Peace, Love, and Save the Wool

It began so innocently, my obsession with felted wool, when I casually thumbed through a book my mom had checked out of the library:

Sweater Chop Shop

One Google search lead to another and I had soon amassed inspirations for dozens of felted wool projects. I was dazzled by the possibilities and ready for another bold textile endeavor, similar to my quilts from recycled denim. That was fall 2010, when I was still in the States, and soon after we returned to Jordan I began frequenting the Friday open market which specializes in used clothes from Europe and the U.S.

My good friend once referred to the used clothes market as her lily field, as in Consider the lilies of the field... But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you...Back in the day of raising small children with very few and then, expensive, imported clothes, we young mothers spent many hours at the used clothes market so as to clothe our families.

I knew that amongst the crowds, yelling hawkers, and pallets of old sweaters there were wool treasures to be found, and so the treasure hunting ensued. I purposed to spend as little money as possible so stuck to the cheaper stalls, buying my wool sweaters for approximately $.70 or $1.40 each. The fun of buying old wool sweaters to felt and repurpose (the new recycling ling0) is that they don't have to fit! I can use any sweater as long as it is made of good wool. A few especially fortuitous finds have yielded cashmere sweaters which actually do fit. My first cashmere sweaters. I found one for Dear Husband too.

I was perhaps a little enthusiastic about my wool treasures and by the end of the winter season, when the sweaters are no longer in the market, I had purchased and felted oh, about 100 sweaters--maybe a few more ? We don't own a dryer so felting the sweaters was done by placing each one in an old pillowcase (to keep fibers from mixing), secured with a strong rubber band, washed in batches of five or so in boiling water, and hung out to dry. Wool drys quickly and we have plenty of sunny winter days, so this was do-able.

Storage was a problem, sort of, so I temporarily stacked my wool (pressed and according to color) in our spare room. I can't really put my finger on exactly what I relished about this felting process, but I enjoyed it a lot and found a lot of satisfaction in gazing at and touching my colorful stacks--true confessions here. My kids thought I was a little nutty.

The purples and lavenders

the reds

and the naturals

But when I starting making things with the felted wool, my kids caught the vision. I began with a challenging project. Oldest daughter was home on her January break, thumbed through a purchased copy of the same book had set me off on felting and found something that she would dearly love me to make for her before returning to school. How could I refuse?

The design for this jumper came from The Sweater Chop Shop (link above) and was made with parts from four sweaters. The edge stitching and some of the piecing (waist band) was done by hand with DMC wool yarn. The side seams of the bodice and the skirt panels were sown by machine. (The author of the The Sweater Chop Shop, Crispina Ffrench, sells these sweater creations for a pretty penny on Etsy.)

I sent her back to school with a pair of wool mittens, lined and cuffed with cashmere:

Instructions and a pdf pattern for the mittens can be found at the Purl bee blog. Instead of knitting the cuffs, I use the ribbing of the cashmere sweater I use for the lining.

I made cashmere scarves, ruffling the edges with a simple zig-zag stitch, holding the wool taut as it went through the machine :


And more cashmere lined mittens for family and friends who live in cold places:

Next came the Kindle sleeves, so easy, inexpensive, and practical:

When Active Son was young, one of his all- time favorite toys was a cloth covered foam ball that he played with until it was falling apart. With his love for that ball as my inspiration, I made these wool covered balls for a sweet one-year old's birthday. Again, the pattern is found at the Purl bee:

Soon, Tayta got into re-purposing wool act. This jumper was a project we worked on together, loosely based on a design in The Sweater Chop Shop:


And then she was off and running on her own. Purses are her specialty. Here's one made for a young friend when a birthday present needed to be whipped up in a matter of a couple of hours:

And here is one of her favorites that she made for herself:


Now that winter is here, I have lots of projects in the works--too many, of course: more mittens, scarves, a cape for Tayta (almost finished), Christmas stockings, Christmas ornaments...What couldn't you make from felted wool? One young man we know ventured that well, you could even make a wool house--he lived in one growing up in Mongolia! Maybe next year...

House Tour~ The Salon

Welcome to our "salon", also known as gurfit id'dayuf, or guest room. When we first moved to Jordan 22 years ago, I was put off by the formality of the Arab guest room. Popular furniture sets were in the style of of Louis XVI, with elaborate curlicues and gilding, and entire walls were draped in heavy fabric. One didn't purchase individual pieces of furniture, but rather a complete seven seat set (couch, love-seat, two chairs) all upholstered in the same fabric.

Our salon, as decorated here, is how I've made peace with the concept of a formal guest room. We had this set of furniture made (common here) about 15 years ago and I chose complimentary fabrics rather than just one for all the seats. In a bold move, I also mixed chair styles. Some of my friends really liked it and some others asked why I didn't use all the same fabric. This is the largest room in our home, and the dimensions/layout are almost exactly those of our previous home. While I have eschewed the opulent faux-crystal chandeliers, I have embraced the oriental carpets.

A view from the front sunroom entrance

Ideally the couch would be away from the door, and we may still move it, as the most inside seat, the one farthest from the door, is considered the most honorable place to seat a guest. Often a guest will begin to take the seat closest to the door, but the host who seeks to honor his guest should insist that he be seated away from the door. Nesting tables which are located between the two larger chairs are essential furniture as they are placed near the guests when refreshments are served. Here is a view taken from the other end of the salon:

The other end of our salon in our formal dining area. I am lacking the traditional, ornate china cupboard, but have instead an antique Damascus wedding chest, with which Dear Husband surprised me on our 20th wedding anniversary.

