Whatever Wednesday- Pijats pics

Today, we were out bright and early to see the sun!!  It was a gorgeous sunny spring day. The Pijats was packed and it was my first time taking the munchkin in the stroller. What a task! Complicated further by an unreliable pitch, I had to take it slow and mind the unpredictable pavement below.

The entrance to the pijats was clad with the usual babas selling their eggs, onions, flowers, and more. It was worth stopping to take a picture

There were bags hanging here and there on the fence surrounding the pijats. This one was really beautiful. Old traditional embroidery made an old bag a work of art.

There were so many vendors today. Selling all kinds of fruits, and vegetables. Scales to weigh the various produce are very common.

The gypsies had massive amounts of yard sale like goods on display. One was calling out Sale  sale everything 150 Dinars! (All in Serbian)  and another was announcing all of his sales info in French.

One of the Gypsy Salesmen who are constant workers on the pijats. (He doesn’t usually dress like this… It was kind of a joke… just stuff he was selling that made for a funny outfit!) I wasn’t the only one who got a pic.

 

 

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Munchkin Monday ~ Hana’s Christening on St. Patrick’s Day

The third of the three little musketeers had her first birthday!!

Our close-knit group of friends gathered once again to celebrate.

Hana’s Christening. The Godfather and the mother of the child stand before the priest.

Hana was not all that fond of the ceremony that took longer than most babies want to be held in front of a stranger. Especially when the stranger is singing Orthodox Christening chants. I am sure if it was the Becolino (Baby soap) Song She would have been just fine. 🙂

The priest sang/chanted, sprinkled water on her head, and cut her hair in four places. The Kum  (Serbian for best man) who is also the Godfather and Hana’s mom followed the priest, circling the altar three times.    This was a new cultural experience for me. I found it interesting. Also, The song “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof came to mind. So much of the ceremony is steeped in tradition going back centuries.

After the ceremony at the gorgeous old church, we had a short break. It was time for the little ones to nap and then met up back at the home of Hana and her family for an amazing dinner. Regretfully, I didn’t get to eat much, but what I did eat was YUM-mazing!

You may ask where the woman are.

The Munchkin and I in green for St. Patrick’s Day!

I hope Hana enjoyed her birthday. I know all the other kids enjoyed her toys. 😉 Thanks for sharing Hana!

For St. Patrick’s day, I did a little photo shoot with my little leprechaun. She was less than cooperative. This is my favorite of the pics.. It looks like she is dancing.

Whatever Wednesday~ Spring is here, I am so Excited, I wet my plants!

To be honest, the rain did that today, but I could have. 😉

Just beyond our garden gate…

There are various green leaves sprouting.

This Rock wall that separates the garden from the house reminds me of the movie “Labyrinth”

. Hooray for spring showers bringing May Flowers! and Rainbows!

Our journey back home from the village was made a bit more colorful by a stunning double rainbow. Roy G. Biv was in full effect! Even more brilliant than this picture shows. Even the indigo was bright.

When we got closer we could see the entire arch. But no leprechaun appeared and no pot of gold was found.

I am cherishing the green in the fields, aren’t they lush colors? Soon they will be even more vibrant. Warmth will engulf us and flowers will bloom. I am smiling from the inside out just thinking of it!

Munchkin Monday ~ Bathtime Fun

Pee-a-boo

The little one likes to catch the droplets on her tongue. She has hobbit style ears like mine.  I hide mine under long locks.

After her bath, she like likes to relax in her robe.

Photography Friday Celebrates Serbia’s March 8

Hello Friends, Happy 8th of March! It is International Woman’s day. This is an old Communist holiday celebrating women. Men everywhere are lined up to buy flowers and other random gifts for their moms, daughters, wives, etc.

On my way out today to take pics for my photography Friday post, I past a flower shop. In hindsight, I should have taken a picture of all the people waiting outside for the flower arrangements. I was shocked at the number of adults and children outside standing and sitting where they could. Maybe next year.

I will take something to the mother-in-law tomorrow. She loves this holiday.

On to the pictures! I walked to the other side of the yellow bridge today. That is like the other side of the tracks in some towns. Lots of gypsy people live there. I met one gypsy lady today and she spoke English!  This was her gate.

After I snapped a pic of her  beautiful gate, she came out and a little boy followed but lagged behind. She was super friendly and just wanted to know why I was taking a photo of her home. I wish I had taken time to talk to her more. Another time.

This is the house next to hers, what contrast.

I was trying to beat the setting sun and the dark clouds that were threatening rain.

As I climbed the hill I got a nice glimpse of the looming clouds that hovered over the valley. The morning and most of the afternoon had been gorgeous. In the 60’s. I barely needed a jacket! And you can see from a few pics that laundry was hanging in lots of yards.

Some Baba  had her naughty black stocking on the line here. 😉

Check out this creative clothes line! Whatever works.

Along the same line of thinking, there are some unorthodox shelters here for storing wood. I thought the first one here was rather a lovely idea.

