Alright, I may be from the land of no snow (aka South Texas) but I love the Christmas season. You can bet that right after Thanksgiving I was hungry for decorative things to fill our home. Unfortunately I found a small selection at high (oh so high) prices. I know I must stop comparing US prices to Romanian prices but I can't help it. My mind tells me instantly "You could buy that garland for $1 in the states, why pay $10 here!?" Needless to say the Christmas trees are pricier too but on top of that our tiny apartment can't really accommodate a full size Christmas tree. We'll be buying and decorating a big tree when we go to Medias for Christmas but still I wanted to have some sort of tree/decoration in the meantime. My solution? I made a "tree" that is now hanging on the wall in the living room. The lights were the only purchased item, everything else I had or found (like the stick I brought back from the forest in Vatra Dornei). Next projects for the house will be a fresh wreath and some snowflakes for the window. 

My best friend Mireille gave me this Leatherman about a year and a half ago. I can't count the number of times I've reached for it. Incredibly useful!

Leaving Bucharest is fast becoming my favorite past-time. Luckily another opportunity presented itself this weekend, when I went to see a friend's hometown- Vatra Dornei. Although the ski slopes are what usually draw visitors, we did no such thing since there was no snow to ski on. Still the food, company and general merriment made for another great weekend in the mountains.[Click any image to view slideshow]