Free day?

Well, it's my last day of the 4-day weekend. I thought I'd get productive today and get a foretaste of life after I'm a SAHM again but I've also been thinking that I'm not a SAHM yet and it is a day off. Hmmm...what do to?

Well, I've folded a lot of laundry, for one thing, so I took advantage of the opportunity to listen to one of Pr. C's sermons. Wonderful! Then I caught up on Issues, Etc. Now I just have to wait until there's more to download tomorrow. Later I'll try to find time to listen to The God Whisperers. Maybe do some cross stitch or work on transferring recipes to Gourmet.

I've also called the Boss's science teacher. She's seeing some improvement but I still have to wait until he brings his test home tomorrow. She wasn't where she had her grade book handy and didn't want to tell me the wrong grade since she marked so many. Definitely appreciate that.

I called the pediatrician and arranged to pick up a report from him for x-rays for the Little Prince. Possible adenoids. All I have to do is take him to the hospital and they'll do them for us. I'll drop the Boss and the Diva off at home and take him right there. Hopefully we can do it quick...I finally have my doctor's check up at 5 so if I get them done quick I should be able to get there on time. I'll ask about time at the hospital and if it's not doable we'll go back tomorrow instead.

It's been so nice to be home in the quiet. While it's not easy being a *single* mom, so to speak, with 3 kids, at least when I'm home I'll have plenty of alone time. I'll be able to get a routine in place and plan time in for me. Much better than every few weeks if they get invited to sleep over somewhere. That's usually kind of last minute and too late for me to plan something other than ordering in a pizza and finding a good movie to watch. Not that that's disappointing in any way, but I might want to GO to a movie sometime. LOL I can still do that whenever a sleepover happens though...just got to watch out for the opportunities.

My neighbor's mom put up the Christmas decorations last night and rang our bell to come and see. The house is gorgeous! We'll have to get ours down and put them up this week. I was going to tonight but we'll have to see after trips to doctors. If I don't have to take the Little Prince tomorrow then we might do it then. We'll see.

This morning I was able to enjoy Matins. Usually I've got one eye on my watch to make sure I don't run late. Today St. Andrew was remembered. In my opinion he seems to get the short end of the stick compared to his more famous brother. I guess not being known for sticking your foot in your mouth had something to do with that. According to tradition Andrew was martyred by crucifixion on a cross in the shape of an X. He was on the cross 3 days and when they wanted to take him down he refused them, "Ah, let God take care of it! Do not make the peace of the Gospel suspect by your unnecessary revolt against the government." As Valerius Herberger said, "That was apostolic constancy and long-suffering! This is what it means to 'leave everything and follow Christ,' all the way to the last catch of fish!"

Amen.

I love Advent...and knowing that this Christmas break is going to be permanent for me.

It's Advent

The other thing I noticed when I walked into church this morning was the presence of the Advent wreaths. I love Advent! There's something about that season of the church year. It goes back to when I was a little girl and Advent meant that Christmas was coming! It meant the choir was practicing for Christmas Eve and every week we sang an extra verse of "O Come O Come Emanuel" until finally on the last Sunday we sang all 4 verses and all 4 candles were lit. Then, on Christmas Eve, the 4 candles were lit again and the one in the middle was too.

Lessons during Advent focus on Christ's return when He'll take us with him and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. We'll be reunited with our loved ones who are already with Him. Advent isn't just about the impending arrival of Christmas...it's about the impending arrival of Christ...His return to claim His own.

When I pray Matins now, I will be reading the antiphons and responsory for Advent from the Treasury of Daily Prayer. Here is a sample:

Rejoice greatly, O Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to You. (Liturgical text drawn from Zechariah 9:9)

Behold, the Lord shall come and all His saints with Him; and in that day the light shall be great. Alleluia! (Liturgical text)

L: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch. (Jeremiah 23:5)

C: This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:6)

L: In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. (Jeremiah 23:6)

C: This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.

