Tuesday Garden Party

Hello dear friends,

 Today's theme is Decorating with yard/garden items. 

 These little fellows reside on my daughter's balcony, together with the red mushroom. Aren't they cute?

And this little guy used to light our backyard. Though the light doesn't work anymore, he makes me smile when I mook for him in the morning.

What makes you smile in the morning? 

Visit more Garden Party goers right here.

See you all next week.

Beginning of the week

Hi there,
I hope you all had a nice weekend.
We spent it at home with J's fever reaching 40. Luke warm baths and echinacaea with some spoonfulls of anti-fever syrup. He is better now, c.38+, but he still has the caughing and some new stomach issues...Eating rice like a Chinese man. C hasn't been feeling well either. His fever is c.37+. I don't know if it is my man or every man, but when it comes to the flu, I think men are worse than babies.

We began redecorating the shop. The new bed is very stylish. Very urban style chic. Will show you pictures. Quite tricky to set up as it is a completely new style, but we'll learn. Lots of work to be done tomorrow.

D and I watched Four Christmases tonight after I came home from work.Just what I needed. Relaxed, heartwarming and light hearted.

Over the weekend C placed the lights outside the house.(Picture taken earlier tonight, while I was collecting the laundry). The rugs are in place in the living room, too. I like them better this year than last year!
We haven't decorated the Christmas trea yet, but we do have a real one this year which we shall plant after the end of the holidays. Plus three real ones at the shop which we shall be donating to the community after Christmas.

I have taken some pictures of the house in the quiet hours of Sunday morning. I had very little sleep, so I when I finally decided it;s better to wake up and get dressed, the light was such a blessing. I'll show you in a while.
Take care,
xoxo

Household tips and advice

*Overstuffing the washing machine is a common mistake. Pack the machine loosely and remember not to use more detergent than recommended on the packaging. If you overstuff a dryer, your clothes will take longer to dry and come out very wrinkled.

*Don't lug a huge box or jug of detergent to the laundry room. It's too bulky and heavy to carry with your bag of dirty clothes. Instead, measure what you need into small plastic zipper bags or yogurt cups.
The advice below is meant for College freshmen. However we could all benefit from it, so I am sharing it with you.

*Use dryer sheets sparingly and never with towels. (They can coat the fibers and reduce fluffiness.) Don't add a sheet in the middle of a heat cycle because it can leave greaselike spots on clothing. Dryer sheets are good to stuff in smelly shoes, gym bags, drawers and closets.

*Turn the computer keyboard upside down and shake it every once in a while to get crumbs out. It will work better.

*If you go out to eat, ask for takeout containers so you can make another meal out of leftovers.

*Don't take your laundry home if the airline charges for checking luggage.

*Every once in a while, clean the grungy lounge microwave by boiling a large bowl of water with slices of lemon or orange for a minute or two.

A reminder is always useful. Original article here. More on washing, tomorrow!
Now to some washing up!..

Gardening in Greece...via Munich

Hello, dear friends,

It is the first day of May, today, a day of fun and celebration of nature.
In times past, people used to ride on horse-drawn carriages and head to the fields to celebrate spring. Then, they'd come home and make wreaths and hung them in the front door.



We used to do that every year. I mean not exactly, but close. You may want to take a look here and here.



This year, it was quite different. J is home bound and he will be for another week to ward off fears of pneumonia. C took that into consideration and he bought a flower wreath from the florist's. I like it, but I'll take a picture tomorrow, as it gets dark now. So, we stayed at home and it so happened that we did some gardening, which is a nature related activity, which is so much related to the month of May, which is great!



We did some weeding and mixing in some new soil (but we soon run out and have to go back and get some more). We planted some flowers and we planted some seeds that we had bought in Germany. I also have some British salad seeds that I can not find here.



What surprises me in Greece (one of the long list of what surprises me in Greece) is that people do not plant in their gardens as the Americans or the British or the Germans do. You'd think that with all the mild weather the gardens would be blooming everywhere as in the garden of Eden. But, no. There is lots of expensive to upkeep grass, and not much more. I know about the upkeep because we have a back patch that needs watering in the summer. Why am I not turning it into a vegetable garden, you ask.



