Faith Family Living

Systems with Food in Albania

2024-07-01T04:12:00.003-04:00

There are many things that are different here in Albania. In this article, I’m going to discuss a few things pertaining to food.

Their coffee is stronger and served in tiny espresso cups.

It is made either in a moka pot like the one on the right, or a Turkish coffee pot which is on the left. They don't sell half and half, but you can buy fresh milk and it's creamier than the milk sold in grocery stores in America. Our younger kids have become quite good at making coffee with foamy milk.

Food coloring is a little hard to come by. It comes in these little packets with little colored granules. Don't believe what you see pictured on the box. The red is actually orange which does limit me when I try to decorate my children's birthday cakes.

Last summer I broke down and made tomato sauce from scratch because I couldn't find any canned or jarred. I have since found a store that sells it for a good price.

Here's a meal that we have often. Fresh, local vegetables with fresh bread and homemade butter, rice topped with qoftë(chohf-tah), their version of meatballs, and xaxiq(zah-zeech).

We have a really sweet lady that we buy our vegetables from in our neighborhood. She also sells many other things there in her small shop., including eggs. Unless we are buying 30 at a time, which we have been recently, we would not be given a container. We just have to carefully transport them home in a bag.

What's very different from store-bought eggs in America, is that the shells are dirty. They might have blood, poop, or mud on them. This is purposeful and normal. (When we were raising chickens in America, my kids were always so eager to bring the eggs in that the eggs didn't have a chance to get dirty!) Eggs can last for about a month at room temperature, as long as they haven't been washed. This allows the stores to be able to store them on their counters.

In America, we all know that a lot of our trash problem comes from product packaging. I Albania and Romania their packages are simpler and less substancial. Spices come in packets, as well as baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Coffee comes in vacuum sealed packages. Plastic wrap and foil are often sold without boxes.

These things aren't dramatically different, but it is something to get used to. Having spice shakers, coffee cans, and electric coffee makers is convenient, but it's also interesting to experience another way of doing things.

What Else is There to Do in Bucharest, Romania?

2024-05-22T07:30:00.007-04:00

Our time in Bucharest, Romania is coming to a close. We are scheduled to leave here in a week. We will have been here for three months, if God is willing.

What else is there in Bucharest, Romania? It's a very large city, with a population of around 1.83 million people. It is 93 square miles. If you look up Bucharest, you will almost surely see a picture of the Palace of Parliament. It is the world's second largest government building. Believe me that you really can't imagine what it's like unless you are there in person. It is massive. It's the biggest building like this that I have ever seen. Apparently it goes as deep into the ground as it is high. In order to get the whole building into a photo, you have to be pretty far from it.

In the center of the city is a large rotary, about half a mile from the Palace of Parliament, with pools and fountains in the middle of it. From there, the road leads straight to the palace. Down the center of the road is a strip with pools and fountains shooting water into the air. At night, there are colorful lights to change the color of the water. It is a well organized and planned area of the city. It is neat to look online and see aerial photos of it.

Behind the giant palace is The People's Cathedral. It is another huge building still being built by the Orthodox community since 2010. We are on the 10th floor, so we can see a good ways out. As I am writing this, anytime I look up and out the window, I can easily see it protruding from among the buildings surrounding it on the horizon a few miles from here.

Not far from the Palace and Cathedral is a section of the city called Old Town. If you look up things to do in Bucharest, chances are, you will read about and see pictures of Old Town. It is an area with stone streets. There are many restaurants there and it gets very lively at night.

There are certainly many other things to see and do in Bucharest. My husband is very sweet and likes to get me sweet treats! We both enjoy good chocolate quite a bit. He came home a couple of hours ago and brought me this box of chocolates. On the box it says "Premium Chocolate."

I opened it, and out dumped these!!!!

I was completely shocked! He had already opened it himself and been surprised. Putting the candies back in the box, he brought them to me so I could receive the same surprise. It was really quite hilarious!

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Exploring the Largest Park in Bucharest

2024-05-13T11:43:00.005-04:00

There is a huge park which is about a half hour's walk from where we live. It is 462 acres, a third of that being a lake in the midst of it. The city of Bucharest has done a great job trying to make it a pleasant place for the people here. There are many large playgrounds. Most of those, if not all, have exercise equipment for adults. There are ping-pong tables, concession stands, bike paths, an obstacle course, bike and paddle boat rentals, and much more.

Thousands of people flock to the park on the weekends. It is a wonderful place to escape the busy city streets and be able to move around beyond the walls of their apartments or offices.

There is a Japanese cherry tree garden. Crowds are drawn to it in the springtime. People have birthday parties there. On the day when we went to see the flowered trees, there were many groups of people there posing for professional photos.

This house is part of a group of actual old homes that were brought in to form a museum village.

These trees were home to ducklings whose mamas had made nests to hatch them in.

A couple of my children were at the park and witnessed the ducklings dropping out of the tree one by one and heading into the water for the first time.

You can take a ride to another part of the park on a ferry, or you can spend hours walking around the water.

There are many flowers planted throughout the park, and different pools with fountains.

We choose to go on a weekday to avoid the weekend crowds. We nearly have the park to ourselves. It's a wonderful place where the kids can run around and play and not have to worry about disturbing people.

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Thoughts about Mothers

2024-05-11T09:09:00.007-04:00

Each person in the world was made in the image of God and is extremely precious and valuable. We all play a part in the function of the world. It is stated beautifully In 1 Corinthians 11 (As a side note: earlier in this chapter is where I get the basis for wearing a head covering, for those of you who have wondered why I do that), verses 11-12, "Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God."

We live in a society where people are spending a lot of time and energy fighting for equality. We could just accept who we are, appreciate the way God has made us and the role that He has given to us, and live at peace!

What does this have to do with mothers? I guess that before I write about the wonderful nature of mothers, I feel the need to have a disclaimer. No mother is without fault or weakness- not we as mothers, nor our own mothers, right? However, I was thinking about the general nature of a mother, at her finest.

When I was in the hospital, after just having our first child, I was very concerned that my son might not like me. My mother had often told us the story of the time when she was in the hospital after having my older brother, her first child. He was screaming and screaming, as newborns generally do. Much to her surprise, he stopped crying immediately after the nurses handed him to her. She couldn't believe that he apparently knew her and that being with her had such a powerfully calming effect. Perhaps I was so insecure because I didn't have the same effect on my son there in the hospital. I told my insecurity to my father, as he was visiting there at the hospital, and he reassured me by saying, "Why wouldn't he love you? You're the source of everything good!"

God gave us a strength, as women, to be soft and gentle in nature. Because we tend to be very emotional, we are also able to be tender and compassionate with others. We want to comfort when there is pain. We want to give care and affection, in good times and bad. We are devoted and loyal. We have a great love for our children, even with their faults. It takes a lot of work, but we want our homes to look and be pleasant. We want our families and our homes to be neat, orderly, and beautiful. We want our families to be healthy, happy, and whole.

In reality, we are busy, and at times get tired, grumpy, lazy, selfish, hurt, frustrated, anxious, and angry. Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Do we want our children and God to be merciful with us and our weaknesses and failings? Do you have a merciful attitude towards your mother, whether she is alive or not?

God said in Proverbs 23:22, 'Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old." It is a rather interesting statement. It seems to be common for people to have bitter feelings towards their mothers. As a mother, we are responsible for doing our best to make sure that our children turn out well. Because of that, we are often having to correct them. Perhaps children, and even we, misunderstand our mother's chastisement, and see her as being against us, when it's really the opposite.

“Honor your father and mother”- which is the first commandment with a promise- “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:2-3. Let's not underestimate the importance of honoring our parents!

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Obtaining Dual Citizenship

2024-05-04T04:26:00.009-04:00

To those of you who don't know, we are hoping to apply for and get dual citizenship in Italy, through descent. My maternal grandfather (pictured on the front of my last post, "The Lonely Graves") was 100% Italian. His parents, both born in the same town in Italy, both moved to the United States as children around 1905. I grew up knowing my great grandmother. She passed away at the age of 92, back in 1994.

While we were taking care of my maternal grandmother in South Carolina, my husband was looking at different places with affordable land. One of the cheapest places that he found was in Sicily. I said, "That's where my relatives are from!” A couple of days later, he came to me and announced, "You could become an Italian citizen, and then the children and I could become citizens through you!"

The more that I have researched this, I have found out that there are actually quite a lot of Americans with Italian descent that are also trying to do the same thing. There are many reasons why doing this is advantageous. Typically, you are only allowed to stay in the EU for 90 days in a six month period. It allows people to freely live, travel, work anywhere in the EU, and more. This was appealing to us.

Last year I began gathering the necessary documents, such as the birth certificates and marriage licenses which prove my Italian ancestry. Over the past week I have spent most of my free time learning as much as I can about the requirements and the process. There are many different things that can disqualify a person with Italian lineage. We don't want to move our family to Italy with high hopes and then be turned away, especially after giving up our rental home in Albania.

I realized last night while I was in bed, that there are a lot of similarities between this earthly scenario and the heavenly one. Heaven is a place that most people want to go to after death. Most people assume that they will be welcomed in by their maker.

Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus said a few verses later in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Would a want to be before Him after our death, or His return, expecting to enter into heaven with Him, only to have this happen to us?

The apostille Paul exhorted the Christians, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling," in Philippians 2:12b. How carefully should we be checking the Scriptures to make sure that we understand what the King and Judge of heaven"s requirements are?

