kristas-random-thoughts

Toy Vacation

2012-01-23T16:22:00.008+01:00

Since the number of our son's toys are growing and the space in our apartment isn't...
we've decided to have some of his toys take a vacation! :) What exactly does this mean?
This morning I sorted through his toys and pulled out ones that he doesn't play with much anymore... like sophie the giraffe, mr. potatoe head, the activity triangle and a bunch of other things. They went into a bag (or box) in storage and at some later date will come back, while some of his other toys go on vacation...

Right now he's to little to really understand that any are missing (my husband says he's like a goldfish!) So it works out great for all of us. He still has a great assortment of toys to play with and we get a neat looking living room!

Here are a few of the toys going on vacation:

And what our living room looks like now:

(too bad i didn't take a shot of before... but it wasn't a pretty sight!)

Cookie Monster 1st Birthday Party

2012-01-23T12:33:00.011+01:00

Our son recently turned 1!!! I was excited about throwing him a themed party and saw these cute cupcakes in our local Cupcake Corner Bakery and decided Cookie Monster it would be!

I found some other pictures of great Cookie Monster Birthday parties and decided to go with the 'cookies and milk' theme (i also had veggies & dip and cold cuts/cheese to snack on). We also found this cute balloon and 1st birthday bib and ordered them early on amazon.com. One difficult thing about living in Poland is that there are not a lot of great party decorations... and the ones that I manage to find are often very expensive. Even my search for blue plates and cups turned up empty... and i decided that on my next trip back to Canada that i will most definitely 'stock up' for the next several years of children's birthday parties!

I decided to make my own graphics that said 'happy birthday lucas' and milk/mleko and cookies/ciasteczka (i made them bilingual since we had party guests who spoke both languages!). If you would like the graphic files (photoshop) email me at krista[at]benandkrista.net and i'd be happy to send them to you!

As you can see he thoroughly enjoyed the cupcake!
We also watched this fun Cookie Monster clip and a video of Lucas' first year of life!

I'm also a fan of free printables! Check out these fun kid parties:
1. Woodland Party Kit from ellinee
2. Hello Kitty Party from Shery K Designs
3. Robot Party via Hostess with the Mostess

Pinterest is also a great source of ideas!
Or you can also buy super cute printables from different graphic designers on etsy.com,
like this boy's vintage surf party or this girl's owl birthday party!

Lucas Allen - Year One

2012-01-21T11:47:00.000+01:00

the God who sees me

2012-01-18T11:19:00.005+01:00

In my head, theologically, i know, that God is sovereign. That he controls all things, that "He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them" (Daniel 2:21)... But never before have i experienced the sovereignty of God in the detail of my life in such an obviously beautiful way.

Let me explain. Months ago we shipped our belongings from Canada to Poland. 27 boxes in total. We had agreed in our hearts if the ship sank that life would go on. Our most valuable treasures can't fit in a box. But we did ship our winter clothes. I guess that was an act of faith, maybe a little foolish... because we really didn't know when our things would arrive. We had hoped that we would see them sometime in November... but things were prolonged... We were thrilled when we heard that they had arrived in the northern port of Gdynia December 5th, and thankful that it hadn't gotten too cold here yet.

Days went by. Then weeks. And due to multiple factors including our company getting 'absorbed into another company' as well as 3 'holidays' come 2012 (6 weeks later) we still didn't have our things. We were wondering if we would ever see them, and if so how much we'd be charged in the end (at one time it looked like we would have to pay over $8000!) But thanks to the grace of God (and the intervention of our wonderful Polish pastor here in Krakow) they arrived January 11th! I remember saying that night, "bring on the snow!"

2 days later, we woke up to snow covering the ground. As i stood at the bus stop in my winter coat and boots, I stood amazed. You see this is the first time this winter that it has really, i mean really snowed!!! Literally tears came to my eyes as I thought about God's goodness, his kindness, how he intimately knows us and all of our trials. That he was the God who sees us (Genesis 16:13), and saw the circumstances of our little family... What a beautiful reminder that He who calmed the seas (Mark 4:39), is still the Almighty, All Powerful One... and He can even hold back the snow!

Here is some of the beautiful snow I captured that weekend...

Top 11

2012-01-17T18:36:00.007+01:00

Recently i started following a new blog for moms and those who like photography.
It was there i was inspired to look back at 2011 and share my favourite photos with you!
So fun to look back at the many new adventures and blessings of this year and look forward to what God has for us in 2012...

11) This is one of the first pictures i took of Lucas when he was one day old in the hospital! Love his little puffy eyes and the colours and love radiating from the little blanket and hat my mom (aka. grandma) made us. I still remember how it made the hospital feel a little closer to home...

10) dreamland. This one was during Lucas' 9 day photoshoot (which it took us over 3 hrs to get him to sleep for!) Love the combination of his dreamy look and the fleece which he now sleeps on.

9) Pole-andia. On a road trip to visit my brother in law in Poznan (the day he arrived).
What a gorgeous country we live in!

8) A Father's Love. I love the baby blue eyes and curious innocence in this shot as well as a smiling proud father in the background.

7) This was taken not long after we moved to Krakow, in our backyard. Love the fingers in mouth and twig in hand. Says... baby... says... boy!

6) He fell asleep on my chest when we were on vacation. Luckily the camera was close enough to reach and i was able to capture this moment!

5) Zloty Jesien (Golden Fall). The essence of Polish Fall... this beautiful walkway along the river just past the castle is simply stunning in the fall!

4) My husbands favourite shot of our little guy. We love how he makes people smile... With a grin like this who can resist?!

3) The Path. During a family fall hike, my husband commented on how much the pathways looked like they were straight out of Hanzel & Gretel. This was on the hike up to Morski Oko (The Eye of the Lake) in the Tatry Mountains (Poland).

2) Feeding time is his favourite. Love the look of pure delight as cereal drips down his face. Now that he can crawl, he actually crawls over to his chair to tell us he's hungry!

1) It is such a blessing to have some family living closer to us in Poland. This beautiful backdrop to Lucas and his Uncle Marshall, is Poznan.

There you have it! I look forward to becoming better and better at capturing the life of our little guy(s)... and the story that God is writing with our lives (and theirs) here in this beautiful place.
Love from Krakow.

Announcing...

2012-01-12T16:10:00.002+01:00

the arrival of #2... coming July 2012!

A Case for Sippy Cups

2012-01-10T09:47:00.006+01:00

A few months ago I was riding on the bus... there's just something that seems strange about a 5 year old drinking from a bottle. This may be a European phenomenon (it may be financially based, or cultural....) But either way, it was in that moment that I decided my son would drink from a sippy cup... I was determined, by his first birthday.

I started trying to give him one at 8 months... no go. He just didn't get it.
A friend of mine suggested putting some juice and water in it... still nothing.
She also suggested buying multiple cups and trying different ones! Genius. Being a first time mom, I never realized that they were different! So on my next trip to the mall I bought 3.

I tried to remember to give him the cup at each meal time... show him how to use it... then just let him play with it... I read somewhere that it is common that they just play with them for a while.

Juice never worked for me. But when we transitioned him to whole milk @11mths... he drank! I guess that was the trick for our little guy... something in the sippy cup that he really wanted. I'm pretty sure that there are no 'magic tricks' and that each child is different but it sure did help to have the advice of others as I began the journey of not having a 5year old bottle drinker!

Here are some tips:

try mixing juice & water (makes it sweeter and more appealing than water)
try MULTIPLE brands & styles of cups (even if you are thrifty... splurge and buy 3-4!)
let your baby play with the cup at first... it's okay
try to your baby the cup at every mealtime
try whole milk when your baby is almost 1year old

I have to be honest it felt like WAY overspending to buy multiple sippy cups... but now that our son figured out how to drink out of one, he can drink out of the others too!

also has some great tips on Sippy cup do's and don'ts

Family Life :: A Christmas Recap

2012-01-05T10:37:00.008+01:00

We started out our Christmas vacation with a visit from my husband's side of the family. We took a family trip to the mountain town of Zakopane, and were thrilled to find this winter wonderland awaiting us!

We returned back home to Krakow to celebrate the birth of Christ on the 25th and Lucas enjoyed his cozy Christmas pajamas and the warmth and comfort of our home. We were able to celebrate Christmas with our Polish church family over a noontime meal, then have turkey Christmas dinner with our family!

Fun Finds: How to Get NetFlix in Europe :)

2011-12-26T10:28:00.005+01:00

Since i happen to have a 'tech-savy' husband, Ben, our family has benefited from being able to use NetFlix in Europe (as well as shop online, and stream N. American shows online). It makes us feel a little bit more 'at home' as we live and serve here in Poland. (He would also add that it increases security and that is helpful when we use public WIFI and online banking)

Here's a 3 Step Process of How You Can Set It Up:

1. Get a VPN from StrongVPN.com This allows your computer to appear as if it is inside the US.
(all the set up info is on their website and tech support is available 24-7). Basically you have to 'turn it on' when you want to use it... not hard.

