2012 February

Benefits of the Basket Life: More Aware of the Need for “Daily Bread”

February 29, 2012 By Erin Crispin 2 Comments

This summer our Sunday School class at church was going through the book A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World. I had already read the book about 1.5 years ago, but it was one I definitely did not mind reading through again. One Sunday as we were discussing the section of the Lord’s Prayer where it asks for our daily bread, it hit me how our lifestyle makes me more aware of the need for that prayer.

No ones life is secure or will necessarily go the way it is planned out. But when you live in the same house your whole adult life or work the same job for 30 years or sit under the same pastor and worship int eh same building as you did when you were 5 years old, it is easy to become complacent. None of those things are bad things. That is not what I am saying. I am saying that without change and the “unknown”, you can often be lulled into a sense of having control of your life. You can be fooled into thinking that God is not the author and creator or everything in your life.

One of the advantages I have seen of living this lifestyle or change and uncertainty is that it makes me more aware of how needy I am. I need the daily bread of God for everything:

to trust Him when Joe is gone and I am alone with the 4 kids
to act in faith when I step out and try new things (anywhere from food, to a new store, to a new word in a different language)
to believe in His best for my children in an unconventional lifestyle
to wait for Him to provide each year as we wait for a contract/job

Although I can often long for a “normal” life, I have seen that these circumstances when I need to trust God for the next thing have strengthened my faith. They have shown me that God is One who acts in the big and little details of our lives. It is a blessing to look to God for your daily bread each and every day.

Filed Under: Christianity

Favorite Foods from Our International Travels

February 27, 2012 By Erin Crispin 3 Comments

One of my favorite things about our travels have been all the different kinds of foods we have been able to try from around the world. Of course, sometimes that can be a disadvantage when you grow to really enjoy a local food and then are craving it when you are in a different country. Having lived now in 6 different countries we have been abel to experience a variety of foods. Here are some of my favorites:

Greece: Let me just say, we were totally lame when we lived in Greece. We were those first time Americans abroad who just ran to Applebee’s to eat. I think it actually hurt us living in Athens because there were so many American options available. It now makes me cringe to see Americans eating at McDonald’s every chance they get while overseas. We did venture out a few times though and try some Greek food. The moussaka was really good though. The one thing we did get into was getting these amazing pastries from this shop that is supposedly pretty famous. There one cake, which was their take on the mille-feuille (basically a REALLY thin phylo dough so that the layers were paper thin) was incredible. If we ever went back to Athens, I would track down that shop

Poland: Joe and I were just talking about this the other night that for the 2.5 months were were in Poland, we ate out ONE time. I think we were just making it. It was the first time I had a child overseas and I think I was just putting in my time until we went home. If the ads that I saw on my walks every day meant anything though, one thing I know is that they are really into their pig products.

Spain: This is one country that I wasn’t too impressed with the food. We gave a couple attempts at it, but maybe we just didn’t hit the good spots in our city. I wasn’t blown away by anything. The one thing that was pretty good were the churros the street vendors sold.

Italy: Having spent three full seasons in three different cities in Italy, I feel like I have the best feel or Italian food. It is tough to judge a countries food by just one city, since like the U.S., so many foods are regional. For example, the frittes and Nutella crepes in Brindisi, Italy were amazing, as was the granita and brioche in Barcellona, Italy. In Teramo was my favorite pizza spot. Another favorite dish of mine was a tuna pasta we had a restaurant in Brindisi. Overall, people are more familiar with Italian food, so they assume it is my favorite. Joe is a big fan of Italy in general: culture, espresso, cafes, food, language. And although I really enjoyed much of the Italian food we ate, over all my favorite place to eat would have to be the next country.

Turkey: When we first arrived in Turkey and met a couple who would become our great friends, the husband told us that Turkish food was great. I was a bit hesitant. I mean, we HAD lived in Italy already. But I came to realize, he was totally right. Pide I now prefer to pizza. Sac kavurma is one of my all-time indulgent dishes. Almost all the kofta I ate was good. And I could eat simit every day of my life and never tire of it (as long as it is a good one). Plus you have Turkish delight, sutlac and baklava. And the cay was not only good, but a cultural experience. Even the fresh bread from a bakery in our city was the best I have had in Europe. I am a HUGE fan of Turkish food.

Ukraine: Here in Ukraine I have enjoyed trying a few of the local dishes as well. Borscht soup has now become one of my favorite soups (along with one we ate downtown in Bandirma, Turkey). I have also liked how they do the crepes with the different fillings. The Neopolian cake here is similar to the Greek thousand layer cake and very delicious. And they are big into tea here as well and it has been nice to be back in a country where the tea is plentiful and brewed with leaves instead of bags.

