Project 365 week 7

Olipahan viikko! Kouluilla vietettiin ystavanpaivaa ja vaihdettiin pienia "lahjoja". Kakkusaagasta saitte jo lukeakin. Ja sitten meilla onkin ollut varsinainen rumba. Paatait tai "erityiset ystavat" kuten niita nyt taalla meilla kutsutaan, ovat aiheuttaneet tyota ja vaivaa. Tama mamma on aika puhki!

What a week! Schools celebrated Valentine's day and the children exchanged little "gifts". You got to read about my cake already. And then we've had quite a hulabaloo. Head lice, or "special friends" as they are now called in our household,  have created a lot of work and grief. This mummy is pretty exhausted!

Kakku ja kakku / A cake and a cake

Ystavanpaivaa vietettiin viikko sitten. Olimme menossa ystavien luo tekemaan ruokaa ja syomaan (koko perheet yhdessa). Olin luvannut vieda kakun. Vaaleanpunaisen kakun. Ja olin jopa valinnut kakunkin, jonka tekisin. Kinuskikissa ei koskaan ole pettanyt resepteissaan ja niinpa valitsin sielta TAMAN. (Kuvat ovat sitten aikamoinen sekamelska puhelimella otettuja, Internetista lainattuja, Instagramista ja kamerasta. Pahoittelen.)

We celebrated Valentine's Day a week ago. We were going to cook and eat with friends (the whole families together). I had promised to make a cake. A pink cake. I had also chosen the cake I would make. Kinuskikissa has never let me down with her recipes so I chose 

THIS one. (The pictures in this post are a mix match of Internet borrowed, from the phone and Instagram as well as from my camera. I'm sorry).

Photo credits Kinuskikissa

Ensimmainen kakkupohja naytti talta sen jalkeen kun sain sen kumottua. Se vaan siis meni kahtia. Ei kun kaupan kautta tekemaan toista kakkupohjaa. Se onnistui. HUH!

First sponge looked like this after I managed to get in on the rack. It just split in two. A trip to the store to get few things and to make another one. That was a success. PHEW!

 Lauantaina aamupaivasta aloitin sitten koristelutouhut. Vahan piti saveltaa kun eihan taalla mitaan mansikanmakuista tomusokeria ole kaupassa. Piti siis maustaa ja vahan varjatakin. :)  Minulla olikin sitten hiukan isompi kakkuvuoka kuin reseptin tekijalla ja eihan se vaaleanpunainen kuorute riittanyt ja toisen satsin saaminen samanvariseksi olisikin ollut aika saatoa. Homma piti siis pelastaa jollain muulla konstilla. 

Onneksi oli ylimaaraisia mansikoita ja kermaa. :)

Saturday morning I started the actual decorating. I had to improvise a bit as there's no strawberry flavored confectioner's sugar here. I did some flavouring and colouring. :) Apparently I had a little bit bigger cake pan than the recipe maker as the pink frosting was not enough at all. Trying to get another batch exactly the same colour would have been quite challenging. I had to "save" the situation somehow else.

Luckily I had extra strawberries and cream. :)

Kakusta tuli kaunis (jos nyt ei hirveasti sivuilta katsele) ja oli muuten todella hyvaa! Suosittelen jos jollekin tulee kakkunalka.

Ja viimeisista kuorrutuksista ja jaljellejaaneista mansikanpalasista tuli kiva pieni makupalayllari tytoille.

Project 365 week 6

Taman viikon kuvat ovat San Diegon reissulta. Vaikken ollutkaan reissussa kuin nelja paivaa joisa 2 perilla niin tama viikko on mennyt kuvia editoidessa. Kuvia tuli otettua paljon. 

This weeks pictures are from my San Diego trip. Even though I wasn't traveling more than 4 days, two of which I was actually there, this week has gone editing pictures. I took a lot of pictures. 

Project 365 week 5

Elamaa meidan talossa / Life in our house

Tiedan etta postaukset viimeaikoina ovat olleet valokuvauspainotteista. Se nyt on tuntunut olevan enemman esilla tassa vuoden alussa. On meilla ihan normaalia elamaakin eletty.

I know my postings lately have been very photography heavy. It just seems to be more predominant at the moment. We do live quite normal lives along side of it all. 

