Snowy AZ Day

Every year, Pearson ( the company that Eric works for ) is hosting this event called: "Read for the Record" where children and teachers all over the country get to read the same book on the same day.
This year we even got Maile's teacher ( Mrs. Gleason) involved just like we did Ms. Rachel last year and the kids had so much fun being part of breaking the record.
This year's story is called " The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats.

In an effort to make this even more fun for the kids Pearson decided to bring in a truck full of snow, which was not nearly enough for the huge crowd of kids that were there. Nonetheless the kids had a blast and we look forward to participate in the same event next year.

Fall into Autumn

The leaves are falling, pumpkins are all around, and the air smells crisp, it must be fall! 
Well, it was about TIME!! This summer has been probably the worst summer for me since living in AZ. 
Growing up in Romania, I was so used to having all 4 seasons and fall was definitely one of my favorite, despite the really chilly weather and the rain..I loved it.
Funny enough, every time it rains here in AZ., I am always transported back home. It reminds me of my college days, having to walk everywhere, it reminds me of Eric visiting me for the first time...
I get so excited to see rain over here ( probably because we get so little of it), I get so excited to be able to open our windows and let the fresh air come in and not have to run our AC non stop.


Recently, Eric and I have started talking about the possibility of moving from AZ in the next 2 years or so. I would hate leaving our friends behind but the summers here and my allergies are getting harder and harder on me.
Atlanta is one of the places we are considering and there is soo much that we both like about it.
Me, personally...I can't wait to have a white Christmas again, to wake up to those chilly mornings, grab a cup of hot chocolate and cozy up next to my family.
I have never been too fond of the holiday time, here in AZ..everything is so different than what I grew up with...


I am really anxious to see what the future brings for us. In the mean time I will savor this weather as much as I can because there's never enough of it in one year,if you ask me.

A day for canning

Every year around fall time, you will notice that almost any family in Romania, starts buying tons of fruits and veggies to can/preserve for the winter. This practice has been very popular especially before 1989, the year of the Romanian Revolution, when certain ingredients were very difficult to find, particularly in the winter.
I, myself grew up with my mom canning lots of things for the winter. One of the most popular recipes that I remember is one that resembles somewhat of a caponata here in the States, but perhaps not as chunky.
It involves lots of roasted bell peppers, some roasted eggplant, tomatoes, onions, carrots and whatever spices you want to add to it. Almost every housewife has their own recipe for it and yesterday I decided to go ahead and make my own.
I had prepared this before but in a much smaller batch so I was very nervous especially since I had never canned anything before.
Luckily, I had my mom to give me some pointers and of course the internet was full of suggestions as well.

I LOVED the final result and look forward to enjoying this throughout the so called AZ winter.