I am thankful for our many travels and the experiences it has given to us…as well as to my stomach.

Filed Under: Living Abroad

Quote of the Day: February 24, 2012

February 24, 2012 By Erin Crispin Leave a Comment

People tell us that it is a noble and brave thing to speak out whatever words are on our minds at the moment. Outspokenness is considered a virtue, a sign of honesty and authenticity. We are often told that we need to be assertive in saying what we think. Yet the Bible gives us a different word, a word of caution, telling us that our communication must be brought under control and kept under control. The first chapter of James tells us that we should be slow to speak. We learn that a person with an unbridled tongue—a person who does not control their communication or think about what they say—is a person whose religion is worthless. The third chapter of James’s letter is entirely dedicated to the taming of the tongue, to putting boundaries on our communication so that it can be used for good and not for evil. “With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing” (3:9–10). Paul in Colossians exhorts the Christian to make sure that his speech is “gracious, seasoned with salt” (4:6), while in Ephesians, he warns of “corrupting talk,” filthy talk that pollutes and destroys instead of blessing and strengthening others (4:29).

God’s Word teaches us a key principle that underlies our ability to communicate: The tongue is connected to the heart. The words that come out of a person’s mouth or are typed on his keypad and texted to a friend are an expression of what is in his heart. When angry words spill out of his mouth, he cannot plead ignorance or circumstance. His words prove that there is an internal corruption. As Jesus said, “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person” (Matthew 15:18).

And what of the vast amount of empty, meaningless conversation that goes on today? This must show that there is an emptiness, a lack of substance, in our minds and hearts. Shallow words reveal a shallow heart. Could it be that our digital technologies are encouraging us to live in a world of shallow, meaningless, immediate communication? Are these the ideologies carried within Facebook, within the cell phone? Do they promote significance in communications, or do they seem to prohibit it? Do they promote depth, or breadth?

Challies, Tim (2011-04-05). The Next Story: Life and Faith after the Digital Explosion (Kindle Locations 1274-1291). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Filed Under: Christianity, Inspiring Quotes

What I Like Wednesday: More Children’s Book Resources

February 22, 2012 By Erin Crispin Leave a Comment

I wanted to share two books today that have been a blessing to our children’s hearts as of late.

The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments

We own a few story Bibles, and this one is another top one. It is set up differently in that you don’t have a ton of pictures, in fact each story is one page long (smaller font and spacing) and has one picture that is more in the abstract style of art (well at least that is my non-art assessment). Each story focusing on seeing how the gospel relates in all parts of the Bible (for example, the story of Noah and the ark points ahead to the fact that Jesus is our ark and we are safe from God’s wrath when we are in Him). There are also a couple of questions to discuss under each picture after you have read the story. You get a ton of stories in this book (there are 156 stories, as opposed to many children’s Bibles where you get about 40 or so), so it is a big bang for your buck as well.

Little Pilgrim’s Progress: From John Bunyan’s Classic (The Message)

I had read this book to Abby a few years ago, but hadn’t brought the paper copy overseas in a few years. When we saw it for a cheap price on Gospel Ebooks, we bought the Kindle version as well. Abby has read it over and over again the past month and is really ingesting the story. I like having various editions of this classic around the house for the kids to read as it is such a great book to discuss together.

Happy reading!

Filed Under: Christianity, What I Like Wednesday

Funky Fridges

February 20, 2012 By Erin Crispin 1 Comment

It’s time for another episode of Funky European Living. So far I have taken you on a tour of our couches, beds and bathrooms. The refrigerators are another area of the overseas apartment that is often a bit funky.

Athens, Greece 2003Here you can only see the refrigerator a tiny bit on the right side of this picture of the fridge. But I remember my shock in being able to look OVER the refrigerator. I am not a very all person (5’6″), so to be able to see the top of the fridge, which I usually only see when I get up on a chair to clean all the dust off of it every so often, was a surprise. I couldn’t believe how small it was and quickly learned that I would need to shop for groceries more often. It was also my first experience of a freezer that was anti-frost.

Wloclawek, Poland 2005

This whole kitchen was just struggling, but the refrigerator was a particularly old model. I don’t remember much about it, except that the freezer was located within and was extremely small.

Teramo, Italy 2005- 2006

This kitchen had so little storage that I used the top of the (once again ) very small refrigerator as an extra shelf to store our cereal and bread.

