3BT: Random Days

1. Finding the right kind of steaming pans at a lovely price, so I bought them right away HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...

2. Big discounts in a shop. Found a sweater that I'd been searching for in a long time but hadn't found yet until today. One of R2's winter sweater had holes already but the one I ordered online was more suitable for late spring/early autumn. R2 doesn't want a sweater with a hoodie, but he doesn't want one that looks like a grandpa's sweater, either ha ha...

3. When we got our roof renovation bill, we found out that we got a little reduction due to a certain reason. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY for discounts! 

4. Watching this funny video clip. I think Star Wars fans must enjoy this one! :-D


5. Reading about random acts of kindness around the world (which made me cry) restored my faith in mankind.

6. Doing gardening work together with hubby on a hot summery day (26'C). :-D

7. After #6, I took a walk to the riverbank and took these pics along the way...

The river is Kitinen river, whereas the squirrel pic was taken on someone else's yard 'coz I happened to see it run to that yard when I was walking back home. 

Summer Is Back!

Yep, it's been great weather for the past few days again, going up as high as 25-27'C under the sun during the day, but thankfully it gets cooler during the night ha ha ha...it can go down to around 17'C during the night, but due to the colder weather weeks ago that lasted for a while, I can see some autumn colours already. COOL!!! Usually here in Lapland autumn only lasts for a few weeks and when there are strong gusts of wind, soon enough the leaves will have fallen to the ground already, so I don't get too many chances to take pics of autumn colours. 

Anyway, due to a friend's request, I made a daisy wreath yesterday when we spent time with MIL in Kelujärvi. They grew wild there, so I could pick them up to my heart's content. It was actually my first time making a wreath on my own and in the beginning I had a bit of a hard time forming the "round crown shape". It was SO hot that the daisies wilted not long after R2 took this pic. 

Here are some autumn colour pics. Today I went for a walk near the river 'coz I just felt like it he he...gotta enjoy the hot days here as best as I can 'coz we have a short summer up here. Just look at how blue the sky was! :-D

Boy, time flies so fast. Next month I'm gonna have another nephew. Because we're planning to go to Indo next year, I'm gonna start buying gifts from now - whenever there are good deals or summer sales, it's always a good time to start buying them ha ha ha ha...

Busy Week

Been busy this week - fighting off the symptoms of a cold (and possibly sinusitis) as well as working and trying to rest enough and then going to the cabin is enough to make me silent online. So far I've managed to fight off the symptoms by drinking lots of warm tea with fresh lemon as well as cleaning my nose with a Neti Pot (it's called "sarvikuono" - meaning rhinoceros - in Finnish).

I took my camera with us to the cabin, but unfortunately I must've done something wrong when recharging the battery 'coz it was empty when I took it out. Dohhhhh!!!! It was such a shame 'coz we saw lots of birds there including some ducks walking on the side of an empty street, a hare, and there were lots of lovely raindrops on leaves after the rain this morning. Oh well...next time then! I took some pics using my mobile phone camera, but they don't come out as well. Still it was a lovely and relaxing trip. MIL stayed in the old house as well and she made some pancakes. We ate them with fresh strawberries, fresh cloudberries, and some cream. Yummy!!!

There're already autumn colours showing here and there. It's such a weird summer. I think the leaves have started changing colours already 'coz about two weeks ago the temperature dropped down to 2'C during the morning (at least that's what a local wrote in her FB wall post). Although the day temperature can still get up to 10-17'C, but the night temperature can be colder than that. I've just checked the weather prediction site and it seems that it can go up to 22'C on Wed and Thu. We shall see. Yesterday it was only about 13-14'C during the day but today it is a few degrees warmer.

Here are some pics I took with my mobile phone:

More Autumn Colours

Today the temperature dropped down to 10'C. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...and it looks windy outside. I just wanna share some more autumn colours with you all. 

The Autumn Leaves

Autumn has shown its colours for the past few weeks. This year autumn has come very gradually, unlike other years when it just sort of whizzed by so quickly. It's exquisitely rare! :-D

The other day I went to a flea market downtown and I took some pics of Kitinen river as well. I found a pair of nice curtains that cost only about 7 Euros and a book. Yeah, I'm really weak when it comes to books HA HA HA HA HA...

Anyway, here are some of the pics I took: 

There are several flea markets in Sodankylä and this is one of them. The two bikes outside are for sale. :-D Do you notice anything particular in this photo? No? Look at the next photo then he he...

Tadaaaaaaaa....yeah, they hang these on the outside wall of the building ha ha ha ha...

You can see Kitinen river bridge farther away...

Here's another view of the river...and yeah, you can see how the water "changes colour" 'coz I took the photo when it was a bit cloudy...and that's my trusted bike! :-D LOVE it SO MUCH! :-D I can put plenty of things in my bike's bags and keep my balance well even in winter he he...

