Ten things that make me happy...

 My friend, Christie,  at My Comfy Escape has tagged me to list my Ten things that make me happy. She tagged me well over a month ago, but it seems that everything I do is late these days. Well, let's just say later than my usual late self, I'm always late. I was born almost a month later than my mother's  given due date so I have a great excuse. And then I married a Greek... so any chance of me being on time anywhere was lost. Although, I have to brag about arriving almost 1/2 hour early to a baptism recently. We didn't know what to do with ourselves, we walked at a casual pace and stood around waiting for the baptism to begin, definitely out of our element.

So, let's get to this list. I have just recently listed 10 things that make me happy for an award that I received -  so I'll add photos to this post to make it a bit different.

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1. My friends & family ~~ VITAL to my being and appreciated more than I can express in mere words...the unconditional love and support that I receive daily makes me thrive. The emails... phone messages & texts and blog comments --I'm always eager to see who has checked in.  I'm surrounded by so much love & support, I can only say "Thank YOU"...all of you!! You're always on the top of my list!

One of my favorite photos of Christie & I. Yes, it was really funny...

2. Chocolate.  I think this one is self explanatory if there are chocoholics like myself reading this.

My chocolaty-chocolate birthday cake.

3. Photography. I've been inspired by so many photographers past & present. Some of my favorites include Gordon Parks .

and Ansel Adams.

                                                

4. Music. I love almost all genres of music. Music is life, I can't imagine a day without music.

Music is what feelings sound like. ~Author unknown

5. Coffee. What kind of coffee do I like? Most of it. Although I'd give anything for a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha (grande) I'm very happy with my own cappuccino. My cappuccino maker was away for about a month and I was lost without it. And, I love frappé. I have at least one frappé per day ...shaken not 

blended. Oh and Γλυκό με γάλα παρακαλώ ...(Sweet with milk please...)

(Alexandra sneaks a sip of my cappuccino, the kids already love coffee too...shhhh!) 

6. Art. Having said that I'll introduce you to a budding artist, my Izabella. Not a day passes that she doesn't create.

7. Food/Cooking. I love exploring new cuisine and trying new recipes. I also enjoy letting my kids help me in the kitchen. I find that letting them help prepare a meal ensures that they'll eat what we're making, most of the time. 

                   

Yes...I made everything in these photos...

8. The spa.  Recently spoiled by a whole afternoon at  the spa courtesy of one of my bests friends (wink, wink)-that would be the one who tagged me for this list. 

 

9. Flowers/gardening- I find gardening therapeutic although I'm overwhelmed by the amount of work that it takes to maintain our garden these days. 

 A rose & my garden a month ago...doesn't look so well kept now...

10. Our pets. (well, most of the time...) 

Tarzan & Alexandra

Myself & Gigi

"Torlitza" & Iza

Tarzan again...with Lobo

Thank you for tagging me Christie! 

I miss you!  :)

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!

Kalo Mina/Καλό μήνα

February started out with a spectacular sunrise from my corner of Greece. We have so many spectacular sunrises and I never tire of photographing or sharing them. I took a moment to snap these photos this morning while in the midst of serving breakfast, packing lunches and laying clothes out for the day. Today started out ok, although I forgot to send Foti's pillow & blanket to school with him...but I can always drop that off later since nap time isn't until the afternoon. But all is well nevertheless. 

Here's a photo of Mount Olympus waiting for the sun's warmth. I absolutely love the clouds. 

This photo was taken from the opposite side of my house. The clouds are reflecting the pink hues of the sunrise to the from the east. Cool and dark with a touch of pink, beautiful. 

Now here's a  photo that I took last night at sunset. It was a windy and cool, not cold. I loved the dramatic look of the clouds looming over Mt. Olympus so as I was driving to the bakery I couldn't resist stopping to snap a few shots. 

Another view from the beach just before sunset last night. Amazing, breathtaking and calming...It was nice for me to step away and take a break, even if only for a few minutes. I hope that you enjoy the photos. 