Because the front patch is a strip of grass, really, and there is not space to place a chair and table in the shadow, unless you want to do some extensive people watching. Which leaves us with our own little piece of heaven in the back garden. But I am planting in containers in the living room veranda: tomatoes, cherry tomatoes for the first time, and some salad leaves, which will hopefully carry us through the summer.



I can't tell you how much I wanted a garden! We could have bought an apartment in a more upbeat neighborhood with fancy decor etc. but this was one of the few times in my life that I stumped my feet and asked for a garden. Small? Ok with me. But I can take my shoes off and walk on the just rained upon green carpet: bliss.


Are you blessed with a garden of your own? If you do, you know how great it is to take your shoes off and walk on the land itself. It is so, well, grounding.

If you don't have a patch of land to call garden, do not wait for another minute.
Go to a nice public park (another species that is nearing extinction in this blessed land of Greece), wear flip-flops, and discretely take them off and walk like a light headed film star.



The air d' insouciance is needed, in case a warden wants to ask why you took your shoes off. Which reminds me...oh, I'll leave that for the next post.



Happy 1st of May!

(All pictures Munich, and the Munich vegetable and flower marker, April 2009)

A fever, a play and a birthday

Hello, my dear friends,

Writing from the shop. Listening to music from Denise's blog (Thank you, Denise!).
I've spent the morning at home. I wasn't baking fun Christmas cookies or melomakarona and kourambiedes.. I was sleeping, dosing next to my 'baking' 7-year old. He came yesterday from school complaining that his head hurt. Then last night the girls called us saying he had a real bad headache, so we rushed home. Thermometer verdict:38.2. Daddy verdict: No school today. So, I squeezed oranges and handed out vitamin C supplements and covered bread with honey for my little honey.
Later I made some spaghetti with basil and tomato sauce but he didn' t want any, so when the girls came back from school, we had lunch with little J reclining on the recliner and watching TV.
C left at 6 am today to deliver some goods to a ferry (you know by now: 11/2 hour drive!). But the weather was not good enough for the ferry to reach its final destination, and so now the goods are stranded in the ship on their way to another island, when the weather gets better. You'd think we live in the Caribbean! (Think Nim's Island).
Anyway, I am now drinking a hot mandarin orange green tea (after tasting, I am thoroughly for plain green). It's getting darker outside. So many colours and shades in nature!..


Yesterday evening I put up the decorations at the shop. I was fed up waiting for the new ones. When we unpacked the week's track load, we found the new ones packed inside, so C screwed together the new one.
I had taken some nice pictures with my camera last night, but for now, we'll have to make do with my mobile. this is the standard decoration we've had for years, but I hung the socks from the new one and didn't use any of the previous ones. There. We're Christmasy at the shop, too!

Tomorrow afternoon it's J's Christmas shool play. He is in the chorus, singing and dancing around Uncle Scrooge. I haven't bought him his outfit yet. I was supposed to do so this morning. We'll have to make do with what we've got, I think. A white polo neck and jeans...Hmmm! I hope he'll be OK by tomorrow, OK enough to play his part at least.

Then on Sunday it's D's 12th birthday. We haven't ordered her a cake, nor did I have the time to make one, but I think we'll let her pick a ready made one. (Great selection of songs , Denise. By What Child Is This a weight was lifted off my chest. Thank you). I have bought her a pair of trousers that she had her eyes on all fall, and a cardigan to match. And if everything gets better with J, we've promised to take them watch Madagascar II in the afternoon. D is my pink girly girl, yet she is 'still' a child and I am so very thankful for that little angel God sent me. I love and appreciate her more and more as she grows up.


Sweet kisses to all of you, my dear friends. Love each other and enjoy the weekend.

*Update:
Did I tell you the computer went blue in the morning and when it recovered it got all the 2007 stuff installed, but none of 2008? links, e-mails, the works? Oh I would have been infuriated if that had happened then. I am quite stoic , right now. I'll let the professionals blub on , the computer guy and the accountant guy and all...

