NordenBladet – Last week turned out to accommodate quite a lot of activities – many things that were accomplished at home, also the clay workshop with Ivanka Shoshana and myself, the writing of a children’s book “His Majesty Mouse the First” (Chapter One is now ready!), working with NordenBladet, and I also commenced designing the poster for the upcoming exhibition of mine in the Estonian National Museum ERM. Never have I really calculated the hours, since giving up my home assistants, that are spent on duties for home (cleaning, sorting clothes, doing laundry, heating the rooms, clearing the road from snow, making dinner, doing the dishes, driving my kids to school and hobby schools, etc.), but the average daily time would be minimally ca 3-5 hours… During summertime, when I also work in the garden and in the green house, and mow the lawn, then the hourse are even more than that.

On the one hand this is really nice – I do enjoy doing all of it by myself (the wife really is the heart and soul of the home), yet on the other hand from time to time I feel more like a “cleaning lady, chauffeur, shiftman” instead of a business woman, artist, and journalist. Media channels – the directing of six-language NordenBladet and the editing work in OHMYGOSSIP entertainment site branch offices – consume an extreme amount of time and commitment, the Elisheva & Shoshana brand requires further development, and painting, ceramics, and authoring the book each take time. Ohhhhh…yeaaaah… sometimes I do not understand how on Earth for so many years I have coped all the work load and all the stress. Sometimes it seems I’ve had enough, but oftentimes I enjoy the hasty life and the fact that there are a million things piling up. Still, indeed, to be completely honest, I have slowed down a lot on the work end of the day since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, and should the initial working schedule be restored (frequent travelling, fairs, seminars, meetings etc.) then it would make a lot of sense to use external assistance once more.

On Wednesday I underwent a minor operation (I have nickel allergy and the blouse zipper or something similar irritated the body so that it needed immediate intervention). Cosmetically it is nothing to worry anymore, but in any case I take anti-inflammatory medication Duracef twice a day and spread Braunovidon on the wound. My parents took Ivanka Shoshana to their place for the weekend and for a change I decided to visit Viljandi. Estella Elisheva was quite happy to be left home alone… hahaa.

After a peaceful, long and pleasant breakfast I started off through Rapla and Türi towards Viljandi. I like antiquity stores, I almost always find something to purchase (be it an old blacksmith-candlestick, cast iron bowl, tablecloth with handmade embroidery, old silverware or a carafe). I looove to buy all kind of old crap 😀  In Rapla there is a nice antiquity shop “Station’s old stuff” (address: Viljandi Road 89) and near Türi central square, from the roundabout towards Pärnu-Rakvere-Sõmeru Road there is a stylish second hand shop, it is something like the third building to Viljandi direction. Those being browsed, I made a minor coffee break in Türi town Earl Dracula pub, and then departed towards Viljandi. in Viljandi I like the shop Friend to Friend (Kauba street 4). From there I almost always find a cool wooden bowl or copper container. And in Viljandi I always feel obliged to visit the Amrita Cafe (Tallinn Road 29a), since they have the world’s best pizza! (on the pictures below on the left hand side you can see Türi Earl Dracula pub and on the right hand side Viljandi Amrita Cafe).

After that I parked the car and took the luggage to Grand Hotel Viljandi (EVE Hotel). Viljandi has free parking everywhere… so great, I had already forgotten it meanwhile! From the hotel room window there was a view to the park in front of Tartu street, and next to it there was the beautiful Lossi street. I like Viljandi old town, but curiously the local people do not think much of it. Inhabitants of Viljandi prefer the suburbs where there are fewer tourists and more convenient parking. Currently the situation in the old town is nothing to boast about – every other shop is closed 🙁 On Friday I had a couple of meetings in the city centre but the rest of the day was spare time and I used it just for walking and enjoying the surrondings. I also paid a visit to Post street where the sculptor Mati Karmin has erected the infamous statue of singer Jaak Joala, also I read Sakala newspaper and towards the evening got a bottle of champagne from a nearby Coop grocery store and then back in the hotel the life on Earth seemed in full bloom!

