Day 352.

The last day of my sabbatical. It has been an amazing year, I've loved being at home.

This blog will not be updated and will be removed as soon as I've backed it up for later use.

//tätä blogia ei enää päivitetä.

Day 351.

The last but one day of my sabbatical turned out to be sunny and busy. Had a hairdresser's appoint in the morning, so neat hair -- check. Also had coffee at Jokiasema, watched two movies, read a book, made lunch, talked with kids, sent DD to the movies, and later on to her friend's house. took the cat out, had drinks with DH and slept for 10 hours.

Day 350.

A hot hot day. In the morning, took off to the local health care centre to get written proof that I am ok and can go back to donating blood after my mysterious lack of iron earlier this summer. It took 40 minutes of waiting in line and 3 minutes of the nurse's time. Then off to Jokiasema for coffee and home to make lunch. After lunch, a phone call to get ready for a summer excursion to Kuopio and Ikea! What a  great time we had, and DD is natural Ikea shopper! Came home with some stuff for her room and some general stuff like candles. Exhausted but happy!

Days 345-349.

So I have been neglecting my blog lately. This does not mean that life would have been slow, or boring, just that I've spent less time on the computer as everyone in the house is on holiday at the same time. Over the past few days we have watched movies, bicycle races in the olympics, we have had lunch out together and drinks at Jokiasema, DD has gone out to lunch with her friend and eaten a lot of ice cream for pudding. All in all, good times. Also, in the back of my head -- I'm going back to work on Thursday. So making the last days of my sabbatical count!!

Days 342-344.

As promised, we spent Sat night watchin movies (Headhunters and Safe House) and continued on Sun with The Adventures of Tintin, which was better than any of us expected. We also packed DH's gear for his bicycle adventure. He left with a friend on Monday at 6 am, in the rain and cold. I got up to wave goodbye and went back to bed. The perfect wife?

Yesterday we had a visitor, who ended up staying overnight. DD's friend came over and they baked cupcakes, applied nailpolish, put on tons of makeup and giggled a lot. And ate a lot, apparently giggles makes  you hungry.

Today, the girls are still hanging out together and I am making lists of stuff that needs to be checked, done or organised.

Days 339-341.

So we made it home on Friday; always good to be home! Aksu the Cat decided he had missed me terribly so he attacked my arm at night and now I have really cool scratches to prove it.

Yesterday DD and her friend went shopping. DD had decided not to get anything but the sales were too much of a temptation and she came home with two cute tops, a total of 10 euro. She had a bit of a headache and went to take a nap (!!!!) and woke up to a full migrane. With puking. Not fun for anyone. This morning she was ok, and just went to the playground with her friend. Three tops each and handbags. Seriously?!

I'm going to enjoy the weekend, have coffee at Jokiasema and maybe watch a movie with DH in the evening.

Days 337-338.

Busy days! Yesterday we:
- saw Laura Lepistö live twice, once in the live morning tv-show, after which DD got her autograph, and the second time in a panel discussion about the future of Finnish comp sports
- went to Kirjurinluoto, where they have the coolest playground, and yes, the pre-teen still likes to play
- did some shopping
- went to see a live show in the evening, but were turned off by another panel discussion included in the show so got back to my sister's house

Today we will roam the stands on Yrjönkatu for freebies and take a bus to a shopping mall to get a new phone for my sister. I've already connected the internet this morning, so happy days!!

Days 334-336.

Greetings from my sister's house in Pori. We arrived on Sat afternoon and are having a great time. Today we took the kid for a shopping spree and all  of us needed a nap afterwards.

Day 333.

Last day of DD's skating camp and last day of work for DH before his three weeks of well deserved holidays. It's raining and I'm listening to the sounds coming from Ilosaarirock. Not pretty sounds, if you ask me. Also, festival folks migrate past our house, so odd sounds coming from the street, too. Off to Pori tomorrow, all packed and sandwiches made. DD and I are taking our new tablet with us, so I might be blogging on the road, too! Gotta love toys!

Day 332.

DD on skating camp, me cooking and doing laundry. Nothing much to report. Oh, I did buy two pairs of canvas shoes. That should make the headlines!

Day 331.

Cold, rainy, hot, warm, cloudy...I think today we had it all, weatherwise. Otherwise it was coffee at Jokiasema, making dinner for the kids, chatting with other parents at the ice hall, laundry, the Good Wife, and just stuff. I'm trying to cope without my daily nap, as I don't think it's allowed at work....which is where I will be on Aug 2. Cannot cannot believe my year is almost over. Will not think about it today.

Day 330.

DD fell flat on her tailbone last night in the last rehearsal of the day. Today she was sore and stiff but followed through every single practise. She says there is a point when you no longer feel the pain. Bloody hell, she's 11!!

