Daily Happenings

Happy belated Mother's Day!

And Happy Tuesday!

It's mid-week for us here since weekends are Friday and Saturday.

 My husband was in Jerusalem for 5 days visiting family and just returned on Sunday. He brought back delicious homemade zaatar bread from his aunt who has been blind since the age of 2.  I was privileged to meet her when we visited as a family many years ago.  She's now 84 years old, lives alone and still cooks up a storm.  (Jennifer, this is probably the type of bread you remember eating when you were little.)

 He also brought back mahmoul from Jordan. Cookies filled with dates, pistachios and walnuts.  I've been sharing at the office which of course makes everyone happy.  I just love the pretty wrapping on each one.

 It's been quite exciting for Jingles here lately as she has been entertained and teased for days now by a little lizard that frequents our balcony.

He's really not so little and we must remember to keep the door closed.  Can you seem him there to the left?  It's so funny to watch her.  And listen to all the sounds she makes.

 As sunset approaches, I enjoy going out on the balcony to water plants and to watch the birds.   It's so hot during the day that they do most of their flying around in the morning and later afternoon.

 I especially love this next photo.  Three different birds that were flitting about each other and then settled on the same metal structure on the roof across the street.  To me it speaks of the truth that no matter our differences, we can all get along and live peacefully together.  How I wish that were true around the world.

 My weekend was filled with birds of the card and cross-stitch variety, too.  I crocheted little bags and combined them with the stitchings to make gift pouches.  I'm always more creative when  I have time to spare which is why I love weekends so much.

Only 2 more days.

Counting down.

Blessings,

Friday Food

Today was the perfect staying in kinda day. 

Drab and dusty outside but nice and cozy inside. I did a bit of cleaning.  A little crocheting.  And a whole lot of playing in the kitchen.  

It is absolutely amazing what you can  do with nuts.  Today I tried my first cashew alfredo.  The recipe is actually called Very Vegan Mac-n' Cheeze but the results I got turned out more like an alfredo sauce.  Really, really good!

 I've started baking my own bread every weekend.  Small loaves that I can eat and share.

I made walnut tarragon again which goes great with the beetroot & dill nut spread and olive tapenade I got from two lovely people here I met through Instagram.

And since the oven was already on, I figured I might as well make good use of that heat and bake a cake.  

 Banana coffee cake with chocolate streusel.

Yum!

Perfect with the chocolate coffee my cousin gave me over the summer. 

Besides what's pictured, I also made quinoa topped with curried vegetables and had that for dinner.

Now to don my pajamas and do some crochet.

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday (or Saturday depending on where you are in the world).

Best wishes,

Making and Baking

Over the past week I've done a lot of baking.  I enjoy trying new recipes, especially healthier versions of treats that I can share with co-workers and friends.  The following recipes all got rave reviews so I thought I would share the links with you.

Vegan and Banana Nut Scones from Cookie and Kate

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Shortbread from Cookie and Kate 

 Spiced Sweet Potato Donuts from Vegan Richa

 No Bake Energy Bites from Cooking Classy

Granted, I hardly ever follow a recipe to a tee.  I'm always substituting ingredients based on what I  might have on hand.  The best part about making these things is that I don't feel guilty about eating them because I know I am using good, healthy ingredients.

Have a great week!

Hello May!

What the heck happened to April!  Days seem to fly even faster as we near the end of the school year.  My oldest son takes his finals next Friday and will be finished with his first year of university.  Unbelievable!

Yesterday a vendor from the monthly farmer's market sent complimentary products to school for a few of us who follow him on Instagram @caveboygrubs.  He makes paleo and vegan foods that are amazingly delicious.  This morning for breakfast I had his dairy free coconut yogurt with his best selling granola.

And for lunch, I made a rocket salad with tomato, cucumbers, beets and walnuts, a homemade honey mustard dressing and homemade walnut bread that I topped with the complimentary dill & beet root nut spread.  Really, really good!

 Last night I crocheted some bowls loosed basely on this pattern.  Funny thing is, after the first one, I thought I had the pattern memorized but they all turned out different sizes. Ha! Oh well, that's okay.  I don't need them all to be the same.  And they turned out to be nesting bowls even though I didn't follow the pattern for that purpose.  

 The brown and the red yarn are felting wool which I have never used before.  After I took this picture, I did wash the red bowl but can't really tell a difference in how it looks and it certainly didn't shrink.  I don't think the water was hot enough and unfortunately, don't always have control over the water temperature here, no matter what setting I use on the washing machine.

 Our weather has been hot and somewhat dusty over the past several days.  Still so happy to see that I do have some blooms on the balcony when I go out there to water.  I need to remember to keep the door closed when Jingles is out there early morning and at night as I've seen a very large lizard running around.

