Rain, Rain go away!

Not much to post on this week. Everyday it has been raining, so not much site-seeing to be done. Hopefully next week will be better. I want to go to the zoo one day and a park that is near that.
It's not that I don't like rain, because I do. I just wish it would rain really hard for a day or 2 and then stop. This periodic rain that lasts a week or so is ridiculous. Thant and it keeps me from opening my windows and airing the house out. I plan to do spring cleaning soon, but waiting for a nice day so the dust can leave.

Samobor

Well, we went to Samobor the other day and had a blast. It is so beautiful there. Quiet, peaceful, old-styled architecture, and so much to see and do, it cannot all be done in 1 day. However, I did manage to snap a few pictures for you (62 of them to be exact) but will only post a few here :)

Weekend

Today we need to do a little bit of grocery shopping and then go get something for Bela's nephew, it's his birthday party tomorrow. Not sure what to buy yet, we are still waiting for his mother to call with ideas.
The party will be held at their home in Samobor (hope I spelled that right). with any luck, if it is a nice day and we have the time, I might be able to snap some photos their as well. I have been their a few times and it was beautiful. And according to the weather forecast, it should be nice and sunny tomorrow.

Pro Flowers

Last year, I sent my mother flowers for Mother's Day, like we all usually do. Though this year, I was unable to go to the florist myself. so I ordered them online. Unfortunately, I ordered from Pro Flowers.
Now this is considered a reputable company, which is why I went with them. I felt that my credit card was secure...which it was (somewhat). They took it upon themselves to enroll me in some kind of monthly club (not sure what it was..i just didn't want to be a member). So when I got my bank statement, I notice that Pro Flowers had deducted $35 from my account for this membership. I messaged them and it was straightened out within 2 days, but it was still the point of the matter.
Not only did they use my bank account without my approval, but I still receive SPAM e-mail from them, Cherry Farms, and Silver Spoon (all affiliated). I even blacklisted them from my e-mail, but yet, they still manage to get through.
I can assure you, that I will never use them again. This year, I guess I will have to find an alternate path when it comes to Mother's Day. I will let you know if the new company I pick is any good or not.

Bundek in April

Yesterday turned out to be a good day. The temperature was perfect, the sun was shining, and there was a nice warm breeze.
We went to Bundek as planned and snapped plenty of photos to post here and on Zagreb traveller (our other website that is in the making). We strolled around a few of the nature trails and I think that is just what I needed. I don't know about you, but a nice long walk helps me sort out my thoughts.
Afterwards, we went to a local pub and had a couple of bottles of Velebitsko Tamno, which is my favorite beer but is hard to find in the local stores. Then we came home, made sandwiches and sat around the kitchen table drinking and talking. I could use more days like that.
As promised, here are a few pictures of Bundek:

Going to Bundek

I've been depressed lately due to a lot of bad luck and misfortune in my life. Today Bela and I are going to Bundek (a park in Zagreb about 10 minute walking distance from us). Hopefully that will cheer me up a bit.
It is a bright, beautiful day and maybe the saying is right "stop and smell the flowers"...so I will try it.
Hope all is well with everyone and I will post something soon. Maybe I will be able to snap a few photos today and will give you an insight as to how gorgeous Bundek really is:)

Somalia Pirates

ok, i had a blog before about them but they slacked out of the news for awhile. now they are back!
i cannot believe the stories i had read online and the news i saw on television. am i correct in my understanding that it took several U.S. warships and the Navy SEALS to fight off 4 pirates in a lifeboat?! is this how the U.S. tax dollars are spent? i for one, am not only shocked by this but, as a tax payer, am completely irritated (to put it mildly and family friendly) as well. was there really a need for that stand-off to take that long (5 days to be exact) when so many professionals and guns are involved? this bloggers opinion is that it was an outrageous and unnecessary way of dealing with the situation.

Great Food from the Fair

Pertaining to my previous post, I have taken the liberty to snap a few photos of our small platter that I made up on Saturday. A little over a week ago, Bela and I went to a craft fair on Bundek (a park here in Zagreb) which was filled with various different types of delicacies among other things. That is where we got our cheese and sausage , which we have been dining on since.
The cheeses were homemade and consisted of several different kinds. We ended up with 2 made from cows milk (1 had red peppers and the other made from nettle) and 1 made of goats milk, which was divided into 4 sections (smoked, red pepper, dill, and plain). The prices alone for them were a bargain: 30 kunas each for the first 2 and 80 kunas for the sampler. The sausage, which resembled the taste of pepperoni, were foot long links for 13 kunas a piece, so we purchased 2.

