All Saints Day in Italy

In Italy All Saints Day is known as Tutti I Santi Ognissnati.

The Catholic holiday commemmorating the Saint Martyrs, is celebrated on November 1. The next day, All Souls Day, is set aside to honor loved ones who are deceased. Italians celebrate the two holidays together, both in association with the fall harvest which is reflected in the traditions of the day. 

Well.... we totally forgot about this holiday (obviously, we are NOT Catholic) and got up early, ate waffles for breakfast, quick got ready and got out the door to take Benjamin to school. 

We took some fun pictures on the way..

We were a little suspicious because we didn't see anyone on the streets... hmmm....

When we got to the school it all made sense. It was closed of course, not a soul anywhere (no pun intended). 

Oops... We felt silly. Quick zipped up Benjamin's jacket so no one would see his little uniform and think  that we were taking him to school. 

Because who would do that on November 1, right. 

 And this is after we realized what was going on....

almost home....

 here we are

I love the neighbor's number plate.... so beautiful. I wonder where they had it made. I see them all over town. 

 Little plant, are you still alive???

 Benjamin pitching his idea about a hydraulic car he designed! Seriously!!! 

Kaki and Halloween

Our co-worker, Dolores told me about these fruits, I have never heard about them before.

The name: 

(Ready?)

KAKI

Yup. At least in Hungarian it sounds pretty unappetizing to say the least...

However the fruit itself is not bad. Its not my favorite, but its not bad. 

I looked it up on bing and in English it is called PERSIMMON. 

They taste like dry not-juicy sweet nectarins... kinda. Not as flavorful though. 

They kinda look like unripe tomatoes, don't they...

 Husband trying the kaki (persimmon)

Anyway. 

We got a package from Mita!! (Hungarian grandma)

It was sooo fun opening it... THANK YOU MITA for the delicious TURO RUDI 

(if you are American and never had turo rudi before just know that it is a delicious chocolate covered cheese curd stick with jam or poppy seed paste inside it. I KNOW it doesnt make ANY sense to you and cannot possibly imagine it, but just take my work for it, it is AMAZINGLY WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS!!!)

 Benjamin LOVES TuroRudi.

 Thank you for the juicy magazine, mom!!! ;)

 The man is very happy with his vitamin fizzy tablets!! :)

Halloween night

Husband and kid were making paper mache. I think it will be a pinata for Benjamin's upcoming Birthday. 

 I explained it to Benjamin that it is just as fun to GIVE than to RECEIVE, so this year we are going to share treats with the kids that ring our bell. He was super excited about it. He wouldnt let the bowl out of his sight all night. There were a lot of kids walking around town with a mask on or something, but I didnt see a lot of costumes. The American tradition of Halloween is only found in traces here. 

Only one group of kids rang our bell all night, so I guess we are stuck with a whole bowl of candy. 

 Candy hands :)

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!