Monday, April 26, 2010

So then

It appears that in order for me to make the blog available to only those who log in, I need to enter their email addresses.  Which means you need to give me the email address that you want to log in with.

After messing about with the settings and inviting myself, I've come to discover that you need a Google account (g-mail email address?) to log in with, which means if you don't have one that you would need to get one.

I'm wondering if this is more complicated than it needs to be?  I know most of the people reading this have a g-mail address, but maybe not all.

:::

Finally found some raisins here.  Not exactly like the SunMaid type in the States, but close.  One kind is from Turkey and they are similar in color, and the other kind are made from red grapes, so they have a red tint to them, very pretty.  Not sure if they are local or also imported.

In any case, I used the raisins to make some oatmeal raisin bars which hubby quite likes and also to make some applesauce raisin bread.  Which we both like, though I think I put a few too many chocolate chips in, as I was a bit too wired feeling after having a slice.  lol

:::

Oh, also found some decent looking broccoli at our nearby store a couple of days ago, so planning to cook that up with some zucchini tonight.  Going to try fudging together a simple white sauce to go with them.  We'll see how that goes.

I haven't had broccoli since I moved here over a year ago.  Ditto for corn.  Well, wait, I think I might have had something at the in-laws that had corn meal, though not exactly like eating straight corn.

And although I don't care to eat yogurt plain, I decided that it's quite tolerable if mixed with cut up cucumber and eaten that way, which I plan to do a little more regularly. 

It's so easy to get lazy and eat a lot of grains in the daily food intake, and we really need more greens, so I'm trying to find easy ways to get them in.

It's also difficult at times to get some decent looking ones from the grocery, and the carts that sell fresh veggies and fruits are often picked over by the time hubby gets home from work, so we might try going before he heads off to work some mornings to get a better choice.

Who knew vegetables could be so exciting?  lol

Friday, April 23, 2010

Just like elections

Well, I've made a decision of sorts, but all 3 of you who read this get to vote on which direction it goes.  lol

I'm still going to write here, but one of two things will happen.

Either you will need to log in with your email and a password to see the posts, or i will email them to anyone who is interested in keeping up with the blog.

There are some things I would like to share that are maybe a bit too personal for a public blog, and this lets me be a little more free if I know who is reading.

So, leave comments or email me or let me know in some fashion what you think.   Would you prefer to log in when you come to the site or would you prefer me spamming up your email inbox?

*** edited to add:  it doesn't have to be just one way or the other.  I'm leaning towards default as log in to view, but anyone who wanted an email could get one if they didn't want to do the log in thing.  

:::

The air here has a very peculiar smell.  I guess everywhere you go in the world there is a distinct smell to the air.

The smell here is really quite reminiscent of barbecue.  Which seems odd, but if you smelled it, perhaps you would agree.

I don't mean it smells like there's a couple of juicy steaks on the grill, I mean it smells like the barbecue itself, with the coals or whatever other fuel you have burning.

Kind of strange.  But I've come to associate the smell with being here, and I suppose I like it in some sense.

I'm sure it's combination of car exhaust and factory exhaust and other things that are unhealthy, but I always just kind of block that out in my head and enjoy it for what it is, which is the smell of barbecue.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

It's about time

Finally jumped the hurdle and am well on the way to being back to normal.

Still have some lack of energy, but aches and pains are for the most part gone, breathing is not 100% but definitely a lot easier, and overall much more alert.

Had to explain to hubby though that it will still take some time before I can do everything around the house again.  Yesterday he called and wanted to know what I was making for dinner.  I was like.... lol?
Just because I'm not complaining every 5 seconds that I'm in pain, doesn't mean I'm well enough to be making food.  Men are curious creatures to be sure.

Anyways, feeling much improved.  Thanks for all your support. 
=)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Sick watch, day 5,428

Well, there is marked improvement today.  Alhamdulillah.

Breathing is still short, but not getting worse.  More energy, though not anywhere near back to normal.  Aches and pains still more reduced.

Hoping things will continue to improve and that there are no lasting secondary infections.

I'm looking forward to being back on my feet and taking over the kitchen.  As much as hubby has put in some super effort, his idea of cleaning a kitchen and my idea of cleaning a kitchen don't seem to have enough in common.  lol

That said, he's been great at cooking while I've been sick.  I've barely set a foot in the kitchen except to get water or an orange for a week. 

The rest of the house needs some work of course.  The floors are going to start growing vegetables soon.  lol

Monday, April 19, 2010

Some light

Well, I managed a total of 5 or 6 hours of sleep last night, the most I've had in one night since I've been sick.  Of course, it still came in 1 hour clumps, except that last bunch was two hours.

Some of my pain is finally going, not all of it but the stuff that's keeping me from sleeping well.  Just woke up from a two hour nap even.

I made a stupid mistake and didn't eat dinner last night.  I thought since I was keeping hydrated it would be okay, as I didn't really have an appetite and I couldn't think of anything I wanted to eat.

