So Stinkin' Cute

Hot off the press, Gammy just sent us this ADORABLE handmade mini-album. Fayth and I have looked through it a million of times. As most of you know, Gammy and Jill, my sister-in-law, LOVE to scrapbook and are so talented at it. Each and every page they do is well thought out and one is more adorable than the next!! Jill has started working at Hannah's in Antioch as part of the scrapbooking design team. She is going to laugh that I am putting this on my blog. However; I know a lot of you out there that like the "easy way out" and they have started these fabulous albums all ready to put together. You just need the tape runner, pictures and time. The books start at about 20.00 and go up from there. You can check out the items online at www.hannahs.com. Go under the scrapbooking section and you can order online. Also available, is a blogspot the design team runs. It is www.hannahsdt.blogspot.com. This site shows ideas of the mini albums, large albums, and so much more. Fayth is featured with Chloe from x-mas last year and our family trip to Michigan is also an album. If you are a scrapbooker or want to become one...you MUST check out these sites. Now, that's all for my sales pitch!!!

So, long story short...Gammy...I love it. Keep em' a comin'!!!!!

P.S. I must tell you that Jill also runs classes to make things with scrapbooking paper. If you are interested check these out online as well. A cutie snowman is her project for December.

A Day Full of Festivities!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you sitting??!! Of course you are??!! This is a L-O-N-G one...

Yes, we had a fun-filled fake "Thanksgiving" today. It's Friday, our weekend and our turkey day plans with our friends fell through. Well, no big deal and daddy pulled through with a day full of festivities!

We started by snapping a few "set-up" photos of Fayth by pumpkin bread, some cutie plates & napkins, and pumpkin pudding. That was as good as it was going to get with anything "TRADITIONAL" today!!

Then, we headed to the mall's aquarium. Jon and Fayth were there last weekend and SHE loved it. So they wanted to take me. Well, let me tell you, it is an awesome fish tank and aquarium! We all enjoyed every minute of it. Got some great photos. And the walk through tunnel...all I can say is, OH, MY!!

We hit the food court hoping to grab & go with KFC. We were planning on pretending our chicken was turkey, eating their yummy mashed potatoes and gravy, and throwing on a can of corn once we got home. Well, we were very disappointed. KFC here is different than what you and I are use to. NO mashed, no buckets O' chicken, and no biscuits. So, we hit Subway and headed home.

Next, daddy and Fayth took a nap (just like if they had filled their bellies with turkey and stuffing) and I drove to the Hypermarket in search of the perfect "tiny" tree. I hit the jackpot...a five foot tree for $14.71. I spent more on the lights, ornaments, tinsel, and a "fancy" headband being used for a tree topper. Only the finest for "us" in Dubai!!

Home again, and my favorite people were awake ready to tackle the tree. Needless to say, it was up in a jiffy and we all had a lot of fun making a mess putting it together. Fayth enjoyed eating the glitter from the ornaments that had fallen on the ground!

Next on the agenda was cooking a pumpkin bread and calling it pumpkin cake. Fayth and I made a boxed pumpkin "cake," thanks to Gramie's overfilled suitcase, and had a ball. OH, she was filled with cake and licking the spoon just like her daddy loves to do. We even had whip-creme for the topping. We threw it in the oven and sat down to a memorable Thanksgiving dinner consisting of wine, pizza and a sippy of milk for the little lady!! Yes, that's right...and let me tell you...it was so good! We said why we were thankful, did "cheers" and enjoyed our dinner as a little family of three. Not traditional, but special!

Finally, the cake was ready. This was the first thing today that really "FELT" like Thanksgiving. It was so yummy. You'd a "thought" you're eatin' punkin' pie!!

Now, how does Thanksgiving end up in your home? Guys watching football, ladies doing dishes and kids off having a blast playing & starting on Christmas lists.

Well, not here...We threw our handy dandy paper plates away, put Fayth down to bed, poured another glass of wine, and Jon is snoring next to me on the couch! Yes, a true Thanksgiving.