Zaragoza, Spain 2007

Since this apartment was great in pretty much every area, it is no surprise that we had a nice built-in refrigerator as well. Looking back on this picture makes me laugh though about how I used to line up all the magnet letters and numbers…something I now would not even give a lick about. That is what happens when you go from 2 kids to 4 kids

Bandirma, Turkey 2007-2009

This kitchen picture is from our second season there and our second apartment. This was when I started utilizing the fridge as a place to put pictures from home. But it was also the season where I pretty much lost the battle against the built-up ice in the freezer. I tried to keep it at bay, but I couldn’t win.

Brindisi, Italy 2009-2010

This was the kitchen of the hidden appliances. Straight ahead in the smaller cabinet was the hidden washing machine. And to the left of it in the bottom half was the refrigerator and freezer. Although it looked nice aesthetically, it was weird to have to open a full door to get to the refrigerator. And it was VERY tiny.

Barcellona, Italy 2010-2011

We were again back to a mine fridge. This one you used to have to MAKE SURE the door was shut to the freezer. Just slamming it as you walked away would mean you would come back to some melted/defrosted food later on.

Mariupol, Ukraine 2011, 2012

This year we have a large fridge once again, but it housed in a separate off shoot from the kitchen and the rest of the apartment. And it is so poorly insulated that with the freezing temps right now, it feels like you are standing outside, so that door stays shut most of the time. It also beeps if you leave the door open for too long. We also found out it will beep if the temperature in the refrigerator section is too cold. Since it is sitting out in the freezing cold air, at times it gets so cold that the refrigerator starts to beep because the temp in the fridge has gone down to 0 Celsius. In that case, I have to take a heater fan out there and aim it at the refrigerator to get it to stop beeping. Oh the idiosyncrasies we learn to live with

Thanks for joining me for that little trip down European-refrigerator-memory-lane. Have a great day everyone.

Filed Under: Living Abroad

Quote of the Day: February 17, 2012

February 17, 2012 By Erin Crispin Leave a Comment

If you’re in too much of a hurry to find time to court your mate, you are probably in too much of a hurry to do what it takes to stay happily married.

Jeff Davidson. Simpler Living: A Back to Basics Guide to Cleaning, Furnishing, Storing, Decluttering, Streamlining, Organizing, and More (Kindle Locations 4949-4950). Kindle Edition.

Filed Under: Inspiring Quotes

What I Like Wednesday: The Best Brownie Recipe

February 15, 2012 By Erin Crispin 1 Comment

I have been in search of a great brownie recipe for as long as I stopped using the boxed variety, about 9 years ago. I know it is silly to be in search of something like that for so many years, but to me there is something about a brownie that when it is only so-so is very disappointing. Now different people like their brownies in different ways. For me, the perfect brownie was one that was soft and chewy, even days after baking, but not cake like. I also like when you get that thin film across the top and when whether you get an edge or a middle piece you feel like you’ve won. And I am happy to say that I think my search is over.

I came across the Nutella Brownie recipe on the Suzy Bakes blog and it has filled all my requirements. Not to mention the fact that it came out good over here where you have to make some minor tweaks for ingredients, plus the fact that I don’t even have a regular 9×11 pan and I am baking them in an oven with no temperature control. If they can taste good here, they can taste good anywhere! And I really shouldn’t be surprised that the best brownie includes a whole cup of Nutella. Nutella really needs to be its own food group with a daily recommendation in my opinion

Filed Under: What I Like Wednesday

New Seeds Family Worship Album Out Today

February 14, 2012 By Erin Crispin 1 Comment

I am excited to announce the release of a new Seeds Family Worship Album today for Valentine’s Day: Purity. I have mentioned before how much I enjoy the Seeds Family Worship products and this is another one I am very excited about.

I believe purity to be a big issue for our Christian children in this day. And not in a “you are going to go to hell if you have sex before marriage so wear long skirts and don’t look a member of the opposite sex in the eye” kind of way. I do believe the Bible calls us to be sexually pure before marriage and I do believe that it is an area our culture is influencing the church more than the church is influencing the culture. But the motivation for purity is the same as what I believe the motivation for all obedience to God should be: greater joy in God. God doesn’t set up boundaries to be a kill joy, He sets up boundaries to INCREASE our joy. The Bible is God’s love letter to us to show us the large picture of who He is and how we can enjoy a loving relationship with Him and in turn be a blessing to the world. And purity fits into that plan perfectly. When we keep ourselves pure for marriage:

we show that God is truly satisfying and that the power of the Holy Spirit is real to fight against temptation
we can invest our lives more into things that matter (an issue that I see that is huge with teenagers) like sharing our faith and serving the least of these and being fed and nurtured in the security of our families instead of wasting our lives on running after the latest love interest or worrying about if our clothing and makeup is in or simply just trying to please others.
we bless our future spouses with keeping ourselves free from past baggage and hurts. Past sexual experience brings hurts, wounds and marks with it that will affect our marriage relationship no matter what. Yes, these sins can be forgiven, but the wounds will be there and the sin will reap consequences. And please don’t use an argument of having to “experience” things before marriage. The greatest gift to give your spouse is one of innocence so you can both enjoy learning together. After 10 years of marriage, the discovery, experimenting and learning together is still one of the most enjoyable parts.

