Nannying

I started my nannying job, so I get to spend my day with these boys. They are pretty cute plus I get awesome benefits like free Thai food everyday at lunch, frozen yogurt starting in June at their new shop, and 50% off on my nails at the salon. My toes will be looking pretty this summer :) I am grateful for a job working with kids and all the time I spent in  in Romania has helped me prepare for this job with the triplets like handing three crying babies all at once, mastering the technic of feeding them all at the same time, and changing diapers super fast to avoid any extra stray. 

Sarmale

I think I have mentioned a few times how much I love Sarmale. The last five weekends I was in Romania I made sure I ate Sarmale at least once every weekend. That and Papanasi. And that might be the reason why I gained a few pounds before I headed home. Truth be told.

My grandma likes cabbage, I like sarmale. It's a good fit. So last week I convinced my grandma that we should make some sarmale. 

She brought the ingredients and I slaved away in the kitchen for two hours cooking that cabbage. And let me tell you it didn't end up looking this like...

Or tasting as good as this. I was a bit disappointed my sarmale seem to lack some spices. Or maybe it was just missing some mamaliga. Haha. I doubt that was it but you never know. It might be a few weeks before I get the courage to try this recipe out again. 

But here is to trying new things and blogging more often. Cheers!

Crăciun fericit!

As I write this I am still singing. Today I had a full out Romanian day. Starting with church, followed by the village Christmas service and ending with six hours of Christmas caroling in Romanian. 

Romanian Christmas Caroling 101

1) You are suppose to invite the carolers in verbally, you should never assume that they would know you have been waiting for them with cookies and hot chocolate. 

2) When you are the caroler and someone hands you money. You take it. It's rude not to.

3) You eat at every house you stop at whether it's five in the evening or going on midnight. 

4) Romanian Christmas Caroling is serious stuff. It can last up to three days. 

With that all being said I will share some of our pictures from the village. 

My favorite little girl hasn't been in awhile, her grandma says they have a new baby in the family and she has been staying home to visit it. I am sad I don't get to see her every Sunday. But I get to see this guy! He is definitively one of my favorites. Always trying to sneak a wink at me. This boy cracks me up. 

Mihaela is another regular who comes every week. She is so faithful in trying to learn my name. She is so close, "Shan-nee"

And with Christmas being right around the corner, I think every kid in the village was trying to come today. 

Now I am ready to head out to a different village in the morning and continuing my Christmas Caroling all day long.  

Special Guest

I don't think I have mentioned this on my blog yet but Ana is back! She went home and her dad tried to marry her off but she told him no.... We didn't get many details but we are happy she is back. She came to church with Jenny and I today, followed by a visit to the village to see some of my favorite people. 

We only choose to eat the best for lunch. But it was a taste of home. Yum..

Friends Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving last night with a whole bunch of Romanian friends. It was a lot of fun. It didn't seem awkward which apparently says a lot coming from me since I was the only one in the room who couldn't speak fluent Romanian. 

This is what happens when Boing takes a picture. We will know this for next time. 

I think my Thanksgiving belly will continue to next week from all our leftovers till the team celebrates real thanksgiving together. I still have some of the pumpkin bread I made left over for breakfast this morning. yum.

p.s. And I know your all dying to know. Romania lost to Greece last night. So they aren't qualified for the World Cup. Poor Romania. 

Pumpkin Season!

We had David and Lovi over this weekend. We go to church with them and their parents. Their Dad is actually one of the people in charge of the Baptist Union here in Bucharest which is good to know when you are going through your visa process at the last minute. 

Well anyway the kids were over last night with the Postema's, it was movie and pizza night. David and Lovi got to spent the night. So we headed out to Obor this morning to pick out some pumpkins at the market. I love going to the market. It reminds me of the market in France with the fresh smell of produce. But here in Bucharest, the market isn't ideal for someone like me. With all the people there I and my not so good Romanian skills I would be asking for someone to rob me. So knowing that I took in the smell of the market and thought of all the friendly people at the market in France and how I would go there every Thursday and cherished those memories. 

We bought six pumpkins. Four to paint. Two to carve. Pumpkin carving isn't real popular here. So it's a good thing we only got two pumpkins to carve because David and Lovi, being true Romanians, could have cared less about carving the pumpkins after we had just painted some. So they left that up to Jenny and I. 

As I write this blog post, I have pumpkin baking in the oven just waiting to become pumpkin creamer for my coffee this week and just thinking about it makes me so happy. 

p.s. On a side note, I got to discuss God with the personal trainer at the gym. He is an Orthodox christian. I gave him a Bible today and told him to start reading the book of John. He was really open to what I have to say but he also is pretty firm in his belief. So pray that his eyes are open and that God works in his heart. And that when he ask me questions, God would grant me all the right answers to give him.

