After the storm

So, this terrible year is going to have a happy ending after all.

It is possible to heal from anything.

It is possible to forgive.

After being beaten down by the worst storm and having felt like bucketfuls of icy water were poured on your heart, gripped by the cold

after giving it all to Christ

because there is nothing you can say or do

One day you walk by the seaside and the sun is shining on the sprinkles of star dust
that just fell on your hair

And you know for sure there is someone watching over you.

The "how to keep things simple when you lose 55 pounds in six months" post

Just wear a superhero outfit every day!!

***

No, seriously. That is a pressure suit I got from a physiotherapist (and a corset belt to help my lower back stay in position) because of the Ehlers- Danlos syndrome.

Well.
Sometimes I when I get a glimpse of myself at the mirror I freak out a little bit. After Indi was born I got  used to having a curvy, soft, feminine body. I would have liked to drop the baby weight, but it didn't come off naturally and I refused to starve myself. It just wasn't that important. Indi liked that I was "soft and warm". When I met my husband I was not skinny. He never even hinted at preferring me skinnier, curvier, with long hair, short hair, no hair. He always just said I was beautiful.

Never ever did I think I'd be in this situation where the weight just keeps coming off. I eat chocolate and cheese in the evening, and tried to calculate how many calories I need to eat to keep a certain weight. It just keeps coming off. Frankly, I'm bony. I can't eat that much. I don't even exercise so you'd think it would be easy to eat sufficiently . I try to choose higher calorie versions when I eat. I put a lot of butter on my bread when I eat it. In the end, I still just don't care about eating, and even less about cooking or making any effort on that front. I should have a 1500 calorie meal delivered to my door daily haha.

                                           Legging, wool/cotton leggings, knit pants

Tops and tunics in wool, cotton, organic velour, linen/cotton mix and merino/cotton mix

                                            T-shirts and tops

                                          Knit dress in cotton

                                        Knit dress in merino wool /cotton

                                       Mom's old 70's dress

                            Merino wool jersey dress that I think works over-sized

                            Cardigans and my cowgirl-plaid flannel shirt :)

I started buying new pants when the old ones didn't stay up anymore. Then the new ones didn't stay up and I got a couple of belts. Some of my old tops and sweaters still work, at least at home, and over sized is in style right now, isn't it ;)

As I still work from home, being simple and comfy with clothes continues to be very easy. We don't have  a laundry machine as ours broke while moving, and I never got  a new one. I use the laundry room once a week (it's possible to use more often as needed) and I find this works really well for us.

I still hate going to shops and malls, so I buy from the internet. I recently discovered a truly Finnish brand (most of the supposedly Finnish brands don't actually MAKE the clothes in Finland, or even the fabrics.. it's just basically designed here).
The great thing is that all their clothes are jersey knits, cotton for summer and merino wool/cotton or merino wool for winter. So they are comfortable, and warm. They are expensive, as is anything made in Finland, materials and labor are so costly here (which is why hardly anything is made here anymore) but there are always sales, and often you can find something second-hand. The brand has only existed since 2010 and I hope they do well and stick around! I don't think they are shipping abroad, but all you Finnish people, I'm talking about Kaino

I still love Toast too, and will check out their sales. Otherwise it's so expensive. The same with untouched world, the New Zealand brand of ethical merino wool clothing. Both they are oh so soft, and durable, and warm... I could live in merino wool for most of the year. Right now they are having a sale as the summer season is staring there :D

Doing over your whole wardrobe - eh. But I have also gotten a few freebies and bought a many pieces secondhand.

I have more than I used to have in a long time, because I've kept the oversize tops and whatever works as an oversized "look".  Most dresses and pants just look pitiful now, as they are supposed to fit well, so I can't wear those and I've gotten rid of most of them. I'm keeping some in-between sizes for now, in case I can get back to a more normal weight.

But I would say that the core of my wardrobe consists of leggings and other stretchy pants, and jersey tops and tunics. They are comfy and a few kilos off or on won't matter. I have a couple of nicer dresses that fit okay (the one with the belt is my mom's old from the early seventies), and a jeans skirt and a corduroy skirt, corduroy pants and four pairs of jeans, one skinny black and one faded blue with front patch pockets and wider legs that actually need a belt to stay up already - and two dark skinny stretch jeans that need a belt also already so I notice I don't often choose to wear them.. I have a few cardigans as most of the time I'm either wearing a cardigan or a wool tunic. I only wear wool socks, and in the summer I don't wear socks at all.

With shoes, I'm at eight pairs of shoes (one summer, one in-between season, one sneakers, one pair of unlined leather boots, one pair of Lappland boots (worn sooo much, I bought them while we lived at my dad's house after the mold craziness) and also one pair of sheepskin lined leather boots. And a pair of Crocs in a more stylish design than the original one. They are great for the beach and to just slip on. And a pair of Nokia wellies.

I don't need stuffed closets and junky drawers and dried out cosmetics in my life. But after catching lice twice last winter, and several nightly nose bleeds, last night Indi coughing so much she threw up...  I've realized the usefulness of having a few extra clothes, sheets, towels and even outer wear!

So simplicity is having enough to last until laundry day, and to take us through surprises and accidents.
It's accepting that I'm this way now and I need clothes that stay up and don't show my belly button when I bow down... It's taking an opportunity to support a domestic, ethical brand and wear clothes I feel good in.

If you find yourself in a total wardrobe malfunction, just start with the basics, a core of stuff you definitely wear weekly and daily, be it jeans or sweat pants or a suit. You can always add stuff later when you see what works for your new body / life.

I'm off to eat some chocolate or something now. :D

Water and Light - my little exhibition

Here are some images from my exhibit of photographs and paintings (mostly aquarelles but also two acrylic paintings on canvas).

It is at the church we live next to (And where Indi goes to afternoon club), for this month. We had 110 refugees stay there in September. A few guys helped me hang the exhibit, making sure the lines are straight, and giving opinions about which goes next to which piece! One guy spoke English and translated to the others.Some of them already knew a little bit of Finnish.

They were moved to a new location yesterday, but I'm glad that they saw the photos, they asked if they were from Finland. Yes! The winters may look terrible, but rest of the year we have some pretty decent days too, and look, flowers too! :)
Honestly, the refugee situation has suddenly blown up and makes for a lot of heated discussion. The economy in Finland is bad too, which makes a lot of people say we have no money to take in so many refugees. Also the tensions between different cultures. It's a complicated situation.

I have thought about it a lot, and as a Christian I feel like I only have one option, love each person without reservation and prejudice. Who knows, maybe some of the muslims will be touched by the kindness and be open to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Anyway, back to the show! You may recognize many of the photos! They are printed on aluminum. It's kind of new technique, I like how they look and feel but I'm not sure about the durability.

My guests for the opening made me read the poem I had written that was the inspiration for the exhibition.  I also hung it on the wall, none of the pieces have names so it gives something that relates to what I was feeling when doing this. A tiny bit of it.

I don't feel like I'm though with the theme at all. I want to paint some more on canvas, more water colors... of course take photos too, but that is just something I always do. Always carry my camera in my bag!

I'm already thinking about my next post which will hopefully be about practical matters, simplicity in material world and how it makes my mess of a life more manageable right now -just as it has ever since I discovered it as a way of living.