A pretty good day

If you ask us what our life is about these days, the answer will be Italian studies. 

Every day. All day. 

Love it. And I get tired of it. Then I take a break. And then I miss it and love it again. 

No messing around. We gotta get this. 

This morning after dropping Benjamin off at school Scott and I had to go to Termoli (city) to run some errands. On the way back we met Signora Laura, the lady from the market I buy my produce from twice a week. We started chatting as we waited for the bus. 

I was sooo encouraged that I could actually talk to her!! Just a few days after I was completely discouraged by my experience at the butcher's {wasn't able to speak to him very much- frustrating}.

Anyway, this time, I dont know why, Scott thinks my brain was just more relaxed, I was able to chat about family and work and studying and the local people.

It felt amazing, finally being able to connect to the locals a little bit. There is still a long way before us but I was definitely encouraged today to see some progress in my learning. 

Thank you, Lord, for your help!!! 

A little crafting this weekend 

Fruits:

see below

Just in case you have not figured it out yet this is a bunny container for my bobby pins, hairties and other renegate items like earrings etc.
Location: bathroom shelf

Project no.2 is a crocheted case for my phone

this is just a prototype

I am planning to experiment with other colors and patterns too and maybe post some in my etsy shop

This is what Benjamin's bedtime looks like on most nights :)

Poor husband had the migraine headache all day yet he had enough strength to wrestle with Benjamin in the evening.

 

Dinner was su[p]per fulfilling tonight.

Roasted chicken {I used my super secret yummy Hungarian roast chicken seasoning}

with rice and butter grean beans.

Proof: Benjamin ate {drumroll please} ALL his green beans 

PLUS

he asked for more after he finished it!

Uh-oh-yeeeah!!!

Sicky weekend

This was one of those sicky-yucky-lazy weekends for us. We were all under the weather a little...

Yesterday I wanted to make something yummy in the morning so later I would not have to bother with cooking. So I made cabbage buns. It ended up a 3 hour project. It was probably because this time I made gluten free buns also. 

Double work. Double time. 

They turned out well... but I still had to make some soup and apple pie later. So it ended up that I spent half the day with cooking and baking. Oh the life of a housewife. 

Scott is teaching tonight at the Pietracatella church. Only he could get a ride with another family, Benjamin and I had to stay home. (since we dont own a car yet we are at other people's mercy when we need a ride)

But we are praying that the Lord will prepare a car for us in the next few weeks and that we would have the money for it. Thank you Lord for the way you are gonna provide! 

Sooooo

we are home alone and I watched our Hungarian church's service live on the internet and it was awesome! I love ustream!! 

It was great to see our friends even through the camera lenses and hear a great message. 

I miss Hungary from the bottom of my heart.

And I miss Michigan truly as well. 

My sister-in-law is sending me some seasonings from the US......Yyyaaaaaayyyy!!!!!!

I havent been able to find turmeric, celery seeds, cumin or taco seasoning yet here in Italy. 

All right, kiddo needs me...

Remember 1956 and Be Kind!!!

1. October 23. 1956

Very important date in Hungarian history. 

The Hungarians rose up against the Soviet rule

Tens of thousands of people were killed but

Hungary remained under Soviet control until the collapse of communism in 1989.

Here is me in my Hungarian blouse

2. I have been piiiiining away to go back to IKEA and get some more stuff for our home. 

But it is not that easy since we don't currently own a car. 

Sooooo.

I got tired of stepping out of bed to a cooold brrr tile floor (because Italians put tiles in every room, no carpets). (We love the Italians :)

Anyhooooo.....

I crocheted a little rug. It's small...perhaps a little smaller that I wanted, but nice and fluffy. The end. 

3. Here are some lovely quotes that say a lot about me these days. 

4. weight loss journey -day 2

went well. 

victory: 

I did absolutely no snacking tonight PLUS I did lounges while watching a tv show and crocheted.

(yeah, I'm kind of the queen of multitasking :)

should have but didn't:

do yoga

Tomorrow. New day. 

Day 1. Here we go

Weight Loss Journey -Day 1

Okay. So far so good. 

This morning I had oatmeal with banana for breakfast. 

Then we took Benjamin to school and went to our team prayer meeting. Lots of riding my bike uphill!! Yuhhuu!!!

Then I did 20 minutes of power yoga with Jillian Michaels. 

Then at 10:30 I had a post-workout snack of some prosciutto, asiago cheese and grapes. 

So far I feel good, feel energized and fresh after my shower. 

And now back to Italian study until lunch time...

*

For lunch I ate some leftover pasta. I know, pasta. But only because I already had it and we don't want to be wasteful now, do we. 