My time in Europe..

My time in Europe is slowly coming to an end. I got a message from the Stoner's yesterday informing me that they are leaving for the states tomorrow due to medical problems Dan is having. So I am going to enjoy the rest of the time I have here in Romania then start heading my way back home. I am hoping I will be able to stop in Amsterdam to visit my dearest and best-est friend, Rachel. I know God has a plan for all of this. We might not be able to see it now but it will all work out in the end. 

Through this information I have learned to reflect and enjoy the moments and memories I have had here in Europe even more. My awesome roommates took me to go see Dracula's house on the way to camp. It was pretty awesome. I sorta want to read the book now. 

I have spent the last two weeks in the beautiful Transylvania mountains for camp. It is so refreshing to be here in Romania. Not that Romania has a lot to offer but it's the little things. Like people speaking English to me or being able to stop at Pizza Hut, KFC, or Mickey D's to eat. Who would have guessed fast food would be a blessing?!

It was pirate week at camp. Arg! It was so much fun.

This blog post like my train of thought right now is sorta random so please think of me and keep

 the Stoner's and the Guess family in your prayers as they are both in the states for medical reasons. 

My Week in Bucharest

As I wait going on midnight to put my last load of laundry in the washer. (That what happens when five girls are living together getting ready for camp.) I thought I would put a blog post up considering I don't know when the next time my internet connection will be good enough that I can blog.

This past week has been fun. Learning how to live in the city was an adventure. I rode the tram (public transportation) not once but a few times by myself. Woah. It might have only been down the street to the Guess'house but it was a start. 

The first few days consisted of me hanging out by myself. I ventured out to the grocery store. Went on a few runs. Started watching the "Office" recommended by Jenny.

But Tuesday I went to the new water park with Jenny and Christina. It was pretty cool. 

Wednesday is when I learned how to ride the tram. Thursday I got to go to the baby hospital with Christina. Christina use to be a short term missionary herself so it was neat to see all the things she use to help out with. I was so happy I got to go to the baby hospital. Most of these kids are abandoned by their parents. It's a really sad situation and the nurses just do the bare minimum to take care of them. 

Then Thursday night we headed out to the movie theaters to see "Despicable Me 2" with the Postemas Kids. Highly recommended movie, it was hilarious! 

Friday consisted of babysitting the Guess kids, eating my first Shaorma, resting up for camp, and packing. Which is what I am still doing right now early Saturday morning. Only a few more hours till we leave for camp. Woo. I also got to skype my family and friends (A little shout out to my mom, sister, Andrea, and the Stoner's.) It was so nice to see the kids today over skype and them telling me what they have been up too. My heart is happy they haven't forgotten me yet. 

p.s. Please keep the Guess Family in your prayers. Mihi is having to fly back to the states this week for a surgery. She just found out this morning. They are an amazing family, who have been through a lot these past two months. 

4th of July!

Happy 4th of July as most American refer to it as or the real patriotic ones, "Independence Day", and my favorite one heard the most in Romania, "Happy America Day".

Yay for holidays and celebrations. It was American week at Lidl (the local grocery store) this week so the Romanian team tried to stock up on pretty much anything American they could. 

We had a great all out American cookout to celebrate the fourth. Hope your holiday was as fun as mine. 

Happy 4th of July! 

I Need a Break

I need a break from packing? Or that's what I keep telling myself. So blogging sounded like a pretty legit excuse. 

I went out with the ladies last night. We decided we wanted a real french experience before we all went our separate ways so at 9 o'clock (french dinner time), we headed out to a local restaurant hoping to have some bread and cheese. 

We definitely had a french experience. The restaurant owner thought we were American tourist and sat us down at the bar and let us taste some of the appetizers. We didn't know exactly what we were trying but it was fun and the owner gave us a really good deal for such a great experience. 

I am gonna miss these ladies when I am gone. It's crazy to think we might never see each other again. I thank God for the high speed internet more and more. 

"The Waterfall"

Sunday Rachel and I decided to be rebels and skip church. The Stoner's had given me the day off to spend with Rachel and we had heard there was a waterfall up behind Conflans. So Sunday afternoon we headed up to find this wonderful waterfall where we were told we could get in the water. 

We hike up to Conflans and followed the creek all the way up to where it ended on the trail to find a tiny little creek and a little run off. Thinking that couldn't possibly be it we continued to hike up till we ran into a little town ask for directions. Having all the french inform us that such a waterfall didn't exist. 

Luckily at this point, we had ran into Eric and Carlan from the Burundi team who lived at campus with us. They happened to also be looking for this magical waterfall. 

