Happy New Year!!!!

Happy 2009 everyone!!


Tomorrow I'll tell you all about how I spent my new years eve. But for now it's WAY past my bedtime. Just wanted to wish everyone all the best in the new year.

More packages

I got two packages yesterday! It was so exciting that I actually went to work on my day off to pick them up.

The first one was from my mom. I know! Packages from moms are always good and this is no exception.

First thing I saw was the NORO! She sent me some Noro Silk Garden because I have been itching to join the band wagon and knit the Noro Striped Scarf from Brooklyn Tweed



Also my mom sent me the letter T "T is for trespass" which is the latest installment in the Kinsy Millhone series by Sue Grafton. (See my favorite book series list on the right). I'm so excited for this because I love, love, love book series and I'm completely caught up on all my favorites so when a new one comes out I try my best to enjoy them and not read them too fast. Except I always do ; ) (P.S. I'm just waiting for Cross Country to come out in paper back)

My mom also sent me this!



That's right! it's the knitted mug from Starbucks! Oh I'm so excited and a little afraid to use it cause it's just so perfect. I mean it's knitting and coffee all together! I LOVE IT!! Thanks Mom!

The second Package was from Blue Moon Fiber Arts


I got two skeins of Twisted in Rose Quartz. I'm so tempted to use this for the February Lady sweater instead of the purple Cascade 220 I have.... Maybe I'll bring both to the next U-Knitted Amiras meeting we are having so that everyone can help me decide. But I have to say this yarn is gorgeous and it feels fantastic!


I also got this Silk Thread Lace in Rose Bud. The color variations are so subtle that I know it will look fantastic in a stole.

Finally I have been knitting overtime on the Jane Austen from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines. Look! I'm nearly done! Since this picture I completed the seaming in the back and weaving in all the ends. That just leaves me with doing the edging on the neck and arms. woot woot!



See you all you U-Knitted Amiras on Friday for the impromptu meeting!

10 days off!!!

I have 10 consecutive days off of work and I'm so excited! I don't think I have had this much time off since my wedding in April. I don't think I'll even know what to do with all this time! Oh yeah, I know eat, shop, knit and go to Starbucks!

Today we went out to Festival City in Dubai and wandered around for a few hours and ate at the Macaroni Grill. I had the spaghetti and meatballs... YUM! and then we headed home.
Here are some pics I got on our way out of Dubai.

The Dubai skyline

The Burj Dubai. It never looks that big until you get close to it. Yeah, it's seriously massive.


Also today, I started a new knitting project today! The Jane Austen Dress from Mason-Dixon: Knitting Outside the Lines.

This will end up being a great stash buster for some Rowan DK that I have had in my stash for a few years now. Even better I will have enough left over to make the matching shrug!

I'm really hoping to have at least one of the two, if not both (fingers crossed) done by the end of the 10 days because i just ordered the yarn from Knit Picks to make the Windowpane coat from the Fall 08 Interweave Knits!!!! I'll keep you updated on the details of the coat once I get started.

And don't worry I'm still chugging along on the Phiaro. It just doesn't look much different from the last time even though I'm half way through my 4th skein or Wendy Pure! But I will say this: it's a fantastic project for long drives in the car!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! Hope you have a wonderful day!!

My first grown up FO!!

woot woot! I finished my first grown up knitting project that wasn't a hat or scarf ; )

It's the Back-to-School U-neck vest from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel









Isn't it lovely? I'm so happy with the way it came out. Just like the picture. I only made one modification and that was to add an inch to the length. I used 3 skeins of Cascade 220 Teal Heather

If I can talk my friend into it I'll try to post a pic of her wearing it ; )

Sailing, Cars & Malls... Oh My!

This was another busy weekend for me as i ran all around both Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Yesterday was great! Me and my hubby started out the day by going to the Corniche by Marina Mall to watch a sailing competition. They were racing in the itty sail boats (yes. that is the official term).


everyone getting ready for the race


This is Adel. He went to the Bejing Olympics. Yup. If you walk up to him and you're all "so this summer I took a vacation, did a little traveling and whoa that heat was harsh. What did you do?" he would say "I was in China participating in the Olympics." And then, if you are like me, you would feel like an under achiever. hehehe. But really He's a super nice guy.


