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Arti Malaj Author/12th generation Albanian Head of all things vineyard, orchard and garden. Master of the art of raki and wine. Amazing craftsman and engineer. Kim Malaj Author/American Head of all things tech, blog, photography, and drone. Retired at 36 to enjoy hiking, gardening, making wine and raki in beautiful Albania.

About Kim Malaj Author/Wine Taster/Blogger When I moved to my husband's tenth generation land and homestead in Albania, I had a vague idea of what I was getting into but the journey has been more enlightening and life changing in the most unexpected ways. From a corporate jet set life to working and running a small vineyard and homestead outside of the US in the mountain valley town Bajze, Albania. I have found peace, home and life outside of a 9-5. We enjoy every aspect of living outside of the US and want to share our a simple life of culture and wine. I first started writing our journey in a notebook stored in the bedside table to capture the activities of our homestead because each day is an adventure. After a short trip back to the US to visit family and friends, I found that trying to catch them up on the day to day life living abroad in beautiful Albania was nearly impossible. Homestead Albania has become an outlet for us to document our epic journey and allows others to tag along. ​ Author of Twisting Hercules, Who Is Maggie, the Ember in Time Series, and The Old Untold. ​ Kim Malaj Amazon Store ​

Wrap up to 2023 2 0 Post not marked as liked Oh Duck. 7 0 Post not marked as liked October Squeezing and Adventures 6 0 Post not marked as liked It's Here... 9 0 Post not marked as liked Creating Memories 21 0 Post not marked as liked Farm to Table Season 28 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 June = Birds, Bees, and Butterflies 98 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 It May Explode 73 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Bee Obsession 72 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Spring Awakens the Soul 54 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Early Prep for Spring 54 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Winters on the Homestead 149 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Seven years and many adventures... 125 0 Post not marked as liked Persimmon or Pumpkin? 25 0 Post not marked as liked Fall Garden and Prep for Winter 106 0 Post not marked as liked Four years, many wines ago... 28 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 September Brewing 19 0 Post not marked as liked A tasty month... 25 2 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Exploring to beat the heat 52 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Harvesting... 99 2 Post not marked as liked Sweet Garden Haven 29 2 Post not marked as liked Summer Bounty 21 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 June came in HOT 33 3 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 It's officially Mulberry Season 60 0 Post not marked as liked We May Explode...with food 70 0 Post not marked as liked Morning Walks 18 0 Post not marked as liked Working smarter... 26 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Blooming 46 2 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 New Year, New Gear 45 2 Post not marked as liked Trees, trees and more trees. 22 0 Post not marked as liked Drying Persimmons 36 1 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Independence Day in Albania 42 0 Post not marked as liked Brewing raki...for what? 52 0 Post not marked as liked Upon my return... 39 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Pig vs Chicken 17 0 Post not marked as liked Steamy August 28 0 Post not marked as liked Our crown jewels... 101 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Day trips on a hot day... 47 0 Post not marked as liked Our Food Forest! 251 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 In the Garden 79 0 Post not marked as liked In today's episode... 11 0 Post not marked as liked Retirement before 40 89 2 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 May News 31 0 Post not marked as liked Spring Projects 36 0 Post not marked as liked Whack-A-Mole 49 2 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Middle Earth or money pit... 141 0 Post not marked as liked Well, well, well 38 2 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Thirty Days... 44 0 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Good Tidings to all... 73 0 Post not marked as liked Books Inspired by Albania 63 0 Post not marked as liked

