An Absolutely Gorgeous Day

Such beautiful blue skies.

And perfect walking weather.

63 F this afternoon.  That's 17 C.

 I noticed when hubby and I were walking that there was a whole lot of bird activity going on.

 When we got back, I watered plants on the balcony and next thing I know, we had all sorts of visitors.

 It seems petunias make mighty fine food for little sparrows.

 I was taking pictures through a tinted window which accounts for the different shades but I'm so happy with how these photos turned out.  I just love watching these little birdies flit about.

For those who are experiencing bitter cold or rain, I send warm hugs and wishes your way.  Thanks for stopping by!

Oops!

Well, it happened again.  

Nearly 2 weeks since my last post.

The good news is that Winter Break has officially begun so I finally have more time on my hands.  Yay!

 Today, hubby and I went to a new-to-us Indian restaurant.

The first Moti Mahal opened in Delhi in 1929.

And this branch opened in Kuwait in 2012.

 Very good food and nice views, too.

 Winter has arrived though for many I guess it is more spring-like.  60s (F) during the day and 40s at night.  We even saw a guy laying out on the beach today with shorts and a t-shirt on.  Concrete buildings with no central heat and no insulation often feel much colder inside than the weather is outside, so I tend to always be cold at home.

 Our college boy arrived from Colorado on Tuesday.  It has gotten down to -25 F there so he is thawing out while here.  He says we don't know what cold is and that would certainly be true.

 I still cannot get used to it getting dark so early.  Days just aren't long enough for everything I want to do.  But now I'm in holiday mode.  2 weeks off from school. Bliss!

I hope all is well where you are!

Warm wishes,

Tree Making

Alessandra from the blog homemade@myplace shared a tutorial in November for a Christmas tree decoration that I finally worked up the other night.  It's very easy to make and put together.  

 I forgot that Ale said she crocheted two strands together so I made a second one, which of course turned out bigger so needed a bigger star.  I also tied the circles together at the front to make them look like little red bows decorating the tree.  I think I like the first version better so will make more like that.

On the first tree I used the one round tiny star pattern from Fiber Flux and on the second one I used the teeny tiny star pattern from Attic 24.

Happy holidays,

Trying New Things

Two failed attempts.

Can you guess what they were supposed to be?

After I saw Becca's post about them and a link to the pattern at Planet M Files, I decided to give it a go.  I mean, after all, it was supposed to be a "very quick and easy pattern".  You would think after all my years of crocheting, I would get it right on the first try, but my pattern reading skills truly are lacking at times.  

I guess the third time IS a charm as I finally have something that at least resembles a lovely little pinecone.  The pattern does call for a lot of slip stitching which I found to be fiddly.  I may or may not make a few more.  

 Next up was a recipe I've wanted to try for a while.  Carrot, cumin and kidney bean falafels from the blog A Girl Named Jack.

 They were shallow fried in vegetable oil but I wound up also putting them under the broiler for a little while to try and crisp them up.  We had them for lunch with roasted sweet potatoes, salad and spicy pita chips.  Yummy! 

 And finally, food for thought from Nelson Mandela along with a snapshot of the end of yet another day.

Hope you are having a wonderful day in your little corner of the world.

Blessings,

A Full Day

Today we woke to the news of Nelson Mandela's passing.  He was an incredible man who lived his life with vision and passion.  Though his voice will no longer be heard, his words will echo throughout history.

 From the looks of things early on, I thought we were in for a dark and cloudy day but it turned out to be quite warm and pleasant.  My husband and I took our usual one hour morning walk.

 Then a little later I headed to the annual holiday bazaar with a friend.

 I didn't take any pictures while inside the bazaar.  It was so crowded and I'm always worried someone will not like being photographed or having their merchandise photographed (though in this day and age that is hard to control ).  But I can show you a couple of things I bought.

Holiday cookies for Zack.  (The poor little reindeer's legs were broken on the way home.)

And this gorgeous throw which matches my bedroom perfectly.  It is handmade by women in Homs, Syria and all the money goes straight back to them.

 For lunch, my husband wanted to try a restaurant at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel but turns out it is only open for dinner.  Since we hadn't been in the hotel before, we decided to walk around the grounds.  Hard to capture, but we thought it was pretty impressive.

 Great weather for kite flying as you can see.

We headed up the road to The Village for lunch.  It was our first time to eat at Munch and we all enjoyed the food.  I had the Moroccan couscous salad and grilled balsamic portobello.  Delicious!

 Once back home, I decided to finally use this beignet mix that we brought back from New Orleans. 

Made for a nice afternoon treat with coffee.

And so another day is done.

I still can't get use to darkness coming at 5 p.m.

Fine Arts Night

On Tuesday night, our school's Fine Arts Department put on a K-12 Arts Show that was open to the public.  There was artwork on display.

 Choirs, music, singing and drumming.

 Activities for adults and children.

And art in action.

Our high school art teachers came up with a sample piece that they recreated on a huge canvas while everyone watched.

 It took them the full 2 hours to complete their work entitled "Engulfed".  A play on words as we are in the Gulf region.  The left side depicts images of the past, a simpler way of life which is engulfed in a huge dust storm from which a more materialistic way of life emerges.

 I didn't attend the event last year, but am so glad I did this time.  It certainly was a fabulous night of art and entertainment.

As usual, my days have been very, very busy!

So happy another weekend has arrived.

Best wishes,

Happy December!

May your month be filled with peace, joy and love.

A Week in Review

This last week of November has been a busy one.

Last Friday we went to lunch with my friend, Marisol.

 And then to see Shadowland at the ice skating rink.

Photos were not allowed during the performance.  It wasn't quite what I expected.

The dancing was fantastic, but we all thought the story line was a little unusual.

 On Saturday I had a lovely breakfast with friends.

 Monday night my boss had a Thanksgiving dinner for all the new teachers at school, so my husband and son were able to get their turkey fix.

 On Tuesday there was an air show as we made our way home from school.

 And that night I went to a Kuwait Textiles Art Association meeting where Bader Al Mansour talked about art and his exhibition.

 His work deserves a whole post of its own.

 Wednesday night was Zack's first band concert of the year.

Yesterday the British Ladies Society had their annual Winter Bazaar.  I bought many things, but these below were my favorite purchases. They were made by the ladies in shelter at Booth House.  The same group I visited last year and taught to crochet, albeit different ladies as they are coming and going every 40 days or so.

Afterwards we had lunch with friends at Al Muhallab, our favorite seafood restaurant. 

 There has been walking as time permits.

An hour yesterday morning and an hour and a half today.

There's been cleaning but I try not to think about that too much.

I will  say that it's quite difficult to put fresh sheets on the bed when this one is around.

And there's been lots of sky watching.

Who needs a tv when you have this to view every day?

 We actually cancelled our satellite subscription some time ago as we hadn't turned the tv on since March.  

For those who celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, I hope you had a wonderful day surrounded by family and friends.  I honestly cannot believe that tomorrow begins the last month of 2013.

Best wishes and blessings,