Updated :

A while back, I changed Aidan's blogspot's name to www.aidanomar.blogspot.com. Just click on the left top corner under LINKS WORTH TO CLICK for the updated Aidan's blog.

I am excitedly announce that Nadia will be a horse on the Halloween Day. Yay. I think I am just way more too excited than her. I also get her a huge wooden barn with lots of miniature horses for her Eid's celebration gift.

For Aidan, he reached the milestone of sliding backwards in crawling position. He is now trying to move forward, but right now just wobbling around.

Ammar has been happy working with his new Nurse Practitioner. Since he got her, he slowly comes home earlier, at least he will be home before 7 pm

For Sari, I am excited to have a girls night out again with my most favourite friend, Maria, Luca and Chiara's mom. Too bad it had to be cancelled because Ammar had a tennis match and forgot about it. We are rescheduling it for next week.

ME and MY kids.

TIRAMISU RECIPE

I love Tiramisu, but only once I tried the awesome tiramisu from one of the restaurant in Boston, in 1996, ever since I tasted so many tiramisu which was not so great according to my memory of "good Tiramisu", so I created this Recipe after searching for some recipes I found and I changed it here and there, made it, tasted it, after 3 attempts, finally I found the Ultimate Tiramisu Recipe. This recipe has been travelled all over the place thanks to Anna.. hahahha.... so I decided to just put it on the blog so everyone, especially the Tiramisu lover can make your own and enjoy it.

I called her yesterday, it has been soooo long that I haven't made the tiramise, the recipe was in my head, but then I lost it just like my computer, losing memory... (effect of too busy with kids ? hahaha), so I asked her for the recipe.

It's so funny to open up my e-mail this morning and found my own e-mail I sent for Anna my friend in 2003 for the Tiramisu Recipe she asked.

Enjoy!

From: sari@charter.net
To: annadj96@hotmail.com
Subject: recipe
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 18:19:50 -0500

Hey Anna,

Ini resepnya.

Tiramisu

1 oz of Mascarpone cheese (better with the tiramisu style mascarpone cheese)
2 package lady finger
1/3 cup granulated sugar + 1 spoonful of sugar
1 shot/cup expresso coffee, let it cool down before you start.
2 eggs.
cocoa powder unsweetened
3 spoons of Kahlua (optional)

How :
separate the eggs, white and yellow eggs in separate bowl. (the container of the white eggs is much smaller than the container of the yellow eggs)

Put 1 spoonful of sugar on the white eggs, and 1/3 cups of sugar on the yellow eggs.

Beat white eggs with mixer until stiff.

Beat yellow eggs until the color is pale yellow. Put the mascarpone cheese, beat slowly with the lowest speed until it blends.

Put white eggs on the yellow eggs mixture and mix slowly and carefully with spatula until it blends

Prepare for the pan. 9x9 inch pan.

1. Dip the ladyfinger in the expresso (note , just let the bottom part of the lady finger wet, not the whole ladyfinger is dipped.
2. Put it on the first layer on the pan.
3. Put 1/2 of the mixture ton the top of the ladyfinger layer.
4. sprinkle with cocoa powder evenly.
5. Do 1-4

PS. You can double the ingredients and just use the common sense of dividing ingredients (lady finger and the mixture) when doing the layers.

You can decorate it with shaved white chocolate for entertaining purpose.

Enjoy.

LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE IT AFTER TRYING THIS ULTIMATE RECIPE.

Phew!!! Sad, happy at the same time.

It started on Thursday morning, after updating the blogspots of the kids, I shutted down my powerbook macintosh. Then I opened up later on, there was really bad sound coming from the machine!!! My apple doesn't open... big time failure!!! It stopped working. Nada!!!

I was frantic. My apple is like my life... I called the Apple care, thanks God I bought the extended warranty, and it is still under warranty until December...

They tried to solve the problem over the phone. Nothing, just a white screen with Apple sign on it.. still making scary noises (I know, halloween is coming, but this is more scary for me). I just put some pictures and I haven't backed up my computer yet!!!!!

