Well, I thought and thought a name for my new Journal thread, and as is so usual, the best candidate came to my mind just as I logged in.

I haven't been around in other threads much lately, so I take this opportunity to say Happy New Year to everyone who reads this.

My New Year was wonderful. At first it didn't look that way though- it rained, and the warmest December ever recorded in Finland was just as black and ugly as a November. I and T made sausage and cheese pastries and potato salad, our traditional New Year food,  had homemade plum liquour for a dessert and watched Battlestar Galacticas. Then, suddenly, I noticed lots of cars going down our usually quiet street. We went to the kitchen window to see what was happening and just as we peeked out, the fireworks started. Big ones! We both had thought that one thing we would have to give up when moving to countryside was the big fireworks arranged by the City. But, it turned out that our new City (of which our village is a part) has fireworks at two places- at downtown and yes, at the field right behind our backyard! So there we were, munching cheese snacks and looking at beautiful professiona fireworks comfortably from our own kitchen.
Later, the rain stopped and we went to the garden with our own fireworks. We ran around like two kids, and after there were only empty shells and a smell of gunpowder in the air left, we agreed that it was the best New Year we had ever had.

Today, however, is a very different day. I woke up to realize that during the night, the horrible flu had had one more evil trick in sleeve still left for me: conjunctivitis! But I got a doctor visit arranged soon and it seems that I will be mostly ok by Sunday. I had planned to go to Helsinki, but after the doctor visit decided to postpone that until tomorrow.

Wedding preparations: More or less under control. One of our guests has a gluten-free diet, I am still trying to find a catering service (we need a waitress and to rent dishes). And, of course, we have been so ill that the house is a mess. I still think though that somehow, it will be all right. After all, we do get things accomplished every day.

Sewing: My most expensive pants that I bought in the spring were not a good buy- on the third time I wore them, the zipper broke. So, I decided to try and replace it. It turned out to be a difficult job. The broken zipper was inserted in a very complicated way- almost as if the manufacturer had wanted to make sure that one would give up hope replacing it. But, after a while of careful work, I succeeded. Because it was so complicated, I didn't get a perfectly neat result. But it works, and since it is not in a visible place that is enough. I think that after two fights with replacing zippers I am quite ready to try sewing something that requires inserting a zipper into nice and easy fabric!
On another note, I visited the biggest fabric store of Lohja today. Among other things, I asked whether they carried poly-cotton broadcloth. Solid color, good for most everyday items. A basic product, right? Wrong. They did not carry it at all, not in one color, and said that it is unlikely that they will get any anytime soon because it is not a curtain fabric or a fashion fabric. So, as unbelieveable as it may sound, I probably have no choice but order most of my fabric online. From US or UK, that is. I don't mind the price- fabric is expensive here and cheap there so I may even save a little. I just prefer to buy as locally as possible. But, dressing simply in Finland obviously isn't that simple!
 Interestingly enough, during the past week I have spotted a few articles about dressing and fashion, and reading them has just cemented my desire to get rid of all that. My New Year's resolution was a necessary one. Luckily, T supports me thoroughly and has been very encouraging.

Hair: Well, I didn't end up doing that SMT treatment- I had ran out of aloe vera gel. I will try to remember to buy some tomorrow from Helsinki.
 I realized that lately, I have had a clip season- almost all the time I wear buns with fakkares or instant bun clips. Maybe this is a signal that real Ficcares should once again enter to my shopping plans..?

I sympathize with your sewing woes.  I long ago gave up sewing clothing because the fabrics were not readily available.  As a youngster and thru college I sewed the majority of my clothes, and even made my son's clothes until he was out of the toddler sizes.  But finding the fabrics became so difficult and expensive that I gave up.  I know I could find them on line now, but I've become spoiled.

As for zippers - argh!  They are the hardest thing to sew and as you found, the most difficult thing to replace.  That is because you sew the zipper into the garment before it is constructed.  Good luck with learning to install them in your garments - it will take practice, but it is not impossible.

Good that you tell me about how difficult sewing zippers is only now that I have already managed to sew two. :P No wonder that I have felt that sewing just about everything else has magically become much easier lately.
I am still working on finding reliable online fabric stores that have modest shipping prices. But I am fairly confident that I will succeed, as well as learn to plan my sewing projects ahead so that shipping times won't become a problem. It seems that online stores I have visited are quite the opposite to RL stores, carrying more basic fabric and a smaller selection of fancy fabrics.

    Today I'm having a Baking Day: My goal is to bake all the sponge cake type cakes needed for the wedding reception today and freeze them. Six cakes, that is.  Everything else gets done pretty much while a cake is in the oven: preparing for my trip, finishing my speech, other housework and having a little free time.
Otherwise, wedding preparations are going well. Tomorrow and on Saturday I'm going to bake pies, and after that I think I have managed to reduce my workload into a size I can manage after I return.

Hair: I have been pondering how to wash my hair while I'm in Scotland. Since I think it's safe to assume that the water in there is harder than here, my plan at the moment is not to take shampoo bars with me. Instead, I plan on using the hotel's shampoo- after all, it's probably mild and designed for all hair types. It's just one wash, anyway. I am going to take my body soap though.
   Of course, I have also thought of good traveling hairstyles. I think that a scarf bun is the most comfortable and neat option for flying. I will just have to make the bun under the scarf with plastic pins instead of my usual Amish pins. I am not going to take any of my LL hairsticks, but I am going to take a pair of MT hairsticks for congress dinner. Otherwise, I think I'll rely into buns with ficcares/fakkares and segmented ponytails. My goal is to be able to travel with as little hair accessories as possible, yet be able to maintain my usual neat as a pin- appearance at all times.

I have spent today baking mushroom pies and making travel arrangements while a pie has been baking. Much like yesterday, I suppose, except that the house smells a little different (but yummy neverthless!). I am glad I managed to finish my first good aprons before the start of this baking marathon. Kitchen caps are great too. For today, I decided to wear a Mennonite bun under my cap. It's ugly but very comfortable and easy to wear with a kitchen cap. Even if I didn't work in a kitchen all day, I should wear some sort of headcover today anyway. My hair was dirty yesterday but when I remembered that I needed to wash, the clock was over 10 pm and I was dreadfully tired. So, the wash is postponed to this evening, when I hopefully have a little free time.

I think my hair is very close to waist length now when it is pulled stick straight. The hemline is thin, but I can feel it is very low. I guess I have had some great growth during this fall. Or maybe I have just been too busy to monitor my progress. Either way, I am going to have a gorgeous waist length hair in the summer -in a length where I am happy to stay for a while, improving my horizontal volume. Yay!

I'm back!  :D I hope you all have been well and have had great hair growth  ;).

Me, I don't know where to start! My trip was wonderful. I had great time, met interesting people and got some very positive feedback about my work. Had too little time to do much sightseeing or shopping...and sleeping, of course. When I came back home, I was immediately buried with wedding preparations. But, as the clock neared 1 pm on Saturday, things just clicked together, and we ended up having a great wedding reception.

After accomplishing all this and doing the absolutely necessary work for this week I've finally had a chance to rest a little. And now, I hope, my life will finally normalize for a while.

Today was the first day for a long time when I went out wearing my bonnet. It's a cute little thing and I feel almost bad for not wearing it for months. But then, it hasn't really been a winter. We got a little snow just for Saturday, but today's heavy rain has washed it all away again. Let me say it again: I HATE, hate, truly hate this greenhouse effect thing!
I also did my first exercise for Light knows how long. I am ready to resume my four times a week exercise schedule again, though with a new program that is a little lighter. My goal is now to get back in shape I was two months ago when the flu season started- it's not too long until March comes and I need to be ready to the challenges involved in cutting all our 26 apple trees...and from then on, the spring draws closer and it's time to get back to garden work. By then, I just need to be in good shape!

Hair: During the trip, I took care of my hair just as I had planned: washed it once with the hotel's shampoo. The water in Scotland was not drinkable (at least as far as my spoiled Finnish taste buds could tell), but my hair turned out just fine. As for the styles, most of the time I wore a bun with fakkare or instant bun clip. Not very imaginative, but easy and lasting. Just one evening I let my hair down for the cocktail party. It was great, my hair felt soooo long! :D I felt so special, as besides having the longest hair in the whole party I was also the only true blonde around.
At the wedding, I wore the same style as I did at the ceremony. Of course, I couldn't find the pearl pins I had used the first time, but luckily (as I was in a hurry) I found nice enough replacements.
   Now, I'm back with my simple haircare routine and also back with my everyday styles.

New Year's Promises: Well, I have thought about them! After the trip and the wedding, and my grant season nearing end, my budget looks pretty tight in the near future. But it has its bright side too- nothing helps in developing new, good habits as well as true need. So, I hope I will be able to come up with some good habits as well as abandon some bad ones.
   On the dress issue front, I have finally made a breakthrough. In the beginning of the year I wondered, how is it possible that the contents of my wardrobe look really quite sensible but at the same time I felt I have a lot more clothes than I need. That was a strange equation, but during the trip I got this heureka feeling. The problem is... pants! For example, I can wear my plain gray skirt almost anywhere: at work, at home, when seeing friends etc. Really, everywhere. Pants are not nearly as versatile: I need twill pants, jeans, neat trousers for work...you name it. And for each pair, I naturally need a complimenting top. And so, I have ended up having a wardrobe that is almost bursting out of its seams with sensible-looking clothes.
   So, I have decided that the pants will have to go. My first move will be to gather all my "everyday pants" (meaning every pair except gardening and exercise pants), put them into a box and see if I can do without them. I hope I can but we'll see.

We have enjoyed the luxury of having a totally ordinary weekend at home. We have enjoyed peace and quiet and today- even getting a little snow!
Not much has happened, in hair front or otherwise. We went to sauna yesterday and I washed my hair. Still no special treatments, I'm afraid... T says my hair is now just a tiny bit above the waist. I'm seriously considering whether I will have it trimmed on schedule. I would like to just "rush" to the waist and then start maintaining. But, we'll see how the winter goes. This soon after the last trim is always a bad time to make big promises.

Our old rabbit Liina has a strange lump in her belly- we are afraid that it's a tumor of some kind. Luckily, we are going to see the vet tomorrow anyway because of her dental problems. I don't think she can do much about the lump though- even if it was serious, in the ripe age of 9 ½ years (I guess that's about 90 years in "human age"), Liina is too old and fragile for surgery. She just doesn't have that much life left ahead of her, and her health has been declining fast during the past months. But, she does seem happy and still seems to enjoy living and as long as she does, we will try to make her comfortable.

Sewing: I have sewn my third Edwardian apron, a blue one. I am definitely improving as a seamstress, and at the moment the only big problem I have is, that for the most time, I find sewing bias tape neatly just impossible. Using a zipper foot instead of the regular one helped a little, as well as pinning the tape extra carefully, but still- a close look reveals that my stitching looks like a bird's footsteps in snow. But, that's just one thing left to worry about, and it's great improvement so I'm not complaining.
   I am, however, (still!) complaining of the total lack of fabrics in local stores. I have now visited all fabric stores in Lohja (there were three, which is quite good number considering the size of the city), and have not found a single bolt of good poly-cotton fabric. In one place, they hadn't even heard of the idea of combining polyester and cotton! ::) I officially give up. Anyway, getting my fabric via internet is cheap.
  I also decided to order three custom-made dresses via internet. As much as I'd love to sew everything myself, getting to dress projects will take months and producing a good quality garment would take even longer. I will get to sewing dresses- but I don't want to be forced to go to clothes shopping IRL before I have the chance to do so. Three dresses is a good start and will give me an idea of if they are something that I want to be able to sew myself- after all, I haven't worn a dress for a ten years, if not more!

Dresses are not that hard to make, but I would suggest starting with separates - making skirts and blouses.  Once you are comfortable with them, combining them into a single garment is easy.

Bias stitching is tough.  Make sure you are not pulling on the fabric when stitching, this will distort the fabric.  When I was doing custom sewing that required a bias ruffle or such, I found that putting a thin sheet of paper (newspaper worked well) under my fabric when stitching.  The paper will then just tear away after you are finished.  I will caution you however, sewing thru paper will dull your needle. Keep some emery paper handy and you can re-sharpen you needle easily.

I'm relieved to hear that bias tapes are tricky in general!  So I just need to keep practicing. I'm sure that my 100th encounter with bias tape will be more successful than my third. ;)
 
Woohoo! Real winter has arrived! We don't have a lot of snow (though more is on the way according to the forecast), but the temperature has finally dropped to a healthy -15 deg C. It's a good thing really -as the air becomes more dry, it also feels better in cold temperatures. I'd take a day like today any time over a wet 0 degree day. Now, I just hope that we get a bit more snow and I can finally test my brand new kicksled that has been waiting for months.  :D

Today, however, I'm staying indoors and taking it easy as my throat is a bit sore again. I don't want to catch yet another cold! But, I still have a lot to do: my Doctor's thesis can always use some new thoughts, and then there's all the "usual" entertainment: tending fires, cooking, embroidery... and, as I finally got my (gorgeous!) fabrics shipment from Gehman's, I can also start preparing my next sewing projects. I think that besides aprons, I will sew matching scarves that I can wear in the garden. One can never have enough cute scarves if she has an apple orchard full of low branches that love to rrrrrip the hair.

Health: I am keeping a day off from exercising today, but yesterday I had a good exercise. I need it too- Christmas and wedding celebrations are showing. Not badly, but the general idea I've had for over a year now was to get my weight gently downwards, not up.
But, having exercised 4 times a week for a year makes it easy to slip back into the routine, and I'm now doing just that. I'm still enjoying my little home gym, and if the weather becomes cooperative, I will hopefully have a chance to be more active outdoors.

Another week seems to have passed by. We have been busy, busy and depressed. Our older rabbit, Liina, died. The vet decided that she was strong enough to endure surgery, but in the operation it turned out that the small lump we had noticed was just the latest development of an advanced stage of cancer. So, the kindest thing to do was to put her to sleep. *sigh* It was quite unexpected, after all, as she was so happy and participated in family life up until her last day.

I measured my hair today. It seems that the growth spurt is really gone- my hair is now 71 cm/28 in long, only 1 cm/0.5 in longer than in November. There was this small trim though before the wedding. In any case, it looks as if I'm going to meet beautifully my "goal" of reaching 30" before the summer.
   The weather is really cold now- we have a real winter  :D . Moving to the countryside and developing an interest to things like observing stars, has necessitated some changes in my winter headgear department. In the city, a bonnet, hood and earmuffs were all that were needed. But now I am a lot more active and that means the need to dress as warmly as possible. So, wool caps have made a grand comeback- usually combined with a hood.
This combination keeps me very warm, but knowing that I usually end up wearing warm clothes during the day does decrease my creativity with hair. A bun made with Amish pins and a heavy hairnet is my new favorite. When I'm indoors, I usually make a scarf bun of it as the hairnet isn't too pretty IMO, when I go out I just take off the scarf and have a perfect little bun that is easy to tuck under a cap.
Speaking of scarves, I sewed a new scarf out of fabric left over from an apron, and it turned out well. I am certainly going to make more- this looks like a good way to use leftover fabric.

I am so sorry for your loss. :( :'( I know what it's like to loose a pet(I"ve lost many ferrets,birds and rabbits)  It doesn't make it any easier if the number of pets is higher either.  Bunnies are funny that way in surgery,one minute they are fine and the next they either have a heart attack under surgery or just all of a sudden die.  Not a day goes by that I don't miss my Bashful rabbit or Thumper,but just know they and your bunny are in a place (Rainbow's Bridge) where there's nothing but peace.

I am sorry to hear of Liina's passing.  Tell "T" to give you a hug from me.  

Thanks for being so kind. I agree, Curlgirl64, rabbits are strange little creatures. If they are enjoying life, they just won't lay down and die until they really collapse. Downstairs feels empty. In fact, the idea of adopting a bit older and more seasoned rabbit from a shelter has already been mentioned in discussions of what to do next. After all, it's true that the only thing that is nicer than having a rabbit is having two.

I think my hair neglect period may be nearing to an end. Really! I spent yesterday a considerable time surfing hair sites- something I haven't done for a long time. It was very inspiring. During my neglect season, I have gained some good growth and it felt great to realize that many things I have dreamed of doing with my hair are now either possible or very close to being possible.
Today, I took time to find a nice scrunchie I had crocheted myself and did a single braid. Wearing a braid feels fun for a change, though it has no hope of becoming a favorite hairstyle. My hair just tapers too badly- at the point where I tie the braid off, it's less than two pencils thick. I know that my planned maintaining phase will help this, but probably not all that miraculously. But, tapering or not, I think that soon I finally have enough hair to make gorgeous braided buns! And, thin or not, T likes my braid. "Your hair is long now, and that means you have a lot of it." he said to me when I was whining how thin it was in the ends. He is right, of course: it's all about what perspective you choose.

New Year's Promises: Check!

I think I have done quite well in January. To be fair though, living in the countryside makes being frugal easier as there are not many opportunities to do impulse shopping (though internet is bad enough!). Neverthless, I think I have done quite well. In grocery store, I have paid attention to what's in sale- something I've never done before. I have worked to find creative ways to use the berries and fruits we preserved in the summer. And, biggest of all, we managed to prepare all the food (except the cake) for our wedding, and saved hundreds of €:s. It was delicious too, and seemed to impress the new relatives. ;)
    On dress front, I went through (well, the past tense may not be the whole truth) a major internal struggle when Gudrun Sjöden's new spring catalog dropped into my mailbox. That company makes some beautiful clothes! But, so far my only shopping has been workout pants from winter sale and an internet order for three simple dresses, after I had decided that my decision to try going pant free necessitates me having some alternatives to wear. If I like the dresses, I am going to sew the next ones myself.
So, all in all, January went well and made a good start for the year.

Braided buns!!  How exciting.  :D  I can hardly wait until I can do one.

A suggestion:  for your braid, try a mini scrunchi.  Even if you perceive that your tail is thin it will look better with less fabric above it.

Galadriel, you have my sympathy in the loss of sweet Liina.  I'm sure she was the best bunny a gal could ever have.  *hugs*

Thanks, Trisha.

Then, some pictures!

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/6093/310107ky3.jpg

Length today...
...needs washing. But it's growing! :D

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/3926/lettiwb3.jpg

I need to stop thinking these things as braids and start thinking them as whips in progress [smiley=evil.gif] I have crocheted the scrunchie myself.

http://img482.imageshack.us/img482/9929/huivinutturq9.jpg

What greasies? What thin hair? Once again, the stupendous SCARF BUN has saved the day. 8-) This scarf is the one I sewed from leftover apron fabric.

Your hair is really getting LONG!  Great pictures.  I too have a whip for a braid.  It is really dangerous when I have a beaded Bunjii on the end of my braid.  I swear I could knock someone out with it.   :o

Keep up the good work!

A beaded bunjii, you say. I'll keep that in mind- I was kind of thinking how to create that "morning star effect" to my braid.  ;)

Suddenly, my life seems calm and cozy. I'm practically having a day off today, and have decided to use a big part of it to relaxing. With hair-related webpages, searching hair stuff that I just put somewhere after moving and in general just reconnecting with little niceties of growing hair as a hobby, that is. Right now I'm wearing a Chinese bun with Citrus Shine hairsticks. T was really right- after these months of neglecting my hair, it suddenly seems that I have so much "material" to wrap into interesting hairstyles.  
I feel already relaxed and content. It is strange indeed, that when life is busy, I first let go of things that make it feel nicer and more fun...like hair pampering, exercising, music. That is just silly.

An LHC'er shared an interesting idea in my LHC photo journal where I posted the same pictures as here. She said, that bun covers can also be made of circles of fabric and a piece of elastic. I definitely have to remember that idea and try it some time.

I should have known... ;)

The result of spending time surfing and having an enabler as a husband is, that I ordered a pair of rabbit hairsticks from Maiden's Treasures. I also found these amazing earrings: http://www.bodyartforms.com/productdetails.asp?ProductID=2839 . I have not been wearing earrings lately at all, and I haven't really liked ordinary earrings much, but these are just lovely. So, I ordered them in smallest (14) gauge, as well as equipment to stretch my ear piercing so that they will fit. I guess that will be my next "project". At first I plan to stretch just my right lobe, as I think it would look cool. If it looks too unbalanced, it's always possible to start stretching the left one too. I'm not sure which gauge will be my final goal...I don't want to get a huge hole, just big enough to accommodate some beautiful jewelry.
An additional bonus, of course is, that applying this kind of little beauties helps me to communicate that I'm really not a laestadian or other conservative Christian in spite of my wardrobe that is going more and more plain all the time. :D
I hope my shopping for this month ends here, this I can still justify by telling myself that they are birthday presents. :P

Anyway, I started my lobe stretching project today. I found one of the earrings that was used in gunning my ears a looooong time ago. It was a tad thicker than my other earrings, but I still managed to insert it into my right ear. Now my ear is still a bit tender...yeah, it's probably a good idea to wear this until my stretching toys arrive and I can start seriously gauging up.

Today isn't such a cold day, so I'm wearing a bun with hairsticks (MT's Asian Moon). I'm feeling a little flu-ish again...not fun. T has already a full-blown flu again. I don't know how it seems that this year, we spent the whole winter sneezing with just a day or two off in between. How is that possible? Oh well, at least we now have nice woondstoves and plenty of homemade blackcurrant juice. So, any misery is sprinkled with luxury.

Those earrings are very interesting - I've never seen anthing like them.  I gave up wearing earrings when my hair hit about BSL.  I am such a clutz - my hair kept getting caught in the earrings.  I'm not much of a jewelry person anyway.  I have a favorite necklace, my wedding ring, a watch, and my medical alert stainless steel bracelet (VERY fashionable  :P).  I'd love to see a picture of you wearing these when you are ready for them.

Of course I will post pictures! :) I'm even worse jewelry wearer than you are- the only jewelry I wear all the time is my wedding set (and because it's quite wide, I sometimes go with just one ring), and hairtoys. Right now, I have some beautiful jewelry -mostly from Kalevala Koru- that I like, but I still don't wear often. So, I'm quite excited to have found something that truly appeals to me! The selection of jewelry for slightly stretched lobes is surprisingly wide, so I think this is something that is worth the effort in long term. If it's not, I can just forget it and the piercings will shrink back.

Today, as is "traditional", I have the flu. However, my scalp is slightly gunky, so I have to take the risk and wash my hair in the evening. Tomorrow we are going to visit both T's parents, and I don't want to give the impressions of being the wife who has started to neglect herself after the marriage when the marriage is still less than two months old  :P. I had planned doing a deep treatment, but with this flu, I don't dare to spend that much time in the shower. So I think I'll just find my oils and give my ends a little S&D and a good oiling. That's more than what I have done in months, anyway!

Those are interesting earrings.  As a matter of fact, I would not had known what they were had you not explained.  I would like to see a picture of you wearing them as well.  

I love the dangly chandelier earrings but my hair often gets tangled in them, so I usually have to do a pony tail or a half up half down style when wearing them.  And even then it's somewhat risky.

Sorry to hear that you have the flu.  I hope you feel better soon. :)

I will post pictures in different stages of this project. Right now, I can finally report that my lobes don't feel tender any more, and so I'm ready for the arrival of my new eartoys.

Work: My funding situation simply sucks, but otherwise, I'm doing wonderfully. During this year, I have rushed after documents that Evil Institutions have tried to hide from me, met astronauts and worked with developing a new theory. Today, my task is to reply to an inquiry sent to me by a member of Finnish parliament. All this, while at the same time being a happy housewife. I think it's been worth losing my social security benefits for a year (did I mention that Finnish research funding system truly, deeply sucks?)  :P .
    I have once again received some very encouraging feedback about my work. Soon, I think I can stop being so shy when people ask me about my work and tell them that I am actually working with a new theory. World (and especially academic world) can be ruthless to people who claim such things, but I am really beginning to think that I can really put my money where my mouth is. That is just a great feeling.

Hair: I oiled my hair with jojoba after last wash (as I promised!), hoping that it has helped. The temperatures have gone down during the past couple of days- outside it's now quite a bit colder than in a freezer! We finally have a proper Finnish winter, and though that means lots of carrying wood, I am also enjoying it. But it is demanding for the hair, and I need to take better care of mine.
   Ficcare has now opened a new website at ficcare.com. They also ship overseas! I can't wait until I have enough money to place a good sized order! While my fakkare-maximas clips have worked great, I still long for the real things. But, right now, I will just have to improve my patience and be careful about my spending until I have secured another source of income for spring.

Country living: I have been busy with craft projects as well. I really should take pictures/ have T take pictures of my new creations for the Craft Corner thread. I crocheted a doily over the weeked out of a thin yarn I found while rummaging through my sewing basket. I have also finished another apron (comes in need too, as I didn't have any clean aprons when I finished it). This one is my first one that I can call a quality piece! It proved that working in series is a good idea for a beginner seamstress. My first apron was a struggle, and the process has become gradually smoother until now I have finally finished something that is not just wearable but really good. I have still fabric left for two more aprons -in anticipation of garden season- and then I will change to some other garment.
    We are still waiting for our star binoculars to arrive. Meanwhile, I am experimenting with clothing, trying to come up with a combination that keeps me warm even though I am standing still outside. Though I have lived all my life in Finland and have plenty of warm clothing, it is still challenging to find a good combination.
 

Your mention of completing another apron made me wonder what types of meals do you cook?  Are all of your meals Finnish or is it like here in America where on any given night you may be preparing foods from Mexico, Italy, India and so forth?

Quote:

Meanwhile, I am experimenting with clothing, trying to come up with a combination that keeps me warm even though I am standing still outside. Though I have lived all my life in Finland and have plenty of warm clothing, it is still challenging to find a good combination.

If you're still wearing (or wanting to wear) primarily dresses and skirts, may I suggest leggings, knee high socks and some type of boots?  --And don't forget undershirts, or even tee shirts next to your skin.  Actually, those items are good and warm with whatever you're wearing, be it skirts or pants.  Remember:  layers, layers, layers!  :)

La Diosa: My basic idea is to cook healthy and tasty meals. Some of my cooking is "ordinary Finnish", but I also cook Tex Mex, Italian and American food, sometimes also "modified Chinese". I make the meal plan for next week on every Sunday, and when planning I also try to use seasonal products. For health reasons, I try to cook a vegetarian meal every week, as well as a fish meal. Usually I also have one soup day every week. On weekends, I put a little more effort in cooking than on weekdays. Besides cooking, I also enjoy baking.
   For example, this week's meal plan looked like this: (I use numbers instead of weekdays because on a day or two I usually eat my lunch in Helsinki, and sometimes one meal suffices for two days)
Day 1- potato and minced meat casserole, coleslaw, berry soup and cream
Day 2- Tagliatelle with mushroom sauce and cheese, red currants in caramel sauce
Day 3- Russian salmon soup, fried toast with strawberry jam
Day 4- Crispy baked chicken with rice, green salad, fruit salad
Weekend: Fried reindeer with mashed potatoes and lingonberries, Ålandian pancake with homemade plum jam and whipped cream

Trisha: I have so far met nicely my goal of wearing skirts as everyday clothes. However, I would not recommend wearing a skirt to anyone who wishes to observe stars in the middle of Nordic winter! When I go to observe, I usually wear long underwear, a warm middle layer (like a warm sweater), and a windproof outer layer consisting of a good winter jacket and long winter pants. I wear a cap and pull the hood of my jacket over that, mittens over fleece gloves, two warm scarves (one to keep my neck warm and other that I can use to warm my face), terry socks and boots lined with faux fur. Neverthless, standing still (as is necessary if you are trying to recognize constellations or stars) is a challenge. In above mentioned clothing, I can tolerate it maybe 40 minutes or so- and that is really not much time to do something that requires patience.  I've always seemed to tolerate cold rather well, but now my "polar self esteem" is rather low. But, if I don't find a solution soon, the coldest weeks of winters will be over and my problem has resolved itself, until next year.

Today, I found an interesting bottle on bathroom shelf- it said "XZ oil treatment" and seemed unused. So, before going to sauna I applied that. I think my hair can use a little oil, and XZ is a good brand. My hair is still a bit damp, but so far it feels nice.
   I've once again "discovered" that I actually own a quite nice collection of claw clips. I guess that my new hairtoy storaging method isn't all bad since it's quite easy to "lose" things and then discover them.
I think they are slowly going out of fashion- people don't seem to wear them nearly as much as they used to. But, used in moderation they are a nice addition, and I have enjoyed playing with different colors. When I have more money, I might even invest in a quality piece or two...France Luxe makes nice ones, and also Headgames sells some beautiful silk wrapped clips. Yep, I'll put it on the list (besides Ficcares, hairsticks, Bronze Jewelers hairtoys etc. etc. )
  Speaking of new things, in spite of my high hopes, my BAF earrings didn't arrive for the weekend. So, I'm still wearing the ugly studs (why, oh WHY does it have to have a bright red gem that does not really go with anything I own). Even the barbell I disliked in the start has started to look rather good in my eyes. Compared to the Red Devil at least, and I have managed to wear that for several days now.  :P I guess that's good... Maybe on Monday...
   

It seems that my hair is a little better -feeling stronger and more nourished- than it was before the oil treatment, but I must say that I was expecting more. It's not FABULOUS, like it is after doing a Snowy's Deep Moisture Treatment or my own Winter Hair Food mix. Next time, I will try to remember the needs of my hair when there is still time to let a good homemade treatment to simmer a while before sauna. But, it is progress that I remembered to deep treat my hair at all.
 

I also do oil treatments with olive oil, i have found thhat they work ok on the hair but are quite salubrious for the scalp. They only thing i detest is having to remove all the oil from my hair by means of clarification. I think i need to use less oil, this time i tried just applying the oil to my scalp and roots, however i will still need to clarify now.

Removing oil can be tricky! I usually manage to remove it all with two shampoo washings on successive days (I never, ever get everything away with just one wash no matter how hard I try).

Well, it seems that my birthday presents had a perfect timing! Today, I found from the mailbox the fantastic rabbit hairsticks from MT- they are gorgeous and make me smile. Also, my BAF shipment arrived!
  When I examined the earrings, I realized that my ears have been originally pierced at 16 g- the stud I had been wearing was as thick as the 16 g barbell. Said barbell also slid to my ear easily. So, encouraged from surprising success I couldn't resist but try the new bone earrings. They also went in easily, no pain or tenderness whatsoever. They are very light and...did I mention gorgeous?

Look! But be aware, that the pictures don't do these gorgeous little things justice at all.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8394/korvis2pz2.jpg
If you look closely, in this picture you can also see a rabbit from the MT hairstick peeking from behind my ear.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/210/korvis1fc6.jpg

Since they are organic, I took them away and switched to my circular barbell. It's 16 g, so I'm going to buy a size bigger the next time I'm in Helsinki. I'm already planning my next order from Bodyartforms. Slightly stretched lobes are definitely my thing!

Hair: I did a s&d last night. The results were much better than I had expected. It seems that though my hair can take only a limited amount of abuse, it can take a huge amount of neglect and still be perfectly happy.

Country Living: Though winter is described as a quiet time in the garden, I wouldn't describe ours as very quiet. Tracks on the snow attest that night life in our garden is quite interesting, and in daytime, little birds are happily eating oats and fat we are offering to them. In night time, when the weather is clear, constellations are visible much better than in the city. Yesterday I managed to spot Saturn from Leo constellation. So, at every time of the day, there is something interesting going on right outside the front door.
    We are already busy planning the next growing season. There is so much that we would like to do, that I frankly doubt that we manage to do everything in just one summer. On the other hand, even last summer, we accomplished quite a lot in spite of moving and other stuff so who knows! Besides adding new fruit trees, vegetables and flowers, we also want to make our garden a little haven for local wildlife. Besides a bathing bowl for birds, we are going to hang some nesting boxes for them. We also found that there are shelters available for bats, and of course we are going to get one of those as well- it would be great to have a few bats residing in our garden! For butterflies, we are going to plant some plants they are known to favor according to the recommendations of Butterfly Society. So, it appears that with only little effort, we can make our garden attractive to many species. We have so many ideas about how to develop our garden, that it's getting difficult to enjoy the restful time we now have.

Those are beautiful earrings!  I love them.  It almost makes me want to see if I can open the holes on my ears.  ;)  

Happy Birthday! by the way.  Are you doing anything special to celebrate?

Bats!!  I love to have bats around.  Hubby built a bat condo that we have above our house. (In theory it will hold 500 bats, but we've never seen that many around it.)  It is soo fun to watch them in the early evening when they are swooping down to snarf up all the blood sucking mousquitos we have!  I'm not sure what type of bats you have in your area, but they are different types of bat houses for different types of bats.  Make sure you are placing the proper type in your yard.  Also, it can take a while for the bats to find and occupy your house, so don't be discouraged if they don't show up right away.

Happy Birthday!!!  I visited the BAF site after you first mentioned it & ordered 3 new belly jewels.  They do have great stuff.

Your earrings look super!!  I think that type is going to be a big new trend.  I saw some at my local piercing place that are in the same kind of theme as yours but they're white and I thought "How gorgeous!  I could definately wear those style wise, but don't know if I want to stretch my holes".  I still haven't decided.

Thanks for sharing your pics!

I love your earrings!  Based on the first pics you posted, I wasn't quite sure how they would look on but they are very nice!  

Your garden sounds like a fairy tale, with the stars in the night time sky and all of the morning critters. :)

I've never before heard of anyone trying to attract bats though, maybe I just don't get out enough.  I'm deathly afraid of them.  I had a fruit bat fly into my apartment once.  It was in the daytime and I was all alone.  I'd never seen a bat before let alone so close up.  I had to screw up lots of courage just to shoo it back out of my window using a broom. It gave me the creeps! :o

Thanks, everyone!

I'm not doing anything special to celebrate my birthday today, but on the weekend we are going to do something nice. Nothing big though- after the wedding * 2, I think I'm done with big parties for a while.

Bats: There are several species of bats living in Finland, but most of them are forest creatures. The Bat Society has just one shelter design that is suitable for all species likely to live near people. I have never managed to see a bat, so I hope we manage to lure a few to our garden! Of course, I also hope that they enjoy many of mosquito and bug meals!
  I think bats look cute, though having them suddenly flying out of the darkness can be scary. But, I think I'd enjoy of having them around, even if they made me jump and squeal every now and then.

Sakina: Yes, I think this kind of earrings are becoming more popular. In theory at least, if you stretch your piercings just a little, they should shrink back if you stop wearing gauged earrings. But of course, that is not absolutely guaranteed so it's good to think carefully. In my case, decision was easy make: I wasn't enjoying my regular piercings so the situation could only get better.

Today, I visited in my workroom and library, and gathered a big load of literature. Now, I can spend the rest of the week and a big part of next week comfortably at home, reading and writing. My hair was quite dirty already in the morning, so I just put it up in a nice bun with 3-tone Ficcare I found from the depths of my hairtoy cupboard. I'm going to wash it right when I have finished posting this, as now that it's evening it has gone from just dirty to mildly hideous at roots. I don't know how warm headgear seems to make dirty hair exponentially worse, but it sure seems like that. I'm so glad that nowadays my hair is long enough for bunning. I have mercifully forgotten how I dealt with it in winter when I was in the mushroom stage. Probably it's just good that I don't have photo evidence of that.
    Ear is still doing fine- it obviously couldn't care less of the bigger jewelry. I visited a local piercing jewelry store, and bought a bigger round barbell (well, two of them as well as two pretty little bone spirals). I'm glad they sell jewelry in single pieces and that I'm stretching just one lobe... I have to say- the round barbell doesn't look nearly as bad as I thought it would. The 16 g one was actually quite pretty, and this 14 g barbell I'm wearing now is totally ok too. A bit pirate-ish (maybe that's good... 8-) ). I like how it looks subtly but clearly thicker than an ordinary earring. That's just cool. I think I'm not going to get too bored before I can update to 12 g and can order all the cool Little Seven jewelry I want to.

I still feel a bit strange thinking that I'm 30 now. Everyone knows that married people in 30's have practically one foot in the grave already and that singles are desperate of having one foot in the grave and facing that alone. People in their 30's also have developed a keen interest for Tupperware parties and wear tasteful clothes instead of funky ones. Life has already made them more or less cynical, and they are half-secretly spending money to their first anti-aging creams. Of course, there are always some who try to resist this sad fate, and they usually end up hanging in bars, complaining how people can possibly see that they are not 20 anymore (well, for starters, anyone who uses the word "possibly" fluently in speech can't be 20). Everyone pities them, especially young things who don't yet see that they are just two steps away from that fate themselves.
     But I...I will diminish, go west and remain Galadriel. 8-) In case you wonder, "diminishing", means that I will lose a little weight. I hope.

:'( :'(  Oh my, if that's how you feel about being 30, I can't imagine what you think of me.  Over 50 and married over 30 years.  I must be death warmed over with no reason to live.   ;D ;D

LOL!!!  Reading that version of 30's life made me somewhat depressed.  I felt like maybe I should just save myself the trouble and end it all right now! ;D ;D  But really, getting older is not as bad it may seem.  I think that the clingers are the only ones with the real problems.  People should live happily and accept their age no matter what it is, instead of clinging to the past.  And aging sure beats the heck out of being dead! :)

Speaking as a person with experience being a 30 something, I can say with certainty that people in their 30's who aren't interested in tupperware parties and prim clothing don't always end up in bars whining about not being 20 anymore.  However, I will concede that they are more than likely buying anti aging treatments though, myself included! ;D  

I promise, the thirties aren't bad at all.   Now the 50's...the 50's is when it'll all go down hill!  LOL!! Just joking bikerbraid!  

Okay, I'll be off now in search of a tupperware party to crash! :)

OUCH!!   :o  Okay, as someone who recently turned 45 I feel compelled to comment on the turning-30-issue.  I have no idea who said this (probably Mae West back in the day!), but I agree whole heartedly:  
AGE AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A NUMBER.  
The folks who focus on preventing wrinkles have already lost the game.  And YES!, La Diosa, growing older is MUCH better than the alternative (death).  So don't dread your 30's, Galadriel--run to them, embrace them, and challenge the norm.   8-)  *hugs*

Lol, I hope none of you took my previous entry seriously- what I said about being 30 was along the lines I secretly thought when I entered 20's. Funnily enough, I never thought that being over 40 or even 50 was nearly as bad as people whom I knew in those age groups seemed happy and energic- it was just 30 that seemed to be the end of the life, possibly to be followed by a resurrection in 10 or so years if there was any luck...

On a bit more serious note, I have noticed something strange going on among the people of my age for some time now. Late 20's or early 30's seem to be for many people the time when they loose the last remnants of innocence and wonder, when they give up dreams and start talking about "realities" of life as if those things are all there is. I have somehow managed to avoid that so far- I hope I will continue to succeed, because to me it seems that there can not be much worse fate than losing the sense of wonder before the world and burying one's inner child in silence.

After these ponderings, it's perhaps good to turn to a more light hearted topic, namely my hair.  :DTo my slight disappointment I didn't gain any gray hairs overnight (as you might remember, I am quite eagerly waiting to gain a few dignified-looking silvery strands among the golden tones). I did, however, gain a pair of very cute rabbit hairsticks just in time, and have enjoyed playing with them.
   An LHC member had had good results with using CV's Chocolate Almond soap as a shampoo bar. That is one of my favorite bars, and since it's winter, it might be worth trying. If I don't do a deep treatment on Saturday, I might try that.

Country Living: One of the niceties of winter is, that you really notice what kind of wildlife visits your realm. In summer, birds and small animals hide among the green, but freshly fallen snow is like a guestbook onto which every being leaves its signature. For example, yesterday we found squirrel tracks to our great delight. Especially T likes squirrels, and so he was a bit disappointed when we didn't see a single one around before the snow came.  So, we were happy to notice that they are around (well, at least one of them), just not visible.  Maybe we should buy some peanuts...
   

Quote:

to me it seems that there can not be much worse fate than losing the sense of wonder before the world and burying one's inner child in silence.

Good for you, Galadriel!  Hang onto that attitude and you'll be young forever!   ;)

Wether your previous post was serious or not, I enjoyed it and found it quite amusing. It didn't depress me at all I was only joking.;)  

I'm pretty lucky to see squirrels all of the time.  However, I was out on my balcony yesterday and saw the most strange tracks in the snow.  They were pretty large.  I guessed they were mountain lion tracks because I just recently heard that they frequent this area.  My husbands guess is that it was a deer.  Whatever it was, I wish I could have seen it while it was there and depending on what it was, from the saftey of my balcony.

La Diosa: How exciting! If they visited you once, perhaps they will do so again and you'll be lucky enough to catch a glimpse.  As we live very near the village center, I doubt that any big animals (bigger than brown hares) will ever wander to our garden.

Today we went to Sea Life in Helsinki to have a small dose of tropic. It worked just as wonderfully as always- it's been a long while since we last visited there, and there was a lot of new stuff to see. I was quite impressed of some of the tanks ( as I have been an aquarium hobbyist for a looong time, I'm not all that easy to impress). After Sea Life, we went to Helsinki's best pizzeria. It's a small place near where I used to live at the time I and T met. Looks totally ordinary small Turkish-owned pizzeria, but the pizzas there are really exceptional. To finish a good day well, I went to sauna in the evening, and after that we watched concert DVD of my favorite band in the entire universe -Nightwish (in case you haven't noticed  :D ) .
   My hair care is improving all the time. Today I found a long lost bottle of XZ deep conditioner, and applied a generous amount it for the sauna. It made my hair feel incredibly good. To my great joy I also noticed that when my hair is really wet and falls stick straight down my back -something it never does naturally, the very longest ends hit my waist! T confirmed that it's really true. I don't consider myself officially having a waist length hair yet- it's only the quickest "runner" hairs, and when my hair is in a rather unnatural state. But I think that it's not going to be too long until I truly hit waist! And then, it's really time to stop there for a while and see if I can improve my horizontal volume at all.

It's late, so just a quick update.

Today's been a very productive day for me. I felt no traces of flu in the morning, so I also did a good exercise. I think my development has taken a step backwards as I haven't been able to exercise as much as I have used to. But, hopefully the flu is now really gone and I can get back on track. It's not too long until the spring comes...
   After the exercise, I jumped into the shower and rinsed my hair as usually- only to realize soon, that I was supposed to go to shop groceries before lunchtime. Today was a cold day, so that was a problem. In the end, I decided not to wait until my hair was dry, but I bunned it well and wore a wool cap and a hooded jacket. It went ok, though I was glad that the grocery store is just two blocks away. Frozen hair is no fun. It looks like this week is going to be a cold one, and if I manage to keep to my exercise program, this is something that I need to keep in mind.

Galadriel, I meant to ask you a question some time ago concerning this post of yours, but I kept forgetting:


Quote:

Reply #21 - Feb 7th, 2007, 1:32am  I have once again received some very encouraging feedback about my work. Soon, I think I can stop being so shy when people ask me about my work and tell them that I am actually working with a new theory. World (and especially academic world) can be ruthless to people who claim such things, but I am really beginning to think that I can really put my money where my mouth is. That is just a great feeling.

My question is what is this new theory you're developing?  Or can you not speak about it?  --Just curious.   :)

Trisha: In order to protect my privacy and relative anonymity (the world can be a small place!) I don't wish to discuss the details of my work on a public board. Basically, I am developing a new approach to environmental ethics (the branch of philosophical ethics that discusses the relationship between humans and animals, environment, and other lifeforms). In other words, the main goal of my work is develop a framework that can be used to discuss and answer many interesting and often controversial questions like "How should humans treat animals?", "Can we exploit nature in whatever way we please or are there some moral rules/principles that we ought to observe?", "Do chimpanzees have more rights than fish?", and of course the ever-popular "Should we all become vegetarians?"
If you wish to know more about my work, I am happy to discuss it via pm's.  :)

Today has been another busy and productive day here in The Place of Joy (that's roughly how our property's name is translated in English!). I have quickly sewed together some semblance of a scientific article, carried unbelievable amount of bird food to our "guests" at the garden, and on top of everything tried to arrange work issues. Or rather, issues that face me when my grant is gone. :P I am sure everything will work out, I just need to be patient and do my best.
   I received a notification from the Customs- my dresses have arrived there. That reminded me to share with you the news that my "no pants" experiment has succeeded better than I dared to hope. Not only have I managed to survive without touching my "everyday" pants, but it has also been more a relief than a new burden. Getting dressed in the morning is simpler and easier, and I also seem to have got rid of the need to change clothes during the day. My skirts are totally suitable for a long day away at work, and comfortable enough for spending free time.
And to top it everything, I like my appearance better. Even on home days, I don't keep catching glimpses in the mirror portraying me in old sweatpants and messy hair.  :D When I dress in a skirt, I can look only neat and nice -to the extent, that I can't even stand leaving my hair in a lazy ponytail for half the day. When I get dressed, I also put my hair up promptly. I'm not sure if this little improvement can wholly be appreciated by someone who hasn't ever worked from home, but those of you who have done it- isn't it wonderful?! So, I am happily continuing this experiment to other seasons.

Hair: I did this week's second exercise in the morning so now it's out of the way. Since I managed to work out earlier than yesterday, my hair was also in better shape when it was time to go out. I'm improving!

Quote:

Posted by: Galadriel Posted on: Yesterday at 9:16am Trisha: In order to protect my privacy and relative anonymity (the world can be a small place!) I don't wish to discuss the details of my work on a public board.

Oh, I understand completely!  It's funny but, sometimes I forget that Long Locks is a public site and not the cozy little family den that I imagine it to be!   ;D  
I'd still be happy to know more about your work, Galadriel, and will send you my email address in pm.  Of course, if you feel unsafe telling me more, I can wait until you reveal your work to the world.   :)

It is hard to remember! This is such a cozy little corner of the web with just a few regular posters.  :) Anyway, I will drop you an email. I have no problem of discussing my work with friends and colleagues. I think it would be impossible to develop new thoughts all alone. Critical comments as well as encouragement are so important. Unlike many empiricists, I'm not much worried of that someone would "steal" my thoughts or research. It sounds easy, but, in practice it would be extremely difficult if not impossible. Professionals know that, and amateurs could not do it, so in that regard I feel quite safe.

I received the dressed I had ordered the day before yesterday, so the jury is out now! My first impression is, that these dresses are great. They are comfortable to wear, so versatile that they can be worn from morning until late evening no matter what I am up to during the day, and I think they look cute too (so does T, by the way).
  The downsides: though the design is about as simple as it can get, dresses in general just are more feminine clothing than I am used to wearing. While there is nothing particularly eye-catching about them, they are also just the kind of clothing you just don't see anywhere, so they also make me feel a bit self-conscious.
   At the moment, however, the rating is on the positive side: these dresses meet all the goals I set to them beautifully, and these "downsides" might just exist in between my ears. I will continue wearing them for a while to see, if I can get totally comfortable. If I can't, I'm sure there are some adjustments I can make.
   In general, I feel that I am finally getting somewhere in solving my problems in this area. I've heard so many people whining "but even if you wanted to, you can't really dress ethically because you can't trace the sources of your clothing/even designer clothes can be made in sweatshops etc. etc." It seems, that once one just sets her mind into obtaining an ethical dress, it is indeed possible to be ethical to a great extent. It is true, that tracing the origins of fabrics remains a problem, BUT, it is just one problem, just one out of the ten or so problems I had in the start.

Frugality: I might just as well stay in the general topic of New Year's promises for another moment. In general, my ways are not that bad, but there is always room for improvement. So, I have decided to start looking for new recipes again. I'm looking for innovative recipes that make good use of cheap ingredients. It is interesting, that in meat department, "cheap" often translates as "less popular" part of an animal. Currently, I think that it would be right to pay some attention to these parts just for ethical reasons- adopting these less popular parts as a part of diet means that we also see to that no part of the animal is wasted. Ethical shopping can also be frugal. Another connection between frugality and ethical is of course trying to use seasonal products. It is true, that in these days no products are truly seasonal- everything from strawberries to fresh herbs is available at every time of the year. But there is a huge difference in prices. During Finnish winter, of course, nearly all fresh vegetables are expensive- except things like cabbages, carrots and onions. As a part of my recipe search, I am now trying to find recipes that use these ingredients.

