Cultural Day

Today at Laith's school they had "Cultural Day".

The teachers and parents displayed foods, clothing and other items of interest to show case their home country. We went along but Lulu was not feeling the best so it was a quick "round the world" tour for us.

Here is the Aussie stand...

the Omani ... (the girls are getting Henna done - tattoo on the hands or feet)
That is Lulu sitting in the front. She was eating a chocolate crackle that she picked up on the Irish Stand. When I asked the teacher (it was Laith's teacher so I could be cheeky) what was Irish about Chocolate Crackles she just laughed and said all the Irish things they wanted to make had either pork or alcohol in them so they were a no-go! I laughed.
...
and somehow I forgot to take a pic of the Irish table, sorry paddy folk!

This afternoon we sat outside and played bubbles. Aren't bubbles fantastic, so simply yet so much enjoyment.
A final thought. You all know I love handmade gifts. I was typing away just now and looked down at my drink sitting on my handmade coasters from my good friend Laila. She used Farmers Market (Sandi Henderson) fabric which is one of my favourites so everyday I get to see beautiful fabrics (there are 6 and each side has a different fabric) and I am reminded that my friend took the time to make me a gift. What more can you ask for?

It is the "witching hour" here so I must be off ... thanks for visiting!

Pancake Tuesday

Did you have pancakes today?


We did, big fat, fluffy buttermilk ones that I love but rarely make as the hubster prefers the thin flat ones. Loads of sugar and lemon juice, or cream and maple syrup, or icecream ... the kids thought it was a GREAT dinner!

My sis left tonight, I am sad.

Nite to all ....

LOTS of Free Quilt Patterns

What a HUGE list Michele from With hearts and Hands Blog has prepared, Thanks Michele!



Thanks Tracy (Mad Quilter) for pointing me in this direction.

And while searching on line for a Bow Tie Block pattern (thinking of this style for the Hubsters quilt) I came across this amazing site that has over 4000 block instructions! Thank you Quiltbus for such a wonderful list with soooooooo many ideas.

Souk and Ruwi

I took my sis along to my fabric man in Ruwi today and she scored well. Then we headed down to the Souk looking for a Khanjar (Omani Traditional Dagger) for a friend and we were very successful. Then off to my "silver guy" which is like visiting Aladins Cave.

It was a good shop and drop day!

For anyone interested here is an article written about the Khanjar. It was printed in the Gulf News some time ago but they no longer have it stored on their website so I can't just post a link....
One cannot attend an official function in Oman and not be awed by the elaborately crafted daggers men proudly wear tucked into an intricately designed belt. Not to fear, however. They have evolved from a menacing weapon to something of a fashion statement and a status symbol. Wearing them also says that some traditions are there to stay. The Khanjar, Arabic for dagger, can vary in size, style, and design according to Oman's different regions - not to mention the price. And although the number of khanjar makers is in decline, the demand remains high as many families present khanjars to their sons as they pass into manhood. No decent Omani would be caught without one in ceremonies like weddings and receptions. They are "pieces of art that capture the soul of Oman," says Murtada Najwani, a businessman who deals in antiques from Oman and neighbouring countries and is a well-known Khanjar aficionado. "A khanjar is a symbol of manhood, courage and tradition," he added. He was not wearing a khanjar at the time of the interview, but he lovingly displayed his favourite to this reporter. Omani-made daggers are unique, experts say. "The curve of the Omani dagger distinguishes it from daggers elsewhere. The sheath has a right angle bend," said Sarah White, curator of the Bait Al Zubair museum in Muscat. "It's ornate work is among the finest in Arabia." It can take up to a month to make a quality khanjar and craftsmen adhere to the regional designs handed down from generation to generation. Essentially, an Omani dagger consists of three parts the hilt, the sheath and the blade. But "every region has its own variations," Ahmed Al Mukhaini, of the Historical Association of Oman, said. The khanjar comes in three basic styles or designs – the Sa'idiyah, Dakhliyah (Omaniyah) and Sharqiyah (Suriyah). "These three fundamental designs but they have numerous variations derived from personal choice and contemporary trends." The Sa'idiyah khanjar has a narrow hilt and is the largest and most expensive, while the Dakhliyah khanjar has a very wide handle and a sheath of ivory or horn worked with silver. Variations such as the one called Nizwa use a silver T-shaped hilt while the Sur khanjars are smaller in size and use gold instead. Some are finer than others, the experts say. "The khanjars from Sur are the most elegant and best assembled of the three styles," Al Mukhaini said. The more expensive sheaths are of woven gold thread or a combination of gold and silver. But there are also the simpler ones made of plain leather with some silver worked into it. The mark of a good sheath are its inlaid silver rings – the maximum is seven rings of which two are used to hold the belt and five through which strands of thread are woven as ornamentation. "There is no special significance attached to the number of rings on a khanjar," explains Al Mukhaini. "It depends on personal preference." But businessman Najwani feels that "it is a status symbol as the rings are expensive and usually a wealthy wearer sports seven rings." The blade of a khanjar is also an indication of its worth; old blades are never discarded but worked into a new one. Khanjars are priced according to design and materials used and range from the touristy, mass produced varieties with plastic handles to the elaborate works of art with rhino horn hilts and priceless blades that can fetch up to 1,200 riyals ($3,000) and more. Long gone are the days when men wore their daggers for protection. "The khanjar, especially in urban Muscat, is now taken out of its velvet case only for ceremonies and official functions, but this was not always so," Najwani said. "In the past, it was usually worn everyday. Even now in the Interior (regions), men still wear their khanjar for a visit to the souk or for calling on friends." When asked, a young man said he liked how wearing a dagger bestows a formal air on one. "I like using a khanjar. It looks very ceremonial and my father presented it to me on my birthday," said a 20-year old man who gave his name only as Mohammed. "Of course it isn't part of my daily wear, but I won't attend a formal function without it." Najwani takes it a step further. "I'm sure a groom will not be handed over his bride if he turns up for the wedding without his khanjar," he said. "Whatever the fashion whim, khanjars will always remain a prized possession for Omani men."

