Easter Cuteness

Participating in four Easter egg hunts in the past two days has left our family with Easter hangover. Although Easter is over (unless you are Catholic, then this is just the first of fifty days of Easter, as my mom would so carefully point out), remnants of Easter are everywhere: empty half-shells of multi-colored plastic eggs, ribbons of blue grass, the occasional run-away candy wrapper, two sugar-crashing children sleeping deeply in the next room. The weather was so amazingly beautiful today that, although sundown is long over, sunshine still fills my eyes.

Last night, after I painstakingly hid each of the children's plastic eggs with meticulous care and thought, I made sure to charge the video camera. I was very much looking forward to Jacob's excitement as he discovered each one. I was sure that I had hid them well enough that the great hunt would last several minutes. Fast forward to 7:30 a.m. when Jacob bounced into our bedroom and proudly held his Easter basket alof. "Look mommy! Look what the Easter Bunny brought me!" In his hunt for the basket, he had already found all twelve plastic eggs filled with candy and quarters. The turkey finished his big hunt without us. Another moment had slipped by without proper documentation.

Oh well. We still had two more egg hunts to look forward to. And they did not disappoint.

But first was Easter Mass. Easter Mass is my favorite service. It's always so uplifting and joyful. And, if you are lucky enough to sit on the end of a pew, you get pelted with big heavy drops of holy water. You can't help but leave Mass feeling a little lighter than when you entered-- and not just from having an extra hour to digest half a bag full of jelly beans.

Dressed for Mass

The color coordination was totally unintentional!

Then we continued my childhood tradition of visiting my grandma for Easter ham, lamb-shaped cake, and a second (or third) Easter egg hunt. It's crazy that my family has been doing this for over 20 years. And although the egg hunt participants have changed over the years, it's pretty much all the same right down to the crowded, boisterous, fight-for-your-food atmosphere. I have happy memories of roaming my grandparent's large property in search of special baggies or baskets with our names transcribed on them. Watching my own kids do the same is like a trippy, magical time warp.

Ryan's first Easter!

 

 

The loot

 

The babies

 

The babies' loot

 

After Easter at my grandma's house, we drove out to my husband's parents' home. We had a second Easter feast (more ham!) which was much more quiet and laid back (my husband and I grew up in very different environments) and then the kids enjoyed their final egg hunt of the season.

Ryan spent almost the entire day showing off his arm by pitching eggs across the lawn

 

Taking inventory

More egg throwing

 

So much family. So much food. So much sunshine. So much cuteness.

Monday MoodBoard - You are my Sunshine!!!!!

1. Feltedcreatures 2. karmologyclinic 3. beYOUtifulhandmade 4. milkandhoney05

The past weekend the weather was just amazing...March left and Summer is just right in the corner. I had a great  Walk on the beach... with my beloved family and batteries are again charged! Yellow like the sun! Smile, Laugh, Breath, Enjoy... Summer is coming!!!!

If you want to check more moodboards, please click on Estella's blog! 

And do not forget to check the post and the giveaway for Akamatra!!

Walk on the beach...

So yesterday there was really an amazing day here in Athens. Hot with a great sun...so it was the perfect opportunity to go for launch by the sea. a favorite place of mine, a small tavern just 2meters away from the sea. 

So we dressed up, we took my daughter's games for the beach, we prepared a coffee and we were ready. Half an hour later we were drinking cold beer and we were tasting fresh fish. The sun was hot, the sea was calm and my daughter just jumped into the sand and start creating small wholes and cute towers... it was just amazing. 

Ha...you already know that I am a good food lover and since I am from an island I love fresh fish and every delicious  from the sea. So we had small salt cod, perfect also for my daughter (it has almost none bones) and fresh fried shrimps...so delicious!  Our launch has ended with really ravani with vanilla ice cream! just amazing! 

A short walk by the sea is always something that relaxes me and you can never imagine what a beauty you can discover on the beach....

Does not the last one looks like a felt bead???? hahaha... incredible...natural felt bead! unprecedented nature!

Have a great day!