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Sweet Surprise

Yesterday as I was reading a few of my favorite blogs I stumbled upon a sweet surprise. Ivy  from Kopiaste..to Greek Hospitality passed an award in my direction and I have to say I'm completely, utterly flattered by her gesture. Ivy is an amazing blogger, from fantastic recipes coupled with historic information about the recipes and great photos taken from her travels, her blog is an invaluable resource to foodies and bloggers worldwide. If you haven't visited her site yet I suggest that you do as it's always a pleasure to read. Thank you Ivy, you're an inspiration and I'm so happy that we've become friends. I hope to meet you one day, whether it be in Athens, Thessaloniki or somewhere in between. Thank you. 

In lieu of passing on the award I'll mention a few of my favorite blog friends and their fabulous blogs/sites... 

Maria-Organically Cooked & One Day in Hania

Liz-The making of cupcakes.gr

Peter-Kalofagas

Laurie-Tastes Like Home-Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska

Kat-Living, Working, Musing & Misadventures in Greece

Mel-Mel's Diner

Phivos- Travelling - ταξίδιa &Phivos Nicolaides

Jes- Prospero's Cellphone

Jude-Caridad in Crete

John-John Palmer Art

Craig-Teacher Dude's Grill and BBQ

Just a few to name a few. I wish everyone a great month, καλό μήνα and a fantastic week. I'll leave you with a video from another favorite friend, Damián Lértora .

Enjoy!

Music Composed and Performed by Damián Lértora Lyrics/Vox by James Higgins. ©All rights reserved.

Where have I been?

As the holidays pass for most families our season continues for a week longer which keeps all of us busy.So, once again life has led me to neglect my blog. Sure I've been present online, but not here. I've spent a lot of time reading, commenting and responding to email; but  not blogging. I can tweet with my kids running around but I can't concentrate on anything else since they usually protest whenever I sit near the laptop. Either they want to use it or they stick books or papers in front of my screen to get my attention. I remember using the same techniques while my parents read the newspaper. I can't really blame them.

 - A little of what I've been doing-

January 6th

Foti's name day. His full name is Fotios, named after my late father-in-law. Although I didn't expect too many guests, I had to be prepared if anyone decided to show up.I spent the day in the kitchen baking and making some of his favorite foods.  Foti was excited and loved receiving phone calls. I made him pizza for lunch and let him watch a movie later that afternoon.  At the end of the day we only had two guests and it was perfect. What was even better is that I had a lot of food left over and didn't have to cook the next day.

January 8th- Izabella's birthday.

Rushing to the bakery early that morning I  decided that although an already prepared cake might be fantastic; a homemade cake would be even better. And even better than that, a homemade cake in which the birthday girl could help make and decorate. So, after I picked Iza up from school we went straight to the store so that she could choose the toppings for her cake. We used this chocolate cake recipe. It was fantastic!

The actual birthday party will take place this weekend and we ordered another chocolate cake for the day. She chose a cake with Dalmations on it, not the Disney Dalmations, just regular Dalmations.

 Izabella had a great birthday and she was so pleased with everything. I still can't believe that she's seven.

and in between celebrations...

We had a play date with friends which allowed me to enjoy coffee & great conversation.

I made a few homemade pizzas. Honestly, I'd never attempted to make my own pizza dough until now, I don't know why. But I decided try my hand at it and  I was pleased with the results. I used Ivy's recipe for basic homemade pizza dough and made my own sauce. I topped one pizza with mozzarella cheese and the others with green peppers, onions, tomatoes and of course, mozzarella.  I have to say that they were a few of the better pizzas I've had in a while. I won't say the best because I still believe that Lisa's Pizzeria in my other neighborhood has the best pizza I've ever eaten.  But the kids loved my pizzas and they're particular about pizza so I'll believe them when they say that they were delicious.

I was able to spend quality time with Adriane. This is her favorite photo of us.

We went to the city to visit friends and along the way we stopped to watch ice skaters. It was too late for us to skate and we were dressed well so we couldn't...

but Foti  really wished that he could have. The kids  also enjoyed looking at the Ancient Agora as we passed by, but since it was dark I couldn't get a good photo.

