I sew all these together

We spent the weekend visiting my parents in Viiala. We went there on Thursday and it was raining all the way there, but the rest of the days were really sunny and quite warm too. Papu definitely enjoyed her time in Viiala, sniffing around outside and running around inside, and of course playing with my mother's dachshund. I didn't take so many pictures of the dogs this time, but here is one shot of Papu on the top of the rock:

Big rock, small dog

Papu was actually able to jump on that rock. She didn't even hesitate once, so I guess she believes she can fly. If you need evidence on Papu's big jump, I have uploaded a video to Youtube. For some unknown reason Papu really enjoys high places and she loves jumping. Maybe I should teach her how to rock climb?

On Friday I visited some flea markets with J.R. and my mother, like we usually do when we are in Viiala. That's the only type of entertainment we can have. Anyway. I always scan the tables to find items for my collections, though I don't collect many things and my collections are small. I basically only collect some particular books, some particular Finnish table wear and old board games. Usually I go home empty-handed, but this time I actually found something cool:

Happy families traveling towards retirement

It's a boardgame called "Game of Life". This game is originally from the 60's, but this one here is actually a remake from 1999. I'm really pleased with the condition, since the game has obviously been played more than once. There were around 20 of those mini people missing, but that doesn't effect the game unless there are all six players in the game and they happen to have like four kids each.

The plot of the game is quite silly actually, and the playing is mostly based on luck. In the beginning you can choose whether you want to start your career right away or go to university first. And then you move on the board like the "dice" tells you to and live through your life. There are some points in the game where you can effect on things, but nothing major really. And the winner is whoever has the most money in the end. Despite the silly plot, I'm still happy to have this classic in my collection. It's a fun game to play to and it doesn't take too long or too much brain work either.

I also got something really fantastic from my mother: she finally bought a new sewing machine and I got the old one. It's still working, but it refuses to sew fabrics that are too thick (like zippers for example). When sewing normal fabrics it should work properly.

I'm not so good at sewing though, but on the other hand I wasn't so good at knitting either. I have sewed things in the past, some clothes and smaller things, but I have always asked my mother to help me with the difficult things so she has sewed them. I basically know how to work with fabrics and different stitches and sewing patterns, I just don't know how to do things neatly. I'm really excited to learn this new skill, though I need to wait until Hannes comes and fixes the sewing machine's plug for me. The sewing machine is so old that is has a different kind of plug than newer electrical devices, and newer sockets don't match those old plugs. According to Hannes the changing is not a big operation, so we just have to set a date and then I'm ready to sew. I have already decided that my first independet sewing project will be a pin cushion, because I really need one.

PS: There is a Cuddly Crochet book giveaway in our knitting blog. You still have time to enter.

First encounter with a dog hater?

The story starts like this: I'm walking with Papu and suddenly she starts to poop. As she is pooping, an old couple walks by us. The old lady stops for a second, gives a bad look towards Papu and says to me, with a very disapproving voice, "this is a pavement" and moves on.

I have always known that those people exists, but this was my first encounter with them. With those DOG HATERS, I mean. I don't know how else to call them, because I wasn't doing anything wrong and neither was Papu. There is no law in Finland that dogs can't walk on pavements. Besides, it would be pretty damn hard not to walk Papu on pavements because we live in a city. Should I carry Papu to the nearest forest just to make sure that no one don't have to see her poop? That's just plain silly.

I think the old lady was being nothing but totally unreasonable. I would have understand if Papu would have pooped on the middle of the pavement and being on her way, but she didn't. There was plenty of room for her and her husband to walk by. And I already had my hand in the bag (or bag in the hand if that makes more sense to non-dog owners) so I was more than ready to pick up the poop. I know that it's probably not the most pleasant view to see a pooping dog, but for god's sake, it's not like you have to watch.

I don't mean that everybody has to love dogs. Of course not. I just think it's not very nice to say upsetting things to dog owners when there's no real reason. I, on the other hand, would like to make one very upsetting comment to a cat lady that lives the apartment building next to ours. She "walks" her cat everyday in the inner court and the cat is never leashed. It's against the Finnish law to keep dogs and cats unleashed in urban areas, and she breaks the law twice, because she also allows the cat to go to the children's play area. I don't mind the cat, though, but the lady itself is very annoying. She keeps calling her cat (it's called Mimmi) continuously and if our windows are open, we can hear it very clearly. After the first hour it really drives me crazy. I find her also annoying because I'm sure that the cat is just her excuse to stalk the neighborhood. If only I had some encourage...

