January always starts with a bang in my crafting life. I have finished five projects, and am nearly finished with the sixth (that headband you see). They are all relatively small projects, though I am also this close to finishing a larger one, but still I have finished them. February will involve a little travel time as a passenger, so I should be able to get some more work on Dahha (a sock pattern) and some facecloths and poufs for a Mother's Day set. There are a couple other UFOs I'd like to tackle this next month, as well as finishing the headband, and Amelia's baptismal gown (my larger project that is close to complete). I even have another small project planned to go with a recently finished washcloth and a few other small items in a gift basket for some friends.

I'm honestly not thrilled with how this pattern is written. I am struggling a little through it. If it doesn't work out, I may find a similar one, and use the cable from this pattern. One thing I do like about the design is that it is knit the long way, and shaped with short rows, so I am looking for a back up pattern that is the same. I don't really want to rewrite the pattern entirely.

There are still two or three sizes not represented by beta knitters on Nafhat, if you are interested. Please contact me if you would like a chance to knit this before it is available for purchase. I still hope to have Dahha ready for beta knitting by the end of February.

Our missing books are found! One was on the shelf where our daughter claimed to have looked already, but my two were on our baker's rack, behind a cake pedestal. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, though I suspect it was put there out of the way of a granddaughter and forgotten, then slipped down behind the cake plate. I am nearly finished with The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and it is delightful! As much as I love the David Suchet rendition of him in the television series, I really do love the book's representation of him better. Since I am so close to finishing this book, I have also picked up Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages again. It is fascinating, and I am hoping I will be able to read more at night.

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.

Labels: Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 3:46 PM 0 comments

This is the last week of Christmas. We begin with Septuagesima (the 70th day before the final day of the Paschal Octave) and we end with the last feast of the Infancy of Christ. It is the feast of both the Purification and the Presentation on Friday. It is the day that the Blessed Mother would have come back to be ritually cleansed from childbirth and brought back into the life of corporate worship, and the day that Jesus would be presented and "bought back" as the first born son who opened the womb. This practice is preserved in the Church today, through the service of the Churching of Women (which is still found in all Anglican traditions, as well). In the East, both Orthodox and Catholic, it is the teaching for women to rest at home with their babies for the first 40 days, to heal, to care for their babies, and to be served. On the 40th day, they are brought back into the church for prayers and blessings, and it is common to perform the baptism for the baby that day.

It is the day of the prophecies of both Saints Anna and Simeon, and so is also called the Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple. It is a fitting conclusion to the Nativity season. We do not have the words of Saint Anna, only that she spoke of Him to all were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Clearly, she knew who Jesus was. I love how they both recognized the Lord immediately on seeing Him.

The Church teaches us that Saint Simeon was a scribe, and that in his work as a scribe he attempted to "correct" the Isaiah passage which prophecies of the virgin birth, since no person could be born that way. In the moment that he tried to scrape out the word virgin and change it to wife, he noticed that his hand was being held back by an angel. That angel whispered to him that he, himself, would see its fulfillment before he died. Saint Simeon spent the rest of his life waiting to see this fulfillment. Because of this, we have not only Saint Simeon's words of prophecy, but we pray his prayer every night at evening prayer:

The end of the Christmas season means the beginning of looking forward to Lent. Like last year, they coincide and it is the week of Septuagesima. We slowly start to pare things down in our lives, and get ready for the work of fasting, praying, and almsgiving. I encourage you to prayerfully join the Church in this. We walk with all the Church in the life of Christ every year, with our days and weeks and months shaped to His time. These two weeks before Lent officially begins are a time to slow down, pare down, and prepare for the fast.

Even though the fasting is challenging, every one of our family is used to and looks forward to the spiritual training. Jerome actually said that since they grew up doing it, for him it just feels normal. It forces him to think about his food and God. This is why it always takes me by surprise that there are Christians who don't even keep the Friday fast, let alone the Wednesday one, or do any fasting for Lent or Advent, not because we don't understand that they don't, but because it makes you look at each bite you eat, every meal you plan as part of your worship of God, and by neglecting the fast, they miss out on that. It is not something we offer to God because He needs it, but something He offers to us because we do.