And in the midst of our adventures in living I got very sick and it took about 5 days for me to feel better. Nasty flu!

But as soon as I recovered I was out taking photos again. These photos of the girls in the wheat field are significant because it's just outside  of our gate and  we've just learned that someone bought this stretch of land and will probably be building a house soon. I hope it's a house and not an apartment building because we love our view, not to mention the serenity.  Let's hope for the best!

Yes, it's Mt. Olympus in the background.

~~~

A few of my friends in the blogosphere inquired about my absence and I'm thankful. I'm back and not leaving blog land anytime soon. Thank you.

So, my year is off to a good start (well, minus the flu) and I'm optimistic to see how the rest of it unfolds.

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!








   

Pomegranates

It's autumn and the pomegranates are ripe. They're beautiful, luscious and incredibly sweet. We have two pomegranate trees that are heavy with fruit. It's time to give. We're lucky enough to receive from our over generous neighbors & friends throughout the year so I love when it's our turn to reciprocate...

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Adriane & I 

Friends Never Leave Empty Handed...
Early last Sunday morning I was lucky enough to have a visit from one of my very best friends, Adriane. She lives in the city and it's hard for us to spend time together, so when she said that would stop by I was ecstatic.

We spent a few hours sipping coffee and talking when we decided to take a walk around. The first thing that she did was grab a pomegranate from one of our trees. She said, "I hope you don't mind". Seriously? Of course I didn't mind, she's one of my best friends and I have way more pomegranates than I know what to do with. So, there we under the tree enjoying pomegranates. I clipped a bagful for her to take home.
I think that she said that she had planned on using some pomegranate in a salad later that afternoon, delicious.

Adriane presents a sumptuous pomegranate. 

As we enjoyed pomegranates we discussed their many health benefits and also how wonderfully delicious they were. I also told her that I made a pomegranate liqueur last year and offered her a bit, but she declined since it was so early in the day. I used Iosifina's recipe last year. I need to try it again because although mine turned out beautifully, there's room for improvement.  I'm making more so I can make it even better!

Adriane enjoying a few pomegranates. 

Alexandra eating a pomegranate.

 Our children love snacking on the fresh fruit from our trees.

Often, I juice the pomegranates for the kids since they love it. I add sugar from time to time, depending  on the sweetness of the fruit  that I juiced. Sometimes they can taste bitter and tart.

I know that there many different ways to use pomegranates in cooking and I'm ready to explore. I'm also going to start applying the juice to my skin after cleansing my face as I've recently discovered that it could reduce the signs of aging as well as prevent skin cancer.    This year I'm really enjoying our bounty, can't you tell?

Health Benefits of Pomegranates

-Fights Breast Cancer

-Lowers Blood Pressure

-Lung Cancer Prevention

-Slows Prostate Cancer

-Keeps PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) Levels Stable

-Protects Neonatal Brain

-Protects Arteries

-Alzheimer's Disease Prevention

-Lowers Cholesterol

-May prevent development of dental plaque

-Prevention of Osteoarthritis

-May reduce the formation of skin cancer

-Stimulates production of collagen & prevents breakdown of collagen fibers

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Sources: Eat This! 11 Health Benefits of Pomegranate Juice

              Pomegranate Skin Benefits: Can This Amazing Fruit Prevent Skin Aging?

              Pomegranates: The New Super Food

              Pomegranate-Wikipedia

Maria

It was midsummer  when she told me that she would be travelling to Thessaloniki and since it's near my home, we agreed that we would meet. It was a must, since we'd been blog friends for about a year. I was anxious to meet her as I find her an inspiration. She's an amazing writer and I find myself consumed by her posts. I prefer to read them in the morning as I sip my coffee since they're usually entertaining, informative and as I've already said, inspiring. 
I've tried her recipes and many of them have become favorites and staples on my table. I join her in solidarity as a mother of young children and an expat that's trying to teach our good eating habits by offering healthy choices and homemade meals on a daily basis. I've learned so much about the natural foods available at my footsteps, foods l probably would have never considered eating as I thought they were only weeds that I needed to get rid of. She's someone I can send an email that consists of a mere sentence or less...and she knows exactly what I'm talking about. She's funny, intelligent, thoughtful and adorable. She's Maria Verivaki, the Mediterranean Kiwi of Organically Cooked. 

