Veselé Vianoce

I feel truly blessed. I have a wonderful support base of several solid believers here in Slovakia, and I have a wonderful support base of solid believers in America. And I have an amazing family to boot. God is so faithful and brings along the love and help of others at such times when it's least expected but most needed; His timing is truly perfect. December has been a much better month. I'm excited about celebrating Christmas with my new Gypsy Family in just a few short days and being able to experience their traditions for the holiday. I'm so thankful for the love and kindness they've shown me despite myself. I'm so thankful to God for bringing me here to love and minister to the Roma and all the lessons He's teaching me through this experience, even though many of them are very hard and humbling.

I wish you all a very blessed and merry Christmas and New Year.

Kolač a Sneh

My time with Daši was so relaxing and great on Thursday evening/night. We talked. We laughed. We sang. We played cards. We ate cake, too! (Yes, I totally disregarded my "diet" and made a cake and frosting from scratch, which we both thoroughly enjoyed!) We talked about Slovakia, America and England over American pancakes for breakfast Friday morning. We talked about boys and how we were glad to be single (although I got quizzed on which boys in Slovakia I would be interested in marrying) on the drive to BB Friday afternoon. It was definitely a fun-filled twenty-four hours together!

It has snowed for two days and has piled up nicely around the village. I have to admit that I love the sound of crunching snow beneath your foot as you trudge through it. I love the flakes that gently rest on your hair, shoulders and shoes as they softly fall. I feel like a child when it snows. This morning I decided to take a walk through Z as the sun was out and the snow was beckoning me to come out and "crunch." I took along my camera to capture some of God's beauty by which I'm surrounded.

The entrance to the back of the church and cemetery. I know this is probably weird/morbid, but I love walking through it whenever I get the opportunity. It's calming and relaxing.

I'm slightly obsessed with the catholic church building here. I think it's beautiful with it's "onion dome" and cross, and you can't go wrong with a little snow covering!

You can see the church through these trees (told you I was a little obsessed).

This kind of reminds me of cotton blooming.

A blanket of snow covering the yard.

I like how the snow has settled on the branches of the now barren apple tree in the yard.

Moja Slovenska Sestry

I got to see one of my all time favorite Slovaks ever this past Sunday. Daša is just totally great and fun and I loved hearing her spew forth words like "crap" with her Slovak accent while riffling through her bag trying to find something. Oh, Daši, how I've missed you! The pictures above were taken back in January and April when we visited each other in Arkansas and Texas, respectively. Everyone from Z thinks we look like sisters (I've now been instructed to go get glasses... yeah, I'll get right on that) and also think she's kind of crazy, which totally works for me! She's coming to spend some time with me this Thursday and I can't wait! I get giddy when I think about her not only being back in Slovakia (she's been in England since September) but wanting to come visit me in the village! Woo hoo!

And speaking of people returning, Martina returns to Z next Saturday! Can't wait to see her! It's been too long. We've missed out on a lot of our "Dr. Emily" and "Numb3rs" sessions since she went to work in Pezinok. I'm glad she's got the work because I know being unemployed is no good (or nie dobre, depending on where you live), but I'm happy that she gets to come back and see me! (Yes, because it is all about me, folks! Ha ha ha... I kid, I kid.)

As for Sunday, in case you're wondering how it all turned out, the day went better than I could have imagined. I ended up not having to feed Vlado, the guest speaker; his wife, who ended up not coming back to Z with us, told me she'd send food with him (she called Saturday night). Vlado proved extremely resourceful and helpful in getting the huge meeting room warm in a very short amount of time (he grew up in a village and can hold his own when it comes to a fireplace). The service went so, so well; David did a great job leading worship and we had a packed house (for us). And no one got mad because I had to kick everyone out after everything was over so I could drive Vlado to Brezno to catch a bus back to BB. God is good. Very, very good.

Uh...

What in the world do you do when you've got a guest preacher and his wife coming to speak Sunday afternoon at three and you're spending the entire morning worshipping with them at their church with an hour drive back to yours leaving no time to cook them lunch, plus you've got no food in the house anyway, no crockpot, take-out's not an option, have an extremely restrictive diet and the nearest store is at least twenty minutes away, which you can't afford gas to drive to, and add to that a huge room to heat with the fire place (it seriously takes about 2-3 hours to get warm), worship to finish setting up for, congregants arriving starting around 2:30 and you're only one person? Is this what hell's like?

Let it Snow... and stick!

