Thursday, February 13, 2014
Being a Bal in Turkey
Having the last name of Bal has had it's interesting moments through the years. Most of the time it's just getting people to understand that it's pronounced just like the word ball, but it just has one "l." At one time in Jason's Air Force career he had the call sign No L. You would think having a 3 letter last name wouldn't require you to have to spell it, but I do, all the time. And I always get the look of expectation like there should be more, or the question of "Is that it?"
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
365 little things *24-31
Is anyone else watching Sherlock?
Ahhhh! I love this show! But now I am bummed that Season 3 is already over (all 3 episodes of it.) I guess I will just have to rewatch the old seasons. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime and a VPN.
And now onto the rest of January's photos...
January 24 - Little Monsters. We had a no school day, so to keep the boys busy, (and for us to watch some Doctor Who together) my neighbor, Ashley, and her son, David, came over and we made Valentine crafts. We all made some of these furry creatures, and the boys made heart ninjas. Monsters and ninjas = Life with boys.
January 25 - Like father, like son. So cute. It's like mirror image, time travelling technology!
January 26 - This house eats glass. I can't even tell you how many things have gotten broken since we've lived in this house. With marble counter tops and tile floors, we've had many, many casualties. These broken bits were formerly a bread pan. Argh!
January 27 - Cloudy day. This time of the year is typically the rainy season here in Turkey. This was one of those rainy days, and the clouds were doing some funky stuff, too.
January 28 - Hello, Mr. Snail. Snails are EVERYWHERE and plentiful here. Escargot, anyone? Ha ha. This gigantic one was making his way in the grass beside our patio.
January 29 - I like owls. I had forgotten I had this one, and found him the other day when I was going through some craft stuff. He's hanging out on the mantel now. He makes me happy.
January 30 - Oxidized chocolate. When you pay for Ghirardelli, it should not look like this. Just another quirk of living in Turkey, and believe me there are many!
January 31 - Multi-Tasker. It was apparently a play Connect 4, Potato Heads, and do science projects all at the same time kind of day. If only I could do the same with laundry, PTA, housework and blogging. I think I need more hands.
Ahhhh! I love this show! But now I am bummed that Season 3 is already over (all 3 episodes of it.) I guess I will just have to rewatch the old seasons. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime and a VPN.
And now onto the rest of January's photos...
January 24 - Little Monsters. We had a no school day, so to keep the boys busy, (and for us to watch some Doctor Who together) my neighbor, Ashley, and her son, David, came over and we made Valentine crafts. We all made some of these furry creatures, and the boys made heart ninjas. Monsters and ninjas = Life with boys.
January 25 - Like father, like son. So cute. It's like mirror image, time travelling technology!
January 26 - This house eats glass. I can't even tell you how many things have gotten broken since we've lived in this house. With marble counter tops and tile floors, we've had many, many casualties. These broken bits were formerly a bread pan. Argh!
January 27 - Cloudy day. This time of the year is typically the rainy season here in Turkey. This was one of those rainy days, and the clouds were doing some funky stuff, too.
January 28 - Hello, Mr. Snail. Snails are EVERYWHERE and plentiful here. Escargot, anyone? Ha ha. This gigantic one was making his way in the grass beside our patio.
January 29 - I like owls. I had forgotten I had this one, and found him the other day when I was going through some craft stuff. He's hanging out on the mantel now. He makes me happy.
January 30 - Oxidized chocolate. When you pay for Ghirardelli, it should not look like this. Just another quirk of living in Turkey, and believe me there are many!
January 31 - Multi-Tasker. It was apparently a play Connect 4, Potato Heads, and do science projects all at the same time kind of day. If only I could do the same with laundry, PTA, housework and blogging. I think I need more hands.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
365 little things *17-23
Hello. Has anyone else had a super fast week? I guess mine was quick because there was only school 3 days this week. That means we had time to get up to some fun stuff on the other 2 days, and you know what they say, "Time flies when you're having fun!" Haha. I had to.
Jan 17 - Clothes Bal. Chloe seems to have a revolving list of nicknames, Clothes Bal being the most recent one. Of course, she answers to all of them with licks and exuberant happiness.
Jan 18 - Dondurma. Dondurma is Turkish for ice cream in case you hadn't deduced that. :)
On Saturday, a few ladies and I from our squadron spouses group went on an outing to the Women's Market in Adana. We had a fun time shopping, and then afterwards we had lunch, and then made a stop at the ice cream shop. Turkish ice cream is tasty. This is the Kup Amaretto from Mado.
