Celebrating Christmas

Me in front of a giant tree...in the fog.

For the last two years  Christmas time has been either difficult or sad for us. In 2007, we were still settling in our new home and environment and it seems as if we were always sick. There were still boxes stacked around the house, in the hallways and bedrooms. It seemed as though every virus that existed that year found its way into our home and not for just a day or two, but for a week or more at a time.  We were sick for Christmas and the New Year.

Last year, we were shaken by the sudden death or our koumbaro and spent the month tending to our koumbara along with funeral/memorial services. The children were very sick and the kitchen flooded. It seemed like such an effort to feel good.  Our children were the reason that we celebrated, which is why I think children are so wonderful. They bring us joy when times are less than joyful.

So now, we're spending our third Christmas season in Greece and I have to admit, it's been great. Sure, we had a one year memorial for our koumbaro, but time heals and some of the sadness has lifted.

Our children are so excited and I'm trying to keep them that way because Christmas is magical and every child has the right to experience this magic. We've been watching Christmas movies, reading Christmas stories, listening to Christmas music and attending Christmas events when we have the chance. We're having fun and it feels great. There's nothing more rewarding than to watch the faces of my children light up with excitement , especially now.

Another reason  that I  feel great this year is because I'm surrounded by generous and caring people. On daily basis,  my friends & family give me plenty of reasons to be thankful for their company, support and smiles. Whether near or far each person is always in my heart and I try my best to make sure that they know how much I value their presence in my life because without each one of them I wouldn't be whole. Usually, I'm the person that runs to help others but there was a time this year in which I needed support and my friends and family wouldn't let me fall, I was held up when I felt I couldn't stand on my own. I feel that there are no words adequate enough to describe the extent of my gratitude but I hope by reading this that they know how thankful I am.

I appreciate everyone in my life and this includes my blog readers friends.Thank you for inspiring me to keep babbling on this blog, I always look forward to your comments and again, I appreciate your interest in my musings & photos.

 In the spirit of the holiday, I want to share a few more special moments we've enjoyed this season. We really have been enjoying ourselves!

Alexandra & I 

Izabella took this photo, she's getting really good with the camera!

Izabella stuck in Santa's sack

This Christmas ship was beautiful but a lot of the lights weren't lit...

and Foti tried to figure out how he could fix it. 

Alexandra does a little dance while trying on all of the stockings & hats while Gigi strikes a pose for the photo. 

Our Christmas tree 

A train at Oneiropouli, Drama. 

We enjoyed a Karagiozi puppet show for the holidays. 

Foti is not only a star in my life but he was a star in his school Christmas program.

Little angels waiting to perform.

Foti's performance

Foti receives a gift from a noticeably "fake" Santa. He received a "girl" gift and was traumatized for the rest of the night. He proclaimed, "That's it! I'm sick of fake Santas...I want the real one!" I can't say I blame him for feeling shafted.

Izabella & Gigi

My little munchkins pose for yet another Christmas photo. They're great sports!

And finally, me...enjoying the holidays.

~~~~~~~

A few Christmas Quotes:

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.  ~Charles Dickens

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...

~Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home. 

 ~Carol Nelson

~~~~~~~

Merry Christmas!

Feliz Navidad!

Καλά Χριστούγεννα!

Just Another Dog Day for Gigi

Anyone that doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog. ~ Franklin P. Jones

Gigi had a bath yesterday and yes, I tasted soap! Afterward, I took photos because I think that she's absolutely adorable when she's wet, although she treats me as if I've somehow betrayed her or hurt her feelings. She doesn't enjoy baths at all!  I thought that this particular photo was funny.

Have a nice week!

Καλή εβδομάδα!

Related Links:

Dog Days for Gigi

Gigi's Christmas

Gigi Sniffs Out a Hummingbird Hawk- moth

Gigi's Reveal

Green

There's a lot of green in my files...

Green olives

Praying mantis

Green chairs

Green lemons

Foti wearing a green shirt holding a strange green bug.

Green bottle

And finally, a gratuitous shot of Gigi with the green praying mantis.

What a difference...

an hour and a visit to the vet can make...

Before

I took this photo right before we dropped Gigi off for another haircut. Personally, I think that she's adorable this way, so fluffy and cuddly. But, she gets dirty quickly with all of that moppy cuteness. I have to pull burrs & other plant matter off of her constantly...she's definitely like a walking Swiffer.

After

Here she is, all clean & tidy...just like a princess dog that she is. She's so easy to keep clean this way although I feel sorry for her as the temperature dropped dramatically and she seems cold as she's been shivering. It's time to find her a new adorable sweater for the fall. And yes, I see that one hair out of place, I've snipped it off already:)

The Dogs

After months of waiting, I am pleased to finally present to you a dog update. Many of my friends/readers have inquired about our canines since my post in January when I took in Tarzan & Asproula. I had originally tried to put Asproula up for adoption but I only received two phone calls from the rescue organization, both of which were inquiries regarding her status and whether or not she was still available.

