Monday, March 31, 2008

decor ideas

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This picture didn't turn out sharp but I didn't feel like reshooting it. The April "style at home" magazine (Canadian) had some nice stuff in it and I thought I'd share some pictures with you. Like this colorful play room. I like how the dress up clothes are readily available and of course I love the kids' art displays.
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This one made me laugh. Not the comfiest and sturdiest chair for this little guy. :-D Not tall enough either. I don't care how cute it is. It also needs to be practical.
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A bit too traditional for my taste but I like the trend of making kids' rooms "not so kid like". Not that there's anything wrong about a kids' style room.
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A great fabric can be a good starting point for a room. You can steal the colors for the rest of the room's decor.
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Vases covered with pretty paper. An idea I first saw in a Martha Stewart magazine and now everyone is copying it as usual. Oh well, I don't mind. Spread the good stuff. Pretty picture. Great way to change the look of your vases.
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Do you have too much time at hand? Why not make pretty paper covers for all your books in your bookshelf. (roll eyes & laugh) Cute but I sure would never get around doing this. Great idea for that perfectionist out there. :)
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The organizer in me loves these kind of bookshelves. Everything "cubed" and in it's place.
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Rex Ray art in a baby's room!!! Gotta love it.
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I wish I had started the "home" label a long time ago. Lots of my pictures could go under this label. Oh well, I'm starting it now.
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pikku tiskaaja

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Sienna's Easter surprise this year was a Dora beach toy set. I know it's "a bit early" (roll eyes) for this but I couldn't resist when I saw it.
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Africa often comes and snuggles up to Sienna.
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Meidan pikku tiskaaja. Y
What a wonderful sight - someone else doing the dishes. :-D
(juuust kidding!)
Start them when they're young... :-D
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Sunday, March 30, 2008

biitsille pitaisi paasta tai ainakin kunnon lomalle




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Katselin juuri jonkun toisen Kalifornia kuvia ja piti sitten etsia omia sellaisia. Nama on otettu elokuun lopulla 2006 Los Angelesissa. Juhlittiin Jayn isovanhempien 60v haapaivaa siella ja siina samassa tietty lomailtiin. Kiva kun on sukua Los Angelesissa ja siella on tullut jo kaytya muistaakseni kolme kertaa (Jay tietty tosi usein, lapsena jopa parikin kertaa vuodessa, Jay on vuoristorata hullu :-D). Nyt tuli taas kauhea hinku sinne lomalle. Eka kuva on yhdesta mun lempipaikasta: Laguna Beach. Toka kuva otettu Santa Monica boulevardin & pier:n lahella. Voi etta kun Sienna oli niin pikkunen sopoliini!! Syotavan pehmoinen! Ihana kun kuvien avulla voi muistella menneita. Y
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Eilen kaytiin farmers' marketissa ja Jay olisi voinut kertoa mulle etukateen etta aikoi parkata vahan kauemmaksi (meidan liikkeen #3 viereen). Oli niin alyn kylma tuuli etta!! En ollut pukeutunut ulkona kappailya varten. Sienna simahti sitten pakettiautoon joten sain kayda silla aikaa kirjakaupassa selailemassa lehtia (mun lempipuuhaa). Jay suostui odottelemaan autossa silla aikaa (tykkaa kuunnella talk radiota). Kaytiin myos ostamassa mansikka/persikka piirakka ja loysin myos Pandan nallelakupussin. Nam! Tanaan Jayn vanhemmat kavi sitten meilla piirakalla ja jadella. Sienna oli taas esitys tuulella ja piti show:ta meille kaikille. On se meidan pikku pelle.
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Mitas muuta kuuluisi? Leffoja ollaan katottu muttei mitaan "mahtavaa" joten ei ole suosituksia. Suosittelen vaan jos leffa on "TOSI hyva". Ai niin, voisin mainita Will Smith:n "I Am Legend" leffasta. Ei ole herkille (kuten mina) tarkoitettu leffa. Saikahtelin koko ajan ja en todellakaan nauttinut leffasta. Luulin etta se olisi joku tyypillinen action leffa mutta se olikin sellainen "zombiet tulee ja hyokkaa kimppuusi" type of a movie.
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Saturday, March 29, 2008

be prepared!!