They made me an appointment to visit the apple store in Ann Arbor, I had to do it on Friday because Nadia was not at school, so we had fun on Thursday with Aidan. I was so sad, the whole time. I tried to convince Ammar to get me a new one.. he said ... no... sigh!!!! I said, just get me the cheap one, he said no because he doesn't want to buy the lower end of apple... just wait another year.. actually it's his turn to have the new laptop.. hahaha... Okay.. so I waited.

I visited the mall with Aidan and leave my Apple there. I got a phone call at night, saying that they changed the optical drive, but the hard drive failed to connect, means they wanted to change the hard drive, too. It MEANS : I WILL LOSE ALL MY DATAS!!! I asked them if they can save it to my LACIE hard drive.. they said the hard drive was a complete failure... Oh what can you do.. I asked them to do it.

I picked up my computer today with Nadia. Had fun at the mall and stopped by at Milla's house... I got a brand new computer, new hard drive, new optical drive, and the most fun thing : They put the newest software and operating system which if I buy the upgrade will cost me $300. This time, I love the extended warranty. It worths every penny.

Now, I got the newest Mac OS X Tiger, with the newest iLife 06... YAY!!!!

Neigbors.... there is nothing like living in the really nice neighborhood. We like our neighbors, the whole subdivision are the nicest people I have met/live with.

We had the first girls supposedly craft night, we ended up just chatting, eating and had a blast.

I brought my camera with me, having so much fun chatting, I forgot to take pictures.

We had so much fun that we are planning to do it every 3rd wednesdays a month.

One thing still make me sad : Our neighbors, Terry and June who live in front of our house are leaving soon. June will have her own insurance agency office in Pennsylvania, and we are soooo sad that they are living. Terry is like the lawn and handyman guru in our neighborhood, anything you asked, he will help you. I am still remembering that he brought the ladder to Nadia's room for me to paint on when I was 8 months pregnant.
June is just a sweetheart. I love both of them dearly and very sad knowing that they are leaving.
My Nadia LOVES them, too.
Ammar will lose his tennis partner.

We had to attend a meeting in Novi and we need someone to babysit the kids during the time. Thankfully, we got our best helper, Auntie Lisa and Uncle Bill who were willing to drive to meet us there and took the kids while we were at the meeting.
One the way there, Nadia vomited big time, she was so upset that all her clothes are soaking wet with her apple juice mixed with oreos, etc... Something wrong! Nadia had the drink 2 hours before and she didn't digest it. We stopped at someone's house, clean her up, wiped her up, thanks God, I still bring a sweater, she changed her blouse with sweater but her jeans are all soaked, the car seat, too. I couldn't stand not to take picture of her getting upset because she was a mess.
Being clean all the time made her a very clean girl. She wanted to get a bath right away.
We ended up sending the girl to Uncle Bill and Auntie Lisa, asking them to get new pants and new underwear at the mall. Aidan kept watching us from the car, his look as if he was asking : "What the heck is going on there ?"
We met up again at the mall, Nadia slept on the way home, we had a good talk with lisa and Bill, while Ammar hold on Aidan who was not sleeping.
Nadia got all upset when she woke up, Uncle Bill and Auntie Lisa weren't here. How she loves both of them.
Special note for Auntie Lisa and Uncle Bill : "Many many thanks for both of you. I am glad you both like the black forest parfait I made for you."

Ann Arbor : FYI about what you can get in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arborites love good food. For beautifully displayed, fresh-tasting produce, professional and amateur chefs look to resources like the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market and, next door in Kerrytown Market & Shops, Sparrow Produce Market; Fresh Seasons Market, on West Liberty; and the Produce Station, on South State. Also in Kerrytown, Sparrow’s companion butcher shop, Sparrow Meat Market, stocks ready-to-cook stuffed flank steaks, chicken breasts, and pork loins, while Monahan’s Seafood Market sells homemade chowder and a tempting variety of fresh fish, and Tracklements Smokery sells its own house-smoked fish. On Miller, the anonymous-looking Knight’s Market (marked only by a chess knight) supplies the public and many of Ann Arbor’s restaurants with excellent beef.