It is made of heavy oak (the lid is all one piece) and is inlaid with mother of pearl outlined with silver. Dear Husband once wondered aloud what we would do with it if we ever move overseas to which a male friend instantly replied, "Take it with you, of course." I told our friend thank you, of course!

The main modification we made to this room before we moved in was adding the large, Arab-style double door which opens up into our family room. We usually keep the doors open but can also close them when Dear Husband is entertaining male guests.

That completes the tour of the two rooms of our home that I keep picked-up and uncluttered all the time. The other rooms will likely need to be tidied before I photograph them!

A Perfect Autumn Stew

We're enjoying a number of new dishes around here, thanks to Pinterest and this week's meander through the food page yielded this recipe for a delicious chicken stew with butternut squash and quinoa. Butternut squash isn't a staple in Jordanian markets, but I can hope that may be changing; I found lovely butternut squashes in the open air market last Friday--not even in the western-style supermarket! We all agreed that that this stew provided a full sensory experience: vivid autumnal colors, delicious blend of flavors, pleasing textures, and savory aroma.

Cookin' Canuck's fantastic recipe was my inspiration. I have added a couple of ingredients, adjusted a few quantities, and slightly modified the cooking process.

Chicken, Butternut Squash, and Quinoa Stew

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs (2 small) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cups water
1 1/2 lbs (approximately) boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in bite-size pieces
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp (or a little more) red pepper flakes
1 28 oz (or 800 g) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (I like red. If you use white, rinse the quinoa well before cooking.)
3/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/3-1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Cook quinoa in a small saucepan. I used red quinoa and cooked 1/2 cup quinoa in 1 cup water.
• While quinoa is cooking, steam the squash until just tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside half the squash. Add 1 cup water to the remaining squash and mash well with the back of a fork.
• Brown chicken in olive oil, adding salt, oregano, red pepper flakes, then onion and garlic as the liquid cooks out and the chicken browns.
• When chicken and onion/garlic is cooked and browned, add three cups water and simmer a few minutes.
• Add tomatoes, mashed squash w/water, cubed squash, and quinoa. Let stew simmer about 15 minutes.
• Stir in olives and parsley, simmer a few more minutes and serve.

House Tour~The Sun Room

We've been in our new home for two months now, boxes are all unpacked, furniture arranged, light fixtures installed; all that remains are a few pictures to be hung and a few window shades to install. This is our new home thanks dear friends whose home it was for 14 years before we moved to Mafraq. Planning to spend at least a year back in the States on an extended leave, they decided they wanted to give up their house and offered it to us, sparing us the laborious task of searching for a new apartment in a city where good rentals aren't readily available, let alone realty companies or want-ads to help you find them.

Our "flat" is the bottom floor of this traditional middle-aged Jordanian home. A young couple lives in one of the flats upstairs and the other is presently empty. As you can see, we have a large front yard with lots of dirt--which Dear Husband ordered in shortly after we moved. We brought the stones from our garden in Amman and a few perennials, which we are getting planted. (And, the trees were pruned today, after this picture was taken)

The big tree on the left is a bitter pomegranate--not sure why anyone would want one of those, but it is pretty--and the the little (look hard) tree on the right is a sweet pomegranate which Dear Husband recently planted. He likes symmetry! We have about five olive trees, seven or eight lemon trees, and a small pomelo tree. Oh, and a lowquat tree. I'll take another picture in the spring when, hopefully, the flowers will be more visible. I am so thankful for this yard! It is very unusual to have such a big yard in this city. When I look out the front windows, I feel like I am looking out into a park.

Into the house...

This is our second house in Jordan to have a south-facing sun room. I think every house should have a sun room, even a small one, and it is to this room that people gravitate for a few moments alone in the morning or afternoon with a book and a cup of tea. When Oldest Daughter was still at home, the sun room was her favorite place to practice the violin. I miss that.

This is the straight-on view when you come through our front door. The large double doors lead to the family room and the interior of the house.

To the right, is a narrower set of doors which lead into the sitting room, or guest salon and dining room. Traditional Arab homes have doors which close off guest rooms from the rest of the house so that men can visit the husband while the rest of the family, particularly the women, can carry on with living, uninhibited, in the rest of the house. Dear husband sometimes has guests which I never even see.

To the left is the sitting area of the sun room, and more plants. I'm not very clever with houseplants but I have learned of two that love direct sun: ivy and ficus. Thus I have have three ficus trees and three ivies happily thriving here. The nifty old black trunk (It has Ramallah via Jerusalem stamped on the side) on the left is my... linen closet. It really is. Jordanian homes usually don't have built in closets, instead we have cupboards, wardrobes, and trunks for storage.

This photo shows the the bright sunlight steaming through the sun room window. The bars on the windows are for protection. Robberies are rare and they say that the iron bars are the reason why. I'm used to them now and they even seem kind of decorative. They also offer protection to small children who like to hang out upper-story windows.