PS! While pleasantly spending time in Viljandi, also a nice new business idea emerged in my head, and it seemed just as nice the next morning!! I am a non-exhausting idea generator, just can’t help it! Heh… so it seems my to-do list will be stretched again?!! 🙂

Until next time!! Hugs!

NordenBladet – It is difficult for me to grasp how people can complain about boredom. As for me, all of my days are so eventful, reflecting on everything is getting way too complicated. Days are long and packed with several activities and it is just impossible to display all of it in the blog. I’d love so much to cover the majority of my dayspan, my thoughts and ideas, but just now it seems fully impossible. Time is rushing through my hands and I prove incapable of archiving everything. Daily blogging appears tricky because I am flooded under various duties.

I cut bangs! That’s hell of a news, isn’t it.. haha.. I do this exactly every time after I have tried growing back the hair I have cut earlier. Similarly, I like to play with hair color – brown, dark brown, red, black… these tones I like a lot and I play with these a lot. Right now I am really happy being a redhead. During the past few days at least five people have mentioned that I remind them of the Osman history, Turkish sultan Suleiman First favourite woman and later wedded wife Hürrem Sultana. More precisely, German-Turkish origin Turkish actress Meryem Sahra Uzerli that played in the series “Century’s Love Story” Suleiman I favourite woman Hürrem. Okay …not really my religion, nor exactly my idol, but anyways. Very pretty, extremely ambitious, smart woman, I certainly take this as a big compliment. Have seen the series, and believe that this is among the most interesting and cleverly planned and carefully thought-through movies that I know.

My wish is to use the same technique while promoting the Nordic countries.. by means of articles, folk stories, radio broadcasts, video clips (maybe some fine day also via full movies) – to introduce Scandinavia /the culture and traditions of the Nordics, to tell the tale of the Nordics – in a positive, interesting and vigorous manner. This is one of my missions at NordenBladet! From the bottom of my heart I wish to see the Nordic mystery and culture be preserved and the Nordic people sticking together and our traditions not fading! Our cultural heritage is enormous! It needn’t even be exaggerated, decorated by love dramas nor soaked in property – it is naturally so strong, ravishingly powerful and unique!

So what do you think of the new hair color?? 🙂
(blog continues after images)

Some time ago I was really lucky to win the Estonian National Museum‘s “Own exhibition 2020” project (Many thanks to you dear readers and those that voted for me! Read more HERE and HERE), and of course, like it is characteristic to me, I immediately set many goals larger than my capabilities. I loudly announced in ElishevaShoshana.com blog that I was about to author a children’s book “His Highness Mouse the First“, that I was also going to illustrate myself and then present the paintings along with the book at the same winning exhibition “Our domestic witch kitchen”. Woah… What can I say. I am completely bonkers! Time is ticking, deadlines are approaching, yet the result is “pending”!!!

In my private life I have a difficult period (this will be depicted in more detail another time, or perhaps never). Head spinning, and overwhelmed with emotions, it is more difficult to focus on anything properly. I have started with the paintings and I am very happy with the results yet I am totally lagging on the time schedule, totally. Catastrophically! Today I felt that TODAY I will begin to change things again! I will begin today and right now! I took from the book shelf three children’s books: Brothers Grimm (Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob Grimm) “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs“, and Astrid Lindgren’s “The Brothers Lionheart“. I gulped both stories in one helping. The Lindgren Lionhearts – story of Carl Lionheart and Jonathan Lionheart – made me drown into tears. Then I also browsed once more Tove Jansson’s “The Moomins” and gathered that the youngest of readers is not quite my target group, though I planned so in the beginning. I prefer to write in full color. After re-leafing through the German and Nordic writers’ works I felt being so full of power that I began writing right away… more precisely 4-5 hours of “beginning” and only then the actual writing. Then the feather opened up! Perhaps I will reveal a paragraph or two to you before publishing, let us see! Right now I have fingers crossed that I might have a similarly inspired day tomorrow like I had today!

(blog continues after illustrations from children’s books… and my illustrations)

Look more: Helena-Reet: “His Highness Mouse the First” beginning to take shape + GALLERY!