Jan 19 - Skyfall Bridge, James Bond Bridge, German Bridge, Koca Köprü, Varda Viaduct. i.e. A Bridge With Many Names. Jason, Brennan and I went adventuring on Sunday to go check out this bridge, and a canyon nearby. This is the train bridge in the chase scene in the beginning of the James Bond movie, Skyfall. It is also the tallest bridge in Turkey. That became quite obvious as we walked across it. I'm glad there was a guard rail.
Jan 20 - "It's Starting to Look Valentiney Around Here!" Or according to Brennan, "Yay, gumballs!"
Jan 21 - Oh No, Two Decorating Pictures In A Row. I couldn't resist though, the mercury glass candle holders Andrew got me for Christmas finally made it through the mail (and unbroken!), so I had to put them out right away. Can you tell I love them just a little bit. :)
Jan 22 - A Growing Collection. Brennan picks up "treasures" almost every time we walk home from school. These are the things that haven't blown away or got knocked off by the neighborhood cat.
Jan 23- 12 minutes. That was about the amount of time that all of the laundry was done this week. That never happens around here, so I had to document the occasion.
Jan 17 - Clothes Bal. Chloe seems to have a revolving list of nicknames, Clothes Bal being the most recent one. Of course, she answers to all of them with licks and exuberant happiness.
Jan 18 - Dondurma. Dondurma is Turkish for ice cream in case you hadn't deduced that. :)
On Saturday, a few ladies and I from our squadron spouses group went on an outing to the Women's Market in Adana. We had a fun time shopping, and then afterwards we had lunch, and then made a stop at the ice cream shop. Turkish ice cream is tasty. This is the Kup Amaretto from Mado.
Jan 19 - Skyfall Bridge, James Bond Bridge, German Bridge, Koca Köprü, Varda Viaduct. i.e. A Bridge With Many Names. Jason, Brennan and I went adventuring on Sunday to go check out this bridge, and a canyon nearby. This is the train bridge in the chase scene in the beginning of the James Bond movie, Skyfall. It is also the tallest bridge in Turkey. That became quite obvious as we walked across it. I'm glad there was a guard rail.
Jan 20 - "It's Starting to Look Valentiney Around Here!" Or according to Brennan, "Yay, gumballs!"
Jan 21 - Oh No, Two Decorating Pictures In A Row. I couldn't resist though, the mercury glass candle holders Andrew got me for Christmas finally made it through the mail (and unbroken!), so I had to put them out right away. Can you tell I love them just a little bit. :)
Jan 22 - A Growing Collection. Brennan picks up "treasures" almost every time we walk home from school. These are the things that haven't blown away or got knocked off by the neighborhood cat.
Jan 23- 12 minutes. That was about the amount of time that all of the laundry was done this week. That never happens around here, so I had to document the occasion.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Tuesday Travels - Kizkalesi
Back in early July we spent a few days in Kizkalesi, another Mediterranean coastal town. Kizkalesi is in the Mersin province and it's English translation is "maiden's castle."
The legend of Kizkalesi Castle is that a fortune teller told the king that his daughter would be killed by a snakebite. He thought to protect her by building this castle off the shore to protect her from snakes. The castle didn't protect her though. In the end, a snake was brought to the island in a basket of fruit, and she was bitten and died. Apparently the same story is told for a Kizkalesi Castle in Istanbul, so who knows if the tale is true or not.
This beach was definitely more crowded than the one in Karatas.
Give Brennan a pail and shovel and a spot to dig and he's good.
I think he was building a castle.
There were vendors walking around selling about anything you could imagine. That takes some skills to balance a big tray of bread on your head. Also check out the lady sitting on the left. That is one version of a Turkish swimsuit. Basically fully clothed, including a head scarf.
Brennan has such an easy time making friends. He met this little girl at the Rain Cafe, a little restaurant that was close to the hotel where we stayed. I don't know how much they understood each other, but they had fun playing games.
In Kizkalesi there is another castle onshore called Korykos Castle. With it being so crowded, and so HOT we spent our time in town on the beach, but both castles are open for touring. Kizkalesi isn't too far away from us, so we plan to go back on a slower weekend.
The legend of Kizkalesi Castle is that a fortune teller told the king that his daughter would be killed by a snakebite. He thought to protect her by building this castle off the shore to protect her from snakes. The castle didn't protect her though. In the end, a snake was brought to the island in a basket of fruit, and she was bitten and died. Apparently the same story is told for a Kizkalesi Castle in Istanbul, so who knows if the tale is true or not.
This beach was definitely more crowded than the one in Karatas.
Give Brennan a pail and shovel and a spot to dig and he's good.
I think he was building a castle.
