Lapaspuu / Mitten tree

Esikoisen koulussa alkaa tanaan lapasten kerays vahavaraisille lapsille. Kaikki koulun eskarilaiset ovat jarjestamassa tata tempausta. He lauloivat isommille koululaisille ja kertoivat hyvanekevaisyyskerayksesta. Tama perustuu satuun "The mitten tree". Sen innoittamina eskarilaiset keraavat lahjoitettuja lapasia ja ripustavat ne koulun aulaan laitettuun puuhun. Helmikuun 14. paiva lapaset kerataan puusta ja toimitetaan vahavaraisille lapsille. Aitini neuloi kaksi lapasparia jamalangoista. Ne toimitetaan koululle huomenna.
Saimme siis eilen vahan lisaa lunta. Hurjaa vauhtia sekin reilu 10cm on sulanut. Ulos oli kuitenkin paastava peuhaamaan siihen markaan lumeen. Pikkuruinen ukko rakentui nopeasti etupihalle seka lumilyhty. Valitettavasti lumilyhty on jo sulanut siihen pisteeseen etta se pitaisi rakentaa ihan kokonaan uudestaan jos toiseksi illaksi meinaa kynttilan siihen laittaa palamaan. Mutta olis se kaunis. Unohdin jo kuinka kauniita lumilyhdyt ovatkaan.
Olen viimisen parin viikon aikana kokeillut uusia resepteja. Kaksi neljasta oli hitteja. Kurpitsakeittokin olisi varmaan ollut ihan ok, mutta mieheni paasi sen kimppuun ja maustoi sen oman maun mukaan eli joukkoon sujahti hiukan liikaa chilia meidan muiden makuun. Toinen jota ei tassa perheessa enaa tehda on vihrea risotto (joukossa pinaattia, basilikaa ja persiljaa). Oli se ihan ok muttei todellakaan mitaan ihmeellista ja vaikka lapset sita soivat niin naki ettei se ollut heista herkkua.
Mur jarjestelyinto katosi ihan yhta nopeasti kuin se tulikin. Eli ei enaa before/after kuvia. :D Oishan tuota laittamista vaikka kuinka mutta ei kai sita kaikkea voi tehda kerralla. Sehan veisi kaiken huvin. Ei voisi potea huonoa omaatuntoa nurkissa lojuvista lajista, tai marmattaa kaverille kuinka pitaisi tehda sita ja tata mutta kun ei jaksa. ;-) Taalla Ameriikoissa ei tunnu olevan samanlaista yhdessa"karsimisen" meininkia niin kuin suomessa. Kotona saattoi ihan huoletta sanoa kaverille kuinka huusholli oli kuin pommin jaljilta mutta kun ei yhtaan kiinnostaisi tuo siivoaminen koko ajan ja toinen kertoisi asian olevan ihan sama heilla. Taalla en uskalla sanoa asiasta takalaisille mitaan. Kaikkien kodit tuntuvat olevan aina niin puhtaita ja upean nakoisia kun astut sisaan. (Pitaisikohan seuraavalla kerralla kurkata kaappeihinkin ja saada joko todistusaineistoa siita etta kaikki on tungettu kaappeihin pois nakosalta pikasiivouksessa.... tai sitten nahda taysin jarjestellyt kaapit ja todeta etta amerikkalaiset naiset pystyvat jotenkin siihen mihin suomalainen ei aina kykene.:D)

The school that our first born goes starts a mitten drive today. All Kindergarteners in the school are arranging this together. They sang today to the older students in the school and told about the drive and how it works. This whole mitten drive is based on the book called "The mitten tree". With the inspiration from the story the Kindergartenres are collecting mittens to be hung in a tree in the school lobby and the on Feb 14th to be donated to children from poor families. My mother knitted two pairs of mittens and they will go to the school tomorrow, to the tree.
We got more snow yesterday. It's been melting with unbelievable speed so most of the 10cm is gone. But we had to go out and play in the wet snow a bit. We built a tiny snowman and a snowball lantern. Unfortunately the lantern has melted to the point that it has to be rebuilt if I want to put a candle in it tonight. But it was beautiful. I had forgotten how beautiful they are.
These past few weeks I've been trying out new recipes. Two out of four have been hits but the other two probably won't be tried again. the Squash-potato soup would probably have been just fine but my husband got to it and seasoned it a bit too much for his taste with chili so it was not a hit with the children. It was tasty but quite spicy. The other one, green risotto (with spinach, basil and parsley) was ok but nothing special. The girls ate it but I could tell it was not their favorite.
My organising frenzy disappeared just as fast as it came. So no more before and after pictures. :D There is a lot to be organised in this house for sure but one cannot do everything at one go. What's the fun in it? You couldn't feel bad because there are piles of stuff lying around in the corners, or you couldn't complain to your friend how you all these things to be done but now energy. ;-) Here in America they don't seem to have the same kind of "suffering together" mentality as in Finland. Back home you could easily tell a friend how your house was like a bomb had gone off but you were not interested in the slightest in doing something about it and the other would tell pretty much the same at her house. Here I don't dare say anything about this. Everyone's homes seem to be always in tip top condition when ever you step in. (Maybe next time I should have a peek in a closet or two either to prove that all the things have been stuffed into the closet after frenzied last minute cleaning.... or then witness completely tidy and organised closets and admit that american women can somehow achieve something that a finn always can not. :D)