About trust

We were at a friend's summer cottage last weekend, so relaxing. Not a single thing that we had to do, not a single place we had to hurry to get to. We were able to just relax. A little bit of sailing and sunny skies, oh it was so peaceful to be in the nature. I was able to do a bit of good old pondering and I'm just going to share some of it.

Even though the wind was very strong, Emma got to go on the boat as well. She was so excited, but we couldn't find any life jackets at the cottage. Jeremy said he'd just row close to the shore and not go very far. Yet there I was standing on the jetty, fearing for her sake. I was so scared every time the wind picked up even though they were right there in front of me.

All this got me thinking of trust. Oh how much trust she had for her father. She wasn't scared at all, she trusted that he would keep her safe. In fact she kept waving to me and shouting "See you soon mummy, see you soon". I tried to keep a happy face for her even though on the inside I was afraid that something would go wrong. Her trust never failed, even though the wind was rough, she never got scared.

Her strong trust got me thinking about the trust we should have for our Heavenly Father. That kind of childlike trust is what we need to have for Him. Sometimes over lives can be very stormy and we might wonder why these things happen to us. We might get scared and at times and think that He's forgotten us. But at those times we might only see the smaller picture when He can see the bigger one and know what's best for us, or what we need at different times. All we need to do is show faith and complete trust in Him just like Emma trusted her father.

Foxes are the new owls

As much as I like owl patterns I think they have been way over used in prints and products. So I think it's foxes turn to shine. I found this super cute fox print jersey fabric here in Finland and made quick t-shirts for the kids from them. I don't normally like making matching clothes for them, it's just not my thing, but I thought I don't have to dress them in these at the same time after these pictures were taken. My too little cutie pies.

I made both of the shirts extra long at the back, so that when they are playing other people don't have to see their backs and bottoms and also that they could be more comfortable. Pattern is invented by me, yay. 

Food challenge

How exciting, I got my first blog challenge. I was challenged by Herb from Herbtravels. She's been travelling from Finland through Russia and Kazakhstan to China, Japan and Korea. Maybe soon she might even post some photos from Australia ;). Her blog is in Finnish, but even if you don't understand the language the pictures tell a great story.

She challenged me to answer 11 food related questions. It was really interesting to think about the answers to these questions. Of course I don't have many food pictures as we're on holidays and I don't have my hard drive with me, so for example the bloody picture of the dead goat is not here (yeah keep reading!), so I appologise that the pictures might not relate to the answers at all.

Me and waffles, a true love story right there.

1. How would you prepare and serve blueberries for a dessert?
If the blueberries are fresh and the sort that you get in Finland I would just give them as such, nothing else. There is no need to ruin the amazing natural flavour they have. Blueberries picked from the Finnish forest are amazing and I think people in Finland take it for granted a bit. In Australia there is only blueberries from a bush and they are very very different. They work great in smoothies or I also like a good blueberry pie. I don't have one specific recipe in my mind right now.

2. What is your favourite kitchen tool, the one you wouldn’t want to live without?
I love peeling things, my peeler is the best and I peel carrots just for the sake of peeling.

3. What are your favourite snacks for a road trip?
Carrot sticks, it's only natural after I've peeled them all day long with my awesome peeler. But for real, I do think carrots are awesome for road trips, as they are healthy so it doesn't matter how many you eat and crunchy so it gives you a lot of satisfaction when you can crunch away while sitting in a car. But it is important that they are in STICK form as they taste better that way. I do have a coke zero on long drives quite often too.

I think she loves carrots too. Picking them straight from grandpa's garden.

4. Describe a perfect dinner.
Perfect dinner is when we've got friends over and I've cooked something new at home and it's turned out amazing. It gives such good satisfaction when people like what you've made and the best part is if you don't wash the dishes after.

5. Most memorable food experience on a holiday?
This is so easy. This food experience is not about taste but about the effort in making it. It was definitely when I was in Zambia, Africa on a scout camp. Our group was in charge of the cooking for the day and in the morning we were brought a live goat and told that it was going to be our dinner. There it was going baa and kicking around and we had to kill it. Throat open, the goat was hanging from a tree for a few hours so that the blood would drain out. And in the evening we surely had some goat for dinner, amazing and discusting at the same time. Oh this memory makes me smile.

6. What Finnish dishes you miss the most while abroad?
Tough questions, I miss many different ingredients that you don't get in Australia, but a dish that I would miss... I think I'd have to say rice porridge. Having said that, if I miss some dish from Finland I usually then make it in Australia, so I don't have to miss that many dishes. 

7. What are your favourite dishes in your present country?
We cook a lot of Asian dishes at home and enjoy eating Asian food when we go eat out, but one of the best dishes in Australia for me has to be a good roast dinner. Nothing beats a good roast dinner, nothing! 

8. Share your healthy breakfast tip.
I love this one! Handful of spinach, one banana, two slices of pineapple, 1/2cup of water and few ice cubes. Blend them together and this makes an amazing green smoothie. I also add some chia seeds to give me an extra boost of healthyness and sometimes I add some natural no-fat yoghurt, that suits it really great as well. This smoothie fills me up pretty good and makes me feel refreshed.

9. What is your favourite cuisine?
I like Asian food, Indian is awesome, and Thai. I also love sushi. Pretty much all Asian food.

