Happy Anniversary

I can hardly believe that today my husband, Alex and I celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. We have been a part of each other's lives forever. We started dating in 1982 right after he graduated from high school however we had been friends long before that. I love the fact that we have been together longer than we have been apart.

This picture was taken in NYC on top of the World Trade Center right after we began dating. It's funny to see how young we were.

I feel so comfortable and safe with him. I know without a doubt that he loves me. (I guess to put up with me for so long he'd have to) Alex is a great dad. I remember when Alex (jr) was born and the doctor told us it was a boy, he actually jumped with joy. He and our son are not only father and son but also the best of friends. Alex works so hard to provide for us. At one point he was actually working three jobs. I love that he is sensitive, easy-going, calls me from work just to check in, respects his parents, is a good judge of character, is sentimental, is kind, cares for others and is thoughtful. He supports me in all that I do and offers me encouragement. He loves the Lord and seeks to do his will.

Happy Anniversary Alex. Thanks for loving me and being a wonderful part of my life. I would not have it any other way. I LOVE YOU!

My New Room

What are parents to do when their 17 year old son comes to them with a request for a set of free weights? Oh yes it sounds like a simple request and with Christmas right around the corner the answer to this question seems to be an easy one. However when this family lives in a two bedroom home and every inch of space has been used the request becomes more complicated. This is the situation my family recently faced. My son Alex, who rarely asks for anything, came to my husband and I and presented his request. This request was made earlier in the year as well but after thinking and rethinking about the available space in our home to put these weights, the idea was sadly dismissed. Our garage had already been converted into a home office for my husband and the available space in our game room was converted into a scrapbook studio for me. As I was working in my studio one afternoon, the thought occured to me-----Why don't Alex and I trade rooms. My studio in the game room was much larger than Alex's bedroom and would be able to hold Alex's bedroom furniture as well as a set of free weights. Oh I knew I would be receiving the smaller room in the trade, but I would just reorganize my supplies to fit in the smaller space. Alex was thrilled at this idea and the thought of a new room became exciting for me as well. There was only one catch ---Alex's bedroom had been painted black and gold. Living in Pittsburgh and loving all of our sports teams the color scheme seemed perfect at the time we painted his room. The thought never occured to me that I would ever want to have this room for myself. So the makeover began......................

Just a few before pictures. How was I ever going to make this room a place to inspire me and one that I would love to create in. I first emptied the room of everything and placed it in my living room. Yikes what a mess.

Then I set to work to cover those black and gold walls. With the help of my little white, shabby chair I could reach the high spots without lugging the ladder in from the shed. Well it took two coats of primmer and two coats of paint to cover that gold. I love the names of the paint---antique white (for the walls) and swan wings (for the trim). As for the black, I purchased wallpaper that looks exactly like beadboard and with the help of my mom covered that black right up.
I am so happy with the result!! Are you ready for the unveiling.............
The whole makeover took about two weeks. I am finally settling into my new studio and it feels just as inspiring as my other creative place. Alex loves his new space as well. Once we purchase those weights, I will have to take pictures to share with you. Well I am off to create in my new space.

Paralia

Well I think that I have finally reached the end of my little tour of Greece. Before I close this chapter of my blog I just had to share one more amazing place---Paralia. I had heard so much about this place before our trip I just could not wait to see it in person. Paralia is a boardwalk of sorts but unlike anything we have here in the states. Right at the water's edge, a cement walkway lined with restaurants, ouzories, and coffee shops that seemed to go on forever. Each place with it's own seating area equipped with umbrellas to shield off the sun. Such a welcoming place to sit and enjoy a cold coffee drink with family.

Adding to the charm of Paralia were little carts placed here and there selling popcorn, nuts, roasted corn, toys, and balloons.
I was surprised to see that Paralia is always busy. Even in the early morning hours men gather for coffee. Sitting at the little tables some in groups socializing others alone with the morning paper. As the day turns from morning to afternoon, others begin to fill the walkway. As evening comes, Paralia is at it's busiest. Families, young couples, old couples, friends, and relatives all gather at this spot to walk and enjoy each other's company. The sun sets, yachts return from a day at sea, and weary passengers head for the restaurants or their hotel rooms.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading and being a part of my Greek adventure. The memories I have made on this trip are priceless and ones that I will always cherish. If the opportunity ever comes along for you to visit Greece, take it----You will love visiting this most beautiful place and I know you will cherish your memories as well.

