Yesterday's Gifts

My work day began with a lovely gift from a friend at school. A little something she brought back from Lebanon in my favorite color of blue. A blessing for the home.

And when I got home, hubby had picked up a small package that his sister from Canada sent. A sweet cross-stitching and card.

It's the small things that make a day special.

I haven't been crocheting since I returned to school, but I have been doing a lot of baking. So last nite, my gift to the kids was homemade apple cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. Delish!

Hope your Tuesday is filled with sweet surprises! Peace & blessings, Tammy

Back to School Baking

Got bananas?

Make muffins!

I posted this recipe before but here it is again:

Mash 1-1/2 bananas and blend with one egg, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup of honey and 1/4 cup canola oil. Stir in 1-1/2 cups wheat flour, 2 tsps baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Spray muffin tins and fill. Bake at 350 til done.

Great for a quick breakfast when trying to get used to the back to school routine. (I'm back to school but the kids don't start til mid-September.)

Have a great Monday! Many blessings, Tammy

Sunday Salutations

Thanks for all the well wishes. I am putting muscle cream on my hand and wrapping it in gauze which seems to be helping. Of course, with each passing day, I seem to have an ache here, a pain there, a new bruise, but it's all good. I am truly thankful it wasn't worse.

Today it is back to school after a long summer. Our weekends in Kuwait are Friday and Saturday so Sunday begins the work week. Due to Ramadan, I will have short work hours though, so that's a good thing.

Wishing you all a wonderful day! Peace & blessings, Tammy

The cookies didn't make it

This is where you would have found me Thursday night.

Hubby and I were heading out to visit friends -- me with a plate of cookies in one hand and a gift bag in the other. FYI: Moisture + marble = disaster. My sandaled foot hit the first step and with the second, I could feel my foot slip right out from under me. There was no way of stopping the inevitable. Head first all the way to the bottom.

Hubby was still inside getting something and only heard the crash, bam, boom as I tumbled along (and no Jack and Jill in sight). He didn't see it happen, but said it sounded like an earthquake. I must say, for that moment, it was certainly earth shattering to me. Thankfully there was a wall there to stop my descent.

Although shaken, bumped and banged with bruised knees and scraped shins, I brushed myself off, he cleaned up the shattered plate and cookies and we still paid a visit to our friends.

The only thing I could manage to say was "So much for the cookies."

You can find the recipe for them at Kim's place (Happy@ Home). Fresh from the garden mint cookies dipped in chocolate.

Although I tried to make light of the situation, what I really wanted to do was have a good cry. Somehow, in the fall, I managed to jam the pointer finger of my left hand which is swollen and painful.

But I find if I don't bend at the joint, if I don't put too much pressure on it, if I don't twist and turn it too much, it's all good, and I can still crochet and type, carefully. I am very thankful my injuries are minor.

Now I would like to concentrate on pretty things ...

Relaxing things ...

Happy things ...

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. A word of advice: watch your step as you wander along the highway of life. Peace & blessings, Tammy

Friday Food for Thought

Found this potato at the grocery store.

“Love is not written on paper, for paper can be erased. Nor is it etched on stone, for stone can be broken. But it is inscribed on a heart and there it shall remain forever.”

Simple Pleasures: Sugar Cookies

Another Thursday (my how times flies) and another chance to join Dayle for Simple Pleasures.


The other nite the kids and I baked sugar cookies. The dough was divided into three balls and everyone did their own shaping and baking.

Zack managed to get 11 cookies out of his dough. He doesn't like icing so much so only decorated a few and managed to finish them all off by the end of the evening.

Yusef opted for a big cookie which he then cut in half, drizzled with icing, topped with a few banana slices and enjoyed with a big glass of milk.

I managed 12 cookies and decorated them with sunshine yellow icing.


Sugar cookies are a simple way to let your kids be a little creative in the kitchen. Although for this evening of baking, I bought a Betty Crocker packet of sugar cookie mix (I don't normally buy prepackaged mixes) -- my favorite sugar cookie recipe is one given to me by my good friend, Renee.


Even my kids agreed that homemade is so much better so we will be making up our own dough for another nite of baking very soon. And I will get to use these sweet cookie cutters that I found at an antique store this summer.

For more simple pleasures, please visit Dayle at A Collection of This and That.


