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Aug 31, 2013

Almost September



Yesterday I wore my checkered tunic at work. It was so wonderful to wear something I have sewn myself. I wore  my tunic with a pair of blue jeans, black Noa Noa cardigan and my favourite, favourite Aigle trench coat and brown rubber boots with small heels (I had a pair of leather ballerinas to wear inside). Those boots and the scent of a rainy day make me always happy but now I had the pleasure of  wearing this tunic, too!
We had some comfort food yesterday evening - spaghetti with creamy sauce. A perfect friday night meal, I think. Today we are going to spend the day with friends dining together and taking the kids to play at a play ground. I think there is going to be a little fresbee golf too - have never tried that before. I think I am going to miss each and every one of those baskets ;) And tomorrow, oh tomorrow I finally meet Celine and Jesse again. Can't wait!!! Just can't. I have enjoyed those previous two movies so much. I think the dialogue is always breath taking; the conversation is rich, witty and full of meanings and I admire the pulse of these movies.

"Jesse and Celine first met in their twenties in BEFORE SUNRISE (1995), reunited in their thirties in BEFORE SUNSET (2004), and now, in BEFORE MIDNIGHT, they face the past, present and future; family, romance, and love. Before the clock strikes midnight, their story again unfolds." ( the official website of the movie)



I am wishing you a most inspiring day and change of month. Tomorrow it is going to be September. Yippee!

- Anu

ps. I bought that yellow woollen carpet I mentioned earlier. Love it!!

Aug 26, 2013

Beauty of everyday life






Today I felt like baking some bread. My day has been quite challenging and I thought there is nothing that helps to this feeling better than baking something so I took my favourite bowl and started mixing  ingredients slowly together. First flour (3,5 dl) then baking powder (2 teaspoons), sugar (1 tablespoons), salt (0,5 teaspoons), water (or milk)(2 dl) and finally melted butter (50 g) - so simple, so relaxing (oven 250 celsius, about 10 minutes).  I had two slices with my cup of tea and felt immediately better - I could see the beauty of those apples again.


- Anu

Aug 25, 2013

A Little creative space of mine







Good morning!! Just wanted to say hello to you from this little creative space of mine. My fabrics, yarn, knitting needles and most of my crafting material is in a different room (in a cabinet) but I would like to have everyting in the same room. Still I am happy to have this multifunctional table I can use for work or being creative.
 I got up a little after seven this morning, made some tea and planned what to sew next. The tunic I mentioned earlier is finished now, you see (can you see it on the table there?). I bought very soft bambu college material and am planning to sew a pyjamas for our son. He always kicks the blanket away during the night time, so when those cold nights come, must he have something really warm to wear.
I am wishing you a blessed and  most energetic day! Later today we are going to a charity walk our son's school is organizing. Children are walking 1 km long routes and they have sponsors to pay a certain amount of money to charity from each lap. We go there to support him and spend a lovely day outside with the  family.

hugs,
Anu

Aug 23, 2013

Friday night knitting party






It is friday and I am enjoying this relaxing feeling. My plan for tonight is to snuggle on the sofa with my cardigan to be (I am knitting a purple one) and having something salty and something sweet to eat- with numerous cups of tea of course. Friday joys!
About tea, I just wanted you to know that I was honored to have a conversation about tea with lovely Vibeke at her inspiring blog A Butterfly in my hair  - thank you so much for inviting me Vibeke! I want also to thank everyone for all of those kind words I could read in the comment box
Now I am going to kiss my sweet little boy good night and then have this knitting party I told you :) I hope my husband will join me on the sofa. I even think he might have a movie ready for us to watch. We like a swedish criminal series called Wallander, so I think there will be a Wallander movie for us tonight.

hugs,

Anu

ps. I will show you my cardigan pattern later...I am a slow knitter (but really love the process) so my knitting projects take always a little time but eventually I get something ready. I hope that happens this time too :)


Aug 20, 2013

Onion soup and trees




Today's true joy was a soothing onion soup for lunch with a good dollop of cottage cheese. Soup looked like a golden pond of translucent surprises and cheese like a soft snow ball. Oh, how impatiently am I waiting for the autumn to come - windy days, the smell of rain and all those yellow and orange leaves, especially maple tree leaves. Those are the prettiest together with oak leaves, I think. I have an idea of taking a picture of one of my everyday trees (one of those trees I kind of notice every day) during some period of an autumn every day. Let's see if I get to carry out this idea this fall. The change of a season is always such a beautiful time and I would like to capture the feel of it like this.
Now I am going to have a hot cup of white peppermint tea with a  scone (only one, I promise, mainly to myself)  and browse the Ikea catalog that arrived today. Somehow I really feel like I need a big yellow woollen carpet for our living room. I am quite surprised by that idea :)

I am wishing you a good week! There is one of my onion soup recipes below, if you would like to try that, too.

My simple onion soup:
Heat butter in a large pan, cook and stir onion slices/pieces ( I used 3 onions) until they become translucent, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle onions with a hint of sugar and reduce heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are soft (about 15-30 minutes). Add  some flour and stir. Stir one litre of beef stock into onion mixture and let the soup cook for an hour or more if you have time. Season with salt and pepper. This time I used also minced meat (spiced with taco spices because I had some left overs).

 - Anu

ps. I LOVE my new bambu bowl (first picture). It feels so soft and looks so natural. Can one say bowl love?


