The Simple Life at Home

Welcome!!! I hope you had a blessed Easter and were able to take time to reflect on the true meaning of the day.

Hallelujah!!! This week we are Easter Break (even though it's called Spring Break) and I couldn't be happier! Who would have thought 20 plus years ago that I would be looking forward to Spring Break so I could cook and clean for my family? Wierd how life changes, isn't it?

Unfortunately, the cleaning part hasn't been happening so much. I've been pretty much knocked out by a horrendous cough and sore throat. I'm pretty convinced it's the bubonic plague, but so far no one is believing me. Anyways, it's leaving me sore, achy, and exhausted. Last night I went to bed at 8:30 and that is something I can NEVER remember doing! Unfortunately I woke up at 5:30 am, so that kind of seemed to cancel out the benefits of going to bed early!!

Anyways, I am still determined to do some delicious cooking this week. Since I started working a few weeks ago, dinner has been pretty hit or miss, so this is my week to redeem myself. Here's what I have planned:

Sunday - Well, I had planned lasagna, but I forgot to buy mozzarella so we did Spaghetti with meat sauce. I'll do the lasagna later in the week.

Monday - Pot roast in the crockpot - (Put the roast in the crockpot along with chunked up carrots, potatoes and onions. Combine a can of cream of mushroom soup with a packet of onion soup mix. Add to mix one chopped onion and stir well. Pour over top of roast and vegetables and cook for 7-8 hours on low.)

Tuesday - Lentils & rice with a lemon dressed salad

Wednesday - Lasagna, tossed salad and garlic bread (see, I told you I'd work it back in!!)

Thursday - Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya over white rice

Friday - Chicken and broccoli casserole with a tossed salad

Saturday - We're having Easter dinner a day early since Sunday is a work day here in Qatar. We've invited over a few guys from our church that are here alone in Doha. I'll be serving a turkey (ham is not sold here), with sausage and apple stuffing, vegetables, mashed potatoes, devilled eggs, spinach and strawberry salad, and some yummy yet-to-be-determined dessert.

So that's what we will be having. For more great menu plans, be sure to visit The Organizing Junkie!!

Ok, as you read this I'll be busy at work on my first day of employment in 14 years. Beginning to work will now require me to be even more organized than I've ever been. I'll get home around 4 pm most days, so there will still be time for dinner prep, but shopping and thinking it through in advance will take on new importance. Here's this week menu plan:

Sunday - Sticky Chicken, garlic & onion mashed potatoes, garlic green beans

Monday - Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread and a caesar salad

Tuesday - Mahlouba

Wednesday - Swedish Meatballs over egg noodles and a tossed salad

Thursday - Hummous, kubbe, cheese, bread, pickles, olives

Friday - Jambalaya over rice

Saturday - Chicken tacos in the slow cooker (recipe below)


For the chicken tacos, I toss a package of chicken breasts in the slow cooker, toss in a can of mexican style corn, a chopped onion, a can of rotel, some cumin and salt and pepper. I let it cook on low all day and then about 30 minutes before we eat, I toss in a can of either black beans or kidney beans. I serve it up in either tortillas (for soft tacos) or taco shells (for hard tacos). Easy!

For more menu plans, be sure to click on over to The Organizing Junkie!

Welcome back!!! Can you believe it's Monday again and time to think about our week ahead?! Time flies, doesn't it? I'm running a bit late today getting the kids off to school, so here's our menu for this week with no-frills.


Sunday - M'sahkhan (Fried chicken and onions, mixed with sumac and served with pita bread)

Monday - Uncle David's Spaghetti & Meatballs, garlic bread, caesar salad

Tuesday - Salmon, couscous with red pepper and onions and a tossed salad

Wednesday - Cottage pie

Thursday - Tostadas

Friday - Potato Lover's Salad

Saturday - Curry Cajun Chicken, green beans, salad


Simple, yummy, delicious!!!

In other news, nothing to say except life is good. We are busy and happy. I think everyone, even the kids, are starting to feel more at home. Putting them in school has been a good decision which has helped them make friends and build connections here in Qatar. While it was an agonizing decision, it's proved to be the right one.

And now I'm off to make lunches, find PE uniforms, make the school drive and get my day started. May your day be blessed!!!

** Though I really love blogging, it was nice to have a break and not feel pressured to come up with something interesting to say. Yes, I realized that my life is really not that interesting!