I saw this busy bee on the bushes (which were located on the right side of the above pic). There are plenty of flowers nearby. :-D

And here are some pics of autumn colours...:-D

Catch Me Please!

I don't know when "the game" started, because it certainly didn't start the first year I moved here, so it must've started after that, but it's been fun doing it every once in a while he he he he...What kind of game am I talking about here? 

Well, the first time it happened, we had been hugging and kissing while standing up and holding each other for a while. Then when we were about to separate, I had this idea of letting myself fall backward and see if R2 would catch me hi hi...It was SO thrilling, you know? ;-D


The first time I did it, he was obviously surprised, but he caught me nonetheless. And of course I never did try to fall backward too fast for fear that if he had turned around quickly or if he was distracted by something else before he had a chance to catch me, then I would still have been able to regain my balance ha ha...but it was always SO MUCH FUN doing it over and over again (not often enough that it would be too boring or predictable he he...). 

There's something thrilling about being caught because you really have to trust the other person and know that he would catch you. Actually the last time I did it, he shook his head. Upon sensing his protest, I quickly said, "But I SHOULD make the best of our time, you see...I mean, who knows if I try it when we're way too old, then your reflexes may not be this good anymore and then I'd fall back like a log and hurt myself badly. At least now I can still count on the fact that you've got enough power to catch me - plus the good enough reflexes." 

And yeah, that shut him up HI HI HI HI HI HI HI HI...Anyway, the weather has been pretty strange over here. It was SO moist for two days - really sticky and warm without too much sun and today it got cooler (and cloudier, too). I can see more and more leaves turning colours already, thinking that it may be autumn already ha ha...I'll take some pics later on, but now I need to relax 'coz I've had work for the past few days and I haven't had time to do anything much. Funny thing is that usually up here autumn came and went so fast. Now it seems that it's going to happen so gradually starting in summer! HA HA HA...

3BT: Random Days

1. More pronounced autumn colours around me. Such as these:




2. Only a few days to go before our long holiday starts. YEEESSSSSS!!!!

3. A few customers wished me a nice trip and some of them told me that they'd miss me. :-D Bless them! They almost made me wet my eyes at work ha ha...

4. Getting positive feedback from an old lady.

5. A while ago, a different old lady held my hand after our encounter at the till. The deliberate gesture made my heart feel warm. :-D

6. Seeing the little girl's stunned expression when she realized that I was at the store at the time when she and her Dad and little sister came by. She couldn't speak at all for at least 30 seconds after I greeted her. :-D

7. Laughing so much with hubby the other night until we had tears in our eyes. It felt WONDERFUL to laugh like that.

8. Having parents and in-laws (yep, mostly the mothers) who don't try to bend me according to their will nor try to change our decisions. They respect our lives and our decisions and I can't be thankful enough for that.

9. Trying up a new recipe to make buns and adding my own topping out of whim and turned out they were the MOST delicious buns I had ever made in my entire life!!!

10. Eating the hot buns with such pleasure that I had to stop myself to eat more than one at a time ha ha...Note: I put the dough in sauna after we had sauna 'coz it used yeast and it rose so well. Next time I make something like that with yeast again, I should do it after our sauna eve. :-D

11. Listening to some customers joke with one another. :-D

3BT: Random Days

1. GOT A RAISE!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, been working for a year and now it's time for a raise hi hi...However, what made me SO ECSTATIC was that it was MUCH more than I'd expected! SO THANKFUL for God's blessing!!!! :-D *jumping up and down the place in glee*

2. The thought of a long holiday with R2 and my family in Indo (and friends there as well). It makes me even more pumped up at work ha ha...

3. Getting a new worker at work which'd definitely help us more in the long run.

4. Watching autumn colours admist still-warm-afternoons in a supposedly-already-autumn-period - there were cold days last week but this week has been exceptionally warm again (photos taken by mobile) he he...




5. Something happened that made me realize that R2 and I are still on the same wavelength. :-D

6. Having a job still to go back to after the holiday.

7. Lovely moisturizing lip balms, which will be especially handy in winter.

8. Knowing MIL has enjoyed this new phase of life where she gets many more new friends and she can even go on a holiday abroad later on with BIL and BIL's family.

9. Hubby for making me laugh so easily, for making it SUPER hard for me to get really angry even when I'm cranky due to fatigue or lack or sleep and when I'm having PMS. I don't know how you do it, but BLESS you!!!

10. The company treated us to a nice dinner (we could choose our own drinks and meal) so all of us went there except one who couldn't come due to some reasons. It sure was nice to be treated 'coz if I have to pay it myself, I wouldn't have gone HA HA HA HA...

3BT: Random Days

1. How I've found wonderful human beings through the internet and the blogosphere to share my ups and downs, to support and encourage and understand me. I would never have made it without all of you people.

2. When I've been whiny and annoying (even in my own ears/mind), yet hubby still tells me, "I love you anyway, honey." That is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard in my life.

3. Watching autumn colours, especially the red colour (my fave autumn colour) surrounding me...and noticing a squirrel running about cautiously in our yard.



