A baby boy

Our little boy emerged in the middle of Advent calendar and canceled the rest :)

Happy New Year!

2019 was amazing! Thanks :)

Source baby.gets.space

Best wishes, 

Katia

White clay cottages with candles inside

Our yesterday's cottages dried well and I took photographs of them :) They are so special and magic!

Best wishes,

Katia

Advent calendar, day 10

Games, Hot Chocolate and Christmas Music were in our Advent calendar for today.

And we enjoyed them (maybe the hot chocolate was the most enjoyable :)))))))

I lost all the games but I feel happy :) Good evening! 

Evening tea was Festive Spice: black tea, cinnamon, orange zest, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper. We drank hot chocolate and we left tea for tomorrow morning :) It smells promising!

Best wishes,

Katia

Advent calendar, day 9

1. What a day!

We have never thought that we would ever do what we did this evening (especially my Darling :)). Our Advent calendar made this day. We did tiny cottages of white clay.  

  

2. We left them dry for 24 hours and I will take more photos of them with lights inside tomorrow. Can't wait :)

I used the leftover clay to make simple decorations. Maybe they can be used even as gift labels. Will see! 

3. My dress is moving ahead little by little.

4. And the evening tea was Holiday Boost: rose horn, hibiscus, peppermint, apple, liquorice (licorice), cinnamon, rose. Good! 

Best wishes,

Katia

Advent calendar, day 8

Instead of big national holidays, I sometimes need days dedicated to holding a hand of the beloved one in mine. There are days when it does not happen, days when it happens casually, and days when it happens so that you remember it.

Today was not super special, but I'd like to remember it.

1. Our Advent calendar suggested making truffle chocolate sweets. We needed to buy some cream for them. Incidentally, I recalled we had two coupons for a cafe close to the shop where we'd purchase the cream. And the sun was shining outdoor as if there'd have never been any rain there.

So I put on my self-made holiday dress (I had worn it only once before), my husband also put some less ordinary, lighter clothes on and we walked outdoor. The air was still frozen, yet the sun was giving some hope for a warmer noon. We were walking on the slippery roads, holding each other by hand, and we laughed, and we smiled, and we talked about nothing particular. We got used to the cool air, we did not notice the darkness looking at us from under the frozen puddles, we sometimes did not see each other behind the hoods of our coats, yet we were holding each other's hand. We were together and the sun was with us, too.

The cafe was empty, we could choose seats open to the morning rays. We took a traditional Finnish glögi to drink and a couple of traditional local buns. The blueberry glögi was ecological, one bun was with plums jam, and another one was with cottage cheese. We tore them into pieces, and we obtained more parts to enjoy, even though they were small. Strange, but good mood grows even if the parts get smaller...

2. After we returned home, I made the truffle sweets. Their recipe is based on the cheesecake one and includes a cheese. Cooking did not take me much, it was even funny because there were tasty chocolate remainders to lick up every few minutes or so.  

3. We tasted the ready sweets with our evening tea. The main part, chocolate, is melting in the mouth, almost like a jam or jelly. Depending on the second component, you get a different type of chocolate: e.g. strawberry, red currant, coconuts or walnuts. Then, depending on the cheese, you can make more accent on the chocolate or on the cheese core. For example, if you use a more bitter chocolate, you can take brie or another less strong cheese to extend the time during which you are discovering the mixed chocolate and berry flavors, and to play with their main taste a bit. If you use more milky chocolate, it can become a softening sweet base for the surprising note of blue cheese or goat cheese, for example.

I ground the dried fruit into dust and they gave their taste evenly, as part of the chocolate - not in separate bites that one must chew or crack in one's mouth. I could not use blue or goat cheese this time, but I want to try these truffles with them next time.

The tender tastes of these truffles reminded me of our trip to Paris, but I am not sure what the main component was: chocolate or sunny morning?

4. Evening tea - Happy Holiday: green tea, cinnamon, pomegranate, ginger, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg. Good! 

5. And this is where I am in my knitting a dress :) I hope I can do it by New Year Eve :) 

Best wishes,

Katia