Today I also “raged” the kitchen for many hours! I made macaroni with minced meat and bolognese sauce, and feta cheese and pesto salty pies from puff pastry. Oh boy did they taste good! 😛 Just try to stay in shape when you are a peerless cook…

And to button it up, a saying or two:

That who eats, copes!
Who fails to eat, fails to treat!

I Love You, now to bed, sleep tight!

NordenBladet – On Sunday, 10 January, we had a small road trip to Central Estonia. While restrictions related to Covid-19 risk prohibited any events and gatherings in Tallinn, we had been invited to a special birthday party in Paide. Firstly, a nice guided tour was organized in Paide Vallimäe fortress and the Time Centre Wittenstein located there (2.5hrs). We saw with our own eyes the perpetuum mobile and the time machine! How cool is that!!

The shell for the Wittenstein time centre time machine was an elevator, taking visitors from one epoch to another. On eight floors one could be introduced to ancient times, time of orders, epoch of kings and czars, old Estonian times, and regaining of independence time. In the centre’s tower there is yet also another time machine extra to the elevator! Namely, the world renown author of sci-fi novels Herbert George Wells spent a vacation in Jäneda in 1934, being driven to this country naturally due to love – towards Jäneda baroness Maria Zakrevskaya Benckendorff! Maria, mother of two, was the apple of Wells’ eye already since the year 1920 when they got acquainted in Russia. While the writer had a relation to the town of Paide, this also serves as the reason why the prototype of the time machine from H. G. Wells’ novel “Time Machine” (published 1895) is presented here, being displayed in full splendor in the hall of the cafe on the eighth floor! After the excursion we seated ourselves down in Tainas Catering cafe on Paide central square (Vee 1, 72713 Järva county). Yummi – good food and very nice atmosphere!

Earlier in my life I have just driven through Paide a couple of times, but now I feel that I would like to go back again some day. Certainly I will do that! I want to calmly walk in Paide old town, taste the food in several city centre cafes, take pictures of the streets and surrounding architecture, learn more about the regional history and perhaps even stay for the night in a local hotel or guest house. In small towns there is always that something which I wish to experience again and again! It seems not to be completely unmotivated that Paide is called the heart of Estonia. Besides being the hub of the country the over 700 year old town has an abundant history. By the way, the prominent composer Arvo Pärt comes from Paide, and Paide town is the host for Arvamusfestival (Viewpoint Festival), already held in the town for the eighth time. The Nordic small towns are so beautiful! My heart no doubt belongs to little places in the countryside, the homely villages, the thick Nordic forest and the local cultural milieu.

Also the heart of NordenBladet belongs to the Nordic countries, our mission is to strengthen and sustain the Nordic cultural heritage and to continue the millennia of traditions and values. My target is to build more new networks and design a better future for the people of the Nordic countries – day by day, post by post!

Below is a small gallery from the visit to Wittenstein time centre!

PS! Please take a look at this fierce tree stump! At first glance I considered it to be a rune mark, but such a rune mark does not exist. Maybe these are two married Laguzes? Do not know… It is a pity I didn’t ask, but let this remain to be solved during the next visit. Rune marks are under the umbrella of the Nordic magic domain. From seeing this, I got the idea and wish to do the same at home, to burn the compatible signs in my individual stumps. Perhaps already this summer?!

Be cool! Hugs!

NordenBladet – The year 2021 is proceeding with full speed! The two first weeks of the year have gone by so quickly that there hasn’t been time to post blogs. Thus you will now be receiving several blogs these days, because a lot of picture material and news have been piling up. I will begin with New Year’s Eve. As with many of us, due to restrictions regarding the Covid-19 risk, the new year was received at home.

I started the last day of the previous year in an athletic manner, while I have two beliefs – first, that new year will resemble the last 12 days of December, and second, that new year will be the same as is the last day of the previous year. Due to that, I always strive to be good towards the end of the year, and if the plan is not successful, I still have a back-up chance on the very last day… hahaha.