Feels Like Spring

In February I was under the belief that my sister was dating Guy X. Then one random evening in early March, purely out of the blue, I got a text from her: "I'm getting married! To Guy Y!" Wait, who?! I had never even heard of this guy. The next text was even more shoking: "We're getting married in two weeks!"

WAIT. WHAT?!

Imagine my parents' shock when they got similar news--but not from my sister, from Guy Y. He called my dad at work one day and said, "Hi, I'm Guy Y. I'm going to marry your daughter." Like the rest of us, my dad had no clue who this guy was. He might have freaked out just a tad. He called me immediately afterward. It was an interesting conversation.

And, as promised, that is exactly what happened. They got married! In their home. Before some kind of minister. After we had only met Guy Y one time. With only two witnesses in attendance. And my parents found out that it happened nearly a week later. Although I had some insider knowledge, it was pretty much a secret.

And although there is a part of me that balks at all the suddeness of things, there will be absolutely no judging from me. Heck, I eloped. It was a true elopment, even. We weren't even engaged. We just flew out to Chicago, got married, and didn't tell a single soul-- not even my two lawschool roomates who accompanied us for the first part of our trip. (After we eloped, I called up my roommate and said, "Hey, we just did something crazy! It starts with the letter E!" Her reply was, "OMG. Where did you get ecstacy?!" Ha.)

Today, after waking up to the most gorgeous Pacific Northwest weather that we have had in at least seven months, I packed up the kids for a short trip to visit my sister in her new, married home. She lives next to the most amazing trails and parks. The highlight of the trip was this crazy, long slide:

Even the adults enjoyed it:

 

 

We played in the sun, chatted, and did the goofy things that sisters do. BTW- this whole thing about my sister and I getting along, is a very recent phenomenon. We are four years apart and have never really gotten along, much less held a friendship. It's amazing how things change as you get older.

Taking advantage of my sister by sneaking in some rare shots of ME with the kids.

 

He loved the swing....obviously, you can't tell

 

 

The advantage of big brothers

 

 

My handsome 4 year old

When we left my sister's place, there was plenty of daylight and sunshine. We continued to soak up the first spring-like day when we arrived back home. I made some dinner and then it was time for coloring Easter eggs.

Jacob had asked me all day about coloring eggs. "When do we get to color eggs?" "Do we have to cook them first?" "Can I put glitter on them?" "How many eggs do we get to color." He broached the subject at least once an hour, perhaps to make sure that I wouldn't forget. Like I would forget something THAT important!

I'm pretty sure we didn't color eggs last year. I was scheduled for my c-section the day after Easter and it was a prerty chaotic and emotional time. But the year before that I vividly remember our egg-coloring experience. Jacob was 2 and kept transferring the eggs from color to color, much to my horror. He didn't have the patience to let them sit in any one color for long enough. As a result, the eggs all ended up looking the shade of grey-ish purple. Jacob was just as colorful as his artsy eggs. I'm pretty sure we had to throw the clothes he was wearing in the trash.

This year Jacob was very methodical. He wanted to color the eggs the "right" way: one color per egg and he patiently let them sit in the dye for the proper amount of time. He didn't crack or break a single egg and when they were ready, he carefully removed them from the dye and rolled them in glitter. I was a very proud mama.

After we colored eggs, I marched Jacob off to bed and tucked him is. Right as I was about to shut the door, he spoke up, "Mom, make sure you tell Dad that you both have to go to bed early so the Easter Bunny will come!" I assured him we would go to bed promptly and then proceeded to spend the next two hours doing a load of laundry, tidying the house (can't find eggs in a messy house!), filling and hiding plastic eggs and baskets, baking my favorite recipe for apple pie for Easter dessert, and decorating Jacob's bedroom door with streamers (the Easter Bunny just may have overdone it this year).

How is it that I always manage to squeeze in a full day's worth of chores and activity after the kids go to bed? Ugh, I'm so tired!

Fashion Trends - Stripes No 2

Last week, Efzin reported on stripe trend, which seems to be in full force this

summer! On a recent walk I spotted so many women wearing black and white stripes,

that I really lost count!

