ANNOUNCEMENT!!! ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

 Hear ye, hear ye...

On this day, November 27th 2010, every bit of laundry in our house is completed and put away!!  No laundry remains in the laundry baskets, on the drying racks, or in the washer or dryer.

It is a good day!!

Amen.

Delicious Food

Yes, Thanksgiving is all about being thankful for what we have.

We are very thankful!!  This year has been a really hard one for us, and we are arriving at the end of some of the main hardships.  So we are thankful.

We are thankful for God's protection and provision throughout the year, and the things that He taught us while we were in the trenches!

The other thing we are thankful for is the opportunity to be really American and celebrate with our friends- speak english, play familiar games, and eat yummy food.

We are doing two traditional Thanksgiving meals this year- one smaller and one larger.

We are stoked!!

Part of the challenge of putting together a traditional Thanksgiving meal is that most traditional Thanksgiving fare is a bit hard to come by here.  Last year I was smart enough to have my mom send some cans of sweet potato.  This year I forgot, but I did bring back Karo syrup and pecans!

Can I get an amen for the yumminess of pecan pie?!?!

Here's what I am making (made) for our meals:

biscuits
yeast rolls
2 pecan pies
caramel peanut butter cheesecake
cranberry pie
apple crumb pie
creamed spinach
glazed carrots
cranberry sauce

Sweet mercy my tummy just growled!

Thanksgiving

Today is a big holiday for we Americans, yet no one here knows it.  Everything is going on as usual.  The kids are at school.  I went to the market.  Justin is at work.  Tomorrow will not be any blacker than usual.

Its just another day.

And I miss the time off.  The football.  The sweet potatoes.  The family.  The friends.  Even, dare I say it... the frenzy!

We'll have a nice meal tonight with some American friends, and then a feast on Saturday with our fellowship group.  So delicious food will be eaten- turkey with all the fixins, veggies, mashed potatoes, and pies galore.  Fear not... we won't miss out on one calorie.

But, its just right now.  In this moment I miss our old life a lot.

Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; 
   come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.
   It is he who made us, and we are his;
   we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.


Enter his gates with thanksgiving
   and his courts with praise;
   give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
   his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Aliler

These are our friends from yesterday's blog post about brunch.

They were our first family friends here.  We met them at the park close to our old flat.  He is an elementary school teacher and knows a tiny bit of english.  So he approached us, introduced himself, and offered to help us in any way possible.

They have continued to be great friends- always wanting to make sure we are comfortable here and have access to whatever we need.  They have been so good to us and are so patient with our constant questions.  The fact that he is an elementary school teacher is such a blessing.  The school system is so different here, and so we end up asking a lot about how things work within the school system.

They have two kids, as you can tell from the pictures.  Their daughter is just between Noah and Callie's age and their son is almost 2 years old.  The kids play well together.  Lucy especially enjoys not being the youngest!  She is like "little mommy" to their son!

We are so blessed by their friendship!!

Punishment

The kids got in trouble today and therefore are not allowed any screen-time for a week.

After only a few hours I am beginning to wonder, is this their punishment or mine?

Brunch

The people here love to sleep in a bit and then have a big breakfast on Sunday mornings.  Sunday is usually the only day off for most of the working class.  Since they work such long hours throughout the week, they really like to take it easy on Sunday.

One of my favorite meals to invite guests for is Sunday Brunch.  It is easy to make things that I know they will like, and most things can be done ahead of time.

We had some of our friends over this past weekend (on Saturday morning, actually) for brunch.

On the table you will see (from left to right): 

small tulip shaped glasses of tea

a bowl of black olives

cherry and strawberry jam

tomatoes and cucumbers

a basket covered with a dish towel containing a few different types of bread

a platter with börek- layers and layers of thin dough filled with feta cheese, spinach, and onions- left to    soak in and olive oil and milk mixture overnight and then baked in the oven- YUM!!

boiled eggs

salami 

bread split open with mozarella style cheese and beef sausage

white cheese

another basket of bread

butter

chocolate spread

and in the corner water, apple juice, and cherry juice

Bon Apetite! or as they say here Afiyet Olsun!

Sunday Sneak Peak

Have you ever seen a Muslim cemetery?

Which One Doesn't Belong?

I did not give birth to one of these kids.  Can you guess which one?

Summer Palace

A few weeks after we got back from America we met some friends down by the water to explore the sultan's summer palace.  

After we got off the bus we stopped at a little park by the water, ate a quick lunch, and played for a little bit.

Then we walked over to the palace.  It is almost under one of the huge bridges that help connect our city.

The palace is right on the water- just across from the regular palace.  The summer palace is much smaller than the regular palace, but it is still huge.  I think the smaller size and the way the breeze comes off the water helped to keep it cool in the summer.  

I took this picture because these women are dressed like very typical women from this country.  Most women wear a headscarf and a trench coat sort of thing- usually long, but sometimes a bit shorter.

Almost every room in the palace had huge windows with an amazing seaside view- even the bathroom. I wouldn't mind living here, but only if I had a staff of people to help me keep it clean!!!

Bayramlaşma

Today and tomorrow are our visiting days.  It will be so nice to do something.  For us, the holiday feels really weird.  Everyone is busy- visiting, cooking, hosting guests, etc.  We are just sort of holed up in our flat.  I told my mom that this is how Jews must feel at Christmas-time in America.  It's just sort of weird.  Here are some pictures of our friends:

The Thinker

Time Flies

May 2010

November 2010

Sacrifices

WARNING...

DON'T scroll down if you are squeamish. 

I took a few pictures from our window of a couple of sacrifices.  We try not to go out much on the first day because it can be quite grim.   

Often several families or relatives go in together to buy a cow because they are far more expensive than a lamb.    The actual sacrifice seems more like a social event rather than a religious event.  

These families are drinking tea and chatting together.

You can see where the cow was cut just to the right.  And behind the tree they are dividing it up.  Often times this is really gruesome because amateurs are going at it with axes and other rudimentary tools.

We didn't expect to see many sacrifices because the city raised the fine for  sacrificing the animals in non-approved areas  by five hundred percent.  That didn't stop our neighbors (or anyone probably- laws are often made but rarely enforced here)!

For many Muslims this holiday is more about sharing with their family and friends and serving the poor than making a sacrifice for their sins.  The meat from the sacrifice (usually a lamb or cow) is divided into three portions.  One portion stays with the family.  One portion goes to friends and neighbors.  And the final portion goes to the poor.  Often times this is the only bit of meat the poor have during the year.  The animal skins are also usually donated to service organizations that prepare them and give them to poor families out east where the temperatures are very cold.

After every one is done preparing their meat the visiting begins.  The holiday is four days long.  The first day people usually visit their close relatives and the graves of relatives that have passed away.  The second day is for visiting extended family.  And the third day is for visiting friends and neighbors.

Everyone wears a new outfit and fixes themselves up very nicely.  Lots of food is prepared and served.  Children usually receive gifts, candy, and/or money.  Stores, businesses, etc are usually shut down for at least the first day if not all three days.

I'll end with a quote from Lucy upon seeing a dead cow out the window...

"WHAT!?  I love cows!  Why would they kill a cow?  Can't they just go and get some meat from the market?"