This is my new-ish succulent garden. Two or the plants are aloe-vera, which we really do use to sooth burns and other skin irritations. The others are new to the market here and I jumped on the succulent-fad band wagon a bought a few for our home. They remind me of my California childhood, so for me it is a retro-garden. I'm hoping to plant a succulent garden outside this spring.

Autumn Accumulation

The hardest thing about letting the blog go for awhile is jumping back in again; so many thoughts and events have accumulated, but it is beyond me to blog them all. I'll just make this about our autumn, which is really not much of a season at all in Jordan, and try to keep going.

I love the weather patterns in Jordan, arid and warm, so I am not really complaining, but I do miss autumn. No stunning golden and crimson leaves to intoxicate my vision, just the lovely fall-ish golden sunlight coming through the windows on a fabric-leaf wreath a dear friend so lovingly made for us when she found out we had no fall leaves.


We do some leaf color changes in Jordan: from gray to green. After a long rainless summer, the accumulation of dust casts a grayish hue over the landscape; everyone rejoices when the first rain falls. We've received a few good downpours in the last 24 hours and this morning, between cloudbursts, I spent some time walking around the garden, admiring the green leaves which have been covered with dust since we moved in. We recently spread bags of sheep manure in the garden, so it smelled fresh, indeed!


With no further aideu, we head into the winter/rainy season, which on one hand we hope will be very rainy, but on the other we hope will not be too terribly cold. Homes generally have poor insulation, and are difficult and expensive to heat, but a beautiful spring will make it all worthy it. Though we don't really have an autumn, the Jordanian countryside puts on a riotous show of wildflower color in the spring if the rains are abundant. It is Jordan's most beautiful season of all.

We are cozily secure in our new home in Mafraq, and now just have minor things to do, such as hanging pictures and painting mirror frames. Tayta and I have been on a creative adrenalin high since being introduced to Pinterest a few weeks (don't click this link unless you have some free time.) After letting myself be sucked into it's vortex and swirled around for a couple of weeks, I found my equilibrium and can now spend a very modest amount of time on Pinterest, and find a lot of useful DIY, craft, garden, recycling, cooking and baking ideas. A couple recent results of all the creative inspiration: this sweet needed-for-ages sewing machine cover that I made from an over-sized European pillowcase I found in the used clothes market. I love the colors!

These simple garden markers were made from a recycled yogurt container:

An then there are the pine cone decorations and some really great recipes we've tried...

We continue to make new friends and otherwise get involved in the Mafraq community. Artist Son has been playing drums for the Arab church we are attending and he and Tayta will go with the shabibi, or youth of the church on an outing this week. I've been spending too many (sometimes angst filled) hours searching out college options for Artist Son as he prepares sit for his last SAT exam and apply to colleges. I can now fill out the online scholarship/financial aid calculators with one hand tied behind my back. I'm thankful that we seem to have narrowed the field to three schools, two of which require portfolio submissions and artist statements. Remembering is important: God has so faithfully and generously provided for Oldest Daughter and Active Son. He will provide for Artist Son as well.

Baking with Olive Oil

Before moving to the Middle East twenty three years ago, I don't recall eating much olive oil (any?) and I certainly never cooked or baked with it. That was back in the day of Wesson Corn Oil and affordable, readily available olive oil hadn't yet hit the mass market in the U.S., at least not in Idaho.

When we moved to Jordan in 1988, I began to learn the many uses for olive oil. Newly settled in our first apartment, I came home one day by myself and was unable to get my key to work in the big metal door on the outside of our building. Observing my struggle, a neighbor man told me to wait minute; he came back with a small jar of olive oil, some of which he took in his mouth, and then proceeded to put it in the lock. The lock yielded to my key with ease. And though this treatment was never administered to my children, infants were traditional rubbed with olive oil shortly after birth to "strengthen" them.

We've enjoyed olive oil as long as we've lived in Jordan but now that I've begun baking with it--it is the only cooking fat I use besides butter--we are enjoying it a lot, as in 20 liters (about five gallons) and counting, so far this year. Husband purchases our olive oil as many Jordanians do, by the "taniki" or tank.

Our comes from the olive groves of Mafraq, and now that we've moved to Mafraq we walk in the mornings through the same groves which produce our oil. (These groves are on the property which belongs to the hospital where Dear Husband works and are not open to the public, making them the perfect place for walking in the early morning. There is a paved road around the perimeter.)

Mid-October usually marks the beginning of harvest season. These olives look ready. We've a few olive trees in our new yard so perhaps we'll harvest those for pressing--they're looking rather puny after a summer of neglect, but every little bit helps.


Recipes which use olive oil abound and lately I've been looking for/trying recipes for cakes which call for olive oil. Below are three which I've found to produce delicious cakes:


Walnut Olive Oil Cake

This is a very simple, rustic cake but oh, so smooth and almost creamy in texture. My whole family loves this one.

The recipe comes from the New York Times, 2011, but I can't find the original link. I've only slightly adapted it.

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ground walnuts (I grind mine in the blender)
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon rice or cider vinegar
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl (I use my Bosch), whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, and ground walnuts. Add eggs, one at a time, then milk, vinegar, and olive oil. Beat just until thoroughly mixed. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan. Bake 30-45 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving.


