Rain

For the more than a week we've experienced our fair share of rain. It has rained so much, everything is drenched and muddy. It's just messy and our roads turn into rivers, literally. Just Saturday night I went out with a friend and she offered to pick me up at home, and I had to politely refuse that she did because our roads are such a mess. It was much easier for me to drive out than it would have been for her to drive in. I don't want to subject anyone to these waterways unless it's absolutely necessary. 

Yesterday there was a break in the rain just before it was time to pick the kids up from school but it was a challenge getting to my car without getting my feet and  the bottom of pants completely soaked. By the time we got home there was a little concrete left above water so that we could get into our gate. The kids love when our road turns into a river, they like to throw small objects like sticks and leaves into the stream so that they can watch them get carried off into the field. They were very excited to pose for a picture with all of this water yesterday. (pretend you don't see the junk food!) 

About 20 minutes after we were home the water rushed down and took over the whole road. It's a good thing that we got home when we did because it would've been extra messy if we all had to wade through this  to get to our gate. 

And, when I say the whole road was a river, I mean it. It took about 4 hours for the water to clear. 

The kids ran inside to put on their rain boots so that they could splash around a bit. It was very exciting for them. I don't know how exciting it will be at the end of winter, but it is now. 

Here's Izabella showing me how much water accumulated in the wheelbarrow-again. This amount of water is from yesterday. It seems we've emptied it almost every day. 

And here's a picture of some pomegranates in the rain. Today the sun is shining and it's fairly warm-a welcome change.

What a difference a day makes. 

***

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.~Maya Angelou

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.

Sunrise

Thursday afternoon Maria posted a photo of the snow covered mountains above Hania. I mentioned that, ironically, I had taken a photo of Mt. Olympus at sunrise for the same reason, the snow.  She said that she would like to see it, so here are some photos that I snapped at sunrise Thursday morning.

Sunrise 

The early morning glow reveals Mt. Olympus and all of her snow covered glory. This morning the kids squealed with excitement when they noticed the snow. 

The moon on her way out for the day.

Two days of Random Photos

This post has been inspired by a childhood friend of mine. I was lucky enough to talk to her for the first time in probably 5 years earlier tonight. She had mentioned how exciting and interesting my life seems. I thanked her and thought, yes...my life is a little less ordinary...I suppose. At least it's nothing like the life that I left behind, the life that everyone back home is so familiar with. I've left the cul-de-sac of my childhood and now I live at the end of a dirt road with a view of the Aegean Sea and Mt. Olympus. As a child, I wouldn't have imagined I'd end up living in Greece or even in Europe, for that matter.  So, after I finished my conversation with her I started to upload photos that were taken within the last two days. Here are some random photos that I've chosen to share with everyone. This is what I see, what I've done or where I've been...this is part of my everyday life. It's interesting to others and I realize that I'm fortunate. Thank you for the inspiration Lisa. 

A boat full of men dressed in camouflage.

Alexandra & Foti posing at the base of a tower.

Kosta, Foti & Izabella

Boats docked at the marina.

Izabella posing for the camera.

An outdoor cafe, empty because it was extremely windy.

Alexandra having fun at a playground.

The front of a taverna.

Myself with Alexandra

The sunset- from our balcony  on Wednesday night.

Mt. Olympus- from our balcony at sunset on Wednesday night. 

A herd of sheep passes in front of our house early Thursday morning.  

Have a nice weekend...

Coffee in Athitos

Although I had been visiting Greece for just about 18 years at the time, it wasn't until two years ago that I stumbled upon the lovely village of Athitos or Afytos, Halkidiki. A friend of mine from the U.S. was visiting, so we hopped in my tiny rental car and explored parts of Halkidiki that even I hadn't been. We chose to turn into the village of Athitos because we knew that since we were so close to the sea that having a nice cold frappe with a great view was inevitable.

Since having coffee in Athitos two summers ago, I've been talking to Kosta about it because although he spent nearly every summer in Halkidiki as a child, he had never been there. So, Saturday afternoon we had the chance to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee together in Athitos.

The weather wasn't perfect as it rained for most of the day, but it was still nice enough to enjoy a cup of coffee seaside. The view in Athitos was gorgeous despite the clouds. I highly doubt that this view is ever anything less than beautiful.

I took so many pictures during our time in Athitos and chose 16 for this post. Enjoy...

This little cat kept us company.

The front of the cafe, "On the Rocks". The cafe is actually upstairs & there's an artist's shop downstairs.

Kosta at our table.

I'm taking in the view. It's never enough.

Our little friend received a lot of attention.

Another view from where we were sitting.

I have taken a photo of this view once before. I'm not sure which one I like better.

There is a psarotaverna next to the cafe, the food smelled amazing! Imagine enjoying fresh calamari with this view.

More of the view.

Old buildings along the street are so interesting.

Tight squeeze tractor parking!

Stray dog...

A walk down the narrow streets of Athitos.

An adorable home.

A small church.

Some tourists enjoying the view.