My Christmas 2014

Christmas is over for this year. It was our first year to spend Christmas here in Finland. My younger sister and my older sister with her husband and kids came over to our place. We had a nice traditional Christmas Eve dinner, later opened presents, ate desserts, talked soooo much, danced, made funny jokes, laughed, filmed, took photos, walked a dog ect ect. It was a very fun night :) They all stayed over and surprisingly we managed to find a place for everybody to sleep! Next morning I had a lot of cleaning to do, but it took me so little time to get my home look normal and tidy again. My sister Anni stayed her for 3 days and my older sister's dog Bonnie also stayed here (she's still here) because they wanted to go to Estonia and needed somebody to look after Bonnie. I was super excited about that because I love Bonnie and I always miss having her around. So, I have been walking with her outside every day abour 4-5 times. It's so fun!

Our Christmas tree and gifts under

Me, my older and my younger sis :)

Table of desserts

 My two best sisters!!!

 Little Jonathan! He makes us all laugh and be a bit childish!

 This year Santa (aka my husband) was so generous and I got pretty spoiled. I got really really really nice gifts. I am so grateful for all I got (from all of my other family members), but surely the most grateful I am of my family around me. This Christmas Eve was really special and fun and I am glad that even though we live here in Finland we can still have family around and we can still have our traditional Christmas Eve celebration :) Next year we will be celebrating Christmas Eve at my sister's house. At least that's the plan right now :)

Like I said my younger sister stayed here at our place longer. So, on Christmas Day we spent most of the day eating left overs from Christmas dinner, played a lot (Monopol, Alias, Pokker), laughed SO much and walked Bonnie many times! Jay also had days off so it was fun to spend time together doing nothing important, but still having fun and being relaxed!

Christmas Day lunch.. using left overs from Christmas Eve dinner

Deal! (not sure who was more happier to make that deal?!)

Walking with Bonnie

Snowy pinetrees!

I have quite long Christmas break as normal for teachers :) I truly enjoy that I can just be at home, take Bonnie for long walks, drink a lot of tea, sleep in, watch movies (watched If I Stay and Gone Girl), read books (currently reading "Will Grayson, Will Grayson"), and just be relaxed. The other day I went to the zumba and I am going again on Tuesday. 

Selfie with my princess!

New Year's Eve is already on Wednesday. I can't believe 2014 is going to end and we will welcome 2015 already. I still remember the millenium.. everybody thought that 2000 is the end of the world. Even though I knew it wasn't true, I was still a bit scared that moment when the clock turned 12am and new year started. :P Oh well, it was almost 15 years ago :D Time really passes by fast! So, we better enjoy every moment of every day! :)

all that food!!! + fun times with our guests :)

I have been coughing for 2 weeks now and therefor I have been so tired and weak. Last work week was actually very nice and quite calm. On Monday I managed to go to Finnish class after work and on Thursday I went to the movies with Jay to watch "The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay - Part 1". It was so good and I cannot wait to see part 2 next year! 

It started snowing on Friday and it made me sooo happy :) At work kids even were sliding in the park :) Oh, I love snow! It gives me such a good mood. I think the snow came down just at the right time..I am so ready for Christmas season!!!

My mom and her bf came to visit us yesterday. They arrived around 4pm, so we had late lunch and went to the shops for a while. After that we were just at my place, chatting and catching up, had dinner ect. Jay had to go to work today morning so we let mom's bf sleep long. Me and mom had breakfast together and just talked about life. It was nice :) Later when Maarek woke up and had his morning coffee we all went to the shops again :) I had few things I needed, so did they. I think we all got what we went looking for. I got a new rug for our bathroom, birthday gift for my nephew, soft and comfy pj pants (which I am use as home-pants :D), some Christmas stickers for work, Christmas-y table runner, pillow cases, outdoor Christmas ornament... I think that's it. I also bought food and such. 

Like always mom asked what we wanted from Estonia.. so I gave her a small list that mostly included food. The most I was excited about my fav Christmas dessert: gingerbread kohuke (curd snack). It's seasonal and so you can only buy it from November till January. I am going to keep them in the freezer so I can have one whenever I want :D She also bought blood sausage that I wanted because it's my fav Christmas food :D We are going to have it for dinner tomorrow, among with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes..oh I cannot wait :)

I also bought my fav Creme Brulee that Lidl always has at Christmas time. We had it for dessert tonight. So delicious!!! And to end all of this food talk, I made my very first gingerbread cookie dough today! I got mom's recipe so I am sure I will have the best gingerbread cookies ever! I am going to bake the cookies next weekend :)
Mom also bought some of my old puzzles (I will take these to the kindergarten) and old pictures, letters ect that I had made/written. The oldest one was a painting I made when I was 1 years and 9 months old :) I am so glad she had kept them all! I had tons of fun going through them yesterday!!! I am definitely going to keep them safe and treasure them :)

The best curd snack in a world:D I love Christmas time!!!

