Category: Celebrations & Traditions

Delve into festive occasions and cherished traditions, from holiday celebrations and special events to meaningful rituals and cultural practices.

Ronalds

March 8, 2018

Let’s introduce Ronalds! He is Janis cousin…and that is the “furthest relation with us” he owns. He is also something closer, he is Helmī’s God Father!     Since Ronalds is living in Germany and having a busy working schedule he visited us once a year. It is not like we can’t call each other or do … More Ronalds

Sunday

January 29, 2018

Mario & Nora visited us on Saturday after Nora had choir show in Smiltene. We had a lovely time chatting inside cause weather outside was rainy & windy! Sunday morning I started with coffee and made Tuna tortilla wraps. After that, there were chatting & chilling! I was too relaxed to look for my phone, … More Sunday

Surprise!

January 22, 2018

Receive a package from GrumpyTyke was a huge surprise as itself! Impatiently I cut and rip the package apart from the box… even bigger was my surprise seeing this: “Not to be opened until 27 JAN” OMG! Noooooo! I’m not good at this! Once I convince all my family to celebrate Christma Eve at 23rd of … More Surprise!

Home alone

January 14, 2018

Or should I say – Home alone with Linna? Last week was interesting! Interesting cause we were apart from each other! Janis went to Riga to sign a new contract with a new IT company. And stayed in Riga for two days. As you know Nelle has time with me on Mondays, after School of … More Home alone

Date night!

December 26, 2017

I’m late on blogging today cause yesterday was the first time in four years I and Janis went out without our girls! Just two of us at a local youth party!     We met few friends and Janis brother there 🙂 It was like a “local” party with entrance fee and free food 🙂 … More Date night!

Hand knitted socks

December 9, 2017

Hand knitted socks are something our family love! All my girls have wool socks to wear in boots when going out in winter. When we have to wait until our central heating heats up the house, wool socks are just in time!  My mom makes all our wool socks! More than 20 pairs per year!!! Starting … More Hand knitted socks

First Sunday of Advent

December 3, 2017

Today is the First Sunday of Advent.  We lighted the first Advent candle and had time together. The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,”. The Advent season lasts for four Sundays leading to the celebration of Christmas.     In Latvia, we are celebrating “Christmas” on  Christmas Eve and Santa will come on … More First Sunday of Advent

Happy Mail Day #3

November 30, 2017

Yes, Yes, Yes! It feels like I’m back to cardmaking! I began to order die cuts and embossing folders, get creative and spend time in my craft corner! Usually, I have to wait from 3 weeks to 2 months for the package to travel to Latvia.  The best part is to receive it finally and to open … More Happy Mail Day #3

Card Making

November 24, 2017

Handmade Christmas cards aren’t cheap but they are unique and made by a person, not a machine. I started to make cards when I was pregnant with my first girl in the year 2012. I’ve been through a lot of phases since then: had time, didn’t want to see cardmaking stuff, had time and loved … More Card Making

Linnas Godfather

November 21, 2017

Our beloved Linna’s godfather visited us on Monday. We chatted about life and how you get used to “unnormal” things pretty fast… And it’s true! In the first, you might think that something hit you very hard but after few times you get used to it! What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Linna was … More Linnas Godfather

18th November – Latvia’s Independence Day

November 18, 2017

18 November is the Independence Day of Latvia — there were no borders set, a group of dedicated nationalists proclaimed an independent Latvian state on this date in 1918. Several months after this courageous step had been made, military interventions still went on — the Russian Empire did not want to lose this important territory. This day is … More 18th November – Latvia’s Independence Day

Latvian Gray Peas

November 17, 2017

My previous blog post was the recipe for gray peas. I shared it without thinking about “gray peas” as itself. Big Gray Peas are easy to get here in Latvia cause it turns out is something completely special. So special that have been enlisted in the European Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) list.     Gray peas are … More Latvian Gray Peas

10th of November – “Mārtiņdiena”

November 10, 2017

—wikipedia Mārtiņi or Mārtiņdiena is an ancient Latvian winter welcoming holiday when the time of pieguļa and shepherding came to an end. According to a solar calendar, Mārtiņdiena marks the midpoint between the autumnal equinox (Miķeļi) and winter solstice (Ziemassvētki), and is celebrated in the middle of November. Mārtiņi ended Veļu laiks (Time of the Dead) and started Ledus laiks … More 10th of November – “Mārtiņdiena”

My Birthday Girl!!!!