We commemorate the betrayal of Judas and our Lord's crucifixion, in fasting each week. We prepare for His birth and coming again, and His resurrection, in fasting and prayer and almsgiving. People are missing out on this when they don't participate. Our every bite is shaped by our faith, our days and weeks and seasons are shaped by the life of Christ. We are so glad to have grown into this practice - even when it is hard, maybe especially when it is hard. When it is hard, we are reminded that we need God for everything. Even to ward off the desire for a cheeseburger. We fast because it is so easy to forget how much we need God. We fast because Christ indentified with the poor, and so should we. We fast, because it allows us to learn to conquer our appetites, and all sin is disordered appetite. We fast because our ancestral sin was the breaking of the fast. We fast so we remember to pray. We fast because Christ Himself told us how to do it when we do it, not if we do it. We fast because we want to be more like Him, who fasted for 40 days and nights. For all these reasons and more, I encourage you to take a step toward this practice, if you can. Do it for these reasons. Pray and ask God to help and strengthen you. He will show you your weakness, and give you His strength. May God bless us all. Please pray for me.

Most of the time, East and West share the same dates and general times for our feasts and fasts, but this week we have the Western feast for Saint Ignatius of Antioch, separately from the East. Since he was such a pivotal and important figure in the Church, we commemorate him both times. Please join us in our prayers for unity in the Church.

So much has been going on this past week! I keep waiting for life to slow down, and I just don't know when or how that will happen. There is some stuff going on in the background with a family member we are very concerned for and don't really have a way to help. Please pray for the upcoming wedding and for our families. This week, we also begin our homeschool co-op again, which adds another layer of busy-ness, even though it comes with fun, too.

We are still cooking out of the freezers and I'm hoping this will help us adjust our inventory to be more accurate, as well. Since this is the first week in the run up to Lent for those of us in the West, it will also make room for more produce and other Lenten fare. The count down is on! However, since Dominic and Shawn are Orthodox, their Lent doesn't begin until much later, so we will get a break right at the beginning of Lent, to celebrate with the bride and bridegroom. Because of the date of the wedding, we will be missing our doughnut Mardi Gras celebration this year, though we will still hold a pancake dinner. This will shorten our Lenten observance, because it is not right to fast when there is a wedding feast. On the other hand, with our worship with the Orthodox mission here, every other Saturday from March 23 through May 5 will involve fasting with them. We will one day pray and fast and feast together. Glory to God!

• Sunday - Septuagesima
  Breakfast: Nacho Breakfast, Grapefruit Halves, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Kofta bi Siniyeh, Algerian Olive Bread, Leftover Falafel, Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
• Monday
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Sliced Pears, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Pork Chops Pizzaiola, Basmati Rice, Roasted Veggies, Fresh Pineapple
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Toast, Grapefruit Halves, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Cape Malay Chicken Curry with Yellow Rice, Fruit Salad
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Chopped Apples, Raisins, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Puerto Rican Beans, Cuban Pumpkin Rice, Fresh Pineapple
• Thursday - Feast of Saint Ignatius of Antioch
  Breakfast: Syrian Rice Pudding with Dried Cherries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Potage Parmentier (Potato Leek Soup), French Bread, Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies, Brown Butter Ginger Chews
• Friday - Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary and the Presentation of the Infant Christ
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast with Honey, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Cod with Chermoula Sauce and Couscous, Green Salad, Orange Rum Cake
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Blaise
  Breakfast: Mexican Eggs Benedict with Chorizo and Avocado Cream, Sliced Pears, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps, Frosted Button Cookies*

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Nativity, Prayer Requests, Presentation, Purification, Septuagesima, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:32 AM 0 comments

Almost Authentic Tiramisu

This recipe came to me through an Italian designer friend of mine. However, even though she said that in Italy there is no alcohol in this dessert, I am used to that flavor and like it, so I added a few tablespoons of Kahlua. Since the recipe uses eggs raw, they must be the freshest eggs you can get. It is both light and rich and the same time, and much better than any version that includes whipped cream. While you can chill this for only 4 - 6 hours, it really is better if you let it chill at least 10 hours or overnight.

500 grams mascarpone
4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
800 grams of ladyfingers (savoiardi in Italian)
1 3/4 cups of espresso coffee
1/4 cup Kahlua liqueur
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder, to dust on finished dessert

In a large bowl, beat yolks and half of the sugar until the mixture is light and creamy. Add mascarpone a little at a time continuing to beat well to combine thoroughly.

Separately, beat the egg whites until stiff, slowly adding remaining sugar. Gently fold egg white mixture into the mascarpone cream.

Pour the cold espresso and Kahlua in a shallow dish suitable for dipping the cookies. Quickly dip each ladyfinger in the espresso, turning for a few seconds until they are nicely soaked.

Line the bottom of a 9" X 13" glass dish with half of the ladyfingers. Spread half of the cream over the top. Cover with the remaining biscuits and spread the remaining cream over that. Dust with the cocoa.