This is the race under way. Way way far away i might add. So we didn't stay to see who won because we had more things to go see and do!

We went to the Abu Dhabi International Car Show at ADNEC. (No, you haven't read this before. that was the Turbo Fest you read about last month with customized cars. This one was all new cars, straight from the manufacturers, therefore it was different and therefore i couldn't miss it.)

This was just a little bit of the fun to be had there because our camera died at the sailing event so we only took a couple pics, but good ones!


this is a concept car/truck/SUV (i dunno) from Toyota.


Call me crazy but I like it!

And look at this!



The person who made this is the reason this was made.

I think my sister was right when she said that I have met my bling threshold living out here and there were many people (including myself who did not think there was a threshold to be met)

Today we headed out to Dubai Mall. The worlds biggest mall! And whoa it's huge. Early this morning we went to re-register the car. Sorry no pics because, well frankly I want you to keep visiting my blog. But I did manage to get a lot of knitting done while I was there. I don't know if it was the early hours of the morning or the general grumpiness people experience when having to re-new their registrations but i didn't get one odd look (at least that I noticed) or comment on my knitting. Perhaps people are just accepting that we knitters are out there and we are not afraid of PDK (public displays of knitting)

So after the registration we headed over to Dubai mall because i HAD to go there after Sydney showed that Taco Bell had opened there. Ginormous aquarium. eeehh. Taco Bell. Oh Yeah!

So we wandered around for a bit and got our Taco Bell fix and then went through the aquarium.
This Aquarium has everything! A tunnel with sharks, penguins, seals, and (wait for it) a BEAVER!!!



OOh and look at the giant Coach store! They were having a huge sale but I managed to make it through the store without any purchases! I'm so proud of my self!


It's like three little pieces of home right here in Dubai. Taco Bell, Coach and a beaver. Oh what fun!

Lovely weekend indeed

I had a fantastic weekend! It started on thuresday with my husband and I having dinner at Mall of The Emirates in Dubai. I had tabbouleh and rice from Beirut and he had a salad. So sensible.

Then yesterday (Friday), I met up with Sydney for lunch at Biella in Marina Mall (that's in Abu Dhabi in case you were trying to figure out if the new Marina Mall in Dubai is open yet, it isn't). After a wonderful pesto we wandered around the mall then headed to Caribou Coffee to meet up with our fellow U-Knitted Amiras as it was time for our regular meeting once again! Most everyone showed up and Sydney even had her first FO!!!!
I have a pic but I'm going to send it to her because I really think she should be the one to show the world her first FO... then up load it on to ravelry so that we can all favorite it!

Today I went to the Green Branch (our local LYS I suppose) although I didn't head over there for knitting needs rather I needed some painting supplies... but of course I got in to downtown Abu Dhabi at like 2:30 and the Green Branch doesn't open until 4:30! So I headed over to Starbucks for some coffee and PDK (public display of knitting) in case I hadn't gotten enough coffee and knitting yesterday ; )



I just sat and watched the world go by as I worked diligently on my Phiaro Scarf. Every once and a while a passer-by would look inside and see me knitting and usually, well, stare until they almost ran into something or ran out of window to stare through. hehehe. it was a lot of fun. two guys were about to sit in the two seats in front of me but when one of them saw me he said "lets sit up stairs I don't want to block her view." isn't that nice! I really appreciated that cause I gotta look somewhere while I am knitting and it would have been just plain awkward to stare at them the whole time.

So now I'm laying in bed working on the finishing for the Back to School Vest (after a pep talk from Kundi yesterday, thanks Kundi!) while we get carpet installed in the living room. YAY! I'm very excited. no more unfinished floors!! I'll take pics and show you the house now that it's "presentable".

I hope you had a great weekend too... have a lovely week!

