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Mtskheta: Vibrant Center of Orthodoxy in Georgia
Mtskheta stands at the confluence of two rivers, Mtkvari and Aragvi about 20 miles outside of Tbilisi. It is a UNESCO protected site and “was a site of early Christian activity resulting in the Christianisation of Iberia, where Christianity was proclaimed the state religion in 337. It remains the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox Church.” (Wikipidia). The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (meaning the Cathedral of the Living Pillar) is an Orthodox Christian cathedral. It is a treasure of the Early and High Middle Ages, and is the second largest church building in Georgia. Below are two of the tombs you can find in the church. The one on the right is of Erekle II. Ten Georgian kings…
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A Week of Outfit
I thought it would be fun to share a week of outfits: Jodie from Jtouchofstyle share her daily outfits every Saturday and I often get inspiration from her to try new combinations with my clothes. This week of outfits dates back to mid May, but all of these outfits could easily be worn all summer long. I hope it inspires you to shop your closet! Saturday I actually wore 4 outfits that day, but I am not sharing my running clothes nor my yard work clothes. I wore the linen joggers and tank to take my son for a blood test and my dress for church. I hadn’t worn my…
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Summer Alternatives to Shorts with the Ageless Style Link Up
When you thrift and photograph a pretty dress the same day Leslie chooses a theme for the June Ageless Link Up, it is meant to be! I bought this NWT dress (looks like an Asian brand) at Uptown Cheapskate about exactly 2 months before this post. I was drawn to the embroidery and the fun shape of the dress. I tend to wear fitted dresses, but decided to try this and I decided it was too fun and different to pass up. I thought it would be perfect for Pascha (Orthodox Easter) with either white knee length biker shorts or capri leggings. I have a pair of each for these…
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Making Kinkhali: Georgian Dumpling
Our friend Mari, who own the hotel we stayed at (Hotel Gomi 19 in Old Tblisi) hosts master cooking classes for groups. She offered to teach us how to make a Georgian dumpling called kinkhali since she knew our boys had really enjoyed them on our past two visits. The table was arranged and ready in the dining area for us to create them, the dough having already been prepared. The feeling can be potatoes and onions, a mix of ground beef and pork (in our case), mushrooms… they are very similar to pirogis but differ in their shape. The dough is rolled out, cut into circles (you can use…
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Thrifted Dress: Perfect for Any Occasion
When I found this dress late April, I knew right away that the style would be versatile and perfect for any type of occasion. Think birthday party, baptism, wedding, graduation and even on a simple Sunday. The only thing you need to change to create some diversity and maybe dress it up a little more for one occasion or another is change your accessories. A purse, a shoe, your jewelry will instantly create a new look. Of course for colder days, you can also add a top layer like a denim jacket or a moto jacket. I think this is one of those dresses that can be worn year round.…
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Enjoying Food in the Republic of Georgia
First of all, let me preface that one of my favorite things about vacations abroad is the variety and freshness of foods as well as the act of not having to cook any meals! Today’s post is full of colorful pictures of food: one of my favorite things in the republic of Georgia is the food: the recipes are heavy with spices, walnuts and fresh ingredients. “Fast food” items are freshly baked in these little kiosks or small holes in the wall and rich in beans, cheese or sausage. Meals are a love affair and rich in traditions especially dinner: it usually will include wine and toasting. You can also…
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Traveling to the Republic of Georgia: some Insights
I am back! We just returned on Monday from our 2 weeks in the republic of Georgia and I have quite a few blog posts planned to share our trip with you. Today, I thought I would share some insights on why we chose to return to Georgia for the 3rd time and some quirks and tips about traveling there. The pictures I am sharing in this post are of fun cat murals found in Old Tbilisi where we stayed for most of your trip. The first question I am answering is the choice of our destination. Yes, this is the 3rd time we have traveled to the republic of…
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Tropical Dress for Celebrating
I have worn this dress a few times in the past, usually trying to tone it down a little for church since I do not live at the beach or a tropical destination. Here it is for my birthday blog post where I paired it with sneakers and a navy jacket and here I wore it on its own off the shoulder and on one shoulder. For this past Mother’s day, I wore it with a tan jacket and accessories and the restaurant we ate at had a beautiful mural that was perfect for pictures. Here I am with my mom whose 79th birthday was 2 days later. We took…
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Runner’s Spotlight: Beth
What Beth forgot to mention is that she gets up and run bright and early several times a week to run with a friend: is 4:30 early? Yes, it is and it takes dedication to get up to run that early. I tried it a couple years ago with my 2 friends and I made it a few times before deciding that I would rather sleep. Beth was also training for a half marathon and steadily increased her mileage. She completed the half couple of weeks ago. How and when did you start running? I started running when my husband John signed us up for a 12 mile Tough Mudder…
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Another Thrift Haul: Making Smart Choices
I recently shared my finds from thrifting with Jodie in Arizona. Now as you may have noticed, I use the term haul loosely: in my case, I typically do not come home from the thrift store with a car full of things. I usually probably find 5 or so items and if I have been to several stores, maybe closer to 10 items. A week after the trip to Arizona, I decided to stop by Revive in Woodstock and check out their selection. To my happy surprise, they had a great spring selection of skirts, dresses and tops. I was looking for spring colors and hoping to find some prints.…