Orange Cardamom Cake

This recipe comes from Cooking Light, December 2007. I've adapted it by substituting olive oil for canola oil and I've increased the grated orange rind.


3 cups plus 1 Tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup olive oil
2-3 Tablespoons grated orange rind (about 1 orange)
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a Bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with 1 tablespoon flour.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. If you are mixing by hand, make a small well in the center of flour mixture and add the orange juice, olive oil, orange rind, lemon rind, vanilla, and eggs. I used my Bosch and so just added the wet ingredients to the dry and mixed until well combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes and then remove the cake from the pan.

Drizzle glaze over the warm cake.

Marmalade Cake

I knew that any cake with an entire orange, an entire lemon (minus pulp and seeds), and ground toasted almonds had to be delicious. It was. This recipe comes from Orangette. Go there for pictures and the original recipe.

1 small to medium orange
1 lemon
6 ounces almonds
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup olive oil
powdered sugar

Prepping the ingredients:

Place the orange and lemon in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain citrus, and cool.

While the citrus is simmering, you can toast the almonds. Place almonds on an ungreased baking sheet in a 325 F oven and toast about 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn them, but don't remove them too soon. Almonds should begin turning golden brown (not dark!) and smell toasted. Cool toasted almonds and then grind them in a food processor.

Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease a 9 inch round springform pan.

Cut the orange in half or quarters and remove seeds. Cut the lemon in half and scoop out all the pulp along with the seeds. Place citrus in the food processor and process until very finely chopped.

Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Combine eggs and salt in a larger mixing bowl and beat until foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar and then fold in the flour mixture. Next, add the citrus, almonds, and olive oil, and beat on low speed just until blended thoroughly. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and bake for about 1 hour or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool the cake in its pan on a cooling rack. When cake is cool, remove the sides of the pan. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

This cake keeps well for a few days; like a good soup, the flavors improve after sitting a day or two. Unlike soup, the cake should be stored at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap.

Remembering in Full Color

Such a beautiful picture of summer Mr. Grahame renders with his words:



In the winter time the Rat slept a great deal, retiring early and rising late. During his short day he sometimes scribbled poetry or did other small domestic jobs about the house; and, of course, there were always animals dropping in for a chat, and consequently there was a good deal of story-telling and comparing notes on the past summer and all its doings.

Such a rich chapter it had been, when one came to look back on it all! With illustrations so numerous and so very highly coloured! The pageant of the river bank had marched steadily along, unfolding itself in scene-pictures that succeeded each other in stately procession. Purple loosestrife arrived early, shaking luxuriant tangled locks along the edge of the mirror whence its own face laughed back at it. Willow-herb, tender and wistful, like a pink sunset cloud, was not slow to follow. Comfrey, the purple hand-in-hand with the white, crept forth to take its place in the line; and at last one morning the diffident and delaying dog-rose stepped delicately on the stage, and one knew, as if string-music had announced it in stately chords that strayed into a gavotte, that June at last was here. One member of the company was still awaited; the shepherd-boy for the nymphs to woo, the knight for whom the ladies waited at the window, the prince that was to kiss the sleeping summer back to life and love. But when meadow-sweet, debonair and odorous in amber jerkin, moved graciously to his place in the group, then the play was ready to begin….

~ Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, Chapter 3, The Wild Wood

Pure poetry.

New Rhythms

~morning serenade of the Jordanian national anthem (Long Live the King) by the boys school across the street

~frozen lemonade cups in the afternoon
Such a simple idea (thanks Trish) and so amazingly refreshing. If you are aren't patient enough for it to thaw a little, you can put forth the effort to shave the lemon ice. We've enjoyed one every afternoon since we've were introduced to them, and we try to keep enough in the freezer for drop-in guests.

~the gentle and rhythmic cooing of a nearby dove

~dusting, dusting, and more dusting
Living in Amman for many years I am no stranger to dust, but it is mild compared to Mafraq dust. A dusting cloth mostly did the job in Amman, but since moving to Mafraq we have armed ourselves with the bouquet of microfiber dusters shown below:

Two large dusters for general use with one hanging at the ready in the kitchen. Tayta and Artist Son have their own smaller duster for their room and I keep another small one by the computer.

~the whir of the fan over the stove and a new-to-me dishwasher
I haven't had an stove fan or dishwasher since moving to Jordan so after washing dishes for a family of six and hundreds of guests by hand, a dishwasher almost seems superfluous, but my friends who have one tell me it most definitely is not. Tayta concurs. A generous US embassy friend gifted me hers when her husband finished his Amman post this summer. When we first installed it a Swiss electrician, who works in Mafraq and was checking our electricity, pronounced it unsafe (putting out a high unprotected voltage, or something like that) and didn't think he could fix it but with a couple hours of work and a new part, he did. Thank you Christoph!

~a room with a view--actually, a few
Guarding our front garden wall stands a sentinel of green, albeit dusty, pine trees, and lemon and pomegranate trees refresh the views from bedroom and kitchen windows. Behind the garden wall and trees: more dust, lots of empty chip bags and candy wrappers from the students of the boys school and a graffiti covered concrete wall. I'm thankful for the trees and for the foresight of our landlord.

