Waiting with Baited Breath...

  So Trump won... the Millenials are throwing temper-tanrrums all over the U.S., because the media cannot uphold its journalistic integrity of reporting the WHOLE story - just soundbites.  Whatever gets them the most hits.  Journalists have obviously sold out.  Gone are of the days of  'My Girl Friday'.  It's all about make a buck now!

  I didn't vote for Trump, I didn't vote for Clinton.  This is the FIRST time since I was legally able to vote that I haven't cast a ballot.  I've mailed in my ballots since I've been overseas, which is nearly 8 years now.

  People, especially the media and left leaning persons, don't understand HOW Trump won.  I'll explain to you how Trump won.  He won, because people are fed up of having their rights trampled on. The news would have you believe that ALL the people who voted for Trump hate Gays, Hispanics, Blacks, the poor, et al.  But that isn't the case.  While yes, the majority of people who cast their ballot for Trump were White and up hold a Judaeo-Christian belief system, does not make them a xenophobic, homophobic, racist, @sshats!!!
  People got tired of seeing and hearing that business were being shut down because they exercised their first amendment rights to refuse service to people (mainly gay couples) that didn't align with their beliefs.  They've gotten tired of being called racist, because they think that when a police officer gives an order you should obey it, not back talk, and thrash around, forcing that officer to elevate the situation to another level.  People are just sick and tired of being sick and tired.  The American population reached its boiling point, and said "Enough is enough!  We've done nothing but politicians for Eons, lets see what a non-politician does, cause he's better than the lying murderer running opposite."

  And here we are.  But the thing that worries me, and most of Europe, is what is Trump gonna do internationally.  In America, I'm not worried about what the Millenials are "protesting" over, because they are hired thugs of George Soros.  Trump isn't going to start massively deporting immigrants. He isn't going to overturn the right for the LGBT community to legally marry, or prevent women from getting abortions.  NO PRESIDENT HAS THE POWER TO OVERTURN SCOTUS RULINGS!!!!  What bothers and scares the bajezus out of Europe about a Trump presidency is his  "friendship" with Putin.

  If you know Russians, you know they aren't friends with anyone except other Russians, and even then, that is VERY limited.  Eastern Europe is scared that Trump will either A) withdraw all U.S. military presence out of Europe, or B) Let do Russia do what it wants without U.S. interference.  Either case is scary for E. Europe because since 1989, Russia has been struggling.  
   When Communism fell, Russia lost ALL of its Industry and Market.  The only thing Russian now has is oil and natural gas, both of which are rapidly depleting.  So what does it need to keep its people happy?  Why, give them back what they lost; their markets and industry.  Those markets and industry exist in the old Soviet Bloc, of which I am currently a resident.  The Russian military is currently 5 million strong.  The standing orders for the Romanian military in the event of a Russian invasion:  Defend the borders for at least 48 hours until help can arrive from another country.
The E.U. would rely heavily on N.A.T.O., or more specifically, the U.S., should Russia start flexing it's muscles.  And if Trump lets Putin have his way, well, not only am I and the rest of E.Europe screwed, but the whole world will be screwed.

  So please, all you college students over there in the U.S., please keep protesting against Trump, for whatever imaginary things you think he's gonna do that will cramp your lifestyle.  We over here in Eastern Europe are waiting with baited breath to see if we need to learn Russian, or flee for our very lives.

Morbid Curiosity

  So here it is, November 8, 2016.  Today is the day that we will probably look back on as the day that the end of the world began.  Regardless of who wins the U.S. Presidential election today, it's gonna be a disaster over the next 4 years both politically and economically.  The only upside to this, is as a friend of mine pointed out, is that Saturday Night Live is going to be AWESOME for the next 4 years.  Because the White House will be giving them great material to saterize....is that even a word??

  So I've ruffled a LOT of feathers this election year because I have flat out refused to exercise my right to vote.  There was no lesser of the 2 evils this election.  One is lying, criminal, who is fine with aborting babies up to 36 weeks of gestation. My oldest was born at 36 weeks....She was 7 lbs, 6.2 oz and 21 inches long.  NO problems at all.  The other is a loud mouthed buffoon who has been involved in more law suits that any normal person or corporation should be.  He's declared bankruptcy at least once.  So how exactly does he think HE is the best person to fix the budget?

  But besides the obvious character defects of both candidates, NEITHER of them gave any kind of clear, precise plan of what they want to do to turn things around for the better in the U.S.  All they did was sling mud back and forth.  Which, yes, that's normal during a political race.  But this year all that was said was about how bad the other candidate was.

  A LOT of people my age (Gen X'ers) decided not to vote this year, because, well.....look at the choices.  I didn't like McCain/Palin, but they were better than Trump.  Heck, Obama was a better candidate than Hillary.

  It looks like Hillary will be the next president, and incidentally the first female president.  This is not a great day for females.  Merkel has made a mess of Germany, and the U.K.'s new female leader, I forget her name, isn't doing so hot either.  I'm not saying women can't lead and do a great job, it just seems as if we haven't found the right woman to lead.    We haven't found the right man yet either.....well we did, we 'they' killed him.

  So as much as I hate this election year, and I kept the $3 it would've cost me to mail in my overseas ballot, I'm tuning in to the news to see the outcome of this spectacular train wreck.  I can't help it.  Neither can anyone else....It's like passing a horrific accident, where you know you're going to see a decapitated body, blood and gore, and you know you shouldn't look, but you do anyway, because, well.....Morbid Curiosity.

Back Alley or Dr. Office?

