Schlitzohren

2012-02-29T14:59:00.013+02:00

Go check out our new blog here!

RAWR Magazine

2012-02-24T18:52:00.007+02:00

Photo Daniela Talvitie

Styling Elina Felin
Dress Tiia Vanhatapio

Make-up Aino-Sophia Kojonen

Hair Taryn Renee Baker

Model Mia

How are you all?

I have been well.

Really well.

My family was visiting from Germany

this past weekend

and oh

I loved it so.

I have been a horrible blogger lately.

I know.

But the reason is that

I've been working on

a new blog

with a bunch of friends,

and I'm so excited

I can finally tell you!

We are launching the site

in 5 days,

on Wednesday the 29th,

so check back here for the link,

sometime in the evening.

We have a nice little collection

of articles and photos

together now.

I've been interviewing

and writing

and it makes me

so very happy.

It's been a blast,

and I can't wait to show you what

we've put together!

Stay tuned.

I must say I am simply in love

with this picture my friend Dani took.

I want that flower crown...

and those freckles.

Sigh...

PS...

I agree 100% with everything Gaby says here,

especially the sex bit.

Scandalous.

;)

Valentine's

2012-02-13T18:51:00.000+02:00

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day? We do, every year; something we picked up
while living in the US.

Hand heart stamps are still my favorite (Valentine's or Mother's Day) gift idea ever.
The idea is by Khali and her instructions are here.

Btw, thank you all so much for your kind words on my previous post. I am still in
the process of figuring out what to eat. I do manage to not eat wheat etc on most days,
but it has had the unfortunate side effect of me drinking liters of coca cola and eating
tons of chocolate (bad, bad! Why am I not allergic to the unhealthy stuff).

PS
Here is another cute Valentine's idea.
And here, too.
I want to do this with Fe next spring!

Happy Valentine's Day!
:)

Bug season.

2012-02-01T16:42:00.005+02:00

40 degrees fever and a big fat stomach bug.
Both of them.
Oh dear!

Also: I got some lab results back, and it turns out I am allergic to everything. I mean, everything.
The only things I am not allergic to are: egg whites, fish, milk, cabbage, rice. And dust mites. That's it!

Oh dear! (Though, honestly, I feel oddly empowered by the knowledge and even somewhat ecstatic.
If you have any advice on how to live without wheat, gluten, fruits, or most veggies, please share.)

PS Thank you, Apartment Therapy.
:)

drawing on tables

2012-01-26T19:33:00.004+02:00

We drew on our dining table with crayons today. Some friends helped, too. It was fun! :D

(I'm pretty sure I could get it off with soap and water if I wanted, but we are getting
a new table next week, so I figured, why not. Haha, I'm not completely crazy.)

Sorry for the post overload today.

PS This etsy shop... oh!

Blind.

2012-01-26T16:54:00.001+02:00

Fe has been having nightmares, so I let her paint a picture of our family onto the window blind
right above/behind her bed. Fe, Sisi, mom, and then dad (the sunlike one, without a body).

May there be happy dreams from now on, sweet little one (I sometimes forget she is only 4).

Sweater into Hat and Mittens

2012-01-24T17:25:00.002+02:00

One of my cashmere sweaters (actually my one cashmere sweater...) was accidentally
felted when it got washed and dried alongside our towels... GASP! (The Mr did it and
he is adequately sorry.)

Anyway, I didn't want to throw it away, so I decided to make a hat and mittens out of it
for Sisi. The crafty people tell me that's easy. And the mittens were easy, I just traced her
hand directly onto the sleeve of the sweater (hey, who has time for templates!), cut it out,
sewed, by hand, because I still haven't figured out sewing machines. They intimidate me.
The thumb-part turned out a bit funky, but it actually makes it easier for the little one to put
her thumb in. Ha! The hat is... well, it is original for sure. Maybe I should use a pattern next time.
(I simply don't have the patience to follow instructions. If you do, then click here for a tutorial.)
I was also too lazy to finish it off properly, I hear one should use binding or something. Oh well.