Shouldn't we be looking into the Bible thoroughly to learn more about this wonderful King and His Kingdom? Shouldn't we be talking to others who are also citizens of this great land and find enjoyment that we share the same hope and homeland? Shouldn't we be trying to urge those who aren't interested or assume that they will automatically enter in?

"Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men." 2 Corinthians 5:11a. Christians are sometimes considered odd or hateful. When you're reading God's Word, you want to save others from the destruction that you know sin will bring, and help them to know how wonderful God is as well as the life and hope that He gives.

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The Lonely Graves

2024-04-24T12:13:00.005-04:00

This is a story that I was inspired to write in the middle of the night, just before my grandmother's funeral last year. I ended up writing it right then and didn't go to bed that night!

The Lonely Graves

Maria and her first husband, Toddy, met in Baltimore working at an ammunition factory during WWII. They were very much in love with each other during their whole marriage. They had their first daughter, Mary, when they were 22. She was an only child until Mark came along 4 years later. It was another 6 years before Denise came along and delighted everyone. All of a sudden, it seems, they had child after child. Michael, rather known as Mike, came along a little less than 17 months later. Last, but certainly not least, came David.

On their 17th wedding anniversary, October 2, 1959, Maria and Toddy, both age 37, learned that he had cancer, They only had just over three more months together before he died on January 11, 1960. Mary recalls that, "Mother" would go in to see "Daddy" in the room he was in. No one else would be allowed in.

Maria was now a widow who ended up claiming and often quoting the scripture, "He has given me the oil of gladness for mourning," from Isaiah 61:3. She had been a homemaker and he had been a stone mason, having recently completed their second brick home in Waterbury, CT. She was now a widow with their five children, Mary 16, Mark 12, Denise almost 5, Mike 3 ½, and David was 18 months.

Maria felt particularly bad for David. After all, he was so young, yet he would most likely have had a very close relationship with his Daddy. Maria would show him Toddy's pajamas frequently to remind him of his Daddy. Maria has shared the story of when she would go shopping with David. When he would see a man, he would say, "Daddy!" She was so embarrassed, wondering what they thought of her!

David had a hard life. Almost exactly ten years ago this month, in March of 2013, David's friends informed Maria and Mark, with whom he lived, that no one had seen David for a couple of weeks. It wasn't unusual, for he often came and went without always saying what he was up to, so they hadn't given much thought to his absence.

After a couple of weeks, his body was discovered. He had been murdered, then buried in the dirt, right here in Lexington, SC. What a tragedy for Maria and the whole family. Her baby!

Throughout her life, Maria talked so fondly about Toddy, even after she got remarried, almost 16 years after his death. Her granddaughter, Amy, said that she always loved the name "Toddy" because of how wonderful everyone made him seem. When Amy called to tell Maria that she had just given birth to their third child, and third son, she told her grandmother with whom she was very close, that she had named him Toddy. It is the only time that Amy ever remembered hearing Maria cry, or choke up.

Mary, Mike, and Amy all remember Maria often talking about her plan to be buried with Toddy back in the Riverside Cemetery in Waterbury, CT.

The extra lot had been purchased. The gravestone reads, "DIBLASI," on the top. Beneath it, on the left is a purposely lighter color square than the darker brownish gray stone. On it says Toddy's details, "October 14, 1922- January 11, 1960." Opposite that square is a matching one, left blank for whoever would be buried there with him. At the bottom reads his favorite scripture, "Absent from the body, present with the Lord." There it's been, empty for the past 63 years.

Don was a widower for a matter of months before he married Maria. He was to be buried next to Rene, his first wife. As far as the DiBlasi family was concerned, it was "set in stone." However, when Don died in June of 2011, a few days after his 86th birthday, he ended up being buried here in SC at the Ft. Jackson cemetery.

A few hours before Maria's death on March 1, 2023, Amy and Mark were going through her organized folder labeled in her handwriting, "Funeral." Amy had been told earlier in the day by a friend who is a doctor at Columbia's VA hospital, that Maria probably wouldn't make it another day, or even though the night. He was right. He also told her that she would need to tell the EMT people, when it came time, which funeral home they would be using.

As Amy and Mark studied the papers, they realized that Maria and Don had purchased funeral packages back in December of 2003. The instructions written by the chosen funeral home. They were to have their bodies buried in the local veterans cemetery there in Rhode Island. Simple and identical caskets were chosen. Their plans were also identical. How could this be? Why didn't they go with their lifetime plans to be buried next to their first spouses?

Amy figured that Maria, when sitting in the funeral home discussing the facts with the director, nearly twenty years before, decided to be practical. The veterans cemetery gives you a plot, marker, and burial for free. Shipping a casket to Connecticut and having to pay the receiving funeral home in Connecticut thousands of dollars, plus the thousand dollar fee to be buried at the cemetery there, probably seemed unreasonable to her.

Mike said that he remembered a few things that Maria had said about her burial. One was that she wanted to be buried in Connecticut with Toddy. Another was that he remembered that she really didn't want to be cremated. She also didn't want to spend a lot of money on funeral type things. After all, what does it really matter in the end?

The big question to help the family determine if they should share the estimated $8,000 cost to have Maria's casket shipped to Connecticut and buried in the Riverside Cemetery, which they all knew that she wouldn't have been opposed to was this: was there anything written in her will about her being buried in Connecticut?

There was a brochure from the Riverside Cemetery within her funeral folder, but that was it.

While discussing this, Mike brought up the fact that the boxes containing David's ashes were to be buried with Maria. They then discussed it with the funeral home.

When Denise brought the ashes to the funeral home, they were surprised and confused as to why there were so many ashes and why it was so heavy. It's possibly because his body had been hidden in the dirt for a couple of weeks before being discovered. The director said that the boxes with David's ashes could be put in Maria's casket and buried with her.

One issue was that his name couldn't be on Maria and Don's marker, most likely because he wasn't a veteran. As the family discussed this issue, Mike reminded us that, at least, there is a brick in his name and honor at the Riverbanks Zoo in nearby Columbia.

As Amy was searching through the DiBlasi family photos that night, for pictures that could be used for Maria's memorial service, she came across the familiar picture of her grandfather's gravestone. This time, she noticed the blank spot on the right, and became a little sad that after all, he would not have the body of his beloved wife buried next to him. His body would remain alone in Connecticut, while Maria's body would be with Don's and David's.

A little while later, while she was busy with other pictures, it suddenly came to her. These problems could be solved if the boxes of David's ashes could be removed before they got buried with his mother. All of this was a matter of time. The ashes could be shipped to the Riverside Cemetery in Waterbury, CT and buried there next to his Daddy that he so missed and had to grow up without. He could have the honor of having his name and dates engraved on a stone, rather than being buried with no recognition. Toddy's stone would no longer have an empty spot, but would have the name of his precious son that he wasn't able to raise and see grow up.

Perhaps, if people are taking a walk in that cemetery, reading the names and dates on the different stones, trying their best to figure out the story behind it all, they will put the dates together and realize that Toddy DiBlasi must have tragically died at the young age of 37 years old, leaving behind a precious and impressionable 18 month old. Maybe they will wonder how it was for David to all of a sudden not have his father around, and not have any idea where he went or when he would be coming back home. Wouldn't that be any 18 month old's reaction? Maybe not, but with the wonderful father and man that his other children and Maria always lauded him to be, it would make sense that David would have been longing for his sweet Daddy.

And that is what happened. Maria was buried next to her second husband, Don, and David was buried next to his dear daddy, Toddy.

A Tribute to My Grandmother

2024-04-24T09:12:00.007-04:00

Grandma made such a wonderful grandmother for her grandchildren. Although she didn't live near any of them, she made the most out of the time that she did have with them about twice a year. One time would be at her and her husband's (My grandfather had died at the age of 37. She remarried a high school friend 16 years later, who had just lost his wife ) at their beautiful home in Newport News, Virginia. The other time would be at her grandchildren's homes.

Those trips were so eagerly anticipated. For many years, I thought that the song, "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain," was one that my mother had made up about Grandma. We would sing it throughout the day when we knew that Grandma was on way to our house in Rhode Island, from Virginia.

When she came to visit, she would always bring two large, heavy, light-brown suitcases. My brothers and I were always amazed at how much she had brought! One suitcase would be absolutely packed full with beautiful outfits, shoes, jewelry, and hats (which she was known for for many years), which she intended to wear throughout the week as she met with old friends and went to church with us. The other suitcase was loaded with gifts for everyone. She always brought bags of salt water taffy. Items like quilts, braided rugs, and oil paintings that she had made and done, were given at some of these visits.

The twelve hour drive to her house in Newport News, Virginia was well worth it. Everything at her home was absolutely perfect. She would stay busy the whole time, mostly preparing, serving, and cleaning up after the wonderful meals that she had planned, prepared, and put in the chest freezer for weeks or months ahead of time.

She and her husband, Don, had a beautiful yard. My grandmother delighted in flowers and had them growing in beautiful gardens around the grassy lawn. At the back edge of the property was a screened-in gazebo which had a fireplace and picnic table where we would sometimes eat. The highlight was the smooth, slate pathway going around the whole house. It was perfect for riding around and around the house on the old brown metal tricycle for hours and hours everyday.

However, each visit to Virginia would have one absolutely dreaded (at least to my brothers and I) event. It was the day trip to historic Williamsburg and "The Pottery," which was a giant place with lots of things that we children had absolutely no appreciation for, but my parents and grandmother were quite excited about it. Many of our family's and my grandmother's dishes came from there.