  Okay so yeah, I live overseas, but I still cast a ballot on elections.  What the knuckleheads in D.C. do still kind of affects me.  This year I have completely given up, I haven't' sent in my overseas voter registration or whatever you call it.  Because honestly this years candidates have left me feeling sick.  I was thinking of casting my ballot for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson but he's left me feeling as ill as Trump and Clinton, both of whom I believe are bat sh*t crazy!  Johnson is good because he's all about smaller government, no wars, flat tax, etc.  However he IS for mandatory vaccinations and he's pro-choice.  However I'm somewhere on the fence with the whole pro-choice pro-life thing.

  During a recent FB exchange, I feel I need to express my opinion on the abortion issue.

 First of all I detest abortion, I believe there are other alternatives to abortion.....HELLO!  Adoption!  There are literally millions of women unable to conceive who would LOVE top adopt a newborn.  If you haven't seen it and can get past all the F-bombs, watch the movie "Juno".

  BUT, I would rather have abortion be legal th Laan illegal, and here's why.  As much as I loathe the idea of abortion, I would rather be able to see a qualified doctor in a sterilized environment as opposed to a dingy, dirty room in some back alley clinic, dingy hotel room or apartment where the woman is likely to get an infection and die.  See "Dirty Dancing" or the foreign move "4Luni, 3 Saptamani, si 2 zile" / "4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days".

  My reasoning for this stance, simple:  a woman who gets an abortion in a legal, sterile clinic can later change her mind about her views on abortion, and maybe counsel women also seeking abortion.  A woman who doesn't have a legal avenue to obtain an abortion not only looses a baby, but possibly her life.

  Laws are strange things.  As it stands now, a woman can legally kill her unborn baby, but if a stranger or loved one kills a pregnant woman, the murderer is charged with 2 counts of murder, while the abortion seeking mother gets nothing.  That makes no sense to me.  Now I'm not saying that the law is wrong, but it's contradictory in a sense.  I get that a woman who has an abortion chose to end the life of the baby, and that the pregnant woman didn't want an abortion and actually WANTED the baby; hence the double murder charge if said pregnant woman is murdered.  From a legal standpoint this all makes sense.

  This is the thing conservatives need to remember; it's ALL about upholding the law, even if you don't agree with the law.  Sometimes, the law goes against everything you believe in, unless you take a step back and look at it from all angles.

  Again I am Pro-Life, but from a legal standpoint I am Pro-Choice.  The majority of conservatives identify as Christian.  As Christians we must remember we are NOT judge and jury, we are mere witnesses.  Only God can judge people.  God will judge women who have aborted babies.  I don't think it's right or fair to make a woman pay for a mistake with her life, not when she has a chance to seek redemption in the eyes of God and to help other women who are thinking about abortion.

  Sunday morning, take a moment and look at the woman or women sitting next to or around you.  You don't know who they are, not really.  They might have had an abortion back before they gave their lives to Christ but are too ashamed to admit it.  Are you going to give them dirty looks, and accuse them if they do admit it? Of course not, because they're like you now, right? They're Christians!

  So why not take the attitude you have towards the repentant woman next to you in the pew and apply it to the unrepentant woman who has had or is wanting to have an abortion.

And Jesus Wept

  There has been a LOT of crazy things going on in the world, more so than usual it seems, but yesterday it hit home for me....literally.  My hometown, Baton Rouge, LA. again within a one week span is again front and center of the national (U.S.) and international media.

  Seven police officers were shot in the line of duty, 3 have died and one is fighting for his life.  We don't know for sure if the gun men responsible for this act were with the Black Lives Matter movement or if they were acting alone.  We do know that one of the gun men, who was killed during the shoot out was NOT from Louisiana, and I pretty much bet that the other men involved were from out of state as well.

  See Louisianians, no matter the pigment of our skin don't generally do violent acts like this one.  We know our rights, and we know that shooting cops isn't going to solve anything.  Even after Alton Sterling was killed by 2 police and his family and friends were protesting and asking all the people protesting with them to protest peacefully, to NOT engage in violence.  See Violence only begets Violence.  Hate begets hate. Those are the words of Jesus Christ and of Martin Luther King, Jr.

  While I understand what the people with the #BLM are protesting, and why they are upset, I don't believe that calling for violence against police and non blacks is the answer.  I'm sure the response I'll get is that I'm speaking from a place of White Privilege.  I don't see it that way, as I have had to scrimp, save, fight and claw my way for everything in my life.  I wasn't born with the proverbial silver spoon in my mouth.  We lived pay check to pay check.  There were many jobs I applied for, was more than qualified for, but didn't get because I was not black.  I got 1 speeding ticket a month for 6 months in a row.  I was doing maybe 10 mph over the limit.  Each time I was pulled over it was a white male police officer.  The one ticket I did get out of was by a Black Texas State Trooper who pulled me over just outside of Beaumont on the I-10 West headed towards Houston.  I was driving home to Houston from a visit in Baton Rouge, to pay a ticket I'd gotten over the holidays, not for speeding but for changing lanes under a traffic light, and an expired inspection sticker.  Anyway, when I was pulled over by the trooper it happened to be my birthday.  Again, I was doing maybe 10 mph over.  The trooper told me to slow it down, and Happy Birthday!  The only reason I got out of that ticket was because it was my birthday.  Had it not been, I'd of had yet another ticket. So no, I don't believe in the whole white privilege concept.  I've never  received special treatment based on my skin color, and I'm as white as they come.  I'm of predominately Irish decent.  I have red hair, blue eyes, freckles, and fair skin.  When I say fair skin, I mean, I could be Snow White minus the 7 dwarfs.

