wordless wednesday [45] : see my halo

domestic monday

Help! are there any tips you know against glass corrosion? I have been replacing glasses for years but there are some we have which belonged to Mr. Mar's grandmother and I am not "allowed" to get rid of them... Any ideas??? thanks!

photo hunt: soft

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I went through my pictures after I decided to look for something other than soft materials or colors for this week's theme ... and all I could find was the picture below but I am warning you: these are not soft drinks!! Find the original post here

almond tree

The almond tree in our garden as seen this morning at 8:00 am. There was a busy little guy flying around but he was so quick that it was impossible to have his picture taken... The tree looks a lot fuller than last friday since we had some rain early this week.

postcard: peanuts

I am (have always been) a big Snoopy fan and I am a postcard collector. This one is a German postcard I bought about 16 years ago for Mr 18. I am feeling just like Snoopy today: I myself am resting!! No Thursday Thirteen this week just because of that! and now I have to go because I am afraid some of these guys (if not all) are after me :

Update: this week is the Thursday 13's retirement edition! I didn't know this and left a comment to say goodbye, the comments' list might lead you here, it was not my intention but I will be more than happy to visit your last TT... :(

wordless wednesday [44]: short-circuits aren't fun

see first comment...

vacation memories

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I got back from Chile. One day my sister took us (niece and my parents) 45 minutes away from the city towards the Andes where she knew a perfect place for a picnic lunch. The place was wonderfully quiet and the surroundings just beautiful.

I loved this little round cloud against the blue summer sky.



A short walk through a trail allowed us to find a quince tree.



and here is a closer picture of the fruit. Have you ever tried them?




There were lemon trees along the trail too, and figs:

I just love the bright sunlight of summertime, the heat, the dry air, they are wonderful memories. And last, but not least, here is a pic of the picnic, you are just missing something in between but you get the picture!! the pink little person is my 9 yo darling niece!

photo hunt: antique

This is Mr Mar's silver "Schieber", literally translated from German would be: pusher, which he would use instead of a small knife as a child. To push the food towards the fork.

And here is a detail of the handle: a little boy with a pack of clothes. The scenery must be South Germany, where he was born, because of the church and the mountains pictured. His mom handed out to me this wonderful piece shortly after we got married and it is my little treasure to keep. Not that I consider Mr Mar already an antique piece but let's face it: he was born in the past century! I should remain quiet since he is 11 months younger than me...

pics on friday

Because I have read all those posts referring to ice storms (not only) in the US and I have seen the news, I thought I should post my almond tree, the way it looked yesterday. It has been a dry winter and the tree should be looking a lot fuller at this time of the year...

and my "unknown" plant (don't know its name, helpful comments will be appreciated ) which looked like this in november:







an now it looks this bright orange. A tiny flower reminding us spring is on its way. Missed the better moment of the flower while I was away.

thursday thirteen [43]

random thoughts...as usual!
01. Spent Valentine's Day alone
02. since Mr Mar is gone on business *sob*
03. It actually didn't bother me, I could start my TT early :)
04. And talk to friends through skype
05. and chat
06. and blog
07. he will be gone 3 days next week too
08. and another 3 days the following week too
09. I could get a lot done
10. But I know I won't complete my to-do list
11. It's nice to have some days on my own
12. Because I know good things never last forever!
13. Now that I have labels I realized this is actually my 44th TT but renumbering the old posts is not on my to-do list!

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wordless wednesday [43]

(this is an actual pic from last full moon which my cam captured like this, no photoshop involved! but flickr toys for the poster)

Update: see the original here

tagged!

Jake tagged Barbara and she tagged me, good timing as I didn't have a meme for today :)

Find some pics posted below.