There were more special times, trips, and visits together as time went on and we all grew older. People would tell me, much to my surprise, that they knew that their grandchildren wouldn't be interested in them anymore once they'd become teenagers. I never grew tired of any of my grandparents. They were all very special to me.

Around the age of 93, my grandmother's mind began to wane. She was still quite active, but mentioned that she wasn't cooking or cleaning as she used to. I was 37. My husband and I had just sold our house in Rhode Island and were planning to move to Florida with our seven young sons. My husband's family and my other, younger grandmother lived in Florida. We decided to forgo that and move to my Grandmother's house, who lived in South Carolina at that point, and help her out.

While taking care of Grandma, she gradually declined throughout the years. I would purposely bring to mind the many good times that we had had together. I knew that although she had aged, looked different and wasn't capable of what she used to be, she was still the same woman on the inside.

It was such an incredible blessing to be able to celebrate her 100th birthday with her. We sent invitations to family and friends a couple of months ahead of time. We had a good turnout and a lovely time.

During Grandma's last month or two, she liked to hold hands with anyone who was willing. It was a comfort and a connection, for both people. A few days before she passed, at the age of 100 and 8.5 months, I was sitting a couple of feet from her during the church service that we were hosting in her home where we lived. She hadn't been able to swallow solid food for several days. We suspected that her body was shutting down and would pass soon. Several times during the church service, Grandma reached out her hand to me. I was sitting a couple of feet away. She held it out until I took hold of hers. It seemed as if she could barely see, but somehow she knew that I was there. We held hands tightly for a while, then she would let go.

It's moments like that and the time a month or two before, when my second son and I were doing our morning routine of helping Grandma go up and down the seven stairs in her kitchen. Sometimes it seemed treacherous for all three of us, but it was a good way to keep her strong. This particular morning, it seemed as if we would all topple down the stairs. Grandma looked at me with a sharp look. She could hardly talk anymore, but I could tell that she wanted to say something. I thought that she was angry at me for making her do the stairs. Much to my surprise, Grandma looked at me and said, "I… love… you."

It was an indescribable blessing, in so many ways, for our family to have been there. With everyone working together, my husband and I, our kids, and my uncle, who also lived there, were able to meet her needs. As her needs grew, so did our boys. Our oldest five sons would have their turns helping me to get Grandma up from bed and get around with her walker. She was still walking around until about a week before she died. The other children helped to bring her her meals. Our youngest child, who was two at the time, would voluntarily help feed her, near the end.

With Grandma's large home, we had been able to practice the hospitality that I had learned from her. She had 3.5 acres of land on which our kids were able to have what was almost like their own little world to play in. There were woods and fields, trees to climb, and animals to trap. We had the opportunity to turn Grandma's property into a small farm with fields of crops, and several different types of animals.

My husband turned one of her sheds into a woodshop and was able to do his work from home, be around our family and help me out with Grandma when needed. We were able to save some money which allowed us to move overseas to Eastern Europe, a couple of months after she passed.

Grandma was like our pillar of smoke and fire, and we were like the Israelites in the wilderness. We were planning to stay to care of her, if possible, until she passed on. However, just like the Israelites, we never knew when God would take her, signaling to us that it was time to go. Would we be there for weeks, months, or years? Where would we go next? Just as the Israelites didn't know ahead of time, we didn't either. We were just watching and waiting to see when and where He would lead us.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Tuesday at 3:00

2024-04-23T15:03:00.040-04:00

A friend of ours here in Bucharest recommended an ophthalmologist to us. I called to make an appointment in the middle of last week. Thankfully, there was someone there who could speak English.

She said that they could give us an appointment Tuesday at 3:00. I agreed and logged it into my mind. I also told my son, who was very eager to go to the eye doctor for the first time. I knew that if my memory happened to fail, his surely wouldn't!

After I got off the phone, we looked at Google Maps to see what we would need to do to get there. It estimated the trip to take 40 minutes. We decided to leave around 2:00 to give ourselves plenty of time to get there. We could take a bus from a stop close to our apartment, then switch to another bus halfway there. The doctor's building was a five minute walk from our last stop.

My kids kept telling me that it was predicted to rain the afternoon of the appointment. I wasn't worried about it. I knew that we could pray and God could change it. Well, it did turn out to be a cold and rainy afternoon.

We caught the first bus. As we were riding down the road, I checked Google Maps on my phone. Apparently it didn't recognize that I was on the bus and was giving me walking directions to the stop that we had just gotten on from. Edward later mentioned that in order for it to have followed my route with the public transportation properly, I would have needed to click, "start" before getting on the bus.

I tried my best to keep checking the map and the directions. I realized that unlike the subway, where the names of the stations are usually clearly seen on the station walls, I had no idea which stops were which. I haven't ventured out in too many different areas here. I was in trouble!

Our time was being eaten away. The windows on the bus were fogged up from the rainy weather. I didn't know who I could ask for help. I had my six and ten-year-old sons with me.

My 14-year-old called me to let me know where he and one of my older sons were. They do a lot of walking around the city and need to check in with me from time to time. He asked me where I was. I told him that I didn't actually know. I gave him the name of a hotel that I could see out of the window. He told me that I should have already gotten off. We got off at the next stop. Over the phone, he tried to walk me through what to do. It wasn't until after we hung up that I realized that one of my sons had left a bag with some of our things on the bus. It was too late.

The boys and I made our way back to where we were supposed to catch the second bus. There were so many shelters for bus stops in that location. I wasn't sure which one was for Bus 381. I looked down the sidewalk and saw that Bus 381 had just stopped. We ran to it. People were still exiting, giving us time to get there.

The GPS said that we would need to get off after four stops. My ten-year-old was counting the stops. I was paying attention to the monitor displaying the names of the upcoming stops. If only I had realized that on the first bus!

It was 2:40. At this point, our ETA was 3:09. I attempted to call the doctor's office to let them know that we would be late. An automated message came on telling me to try back later. I had to pay attention to what was going on, so I texted Edward. I asked him if he could call the doctor for me. I let him know that we were having trouble and running late. He responded that he would.

A few minutes later, my ten-year-old said, "We're going the wrong way! We're close to home! I asked him how he knew. He pointed out some familiar buildings. It was now about 2:49. This is a big city, and unfamiliar to me! I texted Edward again. "We just realized that we are completely going the wrong way. I don't know when we will get there. This is horrible." We tried to get off at the next stop, but the doors literally started to close on us, with one child already part way off the bus. He managed to get back on the bus. We rode until the next stop. I didn't know where we were at this point.

Edward called me. He let me know that my appointment wasn't actually scheduled for today, after all. I clearly remember her telling me, "Tuesday at 3:00." He went on to tell me that she said that the appointment wasn't today; it would be on, "Tuesday, the 25th." However, today is Tuesday, April 23rd. He clarified with her, "Thursday, the 25th?" She answered, "Yes. Tuesday, the 25th." Edward understood that this mistake was simply another example of something that got "lost in translation." Tuesday, Thursday, what's the big difference? They're written similarly, however, they are… two days apart! She spoke better than I do in any language, so I can understand.

The kids and I had just been getting off the bus to head back to the ophthalmologist's office when Edward had called me. After he broke the news to me, it took my brain a few moments to process it. I told him that I would keep going, and maybe I would make it there on time. I wasn't sure if he understood me. I figured that he was probably wondering if I had understood him! I had understood him, but it was my dry sense of humor letting him know that it might likely take me two full days to arrive at the proper time!

As much as it seemed like a waste, I suppose that it was a blessing. We apparently needed a trial run! Plus, we got to see parts of the city that we probably wouldn't have ever seen otherwise. God has a plan in everything!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Help Our Books Succeed!

2024-04-22T09:23:00.012-04:00

Twelve years ago we were trying to figure out how Edward could make a living while being overseas. We had an idea for a book called, I Am One. We realized that if it became successful, it would be an ideal source of income for traveling.

A few years ago, thanks to God, we were actually able to get our book published! If I can say so myself, I think that it has the potential to be a big seller, all over the world, in many different languages.

However, we need an avenue to get it out there to be seen by the masses. Maybe you can help! If you share this link on your social media accounts, and ask them to do the same, and on and on, it could get the ball rolling! Here's the link:

https://iamonebook.com/

We also have other books underway, including a 70- something page graphic novel that Edward has been working on during our time here in Romania. He's away from the woodshop, which is where he usually works. Here's a glimpse at some of it in the works.

We both have ideas for several other books. Edward has started a Patreon account with which people have the opportunity to contribute to the progress of these. Check it out at and share with others that might find it interesting! https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

We know that we will only succeed with God. If you like our work, you can help us too by sharing our links with your contacts! Also, if you have any advice for marketing these, you can leave a comment.

To follow us and receive notifications when we post a new article on this blog, you simply go to desktop mode, if you're on a smartphone, and then the option to "follow" should appear to the right side of the article. God bless!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Architecture in Bucharest, Romania

2024-03-25T05:22:00.009-04:00

Bucharest is a large city. I doubt that I will see all that there is to see in the few months that we intend to be here. There's a variety of architectural styles. There are many beautifully crafted homes and religious structures. My husband, who is a fine craftsman himself, appreciates the high level of skill that it took to build these. It requires time, care, patience, diligence, God-given wisdom and skill, as well as money to be able to do such things.

My friend who has traveled here with us, took the following pictures of these intricately made homes as we were out and about.

Similar to Paris' famous Arc de Triomphe, Bucharest has its own Arcul de Triumf, constructed after WW1.

