My 2-cents on Ukraine

I am always hesitant to post any kind of political views on social media. I have lots of friends that do, and I don’t mind reading them. I just have never felt comfortable throwing it all out there. So consider this post my once a year political rambling. I’m not actually trying to make any political statements. Just a lot of mixed emotions.

I have always been in the camp that is happy for America to take care of Americans. I don’t think they should not care for and provide aid for others when we can. We have so many in need in our country and maybe everyone doesn’t want us butting in.

So now that I live ‘out there’ and have had the opportunity to get to know people from other countries, I am so torn over Ukraine. I would be terrified of military action against Russia over Ukraine. But I suddenly have so much sympathy for those in Ukraine. The hardest part to wrap my brain around is the fact that some Ukrainians are looking to us for help. I have heard people say, “We are criticized if we help and criticized if we don’t”. I understand that. But the Ukrainian people wanting a western-style democracy, wanting what we have, only know what is possible because we, and other countries like us, have been examples of democracy.

Are we dangling a carrot and then running for the hills when someone does what it takes to grab it?

I know that as a nation our government is working tirelessly to help bring about a peaceful resolution. We are doing what we can for Ukraine. I am not questioning that at all. I am just surprised at how troubled I am over what we just can’t do. I am becoming aware of others in a new way. It is an area in my life that obviously needs growth and growth can be uncomfortable. Especially when the stark reality is that there is no right way and a lot of gray area to traverse. 

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Before I moved out of the country, I thought culture shock was based in homesickness. I also thought it wouldn’t really effect me.

Ha!

Both of those statements are very untrue. Homesickness is something one can learn to manage. Culture shock is a beast all its own. Maybe I’ll be able to explain it one day. I am certainly getting lots of experience dealing with it.

Homesickness, though, is something that I have been thinking about all day. I have discovered that for most people in the foreign service, the ability to choose not to think about things is crucial to avoiding the kind of homesickness that can swallow a person whole.

I have really gotten good at deciding to not think about how much I miss home. Home for me is my granny’s kitchen. If I give myself the tiniest bit of mental leeway, I am transported right to my spot at her table watching life happen in our family. I know the sounds and smells of family, my family, down to the smallest details. And I miss it so much.

Like I said, I have gotten good at changing the channel in my mind. But today has been different. Today marks a year ago that I lost my granddaddy. He was such a large part of my life back ‘home’. It is hard to imagine that he is not there. His place is at that table. Just for the day I chose to let my mind drift back there. I wore my granddaddy’s sweater all day and I have been sad. I have missed him. I have missed home. I have missed my family.

The part of me that wants to be home can feel overwhelming at times. Don’t get me wrong; I am right where I’m supposed to be. That doesn’t mean I don’t long for some good ole Southern charm!

Tomorrow I will get up and enjoy living in Poland. I will choose to ignore the tug on my heart for home. I’m glad I can choose joy in where God has placed us; but I hope home always keeps that tug. That tugs lets me know that part of my heart is still in Georgia.

Christmas Quiche Made Small

So I might be one of the few people who have never made a quiche. Growing up, quiche was what old people ate, so I never really saw the appeal. 

Earlier in the year, my aunt made a great quiche while we were visiting and Carlie, my foodie, has not let up about me learning how to make one.

Christmas morning (ish) seemed like a great time to give it a try. What does a non-recipe follower do to learn how to make quiche? Watch a YouTube video. Well, actually several YouTube videos. I had a general idea of what I wanted to put in ours and mad sure we had all of our ingredients. I even had a stroke of genius and decided that cream cheese belonged in quiche. Can you say “Yummy!”

After our YouTube marathon, each adult picked a part to tackle and we got to work.

I learned from the pumpkin pie debacle at Thanksgiving and found a pre-made Polish pie crust.

I cut the cream cheese in chunks and laid it over the crust.

Jason fried bacon and that became the next layer.

We sautéed mushrooms, onions and garlic that were layered in next.

Then came cheese. I mixed cheddar and parmesan. 

Finally we beat up a bunch of eggs, added salt, pepper, and heavy cream. Our method was definitely not the Lite version.

We poured the egg mixture over the cheese and popped it in the oven.

And oh my goodness, YUMMY! Definitely a new tradition in the Luttrull household.

Since we liked the quiche so much I decided to make a much lighter version in muffin pans to freeze in preparation for our kitchen renovations.

I used the same basic method.

 I still used a tiny bit of cream cheese, left out the bacon and the crust, added lots more veggies, and swapped almond milk for heavy cream.

They are not Christmas quiche good, but they definitely make a great, easy-to-warm-up breakfast for all of us now that we are back on the go in the mornings!

Happy Belated Holidays!

The Holidays were very different for us this year. 

You know there is the obvious – we are celebrating in Poland! But we are different this year. 2013 changed each of us. We have been pushed past where we thought our limits were. We have learned so much about ourselves and about who God is making us.

Thanksgiving officially kicked off the celebrations. This year we had the privilege of hosting new friends and even a few people we didn’t even know! 

It was not the loud and crazy carb-loaded feast that we have grown accustomed to. It was nice though. We really reflected on the things we have to be grateful for. 

Oh, and I attempted to make pumpkin pie. That was an experience that I don’t plan to repeat. Let’s just say the crust won the war!

We were so blessed to have Hayley (my sister) and Bo (my cousin) come to visit for 9 days during Christmas time. Their visit made things a little less emotional for the Luttrull girls. Jason is a rock. We tried our very best to squish as much Poland into their visit as possible.

A major highlight was our train trip to Krakow. It is a beautiful city about 3 hours south of Warsaw and is known for having wonderful Christmas markets.

 

They did not disappoint! The girl’s even got to ice skate while we were there.

We had the privilege to host a fun Christmas celebration the weekend before Christmas. I planned to take lots of pictures, but I was too busy having fun! I did manage to snap a shot of some of the goodies we made for the festivities.

The best surprise of the season was that Carlie got a new kitten, Polka. She has been begging. I really don’t like animals – AT ALL. Somehow she still got her way. I was actually as excited as everyone else to surprise her with it. Her reaction was priceless.

A four course Christmas dinner has been my tradition for years. This year I decided to dial it down and enjoy the day with my family. We actually watched a movie! A more low key meal was worth having the extra time. I attempted to bake my first turkey. That, too was an experience that I have no plan to repeat. Let’s just say vegetarian Christmas dinner!

We decked the halls, celebrated with family and friends, had a visit from Santa, and loved on each other. All the makings for a very Merry Christmas!