Mafraq or Bust

Well, we just about did bust, but by God's grace we are are now living in Mafraq, Jordan.
Located in the northern desert of Jordan, it is about an hour and a half away from our old home in the capital of Amman. I'm finishing most days completely out of steam but I wanted to let friends, family, and other passersby, know that we are alive and mostly well--just MIA for awhile.

Our move was made two weeks ago today, though Dear Husband has been faithfully working on our new home, himself and directing laborers, for over a month. He's also hauled many of our belongs, including a truckload of garden plants and rocks--bless him!--before the moving vans arrived on August 29.

The first 48 hours in our new home were a grueling blur, but we have since passed through survival, then exhaustion mode. I am thanking God for warm water, a working washing machine, a garden space full of potential, lemon trees out my kitchen and bedroom windows, a hard working husband, happy kids, and new kitchen cupboards--everything but the kitchen sink, which will hopefully be installed this week.

I'm also thankful for the many friends who have packed boxes, made a meal, given us an internet fix, and sent words of encouragements and PRAYER. And, thanks, Suzanne, for these words form the movie Hope Floats (which I haven't seen!)

Beginnings are usually hard
Endings are usually sad
It's what's in the middle that counts.

That about sums it up right now

It takes a heap o'living'

As we prepare to move from our home of ten years and from the city that has been home for 23, many of the sentiments conveyed in this poem mirror my own. Thank you, Mr. Guest. And thank you, Tayta, for bringing this poem to my attention . You are so good at making those poetic connections which bring beauty into our home.

Home
~Edgar A. Guest

It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home,
A heap o' sun an' shadder, an' ye sometimes have t' roam
Afore ye really 'preciate the things ye lef' behind,
An' hunger fer 'em somehow, with 'em allus on yer mind.
It don't make any differunce how rich ye get t' be,
How much yer chairs an' tables cost, how great yer luxury;
It ain't home t' ye, though it be the palace of a king,
Until somehow yer soul is sort o' wrapped round everything.

Home ain't a place that gold can buy or get up in a minute;
Afore it's home there's got t' be a heap o' livin' in it;
Within the walls there's got t' be some babies born, and then
Right there ye've got t' bring 'em up t' women good, an' men;
And gradjerly, as time goes on, ye find ye wouldn't part
With anything they ever used -- they've grown into yer heart:
The old high chairs, the playthings, too, the little shoes they wore
Ye hoard; an' if ye could ye'd keep the thumb marks on the door.

Ye've got t' weep t' make it home, ye've got t' sit an' sigh
An' watch beside a loved one's bed, an' know that Death is nigh;
An' in the stillness o' the night t' see Death's angel come,
An' close the eyes o' her that smiled,
an' leave her sweet voice dumb.
Fer these are scenes that grip the heart,
an' when yer tears are dried,
Ye find the home is dearer than it was, an' sanctified;
An' tuggin' at ye always are the pleasant memories
O' her that was an' is no more -- ye can't escape from these.

Ye've got t' sing an' dance fer years, ye've got t' romp an' play,
An' learn t' love the things ye have by usin' 'em each day;
Even the roses 'round the porch must blossom year by year
Afore they 'come a part o' ye, suggestin' someone dear
Who used t' love 'em long ago, an' trained 'em jes' t' run
The way they do, so's they would get the early mornin' sun;
Ye've got t' love each brick an' stone from cellar up t' dome:
It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it home.

I wish I had the time to insert meaningful images which play through my mind as I read this poem. Someday. As important as it is to remember, right now I must use what emotional and physical energy I have to close up this home well and let my heart fill with anticipation for the next place we will make home.

Say Hello to the World for Us

I can still picture our new friend, Micha, sitting at our dining room table, crouched over his Mac for hours at a time, watching, listening, thinking, editing. Last month Micha accompanied my daughter, Lauren, and fellow violinist, Holly Jenkins, as they performed, led workshops, and gave lessons in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Jordan, quietly and unobtrusively capturing the defining images and ideas of their music project. Yesterday he released his short film. A few words from its creator:

This is not just another film about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. There are enough films out there, which attempt to show the conflict in its perplexing and ponderous entirety. They end up, inevitably, dwelling on the injustices and the violence perpetrated on both sides, on refugee children and IDF (Israeli Defense Force) soldiers. Surely, it is important to document these realities of the conflict, for the world to see and assess. However, when filmmakers take this approach, they all too often forget that they are dealing with people and not just an issue. Righteousness takes the place of compassion. As a result, they dwell on the ugliness and not the beauty of region, proffer a message of desperation and not of hope.

Yet, there is much beauty and hope.

"Say hello to the world for us" takes a compassionate and searching look at the people behind the conflict, through the eyes and music of two young, maybe slightly naive, but intensely passionate violinists. It follows their travels from Amman to Bethlehem and back, as they perform and give workshops to eager children along the way. As the trip unfolds, the film offers rare glimpses into the lives of sundry Palestinians--from the old shopkeeper in Bethlehem, to a group of lively boys from Al-Azzeh Camp. In all of this, "Say hello to the world for us" does not seek to explain the conflict; rather, it shows the people who are caught in the midst of it, struggling silently to live and prosper.

~Micha Hilliard

Say Hello to the World for Us

As I watched the film, a new wave of thankfulness to God for calling us to this region of the world, washed over me. Amidst the hatred and strife there is yet beauty and hope. God has not forgotten and he neither slumbers nor sleeps. Thank you, Micha, Lauren, and Holly, for the reminder.

