yoga playlist

Hey there, here is my latest playlist for my yoga classes, enjoy!


Kick Drum Heart The Avett Brothers
Folding Chair Regina Spektor
Crazy In Love Beyonce
forget you Cee Lo Green
Relator Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
Mushaboom Feist
Mr. Tough Yo La Tengo
From My Heart To Yours Laura Izibor
Lotus Flower Radiohead
The Go Getter The Black Keys
Black Mud The Black Keys
Mr Medicine Eliza Doolittle
Let the Record Go The Mynabirds
Lover Devendra Banhart
Goin' Back Devendra Banhart
Steady Pull Jonatha Brooke
Rock & Roll Eric Hutchinson
Food Chain Eric Hutchinson
Ok, It's Alright With Me Eric Hutchinson
Live High Jason Mraz
Love Matt Morris
You Are The Best Thing Ray LaMontagne
Move By Yourself Donavon Frankenreiter
Somewhere Over The Rainbow Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
Brand New Day Joshua Radin
Flashdance Hollywood, Mon Amour ft Yael Naim

It's been a while, how are ya?

{whoooosh} that's the sound of be blowing the dust off of this blog. My oh my, it's been a while. So here's what happened, in a nutshell;

~I threw a birthday party for my sweet baby girl. It was a lot of work, there were 40+ people, Ramona was perfect and sweet and covered in her Brown Bear, Brown Bear cake.

~My cousin Liz came to visit!





~We had some other visitors, and before you I knew it, it was time to go home again

~Home

~Home

~Merry Christmas!

~In January, near the end of our trip, I started to see some things online that were making me a little nervous about heading back. But, not wanting to be the nervous nelly who was just being paranoid, we left on schedule and arrived in Cairo on January 24th. Yeah.

~Now, another time I will detail the whole experience for you, I promise. The truth is, I'm still toying with the idea of trying to publish something. One way or another, you'll hear about it.

~So we were back for 2 weeks, and then on a plane(s) again heading home. We spent 2 weeks there. And made the best of our time. Happy that Ramona got one more dose of grandparent love...

~Getting back and getting settled was not for the faint of heart. It took a couple of months for things to truly go back to normal. We took a fun trip to the sea with some good friends. They were the friends we were holed up with during the revolution, so there was something cathartic about being together again under much sweeter circumstances.

~Now that we're in a bit of a routine, we're rolling into summer and ready for action. We're going to Cyprus in a few weeks, and have some Red Sea trips planned for later in the summer. This will be the first time we're spending the summer here and not going home. Yikes. But, Ramona and I will be back in the fall for 2 months so I can watch some dear friends get hitched. FALL! I'll be home for the Fall!

~Of course there have been numerous sewing projects and recipes, I'll do my best to recap those soon...

What lies beneath

Well, after a lovely trip I came home to find out my Google account had been hacked, which meant I couldn't post to the blog until it was resolved. Such a bummer! I was so excited to tell you about the week! Oh well, a little delayed, but here it is...

It was quite a contrast from the last time we were there 2 years ago. A little one changes the rhythm of a vacation! Thankfully, Ira would get up with her in the morning and they would have some daddy/daughter time and go for walks while Mama caught up on some sleep. Most days we had a family breakfast and then either headed for the pool or the beach, depending on the water. The first couple days, the sea was really choppy and not good for snorkeling. I was out at one point and actually felt a little panicked when a wave crashed over my snorkel. I swam for shore and cut my foot on some coral! But the last few days it was really calm, the last day it was almost like a lake. So we would hang out at Eel Garden where we could drink lemon juice and take turns going out to snorkel while the other one played with Ramona on shore. When you're snorkeling, if you've never been, it's a bit like taking a long walk by yourself. You have a lot of time to think. Since we've moved away from my beloved East Coast of the U.S., I have often complained (sometimes loudly) that there isn't any "nature" here. I was often met with "oh, but the desert is so beautiful!" or "the trees bloom here year round!" but I had a hard time appreciating it. I love color and life and things around me can sometimes feel sparse. Even as we were packing for our trip there was a part of me that was wishing I was folding up sweaters and jeans for a camping trip instead of tossing in my swimsuit and sunscreen. But as I was marveling at the periwinkle coral and the cobalt blue fish, and the crystal clear water, I realized that there is a lot of beauty and color in this country, most of it is just underwater! I'll spare you the obvious "sometimes you have to look under the surface to find what you're looking for" analogy, but let's just say I was able to relax and enjoy myself more once I was enjoying what was in front of me instead of missing what wasn't.

