marimekko love

embracing my inner finn with a little marimekko

i hear mother-in-law minna has some connections. going to have to look into that...

winter, rice pies, and finland

I had some errands to run today but they are getting farther from me. I spent too many hours in my bed with Hank and Lainey reading and eating yummy english muffins with peanut butter and honey. Once I finally got moving and showered, I looked out side and found the world was white with snow, both on the ground and falling heavily from the sky. I think I'll stay in for a while more and apply for jobs and read. Maybe I'll make flan. 

I have been thinking about the lovely Finnish treats my mother-in-law makes over the holiday, especially rice pies. Called karjalan pies, these savory little pastries (if you can call them that) are made of rice porridge surrounded by rye flour crust. They are so so good right out of the oven with melted butter and with a lump of butter on the top. I dream of them on this cold day. Here is an image I found, but can't wait to come back from Christmas with my own images. 

Minna has had an incredible life and I love to hear about her childhood. She used to make these with her mother when she was very young in a stone oven in northern Finland. Her country modernized while she was a child, so she has seen many changes. Her family lives in the country as dairy farmers along a river. I would love to visit in the winter. Despite the cold and the snow and the darkness. Minna says the winter is when Finland comes alive. Snowshoes and saunas are a part of everyday. Of course I'm sure its very hard, but I romanticize about living in a cabin in the woods, warm on the inside to battle the quiet cold on the outside, baking and reading. Minna is happy to be in America, and talks of unemployment and alcoholism, but in my mind I erase these things and make up my own dream, looking quite similar to this. 

a Finnish winter cottage where I wouldn't mind staying.

christmas with Rudolf Koivu

Rudolf Koivu is a Finnish painter and illustrator who created wonderful images for children's books. The images below are from the 1930s and I love them. Ever since I married Aaron I've been increasingly interested in Scandinavia, especially Finland. Anyways, enjoy these Christmas images.