New Toys

Don't you just love when new products finally arrive at your local crafts stores. If you are like me, you sit at your computer and drool over all the sneak peeks they tease you with. My mind whirls with ideas. When they finally arrive at the stores, I am like a kid in a candy store. I can hardly make a decision as to what to buy first. On a recent visit to my local Joann Fabric Store, I was delighted to find a display of the new Sizzix die cuts. I stood there for several minutes just looking at their cuteness. There were snowflakes, gingerbread men, Christmas trees, presents, wreaths, holly leaves, cups of hot chocolate, and tags. They came in all sizes--little Sizzlitts, original sized dies, and the new Bigz dies. Can you see why I was so excited and why it took me so long to make a decision. Well I finally narrowed it down to two. I choose.........I quickly took them home. I couldn't wait to play with my new toys. I opened the Christmas tree die first gathered all my Christmas paper together and began to create. I distressed the background card stock just a bit with some sandpaper and added some stitching to give the card a homespun look.

The possibilities with the bird and vine die are endless. Oh of course he can be "the partridge in a pear tree" for your Christmas cards but he can be so much more. I thought it would be fun to cut the vine from a piece of vintage sheet music and the sweet little bird from a simple piece of pattern paper. For the background of the card I used my Cuttlebug embossing folder in the textile pattern. Finally to secure the sentiment to the card, I added a bit of stitching.

I had such a good time creating with my new die cuts. I hope you get a chance to see them in person. They are wonderful. Oh and did I mention there is a whole series of Halloween dies too but that's a post for another time...............

My Greek Family

My Greek Family--a family that I had known only through pictures, stories told to me by my father-in-law and my husband, and brief phone conversations. Each year at Christmas I would type a letter summarizing our year and mail it off with photos in hopes that they would get to know us a bit better. A family that I loved but did not really know and were so very far away. When we decided to travel to Greece this summer, that was one of the things I was really looking forward to---getting to know this family that I had heard so much about. I now find that this is one of the things I miss most about Greece---my family. Uncle Nestor----stories about him are legendary. Such a fun-loving, easy going, good humored man. He always had something up his sleeve to make us laugh. Because Uncle Nestor lived in the States for about 10 years, he was able to speak English very well which made it so easy to get to know him better. One evening after dinner, we were all relaxing and enjoying each others company. Uncle Nestor came from the kitchen with two dinner plates. One for himself and the other he handed to my son. He told Alex that he was going to preform a trick and Alex would be hypnotized. Handing Alex the plate, he told him to hold it chest level and to focus only on his eyes. He then instructed Alex to do as he did. Uncle Nestor began to rub the bottom of his dinner plate with his fingers. Alex did as he was told and rubbed the bottom of his. Uncle Nestor then took his finger and ran it along his face. Once again Alex did the same. It became very clear to all of us what Uncle Nestor was up to. All of us except Alex. This was the result of Uncle Nestor's plot.While in the kitchen he had secretly placed ashes on the bottom of Alex's plate. This is just one example of Uncle Nestor's humor. It was also Uncle Nestor who drove us safely all over Greece in the rented van helping to make our trip so amazing.

Thio Dimitri----It was at Thio Dimitri's home where we gathered everyday for our meals. I will never forget his beautiful patio where he built an amazing outdoor sink and the lovely awning that shaded us from the sun.
He also had a silly side which showed up in the funny faces he would make for all of my pictures.

It was Theo Dimetri who woke early each morning to visit the market to purchase the food for the day. He worked so hard keeping things in order to help make our vacation perfect.

Aunt Angie and Thia Anna----I don't think I have ever met two such special ladies. Aunt Angie is married to Uncle Nestor and Thia Anna is Thio Dimitri's wife. I could write forever about all the thoughtful things they did for us. I really don't think they sat for 5 minutes at a time busily caring for every one's needs. All of the delicious meals that I spoke of in the last post were made by these two ladies. When laundry needed to be done, they not only washed our cloths but ironed them to perfection. I so appreciated them and all the love they put into everything they did.

There were so many cousins to meet and get reacquainted with. The last time my husband had been to Greece was the year before we were married. That was 23 years ago. He had alot of catching up to do. As for my son and I, we had a great time meeting and getting to know each and everyone of them.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to meet and get to know each and every one of them. They are truly special people and are not just relatives who live so very far away----but have now become FAMILY.