  So okay, I side tracked.  My point is, I see tons of posts with Scriptures, and about Jesus, and All Lives Matter, etc.  But do we mean it?  I mean seriously?!?  If you see a black man dressed like Snoop Dog, does your body stiffen up, do you get scared?  Probably so.  But that guy might not be a gangster.  He may not be a drug dealer or carrying a gun.  Why not instead of yelling and protesting, why don't we try to engage each other.  If you see a mother in need of help getting her kids and groceries into the car, stop and help her. If you see and old person needing help crossing the road or the parking lot, help them.  Don't look at their skin color, look at the person.  Because underneath we are all made up of the same stuff.

  

Bad with $$

  Okay, so as most of you probably know, my husband has to work away from home in order to make ends meet.  I am and always have been bad with budgeting money.  Having 3 growing kids in school doesn't help matters.  We are trying to save money to buy another car, as ours is nearly 20 years old, guzzling gas, and starting to have mechanical issues.  We also need/want to  add onto our house.  Our kitchen is maybe 20 sq.ft., and only accessible from outside.  Our plan is to add a large "L" shaped room onto the back of our house.  This would include a large living room and the kitchen, which will be accessible from inside the house.  Unfortunately, I am NOT the best at budgeting money.  I try, I really do, but, there always seems to be something that comes up; mainly the old car; that eats into the money.

  Marius (husband) is stuck away from us working his butt off, and for what?!? For me to screw it all up, evidently.  It hasn't been all bad though.  In the last few months, I've gotten our firewood for the winter, renovated our hall/entrance way, as well as our bedroom.  I've had people tell me I should write a book about my experiences as an expat, but hello, I have a blog and I don't even have 100 followers, so really, a book is gonna help?!?  That's a pipe dream, but I guess I won't know till I try????

  If anyone out there has something a chart or what have you to help me better budget my money, by all means, PLEASE send it to me.  Cause seriously, I'm awful at budgeting and saving.

Brexit & All that Jazz....

  So, England has voted to leave the European Union.  I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.  I'm not the only one it seems.  The entire world waits with baited breath to see what will happen next in regards to England leaving the E.U.  The British Pound has lost most of it's value since the vote.  This doesn't surprise me as most of the people [read elites] such as big corporations and banks wanted England to stay with the E.U.

  I personally am not a fan of the E.U., especially is Angela Merkel decided to start importing refugees on an already stressed E.U. economy.  My dislike for the E.U. was founded long before that though.  I'm not a fan of BIG government, and let's be honest folks that's all the E.U. is, one big multi-lingual Big Brother.

  I don't really see where the E.U. has done much good for Romania.  The only good it's brought is making it easier for men to find work in other countries without the need of expensive and time consuming visa applications and work permits. Other than that, the E.U. has done nothing but extort Romanian's natural resources from her at a fraction of what they are worth.

  I'm not sure if Britain leaving the E.U. will make or break it, but one thing is for sure, Britain is changing and evidently not for the better.  Racism is up by double since the vote.  I have a brother in law and other Romanian friends working and living in England.  I'm fearful for their well being now because of the hate being spewed.  Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson who were leading the leave campaign were all about anti-immigration, especially as it concerned "refugees" from Muslim countries, but evidently they meant ALL immigrants, especially the ones from Poland and Romania who take those crappy jobs that no one else will take.  Well done Nigel and Boris, (btw, that isn't a British name, sounds E.European to me), well done lads.  You've taken an already uneasy social situation, and made it volatile.  You should be proud of yourselves.  And I see where you boys are back peddling on promises made during the leave campaign, such as taking the millions of pounds per week that usually goes to the E.U. and infusing that money into the National Healthcare System......nope, you're not gonna do that now!  Oh and that promise about if it was a close margin, you'd petition for a 2nd referendum, but that was only if you lost.  Listen fellas, if you're gonna be a sore loser, than at least be magnanimous when you win.  Keep your word.  Doing crap like that is what makes people distrust government and politicians.

ABUSE

  So I was speaking with a dear friend earlier.  She is in the middle of a divorce.  I know her her soon to be ex husband.  The things she endured struck close to home.  People now speak about abuse in such general terms  Speaking to someone in a way they don't like constitutes as abuse now a days.  But expressing an opinion contrary to your own does NOT constitute as abuse.  Let me please explain to you what abuse really means.

  Abuse is telling someone 24/7 for 4 years ad nausea-um that you are stupid is abuse.  Holding someone captive for 12 hours is abuse.  Holding someone down and spitting on them is abuse.  Shoving the butt of  a shotgun in a persons rib cage is abuse.  Kicking a person [female] while laying on the ground incapacitated , in the tail bone is abuse.  Ripping the clothes off a person while  they are trying to escape you is abuse.  Beating someone on their back is abuse.  Holding someone by their throat with your bare hands is abuse.
Holding someone at gunpoint and knife-point is abuse.

  I personally endured all the afore mentioned things.  I never spoke of it before for fear of shame.  But I am afraid no longer because I KNOW that there are women out there who are enduring worse hour after hour with no end in sight.
 
 My abuse started as a emotional and physiological.  My ex wouldn't let me have any friends.  I couldn't go shopping for groceries alone, but I soon realized it was something worse.  He couldn't and wouldn't hold a job for more than a few months.  If I was able to have a friend it was only with someone who held the same views as him.

  I soon felt trapped and when I confronted him and told him I wanted out, I was held captive and beaten and berated for 12 hours.

  This is something women the world over face everyday.  I endured abuse for 12 hours, and could have gone back to this loser of a man, but I decided NO!  I decided to stand on my own 2 feet and see if I did any better.  There were a few trips and stumbles along the way, but I found my way clear.  I am now a strong woman with 3 kids.  Yes, I am married again, but to a real man, who would never think of putting his hands on me.

  YOU ARE NOT ALONE!  To whoever is reading this, YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH!   GRAB YOUR THINGS, YOUR KIDS AND GET THE HELL OUT!

