Nayttaa lupaavalta / Looks promising

Jos vaan ei sateeksi muutu niin mehan paastaan pulkkamakeen huomenna. JEEEEEE! Talle paivalle luvattiin lunta jo puolilta paivin mutta se aloitti lumen tulon vasta iltasella kuuden aikaan. Nyt sita on sitten parin tunnin aikana tullutkin ihan mukavasti reilu 5cm. Peukut pystyyn siis etta paastaisiin pulkkailemaan huomenna. Ja ma paasen lumitoihinkin. :D Kylla on meikalaisella halvat huvit. Ei tuossa tosin paljoa tekemista ole mutta paasenpahan kuitenkin. :D
Tanaan posti toi myohaisia joululahjoja Lapista. Siskoni oli pistanyt pakettiin tytoille neljantuulenhatut ja meille isoille ihanan paksut karstatut lapaset. Nayttaa huovutetuille muttei ole. Olipa ihanat lahjat. Eika taatusti tule vastaan samanlaisia hattuja kuin tytoilla.
Tanaan olen korjaillut nukenvaatteita, ratkonut saumoja ja ommellut nauhoja jne. Isomman neidin nukelle ostetut vaatteet, joiden piti sopia oli joko liian tiukkoja etta olisi saanut paalle rikkomatta tai sitten liian valjia etta olisivat pysyneet paalla. Niita sitten tanaan ollaan tuunattu kayttokuntoon. On sita vahan piirrelty kaavojakin ja leikattu kangasta. Taytyyhan Kyla:lla olla yopaita. No nyt varkataan sitten yopaitaa.

If it just doesn't change into rain then we get to go sledding tomorrow. YAY! Today's forecast was snow already from noon but it started snowing only after 6pm. Now during the few hours there's already more than 5cm/c. 3 inches. Everything crossed for good sledding day for tomorrow. And I get to do the snow! :D I'm extremely cheap to entertain. Not much to do but I'm happy for even the little bit.
Today the post brought late Christmas presents from Lapland. My sister had wrapped four winds hats for the girls and us big ones got lovely, thick mittens. They are not felted even though they do look like it. What wonderful gifts. And there will not be the same kind of hats that the girls got coming along very easily.
I've been fixing doll clothes, ripping seams and re-sewing them, sewing ribbons etc. The clothes bought (which were supposed to fit her) for the new doll, whose name is Kyla, were either too small to get them on without ripping them or too big to stay on. So, I've been spending some time with them. And then I've been drwaing some patterns and cutting some fabric. "Kyla has to have a nightie." And mummy is making a nightie for Kyla.

Luntako? / Snow?

Taisi olla unta.... tai ei ehka sittenkaan. Lunta satoi yolla ja sen verran etta taalla aurat ja suola-autot veti sellasta rallia ettei tosi. Suomessa ne ei olisi liikahtaneetkaan sen maaran vuoksi. Ja aamulla kun herattiin niin vetta satoi taivaan taydelta ja lumesta ei ollut tietoakaan. Nyt kun kirjoittelen tata illalla taivaalta tupruttaa lunta taas ihan mallikkaasti. Ja mina toivon..... turhaan, silla huomenna on taas plussa asteita ja tata lunta ei tule paljon.
Olen varkkaillyt lumihiutaleita. Virkaten. Kolme kasassa. Joskos niita saisi sen verran tehtya etta ikkunaan saisi kiikkumaan. Jos ei lunta saada kerta ulos niin joskos sitten edes sisapuolelle.
Teeta on tullut horpittya kylmien varpaiden lammittamiseksi (juu on ollut villasukat jalassa) ihan kohtuulliset maarat tanaan. Mutta mikas siina kun on ollut hyvaa jouluista teeta.

I think it was a dream... or maybe not. It did snow during the night and to the extent that the ploughs and salt trucks were driving a rally around the estate. In Finland they would have not moved for that amount. And when we woke up in the morning it was raining so hard that there was no sign of the snow. Now that I'm writing this in the evening, it's snowing again with vigor. And I hope.... for nothing, as tomorrow it will again be above freezing and I'm sure it won't snow for long.
I've been crocheting snowflakes. Three done. Maybe I get enough of them made so that I could hang them on the window. If we don't get any snow outside then maybe I can make a little bit of it inside.
I've been drinking quite a good amount of tea today to keep my toes warm (yes, I've been wearing my woolly socks). But I don't really mind as the tea has been good christmassy kind.

