No Camping Zone

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m not a big fan of camping. It’s not that camping is a bad or evil activity it’s just that it’s done outdoors. I’ve always felt that the “great outdoors” was overrated. Whether you’re on a beach (where it’s hot, sandy and your skin can burn to a crisp) or in the woods (where most horror movies take place).

Fresh air and beautiful view, unfortunately, comes with wild animals, mosquitos and lots of walking up and down mountains. I understand that many people love that kind of thing, but not this girl. Sleeping in tents on the ground when at any moment a bear can come tearing through the tent to eat me . . . yeah, that sounds like a great time. My idea of “roughing” it is no room service.

Call me crazy, but I’m a big fan of indoor plumbing. There is nothing like the sweet sound of water rushing through pipes. Technology rocks! Wi-Fi, electricity, warm comfortable bed, showers, kitchen appliances and my laptop are all the comforts that I enjoy. So I’m spoiled. I’m okay with that.

A friend of mine recently posted the above cartoon. It suits me perfectly – If “camping” means my hotel room faces the woods, then yeah, I’ll go camping.

The only exception I made was when I went to “Burning Man.” That was a special situation.

When my thoughts turn to camping, I think about John 15:4 - "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me." My husband, Tom, says that camping is the opposite of "abide" which means to set up permanent residence. I guess I'm a permanent residence kind of gal.

All you out there, who are big fans of camping, don’t get angry with me. I’ve tried camping and it just wasn’t for me, but the rest of you have at it. As for me, it’s a – No Camping Zone.

© Nadine Zawacki 2016

A Fresh Look

I’ve had the same look to my blog for a couple of years now and I wanted something a little different but not completely. I wanted to keep my header. That wasn’t possible so . . .

My wonderful hubby helped with the new header. He did such a great job. I love the way it looks. He kept what I liked about the header but made it look fresher. Thank you so much honey.

I hope you guys enjoy the new look.

I leave you with this little joke Uncle Al sent to my hubby. I'm not sure where it's from so if you heard of it, I'd love to give credit to the author.

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack.

"Miss Whack, I'd like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday."

Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it's okay, he knows the bank manager.

Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.

The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.

Very confused, Patty explains that she'll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.

She finds the manager and says, "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral."

She holds up the tiny pink elephant. "I mean, what in the world is this?"

The bank manager looks back at her and says...

"It's a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."

(You're singing it, aren't you? Yeah, I know you are........)

© Nadine Zawacki 2010

Sam the Bellhop

This was very cute. I thought you all would like it. He uses a whole deck of cards as he tells a story about Sam the Bellhop.

Sushi Party

Saturday night we went to a friend's house. I'll call him the Sushi Master (pictured below). The Sushi Master and his lovely wife hosted a wonderful sushi dinner for nine. The best part was he let us participate by helping to make the sushi. We had so much fun.
I learned a lot about preparing sushi. I always thought it would be too difficult, but it wasn't. Having someone show you and then doing it yourself is the best way to learn.

The rice is the most important part of sushi. For a recipe for sushi rice click HERE. This website has great information about sushi.

Then you need to slice up all the veggies and fish. We got a chance to chop and slice celery, cucumber, carrots, crab meat, salmon, tuna, shrimp and avocado. We had lots of fun and it didn't feel like work. When we were all done, we had so much sushi to eat.

Here are some pictures from our night.

On the left cucumber and carrots. On the right Jessica slicing cucumbers.
Skilled hands slicing avocados and cucumbers.









Rice with salmon about to be placed on top. Watch out these had a dab of wasabi on top of rice. Scott's handiwork.








First you apply the rice. A nice thin layer. Then add crab, carrots, cucumbers, avocados.









Roll nice and tight. My first sushi roll on the left. It looks pretty on the plate.









Everyone's having fun. Mandy and her hubby Mike. Mike's spicy tuna roll looks like a fish doesn't it?









What a feast. We did put a big dent in this spread. I enjoyed every bite.









This is what happens when you put too much wasabi on your sushi.

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party 2009

Hello and welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party 2009. Come in and look around. I hope you enjoy your stay whether you are here for the first time or a regular friend. I always have a blast visiting new blogs during these parties, so make sure you leave a comment so I can stop by your place too. Let me tell you a little bit about me.