Chill in the fridge for 4 - 5 hours, or better, overnight.

Sourdough crackers

This recipe is super simple, Lenten, and delicious. It uses sourdough discard, for which people are always seeking recipes. We found the recipe through a friend, but have tweaked it a bit, and now the website where the recipe was is gone. You can double or triple it, depending on how much starter and discard you have.

1 cup pastry or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sourdough starter discard
1/4 cup olive oil plus more for brushing crackers
coarse salt, seeds, herbs, for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the discard and olive oil and mix well, until it is a smooth ball.

Divide dough in half. Place a large piece of parchment on a rolling board. Roll out one piece of dough as thinly as you can, then roll it a little more. Brush the dough with a little of the olive oil and sprinkle with any coarse salt or toppings that you wish. Place the parchment with the cracker dough on a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp. Break into small pieces and cool. These can be stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag, but we never have any left at our house.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:45 AM 0 comments

Here is a quick, sweet, little fir cone I made as a gift for some friends. I'd like to make a second one, and a couple snowflakes, too. Nafhat is also finished and blocked, with the pattern written and sent to my editor. It should be back next week and ready for beta knitting.

There are five sizes from infant to adult large, and if you would like to make one (or more!) to share on social media and/or make project pages online, I would surely appreciate it. Please contact me if you would like a chance to knit this before it is available for purchase. There will also be a matching pair of socks coming out with this hat design, and I hope to have that pattern ready for beta knitting within a month.

I have only read about a paragraph in The Mysterious Affair at Styles this past week and my two missing books are still missing. In fact, now Yasmina is also missing a book. Evidently, someone is robbing us of our 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.

Labels: Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:46 PM 0 comments

What a week and weekend we had! Snow, ice, freezing rain, and just about everything canceled. This week it is warming up a little, which will help. We spend so much of the last part of last week and the weekend just keeping warm. The heater had a hard time with the temperatures below zero, and then the ice and freezing rain brought problems of their own.

One of the highlights of last week included the Afghan bolani. It is not difficult to make and was absolutely delicious. Afghan food is such a treat, and is part of my ancient heritage, on my father's side. It is definitely something that will go on our menu plan again, it is Lenten, and is super frugal, using a simple flour dough filled with potatoes, scallions and cilantro.

I didn't get to the stock making this past week, so I am hoping to get to that this week. We moved around some meals and parts of meals, so we have a few repeats this week. As we use up a lot of what we have in the freezer, and I am starting to have hope that we will finally be able to see into them easily. It is really important for us to rotate stock and make room for the animals that need butchering, and a couple lambs that we hope to buy for butchering in the next month or two.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Agnes
  Breakfast: Ricotta Fritters with Maple Syrup, Bacon, Sliced Oranges, Coffee and Tea
  Dinner: Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Steam Sautéed Green Beans and Corn, Christmas Cherry Nut Cake
• Monday - Feast of Saint Vincent and Anastasius
  Breakfast: Leftovers, Fruit Plate, Tea and Coffee
  Dinner: Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Pickles, Fruit Plate
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Syrian Rice Pudding with Dried Cherries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Borschty, Sour Cream Egg Noodles, Cabbage Salad, Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies, Brown Butter Ginger Chews
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Timothy
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Croatian Roux Soup with Croutons, Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Thursday - Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul
  Breakfast: Labneh, Za'atar and Olive Oil on Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Potato Dressing with Turkey Gravy, Orange Cranberry Cookies
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Falafel, Sah'awiq, Taratoor, Vegetables and Olives, Khoubz Araby, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Christmas Scones, Sausages, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Peruvian Kebabs with Beef Heart and Grilled Lamb Chops, Super Crisp Peruvian Roasted Potatoes, Green Salad, Frosted Button Cookies*

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Nativity, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:45 AM 0 comments

The big scarf is complete, and I have cast on for my first 2024 design. This scarf, along with the purple one, are gifts, so I won't be sharing modeled photos until the recipients have them. The design is a hat that will have a matching pair of socks, and I am in love with this color, though it is hard to photograph it. It is a little darker than this picture shows, and has a little more blue in it. It is a verdigris, green-blue, and it just glows. The hat is made from Yarn Love's Amy March DK, and the socks will be from her Mr. Darcy. Both are exactly the same color and lovely.

Although I am nearly finished with The Mysterious Affair at Styles, mostly I have been watching Poirot, rather than reading about him. The bitter cold and dark have made us all tired. I'm falling asleep without much reading happening each night, and we are super exhausted each morning. We still haven't found my two missing books, either, though we have cleaned and sorted and looked and tidied. So, now I am even more concerned. We have one or two places to look, but other than that, I have no idea where they might have gone.

