{misc stuff :)}

i know i'm supposed to be "gone" but i can't help but share this. :D gotta love the twilight saga and anything and everything about it.

and you gotta watch this too! :D

{merry christmas}

merry christmas everyone!

i think i'll take some time off now to celebrate the most special time of the year.

love you all.

Y

{christmas crafts}

www.familyfun.com

cuter than cute!
www.myfantastictoys.com

www.myfantastictoys.blogspot.com

multiple postings today. it's 2.27am (yep, in the middle of the night) and i can't sleep. i fell asleep on the couch earlier today and now i'm paying for it. we'll see if i'll be able to function tomorrow.

{inside lds temples}

washington dc temple at christmas time

san diego california temple. one of my favorites.
pian paasen vihdoinkin itse nakemaan sen! tuskin jaksan odottaa.

what the ancient solomon's temple looked like

the jerusalem temple

a baptism font in a lds temple.
latter-day saints perform baptisms for their ancestors in their temples. we believe that everyone needs to be baptized in order to go to the highest of God's kingdoms - the celestial kingdom. many people died without having a chance to be baptized, for example. we perform baptisms for them by proxy. they get to choose whether they accept the baptism or not. no one is forced.

1 Corinthians 15: 29 "else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"

other christians don't seem to know what this scripture is about. we do.

the twelve oxen represent the 12 tribes of Isreal. i'm a benjamite, by the way, but i have some manasse in me too. but that's another totally different discussion. ;)

ps. apostle paul was of the tribe of benjamin too.

a celestial room. a wonderful place to go to. no outside noise. you forget earthly troubles and stresses. you get a break from every day life. our edmonton temple is right next to a busy highway, yet no noises are heard in the temple. you go here to pray, to ponder, to meditate, to seek for God's guidance in your life. you feel renewed when you leave.
Y

more celestial rooms

a sealing room. this is where lds couples go to get married. they are sealed for "time and all eternity". we believe that families are supposed to last forever. children born to those parents who have been married in the temple, automatically are sealed to them. we took sienna to be sealed to us when the adoption was finally legal. she was 13 months old. a very special experience.

Y

i think this is a sealing room in the salt lake temple.

if anyone has been to a lds chapel, our church building, you know that they are very simple, plain structures. our temples are built to highest standards. everything has to be done perfectly. the temples are cleaned thoroughly daily by volunteer church members. everything is cleaned, even when it already looks clean.

everything in the temple is symbolic of something in the gospel. it's a beautiful way to learn the gospel deeper.
i have never been anywhere in the world where i have felt more at peace and closer to heaven. it feels like home.
Y

this is what the lds bible dictionary says about temples:

A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.

Whenever the Lord has had a people on the earth who will obey his word, they have been commanded to build temples in which the ordinances of the gospel and other spiritual manifestations that pertain to exaltation and eternal life may be administered. In cases of extreme poverty or emergency, these ordinances may sometimes be done on a mountaintop. This may be the case with Mount Sinai and the Mount of Transfiguration. The tabernacle erected by Moses was a type of portable temple, since the Isrealites were traveling in the wilderness.

From Adam to the time of Jesus, ordinances were performed in temples for the living only. After Jesus opened the way for the gospel to be preached in the world of spirits, ceremonial work for the dead, as well as for the living, has been done in temples on the earth by faithful members of the Church. Building and properly using a temple is one of the marks of the true Church in any dispensation, and is especially so in the present day.

The best known temple mentioned in the Bible is that which was built in Jerusalem in the days of Solomon.

{temple square}

i wish i could visit this place every christmas - salt lake city's temple square. the most magical place on earth at christmas time. Y

(all images via google image search)

watching sienna frolic in the snow today (only -1C today) - priceless. Y

i doubt anyone will do this, but i thought i'd open this posting for questions about the "mormon" temples. does anyone have any questions you've always wanted to know about "mormon" temples but never dared to ask? you can leave a question in comments (anonymous is ok). i'll try to answer them the best i can. for example: what is that golden statue on top of many of the lds temples?

