2012 – A New Happy Year!

by Sava on January 5, 2012

Yes, I meant to say that! I’m looking forward to a new happy year. I feel optimistic at this new beginning…shake off the old, embrace the new. Several years ago, my friend gave me a book called Simple Abundance, A Daybook of Comfort And Joy, by Sarah Ban Breathnach. It is one of those books you can open to any page and find words of comfort, words that uplift you, words of wisdom, and words that can take your breath away. She writes that gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. “Every night before you sleep, write down five things that you can be grateful about for that day. After consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life, you will not be the same person two months from now. You will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.”

So this is the way I am starting my new year, keeping a Gratitude Journal. I am truly thankful for the abundance in my life; for family and friends; for each day that I wake to blue skies or gray; for the joyful laughter of children; for celebrations and shared meals; for love all around me and in me; for the comfort of hugs.

“And now let us welcome the New Year

Full of things that have never been.”

                                                            - Rainer Maria Rilke

See you next time…gratefully.

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Burn the butter?????

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Greek cuisine is not particularly known for pasta dishes, although we do have many variations that are served often. Probably the best know is Pastitsio, a “kind of” macaroni and cheese with a meat layer, but that’s not what I’m talking about right now. I read that the Greeks learned the art of making pasta [...]

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Pumpkin Stuff

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TRICK OR TREAT??

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Ready or not, Halloween is here and you will undoubtedly have a lot of little monsters at your door Monday night! Here in Southern California we are experiencing very warm weather while some parts of the country are already having SNOW!! Seems early for that. We visited the pumpkin patch today with 2 of our [...]

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July 4th Cookout

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Can you  believe it?  We’re kissing June goodbye and welcoming July! First up is THE 4TH of JULY weekend. I guess most people have barbeques going on in their back yards or at the beach (like us). Hot dogs and hamburgers are the popular pick if there are kids involved. Who doesn’t love a hot [...]

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Here in Southern California, we are trying to think “Spring” but it is still so cold that it feels more like Fall! Typically, as June approaches, thoughts turn to putting meat on the grill and eating lighter with more salads and grilled veggies. We have been thinking that way, but some of these cold evenings [...]

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Easter Eggs

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The Beginning of Great Lent

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Lent is that period of time before Easter during which Christians fast. Only two days of fasting (Friday and Saturday) were designated prior to Easter in the earliest days of Christianity. By the fourth century the period of fasting had been extended an additional forty days. Fasting disciplines have changed over the centuries. In early [...]

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Brrrrrrrr… it’s cold here in So California…and in Greece

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I know if you are buried in a snowy winter in other parts of the country and someone mentions California, you might picture palm trees, warm summer breezes, and sunny beaches here in Southern California but have you watched the news lately? It is pretty cold here and we even have snow in our mountains. In fact, [...]

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“Greek” Turkey Stuffing

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When I was little, I remember my grandfather, my Papou, and our next door neighbors who happened to be Greek, roasting chestnuts on fall nights over a bonfire  in the back yard. He would then peel them and share them with us. I didn’t really like them, but ate them anyway cause it seemed so “special” [...]

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