Happy Birthday ...and Surprise!!!

A story of a girl who is not afraid of cold.

She was born 12 years ago. 

She was 2 weeks old when she moved for the first time. Her first move, 6 hours north, was spend snug and happy in a cot, surrounded by boxes and bags and suitcases in a caravan that was so full that you could not enter through the back door.  

During her first year she was on over ten flights, always peaceful. She moved with her family 5 times before they settled in a little, newly remodeled apartment that was their home, where she had her own rose bud room and a gray kitten. 

She is smart and funny and brave.

Loves to read, have sleepovers with her friends, and take care of animals.  

Tall and slender, with long thick hair and blue eyes. 

And would live in the water if we let her!

Now, this year we just might... because...

For her birthday she got a pool. Of course, it is for the whole family, but we filled it for the first time for her Birthday Pool Party! 

And we combined it with a sleepover, so it was perfect.  

We had prepared party games and things to do - but the girls spend the whole time in the pool and the sauna. 

After dinner and a movie I think they might have slept, but by 7 am they were back in the pool, and had sauna going.

True story. 

And a picture of the table for those who are interested in the birthday tables (like me):

The pool is used every day, multiple times by different groups of kids and adults.  Happy times! 

Helpot synttärikuppikakut

Tämän vuoden viimeiset perhesynttärit on juhlittu.  

Lapsille on ihanaa järjestellä kivoja pöytiä ja koristeita.  Erityisesti tytöille!  Näin pari viikkoa sitten basaarissa aivan suloista ruusukuvioista kangasta.  Pohjavärinä joko vaaleansininen tai vanha vihreä.  Melkein ostin molempia monta metriä.  Onneksi muistin, että pari vuotta sitten ostamani ihanat ruusukuvioiset tyynyliinat odottavat vielä tuunausta.  Ei saisi ostaa kaikkea söpöä ihan tuosta vaan kaapin pohjalle lojumaan.  

Täytyypä kaivaa ne tyynyliinat esiin ja tehdä niistä jotain nättiä.  Syksy on juuri sellaista aikaa, että tekee mieli keskittyä koristelemaan kotia. 

Teimme eskarilaisen synttäreille kuppikakkuja, jonka resepti löytyy prinsessan omasta kirjasta:    

Kirjassa prinsessa järjestää juhlat ja kaikki tuovat jotain herkkua pöytään.  Satukirjan lopussa on reseptit ja niistä on jo pitkään pyydetty leipomaan jotain.  

Resepti oli niin helppo, että eskarilainen osasi tehdä taikinan ihan itse.  Toki autoin mittaamisessa, hassusti reseptissä käytettiin grammoja desilitrojen sijasta.  Kaikki ainekset sekoitetaan puulusikalla, joten koneita ei tarvita.  

Laitoin päälle tomusokerisekoituksen sijasta kermavaahtoa ja nonparelleja.  

Hyvää oli!  

Oletko leiponut amerikkalaisia kuppikakkuja ennen?  

Juhannussynttärit

Nostalgiset 60-luvun paperilautaset

Juhannusviikolla meillä juhlittiin 6-vuotissynttäreitä.

Sankari sai valita mitä kivaa tehdään päivän aikana.  Ilma oli lämmin, joten mentiin uimaan.

Siellä vaan unohtui kuvien otto!

Illalla grillattiin kotona perheen kesken.  Päätin, että mitään ei osteta, jota talosta löytyy...ja löytyihän sieltä: herttaiset pojalle sopivat paperilautaset ja servetit!  Ne taisivat olla mieheni lapsuudesta.  Hintakin oli takana merkitty vain 60 c, joten ei ihan tältä vuosikymmeneltä.

Grandpan kuistilla on mukava istua ja nauttia lämpöisestä kesäillasta.

Ilmeestä päätellen autokakku oli mieluinen :)  Päätimme tilata sen kun kerran mahdollisuus on.  Keski-Aasiassakin saa kakkuja, mutta olen aina leiponut itse syntympäpäiville.  Nyt lepäilen tästä hauskuudesta ja olihan se kakku hyvää, vaikka tilaamamme suklaakakun sijasta kuorrutteen alta paljastui vaalea kakku. 

Tämän pojan lahjojen avaamista on hauska seurata: lahjapaperi lentää pieninä palasina ilmaan ja hypitään innosta tasajalkaa!

Hyvää syntympäpäivää Juhannus-poika!  Olet mahtava tyyppi!

Viimeinen koulupäivä paikallisessa koulussa

Viimeisenä koulupäivä ystävien kanssa.