{vintage christmas cards}

(all images via google image search)

ps. angels don't have wings. :)

{how times have changed :)}

have you hugged your vacuum cleaner today? :D

ooh! aah! :D

{faith hill - a baby changes everything}

love this! Y

tears running down my cheeks

{simppelia}

en ole paljoa askarrellut tana jouluna. pikku kortteja lahjoihin. simppeleita nekin. tana vuonna paatin etta taman joulun puuhat on simppelia, simppelia ja onpa ollut ihana olla stressaamatta mistaan. sen sijaan olen miettinyt henkiloita joita yllattaa jollain yllarilahjalla (kuten eras nuori aiti jota opetin aikanaan pyhakoulussa, eronnut, kaksi pikku lasta) ja nauttinut joululauluista (se david archuletan ihana cd, pistaa mut joulutunnelmaan joka kerta), en ole leiponut (torttuja kylla alkoi tekemaan nyt mieli), en ole ihmeemmin edes siivoillut (pakolliset vaan). olen sanonut ei moneen tapahtumaan jotta saan vaan nauttia. tallaisen joulun haluan taas ensi vuonna vaikkei mihinkaan oltaisikaan menossa jouluksi.
tassa vihdoinkin kuva siita snowman soup pikku lahjasta joita tehtiin. mun versio on simppelimpi kuin mita muut teki. muuta liimaili nauhaa purkkiin ja muuta. mina paatin jattaa sikseen jotta purkkia sitten voi kayttaa muuhunkin. purkissa on kaakaojauhetta ja mini marshmellows. teksti sanoo:
snowman soup
was told you've been real good this year.
always glad to hear it!
with freezing weather drawing near,
you'll need to warm the spirit.
so, here's a little snowman soup,
complete with stirring stick.
just add hot water & sip it slow.
it's sure to do the trick!
***
meilla on ollut ihan alyn kylmaa. ennatyspakkasia. eilen oli jotenkin ihan satumaisen kylmaa. ensi viikonloppuna kuulemma jo nollassa taas keli. ei edes viikkoa enaa ja me mennaan etelaan lomalle. sienna jo innoissaan odottaa etta paasee vuoristoratoihin. :) paljon lomakuvia tulossa, i'm sure.
eilen syotiin kalkkunapaivallinen jayn vanhemmilla ja katsottiin vanhoja dioja. lapset leikki tosi kivasti. jayn veli + perhe toi niiden ison bernardilaisen koiran mukaan eilen. suloinen kuin mika. itse en moista isoa koiraa ottaisi ikina mutta kiva kun saa muiden moista koiraa paijailla joskus. niin iso ja sode.
mulla on vatsa sekaisin tanaan. tosi yoks olo sun muuta "kivaa". plaah.
i'll come later and write this in english too. i'm feeling too nauseated right now to continue writing. no, i'm not preggo. just a stomach bug. ;)

{my favorite}

i know i shared this last christmas too but maybe some of you missed it. our church's nativity video plus amy grant's breath of heaven song. absolutely beautiful! touches my heart every time i watch it. Y

{mary did you know?}

{this & that}

many bloggers have been doing "color pictures" and sienna and i did one too.
sienna was so excited when she bundled up alexandra and lamee like this. she said she had twins but not triplets. i kept wondering how on earth she knew it's called triplets.

we love pompoms! you wouldn't believe the million things you can do with pompoms.

sienna made these at playschool. they used toy cars/trucks and painted with the wheels. fun!
mellow day at home today. it's -30C outside. sienna and robin have been playing lots and i got lots of stuff done (cleaning, organizing, gift wrapping, started selling stuff on kijiji...). jay is busy busy busy studying for all his final exams. poor guy. can't wait for him to have some time to relax and breath a bit.

we loved our ward's christmas party this year. we traveled to bethlehem when jesus was born. afterwards we helped clean up and set up chairs for today and tomorrow's handel's messiah program. sienna had so much fun running between the rows of chairs and me chasing her.

{help!}

www.velvetstrawberries.typepad.com

sewing pattern twinkle lights

ei olisi pitanyt katsoa saatiedotusta viikolle. luvassa -30C saata joka kuulemma tulee tuntumaan -39C:lta. apua! :)
i shouldn't have checked the weather forecast. they've promised -30C weather that'll feel like -39C. help! :)
oli ihana nahda erasta suomalaista ystavaa eilen jota en ole nahnyt tosi pitkaan aikaan. tutustuin haneen kun olin asunut kanadassa vaan pari vuotta. sitten muutimme ja yhteys loppui. facebook:n kautta loysimme taas toisemme ja eilen tavattiin tim hortons donitsi paikassa ja juttelimme melkeen pari tuntia kuulumisista. sovittiin jo etta tammikuussa taas tavataan. facebook on kylla ollut kiva juttu. oli aika hupaisaa yrittaa puhua suomea taas. jotkut jutut oli pakko puhua enkuksi. toivottavasti nyt saan sitten suomen harjoitusta saannollisesti taman ystavan kanssa.
it was wonderful to reconnect with an old finnish friend whom i got to know when i first came to canada. facebook has been awesome to help me reconnect with many old friends. we met at tim hortons ( :) ) and chatted for almost couple of hours. made plans to meet again in january. it was quite funny for us both to try to speak in finnish. certain things we just had to say in english. but hopefully i'll get lots of practise with my finnish from now on.