I’m madly in love to my childhood sweetheart. We’ve been together for over 31 years and married for almost 28. We have two grown children whom we are very proud of. I self-published my first novel Prisoner of Circumstance. Here’s a short description for you:

Can good really overcome evil? When Regina Palmetto strikes a deal to save her father’s life, she knows what she’s getting into. But then the stakes go up. One night during her husband’s drunken rage, her marriage-in-name-only becomes something more. She is determined that her unborn child will not grow up in this family of evil.

With the help of Detective John Nelson, can she escape the madman she lives with? And should she be concerned with Nelson’s reasons for helping her?

I’m giving away a copy of my book (Prize #24). To enter to win you simply need to pick your top three prizes you hope to win, list them on your party post and leave a comment at 5 Minutes for Moms our gracious host. I’m hoping to win one of the following:

· Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer from Moms Who Think
· $50 Gift Card to Target from Shoot Me Now
· $30 Gift Certificate from A High & Noble Calling

So whether you have been an old friend or a new one, I want to thank you for stopping by. Don’t forget to leave a comment so I can come by and visit you too.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

If you're here from the Blog Party, click here for latest post.

Ultimate Blog Party 2009

Can you believe it’s time again for the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Moms. The party starts on March 20th and runs until the 27th. For detailed information click HERE. You will be able to sign up and join the party on the first day, March 20th at 12:01 am.

Some of you may not know what a blog party is. Let me take a moment to explain. The purpose of the party is having the opportunity to visit as many new blogs you would like. You write a post telling your new visitors a little about yourself. You sign up at the 5 Minutes for Moms post and link your post. What’s nice is bloggers come and visit your blog. They leave a comment (that’s encouraged) and you visit them and leave a comment. I’ve found the more blogs you visit the more visitors you get.

This party also has a great prize page. I’m giving away a copy of my book (prize #24). There are so many great prizes to choose from. In your party post you list your top 3 prizes you are interested in and link those blogs. In case those top three are taken you can list as many back up prizes you want in the order you want.

I have met many wonderful bloggers this way. Some have become friends and we have been visiting each other’s blogs for years now. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

If you have never participated in one of these parties, I encourage you to try. If you are a male blogger you are stilled welcomed (don’t let the name of the site keep you away).

If you’ve participated in the past, leave a comment to let others know what you think.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

ABC Cruise

You all probably thought I fell off the face of the earth, but Tom and I were on a cruise. We went to the Bahamas for his job. It was a cruise/conference for the pastors and leaders of the Association of Bridge Churches (ABC). I know, I know, it sounds like a tough job, but someone had to do. Seriously, I was concerned with Tom’s health how he would do with all the traveling and the running of things. He did well. When we could rest, we did and that helped lots. Monday he will have his second round of chemo.

It was great to see people we haven’t seen since the last year’s conference again. These were a great bunch of people to go on a cruise with. Some of our favorite moments were when we had a chance to sit and talk to different people. I took lots of pictures of course. So I thought I would “show” you the cruise in pictures. It was a four day cruise so this will be done in either two or three parts.

We arrived a couple of days early. This is the view from our room. I thought of you Tina.
I looked out the window from my hotel room and saw these ducks swimming around in the pool. Aren't they cute?
One of the things I helped with was get people on the bus. We didn't want to leave anyone behind. Tom and I waiting on the buses.
The buses arrived at Port Canaveral where our ship left from.
A close look of Monarch of the Sea, a Royal Caribbean ship. If you ever get a chance to go on a cruise I would suggest Royal Caribbean. This was their smallest ship.
This was the first time that we cruised and had a window in our stateroom. It was nice because the room was spacious. This is the view from our stateroom before we set sail.
By the elevators there stood a model of the ship. It listed all the floors and what were on them.
Before you can set sail, you have to do a life boat drill. Everyone always look so comfortable in their life jackets, but it's good to know what to do in case of an emergency. Below in life vests are Ron, Chris, Ben, John & Sara

The rock climbing wall at night. The only activity that I had with this wall was walking past it and taking a picture.
Dinner time was fun. We sat with this lovely pastor and his wife from England, Tony & Dwee. If you are ever sad, visit England and spend time with them. They will have you laughing within seconds.
Jodi and Josh (Josh is worship leader who I blogged about before) and Joni and Eric who run the intern program for Streams Canada.
Tom with Michael French. He is a pastor from Alabama and has a great sense of humor. Stay tuned for his lovely wife Elisa who can rock it in karaoke.
© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Freaky Things That Happen

I’m not finished with my edits, but I had to take a break for this post. When I met my husband long ago, he was in a Christian band, Sonseed. He played percussion and the band had about fifteeen members. They even recorded an album called, First Fruits.