Several neighborhood grocers offer personable alternatives to the area’s big chain supermarkets, including campus grocer White Market, on William. Stadium Market and Deli, with a huge liquor and wine selection, sells specialty foods and makes its own salads and sandwiches, including gluten-free pizza. On Jefferson in the Old West Side, Jefferson Market, a tiny, beautifully restored old-fashioned grocery, is a neighborhood hangout and a resource for imaginative prepared dinners.

Ann Arbor’s thriving international communities support a wealth of terrific ethnic groceries that offer a taste of distant lands. Middle Eastern goods can be found at Aladdin’s Market, on Packard; Mediterranean Market, on Ellsworth; and Jerusalem International Market, on Broadway. Foods of the Far East are featured at China Merchandise, in Plymouth Road Mall; Great Land Supermarket, on Carpenter; Lucky Market, in the Courtyard Shops; Lucky Heng Market, on West Liberty; Tsai Grocery, in the Village Centre; Makkara, on Packard; and Manna, on Broadway. Chez Pierre, at Briarwood, is a locally owned boutique featuring French specialty foods. Nabalee Produce, on Packard, has halal as well as Latin American groceries, and Brazamerica, in South Main Market, offers Brazilian goods. Indian foods are found in Foods of India, on Broadway; Bombay Grocers, on Packard; and Nilgiris Import Goods, on Carpenter. At Zingerman’s, on Detroit Street, a dazzling array of imported specialty foods lines the walls of an award-winning Jewish-style deli. Hiller’s Market in Arborland, part of a small Detroit-based chain, is an American-style grocery store that specializes in kosher meats, plus delicacies like blood pudding and treacle tarts imported from the British Isles.

Among the area’s many convenience stores, a few go beyond the usual chips-and-beer inventory. Village Corner, on South University, is known for its immense selection of wines; Main Street Party Shoppe, on North Main at Ann, has an impressive wine cellar; Morgan & York, on Packard, has an intelligent selection of fine wines and ales, as well as a host of imported specialty foods; and A & L Wine Castle, on Stadium, packs an amazing range of libations inside its regally funky store. Bello Vino, on Plymouth, offers produce, specialty grocery items, and fine wines at good prices. Its neighbor, the Wine Seller, has a pithier but no less interesting selection. In Kerrytown, Everyday Wines specializes in little-known vintages at affordable prices, and its staffers display an uncanny ability to pair wine with food. Wine Etc., in Scio Town Center, boasts an extensive wine and beer selection as well as gourmet treats and wine accessories.

For organic and natural foods and products, health-conscious shoppers head for Arbor Farms, in Boulevard Plaza on West Stadium; Whole Foods Market, on Washtenaw; and the People’s Food Co-op, on Fourth Avenue. Trader Joe’s, in Lamp Post Plaza, offers a mix of natural foods, affordably priced gourmet foods, ethnic items, and a large selection of beers and wines, including the chain’s renowned “three-buck Chuck,” Charles Shaw wines that retail for $2.99 a bottle.

Chocoholics frequent Main Street’s Zenaida Chocolate Lounge and, one block north, the Chocolate Cafe; Washington Street’s Schakolad Chocolate Factory for truffles, creams, and chocolate-covered nuts and fruit; and Kilwin’s, on Liberty, which sells gourmet chocolates and a cheerful assortment of exotically flavored jelly beans, ice cream, and homemade fudge. On Huron, Say Cheese specializes in enormous, rich cheesecakes; its sister store, Deda’s Bakery, deals in artfully decorated sugar cookies as well as custom cakes. Big City Small World Bakery, on Spring Street at Miller, features muffins, scones, and decadent gourmet ding dongs (including vegan versions). At Briarwood, Mac & Oliver’s Sweet Tooth is an old-fashioned candy store showcasing the family’s homemade peanut-butter- and chocolate-covered caramel corn. Porter’s Premium Popcorn, in Nickels Arcade, offers delightfully weird flavors like barbecue and piña colada. On South University, Sweet U sells M&Ms by the pound as well as flavored nuts, hard candy, caramel corn, and cotton candy.

