I planned on going to the apple orchard with my family October 11th since my favorite apples (cameo) ripen in October. I checked the orchard's website this morning and saw that they're closed for the season as of the 3rd! NOOOOO!!!!! With company coming this weekend for Charlotte's birthday, apple picking can't be squeezed into the schedule.
I checked many other apple orchards in the area and they're all closed early. I'm so sad! I had hoped to pick 3 bushels this year. I'm hoping I can find some at the Farmer's Market but I know I'll pay a lot more for them.
Right about now I really wish I had a few acres and my own orchard.
Keren's Birthday projects
Earlier this month was my baby sister's birthday. We were graciously invited over to celebrate so before hand we were of course quite busy with projects! Here are some of the projects we worked on:
I sewed together an apron, copying the pattern of one I received from a friend. It was fun to do it in fall colors.
Mara diligently worked to write a story about a fairy named Cosmos which she then typed up, made into a book and illustrated and she dedicated it to her aunt. She even carefully colored a fairy picture to use as wrapping paper.
Jonathan pounded some flowers onto fabric to make a picture which I then helped him to put onto a box. He also made a set of cards to go inside. 
Table clothes, lights, candles, flowers and even fancy chair covers!
I never realized how elegant clover could be. :-)
What projects do you have going on?
I sewed together an apron, copying the pattern of one I received from a friend. It was fun to do it in fall colors. Mara diligently worked to write a story about a fairy named Cosmos which she then typed up, made into a book and illustrated and she dedicated it to her aunt. She even carefully colored a fairy picture to use as wrapping paper. Jonathan pounded some flowers onto fabric to make a picture which I then helped him to put onto a box. He also made a set of cards to go inside. Aaron also made something but just now I can't remember what. Megan made a card. Birthdays are fun! They give us great incentive for being creative. We are actually enjoyed a birthday today as well -Mara turned 10 today. I wasn't terribly creative for this birthday but Jonathan was, I will have to share about that later. We also enjoyed a home Circus tonight which I will have to post pictures of too.
But back to Keren's birthday. Keren had fun being creative for her birthday as well and we came over to a beautifully decorated back yard where supper was held. Here are a couple of pictures:
Table clothes, lights, candles, flowers and even fancy chair covers! I never realized how elegant clover could be. :-)What projects do you have going on?Keren's Birthday projects
Earlier this month was my baby sister's birthday. We were graciously invited over to celebrate so before hand we were of course quite busy with projects! Here are some of the projects we worked on:
I sewed together an apron, copying the pattern of one I received from a friend. It was fun to do it in fall colors.
Mara diligently worked to write a story about a fairy named Cosmos which she then typed up, made into a book and illustrated and she dedicated it to her aunt. She even carefully colored a fairy picture to use as wrapping paper. Jonathan pounded some flowers onto fabric to make a picture which I then helped him to put onto a box. He also made a set of cards to go inside. Table clothes, lights, candles, flowers and even fancy chair covers!
I never realized how elegant clover could be. :-)
What projects do you have going on?
I sewed together an apron, copying the pattern of one I received from a friend. It was fun to do it in fall colors. Mara diligently worked to write a story about a fairy named Cosmos which she then typed up, made into a book and illustrated and she dedicated it to her aunt. She even carefully colored a fairy picture to use as wrapping paper. Jonathan pounded some flowers onto fabric to make a picture which I then helped him to put onto a box. He also made a set of cards to go inside. Aaron also made something but just now I can't remember what. Megan made a card. Birthdays are fun! They give us great incentive for being creative. We are actually enjoyed a birthday today as well -Mara turned 10 today. I wasn't terribly creative for this birthday but Jonathan was, I will have to share about that later. We also enjoyed a home Circus tonight which I will have to post pictures of too.
