Christmas Workshop with Fairies and Witches

When my blogger friend Maria, from Jurnal de Zână, invited me to her Christmas Workshop one month ago, I instantly said yes for Runa, but it didn't occur to my mind that I should take Mara and Radu, too. She convinced me last week, just one day before the event, that they should join the fun. And well she did!

It was the best idea ever, the kids had lots of fun and they were crafting more than three hours in a raw.

Lots of baskets were filled with sparkling globes and hearts and lots of crafting stuff, a huge bunch of pines, hot glue, scissors and ribbons.

The Fairy and the Witch were extremely well prepared, with all the fairy-stic stuff around, with tasty snacks as shortbread in chocolate and cocos biscuits, as well as lots of cookies.

The Fairy and the Witch were bewitched by Mara, she is so daring and creative. Runa was unstoppable, she was very happy to use her hands and her imagination.

For the next spring, she started to think how to organize a workshop for orphans and to help by selling their own creations. I know she'll be able to do it, if anyone is interested, please let me know.

Maria's little friend, Taz, was sitting under the chairs and in his "mom"'s arms for the whole evening.

He's in desperate need of affection, due to a little accident he had two weeks ago. Good to see he's fine now.

Runa's wreath was gorgeous, and all their beautiful creations are on display around the house, bringing once more the Christmas spirit all over the place.

Thank you a lot for your kind invitation, my dear Fairy!

In Love I Trust

I was supposing (in my mind, of course) to write something more about the last week's visit in Lisbon, but instead I keep thinking and meditating about love. Actually, not about the generic love, but our marriage continuous love. The cause is the new book I started to read this weekend, "Love Is Never Enough", by Aaron T. Beck.

As I'm leafing through this book, I remembered all the beautiful and nice things happened to us since we are together, and some wise words I will treasure forever from the beginning of our love.

We used to talk for hours, and sometimes we were sure, but sometimes we were unsure about what the future will bring for us in his pockets. We were still young and poor and we loved each other desperately and with some kind of fear in our minds, finding hard to believe that we finally found each other and THAT unbelievable kind of love was there with us.

One day, Bogdan asked me: "What's gonna happen? How we are going to be when all this will disappear? When all the flame will be gone? How we'll be able to live with each other knowing we loved each other so much?"

I didn't need to think too much, I still remember the answer I gave: "It will be just like the beginning: an endless friendship, hours of good conversations and good memories. Maybe not exactly this love, but for sure a better one."

In all these years I came with another answer, a better one: "Love never ends. It matures and grows in years, it only depends on us to keep her alive." Her, in this case, is on purpose.

I'm so happy I was right.

Happy Birthday, Alexandra!

Today is Alexandra's birthday! Our little sweet niece and god-daughter is 7!

Happy Birthday, pretty girl!

May you have happiness and a beautiful life forever!

I wish you a year with loads of fun, excitement and beautiful memories.

Last evening we had a lot of fun together, and this is how I wish your year to be!

 

I wish you a lovely day, not just today because it is your birthday, but all year round.

May you always wake up in the morning with a smile on your face.

Happy Birthday to you, Alexandra!

From Radu, Mara, Runa, Bogdan and Camelia!

Discrimination

When somebody asks me how many children I have, my usual answer is: "two kids and Mara". She has glitters in her veins, I swear! 

And she negotiates based on it! I know is discrimination, but I can't help it!

Because she didn't want to have a hair cut, I went to the hair dresser and I promised her she'll have her hair done. Also to cut her nails at her toes, I asked my friend Nicole to help. She did. 

I left Mara in the salon, brought Runa to school and came back to pick up Mara back. 

Look what I found!

Lisbon. Never Enough.

We just came back from Lisbon, from a short city break, and I suffer of a huge nostalgia. 

I never can get enough of Lisbon (or Portugal), is my magic place where the light is sweeter than anywhere else and my batteries are always refilled.

I traveled and spent the first day with Alina (Bogdan's cousin) and Gabriel, her husband, wandering around Baixa, Alfama and Chiado, three very central districts of Lisbon.

We walked all the way from our hotel in Marques de Pombal Square to Commercio Square, walking all The Avenida de la Liberdad. Alina spread the autumn leaves around. First day wonderful start.

 

It took us some time to get downtown...

 

... 'cause I was busy taking pictures of our shadows. A lot of pictures. Bogdan spent few hours to delete them. Well, most of them...

First stop: Elevador de Santa Justa, for a kiss. Or more.

If you get out from the Elevador by the last floor, the next monument is Igreja do Carmo, a church from 1389 built for the Carmelite Order. In 1755 it was destroyed by a huge earthquake and it was never fully rebuilt. Is so very strange to be in a church without a roof...

 After that, we had coffees and lunch and more wandering, discovering (re-descovering) the city by foot, street by street, until we couldn't walk anymore. A light lunch and a glass of wine in the middle of the street and that it was. 

Bogdan has arrived very late in the night and we planned what to see in the next two days. 

Stay tuned!

Studio Photo Session

Waiting for some friends to come this evening for some family photos, we started to try the lights and the settings in our basement studio. Radu joined me, so we had a short and funny trial photo session, with plenty of laughs (Radu and I) and nerves (Bogdan). 

But I really, really love what came out!