** There is just too dang much homework being assigned in my kids' school. I spent hours upon hours doing homework, studying for tests and helping with projects this weekend. When, exactly, are they supposed to relax and be kids. This is one reason I am such a strong supporter of homeschooling. I'd give anything to still be able to do that here if the situation allowed it.

** My daughter is enrolled in a math class. Not a "scale model construction" class. Why on earth was it necessary to assign this project?!?! (If her math teacher reads this, I still love you, Mrs. L. I just don't think this was necessary - why couldn't they just figure out scale on paper?!?)

** My friend is leaving Doha and is giving me a bunch of stuff!!! Yippee!! I'm so excited - shelving (which I'll use as a pantry), a tri-level corner table, a small table and chairs for my kitchen, a computer desk, a monitor, and more!!! Though I hate it when friends move away, I love it when they bless me with stuff they don't want to move!

** Ok, I think I'm a step closer to going to the doctor. I know, I know - I've been putting it off for a ridiculously long time. But at least I've identified which hospital I want to go to. Now I just need to call and see if I need to make an appointment or just walk in. I've got several issues going on right now that warrant medical attention, unfortunately. I think I have an eye infection (ugh!) and I injured my shoulder while working out about a month ago and it's not healing well. I've got pain most of the time and it's not getting any better, so I guess it's time to do something about it.

** I have a new follower that I know nothing about except that she's Romanian. Welcome!!! Bun venit , prietenul meu! I have a deep love for the Romanian people and at one time hoped to go there to do mission work. God lead me to another call, but my heart still loves the people of Romania.



** So now you see why I needed a break. There just is not too much going on in my brain right now!







Sunday - Cornflake Chicken, rotini with broccolini and garlic, salad

Monday - Salmon, herbed couscous, caesar salad

Tuesday - Lemon & rosemary chicken, roasted potatoes, tossed salad

Wednesday - Shepherd's pie

Thursday - Spaghetti with Italian sausage, tossed salad and garlic bread

Friday - Chicken stir fry and white rice

Saturday - Lentils & rice with a lemon-dressed salad

So that's what we'll be having this week. Thanks for stopping by!! To those of you who have been patient and encouraging to me during my little vacation, thanks!

Back to menu planning!!! I don't know about you all, but I thrive on list-making. I love the feeling of knowing what I am doing, what I need, what's next. Even though it sounds as though you are being constrained, in reality I find it very freeing. Having a plan allows me to accomplish my goals in a timely fashion and move on to more spontaneous things, while still feeling good that those "must-do's" are already done.

Here's our menu for this week:

Sunday - Country Corn Chowder (recipe below), cheese biscuits

Monday - Seared salmon with garlic aioli, brussel sprouts, couscous and a tossed salad

Tuesday - Koosa mahshi (stuffed squash) and a chopped salad

Wednesday - Roasted Chicken, BLT potatoes, garlic green beans and a tossed salad

Thursday - Hamburgers, potato salad and chips

Friday - Tuna Casserole and a tossed salad

Saturday - Homemade pizza

Country Corn Chowder

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups water
• 2 vegetable boullion cubes (chicken is ok too!)
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 1/2 t. sage
• 1/2 t. oregano
• 1/2 t. thyme
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 3-4 cups corn
• 1 T. butter
• 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped

Bring water to boil and add potatoes, onions, celery and onions. Add seasonings and let simmer until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, saute peppers and scallions in the butter. Set aside. Once potatoes are tender, remove about 2 cups of the vegetables from the soup. Puree what's left (a stick blender is great for this!) and then add back in the vegetables you removed. Add the corn and the sauteed peppers and scallions. Allow to simmer, stirring often, until corn is heated through.

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So that's it around here. Simple, good food. Yum!!

In other news, after starting school last week, the kids have now been on a four day weekend. Not bad, huh? 4 days last week of camp-like fun, a four day weekend and when they go back tomorrow they will only have a three day week! A pretty nice introduction to school, I'd say!!

I'm off to start my "list" that I mentioned in yesterday's No Regrets post. No more computer for me till it's done!!