One Ingredient Ice Cream--Really!

This is one of those revolutionary recipes which changed the way we prepare food and eat it--right up there with Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I found it a couple weeks ago while perusing a helpful food blog: Handle the Heat, but by the looks of the comments on this recipe, it seems that dessert secret has been out for awhile.


The Mystery Ingredient: Bananas

So, everyone who does not have an aversion or an allergy to bananas should be totally excited about this recipe. All you need is bananas, a freezer (of course) and a food processor. The bananas should be ripe, but not too ripe. This is not the recipe for your I-wouldn't-eat-these-but-maybe-I-can-make-something-with-them bananas.

Simply cut peeled bananas into bite-sized pieces and freeze them on a flat pan/cookie sheet. Depending on your freezer this will take a couple/few hours. Once you have frozen banana pieces you are ready to make ice cream, and this will take under five minutes.

Simply pulse the frozen banana pieces in a food processor. (Take care not to overload your processor. Depending on the amount I am processing, I do a couple batches.) If your bananas are very frozen they will ricochet off the side of your processor for several pulses before they begin to transform into smooth, creamy ice cream. I move from pulsing to continuous processing toward the end, and use a spatula to work the remaining banana pieces into the ice cream--when the processor is turned off.

The texture of this ice cream really is smooth and creamy, just like ice cream, but without the cream and sugar. As you can see by the picture, we are enjoying our banana ice cream (almost daily) with a few add-ons: homemade chocolate syrup (yes, there is sugar in this) and chopped salted peanuts.

Tayta's Chocolate Syrup (not as sweet as Hershey's)

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine cocoa, sugar, water, and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for one minute, remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Let cool and store in the refrigerator.

My Summer Salad

Last summer my friend, Brenda, informed me that every summer she makes a new salad recipe which she then designates as her Summer Salad. Nice idea. I am officially dubbing this Simply Delicious salad as my 2011 Summer Salad.

I knew I'd love this salad when I saw the ingredients as it has all the flavors I love: tomato, chickpea, mint, olive oil, and of course, basil. I've tweaked this recipe and come up with:

Tomato and Chickpea Salad

3 cups (or so) cherry or grape tomatoes. Depending on their size I cut them in half or leave them whole.
2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
a handful or two of fresh basil, chopped
some fresh mint, chopped
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
coarse sea salt

Toss all tomatoes, chickpeas, basil, and mint together. Drizzle/dress with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with coarse sea salt according to taste.

Mabruuk! (Congratulations)

Dear Husband completed his Master of Divinity degree just days before we traveled to the States last June. At the time, life was a swirl of activity as Active Son graduated from high school and we helped him wrap up his life in Jordan in preparation of moving to the States from college--not to mention transitioning our family back to the US for seven months--and so we assumed that Dear Husband would not walk in the graduation ceremony to be held later that summer. No matter--what was important was that he was finished!

The opportunity to complete his MDiv was a gift from God: Dear Husband had completed a three-year masters of biblical studies + ministry degree 23 years prior, however it wasn't accredited. Dr. David Martin, who was the academic dean at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS) at the time Dear Husband approached the seminary about working on a degree, gathered up some of Dear Husband's academic work done in the States and some done in Middle East in the interim years, had him sit for some language tests, and then awarded him 48 of the 96 credits needed for his MDiv.

Dear Husband plugged away, part-time, on the remaining credits, taking regular and intensive courses from Jordanian and visiting US and European professors as time allowed. His favorite classes were Old Testament courses and Hebrew--much easier now that he knows Arabic, he says. He was allowed to submit papers in English but about half of his course work (reading, exams) was completed in Arabic. Dear Husband's very last course was Eschatology, in Arabic. Working so hard to keep up and succeed in this course, he was waking up at 4:30am with the dawn call to prayer--not voluntarily--and wasn't able to fall back asleep.


Due to circumstances, JETS didn't hold their graduation last summer, so last year's graduates were invited to walk this summer. With Dear Husband's completion of his degree a year past, there wasn't much motivation on his part for participating in a graduation ceremony. Dear Husband even contemplated missing it for a softball game (and the boys would have except that the other team providentially forfeited the day before). In the end, it was an unexpected celebration and official recognition of all the hard work of study that Dear Husband had so diligently completed and I am so glad that we were able to attend the graduation together.

The proud, though small family

I had Tatya grab this shot to contrast the Arab family shot with our own. It looked like the grandmothers came in from the village (note the head scarves). This young graduate had the largest family in attendance and thus received the loudest applause, yells, and undulations. Our dear friend undulated (shrill celebratory noise made by rolling the tongue) for Dear Husband so we weren't completely pathetic.

Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology in Arabic

This was Dear Husband's graduation present from a church in Texas who donated them to JETS. He says he looks forward to reading them.

Down to Size

Today I'm loving the feeling of downsizing but I haven't always felt so cheery about the prospect or the process. For the last six months we have been slowly preparing to move house, and that for the first time in ten years. When we moved to our present house we were making the conscious decision to upsize: homeschooling four growing children who needed places to study, play, practice instruments, entertain friends, etc. And then there was the growing number of books we seemed to be accumulating.