During the day I did fun stuff like reading and laundry, and made lasagna for DD and her friend, whom we have adopted for the week. She sleeps over at her grandmom's place but eats and hangs out with us. Lots of fun to observe two little skaters talk and compare injuries.

Days 323-329.

Trip to Berlin in numbers:

- coffees, beers, ginger ales, cokes, and other suitable beverages: who's counting?
- river cruises: 1
- visits to DDR museum: 1
- walks by the wall: 2
- visits to DM: 3
- tops bought for DD: 4
- hours standing in the line for the ticket service once the flight was cancelled: 4
- extra nights in Berlin sponsored by Air Berlin: 2
- food poisonings or similar: 1

Today: cleaning and cooking. DD is in skating camp and is bringing a friend over for dinner. Maybe a nap, too. 

Day 322.

Oh it is raining again. Had coffee with two friends, iron a bunch of black clothes and now am all packed for Berlin. We leave around 11 pm and have an early flight. Back on Friday.

Days 319-321.

Oh weekend! On Friday, started off at 9 am with coffee with a friend, ran into other friends, had more coffee and finally lunch at Jokiasema. Later on, a drink there with DH. On Sat, went to get cat litter with DH and to Lidl, which is always good fun. In the evening, drinks at Jokiasema with friends and DH. This morning slept until 10, took Aksu the Cat our, had coffee and now will return to the Sunday routine of making lunch and doing laundry. I still have no idea what to pack for Berlin and we take off tomorrow. Oh well...

Day 318.

Watched Criminal Minds, finished season 7. In an attempt to be a perfect housewife, pulled out stuff from the freezer and presented DH a dinner of salmon and potatoe cassarole and rhubarb pie. Started a new batch of cider.

Day 317.

Watched Criminal Minds, took the cat out, chatted with a little Russian girl who was looking for DD, pushed the hoover around, and crafted. Hurrah! When DH gets home, we will start bottling home made cider!

Day 316.

Coffee with a friend in the morning and off to do some serious shopping. I've been wearing the same pair of jeans pretty much every day for the past year and as much as I love them and as much as I have spent time patching them up, they will not make it to work in August. There are two shops I trust here and the first one sold me two pairs of trousers, a top and a blouse -- all in the always in season black!

In the meanwhile, the German agent has been doing some shopping, too. She called me at noon asking for permission to get a pair of shoes. With heels. Permission granted. Then in the evening she called to say good night and reported her shopping: two t-shirts, a pair of canvas shoes (no heels), two little soft toys. She sounded exhausted :)

Day 315.

The house is very quiet. DD is in Germany and DH at work, the cats are fast asleep. Watched 127 Hours, had coffee at Jokiasema and read a little. Tomorrow should go shoe shopping....not liking that idea at all.

Days 311-314.

There has been rain and sunshine, lots of laundry, ironing, cooking sausages over open fire, making pizza, watching football, reading books watching bad movies etc. going on over the past few days. About half an hour ago, we waved DD bye for now, as she took off for her German adventure. I have never seen so many tank tops in one suitcase!

Day 310.

DD and I went to town  to get some socks and toothpaste for her, as she is taking off for her German expedition on Sunday. She also practised dragging a suitcase along. In the afternoon, I took a lovely nap and DD spent time with a friend. Baby potatoes for dinner -- summer food at its best. Oh and it rained.

Day 309.

It rained again and again. Went to the hairdresser's,  DD had practise, I took a nap, we baked, DH watched some football and the cats slept. Had some great news from Germany.

Day 308.

Rain, rain and more rain. Some thunder and finally in the evening at 8 pm -- sunshine. DD was so bored during the day she opened her own drink bar :)

Day 307.

Rain and more rain. A small bicycle ride in town, coffee at Jokiasema and finally, after a superlong break due to lack of inspiration -- crafty things! And water melon! Happy!

Day 306.

Waiting for a thunder storm. Headachy day. DD went to the movies and DH went to grill some sausages with friends. I'm doing a bit of this and that, and waiting for a proper thunder storm to clear my head. Pls!

Days 302-305.

Too busy to sit down and blog?! The past few days have included cleaning the house, doing laundry, baking a fun retro cake, having lovely ladies over for a tupperware party, going to town with DD, taking her to practise at 7 am and for breakfast at Jokiasema at 9 am, collecting plants for her herbarium, football on telly, Criminal Minds online, taking the cat out for walks and naps, napping on the sofa with the cat....Also the reality that DD will be taking off to Germany after Midsummer and that I will not see her for almost two weeks is getting to me. As much as we argue and shout, we also have tons of fun.

Day 301.

Sunshine, kid outside all day, football on telly, me online. Nothing much going on but some things cooking up like DD's travel to Germany.

Day 300.

A rainy Sunday. DD went back to the fair and brought back 1075 grams of candy. And pens and samples of various products. The last day of the fair is always good fun as the people working on the stands are getting just a little tired and want to get rid of their stuff :)

Day 299.