Although there are these beautiful structures throughout the city, you can't miss the large, stark communist block apartment buildings throughout the city. Outwardly, many are unpainted, concrete structures. The first photo below shows a nice building close to the beginning of a long string of this type of building. These were constructed to house the people together during the communist years.

I imagine that inside the buildings, people have done what they can to make their homes pleasant, comfortable and beautiful for their families.

Notice that the left side of the building below is bare concrete, while the right side as been painted. Isn't it amazing what a difference it makes!

Although it is interesting to see the different surroundings that make up Bucharest, I keep in mind that these external things are mostly unimportant. I'm reminded of 1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[d] is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Flowers Flowers Everywhere

2024-03-14T05:35:00.067-04:00

We arrived in Bucharest late in the afternoon on Wednesday, February 28th. The kids and I stayed home on the extra day of this leap year, the 29th, to get our things in order at the apartment.

The following day we headed out on a walk to the park. We passed a couple of nice looking bakeries and pastry shops. Not far after those, we passed a beautiful floral shop. I was very impressed with it. They had a beautiful display of arrangements outside, as well as inside.

Almost immediately after, we passed another floral shop, just as beautiful! What was also very interesting to me was that they were busy!

We crossed a little side street, and soon after, we came upon flowers bursting forth from a fancy, colorful sports car parked on the sidewalk.

I caught up to my friend who was holding one of my younger child's hand and I said, "I have never seen flowers…" and I intended to say, "like this!” However, as I was about to, I noticed a man with a big smile and wide, bright eyes walking in step with us. Apparently he and his wife owned the shop. He spoke English and must have overheard my remark and been very pleased at our natural appreciation of his creative display. He explained to us that on March 1st Romanians have a tradition of celebrating the beginning of spring. He went into the shop and came out with three pink tulips, enough for each female in our group. Every tulip had red and white strings with tassels tied around them.

From there, we continued until we came to the park. There were a bunch of toys to sit on that had big springs under the seats. They were very still, as if they had been sitting there unused for decades. One by one, the kids began to ride and rock on them until all eight kids from 3 years old to 15, were releasing all of their pent-up energy from traveling and being in the apartment for a day and a half. Those springed toys and the park were brought to life! The kids climbed trees, laughed and played.

On the way home I made sure to stop and take pictures outside the shops.

Later that day, I went online and to research, "March 1st in Romania." I found that this tradition is one of the oldest in Romania. In ancient times they would give gifts tied with red and white strings at the beginning of spring.

A couple of days later, I read that flowers are very important in the Romanian culture. It said that they are given for almost every occasion, especially when going to someone's house. They advised to always give an odd number of flowers because numbers are very important to the Romanians.

The following week was Women's Day. I was unaware of that at the time, but I was so amazed when we were out for another walk to a different park, that people everywhere were carrying bouquets! I laughingly compared Romanian florist shops to Albanian cafes. They're everywhere!!! Albania is said to be one of the countries with the most number of cafes per capita. I believe it!!!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

The Cheer of Springtime

2024-03-13T08:37:00.008-04:00

We made it through January. We all slept with several blankets on our beds and had electric heaters in use upstairs where the bedrooms are. The stone, uninsulated walls were cold! Downstairs, we kept the fire going and were warm enough.

A good friend of mine was planning on coming for an extended visit at the beginning of February. I was hoping that the weather would be more comfortable around the time that she came. Thankfully, it was.

It was so much fun to take her around Shkoder and experience it together. It is quite an experience! The people are lovely. There are many older people out and about in the streets. Some are sitting outside their shops watching people go by. Others are sitting on their balconies doing the same thing. Some are walking to or from a store, while others are on their bikes.

Most of them have lived in this small city all of their lives. You will hear them greeting each other, "Si je kalova" (See yeh kah-lo-vuh, literally, "How are you passing?” There are several other greetings that are commonly used as well. Shkoder has its own accent and slightly different dialect than the Albanian which is spoken in the capital city, Tirana, and is what is used in literature.

We enjoyed hopping on our bikes and going around the city. As I do, she also appreciated the beautiful mountains that surround the city, as well as byrek, a traditional flaky pastry which can be filled with meat, cheese, yogurt, or spinach. From the ancient castle that rests high upon a hill, she was able to see the breathtaking views all around.

Believe it or not, I had never walked or seen around three sides of our neighborhood- the sides facing away from the center of the city. Without a reason or a car, I just never had! We were waiting for a clear day, to go take a walk around our neighborhood with the kids. It was overcast for the first week and of a half of her visit, and we didn't want to miss the views of the mountains when we did talk a walk.

It was a beautiful day in the middle of February when we were finally able to take our walk around the outside of our neighborhood. The air was so pleasant and comfortable. There was green grass sprouting up in the fields and a mule standing there as I took pictures of him with the snowcapped mountain behind him.

There were sheep grazing,

I would have loved to have a picture of the front of this woman. She was about as traditional as they come, with her outfit and babushka which she had tied under her chin. There she was, walking her large goat down the sidewalk past us. My older kids who are out and about frequently, said that they often see her.

Below you can see part of a fence that someone had constructed using whatever branches they could get ahold of. It reminded me of the fences that my kids had so carefully built back in the United States to protect their gardens and animals.

It's amazing how cheerful a beautiful day can make you feel! God has made so many beautiful things- people, landscapes, plants and animals to name a few! Psalm 148:5 "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created."

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

From Albania to Romania

2024-03-12T09:24:00.012-04:00

As US citizens, we are allowed to enter Albania and remain there as tourists for one year. If we leave for a period of at least 90 days, we are allowed to return as tourists for another year. The cycle can continue.

We have chosen to do this to be able to live in Albania for a couple of years, if God wills it. Our one year mark will be in June, but we had the opportunity to rent an apartment in Bucharest that would only be available until the end of May. We have learned that it is difficult to find rentals for less than a year.

In the middle of February we were praying for God to help us with our plans for those three months in the upcoming spring and summer. We were hoping to buy a van and visit different people that we know in eastern Europe.

We found plane tickets for $19 per person each way. That would be far cheaper than making the two-day drive and paying for a hotel along the way. It's just over an hour to get there by plane.

No other opportunities opened up for us. We bought the tickets a couple of days later to leave at the end of February. I was very disappointed that it would mean that we wouldn't be able to see our oldest two children in March when they were supposed to return to Albania from a three month visit to the United States. I was happy, though, that we would be scheduled to return to Shkoder at the beginning of the busy season there.

We have been here for almost two weeks now. We are staying in a three bedroom apartment on the ninth floor of a building that is situated in the midst of a nice section of the city.

I brought things to try to occupy the children and myself. I have no problem with keeping busy, but the children often get antsy. I look at boredom as a perfect opportunity to get creative and productive!

We have enjoyed getting to meet the Christians at one of the churches here. They have been very kind to us. We are doing our best to learn Romanian as much as we can, but I am so thankful that many of the people at church do speak English as well.

Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." May we all have our hope in the Lord so that we can leave the burdens of this life behind us!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

The Off-Season in Shkoder, Albania

2024-02-20T13:17:00.004-05:00

We had prayed about whether to come here in May or September of last year. We were so grateful to God that we ended up coming in May. We enjoyed a very pleasant spring and summer here.

Shkoder is a very beautiful city surrounded by rivers, mountains, lakes, and the sea. There are a lot of nice restaurants, cafes, and pleasant streets to walk along. The architectural style of some of the buildings along the quaint streets is Italian. The prices are very reasonable. There are many tourists that come here to experience it during the summer months.

We have some friends that moved here a couple of years ago from Austria. They warned us that the winters here are very rainy. There was one day in early October that was very dark, and it rained heavily all day. It made me think to look up the average rainfall here in the winter. I wasn't very excited by what I saw.

I began to think of the winter ahead and imagined that I wouldn't venture out much. I don't enjoy the cold, and without a vehicle, going out would mean being cold.

Thankfully, it warmed up for another week or two, enough for us to be like squirrels, going out and about, gathering warm clothes and other things that would be needed for the winter. The younger kids and I bought several different colors of yarn with which to crochet hats and scarfs for ourselves. My daughter and I got busy trying to finish up a blanket that we had previously been leisurely making for her bed.

November came and it was just as predicted. It rained and rained! Life in Shkoder had such a different feel than when it was sunny and warm. During the rainy weather, a laundry rack often crowded our kitchen with clothes drying on it. With no dryer, I really have to plan when I do the laundry. I try to wait for a sunny day, but back in November, there weren't many of those!

My husband bought several ponchos which we ended up using often. We tried to coordinate when we needed to go out for when it would be dry, but that didn't always work out. Riding around on the bikes in the cold rain, there were times that we got pretty wet!

We were so thankful to make it through November! I don't know if this winter has been better than usual, but thankfully it hasn't been too rainy since then, with the exception of New Year's Day. It rained so much that evening that our yard was flooded with the water over a foot deep, as well as many of the roads.

During the summer months, I had wondered if the outdoor shops would be closed in the winter. Well, they're not. These hardy people endure the cold weather, bundling up, waiting for a sale. Many small indoor shops don't have heat and actually keep their doors open! The big grocery stores that are heated also keep their doors open! One cashier kept a couple of water bottles filled with hot water so that she could warm her hands in between customers! Perhaps they find that they draw more customers with an open door??? I admire them for their strong character.

My husband also has to work out in the cold shed while we are in the warm house. He has done what he could to elevate the temperature out there with some heaters, but he says that he prefers it more than when it was over 100 degrees out there in the summer. We appreciate the work that he does and that God has kept his business going.