Still, having created something makes me happy, even when it's imperfect. The mittens
we'll definitely use.

hello yellow

2012-01-23T19:27:00.000+02:00

Somebody has been a bit independent and moody lately. I sometimes feel like I have a teenager in the
home. They don't start puberty at 4, do they?

white

2012-01-19T23:40:00.003+02:00

Snow muffles all sounds a white quiet.

You know I used to think that Finns, like their long winters, are just really boring in their stoic reserve,
but I'm beginning to wonder if, like their long winters, they have simply mastered the art of calm.

(Not all Finns, but certainly quite a few.)

Award Season

2012-01-18T11:39:00.005+02:00

I received a blogging award from 50villapeikkoa, and I wanted to say thank you! It's a real honor
coming from her, because she is like everything I am not: an efficient and awesome knitter! I
tried knitting once, and well, let's just say, I didn't get very far. But I love looking at the knitting
creations of other people, and really enjoy the pictures on her blog. So thank you! :)

The rules for the Versatile Blog Awards are:

Nominate 15 fellow bloggers.
Inform the bloggers of their nomination.
Share 7 random things about yourself.
Thank the blogger who nominated you.
Add the Versatile Blog Award picture on your blog post.

I know not everybody likes blogging awards, but I do like them, because they are what blogging
is all about: sharing! A lot of the blogs below I read and stalk and rarely to never comment on, so
here I'm sharing them with the world:

I'd like to pass on the award to these blogs, in alphabetical order:

- Fridulina
Thoughtful words and lovely craft projects. And a very special woman in real life. <3

- Domestic reflections
I like her honesty.

- El hada de papel

craft projects with kids.

- Kaffiknopf

family life in Germany (in German)

- lista asioista
artsy and cool (in Finnish)

- Manteli

Because she captures the everyday so beautifully.

- Moka

Because her children always make the coolest things.

- Oon
Because she has a way with color and patterns, and I think she should start selling kids clothes!

- Paju

Because her pictures are always full of patterns and texture.

- Remind Me Sara
Because she is my real-life friend and I love her so. :)

- Ringo

Inspiration for kids art

- Rockstar Diaries
She makes life seem so pretty and easy

- tila

Because she is living proof that there is elegance in a simple life.

- Trula

Because she makes me want to sew, badly!

- Zilverblauw

Color therapy.

In case the blog owners see this: There is no pressure to show this award on your blog, or to pass it on, if you don't want to.
I just want to show my appreciation. :)

Oh, and then 7 random things about me:

1. In my ideal world, I'd have a house full of children, right by the sea, and it would be barefoot-running and pebble skimming, and pancake making, and sunshine and bliss all the time!
2. In real life, I barely manage to take out the trash, so maybe not.
3. Though I'm thinking, maybe another girl would be nice, someday; and a little boy. And twins on top of that.
4. As of yesterday, my husband is back in school and I'm happy and excited for him and for us, but also seething with jealousy. I'm so jealous that I'm seriously considering signing up for a pole dancing/cabaret strip class. Just so I have something exciting and new and slightly shocking in my life. Desperate Housewife much? (Edit: No worries, it's just a class with a silly name at my gym. No poles, and certainly no stripping. Too bad. :D)
5. So, I'm thinking it's time for me to go back to school, too. At least part-time. Maybe in fall. To study human rights law, like I always wanted. Or maybe Hebrew, that would be cool, or creative writing, or egyptology, or underwater basket weaving! You know. Something! Anything!
6. Hmm.. Can't I have a house full of children, and be a novelist, and have a PhD, and save all the women and children on earth, and live by the sea, all five?
7. I like to day-dream. :)

Thank you, 50villapeikko, for the award! And sorry that it took me a month to finally blog about it!

:)

A 4-Year Old's Diary

2012-01-10T16:29:00.005+02:00

1. FE

2. IS HP AJN BAL = I have a ball.

3. MAMA MACHT FOTOS = Mom's taking pictures.

4. IS HP ANE SWESTA SISI = I have a sister Sisi.

5. MAMA KOCHT AJAN = Mom's cooking eggs.

6. WI HPEN KELOKS = We have Kellogg's.

7. IS GENE SPILE SSEULE ABA IS PIN 4 = I like to play school but I'm 4.

8. ACHSEN TPN HPEN WIA = Eighteen staircases (steps) we have.

9. IS KUKE KT MEJI POPINS = Right now I'm watching Mary Poppins.

We were cleaning out some of my old things and found an unused notebook. Fe exclaimed excitedly:
This will be my journal! She has been keeping the journal now for a week. She shares it with me,
thankfully... The things she writes... getting to see inside her little head... the simple things she values...
it is beyond fascinating.

