He's Lord Over the Details, too!

I have had a time with flatware and dishes here.  When we moved here we didn't have a lot of cash to buy nice things.  So we just scraped together what we could.  My flatware is just peice-meal junk from IKEA and random packs from the grocery store when I can't find any more forks.  (Seriously, where on earth do those forks go?!)  The dishes that I ended up with were terrible- heavy, ugly, and they chipped constantly.  One day while I was at the grocery store they had box sets of plain white dishes that seemed to be a nice quality for a good price.  So I bought a set and happily gave the other dishes away.

However, I have three kids who accidentally drop dishes and we entertain a lot- large groups, at that.  So, I have constantly been on the lookout for some more dishes to add to my set.  I'd long since written off finding the same ones, deciding they were just a one off special.

But today, three years later, Lucy was dying of thirst on the way home from her riding lesson so we stopped into a little convenience mart to grab some waters.  Would you believe that they had my exact dishes for sale by the piece?!  They were dirt cheap and just what I needed!  I had to resist the urge to buy way too many- trying to be honest with myself about what we actually will use.

The Lord is so good!  I am hosting 7 folks, 4 of them staying with us for several nights, in just a few weeks.  I've got several meals planned, including a big dinner with several of our local friends invited to meet the group.  Having these extra plates is going to be such a blessing!!  Thank you, Lord!!  He really does care about the little things along with the big ones!!

Fantastical Ideas

Lucy came running in and declared, "I have the MOST FANTASTICAL IDEA EVER!!!!!!"  And then she ran out to make her dream into a reality.  I waited a bit to see what the most fantastical idea was actually going to turn out to be.  Truthfully, I was a little scared.  You never know what you are going to get with Lucy.  She is a child who dreams big and imagines wide!

Today's fantastical idea was a play-doh house.  She worked all morning building each little detail.  At one point she asked me to take her picture when she finished.  She said, "I'm going to show that picture to my kids when I grow up and they are going to be impressed that their Momma was so amazing!  They're gonna wanna live in that house!  They're gonna ask me where it is so they can play with it.  So, Momma, we have to set it out so the Play-Doh can dry.  Then I can save it forever!"

Who says no to that?!

And that is why I not only have several pictures of Lucy with her Fantastical House, but the house itself is also sitting proudly on my desk drying out.

I know that house will be forgotten soon and I'll eventually sneak it into the trash.  But I'm hoping that I remember the precious excitement in her voice and the cute way she talks without her front tooth.  I want to remember her most fantastical idea ever, and cherish these fun times with my baby!  She's growing up too quickly!

Fly Time

Yall... summer has come.  It has already gotten hot enough that each night Justin and I have to try to figure out what type of troubled sleep we want to experience.  The choices are 1) window open- noisy horn blasting in the middle of the night, call to prayer, the police man who lives in the building next to us blipping his siren to say hello to his wife every time he passes by all through the night; or 2) window closed- squeaky fan, hot sweaty night.  Fun times!

At least it's not take a cold shower, jump in bed with wet hair, window open, and fan going while praying you fall asleep fast and the heat puts you into a deep comatose type sleep.  Those days are coming!  Yay!

In other news, summer has brought two things.  One completely expected- my summer uniform of long skirt, sandals, and thin button down shirts with a tank top underneath.  Yep, that's the coolest option I've got- especially considering that super sweating and thin cotton or linen pants tend to create embarrassing displays.  Skirts are a discreet friend for us sweaty girls!  Enough said!

The thing that has come as a surprise to us this year are the FLIES!!  Yall, we live 7 stories up!  Where on earth are these flies coming from?!  It's too hot to leave the windows closed.  And, when we open them up, within 10 minutes a swarm of flies is circling around the center of the room.  (I googled why they circle the center of the room.  You can, too, if you're curious!)

For real, this  morning I opened the window.  Then I went into the kitchen to get my coffee and eggs.  By the time I came back to sit down with the Word, this had happened!!

Since they were buzzing around my camera phone couldn't really capture them.  So I circled a few, just a few, mind you, of the many!  Do you know how irritated and slightly dirty it makes you feel to be hanging out with a swarm of flies?!  YUCK!!

Fly away, flies!!

Pill Popper

There's good news and bad news...