But back to Keren's birthday. Keren had fun being creative for her birthday as well and we came over to a beautifully decorated back yard where supper was held. Here are a couple of pictures:
Table clothes, lights, candles, flowers and even fancy chair covers! I never realized how elegant clover could be. :-)What projects do you have going on?Moist Cake Quest - Cake #3
With a week to go until Charlotte's Birthday, I set out to bake the last attempt at a moist cake before breaking out the Dunkin Hines. The first cake was a bust, the second was so close.... will the third time truly be a charm?I was so excited to bake cake #3 with my sister, Katie, since she and her husband were in town this past weekend. I have love being around my little sister. She's hilarious. I wish we lived closer. I miss her already.
I bought two 9" cake pans and made sure they were 2" deep. I'm remaking this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Fingers crossed that the pans make this cake the winner.
She helped me mix all the ingredients and her sweet husband David was nice enough to take pictures of us baking together.
As you can see, we are very serious in the kitchen. 
Very, very serious.....
I'm not sure why but the cakes baked much more evenly this time. I lined the oven rack under them with aluminum foil in case we had an over-flow like last time (we didn't) and I also used the new cake pans. I guess one of those factors resulted in evenly baked cakes. I took the cakes out as soon as the middles weren't jiggly (if you tap the oven rack with a potholder the center of a cake will jiggle if it's not done... at least that's what has worked for me)
This made one seriously tall cake. I'll stick wooden sticks in it next time to keep the layers from sliding. This cake slice ended up losing it's top half as it fell backward under it's own weight. I made white buttercream with my go-to recipe.
The Verdict: Drumroll please.......
We Have A Winner!!!!! It was fantastic! The cake was light and moist. It even got better the day after it was baked. On day 3 it was still moist! Everyone in my family thought it was a great cake. The cake itself had great flavor and I would have been happy eating it alone, unfrosted. My husband still wants a huge bowl of just the frosting...
So, looks like I'll be making this cake again this Friday for Charlotte's birthday party Saturday. I'll show you pictures of how I decorate it.
My mom and sister had a great idea to turn this cake recipe into a lemon cake with a lemon glaze... stay tuned.
Al Ain Zoo
Asalam Alaikum,
We finally got the chance to see the Al Ain Zoo, and it was a lot of fun.
Saad really loved seeing all the animals. The only bad thing was that we went rather late and they closed the area with the big cats at 6:00 so we didn't get to see most of the lions/tigers.
We saw these flamingos first-
Then Saad had a nice climb on the meercat exhibit-
The meercats were very cute!
African Painted Dogs-
Cheetahs-
Ostriches-
Wildebeest-
Checking out the giraffes with daddy-
Zebra-
This lion just would not sit still and was pacing back and forth.
This little guy has nothing on the ones that we saw on our honeymoon when we went to the Alligator Farm
We finally got the chance to see the Al Ain Zoo, and it was a lot of fun.
Saad really loved seeing all the animals. The only bad thing was that we went rather late and they closed the area with the big cats at 6:00 so we didn't get to see most of the lions/tigers.
We saw these flamingos first-
Then Saad had a nice climb on the meercat exhibit-
The meercats were very cute!
African Painted Dogs-
Cheetahs-
Ostriches-
Wildebeest-
Checking out the giraffes with daddy-
Zebra-
This lion just would not sit still and was pacing back and forth.
This little guy has nothing on the ones that we saw on our honeymoon when we went to the Alligator Farm
Weekly Menu
Wow, I haven't blogged in almost a week. It's been a busy past couple days. My mom and Mark moved this weekend (same city, different house). My sister and her hubby came down from MD to get some furniture Mom didn't need anymore and ended up staying longer to help in the moving effort. There was a fiasco with the moving company so we all pitched in this weekend hauling boxes and packing last minute stuff. I'm so happy for them that they're in their new house and *fingers crossed* the moving van will show up with their belongings this morning.
So, back to the weekly menu....