There were vendors walking around selling about anything you could imagine. That takes some skills to balance a big tray of bread on your head. Also check out the lady sitting on the left. That is one version of a Turkish swimsuit. Basically fully clothed, including a head scarf.
Brennan has such an easy time making friends. He met this little girl at the Rain Cafe, a little restaurant that was close to the hotel where we stayed. I don't know how much they understood each other, but they had fun playing games.
In Kizkalesi there is another castle onshore called Korykos Castle. With it being so crowded, and so HOT we spent our time in town on the beach, but both castles are open for touring. Kizkalesi isn't too far away from us, so we plan to go back on a slower weekend.
Friday, January 17, 2014
365 little things *10-16
January 10 - Sick Day. Jason hardly ever gets sick, but when he does, he's down for the count. Our couch was Sick Central for a few days over this one. Poor guy. Thankfully, he's much better now.
January 11 - Goofiness in 3D. Brennan loves looking at 3D books, and taking selfies on my tablet. Combine the two, and throw in Mommy as a willing participant, and you have lots of giggles and goofy faces.
January 12 - Scooting Around. I'm sure that technically he's too big for this scooter, but he still likes it, so we're good. This was Sunday, and since Jason was feeling a little better and a bit claustrophobic, we went for a drive and then came home and spent some time hanging out outside.
January 13 - There Will Be Days Like This. This was one of those days, I was busy all day, and didn't even think about picking up my camera until it was way past dark. This Dreamlite puppy is part of Brennan's bedtime routine. **♪ Dream Lite, sleep tight, starry night with Dream Lite.... ♫** Just in case it's been awhile since that song has been stuck in your head. You're welcome.
January 14 - Bunting in Progress. I've been working on some Valentine crafts this week. This doily bunting was easy, and it consisted of stuff I already had. The best kind of project!
January 15 - Bye, Bye Banana Tree. - Well, at least temporarily. Our gardener let us know it was time to hack down our gigantic banana tree for the winter. Boo. I know it has to be cut back, and that it will grow back fast, but our backyard looks so barren without it in the meantime.
January 16 - Artsy Organization. I've been in house fluffing mode,so today I gathered up all of the art supplies we use most often, and put them all together in a tray on the dining room table. It makes sense, since that's where we use them the most, and their colorful togetherness makes me happy. (For now.) :)
Anybody else out there doing a photo project this year? Let me know...I'd love to follow along!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Tuesday Travels - Karatas Beach
It's hard to believe we've been in Turkey for over a year now. Last year started terribly with me breaking my ankle, so we were unable to do much or go far from the house until the summer months came around. We did get out as soon as I was able, but those adventures never made it to the blog.
Well, with a new year comes a new start, and since I know you all want to see some pictures of Turkey, I'm going to backtrack and post about those trips until I get caught up. As you can see, I even got really clever, and I'm calling the catch up posts Tuesday Travels.
Are you ready?
Our first stop is Karatas Beach, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Adana Province. I don't have many pictures, because I spent most of the time just enjoying the beach, and not taking pictures.
Karatas Beach. It's pretty cool when you go to the beach in Turkey. No sooner than your feet hit the sand, a beach attendant is there to bring you chairs and an umbrella. (For a small fee, of course.)
The water was nice and warm. Brennan loves to swim. I think this summer we need to get him into swimming lessons.
Like I said, not many pictures of our trip to Karatas, but we had a fun time. It is on our list to go back to this summer.
Well, with a new year comes a new start, and since I know you all want to see some pictures of Turkey, I'm going to backtrack and post about those trips until I get caught up. As you can see, I even got really clever, and I'm calling the catch up posts Tuesday Travels.
Are you ready?
Our first stop is Karatas Beach, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Adana Province. I don't have many pictures, because I spent most of the time just enjoying the beach, and not taking pictures.
Karatas Beach. It's pretty cool when you go to the beach in Turkey. No sooner than your feet hit the sand, a beach attendant is there to bring you chairs and an umbrella. (For a small fee, of course.)
The water was nice and warm. Brennan loves to swim. I think this summer we need to get him into swimming lessons.
Like I said, not many pictures of our trip to Karatas, but we had a fun time. It is on our list to go back to this summer.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Photo Project -The 2014 Edition: 365 little things *1-9
If you've been hanging around here for awhile, you know I'm not much on making and keeping New Year's resolutions. You may have also observed I am a big fan of photography, and like to start off the year with a photo project. This year will be no exception. Maybe I will get further through the year with this one. And maybe, since I was the world's worst blogger of 2013, I will get back into the groove of blogging two or three times a week. This will hopefully guarantee at least one of those times. :)
Alrighty then.
Photo Project - The 2014 Edition: 365 little things begins now.