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I went to an awesome Relief Society (our church's women's organization) activity last night. It was called "chicken soup for the prepared soul". There were four rooms set up for one topic each: physical, emotional, spiritual and temporal preparedness. In each room we got part of the dinner. Taco soup & tortilla chips in one, veggies & dip in another, pizza in another and hot chocolate and dessert in the last one. I really loved the mini classes and felt so uplifted afterwards. Our church has taught people - for as long as I can remember and even longer - to save enough money, food, water and other needed supplies in case of an emergency. The temporal preparedness class focused on 72 hour emergency kit. The idea behind it is to have enough necessary supplies for 3 days for your family if you ever needed to evacuate your house in a hurry (in the event of fire, flood, tornado, ice storm, chemical spill, etc). Everyone in the family should have their own backpack packed and all ready to go (front closet is the perfect place for them). Backpacks leave hands free and make it easier to carry heavy loads. Bigger backpacks for bigger people, smaller ones for small ones (well, duh :-D). What to pack?
Water, unperishable foods (both should be rotated every 6 months or so for freshness, foods that don't require cooking is the best), flashlight & portable radio (preferably solar powered or one you can "crank"), candle, waterproof matches/lighter, plastic garbage bags, first aid kit, toiletry items (including toilet paper - remove the paper roll and put it in a ziplock bag - and feminine hygiene items and diapers if needed, they mentioned that those free sample packs you get in the mail are great for this purpose), change of clothes for everyone (remembering to prepare for the weather that is typical for your area), anything your baby/children might need (including some activity items to keep children calm - according to the age of your child/children), any important medications, blankets/emergency heat blanks/sleeping bags, copies of important documents (passports, ID cards, birth/marriage certificates, wills, insurance policies, etc - they mentioned that you might keep this in a hidden place that is easy to get to in case of an emergency, there's always danger for identity theft), some cash, candy/gum, a tent/any camping type of equipment might be good to have available as well. We were also reminded to always keep our car's gas tank half full of fuel so you can get out of harm's way if needs be (that one is hard to do, I think, as it means more trips to the gas station, but wouldn't you feel terrible if something happened and your gas tank was empty and no way to get gas, maybe you could store some gas in one of those containers, if you do make sure you do it in a safe manner). All this by the way makes a great family activity every once in awhile. Twice a year you could go through the kit together to make sure everything is ok. Good idea is also to talk about what could possibly happen and what you would do as a family in case of an emergency. They recommend that you have a meeting place outside your home (one in your neighborhood and one outside the city) in case you get separated. I just took a first aid course and it's a great idea to start teaching kids that are old enough some basic first aid skills as well.
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To some this might sound ridiculous but we have all seen the news and know that anything can happen and rescue help or aid might not reach you right away in case of an emergency. Being prepared will give you some peace of mind. If you never have to use this kit - GREAT! If you do - you will be so happy that you prepared.
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In the physical prepardness class (which I desparately needed as I have struggled in this area all my life, never learned to enjoy sports or physical activities) I learned something I'd like to share with you as well. I guess the best stomach exercise is to suck your tummy in and hold it there for 5 seconds, release and repeat (work your way up to 100 repetitions which sounds like A LOT to someone like me, I guess the idea is to do as many as you can atleast). Some reasons to exercise:
*more energy
*better quality of sleep
*better quality of life
*more alert
* reduce % of body fat
*decrease health problems
*increase lung efficiency
*increase size and strength of heart muscle
*decrease resting heart rate (I just found out mine is pretty high :( )
*increase brain function
*increase self esteem
*model healthy lifestyle for your child(ren)
*you feel good afterwards
*this is also a spiritual principle, helps your whole soul
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I'm sure we all know all this but I wanted to write it in here to remind ME.
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My friend Karly taught the mental preparedness class and her class was probably my favorite. She did so AWESOME (honestly Karly!!). The Spirit was so strong in that class. I think most of our eyes were a bit wet from tears. It was all about how to handle trials in life. We all sure have them. It's important to take care of our mental health as well. Trials are a part of life which knowledge itself helps us in the middle of them. Then we don't need to ask "why me?" etc. We just know that everyone has trials, it's part of life, we are to learn from them. Karly shared one of her big trials she has had to deal with and how going through that has blessed her. I'll share a few things from her list (I'm quite sure she won't mind):
*patience
*empathy (seriously, how else could we learn it!)
*learned that she is stronger than she thought
*more willing/prepared now to help others
* closer relationships with husband/family/etc.
*prepared her husband for his church calling (he is the bishop in our ward and has to deal with all the problems anyone might have)
*learned that Heavenly Father WAS mindful of her even during the hard times, received help from Him
*learned to love the scriptures even more as she found many quotes that helped her feel peace during her trial
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Karly also shared this quote that I liked:
"When we pluck the roses, we find we often cannot avoid the thorns which spring from the same stem." (James E. Faust)
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I really like this quote as well:
"Even flowers have to grow through dirt."
I found that quote in one of Dr Laura's books.
We sure learn lots from our trials. It's hard to go through them but we sure need them. I love to have my faith and the knowledge I have about the purpose of life. It helps me to know that THIS life is meant to be hard but the NEXT one will be amazing & glorious if we live our lives well.
Well, I went off a bit with all this but last night was just so uplifting. Can't help but keep thinking about all the stuff that was talked about. Had to share atleast some. :-)
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ps.
*Know how to shut off the water, gas and electricity in your home
*Remember to plan for your pets too (leashes, pet carriers, food...)

