Going Stir-Crazy!

Glenn has been gone for almost 2 weeks and I've done all my projects, caught up on emails, and cleaned the house.  I'm ready for him to be home again!  While I've enjoyed the "I" time doing what I want, eating what I want, and going to bed when I want, I'm tired of being here alone.  This last week I've tried to find things to do with friends to keep myself from becoming bored.  :-)

Judit and I spent one morning at her house doing a craft project that is very common here in Hungary.  Basically, you decoupage a small box with single-ply napkins.  I haven't decoupaged since the 70's!  

Judit reminds me of Glenn's mother.  She doesn't throw out a singe thing.  Her house is packed from top to bottom with things they might need such as 50 cardboard egg cartons, or 100 Carte d'Or ice cream containers, or a 1000 last-of-the-pack dinner napkins!

After choosing a dinner napkin that I wanted to cover my Kiri cheese box with, I painted a base coat over any colored pictures, words or designs on the box that might bleed or show through the napkin.  I then painted a thin coat of, get this, "napkin glue" on the box before gently placing the napkin over it, pushing down the napkin to get all the air holes out, and being careful not to tear the wet, thin paper in the process.

After the glue dried, I trimmed the edges of the napkin to give it a clean edge and voila!  I had a small decorated box for holding small things such as jewelry, buttons or whatever.  I made two boxes in about 2 hours.  It was fun just to be crafting something; not sure what I'll do with the boxes but it was fun to learn how to do it with Judit.

Would you believe we are back into winter weather now?  I went jogging the other day and worked out in the yard with a short sleeve tee shirt, and was comfortable as long as I was moving.  I was so excited that spring seemed to be just days away, and then we get this one last snowfall (at least I hope it is the last one for the year!)  It was a real blizzard for a couple of hours , and we got about 3 inches by time it was over.

We have Tulips and Jonquils and Crocus peeping their blooms through the snow!  Fortunately, the next day it warmed up a LITTLE and some of the snow melted.  

On Friday, Janet and I caught the bus into downtown and went to visit little Ava.    It's amazing how much she has grown just in a month.

Glenn returned on Saturday afternoon, bringing lots of goodies from America.  (We had made a list of things to pick up while he was there.)   We spent most of Saturday unpacking his bags and putting things away, so today we're just relaxing and enjoying our Sabbath rest!

We'll be here for another week before we hit the road again!  Bets, anyone, as to where we're going this time?

I love Budapest!

I love Budapest.  What's not to love?  It's a beautiful city with great places to walk and interesting things to see and do, and oh, the history here!  Not that I particularly love history, but for others, I know they love it.  :-)

Glenn is in the U.S. for one more week so I'm still on my own and keeping busy so that I won't be lonely.

Judit and I came into town on Thursday for her to do some fabric shopping.  Even though it was overcast and cool, it was nice to be able to spend some time together and walk around.

Friday evening I went with Janet to the Teto Galleria to see an art exhibition of a sister of a friend of hers.  It was a cultural experience for us, so in that respect it was fun.  It started at 5:00 pm.  We thought that meant that was when the doors opened, but it must've meant that you come early and peruse the art works, and then at 5:00 pm sharp they start the program with various people talking about the artist and her life.  Her artwork was actually very good and we enjoyed the experience!

After the art show Janet and I went to Johnny's Bistro, a new American hamburger place that opened 8 months ago.  Johnny is from California and married to a Hungarian woman, and he makes some great hamburgers!!!  My new favorite place!

Saturday, Denise finished with the language coaches meeting and spent the day and night with me before returning to Poland on Sunday morning.  Denise and I had a great time talking and walking downtown for hours on end.  It was great fun!

We walked from Gellert Hotel up Gellert Hill, down the other side, along the river to the spot across from the Parliament building for a photo op.

Then we back tracked to the Szechenyi-Chain Bridge and crossed over the Danube River to St. Stephens basilica.  We stopped for a cup of coffee, then headed up Vaci Street to stop in some of the tourist shops.

We stopped in one shop long enough to watch a young lady paint gorgeous scenes on wooden eggs.  She paints the most beautiful pictures of men and women in traditional Hungarian dress.   Then we continued on down Vaci Street to the Szabasag Bridge, crossed back over the river, and caught the tram in front of the Gellert Hotel back to our neighborhood.

Monday, when I met one of our ladies for a cup of coffee at Campona Mall, I saw they had a huge Lego display spread through-out the middle.  My favorite was the huge head of Albert Einstein, completely made of Legos!  I wish my son was able to see it.  He would have loved the 10 foot tall Darth Vader!

So, less than a week before Glenn returns.  Saturday, come quickly.

Flying solo!

Well, Glenn is in Georgia and I'm here in Budapest.  He is helping his mother pack some of her belongings and next week will move her from his brother's house in Marietta to North Augusta, S.C. where she will stay with his sister for a while.  I am "holding down the fort" until he returns.  I've got a mega list of things to do while he is gone and I am sooooo enjoying ticking them off the list.

The weather finally turned a little warmer and we got some sunshine on Sunday.  People were obviously chompin' at the bit to get out of their houses because the sidewalks and parks were crowded with couples strolling about, children playing in sandboxes, joggers on the roads, babies being pushed in their prams or strollers, and parents walking behind their children miles ahead on tricycles, bikes with training wheels and two-wheelers!  It reminded me of ants hatching out of nests in Ivory Coast and just pouring out of their holes.  People everywhere!  

If you recall, just a few weeks ago I posted a picture of children and adults sledding down the hill in the background of the picture with the jogger who is wearing shorts and a tee-shirt!

I've been doing okay by myself (you know, not hearing noises go bump in the night that keep me awake until the sun rises), but I sure could have used Glenn's help the other morning when I tried to fix a pot of coffee for a friend of mine from Poland who came to spend a night with me before attending a conference in town.  Hmmmm, I guess our new coffee machine doesn't require paper filters, does it, Glenn?  The water and coffee grounds just kept overflowing from the top of the machine, down the sides, across the counter, making a royal mess. 

Denise and I, coffee fiends that we are, decided a walk down to the coffee shop at the mall was just the thing we needed!  I haven't had the nerve to try a second pot without a filter, just in case that wasn't the problem.  But that's okay.  I have a "Favorite Customer Card" from the Coffeehouse Company and I only need two more coffees before I get a free one!

I mentioned earlier that I've been working off a list and ticking things off as I complete them.  I love people, but I am also task-oriented and a list maker, so if something comes up that takes a lot of time, I have been known to add it to my list (after the fact) and then cross it out ... just to make myself feel that sense of accomplishment!

Anyway, my list is almost two full pages long, and I've marked through 50%-60% of the items!  Maybe before Glenn gets back, I will have accomplished everything on the list and will be bored.  NOT!   No, if I finish everything on the list, I will find myself a good book, a box of bonbons, and the comfy couch and I'll have a great time reading just for pleasure!!!

I've got a lot going on this week ... so not likely to start that book.  Budapest team meeting/pot-luck dinner Wednesday evening, going fabric shopping in town with Judit on Thursday morning, English conversation class on Thursday evening, a ladies slumber party on Friday night, and Denise coming back to my house on Saturday for one more night before she returns to Poland.  All that, plus all the little things on my list!  Busy, busy, busy.

Hope your week is as good as mine will be!