  You have the support of women everywhere!  If you need someone to "speak" to, please email me at odessa.toma@gmail.com

A day of Love....

  So it's February 14th.  Valentine's Day.  Before moving to Europe, I, probably like most Americans assumed (making an ass of U and Me) is International.....Not so.  Like many people have said before, it's a commercial holiday, fabricated by Hallmark and the likes to make money in between holidays.

 Turns out, "they" were right.  Valentines Day was something pretty much non-existent here in the old Eastern Bloc 7 years ago.  Within, I'd say, the last 3- 4 years Valentine's has started catching on, with people opting to spend money they really don't have on a fabricated American Holiday.  Don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVED getting flowers and chocolates, and or a nice night out which included, dinner and a movie.  But, now, I'm older, and detached from American sentimentality, I've realized I don't need one day out of the year to remind me to tell my husband how much I love him.  He doesn't need it either.  Neither of us ever needed it.

  Yes, Valentine's Day is nice.  It's nice and great to get away from the house, the dog, cat, kids, and just BE adults.  The adults you were before marriage and parenthood took over.  But really every married couple should have Valentine's Day at least once a month.

  Women, especially stay at home moms, need that time to feel like an adult woman.  As a SAHM, I can tell you, we want to be dressed and have our hair and make-up done for our husbands when they come home, but chasing kids and animals around all day kind of puts a hamper on doing that.  We don't like to be the "nagging wife" who says, I need you to do that, and fix this when you come home after a long hard day at work.  We want to listen to you and your problems and issues, offer our two cents when and if it is needed.  But we also want to have you listen to us.  To look at us and see us as that beautiful girl who took your breath away, not the vomit covered house wench we think (and in reality do) we look and smell like.

  So in my mind, EVERYDAY should be Valentine's day, especially for us married couples, with little people still occupying our houses.  So with that said, I would like to wish, my husband, my own personal Funny Valentine, Marius Toma, a very happy and very beloved Valentine's Day!

Social Media, or Social Criminals?

  Okay, so my oldest, a 13 year old of the female variety has begged me and her father for her very own Facebook account, to which we both said NO!  Not just No, but the 'HELLO NAW, the Lawd Gawd would hav ta come down out da sky and command us to give ya skinny behind permission' type no!

  I trust my kids to a point.  I'm not naive (I had to spell Evian; as in the bottled water company;backwards there); teenagers are sneaky, I was one not too long ago.  Okay yes it was many moons ago, but my memory is still in tact.  Hell, I was one of the sneakiest kids you'd ever meet.  Had every parent I met fooled, with the exception of my "Auntie Mom".  Yes that was a play on the Rosalind Russell character.  My actual mom wasn't really around, so my Aunt (dad's sister) filled in as mom after my grandma died.  Any who, I remember what it was like to be 13.  We thought we knew it all and that our parents were complete imbeciles who had fallen off of the proverbial turnip truck yesterday.  I mean hello!  They like music by Bobby Darin for cryin' out loud!  And now, my kids here me jamming out to Radiohead and are like, WHAT IS THAT?!?

  So back on point.  I and my better half explained to our  taller than me daughter......yes, she is taller than me by 4" and 1 shoe size,  that the world is full of crazy people!  We showed her a video of an adult guy who with parental consent, set up a fake Facebook account, posing as a 14 year old boy, who contacted these girls, and set up meetings with them.  ALL 3 of these girls agreed to meet with him.  They thought they were meeting a boy their own age.  Our daughter said she would allow us to check her page, etc.  We gave her a trial run, letting her use MY Facebook to message friends.  She was in the house on my android, while me and hubby sat outside at patio table on the tablet, and watched as she chatted with a boy, and quickly deleted messages thinking we would NEVER see them.  We busted her then and there. Tears were shed by both her and hubby, cause well, it surprised him that she was being sneaky....me, not so much!

  To drive our point home about crazy people, I also noticed she had befriended and messaged a Disney Europe star.  This singer/actress was actually responding to my daughter.  I pointed out to my daughter that celebrities have pages, but they NEVER respond to private messages like this one was doing, that this was probably some sicko who was saying, "Oh I would love to be able to perform in your town, but I'm already scheduled to be in 'such and such' city on that holiday"  This starlet is from Spain, so why would she be performing in Romania, on a Romanian Orthodox holiday?!?  That was another point I made......sorry got sidetracked.....I've noticed I do that  in my writing not just verbally!   Hmmmm....

  I went on to explain that, perhaps not immediately, but eventually this "starlet" would message saying, "Hey, look I've got a gig in X city, I'll be passing through your little village at this time on this date.  Why don't you tell me where to meet you and what you'll be wearing, and I'll pick you up and you can come to the show with me, stay backstage, and we'll drop you off after.." She'd run down thinking she's been hand-picked, that's she special in some way to this person, and then she gets picked up not by the "star" but by some HUGE, ugly men, who will take her out of the country and sell her as a slave to some God-forsaken country where horrible things will happen to her.

  Part of her believed me and was scared, but I could see that part of her thought I was just being "mom" and making stuff up to scare her.

  I guess my point is that, perhaps I am paranoid.  Maybe I'm crazy, and should be medicated, however with all the messed up stuff I see on the nightly news from all over the globe I seriously doubt it.  I'm probably to most normal, most rational person on the planet!  Not literally, but ya know, compared to those running things, uhhhh, Yeah, I am!  I don't understand why parents let their kids under the age of 17 have unfettered access to the internet.  It just completely baffles me!

  Ok, my dog is barking at something, probably a fox out in my vineyards.....GOD I miss the 2nd Amendment!  I'd give anything for a rifle and scope!