January 1 - 12:02 a.m. (Ok, so obviously I didn't take this picture. But, since I have no rules for my photo project, I'm going with it. I don't remember who did take this picture that night, so thank you picture taker, and welcome to the project!) This was how Jason and I started 2014. Having fun with friends, decked out in 1920s style! Here's to a great 2014!
January 2 -Reality Bites. Back to Reality. Time to unpack all of our bags from our trip to the States. I really detest unpacking. I may or may not have lived out of this suitcase for a few more days after this picture was taken, and Jason may or may not have put this stuff away for me in the end.
January 3 - Reading Divergent. Has any one else read this series yet? I was engrossed, and had to read all three books, back to back. Thank goodness the series was all written, because I hate to start a book and then find out I have to wait for months or years (Diana Gabaldon. Grr.) to see how the story ends. It didn't end how I thought it would, but it was still a good read.
January 4 - Goggle-y eyes. Brennan still loves to play in the bath tub. And, yes, googles are a requirement.
January 5 - In the Cartoon Zone. I'm not sure what show he was watching so intently, but he wasn't missing a bit of it! I like that he's holding Darth Vader's lightsaber. Stars Wars and Legos are his current obsessions.
January 6 - Makin' Mayo. Back in December, Jason and I decided to go Paleo. We took a break while we were in Indiana, and now we are back on the wagon again. One of the things I do every week is make a batch of mayo. It is a bit time consuming, and sometimes it doesn't turn out. This was a good batch, and later helped to make some Ranch Dip and Honey Mustard Sauce. Yum!
January 7 - Tiny Daisy. Brennan and I walked home from school this day, and he picked me a little flower on our walk. I love that he can be such a sweet boy.
January 8 - Legos, Legos, Everywhere. I mentioned earlier that Brennan's newest interest is Legos. I did not realize before now how Legos can fully infiltrate your life. These tiny plastic bits end up everywhere! This is the pile that is perpetually on the bar in our kitchen. Brennan likes to sit there and play with them while I'm chopping and cooking stuff. Thankfully I haven't stepped on one barefoot yet, but I'm sure that day will come.
January 9 - Snowflake Ring from a 5-year-old: Priceless. Back in December there was a Christmas Shop set up at school for the kids to buy gifts for their friends and family. Brennan bought me an ornament and this snowflake ring. He asked me to put it in my jewelry box with my other rings. You know I had to say yes to that. :)
Alrighty then.
Photo Project - The 2014 Edition: 365 little things begins now.
January 1 - 12:02 a.m. (Ok, so obviously I didn't take this picture. But, since I have no rules for my photo project, I'm going with it. I don't remember who did take this picture that night, so thank you picture taker, and welcome to the project!) This was how Jason and I started 2014. Having fun with friends, decked out in 1920s style! Here's to a great 2014!
January 2 -
January 3 - Reading Divergent. Has any one else read this series yet? I was engrossed, and had to read all three books, back to back. Thank goodness the series was all written, because I hate to start a book and then find out I have to wait for months or years (Diana Gabaldon. Grr.) to see how the story ends. It didn't end how I thought it would, but it was still a good read.
January 4 - Goggle-y eyes. Brennan still loves to play in the bath tub. And, yes, googles are a requirement.
January 5 - In the Cartoon Zone. I'm not sure what show he was watching so intently, but he wasn't missing a bit of it! I like that he's holding Darth Vader's lightsaber. Stars Wars and Legos are his current obsessions.
January 6 - Makin' Mayo. Back in December, Jason and I decided to go Paleo. We took a break while we were in Indiana, and now we are back on the wagon again. One of the things I do every week is make a batch of mayo. It is a bit time consuming, and sometimes it doesn't turn out. This was a good batch, and later helped to make some Ranch Dip and Honey Mustard Sauce. Yum!
January 7 - Tiny Daisy. Brennan and I walked home from school this day, and he picked me a little flower on our walk. I love that he can be such a sweet boy.
January 8 - Legos, Legos, Everywhere. I mentioned earlier that Brennan's newest interest is Legos. I did not realize before now how Legos can fully infiltrate your life. These tiny plastic bits end up everywhere! This is the pile that is perpetually on the bar in our kitchen. Brennan likes to sit there and play with them while I'm chopping and cooking stuff. Thankfully I haven't stepped on one barefoot yet, but I'm sure that day will come.
January 9 - Snowflake Ring from a 5-year-old: Priceless. Back in December there was a Christmas Shop set up at school for the kids to buy gifts for their friends and family. Brennan bought me an ornament and this snowflake ring. He asked me to put it in my jewelry box with my other rings. You know I had to say yes to that. :)
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