2. Order Netflix with a US based credit card]

3. turn on your VPN and enjoy!

[If you're interested let us know and we'll send you an invite!]

Merry Christmas from the Taylors!

2011-12-24T19:00:00.002+01:00

Wishing you a very
Merry Christmas!

This season we are reminded that Christ said that,
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
John 10.10

May your life be full as you seek to know Him this year!

Ben, Krista & Lucas Taylor

Polish :: Gingerbread House Party

2011-12-07T10:51:00.003+01:00

This past weekend we had Ben's class over for a Gingerbread House Party! We had a great time assembling these sweet shacks, snacking and watching Christmas movies. We were excited they felt so welcome they stayed all night! For many this was their first time making a gingerbread house, because it is not a tradition in their home countries [ukraine, england, philippines, korea, sweden]. We actually ended up with a tropical hut!

Peppermint ~ Oh how we miss you!

While we missed tradition peppermints and candycanes and gumdrops, we found enough candy here to make it work! (can you believe peppermint is not a christmas flavour here in Poland??!?! one lady told me it's because at one time EVERYTHING was mint flavour, because mint is so predominant in this area of the world!) I'm thankful i can still get my Christmas fix of a White Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks though! It's not listed as a Christmas Special, but they will make it for me if i ask :)

Back to the gingerbread party. On the other hand gingerbread IS a flavour we can find here, so i was prepared to make the pieces for 4 gingerbread houses from scratch. Since there isn't a Michael's craft store around the corner we figure that was the only way. We had the dough in the fridge and were ready to produce... until we made a quick trip to ikea for a small table and behold- they were selling gingerbread houses!!!! None of the candy, just the pieces but only $3... i said i'll take 4 :) It made preparing for the party a LOT easier. And now we have a ton of gingerbread dough in the freezer to make cookies with throughout the season :) The 3 big gingerbread men below i cut by hand (using an online printout) and they were for the first place team!

Our plan was to have little Lucas judge the competition by crawling (which he is now quite efficient at) to a house and that would be our winner... well he cracked under pressure (and it was his nap time)... so we had to modify a vote, but it was still fun!

Around Town in Krakow :: Nativity Competition | Szopki

2011-12-06T10:28:00.002+01:00

December 1st we were able to catch a sight of the annual Christmas Nativity Scene competition here in Krakow. The first competition took place in 1937!

love the colours!

The nativity scenes are judged based on:

drawing on the tradition (they are modeled either after the Marian Bascilica in the Old Square or after the church in the Wawel Castle)
decoration
color
dolls
architecture
novelty
moving parts
overall aesthetic impression

Family Life :: Our Thanksgiving Turkey

2011-12-05T10:24:00.003+01:00

Fun Finds :: ALMA online

2011-12-05T10:17:00.005+01:00

We just figured out a few weeks ago that we can order our groceries online - for free!
Since we don't have a car grocery shopping can be particularly challenging with Lucas, and definitely meant several trips a week (if not daily!) With the winter quickly approaching i wasn't sure how we were going to make it.

We love their service... you just have to spend over 50zl (around $20) to qualify for free delivery!
This is super helpful with heavy things, like 5L bottles of water, juice, milk and bulky things, like toilet paper and paper towels.

There are pictures of the groceries, ranging from sliced meat to fresh & frozen veggies. But the only catch is you either have to know at least some Polish or be really good at using a free online translator!

Family Life :: DIY Discovery Bottles

2011-11-29T13:45:00.003+01:00

I've been trying to think of ways to help our little explorer learn new things about his environment without destroying the house, or himself... found these DIY Discovery Bottles on Modern Parents Messy Kids... a blog i think i'm going to have to start following! Think Lucas might get these for Christmas. Check out the link for a tutorial or how to make them...

Around Town in Krakow :: Krakow Christmas Market

2011-11-26T19:03:00.006+01:00

I love European Christmas Markets! It's my dream to visit different German cities and experience the atmosphere of the season in each town. I even wanted to begin this year but we have a little guy (10mths) and no car... so thought i'd have to put off what i hope will be a yearly Christmas tradition, at least until we get a car. Then i realized there is a Christmas Market right here in Krakow, where we live! So i've invited some friends down to visit and am super excited about experiencing Christmas Krakow style this year! Here is a glimpse...

Fun Finds :: Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2011-11-09T15:10:00.012+01:00

Living overseas has it's challenges when it comes to sending cards. I've looked around at a few options, but everytime shutterfly wins out for 2 reasons...

#1 - for a little extra they will ship the individual card directly to the person you want to give it to! this works out fabulously for us.

#2 - i love that they are always offering new designs for their cards and that i can include pictures (especially for grandmas!)

We've used shutterfly for birthday cards, birth announcements and our wedding album! They have amazing customer service and even replaced our wedding album at no cost (and no hassles) when a page fell out.

For Christmas cards these are some of the designs i'm looking at this year:

(i especially like this design, plus you can order it as a flat card with pictures on the front and back. you can also move the red banner up or down on the card and vary the # of pictures you use!)

Which one do you like best?

They also have 20% off calendars right now and free shipping for over $30! Maybe somebody in my family will get one of these under the tree :)

Happy Christmas card shopping!

ps. you can get a free card if you enter the code CARD4U at checkout!

Family Life :: I ♥ Pumpkin - Making Pumpkin Puree from Real Pumpkin

2011-11-08T17:27:00.004+01:00

Some people have asked me if we can get canned pumpkin in Poland... Well we can't, which makes those american college days of making pumpkin pie with 2 cans and a pre-made crust seem a distant past... but we have figure out a way to make it work. Here's how...

First i go buy a pumpkin at the market (or local grocery store if i can find one)

Usually i end up buying part of a pumpkin (like the one above), because it's a little easier to cut up. That way you can also see how 'orange' the inside part is... i like the oranger the better!

Scrape out the inside 'goo', then cut it into thinner slices, about an inch thick

Cut off the rind

Then cut into approximately 1inch cubes

From there i either put it into a ziplock bag and freeze for later

Or cook down in a pot right away to make pumpkin purree.
(i usually add about a cup of water and make sure to cook with the lid on)

Making Pumpkin Puree from Real Pumpkin
So here's a recap of what i do:

Scrape out any of the inside 'goo' that doesn't look good
Slice the pumpkin into smaller strips (approx 1 inch)
Cut of the hard rind
Cut the strips (now without the rind) into 1 inch cubes
Place in a saucepan and add about 1 cup of water
Bring to a boil at medium heat and cook until the pumpkin cubes become stringy and easily mash apart (30-45min)
Turn off the oven and leave the pumpkin in the pot until it cools (this continues to cook & break it down a bit more)
Puree the pumpkin in a food processor, blender or magic bullet (or mash it with a potato masher!)

I usually use all of the pumpkin I make within a few days, especially because our 10 month old loves pumpkin as baby food!

Freezing Pumpkin
If i want to save some pumpkin for later (like when it's not in season) I still follow steps 1-4, but then freeze the cubes in a ziplock bag. Then when i want pumpkin i have it! The frozen cubes actually break down more easily than the fresh ones :)

Family Life :: I ♥ Pumpkin - DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup

2011-11-07T13:49:00.008+01:00

(photo: loveveggiesandyoga.com)

Around this time of year the coffee loving world goes crazy for the Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte. For years that wasn't available in Poland, and now that it finally is... well it's just too expensive for my liking. This year i found a great solution... make your own Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup! Here is the recipe that i am making and love! (* keep in the fridge)

Pumpkin Spice Syrup

1 cup water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp pumpkin purée
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon (or 3 cinnamon sticks)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves

For the latte:

2 cups milk
1-2 shots espresso
1 1/2 Tbsp pumpkin spice syrup
Whipped cream (optional)

(* because it contains pumpkin puree i recommend keeping it in the fridge... at our house it doesn't stay around longer than a week!)

Family Life :: I ♥ Pumpkin - Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

2011-11-07T12:45:00.001+01:00

This is my friend Erin's recipe and i absolutely LOVE it!

Probably my favourite pumpkin recipe to date...

Erin’s Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

1 2/3 cups flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 t baking soda

½ t salt

1 t cinnamon

½ t cloves

¼ t nutmeg

¼ t ginger

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

8oz cream cheese

½ cup sugar

1 T flour

1 egg

Preheat oven to 325F. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, spices. Mix in pumpkin, oil, eggs. In separate bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, egg. Pour half pumpkin batter into greased bundt pan. Spoon cream cheese on top. Pour remaining pumpkin batter. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Enjoy!

Family Life :: I ♥ Pumpkin - Pumpkin Muffins

2011-11-07T09:35:00.000+01:00

Pumpkin Muffins

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup canned or fresh cooked + pureed pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice

1¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

(add raisins for fun! i think they taste better that way :)

Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put liners in muffin cups.