By the way, Papu is now one year old. Time goes so fast! Just a minute ago she was like this:

And now she is like this:

What funny ears?

I saw them first

I'm just blogging to inform you about this wonderful thing: I got the shoes, the Vans Tory Buff Plaid trainers. They're all mine now!



On Friday I visited several stores in Helsinki that were selling Vans shoes (Thanks to Ossi for than information! You're always the greatest!), and even though the selection was definitely larger than in Sello, I couldn't find anything nicer than these trainers. The colors just work for me. I'm also very happy that I went to buy these shoes as soon as I realized that they're the nicest pair around. They only had one pair per size, and as I was determining my shoe size some girl kept staring at me. I guess she wanted these shoes on the same size too and waited for me to put them back on the rack so she could have them. I was lucky to get them before her. I can't wait for the spring now!

Papu is eagerly waiting for the spring too. Look, here she is chilling in the sun:



There are also some new Papu-videos for the hardcore fans on Youtube. For example this cute video of Papu eating lettuce:

How hawt are my new pants?

I don't usually start to crave things that I see online, but when I saw these pants on a Finnish DIY blog, Minä itte, I just had to have them. The bird pattern was simply too pretty to pass... and they were also available on a store close to us and with a very cheap price. I couldn't be more happier with my new pants. I wear them at home when I want to be comfortable, or outside under my jeans when I want to be warm.


Pretty, pretty birds

I went to shopping with J.R. today too, but I didn't find anything nice. I would love to have a more personal style, but shopping is the most difficult thing I know. I have no idea what suits me or how to mix and match. I'm completely clueless when it comes to clothes. I would need a stylist to overcome my wardrobe problem. Is anyone out there in the metropolitan area willing to go shopping with me? Seriously, I need help?

But I did find some nice shoes! I didn't buy them yet, but I'm totally considering it. I love pretty much all shoes by Vans, but they are quite hard to find from Espoo where I live. There is only one store close to us that has them occasionally, just some random models out of the blue, and today I was so thrilled when I found two different models of Vans trainers from there!


My first choice: Vans Tory Buff Plaid in green and blue

I know there are a wide selection of Vans shoes online, but somehow I'm not comfortable ordering stuff from abroad. I don't even know how to make my debit card to act like Visa, though I know it's possible. I would also like to be able to try the shoes on first, so I could only order shoe models that are available here anyway.

Now I'm just pondering whether I want to buy new spring shoes already or not. It's still a full winter here, so I might not be able to wear the shoes for months and then I might find something even nicer... but on the other hand I'm worried that when the spring actually comes, there might not be a single pair of Vans shoes for me to find! Should I just buy every pretty pair of Vans shoes when I find them?

At least the food was great

I was at a wedding last Saturday. It was depressing. The bride had five maid or honors. Five! According the story she had five equally good friends, so she couldn't pick just one. It made me think about my future wedding. I probably won't have a maid of honor at all, because all my closest friends are guys. I'm not sure if guys are willing to be maid of honors because everybody would probably automatically assume they're gay. I do have two sisters, though, but I'm not close with them either. I could pick any stranger from the street as well.

Also the idea of having a wedding party feels really distant. I don't feel connected with my relatives. In family gatherings no one usually pays attention to me. They talk to my parents and they talk to my sisters, but no one usually even asks me how I'm doing. It's like I don't exists. And I feel too shy and self-conscious when it comes to talking to older people. I don't want a big wedding because I'm horrified about the idea of having all these strange people "celebrating" my marriage.

Right now my ideal wedding would be something really simple. Maybe a short ceremony in a small church, with both of our families present, and maybe some closest friends too if they're willing to come. And then nothing. No reception. No party. Just a wedding trip to some place nice. I can't imagine anything else, because everything else would make me feel anxious, and I don't want to feel anxious on my "special day".

Maybe I change my mind when the day comes, or maybe I don't. We'll see.