Mele Kalikimaka!

Here are three beautiful things I saw on Christmas day.  Enjoy my bonus post while Lara rests after what must have been an exhausting December!  Take care, cousin!

Centerpiece

This week, a special family friend came to visit, and made a holiday arrangement from various plants found in the front yard.  She is an orchid farmer and has the ability to make something beautiful out of almost anything, just one of many of her amazing gifts.  My little guy got to help, too!

Pieni

Dear cousin 12 hours away and all our readers,
our new little one arrived a week ago on what is known in Finland as Lucia day, the day of light amidst the darkest time of the year. He is lovely beyond words! On his first days we had clear blue sky and -15 degrees C (5 degrees F). The snow never melted and we are going to have a white Christmas. Merry Christmastime everyone, tunnelmallista joulujuhlaa kaikille!
I will return to My Morning is Your Evening sometime in the New Year.

12 hours away...

Well, here I am again reporting from beautiful, warm, and sunny Hawaii.  We got pictures with Santa today at the mall, and poor Santa in his full beard and furry suit kept having to reposition his air conditioner!  Even though I have to keep reminding myself that it is Christmastime, I have finally gotten used to seeing summer and winter together in one place.

Potkukelkalla

Kicksledding is one of my favorite winter activities. Another one is skating long distance on natural ice. Of course the kicksled is also excellent out on the frozen sea!

Going back

Last weekend we took a trip to a place that Lara will remember! 

So many fond memories of this place!   Maybe we will meet there again someday!

Homemade for the holidays

I think homemade gifts are the best for the holidays.  And my favorite kind of gift to make is one that you can eat!  By some miracle, today I have nothing on the calendar!  I'm not sure yet what I'll be making, but I have been stocking up on the essentials - chocolate, hazelnuts, butter....

  

....but most importantly, I have a clean counter, a cup of coffee, and my assistant!

Talvilapset

I'm surprised the snow has stayed for two weeks already. More has fallen and it doesn't seem like it's going soon. On the coldest days the temperature has dropped to -15 degrees C (5 degrees F). And that's daytime, not night. Sleds have been taken out, bringing very welcome variety to daily outings. These early snowy weeks are just like the ones we had two years ago, when I was expecting my second daughter. My first daughter arrived at home on the exact day of the first snowfall, and that year the whole winter was exceptionally cold. Winter children indeed.

Kukkia ja kuiskauksia

My daughter and I began Advent by participating in a local Christmas market in perfect winter weather. I was too preoccupied to take any pictures on the spot, but let me show you what we've been working on. These frosty crafts were created especially for this December.

We named these snowballs Frost Whisper (Kuuran Kuiskaus). They were made by my daughter from strips of grandmother's old linen. Three tiny jingle bells attached to each snowball create the 'whisper'.

These reflectors are called Frost Flowers (Kuurankukka). I made them from high quality reflective fabric, cotton lace and grandmother's linen. They can be attached to coats, bags, or perhaps even baby carriages, by the pin in the back.

There are still some left over! Whatever we don't sell before Christmas will be wrapped up as gifts. (That's a secret.)

First snow

I use the term 'snow' loosely, since closer inspection reveals fluffy tiny hail.  Maybe someone who lives in a snowier part of the world has a word for this?

The snow is still no match for the invincible moss.....

You can see that we maybe got 1/2 an inch....still pretty exciting for us, and so early! This gripping winter storm called for emergency tea and rugelach!

Lara is having a busy weekend, so check back early next week for her post!

Waterfront

In Portland, there is a river that cuts right through downtown, which means a lot of bridges and a lot of waterfront recreation.  But despite the looming buildings, pockets of nature have been preserved and restored throughout the years.  I was lucky to have a break from the rain for some picture-taking this week, but it was only a short break!