Cafe Ceramique

Today Auntie Sharon took Laith and Lujayne to Cafe Ceramique. They went and chose what they wanted to paint and of course Lulu picked a cat and Laith chose a nice dragon. Auntie S decided on a Fairy pencil holder and I deliberated for a long time trying to find an "easy" piece as I am hopeless at drawing or creating a scene IYKWIM. I ended up with a Giraffe moneybox which in fact turned out to be very labour intensive LOL!

We had a lovely morning and this was the end result ready to be fired. We can collect them in a weeks time.

We then went on and had lunch and a coffee. It was so nice to see L&L with Auntie S telling stories.




Until next time ...

What A Surprise

What a surprise indeed, yesterday morning my sister (who usually lives soimewhere between the Bahamas, a boat somewhere, New York and Australia) turned up at my door with morning tea! I was gobsmacked!

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy to have her here and the kids are over the moon. So maybe I won't get much posting in this week but we will see.

Right now I am also very grateful for the macadamia nuts, Darrel Lea chocolates, Minties, etc ... hmmmm there goes my weight loss goal for the week I think!

Seeb Park

Poor Sami has been a bit miserable he has some kind of bug on top of a cold and for a boy who is usually happy go lucky he is just too sad. Remedy? A trip to the park. We picked up Laith from school and headed over to Seeb park. After a while on slides etc Laith and Lulu had fun getting in and out of the maze.
Sami just enjoyed the dirt, did you know dirt and snot make a wonderfully messy boy ... yup!

AND remeber the valentines cake photos that I "didn't take" because there was no card in the camera ... well here they are. Don't ask me how it happened but when I loaded the card to get the park pictures there they were ... go figure!

Happy Valentines Day

As usual the kids helped me bake a cake. We were running behind time so I quickly decorated it as Ali was walking in the door. And here is where you would see our annual Valentines cake photo ...

Well you would if I had have replaced the CF card in the camera after downloading some pics today!


DOH .... and yet he still he loves me!

Sending warm and fuzzies to you all.

Love Clo

Needlework and Going Out

First up I wanted to show you some needlework my mum did for me. I had seen this recently on someones blog (so sorry I can't remember who to give her credit) and thought it would be a nice way to remember the kids at different stages. Thanks Mum!


Last night was Ali's staff party. It was a fabulous night. The theme was black and white.
It was held at the Al Bustan and this was the first time I had been to the hotel since it has re-opened after a major refurbishment (the hotel was closed for 2 years!). We only saw the lobby but I have to say WOW what an improvement. Very modern contemporary and that ugly old bar I hated so much is now a beautiful modern bar, very inviting indeed. It was also nice to see so many familiar faces. I read recently that 94% of the staff returned, mind you they were on paid leave while the hotel was closed, not bad hey?

Tomorrow, inshallah, the kids will be back at school PLEASE PLEASE no more illness for a while.

This is the kids before we left. I had made the PJ's for Lulu and they have crowns on them so she was asking me for a crown. When I was in Ikea last weekend I saw this one ... perfect!
When I took my camera out to take a photo Sami quickly ran and sat down against the wall so I could take his photo, very cute.


Take care now,
Clo

Harmony ...

even if only for a few minutes ....
Today I did the "Ruwi Trip". I had to pick up the laptop, drop Mum's cross stitch (Sami's Welcome Birth one) into the framer, get some lunch boxes from Daiso and find some fabric for the bean bags. ALL ticked off my list - Yay! I even managed to find a little knit fabric so I can practice sewing with the new Coverstitch machine.

We still have a snotty, coughy, eye pussy, runny bummy house at the moment ... just lurvely and probably far too much information for you all!

Take care,
Clo

Toys and Knitting

After months of saying I would do this I have finally have ... the toy rotation. Recently we were away for a few days and when we got home the kids ran to their room and played with their toys like long lost friends. It got me thinking that they don't play with or value the toys they have because there is too much and it is just sitting there in front of them all the time. So today we divided the toys up into three bundles. Two to be put away and the other to remain out as "this months toys". They seemed to grasp the idea that we would take out different bag each month and pack up the toys they had played with for that month to put back in the store. It was a great chance to take out a few things for charity and throw out any rubbish.
I'll keep you posted how this works out.