Jaj, where do I even begin? Since I don't know, I won't. Plus, I'm pressed for time at the moment. However, I do want to say, with much exuberance and joy, that it is SNOWING today!!!!!!! I don't know if it will stick or not; it feels a little too warm for that. But at the same time I'm thankful for some much needed white fluffiness peppering the ground right now.

Just Showin' Off

My little Bunny Muffin!

The cutest Bunny, T-Rex, Knight, Cowgirl and Kitty ever!

Halloween '09

Down, But I Ain't Out Yet

I have to say that I'm glad November's over. It was a long, stressful month of madness, mayhem and misery. However, as the month came to a close I realized I was most of the reason it was the "triple M." Yes, that's right folks. Me. No other way around it. Yes, there were certainly factors that played into it being a horrid month, but I let them all eat away at me instead of admitting maybe I need h.... he.... yeah, the word I can't bring myself to say because "Nepotrebujem pomoc!"

It all became clear over a period of two days. I read Psalm 142:7- "Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name." Okay, so I wasn't quite like the psalmist who's stuck in a cave while he's being pursued by the King's army, but it still felt like I was in a prison with everything that happened. So anyway, I started asking God to release me from my "prison." The following day I was pondering over the verse again and praying and then it struck me, or maybe it was God who was doing the striking with a 2x4 because, well, I can't seem to get it the first fifty times he strikes! Where was I? Oh, right. It struck me that God didn't need to release me from this "prison." No, no. He did that a long time ago through his son's work on the cross. This "prison" was totally self inflicted. As he says in his scriptures if he takes care of even the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, how much more will he take care of his children? DUH, EM! When are you going to really start believing that? When are you really going to take that leap of faith instead of cowering and worrying and slowly killing yourself from anxiety? And while we're at it, when are you going to start asking for "pomoc"?

I quickly changed my woeful "release me" tune to "forgive me." I had to start peeling away layers of pride and humble myself completely while on my knees. Yeah, this was no day trip to the spa to get "beautified" through pampering; this was a don't pass go, don't collect $200 day trip to the bathroom to stare at the dead, dry skin on my heels and try to rub it all off with a pumice stone. And you know that is never a pleasant or pretty task. And while I was at it, I kinda, sorta asked for "pomoc," too, which ended up coming in a completely unexpected form altogether.

The guest preacher who I yelled at a couple Sundays ago has taken it upon himself to go on a some sort of personal crusade on my behalf (so I guess I didn't scare him off in the end). He's single handedly arranged for the possibility of me gaining a mentor while here in Slovakia. The lady who he contacted has contacted me and we're meeting this week. I don't know what else he's done, but in my newly formed effort to come out and ask for the "H" word, I actually am really thankful. I'm getting to a point where I'm starting to admit that living by myself is hard (although that in no way makes me want to get married, just so you know; still happy being single), that ministering by myself is hard, that being so far away from family and friends is hard. That not having colleagues here on the field with me is hard. And it's all starting to wear on me. Not that I regret my decision to move and minister here because I don't. I love it here, I love the Roma and I love what I'm doing. It's just doing it alone and being responsible for it all is hard. And I do need h... he... HELP! (There, I said it.) So hopefully December will be a month of looking up rather than looking down.

The Police... again

Before I get to the meat of this post, I have to say that I have come to the conclusion that being away from ones family and surrounded by a culture that does not celebrate Turkey Day is not the most beneficial way to spend the holiday. It's rather depressing, actually. However, I am SO thankful for my wonderful sister one who dropped all food-making responsibilities at the extended family's house and listened to me whine and wail about my life as it is over the phone while encouraging me and helping me laugh. Thank you!!!!

Okay, I'm beginning to think the police really do have it out for me here (will this ever stop? No? B-e-a-utiful) even though these next incidents really don't involve me being in trouble necessarily. They're just frustrating. I'm sure this is God's sense of humor coming through, and somewhere along the line I will see it and laugh along with him. But I might not get to the point until, say, next week.

About a week and a half ago I was visited by the police. It was my day off and I was still in my pj's at 11 o'clock in the morning when they rang the door bell (I had brushed my teeth though), so I grabbed my mug of tea hoping they'd think that maybe I was sick or something, and crept to the door while thinking, "What in the world? I'm legal. I've got my visa. They don't know I'm driving, so they can't be here about that. Maybe they're here regarding business for Janet and Charles?"