Well, I'm still working on cutting back my grocery costs. This week, my menu will still be focusing on using what I already have here in the house. Here's what I came up with:

Monday - Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad and rolls

Tuesday - Chicken with rice and broccoli (from the back of a Rice-a-Roni box)

Wednesday - Stuffed Squash (Koosa Mahshi) with a chopped salad

Thursday - Tuna Casserole, tossed salad, steamed veggies

Friday - Creamy Pasta Primavera, Caesar salad

Saturday - Homemade pizza, tossed salad

Sunday - Bezella (an Arabic meat and veggie stew, served over rice)


So once again, I'm trying to serve several meatless meals. The only meat I'm using here is the beef for the stew, a small amount of chicken and 1 pound of hamburger divided over two meals for the spaghetti and the stuffed squash.

And I have to say that the Clam Chowder from last week was a big hit!! Hubby loved it! He's generally pretty hard to impress with food, so when he raves about something, I know it's a keeper.

We have been seriously considering putting our children into the American School here in Doha. Hubby and I both feel it would be good for them emotionally and academically. However, it's quite pricey. If we do, I will probably need to look for a job. In order to avoid that, I'm trying to find ways to cut our budget. It's not that I don't want to contribute financially, but I'm convinced that I can better serve our family by being here, in the home. If I can make changes to our spending, I hope to avoid having to go back to work. So I'd be grateful for any tips you have to help in that area!

For more Menu Plans, be sure to visit The Organizing Junkie!!

• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 t. oregano
• 1/4 t. thyme
• 2 T. mayonaise
• Fresh ground black pepper

Mix dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.

Salad

• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 t. sea salt OR seasoned salt
• 1/4 t. paprika
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 4 cups lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces
• 2 cups spinach, washed and torn into bite size pieces
• 1 cup alfalfa sprouts
• 1 cup chopped red cabbage

Steam the potatoes until they are fork-tender. While they are steaming, prepare greens and cut the broccoli. Remove potatoes from steamer and put into a mixing bowl. Melt butter and pour over the potatoes. Toss well. Add your choice of salt and paprika and mix well. Broil 2 inches away from the broiler element for 5-10 minutes. While the potatoes are broiling, steam the broccoli until tender and bright green. Toss greens with red cabbage, alfalfa sprouts and add broccoli and potatoes (still hot). Add the dressing and mix well.

Hummous

This is such an easy dish to make. When I see those little tubs of hummous in the stores selling for $4.00 for about half a cup, I want to cry! You can make it yourself in 5 minutes and for far, far less.

• 1 can of chick peas, drained (liquid reserved)
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste, sold in the ethnic section of most grocery stores)
• 2 cloves garlic
• the juice of one lemon
• salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Pour in about 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid and begin to blend. You will need to stop and stir frequently until the chick peas begin to be processed well. Pour in either more lemon juice (if you want it more strongly flavored) or more of the reserved liquid (if you are sastisfied with the taste), until the hummous is lump-free and a smooth consistency. Transfer to a plate, smooth out in swirls and sprinkle with a little dried parsley and paprika. Go once around the plate with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with warmed pita bread and raw onions. Also goes great as a dip for vegetables!

Clam Chowder

• 3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 quart half-and-half cream
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Drain juice from canned clams into a large skillet over onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. Add water to cover and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, in a large saucepot, melt the butter and whisk in the butter until smooth. Whisk in the cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through but do not boil. Stir in clams just before serving. If you cook them too long, they will be tough. When it is heated through, stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. (From allrecipes.com, by PioneerGirl.

That's my plan for this week. I'm happy to have been able to use up some of what I had on hand and be able to contribute in that way to the family finances. We women often have a great ability to use what is already in our hands that we don't even pay attention to. I'm committing to trying to be more frugal and wise, while not cutting back on enjoying our life.

For more menu ideas, be sure to visit the Organizing Junkie!

I'm so excited Christmas is almost here!!! I had been so worried about how Christmas would be this first year of living in a Muslim country, but so far things have been going fabulously. The one hitch has been the lack of sausage for my Christmas stuffing, but I'm doing my best to try to improvise for that.

With Hubby home for the week on vacation and Christmas, menu planning took on a greater importance this week. I mean, am I the only mom who tells her kids to go fix their own lunches when Dad isn't around? (My kids are 11 and 13, I should mention.) This week I'm needing to plan out lunches as well - and chicken nuggets aren't gonna cut it! LOL!

So here's the plan:

Monday

Lunch - We'll be out finishing up our Christmas shopping, so we'll probably eat at the mall

Dinner - Chicken stir fry and rice

Tuesday

Lunch - Homemade Clam Chowder

Dinner - Meatballs & rice (frozen meatballs with a sauce made up of chili sauce and grape jelly - sounds odd, but it's delish!!)