01. Are your parents married or divorced? married.
02. Are you a vegetarian? No, but some people think so.
03. Do you believe in Heaven? good question
04. Have you ever come close to dying? No
05. What jewelry do you wear 24/7? My wedding ring, a silver necklace
06. Favorite time of day? I am a morning person
07. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? No
08. Do you wear makeup? Oh, yes!
09. Ever have plastic surgery? No
10. If you did have plastic surgery, what you you do? face lift , get rid of those ugly wrinkles!
11. What do you wear to bed? pj's and ear plugs
12. Have you ever done anything illegal? yes
13. Can you roll your tongue? Yes
14. Do you tweeze your eyebrows? Yes
15. What kind of sneakers? Nike
16. Do you believe in abortions? if the question means am I pro-choice? yes
17. What is your hair color? right now it's reddish brown
18. Future child’s name? No future child
19. Do you snore? they tell me so, but I am innocent.
20. If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be? Santiago, Chile, right away
21. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? Never have
22. If you won the lottery, what would you do first? Make sure it is true
23. Gold or silver? white gold
24. Hamburger or hot dog? neither
25. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pasta
26. City, beach or country? Country, because I live near a big city and close to the beach
27. What was the last thing you touched? the keyboard
28. Where did you eat last? Right here at home
29. When’s the last time you cried? a couple of days ago. I cry easily and I cry when I am happy too.
30. Do you read blogs? every day
31. Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex? No
32. Ever been involved with the police? no.
33. What’s your favorite shampoo conditioner and soap? H&S.
34. Do you talk in your sleep? I have been told I do.
35. Ocean or pool? pool, don't like the salty skin ...
36. Sauna or whirlpool? Whirlpool
37. Starbucks or Krispy Kreme? Neither one, I have never been to Krispy Kreme's, I don't live in the US.
38. Window seat or aisle? Aisle, so I can move around
39. Ever met anyone famous? I have seen famous people...
40. Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life? I am pretty happy with it...
41. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? Twirl
42. Ricki Lake or Oprah Winfrey? I don't live in the US...
43. Basketball or Football? soccer...
44. How long do your showers last? short minutes
45. Automatic or do you drive a stick? I have driven a stick until 2 months ago.
46. Cake or ice cream? Cake
47. Are you self-conscious? most of the time
48. Have you ever drank so much you threw up? Have I?
49. Have you ever given money to a beggar? Yes
50. Have you been in love? Yes
51. Where do you wish you were? right here, right now but with him
52. Are you wearing socks? yes, it isn't summer
53. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No
54. Can you tango? No
55. Last gift you received? a book from my sis (thanks!)
56. Last sport you played? window shopping
57. Things you spend a lot of money on? Groceries
58. Where do you live? In a house outside Barcelona
59. Where were you born? in Chile
60. Last wedding attended? forgot, next one on March 11th
62. Favorite position? sitting in front of my pc
63. Most hated food(s)? Not really hate but I avoid onions because they don't agree with me
64. Most hated soda pop? anything but diet coke
65. Can you sing? No, and you'd better believe me
66. Last person you instant messaged? a friend, yesterday
67. Last place you went on holiday? Santiago, Chile
68. Favorite regular drink? diet coke
69. Current Song? whatever the radio is playing
70. Tag 3 friends. It's against this blog's rules :) But feel free to play along, just leave a note in the comments.

pics from the 13th floor

My dear sis lives in a central located appartment in Santiago and I spent much time at her place. Below is the view from her balcony, showing the Manquehue hill which is an important reference in the city if you want to know where is north! Manquehue is an Indian (mapuche) name and it means condor's place (manque=condor; hue=place, I always learn something myself too!).

and zooming-in... Comparing the recent pic to another one taken in dec 05 (below) one can see there are more buildings now as construction booms!

If you look east you will find the Andes and the glaciars. Remember it is summer time right now in the Southern hemisphere. Air pollution is a big issue in Santiago and I didn't have a clear day for better pics of the mountains.