Hibernating wasn't so bad. However, I did bundle up and ventured out into the cold, but I definitely tried to take advantage when the weather was nice.

It is a nice treat for us to look out and see the mountains covered in snow sometimes.

The older kids have kept busy finding ways to sell things online. Here are some mittens that they made from an old fur coat that they bought.

They also continue to enjoy taking time to go on biking adventures in different areas outside of the city.

It may have been cold and wet for a little while, but after all, the seasons are from God. “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:22

What a beautiful world He has made for us!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

New Year's in Shkoder, Albania

2024-01-03T12:44:00.005-05:00

Since we became parents, my husband and I have preferred to have a good night's sleep on New Year's Eve. This year was no different. I did happen to be awake around midnight and was taking some laundry out of the washing machine when the fireworks really started, a few minutes before the new year began. My husband stepped out of the front door into the cold to watch, and told me to come. I figured that I could see the fireworks better from our second floor bedrooms where I could also stay warm, but I went outside anyway.

He said, "Have you ever heard anything like this?" He said that the only times that he'd experienced this were the two New Year's when he had lived in Tirana more than 20 years ago. It was quite something. Individuals all over the city had fireworks that they were setting off continuously for 7-8 minutes. I liken it to being in a bag of popcorn when all of the kernels start popping together. One friend who saw my husband's video described it well. He said that it was 360 degrees of fireworks. We were surrounded by this display and sound of celebration- thankfulness for the past year and hope for the upcoming one. Perhaps it was also just a good excuse for some families to have fun with fireworks!

I went back into the house to grab my phone and start taking videos from the second floor windows. As I was recording and experiencing it all, I began to think about the people around me. Here's a nation that has a very long history together. They and their ancestors have gone through a lot. Everyone over thirty years old had grown up under communist rule. Their ancestors had been invaded and ruled by the Turkish empire for centuries. Currently, the economy isn't great. The cost of living is very high compared to the meager daily wage. Under communism, they weren't allowed to openly celebrate Christmas, so New Year's was always a big deal. The schools take two weeks off. One for Christmas, and one for New Year's. This display of fireworks was a way that they have joined together in one heart, one mind, and one purpose to express themselves.

It reminds me of what Jesus said about the power of being united. "I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." John 17:20-21

When two of our older boys had gone to our neighborhood bakery to get bread earlier that day, the owners told them that they should get bread for the next two days because they would be closed for "pushime" (poosheemay- rest/vacation). That was very kind of them to mention that to them. My boys hadn't brought enough money for more loaves. When they went back later, the bakery was closed. What I hadn't realized was that nearly EVERY store would be closed on January 1st and 2nd. Some cafes were open, as were a few small vegetable shops. Thankfully we had enough food in the house to eat well, and the milkman continued to bring us fresh milk. However, next year, I will know better!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Christmas in Shkoder, Albania

2023-12-26T17:28:00.008-05:00

I can't speak for anyone else in Shkoder, but I will give you my perspective of the Christmas season here.

At the end of November, they began decorating the center of the city for Christmas with lights, and typical Christmas decorations.

They also set up carnival rides and an ice skating rink in the center.

Individuals decorated their homes and businesses with lights and the like.

I don't know if it's because we don't have a TV, but I didn't feel advertised to one bit. Most of the stores here carry things for the necessities of life, so I don't know that there's so much shopping going on for an abundance of "perfect" gifts.

There is a type of shop here in Albania called a "Kancelari." These are places that can found throughout the different cities. They carry school, office, and art supplies. They offer copy and printer services, so this is where we go if we want something printed. They also typically sell a small variety of toys, generally cheap in nature.

Upon thinking about it, I don't know that most children in Albania grow up with the typical and standard toys that most American children grow up with: fine dolls, special train sets, bins full of tiny Lego pieces, etc.

The one large store here, called Jumbo, stocks a third of their store with seasonal items. Edward said that they had a lot in there for Christmas. I thought that he meant toys and gift items, but he said that it had a lot of holiday decorations.

The banner in this neighborhood means Merry (Gëzuar- guh zoo ar) Christmas (Krishtlindjen- Kreesht leendyeh, literally meaning Christbirth) and (dhe- they) New (E-eh Ri-ree) Year (veeteen).

I was out on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was in two grocery stores, and they were the busiest that I had ever seen. They had a lot of prepackaged cakes and fruit cakes that they had on display. We had already been given one as a gift from a friend. I saw someone purchasing several at a time. Perhaps this is what they do for each other. Perhaps they get together with their families and enjoy the day and a special meal with each other.

Prior to Christmas Eve day, I had not noticed any "Christmas rush." It costs so much to ship things to Albania, people aren't ordering things from the internet and having them shipped here. I don't think that the post office experienced an extra busy time during the month of December. I don't think that people are sending Christmas cards around as we do in America. After all, if you saw my last post, our mail carrier didn't look like he had much to deliver to other people on his bike, just one week before Christmas .

We invited a few people over and had some special foods prepared and planned. One friend came. We asked him a lot of questions about the traditions. I had forgotten the fact that Albania had spent decades under communist rule. They weren't able to celebrate publicly, but would privately. However, New Year's would always be celebrated openly.

The weather wasn't too cold, so after our guest left, we cleaned up, bundled up, and headed on a walk to the city center. We wanted the kids to be able to see the city lit up with decorative lights. They, of course, wanted to experience at least one of the rides.

There were a lot of people out in the city that evening, but it was actually quiet in a literal way. The police had the roads closed off to the center. Kids were having fun skating around on the small rink. Many temporary cafe huts were set up for the season, all in a row facing the government building, which is shown in the first photo of this post. In front of the cafes were small cafe tables with people quietly sitting around them with their drinks, talking with one another. I then noticed that in front of them a large mobile stage was set up. It looked like they were waiting for a performance of some sort.

The kids each chose which ride they wanted to try, and we split up into three groups. That was a cultural experience in itself! After paying for the tickets for the ride, there were no lines. When the ride stopped, the people waiting to get on rushed to try to get a seat. It seemed quite selfish. It was a surprise, but not completely, because sometimes people very boldly cut in line at the stores. It took several rotations before my kids managed to run fast enough to secure a bumper car. I instructed those first two kids sharing a car, "When the car stops and everyone is rushing out of their cars, you stay in until your siblings get to you!" That worked.

I will say that I have appreciated the calmness and quietness of the holiday season here in Shkoder. My eight year old said on Christmas Eve when he was in bed, "I don't really care if I get any presents. I'm content. I like to give gifts." I was amazed, and glad that he said this and feels that way. Some of our kids made gifts for each other and we had some simple gifts for them.

When it's all said and done, we of course want to be storing up treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-21).

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

We've Got Mail!

2023-12-21T10:10:00.004-05:00

I had a couple of friends and relatives ask me about our address so that they could send us Christmas cards. I really appreciate them thinking about us from across the ocean. It sounds like a simple question, right? If you could hear our family, we'd all have a big laugh right now. What's our address? Yes, what is our address????? That is the question!!!!!

When we were purchasing our tickets to move here to Albania, it was going to be very expensive to bring luggage on the airplane. We ended up only bringing "personal bags" on the plane l. They had to be able to fit under the seat in front of us. This posed a HUGE problem for me. I had already narrowed down our belongings and planned on each of us being able to bring a small carry-on suitcase and personal bag. I figured that we would also pay to have three large suitcases checked.

Edward said that we could ship some boxes over. I had it in my head that we could ship them a week or so before moving to a friend's apartment and hoped that they would be there when we arrived.

Edward spoke to his friend who said that packages aren't delivered to their home. They pick them up at the post office.

What???? What did he mean???? After all, we were living in the USA, where almost everything could be delivered...to the front door...any day of the week...sometimes.for free!

During our first week here, really wanting to have our things shipped over and get them off of our dear friend's hands that we had left them with in America, I asked a real estate agent who was showing us a couple of houses, how we get things shipped over. His reply shocked me. He said that it would just need to say "Shkoder" on the package, with the postal code- 4001, and our phone number. He said that someone would call us when it arrived. What????

We have tried to figure out our address. There are sufficient street signs up, so that's not a problem. However, for the house number, I checked our rental agreement, figuring that it would be on there. It was a legal document that we had signed with the owner at a lawyer's office. No, it wasn't on that! Our oldest son was at the post office one day and was excited to see a map on the wall with house numbers on it. Much to his disappointment, our house number was so small, he couldn't read it.

My sister-in-law told me that she had mailed many cards overseas and said that she would mail a Christmas card to us. I had told her that we hadn't received any letters here yet. I wasn't quite sure what would happen with a letter. Some of us had seen men delivering letters from time to time around the city on bicycles. I gave her a house number that my son believes is the right one.

We've had several packages successfully shipped over here. Edward will receive a call from someone at the post office notifying him that we have a package. He then makes sure that we pick it up.

I realized that I had given my sister-in-law my phone number, forgetting that I really am not prepared to speak Albanian with someone over the phone.

A few days ago, I was sitting around and my phone rang. The number was an unsaved Albanian number. I wondered if it was the post office. I answered the phone with an Albanian greeting. The man on the other line responded with a greeting as well, followed by a lot of words that I couldn't make out. I did hear something about "posta." I figured that we probably had to go pick up whatever it was at the post office. I decided to tell him that my husband speaks Albanian better than I do. I was about to give him Edward's number, but the call ended.

Within minutes, I received a text with this photo.

