Weddings and such

This is a picture of a wedding house....we see these pop up around our neighborhood from time to time. We never see the bride or groom, just know there is a wedding taking place from the beautiful lights. From what we understand there are papers signed, the men celebrate in one place the women in another and the groom comes to fetch the bride at midnight. Different from what we're all used to but a marriage none the less and in the night sky these brightly lit homes are so beautiful. We've seen the men with their sticks and drums, singing and dancing in the night air, but we have never seen the women, they are so carefully hidden from view.
I'm working on many projects at the moment. Two quilts, and one afghan with more in my minds eye so I am trying to get my work done and move forward with the things I want to do next.
I spied a gorgeous well organized sewing room on an OPB earlier...oh OPB? Other People's Blogs! It was just so neat, tidy, organized. It looked like maybe a garage that had been redone. This lady was so organized, she labeled every thing so everything was quite literally at her fingertips. Oh how many times have I searched for an hour for some little thing I think I really need and of course have never found it in that hour but found about ten other things I want to fool with? That's me, a professional at puttering and pondering!

Olive Shells...who knew?

These are the olive shells and the fossil I have picked up on the beach in Fujairah, UAE on the Gulf of Oman off the Indian Ocean.
I did a tiny bit of research about the olive shells and discovered they are carnivorous, feeding on bivalves and carrion...carrion being other dead animals...they take their food and burrow into the sand to feed. Apparently all the shells I found were already dead themselves as there is nothing inside them. They secrete a mucous that can produce a purple dye. I am intrigued by them as they are each one vastly different, much like so many other things in nature. It does make one wonder how on earth nothing is completely identical, now that fascinates me! I have a rather pretty glass jar with a lid at home and I think I will put this collection of olive shells in that. I so enjoyed my quiet moments this morning gathering them on the beach and daydreaming about how to best display them.
And the fossil...wow...I haven't been able to discover much about that....it's just beautiful, a bit heavy for it's small size. I have researched some star fish and discovered they too are vastly different and there are many in the species though I did not find anything even close really to this fossil. I wonder about some sort of lily or other plant life. I just found one called Bryophyta that looks to me a bit like ferns of some sort just found that too called a crinoid. You can find just about anything on the internet.
My memory these days is not such that I would remember all this data but it is fun to search it out and write a dibble dab about it. Meanwhile I will continue my collecting of shells tomorrow and for now will dive back into my book...The Mermaid's Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. I find it rather intriguing.

My Valentine

My husband I had a rather quiet, though sort of unusual Valentine's Day...It was one of those jet lag nights that I could not get to sleep, laid there thinking what can I do to make that little silver box of candy more special for him? The man who has everything, wants nothing is difficult to plan or buy for as he literally wants nothing. Well I got up and went downstairs and cleaned up the kitchen, having been too tired to clean it up earlier...so I cleaned it, prepared all the coffee fixings for the next morning, laid out a plate, the box of pastries we had purchased, a banana and his cup and spoon and set out the precious little silver box of delightful Bateel chocolates, the very best in Dubai we think. So I finally fell asleep about 6am and my husband was up at 6:30, I heard nothing of course. He kissed me goodbye, told me Happy Valentines Day and I groggily came to and went downstairs to at least feed the dog...and there waiting for me on the breakfast bar was my identical little Bateel box and a large card and an even larger Big Brown Bag...inside was a lovely fun bathrobe we had spied the week before at the new Bloomingdale's in Dubai Mall. I laughed out loud at the silver box of candy....we were both stunned that we had picked the same box of chocolates...two minds, one heart. I hope all of you had a lovely Valentine's Day too.

Cousins and Aunts

We're in Washington, DC with our daughter and her family and had a lovely visit with my Aunt and my cousin. My daughter is named after my Aunt. We've been blessed with good weather and we head back to the mountains today. The only bump we had here was a rather large protest march which put a bit of a damper on our holiday. I can't imagine living here and trying to work and live around all those kinds of things.

The sun appeared for a beach walk

Morning at the beach

Oh sigh....I'm so delighted. We're at our own little corner of heaven down at Sunset Beach. Just sitting on the porch watching the slow arrival of the morning, while listening to the rain, the wind whistling through the trees and the occasional juggling of the bamboo wind chimes, drip drip drip as the rain settles on down the drain pipe. We're snuggled up in jammies, robes and a nice big afghan each draped over our shoulders, snug as bugs. I've been reading OPB'S as you all know I delight in those. (Other Peoples Blog's). I've found several recipes I want to try and a new quilt idea and a couple of decorating ideas and I've had some revelations out here on my own. I believe I will take my little red glider and rocker back to the mountains and put them on that porch, then I can move a table out here and a pair of chairs so we can eat breakfast out here or the boys can color or whatever. My herbs are mostly still growing away...only the basil finally gave up, must've been colder down here during Christmas time and it finally quit, but it had a long growing season. All the perennial herbs though are flourishing nicely and I may have to make some ice tea today so I can use some mint, or a cup of hot tea would do. I have found the neatest way to make pies in individual portions and have long planned on making them...ordered the jars from Amazon, brought them along and today is the day! I am going to make them for us and for our two little old neighbors I adore here. Here's the link to find the recipe, you will all love the entire blog I'm sure. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/single-serving-pie-in-jar.html Meanwhile I will be happily cooking during the rain.
I've added this picture of one of my favorite beach places here, though this one is not mine, I just love the colors and the landscaping, it all looks so cheery to me. I knew if I sat here just long enough Tom would decide to make breakfast..he did..lol..how lucky can a girl get?

do you ever? just fill yourself up?

Oh we're home in the mountains at last...just not for long. Just a couple of days, so many errands to run, some fun some just tedious but must be done. But all that aside...oh how lovely to be here, snuggling down in our very own bed! It's glorious! I've been getting all excited reading OPB'S...translation Other People's Blogs... I've found adorable decorating ideas, my head is swimming and crochet and quilting things that I must do...simply must and I got my book order from BAMM and oh oh oh...so many new ideas and things to do. I love Jan Eaton crochet books, I'm now the delighted owner of three very special ones, granny squares, ripples and a crochet encyclopedia and I just cannot keep my hands off them. I have been busy experimenting with different things and having so much fun. No wonder Granny's are known to sit and stitch...so many things to make and I'm blessed that my children and grandchildren adore homemade things! How cool is that?!!!
This is just a simple picture on our new enclosed porch, but it shows the name of our home Elmer's Tune, a sign my husband made for me, we named our home Elmer's Tune from a song his Mother used to sing for us and oh how we love both, the song and our home!