{matkakuumetta}

i Y these dot paintings!

i'd like a cartoon painting of sienna done with this technique. or a twilight picture! yeah, baby! :D

www.giddycrafts.blogspot.com

sitten...

voi etta mulla alkaa olla jo matkakuumetta. luulisi etta meidan joulureissuun kaliforniaan, mutta ei - suomen kesareissuunpas! jayn vanhemmat tulee meidan kanssa myos. vahan paniikkia silla tuntuu ettei kolmessa viikossa tulla ennattamaan tehda ja nahda kaikkea mita haluaisin. eika ole tarpeeksi aikaa viettaa mun perheen kanssa myoskaan. nyyh. ehka mun olisi pitanyt suostua jayn aikaisempaan ehdotukseen etta mina ja sienna oltaisiin jaaty sinne pidemmaksi aikaa. mutten halunnut yksin lentaa siennan kanssa sitten kotiin.

tekemislistalla on jo (ei missaan tarkeysjarjestyksessa):

suomenlinna & piknikki

kajaani & mokki & sauna & sukulaiset

(mahdollisesti kuopio siina matkalla, mita nahtavaa on kuopiossa?)

(tietaako kukaan onko vuokatinvaaran kelkkamaki viela toiminnassa? se olisi tosi hauska juttu.)

linnanmaki: sienna + serkku laitteisiin hyorimaan

isosaari (missa asuin pienena)

tallinnan vanhakaupunki

porvoo

espoon laivaristeily

pori & iska & sukulaiset

muumimaailma (siennallekin jotain kivaa puuhaa)

siita se lista alkaa. nyt tarvisin sitten vinkkeja kaikesta mahdollisesta mita pitaisi ehdottomasti nahda ja kokea. mita kivoja putiikkeja hesasta nykyaan loytyy?

pliis kertokaa ihmeessa mika teista on ihana paikka suomessa? vaikken ennattaisikaan sinne talla reissulla niin sitten paasen jo unelmoimaan seuraavasta. :)
aion syoda juustonaksuja ja karjalanpiirakoita joka paiva niin paljon kuin vaan maha kestaa. yksi matkalaukku pitaa ottaa mukaan pelkille juustonaksuille. :)

nyt esiin suomi esitteet ja netista loytamaan tietoa. karsee matkakuume! :)

{creative note book}

the beginning of my new art/crafts idea booklet. haven't even done a cover yet or anything. finally i'll have a place where to put all my ideas and inspirations instead of finding little notes here and there. i'll use the thick yarn to bind it but first i have to add all my pages in it. i used light blue regular paper too. just folded each in half and punched holes on the open side. i'll take more pictures once the project is more done.

our home smells so wonderful thanks to scentsy (www.scentsy.com). and yep, one of our bathrooms is lime green. i love it. :)

africa. our little black boy. my baby. Y

it's hard to get pictures of him. he'll look anywhere but towards the camera.

on saturday we had our relief society (our church's women's organization) christmas party. i'm part of the enrichment committee so i got to help. the food was delicious and the music and talks wonderful. this always really gets me in the right christmas mood.

then i just had to snap this picture on my way home. i was thinking how i've got used to seeing these kinds of christmas decorations on people's yards. when i first got here, i couldn't help but shake my head. but now i love it all. it's fun to drive around and see who knows what on people's yards. sienna doesn't like the dark and it's great to be able to point out various lights and decorations and take her mind of the darkness. really fun for the kids even though it's not "tastefully decorated".

{fun ideas}

i didn't want anyone to miss these fun ideas.

go to elsie's awesome blog to see more polaroid photo inspired christmas ornaments.

www.abeautifulmess.typepad.com

if you don't have a polaroid camera, you can make fake ones using the free photoscape program.

www.photoscape.com

man, they should start paying me for all the promo i'm doing for them. :)

{gift ideas}

O O O O O me lovey circles O O O O O

www.distinque.etsy.com

me lovey cute lions and stripes

me lovey fun stuff for kids

me lovey globes and beach balls

www.bibelotshops.com

me lovey hot choclate and hearts

www.marthastewart.com

me lovey snowflakes. fake ones. ha haa. :)

www.wrapables.com

happy friday everyone!