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.

Labels: Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 2:21 PM 0 comments

We are still in the Nativity season, but out of the great feasts for a time. This week was going to be a week on the road for a while, but the weather caused several cancellations. It also means that the Christmas presents I was going to deliver to Dominic and Shawn and the kids' godparents in Eugene are not delivered. Fortunately for us, Dominic and Shawn's church is on the Old Calendar, so it will still be the Nativity season when we see them before the wedding.

Speaking of weather, it has been bitterly and miserably cold here. We thought our pipes made it unscathed, but the cats pulled down the insulation from the pump house pipes and the heater in there went out, all in the same day. Since we have been in the negatives for three mornings in a row, and in single digits for the highs, this is not good. Rich worked on it late last night, when the water stopped in the house, but that was not something we really needed. I had been awake since a little after 4:00 am, and then didn't go to bed until almost 2:30 in the morning.

This week is a lot of using what we have again, and just keeping on with making room in the freezers. We have a ton of stock bags with various bones and leftover vegetables that really should be made up, so if I can get a little done each day, I can pressure can those and make more room in the freezer. Nejat found a recipe in a cookbooks for kids that was given to me as a child that has a recipe for polka dot pizza using sliced hot dogs, so she is making that for us this weekend. In the meantime, we are eating a lot of good foods and using what we have, which means fewer trips into town on these cold days, too. Lent is coming pretty quickly for us in the West, so we are also trying to eat up a lot more of the meat in our freezers and make the non-Lenten treats now that we will not be eating then. Because the wedding is in the middle of that and on the Old Calendar, we are going to get to have a little break in the fast right at the beginning to celebrate with them.

• Sunday - Feast of Saint Hilary
  Breakfast: Fried Eggs, Home Fries, Fruit Plate, Coffee and Tea
  Dinner: Ham and Broccoli Quiche, Poblano, Corn and Queso Fresco Quiche, Green Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies
• Monday
  Breakfast: Syrian Rice Pudding with Dried Cherries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Moroccan Eggs and Kofta with Harissa Yogurt, Garlic Turmeric Rice, Green Salad, Pomegranate Christmas Cake
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Baked French Toast, Pears, Milk and Tea
  Dinner: Baked Ziti with Meat Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread, Tiramisu*
• Wednesday - Feast of Saint Anthony the Great of Egypt
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Raisins and Brown Sugar, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Afghan Potato and Scallion Bolani, Chopped Veggies and Olives, Fruit
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Labneh, Za'atar and Olive Oil on Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Instant Pot Chicken Shawerma, Tamis, French Fries, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Peppers, Onions and Olives, Toum, Harissa, Taratoor, Christmas Cherry Nut Cake
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Sliced Apples, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Vegetable Hash Burritos with Salsa, Fruit Plate
• Saturday - Feast of Saints Fabian and Sebastian
  Breakfast: Christmas Scones, Sausages, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Polka Dot Hot Dog Pizza, Salad, Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies, Brown Butter Ginger Chews

Labels: Church Year, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Nativity, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:36 AM 0 comments

This scarf would be finished except that I found that I had made an error in it, so I had to go back and fix it, and I am just past where I was before. This is still nearly finished, so I hope to have it complete in the next day or so.

For my year end review I will start with my books:

2023 Books

• January
• Further Chronicles of Avonlea
• February
• The Mother-In-Law
• The Tsar of Love and Techno
• Cheaper by the Dozen
• Belles on their Toes
• The School of Essential Ingredients
• Better Off Thread
• Seven Threadly Sins
• March
• Carbs and Cadavers
• Fit to Die
• Chili con Corpses
• Stiffs and Swine
• Death al Dente
• The Women in Black
• April
• The Other Americans
• Crime Rib
• The Arabic Quilt
• Butter Off Dead
• Treble at the Jam Fest
• May
• How Does It Feel to Be a Problem
• Toe Shoe Mouse
• As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles
• Conditional Citizens
• Carried to the Grave and Other Stories
• June
• Knit One, Die Two
• The Battered Body
• Black Beans and Vice
• The Turtle of Oman
• The Turtle of Michigan
• Pasta Mortem
• Life without a Recipe
• July
• The Art of Cake
• Silent Knit, Deadly Knit
• August
• The Language of Baklava
• A Fatal Yarn
• October
• Paul for Everyone: Romans, Part One
• Knitty Gritty Murder
• The Murder of Mr. Wickham
• The Late Mrs. Willoughby
• Hot Thai Kitchen
• November
• Persuasion
• Thicker than Water
• Death by Christmas Scarf
• Death of a Christmas Card Crafter

Now for my finished objects. It is a little more complicated this year, because two were commissions. I did the swatches and the pattern writing and someone else did the knitting. So, there are two rather larger projects that aren't reflected here.

