The Story Of Us

Happy Memorial Day to my US friends. This long weekend was a complete wash out... it rained all day, every day. The kids had an extra snow day so the school gave them Friday off as well. There were a couple of rain free hours on Friday morning so we squeezed in a quick strawberry picking trip at a local farm. This was our first time strawberry picking. We unintentionally ended up with 8lbs of strawberries. So now began the task of how to use all these strawberries. I made pancakes and milkshakes I also made ice cream and pureed a bunch and froze them as ice cubes to be used in futures juices, I love a good strawberry lemonade. And now we have just a bowl full left to eat. They were absolutely delectable.                        Etsy             Instagram             Twitter             Bloglovin   

Door 62 - Olive door against a coral peach wall found in the streets of Marrakesh, Morocco. To read more about our trip to Marrakech click here You can buy this print here . Get Free Shipping with code BLOGGER Prints also available in larger sizes. Contact for more information and special requests. I am open to wholesale and licensing opportunities. Get in touch for more information.                             Etsy             Instagram             Twitter             Bloglovin   

Last week we celebrated Eid. M took the day off.. the kids skipped school.. it was all well and good but it got me thinking about how we would have been celebrating if we were in Pakistan and of course pre covid. Something my kids will most likely never experience.  A couple of nights before Eid the markets would be open past midnight.. a hustle and bustle.. most people buy new clothes to wear for the day of. Matching glass bangles.. oh I used to have so many glass bangles. Not a fan personally but most apply henna to their hands. The night before Eid is especially festive.  The morning of Eid we wake up at the crack of dawn to pray and then the celebrating begins, which mainly includes a lot of eating. We generally celebrate for 3 days. It involves visiting the homes of all of our uncles and aunts, other close family members as well as friends. Usually it's a 20 minute stop at each home where they ply you with food and the elders gift the kids money known as an Eidi. Most cr...

D is going to be turning 11 soon. And we have been brain storming outdoor birthday party ideas. And we discovered that one of our county parks offers a geocaching birthday party. Geocaching?  Turns out geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world. Yup, that make total sense. Off to find a youtube video because we were a still confused. We found this video with a cute kid dumbing it down for us.  Step 1. Download the app and create an account at geocaching.com Step 2. Find a geocaching location near you. So over the weekend we decided to try it out. Turns out there are a whole bunch near us.. I mean who knew this was thing! Step 3. Pick the one you want to do and the map opens up.. all you got to do is follow it. We drove as far ...

Butter Believe It - A charming little yellow bakery in Spitalfield Market, London. To read more about our trip to London click here You can buy this print here . Get Free Shipping with code BLOGGER Prints also available in larger sizes. Contact for more information and special requests. I am open to wholesale and licensing opportunities. Get in touch for more information.                            Etsy             Instagram             Twitter             Bloglovin   

Today both kids have gone to full day in person school! I am excited. They, not so much. They were loving the comforts of home far too much. Lunch and recess will be very different and they expressed their disappointment but that was expected. With the weather nicer outside they will at least be able to go outside even if they can't access the playground.  We are at the tail end of Ramadan.. just eight more (rozas) fasts to go. It's not really about the hunger but it is about the food. We take for granted how much joy food brings us.. the day just feels empty without the smells and tastes of food.  H lost his first tooth and D had his first visit with an orthodontist.. his mouth is suffering from overcrowding. The doc prescribed him a treatment plan using Invisaligners. As a braces kid, I am envious. Braces were horrible. Though I am concerned about him taking them off in school.. firstly, the hygiene, I would be insane to expect my ten year old to wash his hands before sticki...

Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden Synopsis -  At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year but Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent. As danger cir...