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (I made an extra last Friday)
Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff on egg noodles
Wednesday: Baked chicken, Perloe (Cajun rice dish), veggie
Thursday: Mac & Cheese & Veggies
Friday: Spaghetti
Saturday: Dinner out with family in from out of town for C's b-day
Sunday: Homemade Pizza
So, back to the weekly menu....
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (I made an extra last Friday)
Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff on egg noodles
Wednesday: Baked chicken, Perloe (Cajun rice dish), veggie
Thursday: Mac & Cheese & Veggies
Friday: Spaghetti
Saturday: Dinner out with family in from out of town for C's b-day
Sunday: Homemade Pizza
Thinking....
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."James 5:16
When reading through the book of James there are so many things that speak to me and encourage me or challenge me. The verse above is one that challenges me. Especially the confess your sins to one another part. I totally believe that I need to confess my sins and I do that to God on a daily basis but the confessing to one another part.... that doesn't happen so much. I think about it sometimes and then something inside me makes me feel a little scared, shy, timid, PROUD, I don't know what all but then I shrink back from sharing and asking for prayer.
This is something I want to change. That doesn't mean this blog will become this tell all place (As far as I am concerned that isn't what blogs are for, I hope to make this an encouraging and uplifting place) but in life with my family and close friends and brothers and sisters at church, I want to be open with my struggles. Be willing to admit that I have problems and failures and then ask for prayer. It says that prayer can accomplish much and I really, really believe that but why do I not make use of that prayer to the full extent?
How about you? What do you think on this verse? Does it challenge you too or is it something that you have practised and seen the benefits of?
Thinking....
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."James 5:16
When reading through the book of James there are so many things that speak to me and encourage me or challenge me. The verse above is one that challenges me. Especially the confess your sins to one another part. I totally believe that I need to confess my sins and I do that to God on a daily basis but the confessing to one another part.... that doesn't happen so much. I think about it sometimes and then something inside me makes me feel a little scared, shy, timid, PROUD, I don't know what all but then I shrink back from sharing and asking for prayer.
This is something I want to change. That doesn't mean this blog will become this tell all place (As far as I am concerned that isn't what blogs are for, I hope to make this an encouraging and uplifting place) but in life with my family and close friends and brothers and sisters at church, I want to be open with my struggles. Be willing to admit that I have problems and failures and then ask for prayer. It says that prayer can accomplish much and I really, really believe that but why do I not make use of that prayer to the full extent?
How about you? What do you think on this verse? Does it challenge you too or is it something that you have practised and seen the benefits of?
Janamaz...prayer rugs
Asalam Alaikum,
In our family every body has their own Janamaz, but we all usually just use whichever one is closest. When I went to Pakistan I got to pray on my Mother-in-laws Janamaz, it is very old, and has bare spots where you stand and also where you place your hands.
The Janamaz on the right is the one that my DH and I bought when we were first married. We bought it at the Arabic grocery where we lived in Florida and we have shared it for a long time.
The Janamaz on the left and the little one in the middle have a little story that started during the Hajj at the end of December 2006. I have two marriages, one from the state of Georgia which was on December 27th 2006. The second was on Eid ul-Adha which fell on December 30th. That year my Father and Mother-in-Law were Alhamdulillah able to go for Hajj, so when my DH called them to tell them that we got married they were in the middle of making their Hajj. Ammi(MIL) bought the Janamaz on the left side for me after the first phone call(DH hands me the phone and I speak almost no Urdu and Ammi spoke no English) , and also one little Janamaz to save for when we had our first child.
We found out about our baby in February and Ammi was so happy. Sadly she passed away not long after we found out so we never got to meet in person, but she had packed up all the things she had saved for us including these Janamaz. It gives me a really nice feeling to pray on this rug that Ammi picked for me, and the baby really likes his too.
In our family every body has their own Janamaz, but we all usually just use whichever one is closest. When I went to Pakistan I got to pray on my Mother-in-laws Janamaz, it is very old, and has bare spots where you stand and also where you place your hands.