Just so good!!!

Johannes sai töölt jõulude eel terve hunniku igasugust kraami. Seal hulgas ka Myllyn Paras'i kaera-rukki pudruhelbed. Ta sai neid lasua 12 pakki. Ma muidugi asusin kohe putru tegema, et teada saada, kas see on hea puder. ON! Sain esimesest ampsust aru, et sellest saab mu uus lemmik puder! See on nii hea ja sametine. Ja tundub tervislik ka. Teen peaaegu igal hommikul seda (kui just müslit ei söö). Mõnikord teen seda lõunaks ka :D Mul on hea meel, et meil seda putru nii palju on! Praegu on 10 päeva möödas, sellest kui Johannes need koju tõi, ning mul on üks pudrupakk juba üle poole ära kasutatud. Usun, et neid jätkub mulle peaaegu terveks aastaks! Osad pakid anname võib-olla perele ka.

Mul on oma kindel viis, kuidas ma putru teen. Kõigepealt lisan potti mandlipiima, seejärel teelusikatäis mett, näpuotsatäis (u 1/4 tl) soola ning kõige lõpuks lisan helbed. Mulle meeldib selline vedelam puder. Kui puder valmis, siis panen selle kaussi ning lisan võid. Ma olen alati armastanud putru võiga süüa. Vahel olen tervislikum ja söön mustikate, mustikatoormoosi või maasikatoormoosiga. Igal juhul parim puder!

//Jay got some goodies from his work. He also got 12 packs of rye and oatmeal by Myllyn Paras. Of course I made porridge as soon as I got these because I wanted to know if I like the taste. YES, I DO! It's so good! Delicious! It's my favorite porridge now! I make it for breakfast and sometimes for lunch as well. 

I have my own certain way how I make porridge. First I add unsweetened almond milk to the pot, then I add 1 ts honey, 1/4 ts salt, and finally I add oat and rye flakes. I love a porrigde that isn't very thick. And I eat porridge with butter mostly, but sometimes I am healthier and eat either with blueberries, or some fresh homemade jam. It's definitely the best porridge ever! //

Nagu pildilt näha, siis meeldib mulle kasutada magustamata mandlipiima. Suvel ostsin esimest korda mandlipiima ja see ei meeldinud mulle väga. Detsebri alguses otsustasin uuesti proovida. Kui enne olin maitsnud Original mandlipiima, siis otsustasin nüüd proovida Unsweetened varianti. See on palju parem. Sellel pole tugevat mandlimaitset. Nüüd tarbingi ainult seda piima. Söön seda kas müsliga või teen sellest putru. Niisama toidukõrvale ma seda ei joo (ma üldse ei joo toidu kõrvale..pärast sööki joon vett).

//Like you see from the photo I like to use unsweetened almond milk. I tried almond milk for the first time this summer and I didn't like it. But at the beginning of December I tried to buy again, this time I bought unsweetened one (not original). And I like it! I have it with muesli or I make porridge with it :) // 

Uskumatu, et juba on 21.detsember ja lund ei ole. Vahepeal oli küll päris palju siin Hyvinkääl ning mul on selle tõestuseks isegi pilt ;)

Samas külm on väljas küll. Külmadel päevadel on nii hea kodus olla (seda saab teha muidugi vaid nädalavahetusel). Siis mulle meeldib end poputada maitsvate kuid lihtsate söökidega. Nagu maasika-smuuti või avokaado-tomati-mozarella sändwitš :) Ootan juba, mil saaks jõulu õhtusööki! Vahepeal oli mul suur verivorstide isu ning ostsimegi Prisma soojatoidu letist neid. Ohhhh kui head! Kui ma jõulu õhtusöögile mõtlen, siis tahangi kõige rohkem verivorsti ja hapukapsast! Õige natuke tuleb veel oodata! 

//I cannot believe it's already 21st of December and we still don't have snow. Well, about a week or more ago we had quite much snow. I even took a photo while walking in a snow. But then it started raining and now there's no snow. 

But it's still very cold. On these cold days (especially on the weekend) I love to stay at home and eat good delicious food. I have had fresh strawberry smoothie and oh-so-yummie avacado-tomato-mozarella sandwich! I was also craving for black sausage which we found from Prisma. Oh they were so good! I can't wait till the Christmas dinner - black sausage and sauerkraut are my fav!!! //

Welcome December!

