četvrtak, 23. prosinca 2010.

Some last minute ones

Well, today is Badnjak, as we call it in Croatia - the day before Christmas. This Christmas we will be spending with our family in Christ, here in Nova Gradiška. There will be a special meal to which everyone will bring something yummy and my family will host it. I am SO looking forward to it. Many things still to be done, but it's all exciting!

School break officially began today for Jakov, and Josip is staying home for the holidays too. I am so glad we will all be together, celebrating the memory of our Savior's birth: Him coming down to 'Earth's darkest night', spreading His light and giving us the gift of eternal life!! What a Savior!
Encouraged by the fantastic Christmas party my teammates Tim and Rae hosted, I will be spending the next few days visiting neighbors with a plate of homemade cookies, looking for an opportunity to share the Gospel with them. The cards I make are also a kind of a present for my friends and neighbors. Here are some last minute ones:) I love how festive red color is...

But I think I like green even better;)

This one was 'delivered' this evening: I gave it to my lovely friend Ana, who lives just down the street.

All the little sentiments were stamped with my new Croatian stamp set designed by my amazing friend Elizabeta, aka Teta Beta:), who started a little business making cards for different occasions and now even offers stamps in Croatian!! Check out her work HERE.

Well, I wish you all a very merry Christmas!!! Be of good cheer and remember the One 'behind' it all:)!!

četvrtak, 16. prosinca 2010.

A little bit of Christmas cheer:)

Here are some of the cards I've been making lately. For our friends in the States we've sent out a photo card, I hope you guys over the ocean have received them already! These are the ones that will, for the most part, stay within the borders of 'Lijepa naša':).

The first one is a bit special and is intended for a wonderful woman who likes the red and black combination;).


However, these next two sets were really easy to make, and could all go under the category of a 10 minute card:)). But, don't they look lovely? Haha, praising myself...not a way to do it!




I hope you like them. Have a nice evening/day:))!


subota, 27. studenoga 2010.

Little November update


So, what have we been up to in the past month or so? Time goes by quickly, each day is rapidly replaced by the next, work, school, food, clothes, cleaning, house projects 'done' and house projects 'arrested', Reformation Day celebration, Josip's birthday, Sunday morning services, dr. appointments - all in a month's work:))) All of those are also good things. Times of fellowship, times of joy, times of learning self-discipline, times of rest after an exhausting day, times of going to school alone!, times of preaching the Gospel, times of hanging pictures on the wall... A great big 'mess' of things, that will someday be memories to all of us, that will be 'childhood' to my boys.
Even now, I am off: gotta take Luka to the doctor (last week at the cardiologist, he got a clean bill of health - no more of those visits anymore, praise the Lord!) and then to Barb's for a visit. Here are two cards I made recently, one for Jakov's friend and the other one was Josip's B-party invitation. Have fun, everyone:)))

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subota, 16. listopada 2010.

Taking it back:)))


I thought it was about time to 'overwrite' that last post:)).

You see, it was written at the end of my wits, and at the end of my wits there is a little grove, where a little dwarf sits on a tree stump, and laughs at all my efforts. Like, a realist sort of dwarf, who's just saying it like 'it is'. And, as gullible as I am, I usually believe him. Probably because at the end of my wits, you know, there are no clear thoughts, only strips of thoughts, glimpses of them. No big picture, just senseless mosaics that get lifted into whirlwinds and wreak havoc inside me. Which is when I fall down, exhausted by the buzzing pandemonium of my own brain. And then I sit down and blog about it!!!!! I know, it doesn't get more foolish than that;).

So, here is a REAL update:) We happily welcomed Miro back from Berlin. Our wonderful
Husband and Dad even had little presents for us:). Resting my eyes on his beautiful, kind face was probably the biggest treat for me. My eyes truly rest when I look at him. It was always like that. Oh, what a lucky girl I am:)! Blessings everywhere - Jakov doing well at school, Josip enjoying his kindergarten, Luka being healthy and growing all the time, wonderful relationships with brothers and sisters in the Lord...

The only thing that's tempting me to worry is the wall in our bedroom. We actually moved out of it because of some mouldy problems. My allergies have worsened and it seems to be the direct result of sleeping in that bedroom. We are looking at many different remedies, trying to figure out what would put an end to it all (we've already invested a considerable amount of money on it, and the problem is still there). For now, we are trying to dry it by using the air conditioner in there, because it actually functions as an air dehumidifier - this is something we know because God gave us our dearest team leader Charlie:).