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin-pie spice, 1¼ cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.

Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Family Life :: I ♥ Pumpkin - Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

2011-11-04T09:22:00.002+01:00

photo: bhg.com

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.
2. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.
3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Enjoy!

Family Life :: I ♥ Pumpkin - DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice

2011-11-03T09:31:00.002+01:00

Since we can't buy Pumpkin Pie Spice in Poland I decided to make my own this year...
A lot of the pumpkin recipes i use call for these spices, so it's been great to have my own jar! I'm also going to post some of my favourite pumpkin recipes for the next few days...
Enjoy!

DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice

½ cup – cinnamon

¼ cup – ground ginger

1/8 cup – ground allspice

1/8 cup – ground nutmeg

stir & store in an airtight container or jar!

Family Life :: For the Love of Reading - Little People Books (0-2yrs)

2011-10-28T12:44:00.001+02:00

So i thought i'd share with you Lucas' favourite books.
He's 8 mths old and it is intriguing to me that he likes some books and doesn't pay attention to others...

#1) Horns to Toes by Sandra Boynton

Love this author! These board books are stories which rhyme and are just super fun. This one teaches body parts and gives lots of opportunities to count toes or tickle your little guy as you read. We also love her Going to Bed Book, Hey Wake Up, and Moo Ba La La La (Android Version - super fun + interactive!)

#2) Tails by Matthew Van Fleet

We LOVE this book. It has fun rhyming words and thick board book style textured tails of all different types of animals. We got this one as a shower gift and love having it in our book collection!

#3) Animal Hide and Seek by Steven Cartwright

This is a great one for kids in the 'peek-a-boo' stage. It has farm animals 'hiding' and together you can find them. It also has fuzzy sheep and other animals to pet! Lucas' face lights up when i open a flap and find an animal :)

#4) Sam the Dog by Parragon Publishing

I found this XL board book at a used store and love it! It's simple but fun and who doesn't love a puppy dog. Lucas seems to like it and it gives character to our book basket, because it's huge!

#5) DK Touch and Feel Jungle Animals by DK Publishing

We have this and the DK Scratch and Sniff Garden and like how you can pet the animals and smell the flowers... we got them both used, but they are still in good shape. It's fun how these 2 books also engage the senses of your little one!

What books do you read to your toddler?

P.S. some friends recently told me about bookdepository.com they have free worldwide shipping! Yeah for being able to order English books for kids (and for me) and get them shipped to our home in Poland for free!!!

Around Town in Krakow :: Pijalnia Czekolady

2011-10-27T16:41:00.005+02:00

This may be as close to Charlie & the Chocolate Factory... or heaven i get this side of paradise!
We found this AMAZING Hot Chocolate place in the old square of Krakow and absolutely LOVE it! The hot chocolate is thick, and made out of real chocolate! Yum.

Family Life :: Autumn Decor

2011-10-24T21:14:00.000+02:00

Let the holidays begin! I love fall. We get to celebrate Thanksgiving in our house x2 ~
Canadian & American. These are some ways we are bringing fall indoors!

Polish :: The Point of No Return

2011-10-21T11:08:00.003+02:00

Today as i walked out of our apartment building i realized that we have hit the point of no return... as i exhaled into the cool fall air, fog appeared infront of me... i was glad that Lucas had a hat on, because from this point on for the next 6 months i dare not leave the house without a hat (or multiple hats) on his head.

You see child raising in Poland is a 'coorporate affair'. I have been stopped multiple times by caring grandma's (babcias) who must think i don't have a clue what i'm doing. Once Lucas was chewing on the straps in his stroller (he love straps!) and i was quickly apprehended by a well meaning babica in the market who told me "he's eating the strap", implying that I had best take notice and stop him. On yet another walk home from the market Lucas was crying because it was nap time... a friendly elderly lady started talking to him, "why are you crying? no need to cry... what's the matter little boy..." That's usually how they start... then she kindly suggested that he was crying because he was facing the street and couldn't see me, and that maybe i should turn his stroller around so he could see me instead... all a very good idea, "...but our stroller doesn't do that", i told her. Persistent in her attempts to help my crying baby she pulled the metal car seat adapter (which is about knee level for me) turned the stroller around and said see you can! Compliantly i pushed him backwards for a few minutes when Ben confused by what had just transpired told me, "you can turn him back around now!"...

One of the biggest comments of Babcia's tends to be... he is cold ~ he needs a hat...

Sometimes i'm annoyed... usually i listen, nod my head and smile. I am living in their culture and am learning that the 'village to raise a child' mentality is live and well here. There are some beautiful things about that. I love how older women notice and talk to Lucas when we're shopping... sometimes i wish i could dress lucas in this:

... but it's for a girl (bummer). and the babcia's wouldn't understand english anyways!

So from now on, the point of no return, I'll make sure he has a hat on his head! At least until next June :)

Family Life :: For the Love of Reading - Lucas' Book Basket

2011-10-21T11:00:00.006+02:00

So i'm experimenting with organizing kids books... I loved reading as a kid and want to make sure books are available and accessible to our kids.

I've seen some really cool bookcases like this tree bookshelf...

or these bookshelves made from rain gutters...

or this dollhouse bookshelf from target...

...but right now since Lucas is still little (and we don't have much room!) i've opted for this book basket. i've heard of mom's 'rotating books' so that there are new ones available every week (which i may do as he gets older).

I'm also looking for suggestions for good kids books 0-2yrs range...
or 2-5yrs range (for the future!)

What books do/did your kids love?

Fun Finds :: Free World-wide Shipping on Books!

2011-10-18T19:38:00.002+02:00

A friend here in Poland recently told me about bookdespository.com
in England. If you login they have a wishlist, where i've already started saving books that we'd like to order in the future. I'm super excited to be able to order English books for our kids! The prices look pretty competitive and they best of all is that they have FREE shipping anywhere in the world. You can't beat that!

Random Thoughts :: Kisses From Katie

2011-10-18T10:17:00.003+02:00

This girl has a pretty amazing story. I found this video on a blog and then went to her blog - kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com to read more of her story...

As a 19 year old she moved to Uganda to teach kindergarten. She experienced the poor, the fatherless, the orphaned and the hungry and responded the way Christ would have... by meeting those needs. 4 years later she has adopted 14 girls (not sure if officially or unofficially) into her home, founded a non-profit organization (amazima.org) for sending kids to school, started a job training program, discipleship/bible study program... and a feeding program.

I absolutely love her heart for the Lord, the poor and fatherless. And to be honest it provoked a lot of questions too...

She has also written a book - Kisses From Katie
So before i share any of my thoughts i figured i'd read her whole book :)
Stay tuned...

Family Life :: Our Little Pumpkin

2011-10-17T10:04:00.006+02:00

We got this little pumpkin at the market, and it was just Lucas' size!
I edited the picture using picnik.com and just love how it turned out looking like pictures from our baby book's back in the 70's!

Around Town in Krakow :: 16th Century Palace

2011-10-17T09:49:00.010+02:00

We just spent an great few days with a dear couple from Canada that came to visit us. While they were here we showed them around Krakow, and also discovered this picturesque palace from the 1500's just a 10 minute bus ride away from us. It is surrounded by a beautiful park, which used to be the gardens.

Family Life :: Canadian Thanksgiving

2011-10-16T17:44:00.005+02:00

In honour of Canadian Thanksgiving (a week late) that we are celebrating today in Poland with our little family, here is a free "thanksgiving" printable.

I found it on cheapideas.com and she has it i 4 different colours! I'm always looking for ways to decorate around the holidays and love how this verse directs our eyes, minds and hearts to Christ, and reminds us that 'every good and perfect gift is from above'.

Giving thanks is easy when life is good. But do i still give thanks when i'm in the hospital, on my way to a funeral, tending to a sick baby? That's God's will for me. Wow. Hope you enjoy the print!

Polish :: English Camp Rewind

2011-10-10T15:57:00.003+02:00

We just had an amazing weekend with a church we are praying about working with in the future. Pretty pumped about what God is doing in Poland, and how he is redeeming people from the empty way of life handed down from their forefathers [1 peter 1.18]. One pastor's story could be called "My Father Was A Priest"... (that's exactly what he said to us before we heard the amazing story). Here are some faces of young Poles who heard and experienced Jesus this summer through an English Camp we helped with...

Family Life :: Music for Little People

2011-10-01T16:19:00.003+02:00

I have really been enjoying listening to this music by the Village Church with Lucas lately. This was the church I was part of for a little while when i lived in Dallas. The album is called "Jesus Came To Save Sinners" has 5 tracks and is available for free download on the village website. I love their music as it is really gospel centered and through music teaches about who God is. My current favourite is "God Made Everything". Check it out!

Random Thoughts :: God in my Hoping

2011-09-19T13:17:00.004+02:00

... the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

Colossians 1.26-28

These words really hit me this morning...

