Justin's home.

All's right with the world...

until he leaves for Egypt on Saturday.

A List

Well, apparently I was so tired that I needed a break from blogging!  Today I am back with a list of random things:

1.  Justin is on a plane from Thailand right this minute.  He should be home safe and sound in the morning.

2.  According to Justin, Thailand is hot, has a distinct smell, and an abundance of seafood.  Not pleasant!  But, everything is SUPER cheap and they have American food chains like Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins.

3.  Last weekend Justin and the kids took me out to lunch at my favorite restaurant.  It is on the other side, in the fancy part of the city where all the sane ex-pats live.  We browsed through some of the nearby shops and found a big jar of Skippy peanut butter for the bargain price of 55 lira (about $40) and bacon for 119 lira a pound (about $90).  We didn't buy any!

4.  Callie's best friend told her that the way to get to heaven was by dressing nice and acting right.  Callie told her that God looks on the inside and the only way to get to heaven was if Jesus was in your heart!  (Amen to that!)

5.  The kids bought me a little grill for our terrace.  Justin put it together right before he left.  The kids and I finally tried it out on Friday night.  It took me a long time to get the coals going but we finally had dinner around 8:30!  Our sweet friends across the street were outside on their patio.  We called them up and served them some yummy grilled food.  Then, we busted out a bag of marshmallows that Justin had brought back from America in February.  My friend freaked out.  She loves to watch movies and had always seen folks in the movies roasting marshmallows.  She was so glad to finally figure out what on earth they were doing and get to taste roasted marshmallows!  It was so fun!

6.  It has been unseasonably cool here.  Last week while I was working at the school fund-raiser I froze my buns off.  I had to bring a thermos of tea to survive!  Yesterday we went from winter to summer.  It is HOT here!  And the sweat has begun...

7.  My dear friend has breast cancer.  She just finished her radiation treatment.  She is a widow and on the public health system.  The only place they could fit her in for treatment was on the very south side of the city-at least two hours by multiple forms of public transport.  Can you imagine having to go back and forth alone for treatment on a city bus?  So her son-in-law and I (mostly him) took turns taking her.  It was such a blessing to have the car and be able to bless her this way.  Please pray for a full recovery for Yıldız Teyze.

That's all I've got for today!

Tared

Yall, my three kidlets and I were up and out of the house at 7 o'clock this morning.  Now, I  realize that for most people on earth this is no big deal, but for us it was monumental!

I am not what anyone would call a morning person.  I hate to talk in the morning.  I really hate to talk in a foreign language in the morning!

My kids have afternoon school.  So, normally we don't leave the house until noon!

I brought a blanket to lay out behind our table and the kids played nicely (that's a joke) while I helped fry up the potatoes for the french fry sandwiches.

Had I told you that Callie's class was doing french fry sandwiches?  It's a normal thing here- a hoagie roll filled with french fries and slathered with ketchup and mayo.  YUCK!  Justin loves them, but I can't even bring myself to try it.  I'm no health nut, but even I have to draw the line somewhere!

Today was the last day of the fundraiser.  Praise the Lord!!  It was fun, and I got to know a lot of the other moms much better.  So it was a good thing.  But I am worn slap out.

Tired, tired, tared!

Cookie Bars

Today I took cookie bars to Noah's class's table for the fundraiser.  Those women looked at me like I had set a bomb on the table!  My cookie bars certainly aren't like any dessert they've ever seen.  Hopefully the ladies will taste and see that they are yum-O.

I bet they'll be the last thing to sell out!

What I Learned From Lucy This Morning

Lucy has a bit of a cough lately.  This morning as I was making Noah's french toast, this is what Lucy said to me:

"When I cough that slimy stuff comes in my mouth.  It's green.  But don't worry, Mama, I like.  It tastes salty.  Your hair looks pretty today."

Yall, I cannot make this stuff up.  These girls of mine are hilarious (and weird!)!

You know when they give you that egg in 7th grade and you have to carry it around and pretend its a baby?  You took good care of it and dreamt about what the future would hold for you and your child.  Did you ever dream of moments like this?

Me neither!

Saying Goodbye is Never Easy

Tonight I picked up the kids from school and as we walked home I asked them if they wanted to go out for dinner.  I have been craving a turkey sandwich (its a 24/7 thing).  So I loaded the kids into the car and we headed to a mall not too far away to eat some Schlotzsky's  Deli.

image from Schlotzskys.com

Are you shocked that we even have it here?  Me too!

Of course, the sandwiches are a little different- no pork, no sprouts.  But still, the closest thing to a real yummy turkey sandwich (aka- My Precious) that I can find here.

image from Schlotzskys.com

We fight through traffic.  Get to the mall.  Walk up to behold the glory of Schlotzsky's and its gone.

GONE!

Yall, I could have sat on the floor and cried.  My Precious is gone.  Where am I going to find a turkey sandwich now?

Dropped my (shhhh!  Don't tell.  My neighbor made them!) stuffed grape leaves off at the class table for our school fund-raiser.  Hope they like 'em!!

Thailand or Bust

Our life right now:

*Justin is on a plane to Thailand right now.  He'll be gone for a week.

*This week is fundraiser-week at the kids' school.  Today I stood at Noah's class's table and sold pieces of cake, stuffed grape leaves, stuffed peppers, and rice pilav from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

*My friend dropped by after we got home.  We talked for two hours.

*I just want to speak English with someone!  Or sleep.

*I am worn slap out!

*It's only Monday!

Muther Yur Like No Other!

Happy Mother's Day!  

This piece of awesomeness says it better than I ever could!

Enjoy!

Thanks to Isaiah for the link!!