Anyway, Autumn is underfoot:), leaves everywhere, beautiful scenery around our town. And...I even managed to make a card the other day. Quite an accomplishment:)! Luka is teething and only takes little naps in between all the crying and clinging to me, poor little guy. 'This too shall pass', and I will probably look back on these moments with nostalgia, because Luka is growing SO FAST!

So, here is the little card I made for a special friend who had her book published the other day:) Love to you all!

petak, 1. listopada 2010.

Is it Sunday yet?


I'm still alive. That I can vouch for. I can't really vouch for many other things. Like, my sanity. From this side of my body, I imagine my nerves looking worn out like old tires - very thin and in danger of tearing... The fact that I don't sleep much must be adding to it ;). I never ever could have guessed how much work my husband does on a daily basis! How many little things he holds together, how many pieces of information, how many threads that hold our lives and keep it on the track. He has been gone for a week and I feel like a zombie.

I am so ready for it to be Sunday :)

subota, 25. rujna 2010.

I (He) can do it:)!

I'm writing this on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Miro and Jakov went to Daruvar, a near-by town, where Miro was invited to speak at a Youth meeting. Tomorrow morning he leaves for Berlin. Wow... Next week will definitely be challenging for me and (the rest of) my house:). Driving Jakov to school, Josip to kindergarten. I hope it will be a sunny week, which would make transporting Luka much easier;) But, whatever the case, I can do everything in the One who gives me strength:)!!!

Anyway, I am SO glad Miro got this wonderful opportunity to spend a week listening to a lecture on New Testament Theology, having fellowship with many brothers from all over the world. I pray he comes home refreshed and energized.

Now, here is a little card I made the other day, using the same stamp set, Gina K's Oh Boy by Tami Mayberry. Last time I forgot to say that my card was very much inspired (if not copied;) by Donna Baker's card made with the same set. (Truth be told, I like EVERYTHING that amazingly talented lady does:)! So, here is my little attempt - the light is bad as usual, but I just love these colours. Hope you like it! Have a wonderful day, dear friends!

subota, 11. rujna 2010.

School time!

School started on Monday! On Monday morning, Jakov took his Hot Wheels school bag, bravely shushed his fears and became a pupil! This whole week passed without any problems. I am so proud of him:).

Josip also started kindergarten. I believe that somehow it was even harder for him - Jakov already knew some of his school buddies, while this was Josip's first introduction to his group...

We've all been a bit nervous this week, but I am so thankful to God for leading us through it all, without any major dificulties. I am praying for wisdom in dealing with my kids on so many levels - intelectually, spiritually, emotionally... Sometimes I really feel so inept for motherhood, or better to say, for being so important in somebody's life. I hope I won't mess up my boys' lives..

On a (much) lighter note, we've had some birthday parties in our neighbourhood these days. I am so happy that we are becoming a part of the area and that the kids get invited to parties. Actually, since we made those invitations for Jakov's birthday a while back, every birthday on our street sports home made invitations - I guess people like the idea! Who knows, maybe that's a beginning of a lovely ministry:)?

Here are two cards I made for those birthdays. First is a candilicious :) card for a girl who hasn't had much sweetness in her young life. The pink background has polka dots on it, but it's not clearly visible.











The second one was for Leonardo (no, he is not one of the Ninja Turtles;), J&J's friend.

srijeda, 25. kolovoza 2010.

Not so fast!






Actually, I meant I did not write this as fast as I wanted to:). You know, the usual excuses, or should I say, the usual suspects (there are four of them in my household... or five, including the dog:))

But, here I am, and I have some nice birthday photos to share. Jakov and his little guests had a great time, and the birthday party lasted full 4 hours!! Thankfully, 2/3 of that time were spent outside, where Miro was great at entertaining all the little football crazed boys. The girls spent their time talking to me(!) and singing the new song by Kim Verson (16 year old national talent show winner). I have it on our camera - it was so funny and cute!

After that, we spent almost three weeks in Dalmatia, visiting parents and friends. We stayed for ten days at a friends' apartment, while they were traveling - so gracious of them!

But you see, being back home didn't hurt any of us too much, especially Miro and me. Being away from home with three little kids can get pretty exhausting. However, we did get to spend a few carefree lying in the sand days...what more could I want? Well, maybe 7 of those:), but hey there's always next summer, Lord willing.