♪♫ Baby, It's Cold Outside ♫♪

So Snowstorm started here Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. GMT +2.  At first it was melted as soon as it hit the ground cause it was only 3 degrees Celsius.  Well it is now Monday, I'm not sure exactly how much snow was dumped on us from Saturday until sometime early this a.m.  But I've got snow drifts in excess of 7 ft. high.  It's not snowing now, but the wind is blowing at around 50 km/hr with gusts up to 70 km/hr.  in the roads the snow is at least 2 ft. deep.  Roads throughout the entire "state" or county of Tulcea are closed.  Schools are closed today and tomorrow, and will probably be closed Wednesday as well.  My kids are getting cabin fever, they keep asking if they walk the 1 km down to the store, for what I have no clue, as we don't need anything.  But I don't go out in this unless it's to grab more wood for the fire, or to shovel the snow from around the house, especially the front door.

  Snow completely covered my bedroom windows this morning.  It was kinda cool the way it stuck, cause it looked as if it had been swagged.  But I had to get out there this am.m and clean it off.  I don't like this kind of weather, especially where I am out in the country.  The reason, local officials are NOT at all worried with cleaning the roads to make them passable, especially for emergency vehicles.  The laws clearly state that they must do that, but don't.  2 years ago, we had a similar snow storm and at around 1 in the morning my neighbors house caught fire.  Fire trucks couldn't get up to the house to put out the fire because the roads were impassable.  She lost nearly everything.  That scared me, cause what if it had been a medical emergency, like one of my kids severely injured????  My oldest is now bigger than I am.  I'm about 5'4", she's 13 and 5'7".  I weigh about 115 lbs, she's probably right around 100 lbs.  I would not be able to carry her through 4-5 ft. snow drifts, 1 km downhill to meet an ambulance at the main road.  There are several older people up here on the hill around me, what about them?  We all pay our taxes, so what are they doing with the money?  It looks like government officials all have new cars, nice homes and or apartments, which are completely renovated to be modern, with new shiny furniture, and nice new clothes.

 Perhaps I shouldn't have bought a house on country roads you might say, but why should I be denied rights, because I loved the house, and the property and the exquisite view of the Danube I have?!?  Like I said, we pay our taxes, we have no back taxes or unpaid bills anywhere, well, I'm a little behind on getting my water bill paid, but only because I generally can't find anyone in the office when I go to try to pay it.

  Anyway, rant over, snow is pretty and all that, but dang it makes country life hard.  Once it starts to warm up, and the snow starts to melt, it's gonna be UGLY!  I'll be dealing with mud for a month or so.  So basically I will not be able to drive to my house till probably late March or early April!  Ugggghhhh......gag me with a spoon.

  Okay, so rant wasn't over, but it is now.  If you're reading this from my home state of Louisiana, I'm jealous!  Eat some crawfish for me will, ya please?!?  If you're in a cold, snowy climate like me, sorry.  Stay inside where it's warm, cause Baby, it's cold outside!

Changing Time Zones

So it's coming up on the 7th anniversary of my HUGE life change, picking up with 3 small kids and moving to the other side of the planet.  It's a daunting task for people without kids, much less someone with a 6 year old, 4 year old and 18 month old baby.  Unfortunately for  me, at that time there didn't exist a lot in the way of Ex-Pat forums, pages, sites etc.  But with more and more people leaving their homeland in search of some more attainable utopia than what they were born into, there are ex-pat communities springing up all over the place online.

  One such site is  http://www.expat.com  It has a plethora of information for those looking to make a big move or for those who have already made the move and are looking for ex-pat in their new surroundings.  Unfortunately for myself, there is not a large amount of expat in my neck of the woods.  But there is a lot of informed and interesting people I've met in these online expat communities.  I've been able to both give and receive needed advice.

  One question that most expat or rather soon to be expat always ask, is "what is the bed advice you can give as to how to adapt to a new place and culture.  My response is always the same.  You gotta look at the new environment for what it is, NEW.  It's outside of your normal, outside of your comfort zone sometimes.  You will have overwhelming bouts of homesickness sometimes because you just miss what you know as normal, and comfortable, but it will pass.  You gotta try to find the beauty in everything around you.  If you only see a half empty glass you'll have a half empty life.  But if you find the good in everything, and put "home" into an international perspective, you'll see that life is basically the same everywhere, just with cultural differences.  Keep your sense of adventure.  Walk into life with arms wide open.

Happy 2016!

So I must admit, I'm getting old, for the last few years I've been asleep, along with the hubby before the stroke of midnight.  Our kids wake us up to pop their kiddie bubbly for them, then we all go to bed at exactly 12:05 a.m., every.single.January 1st!

  So I know people make new years resolutions, I've personally never done that because well, I'm a chronic procrastinator, just ask my kids!  Makes me wonder if the people who actually do makes resolutions *ever* keep them?I mean seriously if you feel the need to sit down an make a list of things about yourself, your life, situation, what-have-you, do you really think you're gonna do any of them?  Besides maybe cutting back from 6 cups of coffee a day to 5?!?

  I think that this is one aspect of Romanian mentality that doesn't drive me nuts....they don't make resolutions, they know what needs to be done, and they do it, without any fuss, or social media announcements.  They announce things that matter: marriages, births, baptisms, important life events.  The rest is just the day to day of it all.

  I see all these meme's all over Facebook from friends that say something along the lines of "this is the year you'll receive God's blessings"....I have a problem with that line of reasoning.  I think if you are a Christian and know what the bible says, then you know you only receive His blessings by living a Godly life.  Posting a random meme about God isn't going to reign down pennies from heaven on you.  All through Proverbs and the Gospels, God's word speaks of honest men, doing honest work, and reaping the benefits of working for what they've received, and yes, God rewards the honest, God fearing man with opportunities, blessings, etc.  But everyone seems to be so BLESS ME oriented, as far as money is concerned that they have forgotten that God says that the MEEK shall inherit the earth, and that it is easier for a rich man to enter through the eye of a needle than to enter the kingdom of heaven.

