This and That and Tea

Today I'm joining Kimmie at Art in Red Wagons for Tea on Tuesday.   For the occasion, I made a blackberry cobbler and topped it with a few scoops of vanilla ice cream.  I know most folks wouldn't think of baking when temperatures are above 100 degrees, but I was craving a big bowl of something sweet.  The tea I had is one of my favorites - Twinings Organic African Honeybush & Lemon.

 During the week, there is not a whole lot of crocheting going on with school and housework keeping me busy.  The balconies needed sweeping after all the dust storms and imagine my surprise when I looked up to find this guy sitting right on the fence just a foot away from me.  He didn't fly away when I got close.  I talked to him and he would just sit there and listen.  Later on, he moved to the end of the balcony and settled into one of my plants.  I gave him water and bread and banned Jingles from going outside.

 He was gone the next morning.  I don't know what was wrong, but guess he was able to sleep it off.

I took the moon picture above on Saturday night and the one below this evening.  On Monday, June 4th, the Full Strawberry Moon will be visible.  

Hard to believe that yet another month is nearly over.  My oldest son has exams this week and then will be finished with his junior year of high school.  My 8th grader will finish up on the 4th.  Another school year just about over.

It's almost 10 o'clock pm and sleep is sounding pretty good to me right about now.  I'll stop by tomorrow to visit all the other tea party participants.  Hope you are having a terrific Tuesday.

Weekend Wrap-up

As the weekend has progressed, the dust has begun to clear.

 And with each passing day, more and more of my moss roses begin to bloom.

There has been baking and crocheting going on.

And a chance to meet friends for coffee.  We even sat outside today despite the rising temperature.

Seeing a bit of blue sky is so much nicer than all the dust that has been with us for much of the month of May.

I do hope you are having a nice day in your corner of the world.

Just in Time for the Weekend

More dust!  Another storm rolled in around noontime.  The house down the street is hidden in the haze.  My balcony is covered in a layer of fine red powder.  And my poor geraniums are suffocating from it all.  

You will find me here in my favorite spot surrounded by supplies, yarn and my laptop, catching up on blog reading, making stuff and forgetting about what's going on out there.

And if that's what I have to do the whole weekend, so be it.

Hope your day is a good one.

So Much for Dusting

 A day in May found on my Atlantic Canada calendar.  Apple blossoms in Canning, Nova Scotia.  I wish our day looked like this.  

Instead we got this.  A major dust storm rolled in just after 2:00 pm.

 You can't see it in the pictures, but there was actually an orange glow out there.  So much for all the cleaning I did over the past several days.

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better,
To paint a picture or write a letter,
Bake a cake or plant a seed,
Ponder the difference between want and need? 

Today I made banana and coconut bread.  I used three small tins rather than one large one.  It turned out great, very moist but I think next time I would definitely put half the sugar.

Hope the weather is better where you are!

Every Other Day

Lately it seems that I am only able to post about every other day.  Yesterday I spent about 8 hours dusting and cleaning and that was mainly in the living room.  As much as I try, I just really, really, really don't like cleaning.  It is definitely not a labor of love.  More like a necessary evil.

I had to make room for the long framed textile piece that I bought at the bazaar held at the KTAA Exhibition over the weekend.  It was made by an Indian lady named Ranju who used camel wool from the Sadu House to knit and crochet a piece that resembled the traditional Sadu weaving.  I also bought a pedestal dish that is woven from plastic bags.  It is made by ladies who are being sheltered by the Salvation Army.

And three crocheted carnations came home with me, too.  Don't they look real?

It was back to school today and despite the haze and clouds, it sure was hot!  A whopping 113 degrees.  Summer has definitely arrived.

I hope you are having a peaceful, restful Sunday in your corner of the world.  

Out and About

Today we met a friend for lunch at PF Chang's.  Dynamite Shrimp, steamed vegetable dumplings and vegetable spring rolls to start.  Oolong marinated sea bass served over spinach, coconut curry vegetables and steamed brown and white rice for our main dishes.  The food is always delicious!

Then this afternoon hubby and I headed over to the annual Kuwait Textiles Art Association Exhibition.  Lots of quilts, cross-stitch, embroidery, crochet and knitting.  Always fun and inspiring to see what others are making.