After about three hours of hiking. We finally got a hold of someone from campus to tell us where this waterfall was.... she informed us it was right up the creek and even was kind enough to hike up and point it out to us. And yes, it was the little run off going into the creek. I was very disappointed that I had been hiking for three hours just for this little thing. I am pretty sure we have run offs bigger then this in Wayne county. 

But I got to spend the day with my friend and come away with a decent story. And feel guilt free about eating half a pizza for dinner Sunday night. :)

Breakfast at Conflan.

We had breakfast at Conflans the other day. We grabbed some giant pain au chocolates from the bakery on the way up. And watch the world go by as we ate breakfast. Perfect start to the day. If I only had some American coffee to go with it ;)

Happy Birthday to Josiah!

It's Josiah's birthday, he is officially three whether he pees or poops in the potty. We celebrated his birthday with a monkey cake. 

He got all kinds of exciting things for his birthday like a bee bouncy ball, activity book, a bowling set, and of course the Curious George movie. 

He is a pretty special kid. 

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Strawberries are in season! Back home we always go a little crazy strawberries when we go picking with grandma. But since there is no place to pick strawberries here, we buy them from market or the fresh produce woman. Either way we almost always have strawberries in the house. So I tried out a Strawberry Frozen Yogurt recipe the other day and today I tried out some strawberry muffin recipe. yummy yummy. And I got a compliment on these muffins and very very rarely do I ever get a compliment on any of my baking/cooking. So you know they must be real good. 

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 medium banana, divided (mash 1/2 and slice the other half into very thin slices)
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 egg white, beaten 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
•  1 cup diced strawberries
• 
  

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray muffin tray with cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir to combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, & cinnamon. Slice the banana in half and mash 1st half with a fork and cut 2nd half into thin slices (set these aside). Add the mashed banana to the dry ingredients and stir. Add the applesauce, beaten egg white, vanilla and stir until just combined. Do NOT overmix. Gently fold in the strawberries and banana slices. Pour batter into muffin tray, filling about 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Muffins stay fresh and soft up to 7 days in an airtight container. Muffins freeze well.

Recipe from:

 sallysbakingaddiction.com

We just can't get enough of these strawberries :)

Frozen Yogurt

I have been craving some frozen yogurt. So my mama suggested I make my own. I found a few recipes online and chose the simplest one naturally. And tried my hand at making some frozen yogurt. 

Recipe:

Pint of Strawberries

1/2 of lemon juiced

dash of salt

1 cup of yogurt

1/2 cup of honey and a T of sugar

Directions: Blend together and freeze. 

It turned out to be more of a slushie then a frozen yogurt type deal. But it was rather yummy all the same. Next time I will be trying something a little different with the recipe. 

Rainy Days

The perfect thing to do on rainy days beside stay in bed with a good book and a cup a coffee is to bake!

I found a great cookie recipe on Pinterest that is only three ingredients. Two bananas. A cup a oats. A cup of chocolate chips. In other words a great recipe for kids. All they have to do is smash of the ingredients. 

Only bake for 350* for 10 mins...

They are pretty much healthy :) hehe. I love this recipe!

Chambery - Take 2

Saturday, Rachel, Rachael, and I  headed out to Chambery to go out for lunch and do some shopping. It was tons of fun, filled with lots of cute clothes and yummy food. We ended up being able to go into the Chateau (castle) just to check out an art show we weren't allowed in to the real castle part but just to be able to see a glimpse was pretty cool. I got a few cute new shirts and a dress. So I am sure I will be posting pictures shortly with my new clothes on. 

Have a good hot Wednesday, hope your rain doesn't ruin your day!

Birthday's

I don't think I have ever experienced a birthday with so much crying, tears, laughter, and smiles. Only Lydia .... as Rachael describes her "sweet and spicy". Which is so true!

Getting your ears pierced is a very dramatic event. Especially in the eyes of a five year old. Lydia has been talking about getting her ears pierced for a pretty long time. So this was the day, it was gonna happen! Little did we know it was gonna be filled with crying and begging. But she put her big girl pants on and went through with it. And oh how she loved it!

All her wishes came true! Getting her ears pierced, her bunny cake, hello kitty, and  her Rapunzel movie :) She was one happy five year old!

May the fourth be with you!

As Isaac kept reminding us this is the only day of the year, may I repeat the only day of the year you can say that. So in honor of Star Wars we made cupcakes and watched episode one...

The cupcakes turned out great. The icing not so much but everyone was fine with using nutella as frosting :) Yum!

Market

One of my favorite places to go is the market every Thursday morning. To see nice smiling faces of the french people and them not making fun of me when Rachael asked me to try out the little french I know. Sampling the coffee and and the saucisse. And actually feeling like people aren't judging me for being American. It's a nice way to start out Thursday mornings. And having fresh fruit and veggies to eat the rest of the week is a plus too.