Tere tulemast, detsember! Eile sadas lumi ka maha. Ideaalne ajastus. Täna hommikul avasin oma advendikalendri esimese akna ja sõin ära ühe magusa šokolaadi :) 

Tänane päev on möödunud suhteliselt vaikselt...põhiline on olnud ikka enda ravimine. Mul oli vahepeal nii jubedalt hääl ära, et ma ei saanudki üldse rääkida. Töölt tulin kolmapäeval poole päeva pealt ära ja neljapäeva veetsin ka kodus. Ravisin end igal võimalikul viisil. Nüüd on hääl tagasi ja palju parem olla. Kahjuks köha on ikka. Imelik, et just õhtul hakkan köhima, päeval pole nagu midagi. Viimased neli ööd olen köhinud nii hullult, et selline tunne, nagu köhiksin kohe enda organid välja. Magama jäämine on muidugi eriti keeruline. Nädalavahetusel oli suhteliselt ükskõik, sest teadsin, et hommikul saan kaua magada (kuigi ei maganud, sest hommikul korra üles ärgates tuli köhahoog jälle peale ja no siis ei saa enam magama jääda). Homme aga pean juba kl 7 hommikul üles ärkama, mis tähendab, et ma pean kiiresti täna öösel magama jääma..mul pole aega kella 3ni köhida! Loodan igatahes parimat! Tegin täna kaks korda auru ja korra tegin jalavanni. Jõin ka ingveriteed ja võtsin köharohtu. Enne magama minekut plaanin raviteed juua ja veel köharohtu võtta. Ehk see laseb mul kenasti magama jääda.

Tulev nädal tundub päris pöörane tulema. Teisipäeva õhtul pärast tööd lähen Eestisse. Ja kolmapäeval on mul magistritöö nn eelkaitsmine ja veel üks loeng. Pärast seda tulen tagasi Soome. Neljapäeval lähen jälle tööle..ja meil on sel õhtul ka jõulupidu. Õnneks reede on vaba, kuna siis on Soome iseseisvuspäev :) Seega tuleb kolmepäevane nädalavahetus :D Ma arvan, et siis pean küll jõulukinke ostma minema!

NB! Preagu on eriti suur tuul väljas (torm) ning ma kardan, et meie rõdu aknaklaasid purunevad selle möllu käes...aga ehk ikka mitte. Loodan, et homme sellist tuult pole, kui ma tööle lähen! 

//Welcome December! It snowed yesterday! Yay! Today started december which means that I got to open the first window of my advent calendar. The chocolate inside was so delcious!

I have had a pretty easy and quiet day today. I haven't been out at all. I am still a bit sick (coughing) and I have been treating myself any way possible. I was actually home from work on Thursday because I has lost my voice..and working with kids wouldn't help me to get it back. So, I needed a day off when I didn't have to talk at all..and of course I was drinking million cups of tea and taking other medicines. But right now I am just coughing. It sucks mostly at night time because I just can't fall asleep. I have to wake up tomorrow at 7am, so I hope I can fall asleep tonight without problems. I might have some medicine tea before I go to bed ;)

This upcoming week will be quite crazy and busy. I am going to Estonia after work on Tuesday because on Wednesday I have to be in university. After uni classes I will go straight back to harbor and comeback home :) Then on Thursday I have work again and after workday we have our Christmas Show. So, it'll be a long day, but hopefully very fun! Fortunately Friday is off because it's Finland's independence day! It means I'll have three-days weekend! Lovely! I think I will use some of that time for Christmas shopping!

PS! It's such a strong wind outside right now. I hope the window glasses in our balcony will stay aput and won't shatter. //

white morning!

Täna hommikul, kui ma üles ärkasin, ütles Johannes, et ma aknast välja vaataksin. Teadsin, et see tähendab vaid üht - LUMI!!!! Kahjuks on see selline märg lörts, aga ikkagi valge. Ehk varsti on päris õiget, seda pehmet ja mõnusat lund oodata :)

Ma olen juba (alles) kaks päeva tööl käinud. Täna lähen kolmandat korda. Hästi tore on :):) Nii palju uut õpin seal..kuidas neil kõik toimib, mis materjale kasutavad jne. Lapsed on ka kõik omaette isiksused. Väga lahe! Millalgi võib-olla kirjutan pikemalt ka midagi oma tööst, aga praegu surfan veel natuke netis ringi (lauldes samal ajal "Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer", mida me jõulupeol laulame). 

Homme juba reede ja siis tuleb nädalavahetus. Naljakas, et olen tööl käinud vaid paar päeva, aga mõte nädalavahetusest, on niiiii mõnus ja relaxing! Töökaaslased unistavad juba jõulupuhkusest...ma ise ka :D

Igatahes, nädalavahetus on ka Johannesel vaba ning see on eriti super. Saame koos aega veeta :)

//When I woke up today, Jay told me to look out of the window. It could have only meant one thing - SNOW! :D It was pretty wet snow, but still white! Snow makes me happy :) 

I have been to work two times, it'll be my third time today. It's really nice there! I like all the other teachers (there are 7 of us, me indcluded). Of course I like the kids too. And everything. The environment is just sooo good :) Happy to be working there! But sure I still love weekends and I like to have days off :D Luckily Jay has this weekend off too, so we can both be at home and just rest together!

I am going now to practice song "Rudolf the Rednosed Raindeer" that is part of our Christmas show. //