2023 Finished Projects (knit, crochet, or sewn)

• Rih, Design Sample for Me - knit January 20
• Roger Bear, Charlie - knit January 29
• Tillie Bear, Amelia - knit February 20
• Yathrib, Design Sample for Me - knit May 1
• Togetherness Cowl, Me - knit May 6
• Snowflake Granny Square, Me - crochet July 27
• Nabati, Me - knit November 16
• Ha'il, Me - knit November 28
• Lacy Sunbeam Facecloth, MIL - knit December 2
• Merry and Bright Stocking, Autumn - knit December 12
• Ma Chérie Amour, Gift - knit December 28

Also, please pray that two of our books would appear again. Saint Athanasius' On The Incarnation has gone missing again. Also, along with it, my study book for Romans. I am about to buy the latter, and just give it away when it arrives, as that will make the first appear again. The former, however, was a gift to Rich when he entered study for the diaconate.

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.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:45 PM 0 comments

Christ is illumined! Let us shine forth with Him!

We have ended the Christmas feast and begun the feast of the Theophany and Epiphany. So, we are still celebrating, even though we are back on our normal fasting schedule. The Christmas season doesn't end until the final feast of the Nativity, which is the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple. We keep our tree and decorations up through that feast, and still eat festive foods, though we slow down and ease back into normal eating during this time, so Lent doesn't hit us like a freight train.

Last week, we made adobo fish tacos with pineapple salsa, and they were spectacular. The recipe is from Patti Jinich, and I only changed one or two things. I didn't use oil when I pan grilled the pineapple, I tripled the fish and adobo recipe for us, and doubled the salsa, using serranos rather than jalapeños. A local grocery store makes fresh corn tortillas, so we used those and just steamed them to eat with the dinner. We would definitely make this again.

As I said last week, we are cooking more from our pantries and freezers again now, and we are eating more of a regular diet for us. Three of our kids are heading to a church winter camp over the next weekend, so we will only have five people to cook for at home, which will be challenging. I'm already thinking of how to scale back and it is super weird. I might be making a single recipe of food for our meals. Anyway, please pray for our family as we have people traveling and for our health that nobody would be knocked out with sickness as the bitter cold weather approaches. We are also supposed to see highs in the single digits and lows in the negatives this weekend. We need your prayers.

• Sunday - Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
  Breakfast: Leftover Pie and Ice Cream, Almond Cake, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Turkey Vegetable Soup, Pumpkin Rolls, Salad, Cherry Chocolate Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
• Monday
  Breakfast: Syrian Rice Pudding, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Malay Chicken Fried Rice with Vegetables, Christmas Cherry Nut Cake
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Labneh, Za'atar and Olive Oil on Toast, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Persian Chicken with Pomegranate and Walnuts, Saffron Rice, Salad/Fruit/Dessert brought by Bible study members
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Almond Paste and Raisins, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Slow Cooker French Country Winter Vegetable Stew, Garlic and Herb Rolls, Fruit Plate
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Baked French Toast, Peaches, Milk and Tea
  Dinner: Roast Tikka Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots, Rice Pilau, Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookies, Brown Butter Ginger Chews
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Mandarin Oranges, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Croatian Roux Soup with Croutons, Green Salad, Fruit Plate
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Cardamom Apple Coffee Cake, Bacon, Coffee and Milk
  Dinner: Moroccan Eggs and Kofta with Harissa Yogurt, Garlic Turmeric Rice, Green Salad, Pomegranate Christmas Cake

Labels: Church Year, Epiphany, Faith and Morality, Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Menu Plans, Nativity, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen, Theophany

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 8:41 AM 0 comments

I actually hate knitting scarves for the most part. However, I wanted to make another as a gift, so I doubled some aran/chunky yarn and I'm knitting it on giant needles. It was going to be single, but was so slow going and boring that I ripped it out and started over with the yarn doubled. Now, it should be finished in less than a week. There won't be any modeled pictures of the eyelet and beaded scarf until I give it to its recipient, so that will have to wait.

My year end review will have to wait until next week, because there is just too much going on, but I will get to that, too.

I started reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which is loads of fun and I am still reading The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris. My hope is to read more non-fiction and serious fiction this year, though I will still read some fluff (obviously).

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.

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, WIP, Yarn Along

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:17 PM 0 comments