I opened the front door while trying to muster a polite smile and an even more polite "Dobrý deň." The head policeman nods with a stern face and says, "Dobrý" and goes straight to business. He started asking for  a Štefan someone or other. I looked at him, puzzled. "Kto?" He repeated himself while thrusting a piece of paper in my face. I looked at the paper and it finally clicked. Oh, they're looking for the former owner of the house from whom Janet and Charles bought it. I looked up and told them that this guy, Štefan, did not live at the house. The policeman was unimpressed and kept asking for him, pointing to the paper that had the Fučíkova address on it. I tried explaining again and told him that Janet and Charles live in the house now. This seemed to sink in while he repeated what I said, then he asked how long they had lived there. I accidently said eight years thinking of their entire time they've lived in Závadka, but in fact I should have told him three years. Oops. But it was an honest mistake on my part. Anyway, he asked me my name as though I was a lying individual whose story needed to be checked out (that didn't make me nervous!); I had no choice but to give it to him. I ended up having to write it down for him as he managed to misspell both my first and last name (I probably should have just left it... but who knows what kind of repercussions that could potentially cause). Fortunately my neighbor was outside as the policemen were leaving, so he ended up talking to them for a few minutes. I didn't catch what he said to them, but I'm guessing whatever it was helped because the police haven't been back since. Thankfully!

Last Friday I went to the police station in Brezno to apply for my SK driver's license. I took Dávid with me to help translate, and the poor guy was so tense the whole time because apparently gypsies and the police in Brezno do not have a good relationship regardless of whether there's trouble or not. After being directed to the appropriate desk, I handed my paperwork to the lady behind the glass encased counter who in turn grabbed another lady and they start pouring over it as though they've never seen anything like it before. The next thing I knew one of them was on the phone and stays on it for a very long time. So Dávid was on my side of the glass ready to pee his pants from the stress of being in the police station, and the lady on the other side of the glass kept scowling while talking on the phone and going through my passport as though I'd just been flagged by Interpol or something all while the other lady watches her intently. Yeah, not exactly the most reassuring fifteen minutes of my life, that's for sure.

Anyway, the lady finally came back and said that while my paperwork was in order, I didn't need to apply until June or July as apparently you have to wait a hundred and some odd days after the date of Visa issue to apply. Okay, so I can legally drive with my state-issued DL for the time being, cool. Oh wait... there's a catch. I can't apply for a SK DL without a temporary international driver's license issued from Triple A in the states. (This is not included on the Embassy website about what you need when applying for a SK DL, I just want you to know!) I stared at the lady and then at Dávid who's translating and thinking, "Seriously? How in the world am I supposed to get that since I'm here and won't be going back to the states until August or September?" The lady gave me all my paperwork back and said to come back in June/July. I said thanks, bye and headed back to the car while trying to make sense of/digest what she had just told me. Dávid was just glad to be leaving the premises without having been harassed, arrested or otherwise.

So here's the dilemma, I guess. I can't apply until June/July. Okay, no problem. I need a temporary international DL. Okay, problem. I need to send my state issued DL to an office in Florida along with paperwork, check, etc., in order to get an international DL. Given that all that arrives safely from Slovakia into the clutches of the good people at Triple A, it will be at least a month, maybe more, for them to issue the international DL and then send everything back to me in Slovakia. And again, there's a lot of assuming it doesn't get lost/stolen en route back to me. So do I just ignore it completely, not apply for a SK DL come June/July and pray I don't ever get pulled over in the last couple-few months of being here, or do I risk sending my DL to Florida (which means I can't drive here until it all comes back) and apply at the appropriate time. Or do I try appealing at the U.S. Embassy in SK and try to get something in writing allowing me to apply without the international DL because of the situation I'm in? Argh... dilemma. Choices. Decisions. I hate making decisions. Anyone have an opinion on this one, especially those of you in or associated with the legal profession?

The Pits... and I'm not talking arms here

This month has been stressful. This past week has been a little more stressful. And this weekend has been extremely stressful. So much so I snapped and ended up going off on the guest preacher that included cuss words (not my usual M.O., I promise) Sunday when he started asking me things about the house and offering his opinion about how things need/have to be done. (I know, I know, NOT nicely done, Emily! We'll see if he ever comes back.) The stress didn't end until Monday night, but I'm still feeling the affects today. AND I'm fighting a cold on top of all that. Plus I just feel sick in general because my newly formed eating habits have been all out of whack due to the stress and lack of groceries and birthday celebrations and whatnot. GAH!