The Janamaz on the right is the one that my DH and I bought when we were first married. We bought it at the Arabic grocery where we lived in Florida and we have shared it for a long time.
The Janamaz on the left and the little one in the middle have a little story that started during the Hajj at the end of December 2006. I have two marriages, one from the state of Georgia which was on December 27th 2006. The second was on Eid ul-Adha which fell on December 30th. That year my Father and Mother-in-Law were Alhamdulillah able to go for Hajj, so when my DH called them to tell them that we got married they were in the middle of making their Hajj. Ammi(MIL) bought the Janamaz on the left side for me after the first phone call(DH hands me the phone and I speak almost no Urdu and Ammi spoke no English) , and also one little Janamaz to save for when we had our first child.
We found out about our baby in February and Ammi was so happy. Sadly she passed away not long after we found out so we never got to meet in person, but she had packed up all the things she had saved for us including these Janamaz. It gives me a really nice feeling to pray on this rug that Ammi picked for me, and the baby really likes his too.
Homemade dishwasher detergent and other natural cleaners
In our household we have slowly been making the change from normal chemical and sodium lauryl sulfate laden cleaners to those that are more natural. It has been a gradual process but we are making headway! If I were to go out and buy cleaners that don't have chemicals or SLS I would have to pay quite a bit, so I have been happy to find various recipes that allow me to make my own stuff for quite a bit less.The latest thing that I have tried making is Dishwasher Detergent. I found the recipe over at "Blessings Overflowing". I had to go out a buy liquid Castile soap but otherwise it was normal kitchen ingredients. I found the Castile soap at our health food store (where you could buy it from a bulk container) and they had 3 different scents (scented with essential oils, not perfumes) Eucalyptus, Lavender and Peppermint. I chose peppermint and have really been enjoying it. It makes our whole kitchen area smell wonderful while the dishwasher is going. Since the soap already had a scent, I left the tea tree oil (which is good for disinfecting but also has a scent ) out of the recipe as I didn't want to get to many scents mixed together. If the Castile soap you find doesn't have peppermint oil in it, I am sure you could add it on your own if you so desired.
The recipe was very easy to mix up and it is easy to store. I decided to use an old oil jar. And what is really neat about it is that it works! I have tried my own detergent recipes in the past that have not been successful so I am very happy about that! I actually think it works quite a lot better than the Cascade that I had been using, and it smells so much better!
Other ways that we have become more natural are:
- Making my own Laundry Soap with this recipe from the Simple Dollar. This has saved me a lot of money! I also like not having to shop for detergent, whenever I need more I simply pull out the simple ingredients and make another batch. I don't necessarily think this works better than store bought stuff but it works okay and I really appreciate that it is more natural and way cheaper!
- Baking Soda for scrubbing toilets, sinks, etc. This works great and is a great deal!
- Baking Soda instead of toothpaste. I don't do this 100% of the time but I do a lot and it works just fine.
- Vinegar rinse instead of conditioner. This has been working lovely. I also have tried the No'poo method, using baking soda instead of shampoo. This work for a while but then I started having some difficulties and when I tried it again lately the baking soda really bothered my scalp. I am hoping to make this homemade "shampoo" soon and try it.
- We do also use natural Melalucca products for shower cleaning, windows, to spray on the toilet, etc. It lasts a long time but when I run out of that I will probably experiment with some homemade recipes. (Though I am pretty attached to their shower cleaner as it works very well with hard water stains!)
- For mopping I simply use warm water with vinegar.
- To avoid SLS we also don't buy soft soap but rather use bar soap for washing hands and washing up while showering.
- Currently I am still using normal dish soap but I was given this recipe and will probably try it soon:
Shred 2 bars of Octagon Soap (have you ever heard of this?) into 4 1/2 to 5 quarts water in a pot on the stove. Heat it until it dissolves. Then turn stove off and add 1 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup washing soda and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Stir. When cooled pour into sealed containers. It says it doesn't suds as much but it will get the dishes clean.