Koulua kaydaan, laksyja tehdaan ja aiti ihmettelee nykyisen opettajan tapaa opettaa matematiikkaa (huomaan vertaavani Suomeen ja miettivani onko tama parempi vai ei, entas tama sitten.... miten itse olen opettanut Suomessa tata jne.) Erityisesti talla hetkella kertotaulujen opettelu isomman neidin luokassa on aiheuttanut hammennysta. Ei pelkastaan minulle vaan myos neidille itselleen. Hanen luokassaan kertotaulut tuli varsinaisesti esille vasta joulun jalkeen ja ovat tahkoneet niita kovaa vauhtia lapi kuukauden ajan. Nyt ne pitaisi olla hallussa. Ulkolaksyja ei ole ollut, Eipa ole pahemmin harkoitteluakaan nakynyt laksyjen merkeissa. Neiti tuskastelee asian kanssa. Kuulin sitten eilen etta rinnakkaisluokassa samaisessa koulussa on kertotaulut tullut kuvioihin mukaan heti syyskuusta ja niita on harkoitelut ja opeteltu ulkoa ja testattu pienilla kokeilla. Ja meidan neidilla saa luokassa olla apuna taulukko missa on vastaukset. Koe on tulossa ja neiti tuntee paineen kasvavan. Ollaan yritetty kotona sitten auttaa ja perinteisesti pantata ja opetella ulkoa niita ja harjoitella opittuja. 

Koulussa on aloitettu myos kasialaharjoitukset. Kuulemma. Joulun jalkeen. Mitaan ei ole tullut kotiin asti. Ei tietoa asiasta ainakaan saatika etta jotain pitaisi kotona harjoitella. En ole nahnyt minkaanlaista harjoituskirjaa, jollainen kuulemma on olemassa. Mielenkiinnolla jaan odottamaan missa vaiheessa asia ilmenee sitten kotioloissa ihan konkreettisesti. 

School and homework are constants in this family  and this mum has been wondering the way this teacher has been teaching multiplication (I notice myself comparing everything to Finland and thinking if this is better or not, how about this then.... how I would have been teaching this myself in Finland etc.) Especially at the moment learning the multiplication tables in Big Miss' class has been a cause of great puzzlement. Not just for me but for Big Miss herself. They started them only after Christmas and they have been moving through them during the month of January. Now they should be learned. There's been no memorizing homework. I haven't really seen any practice homework either. And Big Miss is frustrated as she is struggling.  Yesterday I found out that another class in her school has been studying multiplication starting from September. One at a time. Memorizing, practicing, testing them. Big Miss told that they are allowed to have a chart next to them where to check the answers. Test is coming and she is feeling the pressure building. We've been trying to help her here at home and memorize them and practice. 

They have also started cursive practices at school. This is what I hear. After Christmas. Haven't seen or heard anything at home from the teacher. No homework on this so far. I have not seen the work book that they have. I'm waiting with interest at which point I'll see some evidence here at home. 

Pikkuneiti on hurahtanut varittamiseen. Ainahan tuo on tykannyt mutta nyt tuntuu ettei toinen tekisi mitaan muuta kuin varittaisi. Ja kaverina pitaisi olla varittamassa mukana. Han sai joululahjaksi  "aikuisten" varityskirjan, jonka oli kerran kaupassa nahnyt ja ihasteli sita niin pitkaan. En meinannut toista pois sielta kaupasta saada kun ne kuvat oli niin ihania. Kyse oli TASTA varityskirjasta. 

Little Miss has completely been taken over by colouring. She's always liked colouring but now it seems that she wouldn't do anything but. And I should be colouring with her. She got an "adult" colouring book for Christmas. One she had seen in the store and had been admiring it so long. She didn't want to leave the store as the pictures were so lovely. It was THIS colouring book. 

Koiraherra G. voi erinomaisesti. Ihana asia kaiken sen syksyisen hardellin jalkeen.  Ainoa asia mista han karsii on kaduille ja teille levitettavasta suolasta. Nyt kun nakee/haistaa suolan  niin ei edes suostu menemaan tielle meidan pihasta. Ja jos erehtyy yrittamaan niin eipa me kamalan pitkalle paasta ennen kuin tassuja nostellaan ja monesti paadyn katamaan koiran takaisin omaan pihaan. Tossuja on yritettu ja sisalla harkoiteltu mutta niiden kanssa herra seisoo kuin sementtiin valettuna eika suostu liikkumaan senttiakaan. Hanen mielestaan aivan alyttoman loukkaavat kapineet ja hanen pitaisi muka niita pitaa. EI IKINA!