L: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

C: This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness.

Have a blessed Advent!

They're here!

Last week my friend said that the board was still deciding on whether or not to get a translation system for those in the congregation who do not speak Arabic. I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to be patient. NOT something that I'm prone toward. Today I went into church and saw a lady wearing a set of headphones. Then I looked toward the front and my friend, who plays piano and keyboard for the service, had a set of headphones in her hand. I hurried up front and lo, and behold, there was a box full of headphones and another friend's husband (the BIL of the lady playing piano) with a microphone in his hand. Alleluia!

I got to enjoy understanding the sermon (although it hard to hear him when the pastor really gets wound up) and the announcements. It would also be nice to have the prayers translated as well. This is a new way of doing things and the kinks will get worked out.

It's wonderful that we finally have this system in place. The Boss attends the service on communion Sundays and now he can understand as well. He speaks Arabic but not well enough to enjoy the service though. He can't wait until next week so he can try them out too. There are also several maids from the area who prefer to attend a Protestant church and while they speak Arabic, but they tend to speak English better, depending upon where they're from.

I'm so happy! It's so easy to just skip church and sleep in and catch up on stuff around the house when you know you're not going to get as much out of the sermon that you don't understand. Now I don't have that excuse and I'm so glad for it. I've missed being able to enjoy hearing a sermon. My friend has translated for me but it's hard when he's having to whisper in your ear and there's a speaker with the pastor drowning him out.

I can't wait for next Sunday!

How much longer?

Last weekend was a holiday so no school on Monday. This weekend is a 4-day weekend. It's lopsided so the kids go back Monday and I'm off, but that's good. They were off Thursday while I had a very full day at school. It comes out in the wash.

Monday I'll get a very small taste of what life will be like when I'm home full-time and the kids are gone. I'll start working on my new schedule and get psyched up. Then head back to work for a couple more weeks. Blech! But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm counting down very impatiently.

This morning I made Banana Bread. It was yummy. The kids were thrilled because they love it and I hadn't made it since this summer when Baba was here. I plan to make lots more in the future. There will be more homemade goodness coming from the kitchen, like sweet Italian bread that we can use for French toast or sandwiches. Cookies...dug out my 1001 Cookie Mix the other day and the recipes that go with it. I downloaded a free recipe manager online called Gourmet. It's neat. I love to collect recipes that I find online and this will help me keep them from taking over my computer and hiding among all the others. I can also save the ones I have written down so if one gets lost I can just look it up here.

Since we were home yesterday waiting for the guy to deliver the gas for the chauffage (he'd actually come the day before and remembered which tank was mine) I got some cleaning done. In a few minutes I'm going to call Aunt and see if she wants to go with us to visit some cousins we've been too busy to go and see since school started. Another benefit to being home full-time will be that the housework is done during the week when the kids are at school and we can enjoy our weekends with fun stuff like that. Something else to look forward to.

Elektra has been driving me to distraction lately. She apparently feels lonely when we're all gone and has been showing it in rather unpleasant (i.e. smelly) ways. Last night I had the Boss get the crate out of the attic and that will be her place when we're not home. We were gone for only 2 hours last night and had taken her out right before going and she still left a mess for us when we got home. This is not acceptable. So it's the crate until I'm home all day and can get her on track again. Just putting her in the garden doesn't work because she just goes on the terrace. The smell from the urine is so strong that even with the glass door closed I can smell it. I don't want to know what the neighbors think of that. So apparently it's not just the 2-legged children in my house who need me home more. LOL

BTW, here's my recipe for Banana Bread. The kids love this.

1 1/2 c. raw sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened a bit
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sour milk
2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. raisins (optional-the kids don't care for them so I leave them out but yours might like them)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. bananas, about 3-4 large, mashed
1/2-1 c. nuts, chopped (I love them myself but usually leave them out)

Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl and mix with electric mixer. Pour into 2 loaf pans, greased. Bake on 350F for 50-60 minutes. Although my oven is too warm or something because it's usually getting a bit dark on the bottom and sides after about 30-35 minutes. Need to keep working on this one.