God in my hoping
There in my dreaming
God in my watching
God in my waiting
God in my laughing
There in my weeping
God in my hurting
God in my healing

Christ in me
Christ in me
Christ in me, the hope of glory
You are everything

Family Life :: Banana Crumb + Apple Crunch Muffins

2011-09-18T21:34:00.010+02:00

The other day i decided i needed a new banana baking recipe...
found this amazing banana muffin recipe on allrecipes.com

I figure if 6,490 people had rated it and it received 5stars,
it was worth a try! The secret is totally in the topping. yum.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

i still had left over topping that i had saved... and tonight made a batch of apple crunch muffins using the same topping as above! love them.

Apple Crunch Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Unbleached Flour, Sifted
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening
1 Large Egg, Slightly Beaten
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Tart Apples (peeled & diced)
1 cup raisins (if you like)

Directions

Cut in shortening with pastry blender until fine crumbs form. Combine egg

and milk. Add to dry ingredients all at once, stirring just enough to

moisten. Stir in apples. Spoon batter into paper-lined 2 1/2-inch

muffin-pan cups, filling 2/3rds full. (In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.)

Bake in 375 degree oven 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Polish :: Same Name, Different Game

2011-09-18T19:45:00.009+02:00

So you know those funny things our 2nd grade English teachers taught us about called homonyms? Well it turns out that they exist in other languages too! Although somehow in
English they seem to make sense, and in Polish they well... just seem funny.

These three things have the same name. "zamek" Not sure how they ended up with the same name, except the verb they came from is "zamykać", which means to close or lock. So i guess... you close a zipper, you lock a door and you can lock yourself in a castle (or the bathroom)... i guess castles were built for defense and to close people in and keep them safe. So i guess it does all make sense...

So there you go. You just learned 3 new Polish words... kind of ;)

'zamek'

'zamek'

'zamek'

Around Town in Krakow :: To Poznan And Back

2011-09-17T15:40:00.008+02:00

I adore the countryside in Poland.

I love the fields that at this time of year are ripe for harvest...

the trees that spot the horizon...

the churches with their picturesque steeples.

As we drive through the country I often wonder what it would be like to live in a small village, in an old brick home, built before the war... to be the only foreigners... to ONLY ever hear or speak Polish... to hear the history of the older generation still living in that place...

Fun Finds :: Ebay from China!

2011-09-13T23:05:00.003+02:00

The other week we were trying to find covers for our cell phones... and they are simply REALLY expensive in Poland. On top of that, we didn't like the ones we found. So we got looking online and found some on ebay.com that cost $3.50USD! It helps if you click 'free shipping' and 'worldwide' on the left column after you do a search...

It only took them a week to arrive to our front door and we're super happy with them! Just be sure that you give the seller the right mailing address (the almost got shipped to the USA!) Love the fact they ship worldwide for free!

Check out these super cute giraffe covers for the iphone:

Family Life :: Lucas ~ 7 Months

2011-09-11T10:11:00.003+02:00

Around Town in Krakow :: The Royal Castle

2011-09-09T13:47:00.006+02:00

We love Krakow. One of the special things about where we are living this year, is that it is only a 10 minute walk from the Royal Castle. Wawel Castle is also the place we took our engagement pictures. It is such an enchanted place!

I love how there is a legend about a dragon that lives under the castle (even if this little dragon is cuter!) These pictures are from an evening walk to the castle after dinner for coffee... I have some more that i'll try to post for you later as well!

Family Life :: Hospital & Hope

2011-09-04T10:43:00.003+02:00

This past week we had to take little man to the hospital for dehydration. Not an easy thing for any of us, but what he needed. I got to thinking... the only other time i have been in the hospital with him was when he was born. What a precious gift our son is to us.

One thing i love is how God has been speaking to me in these difficult days through His word...

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
{Revelation 21.3}

[oh, how i can't wait for the day when God will physically dwell with his people. makes me think of the good days back in the garden, or what it must have been like when Christ walked on the earth. how thankful i am for the presence of God today through the Holy Spirit, but how i long for 'God himself' to be with us as our God! it's like i love my families presence in our life through email, phone calls, and skype... but how lovely there physical presence it to a whole new level! how much more with the presence of the living God!]

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
{Revelation 21.4}

[what a beautiful promise and picture of hope. no more death. no more tears. no mourning... or crying or pain... how much all of those things are a part of our every day reality living in a broken world. this place is broken... sometimes i forget that. until weeks like this, when i long for it to be fixed... long for home... long for His presence. so glad that we have this to look forward to... one day all of these things will be no more.]

Random Thougths :: Nie ma za trudnych spraw...

2011-08-28T19:49:00.005+02:00

This week i'm at home with sick baby... but last week at church i was super encouraged through this Polish worship song... [= my attempt @translating the meaning]

Nie ma za trudnych spraw [there are no 'too hard situations']

Nie ma zbyt błahych też dla Ciebie, Panie [none that are too trivial for you, Lord]

Ty przecież wszystko wiesz [for you know everything]

Każdą potrzebę znasz [You know every need]

Słyszysz mój śmiech i płacz [You hear my laugh and cry]

Dla Ciebie Panie to przecież ważne jest [to you, Lord, that's important]

Ja wiem, że wszystko jest możliwe [i know that everything is possible]

że nie ma rzeczy bez znaczenia [that there is nothing without a purpose]

dlatego modlę się do Ciebie, dobry Panie [so i pray to you, good Lord]

I wiem że zanim powiem słowo [and i know before i say a word]

Ty Boże znasz już całe zdanie [you know the whole sentence, Lord]

Uwielbiam Cię, Twoja wola niech się stanie. [i worship you, let your will be done]

This is why i believe it...

...if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." [Jesus in Matthew 17.20]

"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." [Jesus in Matthew 19.26 on a camel going through the eye of a needle... or a rich man getting into heaven]

For nothing will be impossible with God. [Angel to Mary in Luke 1.37 on the virgin birth & elderly elizabeth giving birth]

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar... and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. [Psalm 139.1-4]

Family Life :: Our Top 10 - Babies 0-6mths

2011-08-26T15:17:00.019+02:00

I've been thinking lately about how many things i've found useful with our little guy... in honour of a friend who is having a baby soon i thought i'd narrow it down to the top 10 things we've found helpful with our 0 - 6 month old baby boy... (other than what i have previously posted in Breastfeeding Mama's about things i found useful for breastfeeding)

Top 10 Baby Items for 0 - 6 Months

1. Bob Stroller - We absolutely LOVE our Bob Stroller... we did a lot of research as we knew we'd be living in missing side-walk, cobblestone roaded Poland so it was important for us to find something that had bicycle like tires and would do a good job at off-roading. It has yet to dissapoint! We love how much shade it provides when we are walking on sunny days, that it works as a jogging stroller, how well it rolls and that we got it used for almost 1/2 price! (check out Craigs List, Kijiji & Once Upon a Child)

2. Bum Genius 4.0 Diapers - Now we know that cloth diapering is not for everybody, but when calculating how much this new little guy of ours was going to cost us (and the environment) in diapers (approx 8x/day!) we decided to go the cloth diaper route. No more pins & messes... these diapers are the real deal! They are super comfy, easy to handle & hold in the mess even better than disposables. We have a great airtight container for them between washes (approx. every 3 days). Plus we'll get to use them with future kids! If you're having a baby shower, instead of asking for packs of diapers, if you have 15-18 people coming... you have 15 new cloth diapers to start out your journey! (The cost with cloth diapers is mostly upfront) Though we received a diaper grant for overseas missionaries! If you would like more info about that contact me :)

3. Infantino Activity Triangle - We had huge debates over what toys to get our little guy... this thing got GREAT reviews and he absolutely loves it!

4. Mally Bib - You only need 1! For real, my sister had one of these leather bibs with her first baby and i loved the design and ease of use. They wipe off after each use and have a magnetic closure which you can use to hang right on your fridge or highchair! Ingenius! (Mally Bibs is Canadian company, but they sell on amazon.com too)

5. Boynton Board Books - Before our baby was born i didn't get what the buzz was on Boynton books... but since we started reading the "Going to Bed Book" to our guy about 2 months ago i'm hooked! He absolutely LOVES the pictures and the stories are like little rhymes which totally captivate. Our other favourites are "Horns to Toes and in Between" and "Hey! Wake Up!"

6. Graco Highchair (Bluegrass) - Graco makes fun designs and the quality of baby items in N. America is way better than we see on average here in E. Europe... so we shipped this highchair over, and SO glad we did... this will be new kitchen/eating room decor for the next several years of life... so it's a good thing i like the way it looks! I think it would be really fun if we could by a new cover if a future child is a girl... might have to look into that!