Zingerman’s Bakeshop, on Plaza Drive off South State, offers scones, enormous brownies, and a splendid section of aromatic, freshly baked breads. Nearby, Zingerman’s Creamery sells fresh artisanal cheeses made with milk from area dairy farms.

H.E.L.P, A Mantra for Every day lives.

I seek your forgiveness for all the times :
* I talked when I should have listened
* Got angry when I should have been patient
* Acted when I should have waited
* Feared when I should have been delighted
* Scolded when I should have encouraged
* Criticized when I should have complimented
* Said no when I should have said yes
* and Said yes when I should have said no.

__ Marian Wright Edelman,
The measure of our success

Something very very disturbing when we got home and found a message from my dear friend. She is one of my best friends I have known for almost the whole time since we moved to Michigan. We don't talk to much about her husband and her family, but we got along really well. Nadia plays with her daughter, religiously. Nuff said. Life has been very overwhelming since we got back, unpacking 5 big luggages, got really bad bugs which made you feel so blue for the first 5 days of us being home (just today I feel so much better and went outside the house). I talked to her finally on the phone but couldn't talk to much because Aidan asked to be nursed. She usually is very good with emails, but she also got so overwhelmed with emails and phone calls.

I feel so sick thinking what had happened with her and her daughter. I love her dearly and I was angry and mad knowing that this thing happened 2 days after we left and I was not there for her when she needed help. The whole thing is still a mistery, thanks to Sue, I found her post about what her feeling about this whole darn thing. I felt the same thing, and I should post it out in my own blog to tell my dear friend, how much I think about her and how much I wish I could made her feel like brand new, without any scars in her heart, which is impossible.

Her husband beat her up in the garage in front of her daughter, unconcious and bleeding. One thing is unacceptable, I really can't stand men who beat up women!

Here is Sue's post (PS : Sue, I hope it is okay to post your feeling in my blog)
"I met with a friend who was struggling in her relationship with her husband–we commiserated about the pain of the relationship and the problems therein, and she confronted him about his destructive behaviour a few days later. Then I got a note from her that he had thrown her out, followed her and her daughter out to the parking garage of their building, and beat the crap out of her. I was so scared for her; her daughter’s screams are what got people to call the police and ultimately got my friend’s attacker (at this point, it’s hard to recognize that he had a formal place in her life with a title for him) to stop beating her. She had bruises and got a host of stitches and he was carted off to jail. He was charged with felony assault (unheard of in domestic violence situations), and she is now safely away from him. The really weird thing is that I had this inkling in my heart when we met together that I should ask her if he had ever tried to hurt her. But I second-guessed myself and decided against the question; looking at her and seeing her confidence, physical strength (she’s a tennis pro), and agility, I read her as never putting up with that sort of crap. I was wrong. And honestly, I don’t think I’ll doubt my intuition again. It’s normally correct, and I ignored it. I don’t think that I could have prevented her attack if I’d asked, but it definitely would have given me fodder for discussion and prayer.

Regardless, about 15 people showed up at her apartment this week and packed her up and moved her out. I was so glad that so many (women and men) showed up and packed, hoisted, lifted, schlepped, and unloaded things for her. It was physically tiring, for sure–working in a hot apartment with all that emotion and all those people is bound to wear you out. But it was emotionally draining as well, and I didn’t expect that. I found myself just wanting to sit down and cry when it was all over. I had a friend who volunteered to watch Brendan for me, and I didn’t really have the opportunity to “let down” when the moving was done and I found myself crying as I fell asleep that night. Being hot and tired is one thing, but facing the destruction of a relationship through something as destructive as violence and pornography (the reason their relationship was our point of discussion intially) and knowing what her daughter experienced and the fear she was living with hit me full-force that night."