Sending all good wishes your way for a simply wonderful day. Blessings, Tammy

Ramadan Kareem

Today marks the 15th day of the holy month of Ramadan. "Fasting is a way of experiencing hunger and developing sympathy for the less fortunate, and learning thankfulness and appreciation for all of God's bounties. Fasting is also beneficial to the health and provides a break in the cycle of rigid habits or overindulgence." It is also a time to come closer to God by learning self-control, practicing charity, doing good deeds, and praying. Fasting is from sunup til sundown. Breaking the fast at sunset, known as fatour, is typically started with a glass of laban (yogurt drink) and a few dates.

My kids call this tomato soup "Ramadan soup" as I only make it at this time of year. It is a simple recipe that I learned from my mother-in-law (may she rest in peace). We serve it with a little baked cheese sambousa (which is normally fried but my wonderful SIL in Canada showed me how to bake it up beautifully so no oil needed and my kids like it much better this way).

A main course might be brown lentils with rice and a refreshing cucumber yogurt salad.

Later in the evening, a traditional dessert may be served such as khanafa which is a baked cheese based dish that is served with a sugar syrup.


Wishing you much peace and many blessings!

Tammy

Tuesday This and That

This says it all!

Jingles likes to go out on the balcony at night but it's been so hot and humid lately, even she needs to find a way to cool off when she comes back in. Tonight's LOW will be 98 degrees. Several of you asked when we might get a break in the weather. Usually not til around November, hopefully. Never know from one year to the next.

Headed out this afternoon to my friend, Kathy's, for a haircut and took along a few gifts since her birthday was in early August.

Filled one of my upcycled cereal box gift totes with two doilies I made last nite, along with yarn I bought while in Geneva, IL this summer.

Kathy is very creative and it's always fun to see what she's been up to. Below is one of her Dazzle Rags (scarf) she gave me earlier in the year.

Hope everyone is having a terrific Tuesday!

Many blessings, Tammy

Gifts from Spain

Yesterday was hot and so humid. The buildings ahead are shrouded in a blanket of heavy humidity at 4 pm.

I went to visit a friend who recently returned from 3 weeks in Canada and 5 weeks in Spain with her husband and daughter. She gifted me with two colorful magnets.

And this beautiful mosaic butterfly wallhanging.

The high temperature today will be 115. Since that calls for indoor activities, doily making is still going on around here.

And I found if I stopped the pattern at about row 6, I get the right size for a coaster.

Blogging, crocheting and cleaning is on the agenda for today. Hope everyone is off to a great start to their week. Peace & blessings, Tammy

Silent Sunday

Crochet Crazy

I picked this afghan back up that I've been working on for months and months.

I'm not particularly liking the predictability of the color pattern. Next time, I will mix it up more.

I'm determined to use what I have on hand to create with. I have yarn in every cupboard, drawer, basket, crook and cranny you can imagine.

Dishcloth anyone?

I've made tons of these and there's another one on the hook.


I also tried out a pattern that Gloria from Crochet Galore posted on January 10th.

It's for a mug doily coaster, but as you can see, mine turned out much bigger than a coaster (believe me, images are much bigger than they appear) and although I followed the same pattern, they came out differently. I have a tendency to get lost in a pattern and after a few tries will have an aha moment!

This is a dish towel pattern that I've used before so whipped up another one. It's great to use under a vase or bowl for display.

The cross-stitching was a gift from my friend, Renee, this summer. Thanks Renee!

Hope you are all having a fun-filled weekend. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Meander with Me

Last nite at midnite the moon was magnificent with a shadowy appearance.

Alas, my handy dandy Sony doesn't have very good zoom. And as my husband said "it's just too far away." Ha!

The wind was also whipping up like crazy at that time ...

but things are calm today. Still no blue skies.

I've been up since 6:50 am. Love the stillness of the house at this time. Not your typical breakfast, but this was what I was introduced to when I came to Kuwait -- lebaneh on toast with a sprinkle of zaatar, stuffed olives and cucumbers. Delicious!


All the fruit that arrived from Sri Lanka is gone. What we didn't eat ourselves, was shared with friends. Yesterday I did make guacamole from the "butter fruit".


And I planted a pineapple head just to see if it takes.

Peaches are ripe and delicious.

We had blackberry cobbler last nite and I am thinking peach cobbler is up next.


Jingles is my helper in all things yarn-related as I crochet the night away. Still doing a little cross-stitching too.

Simple stitches and sweet sentiment equals a perfect little gift. Will be stitching more of these with different flower patterns.

Wishing you all a fabulous Friday! Peace & blessings, Tammy