Leazee

I got take away for lunch today and would you believe they spelled my name "Leazee"! I don't know what is so complicated about my name. It's even quite common in the States. My biggest problem there was if someone spelled it with an "e" Lindsey or an extra "y" Lyndsay. I did have someone one write (in my year book I might add) Lynzee but I think they were just trying to find a cooler way of writing my name. I personally prefer the original spelling

But since I have moved here I have heard so many variations of my name that I can't believe it! Often over the phone when I'm speaking to someone (cough*Pilipino*cough) and I give them my name the conversation goes like this

Service Rep: Can I have your name please Ma'am (pronounce mmaaaaaaaamm) ?
Me: Lindsay (phonetically it's [lyn-zee] in case you are unfamiliar with the name)
Service Rep: Wendy?
Me: No. Lindsay
Service Rep: Wendy?
Me: No. Lyn - see. With an "L"
Service Rep: Lindy?
Now this is where I usually stop and say "Yes. Lindy is my name" if it's something unimportant like ordering food. but if it's not that simple then…
Me: Noooo. Lindsay as in Lima, India, North, Dakota, Sugar, Alpha, Yellow
Service Rep: oooohhhhhh Lind Say (saying slowly like I'm a small child and don't know how to pronounce my own name and need to be corrected)
Me: (rolls eyes) whatever just send me my stuff :::SIGH:::

I mean seriously with all the name variations they have out here why would my name be so difficult. There are names I run across everyday and I can't believe they are actual names but I won't try to give you examples because really I don't want to butcher their names they way mine has been butchered ever since I moved here.

What's even better is that I now have a Lebanese last name (or family name as it's called in these parts) people get all confused when they meet me trying to figure out where I'm from and whether or not I can understand them speaking Arabic. HAHAHA. In fact the other day I had a guy ask me where my family name was from. "Lebanon" I replied. Then he asked if I went to a school with a British system or American. I was like "uuuhhh American". I guess I have falsely thought my accent would give this away but apparently I don't sound American. People guess that i'm from South Africa, UK, I get Canada a lot, I even had a girl walk up to me and start speaking in Russian once. Someone asked me if I was German (which my mom will love) and from the Netherlands. Someone even asked me once (and this is the best one) if I was Lebanese. HAHAHAHA!!! cause I look so Phoenician right? (Oh and I might add this was before I had my married name). I mean I know there are blond Lebanese people but seriously? Me? Really? I don't think so. If you are wondering what I look like just check out this post (one of my favorites) and you can see how "Lebanese" I look (hehehe still makes me laugh)

Oh well I suppose these are the joys of living in a land far far away : ) just keep telling my self blue water... palm trees... camels...

Rainbow

Your rainbow is strongly shaded brown and blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is says about you: You are a tranquil person. You appreciate the roughness of nature. You share hobbies with friends and like trying to fit into their routines. You feel closer to people when you understand their imperfections.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

Thanksgiving and Eid Celebration

Today i made a proper turkey dinner with all (well almost all) the trimmings. this was a two for one because we decided to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Eid in one big dinner for two


look at this spread! turkey, mashed potatoes (idaho of course!), stuffing, glazed carrots and gravy. YUM!


and here's a up close of the turkey because i'm just that proud of it! i put a secret rub on it (although it's mostly a secret to me because i cant remember everything i put into it) and it really added great color and flavor.

Also today i have nearly finished the Back to School Vest from Fitted Knits. all i have left to do is the edges around the neck and the arms. i even wove in all the ends! what a productive day!

so now i have to go because i can feel the turkey comma coming on.

Happy Eid Al-Adha!!

Eid Mubarak everyone!

