Late ! Late ! Late !

I know, it's a long overdue post. But I really wanted to post those three pictures from New Year's night. Why ? Well first of all because I like the idea that my blog it's somehow my journal. Then because I really love those picture. But most of all because that night has been beautiful and fun. My older children are most of the time now truly great friends, with whom I can laugh and talk and share all aspects of life ( and yes, sometime they're an handful too ) while my little one is pure joy and curiosity and sweet love ( and yes sometime he's an handful too ). And I love all of them. And I'm very fond also of you my dear readers ;) 

So... Happy 2016 !!!!!!!

Feelings and flowers ...

It's a strange and weird period for me. I have so many mixed feelings everyday and sometime it's quite hard to cope with them. So many horrible things are happening in this world. Anger and violence and carelessness. My growing children ( how long will i dare to call them still children ? ) noticing and asking why and pondering and becoming the grown ups of tomorrow and i'm so afraid for the terrible example we are giving them. I try to pass them a message of peace, of love, of faith and joy, but it gets harder and harder and i feel so lonley in the task. I feel like everywhere anger has become the 'new joy'. Like everybody is looking for the right reason to let it all out ... but where 'all' comes from ? Are my own children growing such a 'all' themselves and one day they will let it out ? And in the middle of these thoughts my own lonliness stabs me with its sharp pain. It has been almost four year since we moved here and I don't have not even a friend. Nobody to talk with. No number in my phone ( beside close family ) to call. I keep telling me that if we've been lead here there must be a reason, but .... if there was a reason not to move here and we simply weren't listening ? What a hard moment. Yesterday as every sunday evening I was listening to my doughter radio program and when it finished my husband started playing italian music. I started to sing along and all of a sudden I remembered of so many nights spent chatting and laughing and singing old songs with friends... and the pain was back ... where is my village ? Where is my tribe ? .... Ah sorry for this rant, but it has been sitting heavily on my heart for a long time now ... but still I try to focus on good, and do good and be good and set a good example for my younger loved ones ... so here I am facing the sun and smiling at it and snapping few shots in the garden, finally showing us that spring is coming. Hopefully spring will come in my heart too...

Finally fine !

After five days of tragedy we're FINALLY FINE !!! Let's get back to saturday, we came back home from the hospital with poor little James still very tired and suffering. Then sunday came and as I was ready to listen my oldest doughter radio program ... I started being terribly sick ( be thankful, I'm sparing you the details ... ) and in middle of the night ... one of the older boys ... and monday morning oldest doughter ... and monday night ... second older boy !!!! Since our only toilet is downstairs all the children slept in the living room, on the sofa, armchairs and floor (!!!) and of course tuesday morning at 9:00 the plumber arrived unannounced ( in Italy when the say in the next days they never mean THE next day lol ). Probably he thought he was in some kind of horror movie ... five sick people, children sleeping everywhere .... he will never ever come again eheheheh.... But today ... Today we woke up fine, and outside the sun was shining, and the temp was +5 and ... we got out, some burgers on the way, some garden planning and shopping at a sale ( two small green houses and a nice decoration ) and once we got back home we had so many things done filled up with new energy and health. Here few pics from today ...

 Jimmy and Milla before getting out

 Seeds check

 Gaia and Jimmy working togeher on a gardening project 

 'Gimme a seed ! '

 Making the hole ...

 'Here your seeds'

 ' I put 'em there '

 Lovely sight !

Leo and Jimmy cuddling

(Leo doesn't want pics of him taken, this is the best he has allowed me to take ... )

Being healthy is such a blessing !!!!!

Celebrating

My birthday yesterday has been probably the most beautiful of the last 20 years. Really. A relaxing day, filled with laughs, junk food, lovely things and nice surprises.

In the morning Gaia woke up earlier than everybody else to bake some heart shaped muffins for breakfast. When I joined her in the kitchen I found the table already set and with a nice parcel on my place.
When everybody was up we ate all together and I opened my gifts. One was from my family and the other was a *self-made-present* on behalf of my mother.

After a lazy ( for me) morning spent crocheting and chatting with Gaia who was busy baking the cheesecake for the party, we went out to eat. We decided to do to the temple of junk-food : RAX. At a reasonable price you can fill your plate from the buffet as many times as you want. It's a good place to go few times a year, very family friendly, affordable even for *larger* families, children loves it and sure enough it builds up our immune system eheheheheheh.

