Happy New Year! It is the first Sunday of Advent, which is the Church's (in the West) New Year. In the West, we have a shorter fast and easier one than the East, so we will still be eating dairy and will have meat on Sundays.

Our Thanksgiving was fabulous thanks to my family pitching in, and several friends helping. One friend brought two pumpkin pies, which meant I only had to make one and the dairy-free one for Jerome, she also brought us a blackberry pie, stuffed mushrooms (including a few that were safe for Jerome), a breakfast casserole and sausages (that we had for breakfast today), a batch of homemade cranberry orange sauce, and a bag of homemade brownies. Another friend made a double batch of my sweet potato roll dough and refrigerated it so we wouldn't have to worry about it, and made us an apple pie and a chocolate silk pie, which also reduced the number of pies I had to make. Our friends' daughter (and our kids' friend), rolled out the pie crusts for me, and filled them, so all I had to do was seal and crimp them. Her mother had helped me make the pie crusts the day before, and both of them had helped prep vegetables for our meal. Amira invited a friend over at the last minute, and we were short a pie, but we had a bag of apple filling and a couple bags of pie crust still, so my friend and her daughter went to work rolling out dough and filling it so we would have the right number of pies. Our kids' godparents brought the cranberry horseradish relish, the friends who helped with the pies brought deviled eggs and a relish tray, another set of friends brought sautéed green beans. Someone misplaced (or broke in and stole only) our bag of wild rice, so we ended up with no dressing. Everyone was forgiving and full, however, so it was fine.

Nutcracker went well, it was a little rough at first, but came together beautifully. The girls are both exhausted and exhilarated. I have to say that I am glad for the three week break between this one and the next, however.

This week, we have the feast of Saint Barbara, which is really all about wheat and bread in the food department, so I am trying to figure out how to do it so Jerome can partake.

• Sunday - First Sunday of Advent
  Breakfast: French Toast Casserole, Sausages (Scrambled Eggs and Sausage for Jerome), Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Thanksgiving Leftover Potluck at Church
• Monday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese (Dairy-free for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Mediterranean Braised Vegetables, Rice, Chopped Salad
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle
  Breakfast: Middle Eastern Rice Pudding with Rosewater and Pistachios (Dairy-free for Jerome), Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetarian Pizza (Gluten-free and Dairy-free for Jerome) and Dessert Potluck for Going Away Party for friends
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Chick Peas with Onions and Peppers, Toast, Fruit Plate, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Cuban Black Beans, Arepas, Fruit
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Ful, Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome), Chopped Tomatoes and Onions, Kalamata Olives, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegan Dan Dan Noodles, Mandarin Oranges
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Bissara, Salatat Zeitoun, Tamis (Gluten-free bread for Jerome), Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Barbara
  Breakfast: Saffron Buns for St. Barbara's Day (Gluten and Dairy-free for Jerome), Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Creamy Avocado Pasta with Cashews (Gluten-free pasta for Jerome), Qamhiyeh for St. Barbara's Day (small batch - we are trying to figure out if there is something we can substitute for Jerome)

Labels: Advent, All Saints, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 2:59 PM 0 comments

Thank you to those of you who have prayed for our family and especially me. I am recovering so much better now. I have finally picked up my needles again, and I'm working on Imbat. Right now, I'm on the back, which is just stockinette until I get to the neck, so it's a good project for me at the moment.

Also, I am again a participating designer in the Indie Designer Gift Along! My sale bundle can be found on Ravelry, but I am running a parallel sale in my PayHip store for those of you who cannot use Ravelry. All patterns in the bundle are eligible for 25% off during the Gift-A-Long sale from November 23 at 8pm EST to November 29 at 11:59 pm EST with coupon code giftalong2021.

We finished Anne of Ingleside and started Rainbow Valley. I can only read it aloud a little at a time, because my throat gets sore so easily.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program, so the book links you see here have the potential to net me a few pennies a month.

Labels: Books, Design, Giftalong, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, Tales from the Kitchen, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:16 AM 0 comments

Please accept my apologies for my multiple week absence. Dominic came home from work with some serious illness and, while I had it easier than everyone else at first, my arrogance caught me, and they all got better and I got far, far worse. The silver lining is that I have lost about 20 pounds. I wouldn't recommend this method of weight loss, however. Please pray for my continual healing, and that we are spared serious illness through the rest of the winter.

