Summer Shoes

I know I already have a few pairs but it's summer and one sure needs some kesärämpylä. So, here's pics of my latest canvas beauties. Bought incredibly cheap at Marshalls -- or Marsu, among friends.

Both pairs by Franco Sarto

Student of the Month

Suomessa vietetään lakkiaisia mutta meillä täällä koulu jatkuu vielä kolmisen viikkoa. Luis toi kuitenkin perjantaina kotiin hienon "todistuksen" - mussu valittiin "kuukauden oppilaaksi", joka on mieletön saavutus monimutkaisessa palkitsemisjärjestelmässä, joka käsittää yritysten sponsoroimia jätski- ja pizzakuponkeja sekä käsinkirjoitettuja diplomeja jos minkälaisista koulusaavutuksista.

Aplauding students is one of the American school system's corner stones. As in Finland school kids and students are getting their end of school diplomas as we speak, we'll still go on for another 3 weeks. Meanwhile, my Luis got the Student of the Month nomination for the first time. It really is something! And he's so proud 'cause his teachers had said it was for being so very brave.

My son's accomplishments in life are so many already :)

Johnny Depp

It all started with a joke in Facebook... My friend Kati posted this funny note about him. And then I just had to google some photos and.. Here you go.

More Johnny here where the pic is from...

My Favourite Day

It's my favourite day again! And today is special. It is Memorial Day, a national holiday in the U.S.. This means a very lazy morning, a very late breakfast and no work the whole day, and open plans for the afternoon. Very nice, for a Monday, right?

These lips are from the Glamour Magazine June 2012 US issue.

Piece of Cake

I can't really find a better reason to post these pictures of the NYC Marimekko flagship store's window decorations here but the name of my blog. Aren't they just yummy?

And look at the nearby Madison Square open air lunch stop tablescloths and parasols!

Ihmeiden kaupunki

Otin taas ja lähdin käymään New Yorkissa. Jätin lapset isänsä hoitoon ja blogin aivan oman onnensa nojaan. Yhdistelin tapani mukaan työtä ja huvia sopivassa suhteessa ja kävelin parin päivän ajan tuntikausia pitkin Manhattanin katuja. Tässä otoksia kaupungin ihmeistä, joita kyllä riittää ihan joka reissulle ihmetellä. Näiden lisäksi näin myös, miten työmies valoi käsin rappusia betonista pikkutalon edessä isolla avenuella ja miten tavallinen keltainen taksi muuttui sekunnissa poliisiautoksi ja lähti kiitämään pillit huutaen.

Here's some wonders from the Big City where I spent the last couple of days walking miles and miles and enjoying a mixture of business and pleasure, as usual. I just felt I needed a break from the kids and from the blog and from everything. And I still feel so enormously lucky to be able to do that every now and then. (Also, because I've actually decided to try and find a regular, normal person's day job...finally!)

Only in NYC

This guy was dragging boxes along and in the middle of the 6th Avenue.

Newspapers!!

A dead eeeewwww!

It gets very crowded when it starts raining...

Simona suomalaista

Sain Finn for Life -blogilta hauskan haasteen: Mitä suomalaista löytyy ulkosuomalaisesta kodistasi? Njaa, meiltähän ei oikeastaan muuta löydykään..., koko maallinen omaisuutemme nimittäin lillui tänne Atlantin yli viime vuoden tammikuussa. Kaikenlaista "lisuketta" olen paikallisesti ehtinyt hankkimaan, mutta sanotaan, että perussetti on vielä aika lailla kotimainen. Artek, Iittala, Lundia, Marimekko, Finlayson, Muurla mitä näitä nyt on.

I received a fun challenge from Finn for Life: List the Finnish things you have in your ex-pat home? Well, we have a lot if not all of our stuff from Artek, Iittala, Lundia, Marimekko, Finlayson, Muurla ...you name it. And the rest is from Sweden... :D

Laitan haasteen eteenpäin seuraaville kohtalotovereille:  

Eternal Sunshine

Katz and the City

Villahousurock

My Favourite Day

Yesterday, I bumped into some old photo prints from the summer 2005. Maia was born in January that year, Luis was 2 years old and wearing diapers. I was a single mom and lived in Arabianranta, Helsinki in what felt like a huge (65m2) appartment in a Helsinki City social housing complex.

The memories of our every day life - having pea soup, bread and milk for lunch before nap - now count as absolutely the best memories of my life. Thank God I had a camera then, and did take some pictures.

Terveiset kaikille ihanille ystäville ja naapureille, jotka muistavat tämän ajan :D

Starring Toto...

Tonight is the Big Night! Luis is playing Toto the dog in the school play, the Wizard of Oz - no more no less. I had a slight costume panic this week as Amazon let me down. "Dear Ms. Hakala, we have a delay with your order..." is NOT the email you want to receive when there's a school play in 2 days and NO costume...

Well, finally had to make one myself. Got some material and a friend's mother lent me her sewing machine. Obviously this costume does not bear any closer looks by anyone who actually CAN sew, but Luis is happy: "All the girls wanted to hug me cause I'm so soft."

"Matkallaan Dorothy tapaa Variksenpelättimen, joka haluaisi itselleen aivot, Tinamiehen, joka haluaisi itselleen sydämen sekä pelokkaan Leijonan, joka haluaisi itselleen rohkeutta." Wikipedia

Lapin miehet kylässä

Meillä on sunnuntaista majaillut kolme ylimääräistä miekkosta täällä. Pojat, Atte ja Jere (13 v.) ja huoltaja-Kari Rovaniemeltä Syväsenvaaran koululta olivat päättäneet lähteä vähän pidemmälle luokkaretkelle, ja tulivat sitten meille. Tänään kuudesluokkalaiset lähtivät New Yorkin kautta kotimatkalle. Eilen vietimme hauskan BBQ-illan luokan, valvojien ja isäntäväkien voimin.

We have had visitors from Lapland this beginning of the week. Atte and Jere (13 years) instantly became huge favourites of Luis and Maia, as you can imagine. It was a bit of a disappointment to Maia that the boys didn't wear traditional Sami costumes, but she soon got over it. I cannot but admire from the bottom of my heart the parents and teachers who made this happen. Wow!

Jere (left.), Atte, Maia, Luis, Markus and Kari

Our boys Jere and Atte at the BBQ party.

Pikkusiskoja

 

Isäntiä

Hyvää kotimatkaa, pojat! Pitäkää hauskaa New Yorkissa.

Househunting Results

I have been househunting for the past weeks. The family letting us their house are coming back earlier than expected, and we need to move. My initial real estate panic soon changed into enthusiasm: I've loved seeing different options in our neighborhood -- it is truly, truly special.

And look what I found! And yes, we got it and yes, we're moving very soon and yes, I am so happy!

My Favourite Day

I know you know it already. I love Mondays.

I had one like this today... From Georgetown Cupcakes - the best in town.

Happy Mother's Day

Bra-vo to my kids, I'd say, for being themselves even on this Mother's Day. Our house is simply a ... a zoo! And I am the zookeeper! But I love them to bits, they are mine and they make me laugh at least as many times as they make me scream of rage or horror or both.

I was the first one to wake up this morning. Not to smell the coffee, but to hear all the other three snoring... They eventually got their act together (without my help), but before that I heard some severe giggling from the bathroom...