7. Skip Hop Deluxe Diaper Bag - When it comes to first babies and diaper bags... every woman has to ask herself the question ~ "Do i like this design for a new purse?" because literally that is what your diaper bag will become for the next several years of your life! When i first saw it at a friends house i loved the pattern, and also thought it was 'manly' enough for Mr. Ben... Turns out Skip Hop is a GREAT quality brand and the bag has tons of pockets and zippers sections to organize all your baby gear! It also comes with a pull out change pad to change your baby on the fly (meaning on park benches or in bathrooms without 'change stations' ... gotta love Europe!) Later on i also discovered that Skip Hop sells these nifty baby bowls and plates...

We got our little little guy the owl set and i was thinking that i might pick up the other sets with future kiddos! They also have these really fun matching backpacks i thought would work good once they can walk for carrying things through airports!

8. Gerber Graduate Bowls - These almost seem to simple to have on my top 10 list... but given our traveling lifestyle they are a life saver now that our little guy is into solid food! There were 4 in a pack and the lids fit great so that i can throw a full bowl of food into the diaper bag to feed while we're out of the house. I suppose and tupperware that seals well would work... but i like these.

9. Graco Pack 'N Play (Inman Park) - Another wonderful Graco product... this is actually our little guys bed and will be for the next few years... it has wheels which makes it easy to move around our 2 room (living room/bedroom) apartment when he's sleeping! There's of colours and patterns to choose from, and again this suits our 'life of travel' well :)

10. Miracle Blanket Swaddle - All swaddles are NOT created equal! My sister swore by this swaddle with her first and got it for us as a shower gift! Coming home from the hospital babies LOVE being swaddled and we are convinced it helps them sleep better too... This swaddle works kinda like a straight jacket and is simply amazing. Make sure you look for the "miracle blanket"... they're available on amazon.com

Honourable Mentions:

Robeez - expensive but worth it. baby shoes are cute. who can pass them up, but seriously... you only need one pair. Robeez are great, like the Mally bibs they are made of leather and highly durable. One pair 0-6mths, one pair 6-12mths and you're set...

Avent Formula Dispenser - another great 'on the run' accessory'. You can measure formula out ahead of time and then just combine with water already in bottles. Not sure what we would do without it!

Infantino Play Mat - there are a lot of play mats out there... but lets face it your baby doesn't really care what it looks like. If it's colourful and has hanging animals, what more can a 3 month old ask for?! So since this was going to be our living room decor i chose one that i thought was cute, and appealing to the eye. Also found it for a great deal @Once Upon a Child!

Things We Haven't Used:

Jolly Jumper - unfortunately our little guy has had neck strength issues, so this isn't a good toy for him... and we bought one used which had dry rotted, so we had to have it repaired 2x = big headache! Some people love them... we haven't used it much yet.

Shoes - honestly i have like 3-5 pairs for each stage (3mth, 6mth, 9mth...) but as i mentioned earlier while they are super cute they aren't super practical... the Robeez are really all i need.

Diaper Rash Cream - stocked up big time, but we really haven't needed it at all...

Each baby & parent is different and i'm sure some of the things that we found useful may not be useful for families in different situations. What things have you found helpful for 0-6mths?

Family Life :: Toes

2011-08-20T19:56:00.006+02:00

Years ago when i discovered these in Poland i gave them the name 'toes'... what else do you get when you take a Cheetoe and remove the cheese?!

Well we've recently discovered they make a GREAT baby snack... they're made out of corn, and look mostly natural (or at least that's what the package says!) They make for an AMAZING mess... but also make for a very happy baby!

messy, happy!

Around Town in Krakow :: Florianska Street (also known as the Royal Road)

2011-08-18T21:15:00.007+02:00

Florianska Street is always bustling with activity and guarded on one side by the Florian gate, the only medieval gate (of eight) left standing today... and on the other side by the towering St. Mary's Basilica. This was the route that the kings and queens would proceed to the castle in medieval times and the way we walk to church on Sundays. Our favourite kebab stand is also on this street, which pours into the Old Town Square with a beautiful view of the Old Cloth Hall (Sukiennice). Enjoy!

Random Thoughts :: Hope

2011-08-18T09:11:00.005+02:00

... seems to be a theme God is impressing on my heart lately.
I find it changes the way i face a new day, look at the future...
and even my present circumstances.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15.13

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.
Romans 4.18

But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
Psalm 71.14

So thankful that because He has overcome the grave that we can have hope!

How is hope impacting you?

Fun Finds :: Flavoured Creamers

2011-08-16T18:21:00.004+02:00

We were mildly shocked to find these at a local grocery store. SCORE!
I LOVE the Cinnabon one and Ben has coffee in the morning just to drink in the Almond Joy :)

Location: Auchan (Bonarka City Center, Krakow)
Cost: approx 4.50 CDN

Fun Finds :: Ziplock Bags

2011-08-16T18:09:00.004+02:00

I love ziplock bags... they are the handiest things ever, from organizing to protecting liquids when flying to storing baby food. Ziplock bags are where it's at! When we moved here i forgot to pack a Costco size version and was contemplating asking my mom to send some... but in the back of my mind i thought i could find them here... maybe not AS good as the real deal... but ziplock none the less....

And today i found them! The brand here is Jan Niezbędny (aka. Indespensable John)!
They come in 2 types the kind with the zipper (z suwakiem) or the ziplock lines (strunowe).

Location: Jubilat (Krakow)... but if you keep your eyes open in Poland i'm sure you can find them most places they sell this brand!

Cost: 1.90CDN for 20 bags (or 9 zipper bags)

Fun Finds :: Housewarmer Candles

2011-08-16T18:01:00.007+02:00

Growing up, my mom was always the queen of nice, scented, smelly things... maybe because she had 2 athletic daughters who left their sweaty laundry in a pile to rot... maybe it was the stinky running shoes... anyways it was something i began to appreciate more and more as i became an adult and especially when i moved overseas and those things weren't very available...

For years i've imported 'nice smelly things' to Poland from Bath & Body foaming soaps, to Febreeze, to Housewarming candles... but the other day I found those here in Poland!!! This one was "Belgian Waffles" flavour and made in the USA! They are about 10 CDN... and totally worth it!

Location: @ Tk Maxx at Bonarka City Center (Krakow)
Cost: 10 CDN

Around Poland :: Skoczow Train Station

2011-08-14T20:28:00.006+02:00

We caught the train home from this classic small town train station the other day. So glad we had a few minutes before our train came so i could capture the architecture and atmosphere of the place!

Fun Finds :: Amazon in Germany

2011-08-14T14:54:00.000+02:00

Just a few years ago when i tried to order from amazon.de i was disappointed that they didn't ship to Poland. I ended up shipping things to a Polish friend living there, who then delivered them to me... not the easiest. So i was very excited when i found out that now they DO ship to Poland!!!

We are planning to buy kitchen appliances here, now that we live in Europe and are so thankful to all of our friends and family who gave us financial wedding gifts so that we could make our home here! We thought we may rent a car to go pick up appliances, most of which are 1/2 the price in Germany as compared to Poland. We gave amazon.de a test run last week and got this really cute walker for Lucas in the mail just 4 days after we ordered it! I saw it in the store here for 600PLN (=200CDN) and got it on amazon.de for 70EURO (=95CDN). That's less than 1/2 the price!!! The shipping was so easy (cost 10EURO for the walker), and showed up right to our door, with no other additional charges that we figure this is the way to go, and WAY cheaper than renting a car.

Next on the list are a crock pot, a kitchen aid mixer, a slicer, and a microwave...

One slight problem is that the website is exclusively in German! Here are some hints i've discovered for navigating it:

use google translator - that gives you a good idea of what you're looking at
use a free online translator - it's a bit of a pain, but worth the savings!
compare it to amazon.com - the sites are very similar... having a wedding and baby registry on amazon.com has helped!

Happy shopping! Feel free to ask questions if you are thinking about giving it a try... i'm no expert but i can share what i have learned so far.

Family Life :: Collision English Camp 2011

2011-08-05T12:25:00.007+02:00

col·li·sion/kəˈliZHən/Noun

1. An instance of one moving object or person striking violently against another.

2. An instance of conflict between opposing ideas, interests, or factions.

Our family had the privilege of serving at an English Camp in the Polish mountains last week. A team from Stouffville, ON came to help a church in Rzeszow, PL share the love of Christ with young Poles. We had a lot of fun playing games in the rain, going for a hike in Zakopane and some crazy theme nights!

One privilege for me was helping to lead a discussion group in Polish and coming alongside the Polish leaders. Lucas had a great week and it was fun to see how many friends he made during the week. The campers loved playing with him, feeding him and holding him.

The theme of the week was "Collision" as we talked about how our ideas of God and the truth about him collide. Each night we looked at different people Jesus collided with, the rich young ruler, the women caught in adultery, Zaccheus the tax collector and the 2 other guys on the cross... the weekend ended with a Labyrinth, or personal journey of reflecting on God and his truth. It was powerful in the lives of many!