I decided to get out of the house for a little while today, which is often necessary when your entire life centers around its walls. (Sometimes I feel like a caged lion, and that's when you don't want to provoke the beast... much like Sunday.) I had an excuse, too, because I had to mail a letter, so I took off and walked to the post office. It's cold and drizzly today, so it was refreshing having the cold wind pierce my face for a while. As I left the post office frustrated, tense and not wanting to return home, I looked up and saw Milan power walking, as he usually does, back to his flat. The sight of a tall, gangly boy who takes huge steps while arms stiffly flail about is something that will always make me smile. And today was no different. Milan is probably about fourteen or fifteen, mentally retarded and very hard to understand sometimes, but I love him. So I stood on the sidewalk and watched his awkward gait and pumping arms disappear around the corner and smiled. I probably looked like a grinning idiot to the kids walking home from school, but whatever. Milan took some stress away. Milan made me smile for the first time in a while. Milan helped make things a little better today. So let the kids stare. Let them think I'm some weird dunce of a white girl. I don't care.

In some other news, I had a young gypsy girl move in with me this weekend. Her dad's an alcoholic and takes everything out on her, and has been doing so for years. A couple weeks it got so bad she moved in with her cousins for a couple days. I don't know the extent of the abuse, but I would assume it's verbal, possibly physical (though I've not seen many tell tale signs personally) and I pray not sexual. So she's living with me now. It's an adjustment having someone else in the house, especially as I'm a pretty private person and value my "alone time," but it will work itself out. I don't know how long she'll be here, but I know she seems to have more bounce to her step and is smiling a little bit more. And it's never a bad thing when you can help get someone out of a very bad situation that could really effect them negatively for the rest of their life.

A Broken Record Player

I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again, mainly because it was brought to mind as I read an article this morning on NPR.org. Why is it that there is so much offered for those who suffer from celiac disease or wheat allergies, yet hardly anything for those who either suffer from or are recommended to follow a Candida Albican diet? I don't mean to sound like a broken record here, and I certainly don't mean to beat a dead horse, but it's frustrating. Celiacs have books, literature, support groups and multiple varieties of foods available to them at health food stores, and these items are becoming more available at mainstream grocery chains as well now. You can find blogs dedicated solely to gluten/wheat free cooking and baking, suggestions, substitutions, etc. You can walk into almost any book store or look online and find at least two or three books regarding the disease, including cookbooks. Is Candida just not that common of a disease yet? Is it something that is often misdiagnosed like celiac disease once was (okay, probably still is, but is becoming increasingly more commonly diagnosed as of late)? And where are our support groups? Where are the blogs concerning cooking ideas and tips and recipes? Where is the literature that gives solid facts rather than conflicting advice (you can eat corn and potatoes according to one book, while another says no, you can't).

Maybe it's the fact that I'm living in a country where eating anything other than white bread, butter, white sugar and questionable-looking meat spreads is considered "out of the norm." Or maybe it's the fact that I get tired of declining offers for tea (too much yeast in it and not supposed to drink it, though I do anyway sometimes) or cake or food in general when at peoples homes and having to apologize (it's seen as rude to refuse) and explain, "no, it's not because I think I'm too fat," or "no, it's not because I'm allergic," or "I have arthritis and my doctor said for me to stop eating these foods and no, this diet won't cure it." And what's even more frustrating is then having to explain what arthritis is, how it can progress and in turn getting a lot of blank stares. Does no one have arthritis in this country? I would think they would as it's a pretty common disease. But that's a moot point.

When you have to cut out most staple foods- i.e. corn, potatoes, wheat, gluten, milk, cheese, rice except for on the occasion, yeast/rising agents, peanuts/peanut products, sugar- and eat mainly fresh foods it's not so much of a bad thing or a problem... unless you live in a country where the variety is not as vast and wide as it is, say, in the states... as it is time consuming and tiring from consciously having to think through recipes, follow specific instructions down to the size you chop your veggies, and make sure nothing in it will be "harmful." Maybe that's most of my issue: the lack of variety which causes being very limited to what I can cook, and the time it takes to cook each meal. Everything has to be steamed and cooked for a specific amount of time to kill off the candida. I will spend as little as two hours preparing and cooking food for one meal. Who wouldn't be discouraged by that? And who has time for that when cooking isn't the only thing you do with your life?

