The Karlovasi Crafter

What makes you happy? For everyone it is something different, because after all we are all different  and unique, right? I'm sure that is a statement we all know. So, then why do we compare what  makes happy with someone else? If crocheting gives you joy, let it ..don't  compare it with the millionaire on the yacht and think; sitting on my comfy  couch making this pretty design is nice, but imagine if I had a yacht ? Well, guess what you have what you want and need to have in life according to  your choices. Enjoy your happy, shiny moment that gives you a smile and  warmth in your heart instead of sabotaging your joy with the stereotype of  what happy means. We have all been programmed from a very early age, according to others, what  the ideal picture of happiness is, or should be. In our minds therefore we compare whatever nice moments we have to that vision and soon our  person...

        I can honesty say that I have a masters degree in the Arts of Procrastination and Circumstance manipulation through the development of solid excuses. Actually, I think that it is a trait that I have unfortunately passed on to my daughter. Until now, realizing the potential harm in my daughter's future, I was quite comfortable with this.  I found myself doing some of those same things. Ahhh..so that is why I am having trouble at being awesome! I knew there was a reason. My passion is great my mind is greater..I should be doing everything I do at a level of complete awesomeness!       However, after a parent-teachers conference where I was told that she is a brilliant child who tries very little is distracted too easily and doesn't finish what she starts, I began to think of ways to help her overcome these obstacles of learning starting with changing me.              So, my internet search for reading ...

    Perhaps living in Greece at the moment is not the wisest of choices one can make. For me, every day is a emotional struggle. I know that there are many people out there living in conditions much worse than mine, so along with the feeling that my pockets are empty and I can't afford that little extra thing my daughter asked me to buy her, I also feel guilty for not trying to keep my head up high until the worst is over.      Most of the time I admit that my lifestyle, although compromised greatly, is actually pretty good.  We own our own home, we don't owe any money to anyone, we are blessed to live on such a beautiful island and we are all in good health.       I shouldn't be complaining or depressed given these conditions. I should be feeling grateful and blessed. I should be thinking of creative ways to stretch my euro. The artist in me should be discovering new ways to entertain and uplift my family. There is a long list of should...

          I've been blessed with something I believed was a curse for many years.  To be in a whirlwind of interests and talents my whole life drifting to one and then another depending on circumstance or maybe even the weather. When I wanted to excel in one, I would find myself distracted by another. My life became a battlefield of things I love. Juggling all that along with my everyday roles of Involved mother, Passionate wife, Caring friend, etc..etc.. things got a bit scary.           Everything matters in this life weather we like it or not. You can choose to care or not, but that doesn't change the facts. I care about everything. From the ground I walk on to the sky above me and everything in between. Your thinking, "Wow, no wonder she's crazy." Yes, I am and I love it!           So, all this caring about everything and simultaneously trying to accomplish everything led to a me...

Some believe that believing in God means you expect misery and difficulties as a normal daily challenge. They believe that you must suffer and sacrifice in order to be a good christian. That life in not easy and happiness could be found only after death in the heavens above. Well, if you expect those things, then that's pretty much what your gonna get. In my humble opinion, when I had believed those things myself not only would nothing but bad stuff happen to me, but I was  constantly upset and depressed and continuously complained about my misfortune. Unable to help myself, I obviously couldn't help others around me. Religion became something so difficult and demanding that I almost stopped believing. Everything felt like make believe, just like Santa and the Easter Bunny, just like the magic tricks that you eventually uncover. Something just didn't feel right. There was some very important information missing in my definition of life. I've com...

     My Crochet madness has officially begun.  I've yarn bombed the living room by covering some of my old stools and now I'm covering the necks of my loved ones in neck-warmers.              What a crochet relief to make half a scarf and attach a button to keep it snug. The possibilities are endless!  Through the art of crochet I've come to discover many things about myself and others. (Only a Greek would use crochet as a means to be philosophical.) The love of yarn has bonded me with those that share my addiction.  Thus creating a space between those who can't speak yarnish. Friends look for me on Facebook to discover I'm no longer there.  My latest online hangout, Pinterest! Pinterest is the most amazing way to organize your interests. I mean, who actually uses bookmarks? I know I've spent hours just creating all  the bookmark subtitles and filing hundreds of sites only to neve...

      Having lived the first half of my life in America, I am considered an "American" to those who know me here in Greece. Having lived the second half of my life here on an island in Greece, I am considered "Greek" when  I return back to the states and visit family and friends. WHO AM I?  A bit of a dilemma actually even for me. I was born, raised and educated in the US, however I lived my adult years here in Greece.        At times I feel like a foreigner to all lands, a misfit.  I am always defending the opposite country.  My opinions and way of life are strongly affected by both worlds simultaneously. I love both my countries.  I couldn't have one without the other.  It's a lonely path at times when no one quite understands me or feels the way I do.  But that's okay with me, I've always felt differently than the masses and I've never followed the crowd.      Traveling through my past i...