The bad news is that this girl is home sick again today.  She and her sister were home yesterday.  So we went to the doctor and got some medicine for an ear and throat infection.

The good news is that after several previous battles and many failed attempts this time she has finally learned to swallow a pill drama free!  Praise the Lord!!  

Here she is looking so smug and proud of herself for this accomplishment.  If you had been a fly on the wall in our apartment (and there are plenty!!) you would realize why I am making such a big deal of this seemingly little thing!

Whimsey at its Finest

Yesterday Lucy and I went to her friend, Işıl Zeynep's birthday party.  I don't really know her or her mom very well, so we didn't know what to expect.  When we got to the address it was a door in an old wall.  Lucy recognized her friend's grandmother waiting at the door.   Entering the garden was like walking into the secret garden.  It was a paradise!

There were fruit trees, roses, lilies, a vegetable garden, an arbor covered in grapevines, and the most adorable covered patio.  The little girls were all dressed up and so thrilled to be together.  The mother had strung balloons and beads up along the patio arbor.  It was all so simple and whimsical.  I think we Parenthood fans strive for a Braverman-esque type experience that this mom totally nailed without even trying!  Plus, it was such a pretty day to sit out in the garden and drink tea with my friends while the girls played.

I didn't get very good pictures.  But here are a few quick shots...

Lucy's friend's little brother's birthday was just a few days away.  So it was a party for him, too.

They live with the mom's mother.  She was the sweetest, most spry little lady.
She is the one who does all the gardening.

Singing Iyiki Doğdun,  Happy Birthday!

The mom and grandmother made so much food, but the kids were too excited.  They hardly touched any of it!

 It was such a nice Sunday afternoon!

Sunday Sneak Peek: Day is Done

Gone the sun.

Skilz

Today Lucy and I were playing office.  Truth be told, I was working on emails and she came in to apply for a job.  So I gave her a notebook and told her to list her skills.  

I think it's safe to say she should go ahead and quit school.  With this skill-set she's ready to take on the world!

(If you need an interpretation this says: 1. watch babys 2. right (as in write, notice she didn't say spelling!) 3. sweep (not to any real discernible standard, mind you) 4. bring down laundry 5. horseback riding.)

So, she was pretty much hired on the spot!!

Thank You

Today there was a little reception at school to thank the moms who helped with the kermes, fundraiser.

They basically packed a ton of us in a small room with no windows and attempted to give thank you speeches with no sound system over 100 chatty women.  The good news is that there were juice boxes!  Ha!

Anyhow, it was actually really nice.  This was the first year that they've really done something to recognize how much work goes into something like this and think the women who help.  I am thinking our new principal's wife must be outspoken because no regular guy here would have a clue that it actually takes quite an effort to do something like this.  Moreover, they'd surely not say thank you- lest we women get a big head!  Ha!

All the women who helped got a little thank you certificate and the 6 women who walked the streets begging for two months were called up front and thanked individually.  They also gave us these beautiful hand painted tiles.  I LOVE it!

This is one thing that will be allowed to sit around my house and collect dust!

Yağmur'un Kına Gecesi

A friend of a friend's daughter is getting married this weekend.  The wedding is on the other side and I won't be able to attend.  But tonight was the bride's henna party.  It's her last hurrah before she gets married.  This event is strictly for women, so even the most conservative ladies really whoop it up.  The bride is very conservative- I've never seen her without her headscarf, even at home.  However, tonight she wasn't wearing it, and had her hair done up really fancy with a fascinator.  (Princess Katherine's fashion sense is even making an impact here!)  She looked beautiful!

The bride's family rented a reception hall and by the time we arrived, the party was in full swing.

After an hour or so of dancing, it was time to do the henna.  The bride is taken to a side room and henna is spread on her hands.  It's like super dark green goo that stains your skin reddish.  It has to stay on for awhile.  So after they spread the henna on they cover her hands with special gloves.  Then they put a red veil over her head.  All the single girls line up outside the room with candles and the bride comes out again.

The ladies lined up on either side as the girl holding the henna and the bride proceed through. 

The henna is in this little basket thing.

This is the bride

As the bride passes by the other girls join in the processional.

Here they are with their candles following the bride.

They sit her down in a chair and dance around her in a circle while a song plays.

The whole thing is meant to stir up the bride's emotions.  This is when she says goodbye to her mother.