*

mushroom pizza for dinner and a big bowl of lettuce. 

I'm still hungry though..... *biting lower lip*

in my desperation for chocolate I walked over to "Chris Angel" minimarket which was fortunately closed. 

no chocolate for me tonight. 

*

It was a hard study day for both of us. By 2 o'clock my brain was so mushy that I literally fell into bed and took a 30-min nap. I memorized 100 completely new words today and a bunch of grammar. Scott did well in class too today. 

He and a few other guys from the team went out tonight to watch an important football {not American football, but soccer}match at a caffe somewhere. I hope he can get some rest and relax a little.

*

I love how Benjamin can get so wrapped up in playing that he can't even hear me when I call him to dinner 

Things I Love About Italy #149

Drying my laundry al fresco

October 21

Weight loss journey - Day 0.

 I need/ I want to lose weight. 

Nothing new there. 

Gonna stick to it this time? 

Probably not. So no pressure there. 

These are the things I gotta do:

1. go for a walk

easy enough. I like walking around our town. 

2. stop eating out as much

well, that's not gonna be a problem here in Italy

3. eat breakfast

Well, now that's my eternal problem. I hate making breakfast. I just wanna EAT breakfast. I daydream about a personal chef who would make tea, panini and berry salad for me every morning and would disappear by the time we get up. 

*snap* okay, back to reality now.

4. eat smaller portions

what??! Oh, come on now...

5. do yoga

They say "doing yoga on a regular basis can help build muscle, which in turns boosts metabolism." Hmm.

6. spend more time outdoors

Well, that is kind of a given with walking.

7. build muscle

It is recommended, that I build and maintain muscle mass 3 times a week. Push-ups, lounges and squats. When I have more muscles, my metabolism will increase and will help burn more calories. 

Hm. I'm okay with that. 

8. weigh yourself daily

really??!

9. stop drinking soda

Mmm... question. Can I finish the one that's in my glass?

10. eat fruit

That's not gonna be a problem. It says, "Don't worry about the carb count, as fruit has the good kind and contains lots of healthy fiber as well. Furthermore, it is mostly water and has no fat, so it fills you up".Yummy!

A different Sunday

1. Benjamin drew this for me..... heart melting... aaawwwwww

 2. This is either freaky or awesome. I was watching Fringe and all the sudden I see this. Apparently Edina is a town in New York? Never would have guessed.

3. I made my first woven box.

It is made out of junk mail. Not very strong, but I was just experimenting with the technique. 

It turned out pretty good actually... now I will have to find some stronger material to make bigger ones. 

4. Benjamin and I were by ourselves today. Husband is gone all day in Pietracatella with the guys. 

it was a beautiful day, so we decided to take a late afternoon walk {exploring}.

5. We had a long video chat tonight with the family in Michigan. 

Benjamin was incredibly goofy and excited... I could hardly hear a word with him doing "his thing" next to me. He was just excited to see his grandma and grandpa and aunts and uncles. 

But things got REAL crazy after his little 7 year old cousin arrived. They were making faces and weird sounds and laughed laughed laughed.... ;)

6. Benjamin and I went to the nearby church today with friends. There was Sunday school for the kiddos, but only girls were there today so Benjamin changed his mind and came back to me. 

He was a sleepy head so he was resting his head in my lap for most of the service. He was drawing a little bit too. He is getting so skillful in holding the pen in the right way. 

7. I NEVER post cute outfit pictures of myself.

Mostly because 1. I am not exactly the model type 2. I don't think my wardrobe is that awesome. 

In America I used to have A LOT of clothes. Most of them were given to me for free or from the thrift store. Either way, there was NO WAY to bring them over here.... I only had two suitcases to fill. Which is funny because only my shoes and bags would have filled a whole suitcase. 

Anyhooooo......

I don't have a lot of clothes here in Italy. I haven't seen a thrift store yet, not even in the city.... and in the regular shops clothes are EXpensive. 

All that to say, I wore this to church today and I thought it was so cute! 

Love mixing polka dots and stripes. 

{my skirt is cut off, but it was navy blue)

All right. Gotta get some homework done yet so I'm gonna split.

Siesta... still forgetting

1. We are so so so grateful for our Italian language coach, Dani!

He is such a good teacher. He instinctively recognizes our individual learning styles and works with us accordingly. Without trying to push his teacherly agenda.

Thanks Dani, you are A+

2. I like it how they packaged the mushrooms. Elegantly with some parsley and a peperoncino.

3. Benjamin came home with a few tears in his little school uniform. 

Husband sat down immediately without a word and started mending it. 

This the man I married, ladies.

