In all things…Give Thanks

This year we were so blessed and were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with some wonderful friends.  My friend, Nancy hosted and we all brought our contribution dishes to the pot-luck FEAST!  The food was so amazing, just like home!

I was in charge of pies and cornbread dressing.  I knew it was super difficult to find pecans here, so I had Kari bring me some when she visited.  Our super secret family pecan pie recipe is the one on the back of the dark karo syrup bottle.  The pie crust came out great too.. I used the Crisco’s pie dough recipe.  To ensure that the pecan pies were done (and not runny) I put a meat thermometer in the pie and removed it from the oven when the center reached 200 degrees F… (a tip I took off of the back of the bottle).  They came out just right!

 

Our friends, Lance and Nancy and the delicious food…

On the right is the cornbread dressing (charles’ grandmother’s recipe) – It was such a huge container!  It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it.   Look how cute Nancy wrapped up leftovers for everyone to take home.. Truly the hostess with the mostess!

The kids all had a blast – Will was in one of his “moods” and had one conflict after another, but Audrey was super!  We left Charles there since he was going to Yas Island to watch a football game with the guys and I took the kids home.  The next morning I got up with the kids and got straight to business decorating the house for Christmas.  Decorating ended up being the biggest PAIN IN THE BUTT (*full description of the day below).

7:00 am: I got the decorations down out of Audrey’s shower – our only storage spot… Opened up the box our tree was in and realized I grabbed the wrong box when I purchased it over a month ago.  I despise anything resembling a flocked tree and this one, although it wasn’t technically flocked, had spray painted white tips on all the branches…. ewww.

My internal convo:
Oh Crap. How did this happen?

Ok. it isn’t too bad, at least it is a full fluffy tree… with ornaments and lights it may not be noticeable.

White tips. hmmm. kinda like a french manicure. Alright, I can look past it.

At least we have a Christmas tree in a Muslim Country.

Crank up the Christmas music, lets move on.

Then it was time to put the lights on.  They looked normal-ish in the package – the shape of the bulb was different but they were clear.. great.  I put all the lights on the tree from top to bottom.

Plugged it in.

Wow. Oh Crap. They are hideous. I thought they were white? Looked at the box. LED, neon white-ish blue.   UGHHHHHHH

Ok. try to look past it.  The kids are excited, try not to be upset. Try to squint my eyes a little to see if it helped them to look better, nope. turn my head to the side.. nope still ugly.  turned out the living room lights, maybe they will look normal then, nope.

I throw will in the car and off we go to get more lights. 

Found normal lights! Victory! Ok. this will all be better soon.  I grab the pkg. and go to the toy section to see if the trampoline we are going to get the kids is in stock.  Wait forever to be helped. Find someone that apparently doesn’t know diddly and ask, “Do you have any more of the 6’ trampoline in stock?” – he replied – No Madam. All finish.  OH NO.. it is like “THE big gift from Santa” Keep calm..  I have learned my lesson with stuff like this in Abu Dhabi.. ask someone else... so I ask “Can you go ask a manager?” His manager comes, I ask and he says yes and looked at the guy and said, “He doesn’t know nothing.” Great, I ask to purchase it and an hour later we are home with lights in hand and a trampoline in the car. (of course Will was clueless)

Charles took the ugly lights off the tree while we were gone and on go the new lights.  aaaaand I only bought enough to cover half of the tree. double UGHHHH. It is now lunchtime and I have been trying to decorate the tree for 5 hours and nothing is done.

The white tips are bugging me. I hate this tree. I want to return it. So frustrated. Start crying – my emotions took over, the Christmas carols were playing, I felt the distance from home pushing on my chest, memories flashed thru the song, “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” I started balling.  Charles sensed that this was about more than just the lights on the tree and gave me a much needed hug. I ate a piece of pecan pie, wiped my tears and dug around for the receipt to return the $80 LED lights.

BACK. TO. THE. STORE. I look like hell. no make up, splotchy cry face, running shorts, t-shirt.. of course I run into people I know – seriously!?

I checked to see if they have any  normal trees before we take the French manicured one down and back.  They have one I want, but  none in stock.  Ugh Ugh Ugh. I find another 7’ tree in a box, different from the display but the sales guy assures  me – ‘same, same’. ooookay.  I’m totally skeptical. sales people here are all liars. Call Charles – take the other one down for me and box it up please.  I am so exhausted and emotionally drained. I cannot purchase the tree yet until I return the other one since they agreed only to do an exchange.  This means I have another trip ahead of me, but at least that means a normal tree… hopefully.