The songs that play are sad songs about how wonderful mothers are and how mother and daughter have been side by side doing everything together for all the years. 

Yağmur'un Kına Gecesi from Elizabeth on Vimeo.

They do this for a song or two and then the girls sing a song to the bride.

Singing to the Bride from Elizabeth on Vimeo.

(The mother is the woman in black seated at the bottom of the screen towards the end of this video.)

After that, this bride sang a song to her mom.  I wish I had videoed it, but I could barely catch a glimpse of her between all the other ladies.  Then there were lots of tears, emotion, and hoopla.

Once everyone pulled themselves together again, the snacks were passed out.  Unless the family is very wealthy, there isn't really food at the henna party or the wedding- just a little snack.  (There are concession stands at the wedding halls!)  A bag of nuts and a juice box are typical snacks for the henna party.   At weddings a slice of cake and a bottle of water or Fanta is served. 

Yağmur, the beautiful and gracious bride.

 Then the party gets hopping again...

Dancing it Up! from Elizabeth on Vimeo.

The Clean Out!

Twice a year I do a huge clean out.  We are 5 people living in an apartment without one closet (NONE!!!).  So, we don't have the luxury of hoarding.  Ha!

I try to do one clean out near Christmas time because I know our very generous family will be sending us things and we need to make room for them.  And I do the second clean out in the summer while the kids are at camp so I can get rid of all of their stuff and they don't even notice.  They come home to a perfectly clean and organized room and never miss the 4,867 Happy Meal toys, special rocks, gum wrappers, and broken junk that they like to stock up on.  It's a great system.

However this year I am unusually busy.  To top it off, I will be away when the kids go to camp.  Justin has to get them packed, ready, and send them off on his own.  GASP!

Today is a bank holiday (that's how the Brits differentiate between a religious holiday and a regular day off).  Last month was the Children's Holiday.  Today is National Youth and Sports Holiday.  So, even though the kids were home, today was my chance to do the big clean out.  Since we are moving soon, I was on a mission to get rid of pretty much everything we own!

I have a theory that if something has time to collect dust, we don't need it!  If we haven't worn it this week, we don't need it.  If it hasn't been used or looked at lately, we don't need it.  With the exception of books, I am a total minimalist. I don't like knick-nacks or things that sit around.  I always err on the side of practicality.  It's easy to think that way when you are rubbing shoulders every day with folks who have real needs.

As we cleaned and purged all day.  Anything we don't need or want, we put in a bag near (but not in!) the outside trash bin.  The Gypsies typically pick it up before we have time to get back up to our apartment on the 6th floor!

(Sidenote:  I've heard that the word Gypsy is politically incorrect.  Is this true?  In my opinion it is a bit more palatable than "the poor folks who sort through trash."  So, I'll go with it.)

We went through everything we own trying to evaluate if we really need it.  In the end, our home is neat, clean, purged and ready for the move.  Yay for productive days!  I LOVE them!

Sunday Sneak Peek: Closing Time

I didn't make it to the market quite soon enough a few Fridays ago.  They were just closing the door for Friday prayers when I arrived.  Good thing I had some chicken in the freezer!

Twisted Family

When it's time to play a game, Callie almost ALWAYS chooses Twister.  Yall, this old girl is not flexible enough for Twister- not to mention it makes me sore! Getting old is the pits!  Ha!

Things go downhill fast around here!!!

Necessary Stress-Relieving Drive

After the apartment fell through on Tuesday we had to do what we do best...

go for a random drive through the countryside and see what interesting things we can find.

This province is beautiful and I am so thankful for all the green!

This sweet cow did not want me to explore this old fortress.

The cow let me pass and we climbed up into the ancient ruins.

This countryside is absolutely stunning!

Local villagers had planted crops in the flat area of the fortress.

A bit of a far away pic of two village ladies working their crops.

Justin standing in front of the fortress gate.

After a nice drive we headed back into town to look at a different apartment our rental agent found.  It was ok, but small.  Then it was time to head to the airport to fly home.

Um... had to wait for the cows to cross so we could enter the airport!  Ha!

Boarding the plane to head home!

Coastal Dreamin'

Thank you, Lord for the opportunity to be near the coast!

Waiting and hoping for His best for us!

May His name be glorified here!