Needless to say, we have been spoiled with our new found foods and the only regret that I have, is that we did not buy more. That and the Velebitsko is all gone as well. And now that the fair is over, and the vendors have gone, we have begun a search to find these delectables again. Until I can savor the flavors once again, savoring the memory of them will have to suffice.

A Day of Good Beer and Good Food

Never made it to the cemetary the other day. If you read my Surviving Cervical Cancer thread, you would know that I had started menstruating so it put things off for a few days.
On a lighter note, it is a beautiful spring day and the day before Easter. I will spend my day watering my herbs, hard boiling eggs and dying them, and make up a gourmet cheese and sausage platter for Bela and myself this evening. Bela went and bought my favorite beer, Velebitsko Tamno (dark beer) yesterday and this will be a good day to just open the windows, sit around the table talking, eating, and enjoying a few beers. And though we don't really celebrate Easter, he also bought me a chocolate bunny which will more than likely not make it through the night ;)

Apology for My Readers

I know I haven't posted in awhile, and for that I am sorry. After my last post on Valentines Day, I ended up in the hospital, as some of you may know. Everything is fine now and I am cancer free! So back to my regular life.
It has been beautiful here in Zagreb for the past week. Sunny skies, nice breeze, 70° F and Bela and I have been taking advantage of that by going to the park, went to a craft fair, and went for wheat beer. Today we are going to visit a very old graveyard in town. I have never been, but heard it was a must see. Hope I can get some good pictures to share.
Anyway, once again, I apologize for not posting, but will try to stay more active in this blog from now on:)

Happy Valentines Day

i just wanted to wish everyone out there a very special Valentines Day! i hope you have a great day and remember, you can be your own Valentine as well:)

Borderline Personality Disorder

a loved one was just diagnosed with this and i felt the need to write a post about it.
for those of you who are not familiar with this mental disease, i will give you a brief list of symptoms.

1: Relationship problems
2: Low self-worth
3: Intense emotions and mood swings
4: Aggressive behavior
5: Impulsive behaviors that are self-damaging (substance abuse, binge drinking...)
6: fear of abandonment

these are just some of the symptoms and are more severe than your average mood swing. if you or anyone you know has these symptoms, please get professional help right away as this is very serious. if left untreated it may lead to suicide, injury to ones self such as cutting, violent temper outburst and other acts.
for more information, please check here.

Force Trainer

omg! i totally want this! Force Trainer

this is a toy that comes complete with a headset that monitors your brainwaves...yes, brainwaves. it is said that it will read your brain activity allowing you to have control over a ball in a 10 inch tower.
I know it sounds geeky, but this is so cool.
so for $100 US dollars, the Force can be with you!
i can't wait to see what they come out with next.

New Blog

nothing much to report here. i have been busy working on my other blogs...if you want some delicious recipes, please go to Recipes for Life. I will be adding more recipes later on. I hope everyone is happy and healthy and having a great new year so far:)

Happy New Year

just wanted to say happy new year everyone! and though i never make new years resolutions (i never keep them anyway) i would like to accomplish a few things this year. getting my blogs up and running full force would be great. i would love to finally get this apartment in order...it is a complete wreck at the moment, and last but not least, i want to go home to visit my family.

some photos for you:)

Obama strikes again!

finally, a president worthwhile!

his new plan to give every child internet connection is the bomb:)
i, for one, live by the internet. if it wasn't for my pc, i wouldn't even know what time it is or day it is....(ok slight exaggeration, but only slight)

he is stated as quoting: "Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they'll get that chance when I'm President -- because that's how we'll strengthen America's competitiveness in the world."
only one question....where was he when i was a kid? oh yeah, there wasn't internet back then..lol
so whats your feelings on it? pro or con?

read the article here

Big Brother...all of them

once again, there will be repercussions for this post. But plain and simple, big brother is not entertainment.
this is the part where i would normally say, "i'm sorry, but...", but i won't. i'm not sorry. they place a handful of people in one house (mansion actually) for a few months and they all start whining about lack of privacy. i'm guessing that they are all "only children". i survived 18 years like that.
i grew up in a house with 4 sisters, foster kids (my parents were foster parents), and my mother was an in-home day care provider. you want to talk about lack of privacy?!
yes, i know they have cameras, but so did my parents...nothing like having your picture taken as soon as you wake up christmas morning. i think there are more pictures of all of us with dumb looks on our faces than us smiling. why? because we were caught off guard. and don't even get me started on the number of times my parents taped us when we were sleeping christmas eve night...good thing we wore pajamas.
and if that isn't reason enough to stop whining, then they should watch the show "The Waltons".
they too had no television or computer and it was mom, dad, grand mom, granddad, john boy, ben, mary ellen, erin, elizabeth, and jim bob, all in the same house. and they didn't even have a swimming pool or hot tub! i remember one particular episode when the walton family had a guest staying for a few days. john boy gathered some of his stuff together to go stay in the barn. yes, the barn...not the guesthouse. the following dialogue is the best:
guest: i don't want to kick you out of your bed john boy
john boy: oh, it's not my bed. i just sleep there when we don't have company

LOL.....enough said. he summed my entire childhood up in that one phrase:)

Decorating on a Budget

As a single mom with 2 kids, the holidays were great, but were also a financial burden. It was hard enough to balance my budget for presents, let alone try to decorate the house.