So now I am home. white tip tree is boxed up. I am back at square one. No tree up, nothing is decorated or done.  I decide a bath would be a good idea since I have to go back to the store and I am not chancing running in there looking like that again.  I am looking forward to just relaxing for a minute ..since today was totally unproductive I just need a minute.  Both kids barge in strip down and get into the bath.. wahhhhhh! I get out, get dressed and then get both of them redressed and head back to the store. I take them with me this time and let them play at Toys R Us next door to burn off some energy.  Got the tree that was “same same” as the good one on display but not for sale... Get home (after dark), open box. NOT SAME SAME! it is a wire-y tree that you can see straight thru. What a Christmas decorating disaster.  I hate this tree too. but not enough to go back to the store. we’re keeping it. lets just put the lights on, ornaments on and hope it fills up the gaps enough… it isn’t perfect but it is good enough. 
Lights go on. run out again. yes. STILL short on lights. OH MY GOSHHHHHHHH. I think I am going to blow. 
Start crying again.

Charles is as annoyed with this whole tree day as me and he leaves to get more lights. I put the kids to bed. I read Audrey her daily devotional and naturally it was about being thankful during difficult times and had a change of heart.. I knew God was speaking to me thru it. I went downstairs and grabbed some chocolate and a beer out the fridge.  Mama is feeling better.  Charles gets home with a lot of christmas lights LOL, puts them on our new, wire-y tree, I put all the ornaments on – it fills in the huge spaces somewhat.. and I leave a little pile of non-breakable ones for the kids to put on in the morning.. done.

They were awe-struck when they woke up and just stood and stared.  Magical for them – it made it all worth it in that moment:

I don’t think I’ll ever forget our first Christmas in the Middle East…

I am thankful for this verse:
Lamentations 3:23 “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.” 

Today has been such a great day.

Just having fun…

We’ve been busy just keeping the kids entertained and having fun with friends – here is a compilation of our activities:

We’ve been hitting the parks in this nice weather

We got to skype with Angela and Alivia!!

We are getting ready for Thanksgiving!!

Will and I enjoy some one-on-one time at the Hiltonia every Thursday

We’ve been playing in the neighborhood:

The kids have such a blast playing out in the street – the girls brought out their strollers and the boys somehow took over.. These little guys (Will’s buddies) are twins from New Zealand.  Tommy and George… they just turned 3!

The kids all piled on the porch coloring and playing with stickers^^

I’ve been making items I’ve pinned on pinterest.. this one is a Hummus Dip… SO GOOD! it is similar to a Mexican 7 layer dip, but Mediterranean version.  Hummus (the quality you can get here is unmatchable), Feta (the fresh stuff here is also to die for), Red bell pepper, Sun Dried tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers, green onions, freshly grated black pepper and drizzled with olive oil. Serve with pita chips..

This was a recipe on pinterest for buttercream icing…instead of milk, use whipping cream.. YUM! I decorated them with my super fancy piping tips I bought in the USA..

We got the kids each their own small Christmas tree for their rooms.. they had SO much fun decorating them... I even got them the tacky dancing colored lights. 

Here is an album of  a recent trip to the local zoo.  The kids had such a great time and we were shocked that this great place was only 30 minutes away! Yes, my children are holding wild animals… and they loved it!

Kids Park Zoo VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

^^if you click fast thru the many pictures of the tigers, it will look like it is in motion.. they were sparring at each other.

Fall Fest

With all the excitement from our visitor, posting about ACS’s Fall fest escaped me.  I love that her school offers so many wonderful opportunities to get involved and connect with other families.  This was such a fun event just before Halloween… it was set up like a carnival.

My little Army Guy…

This cute little girl is my friend, Nancy’s little one – Nancy’s older daughter is in Audrey’s class and we work together a lot since we are home room parents for their class and also both lead Daisy Scouts.  I am enjoying getting to know her family and it turns out we have a lot in common – She is from Beaumont and moved here from Katy, TX…. She knows all about being ‘Southern’.. a rarity in the Middle East!