We came back, found some weird stuff around the house. The grass gor fried, we turned off the sprinkle system because it was raining for 3 days when we left, for some reason, the neighbor forgot to turn on the sprinkle system, but they trimmed the grass nicely. We found a weird dead grass track, and found out it was moles digging under the grass, making tunnels. We also found at least 9 clusters of paper wasps on our sidings and roof. We called Insectech and they came right awaay to spray them off.

Nadia's goldfish was safe back home, thanks to our neighbor's care, Andrea. It looks healthy and she came to invite us for dinner, that was really thoughtful of her. Yes, we really need it, not to cook dinner on our first day back home... The dinner was really nice, we came home right away because everyone had the jetlag....especially Nadia and Aidan.

I got the bugs, we assumed we got it from Arfan, Ammar's brother who lives in Germany, then he passed it to Aidan, then to Ammar, and the last one, it's me. I got so sick 4 hours after we arrived home, and just feel so much better now, despites of the retaining terrible headache afterwards.

We talked about how much we love our house, especially our bed! We missed it so much, and we are so blessed to have wonderful family. I love my family sooooo much!

Ammar is going back to work tomorrow.. the kids and I will miss him dearly. Once he starts working, we will hardly see him around.

Issam and his family, his wife Sawsan, his children (biggest to smallest), Maleka, Noer, and Adnan


Our family, Ammar, Sari, Nadia, and Aidan


Mama and her kids (not in million years they reunite at the same time!), oldest to youngest, Issam, Ammar, Arfan, and Rim. (Baba, Ammar's dad, decided not to take pictures with us due to the pajama he was wearing and he just got his eye surgery on his right eye.. not to feel good about it)


The whole Zoubi Family.

It was quite an entertainment to take pictures of all of us. I love his family. He came from a wonderful one, compare to most of Syrian people that I know of or met.

We are leaving today. After packing and everything, we decided to take naps because our flight is at 11 pm, then we have to wait 2.5 hours in Jordan, we are leaving to Detroit at 2.30 am.
Aidan has been so active, he fell off the bed. Fortunately he was okay.

We all had a great time in Damascus, the main house that Ammar's parents have. The view from their balcony is so nice. We also stayed at the mountain house (Bludan) for 2 nights with Issam's family (Ammar's brother who lives in Kuwait). I decided not to go to the house they own on the seaside, it is too hot here even in Damascus, the temperature is about 44 centigrade in the day and down to 30 centigrade at night. Everything is night time, they naps at 3 - 7 pm, then live started after, even we sleeps at 12 midnight every night, have dinner at 10 pm. We took Nadia to the playground at 9.30 pm, lots of kids play there, too.

I had wonderful time playing and meeting Ammar's brothers and his family. Arfan, Ammar's brother who lives in Germany came after, I like him the most. Nadia thinks he is the best uncle.

Vacation is over, and we are ready to go back to the States.

Happy 5th Anniversary!!!

We celebrated it in Damascus. We got the luxury of having the family to baby sit the 2 kids. Aidan slept the whole time we were out, and Nadia's grandma and aunt took her to the playground. For the first time, we didn't think so much about the kids. We did it last year and the whole time, we just couldn't enjoy our dinner, thinking about our kid.

Ammar surprised me 2 times by buying me a necklace and I happened to choose it myself, hm...sorry he still have to give me jewelry on the top of the HD camcoder...haha... then he took me to Four Seasons Damascus and we had a romantic dinner on the deck of Four Season, and Italian restaurant (God, how much I missed a non Syrian food.. haha) called Il Circo. Wonderful meal, and wonderful time. Another surprised, Ammar arranged to have a cake with our names on it.

We stroll home, nice walk, holding hands, watching people around, and got home in 10 minutes. Nadia had a wonderful time with her grandma and Aunt, and we also had a great time.
Nadia : "Mommy and Daddy, are you married again ?"