Onko joulu jo ohi? / Is Christmas over already?

Kalenteri ja kello nayttaa armottomasti Tapaninpaivan iltaa. Huomenna alkaa todellakin arki. Taalla se tosin alkoi jo tanaan. Roska-auto jyristeli aamulla roskia hakemassa. Tapaninpaiva on taalla "tuntematon" kasite.
Joulupukki kavi. Kahteen otteeseen. Meilla kun yritetaan yhdistaa kahden maan traditiot. Suomesta tulleet lahjat ja puolet lahjoista tulee joulupukin mukana aattona. Ja sitten han kay uudestaan yolla tayttamassa joulusukat ja tuomassa joulukuusen alle toisen satsin lahjoja. Pukki parka kun joutuu tuolla tavalla raatamaan. Taalla on vaan kamalan vaikeaa loytaa suomea puhuvaa joulupukkia ja tanakin vuonna, niin kuin viime vuonna pukki kavikin pikaisesti vaan tuomassa sakin ovelle ja soittamaan merkiksi ovikelloa. Mutta se loiste pienissa silmissa paketteja aukoessa on niin korvaamaton.
Joulupaivan aamuna tytot kaivoivat pienia yllatyksia esiin joulusukista ja alakerrasta loytyi keittio mamin ja daddyn pienille kokeille. Nyt sita on sitten syoty ruokaa ja juotu teeta ja kahvia jne. Massut on mussutettu mahtipontiseen muotoon maukkaita muonia. :D
Taidan joutua nukkevaatesuunnittelijaksi. Esikoinen sai toivomansa "ison tyton nuken". Kaino kysymys kuuluikin: "Mami, osaisitko tehda Kyla:lle vaatteita?"
Yritan viela pitaa kiinni vahan joulusta. En haluaisi paastaa irti ja palata normaaliin. Kuusi saa siis pysya ainakin uuteenvuoteen. Katsotaan sitten uudestaan milta tuntuu. Nyt haluan viela joulun tanne.

My calendar and watch are indicating inevitably that it's Boxing day evening. Tomorrow it's back to normalcy. Here it started already today. The rubbish truck was rumbling already in the morning picking up the rubbish. Boxing day is unknown here.
Santa Claus came. Twice. We do try to combine traditions from two countries, two different ways of celebrating Christmas. Presents sent from Finland and half of ours will arrive with Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. And then he comes back during the night filling the stockings and bringing more presents under the tree. Poor Santa having to work so hard. It's awfully hard to find a Finnish speaking Santa (we have to keep the continuum from Finland - we always had Finnish speaking Santa visiting the house and Santa does live in Finland, right?) so this year as well as the previous years Santa just brought the sack behind the door in his hurry and rang the doorbell to let us know. But the sparkle in little eyes when opening the gifts is priceless.
On Christmas Day morning girls dug out little surprises from their stockings. Downstairs revealed a kitchen for mummy's and daddy's little chefs. Now we've been stuffed with all kinds of gourmet food and drinks of all sorts from this culinary masterpiece kitchen. :D
I have a feeling I will end up starting doll clothes designer/maker. Our eldest got the "big girl doll" she wished for. The shy question that followed a bit later sounded:" Mummy, would you know how to make clothes for Kyla?"
I'm still trying to hang on to Christmas. A little bit at least. I don't feel like letting it go and return back to normal. Our tree can stay at least until new year. Let's see again then how I feel. Now I still want Christmas to be here.

From all of us to all of you

This Christmas we reflect on the benefits we hold dear to our hearts.

We believe in hope. We believe that behind every rainy day a rainbow waits. We believe in the power of forgiveness. We believe in striving to do our best while accepting our limitations. We believe in integrity and working hard. We believe in hugs and kisses. We believe in being kind and helping others. We believe in friendship. We believe in the importance of being silly. We believe in the power of possibilities and that anything can be. We believe in being thankful for what we have but that the most important things in life are not things. We believe that family and friends are life's greatest gifts. We believe that all you need is love. We believe in the magic of Christmas. Most of all we believe in each other.

From all of us to all of you, we wish you Happy Christmas!