Snafu

Justin and I are home safe and sound.  But, I'm sorry to report that our trip was unsuccessful!  Funnily enough we had been talking with someone that our rental agent had found just after we left last month.  The apartment sounded like just what we were looking for and the pictures looked fine.  So we felt confident that if nothing else, we could rent this place and be happy.

We showed up on Monday at 11:30 just like we told them we would.  In typical local fashion, even though we made it very clear that we were coming, they weren't prepared for us.  One employee asked if we could see the apartment after 4:30.  Truthfully, I was totally expecting this.

We've learned through too many hard knocks that things work differently here!

Anyhow, we explained (again) how limited our time is and that we came all this way mainly to see that apartment.  The agent convinced the wife to take her lunch break from work and show us the apartment.  So off we went.  We liked the apartment but wanted to see some other ones, too.

We saw one more apartment with this rental agent and one with another agent.  Then we drove up and down every. single. street. in our desired area to make sure that we weren't missing anything.  Due diligence was done and we called the rental agent to ask to put a contract on the first place.  She agreed to coordinate with the owners and call us back.

We didn't hear from her again that night.

She called first thing in the morning to say that the (owner) husband wasn't really on board with their move and was shocked to find that his wife had found a renter and was ready to get a contract going!  Remember: we've been emailing back and forth for a month!!  Apparently, they had a huge fight, and all bets were off- the apartment was no longer for rent!

Triple boo-hoo!!!

The other two places that we saw were absolutely not what we wanted.  Here we are, a month and a half out from our big move with no contract.  :-(  Our window of convenience has passed!  June will be a crazy month for us and we hope to move in July.  But, we know that the Lord is sovereign.  By closing the door on this place, He was protecting us from something.  So, we will wait and pray- knowing He has a great place for us.

House Hunters

Justin and I are headed out at the crack of dawn this morning to catch a flight to our new town.  We've got two days to find just the right apartment for our family.  Would you pray that the Lord goes before us and makes the right place clear to us.  Please also pray for amazing neighbors, fun outdoor space for the kids to play safely, and that we can get it at a good price.  Finally, please pray for our kids at home and our dear friends who are watching them. 

Thanks!

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  

Ephesians 3:20

Sunday Sneak Peek: Patch Mc Noah

When Noah was helping me at the kermes on Thursday the wind blew a bit of dust or something into his eye.  We think it got scratched because it was really bothering him.  So, we picked up this simple eyepatch from the pharmacy and he wore it for most of the evening.  By the time he woke up the next day he was just fine, Praise the Lord!

Apparently We Like Seeing Old Stuff!

Since we only had one day to explore, we got up and out.  It was rainy all day long.  Luckily my friend told us to bring our rainboots.  The village roads are nothing but mud!

Isn't my friend's little house adorable?!
Her garden is to die for.

It doesn't hurt that their property is bordered by the ancient city wall!

Her street even goes right through one of the ancient gates!

This area is known for it's beautiful hand painted tiles.  So we started out at the local trade school to learn how they do it!

They had a beautiful garden, too.
Lucy found this Rose that was almost as big as her head!

Then we walked along the lakeshore for a bit.  We crossed the road and found ourselves between the the walls.  There is the super old city wall and the double fortification wall that, while still old, did come a bit later.  This city wall is one of the best preserved in the entire country, and for the most part, it's a double wall.

Having fun with my girls!

Double walls = double city gates

In this particular spot, archaeologists dug down until they found the original road!

Roman aquaduct

A mosque decorated with some of the beautiful local tiles

Museum and a mosque

Lucy loved watching the artisans work.

This used to be a religious school called a medrese.  The structure is a bit similar to a han- where a group of shops are in a u shape around a courtyard.

Now they have converted the old classrooms into individual retail shops for artisans and have a nice cafe in the courtyard.  They had so many BEAUTIFUL ceramics!  I could have spent a fortune!

My friend is a major walker.  So in the span of 6 hours we covered the entire village, had lunch, and visited with several of her friends who are artisans.  I also picked out a very special wedding present for Mindy and Travis!

By 5 o'clock we were pooped!  My girls (and me, really) are not used to walking quite that much!  Their little legs were on fire!  Ha!  We stopped for a quick coffee and treat, and then it was time to hit the road to come home.  We had a great time out in the village!