Every home is different — some are one level, some two levels, some three levels and some with basements and some without.

Some homes are modern, some traditional, some classical or country depending on the people’s likes and tastes.

Our personal home is decorated with a Mediterranean and classic theme with many items that we purchased in Greece.

Many of the items such as statues, vases, pictures, etc. to the point where people have told us that having visited our house it is like being in a Greek museum. LOL. Finally after all these years we no longer look to ever purchase items from Greece. I can write a book about all the items we have brought and shipped back over the years for not only ourselves but for our grandchildren and still have not given to them.

I will not forget one year that I found a relatively large bronze statue of Poseidon (god of the sea) that I liked very much and felt that I had to buy it even if it was very heavy and I was asked at the customs entering the USA if I was bringing rocks from the Acropolis. LOL. (He was not too far off however because I did have several rocks that I got while visiting some of the various historical sites).

Another year I took the chance of hand carrying a large marble bust statue of the goddess Athena which I was so afraid of breaking during the trip but was fortunate enough to get it home safely even if one customs agent unwrapped it to a dangerous point.

One thing for sure I would never do those things again but it does bring back good memories when I see it in the living room.

We also always bring back several loaves of a special Greek sweet bread called “Tsoureki” and on one trip when we had a changeover in Germany where they almost refused to let the eight loaves of bread pass thinking they may be filled with a type of explosive … (However after they inspected by cutting into one loaf, they let it pass.). I guess it is better safe than sorry!

One negative thing about our yearly trips to Europe is the fact that we always had to pay for extra luggage to take all the gifts to friends and relatives and worse yet had to buy one or two suitcases to hold all the items we had purchased to bring home … which actually became very expensive.

On a different note– I have a list of house rules that I try to implement and follow,:

1. If you open it, close it,

2. If you turn it on, turn it off.

3. If you unlock it, lock it.

4. If you break it, fix it.

5. If you can’t fix it, call someone who can or replace it.

6. If you borrow it, be sure to return it

7. If you use it, take care of it.

8 If you make a mess, clean it up.

9. If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.

10. If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone

I skipped mentioning some of my events over the holidays as to not bore you … but now I am back in seven or eight projects that I am chairing … I am only going to mention one today because schools, churches, business and so on need to know in advance. The 14th annual Easter Parade will be held on Saturday, March 23, at 2 p.m. in downtown Parkersburg and this year’s theme will be “HOPPING DOWN The BUNNY TRAIL”

Call 304-615-5454 with any questions.

Till next week.