Dessert for Dinner

I was so sad this morning when hubby told me that outside orange kitty had died.  Yesterday morning he was fine when he came for breakfast.  In the afternoon, I noticed there was a gash on his front leg where the fur was completely gone but he seemed okay.  By evening, I found him bleeding profusely from the wound.  I cleaned up the blood; I tried to help, but there wasn't much I could do.  Now he is gone.  I wish I knew what happened to the little guy in the span of a day.

 The Full Blue Moon was visible this evening as hubby and I walked to The Chocolate Bar to meet friends for coffee.

 I had a latte and dark chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream for dinner.

My mottto for today:  Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.

(Ernestine Ulmer)

Best wishes and blessings,

The Week That Was

My first week back at school sped by so fast. Hard to believe that the weekend has arrived.  And even harder to believe that tomorrow is the last day of the month.  

    

 Yesterday, one of my lovely co-workers gifted me with fresh dates from her garden.  They are crisp and yummy ... so different from ripened dates. 

 But the real treat was receiving all these wonderful magazines from a friend who just returned from the States.  Since I've not been crafty or creative at all this past week, I know there will be lots of inspiration to be found within these pages.

 We've had such high humidity the past several days that walking outside has been like walking into a sauna.

I have emailed friends and family who are in Louisiana and Mississippi to find out how they are faring through Hurricane Isaac.  Val at Yarni Gras lives in Slidell which is where I was before coming to Kuwait.  She posted yesterday at 4 am about the storm and I hope she will be able to post another update soon.

I hope all is well where you are.

In Everything Give Thanks

Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to conscience; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of, a blessing money can't buy.

Izaak Walton (1593 - 1683)

This evening my husband came home from the mosque in a state of shock.  One of his friends, a young man, 35 years of age, just returned from London where he received treatment for sinus cancer.  He is weak and feeble; his facial features have changed dramatically; his teeth have decayed and his neck looks as if it has been burned. His young children did not recognize him when arrived back home.  My heart literally aches to hear stories such as this.

I had just read this article about longevity which states:

Several basic factors have started to emerge as being behind a long lifespan: a plant-based diet; regular, low-intensity activity; an investment in family; a sense of faith; and purpose.

One of my favorite recipes is a cabbage salad given to me by my girlfriend, Melissa.

Break up 1 package of ramen noodles and add to a pan with 1/4 cup slivered almonds and 2 TBS of sesame seeds.  Bake at 350 for 5-8 minutes or until golden.  Mix together 3 cups of shredded cabbage, 1/4 cup of sliced green onions and dress with a mixture of 3 TBS canola oil, 2 TBS rice vinegar, 2 TBS soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp sesame oil.  Stir everything together and serve with vegetarian chicken nuggets (or the real thing if you prefer).

   

Last night I read two chapters in my book.  The writing is much different than what I expected, but I get the message.  Grace, thanksgiving, joy.  Giving thanks in everything.

Today I am thankful for my health, clouds that brought humidity so the day did not feel as hot,

the moon as it grows ever fuller with a new month just around the corner,

and I am thankful for you!

Have a blessed day!

Gifts

Last week our drive to the Frankfurt airport was shrouded in fog which reminded me of the dusty days we get here.

 But today, there were only blue skies as I drove home from school.  And my car felt like an oven (it was 118 degrees). 

 Thankfully, my work day went much smoother than yesterday and was made even nicer by gifts from a friend.

A lovely necklace handmade from enameled copper by Megan Archer who is a jewelry designer in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  You can check out her website here.

And a book that I have heard much about.  One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I'm ready to sit back with a cup of tea, a couple of homemade sugar cookies and start reading.

Hope you are having a great day!

My Summer Holiday is Over

These pretty teatowels with machine embroidered designs were another purchase I made while in Cochem, Germany.

And with my purchase, the owner of the shop gave me this little cross-stitched napkin for free because there are a few ink stains on the opposite side.  I am sure I can find something to do with it.

 In another little shop, I bought this tablecover that is made of embroidered squares trimmed in crochet.  

 All of these lovely linens made me want to stitch away the day, so that is exactly how I spent the last few days of my summer holiday.  Cross-stitching ...

 and crocheting.

 But today it was back to school.  Construction over the summer meant that the return was very chaotic.  A new office that I now have to share with a co-worker will be quite an adjustment.

Several hours of cleaning this afternoon and now it is time to call it a night.

Have a wonderful day and a great new week!

Cochem

While in Germany, we rented a car from the airport and with a borrowed GPS, getting around the country was a breeze.  Last Sunday, we decided to head to the little town of Cochem about an hour away.

It was a beautiful day and the landscape was quite varied as we drove along.

Cochem has been around since Celtic and Roman times though much of it has been rebuilt because of war.

Winegrowing and tourism are its economic lifeblood.

At this little shop, I bought wine jam.

And at this craft store, the prices were so much more reasonable than they are in Kuwait.

A few tote bags, three skeins of yarn, several cross-stitch books and a Christmas stitch kit with frames were all purchased for a fraction of what I would pay here.

I could have walked around this little town for hours, but unfortunately, teenage boys were not quite as impressed so we cut our visit short.

Goodbye Cochem.

I do hope to visit again one day.

The Meeting of Friends and Rivers

Imagine my utter disbelief AFTER returning home to discover that while we were in Koblenz, I was only 30 minutes away from Barbina (Little Things Made With Love).  Her blog profile states that she lives in a "small German village" but never in a million years would I have believed she would be so close.  I told hubby we definitely have to go back again.

Before we traveled, he had made plans to meet with friends/business associates.  Nick and his childhood friend, Elmer, drove from Amsterdam on their motorcycles to visit with us for two days.  Nick has done business with Sam's family for nearly 20 years.

While they did a bike tour on the second day, we spent time with Mathias who drove over from the Dusseldorf area.

And on the last day, another business associate/friend drove from Amsterdam with his family to have lunch with us.  We had ice cream ...

and then walked along the riverfront.  Little Hassan wanted to do everything the big boys did. 

Deutsches Eck or The German Corner is where a massive statue of Kaiser Wilhelm (William the Great) overlooks where the Rhine and Mosel rivers flow together.  The inscription reads: "Nimmer wird das Reich zerstöret, wenn ihr einig seid und treu" (Never will the Empire be destroyed, so long as you are united and loyal).  It was partially destroyed by artillery shell in 1945 and only reinstalled in 1993 after a couple from Koblenz agreed to bear all costs of reconstruction.

On this day, while the guys sat around.

I actually walked to the top of the monument.

Where the view was great!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Have a wonderful day!