Happy 101 Award

I can't think of a better way to start my  week than sharing an award that I received from one of my blog friends, Bhavesh Chhatbar.His blog is called chaukat.com Blog.  Bhavesh is an avid photographer as well as a fantastic blogger. His photos are amazing!  Recently he has started a new site where his photographs are available for purchase. I think it's a wonderful idea and I wish him the best of luck with his new venture! And there's more,  if you love his photos you can subscribe to Wednesday Wallpapers. Subscribers will receive one free wallpaper every Wednesday. Another excellent idea! Thank you for this award Bhavesh, you're an inspiration and I'm humbled by your gesture.

Now on to the formalities of accepting this award...

There are some rules with the award:

1. Copy the award image into a post.

2. List 10 things that make you happy.

3. Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day.

4. Link to their blogs.

5. Notify the award recipients.

6. Award recipients link back to sender's blog.

10 things that make me happy

1. My family & friends-a given. My family is my life & I can't imagine it without friends.
2. Photography-I feel like I can't breathe if my camera isn't with me. Seriously.
3. My pets-my 2 dogs!!
4. Traveling-love new people, places & experiences.
5. Gardening-love growing my own food & enjoying my flowers.
6. Music- would do anything for a live mariachi band right now.
7. Food-my favorite is Mexican!
8. The Arts-all arts!~ Especially the theater.
9.  The sea-a day on a quiet beach is so therapeutic.
10. Blogging-without blogging I wouldn't have met so many remarkable people or made such wonderfully,  fantastic friends!

10 Bloggers That Brighten My Day

1. Jes- Prospero's Cellphone
2. Liz- The making of cupcakes.gr
3. Jude- Caridad in Crete
4. Maria- Organically Cooked
5. Tobias- tobias cooks! 
6. Spuds- Carrying a Cat by the Tail
7. Gingeyginge- The Adventures of Gingeyginge
8. Krisno- My Life, My Sharing
9. Ivy- Kopiaste.. to Greek Hospitality
10. Phivos-Travelling-ταξίδια & Phivos Nicolaides

I wish I could have chosen more than 10!

Finally, here's the link to the post in which Bhavesh passed on the award-
 Chaukhat.com Blog: Happy 101 Award

Thank you Bhavesh!

John Palmer Art's Favorite Tweeps...

Small wonders never cease to amaze me. In the middle of having a less than perfect day, I checked my Facebook homepage. Within seconds of my logging on I noticed that one of my favorite friends had a new post so naturally, I had to read it.  My friend, Ryan Lindsay decided highlight his and artist John Palmer's  personal and professional accomplishments over the past year as well as honor people that have had a positive impact on their lives. More specifically, Ryan compiled a list of their five favorite tweeps on Twitter. When I read the post and saw my name on the list I was pleasantly surprised and humbled. My mood instantly changed from glum to giddy.  I'm on someone's "Top 5"  list and more importanly,  contemporary/abstract artist John Palmer's "Top 5".

My connection with artist John Palmer and  his partner, Ryan Lindsay, is the wonderful result of my very first Twitter search. Yes guys, my first.  I don't usually search or pursue others on social networks, but one morning in September I decided to search using the tag word "Greece" and John Palmer came up, so I said "hello" and "good morning".  He was in Skopelos on his annual work abroad adventure so his tweets were in sync with my own.   That was the beginning of our friendship. Each morning that I would tweet I'd see John's morning message which always conjures up a smile in my heart. His first each day reads something like this: "It's Sunday. I love being an artist."  I can't help but think "Yes, it's Sunday and I love your awesome tweet!" What's more interesting is when I discovered  that Ryan did most of the tweeting and blogging so I was in contact with both of them on a regular basis. Fantastic! These are two amazing people to have as friends!

Ryan Lindsay & John Palmer in front of the Parthenon

Now,  I follow John's adventures on Twitter and his personal blog. Recently, I became of fan on his new page on Facebook as well as through Ryan's facebook page. What I love the most about John and Ryan is that although they're extremely busy painting, travelling, preparing for a new show or in the midst of personal events they're never too busy to say "hello" or "thank you" which is admirable.

So, now it's my turn to say "thank you". Thank you John and Ryan. You've really made my day and I'm grateful for your wonderful friendship,support, inspiration and smiles that warm my heart. What a fantastic way to end the year.

 Thank you.

Related Links:

John Palmer Art
John Palmers Blog--December 2009 - "5 Days Left"
John Palmer on Twitter
Happy Birthday Ryan!








   

Lovely blog~

This week  I've received my very first blog award. Jessica, of  Prospero's Cellphone
has awarded me with the One Lovely Blog Award and I'm completely flattered, especially coming from her. She's so smart and witty, her posts are well written and intriguing...I'm flattered that she feels I'm award worthy. Have a look at her blog, you won't be disappointed.