I went for a long walk, played with Ivanka Shoshana in the garden, cleaned the house, paid the pending bills, contemplated positive and achievement oriented thoughts, cooked, then changed all the bedlinen in the house, went to the sauna, etc. Just now, gazing at the pictures that I am uploading to the blog, I noticed that the house and the auxiliary buildings look sad and tired, and are in great need of rebuilding. The past few years (even the past decade) have been so busy that I have not had time to commit myself to anything else than work, several projects, and the family. This is the greatest mistake of my life – I haven’t taken the time to dwell in the present, always living in tomorrow. Busy busy busy – so busy that I sometimes lose focus of what is happening in front of my eyes. It may sound like a cliche, but you do need to enjoy every moment in your life, every day. To see the tiny detail. To look and really see.

(Blog continues after gallery…)

December 31, 2020 began with cooking and ended with dining..hahaa. From the main course side, I prepared potato-egg salad and lasagne, and all the sweet side was this time based on consumer goods (Brita cake, Caramel cake, Arthur cake). Mmmm those corn sticks in toffee are drop-dead good! Generally, I’d be preparing everything that’s on the table myself, I find them more pleasing for the palate, and I do love the kitchen being filled with delicious food aromas! As it has been a while since I last had a piece of commercial cake then actually I must admit that it was not bad at all really. Unfortunately I cannot recollect the name of the bakery, otherwise I could quite advertise the brand.

Some years ago I used to watch comedy shows on New Year’s Eve, but those have become slightly boring over time. I want something new! Understandably, it is not so easy to crack jokes, that’s for sure. Also times have changed. People are getting enough of the information and noise. In order to still surprise today – one needs to be born a genius. Anyhow, Ivanka Shoshana decided to go to bed right before the fireworks began, and I did so immediately after midnight.

Have a successful and delightful 2021 dear readers!

Below yet a few more pictures from our New Year’s Eve table, and from my and Estella Elisheva’s outfits.

NordenBladet – I intended to build today’s blog post around entrepreneurship and business, however the stream of thought instead led me to pencilling rather through new avenues based on the many recent comments and emails. Just now it seems most proper to talk about the looks. As a reaction to the blog post from this morning, I got very many emails. “Oh, you have lost so much weight”, or “Ah, you look stunning”, or “Your face is similar to Angelina Jolie”, or “Oh you are quite so skinny”, or “Are these recent photos of you?”, or “Do you aim to re-attain your natal weight?, or “Since when have you been anorectic?”, or “Who did your makeup?, or “You look so beautiful”, etc…

To begin with, before I say any further… Thank you for those nice (also perhaps over the limit or way exaggerated focus) comments.. Genuinely, many cordial thanks! It is so great to have so much positive attention – it is pleasant and encouraging. It is true that I have lost weight, I care about my looks and body mass more and more, but I am far from being skinny over the limit, or anorectic. Sometimes I am quite puzzled whether people are joking, acknowledging, or mocking.. but on a large scale it wouldn’t even matter because most of the time I am not sensitive to all negative talk and comments, it doesn’t make me cry, I love myself and have always been pretty for my own self. Also I have always encouraged other women to let happiness dwell in them whatever may be the current look. Although in relative terms I have lost a lot of weight, made great effort towards that target, and feeling glad and proud about it (and which is more – it feels easy and nice being healthy, athletic and fit), I nevertheless do not perceive the connection with men being any different.

Women need not be anorectic but charismatic! Trust me, this is true! Certainly, men do not fancy obese and untidy women, but as women themselves tend to believe – that men like super slim, fake to the core, anorectic women, then this is not the case (definitely there may be exceptions but that is not so as a rule). I have always been surrounded by men, it may even be said that I have been surrounded by men only, and then a few women now and then. My entire life I have gotten along well with men best of all and been liked by men – regardless of my weight, age, and with every outfit. My business partners, friends, soulmates — always only men! I suppose that men like the charisma in women, sex appeal, sincerity, tenderness, being good-natured, caring, – and body mass is not that important.. but selfcare – cleanliness, nurture, charisma, and the individual itself plays a weighty part. No, I do not assert, this is my understanding of it. Our sex appeal and attitude is all in the head, in the brain. Charisma always beats grey, dull, anorectic and bony “cookies”…any time. The chemistry happens first of all in the head, although in today’s comfort society and consumer society it may still be a tiny bit rewarding to be attentive about one’s body mass – for health’s sake! I do this now (for my health’s sake), because I want to live long, live forever! I do the makeup and pause to think about the outlook, more and more, also due to being an active agent in the world of beauty, and as the founder and developing manager of the brand Elisheva & Shoshana I simply need to observe what is the image that I convey towards the outside world. E&S brand is keenly booming and growing, and in the world of beauty there are the set rules. Perfect manicure, pedicure, facial care, hair care, proper makeup – these are the aspects that, due to my position as E&S brand developing director I cannot ignore, if I desire to see the brand growing and booming.