  Okay so there's my Rant for New Years.  Now here's my Rave:  Hubby was out of work for like 5 months, it's been a ROUGH summer, fall, and beginning of winter.  Hubby just left at 3 a.m. this very morning to head back to Malta to start work.  It's gonna be hard on him physically, but it's good that I won't have to keep asking the parental unit for help......that's a BAAAAAAD feeling; being 37 years old and having to ask your parents to help you pay bills and buy food.  But now that he's going back to work, we'll be able to finish doing the home improvements we started!  So YEA for the Toma Family!

 Now for my Rave, which is an old rave.  Romanian version of potato salad, which is called Salata de Beouff.  Not sure if I spelled that right, but OMG it's good!  It's made with, potatoes, green peas, carrots, olives, pickles, chicken breast and home made mayonnaise, which yes, I have learned to make!  This stuff is so good, it will make ya go home and slap ya mamma!  It's made at Christmas and New Year!  Some make it at Easter as well, well, at least I do, cause it's just awesome!

  So there, my Rants, Raves & Faves for the end of 2015!

  

Tis The Season

  So i've ranted about Starbucks in my last post. But tonight up the hilly, bumpy dirt road to my house, I got convicted.  I call myself a Christian, bust in the 6 almost 7 years I've been here in Romania, what have I really done to show His love to my "neighbors"?  Sure I've helped my immediate next door neighbor after her house burned down, but apart from that, what I have I really done to show these people that I'm not the "American Slut" that I know they call me?

  The holidays are fast approaching, and I know that there are a lot of old people and orphans going without this holiday season.  So what I want to know is this:  if you are willing to donate some money towards food to feed those in desperate need in the old Eastern Bloc, please let me know.  I would like to have something to back me up when I go to local businesses, hotels, restaurants, etc. with my plan.

  I've said in my last post and on Facebook posts that Christ could care less whether or not a  coffee shot celebrates his "birthday"; that we should be focusing on what Jesus commanded us believers to do..... and if what is going on in Syria with Russia is any indication, then we should be prepared, we shouldn't be focusing on trivial matters like Red Cups for coffee containment, but rather the container that holds a persons soul.

  So who's with me?  I kind of need to know what kind of support I have before starting a "go fund me page".  I know that if this is something He has placed within me, that the money will come.  But of course I'm gonna be mu human self....God knows me, He knows I'm gonna be obstinate!


  C;mon people let's show the world HIS love!

Starbucks, Corrupt Politics and life on the Danube

  So fall has arrived, and this year, fall in Romania is reminding me of Louisiana.  The temps are flip-flopping all over the place.  Some days its sunny, and mild, with just a mild chill in the air, and the next day it's colder than a witch's titty....excuse the expression.  But I like it.  Hubby insulated the house over the summer, which has made QUITE a difference when it comes to keeping in the heat from the "fireplace".  Actually it's more of a type of stove, than a typical fireplace that you find in the U.S.

  So since it's chilly at night, I have a bit more time to surf Facebook and news sites.....the latest thing gaining traction in the U.S.A., besides racial tensions is #Starbucks using Plain red cups this Christmas season.  I've seen several meme's regarding this, and the one that sums it all up the best is one that says something like: "If you need a cup of coffee to something about Christ, then, Honey, I think you are the one who needs Jesus".  And that's pretty much it.  Christmas, or rather December 25th is a pagan holiday, the winter soltice, and many other pagan holidays.  The Gospel of Luke says Christ was born when the sheep were still in the fields.  I live next to shepherds.  The flocks are brought in around November.  Christ was born somewhere between September to October.  Santa Claus is a variation of a Nordic God.  My kids have never been told about Santa Claus, he isn't mentioned in our house.  I've had angry parents confront me, because my kids told theirs that Santa isn't real, that the parents are "santa".  I've had to tell the parents, I don't lie to my kids, I'm not going to say Santa, the Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy are real, only to have them grow up and think "well she lied about them, she must of lied about God and Jesus too"! Constantine was the emperor who combined pagan holidays with the Catholic church as a political move.  He was never truly a Christian, it was all show for him as a way to gain more of a political foothold.

 Besides, as Christians, do we really, and SERIOUSLY think that God, in His infinite wisdom, really cares whether or not a secular company puts the words Merry Christmas on their merchandise.  The thing is, Christ says that the GREATEST COMMANDMENT, besides loving the Lord thy God, is Loving Thy Neighbor as thyself.  So, why all the anger?  Why all the misguided rage?  We've made ourselves no better than the Jihadists raging holy war in the name of Allah; whom we all condemn.  Christ said that the world would know us by our Love, by our witness of Him in our lives.  Christians should be out there helping the widows and orphans, first, and everyone else after that..... the rest is politics!

  As for the race issue, I have just this to say.... we are ALL ONE RACE, the Human Race.  Doesn't matter if you believe in Evolution or Creation, we all come from the same place  in each theory.  The difference is the amount of melanin each of us have in our skin.  Some have more, making them appear dark brown or black, and then there are those who have less making them light brown or white.  If you're like me, you look like snow white, with freckles, minus the 7 short guys!  So, really, what's all the fuss about?!?  I'll tell you what it's about.  It's about the "Great and Powerful Oz"; those 'wizards' behind the curtains, pulling the stings and levers, editing the evening news, and telling us what to think and buy, etc.  Use the brain you were given. Stop, take a moment, talk to a stranger of a different pigmentation, and you'll see, you think alike, probably believe alike!  We are the only species who fight among ourselves.

