Ta-Dah!

Dining table is cleared off. (Hubby is in shock :)

Gifts are wrapped.

Bags are packed.

We are heading out tomorrow. Zack says he is looking forward to getting to the States, but he is not looking forward to the long flight. I ditto that! Posting will be sporadic over the next 6 weeks while in the US, so until the next time ...
I wish you much peace & many blessings, Tammy

Indian Souk and Food

One of my favorite places to shop.

It's a big jumble of wood and glass ...

odds and ends. But I just love it all.

These heart-shaped glass ornaments came home with me.

And it's where I got this wooden trunk sometime back.

Isn't this a great entryway?

Yesterday we had Indian food for lunch.

We were on the upper floor of the restaurant and this grand chandelier was near our table.

They have huge colorful couches at some of the tables. There's me with my new color and cut (thanks Kathy) and Zack always with a big smile.

I had to bribe Yusef to even get this picture.

Packing continues. Only one more day and then we are off. Sending good wishes and blessings your way for a beautiful day and a wonderful weekend, Tammy

It's not just for breakfast

This is one of my most favorite meals.

Special K with blueberries and walnuts. I have it nearly every night for dinner. All those cereal boxes Susana brought to me yesterday have been covered in gift wrap and stored away. Next time a gift giving occasion arises, I can just pull one out, embellish and fill it up. The perfect little gift tote once a handle is added.

Some of the cereal boxes are cut up and turned into tags ...

which are then decorated with bits and pieces of scrap paper or whatever I have at hand.

I'm still working on the dining table clean up. I kinda sorta started packing. It's all a work in progress. Maybe I should go have a bowl of cereal.

It's great with dried cranberries too.

Here's to a healthy, happy, productive day. Peace & blessings, Tammy

A visit with a friend

Brownies and banana muffins were on the agenda first thing this morning. My friend Susana came to visit so I wanted to have some treats ready. I was happy to send her home with brownies in one of my decoupaged coffee cans.

She brought me this sweet little tote that was embroidered using her digital sewing machine (there's probably a name for it, but I don't know what it is).

And look what else she brought me.

Yikes! I'd better get to work.

My husband says the dining table had better be cleaned off before I leave on Sunday or it's all going in the garbage.

I've got my work cut out for me so better get busy! Have a great day! Many blessings, Tammy

It's Official!

According to the calendar, summer has arrived.

According to the heat in Kuwait, summer arrived months ago.

The humidity of the past several days brought my flowers out of hiding.

But now the heat is back. Wind is blowing. I wonder if a dust storm is around the corner.

When some folks think of summer, they think ice cream! I'm not really an ice cream kinda girl, but a friend gave me this Haagen Dazs the other day because no one in her family liked it. Choc Choc Chip! Who wouldn't like that? I enjoyed two small bowls, then the kids found it and it was history!

Other than errands, I've been cross-stitching and crocheting. My husband keeps telling me I need to start packing. All in good time.

Colorful sunsets are few and far between these days. There is usually dust or the haze of humidity blocking the view. But last night while I was watering plants on the balcony, I was happy to see a little color in the sky.

I hope your day is filled with sweet summer surprises! Have a great week! Blessings, Tammy

Happy Father's Day

This picture is of me and my dad at my Mammaw's house in Mississippi. My dad was in Vietnam when I was born. He stopped talking to me 5 years ago. Let's just say he is totally lost and being influenced by someone who has their own personal agenda.

My husband doesn't really feel the need to celebrate Father's Day. His dad has been gone now for several years. Around here, Sunday is another work day so there is no change in the day-to-day routine.

I came across an easy zucchini recipe the other day on another blog (can't remember which one) so gave it a try. I figure you can't go wrong with zucchini, but my kids think otherwise. Just cut the zucchini, lightly brush on Ranch dressing then dip in Italian breadcrumbs and broil.

Banana cake will be for dessert tonite. This recipe is easy and always comes out perfect.