Thursday, March 27, 2008

this & that

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What a cool pool!!
(no railing though...what's up with that???)
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Storage units by Kast van een Huis.
Love these!!
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Scrapbooking page by Laura. Cute.
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billy jean



I really, really loved this song by David Cook. This song and David Archuleta's Imagine have been the only ones I have wanted to see many times.

If this video doesn't work, go to www.youtube.com and search for David Cook Billy Jean. This video is not the best in quality but it's still good.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

awesome!


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Aramith dining/pool table.
Love it!!
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some recent finds

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www.vandashop.com
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Thorsten Franck toy storage.
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Wiegen stroller.
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Found these cuties at
www.minordetails.typepad.com (really nice blog that features modern baby/kids stuff).
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card ideas

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Card by Kelly Purkey
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This one is by Melanie Louette.
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And this one is by Linda Barker.
These cards are holiday cards but it would be easy to adjust them to any occasion.
Check www.americancrafts.com also. I like their products.
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Monday, March 24, 2008

our easter

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I made these Easter eggs either last year or the year before (I never remember such details). Next year for sure Sienna and I will make some new ones.
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Sienna wouldn't wear her bunny ears so I did.
And no, I wasn't drunk (I don't drink alcohol!) even though I look like it in the picture.
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Gramma had the most fun shredded plastic stuff. The kids had a blast with it and grampa even got some new hair :D. Sorry about the mess gramma.
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Our Easter:
*Daddy did a family home evening with the "Easter story in plastic eggs" idea (see below)
*Mommy had to (or got to - depending on how you look at it :D) give a talk at church on Easter Sunday (she's still recovering :D)
*Sienna got to search for Easter eggs at gramma's & grampa's yesterday and then at home this morning (oh the joy!)
*Too much chocolate has been consumed by mommy & Sienna (daddy has such self control... how does he do it? oh yeah, he's a guy. :D)
*De-e-elicious turkey supper at gramma's & best pie yours truly has ever had in Canada so far
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Sienna has two new favorite tv shows (mommy likes them too :D):
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ps. I have been asked to put the music into the side column for easier access I guess. I tried. It's too big. Only half of it shows in that column. So I'm going to leave it as is. It only takes me a second to scroll down to the bottom. People who don't care for the music: just mute your volume while visiting my blog. Thanks for understanding. :)
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Saturday, March 22, 2008