On the right side you can see some birthdays photos and photos from our trip. They are there because after some experimenting I now don't know how to change their position:D

Have a nice day, you wonderful people!!

četvrtak, 15. srpnja 2010.

YAY for CARDS BY ELI:))!!!



I was thrilled to hear that a wonderful friend of mine, Elizabeta Kushner, was into cards, and not only that, but that she is amazing at it and has her own fantastic blog!! It was such a joy to hear that I have a new card making buddy but also a huge encouragement for me to keep up with this blog of mine that gets advertised on our every prayer letter. I really apologize to anyone who had in the past come here only to find out that nothing is going on:(. I plan to do better in the future, and that is all dear Elizabeta's doing:))!

Well, as far as the news go, another birthday is coming up at the Balint-Feudvarski household, and it is Jakov's 7th! We will be celebrating on Saturday, although his birthday is on Sunday the 18th. However, with two Church services to attend, it would have been too much to squeeze in a birthday party as well:)

Here is the invitation for the happy occasion (I was really trying to avoid anything with monsters, aliens, or 'alien force' (Ben 10, for the chosen few who don't know):)).


I hope you like it. Little boats and lighthouses are also the theme of the boys' bedroom and I really like that boyish summery playing in the sand care-free feel.

And now I need to start preparing for the celebration, there is so much still to do! See you soon with the pics:)!

petak, 2. travnja 2010.

One More Card

Here is another easy card I made for Nina's blogiversary. The text says "I am the vine, you are the branches". My card is small and simple, but those words are larger than life - eternal!


Happy Easter everyone!

srijeda, 31. ožujka 2010.

A new card

Maybe it's the March madness, but I've finally decided to write something:)! As the Spring enters our little town of Nova Gradiška, I am also feeling the need to stretch a little bit, take a stroll down the canal, or just stop to smell the flowers. Luka is finally out of his colic stage, and we sometimes sleep more than three hours at a time! What a change! Last night I actually awoke around 3 am, wondering if he was still alive:)

Today hasn't been that good since I am running a little fever and feel like I've been run over buy a truck:)). But hey, it's Easter soon and Easter is my favourite Christian holiday, so my spirits are up! Especially since Charlie and Barb are coming over on Saturday for a little preEaster brunch. Yes, it will be fabulous!!

Anyway, what really brought me out, hehe, is the challenge that Nina is offering on account of her 1 year blogiversary, over at her superb Crafting in Croatia blog. I am entering this card. I wanted to write 'Chantilly lace' as the sentiment (it just went so well with the card), but didn't have the stamp for it (lol), and it was too late to print it out... However, 'Just for you' is also nice. This is actually one of my favourite combinations of colours.

Hmmm, perhaps I'll make another one for this challenge tomorrow...;)

srijeda, 3. veljače 2010.

Luka is here!

Many things happened in the last few weeks, but suffice it to say that Luka had arrived to this world of ours and he is a healthy, strong little candy of a boy:)! I've had some problems with my health but the Lord took care of all that. I like the verse for today on this page: Psalm 59:16. His strength carried me and His love nurtured me all the while I was in the hospital. His unchanging love and mercy shone with such light that my darkness was completely dispelled. Now that I look at it, it seems nothing better could have happened to me than to have ended up in the hospital:)). Well, perhaps:)

My husband has been my BEST FRIEND, my greatest comfort. As I said to a friend a while ago, my reliable and bottomless source of love. Where does he store it:)?

Also, what kept me going when I was thinking that I was running on empty were the prayers of my brothers and sisters. I took such comfort in that. In a certain, strong sense, it meant to me that God was not giving up on me - on the contrary, He was raising a little army of prayer warriors to lift me up in their prayers - What love and comfort!!

(I wish I could write better and longer about this terrible/wonderful experience...)

Anyway, I'm all better now:), at home with my family. Little Luka is eating and sleeping well, and J & J seem to like him a lot:) Miro can finally rest, at least at night, for he was bottle feeding Luka while I was in the hospital. He was so exhausted, since that came at the tail of a long tiresome journey of taking care of EVERYTHING for a few months, just when we thought he was out of the woods. Bam! But, loving as he is, he did it all without murmuring. In Him who gives us the strength, for He is the vine and we are the branches...

So, here's looking at my husband and children; you, my brothers and sisters;, and Him who is our all! THANK YOU!!!