When it comes down to it, I have to ask myself what the real issue is here. Am I having a hard time with this because I miss regular food? Or am I having a hard time with this because I'm trying to tackle a whole new life style by myself with my only help being a guidebook with advice and recipes? Or is it the time consumption? And if I answer honestly, it's 30% food, 30% lack of support and 40% time consumption. Sure I miss some of the food, who wouldn't? But I'm finding I can function without a lot of it and don't really crave most of it anymore (the baked goods are the one thing I do find myself missing though as I've always had a sweet tooth). I'm finding I actually do like veggies (something I always had an aversion to as a child), and the various recipes I've tried have been amazing. The health benefits of this diet far outweigh the negatives, and I'm finding my body is reacting to the diet much better than it was reacting to all the starchy, sugary, glutenous food I've grown up consuming. I don't think I'm allergic to any of that, I just think that my body is doing better with fresh food rather than processed, boxed food. However, the amount of time I spend trying to make the recommended recipes and then cleaning up afterward is exhausting and by the time I'm done, I'm spent and just want to the day to be over, which it can't be because it's just the afternoon. I would love to find a forum online where I can talk, share recipes and read about other peoples journey with this diet, and maybe get time-saving tips on preparing food. I think it would help me get fully on track with this new life style as I tend to toe the line a lot of times due to my surroundings or varying situations that arise while living in a different culture. Being able to find people with similar life styles, struggles, ailments, etc. would be incredibly helpful. Being able to swap recipes, talk about the joys/frustrations/limitations of the diet and ways to overcome succumbing to the pressures of everyone around you offering some tasty morsel of divine evil to your system would be grand. But alas it's not to be had... at least not yet from the research I've done. So until the day that Candida Albican becomes more "on the mark" with lots of available forums and books, I will sludge through this adventure and focus on the positives one day at a time.

Baby Joel

Joel Charles, 11.17.09

Welcome to the world, little nephew of mine. While I won't actually meet you until you're nearly ready to start crawling, know that that doesn't mean I love you any less and won't be praying for you as all 8 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 1/4 inches of you begins this journey known as life. May you be not quite so quick-tempered like the rest of us on your daddies side, and learn to follow the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.

A Book of a Different Color

I was milling over an email a friend from Poland sent me about an experience she had that involved trying to buy beets for soup while taking the car to the mechanic this morning. At the end of the email she said, "I hope you're storing up your stories." This brought to mind my various experiences and misadventures while living in a culture unlike my birth-culture, if you will, and I wondered why those of us living in Europe and around the world couldn't come together and write a book. Beth Moore helped write (or publish?) a book called Voices of the Faithful, which is a daily devotional-type book about various missionaries around the world, so why couldn't a "non-spiritual" book be published sharing our (now laughable but at the time maybe not so funny) experiences on a foreign field? I mean, battling the foreign police, the foot-long black butt-poker q-tip, old men and women gardening in their chonies and speedos, a guy just learning Slovak getting out of a ticket because he accidently said "I love you" to the policemen instead of "I'm sorry"... and that's just Slovakia! Think about what the rest of the world has to offer in the way of language, cultural norms, customs, food, dress, laws... oh it could be a scream. I think someone should start spearheading this campaign. (Me, you say? Right, with what spare time?!) I know people have stories, and I know general readership would enjoy it. Maybe not understand it completely, but enjoy it and be able to have a few laughs at our expense. Yes, yes, I think it's a lovely idea.

Carnival

The birthday party this weekend was fabulous. I spent two and a half hours dancing, celebrating, and sampling some amazing homemade Šišly (I think that's what they were called; pronounced Shee-shlee) sending my flour/yeast/sugary-goodness deprived body into heaven. But not to worry, I didn't eat for two and a half hours, that was just the benefit of attending the party and being able to sample a piece or two.

As for my costume, well, I didn't get to do what I had in mind, but I ended up making a stick masque for the occasion. It's amazing what a little cardboard, ribbon, duct tape, popsicle sticks, paint and a nail gun will do for you. Oh, and not to forget the feathers. Oh, and also not to forget the wonderfully talented costume person back in Texas who totally put me on the right path to finding a template. (Thank you!!!!!) I was surprised at how well it turned out, really. I'm not the creative one in my family, and usually when I start trying to get crafty, it turns out nothing like I envisioned... usually in the unusable, why did I even bother trying, kind of way. I was also surprised as to how "girly" it turned out, which didn't go unnoticed at the party as I actually got told I looked like a girl for a change (see Ab and Cor, I'm not completely hopeless after all!). I kept telling them that the pumpkin was going to burst at midnight and I'd revert back to my usual non-girly ways. (And I know this for a fact because I got the "well, you're definitely different for being a girl, but not necessarily in a butch-looking kind of a way" speech this summer.) Anyway, moving on to pictures...