10. Have you ever tried weird diets?
No, I've never been very good in sticking to any diets. I have been able to lose over 10 kg though by changing my food habits and doing more exercise. Sounds simple but it's not very simple at all.

11. How travelling has affected your cooking and eating?
I've found my love for Asian food after I've moved to the other side of the world. I have learned to cook Asian food and our normal homemade food is now quite often Asian instead of the meatballs and potatoes that Finns eat. I've learned to taste new flavours as well and found many new and wonderful ingredients and spices that I wouldn't have tried in Finland.

 Because we're still on holidays and running out of time, I won't challenge anyone else this time. Instead I'm going to go and enjoy some more strawberries.

Retro bag just for me

My grandmum had these very funky outdoor chairs when I was still living in Finland and I then already told her that when those chairs broke I would want the fabric from them. And now after few years, that fabric was waiting for me there and the chairs had a new coat of more modern material.

I was holding the material in my hands, thinking of what I should make of it. I have so many fabrics at home that I haven't made into anything because they are too precious, I didn't want this to join that pile. Then my dear husband came and said he wanted to sew something of it for me. Can you imagine!

Thanks hubby, I LOVE my new retro bag! And I don't know how he did it, but I love the size of this bag. I want to make more now with these measurements. It's perfect.

Hug attack aka our trip to the Moomin World

Ok people, yesterday was the best day of our holiday so far. We went to the Moomin World. Those of you who don't know who Moomins are, well you soon will. They are very lovable creatures who live in the Moominvalley. They live their lives by being kind to one another and having adventures together. Their house is a big blue one (above) and guests are always welcome.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but Emma went absolutely crazy with love for this place and most of all for Moomins. Watch out, here comes the hug attack!

This is Moomintroll, main character. He loves to play with his friends and explore the Moominvalley.

Here's Moominmamma and Moominpappa. Moominmamma is a great cook and never gets angry with anything, she's always happy to have visitors in their home. Moominpappa spends his time writing his memoirs and dreaming of big adventures. He always has his hat on just like Moominmamma always has her apron and handbag.

This is Snorkmaiden and her brother Snork. Snorkmaiden and Moomintroll love spending time together and Snork her brother is very talented in building things and inventing things.

Little My (on the left) is probably Emma's favorite characters. She lives with the Moomins and is rather wild at times. She says what she thinks and isn't afraid of anything. Sniff on the other hand is scared of many things, but he loves treasures and money.

This is Stinky, he's always up to something naughty and was totally taken off guard when Emma gave him a big hug.

The Hemulen (on the left) collects flowers and butterflies, you can always find him at the fields trying to find new species. The witch (on the right) can be a bit scary, but Emma wasn't scared at all and gave her a big hug. She complemented her in being so brave.

The one on top is Too-Ticky and they made a bracelet together with Emma. She was allowed to choose the colours and then keep it on her wrist when it was finished. Then when she saw Snufkin and showed her bracelet, they realised that they both had chosen the same colours for their bracelets, special moment that there. Snufkin is Moomintroll's best friend and he leaves every Autumn to hike somewhere warm and comes back on the first day of Spring.

There you go, you're a little wiser now that you know about the Moomins. If you're ever in Finland and have small kids, I highly recommend this place. It's on a small island and feels so magical. There were a lot of families there, but it didn't seem to bother Emma at all.

Friendly dragon in the water. I can't remember his name, Edward maybe.

Girls in the prison where the policeman takes Stinky quite often.

Pretty views from the other end of the island.

Thanks for the great day and a good chat Moomintroll! We forever love you.

I spy with my little eyes

So that all the posts won't be about our trip to Finland, here's a quick project I did just before we left. I wanted to get a few new toys/books for the kids for the long flights so that the travelling could go as smoothly as possible. I had already bought a few colouring books and sticker books, but I didn't have toys as such. Then one time I found these poly pellets (the white stuff inside) in Salvo's for $0.99 and knew I had to make an I spy bag.

I found all these little toys from around the house, and well there's really not that many toys there. Plastic animals, buttons, beads, eyes, ribbons etc. Just use your imagination if you want to make one. I wish I would have had time to find a few more little things from somewhere, but this was all I could find at home.

It's a great little toy to keep your little ones occupied for a little while and so simple to make too.

Daddy's girl and mama's boy

We decided to go for a run last night, but found a cute little playground just 500m from our appartment. As we had played a little while, we started exploring the surroundings. Beautiful pine trees and everywhere so green. I'm breathing all this green in me.

I love this holiday, spending time together, cuddles, no stress. Emma, our big time daddy fan, is so happy to get so much of dad's attention. We've got him right where we want him. Oh holiday, thank you, he's got no where to go.

At 10.30pm, same day as before

 At 10.30 the other night

it was as light as at noon

we were so so tired, 

just look at those bags under our eyes 

saw more flowers

more green

more birch trees

the cows were still mooing

but the birds had gone to sleep.

We truly are in Finland.

At 5.30 am

 At 5.30 this morning

it was as light as at noon

we weren't tired at all

we went to pick flowers along the road

birch trees stole my heart

all the green got me overwhealmed

saw the lady next door drive off to work,

she said she would have wanted to stay in bed longer

heard the cows go moo and birds sing their songs.

We truly are in Finland.