Hugs! And to zip it up, I end the blog with two pictures from our most recent E&S promotion photo shoot! These pictures didn’t make it to the ad, but I like them dearly! For me, emotion counts!

NordenBladet – Today I woke at eight and went out for a walk. Though it was crispy cold outside, still after quite a while it was very nice to walk outdoors. The cat took a walk beside me – that was cool. Afterwards I had my breakfast porridge and drank the coffee and then started making the ceramics dishes.

From the clay I made a large heavy platter and also a smaller name-tagged bowl. Actually I have made very many clay dishes (cups, plates, bowls, large bowls, even trays, also soap dishes, jewellery containers, etc.), but curiously have never created a gallery of the pottery that is there. Surely I have a few photos in my cell phone of some of the ceramics made earlier, however those are mostly taken, like the ones from today, at the same day when they were created (when the clay was still not completely dry. But ceramics indeed will take time, step by step (first you shape the clay, then dry it, burn in the furnace, color, burn once more). Long process. So it happens that later I already tend to forget – the product will be redirected for gifts, or those that were made as a special order, I will send by post and there won’t even be a picture to recall. So I’ve been thinking this pattern needs to change – it would be nice to be able to browse what I have made, and when anybody sees something that pleases the eye, it would be easier to describe the order that they envision. I should indeed regularly post the works in my blog (here in this blog as well as on ElishevaShoshana.com site). However, today’s pieces are here.

(blog continues after the gallery)

Now some food talk. Today for dinner I prepared smashed potatoes and chicken in good old bechamel sauce. The name is rather fancy and tricky but the sauce is easy to prepare, ingredients are easily available and suitably modest for a peasant’s style!

Bechamel sauce (simple white flour sauce) recipe:

What you need:

3-4 tablespoonfuls of butter
2-3 tablespoonfuls of flour
ca 500-700 ml milk
100g sour cream
salt for seasoning (you may also add herbs, grate nutmeg, peppers, etc.)

How to prepare:
Melt the butter in the pot or on the pan, then saute (gently bounce) added flour in the liquid until it is brownish. Pour milk into the same pot/pan (you may choose to warm it prior to adding). Mix all of it carefully until the sauce almost boils, then add sour cream and continue to boil for a minute or two. Then season the sauce. In case a creamy mixture was not reached while bouncing and mixing, you may turn your eyes to the good old blender machine for help. PS! conventional bechamel sauce very likely doesn’t have sour cream as an ingredient, but I always choose to add it… a full sauce will always taste just a little better…haha.

Should you wish to prepare chicken in bechamel sauce (as mine on the pictures below), then first of all fry the chicken, and then prepare the sauce on top of it.

Now I proceed with some workout (the plan is to walk the treadmill at least for an hour) and then I continue and try to get some work done today. If there is time I will blog some more a little later, if not, then I wish you a wonderful evening and see you in the morning!

Hugs!

NordenBladet – On 18 December we found out that due to two pupils from Ivanka Shoshana’s class having caught coronavirus, our Christmas time was to be spent in isolation. We had been invited as guests to several events, and unluckily this news turned the plans upside down. Indeed, nothing to do about it – however, I quite enjoy staying at home and peacefully minding my own business and cooking.