Koko talven on uskollisesti käyty koulua.  Opettaja mainitsi sen ihan sivuhuomautuksena Uuden Vuoden Juhlassakin, että tyttäremme on tullut kouluun sateen ja lumen läpi kun muut ovat ottaneet luovia vapaita vissiin aika paljon enemmän.  Eihän sitä suomalaisen koulumoraalin omaksuneena voi tehdä muuta kuin lähettää lapsi kouluun, jos se koulupäivä on!  Vaatetta vaan päälle ja villahuivi pään ympärille.  Talvellahan koululuokkaa lämmitetään puu-uunilla ja aina välillä tuli pyyntöä oppilaiden kautta, että lähettäkääpä vanhemmat nyt puita luokkaan.   Koulu ei pysty kustantamaan lämmitystä.  

Ruususelle kakku!

Talvisin koulusta tulikin usein kotiin savulta tuoksuva lapsi.  Kylmissän ei onneksi joutuneet lapset opiskelemaan.  

Vierashuoneessa.

Ruusunen lähti koulusta ennen virallista kesäloman alkua.  Päätimme kutsua viimeisenä koulupäivänä koko luokan opettajineen meille syömään pizzaa ja kakkua.  Keski-Aasialaiseen tapaan pöytäliinan pitää olla täysi, joten sieltä löytyy lapsille mieluisia karkkeja, keksejä ja sipsejä.   

Alussa oppilaat vähän jännittivät pöydän ääressä istumista.  Opettaja neuvoi ja ohjasi koko ajan luokkaa istumaan kauniisti.  Toisille tarjoiltiin juomaa...ilma oli jo todella lämmin.  

Mutta kun vauhtiin päästiin niin lapsia ei tarvi kehoitella syömään niin kuin aikuisia koko ajan pitää kehoitella ottamaan.  Pizzakin maistui hyvin, taisi olla ensimmäinen pizza-ateria koko luokalle opettajia myöten! 

Opettajakaan ei tullut yksin vaan oli kutsunut kollegansa mukaan.  Yksin ei oikeastaan koskaan mennä minnekään.  (Juttelen opettajian kanssa, he vasemmalla, minä oikealla). 

Kun vatsat olivat täynnä, lähdettiin leikkimään ulos.  Kitaran säestyksellä hakivat ensin tytöt istumapaikkaa...

...sitten pojat.  Voittajille oli pienet palkinnot.  

Leikin jälkeen lapset sanoivat jäähyväiset tyttärellemme.  Kaikki kättelivät tai halasivat.  Sitten lapset lähetettiin jäätelöt kourassa kotiin, juuri ennen kuin sadepisarat alkoivat tipahdella taivaalta.  Siitä se painostava ilma siis johtui.

Syksyllä nähdään! 

Vähän ajan kuluttua tuli pari isompaa tyttöä pyytämään muutamaa pizzapalaa muillekin opettajille, olivat kuulleet ilo-uutiset maistuvasta länsiruoasta ja halusivat maistaa :) 

Sitten KesäUutisia:

Vietämme tämän kesän Ameriikkojen länsirannikolla.  

Lähettelen uutisia, ilmiöitä ja hauskoja juttuja amerikan ihmemaasta teillekin katseltavaksi.

Pysykää kuulolla!

Christmas Party Decorations

I love having friends over for Christmas Party! We have done it for three years now, and it is a highlight of the season for us.

Because I am me, I would happily decorate for a whole day or three, but could leave cooking for someone else. We are such a large crowd, with children, that everyone contributes with food and desserts. I baked Cinnamon Rolls last week and froze most of it...so it was really easy to just do my part of the cooking. Of course we had no electricity for most of the day, but I cooked on bottled gas anyway...

It have bought these icicles in Finland...I guess. They were very carefully wrapped and hidden from children for years! I would find them every now and then, but not in the right time! I found them in December this year, and wanted to use them. We had some spray paint and I knew exactly what to do. Some persimmon trees had broken branches and I wanted them sprayed with white paint. So easy and quick, and such a cute winter look! Welcome to the winter wonderland (it still looks like September outside).

I got this glass angel from my Mom last summer. So cute and tiny, and perfect with the icicles.

I have several angel decorations so they were on the shelf together with star lights and glass vases with the branches in them.

Beautiful cross stitching on a linen bag and one of my crocheted angels.

On a different shelf I had the Finnish Advent candle holder with the song we usually sing when lighting the candles. Perfectly equipped with the match box...