And last, but not least,
not just another sunset, it's too bad the little cams don't do justice to the beautiful original colors

photo hunt: broken

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...and I remember they spoke broken English in this place...Theater in Athens, Greece, picture taken two years ago. Emergency shot (decorated thanks to flickr toys) since I had the wrong theme until I visited Barbara, (thank you, my blogfriend!! )
Update: the confusion was because of the following, found here: The theme was RED till mid-January. Since Red was in December I changed it by request. No other themes have been changed… so if you have the themes copied - no worries on future themes.

let's eat!

Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch.
Orson Welles
US actor & director (1915 - 1985)

One of the most "tasty" aspects of going back to the roots to your homeplace is giving your taste buds a real treat...Despite globalization, the food one misses from home tastes best right there, nowhere else! During my vacation I often had lunch with my sister. We very much enjoy a large salad and a large diet coke

But when I am home I love to have typical Chilean foods, including the pictured
empanada: a delicious meat pie , the net has more to say about them:

Quote: These Latin American pastries, filled with seafood, meat, cheese, vegetables or fruit are wildly popular. Thought to have originated in Spain, where the Empanada Festival is part of Galician culture, the name comes from empanar, or to coat with bread. Variations of this form of portable meals are found in Cornish pasties, Italian calzone, or turnovers.
Though empanadas are most associated with Chile and Argentina, many South American countries have their own versions. All recipes use a flour shell, some more bread-like than others, and the fillings vary by chef or locale. Unquote. Find a recipe here.

A summer favorite (although nowadays available all-year-round in the frozen foods department!) is the humita, the bulk of it is made up of boiled corn paste, wrapped in cornhusks, which is then steamed. I have never made them myself, they demand a lot of work in the kitchen. They taste wonderfully summery with a tomato salad! Guten Appetit!

thursday thirteen [42]

01. Vacation is over *sob*
02. I spent wonderful three weeks visiting family and friends in Santiago, Chile
03. No matter how many days I spend there, it is always too little time
04. I was very busy talking, listening, chatting away so that I took many pics of dear people but didn't photograph many landscapes...
05. But I am certain I can show you some interesting things, beginning with yesterday's post: it was taken at a handicraft market, in case you were wondering... an old motorcycle turned into a large insect!
06. Got back on monday morning
07. The direct flight to Madrid lasted 12 hours.
08. Lucky me, I was upgraded to business class!
09. Watched 3 movies during the flight: Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen, A good year and a bit of Volver, the Spanish film with Penelope Cruz (Oscar nominee)
10. I am still dealing with jet-lag...
11. Father and son managed alone without problems, but they forget (almost) all about household chores the minute I come in!
12. Went to a Pilates workshop yesterday, we will meet every tuesday evening until March 6. It's a beginners' workshop and I truly enjoyed it.
13. Hope I can remember the exercises I like the most! should take notes right after the class, so that I can do the exercises on my own at home... not an easy task for me! Happy thirteening!

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wordless wednesday [42]

blog, sweet blog

I am home! I had a long flight last night...wait: at 1 am it was all of a sudden 5am instantly and they started serving breakfast so there went my night sleep!! The plane was full and I was lucky I was sent to business class, that was a royal ending for the trip with a wonderful service, 4 movies and the possibility to stretch out. Most important: I didn't have to pay anything for it!! lucky me. Sorry about a boring post but I am unpacking, jet lag is taking over and I can't figure out why I can't download my pics, have to wait for technical assistance. Meanwhile I have a lot to catch up. Cheers!

photo hunt: gross!!

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This week's theme is gross. One definition reads heavy or bulky so that's why I opted for this picture of a very special restaurant I visited during my current vacation, the place is decorated in a very different way.... This pic is courtesy of my 8-yo niece since my pics are still in my cam. I am still in Chile but already packing since I will be home next monday. I have been extremely busy talking, listening, and visiting (eating and drinking as well) but I have missed blogging!!! Know that I will be late visiting but I just couldn't wait to post a few words and a pic today. Happy hunt!