Banana cake: 1-1/2 mashed bananas, one egg, 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup self-rising flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 TBS water. Blend and bake in a greased pan.

Hope you are having a special day with loved ones. Peace & Blessings, Tammy

Pretty Pinks

Today I took gifts to a sweet lady named Theresa.

She works at the bilingual school where I taught for several years. And even though I've now been gone for 4 years, she still sends me a gift and card every time my birthday rolls around.

Her birthday was last week so I put together these gifts and delivered them this morning. I even managed to do a little cross-stitching. My first since sometime in December.

I stopped off at the flower shop on the way to get her some pink roses.

Most people here go for extravagant, and what I consider gawdy, bouquets. When I go in with my little vase or recycled glass jar and ask for it to be filled with flowers, the guy behind the counter thinks I'm nuts. Ha!

I hope your day is filled with pretty things, simple pleasures and sweet friends. Peace & blessings, Tammy

It's Been a Long Day!

This morning I was up way too early for the weekend. The weather has been awful. So much humidity as you can see by this first picture I took.

Tomorrow's forecast is more of the same:

0% chance of precipitation. Partly cloudy. Extremely hot, Muggy. Temperature of 106°F. Winds SSE 17mph. Humidity will be 42% with a dewpoint of 77° and feels-like temperature of 124°F.

I had to actually wipe off my camera lens to get a clear picture.
The birds outside were happily flitting about doing their early morning thing.

While I am dreaming of the green, green grass of home.

(Photo taken in NC last summer near my aunt's place.)

Hope your day is beautiful! Blessings, Tammy

Simply Lovely

This morning I went to visit a friend.

I met her through Sheryll some time ago but this is the first time we have gotten together one-on-one.

Her place was so lovely and inviting. She served scrumptious savories.

And delicious homemade desserts. Orange and date muffins. Apple cake with fresh cream. And green tea.

We chatted for a couple of hours while Diana Krall played softly in the background. In fact, the song you hear on my blog was on the cd which was called "Quiet Nights". Love it! And she shared with me lovely linens that are handmade in her native country of India. She brings them in for sale and all monies go to charity. I plan to get some when she brings more in October as this was the last set she had.

I took her simple gifts all handmade and homemade. Not quite as lovely as the handiwork from the girls in India, but from the heart just the same. And all from recycled materials.

I also passed along one of my favorite books. If you haven't read the story of this wonderful lady, you should try and find it. A lovely little book.

And a simply lovely visit with a new friend. Wishing you all a beautiful day in your little corner of the world. Peace & blessings, Tammy

Home is Best on Rednesday!

After two days of being home and enjoying my time, I finally ventured out this morning for groceries. Big mistake. It is hot! It is dusty! And I've had a honkin headache ever since.

This sweet little red and white crocheted basket came home with me. And I'm still trying to use up all those crocheted chains I made. I may be going too far with the recycling though. The brown part of the flowers on this card are from the liners in a box of chocolates a friend gave me. What can I say? Waste not, want not.

Even when it is hot outside, no matter the time of year, I still like to make soup. I posted the recipe for this Chickpea, Tomato and Pasta soup before. It is one of my favorites.

For dinner we had tuna on Wasa crispbread and a nice tomato salad with coriander. Simple, easy, yet nutritious. Of course, when I came home from grocery shopping, the kids wanted to know why there was no chips or candy or ice cream. My husband is the one who usually buys that stuff.

My 14 year old had a burst of creative energy so grabbed a rock from the balcony and painted it. I bought red and black frames so that he could do some of his twirly swirly artwork for me but he hasn't even started that yet. Maybe bribery will work.

I'm feeling the need to crochet. Tried this rose pattern from Elizabeth Cat's blog, it just didn't poof up as much as her's.

I'm visiting a friend tomorrow morning so need to go bake something. Then I'll sit and crochet. Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday wherever you are, whatever you are doing. Best wishes always, Tammy