Jokin aika sitten kirjoitin kotivaatteista, tai tarkemmin ottaen suunnitelmistani heittää rumilla rönttöisillä kotivaatteilla vesilintua ja korvata ainakin harmaat verkkarini silkkisamettihousuilla, joita en koskaan käytä. Tässä sitä ollaan: uuteen kotivaatekertaani kuuluvat edellämainittujen housujen lisäksi sininen silkkipaita (joka on lojunut kaapin perukoilla kuukausikaupalla) ja mahtava Kaivarin kanuunasta löytynyt kirjailtu ja samettisomisteltu takkisysteemi, jossa tunnen oloni vähintäänkin kuninkaalliseksi tai kartanon rouvaksi. Kotiasun kruunaa Mamahan nerokas puuvillatrikoolla vuorattu silkkiturbaani, joka pysyy päässä huoletta.
En nyt heti uskalla väittää elämänlaatuni parantuneen ratkaisevasti, mutta tunnen oloni... arvokkaammaksi. (Hyvin on mennyt tähän asti: en ole läikyttänyt fiineille kotivermeilleni pastakastiketta - vielä.)
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A little while back I wrote a post about home clothes, or namely about my plans to get rid of my old, ugly stay-at-home clothes and to replace them with something prettier, including a pair of wide-legged silk-velvet trousers that I never ever wear. Meet my new home gear: in addition to the fore-mentioned trousers, I am wearing an old silk blouse, and an embroidered, velvet-trimmed evening jacket-thing that I bought at Kaivarin kanuuna flea market. I top this home outfit with a silk Mamaha turban that has a super comfortable cotton tricot lining. I pretty much feel like a fine lady dressed like this.
I dare not claim that the quality of my life has improved significantly, but there's no point in denying that I feel... precious. (Also, so far, so good: I haven't spilled any pasta sauce on my fancy attire - yet.)
Noniin, nyt alkaa olla kotivaatteet sellaisia kuin pitääkin...! Ja löysin muuten sulle yhden uudenkin, se oottelee täällä Helsingissä seuraavaa vierailua... ;).
ReplyDeleteNo eikö! :) Seuraavaa visiittiä odotellessa...
Deleteonpa ihana kirjottu takki! Pastakastikevahinkojen varalta tarvitset tietenkin keittiöön laajahelmaisen essun ja ruokapöytään käsinnimikoidut pellavaiset ruokaliinat (niitä löytyy kaikilta kristillisiltä kirpputoreilta pinokaupalla ja naurettavan halvalla).
ReplyDeleteVaikka Kaivarin kanuunaa usein mollaankin, niin joskus sieltä tekee mahtavia löytöjä. :) Pellavaisia ruokaliinoja mulla jo on, mutta laajahelmainen essu pitää laittaa ostoslistalle...
DeleteThe embroidered swishy thing looks so pretty and lounge-y. Perfect for floating about your house in :)
ReplyDeleteSo random this but, I wonder, what words of advice you might have or thoughts on moving from North America to Europe. It’s something that was a dream of mine since I was a teenager and in the past few months I find myself thinking of it more and more. My partner is an EU citizen and resides with me in Canada (somewhat similar to your situation if I remember correctly, except it was America and you were the EU citizen)?
How has the adjustment been for you? And for your partner?
How difficult (or easy) was it to get him legal residency and any sort of work permits or health coverage?