We arrived back home from Porvoo soon before Gaia needed to go to her dance class, so we decided to make a dinner-party. When she came back we had dinner with bruschetta , chips and pop-corns, candies and cheesecake.

We took so many pictures, of the (not really anymore) children, of me and them, of the whole family, laughing and joking. really the best birthday ever. With such a good start, this 39 will be GREAT !!!!!!

in the morning

My presents : wool,hooks and rainbow buttons from myself on behalf of my mom,

and a smartphone !!! Wow ! I had an older cell phone I found at the second hand store 3 years ago when we moved here, I'm not much into cell-phones but this looks really nice and I'm sure it can do a lot of funny things ( as soon as I learn how to use it ... )

Gaia's cheesecake and the blowing moment

beautifully yummi !!!

and the best part of it all :

LAUGHING OUT LOUD !!!!

I love them all <3

Baking with Jimmy

Today we woke up in the snow wonderland. It has been snowing all night, with strong wind. So after lunch we all headed out for some outdoor fun. Jimmy enjoy a lot to be pulled in Seba's Stiga sledge and it's always a problem to bring him back home ( or I should say drag him back home). So Milla and I started walking back and forth in our street pulling him. The first time we passed in front of the house he declared ' Not inside mom, lt's walk for a little while more '. So we walked back and forth two more times. At the third he called me ' Mom, let's go back home for a while now .. I'm frozen ' eheheh so veeeery sweet.
But of course inside we went, and to warm up I thought that it could be a good idea baking something. As usual James is eager to help me...

 Woderful, the world covered in a soft blanket

He is such clever and sweet helper, learning everyday something new, but mostly learning the meaning of being a family : togetherness.

So after a couple of hours we had several goodies ...

Shortbread cookies (before and after cooking )

And two loaves of bread, one of normal shape one braided ( my first attempt, it turned out well in my opinion )

This time I cooked the bread at a lower temperature for longer time (180C for 50 minutes ) and the result was a super soft bread with a delicate crispy crust .

Delicious !

Have a nice week !!!

First !!!

So here we are on year 2015. Many exciting things are going to happen. My oldest doughter will turn 15 in three short months. 15 !!! Where did the time fly ? My twin boys will be 13 in june, my youngest doughter will be 11 in less then 2 months and my little boy will turn three in june. In 18 days i will turn 39. All of us are about to start a new season in their life and I'm quite curious to find out what future holds for us.
Here some memories from yesterday and today.

I don't know why blogger keep turning this pic, but well, this was my last 2014 lunch, Gaia cooked it for me. She is so sweet and kind with me, I'm not sure I always deserve it ! It was delicious !

  

Me and Jimmy yesterday evening, Do you see my apron ? I was making pizza, as we always have pizza on New year's Eve

Traditional Italian meal of 1st of january, pork meat and lentils .

In general I follow a vegetarian diet but on special days or if someone is cooking for me I eat what I've been offered

Hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmellows (?sp) and Christmas sweet as last holiday treat ( again my doughter made it for both of us, I know I'm a lucky gal :) )

2015 here I am, ready to live you at the fullest !!!!

Christmas days

Christmas Eve was a very relaxed day. After dinner as we always do we watched 'Nativity' and talked about the birth of Jesus. After the baby was sleeping and the older children were upstairs me and papaF did some final wrapping and went to bed. Before going to sleep we noticed it was snowing again. We woke up on Christmas day in a fluffy and white world, with a blue sky and beautiful sun and -14 degrees. PERFECT.
After enjoyng surprise on James face and the unwrapping of the presents, we relaxed with a movie and then, while lasagne were cooking we wend out of the door with James to enjoy the beautiful day. We pulled him around in Seba's stiga but after a while he asked us to go back inside because it was so cold. The day passed beetween movies, chatting, playing with the little one and a lot of knitting for me ( I was in need of a new woolen hat and now I have it ! ). A light(er) dinner and another movie after to finish the wonderful day.
This morning it has been snowing again for a while but today we spent the day inside. A lazy morning watching 'The desolation of Smaug' a quick pizza lunch and the afternoon spent chatting with Gaia and trying to figure out what to knit now ( still no idea about that ). Homemade Tacos dinner and Lord of the Rings read aloud while nursing Jimmy to sleep. A very peaceful Christmas indeed.

So this is Christmas,

for once a lovely one,

 ok not for once really,

but indeed a lovely and peaceful one.