November is National Adoption Awareness Month, throughout the month I will be posting links via Twitter to families that are adopting that need support and links to websites supporting either the families or the children themselves; such as Operation Christamas Child. (pics of my stuffed finished box to come!)
I've been dreaming about Greece a lot lately, I miss being there very much. I've been talking to friends I made there; making me miss it more!
So a little story from Athens;
Myself, my roommates, and a few girls from our program went shopping/exploring in the Monastiraki/Plaka area where we found a cute little shop pretty much geared towards tourists (as are many shops, but hey we had gifts to buy) and the woman that owned it was so sweet and genuine the second we started speaking to her in Greek (not that she wasn't nice before lol). When we would talk to people in Greek they generally, with the exception of one woman on the island, treated you like family (love).
Well this woman in all her sweetness gave us ouzo candy after the exchange of the usual pleasantries (where is your family from? the response of "I have a cousin there", where are you staying? the response "my family has a house there". Don't get me wrong I love these pleasantries).
Yes it did taste like ouzo, just no where near as strong lol..very licorice-y of course. Not something I would sit there and snack on but I'm not a big candy person anyway.
The sweet woman then proceeded to give us directions to good shops & such and offered us a discount on some jewelry because we were Greek-American students, which by the way got us some nice discounts along the way!
-For those of you still curious about the not-so-friendly woman from the island, not a whole lot to the story but she worked at the local market and I always spoke to her in Greek (except when I couldn't think of the words for laundry detergent) and I always wished her well when I left; example: at the beginning of the week "Kali Evdomada" (Have a good week) and such. When I said that she went "Hmph"... hmph? ummm I was confused... though I do understand she sees a lot of tourists and they probably annoy her but I was not a tourist per say & I've been told my accent is good so it couldn't have been that bad. This bothered me because I had to shop there for 3 weeks and every time same deal..oh well!(I don't mean to highlight her she was a very small encounter in my amazing time there)
Besides her all the people I encountered were very friendly and enjoyable.
More little stories an pictures to come.
-Here is a song my sister and I have been liking a lot lately, enjoy!
The lyric "Heaven doesn't seem so far away now" sure fits this picture, no?
It was nice to have off work today, tomorrow is orientation at my new (second) job..oh yeah did i mention i got a second job?! Doing the same type of work, i am looking forward to different experiences & hopefully good ones.
A day or two after i returned from Greece my mom went to a little festival down by a lake near us & picked up these earrings for me; i love the sun & moon.
click to enlarge
These were hand painted in Peru with a single cat whisker...can you imagine the kind of patience that takes?!? It hurts my brain just thinking about it. But they are so beautiful & extra special because its the sun & moon. My yiayia(grandma) was called Moon by her father as a nickname...& the sun cures depression...they're very symbolic & beautiful. I also love that Cleopatra gave as second names to her twins Alexander Ilios & Cleopatra Selini. There are many other reasons but i also look at them as signs of life.
*also i should point out that feggari is a much more used word for moon but i'm not going to get into that now :)
Here is a song i love & have been listening to a lot lately, its a few years old but keeping with the celestial theme its called
Auto to Asteri (That Star) by Nikos Oikonomopoulos.
I added a translated video since the lyrics are so beautiful :)
Νίκος Οικονομόπουλος - Αυτό το αστέρι
Σαν κλέφτης πέρασα μεσ΄του ουρανού τον κήπο το χέρι μου άπλωσα να πιάσω ένα αστέρι μα όταν προσπάθησα από εκεί να ξαναφύγω το δρόμο μου έκλεισαν δυο ολόλευκοι αγγέλοι
Αυτό το αστέρι ήθελα δώρο να σου φέρω αυτή τη νύχτα να στολίσεις τα μαλλιά σου ήθελα κάτι ακριβό να σου προσφέρω καρδιά μου απόψε που έχεις τα γενέθλιά σου
Ένα συγνώμη θέλω μόνο να σου πω πόσο λυπάμαι που έρχομαι με άδεια χέρια μα έχω ένα δώρο απ΄τ΄αστέρι πιο ακριβό είναι η αγάπη μου που αξίζει όλα τ΄αστέρια
That Star
Like a thief in the night I crossed the garden of the night sky. I held out my hand to catch a star. But when I tried to come back down to Earth my path was blocked by two angels bathed in white light.