Hair & Ear: You thought I would never get to a light-hearted mood, didn't you?  :P Well, today is washing day. My hair is dirty and soft like silk. I'm wearing it now in a bun with my 3-tone lavender Ficcare that goes perfectly with the dark violet dress I am wearing. Buns still look good with dresses, and as the dresses are so simple, they also make a nice background to pretty hair accessories.  :D
  My stretched ear is behaving well. I thought that the stretching would make the hole slit-like, like old women's earlobes are. But no! The hole is nice and round, and I probably could not tell it's any bigger than the hole in my other ear if I didn't know. I am still debating, whether I want to stretch to 12 or 10 g. I need to decide before I order my next ear jewelry, as most of the designs I want are available in both gauges and it would be a waste of money to order everything in 12 g if I am going to 10. I just hope someone on LHC will post pictures of their 10 g jewelry...

Your topic of dresses facinates me.  I'd love to see what your dresses look like.  I've always believed that you can wear whatever you want and if you are comfortable in it, people will accept you in it.  Sometimes the style is a bit unique, but that then becomes a part of who you are.  As long as what you are wearing is "appropriate" to the occasion and does not offend people, I say, wear it!  

It upsets me to see young people wearing clothing that is ill-fitting, inappropriate for their body type, overly expensive and probably sweat-shop produced and the only reason they are wearing it is because it is "in".  I have visions of lemmings....... all the young people will follow some silly designer, right off the cliff just because the designer is the latest hit.  I am encouraged by your individuality and sensibility.  You have maturity beyond your years.  Keep up the good work.

Thanks for your kind and encouraging words, bikerbraid. I will ask T to take a picture.
Later yesterday, I went to shop groceries wearing one of my new dresses. I thought that if they are what I am looking for, I should be comfortable wearing them in all everyday occassions. At first, I felt self conscious. But then, I realized that it wasn't just a negative feeling. When I looked around, I saw that everyone else was wearing "sporty" winter clothes. Not exactly beautiful, I realized. Definitely not what I would be happy wearing, even if it made me blend in nicely. So, I decided that the difference I feel so keenly may well be a positive one.
     As an interesting coincidence, in today's newspaper there was an article about human rights problems in the textile factories of China. Now, at the moment almost 40% of clothes sold in Finland comes from China, and if you add to that other countries of Far East, the number climbs to around two-thirds. According to the article, auditions that some Western clients have started to make into the factories, have had little effect because the factories go to great lengths in order to cheat the auditioners. The article concluded, that at the moment, it is simply an impossible task to ensure that Chinese clothes are produced in conditions prescribed by the Chinese law. An interesting detail was, that even though China has had one child policy that has kept is child labor problem relatively small compared to some other cheap countries, now the use of child labor has also started to increase in China.
    What saddened me a little was the general tone of the article "this is just how it is, we better accept that for now, most of our clothing is produced in sweatshops." Well, I have no plans of accepting it.
After all this, I concluded that dresses are perfectly good clothing for me, and ordered material so I can try my hand at making them. I have a nice, easy-looking pattern to work with, as well as some good general instructions...

Hair: I noticed that my Tiger's Eye MT hairsticks coordinate beautifully with my brown dress, so I'm now wearing those. Yesterday was a sauna day, but I did nothing special to my hair. I found out that the department store where we do our weekend shopping does not carry my favorite XZ deep conditioner at all. They did carry a version of it meant for colored hair, and I bought that instead (there didn't seem to be much difference in the ingredients list). We'll see how it works. If I don't like it, I will have to find a new source for my deep conditioner- it is the only drugstore cone-free deep conditioner that I have managed to find. People in this country aren't obviously very "cone-conscious".

The sweatshop labor in China has bothered me for years.  I try to do my best to identify not only the source of the materials but also where items are assembled.  I've found that it is not uncommon for some items to have the components made in one country and the assembly in another.  Clothing and shoes are frequently assembled in China of materials from other countries.  When I was doing a lot of sewing, I had to avoid fabrics that were made in China.  The fabrics would be rinsed in polluted waters that would cause me an allergic reaction.  Even washing the fabrics would not always remove whatever it was that I reacted to.  As more and more fabrics were coming from China, I was finding it more and more difficult to find fabrics I could work with and wear.  This was a major reason that I no longer make as many of my garments.

Yes, the assembly issue is bothering me too- there have been many cases in which complicated arrangements are made to trick officials to allow putting the "manufactured in EU" label to products. In reality, precious few clothing items have actually been made in EU, much less in Finland. Unfortunately, the problem of poor quality fabrics is not limited to fabrics only, but often readymade products are also of poor quality. I have been really annoyed by the fact that there is really no way you can tell a good quality (not to mention ethically) made garment from bad. Price, brand (or the lack of), examining the material etc- nothing seems to guarantee the quality of the purchase. Often, the clothes sold at stores have finishes that make the fabric appear to be of better quality than it actually is.

    I don't know how I would manage without the option of purchasing my fabrics via internet. While my experiences on internet fabric shopping are still limited, so far I have been happy with my purchases.
As to the more general problem of dressing as ethically as possible, there are many options. Which is good, because the people interested of ethically observant dress are also diverse! Here's a list of possibilities I have come up with. Not everyone can observe everything ( I don't!), and since the problems are so complex, most of these options tackle just a few aspects of it. But I think, that adopting even one of these ideas in a limited scale is good.
-Make your own clothing. Sew, knit, crochet. A "subcategory" of this one would be having a seamstress make clothes for you. Downsides: Finding fabrics, finding seamstresses, having enough time and having (or learning) an adequate skill level
-Buy second-hand clothing. A popular and frugal option. Downsides: Does not tackle the problem of unethical production, just extends the lifespan of products. Not everyone can find suitable clothing readily.
-Simplify your wardrobe. The fewer clothes you need, the fewer ethical problems you cumulate. Downsides: How much you can simplify depends greatly on lifestyle & circumstances. Eg. a Finnish person who needs clothing for 4 different seasons will never survive with as little clothing as someone in a more temperate climate.
-Invest in quality. If you can afford it, it is better to buy one high quality expensive garment than three cheap ones. Downsides: How to recognize quality is often difficult.
-Take good care of your existing clothes. Repair them, if possible. Downsides: Requires some time and skill.

I am, obviously, concentrating in the combination of making my own & simplifying. I don't buy second hand clothes -I have difficulty finding my size, and in general, I just can't bring myself to liking second hand clothing. I may invest in quality when it's possible, but my main hope is, that my own sewing done from good materials equals quality. At the moment, I can do some repairs, but I have much to learn at this field. Obviously, now that I am moving towards a lifestyle where in order to replace a broken article I have to produce a new one by myself, my interest in preserving my clothing in good condition has improved considerably!

Hair: Aisling(A Finnish LHC member who lurks on this board) was kind enough to drop me a couple of hints to my problem of finding deep conditioner. I have now two grocery store brands to check out and test- how fun! I will check the selections of The Big Store this week, and if I can't find the products she mentioned from there, I will see if I can find them from Helsinki. They are common brands though, so I am hopeful.
     Today, my hair is just perfect. I'm wearing it in a bun with my 3-tone brown Ficcare. I need more Ficcares. I wish, wish, wish that my transition from grant to a part-time employee somewhere goes smoothly...

Sooo, here's a picture of me wearing the new brown dress.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7894/mekkoag0.jpg

I chose this style mainly because it resembles so much the dress pattern I have. The dress itself is about as simple as a dress can get, and very comfortable. It came with a matching full apron -that ties at the other side- that I am also wearing in the picture. A couple of days of active housework showed me that this kind of apron design that is comfortable to wear at all times is a great innovation for my lifestyle (but then, the seamstress is a lady who has an active country lifestyle!) ;) . So far, I have washed the apron of this dress twice, but the dress itself is still in great shape! Because I'm such a color-challenged person, I prefer to not to mix and match the dresses and aprons. I have, however, seen pictures of people wearing very similar dresses with different aprons and in printed fabrics, and -as they are other people- they look quite nice too. Amish-ness is easily countered with the use of pretty hair accessories and one nicely stretched earlobe. See how nicely the 3-tone brown Ficcare coordinates with this outfit  8-) !

Learning to sew: Speaking of aprons, I finished another one yesterday. I have only one more left. Then, I have sewn no less than 7 aprons, 6 for myself and one as a gift. I have never owned so many, but then, once the gardening season starts I think I'll be happy for not having to do laundry every day like I did last summer! From the point of view of my learning to sew-project, doing so long a series of the same pattern was a good idea. It sounds boring, but as I improved my sewing with every piece (I am a slow learner when it comes to sewing), it really wasn't. With my first piece, I was happy just to have it hold together and have the right pieces in the right places. The contrast with the one I finished yesterday is huge, if you pay any attention to details and to the neatness of the sewing. My old craft teachers who considered me a hopeless seamstress would probably not believe their eyes !
I have reserved my prettiest fabric for the last piece. After that, I'm ready for new challenges.

Hair: Yesterday, when I put my hair into sleeping ponytail, I noticed that the very ends tickled my waist! Granted, it's probably not many hairs, but I was thrilled neverthless. It's time to change my mindset from growing to maintaining for a while, in order to let the bulk of the hair to catch the quickest ones. I haven't quite decided how long to maintain- six months at least, possibly a year. Guess it depends on whether I see improvement in the horizontal volume of my ends in 6 months. There are people whose ends remain thin no matter what they do, and if it seems that I'm one of those, it's no use to waste an additional 6 months of waiting for improvement that will never happen. But, if photographic evidence shows even slight improvement in 6 months, I think I could wait even longer before continuing to grow.
   Unlike at BSL, I'm now quite happy with my length. It doesn't feel super long, of course, but not too short either. What has caused this difference- I have no idea! I have worn the same bun all this time, and because my ends are so thin, it seems to be the same size bun too. Still, something is definitely different, and for the better.
  Today is a low bun day, with 3 tone lavender Ficcare.  

Thanks for the picture!  That is exactly what I was picturing in my mind, but now I know for sure what your simple dresses look like.  A good, well designed dress can take you anywhere and allow you the freedom to move about and do what needs to be done around the house and yard.

Mixing and matching the aprons can give you the feeling of more variety and style.  A black, pink or red apron would look nice with the brown dress.  

Congrats on the hair length!  Those little ends that are tickling your waist will soon be joined by many more!

BB, let me first say that your new avatar is gorgeous! Your bun is beautiful.
The more I have worn my dresses, the more I have started to like them. It's a shame that all the commercial dresses I have seen, are small, snugly fitting things meant for partying or as parts of a business suits. All were sleeveless and obviously designed for anyone of size 40 or smaller. In 50's, dresses like the ones I now have were not uncommon, and of course in 90's there was this short trend of hideous flowery dresses (though ugly, I remember that those dresses had some practicality about them). But nowadays, ladies leading active lives that include more or less dirty activities, are supposed to just wear old t-shirts and sweatpants and to wash their clothes often. Hmm.
   
Today, it's pouring snow. I'm happy about it, as it hasn't snowed much in February. I hope our garden hasn't suffered too much, though it's always hard for the plants to withstand cold without a good protective layer of snow.
       In spite of the wintery scenery outside, the gardening season is at the doorstep. This weekend we will begin our formidable task of cutting our apple trees. The previous owners were too old and sick to cut the trees for two years, and so, though their basic shape is excellent and they are older trees, each and every one of them is still in need of a good cut. 26 trees, two weekends...why, that's just 6 or 7 trees per day.  :o
After surviving that task, we will have to do the seed orders. And then, it's hopefully full spring!
     
It's been another year of hairgrowing, counting from the day I took my first official length picture. Following my progress from yearly pictures gets more fun year by year.
It would also be the time to trim soon, but I think I'll skip this one- I just can't bear the thought of snipping those couple of precious waist-length hairs I have. I'm entering the maintaining phase soon anyway, and then I'll get to be more scissor-happy than I have been for years anyway!
  Since I reached BSL, I've worn a knot bun. Today, however, I am wearing a cinnabun again. It finally works, at least with a Ficcare. I'm not sure how good cinnabun I could make with hairsticks, though. I guess I should start thinking about returning to it at some point. Lately, the thought that knot bun may not work for ever either, has started to cross my mind as the tail behind the knot has started to get longer and longer. We'll see.
 

Thank you!  This bun is something that I believe you should be able to do, especially as you think your current styles may not be working as well with your longer length.  Look at the bigger picture in the Show your Locks thread and try to guess how it is done!

SNOW!  After suffering thru a snow draught here, the snow has finally come for us as well.  We received about 12" of snow last week and another 6 - 8" are predicted over the next 2 days.  Yippee!  And to make it even better - the temps are just sitting in the 20's (just below freezing), so it is "warm" to us (especially after the frigid cold we had a few weeks ago).  I can just imagine your garden/orchard covered in a lovely blanket of snow.  :)

Thinking of your practicality dressing, around here, many women who are living a more simple life wear a long skirt with a shirt and an apron to protect them both.  The 2 piece outfit gives them the flexibility of changing the top without having to change the skirt as well.  Many of the skirts are made of denim or other twill - a very durable fabric.  The tops can be varied based on the temperatures - long sleeves in cooler weather, short sleeves in warmer weather.  Color can also then be introduced via the top, leaving the skirt a basic neutral color - dark blue, brown, black or tan.  A basic skirt can be very easy to make, especially if elastic is used for the waist.  Jumpers are also a nice variation - more than a skirt, less than a dress, which also allow the variety of being able to change the shirt/top.  I have 2 favorite jumpers - the top is very simple, their are buttons on the side at the waist, and skirt is slightly gathered.  (An BIG pockets on both sides!)  I wear these jumpers a lot in the spring, summer and fall.  Winter I tend more towards pants because I have a hard time putting on tights and I get really cold easily.

Have fun browsing thru your seed catalogues and picking out the best for your garden.

Today is, as you ,may have noticed, first official day of Spring. I changed the contects of my prayer table from Winter to Spring. But outside, it's as wintery as one could hope for...in fact, today was the perfect weather for making snowmen. So, after finishing my day's work, I went outside to build two displays of "Galadriel's Dramatic Snowmen". I hope they will stay in shape until I have time to take pictures- they are really quite special snow critter scenes (if you have read Calvin and Hobbes comics, your thoughts may be able to dwell in the right direction...).
   We also received our star binoculars. They are huge! We will need to obtain a special holder for them. I hope T can manage it tomorrow...there would be a nice full eclipse of the moon on Saturday. I couldn't think of a better way of starting our observations. Of course,depending if the snowing will stop and sky will clear in time...

In winter, I wear leggings with my skirts and dresses. I absolutely hate tights, so they are not an everyday option for me. But leggings can be very comfortable, and in practice, they are hard to tell from opaque tights.
I am still looking for the best combination of clothes for my new, simplified wardrobe. I'm not sure if it is a good or bad thing, but living in a country like mine means living among a uniform culture, when it comes to dress. Most people dress in the same general style, and whether I wear long skirts and tunics or plain tops (which I wear a lot) or one of my new dresses, I look about equally different. I may well be the only person in the whole country who dresses simply. There are some small minorities like Muslims and Jehovah's witnesses, who observe modesty in dress for religious reasons, but neither of these groups emphasizes simplicity. Of course, it has the positive side that no one here attaches religious meanings to my choices...but the negative side of course is, that no one probably perceives me as "simple", just weird. But, the most important thing is that I know what I'm doing and have finally developed the guts to wear things that suit my thoughts. Sweet time that took, too. :P

Hair: I have now tested the "colored hair" version of XZ conditioner, and can't really tell the difference between that and the regular version. Both work equally wonderfully. Neverthless, I am still curious to test the deep conditioners Aisling hinted about.
  I have now also done a big s&d mission, and even remembered to oil my hair after today's post-exercise rinsing. Then I bunned my damp hair inside a nice scarf bun. Good work, even if I say so myself.

EDIT: since the bun was a competition, I removed my thoughts regarding how it's done

The snow melted, and my snow works were destroyed before I could take pictures in daylight. T took some pictures in the dark though. This is SO this winter- just after we've got some snow, the weather warms up so that much of it melts away and we end up having just a thin, much-suffered looking ground. In this condition, it's probably better if I just start dreaming of spring.
     My hair is just fabulous this day- it obviously liked all the pampering I gave it! I'm wearing it in a bun with Raspberry Swirl pair. I don't think I will ever get tired of this pair. It is my first pair, and has ever been among my most often used pairs.

Work: Work -or rather the ending of my grant- sucks. Because I do not have any social security or unemployment benefits, I will need to find a job of some sort ASAP. With T's approval I am now searching a part-time job close from home. A part time job will mean less money to our household (which is why I wanted T's approval, in case you wonder it), but on the other hand I will still be able to work with my Ph. D work and we can maintain our current lifestyle that relies heavily on my being able to spend a significant amount of my time doing house & garden work.
  I hate the system, I hate the society that thinks that I'm more useful as a cleaner or cashier (I mean no disrespect towards those jobs. They are important and worthy work) than as a scientist I'm educated to be, creating a new theory. But then, I knew what I was getting into before I chose to try working on a grant, and accepted the rules of this unfair playground. I don't regret it, and now, all there is to do is to deal with the facts and to find that job. It is hard enough as it is, there are few part time jobs in general, and the job markets of this area aren't that big to start with. Obviously, I am also overeducated (and not really appropriatedly educated at all) to the jobs that are most commonly offered as part time jobs.
But I will do my best, and trust that it is the will of Light that I am now in this position. I have sent two applications today, and am doing internet search every day. I hope that all will go well...

Politics: Parliamentary elections are nearing. We now get brochures from Center Party and Christian Democrats instead of Coalition Party...it's not a change for the better, but it is a sure sign of that we have also politically moved away from the backyards of Capital to outskirts of Rural Finland. As usual, the worst traits of democratic system are out on display, and yet- I still feel that it is my duty as a citizen to vote. Even when I don't believe in democracy as far as I could throw our Prime Minister. But, there are so many candidates in this region...maybe one of them will be relatively ok.

Good luck!  May you find a job that is fun for you, close to your home and has decent wages.

Did you get to see the lunar eclipse?  although I couldn't see the whole thing here in MN (it had started before the moon rise), I did get to see most of it.  It was a beautiful clear sky and the moon was very bright, so the eclipse was easy to see.  Hope you had the wonderful view that I had.  :)

Sakina: Thanks!

bikerbraid: Unfortunately, we didn't get to see it. Here, the whole thing happened during the dark hours around midnight, when the moon was high. A perfect setting! But it was just too cloudy, and thickest cloud cover was exactly where the moon was. In the news they said that the only places where it wasn't too cloudy to see the eclipse were Northern Finland and parts of West Coast. The next one will be in February 2008, maybe we'll have better luck then.
   
We got another round of the flu during the weekend, and were in no shape to cut our apple trees. Now, we must try to find time for doing that during the weekdays. It seems though, that this strange, continuous flu isn't just our problem- we have heard that many people have experienced the same. Yuck. I'm better now though.
    Because of the flu, I didn't go to sauna and have my planned SMT treatment- just a quick wash instead.
I checked the local selections, but the products Aisling talked about are not available in the Big Store. So, if I start liking anything but that XZ for colored hair, i will have to buy it from Helsinki.

Galadriel wrote on Mar 2^nd, 2007 at 10:42am:

Work: .... but on the other hand I will still be able to work with my Ph. D work....       ....than as a scientist I'm educated to be, creating a new theory.

Hi Galadriel

What areas are you involved in ? And a new theory sounds interesting !  8-)

Arcadian: I'm a philosopher.

And now, it's time for annual length pictures!
These were taken today, with my hair freshly washed, combed and air dried.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/1641/06032007v2vo0.jpg

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/5707/06032007v3rz9.jpg
T took this picture after he decided that my hair is growing out of the "traditional" framing. 8-)

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/3949/06032007wd7.jpg

And for comparison: first length shot ever, taken on Feb 20, 2005 -a few months after I came here. Braid waves.

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9903/aukiwo2pienihg8.jpg

That's some improvement, even though I say so myself! 8-) I can't wait until my "improve horizontal volume" project has ended and I can continue to hip length, or longer. Probably longer, if my hair is cooperative.

      Yesterday the sky was clear and seeing was excellent, so we went outside to test our star binoculars. It was really great, though observing with big binoculars without the stand (T is going to get that later this week) was not easy. The best moment was, when I aimed the binoculars at what appears to be the center star in Orion's sword. It looks like a dim star- if the seeing is bad, the Sword is not visible at all. But when I looked it through the binoculars, I saw what I knew it to really be- not a single star at all, but a beautiful cluster of stars.

Today, I did my exercise early, and therefore managed to rinse my hair reasonable early as well. This rinsing/exercising thing isn't very easy in cold weather! But somehow I have managed it through the winter. Because I had decided that I want the annual pics taken today, I kept my hair down. It was a pleasant surprise to notice, that my hair has finally started to behave. Wearing it down was actually quite comfortable! That's something really new- I think the last time I liked my hair down was when it was above ear length!
    I have been doing spring cleaning, and today I finally decided that as getting a combing table is not in immediate future, I could just as well go ahead and arrange my hairtoy shelves. I haven't done that since we moved, so it took me a long time. But it was fun, like a treasure hunt. I made some great "discoveries"- hairtoys that I had forgotten. Like an absolutely gorgeous pair of yellow SpiralStix that is just perfect for the Spring. Going through four full boxes of hairtoys was quite a big job though- it's pretty amazing how can I still have so long list of items "missing" from my collections. But, once my job situation is secured and I have spare money again, I have a long list of things I need to buy: -More Ficcare Maximas clips. Because they are so perfect.
                                              -A Ficcare beak clip (Innovation?). Just because I want to own one beak clip.
                                              -Certain types of Longlocks hairsticks. A bright red pair, some Swings, and of course pairs with twisted ribbon beads in some new, interesting color.
                                              -Certain other interesting hairsticks, from Maiden's Treasures and Fox.

Work, work, where are you?!

Galadriel wrote on Mar 6^th, 2007 at 12:39pm:

Arcadian: I'm a philosopher.

Hi Galadriel

Just noticed you're into Environmental Ethics, very hot topic these days....

Wish you all the best !  :)

Great pictures of your hair - it has come along way!  (pun intended!  ;D)

Glad you got to do some start gazing.  This morning when I got up, Jupiter was sooooo bright in the morning sky (before sun up).  I always like to see the "morning stars" - especially when I'm biking before dawn.  (Though I'm not biking yet - we still roads with several inches of snow/ice on them!  :o)

I'd love to see Jupiter- it's one of the more difficult targets here, because it's so low and only visible in early morning hours when sky is lightening. In general, constellations like Libra and Ophiuscus (Serpent's Bearer) are considered "summer constellations", and as our summer skies are very light, they are quite hard to see.
     Saturn, however, is now up early in the evening, and is a bright beauty sitting near Regulus, in Leo. Unfortunately for me, today the sky is once again covered with a gray blanket of clouds, so I can only plan, what will my next targets be. Btw, speaking of targets, Wikipedia has now a free star map in www.wikisky.org. It's a nifty thing- you can use it to search stars, constellations and Messier objects, and besides location, it contains information on many targets.  

Today, my hair is behaving wonderfully. I'm keeping it in a cinnabun with Citrus Shine hairsticks.  I'm still not quite used to the happy fact that cinnabuns are once again a possible style for me. My bun looks even a bit bigger than it used to!
   
I received the fabrics I had ordered from voguefabric. com. The shipping was very fast- in economy class it took just two weeks. The fabrics look good, and they were cheap, so I'm happy! I now have material for two dresses and matching aprons (the style my existing dresses are). The pattern doesn't look complicated, but the fitting is more difficult than in the apron, so it will be a new challenge.

I'm not very good at recognizing constellations in the sky.  I do well to spot the bright stars/planets (my astigmatism leaves everything a bit blurry).  I keep hoping to spot Venus in the evening, but have not seen it yet due to clouds or fog.

Good luck constucting your new dresses.  Fitting can be a bit tricky, but if you go slow and try things on as you go, I bet you will do just fine.  And when you finish, you know you have accomplished something!  (Here's a sewing tip - don't trim any seams until you are sure it fits - just in case you have to let out a seam for better fitting.)

Finding constellations is hard at first- it has often taken me two or more nights to find a certain constellation. But once I have found it, I will see it every night after that. It's best to start with "easy" constellations that have bright stars. Some constellations can be difficult though- for example, I have observed Gemini and Leo for weeks now, but have not still managed to find Cancer that is right in between them! (I'm hoping that the binoculars will help with that though, as Cancer is rather dim for the naked eye).
Easy constellations to spot are:
- Orion- the "belt" is very obvious, the "hourglass" shape around it consists of bright stars, and for a little challenge, it has more intricate parts too. Once you have found Orion, you can search for eg. Taurus, Gemini and Canis Major (where Sirius is). Nearby, there is also Canis Minor where the bright Procyon star is.
-Cassiopeia (the w-shape is easy to find, and near it you can find easily Perseus).
-Ursa Major: The Big Dipper is very easy to find, but can you find the rest of the bear? From this place, you can proceed to find the Little Bear, where North Star (Polaris) is, and Boötes who hunts the two bears. From Boötes, you can find your way to the bright star Spica in Virgo.
       Weather here is still cloudy, so all I can do is talk theory. :P

Hair & Ear: I exercised late last night- and forgot to wash my hair, though it would have been time. So, today I took care to pull my hair into a scarf bun that didn't look too greasy, and was off to Helsinki.
   I bought some sewing notions for the dress projects. Thanks for the tip- I will certainly measure, measure and measure and still leave generous seam allowances for the first dress! I also wandered to certain body jewelry shop. As a result, I am now sitting comfortably (and totally effortlessly!) in 12 g. I have finally decided, that I want to stretch up to 10 g. And that's it. Absolutely. Though in many gorgeous plugs, the smallest size is 8g. But I'm not interested. Nope. Not at all.

Garden season has started! That is, today I attacked our apple trees with pruners. It was still cloudy, even a little rainy, but the birds were singing and I enjoyed my time. It was almost like giving a haircut to the trees, except of course that cut trees, unlike most longhairs, become better after the procedure  :P. Our apple trees are old, and under a couple of years of neglect, they have the most perfect umbrella shape one could hope for.
      I can't wait to see how our garden will look after all the apple trees have had their cut...

Now my thumb is sore though. T's father, little brother and his spouse are coming to visit tomorrow, and so I have not opened a single philosophy book (or my email, for that matter...). Instead, this days is dedicated to housework. I can always read during the weekend...at least, if I don't spend all my free time watching the new Stargate Atlantis DVD:s that we got.
    Besides house and garden work, I have also my second exercise session of the week on todays to-do list. I'm hoping that this would become the first week this year when I have been able to do all my four weekly exercises. I'm fortunately still in good shape in spite of the lack of regular exercise since the wedding, but unfortunately, I have gained weight again. It happens so easily to me. Right now, I don't feel at all like dieting, so I hope that just increasing my exercise and the start of gardening season will help me to slowly lose at least a couple of kg:s.

I washed my hair late last night, and this morning it was fluffy and -well, very clean. I haven't worn scarf caps during the winter time, so today was the first time for that as well. And, it was just as well that I was so careful, because I could feel the low hanging branches to hug my head so closely that hadn't I worn my cap, I would surely have become a live reenact of Absalom's sad fate (didn't Absalom of the Bible have blonde hair too?).

Parliamentary Elections: They have reached our little village as well- as I exited the grocery store, to my surprise I found a candidate of Social Democrat party (one of the three biggest parties)handing a red rose (their symbol flower) to me and asking me to use my vote. I was so stunned to find a candidate doing campaign work in our village that I didn't even have the wit to ask him one of the questions I have hoped to ask of a representative of that party. Namely, how come that in spite of all that red color and "being on an ordinary worker's side" talk, they harbor some of the harshest conservative thinkers of the whole Parliament. I really wonder how can that be. In US, I understand that one party can host many "branches" of opinions as the power is divided between two big parties, but in Finland, we have one party per ideology. So, the divisions inside Social Democrats are not only curious, but smell outright fishy to me. Needless to say, they aren't going to get my vote.
   Which brings me to my problem of who WILL get it. At the moment, I'm divided between Greens and the Lefts, but though both have some good points, both also have some serious faults -and this year, going down to the level of individual candidates doesn't change it much. A bog or a swamp? That's the question. Sometimes I wish I took the elections a bit less seriously, but I guess that years of academic brainwashing have just made me incapable of doing that.

Your garden seems to be coming along very nicely.  Maybe when you're all finished you can post pics.

Good luck with your decision about the elections. :)

La Diosa: I will try to remember take pictures. :)

Our weekend was so busy. The snow isn't gone yet, but in our life, winter feels like distant history. We have spent every spare moment cutting apple trees. It's great exercise especially for arms, and quite fun. As we clip away, the unique true form the tree is revealed and that feels like a small miracle every time. We are now about halfway through. I'm not sure if we have time to cut all our trees in time, but we are at least giving a good try.  
       I have never felt the spring in the air so strongly when we lived in the city. Of course, the weather has been quite warm (relatively speaking), but part of it is just that we spend now more time outside. The Nature is setting the schedule for us- for example, after this week I dare not clip apple trees and so it will be time to turn to the next task. That gives us a strong sense of that spring is in the way, even when it can be seen in only the subtlest things.

In the life of my hair, the abrupt termination of wintertime has meant returning to things I remember from fall. Rinsing the hair at least once a day because I need showers more often. Getting the one and only necessary reminder of the fact that simplest, flattest bun imaginable is NOT the thing to wear when moving near our apple trees. The "discovery" of my bandana collection, and wearing scarf caps all day. At least, my bandana collection is big enough to offer variation in colors and patterns. And, I should not forget mentioning the clouds of curls my hair sports in the mornings as I have had to do my night braid with damp hair. Though those curls get quickly combed and gathered into a bun, they still give me a couple of minutes of pleasure each morning.
     
Ear Stretching: As I took my day earring (I often wear bone earrings during daytime and switch a barbell on for the night) away, I noticed something very interesting. My lobe has now a neat, circular hole. I mean, it has a hole that looks like a little hole instead of a needle mark. And, to my own slight surprise I realized that I found the hole pretty. It was the most strange feeling- certainly, I have never found ear piercings particularly pretty. In my mind, they have just been something that are necessary for wearing some pretty jewelry. But my tiny, stretched hole sat there, looking pretty all in itself. I went to show my ear to T. Now, T prefers natural looks, and as I might have already mentioned, he has had his reservations regarding my bright idea to stretch my ear as well. But this time he just looked my ear and said "Wow, that really is a pretty hole!". So, this hole IS really special!
     Once my ear is so well stretched that the hole holds its shape and size for a whole day, I can now think of going around without any jewelry in it and still have something I find beautiful and ornamental! This is really a nice surprise.
 
   

We've now cut 12 apple trees. Or something like that. Because we've lost count on a) how many apple trees we really have b) how many we have cut/how many we still need to cut. But it's been fun. And great exercise, so I'm not complaining. Yesterday we had the warmest day of spring so far and it was so pleasant to hang out in the garden, dressed in something else than my polar expedition outfit. Today, it's back to normal again (well, technically it's still warmer than usually at this time but...). Before I go meet the apple trees again, I will visit Helsinki shortly. Customs is calling again. My fabric shipment from Gehman's has arrived. I now have fabrics for 4 dresses...now where can I get time to sew?
    We also ordered some seeds from Thompson&Morgan. It's nice to have a mature garden where the "basic" plants are in place, and we can consentrate in ordering all these "experimental" seeds. Among other things, we ordered some aquileqias- I couldn't resist the name "pink bonnet". Also some lovely pink hollyhocks, lupins and a couple of interesting varieties of sunflowers. Next on my to-order list are peonies. There is this wonderful Finnish online shop that offers amazing peonies. We've decided that three plants would be enough for the flower bed that we'll make around the new terrace. Just three. Not ten, seven or five. So hard to choose.
   
Job hunting is not going well. Simply, there ARE no jobs in this area, much less part-time jobs. And then there is of course the not-so-slight discrepancy between my qualifications and the needs of a smaller town. But, I need to come up with something, and sooner rather than later. On a positive side, considering the job I still have for a couple of weeks, I have been doing lots of reading again, and am starting to get more positive again. Certain presentation did not go well, and I've been feeling like an idiot ever since, but slowly I'm starting to think that I'm not an idiot after all- just someone who thinks differently from the majority of people at our Dept. But I think I'm heading in the right direction after all.
     Now, where can I get another grant?
     
So many questions. At least, hair is doing fine. I washed it yesterday, and today it's in a low bun. I'm trying to remember to alter the place of my bun, but it's hard. Well, today I remembered it.

Quote:

...and I've been feeling like an idiot ever since, but slowly I'm starting to think that I'm not an idiot after all- just someone who thinks differently from the majority of people at our Dept.

There's an old American saying that goes something like this:  It's difficult to soar with eagles when you're surrounded by turkeys.   8-)

I like that saying!  ;D I'll keep it in mind- you never know when you need a witty line.

Country Living: The paradisial nature of our garden isn't really visible at this time of the year except for the most loving eyes. Everything is still brown and dead, except for the first shoots of crocuses poking through the soil of flower bed. But, that is just the ground level, and yesterday proved that the skies above are a whole different thing.
      First little miracle came in the early evening when we were still working in the garden- cutting apple trees and mounting our star binoculars on a sturdy tripod we had fetched from Helsinki earlier during the day. Suddenly, I heard a big bird cry above us. When I looked up, I saw a pair of swans flying over us, their white feathers gilt by the setting sun. It was just breathtaking to behold. It seems though, that our home lies right along the moving route of many birds -this spring alone, we have noticed lots of bird traffic. But, nothing so far has been quite as spectacular as those swans.
     Later in the evening, the sky was clear for the first time in days, and provided excellent seeing. So, out I went, finally well equipped, and turned my binoculars towards the sky. Saturn was still bright, and to my great delight, our binoculars are powerful enough to reveal a bit of its nature as a world surrounded by a ring system! Besides that, I also marvelled at Pleiades, and sough (though with no luck!) a couple of galaxies in the Leo region. The sky has now moved to spring position, and provided also something new for naked eye. Judging from how dim stars I can see with my naked eye, it's clear that it's no city sky I'm beholding! Besides finally finding the stars of Cancer, I also found Coma Berenices -IMO, it really looks like a maiden's long hair in the sky!- and got also a good look of rising Boötes, the home of the beautiful star Arcturus.
 
Ear Stretching: Viviane, a Finnish LHC member sent me some eartoys she hadn't found use for. The smallest are 10g, so a little big for me, but not for long. Among the toys, was this pretty little 10 g plug. Compared to 8g plug she also sent, it is really pretty- so I think that I'm going to stick with 10 g as my final stretching goal.

Hair: My hair life is boring- the way it gets boring when rest of the life gets busy. For the whole week, Ficcares and scarves have been my friends, but today I'm wearing a bun clip.
  I'm thinking of a trim. It would be the time to do it, and my ends are thin...but it's so close to waist that I have not been able to bring myself to ask T to do it. Of course, if I procrastinate long enough, that solves the problem... :P

It's snowing heavily, so, I'm afraid that there will be no pictures of our apple trees today like I had planned. Though I liked the warmth and spring, I feel strangely relieved of this snow. It's normal for us to get snowfalls at this time of the year, and so it relieves my "greenhouse effect is here!"-panic. And, of course, it means that we can spend all day cozily indoors doing things that don't break sweat.  :P
   I have finished my last (and prettiest!) apron, and am planning to start working with my first dress later today. The instructions look simple enough -in fact, I think my dress pattern may well be easier to sew than the aprons. But the fit is more precise, and it will be a challenge to get it just right.

I rinsed my hair yesterday, but it didn't prevent me from finding myself having a greasy hair today. I think I have rinsed my hair every day since I started working with the apple trees! Right now I'm wearing a scarf bun that I did before I had taken a good look out of the window, but if the snowfall continues, I think I'll seize the opportunity and change it to some gorgeous pair of hairsticks.  :D

Parliamentary Elections: The election day is tomorrow. It seems, that in every election during the past few years there has been some strange comical element. This time, it's a candidate who has had his campaign webpage translated in Klingon. It was a good media trick- and good for me too, since I surfed to his webpage just to find that besides the obvious fact of being a scifi fan, he had a more serious side that I liked a lot. He is already a member of parliament and it seemed to me that he has done good work and has upheld many themes I find important. So, for the first time I'm going to vote a male, as well as a person who is already a member of parliament!

We are experiencing one of this past season's worst storms. The temperatures have been above freezing point every day, but it's been snowing so heavily that we have still got several centimeters of snow. At the moment of my writing this, it's pouring something slushy horizontally. Consequently, we have spent all weekend indoors.

Learning to sew: I have had time to sew, and as a consequence, I'm proud to report that I am now wearing my first homemade dress. It turned out well: the fit is excellent, and I my overall impression of the pattern is, that it is simpler than my apron pattern was. There are just a couple of minor adjustments I want to make to my next dress. And, as the dress pattern features new things, there are also some parts that turned out less than perfectly in this first piece. But, the most important thing is, that I managed to make a wearable garment.

Parliamentary Elections: ...are over. The moods here at home are mixed. Good thing is, that "our" candidate made it, and Greens gained one more place in the Parliament. They are still 5th biggest party, but over the years they have steadily gained places and are now just two places smaller than Left Alliance.
   On the other hand, it looks like Finland is following the suit of German and Sweden (and, what seems to be the general trend in Europe) and is going to a more conservative direction. Coalition was the biggest winner, and the small nationalist party also gained two places (in addition to three they had in the previous Parliament). It is very likely that we will get a conservative government. BUT, if that happens, we will get a strong opposition force, unlike in the late Parliament where opposition parties were scattered to different ends of party field. That may be good.
    The rise of conservatism is rather curious, and I wonder how much it has to do with the general trend of the decade. 1990's with their big recession was not a good time here, but in subtle, but more numerous ways, 2000's seems even darker time to me. Questions of security, the climate change and surviving in globalizing economical competition have become pressing questions. The downside is, that things that Europeans (and perhaps, Scandinavian countries in particular) have taken pride of like education, civilization and welfare state, have not been discussed. It almost seems like culture has become a luxury that we can discuss if there is leftover money- instead of realizing that culture is what defines us, the thing that other branches of state should protect. If this becomes a long term development, that may be a serious problem.

Hair: Indoors time has also meant hairstick time! During this weekend, I have enjoyed of digging my little sparkly treasures into daylight and wearing them (right now, I'm wearing Spring Hydrangea pair). Conditioning-wise, I have been a bit lazy, so instead of some fancy homemade mix, I just deep conditioned my hair with trusted XZ. It was enough to make my hair happy, though! I haven't still decided, whether or not I want to trim my hair one more time before the bulk hits the waist. My ends are pitifully thin, but as I always wear a bun, no one really has a chance of pitying them- not even me. I can't wait starting to work with my horizontal volume.

Congrats on the dress!! :)  8-) You must be so proud!  Can't wait to see a picture!

Congrats on your success with sewing your first dress.  Your skills will continue to improve with time and experience!  Who knows, you could become the next designer of simple clothing!

Thanks, ladies! :D I'll have T to take a picture of my creation this evening. The fit is so good that I've already declared this to be my best dress so far. And I know that once I gain experience, they'll just keep getting better.

Today I finished a matching apron for the dress. I used one of the aprons I received with the dresses I bought from Sarah as a model, and it was perfect success. I've really started to like the combination of dress and a full apron. Besides being pretty, it's  very practical on busy days- instead of having to change everything after doing dirty work, I can just change my apron.
   All in all, so far I have only good things to say about my simple dress experiment. Besides the great thing that my conscience has shut up and stopped nagging me, there have been some very nice extras.
Getting dressed in the morning is so easy- no wondering, whether the favorite shirt is in the laundry and where on Earth did I place the matching pants. Just take a dress -any dress, as they all are very similar in style- slip it on and that's pretty much it.
      A nice bonus has been, that colors have entered into my wardrobe. I am a highly sensitive personality, and among other things, I am sensitive to colors up to a point where wearing even subtle colors made me feel very uncomfortable. I think I still have a navy blue jacket hanging in my closet- beautiful thing, but felt too colorful to be comfortable. So, my everyday clothing has come in not so exciting shades of gray, brown, white and black. I guess that wearing the same color from neck to ankle makes a difference for me (and I think that wearing a dress may be the only way for me to do that gracefully). It feels luxurious to be able to indulge in colors: blues, purples, greens. And speaking of colors, it is wonderful to be able to choose the colors I wear from dozens of options instead of just three or so in which ready-made garments come.
   Luxury is the word that comes into my mind in other ways as well. It is luxury these days to wear clothes that have tailored fit. Clothes that have not been sewn by some faceless person in a faraway country. Clothes whose seamstress has really put effort into them, trying to make a quality garment instead of just trying to get finished as quickly as possible. There is a difference, I tell you. A difference that both shows and feels.
   I am also happy to tell that though I now look different from other people, I haven't really drawn any awkward attention to myself. No comments, no stares. Granted, I have not been much out, but still! One of my main fears was that once I make such a radical change in my appearance, I would draw attention everywhere, but so far that hasn't happened.

Then to today's news. First and best news I've got is, that I have been invited to a job interview next week! It's the department store where we have done our weekend shopping- pretty close by, a big store (with good staff perks!) and a reputation of being a good place for part-time employees. At this point, it's just what I am looking for.
It's 7 years since I've been in a job interview, so I will need to prepare well for the interview. As far as my appearance goes, I think I'll go with a skirt and a shirt option as that should not look too eccentric. Hair back with a Ficcare. The only thing I haven't quite solved yet is my stretched ear. My plan is to scout next weekend, what kind of earrings their employees wear.
       Second news was, that I found out that some luck has come my way and I'm not one step from being broke as I thought I was. Instead, a lucky chance placed a little extra to my hands. I've stressed and worried this month so much, that I decided that I've deserved something nice. From the internet, of course! So, I went ahead and ordered some nice eartoys from BAF, as well as single spirals in two designs from LittleSeven (a Mini Goddess and a Squid in 10 ga, to be precise), and finished my shopping at Ficcare's new internet shop where I bought two Maximas clips, in black and in light blonde. I selected both Ficcares and BAF jewelry from job-hunting perspective, though. Something subtler for a change, that is. An extra nice surprise was, that the euro/dollar conversion rate is again very much in my favor, so this whole load ended up costing much less than I had anticipated.

The storm is over, but it's still wet and pretty miserable outside. So, no gardening, no stars. I think I will have both to my heart's content soon, so I am going to take advantage of these indoor days. There are, after all, so many important things to do that are not fun at all when the sun is beaming and birds are singing (Co-me out, co-me listen our con-cert, don't you feeeeeel you're rotting in theeeee-re?). But now, it's only cozy to read, write and sew.
And of course, now is the perfect time to wear all those hairtoys that apple trees "love". For today, I found a cute octopus clip that matches perfectly with my new dress. I bought it a year ago because I liked the color, but it just didn't match with anything- until now. But today, I'm glad I bought it back then.

Garden: Coming spring seems to have made our resident birds go delirious with joy (or sex drive, or whatever makes them sing). And it seems to be contagious. Today, as I walked in the garden, everywhere there seemed to be tiny green leaves sprouting up. It seems that the snowfall we had just a couple of days ago, as well as the fact that there are still some snowy spots in our garden, has gone totally unnoticed among the perennial plant population of our garden. I just hope the weather will stay nice. Especially, I hope that there will be a couple of sunny days ahead, because I don't think we have many days left to finish with the apple trees.

Sewing: My second dress/apron combination is ready- all I can say that it was rainy and sewing seemed like a good way to occupy my time 8-) . Really, the pattern IS simple and quick to sew- only the zipper produces me major problems. Pictures still pending...I'll get to them, I promise!

Hair: I did a s&d mission. For some reason, I spotted quite a lot of splits. I guess that it's due to lack of trimming this year, but probably it didn't hurt if I got more regularity to my haircare. Granted, at the moment I'm not totally neglecting my hair any longer, but neverthless, I'm not still even near the level where I was before we moved in here. Need to improve, need to improve...

Garden: Many plants that I will in near future refer to as "those #*!!! weeds" are in fact good to eat while they are young. Making nettle pancakes was once almost a spring ritual to me, and I have adopted it again (though, we have very few nettles growing in our garden). Many other plants are good in salads. Because our gardening seasons are so short -at least based on the "before-greenhouse-effect-kicked-in- stats"-, wild vegetables that grow a good month before any "real" vegetables can even be sown, are a welcome addition to the table. Not to mention that picking wild veggies now will save a trouble with weeding later. A little, anyway.

Hair: I found my golden Ficcare Primavera clip that had somehow become misplaced several months ago. It feels like new, and coordinates very nicely with my light green dress. It seems that out of my fine hairtoys, Ficcares have adapted best to my lifestyle change.
    In that regard, hairsticks have done worse. I don't like admitting it because I love all my hairsticks and am as tempted with new designs as ever- but it seems to be true. Since we moved to the country, I have worn my hairsticks only on special occassions and on days that are rainy AND quiet. I keep trying to think how I could wear them more often without sacrificing my comfort or risking harm to the sticks themselves. So far, I haven't come up with anything, except changing my style in the middle of the day, and on most days, that seems too much of a hassle.
   Other hairtoys/styles that work include scarf buns, scarf caps over a bun made with Amish pins and instant bun clips. Most of the time, I wear one of these options with a basic bun, depending on what I am planning to do. Not very imaginative, but most of the time, my hairstyle needs to be sturdy, sleek and secured to my head, be quick to make in the morning and last all day. That limits the options quite effectively. So yeah, this may be the only thing I miss in urban life, not having to be so ultra-practical with hair 9 days out of 10. But considering the joys I have gained into my life with this lifestyle change, it's not a big sacrifice.

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Important things first! Here is what I got from BB and Curlgirl.  [smiley=tekst-toppie.gif] Thank you so much! These ladies really have deserved some kudos: in spite of having a big hairtoy collection, I didn't have anything resembling what I now received. I don't know what the red thing is really called, but it's clearly a tube where one can put her hair for sleep. The size is so generous that I can probably continue to wear this thing for ever. I will test it tonight!
  Besides the tube, I got two crocheted crunchies. They're super nice, made of thin yarn that makes them just perfect for my thin hair. It doesn't really show in the picture, but the tan scrunchie has little beads adorning it. Lovely!
And then, there was this very cute postcard that you can see behind the tulip.
Sometimes I think that we're basically just a huge bunch of psychics here at LL- how else could I keep getting just perfect presents every time?
      If anyone wonders, yes, I have made the tablecloth during this winter. It was quite easy but the embroidery took some time.

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And here are two pics T took last night. Here I'm wearing my first homemade dress-apron combination. The hideous zipper doesn't fortunately show. I now make the inverted pleat in the shoulder a bit smaller, but it required me to alter the pattern so it doesn't really count as a mistake. I like this color a lot- it's perfect for spring.
As you can see, the matching apron ties at the side- I've started to really like the look. In my hair, I'm wearing a golden Primavera Maximas clip.

Speaking of simple dress, I think I have just started to realize, HOW simple things get once you throw the western conception of style out of the window. This newest revelation arrived me with the brochure of a big department store's sale days dropping to my mailbox. As is my habit, I started lazily to leaf through the brochure. Nice pair of shoes here...that's a pretty necklace!...what an interesting scarf there...and so on, until, at some point it hit me: this spring, I'm not going to buy anything. There are not that many shoe styles that go with my dresses (and I already possess such shoes). I realized that I had left the world of accessories behind me almost as completely as I had left my everyday trousers and shirts. I have to admit that the first thought in my mind was not "cool, I'll save a ton!" but "what have I done?". I had thought that I was a sensible, rather frugal shopper. It really took this huge simplicity experiment to reveal the truth of how false that conception had been. Suddenly, I felt liberated to such extreme that a void seemed to be forming into my head. What would I now do with all this spare time, money and energy? Could I find anything to fill the void this size and shape? Though it is obvious that it's not the best part of me that is suppressed by adopting a simple dress, it may be a big enough part to make being content with simplicity hard for me from time to time.
   In some ways, I don't think I can fill this void. It isn't obviously created by real need. It's not created by the desire to have and wear something beautiful. Mostly, the "need" that I have now stopped fulfilling is the need to consume, the need to get something new just because it's new and shiney, the need to participate in the religion of Shopping. I used to think how little dress matters...but now, as a result of my experiment, I now think that there is more to these issues than meets the eye.

