Hanging Out

Dolce far niente!  The sweetness of doing nothing.  A concept my husband does not understand.

But after a busy week of work and running around, I just wanted to hang out this past weekend, especially since our weather was back to dreary and dusty.

 My first moss rose bloom made an appearance the other day and it made me think of the saying "bloom where you are planted".  My flowers do their best to bloom but it is so very difficult in this heat and dust.

 Wilted and faded.  That's kind of how I was feeling.  Looks like Jingles was feeling the same way, too.

So, while I practiced the art of doing nothing, I enjoyed a new book I bought while on our trip to Dubai.   Homespun Style by Selena Lake.  I had seen other bloggers post about it, so when I saw it in the bookstore, I quickly picked it up and headed to the checkout counter.

I could literally just look at the pictures over and over and over again every single day.  It was certainly what I needed to brighten my days.  And this wallhanging from a friend in Sri Lanka helped to further brighten my mood.

Finding a place to hang it could prove to be difficult since my walls are already full.  But I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Hope your day is a good one.

Busy Days

I have been a busy bee of late.  From kitty rescues to shopping with a 13-year old who has grown out of all his summer clothes, to satellite repairs, a going away dinner and end of year concert, days have been crazy busy.

 Last night was Zack's last band concert of the year.  The 7th grade band was good, the 8th graders were great and the high school band fantastic.  It's so amazing to actually hear the growth through the different levels.  Zack is in his second year of band.

 The guy with the beret is Mark Powers who was here for 2 weeks working with the students.  He is a friend of our band directors, a husband and wife team, and a professional percussion artist/educator who travels the world learning the drumming of different cultures.  He uses his skills to educate students and work with adults in rhythm-based corporate leadership/teambuilding workshops and correctional facilities.

Our days have been mostly clear and beautiful, but last night's sunset was a bit cloud-covered.

The moon is in its crescent phase now with the Full Flower Moon to arrive on May 5th-6th.  Before blogging, I never realized the phases of the moon, but now I find it all so amazing and wonderful.

I hope you have had a great week.  Wishing you all the best for a wonderful weekend.

Happy Day

Thanks to everyone who enlightened me on these beautiful flowers that I posted about yesterday.  They are indeed hollyhocks and I absolutely adore them!

   This afternoon I took abandoned kitty to the home of one of our international teachers who will get her to the vet to be cleaned, shaved, spayed and treated for a cold and injured paw.  

I can't tell you how happy kitty was to be inside again.  She explored her surroundings and then plopped herself right down and started rolling around on the carpet.  It was a joyful moment indeed!  The good news is there may already be someone interested in adopting her.

 While I was there, we spied this little guy tap-tap-tapping at the window.

And guess who has a birthday today?

Jingles turns 8.  Such a pretty girl.

Happy Tuesday!

Around the Block

The good news is there was no dust today.  

 This afternoon I took a stroll around the block.  A new family on the corner has created their very own oasis around their home which is nice to see.  Most folks build right to the edge of their property and lay concrete rather than plant anything.  I do hope all their beautiful plants and greenery will be able to survive the summer months when temperatures soar to 120 and above..

 Across the street I spotted these gorgeous flowers.  Anyone know what they are?  I noticed them last year, too, and from a distance thought they might be foxgloves, but up close I can see that the shape of the flower isn't right.  They certainly seem to be very sturdy, hardy plants though they will die off at some point.  When it happened last year, I was a bit sad as they are such a bright spot in a rather drab area.

I saw on the news where parts of Pennsylvania and New York were hit with snow.  What a shock that must be after the warm temperatures they've been experiencing.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I hope your day is beautiful.  Have a great new week!  (The last week of April.  Hard to believe!)

Another Abandoned One

I was already in the car this morning when my oldest son came down and said "did you see the black cat in the stairwell?"  I hadn't!  But there she was, waiting for us when we got home from school today. She was sleeping in my outside kitty's bed and eating her food, but the good thing is that outside kitty now roams during the day and only comes back to sleep at night.  This kitty has a hurt paw and a cold, like the previous white Persian I rescued (who has been named Lilly and will be winging her way to Canada for adoption very soon).

 I just hate that there are breeders who keep selling these Persians to families who think they are so sweet and adorable when they are kittens and then throw them out at the first sign of sickness or just because they've become a nuisance after about a year.  I don't understand how anyone can just toss them into the street to fend for themselves.