I wanted to bring you that star as a gift, so that tonight you could wear it in your hair. I wanted to offer you something dear, since tonight, my darling, it's your birthday.
I just want to apologise to you. I'm so sorry I've come empty handed. But I have a gift more valuable than that star, it's my love which is worth all the stars in the night sky.
Now I have to share this; there is a show on Lifetime called 'One Born Every Minute' & episode #4 had a hilarious woman(grandmother) named Rosemary. Enjoy:
*I am happy to announce i got a 93% on my math test! (I was really worried, its nice to have one more down.) Moving projects have begun around my house, like the faucet in the kitchen being replaced, the woodwork being stained, painting, & such. We hope to move to the town my mom was born in, about 15 minutes from where we live now. It would be nice to move to Texas right away but college has a way of preventing things like that.
I don't talk enough on here about my love for horses, that being said this video is so well made! (though i am a Western rider not an English.)
So on that note i leave you with a beautiful blessing via the Apaches
My sister & i went to see Country Strong tonight & really liked it! Probably my favorite song from it was 'Give in to Me' sang by Garrett Hedlund & Leighton Meester. He is a really good actor & i love the way he looks at her in this video: (he just needs to shave ha)
He is so darn cute & seems like a decent person & not your typical Hollywood guy. I've watched some interviews with him & am impressed. I was a fan of him in the movie Troy as Achilles' cousin & in Four Brothers as well as Georgia Rule so i'm glad to see him get more lead roles. :)
Anyway good movie, if you like country go see it!
Leighton did a great job too! This is the kinda music she should sing.
In my last e.l.f. haul i bought theWaterproof Eyeliner Pen & today i'm reviewing it. First how fabulous is it that you can get this for $1!!?! & its waterproof! Now that alone should be enough to make you try it but in case you need more info for your disicion here are my pro's & con's;
pro's
-waterproof
-$1
-good color; black as coal
-great for travel
-easy,compact, no mess
con's
-sponge tip doesn't seem to hold enough product to do a full (not patchy) 'sweep' without turning the tip.
But it works fine as long as you go over it a few times. Over-all good product i recommend!
I leave you with this beautiful new song by one of my absolute favorite singers;
I'm so glad work is over with for the night it was so exhausting. But I had delicious baklava after, my lovely mother had it waiting! :)
I love Christmas & i love giving to the people i love; like i'm sure most people do, the only part i don't like are the insane shoppers & the backed up online orders (currently happening w/ e.l.f.)
I'll probably get a few posts in before Christmas but i'll still wish everyone a
Kala Xristougenna! Καλά Χριστούγεννα! Merry Christmas!
Since starting my new job i haven't had a lot of time for blogging & that makes me sad :( but i'm always happy when i can because it's something i really enjoy & my little creative outlet.
Onto today's post, the Blue Egyptian Lotus is a gorgeous flower, one i love for being so complex in it's beauty. It's the kind of flower that everyone has to stop & stare at because its so eye-catchingly unique.
(images from google)
In ancient Egypt the Blue Lotus (also called blue water-lilly) was a symbol for the Memphite god Nefertem.
He is show here with the lotus for a headdress as a symbol of fragrance and beauty.
It is also been used to make perfumes since ancient times.
It was very significant in ancient Egypt and was said to rise & fall with the sun.
Another interesting fact is that if eaten, the Blue Lotus acts as a mild sedative.
Such a stunning flower!
It is shown in this video for the song Louloudi Mou(my flower)
Today is the debut of my 1st official YouTube video on my channel (for my blog).
Excuse the fact that the lighting is bad for the 1st half & that it's short.
Enjoy!
I also had various papers & pens in there but i spared you the boredom lol. I also keep my purse in the back zipper of the bag. Though lately i've been looking for like a wristlet to use since the purse is a pain in the butt.
I also plan to do an updated version either next semester or when a new class starts in November; we'll see. Because the class starting in November is an Advanced CNA class that's 3 weeks long & it's also an hour away from my house, so i'll be living with my cousin for that time, coming home on weekends so what i carry will probably adjust.
I totally love Don Knotts movies so when The Ghost & Mr. Chicken DVD came in the mail today from Amazon.com i was super pumped!