Garden: It's waking up! And once my camera starts acting weirdly, I will post pictures. First snowdrops are flowering, first butterflies hav been spotted and the apple tree cutting time is over. We did finish our task of cutting all 26 trees during the weekend. Next year, though, I think we'll start cutting already in February. We just have so many trees! The whole garden seems now fresher and renewed and in beautiful spring weather, nothing could be better than spend some time working in there. Besides working with apple trees, we have now planted the first seeds indoors. In a month, I'm not sure if we'll have an empty horizontal surface anywhere near the windows.
  Beautiful weather has also meant clear skies in the evening. Last night, I got some very fine views on the Moon. It's amazing how the disk I have seen in the sky all my life feels suddenly new and exciting. Take my advice: there are things in the sky you want to see before you die, and the craters on the Moon are one of those things. I could travel to the other side of the globe and not yet see a landscape so alien and luminous as are the valleys and the mountains of the Moon.

Hair: Speaking of stargazing, I have discovered that a low bun is not the style to wear while observing. Especially not a low bun with instant bun clip. It is, as if my conception of a "sleek, country-appropriate hairstyle" is being nibbled at the corners all the time. It's just as well that I know that cutting would not be the answer.
Did XZ deep treatment on Saturday. I think my hair really likes the stuff, for colored hair or not.

So glad you like the hair toys!! :)  The tube is called the Satin Sox for Long Locks.  I invented  and make them for people with long hair so they could protect it while they sleep,clean and or just need their hair out of harm's way.  If you need any info on how to use it or anything about it,just pm me and I'd be glad to explain! :)
The dress is beautiful,excellent job!!

Well, I for one love my Satin Sox! I wore it for the bed last evening and it was just perfect. It's big enough so that it really stays where I put it- out of my way, no matter how much I toss and turn. It's also super comfortable! For quite a while now, I have worn my hair to bed in different styles because I have not been really happy with any one style, but Satin Sox is really good- it may well make all the difference! Big thanks again!  :-*

My happiness continued in the morning, as the mail lady came to our door with two packages. One contained my Ficcares. It seems that since the launch of their website, Ficcare has really improved their service!. I ordered one large Maximas in black -a gorgeous thing that will send my favorite fakkare to retirement, and one in light blonde. At first I thought the light blonde coloring looked kinda weird, as if it had had a yellowish green tint. But, when I tried it in my hair, it blended in extremely well, so it is a wonderful clip a fter all. Maybe my hair has a greenish tint as well...
   The other package was from Little Seven. I opened it and *THUD*. Their jewelry is absolutely gorgeous, and the pictures just don't do justice to them. In pictures they look like interestingly shaped spirals, but in reality they SCREAM quality, detail and art. It's easy to see why they cost so much compared to other spiral jewelry I have seen. So, you see, I had no choice but to do my final stretch to 10 g right away (without waiting for the taper to arrive...how typical...), with the help of some hot water, jojoba oil and my Squid. It's so cool that Little Seven jewelry can be used to stretching as it is tapered! With abovementioned aids, the earring slid in with no trouble. It did tingle a bit, but did not actually hurt -a sign of a good stretch. Right now my ear is a bit tender, but who cares since it has this *thud*ding piece of jewelry in it. My Squid looks different when viewed from different angles, 10 g is the perfect size for me, and well...this is true love! I think I will leave my newly stretched ear alone until it has settled down completely- when it has, I have this Mini Goddess spiral waiting.
   I have now reached my final stretching goal. To conclude, the stretching process was very easy and painless. I'm happy with the result too. I love the jewelry I am now able to wear, and love having a bit different ear.
    I certainly hope I will do well in tomorrow's job interview and will get the job, because I need to start collecting funds for next toys from Little7 and Ficcare. ;) We weren't able to fix the memory card of our digicam yet, but when we have (or have bought a new one), I'll post pictures of my new gorgeousnesses.

Garden: This week is all warm and sunny and I have a problem: once I stick my nose outdoors, I don't want to come back inside before it starts getting dark and cool. After it's really dark, I come back though, more warmly dressed and carrying my star observation equipment. Yesterday evening we enjoyed of clear sky again, and I did a little galaxy hunting. I found my first Messier object, a galaxy known as M51 in vicinity of Ursa Major. It's amazing what surprises and wonders these familiar constellations harbor!
     Little birds are now checking out the nesting boxes we placed for them- they resemble so much people looking for a house to buy that it's funny. We haven't hanged the bat box yet though- we're still trying to think where the bats would like it best.

I'm so glad I made the right choice with the style of Satin Sox to give you!! :-*  I make two different kinds,one with the casing that you got and one with  a seperate tie.  Now if my business would have people try it and love it like you, all would be great!!!!  Good luck with the interview,I'm sure you'll really "wow" them! ;)
As for the bats,anywhere dark and a place that they can hang is perfect!

Curlgirl, after a little more testing I have to say that I'm really impressed of your Satin Sox. If you will let me know (by posting here or via pm) your contact information, I'd be happy to do a review of it to LHC's Products board. I'm sure that there are many longhairs who would love to hear of your products.

I think my job interview went well, and the department store would seem like a nice place to work part time. However, in the beginning of the interview they said that many of their former employees wanted to come back for summer and therefore they have only a couple of open vacancies. Seeing what the job market in this area is, I can't hope much. Job-wise, things don't look too good for me right now...it's kind of stressing, but there's only so much I can do, and I'm already doing it. So I try to focus on brighter things, hard as it is.
   In general, it seems that this spring has been quite hard for many people close to me. T is stressed in his job for various (good)reasons, my mother's health has caused her problems and to top it all off, I just learned that my good friend and colleague is in family crisis and his DH is moving out. Almost makes me wonder if there is some airborne misfortune bug spreading around.

Camera isn't working yet, and T has had to work overtime this week so he hasn't been able to sort the problem out. Until then, my "pictures to take"-list just keeps growing.

   My ear hasn't changed much. It's still a bit tender (when touched), but not worse in any way so I think that it just needs a little time to settle in to its new size.
  However, it seems that I'm hit with "the stretcher's problem", and now possess some nice jewelry that I can't wear any longer. I'm not sure if I can still wear my 12g jewelry (though it's just one ring that I really like), but 14 g and smaller jewelry is a goner. Of course, unless I some day decide to stretch my left ear as well. I don't see that happening though- unlike most conventional earrings, stretching jewelry seems to work very well when worn in just one ear. Most of the time, I don't wear anything in my left ear. If I want to have something in there, I just go for a plain small stud. I haven't figured out, what would I wear in an "evening gown" occassion where my Spiral would not be appropriate...but then, I haven't such an occassion looming anywhere in near future so there's still time to figure that out.

Hair: I know I'm repeating myself and badly, but Satin Sox is really the biggest event in the life of my hair for several months- in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it made it to the category of Great Hair Innovations with things like Ficcares, Longlocks hair sticks, Chagrin Valley shampoo bars and ACV. So I think I'm entitled to rave a little!
   
Simple Dress Experiment: Aargh, more brochures (this time, Gudrun Sjöden's summer brochure), more temptations. I'm not giving up -no matter what, I have decided to stick with this experiment until the end of the year- but I'm tempted neverthless. I don't need more clothes, and I think my dresses look nice...so, obviously, I just want stuff for the sake of stuff, and there's some strange link in my brain between seeing a pretty garment and getting this primitive need to own it right away. I think I'm better off if I can get rid of this connection...but obviously, it takes a lot more than just jumping into a simple dress.
   It's just for things like this I like to commit to my character improvement projects for a year at a time. It takes months for things to unfold and if I really hit a goldmine -like I think I have done with this experiment- there is enough food for thought for months.

T took Lumi to her surgery, and it's scheduled to start shortly. I know that neutering is good for her and will very likely prevent her developing a cancer later, and that it's a routine procedure...but still, I'm nervous. I hope to hear of them soon.

Ear Stretching: On Saturday morning, my ear started to show signs of infection- as if it had realized that the last moment to cause trouble is now. I've done sea salt soaks every day, and it's getting better now. Luckily it hasn't looked red or swollen at any time, and I have been able to enjoy at least the look (if not the feel) of my jewelry.
Since my Squid worked itself out of my ear while I was sleeping last night, I decided to change it to mini Goddess yesterday. Ahead of time, I know, but I decided that it can't be that bad and it hasn't. The Goddess is fabulous and has stayed in my ear, but I still think I like the Squid just a bit better. I will resist my urge to change back in order to keep fiddling my ear at minimum.
   Yesterday was the first time I saw someone else who had a stretched lobe. It was a girl, who had a plug that looked quite big- 0g or 00 g I think. It suited her, but confirmed my belief that bigger gauges are not my thing.

Hair: Not much news. I guess my hair routine is very boring- unless you think of it as a sign of that I have settled with something that works really well.

Country Living: We are still working with raspberries, and my arms are full of scratches and small cuts. Ow. But, now the cutting part is almost done, and hopefully today we'll get to the digging part. I don't think we'll have many raspberries this year- the poor neglected patch has produced too little new growth. But I hope that the good care we'll give our raspberries this year will be rewarded next year.
  First spring flowers are decorating the garden, and more is growing all the time. Animal life is also getting more diverse- many insects like first butterflies and spiders have woken up.
  I haven't found a job yet, but haven't given up hope either. "Something will turn up" is my new mantra. The job market here is just so much smaller than in capital region...I need to be patient.

Lumi's operation went well, but unfortunately her recovery hasn't started equally well. At the moment, she is not eating voluntarily (except the few tiny dandelion leaves I found from our garden), and she's not pooping either. Because rabbits are vegans who eat low-energy food, they need to eat a lot and often, so her fasting is not good at all. I called the vet this morning, and today we are supposed to force feed her every 3-4 hours. Something good about me being still at home- I can take care of Lumi while T has to work. He decided to be at work just half a day today and take some work to home, though. I'm glad of it, because even if Lumi is not in perfect health, she is well enough to put up a good struggle for a lone force-feeder. If she won't start eating voluntarily today, tomorrow she will have to go to vet again. Needless to say, we are worried to pieces. Loss of Liina is still too fresh a painful memory, I suppose.

So, my annual recipe-fetching trip was today. I was afraid that the doctor would give me a fine BP-related lecture because I was sure my BP would be off scale due to recent events. At least, that fear didn't come true. My BP was off scale, but the doctor was very nice and after I had explained her latest events, she just said that there's no point to even record my BP value. I know though, that at the moment, even on a day when I don't feel like climbing up the wall and down the other, my BP is probably creeping too high again because of my weight gain. One day, I will start to take fixing it to my to-do list again.

But, even this nerve-wrecker for a day had its good moment: my BAF order finally arrived! I received: 10g steel taper (obsolete! What made me buy it in the first place anyway?), a pair of white bone jasmin earrings, two pairs of Colorfront plugs (by GWS), plus of course, the ordinary assortment of o-rings.
     Bone jasmin earrings are wonderful, though of course, I'm still unable to try one on at the moment. The size is just perfect- not too big, but they have a bit more substance than my 14g spirals. Definitely better! I am going to order the horn spirals in 10g as well, as I am now sure that in this size they will be even more beautiful than in 14g.
    Colorfront plugs- well, they look very much like "conventional" ear studs (so, they are a "job saver"), just more comfortable. My plugs are seconds, but the flaws they have are practically unnoticeable. My plugs come in blue and mint, and both colors are much prettier IRL than in the pictures. I'm SO going to buy more of these in more colors.
      After some thinking, I changed my earring (yes, bad me!) to a plug. I reasoned that since the plug weighs almost nothing and doesn't move, it *might* be better for my troublesome ear for the time being. My ear did not like me changing earring again, but it settled down pretty quickly, and at the moment of writing this, it feels so nice that I don't think I did a huge mistake.

I washed my hair late last evening, and as it was still dripping wet when we went to bed, I decided to sleep with a plain ponytail. I was too stressed to sleep well, but not having my Satin Sox on probably didn't help either.
   At the moment I'm wearing a scarf bun, because of the doctor and perhaps also because it's one of the few ways to keep my hair behaving when it's clean.
CV is on vacation, but I'm planning to leave a shampoo order anyway. We are running low on shampoo bars again, and now they seem to have also lovely Scarborough Fair soap in stock.

Country Living: Weather is getting cooler- we might even get some snow during the Easter. I'm not complaining though- such are Northern springs, and in reality this year has begun very nicely garden-wise. Speaking of Easter, T is still thinking that we should do some kind of growth/blessing ritual in the garden during Easter holidays. I think it's a great idea and am now trying to come up with something nice for us (of course, including chocolate eggs!). T has been curious of my faith, but has not requested to participate before. I have never done a ritual together with someone else before, so it'll be an exciting experience for me as well. But I'm sure it'll be nice and who knows- maybe the garden enjoys the attention as well. You never know about gardens, after all.

I hope your bunny feels better soon.  When I had my male bunny,Bashful,neutered,sometimes the surgery nay cause constipation.  He was fine,but maybe your bunny need some Petramalt.  Bunnies should have this everyweek,about an inch of the paste because it helps them pass hairballs.  Since bunnies can't throw up,the Petramalt acts like a laxative and helps the hair that they groomed off thier bodies pass through their intestine.  Try it to see if it helps.  I know that all natural pineapple juice is helpful for them also.  Keep us posted!! :)

We don't have Petramalt here- I don't think I've ever heard of it. But, our vet is the best bunny expert in the country, so Lumi is in good care.  :)
    Anyway, yesterday she was forcibly fed with loose oatmeal or pineapple juice three times, and we also continued giving her anti-nausea medicine as instructed. I think that dandelion might helped as well, as they have intestine stimulating properties. In late evening, she finally became perkier and nibbled some hay and pellets. In the morning, she continued to show mild interest for food, and had also made a few droppings. But, since her metabolism was still pretty far from normal and Easter holidays were coming, we decided to call the vet. Good thing we did, because she agreed with us that though Lumi has started to make progress, it has been too slow. So, now she is again en route to vet with T, and there she will get injections of fluids and some vitamins. She is such a tiny rabbit, and sterilization is a relatively big operation for does, so I'm not surprised of that she is recovering a bit slowly. She seems to be in discomfort- no wonder, I'm sure that losing both uterus and ovaries makes stomach area feel funny and sore. But, I'm glad she'll get checked once more and then we'll have time to care for her during the Easter. And, I'm glad we have found our rabbit-expert vet. Most vets here are specialized in treating dogs and cats, and give rather poor care to rabbits. It's comforting to know that Lumi will get as good care as is possible in this country.

The weather has turned cold and cloudy again, so it's an indoors day for me. I don't mind, this week has been so full of stress that now that Lumi is starting to do better, I feel I really need to do everything in my power to relax. Doing chores is always good, and besides that I still have fabric for one dress, as well as my cross stitch project to work with. I'm also planning to meditate and perhaps to bake in the evening. My goal is to be so nice to myself that when Easter holidays are over, I'm once again full of energy for job hunting and ideas for my doctor's thesis.
    Because this day is going to be a quiet indoor day, I also decided that this would be a good day to wear hairsticks. MT's bunny pair was the only possible choice.  :)  We need some rabbit energy around here.

Oh I hope poor Lumi is feeling better http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/950/bouquet.gif I am happy to hear you have a good vet who is versed in rabbits.  My bunny sends her get well nose lick and a cuddle. :)

Lumi thanks for well wishes!  :) She put a good struggle up at the vet, but they managed to give her the necessary infections and it seems that they have helped her recovery. Today she is almost back to normal (well, hard to say exactly, since at the moment she hasn't woken up yet). :D
   We have also another animal related happy news: one of the nesting boxes we fastened a couple of weeks ago has got inhabitants! They are busy building their nest, and we are so excited!

Hair: I caved in and had T trim my hair yesterday. I realized that the idea of wearing down didn't feel nice because I knew my ends were neglected. T trimmed about 2cm /(3/4 in? ). There was very little hair on the floor, so I guess the trim came in need. If I don't trim at all, I think that I may reach waistlength in July, maybe in late June if I'm lucky. That's not too bad!
   I keep forgetting to buy vinegar when I shop groceries- like TP, salt and sugar it seems to be one of those items that I imagine never runs out. So, at the moment, I have enough ACV to one hair wash only. I really need to remember buy more.
  Today's style is log roll with a pink claw clip: windy outside, work to do indoors, and I wanted to wear something else than the basic bun I wear every day. I'm glad I can use claw clips again. They are going out of fashion, so I hope that I don't have to find replacements for the prettier ones I have. Nowadays they seem to came mostly in black and tortoise- where's the excitement in that?

Lumi is back to normal now, as far as her behavior and appetite go. We are relieved!

Easter here was cold and windy, so instead of gardening we spent the time mostly indoors. I managed to be productive, and did lots of stuff that I have neglected when the weather has been better and garden more appealing than doing chores.
   Among other things, I sewed my aubergine dress and apron. Then, it was time to order new fabrics for the remaining dresses. Soon, I have made all the dresses I need! Even, if it has turned out that my current lifestyle is quite consuming for clothing. Then, I'm going to sew a couple of slips, knit a nice cardigan to replace the one I have worn and loved so much that it won't probably last through next winter, and of course complete my biggest challenge and sew myself a winter robe. I've been glad to find out that so many of my "old" clothes are still perfectly serviceable. If I make my simplicity experiment permanent, I won't probably replace most of them, but as long as they are good to wear, they will be worn. As I see it, simplifying should not be used as an excuse for a wardrobe makeover, as that would be just wasteful.
   As it is, I have fought the temptation to get more than I really need while fabric shopping. For one who has a history of being color-challenged, the selections of online stores are nothing short of mind-blowing. Sapphire blue, garden green, crocus, maize yellow... I'm just thankful that I'm not into printed fabrics. :P

Hair&Ear Stretching: I guess this is it, as far as the ear stretching goes. My ear is now fully healed- it took just a couple of days after I changed to the glass plug. At the moment, I am comfortably wearing the Squid again.  :D
Hair is dirty- we went to sauna on Friday and it accommodated. I'd like to wash today, but if I do, I may have a bit of a problem when the end of the week comes, as I don't want to have dirty hair or very clean hair for T's doctoral examination & celebrations. Today, I'll manage by wearing a bun, but I'm afraid tomorrow will be really bad. Maybe I'll just do some scarf thing and try to look innocent.

Chagrin Valley's website is up and running again, and I was finally able to order shampoo and a couple of bars of soap. Unfortunately Ida had already run out of Apple Cider soap, but on the other hand I managed to order a bar of babassu & marshmallow shampoo. As strange as it may sound- I'm almost glad that she doesn't have everything available at all times. If she did, I would have to order huge boxes of soap instead of large GPM envelopes, and then probably take a shower every day in order to consume them in time. :P
     Speaking of showers, I just came out of it, and am now waiting for my hair to dry a little before heading to bed. So, I managed to wait, though my hair felt quite hideous. It seems that the tolerance I developed during the WO experiment hasn't lasted.

Life: Still no sign of a job. Blah. Weather is windy and cool, so again a day without gardening. T is anxious about Friday, and about having a sore throat and fatigue today. I guess that this won't go into history as the best week of my life, but after the troubles and worries of last week, I have felt quite content and relaxed. It is spring, after all, crocuses are in full bloom and I still have enough stuff to do to keep me occupied- even if it doesn't pay.

Waiting. That seems to be the theme of my life at the moment. I'm waiting for a job to appear, waiting for summer, waiting for things to calm down after T's becoming a Doctor-hassle, waiting for my hair to reach waist length...the list goes on.
   Yet, though objectively speaking it can be disputed whether or not my life's going so well at the moment, I feel strangely calm and content. The anxiety I have been feeling for the past few months is gone, and somehow I have this feeling that things are going to get better.

One thing I wish was going to get better is my hair. Today it has been very clean and very annoying. I've worn a scarf bun all day, and hair is doing its best to escape even from there. I'd like to look better tomorrow as it's a big day for T, but we'll see. Of course, if worse comes to worst, I can always stick some gorgeous LL hairsticks into my bun. :)

(((((((Galadriel)))))))) Everybody's waiting for something. Think of it that way and it might not seem so frustrating.  ;)
   Right now, I'm waiting for my long-distance love interest to find work also...and waiting for him to come out for a visit...and waiting for my hair to reach BSL...and waiting for a certain wireless company to refund my &@#% money already...etc. etc. etc.  ;D  It sux being stuck in limbo land, but no one is stuck there forever. Hang in there.

And trust your instinct...things will get better.  :)

We are all waiting for something - it might be good, it might not be.  Just remember, there is no point in fretting over things you cannot change or influence, so you might as well just let things happen as they may.  Galadriel - I am sure your simple living and your positive outlook on life will carry you through anything life can throw at you.  Keeping what is important in perspective is the key.  Our own personal satisfaction and happiness is what is most important and is what carries us thru the tougher times.

(Oh, and sticking some LL sticks in that unruly bun WILL make things better.  ;) )

Thanks for your support and kind words, Angel Spun and bikerbraid!

I'm finally back after a very busy weekend. T's academic disputation (I finally think I've found the correct term for the event!) was on Friday, and it went very well. That wasn't a surprise to me though- I know he is a very bright man who has worked very hard with this project and it also showed from his thesis. I know because I've read it.
   Though T had kept the ceremonies small, it was evening when we got back, totally exhausted. On Saturday, we went to celebrate with T's family and friends, and we stayed overnight at T's father. We came back on Sunday, did a little gardening, rested and the weekend was over before we knew. Today, T had to fly to Sweden. He'll be back on Thursday, and until then, I'm in charge of keeping this place together -of course, under Lumi The Rabbit's supervision.

The weather has been hot for spring- like sweetest summer, in fact. During the weekend I didn't have many chances to enjoy of it, but today I have worked most of the day in the garden. I decided to sow the very first vegetables. A month early, I know, but as it is this warm, it's easy to be hopeful.

Hair: Unusually lot of washing and rinsing- though I'm not sure whether this will be so unusual in the coming months. My solution for travel and celebrations of the weekend was wearing a bun with black Ficcare all the time. It's just amazing how versatile that clip is!
   Today was a plain bun and a scarf-day. The bandana works in garden for now, but it's clear that I will need to find something that provides more coverage soon. A straw hat, perhaps...
Right now, my hair is a bit damp after latest rinsing. I'm wearing a bun with LL swing stix- getting some special positive Hairstix energy, and just enjoying one of the few moments when hairsticks are the perfect thing to wear.

Woohoo! I'm proud to report that I have finally managed to make an infinity bun that works. With damp hair, anyway. I just started to play with my hair, grabbed nearest Ficcare and ta da! It looks so nice!

The weather has turned a bit cooler and rainy, though our garden doesn't seem to mind. New flowers are popping up everywhere. But I decided that this would be a good day to go to Helsinki to do some shopping. My shopping these days isn't all that exciting- sewing notions, some seeds for the garden and such. No one sells interesting hairtoys, and I like my homemade dresses far better than the weird little things that are called this spring's fashion.
I did find two nice cotton scarves though (as if my scarf collections wasn't already almost as huge as my hairstick collection...) . Helsinki visit also gave me a good opportunity to wear a pair of Longlocks hairsticks -Spring Daisies, if I remember the name correctly. Purple SpiralStix, in any case, that matched nicely with my aubergine dress.
    When I met my mother, she told me about her friend who had problems with her dry hair and asked me advice! I passed, among a few other tips, the recipe for SMT treatment. I felt sooo hair guru-like, and it's all because I've hanged around here for a couple of years now! 8-)
   
Country Living: Yesterday my morning started with a happy surprise. The mail lady was at the door, and she had my latest fabric shipment. As usually, I had ordered Economy shipping from Vogue Fabrics, but they had sent it via Priority mail -even though I had been charged only for the slower shipping. That was very nice of them! I got broadcloth in brown, that is one of my old favorite colors, and in wine, that is a new color I want to try. I think I will finish the wine dress and apron before T comes late tomorrow evening. They are so quick to sew, now that I don't have to use the seam ripper ALL the time *knocks wood*.
    Right now the sky seems to be fairly clear, so I think that once my hair has dried just a little more, I will head outdoors and observe some stars. I haven't done that in some weeks, so I'm sure the sky is in a bit different position than it was the last time I observed. One of these days, I really should get up before sunrise, as in this month at that time there are some "rare" constellations visible. We live so north, that for example, some constellations of Zodiac are only partly visible, and mostly during summer months when our skies are too bright for obsering. It sure would be nice to see what can be seen of constellations like Scorpio and Sagittarius! We'll see if I have enough willpower to get up at so inhuman time of night! :P
   

Country Living: It was a good idea to go observing stars yesterday- today, a storm is coming and it's already cold, windy and rainy. I did mount the binoculars, but didn't use them- the sky was in a new position so I spent my observation time just learning to navigate among unknown constellations. It was really fun, though. It's a shame that my star hobby goes to a couple of months' break just in a couple of weeks, as our Northern skies grow too light to see deep sky.
    Today, I finished my wine dress and accompanying apron as I anticipated. It seems that I need to test all the new colors individually to see what works in dresses and what doesn't. For example, this newest creation of mine looks fabulous on me. On the other hand, I don't like at all how my khaki dress looks. It's strange- khaki has been present in my wardrobe for years, in pants, skirts, shirts- you name it, and I probably have had it and liked it. So, I thought that it would be a sure bet for a dress color. But no. Some colors are just not meant for my dresses. I'm just glad that my other color selections have been better.
   
Hair: I've played with infinity buns, and I can produce the style fairly reliably.  :D Just the Ficcare version, but that's a good start. It occurred to me, that this bun was among the styles I've been waiting for ever since I first saw it -probably on these boards shortly after my arrival here. Perhaps, because everyone has kept saying that it is a long hair style. My hair doesn't feel long yet, but I'm starting to think that it must be at least fairly long if I can master this style! Of course, I can now make Figure 8 buns as well, secure enough to be seriously considered as an addition to my little collection of everyday styles. I've felt just a little bored with doing the same old knot bun every day, so these new additions are very welcome.

Some garden pictures, finally!

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/3487/omenapuu1za3.jpg

Umm. This apple tree is one of our prettiest- unfortunately its cute "bonsai tree" shape is kind of hard to see because the branches of some other apple trees wanted to get in the picture too.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/524/omenapuu2ex8.jpg
Another apple tree, a really interesting shape.

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/8079/esikotws9.jpg
Spring flowers

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/6226/belliskb1.jpg
First bellis flower. This little flower can be found in different places in our garden, and it is my favorite flower.

There's not that much new in my life- ordinary chores, gardening whenever it's not raining cats and dogs, my research and sewing have kept me busy. I have received some positive feedback regarding my research, but still no job and no funding.
Garden has really sucked the water that has rained lately, and things grow faster and faster. There's something new every day. And it won't be long before the apple trees bloom!

Hair: Just the same, as well. But yesterday, something interesting did happen in the hair front. I found a Ficcare catalog from my mail box! Ficcare has truly changed its ways- after hearing so much horror stories about the company I was sure I'd never get a catalog to my greedy little hands. But now it seems they have decided to start serving international customers. :D It even had a discount coupon in it! Unfortunately, discount or no discount, until I find work, I can't afford new expensive hairtoys. But, when I do get the money, this catalog does contain some excellent ideas on how to spend it! I guess I can stop worrying about how to get Ficcares- just order directly from the company and that's it! Hooray!

Pretty flowers! :D

Lovely flowers!  My tulips have just started opening this week - I always love the color they add to the yard when the grass is not yet fully green and the trees have not yet leafed out.  Your little flowers are certainly a bright addition!

NICE garden!!   :)

Those are beautiful flowers and trees... The second tree down reminds me of the very first tree I ever fell out of! It was a bit bigger I think, but a very similar shape.

BB: We have tulips as well- I planted some small, red botanical tulips last fall, and they are starting to bloom right now. Botanical tulips are earlier than hybrids, and I like them because they bloom well for many springs.

Kiraela: That is our highest apple tree, and it was very difficult to cut. I remember I was afraid that T would fall from it when he had to balance at the top and cut at the same time. But all went well.  I'm glad we managed it- what we have now looks like a totally different tree from that shaggy, overgrown thing we started working with.

Spring has arrived early to us this year. It's the greenhouse effect, I know, but neverthless, I can't help enjoying it.
I have already sown first veggies: corn salad and radishes. It's early and therefore a bit of a gamble, but so far everything looks good. Chives are already big enough to be used- I hope that in the coming years, we will have more perennial herbs and plants that start growing early.
    Late spring is also when our lawn will be at its prettiest. I suppose it's a modern gardeners nightmare- there is enough grass so that it can be called a lawn, but also different mosses, clovers, anemones, cowslips, bellises and other little flowers I can't even name. We find it lively and lovely, and don't even mind the dandelions because we know that Lumi's eyes will be like this  :o :D when we bring her out for the first time (we have brought some weeds for her to eat, and she loves them like crazy). It may take a long time to create a perfect velvety lawn, but I know it also takes a long time to develop a beautiful semi-wild lawn like ours. One of my goals is to figure out how to care for it without destroying its diversity. We have decided to preserve the green look of our garden -no new flower beds except around our terrace and to the front yard, so flowers that grow and spread semi-wild in the lawn become important.
   
Hair: I'm thinking my hair is boring and that I don't have any hairtoys.
       I think my hair is boring, because all I feel comfortable wearing as an everyday style are flat buns. How sad is that?
               Almost every day I make a knot bun, because I couldn't make any other buns for a while when my hair was in an awkward length.
               Of course, nowadays I could make at least three other buns, if only I remembered/wanted to. Cinnabuns are back, and there are the newcomers Figure 8 and Infinity bun. Probably my braided buns aren't as awful as they used to be, either. So, there are at least four different styles from which I can choose every day. How many options does a person with short hair have???
               If you count different hairtoys, there are dozens of variations. Oh, except that I don't have any hairtoys.
That is, because I can't afford to buy a huge load of Ficcares RIGHT NOW, and what else is there for me to wear? Woe is me!
   Even though in  a couple of months, in all likelihood, I will be able to afford fancy clips again.
Besides, I already have 6 large Maximas Ficcares, two of which have been bought just a little while ago.
   If I'm bored with them, I can always wear some other clips. Or do something with one of my scarves. I think I have only a few dozens of them, and they all are nice.
   Just like my hairstick collection. Plus the couple of baskets full of other hairtoys that I could choose to wear any moment.
    You know, the same baskets that I have had to cup to my hairtoy cupboard so tightly that sometimes they plop out and it becomes hard for me to close the door.

I'm a sad, little irrational mess, but at least I can admit it :P

Hang in there - I too go thru periods of indifference towards my hair.  I will just put it up and forget about it.  As long as you don't do anything to damage your hair, you can stick it out and then suddenly, one day you discover your hair is longer and a new style can be attempted sucessfully!  :)

Good luck with your lawn!

I'm too lazy to do anything that would damage my hair  :P. Today, it's safely in a scarf bun I made with a new blue scarf. Scarf buns are always as pretty as the cute bandanas used to creating them, even if the hair inside them isn't.
 
Garden: Warm, sunny and absolutely lovely weather continues. Today, we did some shopping (again): some new roses and two pear trees (just to make sure that we won't run out of fruit, you know :P ).
   Our northern location affects to growing roses quite a lot. Many types of roses just aren't hardy enough to survive at our latitudes, and even if some less hardy species technically speaking survive, they will never grow as big and beautiful as they are meant to. Most tea roses are totally out of question, as well as most climbing roses. Growing roses meant for flower beds requires extra care. Roses that do best in our climate, are shrubs. That's ok with me, since I find shrub roses prettiest in any case (well, since I can't have that gorgeous rose arch...) I am planning to plant rose shrubs here and there, and it starts today!

Learning to sew: I finished my brown dress. For some reason, it didn't go nearly as smoothly as the previous dress. I made all kinds of mistakes, and the dress didn't turn out quite as well as the wine one. Mostly, I master the sewing process, but neckline and zipper still give me major trouble. But I'm going to persist.

Zippers, necks and sleeves.  Tough parts to master.  For the necklines and sleeves, remember to trim the seams, and clip the curves ALOT! Zippers just take practice.  :P

I used to have shrub roses when I lived in Iowa.  They were beautiful.  Good luck with yours.

Thanks for advice and encouragement- my plan is just to persist, and trust in that my 50th dress will be perfect. :P

Things here have been busy -as always, I suppose. My hair is about as neglected as this hair journal. Today I snipped off some splits, and the day before yesterday I did a very short deep treatment with XZ conditioner, but otherwise I have pretty much kept haircare as easy as humanly possible.

Simple Dress Experiment: Yesterday was May Day eve, and we had tickets to a club gig of a good Finnish band (PMMP, if any Finnish lurkers are curious  ;) ). A few hours before we had to leave, I realized that my jeans had been tucked safely into a storage box with a firm decision not to wear them until the end of the year. I have to say, going into a rock club in Helsinki wearing my simple wine dress and apron felt strange at first! But, then I noticed that people were dressed so diversely that I blended in surprisingly well. At least I didn't notice anyone staring at me. So again: I need to stop worrying beforehand and keep in mind, that most people have something better to think about than what I am wearing.
  As an interesting detail, I can report that I saw quite a few people with stretched earlobes. All wore big gauges though- from 00g up, I'd estimate. Stretching must be a new trend, though I don't know if everyone is scalpell happy or what. You'd think that you'd see some people who were "in the process". Hmm.

Work: No work, but there might be an interesting opportunity developing. It is possible that I get invited to do space research in Germany. Good thing: someone might pay for me for doing SPACE RESEARCH 8-) 8-) 8-). Bad thing: it is in Germany, and I have a family and an orchard. So, arranging this will be challenging.

Stars: Speaking of space, observation time is is ending soon. Last night when we were driving home from the gig, the clock was around 1.30-2 am, and though it was still what I would call dark, the sky wasn't nearly as dark as I remember it being. In Southern Finland, we don't get real white nights as the sun does go below horizon even in midsummer. It just won't go much below it and so, the sky isn't classified as dark at any time during the night from early May until late July. In midsummer, sky is very light through the night, though it is said that with very careful observing, stars up to 4 magnitude might be found. Obviously, that's not with MY observing skills! So, I hope that the skies will be clear for the few dark nights I have left before late summer, and that I may still make some good observations. Last night, when we had come home, I observed a bright, reddish star near the southern horizon- today, before going out, I will have to check if it was Antares of Scorpio. It would be so neat to see something of Scorpio that is such a difficult constellation to find from our skies.

Ooh, zippers are one of the things I'm NOT looking forward to trying to teach myself. Good luck with the sewing though, and with work.

Thanks, Kiraela. Zippers are difficult, but I am more stubborn than they are! [smiley=evil.gif] Besides, my zippers are getting better- there is huge difference between my first dress and the latest two. I'm learning slowly, but slow learning is still learning.

Note to self: Don't whine. a) It doesn't suit you and
                                    b) You'll feel silly when you find out that you're doing just fine.

So, as you probably remember, here I was whining that I can't afford buying new Ficcares RIGHT NOW. Well, what do you know- it seems I am going to get not just one but two Ficcares I have coveted- via LHC swap, without paying a cent except the postage. I get to swap two of my three medium clips that are too small for me to Larges.
I have loved the colors of these clips and have wanted to get them both in Large for a long time. :D So, long live the Swap board.
   Now that I'm excited, I am toying with the idea of doing a bigger cleaning in my hairtoy closet. I have some quality hairtoys that I don't really use- as nice as they are: France Luxe, Maiden's Treasures and I think that there is even a pair or two in my LL hairstick collection that I could bear to swap to some other LL pair...hmm... And, of course there are some hairtoys that though not highest quality, might still interest people like Taiwan clips and such...but we'll see!
   
Stars: I'm glad to report that the star I saw the other night was really Antares. There is no other star like it in the area I was looking at. Now, summer may come for all I care- I really wanted to see Antares and now I did.

Hey Galadriel, I would be interested in swapping. What is the "Swap board" you are talking about, please?

greek lady, Swap Board is a forum on The Longhair Community. Members can swap hair related items there. They have a trader rating system.  :)
   As I said, I am toying with the idea of putting some of my quality hairtoys for swap there. At the moment, I have just a growing list of items I could swap- but if you (or anyone else) is interested in seeing it, I am happy to pm it to you. At the moment, the list contains hairtoys such as Mamacat, France Luxe and Maiden's Treasures, as well as some cheaper but interesting stuff. I am happy to swap with members in good standing here (over 50 posts, and I have some idea of who you are), no need to go via LHC. :)
  In general, I plan to swap between items of approximately same value (an exchange of a bunch of cheaper hairtoys to one more expensive item would be ok). Since no one lives in Finland, I am planning to ship worldwide.
At the moment, I think I could bear to part with four pairs of hairsticks from my Longlocks collection, one of them being a Special Edition pair. However, I will swap Longlocks only to other Longlocks hairsticks!
Finally, I am not planning to sell anything.

Life: I had a flu yesterday. Guess what it is like to be me and have a flu.
T (coming home from work): Where are you? Are you feeling very ill?
Me: Quite ill *sneezes*.
T: What are you doing?
Me: Not much. Thinking.
T: Thinking? Are you THINKING? Haven't I told you that if you are sick, you must not think!
Me: But I'm thinking only a little. I'm answering some of the questions Dr. L sent me, regarding my thoughts on aliens. So you see, it's not really work at all.
T: Nonoonononoo. Stop right away and go to bed. You are not allowed to think about aliens before your temperature is back to normal.
Me *goes to bed, grumbling*
T (in two minutes): You are not thinking there in bed, are you?
Me: Very little.
T: Don't think of those aliens!!! You won't get well if you keep thinking of them.

Is it just my imagination, or are the conversations in this marriage a bit strange?
Well, T might have been right because later in the evening I got a headache that continued through the night. Today I have thought just a little, but mostly, I'm trying to rest today. Though it's very hard NOT to think.






   

LOL!  Oops! - I'm sorry you are not feeling well, but I couldn't help but laugh at your conversation!  Hubby and I have had similar conversations.  I don't know about you, but I"m always hoping no one is listening in - I'm sure they would think we were nuts!

Still chuckling about "not thinking".  When I was suffering with the lung infection a few weeks ago, all I could think about was breathing.... I felt if I didn't think about it I might stop breathing!  But on the other hand, it did keep me from thinking about work!  ;D

Hope you feel better quick! (so you can think about those aliens without guilt  ;))

LOL  --Hope you feel better soon

I am feeling much better today, though I have had hard time to rest as much as I should. So many interesting things are happening right now.

CURLGIRL64, I'm not sure if my anwers to your pm came through as the system gave me an error message twice. If I don't find a reply from you the next time I log in, I will try to send you a new pm. :)

Hair: Well, it seems that my quiet announcement to accept swap offers has been quite effective. :) At the moment, I am waiting for a THIRD Ficcare clip (large Caramel Maximas) to arrive, and am discussing a couple of other swaps as well! Thanks for everyone who has shown interest!
     So, my tighter budget has turned out to be a true blessing in disguise. It has prompted me to do a much-needed cleanup in my hairtoy collection, and to find new, good homes for many fine but neglected hairtoys. And in return, I get new toys pouring from doors and windows! :D Swappability (yes, I just decided that it IS an adjective...) is one of the nice things about quality hairtoys.

As far as my hair goes- what is there to tell. It behaves so well in these days with simplest of care. It may be boring material for journaling, but it is nice to live with such a well behaving hair.

Glad you're feeling better.  The alien converstation was very amusing btw. :D

WAAAAH! My pm box isn't still working! Greek_lady, I couldn't answer you either. But don't worry, I will keep both pairs you are interested in "reserved" to you for now.
Have patience, friends!

Yesterday was a sauna day again. Still no fancy deep treatments, just the ordinary jazz. But I made a French braid while my hair was still damp, and it gave me wonderful little waves that made my hair look twice as big as it really is. :D Even my bun today was bigger. I really like the look of bigger updos. I even haven't lost all my hope regarding them- it seems that also people with thinner hair can make respectable buns if they have really long hair. Grow, hair, grow!

Garden news: T's father visited yesterday. He is going to help us (probably do the most work...) in building our terrace and making some repairs. T is very excited of all that, as it will give him a great opportunity to learn hands-on working with wood, using tools and such. They will be working on May weekends, and the plan is that when June and summer arrives, we will have the terrace ready.
      It is impossible to reverse years of neglect with just one summer's work in a big garden, but I am pleased to see that already, our little realm shows signs of that things have started to turn for better. What will it look in five years?

I guess you didn't get my pm either :'(!  I have a pretty pink crystal flower hairclip you might be interested in for a swap of some LL sticks!!  I'm still hopeful that you might want a pic!

Galadriel, sorry to be posting this in here, but did you get my PMs with stick names of what I've found so far? I need some email address so I can send you their pictures. I searched through the site, but those pairs are not in the site search engine any more.

Curlgirl64 & greek_lady I was able to read your messages, but could not send replies- the system posted an error message and my message just disappeared. However, everything should be well now. Bikerbraid helped me to deal with the problem, and I think I have now managed to send replies to you both. Please let me know if that is not the case!  :)

Speaking of bikerbraid, I think she is interested to see this:
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/250/nuttuni2.jpg

This is my version of her ingenious bun. I can just barely make it (and I think it helps that my ends taper so much). It is a very nice bun- I love how elaborate it looks, though it is very quick to make.

Hair: I got my new Ficcares from trollkjerring: large Tiger Eye and Large Caramel. The swap went super smoothly, and I love both the clips. I was a bit unsure of the color of the Caramel clip -on some photos it has looked fabulous, but the catalog picture looks almost orange. So, I got a quick visit to the state of mind known as hairtoy heaven, when I saw it for real and discovered that the color is fabulous. Not orange-y to the least, but true caramel color. The gold border accents it perfectly- even T who rarely comments my hairtoys said it looks gorgeous, and I might add that IMO, that's an understatement. I think it's the most gorgeous clip in my collection.
The color doesn't match perfectly with my yellowish hair, but the clip is so gorgeous that it doesn't matter a bit.
In any case, I like it much better than my Light Blonde clip. And therefore...I am officially putting my large Light Blonde Ficcare to the Swap train as well (preferably to other Ficcares  ;) ). Again, I wish to give the first chance to those reading this journal.

As a very pleasant bonus, trollkjerring sent me BPAL samples as well. They are all new to me- I'll have fun testing them.

I discovered that the site where I ordered my kitchen caps, Prayercoverings, has increased their snood selection. I liked their cloth snood (that I lost when we moved) a lot. So, when I finally got around to checking the site with a plan to order a new one, I was pleased to notice that they are now offering it in a small size. I'm quite sure that a snood that hangs only very little will look and feel even better on me.

Yesterday, when I spent a long day in Helsinki, I stumbled upon a decent-looking and cheap straw hat at H&M. It looks silly, but I really need it only when I work in a garden on hot days, so if it keeps me comfortably covered, that's all I care about. Because it is a regular hat and not bonnet-type, I will have to learn to adjust my bun so that it won't be a problem.
   If this style doesn't work, prayercoverings offers a bonnet-shaped straw cap. However, I think it looks too prairie for me, so I hope I can manage it with the straw hat.

Simple Dress Experiment:
  So far, I have received two comments on my dress, and both have been positive. In general, I still haven't seen any reactions from strangers- except that sometimes, I think, people are more polite around me. I don't know why that is, because in my culture, the style I wear is truly unique and not associated to any groups. But it certainly is nice!

I love the bun!  You did a great job.  :D  My hair tapers quite a bit as well, and yes, I think it makes this style easier to do.  I've also found it to be "sturdy", in that it does not loosen up easily and is a good style for working in the yard or the woods (I cover my head with a scarf to keep the bugs and branches out of my hair as well).

Sounds like your hairtoy swaps are going quite well - it is a great way to keep the toy pile reasonable but still have new toys.   I just might have to think about swapping some hairsticks myself.  ;)

BB: I noticed the bun's sturdiness as well. I spent a very long day away from home with it, and when I came back home it was still in perfect shape. It's a great bun!
 
Then, today's show and tell: Ficcare & ear pictures!

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/4065/blackflipbh0.jpg
Black large Maximas with ponytail loop bun. In my ear: Mini Goddess spiral 10g. I never wear this style- it's just something I whipped together to show off the Ficcare.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/3356/caramelinfinityuo7.jpg
Large Caramel Maximas with infinity bun. Cameras are not friends of this clip- again, in the photo, it has this strange orange-ish tint. IRL, it is caramel brown, not orange. Trust me.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/9623/goldmattecinnabunxr3.jpg
Large Gold Matte Maximas with what tries to be a cinnamon bun but in fact resembles a seashell. Which is kinda nice though.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/4454/tigereyeropenj0.jpg
Large Tiger Eye Maximas with a rather pitiful rope braid bun. The bun is pretty, but why does it have to make my hair shrink?

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/6998/tigerlily10gpu1.jpg
Finally, the ear picture I promised: 10g bone Tigerlily earring. It doesn't look that big, really...

So, as you can see, swaps have gone very well- I received the Gold Matte Ficcare yesterday  :D. All my new clips are wonderful. Especially that caramel one that does so badly in photos!

As I typed my reply to Curlgirl64's pm, I remembered that there has been a dramatic hair incident I have not yet told you about. Well, there have been many similar type minor incidents, but I'll tell about just the worst.
      You see, though I have brainwashed myself to wearing a bun as a "default" style, here among the apple trees it just isn't enough to protect a longhair. Last weekend, when T's father was with us, I made the classic mistake of running outside "just for a little moment" without a headcovering. I didn't even venture into the big garden- just to the front yard. But, as I tend to forget, our front yard has over ten trees as well, they are just cleverly planted so that the area looks open.
Well, before I knew it, I felt a painful yank. A plum tree had struck. As usual, I tried to pull myself free. But this time, it didn't work. The branch had somehow managed to wrap my hair around it into a tangle. The more I pulled and twisted, the worse it got. Finally, T had to free me- which he did with admirable skill, but also a big smile.
Ouch.

Stars: Deep space observing season is over. Only few brightest stars are visible. And of course, Moon and the visible planets are still there, but that's not really much. I am thinking of observing the Moon during the summer though. It is quite a different sight with binoculars than with naked eye, and summer would be good time to get to know it better.

Your ficarre's (and hair) are fantastic!   Good job with showing both off in your pictures.

Your earring is facinating - I love its look.

As for the trees and hair - I know all too well that hair MUST be covered before venturing out.  Our land is completely tree covered and I swear the trees reach out to touch my hair (and then refuse to let go!).

Thanks for compliments! :)

I agree- fascinating is the right word about this type of earrings. So far, I have seen some stretched ears IRL, but not anything like I'm wearing myself. I'm so glad I decided to stretch- I have never enjoyed earrings (well, just one) this much. I do think that in the picture, my ear looks still rather small...I'm fighting the little voice telling me that going up to 8g might be a good idea after all.

Once again, I am thinking of how to make covering my hair so easy that I actually do it every time I need to. I totally agree with you- trees seem to get some pleasure out of reaching out and yanking at long hair.
So far, I have been wearing:
scarf caps: bandanas pinned to scarf shape. A pretty option, but obviously pinning requires so much work that it's not practical if I have to hurry out for a moment or two
Whatchamacallit scarf caps I bought from Headcoverings las year: These are really good, as far as functionality goes. They still need a clip & pin combo in front in order to stay in my head among the trees. Besides, I only have one in red/pink floral and one in violet floral, and I would prefer to have something more plain. Usually, if I pin a scarf cap on in the morning, I don't take it off before the evening. Meaning that I would like to be able to go shopping groceries and visit post office without having to take my headcovering off. I don't think I have yet guts to go doing those things wearing a big, flowery thing on my head.
On some days, I wear bandanas and pin the to my head but don't close them into caps. That is relatively quick and easy, but not entirely safe: if I'm unlucky, the wind flips the scarf just when I'm passing under a tree and *yank* happens.
  At the moment, I'm hoping that the small snoods I ordered, will be a good solution.

I'm so excited of all the swapping going on!  :D You ladies make my week!  :-* I can't wait until we've worked out the swaps and I can resume stalking the mail lady again.

Your clips are very pretty, every single one of them! :)

I just found out, that T had snatched digicam to work, so Mamacat pictures will arrive this evening to those who have requested them. Sorry for the delay!