 

 4. After 48 days in the country you would think that I have learnt about SIESTA.

Between 12-5 PM the stores are closed! Easy, right?

Well. I still get ready and take off for the supermarket in the middle of the afternoon at least 2 or 3 times a week. Only to discover half way to the shop that the town is empty. It's siesta time. 

I grew up in Hungary where there are always 0-24 shops open. Then I moved to the US, shopping Mecca of the World, huge hypermarkets open 0-24 every day, even on Christmas! Whatever you need, whenever you need it. I guess it is hard to change habits.

5. Husband and kid taking a well-deserved siesta after school and language class

6. My new love: Call the Midwife, BBC production, set in East London in the 1950s.

7. I am thinking about a new diet

8.  I am thankful for grace, family, health

9. In the kitchen: applecake, a few dishes, tea

10. I am wondering about family, home, roots

11. I am hoping to find a kindred spirit

12. I am looking forward to our next visit to Hungary and Michigan

13. I am learning Italian

14. A favorite quote of the day:

The quieter you become

The more you can hear.

15. One of my favorite things: journaling

16. I am reading Three by Ted Dekker

Thursday happened

1. I miss Bath & Bodyworks. So much!! I need some Pumpkin Caramel Latte candles and and and 

Pumpkin Cupcake hand soaps and and and 

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles body lotion and and and.....

Aaahhhhhhhh

Pointless.

Moving on. 

2. I am homesick today. I listened to some Hungarian radio this morning and all the sudden I missed home verrry much. The changing leaves, the stores, the decorations, the fall-y atmosphere..

I LOVE Italy but I really miss the fall colors. 

3. Why is that that I can translate pages and pages from English to Italian, but when I am in the store and would be time to chat with the butcher (who is very nice by the way), I can't remember a single grammar rule, or basic expression or any of my fancy {well, not really} {but certainly useful} vocabulary {pork, ground beef, ground beef and pork mixture} that I spent llots of time memorizing...

Grrrr....

4. Italian prepositions are driving me crazy! Mi fanno impazzire!!!

5. I learnt the most beautiful Italian word today. Ready?

VENTICELLO

{pronounce: ven-ti-chel-lo}

Meaning: gentle breeze.

I'm in raptures with the Italian language.

6. Benjamin's teacher told me today {when I picked him up} that we need to work on teaching him how to hold the pencil right. So all afternoon and evening we were  practicing with him. 

He seemed to get the hang of it really fast.

{sidenote: cola flavored lollypops really do help in learning skills as such! :}

Check out what a cool picture he drew me {holding the pencil right}

We went for a walk before dinner

I keep forgetting that grocery shops stay closed after the afternoon siesta on Thursday nights

Loving this quote today:

Thank you Lord for everything! Thank you for husband and kid, for family and friends, for our health and life, calling and salvation, food and shelter. 

You are AMAZING!

I love you!

Goodnight!

Just Monday

I love her blog. 

I love how honestly she talks about her insecurities, faults, struggles, joys, inspirations, experiences.... her life.

I love how much she talks about her husband and how much impressed she is with him. Like all the time!! 

I like her style of fashion too very much. She writes funny and crisp.

I stayed up till 1 last night..I just couldn't stop reading and laughing...

which makes me a little grumpy and tired mama today. I need to work hard not  to show that though...We are hosting a movie  night tonight for our co-workers. 

Who are awessssome people by the way. Yes, YOU guys! :)

Here she is... looking all cute and sassy. 

I adore both outfits to the MAX! 

 I went to Termoli yesterday after my Italian class. 

Termoli is a "bigger" city of maybe 15,000 people 10 kilometers from Petacciato. 

There are two small malls with a couple of supermarkets where I can buy gluten-free stuff for husband. 

There is a Chinese store too in one of the malls where they sell literally everything. Clothes, shoes, housewares, office supplies... Well, it is an experience to shop there. No matter what isle you are at, or where in the store you are browsing, there is gonna be at least one employee right behind you, watching you!

Im not kidding. 

They are watching every move of yours! 

And they dont even bother pretending to do something like stacking the shelves or clean or something. They just watch. 

c r e e p y 

Anywhooooo.....

Here is me in Termoli waiting for my bus. 

When my bus got to Petacciato I saw my two boys waiting for me at the bus stop. 

Aaawwww..... They were sooo cute!!! 

Love them!! 

Our casa

Welcome!

Please come in!

This is our home.

Isten hozott! Kerulj beljebb. Ez az otthonunk. 

This fun clock is actually from the Chinese shop (there are a bunch of those here in Italy).
Ez a szuper kis ora a kinai boltbol van.

Thanks for coming! 

Arrivederci!

Koszi hogy beugrottal! Viszlat!