Plentiful

It's a good thing I like dates! Hubby went to Dubai on a business trip the other day and brought back this lovely box.

It is filled with dates -- some are stuffed with pecans, almonds, lemon peel. Delish!

There are tons of date trees to be found in this country, but the crazy thing is, there's no date manufacturing company. All of the dates we buy at the grocery store are brought in from Saudi Arabia. And most of the ones you find on the trees here will be left to dry up and fall to the ground. Just doesn't make any sense to me at all.

One of my co-workers had someone harvest the dates from her trees. She gave me a package of them today.

Along with a container filled with homemade date mahmoul (cookies). My absolute favorite! Dates are a perfect snack when you are looking for something sweet. Great with a cup of green tea.

Hope your day is filled with sweetness! Friendship blessings, Tammy

The View

From Shereen's balcony yesterday, I took a picture of the sun as it was starting to set.

If you didn't know better, you would think it was the moon but for the past couple of days, we've had the kind of dust that is high enough and thick enough to keep the sun from shining. Makes the days rather gloomy.

Hope your day is bright and beautiful. Friendship blessings, Tammy

A Relaxing Afternoon

Work is busy. And there is always housework. But after bringing the kids home from school today, I went to visit my friend Shereen.

Her home is relaxing and inviting.

And everything she does is so beautifully presented. From the sambousa with tamarind sauce ...

to egg salad sandwiches ...

and lemon cake for dessert.

She also had pretty embroidered linens to share. They are handmade by ladies in India for charity so, of course, I had to buy a few.

These lovely little packages were just for me.

A little box with mother of pearl lid and lovely sandalwood incense.

I hope your day is filled with relaxing moments and the pleasures of friendship. Peace & Blessings, Tammy

This is what it looked like out my kitchen window this morning.

We awoke to high humidity and fog in the early morning hours.

It's been one of those days that just goes way too fast. One of my favorite quick meals on busy days is to boil frozen green beans seasoned with a little powdered vege extract; saute fresh chopped garlic and crushed cashews or walnuts in good olive oil; drain beans and mix with nuts and garlic; then serve over quick cooking brown rice.

Tomorrow's breakfast is in the fridge. Overnight Oats.

In the morning I will add flavored yogurt, nuts and blueberries for a quick and healthy breakfast. I don't know about you, but my day goes a lot more smoothly when I plan ahead.

Hope everyone has had a great start to a new week. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Who can resist ...

A sale at Cath Kidston ...



A walk through Pottery Barn ...



or a trip to Ikea for candles, baskets and frames?


The Ikea shopping bags will be cut up for wrapping paper; the handles will be transferred to my upcycled cereal box gift totes;

and the Pottery Barn bags will get a scrappy look for gift giving.

I like to think of it as shopping with purpose. :)

Hope you are having a great Sunday! Friendship blessings, Tammy

The Pink City

Jaipur is the capital and largest city in the State of Rajasthan in India. It is also known as The Pink City. While there, we had lunch at The Pink City Restaurant.





And also visited the largest exporter of antiques. Pictures were not allowed but I managed to snap these two as we were walking in.


Our tour included a trip to Jantar Mantar (Observatory)which is a World Heritage Site ...

"built in the 18th century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the huge masonary instruments were used to study the movement of constellations and stars in the sky. Enormous sun-dials still provide accurate time, which are subject to daily corrections."


It is said ... "An excursion through Jai Singh's Jantar is a unique experience of walking through solid geometry and encountering a collective astronomical system designed to probe the heavens."



Here's Sam the Man in front of his birth sign.

And me, a Pisces!



Happy weekend! Happy Pink Saturday! I hope everyone is having an extra special day! Friendship Blessings, Tammy

Out and About

Friday is usually family day but the boys were off with friends so Hubby and I decided to head out on our own.

At 1 pm the temperature was 44 degrees celcius. That's 111 F! No wonder I can't even think about Fall decorating at the moment.

We went to a local mall and had lunch at Wasabi.

Japanese food is one of our favorites.

A trip to the plant souk was also involved.

Tomorrow I will be repotting all these plants before it gets too hot outside.

Hope everyone out there is having a fabulous Friday. Friendship blessings, Tammy