When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
I love fruit, but I am a picky fruit eater. I only eat them when they are “perfect”. For example, bananas need to have just turned from green to yellow. Any dark spots just make them too sweet and mushy.
But there are always smoothies.
I adore the Finnish tradition of Easter blessings (virpominen). It is such a joyful thing to do. I firmy believe one should make an effort, which is why we take care with both decorating the willow branches, and dressing up as traditional witches. These witches then go from house to house, blessing the home and handing over a decorated branch in exchange for chocolate eggs or other candy.
In addition to the nearest neighbors, in Finland you can still ring any doorbell and ask for permission to bless the house. A lot of the people in “our route” we only see this for one time a year. But naturally, after doing this a few years, we favor the houses where people have been especially excited to see us.
We clearly left a bit late this year, as almost every house commented they were already worried we would not come at all.
Girls’ birthday always ends up being multi-day affair: the celebration during the actual day with immediate family, followed by family birthday with exetended family, and last (but not least) the party with friends.
The good thing about twins is that you do this once a year.
I baked a chocolate cake today. I love cooking, but I’m really not a baker. However, family is coming around tomorrow to celebrate Alanna’s and Kiara’s birthday, and the girls specifically asked for chocolate cake – so here we are.
I would probably bake more, if it would be more convenient to bake only a small batch. But Stuart eats nothing sweet and there is only so many pastries and cakes I want girls to eat…
I don’t drink a lot of tea, but when you are sick (as I am now) or cold, a cup of tea can hit just the right spot. And when I do drink tea, I want the whole shebang: a special tea pot, proper loose-leaf tea, a beautiful mug, etc.
The girls have their own particularities. Alanna adores Moroccan green tea (with sugar) and in recent weeks, Kiara has gotten into rooibos – although that is mostly driven by the fact that she wants to eat as much honey as possible, since they are selling it to benefit their scout group.
Stuart only drinks coffee.
The girls and I decorated the willow branches for Palm Sunday. The combination of bright colors and cheerful catkins make me happy – especially as we had fun decorating them together.
Projects like this can be hard to start after a full day at work, but once you get going (typically bacause you have to, like now, with no other opportunity before Sunday) they are well worth it!
I love the idea of knitting. Every so often, I get excited, dig out my needles, and start a new project.
What draws me to knitting is the thought that, once you have learned it, your hands can create something beautiful, while your mind wonders elsewhere.
The problem is that I don’t have the patience to get to that level. I try, make mistakes, undo the progress, try again, get frustrated, and leave the project.
Until next time.
Kiara and Alanna go to a circus school every week – and love it! Before this, we tried dancing and gymnastics, but they were not quite right. My girls don’t want to move as they are told, they want to move as they feel.
So circus school fits their personality better. They still practice flexibility, performing, and working in a group – but they can also do tricks, climb, juggle, and build pyramids. And they are encouraged to find their own way of doing things.
Now, Kiara has gotten it into her head she wants to start cheerleading. She is small, so she wants to be a ‘flyer’. We’ll see.
Appearance of willow catkins (pajunkissa) is a sure sign of spring – although the whole reason the catkins have “fur” is to protect the flowers from the cold.
In Finland, there is a tradition of collecting willow branches before Palm Sunday, decorating them and having kids go around the neighborhood to exchange the branches for candiy. It’s a Finnish version of “trick-or-treating”.
Or, actually, you should say that trick-or-treat is American-style virpominen. After all, the Finnish tradition has been around for hundreds of years.
There is something wonderfully whimsical about building a fort. I have rarely found anyone, child or adult, who does not get swept up in the excitement of putting one tohether. The more elaborate the better. And you always need a string of fairy lights.
Some people prefer forts with open space, but I adore ones with nooks, crawl-thru-doors and piles of pillows. I have always dreamed of having a secret room in my house – one you can only reach through a closet, low tunnel or a trapdoor under your bed. Maybe building a cramped fort is the closest I’ll get.
My chances of secret room would likely improve significantly, if I preferred a less modern-style house.
Blue Moment 