Wednesday

Lunch - Tuna Waldorf Salad

Dinner - Sloppy joes and potato salad (stupid Christmas eve menu I know, but somehow it's become tradition)

Thursday

Christmas Breakfast - Monkey bread (to die for!!!!)

Christmas Dinner - Roasted turkey with sausage, apple and cranberry stuffing, roasted garlic and onion mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, broccoli salad, tossed salad, devilled eggs, and for dessert a birthday cake for Jesus.

Friday (and for several days afterwards!!!)

Turkey sandwiches, turkey tetrazzini, turkey soup, turkey pot pie...LOL!!

For more menu plans, be sure to visit the Organizing Junkie.

I'm so excited at this time of year! It's a time for delicious treats, beautifully decorated homes, delightful music, and so much more. Christmas is a great time of the year! Even here in Doha, Qatar (where we are currently living), I've been surprised at the amount of Christmas trees in stores. It's a pleasant surprise.

I've got some really yummy things planned for this week. My mom blessed me with two (TWO!!) Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cooking cookbooks for Christmas while we were back in Tucson and I'm putting them to good use this week. Here's my plan:

Monday: Lemon-Rosemary Chicken, buttermilk-garlic smashed potatoes, tossed salad

Tuesday: Baja Beef & Beans and Tex-Mex Rice

Wednesday: Island Chicken, fruited rice, and garlic-roasted green beans

Thursday: Picnic in the park (it's Qatar's independence day and there is going to be a light show and fireworks by the gulf. Should be fun!!)

Friday: Broiled salmon with creamy horseradish sauce (recipe below), brussel sprouts, and roasted potatoes

Saturday: Stuffed zucchini, rice with vermicelli and chopped salad

Sunday: Lentils & rice and a lemony salad

Broiled Salmon with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

• 1 lb. salmon fillets
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 T. prepared horseradish
• 1 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 t. lemon pepper seasoning

Preheat broiler. Rinse fish and pat dry. Cut into 4 serving pieces. Coat a baking sheet with the cooking spray; set aside.

Stir together sour cream, horseradish and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Brush fish with oil; sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Place on baking sheet and broil 4-6 inches from heat for 4-6 minutes per side. Serve with sour cream mixture.

* * * * * * * * * *

Doesn't that sound yummy?! It's from Sandra Lee's book, Cooking Made Light. Well, to be honest, her recipe calls for fat free sour cream, but, uh, NO! Though I guess you could use it if you really wanted to.

For more great menu planning ideas, be sure to check out Laura at The Organizing Junkie.

I've got several things running through my mind lately that I want to share with you.

I've been seriously convicted on a few things I've found in the Scriptures lately. I'm still trying to work out how to apply them in real life. Don't worry, I'll be using you as a sounding board in the next day or two!

My heart has been burdened as I've been learning more and more about the abhorrent practice of honor killing throughout the world. How to help I'm not sure, but I'll be talking about that more in a few days.

But these things are going to have to wait. It's after 1:30 in the morning here in Doha. I've stayed up late to load up my new iPod Nano (which I got in a trade with Daniel in exchange for waiving his remaining debt to Hubby for his new cell phone and my old iPod Shuffle. Suh-weet!!). I'm so excited about it! Plus, just to add to the excitement, I found a real, live NFL football game on. And who is playing? My team, the Denver Broncos!! And - we're winning! Though not by much.

Oh yeah, you are here for a menu plan, aren't you? My mind does tend to wander. Sorry about that! Here's what we are going to be having this week:

Monday - Hubby and I are going out to celebrate the anniversary of the day he proposed! 16 years!

Tuesday - Mahlouba

Wednesday - Roasted Chicken,

Thursday - Pasta Primavera

Friday - Cauliflower Soup

Saturday - Garlic Broiled Chicken

Sunday - Potato Lover's Salad

And, yeah, I've got no recipes links in there. Sorry. Like I said, it's late and my mind is fried. But if you click over there on the right where it says, "Recipes" you'll find tons of yummy stuff.

For even more yummy stuff, be sure to hop on over to The Organizing Junkie . She, of course, will have the links. Because she is smart. And good. And, of course and above all else, organized.

Come back next week and I promise to do better!

, I was all excited about the start of Ramadan, the holy month of Islam.

I thought it would be great to have Hubby home at 2:00, to have it be like their form of Christmas.