Today -- the New Valamo Monastery. Amazinly pretty, peaceful, friendly, interesting place -- even for a non-believer like me. We had a guided tour, had lovely lunch, walked about, talked with a novice monk, and bought candy for DD.

DD had her choir performace at Karjalan Messut today. According to DD, they sang ok, the teacher was happy, and they got good feedback from a panel. Afterwards, they got lunch and a free ticket, so DD hoarded as much freebies as possible. See below, the hoard minus a handful or so of candy :)

Day 298.

A lovely sunny morning! Had coffee with one friend at 8 am and another one at 9:15 am. Got rhubarb which turned into a lovely pie. Did tons of laundry. Cleaned after Aksu the Cat who had a little accident (crap stuck in fur). Laughed with DD. Talked with MIL on the phone. Watched telly. Loved today!

Day 297.

Went to the Science Park for coffee and chatting, and it felt good to leave when the others returned to business. Did bits and pieces at home and almost missed the figure skating club's annual meeting. A lot of excitement for the coming season as Joensuun Kataja will host the Finnish Championships in figureskating and ice dancing! DD had choir and went to town afterwards -- and purchased something that caused a bit of a disagreement at home (a tube top of all things).

Day 296.

Well if nothing much happened yesterday, today was action packed! Cleaned the balcony first thing in the morning -- and had a lovely cup of coffee there afterwards. In the evening, a staff dinner with sooo many old and new friends and colleagues, I lost count! Also, since I mainly have seen 1 person at a time, seeing a sea of people was a little overwhelming!

Day 295.

A somewhat meaningless day. DD got back to her regular self, went for a choir practise and for a run. I must have done something, but seem to recall only going to the lab to have some blood drawn. Hoping that the silly iron supplements are working.

Day 294.

photo from jns.fi webcam

So DD ran a high fever throughout the night and spent some quality time with the red bucket next to her. She is feeling a lot better now, a little weak, mainly because she is afraid to eat. She did have a craving for a tuna sandwich and ate two of them. No nasty comebacks yet. It's raining.

We are tired and bored. Not the best of days and definately not the best way to start DD's summer holidays. Can only get better! I did mean to clean the windows today, I really did. But instead I've read a book, taken a nap, had coffee and done three loads of laundry. So not a complete waste of day.

Days 292-293.

School's out for summer! DD brought home an excellent report card and a friend, who stayed overnight. As it turned out, DD, who normally spends 5-8 hours of her Saturdays outdoors, has a limited supply of candy to consume and must eat two regular meals, could not quite handle a day of pizza, candy and different forms of electronic entertainment. She has a hangover. She was supposed to go to practise at 2 pm, but just managed to throw up, which did make her feel better, but doomed her to stay home. Her friend, on the other hand, is fine. Which is great. I could not handle two sick little girls. It seems to be another rainy day, so I will make some tea and enjoy my regular round of blogs. Happy Sunday!

Day 291.

June!! Blimey! Took DD shopping and for lunch (Viatnamese at the market square) before school. They went in at 3 pm, got fed, said bye to the sixth graders and marched off to the traditional opening of the summer season. There is something to be said for 6000 kids singing!

Day 290.

Coffee with a friend, lunch with DH, a massive disagreement with DD. Oh well, just another day.

Day 289.

DD and her class are just loitering at school, it seems. They did get a task for the summer: they have to make a mini-herbarium, collect and dry 15 plants. Should be fun?

I have been loitering at home, slept badly and was not too pleased when the weather went cold again. I don't want to wear socks at the end of May!

Day 288.

Morning coffee at the market square...not quite freezing cold, but chilly. Picked up Tupperware and delivered a bag of cast-offs from DD's wardrobe. Back home to clear the kitchen and plan some fun things for the rest of the week. DD went to the ice hall and I promised to update her calendar...I make an excellent personal assistant.

Risto at my sister's house. 

Taisto looking adorable at my sister's.

Lunch. Rye bread and avocado. So so good.

Days 285-287.

Spent most of the sunny and lovely weekend sneezing and trying not to scratch my eyes out. The birch is still going strong. Short outings to take the cat out, to have coffee at the Jokiasema etc. Yesterday met a lovely lady at the market square as one of my fav people is visiting Joensuu after a while. In the evening, school spring thing with DD delivering her lines fast ;)

Day 284. If I counted right.

Ah, my trip to my sister's was a great success and one of the most exhausting ones in a while. We moved her books, clothes, linen, kitchen stuff and misc stuff using two blue Ikea bags each and alternating the route either by taking the stairs and walking a short hallway or by taking the elevator and walking through the yard. Luckily her move was within the same building! We trashed things, took things to the charity shop and organised the recycling center to come pick up the rest next week.