Dede finished a little blanket for Lulu's dolly or her babies as Lulu likes to call them. She is a happy girl!

I also got Lulu to model some knitting my mum has done for Ali since she has been here. The first is a "London Style" beanie and the second a cable fisherman's style beanie which is much longer and stays on if he wears it to bed (yes we live in the middle east but we do get a few cold night here and there LOL). And finally a lovely warm cable scarf. The hubster was most delighted as he knows he would have been waiting a very long time for his wife to make them!

Take care now,
Clo

A Trip to Dubai

Last Thursday my Mum and I took off for a few days in Dubai, it was WONDERFUL!

Dubai has grown so much it is a different place each time I go. This time the issue was not the traffic for me it was those overpasses, turnpikes, underpasses or what ever you call them. Let me just say I have a very patient mother and we almost used up all of our Salik (Road Toll System) credit going over those bridges again, again and again ... need I say more!

We stayed at a great hotel called the Arabian Park Hotel. It is rated as three star and the rooms are small but very clean and the service was seriously better than some of the 5 star hotels. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting.

We arrived around 2pm checked in had a quick bite to eat and then off shopping. First stop the Quilting store. I got all the supplies I needed and then we went back to the Burjuman shopping centre for a look around and some coffee. The Dubai Shopping Festival was on so the sales were everywhere but still not a huge amount of people around (maybe the economic crisis has hit Dubai too?). From there we went over to Diera. Finding a park was difficult but eventually we made it to the little sewing machine shop. And then the best news of all ... my Mum got me an early birthday present ... YAY I am soooooooo thrilled and excited. THANK YOU MUM!

Then it was off into the souk area to get some sewing supplies. I managed to get us very lost, how my mother puts up with me is beyond me to be honest. The patience of a saint! Eventually we crawled back into the car and headed to the Wafi Centre for some dinner. We had some great Thai ... yummo! Off to the hotel which is about 10 mins away ... 45 mins later we got there. I tell you if you miss your turn in Dubai then be prepared to go around and around and around and over a few bridges to get back again. The next day the concierge drew me a map of how to get back into the hotel from the main road and from that point on we were cruising.

Next morning we headed out to my favourite place ....

Yep, IKEA. After 5 hours (including lunch) in Ikea we took a walk around the HUGE shopping complex it is in and then went to the cinema. We saw Slumdog Millionaire ... very good. Back to the hotel without getting lost - YAY!

Next morning we were up early so we just stopped at ACE hardware for bean bag balls (unavilable in Oman) and then decided that was enough. We headed home and got back to the house by 3.30pm , perfect.

A wonderful trip. A few days away was just what I needed. And a big thank you to my darling husband who took care of the kids. And Lulu next time when daddy takes you to McDonalds try not to throw up all over him, and sweetie also try not to throw up all over your bed and then sleep in it ... you really know how to test Daddy when Mummy is gone!

So waiting in the box is my lovely machine. I have some rather urgent things to do this week like finish my Mum's quilt and make the curtains for Lulu's room, then I will PLAY, PLAY, PLAY :-)

Laith has a nasty case of conjunctivitis which is bad timing as it is exam week at school. What to do? You can't send the poor pussy eyed kids to school to spread his nasty gunk everywhere now can you? No stress here, after all let us not forget he is only 5!

take care ...

Nizwa Trip - Part Two

Sorry for the delay in finishing the post about our trip.

After a great day / night up at Jabal Akdhar we headed down into Nizwa and then across to Bahla which is famous for its pottery. The wonderful fort at Bahla is still under renovation and closed so we headed further out to visit Jabrin Fort.

The fort was built in the 1600's as a palace and later converted into a fort. Mum and the family in the courtyard ...

Inside you can see the living quarters of the Imam and his family, the servants rooms, dining room, kitchen, school, prison and majlis (lounge room to meet guests). The place is a maze of stairways and halls and for just a very short time I think we were very lost. I could hear Ali and the kids in the distance but every corner I turned there was another room and more stairs!


The painted ceilings are beautiful

and I just love all the old Madoos (chests) that scatter the fort.

After Jabrin we headed back to the hotel for the night via Ali's short cut (cough cough ;-)

In the morning we went up towards Al Hamra (where Ali's family is from) and went to see the Al Hoota Caves. You can't take pictures inside. It has been set up now as a tourist facility and it is nice to see but be warned there is over 230 steps not that easy with three children. There is a train that takes you from the tourist centre down to the cave but to be honest that is a really short trip to walk it is once you are inside the cave you need the train! LOL. The train has been out of operation since Gono cyclone but they say it will be back soon. You need to make bookings for the tour especially on weekends.

On leaving the caves Laith thought it would be a good idea to climb the wall. What he didn't count on was that he hasn't figured out how to climb down so well! so Daddy to the rescue. Get one down and the other starts LOL.

After the Caves we headed home. A great trip!

PJ Pants

Ok now don't get too excited, I know my posts must be rocking your world ... LOL! The kids needed some pants for sleeping or for just playing around in the house as it has been a little cooler. A short post as I have a splitting headache ... back tomorrow with post of two of our trip.