Weekend: Busy. Saturday was like a work camp day for me. T's father came to build our terrace, and besides my normal chores and working in the garden, I ended up to be his helper until T showed up from Sweden. Since I don't know anything about working with wood, I ended up just carrying it where needed. I learned, that building a moderate size terrace requires LOTS of carrying work.
When T's father left, we finished with doing some garden work and at 9pm we were so tired that we just fell to the bed.
   On Sunday morning, I woke up and realized that every muscle in my body, from toes to neck and fingers was hurting. I had planned to finish my shoveling work in the garden, but ended up spending the day doing lighter work instead. The day passed quickly, and before 10 pm, we were ready for sleep again. This reminds me of latter part of last summer so much.
    Today, it's a weekday and I feel almost like resting now that I can spend some time writing, sorting my email ands such. Though, it's nice and sunny outside...

Hair: At least, the busy weekend gave me a good opportunity to test my new straw hat. I've been very pleased with it! It's great sun protection and if I manage to make my bun as small and low as I can, the apple trees don't knock it out of my head more than twice or so a day. Way to go!
     I am trying to remember to cover my head when going to garden (as well as not wandering into garden absent-mindedly). So far, I have managed.
   
Butterflies: Since wonders of the deep space aren't available to us for the next couple of months, we have turned our attention to animals in our garden. We are keeping a list of species we find: mammals, birds, butterflies and other critters. Of these, butterflies are my speciality.
    According to my butterfly book, a bit over 120 species of butterflies have been found from Finland. Of course, this number includes a large amount of rarities (even species with just one recorded sighting have been entered), as well as some Lappish species. Neverthless, we have every confidence in the attractiveness of our garden from butterfly perspective, even before we have had time to plant the "butterfly oasis" we have planned. My goal is to find at least 12 species during the summer. Since I don't catch butterflies for identification, I have to run after them and hope that the object of my interest is cooperative enough to sit down somewhere long enough for me to be able to identify it. Great exercise!
At the moment, our species list is four species long- a good start.

Great, I"ll keep an eye out!  Butterflies,eh?  Reminds me of late last Sept. that when I was sitting outside on my front stoop(stairs) that a beautiful monarch,the most beautiful I ever saw came to land on my hands!  It was black,midnight blue with purple,yellow and so stunningly! :)  Wish I had my camera then with me to take a pic!

Mamacat pictures sent! :D

Curlgirl64: I have seen monarch butterflies only in pictures. They are gorgeous! Managing to capture butterflies in photos is a kind of dream of mine- at the moment it seems that it may be a long while before that happens. It's hard enough to keep up with them without a camera!

I have always wanted to plan a butterfly garden, but unfortunately my property is not set up in such a way that I could do one properly.  Good luck with yours and I hope you get see many varieties.

This weekend on one of our bike rides thru a regional park, we saw many butterfly cocoons, so I look forward to going back after the hatching and hope to see them.

lol!Galadriel!  Yes,it's true!  Blink your eyes and their off on their mission!  I have never seen one like I did that day with all those colors.  That image will stay with me for a long time!

Last year on our bike trip, we stopped in a state park to walk on the sand dunes.  Near the ranger station, they had an area they roped off and brought out some butterflies that had just emerged and were drying their wings (and unable to fly).  Here's one of our pictures.
http://photos.tarsk.com/d/750-2/sag06_52.jpg

:)thank you for that pic!

Thanks for decorating my journal with a lovely picture! :D

Now that my pm system works just fine, I have problems with my email, and basically can't log in. I called the University's computer people, and it turned out that in order to fix things, I need to go to Helsinki. Blah. I'll do it tomorrow, and try not to think all the interesting and important emails that have all arrived today.
      For some reason, my head has felt like a big bowl o' porridge, so this has also been a remarkably unproductive day. I had planned to do some reading in order to prepare for the course on philosophy of quantum physic. But right now, my poor brain itself is a fine example of an odd quark, -not to be disturbed. So, my main attention has been on my newest cross stitch project, a wedding record. T chose it, and so it's even more full of rosebuds and tiny bouquets than my own choice would have been :P . But it's very detailed and interesting to stitch- just the kind of thing that is wonderful to work with on a rainy day like today.

Hair: I think I'll just go ahead and wash it today. After all, I've got new Chagrin Valley stuff, as well as nice untested BPAL's for afterwards. Maybe I could even do a hair mask or something...hmm...
  Speaking of BPAL, here are reviews of two of the scents I got from trollkjerring.
Scherezade: I don't usually like oriental scents, but this one is really nice. First, there is a hint of incence -maybe patchouli, but it soon melts to a deeper scent. Seducing, mysterious, deep but not too heavy. Wonderful.
Delight: Powdery scent straight from Marie Antoinette's dressing room. Slightly decadent, absolutely luxurious scent that commands you to like it, in a slightly guilty way.
     

For a change, I got some hair news.
Inspired by writing this journal yesterday, I decided to do a deep treatment. While searching for my trusted XZ deep conditioner, I found a brand new, untested hair mask waiting. So, a quick change of plans was in order!
The hair mask I tried was L'Oreal ElVital hair mask for long hair. You don't see products targeted for long hair too often, and this also looked quite promising in the store (no silicones or other alarming stuff). It takes just a minute to do- also something I want from my products in these days. I used it after washing my hair, as instructed. Now, I can tell that it made my hair feel nicer than it does after an average wash, but I can't actually describe how. However, I think this is an ok product. My hair is just in such a good condition in these days that no special treatments make dramatic difference.
    Second, and perhaps smaller news is, that today I wore a pair of hairsticks. Haven't done that for a while. But since I was going to Helsinki, I decided to seize the opportunity to wear a hairstick style instead of my everyday Ficcares and scarves. Caramello pair was the lucky one.

Otherwise, this day was one of those days when you start feeling by mid-afternoon that you should have stayed in bed, grabbed a good book and some cheese. Why can't the Universe let us know such things in the morning while one could still do something about it??? A few little accidents, a generous sprinkling of bad and just not so good news and just every possible little thing going slightly yet clearly wrong... what a joy it was to return inside the fencing of my little realm, away from the world that just doesn't like me today.
   Now, I'm waiting for my olive bread to rise and when I've finished baking, I'm just going to curl up in the sofa with T (who has also had a bad day today) and watch some Babylon 5 eps (since the Stargates we ordered some three and a half weeks ago from Australia haven't still showed up...*grumble*).
   Tomorrow must be a better day. It's a national holiday- free day for T- and we are going to spend it working in the garden and doing everything nice. At home.

Awww, I'm sorry you and T are having such a bad day.  Yes, it would be nice if the Universe would tell us in advance of bad days and then we could plan accordingly!

I've made my home my sanctuary, too.  I think sometimes its the only thing keeping me from harming myself or others!

I hope your DVD's arrive safe, sound and soon!!

Enjoy your holiday!

Edited for spelling error

Thanks for compassion, Sakina! :)

Yesterday ended well, and today has been again a genuinely good day. Weather has been warm and beautiful, so we have spent a lot of time outdoors, doing work-work, garden work and just relaxing. I can't wait until our terrace is ready so we can also eat in the garden.
      Hair is, as it is on a typical garden day: bunned, Ficcared and put safely under a pinned light green scarf cap. I have to give some more kudos to ElVital's hair mask though. Usually, when I have done a deep treatment, I notice the difference immediately but it soon begins to fade away. But this hair mask is different- if anything, my hair feels more clearly nice than on an average second day. I think I have found a new good product!

First, more pictures of my favorite place in the world. I will remove the last pic the next time I log in.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6474/esikkoir9.jpg

Orange cowslip. I didn't know they came in anything but yellow before red and orange ones started to pop up from the ground.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/551/kriikunapuuza7.jpg

Kriikuna plum tree blossoming. One of fifty in our garden. :D

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9366/nakymahk0.jpg

Just a nice green view.

Had to throw this in. That's obviously me (yes, I forgot the scarf...again...). I'm helping out Lumi who is experiencing first molting of her life. Rabbit care books advice, that rabbits should be brushed. But I've never met a rabbit who didn't lose her nerves after a couple of minutes of brushing- which is far from enough. So what I do is gently pluck loose fur with my fingers. When the rabbit does lose her nerves, I have usually managed to pluck away most of the loose fur.

Today: It's washing day, but my hair is still remarkably nice. ElVital's Long hair hair mask just keeps getting extra points. Today's style is a low bun with Ficcare, as usual.
   When we were shopping for weekend's groceries in our regular department store, something slightly amusing hair related happened. There were Wella's hair product consulents in the store, and they stopped every single woman walking -or rather, trying to walk- past them. But when I approached them, nothing happened. I had been expecting their attack so much that I in fact looked at them to see what caused this unexpected peace. That seemed to wake them up from whatever paralyze was possessing them. "Um...madam...we have these great hair products here..." one of the girls said in a very hesitant voice. I told them nicely that I wasn't interested...
I suppose that they had figured that out the moment they saw me.  ;D

Life: Just so that you know, I will be very busy for the whole next week. I am attending a course, and on top of that I must finish a grant application. I'm kind of expecting all that, as it is a bit different from what I have been doing lately.  Maybe I'll even learn something- it'd be super cool to be able to think and talk about philosophy of quantum physics :) .

EDIT: Picture removed

Nice pic's! :)  I love the one of you and Lumi.  I too pluck my bunnies fur to help him shed.  I use to brush him years ago but don't do it as much as he very boney. Poor thing! ::)

I love your pictures!  You have a lovely "yard" and I am sure it appreciates all the love and care you and T are giving it.

Thanks, both.  :)

So, here I am on a 15 minute break. The course I am attending is long and tiring (especially when you add the over 3 hours/day I need to spend in commuting...) but it's worth it. Our lecturer is very good, and I'm learning lots of interesting new stuff. Even physics!

Hair: I actually pampered my hair a little during the weekend: did a S&D, and yet another ElVital hair mask. I thought that since I've neglected my hair so much, it can't hurt. And it didn't.
My solution for long days is old trusted scarf bun, using a different scarf every day. Its comfort and ability to look neat all day are a combination that just can't be beaten.

Garden: T took some new garden pictures I'm going to add when I get more time.
Right now, the first thing I notice when entering the garden is the constant buzzing. Trees are blooming, and bees are giving their best performance.
Baby birds have hatched, and their parents are working long hours in feeding them. They seem to be doing a great job.
We have been busy planting- spring is almost over, summer is coming and though we have been working so much in the garden, there is still much to do. Like completing spring sowing.
We have also mowed the lawn for the first time, and the perfect combination of warmth, sunshine and rain we have had seems to ensure, that we'll get to do that soon again. 5 days of nice lawn, and two days work mowing it. Oh well, at least we stay in shape.

Gotta go, bye for now!

Another quick update... oh how glad will I be tomorrow when I finally have time to sit down, to answer pm's and just happily spend a little time in here. (Though, the lectures are very good, so I'm not complaining).

Anyway, the reason for this update is, that I received my Prayercoverings package.
I tried one of the small snoods yesterday, and so far, I like it. The small part of it is the pouch- as far as I can tell, the brim is totally normal. I like its shape a lot, and it's very quick and easy to put on an "ordinary" bun. I'm still figuring the best way to secure it to my head. Though the fit is excellent, things just tend to slide away because my hair is so slippery.

Another piece of news is, (in case there is still someone who doesn't know), that one of the best bands on Earth, Nightwish, is announcing their new singer later today. It'll be cool, I know...

*raises hand sheepishly*  
I'm that someone who didn't know...    :-?

Time for a little Nightwish promotion!  8-) As you may know, music in general is not "my thing"- most of the time I prefer to listen silence. Otherwise, my taste is pretty varied and I have no great passions. For me, music is like literature: many books are amusing, have a few good ideas or characters. But, I am also very critical and therefore, don't really enjoy most of the books I read or the music I listen to. In books, there are just a couple of exceptions to this- books that I have read many times and that I find just perfect. Mika Waltari's Dark Angel for one, Donna Tartt's The Secret History and of course Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Stephen King's Dark Tower I-IV.  In music, there is just one great exception from my great rule of blah. Nightwish.

If you have not heard their music, now it's the time to do some MP3 browsing. Tuomas (their songwriter) is a person who comes first to my mind when I think of the word "musical genius". Their music is very, VERY varied and has changed a lot throughout the years...so, you should check out several songs before making up your opinion. I won't even try to describe their style- if you are patient enough to go through the song list below, I'm sure you'll understand why.

Here's where to start... (list from oldest to newest songs)

1. Stargazers (from the album Oceanborn)
2. Pharaoh Sails to Orion (from the album Oceanborn)
3. Walking in the Air (from the album Oceanborn)
4. Wishmaster (from the album Wishmaster)
5. Ever Dream (from the album Century Child)
6. The Phantom of the Opera (from the album Century Child)
7. White Night Fantasy (B-side of single "Nemo")
8. Siren (from the album "Once")
9. Ghost Love Score (from the album "Once")
10. Eva (new single with the new singer, released yesterday)

If they haven't managed to enchant you at this point, I give up  :P . If you didn't follow my suggestion and say "I listened two songs, and didn't like them"...then you should really listen those remaining 8. If you liked what you heard, you should know that I did not include many of their best songs in this short list!
BTW, I have now heard the Eva single, and though the new singer is totally different from the old one, I think she'll do great. One more thing to wait: the new album that comes out this fall.

Life/Hair: As you can see, I finally have TIME.  :D So, today is also the day I will pack my hairtoys "going out". I hope to have time to go to PO, but at last on Monday I will be able to do that.
The lecture series is now over- it was tiring, but I loved every moment. I feel my IQ has risen by at least 15 points...though of course, that feeling may pass when I start working with the essay. :P
   My hair has been happily neglected all this time, and today is no different. Besides the new, great snoods, I also got a new heavy hair net from Bayley. I have discovered that for any time where my bun is covered by a snood, cap or scarf, these heavier nets are best. They aren't pretty, but they hold hair like iron, and I need just a couple of pins to keep my bun in order all day. Which is a great thing for comfort.

A good friend sent me several nightwish mp3s a few years ago and I loved them. Unfortunately they were lost in the worst catastrophe in years.. hard drive crash '06. I had quite a few of the songs on that list, actually. I shall browse today and see what I find to replace my collection.
What happened to the old singer?

Just heard the single "Eva"... The new singer, Anette, sounds so much like Sharon from Within Temptation it is almost unreal. Before I looked up who she was I thought they had indeed stolen Sharon from WT. Of course, since WT is one of my fav. bands..... that is not a bad thing at all.

Kiraela: Tarja (the old singer) was kicked out of the band in fall 2005. It was a huge drama, but in short, she had become a huge diva, and her husband/personal manager was meddling seriously in the affairs of the band.
   It's funny how many people seem to find Anette and Sharon similar. I for some reason don't. I find Anette's voice versatile and soft, whereas I don't much care for Sharon's voice (though as a band, I like WT quite a lot). Both are light and bright voices though...I wonder, how Anette will sing the heavier/more operatic songs of NW.

Today, the weather has been hot and humid- almost tropical I'd say. We had a thunderstorm during the night, but it didn't clear the air a bit. I think more is coming. As it is, moving anything but eyes makes me pour sweat by barrels, and I keep wetting Lumi's ears to prevent her from becoming lethargic. Like myself, I guess.
   Last week was really busy. But, the lectures were great and I'm sure my IQ has climbed up by 10 pts at least, and in the weekend, it was fun to work around the garden and get things done.
   Today, as you may imagine, I haven't accomplished much. I did get another hairstick swap shipment out! *waves to the recipient*, and fended of an attack of wasps -I found no less than five big wasps from upstairs, three of them from our bedroom. Things like these are great for keeping me from falling into "City Green syndrome"- from ever accepting conclusions that it is somehow morally wrong to kill wasps and other nasty critters that try to invade one's house. That isn't just going to happen in my theory, I promise. ;) Speaking of animals, I also received news that I have been nominated as a candidate to a certain National animal exploitation related committee. We'll see how THAT little adventure goes...but at the moment, the nomination feels nice.

Hair: Today: three rinses in the shower, which has kept my hair nice and damp for most of the day. I really like my new small snoods- it's so handy just put one on in the morning and then not to worry about anything. They go well with my dresses, and I can run around as much as I like. I am still experimenting on the perfect bun to go with them. It seems that flatter the better, though the fit is quite good with any bun. I'm just a perfectionist. 8-)

Congrats on the nomination!!  *Waving back* ;) on sending out those sticks!

Congrats on the nomination.  I would love to hear more about it all.

There isn't much to tell about the nomination yet- only when I have passed election process, if that happens. :) Except that all this makes me feel old. No gray hairs seen yet, though. :P Maybe I'll get some soon. *is hopeful*

So far, today is weather-wise just as bad as yesterday. I didn't sleep well, either. But forecast promises a thunderstorm starting in the afternoon. So, I try to finish my computer stuff by then...starting from this journal, of course!
I received a fabric shipment, and just fetching it from the post office was exhausting. I got fabric for two new dresses and accompanying aprons. The fabric colors were a little brighter than what I had expected, but still pretty. It will be interesting to see how I will like the finished dresses. I just play with colors. Timing of the shipment was great: I really need a couple of new dresses (yesterday was tops: three dresses in one day), and this week I have plenty of time to sew. Before the afternoon, I plan to do a quick visit to a fabric store. As crappy as local fabric stores are, they still carry zippers (I'm hoping that even dress zippers) and thread.

Hair: Bun experiments continue. My new snoods have plenty of room in the back, but they don't hang as much as regular snoods. I guess one could wear her hair in a ponytail, perhaps even loose with these snoods, but I am accustomed to wearing buns, and I like my snood to look perky.
So, my goal is to find a bun style that works best under them and makes them sit as nicely as possible. Right now, I'm wearing old, ugly mennonite bun. It is a style that distributes weight of hair very nicely, making the bun feel almost nonexistent. But it uses a metal barrette in neck, and I'm not sure if that is good for a day to day-style. The barrettes I have are hair friendly, but still... so, I'm still very much looking for new summer styles that would go well with various headcoverings in general, and with my new snoods in particular.

Yesterday, I got a good hair sighting. A lady, maybe in late 40's or 50's with most gorgeous light/medium brown braid that was beautiful and thick and classic length (so her unbraided hair must be even longer). My first thought was "that's what Bikerbraid's hair must look like! How gorgeous!

Today isn't so hot, but it's still very humid, so I'm still suffering. It's cloudy though- maybe we could get some refreshing rain. On the other hand, while I suffer, the garden is flourishing. Radishes are ready, and I can almost hear rhubarbs growing.
   During these tropical days, my hair has been in different states of dampness most of the time. I shower three or four times a day, and rinse my hair every time. Then I have bunned it- damp bun has a nice cooling effect for a long time. Today I'm going to have to need to wash my hair though. All the rinsing has had a really interesting (strictly scientifically speaking!) effect in my hair: it is greasy, but more evenly than normally. Normally, only the roots are greasy, now my hair is pretty hideous all the way to the shoulders. I tell myself that all those natural oils must do wonders... so I'm going to let them do their magic until the evening. If and when I need to take a shower or two earlier, I'll just rinse. And find a headcovering (right now I'm just wearing a bun with a gorgeous Tiger Eye Ficcare).  :-X

Learning to sew: I'm working on the blue dress now. It's a little while since I have sewn, but I still don't have to consult the instructions. I think I have learned the process! Yay! Now, I only hope that I would learn to fasten zippers really neatly as well...

Hi!
What kind of sewing machine do you have?  I have a Singer and bought it about 12 years ago.  Can't wait to buy either a Brother or something else.  I don't like it at all.  Has no button hole capabilities what so ever.  What was advertised is not what the machine can do,which is not much!!! ::)

I have a Husqvarna HuskyStar E20. We bought it last year on sale. It's a good machine for me, and so far I have been happy with it. It's basic, but has a good stitch selection and adjustment options and is nice to use. It has one-step buttonhole (haven't tried it yet).

Just for the record, I finished the blue dress and the dreaded zipper turned out to be my best zipper so far.  :D

Sewing/Simple Dress Experiment: I'm a happy owner of a new blue dress/apron set. The color is quite bright, but it complimets nicely my tanned arms. Yes, I have spent so much time outdoors that I have some color on my skin! In case you are wondering, all the dresses I have sewn so far are similar, except for the color. My pattern offers lots of options, but so far I have felt that my current choices are the best. I haven't even done different length sleeves- sometimes I think it might be nice to have a dress with elbow length/long sleeves, but then I always remember some situation in which I would not like that length. So, 3/4 sleeve it is.
   It doesn't feel particularly boring to have all my dresses so similar either. This surprises me probably most of all- I remember too clearly thinking that if nothing else, dressing simply would be dreadfully boring and that after a while I'd hate the way I look the same from day to day. But, IMO, I look pretty from day to day, and most importantly- I look like me. When I see myself in the mirror, I see a person who looks confident, capable and ready for anything the day might throw in her way. I like that.
  Yesterday, I stumbled upon yet another little interesting fact. In USA, the consumption of clothing has increased by 50% since 1990's. 50%. That's a lot, especially considering that Americans probably wore decent clothing even at ´90s. The figure didn't tell, how things are in Europe, but I'm pretty sure it's something similar. In Finland, I think, the change might be even more dramatic. I feel the selections and advertizing has skyrocketed during the last decade or so.
  It's ironic, how this has happened at the same time we have started to worry about environment in general, and about climate change in particular. It's sad, how this has happened in spite of the news we have received about sweatshop production of clothing in China and other Far East countries. We know better and better that modern Western lifestyle is disastrous and that consuming too much is not good...yet, that concern just doesn't turn into actions. I'm not sure if this irrationality can be explained- it truly seems as if the left half of our collective brain has no idea of what the right half is thinking.
To me, this is another good reason to dress ostensibly simply- to try my best to broadcast the message that I don't want to be part of this general madness. Some people may think that I'm an idealistic fool. But, I rather look like a fool than behave like one. As I mentioned already, though, I don't think I look like a fool, except in case fools look pretty.

Hair: Clean, soft, slippery. Barely under control with 3-tone Lavender Ficcare clamped over my bun. I'm about to head to the shower- the very humid weather shows no signs of going away and so, I have lots of laundry to do and many showers to take each day to keep me fresh. If only this weather would do my hair the same it has done to the garden!

Don't you just love when a plan works out right?? ;D  I'm looking at machines that have a one step button hole function.  Don't know if I'd use it that much,but I'd rather have one step than 4 step.  I don't have anything now on this Singer.  I'm lucky it goes in reverse!!!!

Sounds like it's really time for you to get a new, nice sewing machine! :) The clothes I have sewn for myself don't have buttons (I use hook & eye to secure the neck of my aprons because that's so handy), but I think I am going to have to learn how to do them, since T has started to ask, when am I going to sew something for him.

Butterflies: I discovered two beautiful painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) from our lilacs. They were very friendly little fellows, sat still for long moments and let me admire them from every angle. Too bad T had taken the camera with him, otherwise I would have tried to take a picture. But in any case, that's Species #5, and first species rated Uncommon that I have discovered from our garden.  :D :D

Weather has become pleasant once again- the tropical weather lasted long enough to make to the news, but today it's nice: sunny and windy, and humidity is gone. I managed to sleep well last night- so well that I actually overslept. Not that I was going anywhere though. Otherwise I have been very productive today, trying to make up for the lethargic days in the beginning of the week.
  Consequently, my hair is out of the way, in a bun inside small snood. I really, really like those things! They are so comfortable and cute, and go incredibly well with my dresses. I'm so glad I got them ready for the summer.

LOL-I love your new avatar!!!  Sometimes I wish the aliens would come and beam me up!

Sakina: My new avatar is Kvasir, and it's an Asgard from Stargate series. Ok, I admit that I'm slightly weird and that I've been watching Stargate a lot lately...neither is a secret, exactly... :P

Weekend went really quickly, working in the garden mostly. We bought furniture to our terrace, as well as visited the local farmer's supply store where we bought lots of flowers and a cute little bird bath.
   The garden is doing pretty wonderfully, even if I say so myself. I think certain T's mother who has sounded slightly doubtful on how we are managing country living, will be surprised when she sees it... 8-)
On top of everything else, it seems that our butterfly project has picked up speed after some more quiet weeks. On Sunday, we found Species #6, Orange Tip butterfly. We were happy to see it- it's an early species whose flying time will end soon.
Besides more gardening, this week I really have to start working with the dreaded quantum mechanics essay. I have printed five or so articles...it'll be "interesting" to see what I can stitch together from them. As always, I would LOVE to write a great essay that would get me a good grade from the course, but with this course, I doubt that it is possible. But I will try.

Hair: Covered from morning to evening. The sun is shining very warmly now, and there is no other alternative during long days outdoors. Wash as usual on Saturday, and I have also rinsed daily. But, it looks very shiny and healthy, so I guess I'm doing something right.
Today I bought us two more straw hats. I wasn't all that happy with my first one- it had too wide brim that fell in front of my eyes. Besides, T has been stealing it (real cute sight with the pink bow...), and I wanted to buy one for him. I visited many stores before I found something that looks even slightly unisex. It's still not as plain as I would have wanted to, but it's the best I could get.

My husband and I have been watching lots of SG-1 recently as well!   :D

I love SG-1!  I also like SG Atlantis and Sci-Fi in general.  I've just been watching the last season, I don't own any TV show dvds.

I don't think you're weird at all.  :)

Indeed, you're no weirder than the rest of us!
Hmmm......   :-?

On a random note, yet still sort of connected, did you have that minbari styled dress you wanted for your wedding? (I only have babylon 5 season 3, but I am in love with Delenn's dresses.)

Ooh, it seems like half our members are scifi lovers :) . I like every series mentioned so far. I started watching Star Treks when I was a kid, and never stopped.
   I found Stargates only after my Scotland-trip. The taxi driver who took me to the airport was a very cool guy, and we talked the entire trip about scifi stuff. He asked me, if I had watched Stargate Atlantis, and when I said that I hadn't, he told me to check it out. We did, we liked it a lot, and ended up deciding that we might have to check out the original series as well. And, here we are, probably owning most of the seasons before the summer's over. ::)

Kiraela: I absolutely love Delenn's dresses, and dreamed for a long time of having something along the lines of the white dress she wears in last ep (Sleeping in Light) made for my wedding. But, we were in such a hurry to get married when the time came, that I didn't have time to realize that plan. One of my criterions for wedding dress (besides things like I wanted it to be simple and have long sleeves) was, that the store could get it to me quickly enough. But, white is among my favorite colors anyway, and I am dreaming of one day having a white, Delenn-ish evening gown.

A quick update:

...because tomorrow, I plan to take much more time...to post a butterfly picture, some garden news...and most importantly, reviews of a huge LL swap hairstick shipment I received today. :D :D :D It's the biggest shipment of hairsticks I have ever received, and I'm still quite overwhelmed with all the gorgeousness. Each pair I received, features something new to my collection. Ok...but really, more about it tomorrow when I have more time to properly praise each pair. ;)

Today has been a hot day. We (people & rabbit) are suffering, but as usually, our garden seems to love the sun and the heat, turning more jungle-like day by day. We are seriously considering buying a couple of Super Soakers... Now, also T is wearing sun hats and his straw hat, and so we "match" better. In spite of being well covered, I managed to slightly burn my neck yesterday. More straw hats, less snoods for me, I guess...though IMO, snoods are both cooler and more comfortable than a straw hat.
   I have experimented a little with bun placements, and it seems that snoods and straw hats have totally different hairstyle requirements (no wonder, considering how differently the brims lie). With a straw hat, it seems best to make the bun as high as possible. Low buns might work, but mine are too big for them to ever be quite low enough.
For snoods, however, this doesn't work at all- they are best worn with a bun in normal place, or slightly low.

Ok, so, here is my first butterfly picture: Painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) on blackcurrant, picture is near natural size.
Again, the butterfly was very cooperative and posed patiently while I tried to snap a good picture.

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/3379/ohdake1pe2.jpg

Hair: I hauled the Big Swap Shipment to the post office, and so, my hairtoy swapping is done for a while. :)
As I said yesterday, I received 8 (eight) pairs of Longlocks hairsticks. I don't have all the names of the new sticks at hand yet. I am going to request an update to my Collections page when I find them all, so that you get to see them, though.
  I got: A FoilStix pair (Aqua Elegance? ) -a beautiful pair in gold, aqua and turquoise. First FoilStix pair of my collection, and totally gorgeous.
           Two pairs featuring shell beads, in pink and aqua. Both are gorgeous. I hunted for a pair with shell beads for a long time and never got lucky. These pairs were totally worth the long wait- shell beads are every bit as beautiful as I had hoped.
         A SwingStix pair in pink. I like SwingStix, and since I like pink hairsticks, it's nice to have a pair of pink Swingstix.
         Fire Garden SpiralStix. The red pair I have been searching for Ages. And it's Spiral Stix. And it features chinese flower beads. I already had a pair with chinese flower beads (though different ones), and I loved how the little flowers seemed to float inside the glass. These are just as amazing, and they are set on a pair of red SpiralStix. Talk about perfection!
         Pink Ribbon FuturiStix. It features twisted ribbon pairs in a color I didn't already have. It is FuturiStix. It is pink. In other words: the perfect pair.
         Coppery/Mink FantasyStix. I owned one pair of FantasyStix, and loved the look. Plus, I have liked my brown sticks, and was looking for more sticks in that color. A pair of beautiful, brown FantasySticks is therefore a perfect addition to my collection.
        A pair of SugarStix with rose beads. As you all know, I can't resist SugarStix. At all. This pair has really amazing rose beads and a delicate rose and green leaves design topped with that fabulous Sugar glitter.
       
I'm in Hairstick Heaven! Now, I only need to figure out, how and when to wear them. Maybe I need to get a life or something... :P

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9185/080607bsi0.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/4654/080607jg9.jpg

New length pictures. Taken just a couple of steps from our front door- I wouldn't wander any farther than that my hair loose and uncovered.
See, it does hit the waistband of my apron! :D :D :D

I guess this means that my hair growing is really done for a while, as the time to try to improve my horizontal volume a little has come. Finally...

The pic of the butterfly is beautiful,Galadriel!!!  Your hair looks great,too! :)

I can't believe how long your hair has become!!!  Its wonderful  ;D  Congratulations, G!

Thanks, both.
My hair has grown quite nicely, in spite of a trim here and there. I hope it means that I will also see some improvement with my hemline soon now that I start maintaining phase- my first one during this whole journey.

I have a bun picture I need to load up for you- one featuring a pair of my new hairsticks! However, RL matters first.

Life: We have a new rabbit. It's a boy, almost 4 months old and bought from the same place where we got Lumi. He is very cute, and so far, he and Lumi are getting along quite well. We don't dare to leave them together unsupervised yet, but so far, they have behaved well. I have to post a picture of him to you as well.
We named him Pyry, which is a boy-ish name, and means snow storm or snowfall. There is pun included though- in Finnish, you usually use the word in longer form if you want to say snow storm- it would be Lumipyry. :P Can't wait to see our friends to roll their eyes...
    It seems that I also have found work. For a couple of weeks, anyway. A big orchard nearby hires people to trim their apple trees. I called them today, went to interview today and will hear about them tomorrow. It's the kind of work that is available in this region- the difference between this farm and the others is, that these people weren't totally put off when I told (when asked) that I have an university degree. It's so annoying how employers don't seem to get that if university people don't find appropriate work, they would be happy to do something less glamorous as long as it pays the bills...But, if all goes well, I am about to get a great deal of exercise, a good tan, and some money.  :)

Country Living: We have a wasp nest in one of our side attics- in fact, it's in worst place imaginable inside the house. The wasps are already a major nuisance, as they find their way indoors, especially to our bedroom. So, we called the exterminator. He will come to check the situation tomorrow. There's no way we could manage the situation ourselves...but this is SO going to cost...
        Garden has magically experienced another transformation, from a spring garden to a summer garden. Roses, huge peonies and centaureas are in full bloom, grass grows like crazy...and our vegetable patch is ready. Yesterday I collected away our last radishes, and today I planted cucumbers to their place. Salads are doing well, as are dills and beetroots, and potatoes are also developing nicely. Most importantly, everything is in good order and we have managed to do all the necessary work in good schedule. Well, of course there is always something to do- but nothing really alarming.
    Our baby birds are almost grown up and are out of the nesting boxes. Now they roam around the garden- they are yet too small to venture very far. But cute.
   

More pictures!

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8545/pinkribbonep6.jpg

This is what I wore yesterday. A knot bun with Pink Ribbon pair. I was having a good hair day- usually my buns are a bit more "compact".

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/6510/pyry1hz5.jpg

And this is the new member of our family, Pyry the Rabbit. He isn't too much disturbed by all the big changes in his life. Instead, he seems just to accept everything without analyzing it too deeply.

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4857/birdbathrq0.jpg

This is from our new terrace: summer flowers in pots and a bird bath. We haven't seen any birds bathing yet, but remain hopeful.

oh Galadriel,the terrace with the bird bath and flowers are lovely!  That bunny is the cutest!!!!  He seems quite ok with being in front of a camera,too!  Great hair sticks and pic!

Oh a new bunny! ;)  He's so cute! :-*

How cute!  --we love the bunnies!!  

That is the most adorable bunny! *pets Pyry* and I love those sticks... a nice feminine subtle pink, rather than a "Hi, I'm pink, Going to take over the world with brightness now" pink.  the pale color looks gorgeous with your hair.

Pyry thanks everyone! :) He is a really cute little fellow. We're so happy we got him, and I think that Lumi also likes him.

Kiraela: I don't like loud pinks -the type that is so common in cheap hairtoys- either. But, Susan only uses nice, beautiful hues in her hairsticks! Even her darker pinks are sophisticated and beautiful. This is a wonderful pair- definitely favorite material! I am planning to have T take pictures of some of my other swappings during the weekend.

I got work! The local orchard has hired me for apple tree pruning job, starting tomorrow. It doesn't pay much, but in this region, it's so good to get even a little garden work experience under one's belt. Here that is much better appreciated that an university degree with no direct practical applicability. And a small income is still income. Besides, I get to work outdoors instead of being stuffed into some cramped, ugly office. The employers seem like nice people as well, so I am quite happy. The job will end at the same time when T's summer vacation starts, so maybe we'll get to rest together for a couple of weeks. Until then, however, I expect to be both busy and pretty tired, so I don't know how much I'll be around.
 
Hair: Another nice thing about my summer job is, that it does not require me to modify my appearance or style in any way. Simple dress & apron is perfectly good for working in an orchard (nowadays I find it to be the most comfortable gear even for doing hard and dirty work like digging and turning soil...my old work pants lie unused in the cupboard, just like everything else). And what else I have been wearing style-wise but buns under scarves and snoods? So, no need for changes in that department. All will be well as long as I keep checking the weather forecasts and pack appropriatedly.

Congrats on the job.  That will be a great summer job!!!  I envy you.  BTW what is a snood?

I just saw the photos!
wow!
Definitely favourite material Galadriel.  ;)

Also your length is great! What a beautiful hair colour you have. It's fair but not yellowish blonde, I love it. I know most ladies put their hair up for protection etc but I do think lovely hair should be let loose occasionally for our and our SO's enjoyment.

Hey!! Congrats on the job too! :)

Well, two workdays and a weekend are almost behind. The work is ok for a temporary job. The downsides are pretty obvious, but I'm also well aware that it has its good sides as well. While  working outdoors in pouring rain (we had that on Thursday) can be quite miserable, on the other hand the air is fresh and I'm enjoying beautiful landscapes.

joeydog: A snood is a headcovering, a bit like a cap, but hanging down more. You put your hair inside it, and it's in a "pouch". Most snoods you see on people are crocheted, but there are also cloth snoods (like the ones I have).

greek_lady: Thanks for compliments! :D I have to say though- I'm really bad in keeping my hair down, even though DH likes it. I'm so accustomed in having it safely tucked away. It's so fine and flyaway in anyway that if I leave it down, it's soon a mess. But yeah- you are right. I should try to wear it down even for an evening at home once a month. Maybe that could become my next goal...hmm...

Hair&Life: Life during the past few days has been very busy, and the fact that I have been very tired after a day at work hasn't made it any easier. No time for hair whatsoever. Luckily, my hair doesn't need much time or thoughts.
In the morning, I just wrap it in a bun, cover it with the first thing that I can find, and that's it for the whole day.
    I am still trying to get accustomed to the idea, that I will have to trim it again soon. Now that I'm maintaining instead of trying to gain new length, I am planning to have tiny trims every month. Just like the stylist ordered! ;) It'll be interesting to see, whether or not my ends have improved by the end of the year.

Gadreil, thank you for your explantion....dumb blonde here...LOL, just kidding...blonde yes...dumb no...but of course niave about some things as we all are.  

You're welcome  :) . Snoods aren't really that well known- I first heard of them on a longhair board! Since then, I have tried both knitted snoods (didn't like) and cloth snoods (liked!).

Past couple of days have been nice and sunny, and for me, it has meant wearing my straw hat all day. It's indispensable thing in field work, but of course, like all regular hats, getting it to fit well is challenging for a bun-wearer. Since I don't want (and often can't) fiddle much with my hair during the day, my solution has been a firm French braid with the tail part coiled into a low, braided bun. This style has served me and my slippery hair well. Extra slippery hair, in fact, since I remembered to put a hair mask when I last washed it.¨

Today I received lots of goodies from mail. My sewing patterns (that I had already forgotten) arrived, and also my BAF order arrived. BAF is really quick! I'm now a happy owner of Little 7's Nines (10g, size M), and a pair of golden floral twist earrings in 10g. The latter design is the same that I already have in 14 g. 10g looks pretty much the same, though it is slightly sturdier and looks IMO slightly better. Nines are beautiful, and also for them, 10g is a wonderful size- they look very balanced, graceful but still unusual. I wanted a bit bigger earring from Little Seven for special occassions, and here I have it. The style is beautiful, and though the earrings look huge to me, they are very comfortable to wear- not as heavy as some of my old dangly earrings. Now, I just need that right occassion to wear my earring and stun everyone with its gorgeousness... As usual, I also got all sorts of free stuff from BAF, like emu oil, a pair of steel plugs and clear o-rings. A fun little shopping! Now, where's my next job..? :P

the earrings sound beautiful. I love wearing a dangling earrings (not too long, just a little under my ear lobe).

My three day Midsummer break/long weekend

Friday (free day from work, Midsummer Eve): Sleeping. Doing only absolutely necessary tasks, then more sleeping. My work is really starting to exhaust me. Long days on the field are hard work (though I still occassionally even enjoy it!).

Saturday: I climb up from my sarcophagus, feel myself again and go have a fun day at home with T. Good food, Stargates from DVD, and lots of gardening. I weeded our veggie patch and mulched some new spots in it. It's looking really pro at the moment- I'm very proud! Our salads are now ripe, and they are super delicious. I wasn't expecting that they would be so spectacular. After all, salad is sold fresh in pots here, and I thought it's pretty fresh and good...but now I know also that no matter what it looks, it's no match to the homegrown thing.

Sunday (today): Not so fun day. We get up early after killing yet another wasp that has wandered to our bedroom. After that, it's housework, chores, and more housework. I'm on a break while doing this- after that, I have still lots to do. But, hopefully, I will have only a few chores during the working week.

Hair & Style: No changes there. Usual wash on Saturday, and I have rinsed it every day with plain water. I can't wait until our chamomilles have grown and I can start making chamomille rinses... Style-wise it's just more of the same: bun secured with Amish pins, usually under nearest or handiest covering I can find. I feel bored with buns and headcoverings, but it's not like there are terribly many practical options. Maybe when my job ends, and I keep a real holiday of a couple of weeks, I can play with my hair...
     I put my Nine earring on on Thursday...and I haven't taken it off since. I still think it's big, but it's just too pretty. Makes me feel special and beautiful. Besides, it's a zillion times more comfortable than its size suggests. It is light, and it's also super comfortable to sleep with. I just love it! I'm going to have to take a picture of it for you...whenever I have the time.

Butterflies: During this weekend, I have spotted two new species from our garden, so our species total is now 8. One of the species seems to be quite common and happy in our garden- spotting the other was a really close call. I got only one good look of it, and had to do some very careful work in determining the species.

recipoe for chamomilles rinse  ;D  please>>> :)

JD  

joeydog: I don't have a recipe yet! I am planning to do some kind of infusion and perhaps add oils or honey to it. It seems that I am going to have plenty of chamomille, so I am able to experiment. I will keep you posted!  :)

The mail seems to have really slowed down for the summer. Yesterday I was able to make it to the post office before it closed. I got my last hairtoy swap package, as well as some fabric that had been sent in 13.4. Yes, that's in April! I think that's some sort of record- even economy shipments should not take so long. But, at least it's here now.
   From the hairtoy package I got a wonderful pair of Quattro hairsticks. They look so special, and different from all my other hairsticks (and that's saying something!). I love them. I also got some extra goodies, like fabulous all natural lip balm and a satin sleep sock. So, it was a wonderful swap and now I feel wonderfully pampered! :D
  T has promised to trim my hair later this week. It seems to have grown so much this month. But the ends are still very thin, so they need to go. Besides, it's been a while since my last trim, and I really need to start the once a month trimming, if I intend to stick with my plan to maintain this length for a while.

I'm still working at the orchard- we're maybe halfway through or so. I rinse my hair every day when I come home and take a shower. My style of the day depends on what kind of headcovering I wear for the day. With straw hat it's french braid- something, otherwise one of my everyday buns.

So, I have a short moment for internet for the first time in days, and what do I do? Read my emails? Catch up with the news? Noo...I come here, because my hair journal is in need of an update. ;) Besides, tomorrow is my last day at work, and then I will once again have plenty of energy for going through all my emails and other potentially not-super-relaxing stuff.

Today, I had my first maintenance trim. I asked T to trim my hair to precisely waist length (when damp and combed straight), and he cut maybe 2 cm/ 3/4 in. The thought of "cutting my hair BACK to waist" felt very good, though I do miss those two, wispy and next-to-invisible ends. But, waist length is nice, and though it's not my ultimate goal, it's good to stay here for a moment and see, if trimming away my thinnest hairs will make my hair overall nicer. I can't shake the thought that that part of my hair is hair that I have grown before joining these boards...maybe that's why it hasn't lasted as well as the rest.
    I've spent much of my time outdoors (meaning also at my free time), and as a result, I have the darkest tan of my life and a major bun boredom. The way my life has been, I have had to keep my hairtoys to minimum. Mostly it's been just buns with amish pins, hair net and some sort of headcovering. On Saturday I wore my new Quattro hairstick for a while, but that's all. Quattros are gorgeous things though, I'm so glad I got my hands on a pair!
On headcovering department, mini snoods and straw hats have been equally good choices, depending a bit on the weather. I swear, I WILL be wearing something gorgeous on Wednesday!

Job's over.  ;D I have a great tan, a little money, and a lot of things on my to-do list. But, today I will just rest (we are once again experiencing "greenhouse weather"), do some planning in order to ensure that my to-do list is as empty as possible when T's vacation starts, and work through my pile of emails. I'm quite excited: it seems that for the first time in Light knows how long, I will be able to keep a real vacation of a couple of weeks. No studies, no books to read, nothing to write or worry about...just rest.  :)

Hair: First chamomille buds are opening, and I am planning to harvest and dry my first chamomilles later this week. Then I can start experimenting with new hair rinses!
    Today, my hair feels great: silky and shiny. It doesn't seem to have suffered of the work period at all- probably because I kept my head covered diligently. Just in case, I think I will do a hair mask after next wash. That can't hurt...
     I'm feeling a bit allergic today in spite of medication, and so, today is destined to be (mostly) an indoors day. So, no headcovering, just a knot bun with a three tone brown Ficcare that coordinates so nicely with my brown dress. That doesn't sound very creative, I suppose, but trust me- it is creative after what I have been doing while at work.  :D



   

And today, I have a flu. Not bad, and certainly not a surprise considering how many hours I have spent dripping wet lately. The downsides of having to work outdoors... But, I can afford a little "sick leave" now. I still have lots of emails to sort out, my cross stitch project and a couple of Stargate ep:s on DVD for the evening, so it's really not bad. Not bad at all.
   Yesterday evening, I took a long shower, washed my hair and did a hair mask. My hair doesn't feel that different today, but mentally I feel great- I was really in need of a little pampering. I would have done a proper SMT treatment, even, but I'm running low on aloe vera gel. It isn't sold anywhere in our village, so I will have to buy at least two bottles next time I visit Helsinki.

:(Feel better soon,Galadriel!

I hope you feel better soon!!

((((Hugs))) feel better!

Take care of yourself, G.

G-feel better soon. drink lots of good juice and get sleep.
btw, what do you use as a hair mask? do you make it yourself or buy it? *curious*

Get well  soon Galadriel!

Thanks for well wishes everyone! :)

roomtogrow: I have a couple of recipes for homemade treatments that I do when I have time. Nowadays, however, I seldom have the time and use a commercial cone free product. Currently I'm using L'Oreal ElVital's mask for long hair.

Well, I still have the flu. Or it came back- whatever. I felt better for the weekend. We were very busy with visitors coming, and T had the flu. This morning, he felt better and I felt worse...again... but it's ok. After a busy weekend a quiet day is welcome. Besides, it's pouring cats and dogs outside so it's not like I'd stick my nose out there anyway. Nope, I'll stay comfortably indoors, start writing my essay, complete a certain product review for LHC...only nice and quiet things.

Ears: I'm still in love with my Nine earrings. They're awesome!
I decided to cheer myself up a little and ordered two pairs of plugs from steelnavel.com. Gorilla Glass plugs, single flare, in purple and in honey. Can't wait for them to arrive! In general, I don't like plugs as much as spirals, but they have one big advantage: they come in colors, and on some days, you just got to have something colorful to wear in an ear. In 10g, there isn't much colorful jewelry available. Stretching even to 8g would take care of that, but I have decided against it- I love my 10g Little Seven earrings too much and know that in 8g they'd look too massive for my taste.
     Achieving the perfect size isn't easy- the jewelry available for each size is different, and looks of a given design change dramatically when gauges change. I can understand why some people just keep on stretching. Often with gorgeous results, I might add.
    Oh yes, in case you were wondering: I'm still not wearing anything in my left ear. Matching regular earrings with spirals and other cool stuff would be too much trouble, and I'm still not tempted to stretch.

Hair: My hair doesn't feel short, but when it's down, it LOOKS short. It's always been the other way around. In any case...it will grow. It's not like anyone's forcing me to trim another cm precisely after a month.
      I have harvested and dried the first chamomilles. I think I will make an infusion of them, and use that as a base for my ACV rinse. At least, they smell very nice. I thought I didn't like the smell of chamomille that much, but my chamomilles have a very nice light, fresh scent.

I am sorry to hear you are not feeling great again.  I hope you get back to full health soon.

JD

I'm working on it, joeydog. But my stomach is feeling queasy and my throat is still a little sore. There are ominous clouds in the sky. House is clean, even the Laundry Mountain has been conquered. There are no new job ads to check. I am starting to run out of excuses for not starting to work seriously with the Essay.
What's good for the soul isn't always good for the mood. Ok, I admit I'll probably start liking the essay somewhere in the middle of it, and by the time I've finished I know I'll feel positively proud of myself.

At least, that's what I hope. I'm not going to write a word about the alternative anyway.

Today, I'm wearing a blue dress/apron, a bun held with a black Ficcare and a blue plug in my ear. Seriously, last night I dreamed of having bigger ears (notice the plural!), and wearing colorful glass jewelry in them. To soothe my mind, I decided that if I ever get bored wearing spirals, I will stretch my other ear, then stretch both my ears just a little bit bigger and indulge. I hope the plugs I ordered will arrive soon. At least they have been shipped already- quick work from Steelnavel! I'm sure they'll be perfect.
      Yes, I'm not feeling well, but still, I think it's important not to wander around in pajama and my goofy yellow fake fur slippers during the daytime. It's impossible to be sharp or accomplish anything in jammies. So, ever since I started working at home (that would be some three years ago, when I quit my part-time job as a DEO), I have made it a point to dress up every day. Nothing big: just a clean and neat dress, a bun and my everyday jewelry. I can't tell exactly how it makes the difference. But it does.

I miss make up. Well, truth to be told, I have never used lots of make up. I've always liked shopping make up far better than using it. When I lived in the City, I did use something on most days when going out. Here, on most days make up would just be unpractical. And I think that make up looks somehow silly with my simple dresses. Somehow they are too simple for make up.
    Obviously, Universe had better send some special occassion to my way.  :D For example, a grant announciation ceremony would be nice.

