Silent night, silvery snow... Evergreen tree bright and aglow...

Christmas is here bringing good cheer!

May it bring for you, gifts of love and joy too!

Merry Christmas Guys!!!!

"It's the small insignificant gestures that make life bearable. A smile, a touch, a word, a kindness, a concern..."

Paul Brown

Querida Anabela, um grande beijinho XXL e votos de um dia muuuuuuito feliz!
GBU
Ana Rute

" A amizade duplica as alegrias e divida as tristezas."

Francis Bacon

Querida Irene,

Estamos felizes porque a nossa amizade esta um ano mais velha! Muuuuitos Parabens!

Beijinhos

Ana Rute & Amer

Teachers' Day

Teachers' Days are intended to be special days for the appreciation of teachers. World Teachers Day is celebrated across the world on October 5th, with great verve and enthusiasm. Ever since the importance of teachers has been recognized by UNESCO, by adopting the “Recommendation concerning the status of teachers”, World Teachers' Day has been celebrated annually. This includes celebrations to honor the teachers for their special contribution in a particular field area or the community in general.

(source: internet - Wikipedia)

Thank you girls for all the hugs and kisses I received yesterday.

Thank you Raghad and Lara for your special gesture! Meant a lot to me!

Ana

Parabens Querida Isa!!!

"...Porque na amizade, todos os pensamentos, todos os desejos, todos os sonhos nascem sem palavras, e partilham-se numa alegria de silencio..."

Khalil Gibran

Os mimos comecaram antes do dia de aniversario... Sortuda!

Passa um dia muuuuuito feliz!

Beijos XXL

Rute

Feliz Aniversario, Natalia!

Querida Natalia,

Aqui deixamos um grande beijinho de Parabens!

É Loucura...
Odiar todas as rosas porque uma te espetou...
Perder a fé em todas as orações, porque uma não foi atendida...
Desistir de todos os esforços porque um deles fracassou...
Condenar todas as amizades porque uma te traíu...
Descrer de todo o amor porque um deles te foi infiel...
Amandar fora todas as oportunidades porque uma tentativa não deu certo...
Espero que na tua caminhada não cometas estas loucuras!
Lembrando sempre que:
Há uma outra oportunidade, uma outra amizade, um outro amor, uma nova força...
É só ser perseverante e procurar ser mais feliz a cada dia.
A glória não consiste em jamais cair, mas sim erguer-se todas as vezes que forem necessárias!
Votos de um dia muuuuuito feliz!

Rute, Amer, Afonso, Genna, Yasmeena, Bulma, Ben & Jerry

Happy Birthday Genona Stompina!!!

Happy birthday!!!!

Parabens!!!!!

Kullam wa inti be kheir Genona!!!!

Will see you on the 7th to celebrate together!!!

Have a wonderful day... with us! lol

Kisses

Ana, Amer, Afonso, Bulma, Ben & Jerry

Parabens Catarina!!!!

Querida Catarina,

Um beijinho grande de Parabens!!!

Que passes um dia muuuuuuito feliz!

Como deves gostar de historias como eu, aqui fica uma historinha pra ti. Espero que gostes!

A casa de madeira
Pelo Outono, a rata Alina ouvira dizer que o seu bom velho amigo, o texugo Norberto, morava agora numa casa algures na montanha. Há muito tempo que Alina não via Norberto. Nos últimos dias, desde que a neve começara a cair, Alina pensava muito nele, na sua agradável voz resmungona, na sua presença calorosa e reconfortante e na sua grande colecção de livros, que ele muitas vezes lhe lera.
“A casa do Norberto, lá na montanha, de certeza que agora tem luz, é quente e confortável”, pensou a ratinha, e naquele momento a sua toca começou a parecer-lhe apertada e abafada. No dia seguinte, tomou uma decisão:
— Vou ter com o Norberto! Não sei ao certo onde mora, mas não deve ser assim tão difícil de encontrar.
Alina calçou as botas quentes de ratinha, vestiu um casaco grosso de lã e pôs-se a caminho. Foi subindo a montanha, cada vez mais para cima, pela neve funda. Por pouco não dava com a casa do texugo! A noite já estava a chegar e ela ainda à procura do caminho através do bosque. E, para mais, começara a cair um nevão! Mas a ratinha não era medrosa.
“Se não encontrar hoje a casa do texugo, cavo um buraco fundo na neve”, pensou ela, “e assim não fico gelada…”
Mas, por fim, lá acabou por encontrar o caminho para fora do bosque, e viu à sua frente, num declive, a casa do texugo!
Era de madeira. Nas janelas brilhava uma luz amarela e quente e, da chaminé alta, saía um longo rasto de fumo que balançava ao vento.
Alina juntou as últimas forças e correu em direcção à casa. Claro que o texugo se alegrou imenso com a sua chegada. E ambos passaram um Inverno maravilhoso e confortável na casa de madeira, longe de tudo, lendo e conversando…
Erwin Moser /Mario der Bär - Weinheim Basel, Parabel, 2005 - Tradução e adaptação