Also, J has a 39 now and I can't reach the doctor on her mobile, so we might take him to the hospital if it persists. No question of school play or Madagascar, C said. Oh well! There will be another play and another movie...

It's a cat's life!..

Life in our household involves a full shower and blowdry...

...followed by some serious studying!

It's a cat's life, dear friends!...

Meet Billy, our flokati cat

At first, he sat on C's lap, making happy noises, and taking a nap. Open eyes, lick hands, nap.

He sat there, all evening, our flokati rug cat, that's how his hair looks and feels.

Then, we took him home. We took some bottles of wine out of a gift basket, placed a tea towel at the bottom and settled him inside. He spent the night by the kitchen isle.

At first D was adamant she didn't want him. She was afraid we'd no longer love our already resident cat. She slowly felt sorry for him. She even asked if he could be her birthday present! She spent the night napping on the recliner right next to him, waking up with him while he had his dinner and drink, caressing his long hair and talking him into sleep again.

After a number of cute names including Rolo and Toffee Cat, D called him Billy, because his eyes reminded her of a primary school friend. So, here is our "Billy the ball-cat".

Taki the cat, met him in the morning. There was some groaning from Billy's part, and some punches on Taki's face when he approached Billy's basket. They're now separate, one in the kitchen, the other at the laundry room.

Talking of Taki. Do you remember him from last May? Here is a new picture of Taki under the Christmas tree that we have put up on Sunday and have been decorating ever since!

At the time of our first cat's arrival, I had asked you to give him a name. Some great names were dropped on the table, or should I say, the screen, but Taki, a dainty little creature who moves and acts with a certain distinction among furniture, toys and kitchen leftovers, was finally named after Taki Theodoracopulos, briefly Sir Taki. You may read about Taki the person here and check his on-line magazine here.

Thank you for your comments on last night's entry. I truly appreciate your friendship and I am thankful for our companionship.

Summer afternoon

It's Friday afternoon, C is away to deliver a couple of beds, and we just got an order for a boutique hotel. Not bad given that we haven't really been on the map lately. An interior designer friend also landed me an offer for a few yards of Designers Guild fabric, so you may say the day wasn't wasted, after all.

It began raining at about 5 p.m. I run from home to the shop, making a stop at the local general store for coffee and biscuits. I love the feeling of running, the freedom of being able to go from spot A to spot B on my two legs. Makes me grateful for the ordinary.

We had pizza for lunch (!) using our new oven. I am not familiar with it yet, but hope to get in touch soon. C and D are so brave. They get their hands on everything without fear that they may destroy it. I used to be like that. (Note to self).

It has been very hot and humid over here. We say we won't spend any more, but we couldn't help purchasing two fans, one for the downstairs kitchen/living room, den, and one for our bedroom. Less expensive, more environmentally friendly than air-conditioning.

The girls took turns posing. How fun is a fan!

Help! Someone called me Granny!

I have been on a rollercoaster this week, as you may gather if you've even tried to move house. Packing on one side, unpacking on the other. Sounds straight forward? Hmm, not to me, not anymore. There is lots of throwing away to be done, obviously, but for the first time there is going to be a huge giveaway. I am grateful that my kids are mature enough to realise that holding on to clothes and stuff they've long outgrown is selfish and pointless.
Of course there is stuff that is cherished, which is moving with us. Especially napkin paintings that are too precious to throw away..
There is some thinking to be done about old curtains like this Designers Guild lot from J's bedroom.

And of course there is the sweet melancholy of leaving behind a well lived space. A space that has housed an important chapter of my life, my fall and rise in Christ.

Works at the house continue. Railings are being put up, a compressor works on the pavement all day, and tomorrow we are expecting the backyard fence to be put up. For a brief moment I almost wished I would be in the orderly disorder of our old house.

Straight forward, you said? No, not to me! When I've suggested that all it takes to divide our properties is a simple fence bought inexpensively at the local Praktiker store, the neighbors hissed in disapproval. No, cement it must be. Makes me wonder, why people think they are going to live forever, when it is well documented that usually houses outlive people?

