It's that time again! 29 days till Christmas! Less than a month and jingle bells start to jingle in our heads! That sweet jingle bell alarm!
Windows at the shops never look as glamorous as around Christmas time, colorful lights are everywhere, festive decorations begin in our homes and food preparations in the kitchens… or at least plan to begin… It's that time again!
I belong to the group of people with "great expectations" for the festive period, the people that are never satisfied with any result.
However, through the years I've learned one thing: "Done is better than perfect"! So true! Actually the only truth.
Big helpers in this trial are the Christmas planners. Searching for Christmas planners in the internet you'll find a great variety of cute and useful ones you'll really love! Personally, they help me focus on some practical issues that matter more or less, such as cards, gifts and wishing lists, decorations ideas and menu planning. More extended versions include pages about old and new traditions, favorite Christmas songs and movies and stories or travel plans for the holidays….. and the list goes on. But I try to keep it simple… at least this year.

A new Christmas planner that I discovered just yesterday is the "2014 Christmas Planner", by Woodberry Designs available for both free download and buying options. Vintage and so lovely, I adored it and had to show you. Really worth the visit to this beautiful blog, you'll discover much more than this adorable planner such as the amazing "Simply Shabbilicious" magazine.

The Christmas Planner I purchased for myself is a long time ago find and I discovered it at Busy b store. It comes from the "Oh so clever" range and lasts up to five years! It's simple and classy with a fresh twist and I absolutely love it! I can't wait to use it, or should I already had started to?… Perfectionism, perfectionism….. go away and let the action begin!

In my Christmas page you can find more lovely and free downloadable planners as well as many, many other ideas for a more festive and joyful Christmas period.
So, let's the Christmas begin! Lights aaaaand…. action!
See you soon,
xoxo, Elena

Sometimes we don't write because we have nothing to write, sometimes because we don't feel like it, sometimes because we're just bored or because we don't have time and sometimes because all the above are happening at the same time… I can't explain or excuse my absence from blogging for so long. And I won't. Sometimes, what's happening is just happening, with no particular reason. There are "grey" zones in everybody's life. There are times we want to "cocoon", hug ourselves and treat us carefully with the respect and love we all deserve. Like a warrior who needs his silent moments to heal his wounds and collect his thoughts, so is everyone of us. A little warrior of life. 
So, I'm writing today to say that I'm still here, alive and kicking! Just in case you were wondering! With no promises for the future. Just to say I love you and wish you a beautiful holiday season, because those brilliant, magical, happy moments are coming again!
Love you all,
xoxo, Elena

Hello friends!!! I wish you all a happy and joyful July! We're in summer's heart already, although the new month was introduced to us with a rather heavy rain last night... but it's summer anyway. Today is hot and sunny and the day smiles again!
Remember my last month's pc collapse? I had a really hard time watching my old pc giving up on me...
Well, I did my research and ended up to the best find, which for me and for the time is a Macbook Pro. I'm 100% satisfied with my purchase, actually, I'm pretty thrilled! There are huge differences between my ten years old HP windows xp edition pc and this brand new i7, Mac Os X Mavericks piece of technology. Different as day and night! Alleluia!!!

Not to forget, another thing I'm absolutely thrilled about, as well, is my last week's nail polish color, the blue curaçao!!! I strongly believe it's going to be my summer favorite color for nails and not only... After all I'm a huge lover of color blue and all its shades, so that's pretty much sure. And this gorgeous blue is so summery and mediterranean kind of color, it becomes synonymous with vacation! "Who's ready for a cruise?!!!".... or "Vamos a la playa!!!"... that kind of situations......
O.K! You got the point! Summer is here!!! Let's just get a little crazier than usual to get through these long, hot summer days...
Let's have some fun!
See you soon,
Love you all,
xoxo Elena 

Hello my friends! Delayed, but never forgetting! I hope you are all great and enjoy the long summer days... because nice things don't last forever! 

I'm back with a very hot "Monday manic-cure", although it's Wednesday already! Actually this hot red color was on my nails on Monday 9th of June, that's a couple of weeks ago, but, unfortunately, it was impossible to post the previous days. 
You see, my old and loved PC would not follow me anymore. I had "blue screens" all the time and I couldn't even watch a youtube video all to its end... soooo sad!!! My about ten years old HP PC uses windows xp and has a really very short memory, so there is not much I can do, but extenuate him a little by uninstalling some "heavy" apps and see if it works that way.... of course then I will only use "him" for limited purposes, but that's ok. 

With my pc that sick, posting was a distant..."summer night" dream! So I kept shooting photos, preparing future posts in my head, painting my nails(!!), obviously, and searching for a new "partner", younger and much, much faster...
Don't get me wrong up here! I love my old pc and I believe it's a great piece of technology to last for ten years! We all know how fast technology runs after all. But "he" put his limits. O.K. We move on.

Back to my Monday manic-cure, this is the "London red" color I absolutely adored! So vibrant and cheerful, a little sexy and playful, it's summer after all, it matches perfectly with my still white skin... like "Snow-white" with the... apple... maybe...