What a joy it was to serve the Lord as a family and see a vision of what he has for our lives here in Poland!

the youngest camper!

some great girls!

ben + me

norbert + ben

Lucas having a ball!

my new friend, Alex

hanging out with Agata

swimming in the indoor heated pool!

Around Town in Krakow :: Stary Kleparz

2011-08-03T17:25:00.000+02:00

We're still working on our 'weekly rountine' and figuring out how to do grocery shopping - 1 car + 1 kid here in Krakow! But this is for sure the cheapest and most unique place to buy super fresh & super yummy fruits, vegetables, and farm fresh eggs! It's called Stary Kleparz here, named after the district of town it is in. In Poznan my favourties were Rynek Łazarski and Rynek Jeżycki... so incredibly Polish!

I absolutely love this place! Full of babcia's (Polish grandmother types) either bartering for a cheaper head of damaged cauliflour, selling something from their garden to make a little change or handing out free advice on how to dress your baby! I usually buy whatever fruit or vegetable is in season along with the classic potatoes, tomatoes and eggs for the week. Last week i bought broccoli for 1.50zl = 0.50 CDN, cucumbers were also 0.34 CDN/kilo!

Fun Finds :: Groupon in Poland!

2011-08-02T13:26:00.000+02:00

I was excited to find Groupon in Poland, specifically in Krakow the city where we live! A lot of their offers are for beauty salons but occasionally they offer great deals on river boat tours (which we bought and loved!) and restaurants in town...

Will definitely be keeping my eye out for fun deals here this year!

Polish :: Spice Up Your LIfe!

2011-07-22T16:53:00.008+02:00

Over the past week I've been brushing up on some more Polish vocabulary, namely spices!
I found a recipe for American Breakfast Sausage and am eager to try that out but it meant that i needed some new spices. In general I'm finding that if i want to improve my cook skills, i also have to expand my vocabulary!

allspice = ziela angielskie
anise = anyżek
basil = bazylia
bay leaves = liście laurowe
camomile = rumianek
carraway seed = kminek
chervil = trybulka
chicory = cykoria
chives= szczypiorek
cinnamon = cynamon
cloves = goździki
coriander = kolendra
cumin = kmin
dill = koperek
fennel = koper
fenugreek = kozieradka
garlic = czosnek
ginger = imbir
horseradish = chrzan
jasmine = jaśmin
mint = mięta
mustard = musztarda
nutmeg = gałka muszkatołowe
paprika = paprika
parsley = pietruszek
pepper = pierprz
saffron = szafran
sage = szałwia
salt = sól
savory = cząber
spice = przyprawa
tarragon = draganek

thyme = tymianek

----------------------------
So the answers to last week's Polish photos?
1. accidents (the picture on this sign, for some reason always amuses me!)
2. small square
3. warning! strong effect, hothouse (lit. = greenhouse, but in this case i'm sure it's refering to a dance club)
4. animal store

Family Life :: Rhubarb-Strawberry Coffee Cake

2011-07-22T16:43:00.001+02:00

Last week my friend Leah, from Dallas posted this recipe on her blog, which i thought looked pretty yummy! So i set out to figure out how to say RHUBARB in Polish and using my handy online dictionary and quickly discovered a new favorite polish word ~ rabarbar :)

Growing up this stuff grew like a weed in our backyard and I'm sure my sister still has more than she knows what to do with every summer! Since strawberries are also my favourit-ist fruit every i thought it looked like a good combo.

You can find Leah's recipe here - Rhubarb-Strawberry Coffee Cake

Here are some of the modifications i had to make to it living in Poland :)

yummy fresh strawberries - i used about 2 cups of strawberries (+1/2 cup of sugar extra)

rabarbar

i didn't have any 'lemon juice' so i decided the easiest thing would be to make my own.
Poles love lemons, especially in their tea, so you can find them at any corner store.
i used 1/2 a lemon squeezed. man they smell good!

i also learned something during my baking endeavor...
that poles call corn starch => corn flour
good thing i had some in the cupboard!

instead of buttermilk i used kefir
for the longest time i didn't know what kefir was in English...
but then one day a friend was talking about kefir...
so i guess that's the English word for it too.
i guess it's supposed to be super healthy.
i ended up adding about 1 1/2 cups (leah's recipe
says 1 cup of buttermilk, but i think kefir is a little thicker)

this cake dough is super yummy!

almost ready to bake!

ready for the oven.

I don't have a final picture but it was SOOOOOO yummy!
I'm considering trying it with some other fruit fillings too.

Around Town in Krakow :: Old Town Square

2011-07-19T10:58:00.007+02:00

I absolutely LOVE living in Krakow. What a blessing it is to be surrounded by history and beauty as Ben studies the Polish language. I am eager to show you the places we walk, and shop and live life... so i decided to add a new element to my blog called, Around Town in Krakow.

Yesterday I was at the fruit&vegetable market. It is one of my very favourite places, full of colour, sounds, unique people and it is truly Polish. It's like this remnant of the 'old days' and yet still is going strong today. I really want to show you what it looks like, but thought it would be doing you an injustice to not first show you the Old Town Square or 'Stary Rynek'.

The Old Town Square is the very center of town, geographically as well as socially. It is one of the largest medieval town square's in Europe (200m x 200m) and some of it's main features are the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), the St. Mary's Bascillica (Kościół Mariacki) and the Town Hall Tower (Wieża ratuszowa). Stay tuned for details of these beauties in the future.

Fun Finds :: Home & You

2011-07-19T09:20:00.004+02:00

I decided to start writing about deals and fun things we find here in Poland. Living overseas makes it difficult to find coupons, freebies and rebates in the same way they are abundant in America, but they still do exist! So my plan is to share whatever i find for those expats or Polish friends living in Poland.

Thankfully Thrifty is a blog I follow which has inspired me and challenged me to write about the deals i find... she lives in Dallas, so unfortunately many of the 'deals' are only available in the USA (though some are online!). Like Ashleigh 'I tend to have a thrifty mindset. It comes naturally to me. Truthfully, I don’t know how not to be thrifty! I believe that the Bible instructs us to be wise when dealing with money. I long to be a good steward of the money God has given me. I definitely have not aced this concept, but I’ll share what I have learned.'

home & you

... is a fun interior decorating store. Believe me in Poland a rare find, and welcome addition to our local mall. It has fun unique pillows, cozy blankets, little lamps and all kinds of decor for the home.

if you sign up for their email you get a 10% off coupon you can use in store! and right now they have a 30% - 50% - 70% sale going on. I'm going to head over to the mall tonight to see what deals i can find!

Random Thoughts :: perseverance

2011-07-18T09:07:00.008+02:00

I often think of the Christian life as a race, maybe because of my 'former life' as an athlete, maybe because that is how Paul describes it [1cor 9.24]. When i think of this race i think of the longest race i ever ran. It was probably only about 5km, but memories of trekking the muddy path in the forest, turning the bend and to face the steep hill right before the end... only to slide down and fall, small stones scraping my hands and arms and mud covering my clothes. I wanted to cry. I wanted to give up. I was tired, i was embarrassed, i was dirty. I'll never forget that moment, because i made a decision... a decision to keep going. Crossing the finish line was glorious. relieving. victorious.

Will i keep going in this life when it gets hard?

#do not lose heart
is a phrase we find over and over again in Paul's writings. I think this phrase is a synonym for "persevere", but i like the way it sounds better.
do not lose heart. i think it equally acknowledges human weakness, and the difficult trials of life and in spite of them encourages the reader [us] to keep going.

consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.[hebrews 12.3]

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.[1thes 1.3]

This theme of endurance, of perseverance is one that God is bringing to mind over and over in my life recently.... and oddly enough i don't feel like there are any "major trials" facing me or our family right now. How kind of Him to be teaching me the depths of this truth when the going seems easy. I know sooner or later I will be needing to lean on it! [1 Pet 4.12]

Jesus inspires me. He encourages me to not grow weary or lose heart! And i can't wait to cross the finish line of this race and see him face to face!

Polish :: Can You Guess?

2011-07-15T09:56:00.006+02:00

Polish is complex language. Some say it is one of the top 10 hardest languages in the world to learn, due to it's 7 case ending (if you are a native English speaker you're probably asking 'what are case endings?!?') It is full of unique sounds and let's just say interesting grammar.

And that's the task Ben has ahead of him this year, to get a grip on this language so we can communicate with people here in Poland in their heart language. In honor of Ben's 3 week intensive Polish language course i thought i'd post some Polish word pictures i've found around town and see how you do at guessing what they mean!

Rules:
- you can't be a polish speaker :)
- there's no shame in guessing!
- check back next friday for the answers
- have fun!

1.

2.

3.

4.