I am curious to hear any more ways to make natural cleaners, especially if they are frugal too!
What do you do at your house?
For more frugal tips visit Life as Mom.
Homemade dishwasher detergent and other natural cleaners
In our household we have slowly been making the change from normal chemical and sodium lauryl sulfate laden cleaners to those that are more natural. It has been a gradual process but we are making headway! If I were to go out and buy cleaners that don't have chemicals or SLS I would have to pay quite a bit, so I have been happy to find various recipes that allow me to make my own stuff for quite a bit less.The latest thing that I have tried making is Dishwasher Detergent. I found the recipe over at "Blessings Overflowing". I had to go out a buy liquid Castile soap but otherwise it was normal kitchen ingredients. I found the Castile soap at our health food store (where you could buy it from a bulk container) and they had 3 different scents (scented with essential oils, not perfumes) Eucalyptus, Lavender and Peppermint. I chose peppermint and have really been enjoying it. It makes our whole kitchen area smell wonderful while the dishwasher is going. Since the soap already had a scent, I left the tea tree oil (which is good for disinfecting but also has a scent ) out of the recipe as I didn't want to get to many scents mixed together. If the Castile soap you find doesn't have peppermint oil in it, I am sure you could add it on your own if you so desired.
The recipe was very easy to mix up and it is easy to store. I decided to use an old oil jar. And what is really neat about it is that it works! I have tried my own detergent recipes in the past that have not been successful so I am very happy about that! I actually think it works quite a lot better than the Cascade that I had been using, and it smells so much better!
Other ways that we have become more natural are:
- Making my own Laundry Soap with this recipe from the Simple Dollar. This has saved me a lot of money! I also like not having to shop for detergent, whenever I need more I simply pull out the simple ingredients and make another batch. I don't necessarily think this works better than store bought stuff but it works okay and I really appreciate that it is more natural and way cheaper!
- Baking Soda for scrubbing toilets, sinks, etc. This works great and is a great deal!
- Baking Soda instead of toothpaste. I don't do this 100% of the time but I do a lot and it works just fine.
- Vinegar rinse instead of conditioner. This has been working lovely. I also have tried the No'poo method, using baking soda instead of shampoo. This work for a while but then I started having some difficulties and when I tried it again lately the baking soda really bothered my scalp. I am hoping to make this homemade "shampoo" soon and try it.
- We do also use natural Melalucca products for shower cleaning, windows, to spray on the toilet, etc. It lasts a long time but when I run out of that I will probably experiment with some homemade recipes. (Though I am pretty attached to their shower cleaner as it works very well with hard water stains!)
- For mopping I simply use warm water with vinegar.
- To avoid SLS we also don't buy soft soap but rather use bar soap for washing hands and washing up while showering.
- Currently I am still using normal dish soap but I was given this recipe and will probably try it soon:
Shred 2 bars of Octagon Soap (have you ever heard of this?) into 4 1/2 to 5 quarts water in a pot on the stove. Heat it until it dissolves. Then turn stove off and add 1 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup washing soda and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Stir. When cooled pour into sealed containers. It says it doesn't suds as much but it will get the dishes clean.
I am curious to hear any more ways to make natural cleaners, especially if they are frugal too!
What do you do at your house?
For more frugal tips visit Life as Mom.
Iftar Feasts
Asalam Alaikum,
These are some of the things that we generally ate during Ramadan for Iftar-
First Dates(and water) to break the fast-
Then some Rooh Afza juice-
If you have never had this stuff it is really good, and is easily available in most places I have been. In the states you can generally find it at any Pakistani/Indian/Arabic grocery, and here in Abu Dhabi I have seen it in most Co-ops, Emirates General markets and I think even in Carrefour and Lulu. It is sort of like Kool-aid but it tastes a bit like a flower smells(if that makes any sense). It is really delicious when it is served cold with a squeeze of lemon.
