Thank you for the award (part 2)

The second award I was recently given is the Tell me about yourself award - Your blog is great! award. Just reading the name of this award makes me feel good. And I can't wait to pass this on, as there are many blogs that I love reading and following because I do think they are great.

This award was bestowed not once, but thrice! Unfortunately, one of the ladies didn't leave their contact info with me, so I can't link back to them. But the two wonderful lades I do have the scoop on are:
Pork chop at BIAGO - Baby, If All Goes Optimally, (recently got her BFP)
M at Sprout (recently married!)

Like the Liebster award, this too has some instructions to follow. This time I am to tell you seven things about myself that you may not already know and then nominate fifteen other bloggers in hopes that we can get to know them a little better too.

A little 7 somethings about myself.
1. I love drinking/sipping pickle juice (and olive juice) straight from the jar, but it has to be the right kind of pickles. Dill are the best!

2. I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't read more of the classics. Although, I'm reading Pride and Prejudice right now and I just don't get it. I mean, I get the concept, but it is so boring!

3. Usually when I do these sort of meme's, I ask my husband to help me tell stuff about myself. This time, I'm going to try and do it all on my own. . o O (This might take some time...)

4. I love being crafty with paper, cloth, ribbons and all that fun 'craft' stuff. I really should make more time to do it. Once we move into our new place next year (and no kids), Mr Siili and I will each have our own room to do with what we please. I can't wait to have a craft room!

5. Every night as I crawl into bed, I have to put on hand lotion (unscented) and chapstick (Lip Smacker is my favorite).

6. Ever since I got my tongue pierced when I was 18, I brush my tongue when I brush my teeth. If I can't remember if I brushed it or not, I've got to quickly do it (again).

7. When I was about 5 years old, my friend and I snuck out of the house on a warm rainy afternoon (in Hawaii) and did a rain dance for my friend's family's goat, Pearl.


Here are my choices (in no particular order) of blogs that I think are great. I mean, duh, why would I be following them if they weren't great?


1. The annoyed army wife @ the annoyed army wife
2. Baby Hopes @ Chasing Our Stork: From ART to Adoption
3. Sarah @ Dear Baby G
4. Marissa @  Eggs in a Basketcase
5. Diana @ Bun(less) in the Oven
6. Elaine @  Storm in MY Tea CuP
7. ♥ Cass @ One Day: I'll have my baby bump
8. Theresa @ Outlander Kitchen
9. Emily @ A peek into our journey
10. Bernadette  Duane @ Rasta Less Traveled
11. Cyn @ Cyn's Adventure in India
12. Hopeful1 @ Our Twisty Turny Journey
13. dcg @ Dead Cow Girl: Dominatrix Mommy Blogger
14. Jes G @ all i ever wished for....
15. Sushigirl @ Just us and the cat

Thank you for the award (part 1)

I've recently been gifted with two awards. I'm totally thrilled that someones (that is not a typo) have thought of me and passed these on in my direction. Thank you!


Thank you Cattiz from Colors of Cattiz for this Liebster Blog award. She's a fellow ex-pat to whom I feel a kindred spirit  (although none of the same countries are involved for us) and she is an IF'er who is lucky enough to be pregnant now! I wish her all the best!

 This Award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers, all in the spirit of fostering new connections. Leibster is German and means ‘dearest’ or ‘beloved’ but it can also mean ‘favorite’. The idea of the Leibster award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favourite bloggers and keep it going!

My top five picks (in no particular order) for this award are:
1. Kat - I'm very far away
2. Princess Jo - A Life of Choice
3. M - Sprout
4. Katri - How his knees could bend
5. Charlotte Jean - Charlotte's Web

1 lonley frozen embryo + Xmas Quiz

I'm just so bummed right now, that I just don't have it in me to write a proper post. I got my letter in the mail on Friday that out of the 5 embyros we left growing the week before, only 1 of them made it to 5 days and into the freezer. One embryo! Only one! I'm so sad.

It's also only 4 more sleeps until I POAS. Time has passed..not slowly and not quickly, but just passed. Bleh.

Enough of this blah-ness, here's some fun xmas questions that the annoyed army wife recently posted that are sure to cheer everyone up, myself included. Hohohoho!

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, only because there isn't egg nog in Finland, unless I make my own and that is gross! I wouldn't drink much egg nog if I did get a hold of it, but a taste would be great. It's been way too long.

Colored lights on tree/house or white? None. We don't own any xmas lights. I do have puukynttelikkö (image below), which is a candelabra sort of thing that is very popular here in Finland. I just need to remember to dig it out of our closet and plug it in.

Xmas goats, Ms Mansi & puukynttelikkö

Do you hang mistletoe?  I don't think there is mistletoe in Finland. So, nope, we don't hang it here.

When do you put your decorations up? Uhm, when I have a kid. I almost forgot, I do sometimes make a gingerbread house. Below is last year's.

What is your favorite holiday dish? Do I really have to choose one? I love the rossoli salad (mentioned in this post), rutabaga and sweet potato casserole and all of the sweets! I also love my mom's pesto torta (recipe in this post).

Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Maybe the year all of us cousins were at grandma and grandpa's house for xmas. We saw Rudolf's nose in the distance, heard sleigh bells and hoof noises on the roof! It was so exciting!!

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I have no clue. I just know that we had to pretend there was a Santa for our youngest brother.


Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Growing up, we'd get to open one smallish gift on xmas eve. In Finland, Santa comes on xmas eve (kids get to meet him) and leaves all of the gifts. So, we open them all on xmas even and sleep in on xmas day.


How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I've never had a tree of my own since I've lived away from home. I also don't care for decorating it, so my mother-in-law usually does it.

Snow! Love it or Dread it?  At the beginning of the season, I love it. Give me until January or February, I'll tell you a different story.

Do you remember your favorite gift?  The two toys that come to mind are the Rubik's magick, which I still have, anda Magical Musical Thing (mine was blue). You could play it with your head (running the bar/stick back and forth).

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?  Sweets and more sweets! I make tons of different cookies each year. Chocolate chip are always there.

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Family time.

Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? I can eat about 1 peppermint and that's all. Other flavors, I might be able to eat a few more. Although, you only find a few (peppermint) candy canes here at all.

Favorite Christmas movie? I'm not that big on xmas movies, but maybe The Snowman is ok.

Saddest Christmas Song?  One Tin Solder

What is your favorite Christmas song? See above. I think we sang this in elementary school choir and it has just stuck with me ever since. I love the story of it.