Bizi!

Okay so this is my word for the week! I have been super busy! Actually, maybe not super busy but really busy. I always feel so bad for neglecting my blog but the truth is, when things get busy my poor blog and bloggy friends suffer. I'm not sure why that is but it is. Maybe my blog isn't a top 10 priority in my life and it probably never will be but I like it and I love reading all of your blogs. 

So, as I can see this week and the next are gonna be a little busy so I'm gonna take a little hiatus for the next two weeks, unless I  miss you all so much that I have to move you up on my priority list. You never know! 

Have a great week my friends!!

INSTAFriday Episode #3

Hey guys! It's that time again, time for INSTAFriday! I am seriously loaded down this week with all sorts of stuff so I have been crazy busy. Between sick members and driving them back and forth to hospital and Stateside problems its just been a crazy week. I have to apologize to all my bloggy friends out there for not stopping by this week, life sometimes throws a curve ball but i'll be back next week. I miss reading all your pleasant blogs. 

First thing this week I was thrilled to see this forecast. I'm so OVER all the snow and cold weather. Although it has been cold all week it's been dry and with the glorious sun coming out to visit out days have felt very warm. I'm loving it and seriously pining for Spring. 

This is not a skinny pancake as it looks it's a crepe and a special one at that. This crepe is low-carb and made only from eggs and cream cheese. I shared it because it's one way to get in my eggs for the day. I started an egg fast this week to try to move past the plateau I've been on for 5 months. I have bounced up and down 5 lbs for 5 months. I'm so ready to be at goal and begin maintenance that it's killing me! Anyhoo, more on that later. 

I posted this because I love it! What a wonderful life we would live if we would just begin to look at life this way. I'm gonna really try this week, well next, to think like this. I do in general but as I get older I find myself a little more pessimistic than optimistic. Lincoln was one wise feller!

Finally, I'm sharing one of the 8 updates I've done this week on my egg fast. Didn't want to bore (sp?) you so I spared you the other 7. Today is my 8th weigh-in and I have lost 8 lbs as of today. My goal is 10 lbs. lost by my 10th day on the fast. It's really been very easy. I started off wanting to do 5 days and just keep adding. After my 10 lbs. lost I'm gonna slowly transition back to low-carb for a week or two and do the fast again. I'd love to be at goal and maintaining by the time we return to the States the end of April. It's so close!!

Anyhoo, there's my INSTAFriday. Hope you will link up and join me today. Promise to take time to check out your INSTAFriday posts, cross my heart!

MY MISSIONARY "DOM" TOUR PART 3

Okay so on with the tour! Today I managed to get some photos of the living room (while it's clean) and thought I'd continue my missionary "dom" (home) tour. So part 3 is our living area. 

Downsizing to a 100 square meter house was a huge move. We moved from a 3 story family home when our boys left for college and it was just us 3. It was a bit hard to get used to being so close to each other in the house but I love it now. It's not big but it's just right for us. In 3 months we take our youngest daughter Hannah back to the States to begin her life and college in the Fall. When we return it'll be just my baby love and me so the house will be plenty big. 

 Our living area is really very small, it just barely fits our furniture but it makes for a very cozy chilling area especially with the wood burner. Oh yea and just in case you're wondering; those spots on the ceiling are little lights. I have to admit that I hate the fact that they are so random, there's no order to them at all and it bugs the fire out of me. Oh well everyone has something and those lights are mine.

Over the years I've managed to bring things back from the States after our furloughs. I love having English decor around the house, makes me feel very at home. 

 My desk has some special memories on it. Top left is a photo we took during a family vacation on the Adriatic Sea. On the right are photos of my children that we had made after we were here two years. It's been a long time since my children were that small, I miss it. The middle photo is our oldest son's graduation photo. He left in 2011 and began his life in Texas, seems like ages ago.

This is the entry from the foyer to the living area. I'm torn on the glass door bur since it's rented, I like it!

Zois favorite place is in front of the wood burner. 