{new family picture}

sienna made another masterpiece this morning Y
fun advent calendar - a new christmas tree ornament for each day.
www.countryliving.com

{urbanalli's new website}

my friend redid her photography website. check it out:

www.urbanalli.com

beautiful work!

love the quilt too!

{mass-ahh-zh}

michaels sells these huge bling bling decorations. my bling bling mania continues. :) this one is totally clear but reflects the colors surrounding it. so pretty! :)
the cover i made for my massage therapy binder.
yep, i'm a massage therapist by training. due to my fibromyalgia i can't work as a massage therapist anymore. i really miss it at times. i loved relaxing people and helping them feel better.

massage has so many health benefits!
massage = mass-ahh-zh

i still can't believe some of the anatomy we had to study during the massage course. we learned about everything. it was very intense study. fun! i loved learning about our bodies. i can't believe that some people believe our universe just happened "accidentally". it's like believing that if i'd pour out the pieces of a 5000 piece puzzle on the floor and they'd magically fall into place and make the puzzle. i gained so much respect for our bodies during my study. my faith in God increased even more.

:)

:)

i collected massage related cartoons.
the reason why i've been thinking about massage is that even though i'm a massage therapist, i still sometimes forget about the benefits of massage. i've been paying for my nature walk with majorly sore legs. i finally remembered that "hey, how about massaging my legs!" we have this really good, powerful massager. i spent almost an hour massaging my legs and back with it and it sure helped. i have got to remember to massage myself more often!

if you have never had a massage, you're missing out.

just a warning: make sure you find a therapist you like. they all massage differently and some even too roughly. you need to feel comfortable with the therapist and if it hurts like crazy during the massage or afterwards, they're doing something wrong. unless you decide to see a rolfer but that's another story. :)
gotta love massage!
then...

i was reading our church magazine when i had breakfast and something really touched me. the article mentioned the first world war and the 1918 flu pandemic. some stats:

70 million men from all over the world took up arms.

there were over 30 million military casualties, including 9 million dead, half of whom have no known graves.

worldwide, the death toll (of the flu pandemic) was staggering: at least 50 million people died.

sometimes we take our peace for granted and also think nothing of the flu. it's easy to feel that with our modern medicine we'll be safe and well taken care of. i think we need to be humble and be thankful when things are well. life is such a fragile thing.

someone i know just got pneumonia from h1n1 flu.

today i'm going to go and get vaccinated.

{lorpotysta}

(image via google image search, sorry there was no mention of the designer or anything)

i looooove long skirts!

sienna nukkuu paivaunia etta jaksaa jayn vanhemmilla pitempaan leikkia serkkujen kanssa. jay on kokouksessa. minulla siis aikaa lorpotella taalla mita vaan. tasta tulee varmaan ihan dille postaus mutta tulkoot. :)

olen aina rakastanut pitkia, nilkkoihin asti ulottuvia hameita ja mekkoja. ah! tulee niin prinsessamainen olo kun on sellainen ylla. ottawasta ostin itselleni mustan maximekon ja tykkaan siita tosi paljon. tulee jotenkin 60/70 luvut mieleen. tosi vaikea loytaa pidempia hameita aina. nilkkaan asti ulottuvia.

hameesta tuli mieleen eras muisto. mulla oli aikanaan helsingissa pitka hame paalla ja kiva siihen sopiva naisellinen bleizeri jonka alla pitsitoppi. olo oli kuin prinsessalla hulmuavine hameineen. olin nuori. eteeni pysahtyi joku nuori mies moottoripyoransa kanssa ja kysyi haluanko moottoripyorakyydin. nyt vanhempana ajattelen etta huh suostuin sen kyytiin vaikken edes tuntenut koko tyyppia mutta sellainen mina ainakin silloin nuorena olin. hetken mielijohteesta teki vaan mieli moottoripyoraajelulle. onneksi se tyyppi ei ollut mikaan ryokale vaan ihan kiltisti vaan ajelutti mua vahan. yritti kylla kysella etta saako tavata mua myohemmin mutta sanoin ei kiitos ja kiittelin ajelusta. erottiin hymyillen.