Understand that this was about thirty years ago. They were quite popular in Brooklyn and traveled on the weekends playing different churches. They hosted a coffee house called, His Place, once a month in which hundreds of people would come and listen to them play. The band had long disbanded.

That is not the freaky part.

Our son called tonight and told us that he was at work and he heard some of the guys listening to a song that sounded familiar to him. He goes to investigate and they are watching a YouTube video. He couldn’t believe they were watching a Sonseed video on YouTube.

Sonseed had gone on a Christian television program and sang one of the songs from the album. They couldn’t fit all the members of the band on stage, so only eight of about fifteen members. My hubby didn’t make the cut.

I don’t know how it ended up on YouTube, but it’s just a must share. Remember this is the early eighties.

So I hope you enjoy this freaky moment with me.


© Nadine Z. 2008

Swan Lake Chinese State Circus

My daughter sent me this link today. I was totally impressed. Even if you are not a ballet fan, I recommend you watch this video. The first part are frog people. The impressive part comes with the swans. Watch it until the end, it's worth it. Let me know what you think.




Nadine Z. 2008

I’m Just a City Girl

Wade and Kathy are members of our church who live on a wheat farm (pictured above with Tom). They own seven thousand acres of land. I kid you not. In case you haven’t figured this out, I’m a total city girl. They invited us out during harvest to check it out. I have to admit that I thought to myself how much fun could it be to ride on a combine?

They literally live out in the middle of no where. I told Tom that I’m grateful he didn’t tick them off during one of his sermons, because no one would ever find our bodies or our Explorer. They could easily say, “Hey, I don’t know what happened to them, they never made it here.”

I admit, I had a blast. It was fun riding in the huge combine. When it was my turn, Wade drove the combine near the edge of the property. Some parts of the property dipped off the edge. It seemed to me if we tipped over, it would be a long way down. I had to know the answer to a very important question. So I asked, “Hey, Wade you ever tip one of these things?” He’s been doing this for thirty four years and in his early days, he admitted he tipped a few. He feels no need to ride that close to the edge anymore. I have to say that I’m grateful we didn’t tip over.

Tom and I enjoyed learning about wheat farming. We had such a nice visit. We laughed, we enjoyed a lovely lunch, and got to take home some yummy homemade banana bread. I never thought a city girl like me would enjoy visiting a farm as much as I did.

The following are some pictures from our day.

Here's a wonderful welcoming sign. Doesn't it give you warm fuzzies?

Is this thing big or what? The wheel is taller than I am.

Tom was first to go for a ride.

This is the view from inside the combine. Nothing to see for miles around.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Poor Man's Vacation

Interesting New Blog

My son shared a new blog site that is quite unique and creative. It's called Improv Everywhere. The premise is that they go out in the general public and create interesting situations and record people's reactions.

Check this out.

Check out the other projects done on this site. It's quite interesting.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Blog Gadgets

I’ve been blogging for over two years now. When Tom first encouraged me to blog, I remembered thinking what will I write about? Who would read it? It turned out to be a creative outlet for me.

I can’t believe all the different subjects I’ve written about. I’m grateful to all my friends out there that visit, read and leave such lovely comments. I’ve met so many interesting people that are now dear to me. I enjoyed having a blog. I’ve learned so much from that first time I posted. I didn’t know how to add pictures or fancy sidebar items. Thanks Tom for teaching me so much.

Blog gadgets are fun. I have a few on my sidebar. I’ll be getting rid of one my favorites, Neo Counter. It seems to slow down the loading of my blog. So when my year is up next week, it’s going bye-bye.