September 13, 2017

Today is Helmī Saule’s 2nd birthday! I can’t believe it! Oh, well I can believe it but still… 2 years! That’s serious! She’s not a baby anymore! She’s a girl! GIRL! This Monday she had her first one hour visit to the kindergarten. We had to play peek a boo to get her dressed. I had … More My Birthday Girl!!!!

Woolly Milk-cap

September 11, 2017

I can’t resist foraging for mushrooms this year! Especially when there are a lot of mushrooms everywhere. I don’t like forage for mushrooms in big/unknown forests alone. But this year to get wild mushrooms you don’t have to drive to the forest. I can forage mushrooms near home. Only 10-minute walk from my home! How can you resist … More Woolly Milk-cap

Cousins 1st Birthday

September 10, 2017

We receive an invitation to our sibling’s cousins 1st Birthday! They have only one cousin and that’s from Janis side. His name is David and it’s Janis sister’s first child. They were celebrating the 1st week and 1st month and 6 months and so on and now it’s finally a first-year celebration. We were welcomed … More Cousins 1st Birthday

My favorite wild mushrooms

September 7, 2017

As you know I love to go foraging for mushrooms and also you know that this year mushrooms are all over the place. Or at least where we live :). What’s my favorite wild mushrooms? These! – Suillus luteus (Slipery Jack) – Leccinum aurantiacum – Boletus reticulatus Schaeff. (Summer Bolete) – Leccinum variicolor Watling – Lactarius torminosus (Woolly Milk-cap) – Lactarius pubescens … More My favorite wild mushrooms

Yarrow tea

July 24, 2017

We were on the bike ride and found a field full of Yarrow. The good old Yarrow! It’s been used in our family as a cold treat for ages. I remember how my grandmother collected it in the nearest fields and picked every single flower cause there wasn’t plenty!Since we moved from city to countryside … More Yarrow tea

Rosebay willowherb (FireWeed) or Ivan Chai

July 16, 2017

A weed, that isn’t just a weed!  Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) is a healthy tea that is known for a century – Ivan Chai. Ivan Chai – a fermented herbal tea made from wild willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium). Fermented willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium) tea was a traditional Russian hot beverage for hundreds of years before it was nearly universally replaced by … More Rosebay willowherb (FireWeed) or Ivan Chai

Līgo / Jāņi 2017

June 25, 2017

Jāņi 2017. Celebrated at Salacgriva (my hometown), Latvia. I made floral head wreaths (I don’t know another name!!!) for all girls and me and Jāņi cheese like planned. This time it Jāņi cheese wasn’t that good. The first thing to do when I’ll get back home – find my Jāņi cheese recipe and post it … More Līgo / Jāņi 2017

Jāņi is coming

June 21, 2017

Jāņi is an annual Latvian festival celebrating the summer solstice. I know that solstice usually is on the  21 or 22 of June, but here in Latvia, we have public holidays on 23 June called “Līgo” and 24 June called “Jāņi”. I can’t imagine celebrating Jāņi in the city. It’s the celebration that requires a countryside. … More Jāņi is coming

March: Birthday month

March 20, 2017

I can’t believe it’s already 20th of March! This weekend we celebrated: 3rd birthday of our girl  Linna 31st birthday of my husband Janis 55th birthday of Janis father 25th birthday of Janis brother and more… (uncles and cousins, aunts and godmothers) !! We had one big party for all the Birthdays! As usually within … More March: Birthday month

Birthday Girl: 34

February 20, 2017

I’m 34 now (almost, at 8:30pm)! Well… I’m surprised! I can’t remember the birthday with mud and rain! It’s usually something between “Snow forever!” or “Wow, It’s getting pretty cold!”. I remember how half of my birthday guests didn’t arrive because of cold. It was -27C  for a week and I turned 25 in that freezing winter. … More Birthday Girl: 34

Invitations for Nelles 1st birthday

April 28, 2013

This Saturday, I finally finished making the invitations for my daughter Nelle’s very first BIG birthday! Envelopes: Invitations: This time I chose white and pink, even though I usually prefer cream instead of white — it’s just more my style. But unexpectedly, this color combo turned out beautifully! I’m really happy with how everything came … More Invitations for Nelles 1st birthday