Bye-bye PC! Love you!

And in case you're wondering how I wrote this post.... yeeeeees!!!! I finally bought a new laptop!!! It's super fast and very elegant and has many, many other possibilities. So, from now on, no more excuses, I guess!
I'm leaving you with the promise to post this week's Monday manic-cure, soon enough, since that wonderful London red was a past Monday's manic-cure, but definitely ... a... cure!! 

Love you all, 
see you soon, 
xoxo, Elena

Googmorning friends! I hope you had a nice weekend and I wish you all a great beginning to the new week.
My weekend was a relaxing one, the weather was sunny and hot, it's beginning to look a lot like summer! We had the elections Sunday, here in Greece, after a long campaign period , everything ended up quiet and peacefully... and a new(???...) Monday just began!
I have plans on posting my week or days in review or at least moments of my everyday life real soon, so if you're interested stay close!
As for today... the day was so sunny in the morning it travelled my mind away, to some Greek island under the Greek sun enjoying the sea and the sand... dream on dreamer... noon soon came bringing clouds and raindrops and it all broke out in a fast thunderstorm!!
Anyway, my mood transfered... to my nails! The sky may be grey, but my nails is blue, the deepest marine blue, with a slight purple twist and some "sunny" gold highlights... dreamy, dreamy, I'm totally in love with it and the way it matches my still white skin... Perfection in a colour! After all, I love everything blue!  

I hope I gave you some idea-inspiration for your Monday manic-cure, a wonderful colour-cure for your eyes to look at the rest of the week.
Enjoy your week, have fun and try to lough as often as you can.
Be back soon,
love you all, xoxo Elena 

Hello friends! I hope you all had a beautiful weekend and you are ready to fresh start the new week!Monday though is usually a difficult day...especially if you had a great weekend and now you have to return to the same all everyday routine... Just another MANIC MONDAY??...
Why not treat yourself with a little luxury at the beginning of the week to make you feel a little happier those manic Mondays?
I decided to make my weekly manicure on Mondays, so I can look at my bold, coloured nails the rest of the week. Colour always lifts the mood, right? And my hands will be preppy and beautiful the whole week, which gives me an extra feeling of neatness and elegance!
So that wiil be my Monday cure... or if you prefer... my Manic-Cure, my "Monday Manic-cure"!!
I'll try to have some photos for you each Monday of my weekly manic-cure, so I'll be more happy if you stay in touch!
This week's "Monday Manic-cure" is a pale purple-pink colour named "violette".    

I hope you enjoyed my new blogpost series called "Monday Manic-cure"
See you soon with more ideas on the way,
Love you all
xoxo, Elena

Our birthdays were back in the distant March... but since I haven't blogged since then here's my late bithday review!
I've been away from regular blogging at my home page for a long time, not because I've been away from blogging in general, just because I was working on updating some of my other pages, as my Easter page, my cooking page and my fitness page... plus a thousand of other projects and errands I had to run!
Well, here  I am back, full of ideas, "older, but wiser!!!", with many-many dreams that I hopefully believe they'll come true!
My birthday is first, 10th of March, I'm a Pisces, the dreamer, arty kind of human being.... 
My darling hubby gave me some beautiful roses for my birthday and two amazingly delicious rich flavoured double chocolate little cakes with cherries on top and inside. Chocolate perfection!!!

I symbolically lighted four candles, because they looked nice on the cakes, sang the song with my hubby made my wish  and blew! It was a mini version of my birthday celebration, just for the two of us! So sweet!! 

Eighteen days later, on March 28th, it was my hubby's birthday. He is an Aries, the logical kind of human being, just for equalizing things in everyday life...
In return I baked for him a huge chocolate cake! Impressive, delicious and pretty healthy for a birthday cake!

Four candles as well, just in blue...

Rich chocolate taste, not very sweet, just perfect for us! And it's very, very easy!! I'll definitely do it again!
Best wishes to my man!!

I also cooked one of our favorites for dinner: tagliatelle with spinach, roquefort and bechamel.... simply delicious! Very, very yummy!! Tasty birthday... because: " Love passes through the stomach"! Happy birthday my love!

Hello my sweet friends. Spring is officialy here since we're in March, but the weather definitely looks like winter.... ok, maybe not a heavy, cold winter... but definitely not spring! Are you confused? So am I! Well March happens to be the most confusing and unexpected month of the year. March is also the month I was born! No comments on that one, please... Actually is the month of birthdays in my family since me, my husband and my father in law we all have our birthdays in March!
Unfortunately it's been raining three days in a row and although it was a long weekend here in Greece with Monday a day off everybody stayed indoors... what a pity! With the weather matching my mood completely and my soul crying for a reason... or many reasons.... I spent the weekend at home with my husband relaxing, watching movies on TV (we also rent the "Malavita" DVD with Robert de Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer which was good enough), watching the carnival in many Greek -and not only- towns, surfing the internet, reading... and sleeping... a lot.
After this... exciting, but necessary cocooning Tuesday has arrived and guess what??... Sun came out of the clouds bright and magnificent to warm our hearts and spread the happiness... but I still feel cold and my mind is so full of worrying thoughts...
Time will show, only time and some action...Hey, look, the sun is smiling, let's smile too, it's not that difficult!