Because we were spray painting already, we just got wild and pulled some branches off of the bushes in the yard...they got to be silver and gold. I am not very experienced with creating center pieces with plants and flowers, though I love them very much, so I just stuck them in a bowl with apples and mandarins.

Here you have a very hazy table top view. I did not set the plates on the table as we had a buffet table for food...With a big crowd the easy takes over the proper :)

I was very pleased to find this blue material with golden starts on it in the bazaar. Usually there are no Christmas materials, so I bought 6 meters as soon as I saw this! And it was at least $4.50 for all of it!

Did you notice that I have two different kinds of glasses on the table...Again, lots of guests...I really should go and buy enough glasses for the next year!

Christmas is a wonderful time.

And we are very blessed to have wonderful friends here!

Happy Birthday Little One!

I can't believe this! My baby, my sweet little Pinkie Pie, turned one! She has been with us a year already! When she was born I remember looking at her in the hospital and simple being so happy, so happy. I thought: I have a daughter and a son, and now I have this wonderful new baby. I am so lucky! This feeling has lasted for a year and it is not going away.

She is such a peaceful baby. She cried the first time when she was 5 months old. Well, kinda. She has a fun personality. In this picture she is sitting on the counter helping to bake her a birthday cake. Just look at that precious expression! Makes me laugh!


We had a little birthday party planned. We only invited one family, and my local friend came to congratulate Pinkie as well. Here the big sister has given her a chair (she LOVES climbing on the chairs and happily sits for a long time), and her brother is giving her a red ball that he wrapped himself. Pinkie also LOVES balls, and she calls them 'paatu' (don't ask me why).

She is a little careful with new things. Here she just received a doll that laughs aloud. She was very surprised.
Pinkie is wearing the same Central Asian dress that her older sister wore on her 1st birthday!

My first lollipop! She saw them on the table and pointed at them. Of course she got one!

Here comes the cake. I will write later about the peculiar color. It was not planned. I am trying to protect the candle from the AC breeze, but did not succeed.

She liked the candle. I just love how you can see the family members in this picture, too. We were all so excited for her!


Happy family, happy day!
A mother-daughter moment. We have fun together.
A little sister- big sister moment. They love each other and love playing together.

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

Happy Birthday - Hyvää Syntymäpäivää

Our Rose Princess turned 6 years old last week!
We start birthdays by waking up the birthday girl/boy with signing and giving presents in bed. I met her wandering in the corridor just when we were getting ready to enter her room and chased her back to bed. Time to sleep! For the next 3 minutes!
She got a pretty rose from the garden with the presents. See her pretty pillow case? The material is Strawberry Shortcake character which she loves and adores.
I sewed it from the material my mother-in-law had bought for us. I should blog about my adventures in the handicraft world. I was NOT born with a needle in my hand (which makes my mother very thankful). But I love handicrafts and am always in a middle of a project...
Anyway...it was her birthday I was blogging about.

Every year she asks for a strawberry cake. She loves and adores Strawberry Shortcake. It is very easy, strawberries in the middle and cream around and on the sides. Maybe I should be more wild in decoration next year...
I did not use cream this year though. We have this Iranian packaged cream that stays good forever. It always tastes sweet which is very good here. It can be hard to find sweet tasting cream in Central Asia. However, I could not get this cream to stiffen. I know, it is hard to believe! Here is a picture of the Mother's Day cake we had just days before the birthday:

My husband whipped this cream for 15 minutes and it was still very liquid!
So I decided to go for a butter frosting. I have never made butter frosting before, but I found a recipe I used for the cupcakes and for the cake. Very yummy!

Strawberries dipped in chocolate! This was the centerpiece of the tablecloth!
(She loves strawberries and Strawberry Shortcake)

Getting ready to receive the guests.
I found these cute hats in the bazaar for 50c - 1$ each.
The rose tablecloth is a piece of material meant to be a sheet...It has been washed and I will sew it into a fitted sheet (see, another handicraft project!).

When the girls came in, they could each choose a hat. We had couple of girls come I had not expected, so I need to go and buy few more hats for them still.
In Central Asia you never ever turn down a guest.

My first birthday cupcakes!
These raspberry tasting pink m&m's are perfect for a little girls birthday party!
I should have waited with the sprinkles. I finished the cupcakes night before, and they started to loose color and crunchiness! But tasted good, nevertheless.

Here are some of the guests. It was our daughter's best friend (American girl) and all the girls from our street.

Just before I brought the cake in I realized that I had only put 5 candles on it! Wait, she turns 6 today! It is so hard to believe. My first born princess...
Happy Birthday!