One word to describe the last ten years of our family's life: full. Full days (and nights), full relationships, and, I finally had to admit it this January, full cupboards, wardrobes, drawers, and Rubbermaid tubs. I can empathize with essayist Anne Fadiman's recollection of the their pre-move New York City closets (only we don't have closets, but free standing wardrobes, trunks, and whatever else I can find to store things in) :

"Our (closets) held layers we hadn't seen for years. New Yorkers, lacking attics and basements and garages, treat their closets like trash compactors (or, to put it more charitably like the squeezing machines that turn duck breasts into canard presse')."

At least I can be thankful that I don't have an attic, basement or garage to clean out.

When I first realized the scope of my downsizing task I did a fair amount of whining and moping. How was I expected to live without _____ ?? And, where would I put____ ?? Dear Husband was firm. He drew a floor plan complete with measurements and informed me that if didn't fit, we couldn't take it. Made sense, but I still whined a bit. Tayta, ever the comforter, volunteered to absorb two bookshelves into her bedroom ("I think bookshelves a nice decor item.") and Artist Son agreed to take another. We're still not sure where the ping-pong table will go, but that is Dear Husband's concern.

Today I sold the last two pieces of furniture that we are not taking with us and both were picked up this afternoon.

This large chest freezer was often full during the past ten years. I emptied out before we went to the States last summer and didn't refill it when we returned. So far, so good.

This wooden shelf was a bit of a sentimental piece: though not a carpenter, Dear Husband crafted it for us 23 years ago when we moved to Jordan. Our budget was slim, furniture was expensive, and wood furniture was extremely expensive. Our landlord had an empty room under his building and let Dear Husband set up a little workshop. He made our first bed, too, though that was passed along many years ago. Everything I want to keep on the shelf has to be absorbed someplace else--I'm still working on that.

Only the actual packing remains, but after all the sorting and purging it really doesn't seem so ominous. I laugh at the packing.

Summer Wildflowers

Though summer is definitely not prime wildflower spotting season in Jordan, there are a very few summer blooms breaking up the monotonous dusty brown landscapes. Both these wildflowers are found in my west Amman neighborhood, along roadsides, and in fields.

Echinops polyceras

The Caper bush is an interesting and unique Mediterranean plant which I have written about here. Look for them growing through the cracks and crevices of limestone walls and rocks.

Capparis spinosa

Szechuan Style Noodles with Chicken

If my blog seems to be morphing into a food blog, the preponderance of posts of late being recipes, it is because much of this summer has been about preparing food; kids are home from college, kids college friends are visiting kids home from college, and we're enjoying having friends in for meals and coffees during these summer months when our schedules are accommodating.

Szechuan Style Noodles is a favorite family dish which I made last week for eight. Lauren's friend, Holly, requested this recipe, making it a good candidate for my blog. My recipe is adapted from a recipe shared by friend, Alyse, who credits Helen Chen's Chinese Home Cooking.

This recipe makes a lot but if you're not feeding company, you'll enjoy the leftovers--perfect for lunch. And if you've been reading this blog for awhile you've likely discerned one of my cooking philosophies: Why make a little when you can make a lot?

Szechuan Style Noodles with Chicken
serves 8 hearty appetites

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds thin spaghetti
3 Tablespoons sesame oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in small pieces (see picture)

1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup sesame oil
4 teaspoons grated or finely chopped ginger
2 large cloves garlic (or to taste)
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/3 cup light soy sauce (not to be confused with light salt soy sauce)
4 teaspoons sugar
red pepper flakes to taste

1 cup thinly sliced green onion
few handfuls of cilantro (unless you are Holly : )
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds


Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water just until tender. Drain the noodles, rinsing them with cold water. Drain thoroughly and mix with 3 T. sesame oil; place the noodles on a large platter or in a large bowl--my Italian pasta platter/bowl is perfect for this dish.

Saute the chicken pieces in a little oil with some spices. I gave the chicken a few shakes of a prepared Monterey Chicken spice mixture that I had on hand, but you could also use salt and pepper, a little lemon pepper, etc. Set cooked chicken aside.

Combine the next set of ingredients (tahini through red pepper flakes) in the blender and process until smooth. Pour over the noodles and toss to coat. Arrange chicken on top of the noodles and sprinkle with green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds. Since this is served at room temperature, you still have time to make a side dish:

Carrot Salad with Chinese Dressing:

1 or 1 1/2 pounds of carrots, peeled and grated (I like the coarser grate for this salad)

Dressing: (And most of these ingredients are already on your counter, unless you are a very tidy cook)
5 T rice vinegar
2 T water
1 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 T sesame oil
1/4-1/2 tsp pepper
1 T sugar
optional: 1-2 T toasted sesame seeds.

Mix dressing ingredients and toss with carrots.

Art Blog

Artist Son, aka Andrew, aka Drew the Artist, is launching an art blog where he plans to share his AP Studio Drawing course experience through words and drawings. If you are interested in that sort of thing you can find him here. I'm opting for the email subscription--available on the right-hand toolbar.