Yay! It was a Christmas card with the familiar handwriting of my sister-in-law. There it was!! However, it looked like it was in his hand over the road. What did that mean? He then sent an image with a pin dropped with his location. I called him back and sent one of my sons to go meet him. He wasn't far, so I decided to go as well.

I went around the corner, looked down our road, and there he was, on his bike, talking to my husband who was also on bike, returning home from an appointment. How did the carrier know that Edward was my husband? I waved to them. They talked for a little while and eventually headed towards us. He shook hands with us and my husband brought him to our house. He was very friendly. He told Edward that he was the only carrier for this area. We asked him what our house number was. He didn't know.

We went inside, opened the card and enjoyed reading the note from my sister-in-law. My husband and I exchanged stories of our interactions with the mail carrier. My sister-in-law had put both of our numbers on the card, so after the carrier had talked to me, he had called Edward. He had also dropped him a pin, and that's how they met up.

It's rather funny to us. Nobody knows our address, not even our mail carrier. It's obviously not that important here. To pay our bills, we go to the phone and electric companies. Things like this help to keep life a little simpler, and I have no complaints about that!!!!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

The End of an Era

2023-12-01T07:16:00.007-05:00

As I mentioned in my post, "Our First Week Away from the US," our rental house in Tirana had an issue with mold. We found that it didn't seem to be affecting us if the windows were open. Obviously that is fine in warm weather, but when we visited there in September, I knew that when we would visit a month or so later, it would probably be too cold to leave the windows open.

We headed to Tirana on the first Saturday of November. It was sprinkling as we made the twenty minute walk to the city center. There they have one bus going to Tirana every hour. It costs about $4 per person for the two hour bus ride.

When we make these trips, we are quite a site. People look at us as we walk by the shops and cafes. We are loaded down with luggage for our family of twelve to spend a week away. We have an older child pushing a stroller loaded down with as much as it will hold. Another grown child pushes our three-year-old in a different stroller. The other four youngest children are each holding the hand of a mature (or somewhat mature😉) family member.

It started pouring rain moments after we arrived at the outdoor bus station in Tirana. As we made the fairly short walk to another bus that would take us to the city's center, we did our best to avoid walking in the flowing water and deep puddles on the edge of the road. The day before, it had rained so much that the drain canal, or river, which runs through the city overflowed, flooding the streets pretty badly.

After the 10-15 minute ride to the center, we got off of that bus and walked through the pouring rain to the bus stop, which was missing its roof, to wait for the bus that would drop us off near our house. There were many other people, young and old, out in this rain. Our two umbrellas did very little to keep us dry. By the time we got on the bus, we were pretty wet and cold.

On our 5-10 minute walk to the house, my shoes and socks got completely soaked. My thick winter coat that I've been wearing for the past twenty, yes twenty, years became so saturated that I felt the cold water running down my sleeve. Somewhat "soaking" in the adventure of it all, I laughingly shouted above the noise of the pounding rain and the city streets, asking my family if anyone had shampoo. The rain had soaked the scarf that I had on my head and began to drench my relatively thick hair.

Being from suburban America where nearly everyone gets around by personal vehicles, I don't remember ever being in such a situation. There's almost never a reason that one would have to stay out in the rain for so long without a shelter to escape to.

When we arrived at the house, there was water streaming down the walls in four different places.

The real straw that broke the camel's back was a fifth leak. Water was streaming out of a light fixture above our bed. Our blanket, sheets and mattress were soaked.

Looking at the forecast for the upcoming week, it had mostly a 90° chance of rain, rain and more rain. The reason that we had chosen to go to Tirana that particular week is because Edward and our oldest two sons had tickets to fly to Bucharest, Romania to visit a man that they had recently met at a conference. They would be there for a few days with his family.

Knowing ahead of time that it was supposed to be a rainy week, I had prepared to mostly stay in the house with the kids. We had bought a 1,000 piece puzzle and several young children and I each had crocheting projects that we intended to work on. I figured that we could find a place to buy firewood for the wood stove and enjoy a quiet and cozy week.

With the present condition of the house, the very rainy forecast, along with Edward's upcoming absence, we debated what to do. Should we risk staying, or should those of us who wouldn't be going to Romania, head back to the bus for Shkoder, where the house would truly be dry and cozy?

I hated to miss the few opportunities that we might have to go to church as well as to get together with friends. However, I couldn't see going out and getting completely soaked every time. Clothes dryers aren't standard here, as they are in America. They are nearly unheard of. It's hard to dry wet clothes out, especially when it's wet indoors and outdoors! We had only brought a limited amount of clothing for the week.

We were very cold and wet. Our younger kids were shaking from the cold. Many of the clothes in the luggage had also gotten wet. Those who needed to change did so. We had a light lunch as we decided what to do. The rain had stopped not long after we got to the house. The sun even came out. According to the forecast, we had a very short window of time before the rain would begin again. We had to make a decision quickly.

We decided to pack up and return to Shkoder. We also knew that we needed to get out of our rental agreement. Edward decided to come back with a friend who has a taxi service who could help us move our Tirana belongings back to Shkoder.

Twelve people, many of them being children, can make a big mess in a short amount of time. There were wet shoes, socks, and clothes strewn about. Amongst the frazzled chaos, I had our oldest two sons going around the house gathering any wet clothes or shoes and putting them in bags for us to take back with us on the bus. While they did that, I gave them instructions on gathering all of our Tirana belongings (dishes, pillows, and linens) to one spot to make it easier for Edward to grab and go once he returned with the taxi in a week or so.

It was such a blessing that many in the family had left their warmest coats in Tirana throughout the summer, as we hadn't needed them, and tried to limit how much we traveled with on each trip. Several kids whose coats were soaked, had nice, warm, dry coats to wear on the way home. I was thankful to God for His providence in this.

As we were about to head out, it began to rain. We prayed, and thankfully we were able to make it to the bus and then finally back to our house in Shkoder without getting wet.

It was so nice to feel the warmth of the house when we entered. It took several days to wash and dry everything out and get the house in order. Without a dryer and without sunshine, we hung clothes on drying racks and anywhere that we could.

In the meantime, Edward and the boys stayed in the Tirana house for a few nights before heading to Romania. Thankfully the kitchen and largest bedroom were dry and comfortable, although somewhat musty.

By the time Edward and the boys returned from their trip to Romania, the Shkoder house was back in order. Not wanting to stay another night in the Tirana house, they had taken a taxi from the Tirana airport straight to the Shkoder house. They arrived just in time for us all to enjoy a special meal that we had cooked for them.

When Edward returned last week to get our belongings, he said that the house was much worse. The ceiling was hanging down and the mold was growing.

As Edward has said about many things in our lives this past year, "It's the end of an era." We will miss our monthly or bi-monthly trips to Tirana. We enjoyed meeting with churches there and getting together with our friends. There were places that we looked forward to going to that we will miss. There are things that we can buy in Tirana that we can't get in Shkoder. We will save money without the extra monthly rental expense, so that is a bonus. I look forward to seeing what God's good plans are!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09

https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09

https://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/

To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Trip to Rozafa Castle

2023-10-25T11:01:00.005-04:00

When we first arrived in Shkoder and were doing our explorations in the spring, we talked about going to the castle. However, it would be a rather long walk. The weather was starting to heat up, so I decided that we would hold off on going to the castle until the fall.

Well, autumn is here. On the day that we ended up going, the weather couldn't have been better for the one hour walk there and then exploring the castle grounds. It was a gift from God.

TO SEE THE FULL PICTURE ON THE MOBILE VERSION YOU HAVE TO SLIDE YOUR FINGER TO THE LEFT ON ALL THE PHOTOS.

It is set way up high, 430 ft. above sea level, at the top of a very steep and rocky hill. The next picture is not mine, but one that I found online.

The oldest detected castle wall was built around 300 or 400 B.C.!!! So, the castle had its beginnings at least 2,300 years ago!!

My favorite part of going to the castle was the opportunity to experience some incredible views with my family. Although we live pretty close to it, most of my days are spent in the house doing typical tasks, or on the flat city roads. It was amazing to get a different perspective of our surroundings.

Thinking about that makes me think about Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Let me preface this with saying that the pictures truly don't do it justice.

Off in the distance, you can see mountains and the south end of Shkodra Lake, the largest lake in eastern Europe.

The castle is at the southern entrance to Shkoder. This emerald green river is one of two that runs around the city.

The view of the patchwork countryside was so picturesque.

Even though my two oldest sons had just been there a few weeks earlier, my husband wisely thought that it would be best if they went with us to help with the younger children. It was a very good idea. There were many parts that had openings and then great drop offs. The windows in the wall shown below, were perhaps some of the most dangerous.

The openings were on ground level and about 5 or 6 feet high.

We spent hours there, looking out the many different windows, small openings, and look-outs all around the different areas of the castle.

There were a couple of different tunnels and many beautiful archways.

This one below was my favorite, partly because of the two purple flowers growing out of the entrance, on the right.

Inside this building, there is a museum as well as a restaurant.

Taking in the countryside before we headed out.

After being there for a few hours, we headed home. I had the new experience to have to pay (about $.50 per person) to use toilets just outside the castle grounds.

Along with a typical toilet, they had this "squatter!" That is something that I hadn't seen before, but my husband had told me is common for Albanian public restrooms. It flushes!

We took a scenic and hilly route where we were able to see more views of the countryside a little closer.

