{this & that as usual}

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I thought I'd do one more posting before I take a little break to enjoy Easter.

After supper today we went to the nearby pond to feed the geese. It was fun to see them again and hear their honking. I picked some pussy willow & tree branches so that I could do this Finnish Easter tradition - feathers in tree branches. Hopefully the tree branches will start budding soon. Most Finns use colorful feathers but I had white ones and I must admit - this way is more my style.

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Long time ago I saw this in a magazine and had to make my own. :D

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I love the Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. Not because I plan to get married again (obviously) but because it has beautiful pictures and the crafts ideas translate to other parties as well. Martha's people do a wonderful job - perfectionism at it's best.
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I loved the article about lace decorations. Lace in a modern way. marthastewartweddings.com/lace-projects
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An awesome house I saw in a DWELL magazine. I'd like it even better if it was mine :) and if it was in a non-evergreen tree forest.
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Love this bathroom I saw in a House & Home magazine. I'm so into the global look. Love, love, love the tiles!
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I love wallpapered walls. When just one wall has been papered. Reminds me of my grandma's apartment in the early 70's. She was so cool & in style back then! :)

Mummo on mielessani silla huomenna on mummon 85v synttarit. Mummolla on alzheimers ja muisti kadonnut. Paasisipa aina joskus hieromaan mummon kipeita jalkoja ja hartioita. Eika haittaisi vaikka minuutin valein kysyy samat kysymykset. Y
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I have always been interested in hand-writing analysis. I think there's something to it. I totally notice how my hand-writing changes depending on if I'm tired or not. Click on the pictures and start analyzing your hand-writing. Fun! I collected these ideas after reading an article about the topic in a magazine (years ago). I remember thinking "who on earth would write their K like that?" (see #1). Then I saw an athlete's autograph in a magazine and her K was like that.
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Have a wonderful Easter everyone!
What a special time of the year.
I think Christmas and Easter are neck to neck for me when it comes to holidays.
So much hope in the air...
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{creative stuff}

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macraMe etsy com

I love the way macraMe takes pictures of the owl necklaces she sells at Etsy. Kinda freeky but oh so cool & creative.

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jennipenni/flickr com
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{happy st paddy's!}

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Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!

What a fun day. We are all wearing green today. Are you? Sienna is making a green picture with green stickers and green markers. You'll see it later. Green, green, green. Everything's gotta be green today. :)

I'm proud to say that I have eaten green shamrocks (ketunleipia) in a forest in Ireland and walked the green hills there. Part of me will always be Irish. Y

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This is really cool:

DID YOU KNOW?

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{blog changes}

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I would like to visit an ice hotel, not to stay in one. :)

There's something magical about them but I think people who spend a night in them must be completely and utterly nuts. :D

These ice hotels can be found in Finland, Sweden, Quebec (Canada)...

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I've been pondering and pondering about my blog. Once again I'm having a bit of a crisis about it. This hasn't turned out to be the blog I planned it to be - a place where my family and friends can stay in touch with my life since I live million miles away. This blog has morfed into something totally different. I do like putting stuff in here that I find. I guess it's my personal filing cabinet for all things interesting. And in some ways I like writing about our every day life too as this becomes somewhat of a journal for us. But in a way I feel like I'm a mamarazzi. The older Sienna gets, the more I wonder if she would like that I'm making her life so public. I have a feeling that a change is coming to my blog soon. I'm considering separating our family's everyday life into a separate, private blog. And keep doing a public blog without all the family stuff. I'll offer to invite those who have been reading my blog so far to my new private blog. If you would like an invitation, please leave a comment for me with your e-mail address.

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No viela suomeksi. Blogi kriisi menossa. Mita vanhemmaksi Sienna tulee, sen enemman mietin etta onko reilua etta kirjoitan tanne hanen elamastaan kaikkien luettavaksi. Tulen erottamaan blogini kahteen eri blogiin piakkoin - private (jossa meidan arkielamaa) ja sitten kaikille avoin blogi (jonne edelleen tulen laittamaan kaikkea muuta mika minua sattuukin kiinnostamaan). Jos joku teista blogiystavistani haluaa tulevaisuudessakin lukea meidan perheen elamasta niin jata kommentti jossa on sahkopostiosoitteesi. Uudelle perheblogilleni tulee siis paasemaan vain kutsun kautta.

Olen aina ollut kovin avoin ihminen mutta tama tuntuu oikealta ratkaisulta Siennan takia.

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{shouldn't go to that pool}

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www.wordle.net

You type in words and it makes fun word stuff for ya. Give it a try.

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Just when you feel like "no one cares" (I'm known to occasionally swim in Olympic-sized self pity pools*), things happen that convince you otherwise.

Today I'm so thankful for my mother-in-law. Long story but I have a feeling that because of what she did for me today, great things will happen in my life. Y

I'm also so thankful for my Jay for being so very patient with me. There are things about me that he kindly puts up with (with so much patience and love) that it makes me wonder how on earth I was blessed with the best husband in the world. Y

There. That just had to be said today.