Then some fresh fruit, sliced and in a Fruit Chaat(spicy fruit salad)
We also had Chana Chaat. This chaat was made with black chickpeas, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, green chilies, tamarind juice, and Shan Chaat Masala(enough product plugs yet? really I should get paid for this!)
Sometimes we would also have Harees
Harees is so tasty, If I could eat it everyday, I would.
These are Samosa, basically a savory pastry with a potato stuffing. I made these myself and everyone likes them so much that there is never any leftovers!
These are some of the things that we generally ate during Ramadan for Iftar-
First Dates(and water) to break the fast-
Then some Rooh Afza juice-
If you have never had this stuff it is really good, and is easily available in most places I have been. In the states you can generally find it at any Pakistani/Indian/Arabic grocery, and here in Abu Dhabi I have seen it in most Co-ops, Emirates General markets and I think even in Carrefour and Lulu. It is sort of like Kool-aid but it tastes a bit like a flower smells(if that makes any sense). It is really delicious when it is served cold with a squeeze of lemon.
Then some fresh fruit, sliced and in a Fruit Chaat(spicy fruit salad)
We also had Chana Chaat. This chaat was made with black chickpeas, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, green chilies, tamarind juice, and Shan Chaat Masala(enough product plugs yet? really I should get paid for this!)
Sometimes we would also have Harees
Harees is so tasty, If I could eat it everyday, I would.
These are Samosa, basically a savory pastry with a potato stuffing. I made these myself and everyone likes them so much that there is never any leftovers!
Oman and Hatta
Asalam Alaikum,
This month we decided to go very early for our border run so we would have plenty of time to do fun things. It didn't work out as planned because the exit stamp was not correct and the Omani border guys told me I had to go all the way back and get another then come back.
By the time we had finished all that, it was getting late so we drove to Hatta, to try and find the Rock Pools. We didn't actually find them but we did see two other interesting things, first "Hill Park"-
This place was pretty cool, it is as its name suggests a park on a hill. It sits in the middle of this valley surrounded by mountains. At the top of the park they built a watchtower, and when you go up the view is amazing. Its like a watercolor painting where the mountains form different layers.
After we finished taking picture in the park, we went to see the Hatta Dam. It was getting late so most of the pictures didn't turn out well, everything was a bit blurry. This is the view from the top-
I was more than a little tired when we got to the top. We had to park the car at the bottom of the slope because it had made some weird noises on the way to the dam and we were concerned. I really like this one of the moon rising over the top of the dam.
And over the mountains
After the dam we went back to hill park and had a little Tikka BBQ. If you are ever in Hatta I really recommend this park, it has play equipment for the kids at the base and nice views, plus the little patios they had set up for grilling were cool too.
This month we decided to go very early for our border run so we would have plenty of time to do fun things. It didn't work out as planned because the exit stamp was not correct and the Omani border guys told me I had to go all the way back and get another then come back.
By the time we had finished all that, it was getting late so we drove to Hatta, to try and find the Rock Pools. We didn't actually find them but we did see two other interesting things, first "Hill Park"-
This place was pretty cool, it is as its name suggests a park on a hill. It sits in the middle of this valley surrounded by mountains. At the top of the park they built a watchtower, and when you go up the view is amazing. Its like a watercolor painting where the mountains form different layers.
After we finished taking picture in the park, we went to see the Hatta Dam. It was getting late so most of the pictures didn't turn out well, everything was a bit blurry. This is the view from the top-
I was more than a little tired when we got to the top. We had to park the car at the bottom of the slope because it had made some weird noises on the way to the dam and we were concerned. I really like this one of the moon rising over the top of the dam.
And over the mountains
After the dam we went back to hill park and had a little Tikka BBQ. If you are ever in Hatta I really recommend this park, it has play equipment for the kids at the base and nice views, plus the little patios they had set up for grilling were cool too.
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