SHOP Rate Us Don’t love it Not great Good Great Love it Castle of Teskom Shiny ember rocks are fuel for time; the dull rocks are a fool’s dime. An old nursery rhyme, or so they think. Itra and Danae stumble across an ancient secret kept hidden behind a reflection in time near their Albanian home. A faded memory and cryptic messages have propelled them to risk an encounter with foes from Greek mythology, altering their perception of Albanian folklore and reality. Itra and Danae grapple with events set in motion centuries ago and must choose to protect and serve or risk having the secret exposed. Will love, loyalty, and lineage be enough to hold them together, or will they lose their way in a universe they are only beginning to understand? SHOP Rate Us Don’t love it Not great Good Great Love it Recover or Yield Danae and her brother Leon, descendants of Zeus, are thrust into a world they barely understand. A new responsibility to protect and serve the goddess Ember and the Castle of Teskom after Danae’s husband, Itra, a descendant of Mui, family failed to protect the castle from an attack lead by Poseidon and Medusa. Their first assignment, finding and retrieving a stolen artifact to restore the barrier that hides the castle from each dimension. An adventure that leads them deep underground and high above the mountains alongside a few familiar and new faces. The clock is ticking. Will they restore order or create more chaos? SHOP Rate Us Don’t love it Not great Good Great Love it Protectors of Time Six months after Itra and Danae were ejected from the Castle of Teskom, an alarming phone call sends them back and not by choice. They’re not alone aided by the support of the new alliance of descendants from the bloodlines of Zeus and Mui and the Protectors of Time. They arrive just-in-time to defend the castle from Ember’s scorned ex-lover Chronos. But the list of opponents evolve as they uncover an ancient prophecy of a new beginning of time between the four dimensions. To begin again or tip the end. They must decide. SHOP Rate Us Don’t love it Not great Good Great Love it Guide Time Inside A day will come when this world is one. A divine bride will lead the guide inside to begin again. He must tip the end. Four worlds will bend and fold to derive a world untold. Elis learns the dreams he’s been sketching for months are visions of a near future. He’s confronted with his greatest challenge since losing his mother, Iana. His task is simple, retrieve the urtar stone. His obstacles, monumental. The list of adversaries standing in his way begins with Perseus and his wife Andromeda and the god of time himself, Chronos. All while keeping three seven-year-olds with curious minds out of harm’s way. His burden lightened with the support of the Protectors of Time, the descendants of Zeus and Mui but still a task he has to complete. Before the day is one, Ember’s compass will guide time inside to dial the light and retrieve the stone before night.

Stock the Library & Support the Classrooms We (Art and I) partnered with Int'l Book Project to bring over a shipment of books for the near empty school libraries here in Bajzë, Albania. We toured the school libraries with the local school administration. It was very sad some scholastic books were decades old, tattered, covers and pages missing and the shelves were barely stocked. The nearest community library is in the capital, Tirana, 2 hours by car and most would have to take a bus to travel that far so closer to 4 hours. Reading is the weakest subject in Albania, the EU Ministry of Education and Sports in cooperation with UNICEF, is promoting the ‘Albania Reads’ initiative to improve the country’s performance in reading. As many people have transitioned to e-readers or the Kindle app on a phone, access for the 450 school aged children is very limited. Most households don't have a working computer, internet or cell phones for the children. So books in hand are crucial to swing the learning curve in a positive direction and inspire the next generation. While Albania’s economy continues to grow, its total government expenditure is the lowest in Southeastern Europe with only 3% of its budget allocated to education and 3.7% to health. Our local teachers furnish everything for their classrooms including desks, chairs, computers, projectors and scholastic materials. The teacher's dedication to the youth is astounding, they provide so much for their classrooms and students. Our fundraising goal is $6,000 this breaks down to: Approximately 5,941 Books donated by the Int'l Book Project Donated Book Shipment from US to Albania = $4627 Port fees, taxes and shipping in Albania = $100 New shelving, two rolling book carts and paint for the libraries = $1,273 We are actively looking for local businesses and community leaders to assist with fundraising but I hope my friends, family and neighbors back home can help support literacy and our rural community teachers. How can you help? Donate today: PayPal VenMo @HomesteadAlbania ​ Our goal is to have the project fully funded by May 30th. Thanks in advance for your support!

About Arti Malaj Author/Brewmaster/Engineer ​ I was raised in northern Albania during the height of Communism. It was challenging. Religion was abolished, food rationed, and essential items limited. We lived in a multi-generation home; dinner was always a significant event with immediate and extended family, often followed by music, translated stories read by my uncle or legends told by my Grandfather Gjeto, never a dull moment. ​ My journey post Communism included university studies, obligatory military service, immigration to the US, business owner, husband, author, and currently living on my tenth-generation vineyard, orchard, and home in northern Albania. Kindle Version & Paperback Version