Storm Predictions

Last night we went to bed with the news that parts of Saudi Arabia were experiencing heavy rains and flooding.  There were also predictions that the storms would be heading our way, but so far all is quiet.

 After all the talk of storms, I was surprised to see the sun this morning in such a beautiful shade of red.

 Lots of clouds.

 But so far no rain.

They are saying we should expect some in the early morning hours.

A light rain is okay. But this country is not prepared for heavy rains.

This day passed all too quickly and now it is time to follow Jingles lead.

Goodnight everyone!

The Bane of My Existence

Yesterday I said I love weekends.

And I do.

Especially when I can go out with a friend and her daughter for breakfast.

This morning we went to Dean & Deluca.

Which meant besides breakfast, we also did a little shopping.

Love this place for specialty and gourmet items and don't get there often enough.

Now I've been twice in one weekend.

For breakfast we had coffee, spicy foul tagine with vegetables and pita bread, zatar and spinach fatayer and a fruit tray.

The pancakes and orange juice were for Renee, who will be 10 next month.

 Our next stop was Ikea for storage containers.  Yesterday I bought bookshelves so I could organize my craft supplies.  I thought everything would have a space and fit nicely but it didn't work out that way.  Cleaning and organizing are the bane of my existence.

8 hours later and there's still stuff without a home and still much to do.

 The good news is that I found several small cross-stitchings and frames that fit them perfectly so after I called it quits for the evening, I quickly put them together.

Wish I could twitch my nose like Samantha Stephens (Bewitched) and have everything neat and tidy and tucked away. :)

Hope your Saturday is/was a good one!

Out and About

We had a week of pretty gray weather but today brilliant blue skies were back.

Walking is so pleasant now.  It really is like meditation for me.

Sometimes I think I could just walk and walk and walk forever.  

Hubby does not agree.

An hour is more than enough for him.

Walks.  The body advances while the mind flutters around it like a bird. (Jules Renard)

We tried a new restaurant for lunch.

The first Katsuya opened in Studio City, California in 1997.

And has just expanded to the Middle East with this one that opened on October 30th and another in Dubai.  

Nice atmosphere and good food.   

We also went to Ikea where they just happened to be promoting a show that we had planned to buy tickets for online.  This performance will take place next weekend.  I know the lady whose husband organized it and she said it took a year to get them here.

Looking forward to that.

I sure do love weekends!

Best wishes,

Distractions

distraction

dɪˈstrakʃ(ə)n/

noun

plural noun: distractions

1. 1.

   a thing that prevents someone from concentrating on something else.

Sunrises

And sunsets

Clouds

 Blue skies

And the moon

Flowers

Plants

And lots and lots of walks

  These are the things that have me distracted of late.  It seems such a shame to waste anytime indoors when we can finally enjoy the great outdoors without overheating.  In the past week, there's been lots of clouds and several short little drizzly rains which have been a nice change.  Of course, there's always my work at school and work at home that keep me busy, too.  Just when I think I can find a rhythm to my days, there always seems to be something to distract me.  I hope that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, that all is well in your little corner of the world.
Best wishes and blessings,

Qout Market

On Saturday I went with friends to the first large, organized Farmers Market in Kuwait

This market first took shape when it was presented as part of the 2012 Middle East-North Africa Active Citizen Summit, organized by the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL), in partnership with the US State Department. Budour Al-Qassar, along with 60 other young delegates from the MENA region, presented their active citizen projects in Washington DC, and the farmers market was the project she presented. At the end of the summit, the ACYPL gave out small grants to selected participants. They chose one project from each country and the farmer’s market project was chosen from Kuwait.

You can read more about it here.

 We arrived when it first opened and within an hour and a half it became hard to move between the stalls without bumping into someone or being stuck.  

 Which also made it hard to take too many pictures.

 I bought fresh greens, Italian focaccia, and many vegan products that aren't readily available in the market.

 All in all, I thought it was a great success and look forward to the next one on December 7th.

Wishing you health and happiness,

Happy November!

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween.

Tis' the season for pumpkin, so I thought I would share some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

First up, pumpkin oatmeal.

Bring to a boil 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 3 TBS pumpkin puree, dash of nutmeg,1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup of raisins.  Simmer for just a few minutes. Turn off heat, stir in 1/4 cup of coconut milk and transfer to a bowl to serve.

Next,vegan pumpkin pancakes.

2 cups of flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 cups non-dairy milk (oat, rice, almond or soy), 2 TBS vegetable oil, 2-3 TBS pumpkin puree, sprinkle of cinnamon, handful of chopped pecans.  Stir until just mixed.  Make the pancakes in a frying pan coated with cooking spray.

I ate mine with cashew butter and jam.

The pancakes freeze well.  In the morning, I just pop them in the toaster a couple of times then put them in a plastic container and take them to school to eat at my desk, always with fruit on the side. 

Two mornings last week I received pumpkin gifts from a co-worker.

Lightened up raw pecan pumpkin butter that I immediately put on the fruit salad I had brought for breakfast.

The recipe is from a vegan blog called Oh She Glows. 

 And pumpkin macchiato.

I drank half by itself and put the other half in my coffee.  Yum!

(Thanks, Lissa!)

 Finally, pumpkin hummus.

I have been making a lot of this and everyone loves it.

 Place in a blender 1 can of chickpeas with liquid, 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, 1 tsp of cumin, s&p to taste, juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup of good olive oil.  Blend til smooth. Serve with spicy pita chips (pita bread coated with olive oil then sprinkled with New Orleans seasoning blend and placed under the broiler til crispy, turning once).  It's also good with fresh veges.

Happy November everyone!