4. Hubby let me eat the last cup of chocolate pudding. (FYI: I bought 4 cups and ate 2 cups, but when the last cup was still in the fridge, I asked hubby if he wanted it or not and he said, "Nah, you can have it 'coz you like it so much.")

5. Getting a permanent part-time job contract means that I had some spare money to buy some things for my in-laws - I bought FIL a warm jacket (with fleece lining inside) and a pair of warm socks for MIL when I visited them the other day and they were happy to get them. ;-D

6. Meeting new foreigners in this small village on my Finnish course and laughing with them when we talked about different topics. In a small village where foreigners are rare, it's always a PLEASURE to meet fellow "comrades-in-arms".

7. Looking back over the past and realizing that God's closed doors led me to this job. If there hadn't been those closed doors, I wouldn't have ended up here. THANK GOD for His closed doors, even though at that time I felt sad and dejected (esp. when I couldn't continue at the daycare) and I didn't understand why they were there.


glitter-graphics.com

8. Having a hubby who knows how to do coining (scraping my back with a coin and some balm). It's VERY VERY beneficial for me 'coz I do need his help sometimes in this area.

9. Living in a small village where there's no traffic jam, less noise, no long queues at the supermarkets/stores, where I can be close to nature.

10. Meeting friendly, warm, patient customers. They're the highlight of my day at work.

Autumnal Sleeping Beauty

Yes, fellaz, I've been a sleeping beauty this week, esp. on Tuesday and Thursday. For some reason, I slept most of my days on those two days on my sick leave. Now I'm thankfully healthy again and ready to go back to work tomorrow. I kinda miss work actually (though not so much that I'd want to do it every single day 'coz it's really hectic sometimes and I need me time to re-energize myself).

I've also taken some autumn pictures today while I was on the way to a Finnish course today. I met so many foreigners today at the course. There were 10 of us altogether. Two of them I know pretty well already 'coz we've already been friends, but I have never met the rest. Interesting bunch of people! We laughed a lot too he he he...

Anyway, here are some pics that I took. This morning when I rode my bike to the course place, it was VERY foggy as you can see from some of the pics below. Autumn is already in motion and my fave are the red leaves. :-D :-D :-D

This photo was taken from the bridge...so unclear, eh? That was how thick the fog was.


I got closer to take "clearer" pics...


Still closer...


Below are two pics of the same area after the fog was gone - I took the pics on the way back home from the course.



This is one house that I like. I passed it by on my way to the course he he...


The un-foggy version of the house.


Here are some more autumn views along the way...




Told ya I love those red leaves HA HA HA HA HA...


I don't know if I have time to blog-hop much today, but if not, I'll try to blog-hop tomorrow or sometime next week, OK? Take care, people...

Busy Saturday

Saturday was a busy day for us. We went to my in-laws' place and heard the whole story from MIL. So on Friday morning she went to the room connected to the stairs towards the attic room, but she didn't smell anything. A couple of hours later, she went there again to do something and she smelled the smoke this time. I'm SO glad that she did and that it didn't happen when my in-laws were asleep.

Anyway, the bottom of the stairs had a door, so she opened the door and noticed black smoke coming from the attic room. She went up, opened the door's room and realized that everything was BLACK there due to smoke and soot. She quickly closed the door again so that if there were fire, it wouldn't spread.

She went downstairs to tell FIL and asked if she should call the fire department and FIL said yes while running upstairs to check it. The fire department asked how many people lived there, what type of house it was, what it was made of, and then told them to stay as far away from the house. Just as they were about to get out of the house, my BIL arrived (THANK GOD!!!). MIL said that he came just as if he was already "booked" to come at that exact time. His presence brought a HUGE relief for MIL. FIL joked to me the other day, saying that now he daren't go anywhere 'coz something always happens he he he he...

Anyhow, the fire truck came and they realized that there were no flames, so they didn't have to use the water. It was actually great, 'coz had there been flames and they had to use the water, it would have been SO SO SO messy. So they took out the culprit: the portable electric heater and opened one window to let the smoke out.

Here's a pic of the heater:


So yesterday R2 and BIL had to get most of the things in the attic room out and MIL had to sort out which could probably be saved and which that needed to be thrown out. Good thing that one window was open, so they didn't have to go up and down the stairs so much. They could throw many things out from that window. :-)))

Then they cleaned up the room and SIL and I helped MIL clean up some blankets and the three of us moved the blankets and mattresses to the shed. Many things would be thrown out of the house (or burnt later).

Anyway, in between I managed to take some pics...here they are...

What kind of flowers are these?



There they are, this time the pic was taken from a regular angle he he...



And here are some autumn colours...I didn't take many pics 'coz it was a cloudy day. I'm going to take more pics later (hopefully when it's sunny when I visit them again).



For comparison, here's a view of almost the same spot at the end of May (notice how windy it was):


OK, time to blog-hop. :-))))