I remember one year, I went to the store and found a great deal for a 6 foot artificial Christmas tree, only to get it home and realize that my 3 year old could almost reach the top. Made me wonder how small the person was to think that tree was 6 foot. Any ways, I had about $20 to my name for decorations and the tree cost me $10 of that. So what was I to do?

Here are a few ideas that I have implemented over the years that I would like to share with you:

1. I know it sounds old fashion, but stringing popcorn instead of using garland is not only more cost effective, but It is something the whole family can do while watching a Christmas movie. Your kids would get a kick out of it. Note: just make sure your 3 year old does not sit by the tree and use it as a snack buffet:)
   
2. Go outside with your kids and have everyone gather up pine cones. Fill your kitchen sink up with water and give the cones a quick rinse. Shake excess water off of them and place in a large bowl. While they are still damp, sprinkle them with a little cinnamon, nutmeg, or whatever fragrant spice you have lying around. Place them around the house in decorative dishes or baskets. If you want, just rest the cones on top of a bed of pine needles. This is quick, easy, fragrant, and best of all, free!
3. I usually end up with extra Christmas cards every year, rather the ones I bought and don't use, or the ones people have sent me. I am sure you have extras as well, so instead of the ever famous ˝stick them to the wall with scotch tape ˝ routine, put them in the picture frames you have around the house. This adds an elegant touch and your friends and family would love how you display their cards.

Like I stated before, these are just a few simple ideas for cost effective decorations and you can have quality time with the kids as well.

Do you have any ideas you would like to share? Please feel free to post your suggestions as I am always looking for new tips.

Tex-Mex Stove Top Casserole

1 can of tuna

250g pasta noodles

½ cup sour cream

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 cup cooked kidney beans

½ cup each of canned or frozen corn, green beans, and peas

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

hot pepper (optional and to taste)

Cook noodles according to directions on package. Drain thoroughly and then add extra virgin olive oil (this prevents the noodles from drying out and sticking together).

Cover and allow to chill about 1 hour in the refrigerator (this is also optional, but I prefer mine to be cool, though you can serve this as a hot meal as well)

In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Stir until evenly mixed and coated with sour cream. Add noodles to mixture and toss.

Holiday Chocolate Bark

Towards the end of the holiday season, I usually find my pantry and refrigerator to be disaster areas filled with open bags of baking needs. Has this ever happened to you? The day after Christmas, I find myself with left over marshmallows, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, colored sugars, pretzels, potato chips, and don't even get me started with candy canes.

So here’s what I did one year and it, not only became an instant hit, but I had people offer to pay me to make it for them. Follow these simple instructions and you will not only be the designated desert maker from here on out, but might make some extra cash.

In a double boiler (its ok if you don't have one), melt chocolate chips, stirring constantly until smooth. I usually end up with a half of bag of each: semi-sweet, milk, and white. If you don't have all of those, that is fine...remember, you are cleaning out your cupboards, not trying to add to them.

Crush up candy canes, pretzels, and potato chips.

Once the chocolate is a smooth consistency, add pretzels, potato chips, candy canes, marshmallows, coconut flakes, and whatever else you have extra. Mixture will be very thick.

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or aluminum foil (do not use saran wrap as it will melt). Spread mixture evenly onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle colored sugar on top and set in refrigerator for 20 minutes or until hard.

Take sheet out of refrigerator and lift one corner of bark. It should break fairly easy. Continue to break into smaller pieces (about the serving size of a brownie or cookie).

And that is it!

Remember, you do not need all of these ingredients and you may add whatever you wish.

Hint 1: In case you do not have a double boiler....Take 2 pots (1 extra large, 1 large), fill the extra large pot about 1/3 to ½ full with water. Once water comes to a boil, turn off heat! Place smaller pot inside of larger one and add chocolate. Stir constantly to avoid burning the chocolate.

Hint 2: If you would like to package these to give to individual people (they do make great gifts), then go to your local thrift shop or craft store. They usually sell cellophane bags and ribbon. Pack broken treats into bag and tie with a ribbon. If you want, take left over Christmas stickers to decorate bags.