Maria on my balcony.

Early in September, Maria and her family embarked on a vacation that was quite different for them. They  took a ferry boat from Crete to mainland Greece so that they would have the opportunity to explore the hidden treasures of Greece at their own pace. We expected her to be in our area the during first weekend of September. The two of us explored different places to meet and we had originally settled on meeting at the mall in our area. On the day that we had planned our visit, she and her family were set out for Halkidiki. So, I thought about it a little more and then I thought about the children. Sure, we could meet someplace neutral it would be nice, but what about he kids? If we were to meet at the mall my kids would start wandering off or begging for something 10 minutes after we had arrived, it's inevitable. Then, I thought about her kids. They have been in a car off and on for a few days and were probably tired. So, I decided to invite them to our home for coffee as it's on the way back to the city, where they were staying. After I made my suggestion, she agreed that it would be a nice change.

I met Maria and her family in the center of my town since it's usually much easier for us to have first-time visitors follow us to our home, given we don't have an address. Naturally, I recognized her immediately. She was standing beside her car so I parked behind hers, hopped out and gave her a great big hug. Next, I was introduced to her husband Dimitri and then her children. The children were having a spat in the backseat of the car and she looked at me and asked, "would you mind taking the kids in your car"?  Of course I didn't mind and besides, I knew they'd love to watch a little bit of a movie on the DVD player. They were thrilled with DVD player but it's such a short drive to my home that they only got to watch the previews before the actual movie began. Nevertheless, they were instantly happy.

When we arrived at my home Gigi greeted the family at our gate and then our kids, followed by Kosta. Our kids were so excited to have visitors because they rarely have others to play with at home since we virtually have no neighbors. Well we do, but most of them are chickens and dogs.
So, the children became acquainted quickly and off they went. We didn't see or hear much of them for the entire evening. Our husbands sat together on the balcony and discussed...well...who knows what- for hours. Everyone got along so well, it was wonderful.
 Over coffee we  had so much to talk about, it seemed as if we'd known each other for much more than only a year. We laughed a lot and every now and then we would stop our conversation because we'd hear something drop upstairs. We'd stop talking long enough to make sure that the kids were fine and then continue right where we left off.

Maria enjoys Gigi's  & Alexandra's company...

I had a peek in Foti's room from the balcony and found two young warriors...

The children exhausted after playing for hours. They watched a movie to wind down. 



Maria's husband, Dimitri, with Kosta

All of us had such a nice time but then it started to get late and everyone, especially the children seemed to be pretty tired. It was bittersweet to see them leave, we wished that they could have stayed for days! We've already discussed what we'll do the next time we meet here, unless we end up in Crete first, you never know!

Here's a nice photo of myself with Maria...


~~~~~


Maria's Gigandes

The aroma of gigandes baking is enticing...


I've been making gigandes for years and they were good. All of my friends in the U.S. loved when I made them and my sister used request that I make them. I used to make gigandes based on a recipe from one of my favorite cook books and although they were good, for me, they were never quite right.
Since I love Maria's recipes I decided to try her version of gigandes.  What she adds in hers, that I had never put in mine, is tomato paste. I had never used it in mine and it makes a huge difference in the consistency of the sauce by adding richness and more flavor.  Also, she adds sausages to her beans. So far, I haven't used sausages but I can imagine that the beans with the sausages combined are delicious. But my family loves her recipe! I make these at least once every few weeks. Thank you Maria!

Maria's Gigandes Recipe is here .


-More favorite recipes from Organically Cooked-


Avgolemono
Fasolada
Falsolakia
Lemon cake

...well... just to name a few .There are so many!

Visit Maria's other marvelous blog :
One Day in Hania