For those of you who have never seen it (or worse yet never heard of Don Knotts!) its a hilarious movie made in 1966. Here is the description:
"Luther Heggs is a mild mannered typesetter just waiting to break out and show the world that he can be a reporter. When the nervous, shy, and loveable bug-eyed reporter wanna be is dared to spend the night in the old haunted Simmons mansion, he feels this is his chance. There are a lot of strange things that happen in this old house. People recount of hearing creepy organ music wondering if the unsolved murder victim is haunting the old house. The newspaper editor thinks it is a wonderful idea, and decides to give Luther the chance he has been dreaming about since the anniversary of the murder/suicide is approaching. When Luther spends the fated night, he barely makes it past midnight tearing from the house spouting tales of a ghost playing the organ, shears embedded in a portrait, and secret passage ways. When Luther tries to prove the events he experienced in the house, he ends up looking like a fool when they cannot be recreated. As he solves the mystery, he takes the whole audience along for the ride."
It's one i remember watching growing up & i introduced my best friend to his movies when we were teenagers & she fell in love with this movie too, so its aninstant classic with us & my family.
Tonight i made yummy Dark Chocolate Pumkinmuffins clickHERE for the recipe. Since we finally got pumpkin back in our stores & my step brother kindly brought some free from his work; yay!
&& I just can't get enough of this song by Diego Boneta called Siempre Tu!(always you)
Here is the Spanish version but there is an English-Spanish version as well.
Geia sas! I love this song by Alejandro Fernández; Estuve.
My favorite parts of the video are when they are riding their horses & playing as little boys. This song always reminds me of Texas/Mexico/Arizona so i love to listen to it, i keep it on my music player :) Alejandro has such a nice voice, & he ages well i must say lol.
I've been enjoying this lovely video of a song by the lovely Israeli singer Harel Skaat
Safe to say i would marry him :D With a voice to die for, reallly easy on the eyes, & a sweetheart from what i've heard/seen.. how could i go wrong lol! :DDD
But seriously that's one heck of a voice. Click HERE to hear Milim, one of my favs :)
**Disclaimer: this 'marriage' would only exist if Cristiano Ronaldo didn't :D haha
Geiasas everybody! Today I am sharing a workout video i like to use and a healthy snack to follow it. So 1st is the workout, its great for your legs & butt. I aslo like it because its not too overly long so you don't get bored or discouraged.
So what do ya think, will you use it? (The warm up is great) I incorporate it into my workouts about 4 times a week, sometimes 5. I have noticed my legs are looking a little more toned since i started using this video.
Next is the protein bar, Lara Baris great because it has no preseervatives, no gluten, & its all natural. They also have a lot of different flavors. BUT the one drawback to the Lara bar is their price, @ around $1.12 a bar they arn't cheap. SO i was doing some research & came across a fellow blogger who happened to have a homemade recipe for bars. So i'm sharing it with you guys hoping that you'll like it. :)
Homemade Lara-type barsrecipe fromBunnyfootcheck out her blog[she has a pic of the bar too] makes 1 bar 1 Tbs dates, pureed 3 Tbs dry ingredients (nuts, dried fruits, coconut, oats, etc.)
Pit dates and whir in a food processor or mash by hand until they're one sticky mass. this will be the base, the "glue" that will hold it all together. to this base, add about 3 Tablespoons of finely diced dried ingredients - the nuts of your choice (almonds, cashews, pecans, hazlenut, etc.), dried fruit, oats, spices, etc. with your hands mix it all together and form into a tight ball. roll this ball into a rope and then pat it flat into a rectangle. tightly wrap in plastic wrap (the wrapping will help the bar hold it's shape as you further mold it) and apply pressure to the top using a flat surface - a cutting board works well. to shape the sides you can take two knives and apply pressure to opposite ends of the bars. refrigerate wrapped. for larger batches shape into a larger square, chill and cut into desired bar shapes with a very sharp knife.
Last Friday, I was scheduled to be backstage at Sean John*. I was super excited to be attending the closing show of New York Fashion Week.
I fantasized that Diddy and I would meet, he’d be captivated by my charm, and then whisk me away to the star-studded soiree.