I prepared meat in the oven, along with blood sausage, fried sauerkraut with plums, and following my own recipe, also stew in cream cheese sauce (from cauliflower, sweet pepper, onion, and potatoes), garlic cheese salad and Caprese salad (tomato, mozzarella, basil, pesto). For dessert I made a good old cookie-whipped cream cake with almonds and banana.

Have a beautiful end of the year!

NordenBladet – Today school’s winter holiday began. Ivanka Shoshana had a Christmas party at school (however, parents were not allowed to attend due to Covid-19 risk). That was sad, because Ivanka (12) goes to the newly renovated Tallinn Tondi School for the first year (the school for children with special needs) and parents can see their children’s studies and school events only virtually. So in the morning I hand my child over on the front door and in the early afternoon I go and collect my child from the front door again, this all due to the covid-related precautions. Another sad news is that Ivanka’s assistant teacher lately caught the virus and recently also a schoolchild tested positive.

Ivanka Shoshana has generally been all her life a very healthy child, just now and then a minor cold if anything. Hoping not to bring bad luck, but I trust that this will remain so. She strengthens her health regularly (takes icy showers), is athletic and washes her hands very carefully (even way too often). To my mind, autistic children are clever, and although communication is indeed not their selling point, they do well in googling stuff, at least I can say that about my daughter. The extent of her actual knowledge is difficult to measure, I cannot even assert how many languages she masters, she regularly listens to google translation for her phrases, she follows videos in different languages and routinely surfs the web. At least her English language is fluent (since that is one thing I am capable of evaluating), and most of the things she watches or looks up online are in English.

Actually, I just recently wondered that I would need to monitor her web conduct with a tracking device (I will download the ManicTime program to her laptop), so that I can keep an eye on the sites that she visits during the day. For example, meanwhile I noticed that she watches Family Guy cartoons, which I find to be very inappropriate for a minor’s eyes. The animated sit-com jokes, created by Seth MacFarlane for Fox Broadcasting Company, are steeped in social criticism and the parody is generally quite excellent, but for the younger generation it is too much, to put it mildly. The central theme is built around the Griffin family who lives in the fictional Quahog-named town in Rhode Island. Peter Griffin is an overweight father character who is fond of booze and is slightly mentally handicapped, and for example Stewie Griffin is the family’s youngest son, who is a speaking infant that now and then desires to kill his mother. I told Ivanka that she does not have my permission to continue watching that cartoon anymore, because it is violent and not proper for children, and it seems to me she does not watch it any longer, however I intend to monitor the situation. She sometimes comes to me and asks, when she grows up would that change things and would she then be allowed to watch, and I reply that indeed then she can but for the time being I suggest that she watches something more friendly, like for example the Moomins. Today we had a lengthy discussion about the Moomins. I said that it is not only children that watch the Moomins, the story is so great that even grown-ups love and watch it, that I also love to watch the Moomins, despite being a grown-up. She went on asking – do grandmothers also watch the Moomins? Does grandpa, too, watch the Moomins? Does aunt Sirli watch them as well? etc. That was so sweet. I replied that indeed everybody does 🙂 And then she, too, watched.

But there is one more cartoon that she likes – it is The Loud House! I would say it is quite The Loud House passion! She is a fully committed fan and oftentimes comes to me with her laptop and has a black-and-white video frozen at some stage and she would ask me to print the screen so she can color the picture (below there are some examples …these are a fraction of the pile that has been printed …enough material to create a home-made color book!). Yet this is not where it ends – today she came to me and announced that she would like Santa Claus to bring her the stuffed toys from The Loud House series: the characters Lisa, Luna and Lana. That’s how it is. Now can anybody please tell me where I might find those toys that soon? Haha …as far as I know the characters created for Chris Savino Nickelodeon are on sale only in America.

(blog continues after gallery)

Estella Elisheva spent three hours in the evening with the cell phone at her ear – giggled and talked with one of her best friends, classmate Rahel. It is so nice to hear how fluently she speaks good Russian. Estella Elisheva went to a Russian-speaking school the Tallinn Jewish School 8 years ago, able only to say “My name is Estella Elisheva”. I believe that
mastering many languages is the greatest gift I have made to my daughter by taking this decision. Since kindergarten I have taught her that three things matter in life, and she should go in for these, then I will never nag with her what her other grades are or what kind of grade list she brings home.

