Spotlight: Life behind the Blogger

Poppy from Poppy View

 Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger is a feature done each Saturday that introduces you to a blogger you may already know or a new blogger for you to get to know. This feature gives you a peak into the personal life of the blogger.  Getting to know the special person behind the beautiful blog.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland so enjoy getting to know these talented bloggers each Saturday.

Happy Saturday Everyone.  I am loving this opportunity to invite you to meet and get to know Poppy.  This blogger lives in Crete, Greece one of the prettiest  country's on the planet.  Her views from her home are right out of a picture.  Poppy is so lucky to live and be surrounded by such beauty.  Please take a little time to read and get to know Poppy from Poppy View.

Our butter yellow home sits across a vineyard,

 now sprouting shiny, new grape leaves.

Hello everyone, my name is Poppy, and I am the author of two blogs. Welcome to my home, high in the hilly, Cretan countryside. I am thrilled to be visiting with you today, and would like to thank our sweet and talented hostess, Kris, for inviting me!

From our rooftop terrace: vineyards, olive groves, and mountain ranges.

For the past three years, I have been writing about my life in our charming, Mediterranean village, over at my first blog, Poppy View, where my adventures around the picturesque mountains and meadows, excursions to beautiful, pastoral places, 

and days spent at the seaside, inspire me to share my thoughts and feelings with my wonderful readers, some of whom have become treasured friends, even though we've never actually met in person.

While my husband built our home, I designed and decorated it to reflect my love of both French country and English cottage flair - the perfect duo, since I was born and raised in Canada, a land that has been greatly influenced by these two nations, both culturally and historically, and one I miss terribly, every day, as three years ago, my daughter moved to my hometown of Toronto, to find work, where my parents, siblings, and their families all live. 

''Don't Know Why''

(click to listen)

Although I have a degree in English Literature, and having mainly taught ESL to Greek students, here on the island, I have also had the pleasure of singing professionally, while on an amateur level, I've acted in and directed community theatre productions. 

 

I spend my free time photographing the glorious landscape around me, cooking, gardening, baking, and blogging. I've always been interested in painting, and just bought myself some watercolours and brushes, hoping to capture our pretty countryside on canvas, too.

My second blog, Poppyprosodies is one I created just over a year ago, which I've completely devoted to my poems. It's a place where I can develop my writing skills, and interact with others who share the same passion for poetic expression. Creating, whether it be a craft, music, art, or writing, in my opinion, is essential for everyday joie de vivre!

Well, I've enjoyed 'spilling the beans' on what goes on 'behind the scenes' of my two blogs, so that you may have a better idea about the woman behind them. Thanks again, Kris, and everyone, for reading! In closing, I leave you with one of my poems, which presents some thoughts and feelings on the aging.

Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo

Poppy

  Raindrop Roses

Roses on my table,

floating in a puddle of dew,

petals layered next to savouries,

and a bittersweet, Greek brew.

  Posing on my dresser,

 claiming centre stage,

  they're luscious leading ladies

among gentlemen jars of sage.

They sparkle in the sunlight,

eclipsed only by a gingham shade,

 basking smugly in the fleeting limelight,

until their striking beauty fades.

Too much sun for a starlet,

can the process of aging start,
 wilting her vibrant spirit,
and breaking her tender heart.

Left with traces of her brilliance,

(when youth beamed on her face,

 allowing her to upstage those
 tattered, and time embraced),
 she, now uprooted, muted and diluted,
was replaced by fresh cut hopefuls
in a curvy, half-full vase.

Thank you Poppy for doing Spotlight.  It was so much fun to get to know you better.  Love your talented poetry and your beautiful home country.  Take a few minutes to hop over to Poppy's blog and introduce yourself.

Have a wonderful rest of the week end.

Kris

:)

Every Day Blessings

Hi Everyone.  Today is not about decor crazy or new summer flowers or a new yummy recipe but about a very special story.

If you have a few minutes sit down and read this lovely story and think about this teacher's words and then go out and enjoy or notice something small, simple and cherish this moment in your life.

source

Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember,   

she's the wife of Todd Beamer who said 'Let's Roll!' and 

helped take down the plane over Pennsylvania that was 

heading for Washington, DC back on 9/11. 

  

She said it's the little things that she misses most about 

Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came 

home, and her children running to meet him. 

  

Lisa recalled this story: "I had a very special teacher in 

high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly 

of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared 

some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the 

late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the 

classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she 

moved a few things a side on the edge of her desk and   

sat down there. 

  

With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused 

and said, 'Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, 

a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very 

important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, 

love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows 

when this fantastic experience will end. 

It can be taken away at any moment. 

  

Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make 

the most out of every single day. Her eyes, beginning to 

water, she went on, 'So I would like you all to make me 

a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on 

your way home, find something beautiful to notice. 

  

It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a 

scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of 

someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze 

slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the 

morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently 

to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish 

them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these 

things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put 

here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for 

granted. 

  

The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our 

books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, 

I noticed more things on my way home from school than 

I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think 

of that teacher and remember what an impression she 

made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those 

things that sometimes we all overlook. 

  

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch 

hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. 

Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice 

cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we 

did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do. 

  

If you like this, please pass it on to a friend, 

or quietly reflect on this for yourself. 

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, 

but by the moments that take our breath away." 

  

HAVE A GREAT DAY! 

The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts. 

The safest place to be is in someone's prayers, 

and the very best place to be is.... 

right here in the moment.

I enjoy each and every one of your sweet visits and comments to my blog.   May you find a simple little "stuff of life" today to make you smile.

Have a great rest of the week.  Enjoy the beautiful week end to come.  Join me back here on Saturday for a new blogger for you to get to know in Spotlight.

Kris

:)

 

Before and After

I wanted to show you this bench that I got for Mother's Day from my girls and what I did with it.

My two daughters gifted me this lovely bench from Home Goods for Mom's Day.  I had thought about putting it at the end of the bed in my guest room.
But then,  I thought about re loving this bench a little bit and having it for seating in my dining room.

So I painted the legs white to match the chair legs of my dining chairs.  Easy enough to do.

Then I got out more of the gray and white check fabric and the tablecloth ruffle left from doing the chairs you can see that post here.

So I added the gray and white check Ikea fabric to the bench with a staple gun and then stapled the ruffle under the bottom of the bench.

So now this sweet little bench that was gifted to me has been re loved into additional seating in my dining room.

Have a great start to the new week ahead.
Kris
:)

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Home Stories from A-Z
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