Audrey’s teacher got all the kids to make a “scary face” for their ghost decoration in the booth.. most kids made silly faces and Audrey’s was kinda mean looking..

The kids were all lined up in their classrooms and then did a costume parade for the parents while we sat in the bleachers.. it was SO PRECIOUS!  there’s Ariel!

Audrey and Nancy’s older daughter  - sweet friends!

I wonder what they were talking about? Both were mermaids  

Our Class Booth:  We were assigned the tic tac toe booth.  we came that morning to set up and were done in no time.  Super organized and super efficient.. love that!

almost a successful picture.. smiling, but not looking

The kids talking to others and making friends

Will was checking out his loot…

I made these for the teachers  in Audrey’s class…

Two TIRED kids on the way to Dubai to pick up their Aunt…. we left early from Fall fest, came home to grab suitcases, change into PJ’s and drive to Dubai.  They were so worn out!

2nd Half of Kari’s Trip to the UAE

Kari and I had such a fun week together!  I cannot tell you how amazing it was to have some familiarity here in such a foreign world.  To continue on from the last post… Tuesday morning we got up and hit the mall – Shopping at all the favorites here… Zara, Topshop, Koton, Mango, Forever 21 etc… when we finished up, I dropped Kari off at the house for her daily afternoon nap and headed out to get Audrey from school.   We got all fancy and headed out for an over the top dinner at Emirate’s Palace!  The setting was like something you’d see on The Bachelor – the palace in the background, the beach all around and the Arabian Gulf ad our view… stunning doesn’t even begin to describe.   There was also a guy playing the guitar and singing.. we joked that this guy could win American Idol and low and behold afterwards he told us that he did in fact win a Simon Cowell singing show – but in another country…! Wow!  This night was the definition of luxury.. to top it all off, there was a fire works show down the corniche that we watched while we ate dinner.. UH-mazing!

 

Fire Works!

The view of Emirate’s Palace

Our Cabana^^

Posing in the Sand… it was super soft!

The next morning we headed out for the Gold Souk.  The Gold Souk is simply a mall dedicated to only gold shops… We were on a mission to find a bracelet on a budget.  We found it just as we were about to give up.  Victory! 

Beautimus!

I wanted to bring kari to a place that had amazing lebanese food for lunch – The Lebanese Flower.  They are famous here for their budget meals that will knock your socks off.  SO GOOD.

Have you ever seen hummus this pillowy before?!   It was A LOT of food, and we put a huge dent in it.. Kari got a mixed meat grill plate and I got Shish Taouk… my mouth is watering and my stomach is growling.

We picked up Will, I dropped them both off for naps, picked up Audrey and hung out with kiddos for a while then got ready to go out for some wine and cheese at the Intercontinental Hotel.  They have a special on Wednesday nights that we took advantage of.   Kari and I hopped in a taxi and met Charles there since he was going after work to meet us.  Cheers!

The Piano Lounge where we were sitting had a jazzy piano player and singer entertaining us… When we had our fill of wine and cheese (we were still so full from lunch at the Lebanese Flower we didn’t even order dinner! – of course Charles did though.)  We wanted to show Kari a swanky night club also inside the Intercontinental Hotel so we popped in for  free glass of Champagne since it was ladies night. Afterwards we walked around the marina and checked out all the fancy Yachts and boats parked there.

So TIRED… I tried to hang in there the best I could!!  I was waking up early with kids and staying out late each night… The next morning it seemed to catch up with Kari too…

And Will…. ha! We had a desert safari planned next and since departure was smack in the middle of  naptime, we pushed thru and prayed Will would sleep on the way – and he sure did.   I have to say that the desert safari was such an amazing experience.  Even though we have seen the desert and even camped out, did the dune bashing and all that (which was AMAZING) – this was unique in the sense that the Owner (who personally picked us up) wants his guests to get an authentic Bedouin experience and see the desert thru the eyes of those that lived off of it for so many years.  It was educational, enlightening, fun and relaxing all at the same time.  The desert safari companies here are a dime a dozen – but his is truly special.

He explained to us that Sheik Zayed gave the land to his family, that he had a dream to show visitors of the UAE the culture…He went to college in Oregon for 5 years and returned to Abu Dhabi to work.  He explained to us that this business is not his work, it is his hobby and he referred to it as his “Camp.” His 12-year-old son arrived later with some friends and they rode four-wheelers up and down the dunes without fear.. they were so adorable!… I just cannot explain how cool it was!