I went into the kitchen early this morning to get some medicine ready to take, but by the time I brought it back to the bedroom, I had to half lay myself over the bed because I was about to pass out.  Oops.

It's been a slow day.  Taking it very easy.  When I have to get out of bed, I shuffle around like some kind of zombie, and then after getting back into bed I have to just sit and rest for a few minutes before I do anything.

Only new problem the last couple days is that my breathing is short, hard to get a deep breath, and my throat is a bit sore.  Both of those are mainly on the left side, which seems weird, at least the breathing, but a lot of my pain and everything has been on my left side.

Anyways, there is some improvement, even if it's not much.  I'm very thankful that most of the horrible pain is gone.  It really does just sap you.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Oh what a night

Well, I got maybe an hour total of sleep last night.  Too much pain and too restless and too hot and sweaty and just couldn't find a way to sleep that wasn't painful.

Thankfully, overall, I'd say the pain is less today, and I am finally starting to be able to breathe through my nose, though not completely yet.

But also today there is trouble breathing in general.  I'm wondering if it's partially from the heat and awful looking air outside.  Also wondering about all that ash in Europe.  We aren't that far south of Europe, and I'm not sure which way all that ash is blowing.

Exhausted and still having pain and just want to be better. 

Saturday, April 17, 2010

And then

Well, still in a large amount of pain today but I don't think it got any worse today so that is something to be grateful for.  Hoping it eases up some by tomorrow.  Was able, last night, to sleep for longer than an hour at a time (not much longer but still an improvement) and hoping tonight will be better yet.

Still

Still very sick with an awful case of the flu.

Hubby has been very good about taking care of me.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Crud

Feeling very bad.  Not sure what is wrong, but I could definitely use all the good thoughts and prayers you can send my way.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The nose thing

Well, I seem to have developed some sort of sinus or allergy thing, and so I've been a bit slow today with anything.  My nose however, has not been slow! 

Not much else going on.  We had a dust storm for a couple of days, after which I swept copious amounts of dust from the floor.  I changed the mop head before I mopped.  Woohoo!  That's some excitement for ya!

:::

I decided to make some oatmeal cookies, except I still haven't located any raisins, they only seem to have the light colored things at most stores here, so instead I could put chocolate chips in, except should I leave the cinnamon out?  I know chocolate and cinnamon can go together, as I've used cinnamon in my brownies before, but not sure about in oatmeal cookies.

:::

Not too long ago, I introduced hubby to the old TV show Gomer Pyle.  We've watched a few episodes and I guess hubby likes it well enough.  He certainly gets a kick out of Gomer, we both do.  I think hubby wants to know if people really said, "shazam" or if it was just in the show.  I know the show was goofy but Gomer is so funny, how can you not laugh when you watch? 

Alright, that's it for now, more in a day or two when I'm feeling better.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Will the real Alice please stand up?

My in-laws used to joke around and say that I was Melissa in wonderland.  Sometimes I don't disagree.

It's about 5 p.m. right now.  It's 94 degrees outside with wind and blowing sand.  Sounds like everyone's perception of the desert right?  Hubby still isn't sure how it snows where my folks live, since they're in the desert, so I guess it's a pretty universal idea that desert equals hot and sandy.

:::

I fried some apple slices the other night.  I decided since the apple fritters lost all the apple taste that I would try to find a recipe for something that really let the apple taste come through.  Well, easy enough.  Sliced the granny smith apples thinly and stuck them in a pan with some melted butter.  Waited a bit and put some brown sugar and cinnamon in and then let them cook until they were tender.

I didn't have any but hubby really really loved them.  I love how easy it was and that no oven was required.  I can see how using the oven in the summer is going to be a bit of a bear unless we keep a nice fan in the kitchen.

:::

I have to say I have been a bit bored as of late.  The novelty of being able to do my own dishes and laundry and baking has worn off a bit after having not been able to do anything while living at the in-laws for 9 months.  I wish we lived in another area where there were more ex-pats or more things to do.  As it is, we live close to hubby's work which is good, and close to the in-laws which is fine.  It's just far from a lot of other stuff.

I don't think hubby feels comfortable letting me wander out and about on my own, I really think he's afraid something will happen to me.  Which is possible, but not exceedingly likely.  I think the most I would get is some unwanted male attention, but it's not likely that I would be aggressively assaulted or anything.

But, I get to feeling cooped up when I am in the house all day and every day and we just don't really go out.
I try to find interesting things to do online, things to read, new ideas to explore, etc. etc., but sometimes I really feel like I'm living in a cocoon.  I could be living anywhere, in any part of the world, for all that I know of what is going on outside the apartment. 

Sometimes I feel really excited to be living in a place with so much history and I know I should learn some more about Egypt and its past.  But I'd really like to get out and explore Egypt in it's present.

:::

I had these for a while but didn't get around to posting them.  One of my hubby's cousins from Kuwait sent over some gifts for my in-laws and also something for me, with another cousin who was visiting.  There were written names on everything so we would know who got what.  The names, of course, were written in Arabic.

First is hubby's name






And then we have my name.