  As for the corrupt politics I mentioned in the title.... on Halloween, a club in Bucharest caught fire during a concert, because some idiot set off fireworks inside the club.  So far the body count is up to 45.  The fire marshal never signed off on the building, and the mayor went ahead and signed papers allowing the owner of the club to open.....That's the way things go here, if you can't get what you need from one agency, you go to the one higher, pay that official some money, and everything is done.  Because of this incident, people have taken to the streets in a peaceful manner, protesting the corruption that exists here.  It's about time, because it's unbelievable what can be done with just a few hundred Euro or Dollars!

I'm Baaaaack.....

So it's been a LOOOOOOONG time since I've written anything here. Main reason for that was not reliable internet where I am, plus only having a smartphone to blog with.  Well, I still have the smart phone, but now I have hubby's laptop.  Plus I finally got some semblance of high speed internet connection with no thanks to #Romtelecom, now #TelecomRomania.

  Anyway, so hubby has been some since end of June.  Italians bought the shipyard where he was working in Malta.  It's has now gone belly up.  The shipyard here in Tulcea was also bought by some Italians, and it too has gone belly-up.  What's up with that?!?  Italian buys a company and within a few years that company is bankrupt......there's something rotten in the state of Denmark, er.....Italy......

  So hubs has been home and looking for work.  Had GREAT prospect for a job, only to have it fall through because the employment agency here was either too stupid or too inept to do it's homework....they were working with a foreign employment agency, not the actually company the employees would be working for.  Employment agency from that country wanted 1000 euro per worker per month, leaving the workers with pretty much nothing.  Employment agency here said NO!  Good for them that they didn't agree to that, but boo, because they didn't research better before getting workers lined up and getting their hopes up.  We lost a good 3 weeks of job hunting because of this.

  I love Romania, but despise most Romanians.  Why you ask, well because, you find a job advert.  Everything sounds good, not great, but good, good enough to make a person decide to leave their home and family for months on end in order to do something good for said home and family.  Only to find out when you start talking to them, that they are basically throwing you to the wolves.  They pay you peanuts and expect you to support yourself in a foreign country on peanuts.

  These Romanian agencies KNOW all too well the conditions here in Romania, but continue to exploit their own countrymen for the own benefit.  I have decided to try to put myself out there as a head-hunter/recruiting agent.  Why should foreign companies put their trust in Romanian agencies who are only going to anger the workers, which will only hinder productivity, and create more of a bad reputation for Romanians throughout Europe and the world?!?  Why not deal with someone like me, who wants nothing but good for both the companies, and the recruits; and of course if I can make a little money out of it to help my family, why not?!?

  So everyone cross your fingers and toes, say a prayer, or chant or whatever, and lets hope that I can get something going to help EVERYONE!

Long Time No Write....

  So it's been about a year since my last post.  Not because I haven't wanted to write, but the lack of internet at my home makes it impossible.  The only company that has run the cables fro hi-speed internet in our little village won't run it up to  my house, because they'd have to run and additional 80+ meters of cable, plus install one or two more boxes to ensure good connection and speed, and for just one customer, even though I offered to pay for the materials, they won't do it. However I talked to another neighbor, she also wants internet, so maybe in the spring, we'll make the requests together and hopefully they'll get off their lazy buts and do it.

  So, we went to the states, had a good time, ate well, etc., etc. then got back to the daily grind.  This was a bad year for the vineyards in my area.  We all made very little wine this year.  I only got 120 liters instead of 400 liters.  BUT, it is VERY good this year, even if it is only a little bit.

  Marius found new job, he's no longer in Italy, but in Malta.  I'm with him now, using his internet, which is how I'm posting this blog.  I haven't seen much of Malta, but so far, i'm no impressed.  He's more in-land.  All the pretty stuff is on the coasts.  Tomorrow we're going to go do some sight seeing.  He's taking a day off.  He took off Saturday, to meet me at airport, I landed at 3 p.m.  Not much to see or do when your dead tired from having to take a five and half hour bus trip at 2 a.m. to get you from your house to the airport.  Then sit around the airport for 4 hours waiting for plane to leave, only to have said plane delayed 20 minutes.  Neither of us slept the night before so we were tired.  He took off Sunday, but everything is closed on Sunday's.  We spent about 80 Euro on a nice steak dinner Sunday night.  It was nice, but not great. Steak was cooked well, just not seasoned properly.  I've been siting in the apartment watching Downton Abbey and Grey's Anatomy online!  Catching up on shows I love and miss.  Today, though I'm going to venture out to the grocery store on my own.  I'm generally not apprehensive about going out on my own, cause I can generally find my way, easily.  But EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERY THING looks the same here.  Kind of hard to find a landmark, when there is no differential in any of the buildings or streets.  Oh and did I mention they drive on the wrong side of the road here.  Makes crossing the street confusing too.

  Hopefully I'll have some pics to post of our tomorrow or Friday of our tour of St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valleta, which is supposed to be really pretty. 

U.S. vs. Romania

  So I was lucky enough to get to take a trip home this summer, thanks to my dad and step-mom who doled out the cash for 4 round trip tickets for me and the kids.  Reason, being,  is that my brother has gotten married and had a baby in the 4 1/2 years we've been in Romania.  Bubba was missing me pretty bad, plus they all wanted me to see my niece as a baby.  It was great seeing my family and old friends.  I ate and ate and ate some more.  Put on close to 10 pounds, so did the kids!