Mr G. is doing magnificently. It's so wonderful especially after last end of summer and autumn. The only thing bothering him at the moment is the salt that they put on the roads. Now that he sees/smells the salt he absolutely refuses to go on the road from our drive. And if he does accidentally try we don't get very far before  he starts lifting his paws and I have to carry him back home. We've tried booties and tried to practice inside first but with the booties he's standing like he's standing in dry concrete and won't move an inch. He thinks they are absolutely ridiculous and humiliating thingamajigs and he will NEVER wear them!

Isompi neiti sai myoskin silmalasit viikko sitten. Koulun nakotarkastuksen jalkeen marssittiin kiltisti kunnon naontarkastukseen ja niinhan siina kavi etta neiti sai lasit. Niita ei tarvitse pitaa koko aikaa, vain luokassa ja televisiota katsoessa. No telkkaria ei kotona pahemmin olla katseltu eli koululuokkaan paaasiassa. Neiti kuitenkin tykkaa laseistaan kovasti ja haluaisi pitaa niita koko ajan. Meilla oli hauskaa kokeilla kaikki mahdolliset kehykset lapi. (Neiti loysi myos lasivitriiniin lukitut Bulgari kehykset - niita ei kokeiltu mutta ihasteltiin BLING BLINGia)

Big Miss also got glasses a week ago. After failing school vision screening we marched to have them checked properly. Not supre surprised that she got glasses. She doesn't have to wear them all the time: in the class room and when watching TV. As we don't really watch TV that much at home it's mainly for the class room. However, Big Miss likes her glasses and would like to wear them all the time. We had so much fun trying on all possible frames. (She also found the locked glass case where the Bulgari frames were - we didn't try those on but we did admire all the BLING BLIN on them.)

Mina otan pienen irtioton kotoota ja lahden kaymaan San Diegossa lasten ja miehen jaadessa kotiin. Kyseessa on valokuvaus workshop. Huippua on etta tapaan paljon ihmisia, jotka olen oppinut tuntemaan netissa mutta joita en ole viela kasvotusten tavannut.  Tuskin maltan odottaa! 

I'm taking a little break from home and will go to San Diego while my husband and the girls stay home. I'm going to a photography workshop. It's going to be so much fun as I get to meet so many people I've learned to know online but whom I have not yet met face to face. I can hardly wait!

Family M.

Perhe M. otti yhteytta minuun syksylla ja he halusivat etta ottaisin heista perhkuvat. He olivat nahneet perhe H.:n kuvat TAALLA ja olivat kuulemma ihastuneet niihin. Sovittiin paivakin Kiitospaivan jalkeen mutta ensimmainen yritys meni pieleen niin saan kuin sairaudenkin takia. Ei auttanut muuta kuin kokeilla uudestaan myohemmin. Vanhempi pojista on jo yliopistossa eli han ei ole ole kotona kuin juhlapyhina ja kesalla. Niinpa sovittiin uudeksi ajankohdaksi joululoma.

Family M contacted me in the autumn and wanted me to take their family pictures. They had seen Family H.'s pictures HERE and loved them. We agreed on a day after Thanksgiving but unfortunately due to weather and sickness both we had to reschedule the shoot for later. As their oldest is already in college we had to wait for him to be home again. So we set on a time during his Christmas break.

Aika veitikoita nama veljekset.

Quite a pair these two.  :)

Hauska ja rento perhe! Mutta aiheutti tama kuvasus haasteitakin. Kuten naette perheen miesvaella oli kaikilla lasit ja viela ne itsekseen tummuvat. Eli ovat tummat ulkona kun on kirkasta ja vaalenevat taas sisalla vahemmassa valossa. Olipa tosiaankin haastavaa kuvata heijastuksien takia.  Yritettiin muutamia kuvia ilman lasejakin mutta niista huomaa heti miesvaen tuntevan itsensa epamukaviksi. Niin ne vaa lasit ovat osa ihmisen identiteettia. 

Fun and realaxed family! But this session did have some challenges as well. As you can see all the men in the family had glasses and they were the one's that transition automatically between dark and light. The glasses are dark when outside and bright and back to normal glasses inside in less light. It really was challenging because of reflections. We did try few pictures without glasses but you can immediately tell that the menfolk felt uncomfortable. Glasses become such a huge part of one's identity.

Vanhempi pojista soittaa saksofonia marssivassa soittokunnassa (marching band). 

Older bother plays the saxophone in a marching band.

Toisen veljeksen intohimo on lukeminen. 

Younger brother's passion is reading.

Meilla oli oikein kiva reilu tunti ulkosalla. Ihana perhe kuvata!

We had a great and fun hour or so outside. What a lovely family to photograph!