So, here are some photos that I've pulled from my collection as well as a few words about each pooch. Enjoy.

Gigi

As Gigi is our first dog, she's the most spoiled of the three. She's the only dog allowed indoors and is always next to me. If I sit, she's on my lap, beside me or on my feet. She suffers from separation anxiety when I'm not available or if she can see me but can't be near me. It can be cute as well as irritating since her whining and crying won't stop unless she gets what she wants. I've probably enabled this behavior because she's so adorable.

She's much faster than Tarzan.

She has a bad habit of tearing through barriers that keep her from being near me. Above, she chewed through the plastic mesh on the gate while I was visiting our neighbors.

Here, she tore a hole in the screen. This happened when we had some neighbors pop in unannounced. As I offered them coffee on the balcony, Gigi was inside barking frantically. She wouldn't stop. Actually, all three of the dogs were barking. It was clear that these people weren't animal lovers and the dogs sensed that. The neighbors didn't stay long since we couldn't carry a decent conversation with all of the barking. As I walked them out to the gate, Gigi tore this hole in the screen in an attempt to save me from the non-dog loving visitors. She might be small, but she's mighty and relentless when she senses that we may be in any kind of trouble. I hate having to tell Kosta when she does this, but he just curses once and changes the screen as soon as he can. She's lucky that she's so cute.

Tarzan

Remember this puppy? Well, he's grown into a giant puppy. He's about 8 months old now and huge!

Handsome

Cute

It's this face that keeps him out of trouble. If there's something that you don't want or wouldn't mind having torn apart, send it to us. He's excellent at destroying things.

Here's a list of recent damages:

• Alexandra's new shoes
• A beach hat
• A whole beach bag and its entire contents-flippers, masks, sunscreen, beach mats etc...
• 2 potted plants...geraniums. He even chewed up the plastic planters and the plants were nowhere to be found. I hope that they were delicious.
• Kosta's leather sandals
• Yia yia's fuzzy slippers
• The sprinklers in the front yard
• All of the hoses that were attached to the sprinklers
• Foti's plastic sword
• Foti's sunglasses
• Books
• 2 door mats
• 1 throw rug

...and much more. If anything is left outside unattended, it's fair game. So, everyone has finally started to pay more attention to their belongings. His habit of chewing everything in his path is beneficial by helping me instill personal responsibility in our children.

This photo is blurry because I was going to wipe his eyes before taking his photo and he ripped the towel from my hand and a chase ensued.

He thought he'd hide in the brush...

And then he stuck his head out to make sure that he could continue to taunt me.

I spend a lot of time chasing him!

Here he is about 6 months old.

Trying to share Foti's Popsicle.

Asproula

She's beautiful, sweet and extremely gentle.

Roaming & playing with Gigi.

Friends with Alexandra

Have a look at this face! This is my view of Asproula...she's always begging me for food & hugs. Her worst (& sort of cute) habit is jumping on me. Asproula is the type of dog that twirls and flips in front of you as you walk. Twirling, flipping and jumping with her tongue out is pretty funny to watch. I'd like to find a tutu for her one of these days and put it on video.

Asproula is fairly easy to have around. Our only challenge with her is trying to tweak the "street" dog out of her. Most dogs love to steal food at any opportunity that presents itself, but she's fast & furious and we can't leave food anywhere unless she's on a leash.

When she first came to us she was squeamish and would crouch and hide if we raised our voices. I think that she's finally realized that we won't harm her as we haven't witnessed this behavior for a while. I'm glad that she's comfortable.

Having the three dogs together has been fun as well as challenging. The fun outweighs the challenges and we love that our children have them to love and care for. It's evident that the love and care is reciprocated by the dogs as they keep careful watch over the them. I'll admit, once again, that I was never a "dog" person, although I didn't mind them I just didn't love them. Now, I couldn't imagine life without the love of a dog...they've won me over.

I hope that you've enjoyed this long overdue update.

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. ~Josh Billings

Gigi's Christmas

We enjoyed our Christmas celebration and Gigi did also. She's adapted well to spending a few days in an apartment. Why wouldn't she? She's just as spoiled as the children! I don't have much to say as I believe that pictures tell her Christmas day story.

Yeah, baby! She scored some turkey from the table!! ( We never feed her from the table...Merry Christmas Gigi!)


Yia-Yia made her a sweater and Thia outfitted her with a shiny bow.

Here's what she thought of the bow.

I'll be back soon.

Wishing you all peace & love this holiday season!