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Other than that... Jay found a new fun place to go eat at. I can't remember for the life of me what it was called (Red Brick something something ?) but it's kind of in between a fast food place and a restaurant. They serve red brick oven pizza. Every booth had it's own tv to watch while waiting for food (Sienna loved it that the kid at the other table was watching Wonder Pets too) and it was a very earth friendly "green" place. The cups for example were made of plants (biogradable) even though they felt like plastic. Yummy pizza. :P

I love it when I don't have to cook. :)

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*gotta love Neal A. Maxwell and his way with words Y

{nap pi pep pu na pa}

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Julian Beever's 3D chalk art.

Thanks Karly! :)

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Ta pu ta

a pi na!

Ta pu ta pa pu pa ta!

Pa on tavu, pu on tavu,

pa ja pu on tavuja!

Pannaan mullin mallin tavut,

niin kuin pataan pienet pavut:

ta pu pu pa, pu ta pa pa,

nappi, pappi, peppu, napa!

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My sister Stella

has an umbrella

a purple and yella umbrella.

Along came a fella

who let out a yella

"Hey Stella, nice yella umbrella!"

(Jeff Sweeney)

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Oli kissimirri, ihan pieni niin,

pienempi kuin tama pikkurilli

ja silti vallan villi.

Vaan kerran se joutui eksyksiin!

Meni piiloon vauvani topposeen

ja laski siella kymmeneen:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

Sen mirrin nimi oli -

kuka arvas?

Tietenkin Vauvan Pikku-Varvas!

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happy canada day

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Happy Canada Day!

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sandra backlund

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www.sandrabacklund.com

in no time collection
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perfect hurts collection

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don't walk collection

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I could see her stuff in a futuristic movie.

I just think it's amazing that someone would even think of doing something like this.

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robert muraine

Siis tama tanssija, Robert Muraine, on aivan ALYN MAHTAVA!! Oon niin onskuna kun So You Think You Can Dance alkoi taas.

You gotta check out this dancer from the show So You Think You Can Dance. His name is Robert Muraine and he's a popper. AMAZING!!!!!!!! FUN!!!!!

is that better?

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Kids' room at the Ramada resort in Karon Beach, Phukat.

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Ripa hotel in Rome.

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Benoit Lambert's Darth Vader hot air balloon.

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Sienna was playing with a Barbie doll this morning:

"You have a poopey bum."

(Sienna pretends to change a diaper)

"Now your bum is ok."

"Is that better?"

:)

not the brightest

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I visited the www.worth1000.com website again. First one is called Latin Manga. If people looked like Manga drawings. :) The second one is a demotivation poster. Looking at it would cheer me up every day. :)

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We just got an awesome surprise in the mail: extra $900+ bonus from the government for taking care of Robin. Totally unexpected money. Pays for my dental fees. Yey!!! :) Blessings...

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cool stuff and sad news

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Art school in Singapore. Amazing!!

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Low-energy prefab designed by Eric Wuilmot.
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Single Hauz.
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Cool design stuff I found from www.inhabitat.com.
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It's so freezing cold here right now!!! And it's only supposed to be getting worse. The wind makes it feel like -40C. :(
My plans for today: organizing, playing with Sienna, cuddling with Jay (he has a day off), make an oven pancake (pannaria mansikkahillolla, mmm!), testing the PhotoScape program some more, watching some tv or a movie... I ain't going out!!! :)
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Sad news is that one of my favorite people in the world passed away yesterday evening: our church's leader, President Gordon B. Hinckley. I truly LOVE him and will miss him immensly! He is the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, funniest man. I loved hearing him speak. He always had such a quick wit and such a good sense of humor. He was a picture of optimism. When 9-11 happened, it was his speach that gave me the most peace and hope. And the way he always spoke about his sweet wife Marjorie! She passed away in 2004 and even though I'll miss President Hinckley like crazy, I'm so happy for him that he gets to be with his dear wife now. One of his last speaches to the church in general was about being slow in anger. This is a quote from that talk:
"I think of my own marriage. My eternal companion passed away three and a half years ago. But we lived together for 67 years. I have no recollection of ever having a quarrel with her. She traveled with me and spoke on every continent, pleading for the exercise of restraint, kindness, and love."
You could totally tell about them that they were so in love after all those years. They had so much respect for each other. I have faith in my marriage largely because of him and his wife. Desire to do better as a wife. Anyways, I could go on and on about him but since this is basically just affecting my life (not yours) I'll just end by another quote from the talk I mentioned:
"...I plead with you to control your tempers, to put a smile upon your faces, which will erase anger; speak out with words of love and peace, appreciation, and respect. If you will do this, your lives will be without regret. Your marriages and family relationships will be preserved. You will be much happier. You will do greater good. You will feel a sense of peace that will be wonderful. May the Lord bless you and inspire you to walk without anger, without bitterness of any kind, but to reach out to others with expressions of friendship, appreciation, and love."
President Hinckley practised what he preached. I love you President Hinckley! I will miss you tons!
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ps. No need to comment on this stuff. I wrote about Pres. Hinckley mainly for myself.

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the 3 r's - recycle, reuse, reduce

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The 3 R's at it's best - hub cap art.

www.alternativeconsumer.com

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