Answers :
1. accidents (the picture on this sign, for some reason always amuses me!)
2. small square
3. warning! strong effect, hothouse (lit. = greenhouse, but in this case i'm sure it's refering to a dance club)
4. animal store

Family Life :: piknik in the park

2011-07-13T10:33:00.003+02:00

Photography :: karolina {portrait shoot}

2011-07-08T17:40:00.004+02:00

i met karolina years ago at an english camp. what a joy it has been to know her, to walk with her in life as we seek to know and understand more of who God is, this side of heaven.

Random Thoughts :: YOUR power

2011-07-04T11:40:00.005+02:00

Chuck Swindoll on the story of David vs. Goliath...

"The beautiful thing about this story is that it's a perfect example of how God operates.
He magnifies HIS name when we are weak.
We don't have to be eloquent or strong or beautiful or physically fit or handsome.
We don't have to be well-traveled or brilliant or have all the answers to be blessed of God.
He honors our faith.
All He asks is that we trust Him, that we stand before Him in integrity and faith, and He'll win the battle.
God is just waiting for His moment, waiting for us to trust Him so He can empower us..."

How encouraging this truth is to my soul!
Thank you Lord, that it is YOUR power, YOUR strength, that will ultimately magnify your GREAT NAME.

Daily Insight for Living :: The Battle is Mine

Photography :: friends {portrait shoot}

2011-06-30T20:30:00.007+02:00

I had the privilege of capturing the beauty of these three young girls last week. They are friends and are walking through the joys and trials of life together. It was a fun day and a joy to capture.

Family Life :: Lucas ~ 5 Months

2011-06-22T12:05:00.005+02:00

Our little guy is 5months old! Can't believe how fast he is growing. What joy he brings us. Our heart is that he would grow up to be a little boy after God's own heart.

Family Life :: Ben's First Father's Day!

2011-06-22T11:49:00.004+02:00

I love watching my husband loving his son! How greatly Ben delights in Lucas at each phase... how he is willing to help feed him, play with him and yes, even change his dirty diapers. Here is a snapshot of them...

Random Thoughts :: ... yet i will rejoice in the Lord

2011-06-18T09:50:00.003+02:00

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.

Habakkuk 3.17-19

How my soul needed this truth this morning.
Oh that Jesus would truly become my treasure!
Matt Chandler brings it with this amazing message on christian maturity from this passage.

Around Town in Krakow :: Exploring

2011-06-16T10:49:00.005+02:00

We've been enjoying getting to know our way around town in the past few weeks. One hard thing is that we don't have a car... this makes getting some of the essential things in life done a little more challenging (like grocery shopping & going to doctors and friends houses who live out of town)... but... on of the GREAT things is that we can get almost everywhere by walking or as the Poles would say 'by foot'. We live just a 5-10min walk from Krakow's historic city center. Here are some pictures we took last night.

Around Town in Krakow :: Our New Neighbourhood

2011-06-09T17:48:00.007+02:00

This is the street we live on. It's named after Jozef Pilsudski, a marshal in the Polish army. He is considered largely responsible for Poland's regaining its independence in 1918, after 123 years of not being a country (when it was partitioned).

There is a plaque down the street and a statue of him right around the corner...

This building is across the street from us. It's a gymnastic society with the mascot "falcon" (the same as Bowling Green State University!) The building dates back to 1867, like a lot of the buildings on our street.

Around the corner is one of my favourites, the "Singing Frog". Notice the fun music notes under the frog... we read that the building was originally a music school!

This is the administrative building of Jagiellonian University/Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, where Ben will study Polish. It is at the end of our street, about a 5 minute walk away from our apartment. It was established in 1364, and is the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest universities in the world. Both Nicholas Copernicus (the astronomer) and Pope John Paul II are alumni of the university!

We love that our street is so historic... more to come later :)

The Legend of the Krakow Dragon

2011-06-07T10:01:00.010+02:00

This is the story... well at least my translation of it.

Once upon a time there was a king... he was a sad king because there was a beast in the land, a dragon. The dragon was eating all of his sheep!

So he called upon all of the soldiers in the land to fight the dragon. So they came and they fought, but none of them could conquer the fire-breathing dragon!

Then a small boy, a young fearless shoemaker came to the castle. He wanted to take on the dragon!

He worked hard and fast and crafted a sheep and hid sulfur inside. Early one morning he went and place it outside of the dragon's cave.

That morning when the dragon awoke he ate the sheep!

He soon became very thirsty and went to the Vistula River to drink. No amount of water could satisfy his thirst and he drank until he exploded! Then the shoemaker gave the princess green shoes?!?! ...okay so the end of this kids book doesn't make sense to me... maybe it's some polish idiom for getting a wife... or winning the princess is too x-rated for a kids book? I don't know... but other versions of the legend say he won the princess.

For more dragon fun:

Interactive Labyrinth Game ~ help the dragon find his way through his cave! (click on the one on the left)
Free Colouring Pages ~ dragon 1 dragon 2 dragon 3 (#2 is my favourite, he's roasting kielbasa!)

Risen to Life!

2011-06-06T10:44:00.010+02:00

me & my friend Lena who was baptized
what a wonderful testimony of God's grace!

This past weekend one of my dear friends Lena was baptized. We were so glad to be able to reconnect with my old church, Opoka and see the life in Christ that is being experienced there. Baptism services are my favourite as they are very much a 'family affair' celebrated in my friends Dan & Laura Hashes backyard pool, followed by a Polish style grill!

It was fun to introduce Lucas to many old and new friends and to be reminded of the truth of the gopsel... that Christ died for our sins and in Him we die to sin, are buried and risen to life again!

Parade of Dragons

2011-06-04T14:35:00.006+02:00

We have moved into our new apartment and little by little it is starting to feel like home. Ben keeps telling me, "little by little the camel goes into the pot", which is a berber saying. It reminds me of a Polish pastor who once told me, "this language is not difficult it just takes time." and of another wise man who once said, "...do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." So, there are still lots of little things that need to be done, but today we took some time off to enjoy the city and culture that we live in.

Krakow is the cultural capital of Poland and one of the only cities not destroyed in WWII. It is also home to Wawel Castle, where the kings and queens ruled for centuries. There is a legend that a dragon lived under the castle. The story is quite interesting and Lucas has a kids book in Polish explaining it... i'll have to share that another day. But today he dressed up like a little dragon to join in the festivities!

t

Love this Little Guy

2011-05-26T20:06:00.004+02:00

... or rather DON'T "flycentraleurope.com"

2011-05-26T17:33:00.005+02:00

You know the saying, "If something seems too good to be true, it probably is?"... Ben and I were ecstatic when we found a direct flight from the Hamilton (my home town) International Airport => Krakow (the city we are moving to)! Flying with a 4month old, alone seems like a challenging task, especially with layovers and trudging through security points at the huge airport in Toronto... We were so excited that God had provided such a wonderful option for us.

That was until a week ago. Ben was in Poland, making his way around language barriers and unprepared real estate agents... in search of a place to live for our family... when the news hit the air. My dad actually read it online @the Hamilton Spectator.Later it was on the local news... the travel agency we booked with had gone under. ugh.

Needless to say we didn't want to stress Ben out, so we waited until more news came to the surface and found that our $ will be refunded, either by our credit card company, or by TICO, the Travel Industry Council of Ontario, which monitors all Travel Agencies in the province. Thank God for this provision, which will reimburse our money if the credit card company won't!

The same day we found a flight online for even cheaper than what we originally paid (although it has a layover, and flies out of Toronto). So we will land in Poland the same day we originally planned... just on a different flight... and in a different light... Needless to say we won't be 'flyingcentraleurope.com' ever again and we will be trudging through the great maze of YYZ and stopping for 4 hours in Brussels along the way. Maybe Lucas and I will have time to partake of some Belgian waffles :)

Please pray that Lucas would have a good day and not cry the whole way! And for strength, and peace for me as we fly. Looking forward to letting you know how it went from the other side!

Spring on the Lane

2011-05-14T17:46:00.008+02:00

We're back in Canada now... at least Lucas and I are. Ben leaves for Poland today (from Florida)! Pretty crazy how fast this time has come and we enter a new chapter of life and ministry together, now as a married couple and as a family. It was absolutely beautiful yesterday and as Lucas and i took a walk with my mom I was able to capture some of the 'new life' that abounds! What a picture of hope, of beauty, of God making all things new.

.enough.

2011-04-20T18:00:00.005+02:00

With so many uncertainties ahead my heart can be quick to fear. Where will we live? Who will be our neighbours... our friends? What exactly will life look for us in Poland?

I have found that these are good days to drink deep of God's word and his promises...

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
[Jeremiah 29.11]

~ somehow i thought in high school this promise was for me. God knew what was ahead and i could trust him for it. Then somehow as a single, i though this promise was for me. God knew who my future husband would be and i could trust his heart towards me was good. Now somehow as a married woman and a new mom i still need this promise of God's father heart towards me! How good it is to know and to believe in faith that he has a hope and a future for me and my family!