The Black Sea

Today at Kelly's Korner the topic is favorite vacation spots.  I thought that I would share one of our very favorite vacations.  We spent 10 days at the Black Sea back in 2009.  It was just the five of us.  The tiny beach town and beaches themselves were almost abandoned because it was Ramadan.  Our little beach flat was very basic.  So, there was nothing to do but relax and have fun together.  It was PERFECT!!!

I originally did three posts about our vacation.  This is from the first post.

Click here for the second post.  We went on a day-trip inland to a UNESCO World Heritage City.  It was so interesting!

Click here for part 3.  This post has more pictures of the beach and, of course, my sweet kiddos playing having a blast.

I can't resist this one.  Click here if you want to see something so sweet your teeth will rot out!

VACATION: Part 1

We stayed in a fellow worker's condo. It was not fancy to say the least, but it was super inexpensive and really close to the beach. Ramadan had just started so the tiny town was practically abandoned and we had the beach to ourselves! It was the beginning of September and the weather was perfect- warm and sunny but not too hot!

The Black Sea is so clean and beautiful.  The beaches are natural and sandy and the coastline is full of lush green mountains.

The condo had nothing- no TV, internet, etc. So we basically got up late, let the kids watch a movie on the computer while they ate breakfast, and then hit the beach. We usually stayed on the beach all day, just swimming, digging and playing in the sand, and exploring. Forced relaxation is a fantastic thing. The kids were so happy because they had so much freedom and could just run and play. I was happy because my tan was rockin'. Justin was happy because the kids let him bury them up to their necks repeatedly!

After a full day at the beach we'd come home, eat dinner, and then play a game or read until we konked out.

Merve Bufe

One of my very first friends here has been on my mind a lot lately.  So, today I gave her a call to see if I could drop by and visit.  The last time we talked, her husband was thinking about opening a small restaurant.

Much to my surprise, when I called her today, they had already opened the restaurant and she was working there!  We came up with a meeting spot and she sent her son out to show me the way.

I was shocked when I saw her.  She had lost at least 20 pounds in the 2 months since I'd last seen her.  She gets up at 6:30 in the morning to start making the food for the restaurant.  She is the only person who really even works.  Her husband and son mostly sit and eat or drink tea while she works her tail off making all the food and serving the customers and her men.  They close in the evening once the food is gone- usually about 7:00.

The customers that came in seemed to already be regulars and had such praise for my sweet friend's cooking.  She really does make yummy stuff.  They serve homestyle food.  On today's menu was a special meatball and potato stew, stuffed baked eggplant, soup, rice, bread, and a few other little things.  I had the eggplant and rice- it was so good!

I was there for about four hours and basically washed the dishes for her the entire time.  Although it was hard to see my friend be treated unkindly by her family, it was fun to do something so different.  I've never worked in a restaurant, so it was a nice change of pace.

My friend is the kindest person you will ever meet.  She was the first local person in this country to even talk to me.  When we first arrived, were out walking neighborhoods trying to find a flat.  She called out to us from her balcony and basically sold us on a flat in her building. 

Although she cannot read or write, she was so patient with me during those early days months when I would had to use my translation dictionary 5 times just to make one sentence.  She always invited me.  Always included me.  And always was more than happy to help me.

She is just a blessing, and I am asking for Jesus's blessing on her.

Pictures

As you may know, I am trying to learn photography.  It is such a useful skill here and in other closed places.  People see you coming with a camera- their eyes light up and they coyly wait for you to take their picture.  I hope to really grow in my skills so that I can bless others by documenting their stories.

There is a fantastic group within our company that has started a beautiful visual peacemaking movement.  What on earth is that?  You can click here to look at their website and find out.  Or, if you have 10 minutes, this video is well worth your time.

I am nowhere close to this level.  I have lots to learn.  I was signed up to go on a tour with the guild to the eastern part of the country.  It was to be led by two professional photographers, so I was REALLY looking forward to learning a lot.  Unfortunately, the tour was cancelled because there weren't enough participants.  SADNESS!!

So anyhow...

A few weeks ago I hosted my neighbors for our weekly coffee.  I finally printed out the pictures and took them to my friends today.  They were so excited.  One of the mom's eyes welled up with tears.  She was so excited because she had never had a picture of her son before.

Hair Update

I know everyone has been on pins and needles waiting to hear the results of my little experiment with decreasing how often I wash my hair. 

First off... calm down.  The results are in!

After two months of going three to four days between hair-washings I have to report that my hair is healthier than ever!  It looks so good, and I don't have a split-end in sight!  I realized that it is true that daily washing does dry out your hair.

Here's my new routine:  First, I have to think which morning I want to fool with putting an hour into doing my hair.  That day I wash it, put some special product in it that I bought here and am not really sure what it does, blow it dry, and either hot roll it or go over it with the flat iron. 

The next morning I just pull it back really well when I shower.  Then I barely touch it up with the flat iron.  It takes maybe five minutes and my shower is tons shorter, too. 

By the third day my hair is getting a bit oily, but still not too bad.  I almost always pull it back in a ponytail.  The great thing about it is that whenever I used to pull my hair back in a ponytail I had tons of wild fly-aways that I could not tame and looked really un-kept.  With my slightly oily hair my ponytail is nice and neat. 

Every day after this my hair must be pulled back into a ponytail.  If I wait too long before I wash again, my hair will stay in a ponytail even once the rubber-band is out.  HA!!

So, my experiment proved to me that washing my hair every few days is a great choice for me.  Hopefully, I can manage to stay away from scissor-happy hair dressers and will have some success in growing my hair out of the Rachel/layered girl mullet look that I have been sporting ever since I got my first haircut here.

Mother's Day

What are you giving your mother and/or doing for Mother's Day this year?

If money were no object, what is your Mother's Day dream?

Sunday Sneak Peak

Up the northern coastline