The masque

In it's entirety

Anuška, the birthday girl

Klaudia's babuška outfit was my favorite costume (this picture doesn't do it justice)

Vaneska came as a gypsy

Domino looked suave and debonaire in his bow-tie and vest

Simona (head scarf) was a gypsy, I think; Eva was... I'm not sure, but I loved her hair! Romanka (front) was supposed to be a gypsy, too, I think

Natalka came as Pippi Longstockings

Me dancing with (okay, twirling) Anuška and someone else who I don't remember

Tomaš holding Maroš

I can't remember her name, but she's so cute

Eva, Simona and yours truly

Martina came as Glenda, the Good Witch

I felt like Carmen Miranda meets Mardi Gras; all I needed was a basket of fruit on my head!

There were dozens of pictures from the party, but these are some of my favorites. The masque was quite a hit and got passed around a lot. I was able to dance my little heart out with numerous people (I was told I had good hips for dancing... uh, thanks? And why are you looking at my hips!?), and just thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was sad that the party got broken up and everyone sent home after some little kid flipped me off while I was taking pictures (maybe he had no clue it's not a nice gesture... or maybe he did and didn't care.... or maybe he thought he'd try to remind me of the US by doing something American... who knows). Anyway, the party was the tops and I'm so glad I was invited.

My attempt at making a face after an evening of being "normal"

It didn't really work that well, but hey, at least I tried!

Oh for the love of food...

I'm supposed to be working on my English lesson plans right now for my classes tomorrow, but instead I'm procrastinating because, well, that's what I do best! I was going to post pictures of the birthday party from yesterday, but instead I decided to make today all about food. I've been experimenting a lot lately, especially as the budget is really thin and I can't afford to go to the grocery store. So, I've been digging through the freezer, fridge and pantry/špiza to find things I can make something edible out of. So this what I've come up with. I can't give you recipes for most of them because I made them up and don't remember what I did exactly (not that you'd probably eat them anyway), but I digress...

grain-free, (nearly sugar-free) zucchini walnut cupcakes*

Pumpkin Amaranth Pancakes with Berry Berry Sauce

Lemon Curry Fish with Zucchini Lentil Tahini Stir-Fry

Amaranth Pancakes with Berry Berry Sauce

Berry Berry Sauce (compliments of my Candida guide book)

Herb and Veggie Burgers (also courtesy of the Candida guide book)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Zucchini Walnut Cupcakes

(original recipe here)

1¼ c (roughly) dry black beans or chick peas (or use a 15 oz. can, no salt added)

3 eggs

1/3 c plain all natural yogurt

¼ c cocoa powder 


1/8 teaspoon salt 


¼ - ½ c grated zucchini

1 Tablespoon agave nector (optional)


2/3 c finely chopped walnuts (I ground mine in the blender)

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Cook dry beans as directed on package (make sure you have the cup and a fourth amount after cooking; if you cook that much dry you'll probably end up with more than you need, but that might go without saying). Preheat oven to 350°F. 
Line muffin tins with muffin cups. Place the ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes.

For brownies, mix all the ingredients together in food processor except walnuts; carefully mix in with a spoon after blending everything else. Grease an 8-inch baking dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until just set in the center. Cool before cutting into squares.

Carnival

I'm attending a Carnival themed birthday party this weekend. I'm actually kind of excited about it as I didn't get to dress up for halloween. After seeing sister two and boyfriends' halloween costumes (above), I'm inspired to create something masquerade-like. While I'm going on a strict budget of $0 and have no sewing skills whatsoever, I've got a few ideas. Okay, one idea. We'll see if it actually pans out. And granted, I don't have to look spectacular or anything as the kid is turning five and this is Slovakia, but at the same time there's a part of me that's really getting into this. I'll be sure to take/post pictures of the finished product... given that there ends up being a finished product! (I guess I always have the lazy college student idea to fall back on as I still dress like one!)

You know you live in Europe when...

I walked into SlovPump today, the local factory where I teach English, and one of the guys from my advanced class, Peter, comes bounding into the room as I'm setting up and asks if I'd like anything to drink. I politely decline thinking he's offering coffee or tea; after all, I have a water bottle practically attached at the hip wherever I go! Then he announces that his son was born on Saturday and he's brought wine and hard liquor to work in celebration. Flashing through my mind is this: It's barely two in the afternoon; can I get in trouble for drinking while teaching? Eh, it's five o'clock somewhere. In the spirit of celebration I figured why not. Plus, culturally it's rude to decline unless it's for medical reasons, even though technically I could use that as my doctor has been very adamant about me not eating/drinking anything fermented except for on the rare occasion... I decided to pull out the rare occasion card for this one. Anyway, I told Peter I would take that drink after all and chose the wine over the hard liquor (it tends to make me breathe fire). So for the next two hours I sipped away at white wine trying my best not to get too slap-happy while leading my students in English.