In all this upheaval, where I do not know where to start and where to go next at times, there are spots of relaxation, at least for some of us. Oh I love it when they find their little niche of peace and quiet!
And as if this weren't enough, a customer's little girl kept calling me granny, today! Perhaps I shall have to color my hair again. Have a haircut and untie those tight scrunchies. And wear something pretty, 'cause I have to admit, yesterday I came to the shop with C's shirt on!

House update

In pictures. Thank you for your prayers. We hope to move the first pieces of furniture over the weekend. Beds and couches on Friday, bookshelves on Saturday, boxes on Sunday (I am sorry it will be the last Sunday I will walk to that church)

then the little bits and pieces that need sorting out over the next two weeks. We hope to celebrate C's birthday on Wednesday, June 18th, in our new home. The contractor still won't sign in, but we hope that GOd will make his hard heart yeld over. Please pray for us.

Prayer Request

Dear friends,

I am well aware that there are people in much more needy situations than I am. And I pray in humble prayer for those I know and those I don't know who may be suffering and in trial while I go around caring about the ordinary.

Today, though, I feel overwhelmed, and I am going to ask for a personal favor.
I'd like to ask you to pray for us for something that is trivial, perhaps, but that has been a burden on us for quite some time.

As some of you know, we have been building a house for the past three years. It is part of an block of houses built next to each other.
We have been experiencing increasing difficulties with the Engineer/contractor over time. At some point last summer one of our neighbours and ourselves realised that he was unreliable and attempted to complete the works on our own. He wouldn't let us do so, and wouldn't pay for them himself, so things continued to go slowly. The strain on us, physically, financially and psychologically got bigger and bigger. C rarely is at work as he is overseeing the project and drives everywhere for miles each day. We are paying for the rent in our current flat, plus the loan for the new home. The long period of uncertainty is wearing us out. We also face the pressure of our current landlord who needs the flat for his soon to be married daughter till the end of June.

A couple of months ago we hired our own contractor and work progressed fast. Now that works are nearing completion, the Engineer refuses to sign the necessary paperwork for us to be connected to the Electricity etc. blackmailing us really, in order to get us to pay him extra money for work that he hasn't done and wasn't going to do anyway, as he is essentially bankrupt, after he lost his money in the shaky Greek Stock Exchange.

C was really frustrated last night. I told him that I don't really mind about electricity. I am prepared to move in with oil lamps and candles, install the washing machine at the shop's basement, eat fruit and veggies and do the occasional BBQ in our backyard.

C is going to meet him at midday today, to try to talk some sense to him. Could you please pray with me? I say to myself that God knows best when it is time for us to move, and He knows how things should work out. i am bringing all that entangled mess to His feet and pray that He should show us the way.

Thank you.

Hello,
It is paint time for our home! I hope that painting will be done nicely and properly by the end of May.


I have posted more photos here! Come tell me what you think!

Non-Menu Monday...and Chicken Sunday

Hello,
No Menu today, I'm afraid. I have made some great stuff such as lentil soup, bean soup, and spinach pies, and freezed them because my stomach refuses to accept food. I get heartburn and a knot of pain even with drinking water.
Fortunately there is ayuverdic tea which I love, and my homeopath gave me some pills to take. Took two,Saturday and Sunday, lost the third. LOl.Didn't even ask what they were. He said we must make an appointment for this week. Boring with this rain, but it will stop by the time we book.
It is raining, raining, raining. And I am relieved. And when it is raining there is an unresistable need for comfort food. So, on Sunday I made this (and one more) "chicken pie". C loves them and he wanted me to make one , but as a largely vegetarian I tried to avoid it. Maybe I was wrong. This is a little miracle made in so little time, and it tastes great! It is also an excellent way to get the children to eat a bagful of veggies (which I made into a pulp in the Multi-Mulinex). Annie's recipe is marvelous. It is so yummy and so easy!Anyone reading this, pop over and copy! Cheers, Annie!

And with chicken pie, there is a need for a chicken soup, especially on a cold day like this.
I have posted some photos from our shop's new deco here. You are welcome to visit.
Happy Autumn!