As I said, it's definitely far better in person! You'll have to come see it for yourself! Tickets to Albania are pretty cheap during the fall and winter through http://kiwi.com/!;)

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Our Works

2023-09-30T09:31:00.006-04:00

We are thankful that Edward has been able to continue his business over here in Albania. Getting tools and the specific types of wood that he uses was a bit of a challenge. Most things aren't listed online. You can't just Google what you're looking for. There are no Home Depots, Lowe's, Walmarts, etc., but he's got it figured out now.

The house that we are renting has an outbuilding in the front yard that is about 20 feet from the house. It already had shelves that were perfect for workbenches (along with some funky paintings on the outside). We love having him nearby.

He makes and sells his own hardware online. A lot of people find him via etsy. com, but he also has his own website, http://waredesignworks.com.

His Instagram page is http://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/

This is where it all gets made. It's about 7'x10'.

If you looked at the links, you may have noticed our book, I Am One listed. We're doing what we can to get exposure for it. It's a children's book that Edward Jr. and I wrote. Edward Sr. illustrated it and got everything ready for production. We have several more books planned, but unless this one takes off, those will not happen.

I would love to have I Am One translated into many different languages. It's a book that fits the universal characteristics of one-year-olds. Board books (essential for toddler books), are expensive to produce and we are required to buy in bulk, so one order for us is quite an investment. If you know of anyone with a one-year-old in their family, day care, waiting room or library, maybe you could consider sharing our book with them. It can be purchased and viewed at

https://iamonebook.com/

We have hard copies and a Kindle version on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Joy-Carlton-ebook/dp/B079QKQLXJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=599Y4IO7OC24&keywords=i+am+one+Amy+and+Edward+Carlton&qid=1696061671&sprefix=i+am+one+amy+and+edward+carlton+%2Caps%2C281&sr=8-1

If it does well, it will free Edward up for the work of the gospel more, as it would be more of a passive income.

God has always provided, so we don't know what His plan for our future is but we have no need to worry. "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Tidbits from Tirana

2023-09-29T15:42:00.009-04:00

We live in Shkoder, Albania but we take trips to Tirana, the capital city. It is about a two hour bus ride. Edward has friends there from when he had been a missionary there over 20 years ago.

Everytime that we have been there, Edward has taken us out to celebrate our arrival there by going to the best pastiçeri, or bakery, that I have been to. We get ice cream there, which is a treat! It is much cheaper than in the US.

This picture was taken at the end of July. It was a very warm evening. Our little guy was an absolute, but happy mess by the time he was done.

This park sits across the street from the pastiçeri/bakery. This shot only shows about a third of the park. It is full of older men (they are called plak, pronounced like plock) playing dominos and the like.

We broke up the scene a little bit. We found a spot to sit down and eat our ice cream.

I'm I'm grateful for the crosswalks and traffic lights in Tirana. (There are no traffic lights in Shkoder.) Even with those, crossing the road is a bit dangerous. However, twenty years ago there were almost no traffic lights, so things are improving!

The photo above is in an area that we walk through frequently that has lots and lots of furniture shops, new and used. Men with trucks sit around waiting to deliver, as most people in the city don't have cars. If you're able to look closely, there are several white trucks lined up.

Here's a truck loaded with mattreses.

As the sidewalk is loaded with parked bikes, this truck is loaded with a sofa set.

Off it goes!

The following day we purchased a sofa, and Edward and a couple of the younger kids happily got a ride home in the truck.

One of our American friends there broke her back. Thankfully she's not paralyzed. Daring not to use her pullup bar anymore, she passed it on to us. The kids love using it!

We finally had some time to go sightseeing on our last visit there a couple of weeks ago. We went by the apartment that Edward had lived in years ago. It's also where we stayed when I went with him for a week-long visit when I was newly pregnant with our first child, in 2004.

We then walked by our friends' (the Pikes) former apartment. They were Americans who had also been on the mission team with their two young children.

Then, on to the Pyramid. My kids are the ones ¾ of the way up it. They kids had heard Edward talk about this place many times. He and his friends would often go there. There was an internet cafe under it, back in the day when internet access was very limited.

Edward tells the story about the time when he and a couple of his friends climbed up to the top. It has recently been remodeled. Formerly, there were no stairs. Anyway, his friends started sliding down to the bottom. Edward tried, but his shoes kept stopping him. He got the idea to sit on his book bag. Well, that certainly did the trick! He started flying down. He put his feet down to slow down, but now they did nothing to stop him. He went racing to the bottom, flew over the sidewalk and onto the grass. I didn't realize until we were there last week, but that was the one and only time that he ever went up to the top. It was quite a scary experience for him.

I'm not usually scared of heights, but somehow it was a bit terrifying for me being up there with all of my kids, and all of those little steps going down.

After that, we walked to a huge park in Tirana. Edward showed us where they used to have baptisms, and an area where they would have gatherings for the teens' group at church.

Our kids had fun in this little tree house, there at the park.

Hopefully this gives you a window into another little area of the world.

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09

https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09

https://www.instagram.com/waredesignworks/

To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

When Life Gives You Sour Milk

2023-09-16T05:54:00.004-04:00

What is this mess?!!!

That was the question!

When we first arrived in Shkoder, I noticed that some of the vegetable stands had a few randomly packaged bottles of milk. What I mean is that in a 1.5 liter Coca-Cola or orange juice bottle, there looked to be milk, instead. They were usually on the ground, unrefrigerated. It looked rather gross to me, and I was confused by it.

After a couple of weeks or so, we learned that it was fresh, local milk. It was a little bit cheaper than the pasteurized and homogenized milk sold at the bakeries and stores.

We began to buy a couple of bottles every morning that we could. The older boys would go out early in the morning to get them before they were sold out.

We were staying at the hostel then. The boys would cook it at night, put it in the refrigerator, and make butter from the cream that had risen to the top overnight. They would add a little bit of salt, and it was quite good to spread on the fresh bakery bread. Butter is a bit more expensive here than what we were used to in the US.

When we moved to the house, we began buying processed milk from the store again. We are on the other side of town from the hostel. We weren't seeing the fresh milk anywhere around us. The kids had seen men delivering milk on mopeds. We were hoping find someone to deliver to us, but who, and how?! We are in a foreign land, and there are different systems here!

I began to notice men on mopeds that were loaded down with bottles of milk. Some had many cloth bags filled with bottles hanging from both handlebars, as well as from the crate on the back. I couldn't just stop them while they were scooting down the road.

One day, while I was shopping with one of the boys on the other side of town, we came across a moped, loaded with bottles, but parked. There were several people standing around. I tried my best to ask, with the help of Google Translate, about getting milk delivered to my house across town. They found a woman to help me who spoke English. She brought me over to someone who she said would be good. We got my husband on the phone and they made arrangements to have four bottles (6 liters) delivered daily, starting the following morning. He said that he would be there at 7:30.

My family and I were very excited about this. Finally, fresh milk! We'd be able to make butter, cream, half and half, etc. Hopefully it'd be healthier, we wouldn't have to go out daily to get milk… It had been about a month and a half that we had been in our house and had been trying to find a way to get fresh milk.

The morning came, and at 7:30, we heard the sound of a moped coming down our road. It stopped at our gate and the driver banged on our gate. We we opened the door. He met the family and talked with my husband a little. He gave us four bottles of milk and we paid him 600 leke (about $6).

We went in, heated the milk, then put it in the refrigerator immediately to cool. We bottled it once it had cooled. Much to our disappointment, when we put it in our oats the next the morning, it didn't taste very good. We wondered if he had given us leftover milk from a previous day that he hadn't sold. After all, he had had several full bottles in his crate at 11am the day that I had met him.

The next day, we went through the same process and had the same results. My family was not too excited about this. My husband decided to ask our nextdoor neighbor about this. She told us that she would talk to her milk man. My husband told our man that we were going to stop having him deliver the milk due to it being sour.

We talked to Mariana's man and made an agreement with him. Being cautious, we decided to start with only two bottles a day. I hadn't disposed of any of the sour milk yet, so we had a growing amount of aging milk in the house.

We cooked the milk that we had just gotten, which tasted fine when I tested it in the pot(as the others also had) and put it in the refrigerator. I decided to taste it later that day while it was still in the pot in the refrigerator. Much to my dismay, it was sour! I also noticed that it was still warm after being in the refrigerator for at least six hours!

Off we went to ask Mariana how she handles the milk. She advised us to cool the milk before putting it in the refrigerator, and to use glass bottles. She was so sweet to give us a couple of her glass bottles, as well as a strainer. We followed her advice and had success.

However, we still had 24 liters of milk that I didn't want to go to waste, if I could help it. I was very excited when I saw that the older milk had separated, thickened, and risen to the top, I have made and used bread starters for many years, and have made yogurt before, so I knew the benefits of fermentation.

I began to strain out the liquid, which is called whey. I wrapped the solids in a woven cloth, and twisted and squeezed as much liquid out as I could. My daughter got involved and looked like a pro! It ended up being exactly like feta cheese! We sprinkled it over our salad that evening. It was very satisfying mentally, and it tasted great.

I sat down and watched several videos on making cheese. People usually heat it up and then add lemon juice or vinegar. I did that to some of the milk, and as I was stirring it, it became stringy. I had made mozzarella cheese! I couldn't help but think about the women years ago discovery the same things in the same way.

It was a big project because of the amount that we were dealing with, but it was a great learning experience for the whole family!

The little kids have spent hours riding their bikes around the yard with crates of empty bottles strapped onto their bikes, pretending that they are the milk man. When they hear the moped coming down our quiet street every morning and stop at our gate, they love to run out with the empty bottles from the previous day. Our three year old spends a good part of his day making the sound of the moped with his mouth. It has been a cultural change that we have all enjoyed.