hameista moottoripyoriin. kuten sanoin - kunhan taalla lorpottelen mita mieleen juolahtaa.

meille tuli taas lunta. vaikka kuinka paatin etten valittele lumesta niin silti tuli plaah olo. en ollut viela valmis luopumaan syksyn tunteesta. mutta eikohan lumeen taas totu. pitaa kayda ostamassa ne toppihousut etta jaksan olla ulkona siennan kanssa. sienna tietty onnesta soikeena lumesta. ja onhan se kivaa vaihtelua.

olen jutellut jehovan todistajien kanssa viime aikoina. noin pari kuukautta sitten tulivat ovelle ja kutsuin ne sisaan. mulle tuli vaan tunne etta se vanhempi nainen on jo tuttu mulle. alusta asti olen tykannyt hanesta. kerran viikossa ovat kayneet juttelemassa mun kanssa noin 30-40 minuuttia kerrallaan. on ollut mielenkiintoista oppia lisaa heidan kirkosta ja nyt mulla onkin vahemman ennakkoluuloja heista ja kunnioitan heidan syvaa uskoa. sanoin heti alusta alkaen etteivat odota etta liityn heidan kirkkoon tms. olen 100% tyytyvainen omaan uskooni. on ollut mielenkiintoista jutella heidan kanssaan. pitivat pikku paussin visiiteissa ja ajattelin etta no, antoivat jo periksi mun kanssa. :) mutta talla viikolla tulivat taas. olin paattanyt antaa heille meidan kirkon lehden luettavaksi kun mina aina luen heidan lehtisia. mutta eivat suostuneet ottamaan. mua vahan arsytti silla tuli vahan sellainen "epista" olo mutta jokainen oman uskomuksen mukaan. minusta ei ole mitaan vikaa lukea muiden kirkkojen/uskontojen juttuja. tieto ei voi koskaan olla haitaksi.

tiedonjano kunniaan! :)

mitas muuta...

tanaan taman laulun sanat sai mut ajattelemaan etta mun pitaisi oppia olemaan vahan enemman epaitsekas. monesti teen mita mina haluan. pitaisi tehda hyvia tekoja enemman ja elaa uskoni mukaan. onneksi mulla on muuten evankeliumi silla muuten olisin varmaan tosi itsekas. evankeliumi sentaan pistaa mut yrittamaan olemaan parempi lahimmainen muille, tekemaan hyvia tekoja.

have i done any good

in the world today?

have i helped anyone in need?

have i cheered up the sad

and made someone feel glad?

if not, i have failed indeed.

has anyone's burden been lighter today

because i was willing to share?

have the sick and the weary

been helped on their way?

when they needed my help was i there?

{ah!}

first sign of christmas in our house. i found these cute mini ornaments for sienna's tree and couldn't resist them. sienna had fun decorating her own tree.

mina paasin yksin leffaan! sienna paatyi menemaan jayn vanhemmille tanaan ja mina tajusin etta mulla on kuin onkin mahis nahda new moon avajaispaivana. olin vahan plaah aiemmin kun olin ajatellut etta pitaa odottaa etta pahimmat ruuhkat menevat ohi ennenkuin viitsin menna jonoihin odottamaan. mutta tanaan paasinkin silla yhdelta siella ei ollut paljoakaan vakea. oli jotenkin mahtava fiilis kayda yksin leffassa. sain nauttia new moonista ihan rauhassa merkkareita syoden. :) new moon on paremmin tehty kuin twilight (better special effects jne). harmitti vaan kun leffan pitaa kiireisesti nayttaa kaikki kun kaikkeen ei ole aikaa mita kirjassa on. kirjat on aina 100 kertaa paremmat kuin leffat. mutta nautin. oli ihana viettaa aikaa bellan, edwardin ja jacobin ynna muiden kanssa. ah! onneksi ei tarvi odottaa vuoden verran taas seuraavaa. eclipse on jo filmattu ja kesaan asti vaan tarvii odottaa. jei! :)

siennalla oli kivaa leikkia serkkunsa kanssa ja jayn aiti ihmetteli kun sienna oli niin huumorillinen ja hauska. yleensa ujompi ja hiljaisempi. kotonahan sienna on aina meidan funny bunny. serkku oli kuulemma nauraa horottanyt siennan juttuja. seka grandma.