Funny you should bring up make up.  I am procrastinating about putting some on right now.  I haven't had to wear it for months with a couple of exceptions, but I am going in to work for a few hours today and have to start getting make up on, etc.

Sorry to hear you are STILL not well.  I hope things clear up soon.

JD

I'm feeling ok again.  :D

I was good yesterday:
-visited Helsinki and bought two bottles of aloe vera gel from there. One bottle for styling and one for mixing my Snowytreatments. :D
-also bought some vitamin E face mist from Body Shop. The one and only face product I actually like. In these days, I don't usually even bother to use daycream. My skin feels perfectly happy without. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
-washed my hair in the evening, even though it wasn't hideous. It was my first try of CV's Babassu & Marshmallow shampoo bar. So far so good, I think it *might* be a bit heavy in the long run, but right now my hair seems to like it.
-measured my ponytail circumference. Haven't done that for a while. I measured three times, and got pretty exact 7.5 cm/3 in each time. So, in my nape things are perfectly mid-ii, which is a very nice result for a hair as fine as mine.

Obviously, there's no way I can accomplish as much today. Today is again another bun it, Ficcare it and forget it day that I mostly spend working with my essay and housework.

Hi Galadriel,
I've been using CV's Babbasu and Marshmallow shampoo bar for a good while and my hair is ok with it too.  I store all shampoo bars in the freezer in a ziplock bag individually.  I figure I have about 2 years worth of shampoo bars in there.  Ya think I went alittle overboard???!! ::)  
I found that Prairieland Shampoo bars have excellent lather though.
Have you seen the new Oilive Oil Babbasu and Marshmallow shampoo bar little write up on CV's website yet?  Sounds like a more moisturizing one to me.

Gawd, like my freezer wasn't full enough....Now I have to go freeze me extra shampoo bars...I think that soon I will just need a freezer for my hair stuff!!

7.5 cm.  ENVY.  I have never measured mine...I will do that right now...3 inches...dunno what that is in cms.  I am sure it is pretty skinny though.

JD

No need to envy: 7.5 cm = 3 inches.  :) We seem to have exactly similar thickness. Speaking more generally, 3 in is about as average as can be- in Fia's hairtyping system it is middle of ii (normal) thickness range. Many people have hair thicker than that, many have thinner. We see so much thick, long hair because in our culture, people with thin hair are encouraged to keep their hair short. ::)
  For me, this thickness is perfectly ok because my hair is so fine that it would take an INSANE amount of it to qualify for over 4 in/iii thickness. If I can make the taper from nape of my neck to waist just a little less dramatic, I'll be very happy. Every thickness has its pros and cons. With medium thickness, the hair isn't dramatic in any way, but the thickness doesn't pose any particular problems either.

About Babassu Marshmallow shampoo bar: my hair felt a bit strange this morning...can't describe it any better than that. It may be the shampoo bar, or the fact that I have rinsed my hair so often. Sometimes plain water rinses in between shampoo washes do that.
   I always order a big envelope from Ida- that is seven or so bars. It's a good load but won't (luckily) last for ever because I have also washed DH to use them. He washes his hair every day, so we go through one soap shipment in a few months. I don't think they had the version with Olive oil the last time I ordered. Maybe I'll order a sample of it the next time I order.
   BTW, I have not quite figured out, whether my hair likes CV shampoo bars with lots of moisture, nutrients or lighter products. I mean, I know what bars my hair likes and what it doesn't like that much, but there just doesn't seem to be a pattern...
     Today, my weird hair is in a Ficcare bun and under my black mini snood. There, it can be as weird as it wishes and I can sail smoothly through the day.

Spirituality: I ordered a new tarot deck, Universal Waite. Just because it'd be nice to have more than one deck to work with. Well, in fact I own three decks already. But one is just a pretty deck that would be challenging even for a more experienced reader to interpret, and Classic deck...well, I can't connect with it at all. In fact, I'm thinking of giving it away...my friend has anyway a birthday coming soon...hmm
      Otherwise, I haven't done much lately, except decorated my altar a little more. We have received a couple of gifts that I just adopted, like a pretty carved stone hare from my MIL. My summer display doesn't look minimalistic any longer! Yes, it is important- changing to fall display is still a month and a half away.

Hey there, you are quiet correct.  I found a conversion program and working it out after I finished posting here.  3' = 7.5 cm.   ::)  I didn't bother coming back on to tell how blonde I had been.   ::).

My hair is extremely fine too.  Actually, to find out I am average instead of below average was a neat thing.  Thanks for getting me to notice!!!

JD

Funny that you mention your hair feeling strange with the babbasu and marshmallow.  Shampoo before this one I used another shampoo bar and my hair felt and looked better.  Either it may have been the Nettle one or something else<I can't remember!! ::)  Either which way I don't think I'll order that one again.  I'll try a sample of the one with extra oil in it.  PS, does your bar feel grainy?  I rather have a smooth bar.

Oh, G, I love the Universal Waite deck. I have a rather substantial tarot deck collection.  I love to look at them all, but I have to say that I use the Universal deck the most.

Enjoy!!!

Sakina: I've heard so much good about Rider Waite, but I just hated the coloring of that deck and didn't think I'd like to work with it. Then I discovered Universal Waite- problem solved! I'm looking forward to trying a widely used deck- Enchanted Tarot is lovely in every way, but I can't help thinking that there must be a reason for why everyone seems to love Rider Waite and its many clones.
      I actually tried to read Castelli's Art Nouveau tarot (the Pretty Deck) yesterday, and it seems that I've improved a little, because I did get an intelligible reading out of it. However, this deck is definitely "thin"- the artist has clearly focused in creating beautiful cards and there is very little symbology to work with, and what little there is is often very subtle. Can't imagine how anyone could get in-depth readings out of this deck. But they sure are beautiful cards to look at!

My hair is drying right now, after my second wash with Babassu & Marshmallow. This time, I noticed that my hair felt strange while shampooing. The shampoo didn't lather well, and my hair felt strange when I rinsed the shampoo out. ACV rinse helped a little, but even after cool water rinse my hair didn't feel as super smooth and silky as it usually does. We'll see how it feels once it is dry. But so far, B&M hasn't been very promising. Curlgirl: My B&M bar is also smooth.

Garden: I harvested some more chamomilles today, and they are in the dryer right now. Our garden is now at its greenest, as everything is ripening but few things are ready to eat yet. Looks promising, though!
I have spotted two new butterfly species, and that puts the species count to 11. Not bad- the average amount of species found in one summer at our region is 42, and of course, that includes lots of species that favor more natural habitats like forests.

Sorry for the typo,Galadriel.  My B&M shampoo bar is grainy.  I'd rather have a smooth bar.  That is what I meant to type!! :-[  That's what I get for typing when I'm tired!! ::)  I don't think I'll be using that bar anymore,it's almost done anyway.  I'll use it for shaving though,it might be a good light exfoliate on my legs!!

Grainy? Well, that sounds strange for a shampoo bar!
Isn't it nice though that if something doesn't work as a shampoo, it's still good to use as a body bar?!

In spite of last night's ominous signs, I woke up today with perfectly ok hair. It's soft, it's shiny and does not behave weirdly in any way. Considering that it's first day hair, anyway. So I'm still unsure about the B&M bar. It's good that there's still plenty of it left.

Today, everything is weird.  TMI alert!
Hair feels greasy on the top of my head. Doesn't matter since I wear a bun anyway, but it's not usual. It should be starting to feel like this the day after tomorrow, not before.
I got a pang of blitz-nauseousness while shopping the day's groceries. A few bad menstrual cramps at veggie isle, sweat pouring out of every pore in my face by the cashier (oh joy), and hurry, hurry, hurry down the street and straight to the bathroom. Aunt Flo is in da house. And I.hate.my.body.today.
    Every other month period is a breeze- no problems whatsoever, and usually, the easier they are, the worse is coming in the next month. Today has been worst in I don't know how long. I feel like a teenager again.

But Stargate Season 5 arrived, T is coming home earlier than usual and I can conquer the Laundry Mountain today because the weather is good enough to hang laundry outside where they take just a couple of hours to dry. We'll have a super great TV dinner: fresh hot home baked olive bread, Spanish salami, cheese and Ben&Jerry's ice cream for dessert.
Things will get better from here.
    GG plugs didn't arrive. Since it seemed that I'm going to spend most of this day indoors, I decided to give myself a dose of Longlocks therapy, and changed my Ficcare bun to a bun with olivine green and gold FuturiStix. There is no such misery that wearing a pair of gorgeous hairsticks wouldn't diminish it considerably.

Better get on with my essay. I'm not feeling that great about it yet, but it needs to be finished. Which color of hairsticks would be good for boosting brain activity?

(((hugs))) I get some nasty periods as well.  I sweat and get very dizzy, this happens at night and is every other period as well as very painful breasts and wipes me out a few days. Hope you feel better soon! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/950/bouquet.gif

*Hugs*.  When I was younger, I used to have to worship the porcelain God the first day.  I think it was my body trying to reverse the muscles that were contracting to the point of a VERY bad mood and sweats.  Sorry you had such a rough time.

Thanks for support. Today is a better day. :) I have never quite understood the whole thing. Cramps? Ok, I suppose they serve some biological purpose. But dizziness? Inability to keep your breakfast in? Light-speed trips to jungles of Congo? ::) Call me stupid, but I have never understood what greater purpose do they serve...

But, as I said, today is a much better day. And my much-anticipated, gorgeous Gorilla Glass plugs arrived! They are solid color (not just colorfront), which makes them very interesting looking, especially when worn. The flares look lighter than the center, except when they are on and light shines through and they become absolutely gorgeous.  8-) Colors (honey and purple) are very pretty and the size is perfect- they are a bit shorter than my GWS 2nd quality plugs. And did I mention that they look really cool and special on me?! :D I have to have these in more colors! I'm beginning to understand better why some people choose the plug route.

Hair: Rinsed last night, today it feels still greasy, but a little less so. Maybe I can wash it in normal schedule after all. Hairstyle of the day is a knot bun with Tiger Eye ficcare.  

And...I think this may be the first time this year: ROUTINE UPDATE!

Wash: CV shampoo bars, ACV rinse
Conditioning: L'Oreal ElVital mask for long hair (cone free). In theory, Snowytreatments are still in my repertoire, in practice I haven't had time & patience for them.
Styling aids: Aloe vera gel, thin bun-sized hair nets, bobby pins, metal free elastics
Sleep hair: Curlgirl's Satin Sleep Sox when I remember, otherwise a simple ponytail seems best.
Daytime styles: Knot bun, either with Ficcare or Amish pins is the basic style. Sometimes cinnabuns or French braid based styles. Hair down is very, very, very rare.
Hairtoys: Large Ficcares. I've become boring- other hairtoys including hairsticks are worn very rarely.
Headcoverings: A must, if the backyard is full of apple trees. Mini snoods are my favorites, then come wide-brimmed straw hats and bandanas.

And now, I have some pictures of some of the nice things in my life!

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/5372/kasvimaa2ls9.jpg

My favorite place in the garden right now: my vegetable patch. I grow there vegetables, some herbs and flowers that are somehow beneficial to grow alongside the veggies.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/8149/kasvimaa1sk2.jpg

Another view...and you still can't see it all well.
But it's just as cute as the picture suggests.

Then, my earrings

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3403/ninem10gqc3.jpg

LittleSeven's Nine, size medium 10g

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/6349/gghoney10gts3.jpg

GorillaGlass solid color plug 10g (honey). It's hard to capture the gorgeousness into a photo- these earrings look like colored dewdrops when worn.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/4946/cafesocietyto9.jpg

And, in hopes of not going totally OT, here is a picture of Cafe Society LL hairsticks, one of the pairs I received in my huge swap. I was looking for a brown pair, and looking for a FantasyStix pair...and here I have a brown FantasyStix pair. It'll be a perfect pair for the Fall...

News: We took some other pictures of my hair (and another pair of swapped sticks), and though those didn't turn out well, I was surprised how WAVY my hair looked. Well, it still looks a little wavy in the hairstick picture that made it to this show and tell, but it was maybe three times as wavy as that. Summer seems to be doing some interesting things to my hair!
    It also seems that my ear stretching saga will continue. I decided, that I need to start stretching my left ear. Plugs look better when worn in matched pairs, and I realized that I have absolutely nothing against wearing a spiral in one ear and a tiny pretty glass plug in the other ear. So, I digged out my trusted circular barbells, and my left year is now enjoying a stretch to 16g. It's a bit tender, but otherwise well. I hope this will go a bit quicker than the other ear, so I could be done with stretching when I leave to Germany. But, that's up to the ear.

Nice pics.  Your garden is cute.  The stix are nice and so are the earrings.  

JD

thanks for the pic!  Your garden pics put a smile on my face,too!  I love the hairsticks and your hair reminds me of light golden angel hair :)  Those stix are great in your hair,btw.  The spiral and the plug are really nice.  I'm hoping the left ear goes quicker in the stretching dept. than the right one,too ;).

Thanks, joeydog and Curlgirl.

Left ear is better today, but yesterday it still produced crusties...so my hopes of getting the stretch up to 10g quickly done, may have been wishful thinking. After all, most important is, that the stretch will be healthy and beautiful. I know that some people especially crazy Finnish teens stretch their ears with Lightknowswhat, several millimeters in a month or even in a matter of days. But that's crazy and almost certainly causes problems. Uhh...the stretching information available in my native tongue is ...not very good... to put it politely.
    And I want to get beautiful, even holes. I have never liked having regular holes that look like needle marks in my ears. Makes me think of needles, I guess :-X . Round, little real holes look much nicer to me.
    Seriously thinking of going to 8g, once I'm done with left ear. The jewelry selections are so much better, and maybe I could still wear my 10g spirals, with orings if nothing else...

Hair: Last night I washed it. I'm just going to use the Babassu Marshmallow bar until it's gone. It won't be long, since T who washes his hair daily, also uses it. No one can then say I didn't give it a chance. :P Among other things, it doesn't seem to lather as generously as my favorite bars, and I spent quite a while rubbing the shampoo into my hair. After rinsing, I did L'Oreal's hair mask while shaving my legs. Multitasking!
Today my hair is nice and soft, which I credit to the hair mask, but slightly weird in that inexplicable way I associate with B&M shampoo bar. Style of the Day is a ficcare bun. Am I getting boring or what..? Well of course I am. I guess if this continues, I will just need to develop an interesting personality.

Life: I'm almost done with that dreadful quantum theory essay. I can't believe I have managed to write 3000 words on the subject. It's not a good essay- it's not like I'd understand the subject nearly well enough to produce any great deep thoughts about it- but it's passable and will earn me my credits. I'll settle with that.
   My tarot cards have arrived to the post office. That was quick!

Ear Saga: Yesterday evening, I suddenly realized that I had somehow managed to drop a ball from my barbell. There were not too many options available: a bigger or a smaller barbell. I chose to try 14g, and to my surprise, it just slid in. Today my ear is pretty much the same as yesterday: didn't get worse because of unscheduled stretch, but is still tender when touched (of course, I shouldn't be touching it...) I hope I can keep this barbell safe and to stay at 14 g for at least until the end of next week, or even longer if necessary. At least, the barbell I'm now wearing is black and not silver- more inconspicuous the better.

Hair: This morning, I woke up to realize that I had a greasy, hideous hair. Yuck. It doesn't feel that bad when bunned, but I am definitely going to rinse it later. I'm also very tempted to change shampoo bars tomorrow. But that's a bit early to decide. Maybe it will be better after I rinse it.

Garden: The few sour cherries our poor ancient cherry trees produce, are ripe. I'm going to make jam of them this evening. I think we will chop the trees down soon. Wonder where we can fit new ones...

Simple Dress Experiment: A major annoyance has struck, for the first time. My dresses are versatile, they are very easy to wear and I have never in my life spent less time about worrying about what to wear. And *I* think they are pretty in their own way.
But. It seems that people assume strange things about me- some seem to think that I'm a hillbilly, and others just seem to think that I'm just some weird, possibly slightly crazy lady. Some seem to think that I'm an ultrafeminine lady. And some people do stare, few even quite rudely. Right now, I crave a long black leather coat, and all things black and rock and unisex.
I don't think I'd be any happier though if I switched to my old regular clothes. I'd just have different issues then. A nagging conscience. And the fact that I don't feel like myself at all in the kind of clothes that ordinary people of my age, wear.
Maybe I should become a nudist.  ::) Yeah.
Meanwhile, I just try to sit through this. It's not like all things black and rock and unisex would be the ideal things to wear while weeding the garden.

Well, if you do become a nudist, the handle of "The Naked Typist" is taken!

Seriously though, I don't know what to tell you about the clothes.  I completely understand about being stared at, after being a Christian in a Muslim country.  It gets both annoying and exhausting.  I seriously thought about covering, but then decided that a) I didn't want to insult a religion or those who practiced it by adopting its garb but not its precepts and b) it wasn't who I was and other people were just going to have to deal with that.

If you like your dresses and they are comfortable and fit who you are, wear them.  To heck with everyone else.

Gardening in the nude can be dangerous!  :o

Hang in there with your dresses.  Just because they are prejudicial and closed minded doesn't mean you have to change your ways.  (and for fun you could ACT crazy and scare them off!).  ;)

Cooking in the nude can be very dangerous as well...  :-/

Dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable and conveys who you are. If other people don't dig it, that's their problem. As a goth, I'm quite used to the stares and off-handed, inappropriate comments. And yeah it hurts, but you learn to shrug it off. Of course, you must do so politely and securely so that the other person looks like the jerk, not you.
   Of course for as many negative comments that may come your way, there will be at least a few positive ones. Everybody has different tastes.

I also like BB's idea of removing their doubt by acting insane and scaring them off. Just bug your eyes out and give them an enormous, menacing smile...  ;)

Thanks for comments & understanding! :)

Actually, I have not had much odd stares or anything except when I visit the Nearby City (which is a city, but not very big one). This village is small and quite eccentric in a funny and charming way, and I'm considered "part of the scenery". Besides I've talked at least a little with most people I see on an average day. Helsinki, on the other hand is a real big city, it's international, and people are used to see different people in there. One more is no big news. The Nearby City, however, is a typical smallish city where everyone is expected to look pretty much like everyone else of your age and class. That's where I get most odd looks.
   The plan to act crazy sounds pretty good. Or, I might just say to the next person who feels that she has to turn around in order to be able to  :o me "Didn't your mother tell you that it's rude to stare at people."

Today...well, no whiney mood is so big that a day in the garden could not cure it. Today has been the firts sunny day for a while- not even a single rain shower! And I've taken advantage of it and worked in the garden to my heart's content.
   Harvest season is nearing: today we ate our first red onions, I collected the first batch of calendula petals, and maybe the most importantly, this evening I'm going to make some cherry jam and some raspberry jam of berries we picked during the day. Our winters may not be terribly cold in these days, but they are still long, so it's wonderful to be able to preserve a small part of the summer. It's glorious to visit storages in the middle of cold, dark winter and fetch frozen berries, jewel colored jams and tasty homegrown vegetables for the table. Store bought produce is just pale and sad in comparison.
This year, there'll be even more! Potatoes, onions and beetroots keep growing, first pickle cucumbers are soon ready to be harvested and preserved in vinegar, trees are full of apples, shrubs full of berries...these are the times when country people are the richest of all.

Hair & ear: Hair is a little less greasy and awful than yesterday, thanks to the rinse. And a mini snood that covers my hair from both the sun and my eyes that would surely pass a grim judgment.Today is sauna day and I can wash it. Probably with B&M shampoo because I just won't be scared that easily.
I did a salt water rinse for my ear yesterday, and it's not tender any longer. But it is itchy! The hole itches. And I must suffer...after all, I know the result will be worth a little discomfort.

Things are okay here. Hair isn't great, but it is passable. I even wore a ponytail yesterday when we went to visit T's mother. It looked ok, though a bit short because of bun/night braid waves. Can't wait until my hair is waist length when wavy and in a ponytail...in reality, that'd mean an actual length somewhere between hip and classic. Maybe by the end of next year...
Ear is also better, definitely almost-ok. I have done one sea salt soak, but it didn't do wonders. I guess I just need a little patience. It's hard to be patient though, knowing that all that gorgeous jewelry is out there, just waiting for me.

Garden: Our garden is a paradise almost all the time, but right now it's also a culinary paradise.Today, I dug up the first potatoes and they were HUGE. Huge, perfectly flawless and very tasty, to be exact. I just know there are thousands of farmers who see dreams of such potatoes :D. And then there are the red onions, dill, salads, berries... Add a piece of cheese, some salmon and a warm home baked bread, and you have a meal fit for kings. I don't think it's entirely a coincidence we have visitors coming twice this week...
I have also harvested some more calendula, and made some jam. Once the rainy days of this week are over, the blackcurrants are calling...

It is so nice to hear you enjoying the benefits of your hard work..... you deserve it!  Living in the city, I miss the garden and orchard we used to have.  The best I can do is harvest the raspberries we have growing around the house.  (I do love the berries!!  :D )  I probably miss the apple trees the most.  Apple pie, apple juice, apple sauce, apple slices, dried apples - mmmmmm I LOVE apples!  My flower gardens are pretty, but they are not the same as a garden that you can make a meal out of!

Raspberries are sooo good! We're so happy we got enough to make a little jam. We still lost maybe half of our raspberries- they have not tolerate the heavy rains we have experienced very well. Of course, our rains are nothing compared to the extreme weather large parts of Europe have experienced this summer, so I'm not complaining though.
   We are already mentally preparing for the apple circus. It seems that most of our trees are producing well this year- we estimate several hundred kilos total, though of course the amount of good apples will be a little less. I have gathered apple recipes throughout the year, and am planning to try some new things besides the "old" pies, juice, desserts and other dishes with apples. As usual, we are also inviting relatives and friends to share- as most people in this village do. :D

This day started in pouring rain, and I decided to have a baking day. After I had finished baking, I was so hot and sweaty so T just went and warmed the sauna. So, it was an early hair washing day, but I don't mind. Hair felt B&M'ish anyway. I'm glad I have discovered the wisdom of covering my hair when I bake- otherwise I think I'd have had a ton of flour in my hair. Among all the other places.

I see a laundry day coming tomorrow.

Wow, so much to do with apples.  When I think of apples (not being a pie lover) I think of apply pastry, apple fritters, apple sauce and of course...homemade mint jelly...mmmm.  Great with lamb...but I guess not much use for vegans...although mint sauce might be good on salad...but that does not have apples.  Mmmm I love fresh mint.  I use it to boil in with my new potatoes and with peas too in which case I add a tsp of sugar.  Soooo good...but i am not talking apples...which was the topic.

JD

JD

Ooh, mint! I bought mint seeds for this year, but we didn't have the time to make herb patch where we could cultivate it from year to year...but next year we are SO going to sew our own mint and make jelly, tea etc.

Stars: Our star season started a couple of days ago, when the sky cleared to semi-cloudy. It isn't still completely dark, but the brightest stars (eg. Summer Triangle) were well visible. The constellations have moved since we were last out, and navigating the skies was difficult, as we couldn't make out constellations with naked eye.
   However, the sky did reward our enthusiasm- we had hardly gone out when we observed a beautiful, bright fireball (meteor). It became the first observation we have reported! What a wonderful way to start the observing season!
   Today it's cloudy, but we are hoping that weather would clear a little for the night- after all, today delta-aquaride meteors are in maxim, and there is a good chance of seeing some pretty shooting stars! If the weather won't cooperate, the next chance of seeing something is on Monday (30th) when alpha-capricornides reach their maxim.

Hair: Greasy and hideous, though it doesn't look so bad when bunned. At least, there is no sign of that dry and sun-bleached "summer hair" that seems to be among the favorite topics of women's magazines. In fact, my hair isn't bad at all when I add my snood. I have worn my mini snoods so much that the black one is starting to appear that strange shade known as ex-black. It's still good to wear in the garden, but I'm already planning to order a couple of spare snoods. Now that I wear more colorful clothes, colorful bandanas seem to have lost some of their appeal whereas a simple solid color snood is always a good choice.
  I have started to put my snood on when I comb my hair in the morning. If it isn't pouring cats and dogs (which it might, this summer) chances are that at some point I can be found from the garden, or from the kitchen.

Ears: My left ear feels healed, but it isn't yet stretchy, so I'm going to wait a while before proceeding with stretching. I feel SO impatient though...I'd love to be done with this and going to 8g, where all the amazing glass jewelry awaits. Doesn't help at all that the ever-enabling Rain posted to LHC pictures of some absolutely gorgeous glass spirals that have just arrived to BAF, are limited edition and start from 8g.

More about stars:

Delta aquarides were really cool. The evening was cloudy, but the clouds parted for about an hour and a half after midnight, and we got some very nice meteor sightings. Yesterday, we hadn't planned to observe, but the big, bright full moon convinced us otherwise.
   We have decided to start learning more about meteors and how to observe them. They are, after all, perfect targets for our current level of expertise (not much!) and equipment (90 mm star binoculars). Today's weather isn't promising, though, and I'm afraid there will be no alpha-capricornides for us. BUT, that's ok- August is after all excellent observing time for meteor enthusiasts, as it is very active meteor season, not to mention that our nights are both dark and warm.

Hair: Nothing special there, except that I cleaned and rearranged my hairtoy shelf today. I'm officially finally giving up my hopes of wearing all my cool hairtoys except in special occassions. Admitting this resulted in a new, very neat and orderly shelf, even though I relocated my eartoys there as well. Besides the elastics, amish pins and bobby pins, I now have just a few easy and simple basic toys like claws and Ficcares, a limited "palette" of bandanas and my mini snoods at hand. Unless you count Ficcares as pretties (maybe you should!) there are only a couple of velvet ribbons as "special toys". Everything else is packed neatly to wait to the storage shelf for the next cleanup. Even my LL hairsticks. I don't like admitting that they no longer deserve the status of everyday hairtoys like they once did, though I can still pick a pair easily if opportunity arises. Now, everything is neater and my everyday hairtoy selection reflects well what I actually wear on most days.
   Today, hair is in the usual bun and protected with a lilac bandana.

Weather is still rainy- we are expecting heaviest rains of the summer to come tonight. We spent most of the Sunday in the garden, and I did some gardening this morning as well. Now, it seems though that the best thing to do is just to find a book or a craft project and to relax.

Hair: Gudrun Sjöden's new catalog arrived. Their catalogs are always so nice- beautiful clothes on interesting, often non-standard models who often have long hair in natural styles like buns and braids. Anyway, in this fall catalog my attention was immediately drawn to scarves. Many models in the catalog wore beautiful jewel tone scarves wrapped in interesting styles. Me wants!
All my scarves are bandana size, but for the fall and winter I'm now thinking of adding longer and warmer scarves to my collection. Not sure how they would suit the rest of my clothes, but I'm sure I'll think of something. After all, GS's color chart includes aubergine...

It seems that the storm has pretty much passed our village- there is wind and rain, but nothing extraordinary. We are having another indoors day, which is quite ok: dvd:s, reading for T and cross stitching for me. Quiet, maybe, but we like it.

I was thinking of you while we were camping.  We were on the north shore of Lake Superior (the largest fresh water lake in the world).  Just after sundown, as the skies were darkening and the first stars were becoming visible, this HUGE ORANGE ORB was rising on the eastern horizon.  It was the most beautiful moon-rise I have ever seen.  The full moon was so bright we were not able to see some of the more typical constellations even though it was a clear night.

It's an optical illusion- very neat one! I have seen it just once this year.
I hope you had fun camping!

I can't believe I've not updated this for over a week. Especially, since we have been right here at home, on holiday with no special plans. Just the ordinary: barbecuing, gardening (including lots of canning and preserving), entertaining some guests and, of course, watching stars since we have finally got beautiful, warm and dark nights.

Hair & Ears: I'm finally finished with Babassu Marshmallow bar, and switched with a sigh of relief back to Summer Sunshine. The B&M didn't get better at any point- it smelled nice, but it just didn't suit my hair at all.
Otherwise, my hair is enjoying the usual neglect. The only upcoming highlights are the next trim, and my quick visit to Germany in the end of the month. I still have no idea of how to wear my hair there. The need for a comfortable style + airport security + the need to look professional are a tough combination. But I still have time to think about it.
  My left ear is now at 14 g, lymphing and misbehaving. I think the warm weather has something to do with it, but I have to admit that I have been impatient and tried to stretch it maybe too quickly further. Nothing really bad has happened, but the poor ear did get irritated...so more sea salt soaks. I can't wait until my next BAF order containing some new plugs will arrive. I ordered plugs to get me to 8g, and jewelry to keep me entertained while I stretch up. I'm glad that beautiful eartoys are so cheap in small gauges- even now, I can shop them with good conscience.

Garden: This year, we will get only few apples (read: not enough to make juice) and almost no plums at all. Insects have eaten everything. It's not bad for us though- with hard work I think I can salvage enough apple to make pies for the winter, and we have lots of berries.
   Most of our vegetables are now ready to harvest, and they look and taste very good.
There have been some butterflies, but no new species- it looks like many early species have produced a second generation though. Yesterday night when we were watching stars, we also saw a cute little bat, and today I found a brown hare hopping in the grass.

Stars: I'm slowly but surely learning to navigate among the summer constellations. The giant asterism Summer Triangle is a good guide. And, when star hopping becomes too much, there are always the good old attractions. Even the Moon looks awesome through big binos.

Stars: Clear nights continue. Combined with vacation and warm weather, it's the perfect combination for star-gazing. Last night it was dark enough to see M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) with naked eye. And it wasn't even as dark & clear as it can get here. We're lucky. Very lucky. In binoculars, the galaxy was quite impressive. Made me feel very small!
   My navigation skills continue improving steadily, if slowly. A new constellation or two per night seems to be a good speed, considering that I am also doing other things during a typical observing session. Usually, when I first go out, I observe constellations with naked eye for a while, while my eyes get adjusted to dark. I usually have some targets in mind when I go out- typically just one or two. For example, Andromeda Galaxy was on my last night's to-do list, along with meteors. Finding a specific target that is not visible to the naked eye can take some time! In fact, sometimes even finding something that is visible even with the naked eye, is hard to capture to narrow binocular field. Often, I also check out some familiar target. Before going back inside, I usually observe with naked eye for a while- try to find some constellation or just wait for a shooting star or two to appear.

Hair/ear: Hair is greasy today. It's been very hot during daytime, and I've rinsed my hair each day with plain water. For the first time, maybe even the second, it makes my hair better, but at some point I feel it is just increasing the greasiness. But, sebum isn't bad, and the sun is so hot that I wear a covering for that reason alone. Usually, the greasies are worst in the morning and disappear to some degree during the day. Maybe my hair even has use for the stuff.
  Left ear is better again. My barbell is annoying but I don't dare to change it. I lost the original black balls and had to replace them with silver ones and I don't like the result one bit. Just a week, and then my BAF order will arrive.

Garden: Finally a new butterfly species- Red admiral. Our garden is bathing in the sun. The soil has still plenty of moisture in it, though, so there is no worry about draught. At the moment, we prefer to do the garden work of the day during the evening- from 6pm on. Haven't done any canning or preserving this week. I should start again with that...

Simple Dress Experiment:

When I say I live an active life that is quite demanding for clothing, I mean something like this  ;D :

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6883/terassillavq2.jpg

T told me that a little lizard was hiding under our terrace table, and while I was trying to get a glimpse of it, he snapped a picture. All well, since there was a very cute little lizard indeed- the first I have seen in our garden. For those who are more interested of my hair adventures than my dresses: a mini snood in action. It's definitely becoming more ex-black than black. I'm glad I can retire it soon.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8056/kasvimaallatq7.jpg

Since this post seems to be much about illustrating my summer styles, here is another picture of me, this time stalking a butterfly at our veggie patch. I'm wearing a scarf cap, my other favorite summer style. This one has tiny blue flowers that match the dress.

Garden: Garden picture of the day: a Lettuce Tree. Two of our lettuces (just one in the pic) have become more ambitious and decided to become trees.

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2164/salaattipuuly4.jpg

Hair, finally  :P : Weather has totally mixed up our normal routine. We went to sauna yesterday. Now, I know some of you wonder why does one go to sauna when it's hot even without it, but it is really refreshing. Especially if you take a cool shower right after it. So, my hair is freshy washed.
   To my great delight I discovered that I have reached yet another invisible, but heart warming hair goal. My hair is finally big enough for my longest (3") Amish pins. Previously, they were too long, sticking out of my bun if I mistakenly tried to use one. But now I have enough hair to hide them. Yay!

Thanks for sharing the pics!!  Everything is looking wonderful in the garden from what I can see.  You and T must be proud that your hard work is paying off and showing :)  
Congrats on the hair goal!!

Thanks for congrats. It's fun to achieve a hair goal even while I'm trying NOT to gain length at the moment.
   The garden looks nice- though at this point, much of the credit still goes to the previous owners who were good gardeners. For most of the time, we're just trying not to mess everything up.

Today started with a good-sized thunder storm. For a moment, I thought we would lose the electricity. This kind of events always remind us that as far as simplifying goes, we are still beginners. Our goal is to decrease our dependance on electricity- not totally, but up to a point where the basic tasks of our household do not necessarily depend on having it. As we see it, electricity should be a convenience, not an absolute necessity- even though our reliable grid and tons of gadget available everywhere would suggest otherwise.
  The most fun part in these days is, that these are not just my ideas any longer- T has become just as bad as I am. He even wants me to sew him some plain clothes. Now, I'm just looking for some easy men's patterns that would do the trick. Due to the nature of his job, I think that the best he can realistically become is a part-time plain. But it's still an improvement and so I am going to help him with it.

Hair: The thunder didn't improve temperatures much- even typing this make me sweat. I see another rinse in my near future. My clairvoyant ability does not tell me clearly, when the next trim is due though. Judging from the calendar, it should be soon but then, the last trim was on the larger side. Maintaining the perfect balance obviously has its challenges.
    I have forgotten to mention rearranged my scarf collection the other day: basically, I divided my bandanas to three piles, so that each pile got an equal amount of favorite and not-so-favorite scarves. I put one pile to my hairtoy shelf and the two others elsewhere. It was a good idea: while I wore almost exclusively my favorites, I have now worn also other scarves and found them very nice. The rest of my outfit being solid color in these days, little things like a nice scarf, are important. Right now: a burgundy dress, a bun and a nice greenish scarf with stylized leaf print.

Trying to simplify living is NOT simple, is it??!!  ;)  Are solar panels used at all in your area?  I realize they would not work well in the winter months when sunlight is at its minimum, but the rest of the year it might help reduce your reliance on the grid.  We have no electricity on our land, but we do have a generator we can run if necessary.  The rest of the time we depend on batteries (12 volt type) to supply us with what we need.  Spending 3 or 4 days up there really teaches us to conserve and minimize our power consumption.  We are looking into solar panels that will charge our batteries reducing our need for the generator even more.

What kind of shirt would T be willing to wear?  Here is an example of a very simple pattern that can be made out of either light or heavy weight fabric.

http://www.habithat.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/7590

Going along the same lines as your apron to protect the front of your dress, men woud wear a vest to protect the front of their shirts.  I'm sure you could find a simple trouser pattern as well.

What can I say? I have no life. Worked a couple of hours on my cross stitch project (the same old wedding record- I'm starting to see the light in the end of the tunnel though).

BB: Yes, solar panels are becoming more popular here especially in the new houses amd summer cottages. However, for us they are not an option since our house is listed historical (meaning that we can not make any big changes to its outside appearance without written permission from officials). At the moment, our heating is wood & electricity, and if something happened we would live quite comfortably solely on wood. We are thinking of purchasing an air heating pump -or whatever it is in English. In any case, it's a device that collects heat from air and uses it to warm the house. During summertime you can convert the air flow so that it cools the air indoors. It can produce quite a saving in heating costs, but the down side is the initial cost. But when we have an extra €2000 or so, that's probably where we are going to invest it.
   
At the moment, my "basic needs" list looks like this:

lighting: we have candles, but oil lamps would be more efficient. And much more elegant in an older house.

cooking: Woodstove and wood baking stove are already in use.

food storaging: Our cellar under the house is cool enough to function as a substitute refrigerator if necessary. No insurmountable problems here. It's already used to storing our canned goodies.

laundry: We are planning to build an old style sauna and getting a bath tub to indoors instead. The sauna is going to have electricity only for lighting- both the stove and warm water pot will be wood heated. I am planning to have two big sinks there, a washboard and a wringer there as well for doing laundry by hand. Washing laundry at hand sounds like a big task, but I've heard the results should be very nice.

I'm still dreaming of a treadle sewing machine, and a few other items, but they are all extra. I think that once the basic list above is all ticked, we'd be quite well off.

The pattern looks very nice- I think I'm going to order it. I'm not sure what T will say about it (though it's a well known fact that if I have made it, he will probably love it), but I wear tunics as my semi-formal outfit, and this pattern looks just about perfect. Thanks for sharing! :)

Both the temperature and air humidity are still in such readings that I expect to see little monkeys and hummingbirds arriving to our apple trees on any day now. It hasn't happened in the recorded world history, but I think that Hume's quillotine allows me to think otherwise today.
Yet, in some strange way I feel the fall is coming. For one thing, I haven't been able to shake the sight of gorgeous scarves in Gudrun Sjöden's catalog out of my mind. Today I went so far that I grabbed my only semi-decent scarf and practiced with it until I came up with a decent bun scarf style (yes, the one in the catalog). Aside from the fact that the thin white linen scarf looked like a huge bandage around my head thus making me look someone fresh from a car accident, the style looked gorgeous. Come the fall and any excuses to wear something warm and jewel tone, I'm SO going to try this.
It's obvious that living among the apple trees has conditioned me to wear something on my head whenever I go out.

I'll file the fact to ever growing "side effects of country living" mental list.

Another effect of the weather is, that I can't even pretend to have a washing schedule. All I can say that once I did, but now it's just rinsing, rinsing, insane rinsing and grabbing the shampoo bar when rinsing seems to suffice no longer. Another good thing about scarves & snoods: no need to try judging when/if my hair looks presentable. Because that'd be just desperate right now.

Wow, this is a really neat line of conversation.  I am trying to figure how I could simplify now.  I am trying to imagine hand washing.  I suppose, since I am on my own, if I washed my clothes each night when I got home it would work.  I just wonder how much damage a wash board would do to clothes though.  I am having trouble seeing myself washing my bedding and 5 animals bedding every weekend though...EEEEK.

There is nothing I can do about a fridge.  I could reduce my frozen stuff and cut out my 7 cubic foot freezer (which is energy efficient at least).

Oil lamps and candles....hmmm...five animals in the house.  Gotta think about that one.

I thought about a heat pump when I was having the house built.  My parents have one and have found that when the cold of winter really hits and the heat of summer really hits...it cannot manage....plus, in the 15 years they have had it, it has needed repairing every spring and fall.  So, I have natural gas heat and central air.  They are both run on a timer.  In the winter the heat is set at 15 C when I am out or sleeping and 18 C when I am here and awake...except weekends when it is at 17 since I figure I am probably hussling enough.  In the summer it is set for 26 when I am out and 24 when I am home.  I run a fan at night so the air is set to 26 at night.  Actually, it is going to be cool enought tonight that I can probably get the house cooled right off and turn off the air for tomorrow.

I want a wood stove so I can heat the house that way...but the creosote!!!!  Gawd I hated cleaning that out of the chimney every spring at the folks.  Nothing like working with a pure carcinogen and trying to keep the house clean while doing it (not to mention keeping all the animals out of it all).  Argh.

Solar panels...fantastic for summer...but winter...forget it.  Not enough sun light and way too much snow!!!  And I am not climbing on the roof in the summer, much less the winter.  I suppose if I was rich, I would set them up to save for a good part of the year.  My husband and I had the cottage running on solar panels...until he sold it to pay his debts  >:(.  We had not electricity there.

I guess I should have gotten a gas stove and had the house rigged for it when I had the house built.  My bad.

I do have a little convection oven so I can cook with that rather than the big oven when it is just me and one other person....well, actually, except for roasts I can use it...as long as I only need one thing in the oven.  And I don't use my dishwasher unless at least 5 people are here which is about twice a year.  And I hang dry my clothes and stuff, all around the house in the winter and outside when weather permits in the summer.

Ok, I blabbed a lot.  Got thinking out load.  

BTW, Galadriel, I love your pics.  I have to wonder where on earth you live.  It is so beautiful!!

JD

joyedog:  Or, some more thoughts on simple living

First, I wish to remind everyone that at the moment, our simple living project is already pretty HC- we haved moved away from the City, to a house that we have selected from simple living point of view. This has opened new options for us, but it also means that if you are just curious about simple living or perhaps want to start your own simple living experiment, doing a big dramatic change such as moving to country, is probably not a good place to start. It certainly isn't a requirement.
It's always better to change things more slowly, with an explorer spirit. Also, personal preferences, jobs and such affect greatly to the choices we have realistically available. Usually, doing things the "simple way" takes more time than the modern way, and for many people time is a limited resource. Sometimes items required in simple life are hard to find (though internet is a great aid) and so on.
Simple living is also a family effort, if you have a family. If you don't, some things may be beyond your resources (time, manpower) because of that...what I'm trying to say is, that people who aspire to live more simply, often end up having different lifestyles because they live in different circumstances.

I know from experience, that everyone can simplify, at least to the degree where you know whether it is your thing or not, and whether you will want to take bigger, bolder  steps in that direction. I started simplifying while we were still living in a small two-room apartment in the center of the city. That environment had admittedly limited opportunities, but those limited opportunities were enough to ready us for bigger changes. Here's a short list of what I was able to do:
-cook more from scratch
-bake your own bread and baked goodies
-learn to clean with simple, natural cleaners like vinegar and baking soda
-learn how to freeze food...and how to use the food you have frozen
-learn to sew, knit, crochet- crafts are worthy skills, and learning them helps one to become less dependent on what is available commercially
-simplify your wardrobe, at least a little (there is, after all, a middle ground between owning 100 pairs of shoes and handbags and dressing like an Amish)
-if you have a balcony, or a little yard, you can grow flowers, herbs, berries etc. there (flowers only if you live in a polluted area)
-learn to do minor repairs yourself

I think I started with cooking. Result: we ate better, my DH was happier and we even saved money. Encouraged by this, I decided to expand my repertoire to baking. Same thing there: increased happiness. I took up my old crafty hobbies. I found out I enjoyed it, and DH loved the new wool socks and household items I started to generate. And so on. Today, the things we learned first are still the "backbone" of our lifestyle. We add and try out new ideas when we think we can fit them into our life comfortably. After all, we don't simplify because we feel it's some cosmic obligation or because we have a bad conscience for the world- we do it because it makes us happy.
Simple.

To your other question, I live in Southern Finland.

Hair: Yesterday was a wash day. Today it's very marginally less hot (can't really say cooler) than yesterday. I didn't catch sleep easily because of the heat, but at least I managed to sleep all night when I finally did. Sadly, it doesn't seem that this improvement is enough to make a difference in the amount of rinsing though.
     Hairstyle: bun with Amish pins (I'm still thrilled that I can use the longest ones!) and a scarf in shades of pinks that look nice and perky with my brown dress. I felt the need to have some color, and since my new colorful earbling might not be here before the next week, it's good to play with bandanas.    
     My buns are clearly bigger than they used to be- they are subtly but definitely moving from what I consider to be medium size bun towards a larger bun. Not actually large yet, but on the way there. Oy, I just love the look.
 

Galadriel,

I know you were addressing people on a wide scale about simplifying.  You made me realize that maybe I am not so far off as I thought.

1)  I live in the country...65km from the city...always have
2)  Parents were brought up in war time England so I do all my own cooking and baking...nothing from a package (except bread...eat to much if it isn't the sliced stuff!!!), can knit and crochet.  I can't say I do anymore.  No time and 3 cats make it tough.  Sewing I never could get into!!!  The freezer!!!  Lord, before I went back to work I cooked up 45 meals to use up.  When I get in the swing of things, I will refill the 5 tupperware containers per week from my dinners (that I have used) with something each weekend and freeze again so that I have constant choices and healthy food.  On the weekends I actually do cook.  Week nights seem too rushed somehow when it is just me.  Oh, and I go picking at farms in the summer and make my own jams (not freezer jam, the real thing).
3) Wardrobe - I like the classic look so I have 5 basic outfits per week  for each of the 4 seasons (dunno about Finland, but necessary here, even though my English relatives cannot understand that) and shoes...I think I have about 3 pairs for each fall/winter and spring/summer plus 2 pairs of winter boots (the walking boots and the dress boots).
4)  Minor repairs...well, I just drywalled my garage myself and am going to put up crown molding in the next couple of weeks.  In a year or so I plan on finishing my basement myself...folks taught me all about this stuff.
5) I use vinegar for cleaning and baking soda for carpet freshening...need to learn about using it for washing clothes....seems to me that straight it would be disappointing smell wise.  Any suggestions?
6) I have a 2 acre lot so I do have flowers (although not a lot) and herbs.  I have wild raspberries growing on the property...which with patience can be picked and eaten (if the real Joeydog doesn't get them first!!!  He loves them and picks them off with his mouth soooo genlty that the plant barely moves!!!)  I only had the house built 3 years ago and have not established my garden...plus I must keep it at a level I can manage it since I work 8 hours a day (like most people), have 2 hours of driving time a day and, while I do not have a family, I have 5 animals that need some time with me between running 2 acres, working, trying to get fit and running a 2000 sq foot house.

I would love to hear more ideas as you come up with them.

Finland.  Hmm, never been there.  Will have to do some research and learn about your climate and culture.  Might ask you some questions once I have done that.

Sounds like your hair is doing great.  So happy for you.

JD

joeydog, to me it sounds like you are already living simply, especially considering your circumstances. :) Your parents have taught you such great skills. Mine never did that- I have had to learn everything by myself at adult age. But that's ok, I like learning.
   
Oh, I understand about the weather. We have four very different seasons, and my current dresses are the only thing I have ever worn that can be used all the time (if I dress in layers during the winter). Obviously, this is a rather radical solution and not good for everyone! And there are other things to consider besides weather, like job and hobbies. Simplifying a wardrobe is rewarding when it succeeds, but it can be a big challenge. For active, working people who live in areas that have actual seasons, it is easily a huge challenge.

When I launder, I use vinegar instead of fabric softener when I wash towels & menstrual pads. The reason is, that fabric softener is actually a wax that makes things like towels less absorbing. In dry laundry treated with ACV rinse, there is no vinegar smell left.

Establishing a garden is a huge task. Even maintaining a reasonably big garden is an effective way to full one's free time.

I'm happy to answer any further questions you might have.  :)

Life, Hair & Everything: I've booked the flight tickets for the upcoming Germany trip, and am getting excited. Unlike I first thought, I am going to spend one night in there after all. So I'll get to see the town a bit more than just the professor's office. Which is great, if there is a chance that I might move in there for a while.
    Don't know what I will do if it comes to that, considering the family and this property...but T is ever supportive, so I guess that I'll just cross that bridge when/if I will need to. In any case, Dr. L seems like a very nice person, and Prof G. whom I will also be meeting, has also some very interesting thoughts, so I'm looking forward to a nice trip and interesting discussions.
   I have no idea of what I am going to wear in there either. I think I will dress up more formally when I go and then take one dress with me so I can switch when the official part is over. Hair & airport security is of course an interesting issue (as always). Last time I just packed my hairbling into my checked baggage, but this time it's not possible since I'm travelling so light. No sticks, no Amish pins, seven hours of traveling to one direction, and the need to look sharp in the end (so no puny braids or hair down). I'm glad I still have some time to finish this little equation. I'm creative, I can do it. Yes I can.
  Washed hair today, because I had forgotten that I had washed it yesterday already. This heat is getting to me.

Galadriel, you are correct, my parents have taught me well and I really cannot say enough good about them...in every sense.  I have been very lucky and blessed on that front!!

Vinegar for fabric softener!!  Never would have though of it.  What ratio should I use it at?  Same as fabric softner?  Gee, soon I will have to buy shared in baking soday and vinegar!!!!

You are going to Germany!!!  So cool.  My family lived there for 2 years when I was little.  It was a great time for the whole family.  I was only 5-7 so I only remember bits and pieces...but I remember it was a happy time for us.  I hope you really love it!!!

I am sure you will come up with great ideas for your hair.  You sound like a very creative person.  Tell us ALL about it.