These three things that I have recommended for her are:

1. Learn languages,
2. Take good care of yourself, be athletic, fit, etc,
3. Go in for a favourite hobby (for her this has been music/the violin). To be able to make it to somewhere requires commitment and it will not be possible to excel in everything.

And now, to wrap it up, the final scene that remains is our today evening’s festive neck steak with saute onion. Honestly, for quite some time I have been fascinated by gourmet food! From the time I began to raise my awareness about healthy nutrition, food has become my priority. I enjoy preparing the food, I add a lot of love, I enjoy serving the food and oh do I enjoy the eating of a meal that has been prepared with the heart! Never again will I eat a meal standing up or rushing around like I used to do when I started my businesses. The beautiful ceramics tableware (handmade by me or my child, or specially ordered to be handmade), the lovely napkins, the pleasantly served and garnered food – this is a part of my day every day! I will not step an inch back from this standard, ever!

PS! It is so wonderful to have your own garden!!! How I love the countryside life!!! This year I froze berries in glass jars (to be even more nature-friendly and to avoid plastic). These are some sweet berry jars, so nice and heartwarming to open up in winter time!

Have a great weekend!

NordenBladet – For some days already (actually even a lot longer) it feels that the duties, the to-do list, things that need to be done on the professional side, keeps piling and piling and there is an ever greater lack of digging deep and it brings me to thinking that the daily worries will eventually suffocate me. Responsibilities are growing above my head, especially when you are someone as ambitious as me, active on so many fronts – always more than one project ongoing, eyes on several prizes, various partnership agreements being concluded and plenty of promises given…

Maintaining that level of activity and combining it with family duties (household works, large house, big garden, two children from whom one is a teenager and the other with a severe disability) is truly very challenging. The word challenging is in fact far too mild to describe it. Proper depiction would be to say “Mission impossible” – although I always manage to find a solution in the end. Promises are something I always keep, and there have been many of the times when I am bitterly sorry for giving out a promise. Yet on the other hand, when, figuratively, the roof is on fire, you find yourself accomplishing things you didn’t imagine yourself doing.

Most of my undertakings and projects are long-term and in a way also like children of mine, growing through the years and developing, thus seeking ever more time and more attention. Down the road they in turn grow to be yet new undertakings and new solutions and actually this can be quite exciting. At earlier times I would only wait for the end product to ripen, today I dare to enjoy the process. I believe that also the reader of my blog would like to see a bit more of the process, the daily life, and not just the end product – a post where it says that everything has been settled, marketed, captured, completed. I however lived in this mindset quite so long. I knew that the negative side was not to be reflected upon and the blog posts that I wrote had to be already about something real, because my parents taught me to “first lay the egg and then only afterwards cluck about it”. Today I believe this principle to be incorrect, at least from certain viewpoints. Entrepreneurs are 90% of the time mistaken, remastering, failing, losing, all destroyed and on the ground, in the dirt, and just sometimes it goes kind of well. Today I believe it would be worthwhile writing about the process, the processes – how the idea is nested, how it expands, what this entails, and what will come afterwards. Even if only a black hole, a catastrophe, bankruptcy is ahead – even that is exciting, because it is actual life. Real life does follow the line from one trouble up to another, solving them. Real life is never merely a success story. Real life oftentimes means shedding the tears, going through failures, making ends meet. In a word, returning to the beginning of the train of thought, the one who commences a lot completes a lot, though also perhaps fails a lot, and while being in the midst of it all, needs to recharge.

For a few days already I have been diving in the sea of podcasts, web seminars and online media, gathering and accumulating inspiration, and I plan to continue on a few more days. Listening to someone else’s talks and lectures, thoughts and online presentations, learning from someone else’s experience and hand-picked instructions, and even simply surfing the web for interesting topics is a possibility to grow and go through a restart. This is currently what I do, aiming to rise again like the Phoenix from the ashes, with new ideas and new energy!