Since they don't use vowels in the Arabic language, they use symbols below and above the letters to denote the sound of what would be vowels. 

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Pictures ahoy!

Well I finally made myself get to the pictures, so that's what today's post will be for.

Not much going on otherwise - the weather was just gorgeous yesterday.  We went to the in-laws for lunch.

Looking forward to getting back to the States for a visit insha'Allah.  The more I think about it the more excited and eager I get.  But it won't be for a few months yet still.  Trying to think of things to bring with me from Egypt (if you want something, let me know and I can give it to you or mail it to you when I'm there in the States) and also things to buy when I'm in the States to bring with me back to Egypt.


Okay, on to the picture show!

First up we have the two roast chickens I did.  The first chicken looks more tasty, at least in my opinion, but it's the second chicken that was absolutely divine!  The first one was just kind of not good at all.  lol


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Next we have a picture of our poor sad EMPTY maple syrup bottle.  I was thinking of having a bottle sent to me here but I think it can wait til I go back to visit to get some.  The bottle is heavy when filled and shipping is too expensive.  I'm thinking of cleaning out this bottle and taking the label off and storing candy or something inside.


And here are some of the apple fritters I made.  They cooked too long, which made the apple chunks mushy and almost tasteless, but overall the taste was fine.  Slightly sweet, little bit of cinnamon.  Next time, I will make them in smaller clumps, but there ended up being so much dough I didn't want to be frying all night long.  Maybe I'll just make a half recipe next time.  Also, I am not in the habit of frying stuff, and I wanted to make sure they got cooked all the way, because biting into something fried that isn't cooked all the way is pretty gross.  lol



Alright, the balcony floor pictures from when I swept.  There are three pictures.  Number 1 is before I started.  Number 2 is halfway done, and number 3 is when I finished.  It's amazing how thick that layer of dirt/dust was.  I don't think you can really tell from the picture.  But when I had finished I had quite a large pile to put in the trash.


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                                                                                  -



Alright, last we have a picture of the kitchen drawer where we have silverware and some odds and ends.
This particular picture is focused on the twist ties that you get off of packages of bread.
My grandma used to save them, and ever since then, whenever I see them, I think of her.
We don't actually ever use these ones that I save in the drawer, it's just a simple reminder of grandma.



As I've mentioned before, click on any picture for a larger image if you so desire.

That's all folks!

Friday, April 2, 2010

It's 5:21 a.m., do you know where your bird is?

We've been staying up quite late recently, due to someone's odd sleep schedule (that someone not being me by the way), and so lately, every morning somewhere between about 5:15 and 5:20 a.m., there is a bird somewhere close outside our bedroom balcony who starts chirping.

It is a monotone single syllable chirp.  And it just goes and goes and goes and goes and GOES.  For about 15 minutes or so.  And then it takes a short break for a few minutes and starts up again for a bit, til stopping a short while later.

I'm actually enjoying it.  I know I have mentioned how much I like the start of a new day, and the bird bringing the day in, though it could be a little more melodic, is somehow comforting.

We can hear other birds now and then, but this is the main one that we hear.  I always wonder what he is chirping about.  Is it the same thing every day?  I wish I had a "bird" to English translator.

:::

We roasted another little chicken tonight, only this one came out SO GOOD!!!  My word it was delicious, alhamdulillah!

We were both very pleased and insha'Allah we can make it again this way.  It just had a simple rub on it of minced onion, minced garlic, salt, pepper, worcestershire, oil and vinegar.

Plus I managed to make some kind of gravy type sauce with the drippings and hubby was lovin that.  He is such a sauce guy. lol

And I did take pictures, though how interesting my roast chicken is I'm not sure.  In any case, I did get my photo editing software back tonight, so hopefully in the next couple of days I'll get some pictures up.

:::

Long holiday weekend and also hot. 

Well, not a long holiday weekend for hubby, he just has the regular Friday off.  We were possibly going to go visit some friends on Friday or Saturday, but when we found out the forecast, which will be mid 90's to 100 for the next couple days, we decided staying home might be a better option.  Though we might go visit the in-laws tomorrow.  We shall see.

:::

We've had some power outages in the building in the last couple of days.

We actually had a spell a while back where the power would go out every day for about 5 minutes or so.  Always sometime during the evening and never at the same time.  Sometimes early and sometimes late.

But the last two nights when the power went out it was out for 2+ hours at a time. 

During the daylight it wouldn't be so bad, but when it's dark out it isn't quite as easy.

The water to our apartment is run on a pump, which runs on electricity, so no water while the power is out.

Thankfully I have a flashlight that you wind a little knob to get the light working, and that has been great.  No batteries needed and no need to plug it into an outlet.  And since we don't have any candles in the apartment it really has been handy.

It seems that the power was out to the whole street, though we're not sure why.  Hubby said they were doing some work somewhere on the road so maybe they were working on the power lines.  God help us all.  lol

:::

Might attempt making some apple fritters tomorrow.  Will probably take pictures if I do, and foist them off here.  lol