JD

I use vinegar more than fabric softener. My fabric softener is concentrate, and I need very little of it. Vinegar is safe though- I don't think there's huge harm done if you experiment a bit.

I have visited Germany once before, when I was 14. So it's been a long time. I didn't travel much at all while I was studying. I still don't have money to spend in traveling, but now there are institutions willing to pay my travels and hotels. :D That's progress! My last Germany trip was to Hamburg, plus a brief visit to Cologne. This time, I'm heading to Bonn region. So it'll be a bit different.  :)

Hair: Look, I have a picture!

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/2980/braidwavesx1.jpg

I had such pretty braid waves this morning that I wanted to share it with you. Is it just my imagination, or is my hair brushing the waistband even with waves? Because that'd mean it's time to trim.

Travel hair is still a problem. At the moment, my strongest hairtoy candidates are my plastic fakkares. They are pretty real-looking and stylish, and Ficcare buns are reasonably comfortable traveling option. I also have some plastic hair pins I could use, but I don't like them much. Third option that has come to my mind, are my plastic octopus clips, but they are not the most comfortable option. And they are more plastic-y looking than I would want to wear in a professional occassion.

Ears: Have you noticed that I have pretty much shifted my focus from hairtoys to eartoys? In any case, I'm happy to announce that my earbling shipment from BAF arrived.  :D
I got: a pair of yellow burmese stone plugs in 8g. They are double flare so I can't wear them yet. But it's good to have something pretty to wait for, and these are really pretty. The color is creamy light yellow, and the flare size is just perfect.
a pair of carnelian plugs in 8g. No flare, so good to wear anytime (in my right ear, anyway).
a pair of translucent sparkle green GWS colorfront plugs in 8g. For when I have two ears in that size. These are absolutely GORGEOUS. The color is beautiful and fresh and very subtly sprakly.
a pair of clear GG plugs in 8 g. Because they are gorgeous.
A glitch: I had ordered a pair of 12 g GG 2nds in red, but got clear ones instead. However, I realized that wearing clear plugs of different sizes makes them look like a matched pair unless you look very closely, I decided it was a happy mistake and am going to keep it.
Plus the usual o-rings and a pair of 12g steel plugs.
Is there such a thing as an eartoy heaven?

Stretching situation: I poked an 8 g earring into my right ear. I wouldn't have forced it if there was any problem, but the earring slid straight in. I felt absolutely nothing, so this was a breeze for stretch.
Same happened with 12 g earrings in left ear. They slid in like nothing. My hopes of getting to 10g before the trip are rising once again...

EDIT: spelling mistake

Thanks for sharing that pic!  Your hair is beautiful and coming along great! ;)
Did you make the dress?  It looks great(what what I can see of it!)

Thanks for the compliment! :)
Yes, I have made the dress & apron myself. If you have seen one of them, you have seen them all  ;) . All the dresses I have made so far are similar except for color. My pattern offers lots of options, but so far I have felt that this style is just perfect.

I think it's perfect,too!

That's nice to hear  :) .

We have invited a friend couple to barbecue here, so not much time to write. But, here is just a little ear update!

Ears: My ears didn't feel strange in any way, so I couldn't resist fiddling a bit more with my left ear last night. Result: successful stretch to 10g. :D I know that was faster than recommended, but so far my ear feels ok. A bit tender, but nothing I haven't felt before with a normally scheduled stretch. I'm now admiring purple 10g plugs that I wear as a matched pair. They're really classy looking- even T liked the look.
   I'm happy to stay in 10g a bit longer -no hurry to 8g. Most of my jewelry is in 10g, including two gorgeous pairs of glass plugs. And when I gauge up to 8g, I need money for a big order. Or two. I'm glad I'm going to qualify for BAF's 10% off of every purchase discount very soon now. :D
  I know I've said this before, but I don't see myself going beyond 8g. 8g is the final gauge where lots of new kind of jewelry becomes available. The next "big change" is around 0g- that's where some seriously gorgeous plugs lie. But anything but plugs becomes really (too) massive in bigger gauges, so I'm not tempted. I can see why many people choose the plug route, but I don't think I can give up spirals and other hanging designs.

Apparently, computer ate my previous post the day before yesterday. Don't remember what it said though- probably nothing important.

http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/5809/auringonkukka2bq4.jpg

Anyway, here's a picture of a sunflower in our garden. It's our first sunflower this year, because we sowed them so late. Our neighbors have had sunflowers flowering for weeks now. But good things are worth a little wait.
    Our weekend was nice, and we spent lots of time in the garden, both before and after the sunset. At this time of the year, our garden feels truly paradisial: colorful butterflies and flowers in the daytime, and the Milky Way stretching above us in the nighttime. Everywhere is the scent of fresh apples. They are not good to eat this year, but the scent is still lovely.
    I've started working with my various projects, grant applications and such again. It's insane to think that I'm looking for a job ON TOP OF THAT. I have no idea how I will survive alive if I actually find a job. But...money would be nice.

Hair& Ear: Left ear caused me a little trouble during the weekend, but is better now. Guess it might have been wise to stay a week or so in 12g after all. Though I still love how my little purple glass plugs look when worn in a matching pair. Beautiful!
   I realized it's been months since I last visited the LL shop pages. On my last visit, everything was always sold out, and I finally decided to give up for a while. I was happy to see the shop looking more normal now. There have been changes, but the most important thing- gorgeous hair jewelry- is still there so I'm all happy. I wish I could justify myself buying a pair or two, but then...I haven't even tried on all the sticks I got from the Great Swap.  ::) I guess my life isn't that hairstick friendly in these days. But who knows when that will change?  

This morning we had a huge thunderstorm- I don't remember the last time I've seen such a storm. Lightning was striking everywhere, and though I'm not usually scared of thunder, this was a bit scary. Turned out that I wasn't a big coward- I found out that the officials had issued a warning that advised people to stay indoors. News has it, that the capital region had it even worse than we did. I'm glad I wasn't there.
I don't remember when such a warning has been given because of thunder. More is supposed to come late this evening, but odds are, that it will be more normal thunder.

I should mention that I've started to crochet a nice warm shawl for myself out of the yarn I received in last year's LL Christmas swap. The yarn looked perfect for a shawl from the moment I first saw it, but didn't have a good pattern. Today I finally decided to just start crocheting. I'm keeping it simple, as I thought that would be best to show off the gorgeousness of the special effect yarn. I'll post a pic when I'm done.
   I also feel the urge to crochet and knit other stuff once I'm finished- a sure sign that fall is coming. The wedding record will remain a first priority until I'm done with it though, but once I'm done with it...

Hair: I'm doing a bit more hairtoy swapping: I have found new homes for the last two of my swappable (is that a word?) Ficcares. I must say again: having a bit less money at my disposal has done wonders for my hairtoy collections. I don't have any longer expensive toys I'm not 100% satisfied with lying around- just loveliness upon awesomeness.
    It's a shame that I'm not wearing my hairtoys much...but the day will come, and then I have the perfect collection at my disposal. On the other hand...the weather is today decidedly bad, so I don't think I'll go outdoors...which means that I could just go and change my hairstyle to something fancy...

Gotta go.  8-)

(neck craning)did I hear hairtoy swap???  Let me know if you're still swapping and what you've got!

Nothing big this time :D, but I'll keep you in mind as I sort out my hairtoy cave.  :)

Today, just some pictures. I think I've subconsciously decided that fall is in the air- otherwise I can't explain all this:

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/9969/poninhantatz1.jpg

A fall hairstyle: ponytail (braid waves). It's a fall style because most of my ribbons come in warm lovely fall colors and textures- this one is a teal brocade ribbon.

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/725/huiviyb5.jpg

Here's the shawl I knit from the yarn Trisha gave me in Secret Santa exchange last Christmas. It took just one night to make- the special effect yarn was gorgeous with simple pattern. It's toasty warm and so pretty. Thanks once again, Trisha!

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/4967/syystyylihe7.jpg

Here's the front view. This fall, my style reminds me of my online friends. The knitted purse is a gift from Songofsunlight. I wore this whole outfit today when I was shopping more yarn and craft stuff. I decided that I need another shawl, and bought violet alpaca yarn for it.

Love the pics!  You're gonna love the alpaca yarn!  I'm crocheting the cardigan in an orchid alpaca/silk/wool(I think)  so many projects and so much yarn!!! lol I've got 100% alpaca in blue that I'm crocheting a shawl in (since last year :-[! It is very nice to work with,either crochet or knit.

Lovely shawl!  I too do a lot of knitting with alpaca - I love it!  It doesn't have the same stretch as sheep's wool, so I don't use it for socks, but it makes great hats, mittens, and scarves.

Aww, what a beautiful shawl you created!  I was thinking that colour would compliment your skin and hair tones.  Yay!   :)

What a nice shawl! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/950/bouquet.gif

I love the shawl!!

BTW, I don't remember you answering me about the quantity of baking soda to water for using baking soda as a fabric softener.  I bought 1lb of baking soda today (I use it for many other things too) so I would like to know for my washing this weekend!!!

JD

Thanks for your kind words, everyone!  :)

joeydog: It's vinegar I use as fabric softener, not baking soda. My laundry machine has a mark for maximum amount of fabric softener, and I pour vinegar up to that mark. It's quite a lot more than I use my regular concentrated softener, but I haven't seen any harm.

Turned out that I knit the shawl just right on time. I have had slightly sore throat for the whole week, but on Thursday evening it got worse, and I woke up on Friday feverish and with a real flu. I had to skip the only meeting I had had in months. To make matters worse, T left to California very early on Saturday. I made myself as comfortable as I could and rested efficiently, and am now feeling better. Not totally ok, but much better. In any case, since the flu was coming, it was better to get it out of the way before leaving to Germany (not many days now!!!). I've now received more information from Dr. L . The place I'm going to seems very nice and reasonably small, which is also nice in case I have to move in there. Now, I just hope that I could remember even some basic things in German. I've studied German for a couple of years, but have forgotten pretty much everything except what is needed to translate Rammstein's lyrics. Ok, not going there. Or to König's comics which are the other German thing I like. :-X What can I say. My ideas of what is good pop culture are not what my mother taught me. Guess I better visit the attic and see if any of my old textbooks have survived.
         
Crafts: I've started knitting the new shawl. The pattern is beautiful, but quite difficult and requires concentrating, so it's probably not a good idea to take it to the plane.
    I asked T to bring me broadcloth for a new dress or two- I hope he will manage to find a fabric store. I need new dresses for the fall, and it'd be a big help if I didn't have to order all my fabrics online.
   Besides these, I have more craft projects needing to be done that I am probably able to make. On top of everything, it looks like getting our new printer (that I need, among other things, in order to print my e- flight tickets) in working order is so complicated that it should be counted as a craft project.

Hair/Ears: Hair is happy and well. My goal is to survive the trip without washing it. Shouldn't be a big feat since it's just one night. How hard the days will be, depends much of the weather. At the moment it's rainy and cool, fall-cool to be exact, so I may have luck with that.
   Left ear is also finally really well. I changed my glass plugs to honey ones, but have not tried other jewelry. Not that I'm tempted- left ear is my plug ear. I'm not going to start wearing anything bigger in pairs.

Last night

00.00 go to bed. It's late but since I can't sleep well alone, I have stayed up long.
01.30 sleep. Finally.
05.30 Wake up to a loud crash downstair.
05.35 Go to downstairs. Find that rabbit's fencing has been torn down. Count one rabbit (Lumi) missing and nowhere to be seen. Realize that it's cold downstairs, so go back up and quickly fetch a cardigan.
05.45 Come back downstairs, only to discover that also Pyry has woken up and run away. Catch Pyry and repair the fencing. Lumi is still nowhere to be seen. Search the kitchen. Then living room. Hall. Porch. Bathroom. Sauna. Crawl on the floor in order to check all the imaginable spaces where a crazy rabbit could crawl. Still no sign of Lumi. Pyry realizes that he is alone and gets panicked. Repair the fencing again while talking soothingly to Pyry. Search the whole downstairs once again, this time slightly worried.
06.10 Find Lumi from under the freeze. Wonder for a split second how on Earth has she managed to squeeze herself there, then realize that there are electric cords and other dangerous stuff. Unplug the freezer. Start chasing the rabbit. Restart the freezer and enhance the supposedly rabbit proof barricade around it.
06.15 Rabbit escapes from the kitchen and runs to sauna. Guess how fun she's to chase there.
06.20 Catch the rabbit. Preach her about how good a glove she would make and toss her into the pen. Rabbit hops right back out, sayin "U can't force me to be here, nyah nyah nyah". Toss her back. This time she sees Pyry and is contented to stay. Yelling probably helps to drive the message in. Go back to bed.
06.55 After some five or ten precious minutes of peaceful sleep, wake up to alarming crash from downstairs. Find that Lumi has escaped again. Chase the rabbit around kitchen and porch. Catch an annoyed rabbit from porch, put her back to pen. Go back to bed.
07.20 Wake up again. No crash, but suspicious sounding soft hopping. The idiot rabbit thinks I can't hear her just because I don't have long ears. Go prove Lumi otherwise. After all, in 20 years of keeping rabbits I have developed ears very sensitive to badly behaving bunnies. Watch her like a hawk for a while, trying to glare her badly enough that soon she would prefer a hawk for company.
07.45 Situation peaceful. At least, crazy gleam has disappeared from Lumi's eyes.  I decide I can't go back to sleeping and decide to officially get up.
09.00 Rabbits go to sleep for the daytime. After all, they are twilight animals.

It's 4 pm when I'm writing this, and I'm dreadfully tired- it's not like I have had a good night's sleep since T left to the conference. I'm waiting for bedtime, since I can't mess my daily routine so close to the trip. I've done some cleaning and packing, but have rescheduled a ton of work for tomorrow and for Wednesday just because my brain is just a big bowl of porridge today.

Looking for a restful trip, and a night in hotel knowing that certain two rabbits are in Finland with my mother watching them.

I'll have to get her something really nice for agreeing to come.

Then T wonders why I don't want us to have a baby.

man oh man,that Lumi is one to be watched!!!  Yes,you do get to be very sensitive to "rabbit things" when you have owned them.  You know when there's alot of noise or too little noise,something is up!!!  Glad she probably thought better of  becoming a glove and stayed put in the cage!!!

all I can say is being a rabbit owner and a ferret owner,I know exactly what you're dealing with and what shenanigans can happen!!! ::)

Oh my, that is some story! ;D

By the way, your hair is looking quite good!

Thanks for support, Curlgirl, and thanks for compliment, juri! :)

I'm glad to report that no one escaped last night.
In general, I'm once again a bit surprised of how little I have managed to accomplish here without T. Sleep deprivation has slowed me down, but still- I've mostly been just cleaning the place (T left just before weekly cleaning day, so I had to clean the whole house), working and of course recovering from the flu. That's pretty much it. When I get to spend time alone I always have these grand plans about what I am going to do once I have the evenings all for myself. Going out, perhaps even to Helsinki. Taking long walks, taking care of a hundred little things for which I haven't had time. You know. I seldom manage to realize even half of my plans, and this time my record looks even more pitiful. Blame the flu.

Hair: Washed hair today, so on Thursday I should have second day hair which is about as good and easy hair as it gets. Styles-wise, the fakkare bun is still the best idea I've had so far. There aren't that many options, all things considered. Most of my favorite hairtoys are either outright banned for security reasons or at least I might have to take my hair down at security check.

Jefferson's jellies!

This morning I visited certain University's webpage and it turned out that the "meeting" Dr.L has talked about is in fact a colloquim advertised on their webpage. Instead of discussing my work in private, I'm supposed to give a over one hour presentation!!! :o :o :o
   No problem though- it's a well known fact that nothing boosts productivity as well as panic, so before afternoon I had the needed presentation in my hands. I decided just to present them my research on general level, not very different from what I was expecting anyway, just in a different form. The only problem now is that I'm a rather bad speaker, and the very slight speech defect I have to deal with even when speaking Finnish is somewhat worse when I have to give long monologues in English. Also, my throat is suspiciously sore today- I'll need to pack some Strepsils with me. Oh well. A little more panicking won't kill me, and the points I have to make are interesting- that must suffice. Wish me luck!
  All in all, in spite of making me scream and run in circles, there's one very good thing about this discovery: since it's an "official event", I get to add my speech to my CV. It's my second invited scientific speech- which makes my CV look pretty great for a young researcher. I'll think of that, listen to some more Turisas and go find my warrior attitude.

On the bright side, there was a very nice surprise in my mailbox today: the Ficcare beak clip I had swapped had arrived. Must be the quickest shipment from USA I have ever received! The clip is beautiful, pink medium beak.- what makes it more special is that it's an "outside catalog" color. I have not had luck with cheap beak clips ever, but this one is different- it actually holds my hair. Holds it very well, in fact. I have inserted it through my bun (instead clamping it over my bun like a Maximas clip), and the bun perfectly secure. What a wonder! I would never have thought that any beak clip could hold my slippery hair so well! Need to get more of these.

Off to continue packing and panicking.

WOW, I think I'd  :o :o :o too! Still, it sounds like this will be very good for your career.

Good luck!!!

Best of luck with the presentation, Galadriel. Cover your ears with your hair if you blush. I wish I had some expert advice in the way of public speaking, but I can't stand it either! *hides*

Thanks for support, juri and Angel Spun

Well, I'm back! The trip went well, my presentation went well (in my standards, anyway), and now I'm back home with sore feet and nice memories.

The town (in my standards, a city but everyone else seemed to think otherwise), was very cute in a flowery-ornate-abundant way. A bit too colorful to my tastes, though I think I will have to rethink my decision not to bother even trying to grow tea roses. Most of them have no chance of surviving Finland's winters, but there are a couple of hardier variations...hmm...
   Germans I encountered were nice people- a bit peculiar, but very nice. In the town I spent most of my visit, I noticed though that my 10 word vocabulary of active German was much more useful than all my English (especially since I soon discovered that I understood just enough German to insert the right word in the right place). The dialect of that area was a bit softer than the German I have been taught at school- if my longer visit will become a reality one day, I might even learn to pronounce it. According to my foreign friends, Finnish sounds much like Japanese and [EDIT: finishing the missing end of sentence  :-[ ) therefore it's difficult for me to pronounce some of German consonants.
   
Hair: I tried to look for hairtoys, but found none either from the town or Bonn. However, I got lucky at Konrad Adenauer airport where I found this little shop offering what seemed quality hairtoys. Most of them were still barrettes, but I found a very nice decorated scrunchie that went perfectly with Trishashawl.  :D
    However, a happier surprise still was waiting for me when I came home: a pair of MT hairsticks I swapped for the last Ficcare that needed to go. The sticks are really beautiful- again, perfect for the Fall. As a bonus treat, I got a beautiful wooden hair fork that is a nice addition to my still small collection of hair forks.
    Today, I have worn a bun with my new pink Ficcare beak clip. It's true love- with this clip, I don't even need to wear a bun net. As you may remember, my hair is so slippery that a fine bun net is a must. My Ficcare beak is the only hairtoy in my entire collections that holds my hair in a secure bun without a net. It's a small miracle! Therefore, I decided that I will try to swap at least two more Ficcare beaks. I still have some pairs of swappable hairsticks left, as well as some interesting miscellanous toys, and on top of this, I am happy to create some custom craft project. I am mainly interested of the "coolfashionproduct" Ficcares- the beaufiul pearlized colors that never were in catalogs but appeared at Ebay some time ago. However, I am also interested in other colors. So, if you have something to offer and are happy to swap internationally, just press the pm button! I will not, however, swap to any other beak clips than real Ficcares because no matter how similar they look to real things, they almost certainly will not work for me.  :)

Home: While the Central Europe is still living warm summer days, Fall had arrived to my little Northern realm during my absence. Everything is still green, but the air is crisp, and when I went to veggie patch to pick up some beans and a red onion for my dinner, I saw that we should reap our veggies next week, prepare the soil for winter the week after that and call it a year. It looks like we're going to get yet another load of pickle cucumbers- we sure have lots of them, perhaps enough to give them away as Christmas presents. We also have a decent amount of potatoes, small but delicious beetroots, some red onions and beans, so I'd say we were pretty successful.
     Today, I'll just recover from my trip, maybe knit a little, and spend nice weekend. A good plan.

You're welcome! Happy to hear things went well!


Galadriel wrote on Sep 1^st, 2007 at 11:21am:

According to my foreign friends, Finnish sounds much like Japanese and

Really? Now I'm quite curious. I should find some Finnish videos on YouTube.

Supposedly, Finnish and Japanese are in no way related as languages, but I guess there is something similar in the pronounciation. Another interesting language Finnish is related to is the elven language Quenya- Tolkien created it based partly on Finnish.

Hair: I'm once again busy with my swaps. Some more Ficcare beak clips are headed this way! Possibly also a pretty Lalo Orna hairstick! :D
My hairstyle of the day is ponytail with the scruncie I got from Germany. As I mentioned before, for me ponytails are a fall style, and this year they are prettier than ever before. Prettier, of course, being equivalent to longer. :D

Style: I've done some more internet shopping: two pairs of 8g plugs from Glasswearstudios. I decided to start my jewelry shopping from plugs because they're pretty, colorful and inexpensive. Right now I'm wearing clear 8g plugs and they make me feel gorgeous.
     I also ordered fabric for three new dresses. I've been washing and wearing my dresses all summer so that some of them look pretty faded already. They're still good to wear at home, but I need something for going out.
     Still working on my lilac shawl and planning next knitting projects.

Quote:

Supposedly, Finnish and Japanese are in no way related as languages, but I guess there is something similar in the pronounciation. Another interesting language Finnish is related to is the elven language Quenya- Tolkien created it based partly on Finnish.

Interesting. I lived in Stockholm for a while and from what I gathered Finnish had a lot of base roots in common with I think it was Hungarian or similar ? Any truth in it ?  :)

Galadriel wrote on Jan 30^th, 2007 at 4:11am:

...When I'm indoors, I usually make a scarf bun of it ...

Hi :) What is a scarf bun?
I am beginning to read hair journals but I had to type this right away before I forget!
Thank you.

Arcadian: Yes, that's what I've been taught. However, the connection is far from obvious. As far as I am able to tell, Finnish sounds nothing like hungarian and the "similarities" between the languages seem very subtle to me. I've always thought that there must be some linguistic route southwards, Finnish in the northen end, baltic languages like Estonian and Lithuanian in between and Hungarian in the Southern end. That's just my idea though...

yaku I've posted scarf bun instructions to Casual Hairstyles forums a long time ago. Basically, a scarf bun is a very comfortable bun with a bandana scarf tied around it to form a bun-sized cover. This bun is good for every activity where you need a durable style that protects the hair, hides greasies, is comfortable for traveling or laying down ill etc.
    Here's a quick instruction: 1. Make a loose bun. Whatever bun you like, as long as it is soft and comfortable. It does not have to be neat because the scarf will hide it.
                                           2. Take a bandana. Fold it into a triangle, and place the triangle over the bun so that the LONG side of the triangle is against your scalp on top of the bun.
                                           3. Now tie the ends of the scarf UNDER the bun so that the tip of the triangle gets caught under them. Bring the remaining ends up again, tie again on top of the bun and tuck the ends inside. You're done!

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/4982/pinkficcareqs1.jpg

Sooo, here's a picture of my new wonder clip (aka. Ficcare beak). See, no bun net, and my bun is still secure! This is true love... I'm wearing my usual knot bun. In my ear, you can barely see the backside of a clear 8g plug I'm wearing.

T trimmed my hair late last night. He took a bit over ½", which puts my hair back to upper edge of the waistband of my apron. This maintaining is boring, but I think it's helping. My ends were not terribly wispy even before the trim, and now after trim they look like a blunt cut. Not a terribly thick blut cut, but it is progress neverthless! I hope I can see more significant improvement in the end of the year- so I'd be able to start growing once again next year. I'm as ready for hip length as one can be already! But I know I'll be much happier if I can actually see where my hair ends.

Style: I'm still in the process of putting together my winter style. Winter is nowhere near yet, but Finnish falls are unpredictable, and my decision to make myself as much as possible means that I will need to think of my needs in advance. I have decided that I don't want to wear pants this winter if I can avoid it -since I'm not used to wearing them, they'd just make me feel more self conscious (no, I don't feel any longer self conscious wearing my dresses). I'm planning to sew myself some simple slips in nylon and flannel. I'm also hoping to find time for knitting a warm cardigan, but I'm not sure if I can make it. I will also need a new winter coat, but I'm still thinking whether I should buy one or try making one myself.
     I pondered some of this aloud, and T commented that as long as I wear my "cute dresses", all is fine for him. I don't give a rat's little brown butt for what the rest of the world thinks, but I'm happy that T likes my look and is supportive.
    Otherwise, I think I have all I need. Last winter I knit myself mittens and scarves, my winter bonnet is still good as new. I can't tell about winter hairtoys yet. During the past days I've been wearing ponytails, but once the bonnet season starts, up goes the hair again. Perhaps with Ficcare beaks..? My ears are perfect in 8g. I think I'll stop my stretching here (I know I've said that before, but I'm sincere neverthless!)

Hobbies: It's been cloudy, so no star observing. Nights are getting quickly darker though, and there's no need to stay up very late in order to take a look to the night sky. In Germany, I discussed a little about observing- just enough to appreciate even more the wonderful observing conditions I have right on my backyard. Even in less populated areas in Central Europe, it's not self evident to see things like Andromeda Galaxy, or even the Milky Way with one's naked eyes. It's a sad thought- to live all one's life in a place where there's never point in looking up because there's so little to see anyway. While I, like most observers of the North, suffer of my share of "latitude envy" (meaning slight envy due to the fact that most luminous targets can be seen only from South), I'd still better count my blessings and be grateful of the fact that the night sky, as seen from my home, is still like Universe bowing down and coming to visit.
       Soon, it'll be also time to say farewell to my butterfly hobby. We still have butterflies, but no new species. In fact, I'd be surprised if I found a new species this late. As it is, our butterfly species count is 17, which is very well for a single garden. Most importantly, I've had fun and learned a lot of both butterflies and the life and seasons of my garden.
      Our canning and preserving projects are not finished yet, but the end is nearing there as well- depending on whether we'll go to any nearby forest to pick mushrooms and lingonberries. I hope we could make it- a homemade lingonberry jelly would be wonderful.

I received my shipment of hair essentials from Christiancoverings. As always, I'm very pleased with the quality of my purchases. I got a plain black scarf, two black and one blue soft cap to replace my mini snoods (I'll still keep one of those around as a model if at some point I try sewing my own snood), a couple of sturdy bun size hair nets and some cloth hankies (just like cloth menstrual pads, these are much nicer than the disposable alternative). Nothing terribly exciting, I suppose, just necessary stuff that makes life so much smoother...not to mention less painful...
   The caps I got were the closest things to mini snoods Diane had, and there isn't much difference. They are a little less roomy (not snoods, after all) but in fact that makes them to sit better over my bun.
I tested one of the new caps right away in the evening while cleaning and canning pickles, and decided that I like it. When I was fetching cherry leaves from the garden, an apple tree branch tried to strike at my hair, but thanks to the cap, it didn't succeed. Just another "gentle" reminder of the importance of protecting my hair when I wander in the garden, even for a short moment! I think I have learned that little lesson though!

Dreaming of a bunch of not-too-cheap colorful scarves for the late fall and winter.
And new hairtoys.

I wish, wish, wish for a grant.
Or a good job, if I can't get a grant.

A weekend with forced leave from the computer. I learned the hard way that it is very, very unwise to insert a copy protected CD into an old computer. I did that, and instead of getting to listen some music, I ended up with a computer that shut down and would not restart. It wasn't until today before we managed to get the CD out of the computer and have it start normally.

So, instead of arranging my swaps and hanging out in virtual world, I worked on my violet shawl and HARVESTED all weekend. Now, almost all our harvesting is done and we are happy and well stocked. We have potatoes enough for all winter, same with apple pie fillings, pickles, blackcurrant jelly, gooseberry chutney. We also have other goodies in smaller amounts. If we have time, we may still go looking for mushrooms and lingonberries from some nearby forest but otherwise this is it, pretty much. We're stocked up for the winter. There's not much to do but to prepare the garden for the winter, plant our bulbs and if possible, prepare some new herb/flower/tomato beds.
I'm particularly proud of managing to produce the apple pie fillings: even though insects did a thorough job in spoiling our apples, the sheer amount of apple trees guaranteed us enough harvest to keep apple pies as frequent visitors on our menu. Nothing else though, but, I suspect that anyone with less than 20 trees didn't get anything at all. Not even fresh apples (unless they don't mind eating them "protein enhanced"  :-X ).
On Sunday, we made a "harvest dinner": roast pork with everything homegrown and home canned. It was delicious, and we agreed that our first full garden year was a great success, apples or no apples. We have already ideas on how to expand next year. I'm dreaming of a little herb patch, T wants tomatoes and we both dream of strawberries. We'll see.

Hair: Not much news there. Since I've been gardening, my styles have been "the same old": buns under scarves and caps. I love how my simple outfit (apron most essential!) and some neat headcovering keep me looking relatively neat and orderly on through days like this weekend.
     Most of my new Ficcare swaps are near completion, and instead of making daily visits to the village's post office (I can only wonder what the ladies there think of me...) start daily stalking of the mail lady.  :D That's always fun.

Hair: Yay! First hairtoy from my newest swap round arrived: a large brown Ficcare beak. The color is nice and very versatile, but still not a catalogue color. The clip is very long, but for me it works just as well as the medium one, and looks very cool (picture coming...). The only downside I can think of is, that it is too long to be worn with my caps, but that's not a big deal since I can always wear a scarf instead if need be. In fact, that's how I'm wearing my hair right now.
       It occurred to me that I've worn buns for a bit over 3 years now- I remember that I made my first buns some time in Summer 2004. Of course, those buns were nowhere as nice as my buns are today but I liked them a lot neverthless. I'm glad I accustomed myself to wearing an updo every day back then, it was definitely one of my good long hair ideas.

Country Living: Once I stop typing this, I'm going to go and plant some daffodil bulbs we bought last weekend. I like daffodils, and it's nice to plant something for a change. We are planning to have all the "mandatory" garden work done by the end of September. If weather in October is favorable (you never know about Octobers), we will do the leftover work then.
    I'm also overcoming the laziness that took over me during the summer and trying to go back on menu planning. I know from experience that my life is SO much easier if I manage to come up with a week's menu plan at once. Especially now that we have a lot of food in storage, it's important to start using them steadily.    

I think I can expect the post to bring me nice things nearly every day for this week and early next week. Today, I didn't get any hair goodies, but new plugs from Glasswearstudios. Just plain (but beautiful!) Colorfronts, a pair in blue and another in red. At the moment, I wear plugs in both ears most of the time. Just like I wore studs when I had regular holes, except that plugs are a hundred times more comfortable and so pretty. My ears have healed up well, and are now stretchy enough so I can wear Carnelian plugs. The day when I can do double flares is still ahead though.

Hair: Today's style is a knot bun with Amish pins. Nothing fancy, but now that my buns have some substance, I like the way they look "au natural". And it will only get better in future!

Life: Paperwork.  :-/ Perhaps some gardening.  :) And Stargates for the evening, served with antipasto and homemade fresh-from-the-oven olive bread. :D

Today I found a red Ficcare Primavera beak from my mailbox.  :D This IS a fun week! I have not yet decided whether I like Medium or Large beaks better. Both work well, and I like the look of both. I guess that if I order beaks directly from Ficcare, I will get Larges though- I keep on hoping that I just might outgrow Mediums in some distant future. Today's style was naturally a knot bun held with the new Ficcare. I noticed right away that it's perfect match with my new red plugs.

Another arrival was my fabric order. I received fabrics for three new dress- apron sets, and a little extra so I can try if I can make my own caps. I have a pattern that to me seems very similar to the caps I got from Diane. It looks a bit complicated with interfacing and elastic casing in the neck...but then, new patterns always look complicated to me and I still have survived  :D. It'd be nice to be able to make my own caps. Though black and blue caps that these Christian cottage companies offer are totally ok, I'd like to experiment a bit with different colors, perhaps even add some inconspicuous decoration. After all, I am a proud Pagan and could do with something a little less Amish. As long as it looks as nice and works as well as Amish  :P.

Simple dress experiment: I'm typing this in a brand new navy blue dress.  :D It took just four hours to complete (cutting excluded)- compare that to an average day of shopping new clothes! The sewing process has become quite smooth (even the zipper), so my day has also been much less stressful than an average shopping round.
I have more dresses and aprons cut, plus some cutting to be done. Once I'm finished, my wardrobe will be like new. I even got a little adventurous (well, bearing mind it's still me!): this navy dress has long sleeves, and my yellow dress will have elbow length sleeves. On top of everything, I  discovered my favorite yarn on sale, and bought enough to knit myself a cardigan.
    It's a lot of work, and I will be making everything in plain style. I know that my simple dress experiment evaluation will come in just a couple of months. But, at the moment it seems that this experiment is going to become another permanent lifestyle change, so I'm just going to enjoy my projects. After all, the only downside with my new style are the occassional stares I get, and the benefits outweigh that easily.

Hair: Washed yesterday, exceptionally unruly today. You should have seen me in the morning- my hair pointed to every direction possible. It's quite a feat with a hair this long. So, I shoved everything into a bun (not that neat), and pinned a cap firmly in place. I hope that tomorrow morning my hair has learned its lesson and will behave better. We are going to have lunch at T's mother, so it better!
    Didn't get any hairtoys on Friday. I still have two more coming, so maybe Monday will be a nice day again.

Country Living: Weekend went quickly. Among the usual stuff we are now preparing for the heating season. At the moment, the weather is rather cool and rainy, but just cooking on the woodstove produces the extra heat we want. For all we know, this might be the situation for most of the fall, but the weather can be unpredictable so it's best to be well prepared. Last year we heated for the whole winter with wood left from previous owners. We still have some of that left, but have also started to build our own stock. T's mother will give us wood for free every time we visit, and in addition we have ordered some "quality" wood. I'm pretty certain that in the end, we'll have wood enough for more than just this winter!
 
Hair: I wore a ponytail adorned with a blue velvet ribbon for the visit. I wanted to take the only chance I had to wear my hair nicely- otherwise, the incredibly messy nature of woodhauling work has dictated that my hair is up and tucked carefully inside a cap. You see, some of the free wood from T's mother is pine...  :-X

It's raining and there were no hairtoys in my mailbox today.
On the other hand, I got a refund from Vogue Fabrics as they had overcharged the shipping of my fabrics. :D I can't transfer it to my bank account, so it seems that I might be FORCED to order something nice.

I want to see certain Lalo Orna hairstick so I can determine whether I'd like to order more of them from Ebay.

Shampoo bars arrived. Hairtoys arrived. And I have pictures!

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/5092/mtsticksiz2.jpg

But first, a picture of a gorgeous pair of MT hairsticks that arrived a little while ago. I have a super slippery hair day, so the only hairstyle I was able to make even relatively secure was a knot bun.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/9085/whiteprimaverahq6.jpg

Here's my new honey marble Ficcare beak (size Large) that arrived today. Works as wonder and the color is really gorgeous- I can't imagine why it didn't make it to Primavera collection on the catalogue.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/1213/laloornasr1.jpg

And here's the Lalo Orna hairstick. It's fun, gorgeous and good quality. More Lalo Ornas are on my shopping list.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/9844/cookingtb5.jpg

Bonus pic: me starting to cook on my wood cookstove. As you may noticed, T took these pictures in the kitchen when I was busy with lunch preparations, so he took this pic that also shows my environment.

Love your hairsticks - and LOVE your wood stove - what a beauty (just like you).  :)

ditto! :)

Thanks, both! :-*

Our cookstove has been built in 1926, and has been in use all that time. No wonder either- cooking on it is a real pleasure.

Hair: Rinsed just before going to bed last night. Today it behaves much better. I'm wearing a bun with the white Primavera beak clip- it's just too gorgeous. I'm even wearing my light green dress that matches the clip, in spite of today being a cloudy and grey fall day.

I'm developing a serious liking to Thunder Moon BPAL I received as a swap bonus. It's an enigmatic scent- something in it reminds me of my favorite BPAL scent, R'Lyeh. It's fresh and warm, clean and spicy, feminine and masculine all at once. It seems different on every sniff. Lasts well and fades pleasantly over the hours. T likes it too.

My violet alpaca shawl is almost ready- just 5 cm (2") left, plus the crocheted trim. The pattern had a ruffle trim that looks too contemporary to me, so I'm just going to replace it with a crocheted trim. It'll be beautiful, I just know it will.

Those hair toys look great! I especially like the Ficcare and Lalo Orna toys. That stove is just too cool. :D

I'm curious--what sort of shoes do you normally wear with your dresses?

Thanks for you nice words, Juri! :)

Trisha: My everyday shoes are ordinary suede walking shoes, simple and comfortable. As long as shoes are simple and not too massive, they generally go well with dresses.
     I also have a "fancier" pair with little heels- I wear them when I want to sacrifice some comfort for elegance. In winter, I wear boots (without heel), and if need be, I don't hesitate to combine rubber boots with a dress for dirty garden work.
    That's about it. I still have many more pairs of shoes left from my "ordinary" days, but I am planning to get rid of them along with my ordinary clothes.

Hair: Today I'm going to visit a friend -it's a party/meeting thing (what can I say...philosophers often mix work and fun just like that...) and I'm SO going to take the opportunity to wear a pretty pair of Longlocks sticks.  :D Until then, I am trying to tame my first day very clean hair by wearing it in a bun anchored with lots of Amish pins.
   
Sewing: Finished my light yellow(!) dress today. Light yellow is somewhat a hit color here in my family. I think the love affair started from an innocent pair of LL hairsticks (Citrus Shine, unless I'm mistaken). Then DH found an yellow blanket. Then some carpets for the kitchen. Then I found this shopper... and, now there's the dress.
       I have come to the conclusion that in general, darker colors -jewel tones- suit me much better than lighter shades. But once again, light yellow seems to be an exception to this rule. My fading tan looks much fresher and in general, the color seems to bring light and sunshine to my appearance. T thinks it suits me too (but I'm not sure if it counts since he's a fellow light yellow lover).
   Of course, there is still the fact that no one outside the borders of our property shares our enthusiasm with the color, so I am going to think hard and many times before I wear my dress in public. But, I'm glad I made it.  :)
         After I'm done with the current pile of dresses, I think it's high time for me to pick up some new patterns and to learn to make some new items. I'm still pondering, whether I'd be confident enough to undertake a winter coat. Hmm.

Ears: I've got beautiful double flare stone plugs in light yellow, but my ears are not yet stretchy enough to accomodate them. I'll have to be content with 10g honey plugs.

I got my grand opportunity to wear LL hairsticks on Friday. The lucky pair was Ribbon Blosson Sugarstix- the pair with blue and white twisted ribbon beads. Couldn't resist those beads...
   I got back to the black cap -wearing reality right on Saturday when my father-in-law arrived and started digs in the frontyard. We wanted to lay some electric cable for garden lights and getting electricity to the garage. All that cable needs to get deeply enough into the ground. Lots of digging there, I tell. On Saturday, it also turned out that the guy who was supposed to bring us firewood had happily lost our order. He told me, that he could bring the wood on Sunday. Now, we hoped that this would have meant Sunday morning as T would have to leave to Norway in late afternoon. On 2 pm the fellow called and informed, that he'd bring the wood in an hour or so. Swell. He showed up a whopping half an hour before T had to leave to the airport. Which left me alone with three tightly packed cubic meters of firewood that needed to be taken to the storage ASAP. The whole task took me almost four hours without breaks, but I DID IT!!! :D I'm a hero. T told me so.  8-) When I was finished, I had a sore back and tiny chips of wood everywhere, from cap to boots and apron to under bra. At least, wood chips smell rather fresh and nice.
   Decided to do an unscheduled hair wash. To my relief, I didn't find any wood chips from under my cap, just one sweaty bun o'hair. Now it's evening, I'm fresh and clean and my hair is almost dry and braided. In the morning, I'm all ready for new adventures. If I'm able to move, that is.

Because after this industrious and calorie-consuming weekend, there will be pain. A lot of pain. I foresee it.

The strangest thing of all might be that really, in spite of all the dirt and exhaustinhg labor, this wasn't a bad weekend. In fact, I can't shake the feeling that it's been nicer than most weekends of city life I've lived.

Yesterday's heroism feels in every muscle from my neck to bottom today. Ouch. Big ouch. And I feel so tired even though I slept ok. After seeing how painful it was just to get up and dressed, I decided to keep today as a rest day I couldn't have on weekend.
  So far I've done some laundry, baked bread, taken a walk in the garden (for once, without ending up doing garden work except a little raking), shopped groceries, napped and worked a little on my creative writing project. That's all. My plans for the rest of the day include sewing and perhaps sauna, in hopes that its warmth would alleviate my aches.

Hair: Clean and bunned under a blue cap because a)my activities in the kitchen and garden and more importantly b) because today is one of the days I couldn't care about hair less. I hope I'll have a more glorious hair day tomorrow.

I feel your pain, literally, concerning the woodpile you moved over the weekend.  Stacking wood is my least favorite "farm" job, but something that HAS to be done.  

I actually enjoy stacking wood, along with other physical farmwork. Maybe in more moderate quantities than this time (I'm still sore...) but in principle I like it. Makes me feel productive and capable- feelings that are kind of hard to achieve in thinking work.

Hair:  I have been bored with knot buns for some time now. I've worn the style almost exclusively since my hair reached BSL. It is a wonderfully easy, sturdy and ok looking style, and as such it has been difficult to replace. Cinnabuns have been back for quite some time now, but they have not been the same as in shorter lengths. Making a good one isn't that easy and usually the result is still less sturdy than an average knot bun. So, knots I have worn, trying to keep things interesting by wearing different clips, Amish pins, scarves and caps.
       Now that exhaustion had temporarily slowed my activities, I decided that it would be a good time to play with my hair a little, just to see if I could come up with something interesting. So, I tried to make a braided bun. When I looked the result from the mirror, I was simply astonished. The pitiful, lopsided braided bun I remember from my old attempts was gone. Just gone. It had been replaced with a GORGEOUS bun that looked balanced, decent sized... the very thing I had dreamed of but had labeled as something that might not be in my future.  :D :D :D While this bun takes a tad longer to make than the basic knot, the gorgeous result is well worth it. The rope braid option will change the look completely without being more difficult to produce... boredom conquered!

Sewing: I finished my yellow dress/apron set yesterday and I still like how it turned out, unusual color or not. I think I'll continue my sewing projects today. It's light and productive work, perfectly suitable for the day when I don't feel 100% strong and sharp. And it still shortens my to-do list.    

Happy day! The new Nightwish album Dark Passion Play has been released in Finland, and though I like the whole album, I have already picked my favorite song. It's of course Sahara, a great song and very special to me on top of general greatness (those of you who listen to NW will know what I mean when you hear the chorus... ;D ).

Besides that, T came home from Norway and applied Mobilat (a cream that relieves muscle pains) to my neck. Of course, I had the cream around the whole time. The thought of using it just didn't cross my mind  ::)- it's T's cream, and I haven't needed it. But, today I'm a little less sore...I even dare to hope that by tomorrow I'll be totally recovered from my act of heroism (of which T keeps on praising me  :D).

Health: I did a short fitness test, and its result is that I'm in a good shape! Not average, mind you, but good! It warms my heart even more that the test was done using my own body weight as resistance, and as you know, I have to deal with a substantial overweight to start with and have therefore to lift much more than a normal weighing person would have to. :D

Hair: My braided bun lasted very well yesterday. I just have to manage to make my braid very firm in order to do that. Today is a knot bun day with Honeymarble Ficcare beak so far. I think the clip matches wonderfully with the yellow dress.
      I had time to check out some hair journals on LHC, and it was very encouraging to see pictures of members who have attempted to decrease the tapering of their hair by maintaining it for some time. It seems that everyone who has tried has had success- not dramatic success in the period of few months- a year, but clear improvement neverthless. I'm hopeful...and this encouragement to stick with the maintaining project until the end of the year came right on time because lately I've got these urges to forget about trimming regularly and to let it grow again.
My current length is ok, but I'm sure that the next 5-10 cm's (2-4 in) are what stands between ok hair and spectacular hair. I feel I'm about done with ok hair, I want to move on. But, of course it will be more fun with visible ends.

And here are pictures of my new styling attempts.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/braidedbun.jpg

Regular braided bun on a day when my hair was very wispy. I see a lot of improvement since the last time I tried this. :D

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/ropebraidbun.jpg

And here's rope braided version. Yes, I'm wearing my yellow home dress. I haven't still decided how well the color suits me...but I like it anyway.

I think you are doing great! It's a wise choice to maintain there a bit for improving horizontal volume.
Maybe I am biased  :D because I find waistlength an almost perfect length in many aspects; I go to almost tailbone and then chop back to waist (in fact just did it again!)
Hmmm I think waistlength is when you can do a figure 8, maybe you could try that and it will be one more in your repertoire. I like wearing it a bit slanted, your primavera beak will be perfect for that ;)

Pretty, pretty, pretty!!!  That yellow is very flattering on you.  I think I like the braided bun best, eventhough your rope is pretty, too.

greek_lady: Thanks for encouragement. I agree that waist length looks good on many many people- including myself. This is the first longer length I really like. I think (well, hope since I have never been there) that I will like tailbone even better. But we'll see!
   I haven't tried figure 8's for a while now- thanks for suggesting. They have looked a bit silly with all the tapering I have. But, maybe it has improved just like braided buns. In any case, the white Primavera clip is pretty enough to make any style look great! :D

Sakina Thanks for compliments! :D I'm still practicing and improving my braided buns. I got a good tip from LHC. If braided bun is started like a French braid, and not from ponytail, it becomes flatter and more balanced looking. Also, the flatter it is, the better.

Hair: Dirty but happy, in one of my ever-improving braided buns.
       There was a lengthy haircare article in one of the free magazines we get (Yhteishyvä, if any Finn out there is interested...). It discussed the care of colored hair, and was scarier than the Lovecraft short storyl collection I just finished reading. Among other things, it appears that shiny hair is now out - "glass-like shine" is apparently unnatural, and less shiny, "healthier and more natural" look is better (keep in mind, they discuss the Finnish hair type, which is 1a/b i-ii, one of the shiniest hairtypes there is). Right. Well, with the advice offered there's no hope of achieving shiny hair- count yourself lucky if you manage to escape hair still attached to your head  ::) On top of everything, the same magazine contained again a lengthy advertisement of "hair pampering week"- a page with the title and special offers on an assortment of heat tools from straightening irons to heat rolls...
       Now that I've thought about it, I remember seeing even before some campaigning against healthy, naturally shiny hair. I remember reading an interview of a colorist, she told among other things, that it's extra challenging to dye hair that is "too healthy". This world is getting crazier by the day, I tell you... But then, who am I to say such a thing...a lady in the yellow Amish dress and inappropriately long, unnaturally shiny hair she insists on keeping in a severe bun and washing with soap and vinegar...  ;D

Now listening: Orchestral version of Dark Passion Play. Pure awesomeness.

You're welcome!!  8-)

Thanks for mentioning the braided bun tip-I tried it today and really like it!  It took me 2 tries, bit I think this is how I'll do it from now on 'cause I love how it looks.

Thanks again!!! ;D

Nice job with the buns! They both look very pretty! :D

The braided buns are definitely better when started from a French braid. Mine have started to come out really neat. Today is the first day I'm wearing my bun secured with a Ficcare beak (honeymarble, of course). I'm not sure if a beak clip could be used for a braided bun if the braid was thick, but for once I think my thin hair is a benefit and I really like the look.