If you still hesitate to follow our tips and wear stripes, you can always become a

prisoner of fashion –in a good way! So, you love the idea of bringing the trend into

your wardrobe in a safer way, and as every budget fashionista knows (especially with

this crisis!!!), trendy accessories are a less expensive and secure choice to add a little

style to what you’ve already got.

Add a graphic note to your outfit simply choosing accessories with multi-colored

or black and white stripes. A scarf, a handbag or a headband is a great way to sport

the striped trend. Moreover, if your fetish is shoes, you can choose a pair of fabric

espadrilles, loafers, or ballet flats with stripe designs.

Finally, the best way to get the striped look is to search for trendy, handmade and

unique jewelry pieces! Delicate post earrings, fabric bangles and statement rings can

complete your wardrobe’s precious collection.

Here are my proposals so as to convince you that we can always stay on trend! I chose

a favorite jumpsuit that can be worn day and night and combined it with handmade

striped accessories from etsy.

Look for an unexpected color combination, like bright green and yellow or orange and

pink 

 Mix them with polka dots and you will be surprised with the result! 

Have fun!

MARCH SKIES

Waiting for Spring...

Mommy Cry-A-Thon

My tummy is in knots. I came home, cuddled my baby in the spare kid bed, and had a mini-mommy-cry-a-thon. I can't really explain my emotions. It's more than likely a multitude of burdens and emotions all mushed together that are beginning to run me down.

So I held my baby. He bobbed his head back and forth as I sang him songs. He nestled into my shoulder beforing popping back up to play with a teddy bear. His chubby little fingers reached for and clasped around the bars of the bunk bed with intense concentration and great interest.

I thought cuddling him would make me feel happy but every little thing he did made me cry harder. Just watching him--my sweet, chubby, happy baby--reminded me in so many ways how he was soon NOT going to be my sweet, chubby, happy baby but a busy and lively toddler.

Most of the time I'm so insanely busy that I rarely have time to digest what is going on. It's rush, rush, rush all day with barely time for a potty break (this is why I don't drink liquid at work- no time to go potty!). I'm so focused on what needs to get done right away that I pocket my reactions for a more convenient time. When I finally stop and take a breather, all those reactions escape at the same time and the result in an overwhelming conglomerate of emotions that turn me into a confused puddle of tears.

The muddled mush of feelings I felt today resulted from the following:

• A text from my sister-in-law telling me my baby was taking his first steps (and I was missing it).
• The sinking realization that my baby is going to be ONE and no longer my little baby. This seriously makes my heart hurt. I don't remember this milestone being so painful with my first baby.
• The fact that I blinked my eyes three times and my baby transformed into a toddler. It's hard not to blame working for the fact that Ryan's babyhood is going by way too quickly.
• The news that my sister-in-law will no longer be watching my kids during the day. OMG. I have to find a complete stranger to take care of my babies?! (My sister-in-law is so awesome with the kids. I'm sure no one can replace her!)

OMG. I have two weeks to find a replacement part time nanny. Don't panic. Don't panic. WAAAAH!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - -  - - - - - -

Unrelated pictures from this weekend:

STORMY RIVIERA

I have spent a few lovely days at my dear cousin Sylvia's on the Riviera, it was cool and stormy because of this strange spring which is being so wintery as in most of Europe... but we had a great time, filled with lots of inner sunshine! :) Now we are all looking forward to SPRING!!!! 

A sunny cappuccino!

Sylvia's lovely turtle

View from the train on the way back home

Giveaway Winner - Eleanna... from Jewelry to Sockmonsters!!!!!!

Hello my friends!

Another week just passed and another giveaway ended. I loved this giveaway, not only because I truly adore Eleanna's creations, but because I have learned Eleanna a little bit more. It is a great feeling to get know better the person that is behind from all this beautiful jewels and cute monsters and amazing tutorials! Don't you think?

Thank you Eleanna for being in my small blog, it was really an honor!

