Distractions

This week I was really channeling my inner rainy-day homemaker.  We made alphabet cookies...

and homemade pasta...

did some artwork...

 

drank coffee...

but I still didn't get around to hemming my pants!

Kahdeksan kisua

Amy, I think you know a word in this week's title. ___ kitty cats. How many? Can you find them?

I have to go make a birthday cake now, see you next week!

Louhisaari

Everyone in Finland knows the name Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, but fewer are familiar with the Louhisaari manor where he was born in 1867. The building itself is from the 17th century - not very old compared to many other ones around here. We went for a tour last Sunday and both girls actually managed to behave in a civilized manner for about an hour. The older one, however, did her complaining before and after. Besides that it was a perfect autumn day.

And Mannerheim, after spending his childhood here with his three sisters and three brothers, became the marshal of Finland and our sixth president.

harvest moon

Last week, my friends brought over their telescope so we could see Jupiter, which is very close right now.  The telescope has an attachment for hooking up a camera, and while our pictures of Jupiter were tiny and blurry, we got some great shots of the moon.

We enjoyed the moon under this incredible sky!  Autumn is here - my favorite season!

Transplanting

September is the time here to start moving plants into and out of the ground.  Our yard has lots of open space that we are attempting to reforest, and living in the country, there are a lot of things that nature (and neighbors) offer up for free.  My latest obsession is taking cuttings from my favorite trees, like vine maples.  This one is full of roots and ready to move into dirt...

Hens and chicks from a friend....

A rhododendron from a neighbor...

...and vine maples from yet another neighbor.

There is also a bed of cobblestones along the back of our property that have become borders and a fire-pit.

Fallen trees become borders, or are given away to neighbors for firewood.

Now I'm off to prune 45 Douglas firs, my favorite gardening task of all!  

Hetki mennyttä, hetki tulevaa

This week I'm going to visit a moment in the past... and another one in the future.

One afternoon in November 2008 I got my daughter from preschool and we walked to a nearby beach with these pictures in mind. It was two weeks before her sister was born. Can you sense the solitude, the stillness, the heavy clouds? Two weeks later everything was white. We welcomed the new family member in the darkness of an early winter morning.

Here we go again, only this time a good deal closer to Christmas. This may get extra exciting.

Recycling

Now is the time in Oregon when it starts raining and doesn't stop until May.  This time of year leads to organization of the indoors!  Remember the re-purposed kitchen cabinet from last week?  It's done, and now holds all (ok, some) of my art and craft supplies!

The fabric is from....Ikea!  I was lucky to have some leftover paint from another project that matched!

This is the best feature of all....I just roll it wherever I want it to go!  No more hauling boxes in and out of the closet!