for christians

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Gethsemane by Del Parson.
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He Is Risen by Greg Olsen.
(both of these artists are LDS)
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This is a great way to teach the Easter story to your children. Purchase a dozen hollow plastic eggs and number the eggs from 1 to 12. Place these items inside the eggs, then hide the eggs for the children to find. Open the eggs in order and read the scripture reference that goes with the item inside (or tell the story in your own words):
1 - 3 dimes (or any small silver coins) - Matthew 26: 14-16
2 - tiny cup or a picture of a cup - Matthew 26: 36-39
3 - a Hershey's kiss chocolate & a piece of rope - Matthew 26: 47-50, 27: 1-2
4 - piece of soap - Matthew 27: 22-26
5 - piece of red cloth/material - Matthew 27: 28-30
6 - a toothpick, cut in one small piece and a larger piece - Matthew 27: 33-35
7 - 1 die (a dice) - Matthew 27: 35-37
8 - stones/pebbles - Matthew 27: 50-51, 54
9 - piece of white cloth - Matthew 27: 57-60
10 - larger smooth stone/rock - Matthew 27: 60, 62-66
11 - bay leaf (spices) - Mark 16: 1-4
12 - nothing (empty) - Mark 16: 5-14

Friday, March 21, 2008

pysanky eggs

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The cybrarian in me made me post these pictures here. :)
Pysanky eggs = Ukrainian Easter eggs.
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The world's largest Pysanky egg can be found in Vegreville, Alberta, Canada.
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Each color is dipped separately. These eggs take a LONG time to make.
The patterns are often symbolic and related to Christianity.
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Cybrarian = a person whose job is to find, collect, and manage information that is available on the World Wide Web. (I'm a self appointed one, I guess :) ).
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mmm! ja ehka ei niin kauheen mmm! :)

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Tahan uskon: tyhja hauta.
Iloista Paasiaisen viettoa kaikille! Y
I believe in this: the empty tomb.
Happy Easter everyone! Y
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Can't remember where I found this from but isn't this the cutest thing ever?

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And Martha Stewart of course. They make the most beautiful Easter eggs!

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Tana aamuna Sienna "teki mulle muffinseja". Kun kysyin minkalaisia muffinseja ovat sain vastaukseksi "kana muffinseja". :-D
This morning Sienna "made me some muffins". When I asked her what kind of muffins they were, she answered "chicken muffins". :-D
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Olen poistanut viimeisia talveen liittyvia koristeita (ikkunoiden lumihiutaleet...) ja siivoskellut kotia paasiaiskuntoon. Tulppaanit on maljakossa. Pajunoksia mulla on maljakossa vuoden ympari (olen kuivattanut, tosi isoja muhkeita pehmuloita, farmers' market:sta loytamiani) ja nyt pitaa menna etsimaan muut paasiaiskoristeet. Olen vahan myohassa tana vuonna.
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Eilen kavin apparin "enrichment":ssa. Karlyn isoaidin piti opettaa ukrainilaisten perogies:n teon mutta oli kipea joten Karly itse opetti. Hauska juttu oli se etta Jay todella patisti mua lahtemaan sinne. Yritti varmistaa etten vaan millaan missaa tata juttua. :) Perogies on yksi Jayn lemppari ruoka. Omatekoiset paljon maistuvammat kuin kaupasta ostetut. Nyt on pakastimessa yli 20 perogies odottamassa niiden keittamista. Kiva oli oppia. Taalla Kanadassa on paljon ukrainilaisia. Karly osaa tehda niita upeita ukrainalaisia paasiaismuniakin. En nyt muistanut tanne etsia kuvia niista. Tehkaa google image search "ukrainian easter eggs" niin naette jos kiinnostaa. Tosi upeita.
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Thursday, March 20, 2008

merrily merrily



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Kekkasin keinon jolla sain Siennan innostumaan taas tasta askartelusta. Leikkasin paprun palasia ja Sienna liimaili niita. Minun piti lopussa auttaa vahan kun innostus taas lopahti. Klikkaa kuvia niin nakyy paremmin.
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A boat craft made by me and Sienna for our weekly Imagine That! class. Originally I wanted Sienna to color the picture but she got bored of coloring it. Then I came up with the idea that she can glue paper pieces on. I wanted to make sure Sienna was part of making this and now I can say she did it as well. Click the pictures to see them better.
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