I didn’t plan to make three desserts over the holidays… I planned to make one. It all started innocently enough with crème brûlée. The kind that feels festive but calm. Nothing extravagant — just a proper, classic dessert for the holidays. And then I counted the eggs. Sixteen egg yolks. Which meant sixteen egg whites … More How One Dessert Turned Into Three (or: The Holiday Egg Math)
Christmas this year was a wonderful blend of family time, traditions, and cozy moments. My brother and his family arrived on the 23rd of December, setting the festive tone with laughter and catching up. One of the highlights was puzzling with my mom. She had never tried it before, so she wasn’t entirely at ease … More Our Christmas Celebration 2024: Family, Traditions, and Cozy Moments
I wanted to take a moment to send love and good wishes your way. This time of year reminds us to slow down and cherish the beauty of simple moments—whether it’s the twinkle of lights, the laughter of loved ones, or the comfort of traditions that bring us together. Our Christmas celebration was a special … More Merry Christmas!
This Holiday was a bit of a surprise. My brother and his family decided to come and celebrate with us. At first, I wasn’t thrilled. Life is already hectic—between work, renovations, and the chaos of our “not-quite-ready” house, the thought of hosting felt overwhelming. We don’t even have a proper space to celebrate yet! But … More A Holiday Visit to Remember
Advent has always been a time of anticipation and preparation, a season to cherish quiet moments and reflect on the blessings around us. But this year, the final Advent feels more like a whirlwind of chaos and uncertainty. A mess has crept into our home, and I’m not sure where it will lead us. First, … More The Final Advent: A Season of Challenges
Advent here in Latvia is nothing without gingerbread cookies. The sweet, spicy aroma fills the house, making it feel like Christmas no matter what. The key to achieving those perfectly crisp and melting-in-your-mouth Latvian gingerbread cookies is the spice blend—without it, they’re just not the same. Everyone else used store-bought gingerbread spice mix, but not … More Grandmother’s 1940 Gingerbread Spice Mix
Advent Sunday marks the beginning of a beautiful season, and this year, it’s falling on December 1, 2024. As we gather to celebrate, I can feel the anticipation in the air. For me, this time of year means blasting Christmas music throughout the house, filling every corner with festive melodies that bring warmth and joy. … More Embracing Advent Sunday: A Warm Start to December
It’s 9:30PM! Where did the day go? With my family deciding to come over for Christmas this year, I thought it would be fun to find the perfect dinner set to make our meal extra special. Never mind that the house is still unfinished—there’s heat, water, and a functioning bathroom, and honestly, that’s enough for … More Searching for the Perfect Christmas Dinner Set
I forgot to share this memory. This is the second year we are attending Ozolkalns Christmas Party. This isn’t posh establishment but it’s organized by local young people (also our friends). So this year I offered myself as a photographer, but after I got ill, I canceled that… Still, I got my camera with me … More Date night
And once again it’s been a while since I wrote something in my blog! Have no excuse… if only I’ve been busy with a lot of Christmas photoshoots at my studio, listening to online photography courses, dealing with viruses and household. Everything is nice! I’m having few days off… spending under a blanket and with … More Almost Christmas!
Well, I miss blogging a lot… sometimes I wish there were more hours in one day. A few weeks ago I made a Christmas corner at my studio. And since then I’m so festive :). I love my fake fireplace! How do you call it in English? Are you getting ready for Christmas!? Ilze
I thought I will stay at home today and do accounting… all the paperwork. Jānis took all the girls to the kindergarten to be sure I can take all the papers out… but he came back with Linna. Linna has an eye infection and that is something that is very contagious. Helmī had it about … More Friday
This might be the last I’m sharing from that beautiful Christmas morning. I bet it can get boring! Forgive me. Previous pictures you can find here and here. I hope you liked it! No more 🙂 Ilze
Yesterday I’ve shared beautiful pictures of our Christmas morning. I will share few more… I’m glad I postpone breakfast for everyone and run outside with the camera. I was a bit selfish but not all the guests and family were up… so… not feeling that guilty 🙂 So beautiful! Ilze
We woke up to a beautiful view on the Christmas morning. Mother Nature really knows how to decorate 🙂 I thought I will write something more about this morning but going through the pictures… there is no need for words. Enjoy. I hope to share more pictures later on… Ilze
Merry Christmas to you all! I’m glad to be with you all here in the WordPress! Thank you for stopping by and inspiring me every single day! Ilze
The night before Christmas is today! I have to be patient until 1am and then I meet all our extended family :). There still something to do, but I feel relaxed and ready to celebrate. May this Christmas season be merry! Ilze
I shared an inspirational (it was for me!) blog post a few days ago with pictures of Christmas decorations from previous years. Now I want to share this year’s Christmas decorations. As you know I decorated two times this year! And I actually didn’t want to make a second “round”. I hope you are ready … More This year’s Christmas decorations
This years house decoration was like a rollercoaster! I made all the natural decorations (as I did before, cause I really love natural material)…. then I had to take them off, cause it felt like I have some sort of allergy… then I had to think about decorations again… And do it again! But after taking … More Decorations and our Christmas tree
What I got in the mail I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post? The best thing I could get after such a crazy&stressful morning I had two days ago! Tea and cookies from my blogging friend GrumpyTyke! What a lovely box! Thank you!!! It was right on TIME! Really! How did you do that!? I had real Yorkshire … More Happy Mail Day #7
So, the Advent is here and my girls started to count down till Christmas. We started at 1st of December. Everything went as planned until Helmī got ill and stayed home and decide to destroy Nelle’s and Linna’s calendars… But I will print new ones, cause girls really love to cut the stripe off every … More Santa’s beard calendar
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
1st of December… let’s begin preparing for Christmas. I know a lot of you are ready for Christmas already (I mean decorations and advent wreath) but here in Latvia… we are running into a forest for natural material for wreath right before Advent Sunday. Otherwise, it will fall apart. A few days ago the weather … More How to make a salt dough?
This year I made Santa’s beard countdown calendar. A bit different Advent calendar – no presents, no treats – just countdown. I can’t decide whether girls would love to see the date of the day (like a calendar) or answer to the question: how much days till Christmas!? There are Advent Sundays when we lit the … More Printable Santa’s Beard Countdown Calendar
a day in the life of a latvian mom 