 I have to tell you how much I LOVE this sectional. This is my dream couch and I'm so glad we were able to get it a few years ago. What's awesome about it is that it's an IKEA couch with a slipcover. This brown cover is completely washable and there are a ton of different patterns to choose from. I really wanna get a summery color but Dave says, if you want it, save for it and I haven't so I don't get it.

Once a Texan always a Texan. 

Every year here in our town there is a huge walking festival. Every year a lady sets up a stand in town and sells these lovely apples she makes. I absolutely love them and I'm planning to get a new one every year. I don't know where I'm gonna put them but I'm gonna get 'em anyways. 

I have this large photo wall on one of the walls and it's always a conversational piece when friends come to visit. This style is very American and when our Croatian friends come over they're always surprised by it. I love all the memories. 

This is the first family photo we had made after coming to Croatia. Our children were 9, 6 and 4 in this photo and this year they'll be 23, 20 and 18. 

I love all the special photos we have around our living room. It means so much to see photos of our boys everyday, it makes their absence a little easier.

Our little house isn't large but it is home. Regardless how difficult life gets, we can always come home and kick our feet up and tune out the world. Everyone needs that special place of refuge and our little home is just that.

Just in case you missed them:
My Missionary "Dom" part 1
My Missionary "Dom" part 2
My Missionary "Dom" part 4

INSTAFRIDAY EPISODE #2 & a Link-Up

Hey Guys!! Welcome to Episode #2 of INSTAFriday! I'm really excited that so many people said they wanted to link up with me so at the bottom of this post you'll find a link up. Just put in your info so that others can find your INSTAFriday posts and make sure to take the INSTAFriday image below or use a text link to link back to this post.  

Okay so that's all the boring details, let's go!!

My Instagram feed was quite busy this week. We started the week with a ton of snow fall and lots of shoveling.  Snow, snow and more snow! I'm so ready for Spring!!

I feel so bad for Johnny 'cause when it snows like this he has no sons here to send out to clean it, it all falls on him, Ha! literally! He was out 4 times this day shoveling and after it all our front yard was more than a meter deep in snow. Okay, I'm changing the song! "Snow, snow go away, come again some other day!" like a year from now!

All that shoveling made for some very sleep guys. Johnny and Zoi enjoyed a little shut-eye here and there. I seriously need to set my shutter on my phone to silent cause I woke my baby up and he so needed the sleep.

Apparently Zoi gets around. Here she is helping Hannah with her math. She's a crazy doggie! It's strange that she likes those dining chairs so much. I think she's confused about her role in the family. No, before you ask, she doesn't sit there with us for dinner. That's just gross! Unless you do it, and then it's sweet. Uh-hum.

I love being able to help Hannah in Sunday School. She's learned a lot from fellow missionary Melissa Houston and is turning out to be a great SS teacher. The kids love her and I can see her one day teaching her own children.

We went out on Tuesday night to try to beat the snowed-in feeling and it was fun. We played pool (we each won one), walked around the mall (hubby's idea, go figure!) oh and (don't look a gift horse in the mouth)and then we had a wonderful meal at the Kneginec Hiza.

I'm loving all the Valentine's Day decor around the mall, perfect photo op for my and by huney!

Hannah and I couldn't help take photos in these cool old leather chairs. Felt like we were in the wild west. She loves all things vintage and old. She's a very old spirit actually. She loves old black and white movies and she's forever driving me nuts with facts and songs I have never heard.

I took this photo of the little flower on my spider plant because it made me so happy. I know it's not a big deal but if did give me a little memory of how wonderful Spring is and I can't wait!!!

Okay friends, that's it for my INSTAFriday, now it's your turn to link up!! Can't wait to check out your INSTAFriday posts!!

Wednesday's Hodgepodge

1. Have you ever written a love letter? Have you written one recently? Had one written to you? Did you keep it?
I've written scores of love letters in my time and hubby and I used to write to one another all the time. It's been a while since we've written a love letter with anything other than our phone texts. Maybe it's about time! When I met Johnny all love letters and so forth we're trashed. My love life began the day I met him so the only love letters I have are from him. I have all his letters tucked away safely in a blue glittery wrapped shoe box in my closet. 