Life: Well, to say that I'm a nervous wreck might begin to describe things- in a couple of days I should know whether or not I have received a grant. My high hopes (as my application was truly stellar) have shrunk quicker than a snowman in Sahara, and there's absolutely nothing I can do except worry. If it turns out that I didn't get this grant, I will have to seriously reevaluate my plans for a research career. I know I have done good work, my research is good and has already proved to be interesting even on an international scale, I have excellent recommendations and my merit list is impressive. If that isn't enough to give me a chance to continue my research for one more year, I don't think it's realistic for me to expect to do a career in this country. And, going abroad permanently is really not an option for me. I'm not the ideal urban single researcher, I am a country philosopher. It's a shame, since I'm not really interested in anything except thinking, homemaking and writing my book. Somehow, all my talents are such that they make a wonderful life and gain much praise, if one can do without money. And doing something unimportant just for money for my entire productive life is something unimaginable to me- like a slow suicide. Temporarily, I can don pretty much anything, but it's not the way I want to live out my life. I'll figure something out in the end, that's for sure. But the thought of having to figure such out doesn't make me happy. At all.
         But, even laced with these dark thoughts, my weekend was quite bright. We visited a rabbit exhibition on Saturday, and worked in the garden on Sunday. We are now preparing it for the winter. Summer has gone so quickly, and I know it's not just that our Northern summers are not that long to start with. But winter will be good too, especially if there will be snow. Feeding birds, lanterns, my dramatic snowmen...it'll be fun.
       This year, we discovered that though flowers are lovely, kitchen garden is where our hearts truly lie. We love to grow and preserve our own food. So, next year, our first and most important goal is to expand our kithcen garden. I think this plan will fit particularly well into our overall restoration plans for the garden-the people who started gardening were also first and foremost growing food for their family. One can never go badly wrong while reviving a tradition. :)
     
Crafts: Finished cross stitching our wedding record. What looked like a small project turned out to take several months of careful work, but the result with all its nearly-invisible detail is very nice. It also taught me a lot about cross stitching. I now feel confident enough to undertake something bigger...
       Before that, however, comes a plain sweater for T. I've already started to knit it, and it looks like it will be quick and nice to make. I hope to finish it in time for winter.

I hope you get that grant, G, and I hope that you don't worry too much.

I have never really looked at Ficcare's products.  I visited their site recently, can they really hold a lot of hair?  Should I get one?  What would you recommend?

Thanks!

Interesting about starting a braided bun with a french braid.  I guess I have always done that and never realized that the bun would shape differently.  I start with the french braid because I don't like to put my hair into a ponytail first and it is too hard to start a high braid without it being bound into a pony tail.  

Good luck with the grant - if anyone deserves it, you do!

Thanks for support, both. It turned out that I may not know how the grant issue is for sure until 10th...I think I'll just schedule myself lots of heavy garden work to keep me busy and too tired to worry. Perhaps it's not so bad, it's been rainy, T's had flu and we are lagging back a little.

Sakina: Ficcares are wonderful, quality clips and they have amazing holding capacity. I think you definitely should try one! But be warned- it may well be the beginning of another hairtoy addiction! If you don't want to buy blind, I think at least some Nordstroms carry a limited selection. I have bought from the website, and have been happy with the service.
   I think a large Maximas or a large Ficcarissimo would be best for a first clip (the mechanism in both is similar- all depends on which style pleases your eye, though Maximas is said to be a bit more versatile since it's asymmetric and looks good in any angle). Both accommodate a lot of hair and work with several styles. Keep me posted!

Hair: Drying right now after an unscheduled shower I had to take because I got this urge to work on veggie patch and all the work left to do there is carrying stones (I used small round stones to line flower/herb beds- looked very pretty, but the stones had to be taken away before turning the soil) and turning the soil. I think I will ask T to do my monthly trim once it's dried. I haven't measured but I believe I got good growth this month. After last trim my hair was barely hitting the upper edge of the waistband of my apron, now the ends are halfway which is about an inch. The idea of trimming feels painful unlike it has done previously- I want to be done and back in the business of growing my hair so badly. But, I know I'm not done yet. Come, New Year!
   
Crafts: T's sweater is progressing by leaps- I think I'm going to finish the back piece tomorrow, and it's not like I'm dedicating all my time for knitting. It feels strange to knit something so quick and simple after the intricate shawl (and let's not forget the even more intricate wedding record...) I think there will be some yarn left over from this project- T is a small man and his sweater requires way less yarn than mine would. I think I will use the leftovers to knit him a pair of socks, and perhaps a beanie and mittens. Depends on how much leftover yarn there will be.
     

Didn't have my hair trimmed last night...it just slipped. Will try again tonight. Today's style is a knot bun with red Primavera beak. Braided bun makes braid waves, and those would make trimming more difficult for T.
     I still dislike the idea of trimming, no matter how sensible it is. After the trim, my hair barely hits the waist, while now I'm at clear, generous, obvious, indisputable waist length. Come, New Year!

Crafts: A couple of pictures of the wedding record I finished a couple of posts ago. Because I'm so proud I managed to complete it without too many mistakes.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/weddingrecord1.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/weddingrecord2.jpg

You should be proud!!  It is beautiful!  Nice job! :)

Good Lord, your wedding record is gorgeous!  You did a tremendous job   [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Beautiful cross stitch!

Aww, thanks! You make me blush! :D I'm still very much learning cross stitching/embroidery. It has become one of my big craft interest (along knitting, crocheting and sewing) only after moving here. Maybe because cross stitched works look somehow so right in this house.

Hair: Trimmed, and I'm not feeling bad after seeing how it made my ends nicer. T is such an accurate, gentle stylist  :-*. My ends are still see through, but not terribly wispy, and the "see through line" under which my hair is really thin is slowly but clearly descending. I've learned from other people's photo journals that big improvements in horizontal volume take time, and a really dramatic change would take more time than I am willing to give now. Waist length is a nice length, but it's still a bit short to my tastes (unless longer lengths prove to be unmanageable to my skills...which I doubt since I wear my hair up all the time anyway). I'm thinking that it might be a good strategy for me to have another maintenance period once I've reached hip length. If (and probably when) I grow past that point, I don't think it will be realistic for me to pursue for thick ends. But, if I find that I don't like fairytale ends on myself even at very long lengths, I can always trim back to tailbone, which is anyway a gorgeous length. This is the plan.
       I'm wearing my hair in a braided bun once again. I think it'll be good for my scalp to wear a style that doesn't require a ponytail start.

Simple Dress Experiment: Ordered a winter coat from Plainly Dressed. I hope it will fit. If it won't, I'll probably just pass it on to T, because ladies coat or not, it looks rather unisex to me. But I hope it will fit, because it looked so nice and something that would be difficult to find IRL: simple, unfashionable enough to not look stupid with my dresses and not made in China in shady conditions.
It's the second best choice after making my own coat- a project I would have loved to undertake but for which I just won't have time right now...not to mention that it might be a bit too ambitious goal for my sewing skills. This is my first full winter in homemade dresses and this brings extra sewing. Things like flannel slips are not available commercially at all, so they must take first priority. Next year I won't have so much sewing to do, and I will have one more year of sewing experience under my belt.
     I also found a winter bonnet from the site. It's a bit different style than the one I already have, and couldn't resist the temptation to order it as well. This bonnet looked a bit more fancy, it might be a good choice for when I want to "dress up". Dressing up for minor special occassions is a good thing IMO, as long as I can do it without sacrificing simplicity.
   
I should also mention that I have received some compliments about my simple dress and my choice to dress this way.  :) It seems that there are some people who have also thought about doing this. I don't have a single negative thought towards anyone who has thought about starting to dress simply but decided against it- it's a tough, big decision and for many, starting would require much more resolve than in my case. But the hope I have, that my example might encourage someone else, that it might show that it is possible to make this decision and survive, has become just a little stronger.

I like your cross stitch work! http://smilies.sofrayt.com/1/950/bouquet.gif I use to do them too but I cannot see as well as I use too. :D  I think you simple dress thing is quite interesting. I like the bonnets from Plainly Dressed.  Don't know how they would go over here thought?  I wear a heavy hijab in the winter when I go for my walks to keep my hair out of the freezing wind.  Making a coat is hard.  I once made (with hubbies help) a cape out of  wool coating materal on my sewing machine.  The machine was new at the time and we wore out the transmisson on it!  Thankfully Sears gave us a new one! 8-)

Thanks, Lisabelle! :D

About winter bonnets: I obviously don't know how I will like the Plainly Dressed bonnet, but I absolutely love my existing winter bonnet that I got from Christian Coverings in 2005 (well before I became a simply-dresser). Unlike hats, it accommodates an updo -even hairsticks-, and unlike scarves, it doesn't mess up my hair. It is lined with flannel, so it's quite warm too.
    It is more inconspicuous than I first expected, probably because it's such a simple style in simple black fabric. I have never noticed anyone look twice at me when I wore it with an ordinary winter coat, though it is just as unusual as my dresses (have never seen anyone else wearing a bonnet). Take a look!

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/1889/bonnet10zf.jpg
Because of its shape, it leaves forehead area exposed unlike an ordinary hat. OTOH, it covers the back of the head and neck better. And did I rave enough about its ability to cover an updo comfortably?! :D

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/2761/bonnet29ou.jpg
From the side- this is pretty much the only angle where one can tell for sure that I'm wearing a bonnet

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/6055/bonnet36vq.jpg
Back.

I like the bonnet on you!  ;) Hmmmm... maybe I'll give it a try. 8-)

If you do, let me know how you like it!  :)

Hair: I did some more internet shopping (yep, that's it for the month, unless I get certain grant!), and bought two Lalo Orna hairsticks from eBay. Lalo Orna hairtoys are so cute and cheerful- just the kind of toys that are good to have at hand when the dark, wet and miserable part of fall arrives. It's not here yet: apple trees are still mostly green and though other trees aren't, they are in tiny minority and can't spoil my views unless I go out. But it will come. And I will be prepared.
   Inspired of my little shopping spree, I started today with a cinnabun decorated with the violet LO hairstick I already have. Besides that, I needed some Amish pins to secure the bun, but the end result was very cute. That stick and my yellow dress are a match made in heaven! The contrast was just perfect, not too loud. Unfortunately, both dress and updo had to go after I had finished cleaning up upstairs. But it was fun while it lasted!
Now that I'm writing this my hair is still wet. I still need to go out of the house during the evening- how I'm going to wear it will greatly depend on how wet it still is when I must leave.

Crafts: T's sweater is still progressing very quickly. I'm almost halfway the front piece now. T already likes his new sweater. He's so cute. It's becoming more and more obvious though that in the end, I will have even more leftover yarn than I first anticipated. No problem though- the color is very nice, natural forest green. It's a good color for any project.

A bit late, but that cross stitch is gorgeous! I really admire you having the patience to do it. (I still have a cross stitch project from several years ago that I completed about 50% of before I got tired of it and gave up.)

Thanks, juri! :) I did have breaks, even weeks breaks while this project. I'm not always in cross stitching mood, and in my experience, if the mood isnt' just right it's best not to force it but do something else. Crafts are supposed to be fun and relaxing. I think I crocheted a doily and knitted/crocheted two shawls, plus did lots of sewing while the cross stitch was on hold.
      Hmm. I think I should start keeping notes on the crafts I produce. I do something almost every day, so it might be fun to see what comes out of my craft corner during a year or so.

I shopped some more yarn so I can make stripes to the things I am going to make from the yarn left over from T's sweater. While I love luxurious mohairs, soft alpacas and cashmeres and adore interesting effect yarns, you should see just how much I use plain wool/polyamid yarn in one winter. In spite of how exotic ideas I have at first, every year, at some point I find myself carrying home a shopping bag or two full of plain wool blend yarn. And then some more. Most of my life is everyday life, and in everyday life we need simple, warm and durable things: socks, mittens, plain sweaters and cardigans, all for which the humble wool blend is best. Chenille and and mohair days are much more rare, though certainly welcome when they occur.

Hair:I had braid waves (=a little texture) this morning. I got a sudden inspiration to see how Chinese buns look in these days. It turned out very good! I can only think that having more than just barely enough hair for the style really helps. Violet LO hairstick looked very good, though not terribly dignified in it. But then, I'm not feeling dignified today.
   Sadly, I'll have to take the bun down and change my hairstyle before we leave to have lunch at T's father. His wife (aka. The Hairstick Grabber) is also there, and I want to keep her out of my hair. So, best not to leave toys around. I still have gorgeous clips to wear with a bun, and for somre reason they are much less inviting.

This weekend I've been playful with my hair, for a change. I wore it down for the visit, just pinned the front hair away from the eyes with bobby pins. Not a favorite style, but it's nice to wear a freshly trimmed hair down even once. Today I started the day with a Chinese bun with Citrus Shine hairsticks. I managed to wear the style well until afternoon- right until I went to turn soil at the veggie patch. Now my hair is once again drying after a rinse, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to do some fun style with it later in the evening. I'm feeling creative. :D

Crafts/Simple Dress Experiment: I have finally found some time to sew, and it means I will very soon have a new, green dress. This one is made of wrinkle resistant cotton. It's a very pleasant fabric to sew, and I hope it will indeed be wrinkle resistant enough to serve well as a dress. This fabric comes in great many nice colors- it'd be a great addition to my list of fabrics.

I've been trying to calculate, how much sewing dressing simply will actually require per year, once the basic wardrobe is ready. Not an easy approximation to make since there is most sewing in the beginning. But, I can always guesstimate...
I think I will be sewing at least 6 dresses/aprons per year. The dresses are in such a heavy use that many of them will need to be replaced during the year. Someone with less active lifestyle might be able to get away with a dress or two less.
About the same amount of slips and camisoles, perhaps an extra apron or two, maybe two or three caps. Again, someone with more ordinary lifestyle wouldn't probably need extra aprons or any caps. Plus some knitted items: though homemade knits last forever, I always seem to need something: a new shawl, a cardigan, at least some mittens.
   Still, it looks like a very moderate amount of clothing, certainly not more stressful (probably not even much more time consuming) to create than shopping a year's worth of new clothes would be. I will still have to do some shopping, most notably underwear, but since sizing isn't a big issue for me in that department, it isn't so big deal. I think that even with a small budget, I can afford more expensive, gorgeous underwear than I'm used to.  8-) Hmm...

Good news first: I RECEIVED THE GRANT!!!  ;D ;D ;D Woohoo!

Then something not so good: T has a chicken pox. I had it when I was a child and am safe...but, I have (again) a rather bad flu. I guess sweating outdoors in cool weather was not smart...

Hair: My hair creativity has continued- as I lay down sick, gorgeous chinese buns and other hairstick creations suddenly stand a chance to survive the day, and I've enjoyed nice hairstyles for the past couple of days.
     Because the grant will be paid in a couple of weeks (and because we're both ill and T is confined to home for a while), I'm celebrating the grant by growing a handsome VISA bill made out of all the "non-essential" stuff I have not bought while on budget: Ficcares, eartoys...
I think I've earned it.  :D

Congrats on your grant!  And enjoy your shopping spree..  :D

Get well thoughts for T... I had chicken pox as a child like you, but my sweetheart never got them until he was in his twenties and it had him really sick for about a week and a half.  

Congratulations on receiving the grant!  I know what a relief it must be to you.   :D  

Congrats on the grant! 8-)  Now get better soon! :)

Thanks, everyone!  :D Yes, I'm very, very relieved. Hadn't I received this one, I would have had to seriously reevaluate my whole career plan. Now, I'm looking forward to another year of adventures and exciting opportunities.

I have to say- I'm a lousy shopper. I've bought three Ficcares, two pairs of MT sticks and two pairs of eartoys, and am done. Can't think of anything else I'd want. With those Lalo Orna sticks here soon, I think my "little Christmas" will be extra early this year.

Congratulations on the grant, Galadriel!! I know how much that must relieve you... have fun with the shopping spree!

Erk, chicken pox. You're lucky you had it when you were young, Poor T must really be suffering.

I'm lucky on that front... I've never had it, and can't get it. hee.. one good thing about a brother just old enough to be in kindergarten when my mom was pregnant with me? he got chicken pox, and passed it on to mom(who'd already had it once and thought she was safe).. the doctor theorized that she got chicken pox for me, and sure enough, a blood test shows I've got the antibodies. well, I did when I was 3, anyway. I hope it's still the same way.

anyway though, Well wishes for a speedy recovery to both you and T. *hug*

Oh, YAY, Galadriel!!  I'm so happy you got the grant.

I hope you and T are feeling well soon.

Take care!!

BTW, I got my first Ficcare and I really like it so far!!  I got this one: http://www.ficcare.com/Products.aspx?collId=6 in silver glittery w/crystals
Thanks for your suggestions!!

Thanks for congratulations, Kiraela and Sakina  :D

Kiraela: That's quite a story. You have been very lucky indeed! Chicken pox is so annoying- it's terribly itchy and of course scritching can only make things worse.

Sakina: I'm glad to hear you like the clip. You wouldn't happen to have a picture of it in action? I'm interested of that same clip- the only thing that has kept me from buying it (so far) has been that I can't figure out where I could wear such a sparkly thing.


Stars: Last evening had the perfect ending as well: for the first time in a long while, the star observing conditions were good. So, flu or no flu, I dressed myself warmly and ran out to the backyard to marvel the Universe. :D
     It's really been a while: the sky was clearly different from what I remember it being the last time. Now, I beheld fall sky with a hint of winter. Two red giants had climbed over the horizon: Aldebaran (The Bull's Eye) and Betelgeuze, Orion's Shoulder, where astronomers have detected unstability- it might go nova soon. In fact, as far as we know it could already have done so but the light from that event just hasn't reached us. Disturbing thought.
   Perseus was high, and I noticed that Algol, the Demon Star, was at its dimmest or close to it. Pleiades were also rather high, and I could even spot our cosmic neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy with relative ease. Milky Way was clearly different as well, the brighter areas in Cygnus are descending and somewhat dimmer "winter" areas, the areas in outer regions of our galaxy, were ascending.
Add two meteors, one of them fairly bright one, and I had another beautiful viewing experience.

Hair: Ficcares have already shipped- very quick of them!  
Hair is fresh and clean today, and I'm still taking advantage of being sick and am wearing a bun with blue and white NeonStix. I noticed, that vast as my collection is, it's hard to find anything to fit perfectly with my navy blue dress. Hmm. Maybe the blue dangly sticks I ordered from MT will fill that gap in my collections. I hope so!

BPAL: I did remember one addition to my shopping spree- a BPAL order. But, only because I received two imps from Greek_Lady. Thank you very much! And, quick as I am, I have already reviews!
White Rabbit My first impression of this scent was: Sweet! Way too sweet! But, after a moment the excessive sweetness turned out to be warm, sweet scent of honey with a hint of something fresh- tea comes first into my mind. I like this scent. It's not something to wear all day every day, but it has pleasant, soothing personality. An unusual, yet quite simple scent, good for complicated times.
Leanan Sidhe This is a more classic perfume: fresh, powdery-flowery. For some reason it makes me think a bouquet of violet and blue flowers. It has an interesting, clean undertone- a little bit of this after a long hard day, and people might think that one is fresh out of the shower and has just a little bit of perfume on top of natural freshness. Perhaps a bit too feminine to be perfect for my tastes, but I still like it. I think it'd be difficult not to like this one.

Congratulations, Galadriel!!! (on getting the grant, not the flu) I'm really happy for you! Enjoy your new toys when they arrive.

I hope you and T feel better soon.

Thanks, juri! Today, I feel much better. T is more ill, but a little less so than yesterday too. I'm still taking things easy though. Having internet at home really helps, I've been able to arrange so many things online.

Hair: Knot bun with 3-tone brown Ficcare. Haven't worn this clip for a while.
I'm planning to buy some shampoo (small bottle of Body Shop Banana shampoo) the next time I visit Helsinki. I think my hair could use a little detergent. Our water is neutral, not soft, and I think I may have a little buildup in my hair. I don't like my Urtekram conditioner that much either, so I think I'll get some Body Shop conditioner as well for deep treatments while I'm at it.
     Weather has become cool. We haven't had frost at night yet, but I don't think we have to wait long for that. Lazy as I am, I think I will need to try to remember doing regular deep treatments and oiling. And get new headgear! Certain Gudrun Sjöden scarves are on the shopping list this year, now that I have learned to tie scarves into bun style.

Crafts: I've made a list of things I need to make ASAP:
For myself: flannel and nylon slips, leg warmers, three new dresses (including the one under construction). Cardigan and white shawl can wait a bit.
For T: sweater (under construction), matching socks and a beanie (using up leftover yarn), warm slippers
I have also other ideas, for both of us and for home decoration, but they are not urgent.

There are moments when I think my decision to make as much clothing as possible by myself was just a little insane idea. But, then, I enjoy working with all sorts of projects. And I do get things finished. While I'm not all ready and set for winter yet, at the moment I am perfectly comfortable and have everything I need. Not bad for a beginner. Besides, especially homemade knitted items last for ever, so next year there will be less work on essentials and more room for fun stuff.

It's a stormy day, and for the first time the rain is coming down in a form that is almost, but not quite water. A good day to stay indoors, and a good day to be owner of a good wood heating system. Not that electricity wouldn't keep us just as warm, but there's something special about real fire and stormy days.
    I hope to have time to sew later today. Inspired by the horrible weather, I ordered fabrics for flannel slips, Jiffy Grip for making T's slippers. And, as a bonus, fabric for a new aubergine dress. This fabric is a bit PITA- it releases color like crazy and must be washed separately. But the color is just too pretty, and I have seen it nowhere else. So, it's a must, you see.

Ears: When I opened my email, there was a notification from BAF: they had re-stocked the gorgeous Pyrex Sirens, and of course, I went ahead and bought myself a pair. I've had enough time to think about getting them ever since I barely missed the last opportunity. Besides, I got a 10% discount from it since, low budget or no, I have managed to spend $275 on BAF jewelry and now qualify for the discount for every future purchase. Nice policy. I can't believe I've spent so much in earrings, even though I have "outgrown" a bunch of them. Stretch jewelry is not expensive. But, they are gorgeous and I love gorgeous things, as long as they are small enough. I would never have believed that I'd become the earring lover I am today. I still congratulate myself for my decision to stretch.
Wearing right now: GWS plugs in ruby red. They're gorgeous too.

Hair: Rinsed my hair yesterday, and got oiling urge just before going to bed. I applied some jojoba to my ends, and some Sweet Success oil to my scalp. It's been a while. I should do this more often, especially for the SS oil- it makes my hair smell so nice.
      Today's style: up in a log roll with light pink claw clip. In other words: I'm still feeling creative.

Quick update:

-Lalo Orna sticks arrived, and they are so fun and cute. The Red Poppy stick is a bit short- I am able to make a bun with it, but I don't know for how long. But it is cute as button so I'm happy and if it becomes too short for making regular buns, I can always make other styles with it. Blue Wave is a bit longer, not so eye-catching but still unusual piece.
    I really like these! Will ask T to take pictures.

They arrived at a good moment too, because I just found out that I'm a genius. I may not look (or feel...or behave) like one at times, but I must be- the results from the philosophy of quantum theory course came, and my essay had earned me the highest degree. ;D What a wonderful surprise! In many ways, this means to me almost as much as the new grant- being successful in a task I truly thought as impossible at first. Opportunities for such heroics arise sometimes, but not often. The professor even sent me commentary of my essay (now, that's something that NEVER happens in philosophy Dept).

If these ego boosts continue happening, I'm in serious danger of becoming a truly intolerable person. ;D

So many reasons to celebrate. I hope T will get well soon.
I even have a new, cute, sea green dress to celebrate in.

oh Galadriel!!!  Congrats!!!!!  Serious happy dance happening right now at my place for you!!!!! :)

Thanks for joining my little celebration! :D

Due to T's chicken pox (getting better, but not completely over) the partying here at home was rather low key- some Ben & Jerry's ice cream and first season of Rome tv series rented. Latter has been quite amusing- while I in generally much prefer something with less sex and violence, I have read enough Roman history to enjoy how good work has been done in details of making the series. Not to mention, that Roman ladies' hairstyles are always fun to look at.

Hair: I discovered that ribbons braided in are my friends. Ribbon adds just the right amount of thickness to the end part of my braid and makes it look quite balanced. Must remember!
      My urge to pamper my hair continued, and when I washed my hair yesterday, I even put some deep conditioner. It made such a big difference- which probably means that I would be wise to use the thing a bit more consistently. Today, my hair has (quite predictably!) been super slippery.
 
Stars: Weather has remained cool, and cloudy in general, but yesterday night was another good star viewing night. So, when I noticed the red Aldebaran winking me outside, I just put some extra layers to my pajama pants (I'm not sure if I can claim the honor of being the world's only binocular astronomer who regularly finds herself running to observe wearing pajama pants, but at least I'd like to think most observers are a little more dignified) and ran out. It's imperative to be quick though- you never know when a cloud comes and spoils the view, or upper layers of atmosphere become restless, with similar results.
       This time, I grabbed the binoculars too, and pointed them towards the new arrivals of the night sky: clusters in Taurus and Auriga. Pleiades is always a sure bet, one that I find hard to pass if it's viewable and I have my binoculars. But this time, I also took the time to view Hyades, another gorgeous open cluster whose only misfortune is being placed so close to Pleiades. Furthermore, the rising Auriga in the same general direction is also home of three interesting clusters that are among the most beautiful in the Northern Hemisphere. That's what I call half an hour well spent!

Congratulations on getting top honors on your paper, Galadriel!!! You totally deserve it! ;D

I'm glad you and T are feeling better.

I just noticed your BPAL review of White Rabbit and Leanan Sidhe. I already have White Rabbit, but I think I know what imp I'm going to buy in my next order. lol

Thanks, juri! :D I have more BPAL reviews coming sometime soon!

Hair: My hair pampering has worked better than I wanted it to. I was yesterday in Helsinki, and bought honey shampoo & conditioner from Body Shop. When I came home, I washed my hair with them, and even remembered to oil the ends once my hair had dried.
      Result: My hair was slippery before, thanks to the deep treatment. Now it's IMPOSSIBLY slippery. Silk has more texture than my hair now. Even my trusty elastics slip out of it, and Amish pins are completely hopeless. On the bright side, T loves it. And obviously a few drops of sulfate poo and condish were just what my hair wanted...but AAAARGH! I'm just about to lose my nerve! Not much styling choices: up in a bun with a sturdy hairnet and very carefully placed Amish pins, and since the result isn't too pretty, I've wrapped a dark blue scarf (bought from Helsinki because there weren't any hairtoys...) in a bun style around my head. I must redo this style every two hours (or less if I move). But I haven't come up with any options that would have more hope than my current style. My hair wants to spit things out of it.

Health: I and T decided that since December is a very festive season in our family from beginning to end, we should just put in effect one of our long term plans and start partial fast. So we agreed that from this day on, until November 31st, we eat light meals only, abstain completely of red meat and reserve chicken for weekends only. On weekdays, it's fish and vegetarian meals (which do not enclude creamy sauces and lots of cheese).
     This will do good for us, I know. And it will be just the kind of motivation and challenge I need in kitchen- to prepare interesting, tasty meals from limited ingredients. I'll keep you posted of how it goes.

Galadriel wrote on Oct 16^th, 2007 at 6:47am:

Thanks, juri! :D I have more BPAL reviews coming sometime soon!

Cool! I'm looking forward to reading them. :)

A little slow here - but I'll add my congrats for your highest honors on your paper.  I'm sure you can handle the accolades and not let it go to your head ---- too much!  ;D  

You mentioned T's slippers - last year when I knit/felted a million pair of slippers, I used a fabric paint to make them non-slip.  The shiny and slightly raised paint worked fantastic and is not overly expensive.  I've used it on slippers for children and the elderly and all report it has worked effectively.  I've even used the paint on mittens and gloves that I knit so that they are less slippery on the steering wheel when driving.  A small bottle of the paint would cost about $1 and would do 6 pair of slippers.  Just thought I'd throw that in just in case you have trouble with the Jiffy Grip.

Thanks for congrats and the tip, bikerbraid! I managed to find Jiffy Grip this time- Vogue fabrics carried it, so problem solved. But I think your trick is probably better and simpler for knitted slippers- I think I'll buy some fabric paint just in case I find an interesting knitting pattern.

Hair: A *little* less horrible. Meaning that it didn't spit my Ficcare out and I managed to make a firm bun in the morning- though it looked such a mess that I decided to tuck everything under a cap. At least it lasted all day and I didn't have to worry about my hair. I hope that as days pass and dirt increases, my hair will start behaving a bit better. Lesson learned: maximum shine and silkiness is not fun.
     
The results of my shopping spree are starting to arrive. Today I fetched my Ficcares from Customs. I got three clips, all Maximas: border Burgundy, border silver and three tone green with peridot crystals. As usual, all are gorgeous: the border silver is a minimalistic, beautiful clip- the kind of clip that probably looks great on everyone, in every occassion. The burgundy is a deep, rich pearlized red- I'd call it lingonberry red, not true burgundy. But who cares? The only thing that truly matters is that the color is gorgeous. Green clip is pure sparkling beauty: the coloring is pretty and green swarowskis make it sparkly and just awesome.
    I am going to buy a few more Ficcares still- once their new fall catalog is out (any day now). They are a bit like LL sticks: one can't have too many.

The felted slipper pattern  is pretty easy.  If you are interested in it and can't find a source for the pattern, let me know - I can probably work something out.

Sounds like you are enjoying the exchange rate with the US with your shopping sprees!  Enjoy!

I'd love to have a pattern! The last time I was shopping yarn I saw there wool yarn meant for felting projects and thought that it'd be so cool to try it. Slippers would be just the perfect project.

At the moment the euro/dollar exchange rate is very favorable for me indeed. :D It's been good for the whole time I've shopped hair related things online, but nowadays Euro is really strong. A very good thing for my economy, as I shop so much online, mostly from US based stores. I'm an unusual consumer- if I have extra cash, I go online shopping instead of Helsinki. I shop IRL only when I need something in particular. Leisurely shopping is just impossible because no real stores carry the items I'd like to spend my extra money in: basic fabrics (as opposed to interior decorating and evening gown fabrics), high quality hair accessories, interesting earrings and such. Yarn is the only "nice thing" I buy IRL. And so I end up employing post office and customs people.  :D

Hair: Getting better- I'd say that today it's just a bit more slippery than a normal second day hair. Today I was able to do a decent Ficcare bun. Since I'm wearing a green dress today, I chose the new peridot Ficcare to adorn my bun. It's so gorgeous, sparkly but not out of place with everyday dress. A Really Good Buy.
     I'd love to take pictures, but alas, both the camera and photographer are out of country. Just a short trip though, so I hope I'll be able to take some pictures during the weekend. Maybe, by then, my hair even behaves well enough so that I can show you how pretty braided buns I can now make. I hope so.

Crafts: I have some cutting to do and then we'll see how I will succeed at sewing nylon slips. The fabric is very light, very slippery and stretchy, so I expect it to be a challenge even though the pattern is extremely simple.
I finished T's sweater a couple of days ago and the result was great. The fit is excellent and the simple style suits him very well. As I expected, I now have a rather large amount of leftover yarn. I'm not knitting a beanie for him, and after that some other items.
I still have the border of my violet alpaca shawl unfinished. Should resume working with it as well. That shawl has proven to be a lot more work than the sweater project but then...it is intricate work and will be gorgeous. One day.

Hair is still more slippery than usually, but now it's also dirty. I noticed another strange thing: even though it's dirty, it still smells strongly of the honey shampoo/conditioner I used. I'm used to CV's scents that are much milder. The scent is not unpleasant, but I don't like how strong it is still. I fear it interferes with my goal to smell of Thunder Moon.
    Speaking of BPAL, now that I have an order in, I've read some reviews. It seems that my favorite scents are not favorites for many. I agree with what people have said about scents I'd call nice -scents like Leanan Sidhe and Tzadikim Nishtarim, but it seems that many people don't like aquatic, ozoney scents that I love madly. Also, unlike for many, for me there is such a thing as too feminine scent. I like to sniff feminine scents -say, Magdalene and Eos, but they are not quite "me". I like a little ambiguity and mystery there. I can only wonder if it's just a preference or whether it actually has something to do with the fact that my psychological gender is not female but neutral...
     Just a bit of information that those of you who read my reviews might want to know. :)

Today's hairstyle: Basic knotbun, Caramel Ficcare and a cap. I've got things to do.

Crafts: Nylon slip project is proceeding well. I've already sewn two (two more to go). Just as I expected, the pattern was simplicity itself, but stretchy sheer nylon fabric gave me plenty of challenge. I haven't sewn knit fabric before, so everything starting from selecting the right stitch was new to me. A little extra challenge came from my decision not to do everything the simplest way possible. I consider slips undergarments, and I want my undergarments to be cute. So, plush elastic, scalloped edges and tiny fabric roses it was. But, my first slip ended up being perfectly wearable (though far from perfect), and my second one turned out to be quite good.
      When I'm done, I have one more dress, and then I'll have to fetch a new fabric shipment from Customs who seem to have taken a special interest in my shopping spree. Flannel. Jiffy Grip for making slippers. Fabric for aubergine dress and apron. I'm going to be busy.

WOW Galadriel! What an honour! Congratulations on your high marks!!! You soo deserve it!
Sorry it's a bit late, but I am not much of a journal reading type, so I always get to know about stuff last  ;D
Congratulations on the grant too! That must have been a happy time for you! May you always have good and happy times ahead of you! :-*

You got ficcares and bpal, huh? ahhhh enabler you!! ;)
Also, I'm so glad you like Thunder Moon so much, maybe you could try to get a back up bottle? I think I've seen a couple, mentioned. Would you like me to search for you?

greek_lady How nice to see you here! Thanks for all the congrats. I've had some good times lately!
   About Thunder Moon: If you are able to locate another bottle, I think certain swap is a deal. :D Of course, if it is too much trouble, there are always other options. Lots of other options, in fact. But this would be a possibility. In any case, no hurry since I expect my BPAL shipment to take a while and would love nothing better than have a couple of them to continue their flight to a warmer climate. ;)

Now that we're talking about BPAL, here's another review I don't think I've done yet.

Asphodel: This sits firmly in the "mother of everything that is beautiful and good" category. I can see why everyone seems to love this scent- it's one of the most perfect floral scents I've ever tried. It starts with Lily of the Valley. Now, I don't normally care about lily of valley scents as for some reason I associate them with grannies, but this is a GOOD lily of the valley scent. It soon broadens to a rich floral scent that would make Coco Chanel weep in envy. If Leanan Sidhe was a bouquet of blue flowers, this would be a bouquet made of white flowers, with a hint of rose red here and there. This has just the perfect balance of freshness and sweetness. This is the kind of scent that makes men follow you and buy roses and chocolates on the way, then running to catch you up again.
       All this raving done, I have to say that this goes to "too feminine for me"-category. This is so lovely that it isn't "me" any longer, if it makes any sense. But don't let this little detail stop you from trying this.

And, here is a glimpse to what I've been shopping lately. Unfortunately, also a glimpse to the hair horror I've beeing going through all week. Now my hair is very dirty- it has hold barely enough so I could make the styles for these pics. I hope returning to shampoo bars will help.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/bluewave.jpg

Blue Wave Lalo Orna hairstick.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/redpoppy.jpg

And here's Red Poppy LO stick. Very cute, but I wish it was a tad longer.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/burgundymax.jpg

Burgundy Ficcare adorning a sorry infinity bun.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/greenmax.jpg

3-tone green Ficcare with crystals.

Stars: I had a very good star viewing night yesterday: sky was perfect, and I saw just about everything one can hope to see during one session:
-managed to identify two constellations for the first time, Lynx and Cetus
-saw one meteor
-saw a new open cluster: M36 of Auriga.
-and to top everything off, I marveled the little "Engagement Ring" asterism around Polaris (North Star). If you have binoculars at hand, I really recommend you check this one out some night. It's just beautiful: a ring of faint stars and Polaris as the diamond of a ring.      

Today's a cold day. We even had frost on the ground in the morning. I know we'll still have some warmer days ahead before the winter. But for now it's cold. We haven't turned the electric heating on yet though 8-).
     I'm working on another grant application. Yes, another one. Writing them is the PITA that comes along everything that is good and nice about my work. That, and requesting references from already busy people. But, no applications, no references, no money. The math is simple even for me. So I persevere. Gaahh.

Crafts: I finished the violet alpaca shawl!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/violetshawl.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/shawldetail.jpg

Work has begun on leg warmers. I should also sew my last nylon slip this evening. Tomorrow, I hopefully have time to fetch my newest fabric shipment from the Customs.

Hair: Hooray, back to normal! I washed it with Summer Sunshine on Saturday, rinsed with ACV and it's nice again. Clean but well-behaving. I'm overjoyed. Last week was such a pain.

I guess I haven't done a routine update for a long while so here it is:

Wash & Condition: Chagrin Valley Shampoo Bars, my favorite being Summer Sunshine. Rinse with diluted ACV. Deep condition when mood strikes. Plain water rinses in between washes.

Other products: Aloe vera gel for styling (seldom), jojoba oil for oiling (I'm too lazy about this...)

For the night: Usually a braid or ponytail. Though I love my sleep sox.

Styles: Currently working on improving my everyday style selection. Making a knot bun every day is easy, but I feel I want more fun and variation. Whenever I'm not too lazy. Chinese buns and braided buns have started to work wonderfully.

Hairtoys: Another way to have variation and interest in styles. Lalo Orna is my new hairtoy brand discovery. Ficcare collection is growing- gorgeous clips and so easy to wear.

Other; I've been lazy, but neverthless I think my hair is going to better direction.

What a pretty shawl!!! :)

That shawl is absolutely gorgeous, Galadriel! I wish I had the talent/patience to make something like that.... I think, instead, I'll just look at yours and go "prettyyyyyy"...  ;)

Beautiful!!!!  The alpaca yarn looks exactly like the yarn I'm using for the cardigan,too!  Nice to work with,no?  I'm on the second sleeve,put it altogether and do the edging.  Your shawl is absolutely great!!  Wear it in good health!

Your shawl is beautiful - I love the delicate pattern.  Thanks for sharing the pictures of it.  I've been trying to decide if I should make another shawl - I think your is inspiring me to do another as soon as I finish all the Christmas presents for this year.

Thanks, everyone! :D The shawl was a difficult project, but worth the trouble that went into it.

Curlgirl: I fell in love with the alpaca yarn. It's so soft and warm.  I will certainly make more projects with it.

I think I could use another shawl, maybe in pure white. I keep thinking of new knitting projects faster than I can knit. I've already knit so much this fall, but my to-do list just won't shorten. ;D After the leg warmers, basic socks and matching mittens for T, then I decided that I want a beanie too, then I have yarn for making a nice dark blue cardigan for myself... in other words, this is turning out to be a very typical fall for me. I think last year it was mittens, mittens, mittens...

Hair: Received a hairstick shipment from MT: Blue Shimmer sticks and Silk Noir sticks. I think I got the last pairs because now they are sold out. I had been drooling for these pairs for a while, and they are gorgeous. Black silk wrapped beads are nicely different yet simple, and Blue Shimmer pairs features gorgeous kyanite beads and a small silver butterfly dangle. Very cute!
     I've also seen the first pictures of the new Ficcare catalog on LHC. Gorgeous new colors! I've always dreamed of jewel tone Ficcares and now they have them: beautiful dark blues and violets are calling my name. I hope they'll be available online, it would make ordering easier. So I'm going to wait a little while before ordering.

Stars: I started a trial membership period for SLOOH, which is a robotic telescope operated via internet. So far, it looks quite promising. While there is something undeniably special in looking up with your own eyes and minimal technical aid, there is also something special in getting really good views to space via one's computer screen. Especially when that means possibility to observe even when the weather here is bad, as well as possibility observe objects that would otherwise be too far South.
    I've already scheduled my first mission. During the next days, I'm going to try to track Pluto. It is so small and so far away, that it blends in with faint background stars- the only thing telling that it's actually a body orbiting our Sun is its movement among the stars. So, I'm going to try and see if I can track that movement. Needless to say, this is an exercise I couldn't try without SLOOH.

Your shawl is most delightful to look at, G, and I'll bet it's also a joy to wear.   :)

Thank you, Trisha! It is lovely to wear. A bit big to be worn under a coat, but wonderful indoors. My crocheted shawl is a bit smaller though so I wear that when I go out.

Here's something else delightful for you: Pyrex dotted siren earrings from BAF.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a360/Lady_Galadriel/dottedsiren.jpg

I love just about everything in these. The color, the unusual but pretty style, how they look in my gauge. These are one of nicest earrings I have ever owned (though I admit freely that most of my other gauged earrings are in that category as well). But, these are REALLY nice.
   Their arrival has made me a little worried though: the earrings I ordered a little earlier (and with supposedly faster shipping) have not arrived yet. I hope they are all right and still coming.

Hair: A little dirty, up with a burgundy Ficcare. Just an ordinary hair day.

Health: First week on meat-free diet is over. It has been ok: planning meals has been a challenge, but we have managed.

Those earrings are gorgeous!  Makes me want to try them!  Mind you, I have so many holes in my ears already! :D

I agree, Lisabelle. They are gorgeous and match with all my dresses too. And they were cheap too, compared to golden earrings I used to wear and liked way less. :)

Today I went to Helsinki to claim my fabric shipment: flannels for warm underskirts, Jiffy Grip for soles of the slippers I'm planning to make and some aubergine broadcloth for a new dress/apron.  :D I also found beautiful yarn on sale, and had to buy a bagful of it. I'm not sure of what I'm going to make- a shawl, mittens or perhaps headgear, probably both for myself and as Christmas presents. But it's beautiful, thick yarn that is quick to work with. I will find my inspiration.
   When I came home, my "boatload of BPAL" had arrived. I got no less than seven extra imps, and will have a gigantic job in testing them. Best of all, my basic scent needs are now well taken care of: I have an extra bottle of Thunder Moon that arrived yesterday (thanks, G_L!, a second imp of Bliss (smells so perfectly of milk chocolate that it can cure a chocolate craving) and a whopping 5ml's of R'Lyeh.

But, here be the first reviews:

Dragon's Heart
This scent has powerful, musky core that lighter notes of the scent seem to orbit. The Dragon is awake and alert, its heart beating a steady, slow rhythm. It knows its power and that it is capable of defending itself. I like this scent in the beginning, but once the lighter elements fade away it turns too musky for my tastes.
3/5

Schrodinger's Cat
Paradox in a bottle, they say. A very nice scent, say I. No creepy action at a distance, no shady wave functions. Just a sweet, fresh scent: honeysuckle and old-fashioned sweet lemonade. A refreshing stop in a park cafe on a beautiful day. Perfect balance between matter and energy. The cat may be dead or alive, but its spirit is eternal.
In spite of being such a bright scent, it lasts well- the aged scent is mild: a single stem of honeysuckle forgotten on top of an old pile of lecture notes.
4½/5

Y'Ha Nthlei
The underwater city of Deep Ones...where the Deep Ones are eating watermelons in their cold halls. This scent has real chill- ice-cold, clean water of dark depths below the pollution of the world of Men. To find fruits from this place is a surprise. The Underwater City presents itself as mysterious, alluring in its sweetness, repelling in its chilliness...are the golden ornaments of Deep Ones expressions of beauty or mockery? Are the creatures who inhabit this City abominations or natural inhabitants of this strange place, builders of sea anemone and algae gardens? It is impossible to be sure of anything, it may be all right to be a little scared...for the glammer of Y'Ha-Nthlei can not be resisted.
5/5

Hair: Needs a wash. Up in a bun with a Tiger Eye Maximas.

Galadriel... your reviews seriously make me want to order some of these. Tell me... what exactly is BPAL? I've never been able to figure that out.

Also... I love your reviews just for the sheer beauty of the words you put together.

Thanks for your kind words!

BPAL is an abbreviation that stands for Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com), makers of exotic perfume oils. Unlike brand perfumes, BPAL scents are 100% oil blends, not diluted (they're also 100% plant based). The scents -as far as I have sampled them- range from traditional perfumes to unusual and downright strange scents you could never find from big brands. Many people who do not like ordinary perfumes like these more exotic scents from BPAL. As you may have noticed, they have zillions of scents, including many limited edition scents. Sample sizes called Imp's Ears or just imps, can be ordered individually or for a fixed price for six. I don't remember the exact price, but it was something around $20 for 6 imps. All scents are hand-blended, so the shipping times can range from very quick to months. But even there is wait, it will be worth it!
BPAL scents are also extremely swappable, as many longhairs are into them and they can be used in homemade hairtoy concoctions to add scent. Once you have sniffed an imp and found that it's not 100% perfect for you, you can pass it on.
  So, how does one choose just a few scents from a webpage that lists hundreds of them? Some people look the descriptions and try the scents that have elements they like, for example aquatic, rosy, musky etc. However, as BPALS are unusual and full of surprises, I prefer to just order scents that have names that appeal to me. This method seems to produce pretty good results, too! Usually BPAL sends some free imps (frimps) with orders, which is just great!

I'm making through the pile of tiny bottles here on my computer desk slowly...

Come To Me
Lovely scent. Tea roses, complete with dew drops on their petals, cream colored real pearls and crystals in long hair. Commanding and sexual? I wouldn't say that, though T says that he could imagine himself following this fresh, sweet scent. This scent is just sweet and pure. Innocent and welcoming as nothing hides behind the first notes of the scent: even when it grows deeper, it never losts its freshness.
5/5

Mandrake
A very strange scent. Smells like an attic: dry air, old magazines stored in cardboard boxes for some obscure reason, a random collection of china coffee cups and old clothes. As the scent ages, there is just a hint of moisture- maybe the roof needs to be repaired.
1/5

Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo
Fruit pie, made with love and served with honey tea in a summer garden. Sun is high and warm, shining on the happy tea party. A little too much warmth for me, but otherwise this is a really nice scent.
4/5

Deep Ones
Scent of the mysterious monster-people living in Y'Ha-Nthlei, the underwater city from the world of H.P. Lovecraft. Spicy, sweet scent that is strong but not overpowering. The garden near the spice market of the city under the waves. Gentle, barely noticeable underwater currents bring an air of mystery from the strange coral spires and towers they have passed through, and as you breathe deep, it mixes with spices and fruits that grow in strange vines of this garden. When you have worn the scent for a while you realize that there is a reason why the garden is right here, next to the spice market: there is an old ship buried under the beds of pearlescent bubble corals and bright sea anemones, a ship, of which only a light lingering of the scent of wet oakwood hints, whispers and innuendo of brave men...of possibility that not every man drowned in the waters above...
5/5

Hair: Washed yesterday evening, surprisingly nice today. In a bun with plain matte gold Ficcare. It seems that creativity is leaving me along the desire to pamper my hair until it's intolerably slippery.

Simple Dress Experiment: Crap! I got a message from Plainly Dressed, along a full refund of my order. They are scaling back and no longer accept international orders. While there are still other online vendors for Amish pins, I now have a coat problem. But,.the winter is not here yet and if I work efficiently, I know I can overcome this sudden setback. One thing is sure: I'm not going to buy anything ready-made locally. There must be better ways.
    Basically, I need two winter coats (plus one all-weather windcoat). I have already ordered pattern for making my long, big hooded robe that I use for more formal occassions or when I'm going out on very cold weather. That's the easy thing- from what I have looked, such a robe is easier to sew than a dress.
In addition to that, though, I also need a short, hip-length coat that I can wear when working outdoors or need something simple. That's what I ordered from Plainly Dressed. The trick, of course is, that such a proper coat is harder to sew. In all likelihood, I will end up altering some basic pattern, and that's extra work too. But, now I just have to work this one out. The coat I repaired last winter is still serviceable for a while, so I have some working time even if winter comes early.

MORE BPAL REVIEWS

The Dormouse
My first thought was: This smells a lot like Dior's Eau de Dolce Vita. A fresh, pleasant smell I like a lot. In the end, the differences with Dior's scent start to show: this one is a rounder, softer scent with a hint of spice. Fresh without being overly flowery, mild and friendly scent.
4/5

Cenzon Totochtin

Four hundred divine rabbits of the Aztec on the loose! Dark, bitter chocolate soon gives way to wine, and when the rabbit superdisco is over, they sneak back to woods, to sleep off their night of craziness under junipers whose spikes will protect them from predators. Fresh night air will blow from the windows of banquet hall, erasing the traces of this secret, nightly leporid party. When the maid of the house comes to the dining hall early in the morning, she can only wonder where this random, strangely nibbled piece of chocolate lying on the floor came from.
A very peculiar scent, but not in a bad way. While I can't imagine where I would want to go smelling like a rabbit who is up to no good, this is certainly a scent worth sniffing.
3½/5

Verchernyaya

This scent smells first very manly: exotic woods and spices. After a moment, it takes a turn to a more feminine direction though: amber and patchouli keep this scent warm though still balanced. I think this is still more suitable for men.
3/5

Simple Dress Experiment/Crafts: It seems that all is well for now after all. I dedicated some time for searching patterns online yesterday, and managed to find some that looked quite good as well as simple enough to sew. They are now on their way to me (along with a few other irresistible patterns...all I will say is that I will need to find some evening gown occassions in the future 8-) ) Only minor changes needed. In fact, it seems that I might get my coat earlier than I would have via PL- their shipping times are rather long, while pattern companies are very fast...and I'm not that slow either.
   Besides, there's no denying that if November is a good month for doing anything, it's crafts. According to weather statistics, November is the rainiest, cloudiest, most miserable month in the year. Sewing and knitting are the perfect way to spend some of those dark evenings ahead.