Two years ago, when I started this blog I wasn't seeking anything but a way to express myself and keep our family and friends up to date with our transition. I chose the name of my blog in a willy, nilly moment as I sat in front of my computer wearing Alexandra in a sling. She was sleeping so peacefully, so I took some time to do something for myself.
"hmmmmm......I know, I'll name it after my favorite foods which will also represent the cultures that make up our family". Ok. Rice, Beans & Pastichio...yes, that willy-nilly.  I apologize to those of you that arrive here seeking a plethora of recipes and food posts but I also thank you for visiting and inspiring me continue blogging. There have been a few times within the last year that I was ready to stop blogging due to commitments and lack of time. But then, I realized that blogging has enriched my life beyond  my expectations. I have made great connections, fantastic friends and learned a lot from my peers. I've  also  personally met other bloggers that share similar interests. (to be revealed in future posts)
I feel that I'm awarded daily by my reader support which includes family, friends, neighbors, fellow bloggers and definitely, my lovely lurkers. Thank you.

Part of accepting the award is to pass it on to other blogs that I  feel are deserving so...

I'd like to pass this award on to -

mimi on the breach- a blog I've been following for almost two years. It's a smart blog written by Mimi, a university professor,  trying to figure out the whole parenting thing.  Her daughter is the same age as Alexandra and we're simultaneously dealing with a lot of the same milestones and toddler temperament issues.

Organically cooked- I can't say enough about Maria and her blog. I love her stories behind the food and most of all,  her recipes, many of which have become staples on my table. I've learned so much from her. She's a diligent blogger and churns out scrumptious posts regularly.

Caridad in Crete- Jude's lovely blog is always full of beautiful photos, her witty musings as well as real emotion. I love visiting Jude and I'm glad that she found me!

 The Making of Cupcakes.gr- Liz is blogging about the process of her family relocation combined with starting her own business. I can relate to Liz as she's a mother of young children and a lot of her experiences mirror some of mine, especially since she's now living in the countryside.

Here's one of my new favorite photos, taken last night. Lovely smiles for a lovely award!      

Thank you Jessica! This was a lovely surprise. 

                                                                                      

                                                                           

Well, it's Saturday afternoon. I put the kids down for a nap, put a chicken in the oven and logged on to see what's up in cyberspace. I have two million things to do but I much prefer to veg-out online. I think that it's the few quiet moments like this that I use to gather my strength for the next round of the day. It's hot, but we have a light wind breezing through our wind chimes. The sound is cleansing. Gigi is on the couch and Kosta is working in his office. Finally, some time for me.

We've all been sick, since last Friday -the 1st of August. It started with Alexandra, then went to Iza, then Foti and finally, me. We spent this last week fighting sore throats and fevers and now we're all fine. Luckily, Kosta escaped this round.

I haven't had much time to do anything important but I did manage to walk around the property to see how the fruit trees are doing. Our peaches are ready and delicious. I think that they're more delicious than any I've ever had because they're ours. :)

Most of the figs are ripe and ready to eat. It's fun to go back and pick them randomly. I have yet to make anything with them. I really wanted to make spoon sweets (sikalaki gliko) with Lulu's recipe, but they were ready for that right as we were nearing the baptism. Sometimes I just want to do more than I can- realistically. But, I did pick a bag and MIL made spoon sweets for us with our figs. So, we do have our spoon sweets. Maybe next year I'll surprise her by making my own. I've found a great marmalade recipe so I'm motivated to make some of that, since it seems like I can fit it into my day. (ok, I know- I've fit blogging into the day why can't I fit more cooking in? --because it's just that-more cooking) Anyway, here's the fig tree...

It's huge and the birds love it. We've given bags of figs away. So, if you're in the neighborhood, I bet that you can guess what you'll be walking away with. I'm glad that I can share because we certainly can't use all of them. Here are a few shots of the figs...

As you can see, some of them are overripe. These are fine to eat as long as you make sure that there aren't any little bugs inside. They're very sweet!

We have tomatoes coming out of our ears so I've preserved some and also given tons away. The cherry tomatoes are perfect for snacking on, the kids and the dog usually help themselves. Our green beans are finished and we're planting some leeks and celery this week. My eggplants have finally appeared! I've really been waiting for those. Our honeydew melons are growing amazingly, we've been giving those away too. I have a neighbor that made a melon sorbet once, I'll have to ask her for the recipe.

So, I've wasted a little time and given a little garden update. Now, it's time for me to wake up the kids so that they'll sleep tonight -as well as throw some BBQ sauce on my chicken. I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend!

10,000 Hits

Yesterday my site reached 10,000 hits and that's pretty exciting. I logged on at 9,999 and told Kosta where it was and he wanted to be the 10,000th visitor and so he was. That was really cool. He wanted to know what the prize was and I told him that I was not giving out a prize so I'll just make him an extra frappe and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

What started out as a means to communicate with my friends and family back home has become so much more than that. I have the benefit of keeping everyone up to date and also meeting others with similar interests. I find it amazing and flattering that there are so many people out there that think my life is interesting enough to keep reading and I'm flattered. OK, I guess that my life can 't quite be classified as boring since I have so much to blog about and little time to do it. Boy, if you only knew the whole shebang . I think I'll save all of that for the reality show that I always joke about and definitely the book. I'm not joking about the book though. Someday, somehow it will surface.

Anyway, I just wanted to mention that I think that reaching 10,000 hits is amazing. Thank you for reading! Who knows how the future will unfold...