2. What's a movie that ends in a way you especially love? 

One of my favorties is Sound of Music. I love the musical and I especially love how the family escapes from the Nazis over the mountains into Switzerland. I love it even more now that I've been there and seen where it was filmed. We took this photo of the Swiss Alps when we were in Salzburg, Austria. Amazing! If you're a lover like me; I blogged about our trip with lots photos from our trip to Salzburg and the site of the filming of Sound of Music.



3. Something that makes your heart sing? And for those of you who are parents, I mean something besides your children that makes your heart sing? 

My first thought is my husband Johnny. He makes my heart sing! Honestly, he really does make me often question what I did to deserve someone who loves me as much as he does. His depth of love for me keeps me in awe. He makes my heart sing!

4. What's the last event you had to attend, phone call you had to make, routine task you needed to complete, or meal you had to prepare, that you did do, but only half-heartedly? 

Oh wow, as ashamed as I am about this it was last weeks Sunday School lesson. I ran out of time and didn't prepare at all like I should have. Our preschoolers learned about the death of Moses and Joshua becoming the leader of Israel and honestly I could have prepared much more.

5. Tuna fish salad-yay or blech? If you said yay, how do you like your tuna salad prepared? Hey, this is the Hodgepodge, right? I love tuna salad! YAY! I like my tuna with no onions and with pickles, mayo, small cubes of cheese and a little mustard. Yes, I know that's not tuna salad but that's how I like it!

6. What's something you 'know by heart'?
I know almost all of John chapter 1 by heart. We started memorizing it years ago with our children and for some crazy stupid reason we stopped just a few verses shy of finishing it.

7. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, what two or three word phrase would you write on a conversation heart for someone you love? That someone could be a spouse, child, parent, cousin, bestie...anyone at all whom you love.
For my Johnny - I'd choose you again
For my daughter - You light up my life
For my son Cody - Your hugs are best

For my son Joshua - You make me happy

For my bestie - Sisters by choice

For Jesus - Thank you!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Yesterday was really hard after realizing that we had a major problem. Not just a problem but a major, future changing, kind of problem. I was reminded just how good God is. When our backs are against the wall and it seems like there isn't an answer we have to remember that God knows. He wasn't surpised by our problem and He's not worried. We don't have an answer right now to how to solve this problem but we know that God does. When in doubt, DON'T DO ANYTHING! Wait on the Lord. Trust Him to use this situation for His good. That's what we're doing.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:14

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.    John 14:1

I'm joining Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday Hodgepodge. 

InstaFriday Episode #1

Hey Guys, Happy Friday!!! Seems like February is speeding by just like January did. I can't believe we're only 321 days till Christmas! Okay so that's a really long time but that's totally how I feel. 

So I've decided to do something new on Fridays; INSTAFriday. I'm gonna use Friday to share some of the pics from my Instagram from that week for all those who don't follow me and actually care. *WINK*

I created this cute little button (using PicMonkey like we discussed in my last post) for INSTAFriday just in case someone wants to join in! Who knows, I may even make a linky  link-up  Mr.Linky blog-hop for INSTAFriday. So here goes!

I am always looking for a good, low-carb, indulgent meal to make life a little interesting and I totally found it in this Paprika Chicken recipe. I eat it over noochini zoodles zucchini noodles as you can obviously see and it's to-die-for! The recipe is really simple too and it's great with a salad or a big, hunkin', slice of buttered bread if you're lucky enough to get eat the stuff.  The recipe comes from George Stella's Low Carb Cookbook and it's a keeper. Oh yeah, and Veldyn is his Mama!

CHICKEN PAPRIKA VELDYN

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons trans-fat free margarine

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 11⁄2 pounds

1 cup sliced yellow onion

2 tablespoons paprika

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

1⁄2 cup low sodium chicken broth

8 ounces light sour cream, or plain yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add chicken and lightly brown on each side, about 1-2 minutes per side.

3. Lower heat to medium and stir in onions, paprika, salt, and pepper, cooking 1 more minute.

4. Pour in the chicken broth, cover, and simmer for 7-10 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked throughout and slicing into one reveals no pink.

5. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve hot garnished with a sprinkle of paprika.

I took this photo of my silly Zoi napping in the dining chair that someone (my dear daughter) left pulled out. Of all the places to sleep, crazy dog!

Okay, I know you're already like, "What?" Well, living on the mission field has it's disadvantages, like no SONIC for one thing. Man, do I miss those diet cherry limeades! Another thing we found to be quite depressing early on here in Croatia is that it was almost impossible to find a really good, American-like, smoked bacon. Okay let's be truthful, bacon is AH-mazing!! Anyhow I took this photo of my breakfast to show a fellow missionary wife that we can indeed get good bacon here now. 

Being the good friend I am I even photographed the bacon package showing it only cost 3.50 for half a kilo (roughly a lb.). So the next time you eat bacon, remember the plight of the poor missionaries around the world who live life on a daily basis without bacon. *U*

Last but not least, my sweet Hannah girl sang and played a special for church Sunday evening. She's truly very talented and can play several instruments by ear including the piano, violin and recorder, and yes the recorder is a real instrument! I think she must have been switched at birth in the hospital since she didn't get her talent from us but since she was born in my bedroom at home, I guess that's not possible. 

Anyhow, there concludes Episode #1 of INSTRAFriday. I hope you'll come along a play too, soon. I'd love to see your photos from everyday life! 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve, or keep your emotions tucked in tight? 

~I've never really been a very emotional person. I grew up relating crying to weakness and even though I know it isn't true there's still a little in me that does it's best not to cry, at least not too easily. 

2. How did you meet your closest friend?

~Other than Jesus and my husband my closest friend is a pastor's wife in Texas names Amanda. We met 21 years ago when our two churches went to the same youth camp and we were in the same dorm together. We didn't know each other then but I still remember her, particularly because she wasn't a morning person and all the girls joked about her being grouchy. BTW, she's still not a morning person! 

3. Pink lemonade, grilled salmon, cotton candy, pink grapefruit, a strawberry milkshake, or raspberry sorbet...of the pink foods listed, which one is your favorite? Least favorite? Which one have you most recently consumed? 

~Cotton candy would be my favorite by far with pink lemonade coming in close second. I can't even tell you when I had any of them last. I don't eat sugar and I haven't had salmon on forever. 

4. When were you last 'tickled pink' over something? Explain. 

~Just recently we found out that a young couple in our church was expecting a baby girl. When I probed about their choice of names I was completely floored to know they were going to name the baby girl after me. The really interesting thing is that my name is not considered a girl's name here in Croatia because it doesn't end with an A. Anyhow, I was tickled pink! 

5. Are you a fan of television talk shows? Daytime, nighttime, or both? What's your favorite?

~Not so much but I like Ambush Makeover on the Today Show and I watch cooking and home segments sometimes. The Today Show is the only one that will stream over here, all the others block us because of where we're at. 

6. When was the last time you wanted to ask a question, but felt too foolish to do so?

~I can't think of a time, but I'm sure there have been many. 

7. My favorite __________________right now is _________________.
~My favorite online photo editor right now is PicMonkey.  PicMonkey is a great online editor that's is free for the regular service. I use it for lots of editing and the possibilities are endless. I edited the photo below in about 30 seconds using PicMonkey!

8. Insert your own random thought here.

~ One of my favorite films of all times is Fiddler on the Roof. Our family has always loved the musical and the story of the persecution of the Jews living in Ukraine. It's the story of life in a very difficult time and place and trying extremely hard to keep tradition and the old ways alive. The story is serious but the actors and music make is incredible humorous. Anyhow, being a missionary to Croatia I was amazed to read in the credits that parts of the movie were filmed in Croatia of all places. So we took our church on a trip to pass out tracts and witness in a village south of the capital and after our work we went to the sites of the filming of the Fiddler on the Roof. Although there aren't any museums of plaques the houses are exactly like they were in the movie. It's pretty incredible and just another reason I love being a missionary in Croatia!

Make sure to check out all the others who participated in Wednesday Hodgepodge over at From This Side of the Pond.