This doesn’t mean we have to be close-mouthed about sex with our children. We can speak, share and dialogue at age appropriate times with them…and we should. I don’t believe there should be one “big talk” and then we move on. Instead I believe we should pray, think and talk about sex as God intended it and hold up its beauty as something that can be attained by the grace of God. And I am not suggesting this as one who kept herself pure before marriage. I have reaped the consequences. And I although I fully trust what God has done with using that sin for good in my life, I know that I can honestly say to my children it isn’t worth it.

So I would encourage you to use the Purity album as one of the many good resources in aiding our pursuit of purity for ourselves and our children (purity isn’t just for before marriage either). I would also encourage you to sing the Parent’s Purity Pledge. It will give you some additional thoughts on the subject of purity.

May you love others with a pure love from God this Valentine’s Day and always.

Filed Under: Christianity, More Favorites

Meet the Basket Wives: Danielle Smith

February 13, 2012 By Erin Crispin 1 Comment

Today I am happy to introduce you to Dani. Dani and I met last summer at the Basket Wives meet-up in Philadelphia. Dani was a breath of fresh air. She had just come home from a missions trip in Africa and I could tell immediately that she was down-to-earth and very real. The dinner time that I shared with her was an encouragement to me because even though she is married to a high profile basketball player in Europe, she is in no way wrapped up in herself. She doesn’t put on pretenses and is just totally up front about who she is…and I really liked that! She is funny and witty too, so I am sure you will enjoy her featured profile today.

How did you and your husband meet?
We met in college at the University of Virginia

Where was the first place you lived internationally? Can you tell a little more about the experience?
The first place I lived abroad was Istanbul, Turkey. I was coming from New York City at the time and there are a lot of similarities in terms of the very modern and very cosmopolitan atmosphere. And then of course, there are a lot of differences living in a Muslim country. Some are kind of surreal, like street protests against your country and its western influence on their government. And some are kind of cool, like being woken up every morning by prayers over the loudspeaker at the mosque across the street.

How many years has/did your husband play(ed)?
This will be his 7th season

What cities have you lived in internationally?
I’ve lived in Istanbul, Turkey, Athens, Greece, Treviso, Italy and Tel Aviv, Israel.

If you had to pick a favorite international city, which one was it and why?
I’ve only been here 3 months but I’m calling it for Tel Aviv! It’s beautiful, and they have everything here, beach, city, lots of Americans and lots of American comforts. It’s a really easy adjustment. And the weather doesn’t hurt, it’s never cold and always sunny. I mean really…

Please share one funny moment in your life as a Basket Wife.
The one thing that will always stick out for me is giving birth in Istanbul, and its nice that I can laugh about now, cause I certainly wasn’t laughing at the time. There was a pretty significant language barrier between my doctor and I, her English wasn’t great, and she just would smile and laugh when she didn’t understand me. I was already in my third trimester when I got to Istanbul so instead of letting it really get to me I just left in God’s hands figuring everything would be okay.

So a little back-story to my pregnancy is that it was very much unplanned!!!! I hope there are some ladies who can relate!! I guess like all new moms-to-be I was just really unprepared for what was about to happen, and subconsciously I was doing everything possible to delay that delivery! So after waiting around till the last possible minute, we get to the hospital around 6 am, my doctor isn’t there yet and no nurses speak English (non English speakers were a common theme for us in Istanbul). So the nurse is trying to get paperwork filled out with me, turns out we both spoke some broken French and were able to get it done but it took forever. By this point I’m in pain and I just want my epidural. I didn’t have much of a birth plan in place but I knew I wanted some drugs!! After all that my doctor arrives and tells me I’m already 10 cm dilated, the baby will be here in 20 minutes and I can’t get an epidural. By this time I’m pretty sure I was breathing fire out of my mouth, but after a brief profanity laced rant, which left Devin and my doctor speechless, I was wheeled in to give birth au naturel, and none too happy about it. Thankfully everything turned out great, but hopefully that is the last time I will be that unprepared and dealing with a language barrier!