All her spelling cuteness doesn't translate, unfortunately.

I mean, Meji (pronounced Meyi) Popins? How adorable is that. The original should have been called that.

Kairos

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000+02:00

To those who've asked:

No, we don't have cornstarch fights everyday.
Yes, our home is a mess most of the time.
Yes, I do get cranky (especially in the afternoon.)
No, I don't enjoy every single minute of mothering.

But I do make a point of
carpeing my kairoses. (<-- Read this.)

(Thanks Christina for the link!)

:)

Portrait

2012-01-01T21:06:00.001+02:00

I had to pose for artiste Fe, and this is what she drew:

Mother. Small-headed. Short-legged. Club-footed. Long-armed. Claw-handed. Big-bellied. Navelled.
Smiling.

:)

Happy 2012, friends! May we all walk on big feet, and hug with big, wide arms.

Resolution

2011-12-29T00:24:00.001+02:00

Greetings from the archipelago. The sun sets here at 2:50 pm, isn't that crazy in a magical way.

Have you thought of any resolutions for the next year? I'm sticking to my resolution not to have any
resolutions, but for the next year, my guiding word will be "power." That word can mean many different
things to different people, but to me this coming year, it means becoming the master creatress of my
own life; taking charge, no more excuses, no more feeling helpless, no more I can'ts or I shouldn'ts, or I
only wish I could!s.

Feels good, already.

December play

2011-12-27T15:23:00.001+02:00

It doesn't look like Finnish December here. The sun is shining, no snow. It's beautiful.
(My children are beautiful).

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T23:37:00.003+02:00

Peace and joy to all of you!

Sisi And Some Answers

2011-12-22T10:58:00.020+02:00

I got an early Christmas gift in the mail today, a new lens. Oh the joy!

EDIT: There was a whole post here about photography, but I feel too embarrassed to keep it up.
To answer a question I've been getting: I use a Nikon D60 with 35mm/1.8 lens, and since yesterday,
my Christmas gift, a 50mm/1.4.

And: My pictures aren't perfect, but they don't have to be.

:)

The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

2011-12-20T01:08:00.014+02:00

I have been to many castles in my life, being a Rhinelander and all, but the Winter Palace tops them all,
hands down. (I have yet to visit Versailles, the verdict is still out on that one.) Not only is it stunning and
detailed and beautiful, but it is also quite homey somehow, which is such a funny thing to say of a
castle/museum. I think what makes the difference is that you can just walk around, with a map in hand,
at your own pace. All other castles I've been to, you had to be part of a guided tour, weren't allowed to
linger, etc. At the Hermitage, we stayed and looked at the Monets and Van Goghs forever, and you are
so close to the paintings and statues that you almost get to touch them. The golden door handles have
had their gold rubbed off by all the people who've handled them over the years. The benches, too. It's
quite lovely, and special, and really makes you appreciate architecture and art in a new way, when you
get to be a part of its history like that. I wish we could have stayed longer! (But after 4 hours, the girls
did not care whether this was a real princess castle or not, they wanted to go!)

Good thing they had horse carriages waiting for them outside. Ha! :)

It was raining and snowing almost the entire time, which means I didn't get to take any pictures of the
rest of St. Petersburg, which is too bad, because it certainly is a sight to behold. It's kind of like Western
Europe, in terms of how it looks on a very general scale, but then it isn't Western Europe, at all, but
something entirely foreign and wonderful. Finns are always really proud of their downtown Helsinki,
with its three pretty buildings and the President's Palace, but St. Petersburg is made up of a thousand
President's Palace-like buildings, golden domes, and general Orthodox whimsicality. The difference is
that the buildings aren't well-maintained, at all. Except for the Hermitage, the veneer is coming off on
all buildings, pipes have come undone, etc.

