We have returned from our trip safe and sound. I’m telling this not only because we managed to actually see Milan behind the crowd of shoppers who arrived there for discounts and behind the emigrants who sell quick pods for selfies or exchange colourful thread bracelets for a “donation” for “long live Africa”.

There was a snow storm in Riga a few days ago. As I watched giant snowflakes falling, I desperately wanted to get outside and take some photos (yep, I’m totally addicted). I found a cooperative subject in one of my girls, who also wanted to get outside badly.

Me and the girls worked on cleaning their room today. I actually haven’t seen it clean from the Marge’s birth. Then Anastasia and Veronika left to their father’s and I kept on cleaning the room by myself in Marge’s company. Still a way to go, but I hope we will be done by tomorrow.

And that’s a 3/4 of a year! And I’m late with the post by a week, just like I usually am.

There was a lot of exploring this month. Marge obviously finds it absolutely delightful that she can travel across all of our rooms. Marge was so active this month that I’m actually not sure if she gained more weight or lost some during the month. She truly has a lot of stuff to do!

School holidays have started today (hooray for the company at home!). And today we had to go downtown to fetch our Christmas cards. Yeah, I know, it’s a bit too late for Christmas cards, but it’s me and my time-feel and my organisation skills. And it’s better late than never, isn’t it?

Have you already decorated your home? I haven’t, aside of the Christmas lights on our kitchen table, that actually were left there pretty much accidentally a few days ago, but fitted so well, so I decided to leave them there. The coldness and greyness of outside just have to be counterbalanced with winter-holiday-inspired decorated rooms and a sweet vanilla smell of a home-made baking. By the way, speaking of baking, I would suggest you to visit this treasure page with a pile of specially selected recipes of home baked cookies.

Marge and Phoebe. These pictures make me laugh every time I see them. I just need to share them!

Yesterday after a few weeks of sitting at home we finally were able to make it outside. I hadn’t been outside so long, that I was actually starting to forget what it looks like there.

There were some green leaves in the beginning of November.

Every time I’m sure Marge won’t surprise with new skills after one more month, she does it.

Marge is trying to sit by herself.

She claps her hands.

She actually tried food and loved yogurt, bullion, water, cheese, cucumber, apples and bread. And she hates everything sweet, like bananas, pumpkin and her cough syrup (apples she liked were more sour than sweet).  She also has tried buckwheat, fish, chicken and other food, but hadn’t much interest about that.

I was hunting for an autumn signs today. “Autumn signs” is a Veronika’s phrase that she brought from her kindergarten last year. The truth is, I always hated cold seasons. And an autumn itself, particularly the part of it after fall and before winter always made me feel a depression with it’s gloominess of grey days, trees, grass, birds and actually grey everything. But something has changed this year. I don’t know, maybe it’s all because of the kids, but I truly love dimmed colours I see around me now, and the sun, soft and diffused by clouds. I like even those grey crows sitting on tall completely naked black trees. I remembered the autumn smell of fallen leaves from my childhood and was able to feel it again. I have a weird feeling like I’ve entered an illustration to a fairy tale about nature and creatures that live in woods. This inspires me a lot, if I only had some more time to create!