What is the toughest struggle you have encountered in your life as a Basket Wife?
For me, I think it’s just tough having to constantly adjust to someone else’s work schedule. When Devin and I first got together I was living a pretty selfish life I guess like a lot of young professionals. I came and went as I pleased. So going from that to becoming a mom and living in a one-vehicle household with someone who’s schedule really determines when you can come and go, for me that was really hard. I’m much better with it now and Devin is really accommodating, but that took some getting used to. I know there are a lot of wives not married to basketball players in similar situations, but that is what really sticks out to me.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned as a Basket Wife?
There are too many good ones to list here. One is that people are essentially the same everywhere you go. They want the same things out of life – love, security and family. Another is living on less, particularly less space and less spending. And I’ve learned so much about family. First, that family is everything, and not being able to see the people you love when you want to see them is painful. Its the only thing I really miss about home anymore. And there’s the other side of the family coin too, sometimes there’s nothing better than an ocean between you to smooth things over!!!

God bless!!

Filed Under: Meet the Basket Wives

Struggles of the Basket Life: Burning Off the Kids Energy

February 10, 2012 By Erin Crispin 1 Comment

Most people have heard about the extremely cold weather Eastern Europe has been having. Although we haven’t felt any effects of the blizzard here, it is very cold. And as is the case for most people during the winter time, that means more inside time for the kids. It is often harder overseas during the winter because we have smaller living situations that what we would have if we were at home in the U.S. Plus for us this year, our kids aren’t attending any school, so they are home much more than they would be if we were home. But there are lots of ways we have found to burn off some of the kids excess energy they have from being inside so much.

1. Basketball Games and Practice

For our kids, one main outlet for energy is going to Joe’s games and having the opportunity to run around the court and play afterwards. We bring balls and play basketball or soccer, run races and do flips and cartwheels. They usually work up a good sweat (and sometimes me too). Elijah also has the opprtunity to go to practice with Joe at times. Afterwards he usually gets to play one-on-one with Joe or hit baseballs. Sometimes he even joins in during weight workouts to do his own little workouts.

2. Activities Around Town

Depending on what your city has to offer, there are a lot of things you can get the kids involved in to keep them active. These are a few activities we have available to us this year.

Bowling- The bowling alley provides a fun activity that 3 out of our 4 kids can do.
Ice Skating- Only Abby and Elijah are able to ice skate right now, but both have enjoyed this activity.

Play Places- They have a couple of indoor play centers for kids here around town. You drop the kids off and pay in 15 minute increments. I usually use the time to go sit and have a cup of tea and read. They have a jump house, swing, slide, and jungle gym.
Sledding and Skiing- Now that the weather is cold and snow is ever present on the ground, there is a sledding and skiing hill here that the kids can go to. They can even take ski lessons.
Parks- There are a few good parks here in the city. Right now with it being usually around 5F for a high, it is a bit too cold to be out at them. But when it warms up a bit again, we will be back to frequent them. Nearby one there is even a place to feed the birds.
Going for Walks- Again, right now it is cold, but I am thankful for the nice wide sidewalks they have here that makes it very easy to walk side-by-side with the older three kids while Isaiah is in the stroller.
Basketball Clubs, Gymnastics Classes- Most places we have been in Europe offer basketball teams and gymnastics classes for young kids. It often differs what age the youngest children are though.

3. Making Use of the Decks

We have had some great decks while living overseas. This year we don’t have one, but in the past we have used our deck areas for roller blading, playing soccer and basketball and just for getting some fresh air.

4. Family Fitness Time

At times when I really feel like the kids need a little workout we will do a family fitness session. This is just basically me leading the kids for 10-20 minutes in simple exercises like running in place, jumping jacks, squats, punches, kicks, etc. If you switch the exercise every 30-60 seconds they can stay engaged and the time passes quickly.

5. Playing Wii

Certain Wii games can provide some energy release for kids. We have Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort that includes things like boxing, sword fighting and bicycling that leave the kids breathless.

6. Dancing with Mommy or Wrestling with Daddy

Turning on the music and dancing around with Mommy or wrestling with Daddy can get the antsy pants out too.

7. Walking Up the Steps of the Apartment Building

We turn getting back into the apartment after we have been out a game by having the kids run up the stairs and race the elevator. Or in our case this year with us being on such a high floor, we use the time to walk stairs and work on our counting.

How have you been helping your kids to burn off energy this winter?

Filed Under: Living Abroad, Struggles of the Basket Life