua taysin? No kylla! Mutta tuosta tuli kylla mieleen eras toinen juttu josta haluaisin tanne kirjoittaa mutta siita tulee pitka kirjoitus joten jatan sen myohemmaksi. Nyt huilimaan taas.
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ps. Duh! sea lion = merileijona (eiko olekin). Duh! :D

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{ti amo}

Umberto Tozzi - Ti Amo. Gotta love the raspy Italian singers. :)
Happy Friday everyone!

Hey, I can tell that there's ton of visitors to my blog. But hardly anyone leaves me a comment. How about it - would you phlease leave me a little note to say hi so I get an idea who visits my blog. If you really want to make me happy then you could tell me what you like about my blog. Tha-a-anx! :)
Taalla lappaa vakea hurjasti mutta tuskin kukaan jattaa viestin. Entas jos tanaan jattaisit nopean hei viestin mulle? Kiva olisi tietaa kuka taalla kay. Jos haluat tehda mut extra iloiseksi niin kerro mika blogissani viehattaa. Kiiiiiitti! :)

{mieltsi tuuli}

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thesecreatures com

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designpublic com

hepper pet bed

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akemitanaka com

Tallaisia meidan kissoillekin. Tykkaisivat. Mina tykkaan etta olisi helppo pitaa puhtaana.
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designdot it
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Ei menty ostarille. Lounaan jalkeen Sienna valitti etta oli niin vasy joten paadyttiin molemmat paivaunille. Nukuttiinkin oikeen kunnolla. Sitten vaan ulkona lumileikkeja ja muuta leikkia ihan kotona vaan kun oli liian myohaista menna minnekaan.
Yska ei ole taaskaan vaivannut. Kurkussa on ehka viela jotain mutta ei ole ollut kylla kipea. Ehkapa tama on nyt ohi. Jos pahenee taas niin sitten lekurille.
Ei taaskaan saatu nukuttua kunnolla. Eilen illalla alkoi aivan mieleton tuuli ja se piti meita seka Siennaa hereilla. Alyn meluisaa. Paadyin nukkumaan Siennan sankyyn jotta edes Jay saisi nukuttua. Tallaiset tuulet pistaa aina ajattelemaan etta haluaisin tosi jykevan tiilitalon. Tuuli tuolla ulkona edelleen tuiskuttaa lunta joka puolelle. Eilen aurinko helotti ja sulatteli lunta. Tanaan talleen.
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{alytonta}

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Via the Style Files.

En tykkaa miten kolkon varinen huone mutta virkatut jutut ihania. Jos asuisin jossain tosi lampimassa paikassa niin viilea koti olisi kiva mutta kun en niin lampoa, lampoa kodin vareihin.

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Vaikka kuinka yritan menna ajoissa nukkumaan niin jotain aina tapahtuu etten saa nukuttua hyvin. Silta on tuntunut viime aikoina. Siennalla ollut jo kahtena yona painajaisia. Paatynyt meidan sankyyn, minun kainaloon nukkumaan. Needless to say etten itse ole nukkunut hyvin myoskaan. Sitten herasin taas viime yona yskaan. Siis voi etta tan sairastelun kanssa. Kylla alkaa jo olla ihan alytonta tama homman nimi. Maanantaina oli hyva paiva. Ei yskaa, ei kurkkukipua. Kaytiin Siennan kanssa ostarilla ja Sienna paasi sinne leikkarille leikkimaan. Mina juttelin ihanan isoisa papan kanssa kaikenlaista. Olo oli ihana etta "jee, oon terve taas". Liian aikaisin innostuin kun eilen sitten oli kurja paiva taas. Herasin kurkkukipuun ja sitten yolla yska taas heratti. En enaa edes tieda mita ajatella. Alytonta, alytonta. Tanaan taas parempi olo. Ei varmaan pitaisi menna mihinkaan viela (???) mutta paatin etta nyt mennaan Siennan kanssa sinne WE ostarille. En jaksa olla kotona ja sairastella. Jos olo taas huononee niin huomenna sitten lekurille. Tanaan kuvittelen etta olen ihan terve ja saan tehda mita huvittaa.

Nyt Siennalle lounasta ja sitten heikunkeikun.

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{heppahullu}

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Pienena olin heppahullu. Luin Hevoshullua & heppa kirjoja, katsoin Mustauljas elokuvaa ja minulla oli Hirnu heppapehmolelu jonka kanssa nukuin. Ratsastanut olen vain muutaman kerran. Kaikkein mieleenjaanyt kerta oli kun oltiin Jayn kanssa lomalla Drumhellerissa taalla Albertassa kauan aikaa sitten. En ollut aiemmin ratsastanut itsekseni, ainoastaan kun joku piti hevosesta narulla kiinni joten olin vahan hermostunut etta miten se menee. Selitin sitten etta haluan rauhallisen hevosen. No, sellaisen todellakin sainkin. Olin muista paljon jaljessa koko ajan kun heppa lontysteli mita hitaimmin. Jopa liian hitaasti minulle. Ei suostunut lisaamaan vauhtia vaikka kuinka yritin. Siella mina sitten yksikseni ratsastelin ja yritin pysya sen verran mukana etta tiesin edes minne menna. :)

Drumheller on tosi kiva paikka. Pitaisikin etsia sielta kuvia ja laittaa tanne. Kanjoneita, hoodoos, kaktuksia...

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Alan vihdoinkin olla terve. Eka aamu ettei ole ollut kipeaa kurkkua. Yskin ihan pikkasen enaa. Otin viimeisen penicillin tabletin juuri joten toivotaan etta tama on ohi nyt sitten.

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