Humble Harvest

Hot lavender, mints, savory, marjoram;
The marigold, that goes to bed wi' th' sun,
And with him rises weeping; these are flow'rs
Of middle summer, and I think they are given
To men of middle age.
~~~

Shakespeare, Winter's Tale

I am particularly taken with this humble harvest of hidcote lavender as it is the first harvest of two small bushes I began from seeds a couple springs ago.

When Life Gives You Plums

I was not expecting such a bounty. We have two small plum trees in our garden, planted by our landlord; one was planted about four years ago, the other, just two. Though young, both were covered with small plums this summer. We had been gathering small bowls full as they ripened--just enough to snack on, really--but, the other day I noticed that most of the plums were ripe so asked Artist Son to take out a bowl and pick the rest of the tree. An hour later, helped by a ladder and Tayta, he delivered four large bowls of plums to my kitchen table.


I had never done anything with sweet plums but eat them fresh--that seemed the best use of them and I'd never before had very many at a time. It was Tayta who encouraged me that we could "do something" with them. "Plum cobbler and jam!" she suggested. She did a little searching online and once I realized we wouldn't need to peel them I was ready to begin processing plums--really, very easy. One of the first things we admired was their lovely colors. You don't notice those so much when you are biting into them rather than cutting them.

Our small plum halves and thirds seemed just the right size to use in a the Strawberry Summer Cake recipe below, so we did. I think we like the plum version best--just the perfect tartness. We've made (and eaten) two of these so far.

Plum Summer Cake

And, who knew that plum jam was so delicious?! We found out. PBJs are in renewed demand at our house and we've already eaten nearly two pints of the 20 I canned this week. (I used Sure-Jell Premium Fruit Pectin for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes. Cook jam recipes are included in the box.)

Plum Cobbler

Finally, we made a giant plum cobbler to enjoy with company on Tuesday, and I'll cobble the rest of the harvest tomorrow. This was our first ever plum cobbler and it was delicious! In the picture it looks similar to the cake, but there is a lot more syrupy fruit at the bottom. All the years I've lived in Jordan, the dessert I've most missed is blackberry cobbler. Plum cobbler is a very good and even close substitute. I only wish I had discovered it 20 years ago. This cobbler served 12.

Plum Cobbler for Company

10 cups fresh plums, pitted and sliced
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the prepared plums and mix gently. Place the fruit mixture in a large baking dish--I used a deep 9 inch X 13 inch pan.

1/2 cup sugar
3 cups flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup milk
3 eggs

Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and egg until just moistened. Drop the batter by spoonfuls on the plums. Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees F, making sure the batter, especially in the middle, is done. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Delicious! But then I'm very partial to baked fruit desserts.

The Brotherhood

One of the things I so appreciate about Dear Husband is the way he has faithfully discipled our sons into a brotherhood. Yes, he is still the father and they, the sons, but they are also, all three, friends and brothers in Christ. It brings me great joy to see how they enjoy each other in a new and deeper way as Active Son and Artist Son mature, and now, as Active Son has been away at college and returned home for the first time.

Dear Husband has taught his sons to love of God and his Word, and to that end they faithfully meet together for study and prayer each week. And, as guys, they like to DO things together--lots of sweaty, dirty laundry has been a blessed part of our family's heritage. Last week they hiked together through Wadi Hasa, along the Zered Brook, the biblical border between Moab and Edom. Dear Husband considers it the most beautiful river gorge in Jordan. Active Son has hiked it twice before with Scouts, but this was Artist Son's maiden trip.

The Brotherhood in Wadi Hasa

Today, Active Son and Artist Son finish up a week of coaching 10-13 year old kids at baseball camp; I've loved hearing their after-hours discussions of the kids and how they can help them improve their skills. This afternoon, as they once again filled their water bottles and headed out the kitchen door together to summer softball practice, I realized what a defining scene this has been in life of the Brotherhood. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness to these men.

My Summer Cake

Deb Perlman of Smitten Kitchen hopes that her Strawberry Summer Cake will be my summer cake. I say she gets her wish; this cake was so simple and so delicious.

Strawberry Summer Cake
Adapted, only slightly, from Martha Stewart

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups flour -OR- 3/4 cup flour and 3/4 cup barley flour, which Deb recommends for it's "silkiness" and "subtle creamy, nuttiness" I had some barley on hand, which I ground in my neglected wheat grinder so I happily followed Deb's recommendation. Superb!
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound (450 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter deep dish pie pan or a 9 inch (smallest of my set of three) spring-form pan.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, beat butter sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined. Add flour mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer, overlapping them slightly if necessary. Sprinkle an additional 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack. Cut into wedges. Serve with lightly sweetened, lightly whipped cream.

{Edit} We've ended up baking our cakes for over 60 minutes--one, more like 90.

This cake was the perfect accompaniment to a morning coffee visit in the garden with a dear friend--the rest of the cake was polished off by my family (before noon) who requested I make another one. I'm thinking to try it with peaches...

Tour for Peace Begins

We were glad to welcome Lauren's violinist friend, Holly, to our home this week as they prepare to begin their musical Tour for Peace. Micha, the videographer, arrives tonight.

Besides the requisite practicing, Lauren and Holly have spent many hours this weeks in "arts administration", writing emails and making phone calls to finalize their arrangements in the West Bank. They plan to leave for Nablus on Monday but before they leave they will begin their tour by sharing their music and interacting with Jordanian students participating in a cultural exchange program sponsored by East West Initiatives.

Holly, Lauren, and Micha are blogging at Tour for Peace.