I love this recipe because it makes 2 loaves...one just doesn't cut it for us.

Water

The water here isn't really fit to drink from the tap. I know people who do but most don't. In fact, Aunt used to until she started having bladder problems. The doctor told her to start drinking bottled. But some of us don't buy it. We go to a fountain and refill our bottles. It's like the well water we have on the farm back home. There's a fountain near where the Boss does taekwondo but the parking isn't so good. You have to block someone's driveway and then turn around on a narrow, almost straight uphill street.

Cousin showed us a good place a few months ago. It's in the opposite direction, takes less time to get there, and has plenty of good parking. There's room for the kids to run around and play while refilling the bottles. You can also meet some nice people...like the grad of the kids' school who works with the Scouts. He gave us the name of the guy for the Boss's age group. Don't know if it's something we'll do this year or not, but at least we know who to ask about it.

I have 6 10-liter bottles that I refill every couple of weeks. When the weather's bad, I can always buy some more for a pretty good price and then I'll have more bottles and fewer trips to the fountain. But as long as the weather's good then I can refill for free. And as a doctor Mom used to work for likes to say, "Free's better than wholesale."

My 4-day weekend started a few hours ago. The kids were out today but have school on Monday. I'm off tomorrow and Monday. Since I had a full day and parent/teacher conferences until 5 the kids spent the night with the cousins. They had a blast and I didn't have to worry about them while I was at school for so long. After I left school I drove up to get them and had a quick bite of supper there. *Cousine* is a terrific cook. Everything she makes is delicious.

Last weekend I made cinnamon swirls for breakfast. The Boss asked if I'd make some cinnamon rolls. After I'm finished with school I'll have time to make yummy stuff like that for the kids and we'll have really good breakfasts before getting them off to school. I can also use my crock pot. It's not real dependable. In Q8 it would run hotter than I cared for, but I'm hoping that here it'll work better, especially if on generator. Maybe that will cool its jets a bit. Anyway, I'm in the mood for some crock pot cooking but don't trust it when I'm gone all day. But I can certainly leave it to pick up the kids from school.

Countin' down the days!

Wordless Wednesday

Pink Glove Dance

We all need to learn this dance, don't you think?

Trip to the Bekaa

Falafel!

Today after church today we were trying to decide what to eat. The Little Prince wanted to eat out but I'm determined to salvage what's left of this week's funds after the trips to the border this week. The Boss asked if I knew how to make falafel. I do. I even had a mix in the cabinet that I'd been wanting to try. So I got busy when we got home. I followed the directions but the English version was poorly written. In other words it turned into oily mush when time to fry. {sigh} So I made a run for mankoush.

If you want to try your hand at falafel, you can buy a mix if you want, but you have to wait for it to absorb ALL the water. By that time you could make the quick version below. I suggest just making it yourself.

First, I'll post the one that requires the most work but is authentic. The second is much easier and quicker and tastes pretty good. You can also bake the quick one in the oven if you want to avoid the oil.

1 lb. chick peas (soaked for 24 hours)
(You could also use 1/2 lb fava beans & 1/2 lb chick peas)
1 med. onion
1 med. potato (peeled)
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. coriander (ground)
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. cayenne (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. flour
vegetable oil for frying
1 recipe Sesame Seed Sauce (a.k.a. Taratur)
2 tsp. baking soda

Drain chick peas. Quarter onion and potato. Run through fine holes of the meat grinder along with the garlic two times. (Food processor may be used instead.)

Add all remaining ingredients except baking soda, vegetable oil, and Taratur. Mix well. Run through grinder once more. Mix again. Cover and leave to rest for 2 - 3 hours.