It really is the perfect symbol for a country whose facade is
trying really hard to hide the bits and pieces falling apart and coming undone underneath. It's very charming.

There are changes happening there, once again, and you can feel it in the people and the infrastructure
when you go. It's energizing.

Aaand in other news, I got to eat borscht and draniki, with lots of sour cream, at this little restaurant we
happened upon by the river, as we were walking aimlessly around town. It was such a wonderful trip.
And now I have a soar throat and a fever, from all that running around in the rain. Oh well, a price I'll
gladly pay.

PS I might come back later and edit this blurt of a text, but for now, I'm too tired and will jump into my
bed. Night night.

Random and a Reminder

2011-12-16T13:01:00.003+02:00

We received a glögg cake, gingerbread cookies, and hand-knitted socks from a sweet sister in our ward.
So lovely and thoughtful, quiet, without much ado, The Spirit of Christmas - there it was, suddenly, finally.

We are going on a mini vacation to St. Petersburg tomorrow. I am so excited, I've never been to Russia,
although we only live a 5-hour drive away. Pics to follow.

Have a great weekend!

PS If you participated in craft-it-forward, and you still haven't e-mailed me your postal address, now
would be a good time to do it: zweischlitzohren(at)gmail.com. No, I haven't forgotten. :)

A few thoughts.

2011-12-13T10:00:00.005+02:00

The snow came and went and left a droning damp mud, slushy sloth, winter stupor.
A tiny yellow thing (plant? flower?) is holding on a little longer before life hibernates.

I've had some tough lessons to learn this year; mostly, I've had to look at myself closely
in the mirror and see some things I didn't like. I've always seen them, I guess, in the
corner of my eye, but this was the year that I had to face them, and the consequence of
having ignored them for too long.

And just now, as the year is nearing its end, it is starting to all come together and to make
sense. I think sometimes we are placed in situations of powerlessness to realize the power
within us.

:)

PS Sorry about all the nature pics lately, I am feeling inspired by the simple tones of winter.

Winter

2011-12-07T14:15:00.011+02:00

The girls sleeping in the car, Andante festivo (playing at the perfect moment in the radio), - 5 degrees Finland

and peace.

Nikolaustag

2011-12-06T10:49:00.007+02:00

Last night before going to bed, the girls put their boots outside on the doorstep, and when
they woke up this morning, Nikolaus had filled them with chocolates and some little gifts.
(Look, a pink pony!)

He also brought a thin layer of first snow.

And it's the Finnish Independence Day today.

Three good reasons to celebrate!

(And I believe I have two very good reasons to celebrate, every day.)

:)

Christmas Cypress

2011-12-02T12:30:00.008+02:00

I bought mini cypresses (from Plantagen) and placed them in candle votives (also from Plantagen, on sale for 5 EUR each).
Done. Easy Christmas deco. :)

This year I want a simple Christmas. Fresh green, white, some lights. No ornaments or baubles.

PS The awesome hello Dala card is from Kerry aka The Seventy Tree: Blog. Shop. :)

Letter to Santa Claus

2011-12-01T17:33:00.004+02:00

1. IS/MAK/TANSEMUSIK/FÖA/SISI = Ich mag Tanzmusik, für Sisi.
2. IS/WIL/SO/AIN/PONI/WI/HILA/FÜA/WAIEASMAN/VON/FE = Ich will so ein Pony wie Hilla,
für Weihnachtsmann, von Fe.

Fe is starting to write. A letter to Santa Claus, asking for a pony, and another one, asking for dance music for Sisi.
It's the most fascinating process I've ever witnessed. Everything is one long word.

Happy First Day of December! We are putting up some Christmas decorations tonight, yay!

Inspring

2011-11-25T10:43:00.003+02:00

I adore these pictures Miss Fe took of something that was on TV. That first one, it looks like Sisi is
looking out the window.

PS
Stokke + board = slide

PPS Sorry it has been so quiet. One of us is always sick. Right now it's Sisi, before that it was me,
before that Fe, and so on. I'll be back when we are feeling better again. :)