My birthday was glorious, and I truly have the best husband in the world. I woke up (or, Ramona woke me up, more accurately) to a brand new digital SLR camera, which I'm sure you'll be seeing the fruits of very soon. I did some yoga in the amazing yoga shala at the hotel. I went for a snorkel, of course. AND Ira set me up with a massage! It was awesome and she worked out all of my knots resulting from carrying around my little sack of potatoes all the time : ) I even got to talk to both of my parents, which they were very excited about. I don't think the day would have been the same if I didn't get to hear them sing to me.

So now that we're back, the days are filled with preparations for another birthday in the family! I've been making decorations, testing out icing ideas, makings lists, reworking recipes, and anticipating the 50 people we're having over on Saturday. I didn't know that we KNEW 50 people in Cairo! But all of them want to come and celebrate with our little girl, how exciting! I will be sure to post all of the details, complete with pictures from the new camera. Now if only I wasn't afraid to use it!

I'm swamped

Hey there, sorry I've been missing lately. My yoga teacher, Bobbi, is coming tonight and staying for a few days while she teaches a workshop at The Breathing Room. I'm very excited for her to get here, but not at all prepared. It's hard to straighten up when there is a curly headed tornado following behind me! And then, after Bobbi leaves; Ira, Ramona and I are going to Dahab for the week (and to celebrate my birthday!) So chances are, you won't see me for a little bit. But I'll be back with Red Sea pictures, and stories of planning Ramona's birthday party...among other things. Have a great week!!

A Sewing Tutorial!

As a sewist who is constantly trolling the internet for free patterns, it's about time I give back! I once bought a pair of earrings in Doylestown and they came in a cute little fabric envelope. For a long time I wanted to make something similar, but on a larger scale. My friend Emily had a birthday the other day and it seemed like the perfect occasion to create it. Emily has flawless taste and has that "modern vintage" look down. I tried to choose fabric that she would like, but that would also match the only wide ribbon I have. Working from the same stash for 4 months can be a challenge. When working this pattern, it's best to not think about it. If you're like me, the folding and flipping will mess with your mind. Just follow directions, people.


Fabric Envelope
you will need...

• one piece of fabric 6 1/2 x 20 inches (roughly. you could certainly go larger or smaller, but this is what I have pictured here)
• one piece fusible webbing in corresponding dimensions
  
• 5 inches of ribbon (or enough to span the width of the envelope) I used about an inch wide ribbon here, but that can also be adjusted to your liking
• coordinating thread
• straight pins
• coordinating thread
• sewing machine
• iron

1. Fuse the webbing to the wrong side of the fabric (see the packaging on the webbing for instruction).
2. Sew the raw edges under on the short sides of the fabric. And don't make fun of my ironing board, I got it here!


3. Pin the ribbon about an inch or so from one of the short edges.




4. Fold the short edges in, leaving about an inch of space in the middle. Pin.

It should look like this after you sew it and turn it right side out...


And this when you fold it in half and flip the ribbon around both sides!



Then of course, I had to wrap it!



I know it kind of looks like a Valentine, but again, you work with what you have. I actually got the card stock here, surprisingly cheap. But the ribbon came from home. All I did here, was stitch 2 sheets together, trim about 3 inches off the top sheet (so the other one could fold down) Then, I stitched the top flap and tied it with ribbon.

And here's the birthday girl with her cake that her husband magically made appear at the end of dinner. This may be the cradle of civilization, but the cake situation is usually pretty dire. But this one was great! Happy Birthday, Emily!

~Maadi Moments~

So here is my other new feature of the week, a profile of my favorite places in Maadi. This week, I chose a new place to me. La Gourmandise!

I heard about it before we came back from the States last month. It's everything I dreamed it would be. Pink. Marble. Sweet...








The staff is helpful and competent, the treats are divine, and if I close my eyes I don't feel like I'm on Rd. 9 in Egypt, but on a Boulevard in Paris. My favorite items are the macrons (different from a macarOOn) these are less coconut and more a divine meringue sandwich in colors like green, pink, and yellow. The flavor I love at the moment? Earl Grey. Wow.

They also have ice cream! We don't get much ice cream here, at least not any that is worth mentioning. This is gelato quality. We had blueberry, yum! They package everything in pink and brown wrappings, which if you know me, delights me most of all. I am amassing a stash of pink and brown bags and boxes for who knows what. But I can't get rid of them! They're too pretty!

So now when I visit my favorite veggie guy on Rd 9, I can also pick up a sweet treat to enjoy with my afternoon tea. Heaven.

Snack Sunday

I'm hoping to make this a weekly post, my favorite snack of the week!

This week, crusty bread with cream cheese and a fresh fig all smooshed on top...



Stay tuned this week for a new "about town" feature AND my first pattern!