 Hope you are having a fabulous Friday!

Hot and Hazy; Cool and Cozy

The weather guy says we should get used to the haze (a/k/a dust).  He also said that by the weekend, the winds will shift and we will have high humidity.

Outdoor activities are not so appealing (unless you're a cat ... or a bird).  Our night time lows are in the 80's.

So while it's hot and hazy outside, what's a girl to do but play with yarn inside.

And make a mug cocoa cake using the microwave instead of the oven.

Mix in microwave safe mug 2-1/2 TBS flour, 2-1/2 TBS sugar, 2 TBS cocoa powder, 1 egg, 1-1/2 TBS vege oil, 2 TBS milk, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and a small pinch of salt.  Sprinkle chocolate chips and chopped pecans on top and bake for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes.  (Don't overcook or the bottom will become hard and tough.)

Hope you're staying cool and cozy.  Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday it really looked like we were in for a major dust storm.  The sky took on an orangey hue and the sun was just a dot in the sky.

 But today turned out to be hazy, cloudy, muggy ... and somehow just sped by with lighting speed.

Which is why weekends are so necessary.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Happy Mother's Day

Last year, I bought this Martha Stewart Living magazine and must have tucked it away but never read it.  It's actually the May 2011 edition and even has a special pull-out Mother's Day section.   

 So, although it was a work and school day around here, I shall sit back this evening and enjoy the magazine along with the making of more daisy wheel dishcloths and flower coasters found here.

I hope your day is beautiful!

Puttering

Other than going out for lunch yesterday at our favorite Italian restaurant ...

 I've been puttering about at home.  My favorite thing to do on the weekend.  And since I haven't been very creative in the past couple of weeks, I was finally able to finish the Tea for Two stitching; crocheted a doily;  a "mary go round" using an old bracelet; a cotton cover for a jar; and another daisy wheel dishcloth.

 I hope your weekend is filled with puttering and creating, too.

Crazy Day

We've had strange weather for May. It started off with dust-filled days that have now turned to clouds and rumbling in the morning skies.  More craziness ensued when the electricity went out at school around 9 a.m.  Rumor is that a transformer was hit by lightning.  Hard to know what really happened but since the temperature outside was around 100 degrees, you can imagine what it was starting to feel like inside.  Students were dismissed by 11:30 am.  Electricity came back on around 1:45 pm, but it certainly threw the whole day off.  My entire job is reliant on a computer and internet access.

Needless to say, I didn't accomplish a lot today -- at school or at home.  Some days are just like that.

Hope yours is a good one!

Tea After Walking

I'm joining Kimmie at Art in Red Wagons today for tea.  These cashew biscuits were given to us by one of hubby's employees who just returned from India.  They are like sugar cookies but flavored with rosewater and topped with roasted cashews. 

 Along with the cashew biscuits, I'm having ginger tea we bought while on one of our trips to Sri Lanka where we took a tour of the Glenloch Tea Factory.

This morning there was a clap of loud thunder and rumbling just after 6 am but only about 10 raindrops on the windshield while on the way to school.  Rain in May would be rather strange indeed.  Hubby and I were able to walk this afternoon.  It was warm and just a tiny bit humid.  There aren't many flowers to see anymore, except those that grow wild.

That's about it around here.  It's already time to call it a night.  My how time just ticks away.

Hope you have a terrific Tuesday!

Time For Me

When we got home from school Jingles was in the same spot she was in when we left this morning.  What a life!

I shall not clean today (except for the stuff that needs to be done).  My plan is to finish up a cross-stitching I started over the weekend to match the dishcloth I crocheted.

Maybe I'll even have time to start something new.

Have a great week!

Off-Balance

It was my intention to create balance in my life this week, but it's after 10 o'clock, time for bed and all I've done is cook and clean, cook again, clean some more and prepare for another day.  Why does everything take so long?

I've also learned that my balance is way off when I try to take pictures of birds in the afternoon.  I actually have to lean against a wall or put my arms on something just to steady myself.  It's very hard to zoom in on a faraway subject and snap a photo at the same time.

 Tomorrow I'm going to balance the scale in the opposite direction.  Less doing and more time just for me.

 Goodnight from my side of the world!