Heat oil for deep frying. While oil is heating add baking soda to the chick pea mixture. With dampened hands, form mixture into balls the size of a walnut, then flatten slightly into a pattie. Deep fry, making sure patties are cooked through and are golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Serve 3 or 4 patties inside a loaf of pita bread by opening bread around the outside edges of the round, leaving approx. 3 inches intact. Common toppings include chopped parsley, pickles, tomatoes. Drizzle Taratur over the vegetables/falafel.

Bring the top layer of pita over to cover the filling. Roll, starting from one side, or cut a small pita bread in half to form a pocket and fill. Patties may also be served without the bread, by dipping them into the sauce.

Quick Version

3 c. well cooked chick peas or 2x 15-oz. cans, drained well
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dry parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 med. eggs
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
oil for deep frying

You want the chickpeas to be very well cooked so they're easy to mash if you cook your own.

Drain the chickpeas and place them in a large bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the beans the same way you would mash potatoes. They taste best if they aren't too smooth, so be sure to leave them a little chunky.Add the salt, cayenne pepper, parsley, garlic powder, and eggs. Mix everything together until you have a sticky mass. Add the whole wheat flour and mix again.

Meanwhile heat at least 2 inches of oil to 375F. Shape the chickpea mixture into small balls about the size of walnuts. Drop them into the oil and fry them until they are brown and crisp. Drain them on paper towels or a brown paper bag. Continue until all of them are cooked. Makes about 20 falafel.

If you prefer to bake instead of fry, then generously oil a cookie sheet. Using about 2 Tbsp. per falafel, shape the mixture into small patties and arrange on the oiled cookie sheet. Flip each patty over so that it is lightly coated with oil on each side.

Bake at 450F for about 20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes but may need the full 20. Servie them hot!

Taratour (Sesame Seed Sauce)

1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. lemon juice

Crush garlic and salt together in mixing bowl. Blend in tahini then gradually add water, blending well. Then blend in lemon juice until smooth. Use less water if you want a thicker sauce.

Servie with fried cauliflower (just break into flowerets and fry like french fries), fried eggplant (dice and fry like FF), fried potatoes, and fish dishes.

Sahtayn!

More changes

Well, a week ago I posted about how I'd decided to make some changes. Well, some changes are in the works but not what I had in mind last week.

First the principal decided to give my most challenging class to another teacher. In other words, give them what they asked for. My first day back this week after staying home with sick kids two of the girls who were following the trouble makers came and begged me to take the class back. LOL Not happening. I'd just traded them for an independent study student...a sweet girl from Saudi...you'd have to pry her from my cold, dead hands first. Then that night, after a conversation with Baba, the decision was made for me to resign. {sigh} I finally get to look forward to school and enjoy my students. A few weeks ago I was praying for this to happen. But my full-time presence is needed at home. Details aren't necessary but suffice it to say that the kids were the reason for the return and they need me more.

I just really hate the fact that this is how I feel I'm repaying the admin that's been so supportive of me at this school. I can return the favor though...I can recommend the school to anyone who needs advice on a good school. I can talk them up to anyone who will listen. Seems mediocre by comparison though.

It's a 3-day weekend. National Day is tomorrow and so we're out of school Monday. Then al-Adha is next weekend. The kids are out Thursday, Friday, and maybe Sunday. I'm out Friday and Sunday. I just need to figure out what to do with them on Thursday. Then I have a 4-day week and then a full week and then I'm done except for marking term exams. I think I'll be crying my last day. And telling them to find me on FB.

Today I had to go to the border to take care of car business from bringing it with us from Q8. I had to sit in this office for 5 hours waiting for them to take care of things. Then the border official who had to sign off on everything was out due to his grandmother's death and they couldn't find him. If they hadn't I'd have been back again sometime to get his signature. Luckily they got hold of him and he was gracious enough to go to his office and sign off on it. God bless him (and his grandmother)!