Yesterday I rested. Today I had a couple of good meetings, one related to work and the other to see a friend after a while. Tonight, DH has a boomerang-sauna-beer thing and DD goes to a friend's house for a pool party. Me and the cats are planning to watch a movie -- maybe.

Day 276 onwards for a few days...I'm outta here.

Safe to say already at this point that I will not be much online for the next few days. Taking the train across the country to visit my sister and help her move her stuff from her old apartment to a new one, within the same building! Should be fun! See you sometime next week!

Day 275.

A day of running errands, making preps for a short break and sneezing. Don't appreciate the birches much at the moment. In the evening, DD went with a friend to a free concert (not much good she said, but there was a free bouncy castle which they were allowed on because there were no smaller kids) and I skyped with my lovely lovely lovely MIL :)

Tomorrow is a day off for everyone, and I have scheduled everyones' lives accordingly :)

Days 273-274.

The week started off with sunshine, wind, pollen, school work and practise for DD, ironing, cooking and watching telly for me, work and bikerides for DH.

Day 272.

Mother's Day. Breakfast served in the kitchen, simply because I don't think eating in bed is nice. A little pressie from the Body Shop. Coffee with a friend at Jokiasema. Sunshine. A good day.

Day 271.

Another rainy day. We slept until 9:30 am which is very unusual. Maybe it's the rain?

DD revised a little for her history test and then we took off to town to look for a new top and some leggings for her. She also tried on a couple of bikinis...we bought nothing. Had coffee though, and cake. And DD picked up a little pressie for me at the Body Shop, and paid with coins.

And seriously, I should be feeding people for a living: I have a lovely Mother's Day cake baking in the oven, a healthy and warming potato and carrot soup bubbling away and once the cake is done, a supereasy salmon and veggie pie will go in. I love clean the fridge and freezer days! 


Update on the cake. Should not have thought that rolling out fondant is supereasy because all them people with amazing cake blogs can do it. Oh well, my cake.

Day 270.

A rainy day. All day long. Watched Up in the Air and knitted. The skies are now clearing (at 6 pm). Hoping for a good weekend!

Day 269.

In the morning, coffee at Jokiasema. In the evening, a visit to a yarn shop -- with some seriously lovely stuff and a lovely friendly owner. Go check it out.

Day 268.

Started a course of iron supplements -- not a good idea to follow the instructions on the package and take the pills to an empty stomach. Oh well, one grows wiser by the day. In the evening, parents' night at school on the topics of restlessness in the class and the importance of keeping up the standards of school work all the way until the end of the semester.

Day 267.

A quick visit in the working life today as I attended a meeting at the office. Also, the housing co-op had its annual meeting, which I got to chair. Way too many meetings for one day, if you ask me. A sunny lovely day, btw. Planning a short trip to my sister's place to help her with moving, leaving prob. on Friday.

Day 266.

Morning coffee at Jokiasema, bloodworks, movies, drama at home (teenager related)... a busy Monday! Still working on the pile of papers...but getting rid of tons of stuff.

Days 264-265.

Weekends go as weekends go, there is practise, there is dinner, there are movies, there is rain and sunshine. And there is a lot of it all!

Day 263.

Spent the morning looking for a particular paper, but did not locate it. Instead, found our wedding certificate, tons of old tax form and all sorts of stuff that needs to be shredded. May need to get some folders, too. In the afternoon, tried to donate blood was but refused on account of low hemoglobin value, which is a first time ever. Was told to contact a doctor for further blood works. Will do.

Day 262.

Amazing morning, I baked breadrolls and had finished two trays by 9 am! What?!

In the evening, Tupperware and baby watching at a friend's house. Not bad either.

DD had practise, did her homework and went to test out some boomerangs with DH. All good.

Day 261.

 

It's been difficult to understand that it is Wednesday and not Monday today. DD and DH went back to their business, and I had the house to myself. DD got home at 1 pm and we took off to the shops because she needed (wanted) pink shorts and sunglasses. Mission accomplished. Also had coffee with a friend. In the evening, DD took off to a friend's house for a movie making session, apparently they are making an epic movie on a guitar playing girl who travels the world (in her friend's living room).

Days 259-260.

The week started weirdly with two days off for DD and DH. Last night, we had friends over for sushi and drinks and today, everyone has been doing their own thing. DD has enjoyed the sunshine outdoors, and DH and I have wandered from sofa to kitchen to naptime in our new bed etc. And of course, there was coffee at Jokiasema.

Day 258.

DD had a friend stay overnight, they ate goodies, went to the playground, had dinner and giggled in the sauna, in the shower, in the toilet, in the bedroom....but they had tons of fun and were sad to say bye for now at 2 pm.

Aksu the Cat went for a little walk and saw birdies. Can you spot them in the photo? Afterwards he was sooo tired....hard work all this birdwatching.