Viimeinen paiva ennen ensi vuotta / Last day before next year

En ole hurahtanut ja mennyt sekaisin paivissa. Tanaan on Marme Laadidaadin viimeinen vierailupaiva ennen kuin han lennahtaa Joulupukin luo Korvatunturille vuodeksi ja saapuu sitten taas iloksemme ensi joulukuussa. Tonttuneiti kruunasikin piilopaikkansa ja loysimme hanet pitkan etsinnan jalkeen joulukuusesta. :)
Aaton aatto kuluu mukavasti viela puuhaillessa. Pienta siivoilua, leipomusta ja pikkuhiljaa rauhoittumista joulun viettoon. Toivon kaikille ihanaa, lampoista, ja sydamellista joulua!

I have not gone loopy and mixed up the dates. Today is Marme Laadidaadi's last day visiting us before she goes back to Santa Claus for the year and before coming back to us again next December. The little Elf Miss did crown her visit with a special hiding place. We found her in the Christmas tree. :)
Today will be spent by doing a bit more cleaning, baking and then winding things down to enjoy and celebrate Christmas. I wish everyone wonderful, warm and heartfelt Christmas!

Taikaa / Magic

Kylla joulukuusessa on sita jotain. Ihmeellista. Ihanaa. Taianomaista. Kaunista. Tanaan koristeltiin kuusi. Nuorempi lahinna ihmetteli kaikkia koristeita vanhemman osallistuessa intensiivisesti koristeiden laittamiseen. Ja kun kaikki oli valmista se loiste, ihastus, ihmetys lasten silmissa sulatti sydamen. Joulun taikaa.

There's something about a Christmas tree. Wonderous. Lovely. Magical. Beaitiful. Today we decorated the tree. Our younger one more or less was interested in all the decorations and was fiddling with them while our older one participated intensively in the decorating itself. And when it was all ready the shine and wonder in the children's eyes melted my heart. The magic of Christmas.

Vetta / Water

Kasitoitako tanaan? Voi tuota Marmea.
Yolla satoi, aamulla satoi, paivalla satoi. Ei kovin jouluinen saa. Koitapa tasta nyt sitten joulumielta ammentaa kun katsoo ulos ja taivas on tumman harmaa ja vetta sataa kuin saavista kaatamalla.
Tanaan Amerikka hiljeni klo 9.30 aamulla viimeperjantaisten jarkyttavien tapahtumien takia. Mina satuin olemaan juuri silloin lihakauppiaan juttusilla. Kaikki kaupassa olijat hiljenivat kuin yhteisesta sopimuksesta. Sydamessa hyytaa vielakin ajatella niita lapsia ja aikuisia, jotka menettivat henkensa.
Aitini tekema villatakki esikoiselle joutui tanaan hoyrytykseen. Kuvassa palat oli vasta pingotettu paikoilleen. Aitee oli sita mielta ettei sita tarvitse tehda. Mina taasen toista mielta. Mina "voitin". :)
Ilta on kulunut lukiessa lehtea, ruokaa tehdessa, lapsia nukkumaan laittaessa. Sain mina joulutortutkin tehtya. Laiskuus tosin iski enka jaksanut keittaa luumuhilloa. Nyt on tortuissa aprikoosi- ja mansikkahilloa. Ei ehka ihan jouluisia mutta, tana vuonna talla lailla.
Miehen seka esikoisen joululoma alkoi. Ei taalla mitaan joulujuhlia ole. Tuntuu vahan tyhjalta. Ei siis kuusijuhlaa. Kouluissahan ei taalla kasitella mitenkaan joulun/hanukan/kwanzan uskonnollisia aspekteja. Kaikki pidetaan hyvin yleisella tasolla.
Tehtavien asioiden lista pienee kovaa vauhtia. :) Kohta voi rauhoittua joulun viettoon.

Some knitting today Marme?
It rained in the night, it rained in the morning, it rained during the day. Not very Christmassy weather. Try to get your Christmas spirit up while it's raining cats and dogs.
Today America stopped and quieted at 9.30am to respect those who lost their lives last Friday. I happened to be in the butcher's shop. All in the store just quieted down and stopped from doing what they were doing like it was all had agreed before hand. My heart gets still cold while thinking of those children and adults who lost their lives..
The cardigan my mother is making for our oldest was blocked today. In the picture I had just placed the pieces on the bed. My mother thought it was wasted time. I disagreed. I "won". :)
The evening has now been spent by reading a magazine, making dinner, putting children to bed. I did get the traditional finnish christmas pastries done too. I have to admit being lazy and I did not make the prune jam that we usually use in these pastries. I was lazy. Instead I had some apricot and strawberry preserves in the fridge and used those instead. Not really christmassy but this year we're going like this.
My husband's and our eldest's Christmas holiday started now. There was no big christmas celebration at school. Not the way I'm used to back at home. It feels a big weird and empty. They do not go into any of the religious/spiritual aspects of Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza in schools.
The Christmas TO DO-list is getting shorter fast. :) Soon we can just calm down to celebrate Christmas.