All of the guys there were Muslim since it's a Muslim area. Since the TV is set on a station owned by the big H I'm assuming they're supporters. But one of them, a big, burly guy who looks too tough to be emotional about anything asked Aunt if we'd heard about the woman who'd killed her 3 daughters and herself. He got so worked up talking about it that his eyes got red and a bit moist. If the subject hadn't changed I think he would have started crying. The big lug.

Still sick

The Diva was feeling much better. All day Saturday and most of Sunday she was her usual, happy self and eating well. Then around 6 yesterday evening it just hit her again. She complained of a tummy ache and after she went to bed last night and slept a bit she woke up and vomited again. She slept through the night after that and literally did not move or change positions at all until morning. She's been feeling fine ever since with a good appetite.

The Boss went to bed with a tummy ache and woke up with one and vomited as well. After a few minutes he felt like eating and has kept everything down. He has kind of a sore throat and feels a little bit dizzy but has a good appetite as well.

The Little Prince so far is the healthiest. He has the sniffles a bit but feels fine.

I took the sick ones to the doctor and they might have a case of just regular flu but maybe not. They both have post nasal drip which could be causing the stomachs to act up. Anyway just keep doing what I'm doing.

For lunch today we're having a favorite. Yogurt over rice. Only I'm making the yogurt soup that I use for shishbarak and mixing it with the cooked rice. They really love that stuff. And it's good for tummies. Even better.

I think I posted the recipe for the yogurt soup a while back but I'll repeat it now in case anyone reading this might have anyone who needs a tasty, but sick tummy-friendly, food.

4 c. yogurt
4 c. water
1/2 c. rice (I left this out since I'm mixing the soup with rice)
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. salt
mint (fresh or dry)

Place yogurt in heavy saucepan and stir with a fork until smooth. Add water and stir.

Rinse and drain rice than add egg and mix well. Add the rice and egg to the yogurt with the salt.

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly in one direction with a wooden spoon, being careful not to scorch. Do this until it comes to a boil. Then turn down the heat a bit and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with mint. You can eat this hot or cold.

I'll be mixing this with the cooked rice so I omitted the rice called for in the recipe.

Can't wait for lunch. I'm hungry and it smells really good. One of the benefits of having a kitchen that opens into the living room. You can smell everything and torture yourself mercilessly. LOL

The view from window and pomegranetes take practice

This is the view from our terrace. It's a rainy weekend again. I love cloudy skies. They're beautiful.

Same terrace, different direction. See the church up there? There are so many churches in this tiny town. I think this country has more churches per capita than the Bible belt.

Pomegranates. Wonderful things. One thing I miss about Q8 is the ability to buy a cup of seeds just about anywhere and just munch.

This is what I got from one pomegranate. Yummy! But after cleaning house is not the time to stand in the kitchen and get seeds out of them. But we have 3 more waiting.

For supper tonight is Shourabit Djaj (Chicken Soup).

1/2 chicken, cut up
10 c. water
1 c. rice (rinsed and drained)
salt, pepper, and cinnamon to taste

Wash and clean chicken pieces and place in large saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off the foam. Cover and cook over medium heat for 60 minutes.

Remove chicken from the liquid and debone. Return the chicken to the liquid with the rice, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook for another 25 minutes or so.

You can also toast some rounds of pita bread in the oven for a few minutes to make them crisp and break them into the soup. (Unless of course you used the last of the bread for sandwiches for lunch, in which case you just do without.) LOL

Time to think

I've spent the day at home with a sick little Diva. I caught up on dishes and cleaned the kitchen counters and then sat down to grade some papers. After I recorded the grades on my computer I started surfing. I caught up on blogs, which I don't usually take the time to do lately. I usually catch up on forums and such but not blogs. I miss blogs. They make me think.

Some things may be changing (again) with my timetable at school. If they do, there will be pros and cons. I've decided no matter what happens (or doesn't) I need to change things there. I've been working like crazy but to keep my head above water, not to be the kind of teacher I'm used to being. I've been letting myself get overwhelmed with school and home and kids and that's not helping me at all. It also keeps me less prepared for a certain student and his antics.