They all LOVED audrey because she was singing Arabic songs to them and saying some of the words she has learned in school.  It was precious to watch them get a kick out of the red-headed American kid speaking and singing their language!

When we first arrived he guided us to the carpet with pillows and told us about the traditional coffee.  He served us some along with dates that they harvested off of the trees on their property… off to the side there was a pet monkey! He was a riot and had such a funny personality! The kids were feeding him cheese puffs until he snatched the entire bag and ate them all… LOL.

After Coffee, Dates and the monkey encounter, we walked outside the fence of the camp and saw the gorgeous sand dunes and the camels waiting for us.

The above and below are some of my favorite pictures.. it looks like it could have been taken decades ago.

We all took Camel rides and horse rides, then watched a dog show where they chased down a rabbit (they had muzzles on, so the rabbit wasn’t harmed).  We also walked down to see all the animals he has on the property – there were lots of sheep, goats and birds that the kids enjoyed seeing.. Then it was time to hit the dunes!

If you only knew how unlikely it was here to interact with the local Emirati’s then you could appreciate this picture as much as I do.. wow. When you see them talking to and playing with your kids it would feel similar to if a celebrity would be doing so.  I have been here for 9 months and have never spoken to a local on a personal level like this.  Anyway – we rode the dunes, he drove our family up and down and all around the big dunes – the kids loved it – it feels like a roller coaster… We stopped at a high point to take pictures and the sand was blowing all around.. we tried to get a picture and this is what we ended up with! LOL.. check out Audrey’s faces..

Have you ever heard of Sledding in the Sand?!  The kids flew down, the grownups inched.. the steep walk back up was certainly a deterrent from doing it more than once!

 

The wind whipped my hair into a horrible mess! 

After all that fun we came back to the camp for dinner.  they bring it in with them from Abu Dhabi – Kari and I loved the lentil soup! YUMMM.  After dinner, Cardamom Coffee – it was super sweet – we didn’t really care for it, but enjoyed the experience anyway.  Of course Audrey spilled hers all over the cushion and Kari.. sheesh. I enjoyed sitting around the campfire with my family – most of the time I was trying to keep will from disturbing the relaxing atmosphere -  The monkey always worked for that! 

After coffee they had traditional dress outfits for us to try on and take pictures in.. it was so fun!

Will was much  more interested in the giant gun they gave him… “Pow Pow, Pow Pow..” is all he was saying.  He was SO cute in that outfit though!  We could have left charles at the camp and they would never know the difference… other than his costume was about 6 inches too short. LOL!

Our Family Picture! We headed back to the house about 8:30 pm and got home around 9:30 – we all fell asleep in the car and called it a night as soon as we got home.  Our super fun week was coming to a close since Kari would be leaving the next night.  We were all super lazy the next morning and didn’t have anything big on the plans but to rest and relax… Charles went into the office for a bit so he dropped off Kari and Audrey to the beach for some last minute sun.  I gladly stayed back with Will so that he could nap and I could rest.  I used the opportunity to organize pictures – I think we had over 900 from the week!

When they got back, Kari got cleaned up, packed up and ready to go.  We headed out for one last outing before her 2 a.m. flight… we went to Traders Hotel where they have a family friendly beach party.  There was a huge buffet, bouncy house, play ground etc.. Audrey ran into lots of her friends from school, Will was in a “mood” so Charles disappeared with him for a bit while Kari and I just relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company for a bit.  Will came back all better and ready to play, he got his face painted and played with cups in the sand until we gathered up to leave at 8:30.  Here are some pics of the night.. our reserved seating…

The bouncy house on the beach…

The buffet line that went on for days….

Kari and Audrey..

The kids entertaining themselves…

Charles and his “mini-me”

Audrey wiping the sand off of Kari’s feet!  She stepped in gum so Audrey scrubbed them for her. LOL

Me and my sister!  What a blessing it was to have her here! It went by super fast and we miss her already!  We had a blast showing her what Abu Dhabi life is like and making memories of our adventures together.  I know that many years down the road when we are together for holidays with all our grandkids around we will be sharing funny stories and telling them the tales of this amazing week.

Camel Kisses and Sandy Hugs!

Christa