Our situation was me being a EU citizen and Chris an American. The legal paperwork for us to move to Finland was no trouble at all, at least compared to the paperwork we had to file for me to enter the US back in the day... The US Green card process was a nightmare, but the Finnish equivalent was pretty straight-forward. Chris didn't need a visa to enter the country, and if I remember correctly, we had to file for a residency permit within 3 months of his arrival to the country. With the residency permit, you also automatically receive a work permit in Finland. A few forms, some passport sized photos, and that was it. The first residency permit was for a year, after which we re-filed, and then the next permit is for 5 years. Pretty simple stuff, really. Chris got health coverage after they issued him a Finnish social security number, which he got with his resident permit, so within 3 months of arrival. Having said all that, the real pain in the a** has been dealing with the tax authorities. It's a constant battle, with the IRS and the Finnish tax authorities both wanting to tax Chris, and we've had to file, re-file, complain and file again. We are currently still waiting for a ruling on our 2013 taxes. It's been a total nightmare, and I'd advise you to perhaps consult a tax attorney before you move to Europe. Perhaps not all countries are as difficult as US & Finland, but just in case, be prepared to deal with endless levels of bureaucracy with taxes, and find out well in advance what the tax treaty between Canada and the EU country you'll move to is like, and better yet, have a professional explain it to you in layman's terms. :)
DeleteAs for general adjustment... well, learning Finnish has been very difficult for Chris, and living in the countryside means that not that many people speak English. The locals have been very welcoming nevertheless. Every country, of course, has its own customs and intricacies, and some of them will take some getting used to. In Finland those things include very limited store opening hours, poor selection of merchandise, some foods taste different, gas is expensive, the health care system is different... But every country is different, of course, as is every person, so while some people might struggle with culture shock, others don't have any problems with those little (and sometimes bigger) differences between their native country and the new one. Which EU country are you considering moving to, if I may ask? :)
Hm. Thanks for the head’s up about the taxes. I will try to keep that in mind. Right now moving is just an idea, but it is one that I can’t get off my mind!! We have so many options really. Right now my partner wants to pay down some debt, so all big decisions are somewhat on hold. Once he builds up some savings we will need to decide whether to put down roots here or move. This decision is likely a couple of years out, and for me, a large part of the decision will be based on my father’s health at that time (he is really the only thing tying me to the city in which we currently live).
DeleteMy dream since I was young was to live in Germany. I have many friends there, I love it there and when I’m away I feel like I’ve left a part of myself there …but I’m not sure how feasible living there would be. A friend of mine is married to a German and has advised that unless I am married to a German it would be next to impossible to get a work permit. As my partner is Czech we would move to the Czech Republic. I have been to Europe several times so I don’t know how much culture shock would affect me. I think I may be underestimating how lonely I might be though, I am a definite introvert and I’m not sure how I would be at making local friends, or how ok I would be if I didn’t make any for some time. Even here at home I only have a couple of close friends. Since I don’t speak any Czech it would be unlikely that I would work outside the home at first, therefore a work permit would be less of an immediate concern. Truly I would love to see if I could get an Etsy shop up and going, but I find that idea overwhelming in Canada never mind Europe! The Etsy site itself seems user friendly enough, but I have no idea if I need to register as a business, submit some different taxes, etc.
Can I ask if you are legally married and if/how that affected the process?
Yes, we are married, and that was the only way I was able to get a green card for the US. Marriage was also a prerequisite for Chris to get a residency permit in Finland, so... if you guys want to move to Europe, you might have to get married... 😄 Luckily you have plenty of time to think about it, since it is a big decision...
DeleteAre you comfortable sharing the reasons that lead to your decision to move to North America and then to move back to Europe?
DeleteOr, of course if you don't mind sharing but also don't want to post all of this out in public we can always take the conversation to email or facebook!
DeleteI'll e-mail you over the weekend! :)
DeleteSounds good :) Let me know if you need an address. But maybe you already have it as a result of me commenting here. Happy weekending!
DeleteStunning! I absolutely love this :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Roobeedoo! :)
DeleteMikä siinä mahtaa olla, että mieltäylentävän kotivaateparren sijaan sitä päätyy käyttämään mukavan tuntuisia mutta niin kovin kauhtuneita vaatteita? Kiitos tästä tsemppauksesta - voi olla, että minäkin pistän päälleni jotain, mikä motivoi kannattamaan päätä korkealla!
ReplyDeleteYou have absolutely nailed this fancy lounging idea! Gorgeous!
ReplyDelete