It would play out like that R. Kelly/Jay Z collabo:
After the show it's the after party and After the party is the hotel lobby and After the Belve then it's probably Cris…
But that didn’t happen. In fact, the closest I got to the Sean John show was a pizzeria on the corner of 22nd Street & 6th Ave. I was grabbing a bite there when I got a call from MAC telling me that there were no female models in the show, and therefore no need for MAC makeup. I was bummed, but also exhausted from my travels; so I caught an early train back to Philly.
So sorry, beauties. I know you were anxious for me to dish the Diddy dirt. C'est la vie.
If you absolutely need a Puffy fix, Glamour.com has an article entitled "Diddy knows pretty," in which the hip-hop mogul/designer shares his observations on what makes a woman irresistible. Here’s an excerpt:
Why he named his perfume Unforgivable Woman: “It’s about being unapologetic. It’s about having swagger. Confidence is such a sexy, sexy quality.”
Makeup trend he’s so over: “Red lipstick just isn’t working for me. It might be good for an awards show, but it’s not hot to kiss. I love natural lip color—that’s always a good look!”
Biggest beauty obsession: “Sugar Bath Cubes by Fresh. I take a bath every night. I love the way they make my skin feel. I have very soft skin—go ahead, touch it!”
Last Friday, I was scheduled to be backstage at Sean John*. I was super excited to be attending the closing show of New York Fashion Week.
I fantasized that Diddy and I would meet, he’d be captivated by my charm, and then whisk me away to the star-studded soiree.
It would play out like that R. Kelly/Jay Z collabo:
After the show it's the after party and After the party is the hotel lobby and After the Belve then it's probably Cris…
But that didn’t happen. In fact, the closest I got to the Sean John show was a pizzeria on the corner of 22nd Street & 6th Ave. I was grabbing a bite there when I got a call from MAC telling me that there were no female models in the show, and therefore no need for MAC makeup. I was bummed, but also exhausted from my travels; so I caught an early train back to Philly.
So sorry, beauties. I know you were anxious for me to dish the Diddy dirt. C'est la vie.
If you absolutely need a Puffy fix, Glamour.com has an article entitled "Diddy knows pretty," in which the hip-hop mogul/designer shares his observations on what makes a woman irresistible. Here’s an excerpt:
Why he named his perfume Unforgivable Woman: “It’s about being unapologetic. It’s about having swagger. Confidence is such a sexy, sexy quality.”
Makeup trend he’s so over: “Red lipstick just isn’t working for me. It might be good for an awards show, but it’s not hot to kiss. I love natural lip color—that’s always a good look!”
Biggest beauty obsession: “Sugar Bath Cubes by Fresh. I take a bath every night. I love the way they make my skin feel. I have very soft skin—go ahead, touch it!”
I was expecting to be blown away by the hair, makeup, and fashion on the Grammy red carpet. But instead, I’m under-whelmed.
The Grammys is the awards show where celebs traditionally turn up the volume and go all out; but this year was especially disappointing. The only one who seemed to take any kind of risk was Fantasia – but as you can see (above left), that turned out to be a hot mess.
Here’s a recap: *Beyonce debuted a skunk do. I like the style, but the color gots to go. *Rihanna’s hair looked so blah. But, thankfully, she fierce-ified it for her performance with The Time. *Carrie Underwood and Miley Cyrus went a little overboard with the hair extensions. *Alicia Keys was sporting a Mohawk-type updo that really didn’t translate to photos. *Fergie’s hair ringlets looked touchably soft, but her style was a little safe. *Faith Hill looked classically beautiful, as usual. *And Nelly Furtado is still under the misapprehension that she looks good as a blonde.
Fortunately, the unremarkable red carpet was redeemed by Beyonce and Tina Turner, who shared the stage for a duet of Proud Mary.
Tina is my idol. At 68, she’s still got the moves…and the legs. I was breathless for the entire performance.
Last Friday, I was scheduled to be backstage at Sean John*. I was super excited to be attending the closing show of New York Fashion Week.
The Grammys is the awards show where celebs traditionally turn up the volume and go all out; but this year was especially disappointing. The only one who seemed to take any kind of risk was Fantasia – but as you can see (above left), that turned out to be a hot mess.
Fortunately, the unremarkable red carpet was redeemed by Beyonce and Tina Turner, who shared the stage for a duet of Proud Mary.