Thank you so much for reading,
I'm so happy and grateful I have five wonderful followers at bloglovin,
thanks so much for your appreciation!
Love you all,
xoxo, Elena

Hello world. I know, I know it's been long again... but I was exsausted and stressed and not really in the mood for writing... I'm so sorry that I can't be consequent and I'm afraid that runs my whole life from time to time, but I have the excuse for that: priorities and perfectionism!
Ok, it's Saturday afternoon of a late winter early spring day, actually a calm and beautiful day with a few white as snow clouds scattered here and there in the sky and the night is coming chilly and velvety... Don't lough at my quirky poetic mood, this season is so inspiring! As I already told you it's been a stressful period for me and I need those pretty pictures so much! A romantic airy white little dress is hanging from a beautiful porch of an old house opposite mine... so cute and dreamy... It's carnival time here in Greece and you can see the cutest and most wonderful costumes worn by kids everywhere! Such a cheerful note between Christmas and Easter celebrations. So much color and joy!

Cute, cute,  soooooooo cute baby animals and little fairies!!!
Well, the night has come, I cooked, we ate, I washed, dried and freezed all those blueberries and raspberries I bought yesterday, we made hot chocolate and enjoyed with fresh macarons.... while watching the news on TV, some bad, some good.... and life goes on....
I' ll have to live you now and wish you all a wonderful Saturday night and the best weekend ever! Enjoy every moment, it's your life!
Love you all,
xoxo Elena

Hello everyone! Today's post is inspired by another Mama Kat's writing prompt: "List 6 things you do as a parent that you swore you would never do"
Of course, as you may already know, I don't have any kids, so this prompt seemed like a challenge to me. What if I write 6 things that I think it's not good at all to do to a child, now, that I'm still ....childless, and come back to this promise-post in the future, when and if I ever will be blessed to have a kid of my own...
Let's go then! Things I'll never do to my kids are mostly things that bothered me as a child, things that made me feel bad, overwhelmed me or discouraged me in any way:
1)I'll never "stick" to my child's imperfections. (Oh, my God, it seems difficcult, already!!!)
If big ears, big nose, or short or fat legs, ...or whatever that may look weird is on the way....I will accept it and shall not let any annoyment appear ever. Kids understand everything and have so many insecurities themselves that the last thing they need is one more confirmation of their deficiencies from their own parent. Everyone has some gifts, why not stick to them instead?
2)I'll never compare my kid to any other kid.
"My first kid is so clever, but the little one has to stydy twice as much to catch up....", "other kids manage everything and you don't even....", "Mary is so good at..., why don't you....",... all these comparisons are so unnecessary! Every kid is unique having its very own personality and we shouldn't expect the same things from all of them. If it's not good enough at one thing, it will definitely be great at something else and that's what we should admire and compliment.
3)I'll never discourage my kid from doing something he or she really likes, just because that's not one of my preferences.
We're different persons from our kids and we may like different things. It may be difficult to accept that one, but it's fair not to mock or underestimate my kid's desires.
4)I'll never depress my kids to do something they don't want in order to satisfy any unrealized dream of mine.
That's the most unfair thing of all! Any human being has its very own dreams, hopes and desires and we must help our kids to live theirs instead of exchanging them with ours!
5)I'll never allow my kids imposing their own rules at home.
Kids have their royalties, but they should learn that people have obligations in real life as well! The sooner they learn this one, the better! And regarding home, parents are the boss. Mom and dad set the rules. They decide what kids are eating, when they're sleeping, when and how long they're studying, playing, watcing T.V., surfing the internet... they decide everything that has to do with their kids' daily routine. That's really important not only for parents health, but especially for children, so that they'll become responsible adults and not spoiled ones... Kids also feel more secure when they follow a program rather than being totally disorganized.
6)I'll never despise my kid's needs.
Personal life, work and hobbies are all very important in a human's life, but when you become a parent I guess your kid is the most important thing in the world. Being a parent means setting any ego aside and stop yourself from being the centre of the universe. Your first priority becomes your kid, as if your heart was beating out of your body...
I don't know how difficult it would be to accomplish these promises under the pressure of daily life, in the real world... I'm pretty sure all parents have made similar promises before they become parents and violated each one of them feeling extremely quilty..., but then, who is perfect? It's helpful to have some principals in mind anyway, to help you lead the long journey of motherhood...
Well, lastly, I promise I'll come back to this post some day, to remind myself of what I've once said, or reconsider and I'll probably surprise myself or just laugh at me... who knows? "Rendez-vous" in future!    

Written as part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Thank you  so much for reading!
Love you all,
xoxo Elena