Recently completed: a pair of violet leg warmers/boot covers and a burgundy dress/apron set. My knitting plans are small, quick accessories- I don't feel like starting the cardigan just yet. Thanks to the bad weather, I've also been quite industrious on the sewing front. I expect to be done with the winter underskirts this week, and then I will review my to-do list and see what comes to the top. If the coats take one week each (which is very generous), I'll still have plenty of time to sew some Christmas presents, as well as something extra for myself. No tv and no gardening means surprisingly much time for other pursuits.

Hair: Washed yesterday, ok today. Up with a gold Primavera Ficcare right now. Calendar tells me that this week it's time to snip a centimeter off it again. After that, it's just one more trim to go and I'm done with maintaining for now. ;D What a happy thought!

BPAL review (just one today!)

Tushnamatay
A very nice "forest" scent: fresh green mosses, green leaves and some pine needles, sunshine and wildflowers that grow on a green clearing. A joyous, yet soothing scent. Something an escapist might wear in an office.
4½/5

It's wet, cold and dark- almost as if the daylight hours had been cancelled. Of course, people of the North have their ways of coping with this misery known as late fall, and of darkness that pours in from the windows, through warmest of clothing and into dreams. Some hit the gym and try new fancy diets. Others hit the corner of a sofa, and build their little fortress of a pile of good novels and blankets, a glass (or a bottle) of wine and assorted chocolates. Me? I guess I'm somewhere in between. I light a few candles and escape the bleakness to soft and colorful world of my craft projects. Ok, so this year we also abstain from red meat (poultry as well except on the weekends), and it does seem to help a little. But, staying cheerful and productive is a challenge.

Hair: My fight against darkness reaches every level, and appearance is no exception. This year, I'm consider myself extra lucky as I'm able to wear colorful clothing. Beautiful hair accessories have been with me for years already, and this is the time of the year I love them most. Right now I'm wearing a bun with a violet Lalo Orna stick.

Crafts: I've sewn my first flannel underskirt. It's just wonderful. So warm and soft, comforting and quite cute. While I've come to the conclusion that my dresses are best simple, I do enjoy adding pretty little details to items that have a less rough life ahead. Slips are good, and I've started to think that since I'm now making my own coats, I might as well make them gorgeous. Regular coats lack often gorgeousness. Careful selecting of materials, nice trims and perhaps a couple of hand embroidered flowers placed just so...I sense gorgeousness coming my way this year. IMO, simplicity does not have to mean all-encompassing austerity. Besides, during Finnish winter there's plenty of austerity around without my contribution.

BPAL Review of the day

Dee
Can't help but think this one as an old lady scent. It's an oriental scent in a sort of heavy way that you often find from an crowded bus where a pair of old, upper middle class ladies wrapped in expensive cashmere coats and pearls have decided to ride a few blocks after a busy midday shopping spree and a hour or two spent gossiping over a coffee.
     They sit happily chirping somewhere- not on invalid seats though- good heavens, they're not that old, happily unaware (maybe they're not that perceptive...) of asthma patients who all flock out at next stop. How could that be? Because, their scent, just like everything else about them is really fine and classy.
2/5

A quick update...because Ficcare has finally added both Lotus collections and their new Fall collection to their webpage.
  Nope, I couldn't resist ordering. The fall colors are fantastic- I love jewel tones and now there's an entire collection of really beautiful jewel tones.

A couple of more BPAL reviews as well:

Cthulhu
First I have to say- I have now sniffed lots of aquatic-themed Lovecraft scents and the differences between them are not big in general (exception to this rule being Y'Ha-Nthlei). Clear, but not huge, so if you like or dislike strongly one of them, the same judgment serves the rest as well.
    Cthulhu scent follows the line of Deep Ones and R'Lyeh: when sniffing it, there is no doubt that we're still deep in underwater realms.
Cthulhu is most masculine of these scents- not terribly much so, but there is that. It is also a clean smell, like scented hand wipes. Pleasant, refreshing but perhaps lacking a little character compared to its cousin scents.
4/5

Vampire Tears

Wiener nougat. Great many people love that almondy nougat, but I really hate, detest and abhor it, whether it is edible or in a perfume bottle. I see why the Vampire is in tears- maybe the poor thing has been forced to eat a whole box of wiener nougats instead of a cup of nice, warm blood? When the scent develops, a hint of citrus rises to freshen up the scent just a little. Not nearly enough to save it though. I'll give this one ½ a point more than I did to Mandrake just because I can imagine someone liking this a lot more than I do.
1½/5

Quote:

Vampire Tears Wiener nougat. Great many people love that almondy nougat, but I really hate, detest and abhor it, whether it is edible or in a perfume bottle. I see why the Vampire is in tears- maybe the poor thing has been forced to eat a whole box of wiener nougats instead of a cup of nice, warm blood? When the scent develops, a hint of citrus rises to freshen up the scent just a little. Not nearly enough to save it though. I'll give this one ½ a point more than I did to Mandrake just because I can imagine someone liking this a lot more than I do. 1½/5

ahhhhhhh  :'( :'( I ordered that!! :'( :'( :'( I don't want to smell like nougat either! boohooohoooo

You got wiener nougat with Vampire Tears? Really? I got citrus-salt smells. Or is that what wiener nougat smells like...

Greek Lady, I bought a bottle Vampire Tears as well, so you won't be the only person with a bottle of nougat.

Body chemistry is an amazing thing- for me, there is no salt, just a small hint of citrus and a truckload of almond nougat :-X

Ears: Woohoo! My muchly belated BAF order showed up today. With shipping time of 3 weeks it was so late I was worried, but the toys I received were still worth the wait. I got:
-a pair of translucent sparkle green plugs in 8g. I had these before, but managed to lost both almost right away.
-a pair of amethyst gemstone plugs. Also 8g, but doube flare, so I'm not sure when/if I will be able to wear them. I got a taper to 6g as a freebie, but am not at all tempted to use it. 8g is perfect for me. If my ears at some point become stretchy enough to naturally allow the use of double flares, that's great but if not, I may be able to live with it just fine.
- :D White mother of pearl tail spirals  :D . There is no question about it- when it comes to sheer amount of beauty, these beat all my other earrings, including all the earrings I remember ever seeing in my life. Even Little Sevens. Even the dotted Sirens. I still love my other jewelry, of course, because these are beautiful in a classy kind of way and thus not suitable to all of my moods and every occassion. These are the kind of earrings is happy to possess when she finds an invitation to #1 ball in the Republic from her mailbox. The color is amazing: golden-white, one side of both earrings being more golden than white and the other vice versa. So these can be worn two ways, for two different but equally stunning looks. I expect to stop the traffic in these. Picture coming soon!

Hair: There is some improvement in the weather- the clouds have parted and it's not that dark. Unfortunately, there is not much beauty for the sunlight to reveal (with the exception of little birds we've started to feed again...). So my campaign against ugly season continues. Today, it means a bun with violet Lalo Orna hairstick. There are still two more Lalos on eBay still calling my name. After getting those, I think my little LO collection is complete. In general, I don't like plastic hairtoys, but these are far from ordinary plastic. Perfect weapons in my little one person fight for colors and happiness!
     
Crafts: Now knitting: a pair of basic socks for T. He requested basic socks he could wear with work boots, and the leftover yarn (don't ask me how much there is...) is perfect for such. It's a little thicker than the yarn I use for my multicolored socks, so perfect for a basic pair. Or three...

I've got trouble uploading pictures. I think my computer somehow knows we're going to shop a new one on the coming weekend...

Hair: Maybe scientific writing makes me absent-minded, but I forgot to wash my hair yesterday. :-[ It's not terribly dirty, just enough to be noticeable when I touch it. Winter is coming- during summertime I could never have forgotten my mid-week wash, but lately my hair has just not become irritatingly dirty in the middle of the week. Which is sort of good, I suppose. Today's style is a bun with brown MT sticks I got in a swap and that seem to be among my favorite hairsticks. One good thing about dark and wet days of late fall is, that since I stay indoors anyway if I can, there are more opportunities to wear hairsticks. Yep, I've decided to stay positive through the season.

Crafts: I think I'll finish T's socks today. I feel like taking my simple cardigan as the next project. I've now decided that it will be a simple, basic cardigan because that's what I really need right now. Not that I wouldn't find use for a fancier one as well, but basic things first. I hope making it will make my yarn sack a little smaller too.  :P
As a side project, I'm planning to make a pair of felted slippers according to a pattern BB shared with me. They will be for myself, as I think that T still wants his next slippers to be a combination of flannel and faux fur, as toasty warm as humanly possible to make. ;D For me, felted wool will be perfect. Since the instructions are in English, they will improve my poor knitting vocabulary. It's just happened so that I know sewing terminology in English but not knitting terms, even though I'm much better in knitting than in sewing. That'll be soon fixed, though! :)
       I'm also pretty sure that I need not just one but two more lace shawls. There are too gorgeous patterns out there. Lace is challenging to knit, but the results are well worth the trouble.
 
BPAL:

Athens

Honey and roses. A surprising, unusual but quite pleasant combination. Very sweet, but BPAL's honey does still catch the other flavors of real honey well. Rose scent is a fresh tea rose that prevents the scent from becoming too heavy. Not "my scent", but in its own way quite charming.
3½/5

Batsheba

Flowers, a hint of amber and even slighter hint of oriental spices. A pleasant scent but unfortunately something one can find from every perfume department of the world. You can't go wrong wearing this scent- it is appropriate for both office and the cocktail party after it, but there's nothing personal about it either. This is a scent for soccer moms and middle-class workers who hope to reach upper middle class one day and scent their dreams with perfumes made by luxury brands from which the could not afford shopping clothes.
2½/5

Wolf's Heart

An evening in eucalyptus grove where colorful birds are going to sleep and night flowers are starting to release their scent over the sun-warmed scent of daytime flowers that still lingers in still air. Clouds are gathering in the horizon and if you breathe deep, you can smell the rain in the air, clean water that will wash away the scents of flowers after the midnight. Do you have the courage to stay here until that happens, as the night darkens around you and clouds veil the stars almost as soon as they appear?
4½/5

I think I'll just wait posting pictures until I've got the new computer up and running. Can't bother myself starting to investigate what's wrong with this one...
   
Hair: Washed last evening, and T trimmed it this morning before going to work. Again- I wish I had a picture, but my ends are looking really, really good compared to how they were when I started maintaining. Only one more maintaining trim to go. I'm wearing an English braid right now, and it's looking good. It definitely tapers less than it used to! It still loosens up quickly though so I think I'll switch to a bun soon. But for now, the braid is nice. :)

Life: I think I should resume writing my fantasy novel again. My progress with it is slow, but I still enjoy working with it (and T is as supportive as can be), so I keep coming back to it and adding new paragraphs here and there. It'd be nice to see it finished one day, as I think I'd have decent chances in getting it actually published. At least that's what T tells me, and he's the literature snob of the house while I've never got past Stephen Kings and Tolkiens. Basically, it's a book I'm writing very much for myself- a fantasy story that I'd loved to read but never found in the library. At least, working with it, whether or not I manage to produce anything is like spending time on a private playing ground. I never want to leave, and in a sense, I'm not sure if I ever will.

And here's the last BPAL review for now!

Devil's Claw: This scent is definitely for men. Bitter, dark chocolate with what first smells like strong black tea but then, as the chocolate dissipates, turns out to be juniper, backed with damp moss and the "woodsy" scent you can smell in the forest at fall time, when looking for mushrooms.
2/5, might be 3/5 if I was a man

Haven't updated for a while. What can I say? Work. Yet another round of flu in the house. This fall has been really bad flu-wise. On top of everything, I seem to have some hormonal mess. Typical for my luck: I haven't had any issues requiring a doctor visit for the whole year (don't count fetching new recipes as an issue), and of course I must develop an issue on the eve of nurse strike when the whole country's healthcare system is in crisis mode. ::) As it is, I've got a five-minute phone appointment with doctor on Friday, after the receptionist lady had tried and failed to get me a 30-minute appointment. On a lighter side, I'm not feeling particularly bad. I know that something is not quite as it should, but that's all.

Crafts: The weather is the same: thick clouds, cold, and rain in varying combinations. Right now it's all three together. But I've accomplished a lot on the knitting front! I shopped more yarn on Monday so that I can outsit the season in my armchair besides the heating stove if need be.
I've knitted mittens, and then I got inspiration to do something with the gorgeous thick and soft yarn I discovered a little while ago, and made two scarves and a beret. It's so thick that it was super quick to knit or crochet. I still have some of it left waiting for the next inspiration. I'm so glad I got that yarn.
Today is a particularly nasty day weather-wise, so I've finally started the cardigan project. It'll keep me occupied for a while, I reckon. I just hope it will turn out to be the right size. I haven't met a sweater or a cardigan for myself in years. But, this year seems to be very special knitting-wise.
    Oh, and I found some gorgeous chocolate brown felting yarn that I'm going to use for the bikerbraid-slippers. Now I will just need to print out the pattern. I'm waiting for the inspiration. :P
   My flannel slips are also done- I'll finish the last one this evening. I also have the aubergine dress cut. First of my coat patterns have arrived as well. I'm still pondering of what I will sew and how. I need lots of inspiration!

Miserable weather makes me very productive.

Hair: Hair has been nice and well behaving though it seems that my long season of almost no shedding is over. Well, it was nice while it lasted. My favorite styles during the past days have been buns with caps. I haven't felt like playing with my hair, and caps protect from mess and drizzling rain when I must go out.
    I have received the new Ficcare catalog. The Fall Collection is just gorgeous, and I'm afraid I didn't order all the clips I wanted. I now want new beak clips in Fall colors. I got a notification that the clips I ordered have arrived to the Customs. Don't know when I will fetch them. Perhaps early next week when I have other business in that direction. I know they'll be worth the wait. I tell myself I'm only frugal if I shop the rest of the clips I want while the promo code still works. ;) I'm not even planning to shop new eartoys this month.

I got the news of Jokela school shooting soon after I had finished typing my yesterday's update. It's a tragedy that touches deeply the entire nation. Finns have had this deeply ingrained belief that our little corner of the Earth is quiet and safe. Not always a happy place, but there has been this sense of security that larger places and countries have lost a long time ago, if it was ever present. We have violence, but not violence like this. There was this bomber in a shopping mall in 2002, but he was thought to be an individual case. Peaceful places on Earth are getting scarce.  
    I can only hope that somehow, something good will come out of all this madness and evil.

Hair: I'm not going outside today, and my newest flu is leaving very reluctantly, so I decided that it's time for me to wear a pretty pair of Longlocks sugarsticks, the one with blue butterflies. Wearing them makes me feel a bit better: they remind me of everything that is beautiful and right in my life. I have only a little work left for today, and I'm planning to dedicate the rest of the day for crafts. So it's a perfect hairstick day.

Crafts: I got a notification from Wazoodle. There will be a slight delay in shipping my fabrics since one of them wasn't in-stock immediately. They were very nice about it and offered to let me select another fabric or a refund. But I chose the wait. I really want to see that shade of blue (looked very promising on my screen), and sewing new dresses is at the bottom of my list of sewing priorities. I have just come to the conclusion that in general, I like to have at least one piece of dress fabric around in case I need or want a new dress quickly. That way, I can use slower shipping times when they are available.

We have not yet got the new computer- we'll go shopping again tomorrow. We want to make a good choice, as it appears that the models we like best are more expensive ones. In any case, it will be a laptop with 17" screen, and I will have an external keyboard so I can type comfortably.

((hugs))  These are scary times we live in for any part of the world.  As I was growing up we had school stabbings, riots and walkouts.  It's sad that these things happen :-[

Thank you for the hug!  :)

Today the rain and wind have only increased. The wind is so hard that it blows the tail of a squirrel that has fed all day at our bird feeder. Oh yes, I think we have a new saying to describe strong wind... ;D
I'm glad the feeder is out already. I think any critter that has to spend a day out in this weather deserves all the food it can find.
I'm staying safely indoors and having a quiet day, though I feel recovered. The doctor called me today. She thinks that my hormonal issue is probably just a minor glitch of the system, and that I shouldn't worry about it. I will have to take a couple of tests, and if something comes up, we'll have an appointment.

I received my last shipment of patterns, from Simplicity. Pajamas, and as an impulse buy, some more formal patterns including an evening gown pattern. I don't know when I will need them, but the patterns were too pretty to pass and will serve me well as basic patterns for that type of wear. You never know what may come! I think I now have patterns to cover my all my basic clothing needs (and a bit more). I feel wealthy.

Hair: Up in a braided bun secured with a pink Ficcare beak clip. I think I will order beak clips next from Ficcare. Real Ficcares are the only beak clips I am able to wear and I really like the ones I already have.

Off to knit now. I feel contemplative and the only cure to that is to find a nice place to sit and contemplate for a while.

We bought a new computer yesterday, and I'm typing this while transferring files from the old computer to this one. This one is a big laptop (17"), and nice to work with. I just can't believe how many files I have to move. I hope I can get the most uploading and installing done today (depending on whether we can find where we have put our Word and Paintshop...) But, after that my computer troubles should be over. :D Hooray!

Hair: As always. Still thinking of what Ficcares to order next. And when to fetch the ones I have waiting for me in Customs. I think that one may depend on when this computer will be ready.

I have a 17" laptop and love it! It hasn't given me any real problems yet, and I love having the most modern computer in the house.  8-)

My one and only complaint is not being able to do Alt commands normally because of the compressed keyboard, but...meh. What brand is yours, G?

Angel Spun:This is a HP.

I have now managed to install everything except Painshop. It's been a lot more work than I anticipated, but everything has gone smoothly. My biggest problem right now is, that the keyboard is just a little compressed. Not enough to make typing impossible, but I do make mistakes. So please bear with me until I adjust!
    The weather has been a study of different shades of miserable. This morning, it was first outright stormy and rainy, then there was half an hour of sunshine. During that time, the temperature dropped like stone, and now it' stormy again...with snow. I like this much better than the wet storms. The snow is falling quite sparingly, but it isn't melting away as quickly as it falls, so I'm hopeful.

Simple Dress: I'm happy to announce that the experiment is happily over now. I cleaned up my wardrobe. My old, mainstream style clothes filled 8 (eight) big plastic sacks (the kind of ones that you use for storing week's garbage). I couldn't believe my eyes! I still felt a bit strange getting rid of such a huge amount of clothing. After all, most of them were nice, in perfectly wearable shape and very necessary-looking. I had to remind myself constantly that they had lain untouched for almost a year. Salvation Army will be happy...
After I had hauled the sacks away, I took a critical look to my renewed wardrobe. It looked as if nothing was missing. No need to run shopping, not even an urge to sew something quickly. It was emptier of course, but I still had plenty of clothes for all my foreseeable needs. In nice colors.

Hair: Now that I have extra room in my wardrobe, I'm planning to move my entire hairtoy collection there. It's time to do a cleanup in my hairtoy shelf anyway.
   I'm also thinking of crocheting a hairtoy organizer. Whenever I have time, that is.

Hair is dirty today, but that's to be expected considering that I washed it on Friday. A warm shower on a day like today is something to look forward to.

Doesn't it feel great to have cleared out the clothes you no long need?  I recently did this myself.  After losing almost 50 pounds, I finally had lost enough that I had no clothes that still fit well enough to be seen in public while wearing them.  I too, boxed them up all the clothes that were too big and donated them to charity.  I now have just 4 skirts, 2 jumpers, and 5 pair of pants and an assortment of tops and jackets to coordinate.  

Congrats to you on your sucessful transition to your simple clothing - I admire you for sticking to it and making it work for you.

G: HP laptops are pretty decent. My sister has one. Mine's a Gateway. :)

BB: Congrats on all of that weight loss! What an accomplishment it must be to retire all of the old "fat clothes!" I need to get on that train... lol  ;D

bikerbraid: Congratulations for your weight loss! [smiley=thumbsup.gif] You've done great job!
And thank you for your nice words. It is nice to have a neat and orderly wardrobe for a change. Though, of course I'm glad I kept the old clothes around for a time. If my experiment had been less successful I could have easily gone back wearing them and would probably been quite happy.

I have never had a HP before, or a laptop. But, so far so good. I still marvel how smoothly this works. I had become used to my old computer being slow and weird. But, yesterday's typo was a Freudian one: getting Paintshop installed is still a problem. Maybe later today...

Hair: ...so that I could post you pictures of the new Ficcares I fetched today from Helsinki. They are wonderful!
I got:
-creme Ficcarissimo, size L. My first Ficcarissimo. I don't think I like the style as much as Maximas, but I do like the color (not available in Max). It is a warm off-white. Not pearlized like Honey Marble -which also looked a bit gray-ish to my eyes. A very nice basic clip that deserves a place in any collection.
-violet Maximas, size L. From the new Fall collection. The color is a cool plum violet. I had hoped it would have been a tad brighter, but this is ok too and contrasts my hair nicely. I think this color matches my eggplant dresses much better than the eggplant clip
-...which I also got, also in Maximas, size L. I really like this color, it's a cool navy blue that is a little lighter than true navy. After deciding that Blue Jean was too bright a blue for my tastes, I hoped that Ficcare would make a subtler blue clip. This is it!
-And last but certainly not least, I got 2-tone lavender Lotus max, size L. I have noticed LHC'rs rave about this clip, and now I understand why. This is a Really Gorgeous Clip. The colors, the Lotus design...the combination is just stunning. No pictures I've seen do any justice to this one.
   Since I was in Helsinki, I also visited Sokos and checked out their hairtoys. I found some terry cloth hairties that seemed just the right size to be used instead of elastics when doing updos. They even had them in light brown color that blends well with my hair. I hope they will work! They also had a very interesting clip, shaped like a Taiwan clip but a little smaller (which means it just might work for me) and more ornate. I bought it as well, in pretty pearlized white. Today my hair isn't very well behaving. It's clean, and seems to disapprove the cold. But tomorrow it should be perfect for trying out new styles and toys.

Crafts: Setting the computer up has taken so much time that I haven't had any time to sew. I've just knitted a little, but my cardigan progresses as snail-speed compared to the days before arrival of this computer. It looks promising though, I like how the color looks knitted.
  I visited Gehman's online fabric store, and bought flannels from them. Their flannel selection is small, but somehow they had just the kind of fabrics I had had in mind for my and T's pajamas. The weather is cold now, and I think I better not expect long-term improvement in it before spring. So since I've now got patterns for pajamas, I might as well add them to my sewing list.

Still no luck with Paintshop. It just won't cooperate. T comes home very late today (he is flying to west coast and back today), so I'm not too hopeful. The pictures have been already taken though. I'll have lots of resizing to do.

Ears: I ordered honey & purple GG plugs in 8g. I have those plugs in 10g, and debated with myself for a while whether or not updating them was really necessary. Now I have concluded though, that plugs are not like spirals. I'm happy with my 10g spirals but my plugs need to fit well.

Hair: The côte des barrettes clip I got from Helsinki proved to be one of those rare very good RL bargains. It is plastic and therefore not super sturdy, but the size is just right and I love the look. It looked almost white in bright lighting of the store, but it seems that the color is actually light silver. In any case, it looks gorgeous and holds my bun well. I'm happy!
  While T was taking pictures of me wearing the new ficcares yesterday, I invited a new style. I decided that Ficcarissimo didn't look that nice with a regular round bun. So I did a French braid, turned it, coiled it and secured the coil with Ficcarissimo. T promptly commented that he liked the style. So did I.

I've got to get on with my housecleaning. I just don't feel like cleaning. I'd rather just surf the net, drink hot glögi (a traditional Christmas-time hot drink. Translates as mulled wine, but mine is made of spiced juice concentrate) and perhaps sew a little.
   

No Paintshop yet...

Hair: But I've finally discovered the one thing for which my teflon hair is perfect! Headbanging! ;D
We went to see the folk metal band Turisas who performed yesterday in Helsinki. The gig was fantastic! As the crowd went crazy, even I found myself doing some serious headbanging. I was afraid it would mean a long, painful combing session but no! My hair was perfectly fine afterwards. Hee hee...can't wait the next opportunity.
      To my surprise I discovered, that my hair was long even in metal scene standards. "Nemis" (goth girls with very long black locks) seem to have disappeared. BSL length hair was common on both males and females, but I saw only one head of hair that was a tad longer than that (my hair, of course, excluded!) That was a bit of a surprise. Most common length on ladies seemed to be around shoulders- the trend has gone quite a bit shorter lately.
      I also came to the conclusion that my hair looks great down. While I'm home alone, my only longhair reference are the heads of gorgeous longhairs of virtual world. So my idea of how my hair does in comparison has been quite modest. It's not super anything (except perhaps super slippery). But the situation changes quite dramatically when I actually go out in the Big City. Suddenly, my hair is super everything compared to other people. It is long. It is shiny and healthy and beautiful. It is the most beautiful thing about me and a true ego booster.

Speaking of ego boosters, I had a hair cutting nightmare on the night before yesterday. It was quite amusing (once I had woken up and sighed from relief after finding that I still had my ponytail intact).

Today is a day when my hair makes me happy.

That sounds like a concert I would enjoy 8-)

Jerry

I have to agree with jerry, there. That sounds like it was an awesome time. Somehow I think, though, that headbanging is not in my future, LOL. My hair tangles when it is braided.

BTW, on a whim, I did a quick search for Turisas' music... I gotta say, you have awesome taste in music. *nods*

It was one of the best gigs I've ever seen. This band is definitely worth keeping an eye on. What amazed me most was, that Warlord Nygård sings/growls/whatever live just as well as on the album :o 8-). He now occupies the top of my "best male singer" chart.
   Speaking of music, I've now listened ex-Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen's new album My Winter Storm. Or, to be truthful, just half of it because I got dreadfully bored by the middle of it. Nothing wrong with Tarja's voice, it is as beautiful as ever, but the songs sound all the same. Not awesome-same either. The first word that comes in my mind is commercial.The style is a water-diluted mix of commercial metal and boring movie scores: no personality, no direction, no passion. Tarja is like a girl asking "Does my voice look good in this?" while knowing perfectly well it does because the songs are all the same. I think T hit the nail in the head when he said that Tarja needs a master composer (say, Tuomas Holopainen) to bring out the best in her voice and performance. She better continue her search.

Hair: Slightly dirty today and therefore the great hair feeling is leaving me. I finished sewing the aubergine dress and as I thought, the violet Ficcare matches it better than the eggplant one.

Still no Paintshop. I'm getting frustrated...

Galadriel wrote on Nov 18^th, 2007 at 7:01am:

my only longhair reference are the heads of gorgeous longhairs of virtual world. So my idea of how my hair does in comparison has been quite modest. It's not super anything (except perhaps super slippery). But the situation changes quite dramatically when I actually go out in the Big City. Suddenly, my hair is super everything compared to other people. It is long. It is shiny and healthy and beautiful. It is the most beautiful thing about me and a true ego booster.

I've definitely been there.  I can sometimes feel pretty low looking at the beautiful hair on tv, in magazines and also online but out in the real world I feel that even though I'm not at my goal length, hairwise, I often times stack up better than okay. :D

I'm sure we all do. I'm not usually impressed by hair I see in real life, or the magazines (most magazine hair is heavily photoshopped, styled and colored in a way that doesn't impress me) but longhair sites are full of awesome hair.

Today, I was in Helsinki all day. No fun though, it was a meeting of The Board. I'd enjoyed better being closed into a closet with a poltergeist. But it's not about enjoyment...and so, after the long meeting was over, I headed straight to the bus station. My luck that the Interesting Department Store (Sokos) is directly on my way, so I did grab another pretty clip on my way through. This one is a beautiful shade of grayish-blue. Nice color, and I even think this clip is my only hairtoy in that color.  :D I hope I will be able to do a bit more shopping sometime next week. Style of the day was a knot bun with silver Ficcare. I just wanted a sturdy style that wouldn't give me any trouble during the day.

It's almost 9am, foggy, wet, dark and miserable. I've fortified myself comfortably to a corner of the sofa with my computer, blanket and hot drink. Fireplace will be ready soon. I am comfortable, luxuriously so, considering what time it is. However, due to yesterday and making the mistake of reading today's news, my mood somewhat matches the weather. While some of my gloomy thoughts are quite brilliant, they are definitely on the category "thoughts that one shouldn't think on days like this". So I'm facing a day of reading, housework and self-therapizing.

Ears: Wearing 8g honey plugs right now. They arrived a couple of days ago. Good buy- I was wrong thinking that I might not notice the difference between 8 and 10g:s, but I do. These fit much better, and IMO, look better too. I've always best liked studs the same size as my 10g plugs, but in transparent glass, I find this size nicer. I'm still stuck with single flares. My ears have not become stretchy yet. I wish they would, because I have these beautiful double flare stone plugs waiting for me. I'd really like to get at least one pair of DF glass plugs too. O-rings are not bad to deal with -they are a HUGE improvement compared to backs of regular earrings- but double flares would be even easier. But there's no sense in investing in double flares while it's still uncertain whether I'll ever be able to wear them.

Hair: I also received the order I placed to Prayercoverings.com when Plainly Dressed didn't accept my order. A couple of days after I read from LHC that they had closed the store altogether for a while. Apparently they have serious problem with domestic orders as well.
  In any case, Prayercoverings is a very cute little online store. Their main products are Mennonite-y headcoverings, as the name suggests, but they also have a nice selection of basic hair accessories, and some random extra products. This time, besides Amish pins and hairnets I found recipe cards. I haven't seen those anywhere IRL though I've wanted to have some for Ages. They even had cards with apple theme! :D Also their cloth hankie selection has grown. Just for a side note, I really like my cloth hankies. If you ask me, conditioning people to use disposables does not make much more sense in this area than in menstrual products. Yes, they get dirty, but that's when one is supposed to wash them. No big deal. I also iron mine and they are as good as new, much more pleasant feeling and prettier than disposable hankies.
  So much for the infomercial and back to hair. It's doing well today. For the time being, it's in a bun secured with Lavender Lotus clip. Beautiful hair accessories are good tools of self-therapy.

I'm also thinking, how to put my SS gift together. It's a challenge to keep with the $10 price tag, especially since it's even less in euros. I already bought something nice from Helsinki and spent over half of the sum. I think it was worth it though, and I have a couple of ideas left...

I thought I was the last person on earth (other than my hubby) that still used cloth hankies!   :)  I much prefer them to scratchy paper products.

We use TP (Toilet Paper) at home instead of kleenex/tissue but at work I do use kleenex/tissue ::)

Jerry

bikerbraid Hee hee. I agree with you- paper hankies scratch and irritate skin.

It seems that the each day since mid-week has brought different misery with it.

On Thursday, was the "Nazi Party" meeting. Yesterday, I got fuming mad because of certain news and also ended up spending a great amount of time emailing with those people and my faith in inherent goodness of humanity hit the bottom once again. However, when humanity fails, Rabbithood still goes strong. Pyry kindly spent a long time snoozing happily in my lap while I read Harry Potter and petted his super soft fur (rabbit-owners who read this probably know that normal rabbits aren't creatures you can have sitting in your lap for a long time and read a book at the same time...Pyry is really special that way! ;D :-* ).
   Today, I woke up with a massively sore throat and with a husband who informed that he is really ill. The Flu pt. Infinite is here again. We decided to do our planned shopping, but to cancel the housewarming party. So, instead of socializing with friends I haven't seen in Ages, I spend my evening in my sofa fortress, pouring hot drinks and pills that anesthesize (sp.?) the throat in. Swell.

Hair: So no nice styles for me today. I just did a Mennonite bun in the morning, put a cap on it and that's all. I'm actually still wearing the whole ensemble, cap and everything. It may not be the prettiest style on Earth, but it is very sturdy and comfortable and that's all I need today. In fact, if I were smart, I would do Mennonite buns more often on days when I wear a headcovering. They start low and stress different part of my hair than normal buns, and since they are very flat, they make any headcovering sit perfectly.

Crafts: I mentioned that we managed to complete today's scheduled shopping, didn't I? Well, I finally visited the Big Fabric Store. With the help of a very friendly salesperson, I spent two hours looking for fabrics. They eventually filled four plastic bags and earned me curious looks from both other customers and personnel. Especially when the saleslady told the total price. But I've now got two winter coats, a wrap dress, remaining slipper fabrics, fabric for making placemats and some other cute stuff, and of course notions for everything abovementioned. I couldn't resist purchasing expensive wools for my coats), but my shopping round still cost less than I paid for just one winter coat a couple of winters ago. A good, really expensive coat, I admit. But still. If I had wanted to buy so many ready-made clothes this year, I couldn't have afforded the kind of quality I was now able to. Now I just need to not screw up with cutting and sewing. I plan to be extra careful though. I'm very excited!
No need to go fabric shopping during the whole winter (probably) and no need to ponder how to use my spare time for a long while.

This latest flu turned out to be a really nasty one. Supplemental hankies arrived just in time for action.
T had to rearrange his trip to Sweden (he leaves tomorrow afternoon instead of yesterday evening). For me...this is my third day in bed. I'm doing a bit better though- my head is clear enough so I can knit and play with computer instead of just resting and sneezing. It's not much, but it's a definite improvement and after the past two days, I appreciate it.

Hair: The flu caught me with my night ponytail on. It didn't cross my mind until yesterday that hair might require a little attention. After a long detangling session, I changed to a hairstyle better suitable for a sickbed, namely scarf bun. It's comfortable and survives well even over night. It also makes my hair look somewhat neat even though it's dirty. My last shower was on Friday, and if I feel significantly better tomorrow, I may wash my hair then. If I won't...well, an occassional sebum bath is supposed to be good for hair. At least my scalp doesn't itch. Yet.

Crafts: Since I'm trying to get better before weekend and our first wedding anniversary (yes!!! We've been married longer than many celebs!  :P ), I'm going to take the rest of the week nice and easy. Luckily, today I received two huge shipments of goodies. First shipment was a load of astronomy books. I do count reading them as work  8-) , but since they are popularized science, reading them is doable even with a semi-functional brain. The other big package contained the embroidery kits I had ordered. Beautiful pieces- I see many nice evening ahead. Though, I have planned to get back to cross stitching only after I've done with knitting for this winter... You know, sometimes it's hard to love so many different crafts!

Aww, G. Sorry to hear that you're so sick.  :(  I hate getting the flu! It often keeps me down for months!

Feel better soon, love.

Thank you for kind wishes, Angel Spun.

Today, I feel quite the same as yesterday. I washed my hair because my scalp started to itch and I just couldn't bear it, and made a quick trip to grocery store, but otherwise I'm still spending the day in bed. I don't like the fact that I don't feel significantly better. Tomorrow is Thursday already.
   It's now harder to remember that I'm really supposed to rest as I'm now well enough to access my emails and read work-related books. Not HC philosophy yet, but work stuff neverthless. But so far, I have caught myself when bad ideas about how I could spend my time have still existed as ideas only, and have managed not to wander off anywhere. Besides, I'm well entertained. I've got plenty of books: astronomy, Harry Potters, Plato's and some history of philosophy I should read just for revision. I've got new Civilization IV Complete. I've got my cardigan to knit and beautiful stitch kits to drool and try not to touch. I've got two adorable bunnies for company. It's true that T went to Sweden and isn't bringing me hot drinks every couple of hours but neverthless, I'm sitting like a queen.

Speaking of washing hair, I tried CV's new Mud & Clay shampoo bar for the first time. No complaints about it so far, though now is probably not the best time to evaluate shampoos.
I shed a bundle almost the size of Pyry today. I told myself that it's probably many days' worth of hair since I haven't really bothered with combing, but it still looked rather depressing. Now that my hair has been taken care of, I hope I can forget about it until the weekend. With scarf buns, it might be a real possibility, even.

Quote:

before weekend and our first wedding anniversary

Early congratulations, my dear!  I can't believe it's already been a year   :)  I sure hope that you and T are feeling better before your anniversary.

Thank you! Time sure flies. I can't believe it's been another year.

No dramatic improvements in my condition, so today is yet another rest day. I try not to think too much about things I should be doing, things I would be doing if I were healthy. But resting starts slowly to feel like work- a conscious effort.

Hair: I've started to wonder, whether I should adopt scarf bun as my regular night hairstyle. It's so comfortable to sleep with and stays really well. I'm not sure how T would like it though.

Crafts: Received pajama flannels from Fabric.com. They look wonderful, looking at them makes me smile. I can't wait to get well enough to start working with my sewing projects again.
Cardigan is progressing nicely though. I'm now working on the second front piece. After that, it's just sleeves and patch pockets and finishing. Maybe it will help me stay in good health for the rest of the winter. I'm now glad I chose a simple pattern that is easy to follow and doesn't require much counting.

I'm still not feeling better. I've slept a lot, and it seems that my throat is getting more sore again. Blah. T called me late last evening from Sweden, and he sounded really bad as well- much worse than he was when he left, and he said that he's now having an awful throat ache. Sounds familiar. He had managed to give his presentation though. Looks like we're going to spend our anniversary watching new Pirates of the Caribbean from DVD and drinking hot drinks.

Hair: I'm still wearing the scarf bun I made a couple of days ago. It just stays like rock, through sleeping and everything. Hair is slightly dirty, but as long as my ears keep clicking and humming, shower may not be such a good idea. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.
   To my delight, my Gudrun Sjöden shipment arrived today. I had ordered some solid color scarves since they carried them in nice jewel tones. When I opened the package, my jaw dropped- the scarves look really gorgeous, the pictures on the website didn't do any justice to them. The material is fantastic, and the colors are awesome. I'm so glad I didn't content with just one!
I have now practiced tying scarves in bun style. Tznius.com had instructions for making bun style from a square scarf, and I modified it a little because my scarves are rectangular. My creation seems to stay well and looks very nice combined with a dress of contrasting color and spirally ear jewelry. Again, I wish I could share a picture!
The scarves are light enough to be worn indoors, but they also make nice light winter headcoverings. A good buy!
 

Today is the first normal day for me. It was one nasty influenza! But, save the occassional sneeze, I'm ok now. I expect to be quite busy until Christmas, as I need to catch up with everything: household work, work- work, Christmas preparations and my sewing projects. Even as I write this, I'm preparing very late lunch/early dinner, there's a load of laundry going on and some carpets are out in fresh air. I wish I could snow wash them, but that would require more snow than we have. Well, at least there is some snow- we weren't this lucky last year.

Hair: I've finally made it to the post office and shipped my SS gift.  
I've experimented with wearing my hair up in a scarf bun for night. It seems that I'm forever searching for the perfect way to sleep with long hair. Some options (like satin sleep sox) are much better than others, but I have not yet discovered the one thing that would be perfect in every way.
   During my illness, I neglected my hair almost completely. Minimal washing, minimal handling, scarf bun day and night. This was a good recipe that allowed me to spare the little energy I had for more important things. Now I'm getting back to normal.
    The new Gudrun Sjöden scarves are great. I've played with them, and can already tie them in several styles. The bun style is still my favorite though. Obviously, I'm a bun person through and through!

Crafts: I have enough craft supplies to furnish Santa's workshop. During the flu, most of the stuff I have ordered online have arrived and now fill my sewing room. I plan to start working with the short coat tonight. I'm mighty tired of wearing my old, crappy coat. Keep your thumbs up for me so I get the sizing right! I'm a bit scared of starting to work on a one of a kind project that I need to get right on my first try.
  Cardigan is doing well though- it's the only project I have been able to work on. I'm hoping to finish it for Christmas.

Glad to hear that you're on the mend, G.  :)

I've still got that "nasty influenza."  :(

I've been insanely busy since the last post. Don't reckon things will calm down before holidays. Note to self: Don't catch influenza at this time of the year.

Hair: I should have T trim my hair any day now. Then my maintaining is done for the time being! :D I'm so ready to see some growth.
  Otherwise, no big things happening in hair life. Mud & clay shampoo bar works well, though I think it doesn't get my hair quite as clean as Summer Sunshine. I'm dreaming of having time and energy for doing a proper SMT treatment. Maybe during Christmas holidays...
 
Crafts: I think I will finish my cardigan just in time for Christmas (and coldest time of the year). I'm also working on my winter jacket. It is turning out more nicely than I anticipated, though I'm not sure if it's a tad too big. It's hard to tell with some parts still missing, but if it is indeed too big, I think I can remedy that easily. In any case, it looks like it's going to be both beautiful and warm. Not quite as plain as I had first in mind, though it still looks nice with dresses.
   

Hair trimmed this morning. It reaches now just above waist, and the hemline looks really good. And now, I'm done with maintaining. Really done! Hooray!  :D Now I'm returning to my normal trimming schedule, which puts the next small trim to somewhere mid-March. When I reach tailbone, I may have another maintaining phase. We'll see. Right now, I just want to see some growth for a change.

Crafts: Short winter jacket is READY! It wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. It had many stages, but none of them was that difficult. The result is good. The jacket is perhaps a tad too big from lower part, but the top sits perfectly and the general appearance is quite pro. I give myself 9 out of 10.

Wow, I wish my hemline was looking good.  I'm in the process of growing out layers and bangs and the "u shape" so I still have a long way to go!

A period of patient maintaining really helps.

I've been LHC enabled again, and yes, you all need to know about it.
This time, it's bento- japanese lunch boxes. Well, I'm not in need of packed lunches since I usually have the privilege of eating at home. But T has to eat at work, and so far he has been at mercy of an expensive staff restaurant that produces bland, bad food. He has complained about it at home every now and then, and I've been looking for a way to help him. From what I can tell, bento lunches every now and then (I'm not going to able to serve them every day) will go a long way. So, as a Christmas present, I ordered him a bento box and a heap of accessories from eBay. Ok, I admit, the accessories are probably more for me. Since I'm going to feed him, I might as well make it fun. Probably bento stuff will pay itself back anyway.

I also decided that I need a Christmas present too: two pairs of plugs from Glasswear Studios.

Hair: Washed this morning, now in a knot bun with silver Ficcare Max.

Bento boxes are great!!  I have 3 or 4 of them, and I, too bought a set for hubby.  Did you know they also make a soup bowl version?  I got one but haven't used it-I can almost always eat at home, too.

Yes, I think I saw soup bowls on eBay as well.

I think I will shamelessly practice my bento packing skills on T, and if he seems to like his lunches -I'm planning to base them on leftovers-, I may consider buying myself a box as well. I don't eat away from home often, but when I do visit Helsinki, it is always difficult to find healthy lunches that are not ridiculously expensive. But we'll see!
    I also love all the cute little accessories available for bento boxes: animal sauce bottles, egg molds, cups and dividers. I'm in luck since T also likes cute and fun stuff in moderate amounts (I showed him bento boxes for men and he promptly told me that they look boring and he would prefer something with brighter coloring and rabbits). I think he will like what I found. It's a little smaller than the really manly bentos, but then, he is a small guy and doesn't eat huge portions anyway.

I also received a nice bunch of BPALS from a swap. Haven't tried any of them yet, just sniffed Christmas Rose straight from the bottle. It smells very promising!

Waiting also: plugs, pajama pattern in right size (turned out that the one I had was a very generous unisex pattern and instead of size XL, I'm size M), and my Secret Santa gift

Hair today: clean and up with a violet Lotus Ficcare.

Christmas present shopping done! We didn't find anything nice for me from real stores, so T bought me a Ficcare clip instead. Golden pearl beak clip from the new fall collection. It won't get here before Christmas but we agreed that it's better to have something I really like late than something less nice from RL. Besides, it looks like T too will get his presents more or less late. My sewing projects are late and I expect his online gift will take some time to arrive too. That's life!

Hair: Doing well. Right now in a knot bun with a brown Ficcare beak. A very elegant knot bun- it looks almost too pretty for cleaning the house. It's a bun that would deserve to go out and be admired by everyone.

I still don't have a working photoshop/paintshop on the computer. That's probably the most blah thing in my hair life right now- I'd love to share some pics with you. I hope we'll have time to continue searching for a solution during the holidays.

Hair today: French braid. I haven't worn French braid as a day style for a looong while, so it took me three tries to produce a good-looking one. Now I have a rather long tail besides the French part. A long, thin tail. I do like how intricate braid it makes, but somehow I'm still self conscious about its thinness. I never meant to have a thin braid, after all. That was not part of my hair growing plan. But, there it is and I'm (once again) being silly. At least I have a braid. And it is a nice braid made of nice hair, and complaining about it is not going to make it any nicer. I need to spend a moment or two thinking about the famine in Africa, climate change and other real problems of the world. No amount of hair perfection will make any difference, but using my time more productively than whining about my hair might.

Just saying this to myself because I think I needed that little preach.

Now I need to continue Christmas cleaning of upstairs, take a peek outside where we finally seem to have a cloudless, bright night sky that calls for an observer, and finish the evening at a hot sauna.

A promise to self: During Christmas Holiday (starting on 24th, since we are busy with preparations all tomorrow as well), I will wear something nice in my hair everyday, for some time at least. Hairsticks, some other style than my everyday bun etc.

Christmas is almost over and I am ...relieved. This year, our Christmas wasn't quite as fun as some have been. We were tired, and had lots to do. Only this evening after my mother left, could I relax, breathe deep the scent of hyacinths and gingerbread biscuits and relax. I feel the best part is still to come: the house is clean, refridgerator is full of food and we have very little to do until the New Year. We will do very little until the New Year.

Hair: I have remembered my promise of varying my styles during the holidays. This is what I have done so far.
24th We were visiting relatives all day: knot bun with white Ficcare Primavera beak that matched my outfit perfectly.
25th Dutch braid with pink Ficcare beak. Didn't turn out very well.
Today: Braided bun with Ficcare Max (first green, then changed to tigereye).
So, I've been heavily leaning on Ficcares. But the styles have been different from my standard 'do, so it's a good start.

Crafts: Finished my ink blue cardigan. It fits perfectly. I'm happy! I wasn't sure how it would fit since it's been so long since I've knit a sweater or a cardigan for myself.
  This fall, I've knitted A LOT. Much more than I remember knitting previous years:
big projects: a cardigan for myself, a sweater for T, alpaca lace shawl
small stuff: two hats, three scarves, leg warmers, socks for T, crocheted shawl (it's big but the yarn was quick to crochet)

I think I will knit myself one more pair of socks, and then I'll put my knitting needles to rest for a while. Well, a couple of small projects might not count... But I have my gorgeous cross stitch projects waiting, and look forward to spend some quality time with them.
   Sewing-wise, things are calming down a little. I want to start working with pajamas ASAP, but otherwise, I'm not in a big hurry with anything. I have fabric for the long winter robe, but it can wait for a moment of inspiration to arrive. Nor do I need anything else badly for the foreseeable future (including even spring!). I think I finally have sewn most of the stuff I really need for a basic wardrobe, and can relax with sewing. Maintaining a wardrobe will be much easier and much less work than creating one. I suppose it is a milestone of a sort.

New Year's Eve.

Hair: I did a deep treatment the last time I was in sauna. I don't remember when the last time was, but the treatment didn't make my hair feel much different.
I have still done new styles every day: 27th octopus clip bun. I used my cutest octopus clip, black with tiny painted flowers
                                                        28th Bikerbraid bun with Ficcarissimo. Didn't turn out that well.
                                                        29th bun with beautiful Longlocks Sugarstix. Finally!
                                                        30th knot bun with Amish pins. Plain, but it was a different style!
                                                        Today: started with an artistically wrapped scarf, changed to a bun with Ficcare beak clip after the post arrived and bought T's Christmas present. :D The gold pearl beak is gorgeous. Surprisingly, it also blends with my hair quite nicely.
I think I will make it a new year's promise to wear at least three different styles each week. Most of the styles I have worn dring the past days have been quick and easy, and I've had fun.

Finally, the big news. I'm going to move my journal to LHC side, for a while at least. I have been way too little around these boards in general as all my LL time goes to updating this journal. I want to be more out and around in the future. On LHC side, I'm not at the moment very active at all. We'll see how it goes.
Thanks for everyone who has visited here! :-*