Blooming lentils.

Today we spent most of the day on paying bills, doing chores for my mum who is in bed with a hip problem and then spent quite a couple of hours at the supermarket. We hadn't been to a big supermarket for more than 6 months as hubby wasn't getting paid so we were trying to keep expenses at the minimum. We didn't spend too much this time either but there was more variety in products and we took advantage of sales on certain house cleaning products too.
Now some more things from December's diary.
It is a custom here to put lentils on wet cotton on Saint Barbara's day on the fourth of December so that they bloom by Christmas! I did it this year and here was the result to decorate all this time long!
Here they are near my otchipotchi crochet stones.

 The only Christmas magazine I bought this year was Marie Claire Idees. I always used to buy about five Christmas crafts magazines but this year I thought I should save up! So no money no mags!Marie Claire Idees has the same reasonable price for years and I love to have a look at it although I don't make its crafts very often as I don't really have time. This issue had some fantastic ideas. Here they are!

 Unique Christmas trees!

 This great tablecloth!

 I love this paper craft!

 And this cross stitched runner!

 This is one of the gifts I bought my Godson. There will be another blogpost about our time together on December 30th. This book is called Byzantine Constantinople by Evi Tsitiridou-Christophoridou and he is taught about Byzantium in his grade at school. The exciting thing about this book is that the drawings were made by my cousin Thanasis Demou who is also a very good actor in Athens.

 A photo of the IKEA plant pot I had bought some time ago and here is how it ended up.

 A gift from a colleague and friend who makes them herself. I hate my old looking hand.

 A gift from the Parents' Association of my school to all teachers at school. I added it to my collection of good luck charms on my living room wall.

 And this is how I am using the velvet covered box it came in. So helpful with seed beads.

 A scarf I made in December in just three nights!I don't believe I made it. I now need to add a button to look perfect.

Meeting an Olympic Gold Medalist.

On Thursday 5th May I attended the presentation of a book that the Parents' Association of my school printed. Major speaker at the presentation was Voula Patoulidou, the Greek Olympic Gold Medalist of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games at 100m hurdles.
The title of the book is The charisma and charm of being a parent and it contains speeches that took place at my school in the monthly meetings organised by the Parents' Association and were about anything that may concern a parent. Patoulidou, a mother of a teenager herself talked from her heart about the raising of a child in a "famous athlete's family" and all the problems that this might cause to the child. It was an interesting talk.
Of course photos and autographs followed.

During the speech.

 An autograph for my son.(19 years back!!!!I still remember the day she won the gold medal and how we were watching on TV and screamed from joy!)

 The book.

 The Parents' Association representative.

 Meeting a great lady.