Beijocas

Rute, Amer e Afonso

Happy belated Birthday Habibti Wafa!!!

Kulaam wa inti be kheir Habibti Wafa!

Even your smallest acts of kindness says "I care", says "you matter", says "I thought of you". And so lifts the heart.

Happy belated birthday my dear friend!

Ana

Welcome to the Art Exhibition in Dawat Aljazeera School in Jeddah/KSA!!!

http://www.dawhat-aljazeera.com/en/default.html

The Art Curriculum (grades 1 up to 5), is all about the Elements of Art (line, shape, value, texture, color, form,and space) and the Principles of Design (unity, variety, balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and pattern). Obviously one of our main goals is to develop fine motors skills, using scissors and paper as much as we can.

Enjoy the pictures as much I enjoyed working with the girls!

Ps: Under the Saudi law, am not allowed to display or post pictures with the girl’s that’s why you just have a glimpse of the exhibition itself.

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week...

http://www.heartofateachermovie.com/?cm_mmc=Responsys-_-MO-_-4.26.10-_-HOATmovie

A time to honor teachers who have made a difference!

Well, they did it today!!!

(Ms. Sally Williams from New Zeland with IB2 Geography 2009/2010 class - The British International School of Jeddah / KSA)

Thank you Ms. Williams!!!

Ben, Lama, Rana, Afonso, Ghassan and Liane

It's Mother's Day !!!

Mom's Day is well celebrated on different days all over the world, usually in May, but also in March. This day acts as a reminder to honor mothers and motherhood. In most Arab countries it is celebrated on March 21, the first day of spring.

Mom's Day is an annual holiday that remembers mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well the constructive contributions that Moms make in all cultures.

This year I invited some charming young loving friends over (Hamoudi, Lana and Mariam) to prepare personal gifts for their moms.

(This is Hamoudi deciding on his work color... very difficult job, you have to agree!)

The result could not have been more adorable than this!
From all of us, warm wishes and happy thoughts to all good mothers on this Mom’s Day!

Hamoudi, Lana, Mariam & Ana
By the way, did you know carnations are a symbol of Mom’s Day?

Spring is coming!!!

Hey... Did you know Spring is coming on the 20th ???

It's time again for the brilliant colors to bloom! Let’s celebrate the return of this cheerful season.

A Springy hug from me!
Happy Spring!!!
Ana

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (8 MARCH)

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.
1908

Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women's oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.
1909

In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman's Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.
1910

A second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women's Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women's Day was the result.
1911

Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women's Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic 'Triangle Fire' in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women's Day events. 1911 also saw women's 'Bread and Roses' campaign.
1913-1914

On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Women’s Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women's solidarity.
1917

On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for "bread and peace" in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women's strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.
1918 - 1999

Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women's Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as 'International Women's Year' by the United Nations. Women's organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women's advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women's equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.
2000 and beyond

IWD is now an official holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother's Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that 'all the battles have been won for women' while many feminists from the 1970's know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women's visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatrical performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.
So make a difference, think globally and act locally!! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.
Courtesy of International Women’s Day website

Kullan wa inta be kheir Amer !!!

Born on Monday, Fair in face; Born on Tuesday, Full of God's grace; Born on Wednesday, Sour and sad; Born on Thursday, Merry and glad; Born on Friday, Worthily given; Born on Saturday, Work hard for your living; Born on Sunday, You will never know want.

...And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln

We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh. I truly agree. I also agree that we laugh so much together!!! Happy Birthday Querido! Parabens!!! Kullan wa inta be kheir!!!
note: since there is no card (oooops shame on me!!!) am posting one of your paintings. Fair enough??

Love you!!!

Ana