Jingles is afraid of the big outdoors.  She will only venture out onto the balconies where she feels safe.  She doesn't like the doors to be closed on her because she likes to know that she can get back inside at any time.

When these poor kitties come to me, I feel like they are weary travelers looking for respite.

My youngest son says that the cats have their own broadcast and they say "Hey, there's a crazy lady who will feed you if you show up at her place."

I don't mind being the crazy cat lady.

Overcoming the Drear

Our days have been rather bleak and dreary with dust that blankets the sky.  Around 5 pm every day, I watch the doves, pigeons, sparrows and chickadees wing their way back and forth.  Although the doves and pigeons will happily sit for some time, those little birds are always on the go.

Jingles is sitting in a pot that once was filled with blooming moss roses.  All that sitting eventually did them in and now there's just weeds.  Can you see who she is looking at just above her?  

 I'm thankful for the bit of color and plant life on my balconies, even though it is so very hard to keep them clean.  One of my bushes has little purple blooms but the leaves are just filled with a layer of dust from all the storms.  I used to wash down the plants and balconies on the weekends, but it just seems such a waste of water, so haven't even done it this year.

So while it is gray outside, I have been inside doing what needs to be done, and crocheting in between the doing.  A bit of hooky time certainly adds much needed cheer and color to my day.

I hope that all things are bright, beautiful and colorful in your corner of the world.

Have a wonderful weekend.

The Birds

Yesterday evening I was so excited to catch sight of a bird I've not seen before in Kuwait.  This guy landed on a wire just above me.  After a bit of research, I think it is a variety of bee-eater.  Any bird watchers out there have a clue?

We are actually on a migratory path for many species of birds.  Except for the doves.  They live here all the time.  And this one was having a fine dinner of my moss roses this afternoon.

The predicted dust storm didn't turn out to be as bad as they said. Just hazy skies that seem to be the norm of late.

Hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday.

Tea on Tuesday

After making pumpkin oatmeal the other night, I still had pumpkin to use up, so made pumpkin muffins.  And because everything tastes better with a bit of "frosting", I whipped together pumpkin with cream cheese, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and powdered sugar.  Spread that on top, added a pecan and served it up with Spiced Chai and cardamom milk.  Pretty darn good!

It looks like we are in for yet another dust storm.  At 5 pm, it's already getting dark and dreary out there.  Hubby decided to walk anyways, but I chose to stay in.  After a few chores, I will settle in for the evening with crochet hook in hand.

Hope your Tuesday is a good one.  Stop by Kimmie's place for more Tea on Tuesday.

Beads and Things

Over Spring Break, a friend took me to a bead store that I didn't even know existed.  It is in an area that I don't usually go to.

Turns out,  LB o J'zazz has been in business for about 2-1/2 years.

 It's a small store, but is jampacked with bowls and drawers of beads galore.

 They also sell supplies for decoupage.

 The Indian guy who manages the store used some of their patterned tissue papers to decorate coke bottles by first covering them with gesso, then decoupaging the tissue on and embellishing with paint.

Of course, I came home with a bit of this and that.

And started to crochet a necklace but not too sure about it.

The great thing is I can just unravel it, pull off the beads and start all over again.

Wishing you a creative and productive new week.

Things I Love

Weekends at home.  

Crusty bread, fig & ginger jam and coffee for breakfast.

 Better weather.

 Clouds against a blue sky.

 Leftovers for lunch.

 A new heart pattern.

And a new recipe.

Hope your weekend is great!

A Good Friday

Fridays are always good in my book.  The first day of the weekend here when mornings are slow and easy.

Yesterday we woke to dust that turned to clouds and rain.  This morning we woke to clouds that turned to dust.  And it only got worse as the day progressed.  

We were going out for lunch, but after 45 minutes of driving the kids to where they wanted to go, we said to heck with that and came back home where I whipped up a 30 minute meal of Italian vegetable soup, rocket salad and mozzarella garlic bread.

I even threw a sheet pound cake in the oven.  1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 5 TBS melted butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp lemon zest, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 2 eggs and 1/3 cup milk.  Instead of the lemon zest, I used orange zest.  And substituted almond milk for regular milk.  For the frosting, I stirred some powdered sugar and orange juice into mascarpone cheese and then sprinkled chopped pecans on top.  Delicious!

Hubby says this kind of weather makes him feel depressed.  For me, it's a good excuse to cozy up on the couch and crochet the day away.

Have a fabulous Friday!