The 4th

We had a happy 4th!  A long weekend could not have came at a better time...all we did was relax!  Most of our weekend was spent laying by the pool, sipping Dos Equis and snuggling with Kouks..perfect!

I promised myself I wouldn't use my nice camera if I was enjoying a few drinks....so no pool pics. 

However, I did manage to snap a few fun shots from our 4th of July barbecue at Shawn and Jennifer's. 

Good looking brothers

Cousins 

Sister-in-laws

 

Games in the backyard

Nounos day

Nouno means Godfather in Greek, so on fathers day, that is what we celebrated. This first picture is my favorite from the evening...I think it is pretty obvious why it's number 1!   Brent is clearly very happy to be with his little man Elias! 

 We LOVE him

We are so busy with work that we usually only see him once a week, which is why we shower (I literally smother) him with kisses.

A special gift from Eli

We are looking forward to making many more beautiful memories with our Eli!

Greek Fest 2011

The perfect picture to start off this post....Greek Fest 2011 was a good time! 

The first day at the festival was very special for my grandparents and mom.  This elderly couple went up to a man working the festival and said "is there a Gus that goes to this church" Of course, there is only room for one Gus...that would be my Papou.  Below is a picture my Papou with tenants of his who lived on the other half of his duplex 40 years ago!

I was sitting right next to my Papou when he saw his friend for the first time in years, it was a moment.  I didn't know what was happening, but I knew it was special.  They both reached their arms across a picnic table,  shaking their heads out of pure shock .  Watery eyes soon followed...so awesome. 

Bronson, my sisters BF also came to St. D's to celebrate our churchs' 50th festival

And what kind of party would it be with out Angelo!? This lucky guy was leaving the very next day for Greece!

Speaking of a good time....what kind of party would it be with out this guy :o)  Papou always jokes "don't tell Yiayia"...this year I said "she can see you!!"

You can find my sweet Yiayia every year in the pastry booth.

We love celebrating our culture and faith with family and friends.  So grateful to be a part of St. D's.

Fun Finds

I love reading friends blogs and learning about their new great finds, which is why I want to let you in on ten of my favs.


1. Katinas Greek Cafe- you can check out the assortment here.  If you live in the KC area head to the freezer section at Hen house or Dean and Deluca.  You will love them!!




2. Paddy Wax candles- Not only do they smell so great and strong, but they burn for 48 hours! You can purchase these smelly goods at Halls.  To check out the Paddy Wax website click here.  I am obsessed with the winter garden collection...in particuar, mission fig!

3. Traeger- everything and anything cooked on this will taste amazing!!




4. Barbecue Wilton  Armetale platter - great for cooking potatoes and veggies on the grill.  Especially because it keeps the good hot! We bought ours from  Bed Bath and Beyond


5. Vaseline Intensive Care bath bubbles- The water smells great but even more importantly you skin feels baby smooth when you are finished!


6.  Sangria- our friends Kathy and Steve introduced us to the best Sangira called Cruz Garcia...YUM!



7. Key Lime Cheesecake- Dean and Deluca makes a great one, but if you feel up to the challenge check out this recipe  from Betty Crocker




8. New York and Company work clothes- They also run the best deals and the clothes wash great!  I dont know about you but I am not a fan of ironing...Check out their latest styles and DEALS here!



9.  The 50th Annual Greek Festival!! There is no fee to park or enter, just come eat great food and listen to greek music!




10.  uhh I am having trouble coming up with my last "fav thing", which is weird because I always want to buy something; just ask Brent :o) So for now, my fav nine will have to do!

Summer

The new big toy in the Draper house is our Traeger grill....we have spent almost every night for the past two weeks grilling out!  Guess what my favorite thing about the grill is.......Brent does the cooking!!!!!

Well, not all the cooking! I still make sure we have delicious sides and drinks!


Summer Brew
4 cups ice cubes
1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer ......Drapers use 2 but no pressure :o)
12 fluid ounces vodka

Summer Brew....yummm! We are looking forward to more summer brew in NOLA with the Sanders family this August!

Gotta keep it Greek!

Koukla loves playing outside while Brent is grilling.  I love this picture!

We struggle to take pictures by ourselves. Brent is pretty tall!!

At least we got this one right ;o)

Other exciting news...I got a new Camera! A Canon rebel....LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!! 

I have spent a lot of time reading the instruction manual....and Koukla is my model! LOL!