In the last few months I’ve added, Recent Comments – which shows the last five comments that’s left on any of my blog posts. Another interesting gadget is the Live Traffic Feed. It shows where in the world someone is viewing your blog, if they are coming from Google search or another blog. What I’ve noticed about this is my most popular post is called, The Ankle Bracelet. I can’t believe how many hits I’ve received and some of the comments people leave. If you have time check it out, it’s a sentimental post. It’s about a present Tom gave me when we were dating. It was part of a Brooklyn tradition.

These are just a couple of my favorites. Do you have a favorite blog gadget on your sidebar that you really enjoy?

© Nadine Z. 2008

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party

Hello and welcome to my blog. Come in and look around. I hope you enjoy your stay whether you are here for the first time or a regular. Last year I participated in the blog party and had a blast visiting new blogs. I discovered some that I visit still today.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’ve been married to Tom for more than twenty six years. We were high school sweethearts and he’s still the love of my life. You can read about how we met here and here. We have two wonderful grown children. The female child (24) has gone back to school to study psychology. The male child (22) is pursuing his dream in LA. You can read about them in these previous posts here and here.

My husband is a pastor. I love our church and the people in it. Most people might say we are a bit out of the box. We meet in an old JC Penney building downtown. Our church has couches, tables, chairs and a coffee bar. We serve lattes, coffee, tea, bagels and donuts on Sundays mornings. You can read about more about it here.

I love the Lord with all my heart. I’m so grateful for the life He’s given me and the people He’s placed in it. I enjoy doing many things. I love writing, reading, dancing, playing games, entertaining, scrap booking, watching movies and the ballet. Hum, I’m sure I’ve left something out.

I’ve written a book that I’m in the process of self publishing. I’ve been working with an editor and I’m enjoying the process. I’m learning so much. If you’re curious, it’s about a woman, a mobster, a cop, a prophet, murder, betrayal, secrets and choices. I’ve created a book blog posting the first two chapters.

So make yourself at home and take a look around. I hope you like what you see. I look forward to visiting you too.

Don't forget to visit The Ultimate Blog Party Prize Page (click here) and follow the instructions to win some cool prizes. My top three are:

o No. 33 - Porcelain Easter Egg offered by Such Time as Now

0 No. 100 - 3 books from Who Could Ask For Anything More

o No. 55 - A $25 gift card for Amazon.com from Welcome to My World of Dreams

If my top three are taken I would also love any of the following 122, 124, 94, 59, 70,102, 21 or 112.

© Nadine Z. 2007

Two Kid Moments

My son sent me this video. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then the Beatles should be very flattered.

Tom’s uncle sent the following. You may have heard it before, but it gave me a chuckle.

This one is for everyone who:

a. has kids
b. had kids
c. was a kid
d. knows a kid
e. is going to have kids.

I guess that means all of us!

Daddy’s Gonna Eat Your Fingers

I was packing for my business trip and my three year old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point she said, “Daddy, look at this,” and stuck out two of her fingers.

Trying to keep her entertained, I reached out and stuck her tiny fingers in my mouth and said, “Daddy’s gonna eat your fingers,” pretending to eat them.

I went back to packing, looked up again and my daughter was standing on the bed staring at her fingers with a devastated look on her face.

I said, “What’s wrong, honey?”

She replied, “What happened to my booger?”

Nadine Z. 2008

Ultimate Blog Party 2008

It’s time for 5 Minutes for Mom’s Ultimate Blog Party. I had such fun last year visiting new blogs. You can find out all the rules and grab a button for your sidebar by clicking here.

March 7^th – 14^th is the time frame for the party. All you have to do to join in on the fun is write a “party post” then go and sign up Mr. Linky. The idea is to go and visit blogs you have never heard of before and leave a comment. When you leave a comment they can come and visit you. You might happen across some new blogs you really find interesting, funny or thought provoking. Maybe someone new might find you and get very excited to happen upon your greatness. Last year nearly a thousand people signed up.

What is a party post? It’s simply a post that welcomes newcomers to your blog. It’s helpful to introduce yourself…maybe include a picture or two. You can add recipes, a video or music if you like. You can even have something for your guest to eat or drink…you get the idea.