sitten kaytiin red brick pizzassa syomassa ja nyt odottelen jayta videota katsomaan. saa nahda pysyyko jay hereilla kun herasi tanaan puoli viidelta testin takia seka yleensakin viiden kuuden maissa. no, saa nukahtaa jos haluaa. ihana vaan etta saan kompia sen kainaloon ja rentoutua.

new moonin menen kylla katsomaan viela kavereiden kanssa seka jayn kanssa myos. ja niin monesti muutenkin jos vaan kehtaan. :) ihanaa olla teinari. :)

{cu-u-ute!}

love this flower headband but i could never pull it off. wish i could though.

www.redvelvetart.com

i'm paying for my nature walk the other day. my legs are k-i-l-l-i-n-g me! gotta love fibromyalgia. :( could always be worse i guess...

{a looooooong nature walk}

+17C (it's november! ok, the wind was little bit nippy at times, but still!)

amazing tree silhouettes

gorgeous colors
red berries

white berries
fun lichen on fallen tree trunks
fluffy stuff for sienna to play with
the crunch crunch of fallen leaves
gorgeous river with floating ice
gotta love the long grasses
having fun with shadows
ice - nature's crystal
birch trees! (they are not that common here)
blue, blue sky
= my soul was truly refreshed today

i love the four seasons, the variety

each season has it's own beauty

{raaa!}

love this pillow by carmel killin

carmel killin interview

{david archuleta sings be still my soul at church}

why, oh why, can't this kiddo be in MY ward?
this song, be still my soul, is composed by jean sibelius. he's a famous finnish composer. i love this spiritual version of the song.

{viikonloppu raportti}

meidan viikonloppu:

perjantai iltana sienna nukkumaan ja sitten lapsenvahti. jay ja mina kaytiin syomassa napolilaista pizzaa, tsekkailtiin kirjoja kirjakaupassa ja kaytiin leffassa. valitsinpa huonon leffan. se oli mieto kauhuleffa melkeen. liian creepy. nimelta the box. luulin etta se olisi ollut ihan erilainen leffa. no, kylla sen katsoi mutta kun niin harvoin kaydaan leffassa niin aina toivon etta valittaisiin hyva leffa.

lauantaina kodin siivousta. olin kutsunut paljon vakea scentsy kekkereihin. (www.scentsy.com). mun ystava myy niita ja paatin pitaa kekkerit hanen puolestaan. taisin valita huonon paivan (kaikki ovat kiireisia lauantaisin) silla ei kovin monikaan paatynyt tulemaan. mutta kivaa oli silti ja sain ilmaisen ison tuoksujutun tuoksuineen. tuskin jaksan odottaa etta saan tilaamani jutut. koti tulee tuoksumaan ihkulta! sienna oli ihana kun tykkasi haistella tuoksuja myos. nyt harmittaa vaan kun on kauheasti kaikkea hyvaa syotavaa kotona ja mun olemattomalla itsekurilla tulee syotya ihan liikaakiin herkkuja taas kerran.

siennan syntyma-aidin vanhemmat tulivat taas edmontonissa kaymaan. viimeksi nahtiin heidat alkukesasta. kaytiin ravintolassa syomassa heidan kanssaan seka siennan tadin ja sedan kanssa. olipa kiva taas nahda heita.

launtai iltana ennatin tekemaan taman koristeen ystavalleni jonka piti nukuttaa heidan ihana koiranpentu. surullinen juttu. eivat ennattaneet kauaakaan nauttia ihanuudesta.

{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.taliaaudenartphotography.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. :)

{our halloween}

our halloween:

the cutest ever pirate girl

jello jigglers with worms

painted squash instead of carved pumpkins

our ward's fall party (great costumes, potluck supper, entertainment, jumping castle for kids...)

halloween party at the playschool (ghostie milk shakes, bat pinata...)

making sure sienna didn't go to any stores that had evil, nasty looking decorations/halloween products

sienna went trick or treating with daddy

robin handed out treats for trick or treaters

eating way too much sugary candy and chocolate as usual

{i can't wait, i can't wait, i can't wait!!!!}