Because I am still a little weak and get tired easily, we are cutting back a little on our Thanksgiving feast. Other people are bringing things and I have dropped about three or four things that we normally would have. Rich and the kids are doing the bulk of the cleaning and cooking, with my direction. A friend from my Bible study group offered to help cook some of it, too. We are blessed. We are making as many of the dishes safe for Jerome as we can, and a few with alternatives for him, but he is going to have to miss some of the feast. Also, Jerome gets to have eggs like a normal human being now, as he had no ill effects from reintroducing it over the past month, and he gets to start having chocolate introduced, which means he can have chocolate in his Saint Nicholas stocking! Glory to God!

It is also Nutcracker this weekend, so pray that my strength holds up for that. I help the girls with steaming their costumes and doing their makeup, and I usually end up sick on performance weekends. I am seeking assistance this time

• Sunday - Feasts of Christ the King and the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple
  Breakfast: Egg and Cheese Croissants (Gluten-free Wraps for Jerome), Bananas (Apples for Jerome), Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Wine Braised Cross Rib Roast, Cumin Roasted Carrots, Baked Potatoes, Herbed Bread
• Monday
  Breakfast: Cheese Croissants (Gluten-free and dairy-free for Jerome), Bananas (Apples for Jerome), Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Ham Sandwiches, Pickles, Veggie Sticks, Fruit
• Tuesday - Feast of Saint Clement of Rome
  Breakfast: Zucchini Bread (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Cream Cheese (Dairy-free for Jerome), Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk and Tomatoes, Rice, Fruit
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast (Gluten-free for Jerome) with Peach Butter, Sliced Apples, Tea and Honey
  Dinner: Fried Fish Fillets, Baked Potatoes, Steam Sautéed Carrots
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
  Breakfast: Farmer Casserole, (Scrambled Eggs and Sausage for Jerome), Mandarin Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Herb Roasted Turkey, Bourbon Gravy (Some Gluten-free), Garlic Mashed Potatoes (made dairy-free), Cranberry Horseradish Relish, Sweet Potato Rolls (1 batch Gluten-free), Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans, Wild Rice Dressing, Roasted Vegetables, Pumpkin Pies (1 Gluten-Free), Cranberry Cherry Pies, Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, Apple Pies, Pear Pies, Apple-Pear Gluten-Free Pie, Quince Pies, Nantucket Cranberry Pie
• Friday
  Breakfast: Pie, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Turkey Sandwiches with Chipotle Mayonnaise and Celery Seed Dressing, Sliced Fruit
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Pie, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Leftovers

Labels: All Saints, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Family, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Special Diet, Tales from the Kitchen, Thanksgiving

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:43 PM 0 comments

I'm more than halfway through with my cropped sweater design and hoping that Imbat will be ready for beta knitting soon. We've had a lot going on in our family for the past month or so, and everything is taking a little longer than I really wished. However, I think I can get the rest of this knit up enough to send the pattern and photography to my technical editor in two to three weeks. I'm really happy with how it is turning out, and the colorway makes me so happy. It isn't a complicated knit, but fun to make. It is mostly made in the round, with minimal sewing, and with a square neck and deep ribbing. If you are interested in the beta knit, please let me know, or subscribe to my newsletter (link below), so you can be informed as soon as it is ready.

In other news, I have finally published both the Marine Layer Scarf and Marine Layer Cowl and individual pattern downloads on PayHip (Cowl and Scarf), LoveCrafts (Cowl and Scarf), and Ravelry (Cowl and Scarf). If you want to pick them up for a bargain, you can use the coupon code BlogMarine on either PayHip or Ravelry for 25% off either or both of them. LoveCrafts does not allow coupon codes.

We have started Anne of Ingleside as a family and are enjoying Anne as a grown woman. Desert Queen is still waiting to be finished on my nightstand, unfortunately. I've been worn down and having a hard time reading anything at night, which is when I normally read my own books.

Linking to Unraveled Wednesday.

If you would like to receive updates and early notice of new patterns, beta knitting opportunities, and great discounts (plus pictures of new yarns, new tools, fun places, neat hints, book ideas, recipes and more) each month, please subscribe to 1,001 Knits. My best, and sometimes my only, discounts go to my subscribers.

I am a participant in the Amazon Affiliates program, so the book links you see here have the potential to net me a few pennies a month.

Labels: Books, Design, Governor Inslee Needs a Frozen Fish to the Forehead, Homemaking, Knitting, Tales from the Kitchen, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 2:51 PM 0 comments