If you’re not familiar with 5 Minutes for Mom it’s a cool blog that host many fun activities like Wordless Wednesday, stores for moms, contests and other blogs. I have a sidebar button that takes you to their site. I’m listed on their site and you can find my profile by clicking here.

Remember to sign up on March 7^th.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Many Thanks

I would like to thank Susan from Penless Writer for You Make My Day Award. I want to thank all of you who commented on my post on my mom. Thank you for your compliments and loving responses. If you didn’t leave a comment, you still can and get your award. I want to honor you with this award because you all really made my day.

I would like to thank Amydeane from The PMS Club (Praising My Savior) for the Excellent Blog Award. The following are the rules.

“By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people who’s blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…”

I love awards I can give to everyone. No false modesty about you or your blog. If I visit you then you are an excellent blogger. Do you know why? I have excellent taste.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Super Bowl Champions

I can’t begin to express my excitement that my Giants won the Super Bowl. Yeah Giants! Let’s give a shout out to Eli Manning, game MVP and quarterback extraordinaire. That pass he made under pressure to David Tyree and Tyree’s catch on his helmet was a beautiful thing. The last touchdown with less than three minutes to the game was amazing. Tom and I jumped up and down and expressed our joy with disregard to our voices.

The Patriots played a good game. They had a perfect record until tonight. The look of defeat on their faces made me feel bad for them. It proves that you can have a perfect record but lose the big game and it’s like your season didn’t really matter. I think that’s a shame. They are a great team.

As excited as I am that we won, when it comes to sports there are winners and losers. I have to hand it to my team. They were the underdogs for the last three games they played, yet they won against Dallas, Green Bay and now New England. Sometimes the little guys win.

In life there are winners and losers if you look at society alone. That’s what I love about God’s kingdom. If you are for Him you always win. I’m not saying that you don’t have hard times and that bad things don’t happen to you. What I’m saying is when you’re on God’s team you win. In His kingdom the little guys win (remember David and Goliath).

Romans 8:28 says, “All things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

I want to send out my sympathies to the fans of New England because if we loss, I would be sad. Tonight loss does not take away from your team’s great season. Congratulations to the Giants. I celebrate tonight with the fans in New York and all across this land. For those of you my friends who were cheering my team on tonight . . . I love you.

© Nadine Z. 2008

Twelve Days of Christmas

Tom’s cousin sent him this link. I thought these guys had great voices and I liked their twist on “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” I hope you enjoy it too.

The Truth of the Matter - Part III

I’m really enjoying answering your questions.

Art asked, “What makes you most happy?”

What makes me the happiest is when my family, Tom and our children are happy. I’m really a simple kind of gal. I’m most content when I know my children are doing well and they are happy with their lives. When Tom is happy with life then I feel content, maybe it has to do with the two becoming one flesh thing. No matter what good comes my way, if my family isn’t there to share it and happy themselves then it’s not worth much to me.

EM asked, “What advice would you give a young woman who is searching for direction in her life as well as purpose?”

I would ask her what she is passionate about. What fuels her fire? Where there is passion there is life. If it means going to school to pursue that dream, then do that. I would also tell her not to settle, but to aim high. Everyone has something they are passionate about. Don’t walk, run towards that goal. You don’t have to search further than what is already in your heart.

Ann(ie) asked, “Do you have a fear of death?”

My faith helps me not to fear death. I’m confident about where I’ll end up after I die. To be honest, I’m not too hot about the process of dying. My preference would be to go in my sleep at the same time that Tom goes in his sleep when we are about 100. I don’t know when I’ll go home to the Lord, but until then I want to live life to the fullest.

A Woman Who is asked, “What life experiences move you the most?”

What life experiences move me the most would have to be when I married Tom, when my children were born and whenever I see complete joy in the eyes of my loved ones. For me weddings and births are the best of life experiences.

“Would you rather cry over something sweet or laugh over something funny?”

I would rather laugh over something funny, because I love to laugh. Sometimes I laugh so hard, I cry.

Jen(n) asked, “If you and Tom could have a vacation home anywhere in the world, with money being no object, where would you buy?”

No question or thought about this one, a villa in Tuscany on the top of a hill overlooking a vineyard that we don’t have to tend to.
More answers to come.

© Nadine Z. 2007