  However after being away for so long here are few things that struck me that I had forgotten about. The first being the state of the roads.  America has great roads, even with the occasional pot holes.  The roads here in Romania are a complete nightmare.They build new roads and within 6 months to a year they are a disaster, with pot holes so big your car can get lost.  Which brings me to another difference.  The size of the cars.  Cars in U.S. are MONSTROUS compared to Romania, well all of Europe really.    Gas prices are cheaper there too.  For example we pay about $2.50 a liter here.  There are 4 liters in a gallon. So next time you are griping at the pump for paying $4-$5/gallon, just think you could be paying $10 a gallon like me.

  Speaking of size difference.  The cars aren't the only thing bigger in the U.S., the people are bigger too, and I ain't talking height either.  People there are massive.  I think it has to do with several things, the first being the food.  While tasty, it's full of chemicals, and hormones, or grown with GMO seeds, etc.  Second people don't walk there like they do here.  In U.S. you HAVE to drive everywhere, because everything is spread out that walking is not an option.  Here everything is close together making it easier to walk from point A to point B.  Thereby people here stay slim because of all the walking, plus the food is chemical and hormone free.  GMO's are banned im Europe.

  I do miss the size of the grocery stores, where you have enough space for people to move down without bumping into each other.  THAT was awesome, combined with the fact that people in the U.S. respected each others personal space and din't invade it!  I heard a choir of angels sighing HALLELUJAH for me!  ;)

  I missed the night sky here in RO, especially up here by my house.  It's so clear and clean.  I can see all the stars in the sky.  I love that.  I also love that there is very little humidity here.  It's the same temperature as in S.Louisiana, but without the humidity!  Whoo-Hoo!  I don't suffocate outside here!

  I will miss my brother's hamburgers, he has perfected his recipe to such a degree its sinful!  However he told me how to make them, and got me the seasoning I'll need!  :)  so I'll be grilling burgers when my hubby comes home next month!

Going Home.

  So about this time next week I'll be loading up my car and heading to Bucharest to catch a flight to Baton Rouge, LA. to visit my family and friends.  I haven't set foot on American soil since Jan.19, 2009.  Bush was technically still president when I left.  When I landed in Romania 4 1/2 years ago Obama was en route to be sworn in as Commander-In-Chief.

  I'm excited to go home and see my family, especially my brother, who has since I left the U.S. gotten married and had a daughter.  My niece just turned 1 year old in May.  I can't wait to see them.  Also to see my best friend since the age 12 who also got married.  Another best friend who was in the birthing room with me when my oldest daughter was born has had 2 kids since I left, so I get to meet them.  A lot has changed since I left.  I've missed a LOT.  And missing some of those things has really pissed me off, especially missing my baby brothers wedding.  I missed that milestone of seeing him step up into being a man and husband.  I kind of helped raised him, so in a sense it was like missing my own child's wedding.  Not sure if any of you can understand that, but that's how it felt.

  I'm REALLY looking forward to eating!  Especially a medium rare filet mignon.  Catfish Po-Boy's, Boudin balls, fried okra, hamburgers, Pizza, Fried Chicken, etc., etc.  I make fried chicken here, but it just ain't the same as Popeye's or KFC!  Steaks don't exist here.  Beef is not a meat that is consumed a lot here.  Pork however is.    I'm a little more excited about the food than anything else; does that make me crazy???

  I think it will be interesting to see my kids reactions to the U.S.  my oldest daughter remembers it better than my younger two, especially my baby, Paul, who was only 18 months old when we left.   He has no clue about McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Pizza Hut, etc.  This should be a trip.  I think it will be a bit of a culture shock for me as well.  I've become used to seeing horse drawn carts on the highways, etc.   Bad road construction, not being able to find what you want or need.  I'll definitely be posting while there.

  One thing I'm not looking forward to is talking with one family member who has basically called me terrorist because of how I judge the U.S. government, both this and the past administration.  To me there are just one to many things that do NOT add up.  Evidently questioning your government, and expressing the view to never live there again makes one a terrorist.  This should be a *fun* July 4th for me!

  So I will keep you posted on our trip there and back.  Until then enjoy the warm weather!

Winter Blues

So winter is here.  It has snowed a few times.  I've finally faced my fears and braved the snow covered roads.  I'm quiter proud of myself.  I didnt freak out, or cry or anything insane.  Just drove like an old lady, que theme music for "Driving Mrs. Daisy", if you please.  Not something I enjoy, but at least now I know I can drive in the snow when needed.

I'm waiting on spring, so I can get out and trim my grape vines, and turn the ground.  I really want a motorized cultivator, but unfortunately they cost a little more than I can afford at the moment.  *SIGH*  Maybe next year.  Big project for Marius when he comes home in August is to insulate the outside of the house, i.e. Stucco, his specialty.  I can't wait for people here, who think they know how to do stucco, to see a real professional do it.  My baby is a perfectionist.  I'm not, but he makes me proud!

Don't have a whole lot to say at the moment, but thought I'd share my current thoughts as it has been a while since I've written anything.

Hope everyone is enjoying snuggling by the fires with cups of hot cocoa or boiled wine.  Don't turn your nose up, it's REALLY good!!!

Harvest time

So as you know I've moved out to the sticks.  Well it's time to gather all the goodies that were planted in the spring.  Not to mention making the wine!!!!!

I've picked 1 1/2 hectares of corn.  And cut about 1 hectare of corn stalks.  Still got another 1/2 hectare to cut & bundle.  Corn gathering is hard work and takes all day.  But my chickens have food, I've got cornmeal, and fuel for fire.

This week I'm helping 2 neighbors pick their grapes, then they'll help me with mine.  Then I get to be Lucy from the episode where she went to Italy .....you know what I'm talking about.  Must have CLEAN feet!!!!

Anyway here's a few picks of my corn crib and the corn I've still got to put in the crib!!!