Monthly Archives: September 2009

Greece on my mind

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Nafpaktos stairs Nafpaktos

AthensAthens

GalaxidiGalaxidi

MykonosMykonos

(yep, that’s my Dad posing in the archway!)

Mykonos Mykonos

Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to visit Greece. I wanted to see the place where my Grandfather (my Papou) grew up. I wanted to see the crystal clear water and white washed houses for my self. And in college I was finally able to go by means of a  summer study abroad program. I was even more fortunate by the fact that my Dad’s Aunt (my Papou’s sister) and Uncle were there in Greece and welcomed me to come a week early and stay with them in my Papou’s home town of Galaxidi.

After a rough trip of delayed planes, missed connections, 12 hours in the Frankfurt airport and a three hour drive from Athens to Galaxidi at 2am I fell into bed. I am positive I was asleep before my head hit the pillow! That next morning I woke up, opened the wooden shutters and saw what is in that photo of Galaxidi above. A sea side village with a towering mountain in the background and cypress and olive trees dappled here and there. I was completely overwhelmed and fell instantly in love.

Almost exactly three years ago I was able to go on a trip to Greece for a second time with my Dad, who for reasons completely beyond my comprehension, had never been before. It was an amazing two week long trip! We travelled from Athens to Galaxidi, a day trip to Nafpaktos, and then a five day jaunt to Mykonos. We had planned to split that five day trip with another nearby island but the wind had other plans. One of the problems with travelling by boat to the islands! But be forewarned, you will get no sympathy from friends when you tell them you were stranded on a Greek island for a few days!

And now I am craving that warm breeze and inexplicable light that makes you feel as though you are seeing things clearly for the first time. I feel home sick for a place that has never been my home. I think Greece has become my vice and I am past due for a fix!

In the mean time I will have to come up with some Greek style projects so I can at least pretend I am there :) And here is just a fun photo of my Dad and I contemplating the sea while eating Greek fast food of spanakopita and tiropita.

Greek fast food and contemplation

Before & After- Dress Alteration

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dress beforeBefore

Dress AfterAfter

Look at this cute little jumper I got at a clothing swap! It still had the original tags on it, $58 and I got it for free! But it was too baggy and too short for my comfort.

I know, I know! Legs are “in”. And you know, I did entertain the thought of wearing it short with an over sized jacket and bare legs… but I chickened out.

I wanted to alter this dress in a way that was very pourpousful. I wanted it to be a top, not just a dress over pants. So I brought in the sides and shortened the front so it almost created a train in the back. Skinny jeans and heels (my Grandma’s!) complete the look.

Adopt a Pet!

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bruce-1

My boyfriend and I recently adopted this adorable dog above, Bruce. And we couldn’t be happier with him! He is almost two years old and was found in a back yard so we don’t know exactly what mix he is but one parent was definitely a Corgi.

Bruce’s story is all too common. It’s confusing and involves a mysterious injury. Someone found him in their backyard with a scrapped up knee. They took him to the vet and told the vet they didn’t want him because he was always escaping. It turns out that Bruce had a torn ACl, which is not common in a small dog. Since that knee was scrapped up the general conclusion is that he escaped from a yard and got his leg caught in the fence causing the torn ACl.

I have come to know this dog in the past few weeks and there is no way that he would try to escape a yard unless he had been left outside all day. This is a dog who will run out in the yard and then immediately come back to the door if you go back inside. He is incredibly social and it makes me want to cry to imagine the neglect he went through.

We adopted him from the Pet Rescue of Maryland, an amazing group of people devoted to finding not just ‘a’ home but the ‘right’ home for all their animals. They took Bruce in and provided the much needed knee surgery as well as removing a benign cyst that was on top of his head. It is also their policy to make sure all animals are neutered or spayed and up to date with all shots. The process was longer than going to a pet store or breeder but the reward is huge. Rescuing an animal is the greatest feeling. There are so many animals that need help! So the next time you think about getting a new animal, take a little more time out of your life to save one in need.

Through Pet Finder you can find animals for adoption in your area.

Before & After- Bar

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I know, I’ve been a bad blogger. I had to take a little break because work was just too crazy. But I have still been able to get some things done around the house. Here is the Before and After of my built in bar. I think that this was originally a closet; one of only two in the entire house! One of the problems with old houses, they had wardrobes back then, not closets. Which is fine really, I like wardrobes! But I’m still trying to figure out where to store my vacuum cleaner…

before-bar Before

 

after-barAfter

It’s amazing what a little paint can do! This is just one part in a huge re-painting project. When I moved into my house one year ago I had grand plans for painting everything before unpacking. Oh how the best laid schemes of mice and men… well you know. So now after living with one spotty coat of primer on a few walls for one year I am back in the swing of things. Plowing ahead with my painting and decorating plans!