{jouluenkeli}

kiitos tuikulle (tuikkuvat) tasta ihanuudesta. olen tosi otettu.

Y Y Y

Anna tämä tunnustus kaikille blogeille, joille haluat toivottaa joulumieltä sekä hyvää joulua!

1. Tunnustuksen saaneet saavat laittaa kuvan blogeihinsa.

2. Linkitä blogiin jonka pitäjältä sait tunnustuksen.

3. Nimeä haluamasi blogit (määrä vapaa) joille haluat tunnustuksen antaa ja linkitä heidän bloginsa.

4. Jätä viesti heidän blogeihinsa, jotta he tietävät nimeämisestä.

Enkeli lentää liihottaa... seuraaville blogiystäville toivottamaan lämpimän joulutervehdyksen:

hanna's lifestyle

tanaan laitan taman jouluenkelin vain yhdelle henkilolle, hannikselle, silla tama henkilo on ollut koko paivan mielessa kuultuani etta hanen pikkunen eetu on sairaalassa todella kipeana.

toivon koko sydamestani etta hanniksen joululahjatoive (saada eetu terveena kotiin) toteutuu ja siksi haluan lahettaa hanelle taman enkelin tanaan. joulun sanoma voi tuoda rauhaa sydameen kun elama koettelee. haleja!

Y Y Y

ps. tottakai toivon kaikille muillekin blogiystaville joulumielta ja hyvaa joulua. paitsi mizyenalle - sulle toivon ihanaa jalleennakemista lentokentalla mahdollisimman lahitulevaisuudessa.

love you all mun blogiystavaiseni.

Y Y Y

{one wintry monday}

puut ja taivas oli upeita kun lahdin ajamaan siennaa leikkikouluun.

gorgeous sky & trees when i took sienna to playschool.

-22C

kaunista jaata auton tuulilasissa.
breathtaking frost on car's windshield.

nopea reissu ostarille ostamaan uusi talvihame kirkkoa varten.
quick trip to the mall to buy a new winter skirt to wear at church.

alyn isot seinankokoiset kuvat. mietin etta olisi kiva laittaa joku alyn iso kuva omaan kotiin jonnekin "tapettina". tai sit ei.

huge wall pictures. i was thinking it would be kind of cool to use an artsy picture as wall paper at home. or not.

liikkeiden sisustus on aina kiinnostanut mua. nayteikkunoissa aina jotain kivaa.
i love checking out the window displays in stores.

ihania lasikuplia.

love these glass bubbles.

tama naytti kivemmalta luonnossa. ihanan punainen ikkuna. muistathan halia lahimmaisiasi joka paiva.

this looked better in real life. so red and warm. don't forget to hug your loved ones.

loysin taman enkelijutun! olisin halunnut sen hopeisena mutta pakko oli ostaa jopa kultaisena. tulee niin mieleen joulut mummon luona kajaanissa. ehka spreijaan sen hopeiseksi myohemmin.

my grandma used to have one of these. i spent many christmases with her so this is a very nostalgic thing for me. i even bought a gold one as silver isn't available. i wonder if i could spray paint it silver.
muuta:

nukahdin siennan ja robinin leikkiessa ja ruuanlaitto meni mossoon. jay haki grillatun kanan ja pakastepizza myos uuniin.

en suostu enaa ottamaan tiettyja laakkeitani jotka tekevat mut ihan alyn vasyneeksi. olo on kuin joku olisi huumannut mut. en saa mitaan aikaiseksi. en todellakaan halua olla tallanen joululomalla. enka muutenkaan. onneksi huomenna on aika laakarilla ja toivottavasti saan laakkeet sumplittua. pakko!

i fell asleep while sienna and robin played and woke up too late to make supper. jay brought a grilled chicken on the way home. plus frozen pizza. leftover nachos for me.

need to adjust my meds. they make me feel like i've been drugged. i feel like falling asleep all the time and don't get much done. hopefully i get it all sorted out before our christmas holiday. have to!