I hope you enjoy the holiday. May this holiday and all the holidays during this month bring peace and happiness to you and your families.





image cutosy of lansingislam.com.

oven at last!

look at all this chrome loveliness


i have my very own oven. and it's gas and i love it.

so far i have made brownies, pizza, eggplant parmesan, stuffed tomatoes and day after tomorrow a turkey! we actually had the oven delivered on Thanksgiving day but that was a little too late to actually cook a proper Thanksgiving spread sooo i decided to do it during the Eid break! i'm so excited. mmmm gravy with stuffing.

and look at what my husband just surprised me with!



i like him

a lot

help! WIP confusion!

so i was all excited to give you project updates on my two WIPs and now i'm worried i have messed up on one... uuuggghhh

but first let me you tell you about the phiaro which is coming along slowly but surly. it's great to work on while i'm in the car (a passenger of course) or while i'm watching a movie and want something more mindless (i.e. headache-less) and well, endless.

here's the updated picture.... i'm not sure it actually looks longer than the last pic but it is. and i feel i work on it a lot so you get a pic anyways.

now for the help.... here is the Back to School Vest. see? i have made a lot of progress from when you last heard me talk about it here. and now it looks like this!


yup the front is all done!


look at that waffle stitch.... i'm really happy with the way it looks and it's so easy to do!


but the back. the back is where all the problems are.... the pattern said decrease one at the end of the next 7 rows. which i did. and then i started knitting on to get the 6.5 inches of length the pattern calls for. but about 5 (cough10cough) rows into the even rows i had a flash back to the baby cardi! 7 really means 14 doesn't it! aakk is 7 decreases RS and 7 WS.

dang. i think i just answered my own question! it's really decrease one at the end of the next 14 rows isn't it? :::sigh::: and i just counted my stitches and i have too many. uuugghhh! why didn't i check earlier!!! oh well i guess i have some ripping to do. at least i didn't get too much further, like to the end and sitting there confused as to why i have too many stitches. however i have heard the back comes in a bit narrow so maybe i shouldn't do all 14... although i'm not sure i could figure out how to fix it from there to match the front. no i think i'll just stick to the pattern.

Alicia and George

last night i headed out to the Alicia Keys / George Michael concert at the Zayed Sports Stadium!! and i must say it was a lot of fun.



this is where i hung out until we got closer to the start of the concert. because of my hatred for traffic i always get to concerts either late after they start (if i'm not too interested in the opening act) or super early when i want to make sure to see the start of the concert. well obviously i really wanted to see Alicia Keys so i got there super early and i went to the lounge and had my usual Red Bull Sugarfree while i hung out with some friends.



this is the crowd that welcomed us as we walked down into the arena. massive.



here's Alicia Keys singing amazingly. i must say that some artists are a bit disappointing (cough-dixi chicks-cough) in person but Alicia's voice is is incredible and sounds as good (if not better) in person as on her cd's not to mention she's gorgeous.



and here is George Michael. yeah i know. GEORGE MICHAEL! in person. his voice was really good as well and he's show was fantastic.



it's kinda hard to tell in this pic but here is the crowd while George Michael was singing. seriously i didn't think it could get bigger but it did. which is why i had to get out of it.

over all the concert was well organized and easy to get in and out of and the show was fantabulous! i would definitely head out to another concert at the Zayed Sports Stadium

the only piece of feed back that i would have (which has nothing to do with the artists or the concert organizer) is that if you are a woman (or man for that matter) with long hair, especially curly, please keep in mind just how much space your hair takes up when you are in a crowded confined area. it is no fun to have someone else's hair in your face and flicking you as some girl dances in front of you. i don't enjoy it. i mean seriously is it so hard to tie it back or braid it or something? and really you don't know that you are hitting everyone around you with you hair as you flip your head around? oooh it makes me shudder just thinking about it. i'll admit that i'm very sensitive in crowds. more like i hate them. therefore i'm not very tolerant but when the third girl (taller than me i might add) decides standing in front of me is the very best place to be at the whole entire concert and the proceeds to whip me with her frizzy hair i become very intolerant. that is when said girl should be grateful that i don't have scissors on me cause she wouldn't have that long hair anymore if i did. don't get me wrong i love long hair. in fact i have had seriously long hair a few times in my life but i always tried to respect the people around me as i always figured that even though i got many compliments on my hair that that didn't mean people wanted a mouth full of it. see? here's my hair at the Bon Jovi concert. tied back.

oh yeah, and you, loud whistle guy. warn the people in front of you first!