On a sad note, last Friday night, my boss rushed back to Canada as he learned that his brother had a brain bleed that required immediate surgery.  He didn't know the details at the time, but I've learned now that his brother had just finished a meeting with the Department of Agriculture where he worked and as he scooped up his laptop and papers and wheeled around to exit the room, he stumbled somehow hitting his head on a piece of furniture.  His wife was able to speak to him at the hospital and he said he was okay but just had a really bad headache.  Unfortunately, he did not make it.  They took him off the respirator on Sunday and he passed away surrounded by 30 family members singing Amazing Grace.  

I do wonder, was he rushing to another meeting, did he need to be somewhere else quickly?  Such a tragic and freak accident.  He was only in his late 50s.

We are having a quiet weekend at home.   No plans, no running around, no responsibilities.  Just the way I like it after a busy week.

Have a fabulous Friday

Each Day is a Gift

I recently came across the Instagram account of @juanita_powell who lives in Melbourne.  One of her posts completely resonated with me and totally relays how I approach every day.  I've typed that post in it's entirety below.  It's long, but worth the read.  I've added my own pictures, of course,  that visually portray the feeling behind the words.

If I could wish one thing for everyone reading this, it would be that you be absolutely present in every moment of every day.

When was the last time you thought about how amazing "life" is and everything and everyone that's in it?  I spend a lot of my day having my mind blown by just this notion, and it's a deliberate thought process to ensure not a single blessing moment passes me by.

Think about it for a second, please.  Stop whatever you're doing and just be present, right now, wherever you are.  Look around you and think about everything in your picture.  What can you see?  What can you hear?  What can you smell?  What can you taste?  What can you feel?

Wow, right?

I think about the weather a lot.  I think it's the farmer's daughter in me.  How these clouds are formed.  How it's hot one day and cold the next, how rain can fall in one spot and be dry less than 20m away.

The pear I just ate, how much energy was taken to produce that.  Each day, it's been on a journey to flourish and be plucked from a tree.  It's sweetness, it's consistent pear shape year after year.  Fruit, vegetables and flowers are incredible.  Each meal or bunch I have, I gaze for a few moments to appreciate the effort each one has taken to have thrived.

Even Mankind has produced some amazing inventions that day after day we take for granted.  Don't.  Marvel at it.  Be thankful for it.  Nothing in life is mundane.  Nothing.  Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed or self-absorbed in "Juanita's World", I take myself outside, look up and fill my lungs with Mother Nature's free anti-depressant/mood stabiliser-oxygen. And in that moment, I take in life, everything around me and give thanks for the blessing to be able to indulge each of my senses.

Don't ever allow yourself to get caught up in the glorification of busy.  Don't let life slip you by -- don't exist . Use each of your senses today and reconnect with how amazing Mother Nature [is] and everything she provides us with.

 Wishing each and every one of you a most beautiful and blessed day.

Happy Easter

Today is our last day of Spring Break. Tomorrow I will return to life behind a desk in a windowless office, tap-tap-tapping away on the keyboard and staring at a computer screen for 7 hours.  Can you tell I  am excited?  

 Despite the heat, I headed out for an hour and a half walk, once again meandering up and down neighborhood streets, looking for spots of green, blooms, finding unusual homes, snapping busy bees and dragonflies. Most of the butterflies from earlier in the week seem to have disappeared.

 I especially love these hollyhocks standing so straight and tall!  So beautiful! 

  Was very happy upon my return home to have leftover broccoli soup and zaatar olive bread that I made yesterday.   

 And for a quick dessert, nothing beats a simple banana ice cream.  Frozen banana with just enough almond milk to blend, topped with cinnamon and walnuts, or cocoa powder.  Really satisfying and delicious and much needed on a hot, hot day.

Whatever your plans are for this Easter Sunday, I hope it is a restful, peaceful, lovely day.

Best wishes and blessings,

Beautifying

This morning we made an early morning trip to the plant souk and were quite surprised to see that there were so many flowers to choose from.  Last time we went it wasn't quite so colorful.  

My husband bought a few trees to put outside his warehouse in the industrial area, the reality of which is very grim.  Truth is, there are a lot of areas in this country that are filled with trash.  People walk through it without a second thought which always boggles my mind.  Why would you not want your surroundings to be clean and presentable?  I started sweeping up trash which completely freaked out a couple of the workers.  They insisted I stop, but I am a worker bee, always have been.  I don't believe in waiting for others to do something when I am capable of doing it myself.  (Which is why I don't have a maid at home when most people in this country do.  I am an anomoly in that regard for sure.)

 I bought moss roses and some rosemary but didn't even take pictures of them.  I spent an hour and a half repotting and planting and sweeping and cleaning but had to call it quits because I literally started to feel nauseous from the heat.

My gardenia (I think that's what it is) has just started to bloom and there are still tomatoes popping out, too.  Having plants in this environment isn't easy, but to me it is worth the effort.  And honestly, what would Jingles do if she didn't have a balcony to explore, pots to sit in and a place to relax?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.