So we aren't going to be in our new house by Christmas. Things were moving a a cracking pace until most of the gyproc and structual work was finished, then about 10 or 12 of the workmen moved onto other houses, leaving one erstwhile builder to finish the first floor. We have been waiting for the last month for him to finish the "dirty jobs" -sanding plasterboard etc - before we bring in new handymen to finish up the inside work. All we have left is the wooden floors, doors, painting, tiling. You know, all the important stuff! In the meantime we have been interested to see if our woodfire heating system can cope with temperatures of minus fifteen and lots of snow. So far, after the inevitable teething troubles, things seem to be going well. I am finally getting impatient, because we are so near, and yet so far, to moving in. 
First floor granny flat
Kitchen with a view to the back yard
Loung room with electrician
3rd floor stairwell
My beloved staircase - discussing the finish
There was a good snowfall just before the weekend so we decided to take off to the country for a bit of snow action. The house was bitterly cold, and Jem and I spent most of our energy on the weekend hauling firewood and stoking the fire to try to get the house to heat up, while the boys played outside, blizzard or no blizzard. 
The lake has now frozen over, and the powdery snow on top of slippery new-formed ice made for fabulous snow angels.
Another favourite for the boys - icicle hunting. Knock them down with a broom handle and then you've got popsicles for the rest of the day. Doesn't matter how many times your parents tell you that its probably not good to eat the icicles. 
For the last few years we have made an advent calendar for the boys. It always takes a different shape and has a different way to open the "doors". First year the boys had to rip tissue paper stretched over the ends of cardboard tubes which contained little trinkets or lollies. Last year they had to unpeg and untie small fabric bags from a line strung across the room. This year they have a more classic row of windows. After the first year, and a considerable investment of time and funds, I decided an easier option for the following year would be to buy the small cardboard and chocolates calendars you can buy at the supermarket - but unfortunately I created a monster - the boys exclaimed sadly at this thought, and now the expectation is to have a home-made advent calendar every year. Not that I'm complaining - it's fun for us to buy little bits and bobs to put in the calendar, and to think of different ways of delivering the goods. And the main thing - seeing the excitement and happiness in the boys' faces every morning in December is totally worth it. Spoiled darlings :)
Jem was away in Sweden this year on 18. November so we celebrated with a good friend and her sons (their dad was also away playing in 18 November concerts) making a red-white-red Latvian flag cake with all of our boys. Tasted good, very sweet, and quite crumbly, we ended up holding it together with skewers! Didn't stop us from eating most of it in a night though. Afterwards we raced back to the centre of Rīga to watch the fireworks. 
With my super-cuddly godson - he is so placid and gorgeous that I dreamed all night about giving birth to little baby boys!