Kuusi / Christmas tree

Han yritti sitten kadota kaltaistensa joukkoon. :) Ei kuitenkaan onnistunut ja lapset loysivat hanet.
Kuusi haettiin aamulla. Pystytettiinkin. Sita pitaa viela vahan ponkitella. Jotain outoa on tekeilla kuusenjalan ruuveissa. Rakas mieheni saa selvittaa sen. Valot saatiin kieputeltua kuuseen mutta muut koristeet saavat kylla odottaa sita etta saadaan kuusi pysymaan kunnolla pystyssa.
Nyt kuppi kuumaa teeta. hetken rauha. Nautin kuusen tuoksusta. Tekemista olisi vaikka kuinka mutta kun ei jaksa niin ei jaksa.

She tried to disappear amongst her like. :) Didn't manage though as the girls found her.
We went to get the Christmas tree this morning. It was put up as well. It needs some more support at the base. There's something funny going on with the stand's tightening screws. My dear husband gets to solve that problem. We did put the lights up but rest of the decorations get to wait for the tree to be more stable, so it won't topple over.
Now time for cup of hot tea. Moment's peace. I'm going to enjoy the smell of the tree. I've got so many things still to do but when you don't have the energy you don't have the energy.

Joulupukkia etsimassa / Seraching for Santa Claus

Tonttuneiti Marme Laadidaadi oli sitten paattanyt kaapata kaukosaatimen. Tahtoi kai testata Daddyn uuden television.
Olimme tanaan joulupukin etsintaretkella. Ei loytynyt pukkia mutta kaikenlaista muuta ihanaa jouluista. Kuvat eivat tee oikeutta tunnelmalle, jonka loysimme.

Elf miss Marme Laadidaadi had decided to snatch the remote. I guess she wanted to test Daddy's new television.
We were on an expedition searching for Santa. We didn't find him but all other kind lovely Christmas things. Pictures don't make justice for the atmosphere we found.

Sanoja / Words

Taitaa se tonttukin tarvita unta.
Olen tanaan hammastelyt pienemman neidin kehittymista puheen suhteen. Valilla uusia sanoja ja juttuja tulee ryppaana ja valillla taas "junnataan" (jos noin nyt voi sanoa) paikoillaan. Parin viime paivan aikana olen huomannut kuinka aina joulupukin televisiossa nahdessaan neiti hohottaa "HO HO HO!" Hassua ja ihanan sopoa! Samoin aina kun poistun huoneesta han ilmoittaa "Mummy go" (valilla peraani itkien, valilla taas ihan tyynesti ilmoittaen). Tama on ensimmainen kahden sanan yhdistelma. Ja tanaan neiti topakasti ilmoitti minulle "Kaappi kii" kun isosisko oli jattanyt yhden keittion kaapeista auki. Olen tainnut hokea kaapin kiinni laittamisesta aika lailla. :) Kuinka ihanaa huomata kehitysta.
Vetta satoi koko paivan. Ei kovin joulumielta kohentava saa. Paistaisi edes aurinko. Huomenna pitaisi keksia jotain tekemista kun isommallakaan ei ole huomenna koulupaivaa. Muutamia ajatuksia onkin paassa, kaikki tosin riippuu saasta.

Apparently elves need sleep as well.
I have been wondering the development of our little ones speech. Sometimes new words and other things appear in short space of time and sometimes we're "stuck" (if you can say so) in place. During the past few days I've noticed her going "HO HO HO!" every time she sees Santa on TV. So funny and adorably cute. Also every time I leave the room she announces "Mummy go" (sometimes crying after me, sometimes very cool with the idea). This is the first two word combination from her. And today she promptly told me "kaappi kii" meaning close cupboard after her big sister left one of the kitchen cupboards open. I think I've been telling her to close cupboards many many times. :) How lovely to see her develop new skills.
It was raining all day. Not much of a weather to promote Christmas feeling. If no snow, I wish it would at least be sunny. I need to think something to do for tomorrow as our eldest has a day off from school. I have few ideas but they all depend on the weather.