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

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God bless you!

Our Art Gallery

2023-08-22T08:40:00.005-04:00

The walls of our house in Shkoder really echo. I was happy enough to have nothing on the walls, but the echo was really bothering Edward, and some mornings it would affect me as well.

I looked around for some inexpensive art, but I couldn't find anything. At some point it occurred to me that I had a house full of artists. The younger children were very excited about this idea. I had bought a package of copy paper for them to use to practice drawing. Without as much space outside to play they have been spending a lot of time drawing.

After about a month of them practicing, I bought some canvases, paint, and brushes. They couldn't wait to start! I told them that they were going to have to be patient or else their paintings wouldn't turn out well.

Tucker wanted to do a mountain, so we found a video with how to do this little painting.

Being 5 years old, he needed a lot of help, but he has good potential. I decided to put a scripture with each painting. I copied it in Albanian and English and had them laminated. This one has Psalm 23:4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for You are with me."

We did this one for Willem. It's above his little bed. The elephant drawing had been in a coloring book that we had gotten here. He helped enough to feel part of things.

Greta wanted to paint a flower. She wanted to add a house when we were done, but I told her that we had better leave well enough alone.

Thatcher wanted to do this farm truck. Next to it is the scripture, "He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall surely come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him," Psalm 126:6. Hopefully this will encourage Edward and Scott as they have been going out daily to share the gospel with people on the streets.

Caleb loves to draw trucks, but we were already going to have two other paintings of old trucks, so he did this house instead.

I decided that it would be a good painting to be incorporated with our family photos. I used the scripture, "Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches," Proverbs 23:4.

Colby did a good job turning a real life photograph into this painting.

It is accompanied by the scripture, "The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD," Psalm 33:5.

I did this set with grapes on a vine for the kitchen. There are so many scriptures that could go with it, and there are so many neighbors here that have an abundance of grapes growing.

I decided to put John 15:4 next to it. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."

The older boys said that they didn't like paintings, that they look messy. After a while, Scottie gave in and did this duck painting.

I thought that it made his bed area look warm and homey.

After that, he was inspired to do another one. He said that he's not done with it, but here it is below, in progress.

Isaac couldn't help but get inspired. He is almost done with this painting of a deer.

I decided that our white and gray bathroom could use a little bit of color, so I did these next three paintings. I'm not so talented, so I had to keep my paintings simple.

Colby drew the bird and branches for me. I had been inspired to do these three by one of our tablecloths.

The problem of our walls echoing has been solved, but there are several more paintings in the works! Edward started one last night. We are all very anxiously awaiting watching him paint it!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

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https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

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https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

Albanian Wedding Festivities

2023-08-21T10:49:00.004-04:00

One evening last week, we heard music being played outside. The kids told me that a neighborhood friend had told him that the people at the end of our road were getting married this past weekend. He informed them that in Albania, it is the custom to play music and have people over for the seven days prior to the wedding.

Sure enough, every night after that, we heard the music being played loudly until midnight. They kept their gate open so that friends and family could come and go. Above the gate, there was a sign that read, "Këtu Ka Dasëm" (Here Has Wedding).

The kids would look into the yard when they rode their bikes down there. A young boy told us that anyone would be welcome. I was happy for the couple and interested in what was going on, but I certainly didn't want to show up uninvited!

We have seen and heard several wedding processions recently. It is their tradition to decorate cars belonging to friends and family. The first car has a photographer hanging out of a window or sunroof while he is filming the event. Following this is the bridal car decorated with flowers, ribbons and maybe a vale. The license plate is covered up by a wedding tag. There are usually several other vehicles with them, often with people hanging out of the windows. From what I understand, they drive to get the bride, then go to the location of the ceremony, then back to the bride and groom's new home honking their horns each step of the way.

At 8:00 Sunday morning, the day of the wedding, the music started up again. The boys said that they had heard it playing quietly when they had woken up around 5:30. Around 8:20 am, the cars began driving down our road, honking their horns. We ran out of the house and gate, just in time to wave to the people in the last car. Our neighbor across the street was also out on her balcony watching, showing her support to the family.

Two and a half hours later, we were on our way out of our gate to go to a park. We heard the horns honking again. The procession was back with the now-married couple. I was so excited to be able to witness this.

Above is the photographer getting out of his car.

Below is the bridal vehicle. "Urime," covering the license plate, means congratulations.

The other cars parked behind the new couple.

The bride was dressed in a modern wedding gown. Her bridesmaids were dressed in matching traditional outfits. The men had little hats on.

All gathered together to begin walking down the road to the couple's new home.

Joining them were a few men, loudly playing very festive music on their instruments. Another man was carrying a loud speaker with music coming from it. They really made everything come alive.

We watched them make a grand return back to their house.

When our oldest two sons came home that day, they had their own videos and stories of the wedding processions that they had seen that day. One party was throwing candy out as they drove by, so they brought a good stash of it home with them.

We have heard that there are more Albanians living abroad than in the country itself. Supposedly, tourism this summer is up 60% here. We see lots of Europeans with hiking gear. A friend also explained that Albanians come back to have their weddings here. Friends and family living abroad will also return to attend the festivities. I can understand that if people have grown up experiencing such a celebration, that they would certainly want to return for it.

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

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https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!

And Then There Was Gas

2023-08-02T10:51:00.003-04:00

When we moved into our house, it was still without a stove. We were told by a couple of local people that gas was more economical to use than electric. On the other hand, we had two other Shkodrans, as they call themselves, both tell us that gas really scares them.

The owner of the hostel that we had stayed in had an extra stove. It's on the older side. She said that we could have it for a good price. Edward decided to buy it. The stovetop had two electric burners and two that worked with gas. The oven was solely gas.

It was the end of June and almost time to bake a cake for our youngest child's birthday. Up until that point, we had just been using the electric burners. Edward had already bought a gas tank. Now, he went and had the gas tank filled. He had to get a gas line as well. He came home and hooked it all up.

It does not self-ignite and I was not at all used to that, so Edward started the oven for me that first night to bake the cake. He made lighting the oven look like a piece of cake!

The matches that we had were incredibly cheap. They would usually snap in half almost immediately or they wouldn't light. I would seriously have to go through about 20 matches or more sometimes to light the stove. The kids thought that I didn't know what I was doing, and wanted to show me and tell me how to do it, as if I hadn't played with plenty of matches as a kid, or been allowed to start our family campfires from a young age.

Two days later, I was preparing bread and cookies for the birthday dinner. It was the first time since being here that I had attempted to make them. This was all very exciting for us. These were all little steps towards us feeling established here. However, the cookies and bread would have to go in the oven, of course, and Edward was busy working. Not wanting to disturb him, one of the older kids was pretty confident that he could start the oven.

It's missing a couple of knobs. The knob for the oven is one of those, making it difficult to turn on. You have to push in on the metal post sticking out for the knob and turn it with your fingers. What we didn't realize was that there is a place for gas to come out of the top of the oven to broil.

Being a bit afraid to start it myself, I let my eager volunteer attempt it. While he was lighting it, I had my back turned and was at the sink busy doing something. All of a sudden, I heard an explosion. I startle and scream easily, and this circumstance was no exception. Everyone was okay. My son's arm hair and eyebrows had gotten burned off in some places, but that was it. Apparently too much gas had been released inside the oven, probably due to the length of time that it took to start it without a knob and with the cheap matches. It also blew the cover off of the ignition area.

I asked Edward to come in and start it for us. He did it with no problem. I planned to keep it going for our batches of cookies and bread, but for some reason which I can't remember, it had to be lit again that afternoon.

Not wanting to endanger my children or bother Edward again, I decided that I had better start the oven this time. We had discussed earlier that maybe lighting the tip of a rolled up piece of paper would be helpful to start the oven. I tried it out. It made it easier to not have to stick my hand so close to the gas, being so nervous. I tucked my hair into the back of my shirt, told all of the kids hovering around me and the oven to get back, and I put the lit piece of paper over the spot.

Another loud explosion occurred, but this time I was the one in front of the oven, feeling the burst of hot air coming over me. Not knowing quite what had happened and what might happen in the next moment if the oven still had gas being released into it, I screamed, dropped the burning piece of paper onto the tile floor, and hurled myself back about four feet until my back was stopped by the kitchen wall. That hurt! We turned the oven off, put the flame out of the burning paper, and asked Edward once again to start it for us.

I was quite shaken up from the experience. Some of the hair around my face, eyebrows, and arms were burned a little. I felt bruises on my back and hip for a couple of weeks. I was determined to finish out the baking that afternoon and to never use it again, but buy a different one. However, the next week, when I was at Jumbo for the first time (mentioned in our post, "Run-In with a Horse"), one of the only things that I bought was a long tipped lighter. It was a wonderful investment of 200 leke. It has made using the stove and oven a piece of cake!

You can check out our other works! If you like them, you can help us out by sharing our links on your social media accounts and asking your contacts to do the same! Thank you!

http://iamonebook.com

https://www.patreon.com/WarePublishing

https://www.waredesignworks.com

https://www.etsy.com/shop/waredesignworks

To follow us on Twitter and Instagram:

https://x.com/AmyJoyCarlton?t=Ohwl7Pf5LhWSzYG40USr2w&s=09

https://x.com/WarePublishing?s=09

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To listen to different thoughts from Edward:

https://rumble.com/c/c-5501477/videos

https://youtube.com/@edwardcarlton?si=HUHHNoh5NX0hW-La

God bless you!