So I will take a page from Flylady and get a schedule made up for school. I'll use my timetable to write down when I will do what. Due to a photocopier who occasionally gets grouchy and starts eating paper it has to be flexible. Therefore I need to be sure I have my laptop with me on the day I plan to photocopy so I can switch with planning days. Now that I know how to use the e-beam in my classroom I need to do stuff up on my laptop instead of flooding them with handouts for everything. If someone wants a hard copy I can make sure those are also saved on my thumb drive so I can just print it up for whomever.

While reading the blogs I started thinking about my home and how I'm not giving it the priority it deserves. Oh, I can use it as an excuse to leave early on the days I can, but when I'm here I'm not putting in the effort I should. I'm just doing what needs to get done. I'm quick to find other things to do while I'm here. Today I got a few things done but spent most of it relaxing with the Diva. She's sick and wants Mommy nearby so she got her. She's perking up so when the boys are home I'll jump in and take advantage of no trip to taekwondo tonight. While it was nice to be home and relax with her, I realized something I've actually noticed for a while now. My home isn't a haven. It's comfortable but not comfy for me. A big part of it is attitude...mine. Again that needs to change.

OK, we're back from school now. There are 3 bowls of egg drop soup on the counter waiting to cool enough for little mouths to eat and I'm finishing this up before jumping into my plan and forgetting all about it. Besides, if I don't publish it then I can just chuck it all in a bad mood and no one is the wiser. This way I feel like I have to be accountable even if you'd never know I wasn't. LOL

We have a full water tank and I'm starting the weekend laundry tonight. I'm hoping the water situation continues like it has lately and I can stay on top of things now instead of conserving all week and hoping to get it done on the weekends. It happened a couple of times this week and I liked it. I get spoiled very easily.

Well, off to turn over that new leaf. I need to tidy up and get an errand run and a few other things out of the way. Wish me luck!

Thanksgiving

Sunday our church celebrated Thanksgiving with a wonderful lunch at the evangelical center up the mountain from us. It was a beautiful setting and the food was delicious. It was traditional Lebanese food with turkey and rice made like I make chicken and rice, but with cloves, I think.

It was nice to have the chance to visit some friends that I usually only see for a few minutes on Sunday morning and just relax over some good food. The kids also had a blast running around the grounds. It was nice for me to let them run around and not worry about keeping an eye on them the whole time. They were with friends and they were safe.

Yesterday was my short day. I love that about Mondays. It kind of makes up for having to head back to work with the 5 a.m. alarm. I come home and work in my zone for that week. This week was the kitchen but I never got to it. I spent the whole time folding laundry that I'd let pile up. {sigh} I decided to listen to a sermon recommended by a friend of mine. When I saw the title I knew better than to have very high expectations. I listened to about 5-10 minutes and got indigestion so switched over to Pr. C's sermons instead. He's one of the hosts of one of my favorite podcasts, The God Whisperers. I had time to listen to 2 sermons and after listening to part of a sermon that was about me instead of Christ, this was music to my ears. The sermon was about Christ! Can you believe it?!

Maybe I need to let my laundry pile up more often.

Yikes!

I really should have taken pictures. We drove up to the north to a sister school for a field day between schools. It was fun and the scenery was beautiful. We drove through olive groves, tents up for the workers, very quaint. {slapping forehead} So you'll have to settle for I found online. At least they're not as blurry as mine would have been from a moving car.

On the way back I think the drivers were playing tag. I was sitting in the front seat with no seat belt (part of it was missing) so luckily our driver was pretty skilled.

I checked a local station's website to get the forecast and it's not working. I checked out another international site and down the mountain it's supposed to be in the 80s this weekend. A few degrees cooler up here but still warm. I just changed to winter clothes!!!