(The picture above is my attempt at inconspicuously as possible showing me sucking down the "nectar of the gods." Ha, ha, ha, just kidding... about the "nectar of the gods" part, that is!)

Lessons from a 17-year-old

Yesterday I ended up having to lead worship music at church along with Nikola, one of the guitarists. Usually Dávid leads and Nikola and I follow and it works well. However, we learned from someone else about ten minutes before church was supposed to start that Dávid wasn't coming because of a tooth ache/swollen mouth. Why he (or his mom or brother) couldn't pick up the phone and call to let us know that neither of us knew.

A little background: Nikola's never played guitar in front of people by herself and doesn't sing melody (she's an alto, so she does better singing harmony); I've never led worship before, much less led it in Slovak! So the two people who are least likely candidates for this job were (attempting) to lead.

Music was... special. Nikola was nervous, I didn't know when to come in and start singing, and I was trying to do the powerpoint with lyrics all at the same time (I'm not a multi-tasker) so I kept losing track of where we were in the song. (I'm just grateful we weren't using the mics.) And to top all that off, we had two couples from the church in Bystrica visiting (one of the husband's was the guest preacher). But I suppose this is what happens when an American girl who can't really speak Slovak all that well is put in charge of running a church! (Okay, so it's not entirely my sole responsibility, but the guy, Ben, who's helping me doesn't live in Zavadka, so essentially it is me running a church on Sunday mornings.)

Anyway, later in the evening when the whole thing became laughable, I was talking to Nikola about how horrible everything went and could only imagine what the Haško's and Boško's probably thought. She looked at me and said, "I don't care. I was playing for God. And I don't care what they think about how it went." That stopped me cold in my tracks and I realized she was dead on. That is exactly the correct perspective to have. It shouldn't matter what happens during worship, or what people think when things don't go according to plan, what matters is the heart of the person worshiping. If it's true worship for God and God alone, then everything else it trivial whether it's going right or wrong.

Man, I have so much to learn, and God is using a seventeen-year-old girl who's only been a christian a few years to teach me. Me, "the missionary." Me, from the christian family. Me, the person who's known Jesus personally since turning nine. It just goes to show that I take my christian walk for granted; that I've gotten too comfortable calling myself a child of God, but making it more about going through the motions rather than the true and reverent worship of God. How can I affectively minister to others when my own focus has gotten so off track? May God forgive me for making being His child and the furthering of His Kingdom about myself rather than Him.

Happy "Bring Out Your Dead (ding)!" Day

Today is the Catholic All Saints Day holiday, or "Bring Out Your Dead (ding)!" day as K & L affectionately called it. Yesterday I wanted to be in Texas so badly to take the nieces and nephews trick-or-treating, bob for apples, attend Reformation Celebrations (or fall carnivals depending on what denomination you are), and give out candy to kids in costumes. But since Halloween isn't really celebrated here, I decided to bring Halloween to me... in a very twisted, modified version, of course. So what did I do?

1. Listen to Loreena McKennitt's "All Souls Night" as often as possible.

2. Make some sort of fall-themed cookie.

3. Watch Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride."

4. Go to the cemetery at night and (irreverently) take pictures of graves.

The cemetery wasn't in full swing (I suspect it will be tonight as this is the actual day they celebrate All Saints), but I managed to get a few pictures of some of the graves. For those of you who may not be aware, this is the time of year in Central Europe (maybe all of Europe?) when family members place candles, which they light at night, and flowers on the graves of their deceased loved ones, and say special prayers in remembrance of them. Some of the graves are over the top with decorations whiles others are very simple.

As for the cookies, I totally experimented. I am not supposed to eat sugar, and I didn't really want it either (which is odd considering my sweet tooth and pure love of baked goods). I found this recipe online and modified it to be Candida friendly. (Although, that's really a misnomer because candida's aren't supposed to be eating any kind of cookie or baked good.) So I came up with a completely sugar-free, vegetarian (maybe even vegan?) cookie that I think tasted good. Granted, it wasn't one of those fresh out of the oven melt in your mouth sensations, but for someone who's had to change the whole way she thinks about food, it totally did the trick! (And I will say that the cookies tasted better after letting the dough sit overnight.) I didn't want to use my pumpkin up (I've got a can from the States; I'm saving it for Thanksgiving or Christmas), so I used butternut squash instead.

