JK Rowling on the fringe benefits of failure.

"So why do I talk about failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized and I was still alive. So rock bottom became the the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. You might never fail on the scale I did but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you fail by default. You will never truly know yourself or the strength of your relationships until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift and it has been worth more than any qualification I have ever earned."
-J.K. Rowling

Childhood Memory: The Finnish Birthday Cake

Here is a traditional Finnish sokerikakku or "sugar cake" I made for my brother's birthday. Our Finnish au pairs used to make this cake for our birthdays when we were little, and mine tasted just like back in the day and was a yummy trip down memory lane :) I stacked two small cakes on top of one another and filled the middle with strawberry jam, whipped cream, and pureed bananas. Then, the whole cake is covered with whipped cream and decorated with fresh fruit.

To the Lighthouse

I had to find my way around this huge swamp...luckily I was wearing rubber boots!

YES! One medal for FINLAND!!

My mom read in a Finnish magazine that the country expected to bring home 12 medals from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver...wellll so far the only medal we have is silver thanks to PEETU PIIROINEN who placed second in men's snowboard halfpipe!! Woohoo, way to go P2!! Hyvä Suomi! (I'm proud, one medal is better than no medals!)