Much like we marked time and practices by "before 9/11" and "after 9/11," I have a feeling we are going to start marking our time by "Before Coronavirus" and "After Coronavirus."
Looking at these events that transpired less than a month ago, they already feel so unbelievable, just a couple of weeks into quarantine... I want to tell myself back then, "Go get a hair cut!" "Eat that favorite meal out!" "Take a day trip to the countryside!" "Enjoy the freedom to drive!"
But alas, we took much for granted ... Here are a few pics I found on my camera from those blissful days. :-)
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One day we stopped in at the Valdete Trust to visit Tiffany's English Class. Nathan is demonstrating a game where he had to ask descriptive questions to guess the name of the person written on the paper on his forehead. It was a lot of fun, as you can imagine!
Initially Reni starting hosting Nerf wars with two friends indoors. Then as the weather improved, they moved outdoors and let Luli join. It didn't take long for the word to spread and crowds of boys started forming at our gate each afternoon. Eventually, there were so many boys, they had to play in shifts! Eventually they had to stop because they destroyed or lost most of the bullets. Sadly, Gigi brought more bullets (around 1000, I think!), but not before the quarantine went into effect! When it's lifted, it will be every man for himself in our courtyard! :-)
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| The Balkans will be safe as long as these boys have anything to say about it! :-) |
Every Friday the kids usually cook or bake something in school with Pam. As part of their study of Europe, they made a Victoria Sponge cake. We added an blend of raspberry jam and mascarpone in between. It. Was. So. Good. The young adults at Bible study agreed! No leftovers!
March 7 is "Teachers Day" in Albania. Our friends gifted Nathan with a cake as a token of thanks for his teaching them from the Bible each week!
The kids make some pretty incredible crafts in school, thanks to Ms. Pam. Unfortunately in our small home I can't keep them all for long so I try to photograph them all, especially their favorites. This was from their study of Mexico.
On March 7 we visited the Hope Center. Below, one of my friends writes her well wishes to me on the chalk board.
We made milkshakes which were a huge hit! Not a common thing here.
This year there are only two girls in the group home, the other +80% are boys! Ellie loves the special attention she gets!
We had grand plans for expanding our product line at Handmade In Albania with some new spring items, but alas, we didn't get to launch our online shop with the uncertainty of our visitors' return travel plans. Not to mention, the bulk of our inventory was stuck at Tiffany's apartment in Tirana and we didn't have a straightforward way to get access to it with the driving ban.
So instead, I will just show you a few of the adorable products the ladies made. Maybe we will be able to sell these in the fall??
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| What do you think of this adorable bunny rabbit hat made by Merita? |
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| I am in love with this spring garland I have hung over my door. There are three more in stock! |
Aware that not everyone lives in a cold weather climate, and that not everyone needs ANOTHER stocking hat or scarf, I wanted to try adding some home decor items. I LOVE these garlands. They measure about 6 feet long each and can add a special touch on a mantle piece, shelf, door frame... you name it! They include loops at the ends for easy hanging. My favorite is the solid cream garland (center, below) which I think would be lovely on a Christmas tree! These were made by Nazmije...
Roshi made several ADORABLE bunny rabbit hats for kids as well as this bunny rabbit garland -- perfect for Easter or a baby nursery! Like the garlands above, the bunny garland measures 2 meters long.
We also have some pretty spring floral garlands. And the best thing is, the flowers never die and can be used each year as part of your spring decor (or really, any time of year)! Bottom left, you can see our pastel Easter egg garland.
Please send me your feedback on these items. Do you like them? Would you buy them or be happy to receive as a gift? We want to know. It's always a bit scary asking the ladies to try a new, untested product! :-)
These two (below) are such servants! The day after it was announced we had our first case of Covid-19, I heard noise downstairs and discovered these two were disinfecting everything -- chairs, counters, door handles, etc.
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