Pumpkin Zucchini Cookies

1 cup pumpkin (or steamed butternut squash)

½ - ¾ cup zucchini

¼ - ½ cup olive oil

flaxseed mixture*

2 cups flour

1½ teaspoons arrowroot powder

¼ - ½ teaspoon guar gum

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2-3 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup walnuts

Mix together wet ingredients; add dry ingredients and mix well. Chill for one hour in the fridge. Drop in small spoonfulls on a greased or waxpaper-lined cookie sheet and pat down into the shape of a cookie with the spoon. Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes (check after ten).

*2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + six tablespoons warm water. Shake vigorously in a well sealed jar or container to mix together.

Zero to.... something

I received this surprise gift from Maťa today . While it may have no meaning or significance to you, I about died of laughter the whole time I watched it. It kind of sums up the last few months in a very funny way. Although, she toots my horn way more than I deserve.

Pumpkins and Beer... a winning combo!

This picture made me laugh long and hard...

I hope it brings you as much joy, too!

(It should be noted I stole this from a friend's FB album.)

Today the sun came out, nearly blinding me I might add, and we had a bit of warmth blow through... uh, no, no, no! Not liking this at all. It's fall/winter time, people, not spring/summer time! But despite the annoyance at the extreme change of weather (I suppose this is the mountains, after all, and should be expected), I am continuing on with my soup making endeavors. I had some extra butternut squash cubed and ready to go after making soup the other day, and decided to try this recipe I found online. I think it's my second favorite soup I've made so far, the first being the be Delicata Creamy Squash Soup.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped

1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)

3 cups cauliflower broth

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1½ teaspoon cinnamon, divided

1 teaspoon salt, divided

¼ teaspoon pepper

Combine butter, onion and carrot in a large saucepan; cook for 5 minutes. Add squash, apple, broth, nutmeg and cinnamon. Bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or until squash is soft; add salt and pepper during the last few minutes of simmering. Puree in a food processor, adding another ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Return to pot and heat through. Add more salt and pepper or cinnamon if needed.

The finished gate...

After what felt like months of staring at bare gate frames (and the nerve racking responsibility of keeping little children from sitting/standing/jumping on them), the builders were able to finish right before the first snow of the year. This is the end product....

On a side note, I should mention that I'm am no longer on my soap box/rampage regarding the fact that I have to apply for an EU DL. I've been in contact with the Embassy in Bratislava as well as the DMV in Texas, and things are moving along. And the upside? The police, once they've confiscated my TX DL, will send it to the Embassy and I have the option of going and retrieving it as long as I sign an affidavit promising I won't use it as my DL while in Slovakia. Sweet! While it's still a pain in the butt to do all this, it's better to spend the time and money obtaining the DL rather than getting slapped with a huge fine (and who knows what else) should I get pulled over (the police do random stops by the side of the road here all the time whether you're breaking the law or not).

Legal but Illegal

I received my Povolenie Na Pobyt (permission to temporarily live in Slovakia) this past Friday from the Foreign Police. It's good through July 2011. However, the foreign police are breathing down my neck about an oddly cut and folded page in my passport (put there by the national passport people in Philly, PA, when I had more pages put in, mind you) and want me to get it checked out at the American Embassy in Bratislava; this means I might have to get a new passport, which would mean I'd have to get a new Povolenie Na Pobyt printed and put in (the one I just got took about two months to get printed and sent because of a glitch in Bratislava). This means more time and effort on my part to get everything done. Right, like I sit around doing nothing but eating bon-bons waiting for something to do!

Regarding the illegality in my life, a law was passed and put into effect this past February stating that my American issued driver's license is no longer a valid form of identification for driving in Slovakia. And neither is my passport. This means I have to apply for an EU driver's license (read: spend a lot of money I don't have filling out a lot of paperwork I can't understand so I can drive for the next few months). And where do I get to apply? That's right, the local police station. Seriously? I mean, come on! Haven't I dealt with the police enough so far? I don't exactly have a buddy-buddy relationship with them. And then to top all that off, once you've applied and been issued your EU license, they take your US driver's license away and return it to the DMV in your state. Goody.

Okay, enough complaining. I'm off to the mechanic, who lives in the next village over, to get the winter tires put on the car... yes, illegally!

First Snow

This is what I woke up to this morning...

By mid-day it was like this...

and this...

So I ended up doing this...

Then I took these....

And did this...

And made this (omitting the cream cheese and using yogurt instead).