Well, Sunday we have a lunch at an outdoor restaurant even higher up the mountain than we are so actually that should make it pretty comfy but otherwise I'm irked. It's November, for crying out loud!

Well, I'm off to bed. I was up way too late last night so I need to get there earlier tonight. Tomorrow's a long day with taekwondo for the kids after my staff meeting, At least it should be warm enough (and dry) to walk. Yeah!

Sunny days

Finally the rain has stopped. Now I did miss rain since it barely rained last winter in Q8, but this past weekend + has more than made up for it.

We woke up to rain Friday morning and I mean RAIN. It was pouring. It continued to rain and storm (with a few breaks) through yesterday. The temps were dropping and I changed the closets from summer to winter clothes. I now have suitcases sitting in my living room. Cousin T came over to pick up the kids and take them to spend the night so he took down the suitcases for me to get the winter clothes out. Since the kids left I couldn't do anything with them and that's fine. My closet was more than enough work.

I emptied my clothes from the suitcases and took out the clothes from my closets and made the switch. The kids' clothes were in a suitcase or two and a big, black, plastic trunk. Sunday afternoon, after coming home from the cousins' house, I tried on clothes and put them away. Old ones that were outgrown were placed in plastic bags to give to a friend whose a social worker. She takes her kids' clothes (and mine) to work for people who need them.

We put the summer clothes into the boufs (I have no idea how to spell that). They're empty leather ottoman-like things. Baba said they used to stuff them with old shoes. I use them for off-season clothes. You stuff them full, zip up the bottom, and voila...footstools. The twins are sleeping with me tonight in lieu of a nightlight I keep forgetting to get a new bulb for, so I don't want to go dig my camera out of my purse. I'll take a pic later.

I was able to fill up the 4 of them and put the remainder of the Boss's clothes in a suitcase so the plastic trunk was empty. He's using it to store stuff in his room that had been driving me crazy on the floor and was getting him in trouble for not keeping it straight. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone.

Now that the rain has stopped the high tomorrow will be the low 60s but the low in the morning will be just above freezing. Makes dressing so easy, let me tell you. To top it off we're on a field trip tomorrow and I have no idea where the school is or how warm/cool the building is. I guess a long-sleeve tee is in order and a jacket? Not taking the coat for the 60s. I think it's near Beirut so it'll be warmer there than here so a jacket should be fine. If not, I'll just suffer. Or try to sit on the sunny side of the bus.

Tonight I took advantage of the play area at my favorite supermarket and got my shopping done very quickly. It's next door to a popular American fast food place...royalty, no clowns...and by the time I buy a few sandwiches at the snack shop and pay for them to play, it's still much cheaper than the place next door with expensive food and free play area. Besides, after the major tantrum the Little Prince threw the last time we're there, I'm not eager to put in another appearance anyway.

They ate and enjoyed talking to the man at the snack shop, and then played for about an hour while I shopped. I actually paid for 1 1/2 hours but I didn't need that long. In the future I might let them stay but we needed to head back up this direction to look for socks for them and gym shoes for the Boss. His were literally coming apart. So we headed to a store that cousin told me about in Bikfaya but no shoes to go with the socks I bought. No slippers for the kids either. Stopped off at a shoe store we like around Bhersaf, or between Bhersaf and Bikfaya (kind of hard for me to tell where one ends and the other begins) and got the shoes. There's a new place here in town but I think they're prices for the brands we were looking at were about the same price range.

I still need to find slippers for the twins. I'll check the dollar store here this weekend. It's not a real dollar store. Here that just means the stuff is cheap, not that it actually costs one dollar. Oh, well, still pretty good prices on most things. Some are small, some are pretty big. The Peanuts rarely remember to wear slippers when they have them so cheap and easy to slip on is the main requirement here.

Well, I've caught up on entering grades in my computer and I'm heading to bed. At least I don't have to teach tomorrow. That will be nice.