Aug 17, 2013

Saturday morning's cake and some checkered fabric





It has been an exhausting week, good though. Many important things have happened concerning work and family life, e.g. our son started pre school and my students came back from their summer holiday. I really was looking forward to the weekend and now it is here :) It is time to rest now.

My husband surprised me with a beautifully pink and tasty cake from a bakery! A good surprise! So, this morning I  ate a perfect piece of this Alexander's cake, drank berry tea (lots of it, might I add), wore socks my friend knitted me, browsed these sewing books and was inspired by checkered garments. Some time ago I found a piece of checkered fabric that would be lovely for a tunic, I think. There is something so cosy in theese kind of fabrics.

Some days ago I finished my lilac cape. You can have a look. Please, do not mind the light - there is too much of it in some of these pics.




I was inspired by this and made my own modified version of it. I wanted it to be long from the back and wider from the sides. I didn't want to hem the cape because of this very long and curvy shape  (I thought I am not able to sew it so that it looks beautiful) so I cut two pieces and sew them together right sides towards each other and then just turned the fabric around. It is heavier but I like it like that. I cut ribbons to a little different shape than in the video and sew "wings"  like that (red tape).





It is a cloudy day here today. I am smelling a hint of autumn in the air and I just love that.
I am wishing you the loveliest day!! Mine is going to continue kind of like this:
- cleaning the house with the family
- eating pasta for lunch
- going to buy onions for an onion soup
- baking something, maybe scones with our son and enjoying them (with a hot cup of tea  of course)
- taking a little time for myself  - maybe with my knitting needles :)
- having a lovely night with the whole family and after our son's bedtime with my husband. We were planning to have a tv-night with netflix.

- Anu

Aug 11, 2013

Gratitude Sunday






I really enjoy my visits in inspirational blogs. One of my favourites is Vibeke's A Butterfly in my hair and it was there where I found this idea of a Gratitude Sunday. Vibeke tells that she tries to join in on Gratitude Sunday with Taryn and all the others over at her blog Wooly Moss Roots. I am thankful for this lovely idea for Taryn and for Vibeke who brought this to my attention.

 I started listing things I am grateful for two weeks. Those most important things in my life like my family and faith are  the same as mentioned here. There are also lots of smaller but yet very important things I am grateful for today. I am grateful for:

  • that our lovely son is going to pre school tomorrow
  • our son's teacher - she is very good with children, just so wonderful and positive person.        
  • my work and that it has started well after the summer holiday (I have a new boss)
  • the lovely snail mail and tea I got from Vibeke - THANK YOU!!!
  • the package I received from Japan on friday. Inside there were my Etsy finds - beautiful sewing magazines.
  • my new pattern book (Yoshiko Tsukiori)
  • the necklace our son made for me with love
  • rainy days. Oh, it has been lovely to have some rain after this hot, hot summer.
  • a cosy moment I had with a friend in a café. I had berry tea and a brownie and lots and lots of conversation :)
  • one of my favourite clothing shops, Noa Noa, is moving to bigger premises in my nearby city
  • last night's good sleep
  • those leaves our son picked for me -  it is a pretty bouquet. Notice that little stone in the bottom of the jar. It is part of that bouquet :)
  • aquarelle post card I found from a book store
  • my hips being a bit better this week
  • evening light and chillier nights we have had here - I can feel the autumn coming 
  • finishing a cape (I will show you that later)
I hope you have a lovely Sunday!

hugs,
Anu

Aug 7, 2013

Today




I got this bulb from my mother before chrismas one and a half years ago. It was actually my advent calender that year. Every day on December, I watched it grow and finally it was blooming on christmas. My best calender ever! I was so happy noticing a hint of red there a few days ago. Can you see, it is blooming soon again. Oh, it is almost like christmas now :)
Here are also my fabrics I mentioned on Sunday;  little spots and butterflies, stripes and a hint of red in two of them, too. I don't often have an opportunity to go to a big fabric store so I was happy finding several lovely fabrics at the same time. Happy, happy!!
It is a thunderstorm here. We are having some waffles and tea and listening the rain to play it's music against the roof. I have always liked the sound of a rain - the smell too.

hugs,
Anu




Aug 4, 2013

Gratitude Sunday



I really enjoy my visits in inspirational blogs. One of my favourites is Vibeke's A Butterfly in my hair and it was there where I found this idea of a Gratitude Sunday. Vibeke tells that she tries to join in on Gratitude Sunday with Taryn and all the others over at her blog Wooly Moss Roots. I am thankful for this lovely idea for Taryn and for Vibeke who brought this to my attention.

 I started listing things I am grateful for last sunday and will continue now. Those most important things in my life like my family and faith are  the same as mentioned here. There are also lots of smaller but yet very important things I am grateful for today. I am grateful for:

  • my noisy sewing machine
  • visit to a fabric store last friday
  • and finding pretty fabrics for my projects - I am learning to sew and enjoying it!!
  • joy of learning
  • the fact that I finished my blue paisley skirt  (A-line skirt)
  • a moment singing a  lullaby to our son today
  • first comments I have had here at my new blog (I made it public little over a week ago) - Thank you!!
  • sweet e-mail I got from a friend
  • lovely Etsy finds
  • music - right now I am fond of Coralie Clément, Thomas Fersen, Pascal Parisot and Karpatt.
  • dinner we had with friends today and lunch with my parents
  • the fact that my new glasses arrived - love them!
  • my knitting project, a purple cardigan up to my knees
  • that I have a job to return to - I have a working day tomorrow. A job is not to be taken for granted nowadays.
  • chocolate cookies - I could live on those :) 
Hugs,

Anu