It’s not like a gazebo would be used very often in the winter. What an ingenious seasonal use!

This one is quite inventive as well.

Lots of dogs were out to great walkers today. This old yellow lab was my favorite.

On the way home it started raining. I manged to snap just a few more pics worth posting. This lonely window in an empty old house was worth the time, and I liked the way it looked when I gave it the sepia treatment.

I headed down another road to make my way home. The hilly terrain here has inspired creative architecture.

By this time it was really raining, and I hurried on my way way. But I noticed the prettiest red gate and had to get one last photograph.

Hope you enjoyed the pics
Dobar Dan

and P.S. Thank you all for cheering me up yesterday!

Dear Diary March 7, 2013

This is my life right now.

I am feeling at a loss. I feel the need to have a job. The projects are great. I get a sense of accomplishment from them. But, I am not doing something that propels the family forward.  I don’t have a job that brings in income. and any idea of a job or company that I could start is illusive.

I cannot blame this on PMS. Sometimes I have to wait til that has passed to see clearly, but this is as clearly as I get. At times, I put off posting because I am chemically or hormonally imbalanced.

What is the source of this Eeyore day?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eeyore (image credit)

Maybe it is because I FINALLY met another American this week, and he has a purpose here beyond his little girl and Serbian wife.

Maybe it is because I feel I made a complete idiot of myself last night while we had some family members. Conversing in English and Serbian is exhausting, confusing, and I make some ridiculous mistakes. Mistakes that make me feel like I am back in Jr High again.

Maybe it is because the Munchkin is Fussy, like all the time. Or because the Muz is going to work in the village. I feel guilty for not joining him like I did before the little one came along.

Obviously, taking care of little M is productive. just not the kind that adds monetary gain… rather the opposite. Helloo diapers! Come on potty training!

AND How is it that she is pooping more and eating less? The input output just doesn’t make sense!

an added bonus to my day…I think she has discovered that whining is a good tool to get attention.  Maybe that is what I am doing now.

Discouragement comes in all sorts of forms. As an expat, they are sometimes devastating. Trying to buy things for friends is a huge source of downheartedness. Here it is so hard to find things that are good quality. but here good quality is  not only illusive but super expensive. And culturally, something I think would be a good present, may seem really silly here.

The plight of stray animals  is a constant source of sadness. Every time I take a walk outside I am dismayed by the homeless animals, skittish from abuse from humans. They scrounge dumpsters for food do their best to avoid becoming the meal of a larger, stronger animal. Listening to the screams of these animals at night while they fight with one another adds weight to my heart.

So many other things add to my sometimes silly, yet all to real woes. Often hiding in the strangest corners just waiting for me to stumble upon them. But then, they pass. Thank God!

I know that Mentally sunny days are just around the corner. They always are. But my down days always seem much lower here in this big strange land.

If I can…I just need to take a break, then give myself a strong kick in the arse. Remind myself how lucky I am to have a good life and family. Then do something fun or productive.  and that is just what I have done today.  I wrote down my feelings then moved onto some projects that needed to be completed.

Enough whining, onto a new food like for myself, Carmelino! For those of you unfamiliar, it is a baby cereal. Millie doesn’t even like it as much as I do! For the first time, I must remind myself it is her breakfast not mine.
Dobar dan

Whatever Wednesday-Craft bag and blog awards

Lucky Thrift Store find

A while back, I believe I posted about this cool find. I planned to fix it up and I HAVE. I am pretty sure I completed my up-cycling of this little bag.

First the bag was washed to try to remove the light stains at the bottom. They remained, but I waited to wash it again after the project was finished.

Black ribbon replaced the tired old pull string. Embellishments in red were added to the ribbon. The red and blackish embroidery that spells out Amelie was covered with all red thread. On top of that, I added bright red beading. I outlined the yellow name box with black Xs. Child style embroidery, because I haven’t got skills for anything more fancy.  The corners were adorned with black beads.

Finally, I let the bag sit for a day with strong stain remover. The bag came out stainless and much more vibrant than it had gone into the wash.

I still have the tent to finish and a few more little girls skirts. I know I can do this for a while. I find it fulfilling. Bu,t I have been thinking lately, I need to find a real job. But there aren’t any here to be had by a foreigner who speaks little Serbian. I am will have to start my own business. I doubt making crafts will make it here in Serbia. But it is a start! I have another crafty thing just finished this week. This was my first attempt at this Pinterest inspired craft. I will be doing this again soon. I think they make nice gift baskets. I like to put gifts inside of gifts. (when I have the time)

Now, I would like to lightly and politely decline the blog award nominations I have received lately. I have gotten 2 from a close friend I have known for more years than I would like to write. Another one had just come from a blogger I love to read. I have one award already, and I don’t really have an addictive personality. One blog award, one tattoo, and one baby is enough. I write for fun, not for awards. I write in the precious free time that naps my toddler takes allows. Sometimes, I write while she whines at my feet. That is not quality writing time.

Thank you again for the lovely nominations.