Uh, yeah.

Now, we are not Muslim, but we do live in a devoutly Muslim country. Fasting (in public anyway) is strictly enforced. That means that no restaurants are open until after sundown. Grocery stores are open at strange hours. Many things don't open at all until after sundown, and EVERYTHING is closed during the afternoon, from, say 1:00 to 8:00 - malls, stores, anything fun. Even at our gym, the water cooler is covered up and can't be used until after dark.

So, what am I left with? I'm left with 2 hours less to get all my daily work done before Hubby gets home, plus trying to get the main meal of the day ready by two. Then, when he IS home, there's nothing to do. Nowhere to go. B-O-R-I-N-G!!

Somehow last week, I got off schedule and bought ingredients for things that weren't on my plan or forgot to look at my plan or something! I was all confused! Anyways, extremely late, this is my plan for this week's menu's:

Monday - Tostadas

Tuesday - Baja Beef & Beans with Tex-Mex Rice

Wednesday - Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday - Chicken Parmesan

Friday - Vegetable Stew

Saturday - Mahlouba (an Arabic dish of rice, meat and fried cauliflower)

Sunday - Chicken Stir Fry

I've never made the chicken pot pie before and I'm a little nervous about doing a pie crust. Sadly no ready-made crusts over here (that I've found anyways). Still, we are looking forward to a yummy week. For more delish menu plans, be sure to check out The Organizing Junkie!

Oh, hey, if you are a married woman (or thinking of becoming one), you may want to check back in tomorrow. We are beginning an online study of the book Creative Counterpart, an excellent tool to help you be the best woman, wife, mother that you can be! Join us!!

First off, let me state that my prayers are with those along the Gulf Coast who are facing an incredibly powerful storm. Please join me in praying for safety, protection and that God will lessen the impact of the storm.

This week, we begin to feel the effects of living in a Muslim country in a way we yet haven't - Ramadan. This month long holy period is a time during which Muslims are called to spend the month trying to get closer to God by means which include the following: fasting from sunrise to sunset, giving extra to charity, and refraining from certain activities. In a country such as Qatar, one that is governed by Islamic law, that means that everyone is expected to abide by these rules, and if you don't, you'd better do it in the privacy of your own home.

That means that no restaurants are open from sunrise to sunset. You may not even drink a sip of water in public. Grocery stores are open, but at unusual time (early in the morning and then closed until after sunset). Basically, nothing is open until after sunset as all are expected to be fasting and spending time in contemplation. We are expected to dress even more modestly than normal.

On the upside, Hubby gets reduced working hours (7:30 - 1:30, as opposed to 6:30 - 4:00), as well as a three day holiday at the end of the Ramadan month. That should be really nice for us, although there won't be anywhere to go during that extra time off!!

All this is to say that the next month I'll have to be super-organized. I'll be needing to feed Hubby lunch with the rest of us (I don't think chicken nuggets are going to cut it!), and manage to do it with a crazy shopping schedule, due to the wierd times things will be open.

Here's my plan for this week:

Monday - Roast Sticky Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, Garlic Roasted Green Beans

Tuesday - Lentils and Rice with a lemon dressed salad

Wednesday - Chicken fajitas

Thursday - Pineapple Glazed Meatloaf, noodles in sour cream sauce, broccoli salad

Friday - Mezze (hummous, tabbouleh, kubbeh, pita bread, cheeses, olives, pickles)

Saturday - Baja Beef & Beans and Tex-Mex Rice

Sunday - Chicken Parmesan, garlic bread and caesar salad

That's what we'll be having around here this week. I may actually mix things up and make our main meal be in the afternoon since Hubby will be home so early and then just have either leftovers or sandwiches in the evening. That way, I will have all the cooking out of the way so we can enjoy our time with him while he's home. And, of course, there may be a quite big "to-do" list for him to work on!

Hope you all have a great week! For more great menu ideas, be sure to visit Laura at The Organizing Junkie!

Sorry for the double post! I forgot that it was Monday and time for menu planning. Please take a look at the post below - I think it's an important message that many of us need to hear.

Now, on to the menu planning. Since I haven't pulled out my organizer and gotten back to my 8 week menu plan, this week I'm just kind of winging it. Top priority this week - saving money! We've got several expenses coming up that we hadn't planned on: registration for the kids' schooling, a trip to Lebanon for my brother-in-law's wedding (that's right, he didn't get married while we were in Jordan. I'm just a tiny bit annoyed that we all need to spend the extra money to go back over there just a month later because they couldn't make up their minds!), a new ELECTRIC stove (my wonderful Hubby has taken pity on me and my burned and scarred hands - not to mention that everything I've cooked since we have moved in is either burned or undercooked) and I know there's more coming up.