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
{Matthew 6.33-34}

~ whenever i start to worry i remember that God tells us not to worry... especially about tomorrow and what it will hold. Having a newborn is teaching me that 'today has enough trouble of it's own' and taking some of the planner out of me. God always gives me strength for today. And i know he will give me strength tomorrow when i need it. and wisdom. and food. and friends. and life... because He is good.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
(Ephesians 2.10)

~ what an amazing thing that we are co-workers with Christ, that he would choose to use us to bring forth the greatest message for all eternity! We are not saved or counted worthy for our good works, but God has created good works for us in advance for us to do! i am thankful that God hasn't left us on the earth without a mission!

Refresh

2011-04-15T20:41:00.002+02:00

love this picture from shutter sisters daily photography blog!
ah, spring :)

On the move...

2011-04-15T20:34:00.003+02:00

Move #1
... yesterday we moved out of the home we have been living in for the past 3 months... since a little before Lucas was born. Some dear friends graciously allowed us to be a part of their home, and family so that we would be closer to the hospital and church as we transitioned to life as parents, while at the same time raising support.

what a blessing that time has been!

as we moved out to my parents for 2weeks i began to wonder how we are ever going to make the move back overseas! 3 carloads later and we are finally here... exhausted after a busy and eventful week. Lucas may never remember 'life on the go' as an infant... and then again, he may never know anything different!

in just 2 weeks we will be going to Florida and soon after that making the BIG move to Poland! [more details to come soon

Family Ties…

2011-04-05T17:20:00.003+02:00

It’s so fun to have friends and family around the world, both biological and spiritual. On our way to Ottawa we stopped by Arnprior again (we were there last November) to introduce the church there to Lucas. It was really fun to connect with these faithful saints who pray for us and love Christ and His kingdom.

Lucas (2mths) & his second cousin, Jonah (4 mths)

my cousin stacey holding lucas

isaiah & ben

We also got to visit with my cousin Stacey and her family. She has two sons… one is 11 years old and the other is 4 months old. It was the first time I have seen her in 6 years and the first time she was able to meet Ben & Lucas! It is good to reconnect with the roots of biological family. I’ve started a family tree on ancestry.ca so that one day Lucas will ‘know where he came from’… but that’s a post for another day :)

Sour Cream Pancakes

2011-04-02T17:41:00.004+02:00

i made these for ben saturday morning after my sister recommended them. they are the most moist pancakes ever, and they kinda taste like donuts! enjoy.

Sour Cream Pancakes

[The Pioneer Woman]

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablepsoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
Maple or pancake syrup

Directions:

1. Place an iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.

2. Place the sour cream, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl and stir together generously (allow the mixture to have some texture).

3. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl and add the vanilla; stir to combine.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the sour cream mixture.

5. Stir together (don't worry if it's not totally combined).

6. Melt butter in the skillet. Pour the batter into the skillet 1/4 cup at a time.

7. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then flip the pancakes over. Cook for another 45 seconds and remove to plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

8. Top with butter and maple syrup.

Lucas Learns to Travel

2011-04-01T21:39:00.003+02:00

This past weekend he visited his first museum...

saw Canada's capital...

and slept in a drawer!

As we begin to pack for Poland, we realize that we're going to have to get creative :)

Bike Ride Anyone?

2011-04-01T21:32:00.003+02:00

So this is random, but on our road trip we saw these bikes along the fence of a farm. Ben kindly pulled over so I could photograph some of them and the owner of the property came out to see if we needed help… he said people stop by all the time to take pictures and asked if we wanted to buy one!? I honestly wasn’t too sure if he was serious or not, so I just laughed awkwardly and thanked him for letting us take pictures.

They reminded me of Poland, where my friends would take me on wicked long bike rides through forests, and past castles and forts from years past… Makes me eager to get my bike out once we move back and go ride somewhere on a new adventure!

Great Uncle Brian’s Maple Sugar Shack

2011-03-31T15:45:00.005+02:00

On our way up to Ottawa we stopped in Brockville, the home of the "1000 Islands" and grandpa Davis. Uncle Brian lives on a farm with quite a few acres and even more maple trees. Springtime (that is what season we’re supposed to be in right?!) is maple syrup making season and Uncle Brian spends most days boiling the sap from his trees down (50litres sap = 1 litre yummy maple syrup). Uncle Brian and Aunt Sherrie made us some fabulous waffles and sausage down @ the sugar shack which we flooded with the succulent sweet stuff!

Random. We also met uncle Brian’s donkey, Louise! A years back he was rent a donkey for the annual Christmas pageasnt at church. After coming up empty he said the heck with it and bought himself a donkey! Louise also has a main role in the upcoming Good Friday/Easter production!

Sweet deal, uncle Brian sent us home with a litre of maple syrup!

Ottawa Road Trip

2011-03-30T18:36:00.004+02:00

Last weekend we trekked up to Ottawa, Canada capital and home of the beaver tail. We shared what God is doing in our lives @ Alta Vista Baptist church and were blessed by our time there reconnecting with people who love God and his kingdom. On the way we made a few other ‘detours’ which I will post about later this week…

It was a first for Ben & Lucas being in downtown Ottawa and we visited (well drove by) the parliament buildings, ate yummy beaver tails, and visited the museum of civilization, which is a really well designed walk thru of Canada’s history.

First family road trip!

Ben & Parliament Hill

Beaver tails

Ben & Lucas

The Grand Compromise?

(we realized that the entire museum was ‘in French perspective’

… as you can tell from this caption for Canada’s date of confederation!... they feel ripped off…)

Krista & Toucan

Meeting Great Grandma Davis

2011-03-29T05:16:00.002+02:00

On our way up to Ottawa we were able to spend some precious time with family. Lucas got to meet his great grandma Davis for the first time! We were able to take great grandma out for dinner and Lucas was awake and wide eyed for their first encounter.

2 Months

2011-03-21T02:18:00.003+01:00

Maple Syrup Festival :: Westfield Heritage Village

2011-03-21T01:54:00.003+01:00

We visited Westfiled Heritage Village for a Maple Syrup Festival last week. Love this place! It's no wonder that the classic Anne of Green Gables was in part filmed here. Maple Syrup Season also means that springs a coming!

buckets of sweet goodness

O Canada!

mouse in the house?

the general store

i spy...

spinning class anyone?

Pinocchio or Punchinello?

gotta get me some of this!

Top 24.

2011-03-15T15:22:00.003+01:00

It's pretty cool when a missionary kid makes the Top 24 in American Idol...
or rather Czech Idol!

Noah Ellenwood is a great kid who has spent the majority of his life in Czech Republic.
He's 15 and both him and his whole family are pretty musically talented... i guess this all started when his sister mailed in an application for Czech Idol for him! Yesterday he made the top 24!

Here's him singing Hey, Soul Sister with a group (he's on the far right).
I love the fact that his goal is to have fun and tell people about Jesus while he is on the show!

Hey, Soul Sister
(click here to see the video)

Baby Blue Eyes

2011-03-09T19:04:00.006+01:00

French Canadian Beef Stew

2011-03-07T21:04:00.005+01:00

I have been wanting to start adding recipes to my blog... but to be honest I've been really bad at keeping up my blog lately. That combined with the thought of needing to take pictures to post with my recipes is a little overwhelming! In regards to recipe and cooking ideas i'm a huge fan of Pioneer Woman, Megan Russell, and my sister (who doesn't blog her recipes but shares them with me!) :) Another fun thing is having friends around the world who have all different cooking styles... So here is the first recipe I'm going to share from a Canadian friend ~ French Canadian Beef Stew! Enjoy.

French Canadian Beef Stew

3lb stewing beef (cubed)
1oz flour
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
12 oz red wine
Water
4 large carrots (chopped)
2 celery stalks (chopped)
1tbsp salt
1tbsp pepper
½ 1tbsp paprika
2 bay leaves
½ lb lean bacon
2 large onions (chopped)
1 lb mushrooms (chopped)
1tbsp tomato puree

Cooking Time: 2 ½ - 3 hrs (use heavy lidded casserole)

Instructions:

Brown beef.
Sprinkle flour & garlic onto meat, stirring until four turns brownish
Put into heavy lidded casserole dish
Blend in red wine & sufficient water to cover the meat
Add the carrots, celery, salt, pepper, paprika, bay leaves & braise for about 2 hours @ 350F

In separate frying pan:

Fry the bacon, pour off fat, then chop up
Combine bacon & onions & stir until glossy
Add mushroom pieces & stir for 10 min
Add tomato puree & mix into the stew
Braise for another 20 minutes & then enjoy
Top with puff pastry cap

Picture of the Day

2011-03-06T21:16:00.008+01:00

Cleaning through my old files I came across this picture of a Polish Babcia looking for mushrooms! It made my heart smile :) You can see she already has a bag full of fungi is busy looking for more (which allowed me to capture this moment inconspicuously!)

Right away a name for the picture came to mind...
What would you name it?