So now is the time to pick a Winner, a lucky lady that will get from Zdrop her amazing minimal geometric necklace!

A winner has been chosen by Rafflecopter and the lucky lady is:

Congratulations Polina!!! We will contact you soon!!!

Just stay in touch with my blog for the next amazing posts and our next Giveaway on April.... another lady will be here.... are you curious?????

Hugs and Kisses !!!!

Being Frank

So I was talking with a friend. And we talked about work. Somehow the topic crept ever so slowly to the red zone--salary. Without blinking, she very candidly blurted out how much she made.

This friend has a BA with half of her credit hours earned at a community college. She did not to go graduate school. During high school, while I was working every Saturday and Sunday to bolster my college applications and get some work experience, she was playing and partying. While I have three years of being a lawyer under my belt, she has maybe a full year of experience holding a full time job. Unlike me, she did not spend nearly a full mortgage on lawschool tuition.

And yet, here we are. Ten years later. Making nearly the same amount. GUH!

I try to avoid comparing myself to other people and I definitely try to avoid talking about money and finances and salary with anyone. But a little piece of me wanted to scream in frustration. The path that led me to the present was a rough path full of hard work, smart choices, sacrifice of time, and sacrifice of money. Where did all that "responsibility" get me? In the same exact place as those people who never really cared.

Before you say it, I will say it for you: money is not the measure of success. Yep I know that. Trust me, I know that. I say it every day a medical bill arrives in the mail. I say it every time my tuition payment is deducted from my bank account. I say it every time I have $100 to stretch for gas and food for the last week of the month. Money isn't everything. There is also balance. And family. And loving what you do. And being challenged and stimulated. And having room to grow.

While I made the decision recently to make keep more balance in my life (less billable hours for less paycheck), life has been far from rosy. Even though I took a 75% position, the honesty is that it takes 100% to do my job. That's the beast of litigation. While I still have flexibility (working from home twice a week is pretty awesome), I do have alot of the stress that I was trying to avoid. AND when I do try to reign in my stress and my time spent working, it somehow just makes me feel guilty. And yet, I would be feeling guilty about not being with the kids if it were the other way around. I guess, if I had to choose, I'd rather feel guilty about missing work than about missing the kids.

I have to say that I love my job. I absolutely love litigation. Everyday it is challenging and new and exciting and scary. But sometimes I feel like I could have coasted through life a little (or a lot) more and have ended up in the same place. That might not be entirely true. It might be entirely false. But it sure feels that way sometimes. Those are usually the times that I scoure craigslist for random job openings and romanticize about being a donut maker or personal trainer or having some mind-numbing desk job that pays the same as my lawyer job. But the grass is always greener, right?

I need to end this post now because the conservative in me is screaming "Shut up! You got exaclty what you paid for. You don't get a bailout for the choices you make. Be happy you have a job and can provide for your family. And, besides, your boss totally buys you beer!"

So, the take-away (aside from the fact that I am a whiny person) is this: I would never discourage anyone from going to law school but law students need to know what to expect. They need to know what they are buying when they fork over $100+K for tuition and books. When you make the big decision to go to lawschool, you may be sacrificing 1/3 of your income for the next 20 (or more) years to pay back your student loas.

Yeah. Big commitment. And you can't divorce your student loans.

Monday MoodBoard - My Favorite Greece

1. alekaki 2. pergamondo 3. tenderblue  4. polixeni19

My mood today? in blue and white! Today here in Greece we have a national holiday and we celebrate it with parades. The most usual colors in the students' appearance is blue and white, like the sea, the sky and the wind of Greece. 

I live in a beautiful country, with amazing people and great weather! I love having trips all over Greece and especially on Summer. In great islands with gold beaches or in amazing mountains with unique sprouting! I love every single place of my country.

 Agios Nikolaos Crete

 Elounda Crete

 Aigina

 Antipaxi

Santorini

A few of my favorites places and of course my beloved Crete the place I was born. I feel myself lucky to live in such a beauty :)

If you want to check more moodboards, please click on Estella's blog! 

Have a great week!