So this week, we are eating from the pantry as much as possible and for those meals which I do need to buy things for, I'm going for inexpensive, but still nutritious.

Monday - Both kids will be away, so Hubby and I will go out for some cheap Arabic food for a date. Whoo-hoo!!!

Tuesday - Tostadas

Wednesday - Corn chowder and biscuits

Thursday - Mezze (an Arabic version of tapas - kubbeh, tabbouleh, cheese, bread, olives, etc.)

Friday - Lentils and rice with a lemon dressed salad

Saturday - Cobb Salad

Sunday - Spaghetti, garlic bread, caesar salad


All of these dishes are fairly inexpensive, so I'm hoping to get out of the grocery store for half our normal bill. Every bit helps, right?

For other ideas in your menu planning, be sure to stop by The Organizing Junkie and check out all the Menu Plan Monday participants!

Well we made it home from Jordan!!!

Hallelujah!!!

Honestly, it was a pretty rough time. My kids and some of their cousins struggled to get along, resulting in a pretty upset me. I won't comment on the whole problem, but it was painful for my kids to be so hurt.

Hubby's Greek Orthodox priest uncle decided to lay into Emily for wearing jeans with the knees ripped out, actually telling her that "This is not what Christians wear." Coming from a man whom his family dreads seeing him he's so mean and selfish, I let him talk until he brought her to tears and then I had had enough. I told him that she feeds the homeless, cleans for widows, babysits for free for single moms and those she sees that need a break. I maybe-not-so-gently pointed out that his way of thinking was just like those of the Pharisees, worrying only about what's on the outside, not what is going on in the heart. I know that I offended him, but I had just about had enough of the way he treats everyone in the family (who won't dare cross him because he's a priest). Let him blame me - I'm American and not held to the same cultural standards. Everyone was cheering me on after he left!

We didn't do anything I wanted to do - no trip to the Dead Sea, no visit to Jesus' baptism site, no seeing the recently discovered "first" church, nada. Well, we did tour King Hussein's car museum. Whoo-hoo!! And the kids and Hubby went to Jerash, where you can see the ruins of an ancient Roman town. They acutally had a good time. Unfortunately, I had a stomach bug that day and didn't go.

Our trip was consumed with where we would eat and who would cook. Breakfast was at 9:30-ish, after which we began preparing lunch (the big meal of the day) to be served at 3. Then we would clean up from that and begin arguing about where to spend the evening and who would provide what food. Finally we'd eat around 9. Kids would go to bed around 12:30 or 1 am. Yikes!! Back to a regular schedule this week for sure!!!

And sadly, Hubby's brother didn't follow through on the wedding plans. No one is really sure what is going one, but now they are saying they will get married at the end of Ramadan. Over in this part of the world, that means a three day vacation. I'm not getting my hopes up though. Neither of them seem too interested in actually doing anything about it - like booking a church, or obtaining a marriage license or anything like that. Whatever!

On to jumping back into real life - menu planning!!!

Oh, how I have missed Menu Plan Monday this past month! Not to mention my kids, who are...shall we say "DONE!!!" with Arabic food?? I have specific requests not to make anything Arabic for at least a month. So here's my plan (and bear with me, I've only gotten through Friday - there's nothing in the house. We got in at 10 last night and it's only 8 am here.)

Monday - Roasted Chicken and Potatoes (cooked by Chef Emily!)

Tuesday - Tacos

Wednesday - Chicken and Onions with Creamy Wine Sauce

Thursday - Homemade Pizza and Salad

Friday - Beef Shish Kebabs (shhhh!! technically this is Arabic, but the kids don't know that!)

And now, back to adjusting to life in Doha, Qatar. When we arrived last night at 10, it was 98 degrees and, oh, about 742 percent humidity. Emily just kept saying, "Ew, ew, ew, ew!!) as we walked to the car! LOL! Hopefully everyone else is coming back into town about this time as well and we can resume the whole "friend-making" process.

I'll be working later today and tomorrow on catching up on everyone's blogs - there's seven huge suitcases staring me in the face right now that need unpacked. :::sigh:::