We are all full, pooped, and have a little holiday cheer up in the "apartment" anxiously awaiting December 25th...It truly was "A Day Full of Festivities!"

We miss and love you all dearly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Backing it up...

Forgot about a highlight from my mom's visit and need to "back it up" a week. I surprised her with a reservation for an "afternoon tea" at the Burj Al Arab, seven star, sailboat hotel for her 65th birthday. I knew she wanted to REALLY see the hotel and so did I. Jon was lucky enough to have lunch with his boss in it a few years ago. It's a very prestigious and well known icon of Dubai. You all know..."Where in the World is Matt Lauer?"...from a few years ago on the Today show. So, her last full day in Dubai we headed to the 27th floor, the skyview bar, for tea, coffee, and an assortment of "nummy nummies" as my galpal would say. It wound up being a wonderful treat and I would go back a million times with all of our guests! It's a perfect view of the Palm, the downtown area (Jon's tower, as I call it), the marina and so much more. The experience just kept getting better...We watched the sunset and took a million pictures and once the sun set, we got to see the whole city of Dubai lit up! We sure got our "monies worth" and I have told all my friends in Dubai to put this on their wish list for when their families & friends come to visit. It's not such a bad deal because people use to pay $50.00 to just be able to walk in the hotel, see it, and turn around & walk out. Now, that's a rip!! It was a great birthday surprise..as she said to me..."Turning 65 had some perks this year!" Glad we were able to celebrate while she was in town.

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Friends and Family, We wanted to wish all of you a happy and safe "Turkey Day" as I call it. We plan to get together with some of our friends tomorrow and celebrate. Jon works today, which is the true "Thanksgiving." Enjoy your turkey and mashed potatoes...Yum Yum... This year we are thankful for having Fayth home with her mommy, Skype, and email. Happy Thanksgiving!! Hugs to all of you, Jon, Suzanne and Fayth

Another Date Night!

Out for cocktails & tapas at the Left Bank Bar in Souk Al Bahar. Great time!!

Gramie and Fayth "chillin' " watching Babe right before we left. We almost didn't go...they looked pretty content and relaxed. We wanted to join them but we are happy we went out. Good times!

Abu Dhabi

We took a road trip to Abu Dhabi for the day. It is about an hour and fifteen minutes away from Dubai. We went to see the new white MONSTER massive mosque under construction. The mosque will be the largest and grandest in all of the Middle East upon completion. Then we headed to the Emirates "GRAND" Palace Hotel. It is also huge, beautiful, and breath taking. Real gold is used throughout the hotel. We enjoyed lunch at the Viennese style cafe' inside the Palace Hotel. Fayth enjoyed real homemade vanilla ice cream for lunch! She loves ice cream!

It was a fun change of scenery. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE and more developed than Dubai. It is very green and you get a totally different feel there than Dubai.

True Love!!

Fayth really loves her daddy but dolly, "now called baby," is a real close runner-up! She was thrilled when she and baby got new matching jammies! The last picture is a NEW favorite of mine and will be getting blown-up to an 8x10. That is totally her!!

You might call me crazy, but I know Fayth will be an awesome mommy someday, if she chooses to be, just how she cares for her dolly. I caught her burping baby the other day and giving her a sippy. So cute!!

Going to Bed...More Posts Tomorrow!!!

Girls "GONE" Shopping...

We were off on another day of sightseeing. Fayth felt so fancy with her new "girly purse" she found earlier that day. She just cracked us up with how she walked and carried her purse. We headed to another beautiful mall and hotel, Wafi mall and Raffles hotel. It is shaped like a pyramid and houses very exclusive stores and boutiques. We did some window shopping and had an afternoon cappuccino and cookie. With Jon being in Saudi Arabia, I was able to drive us around in our "one and only car!" I must say, it felt weird to drive since I haven't done so in a few months. I did a fine job and we made it home!! Sigh of relief...now I have more confidence in myself and plan to venture out in our car more often!

Jon to Saudi Arabia

Jon went to Alkhobar for a conference and presentation. He had a great trip and it was nothing like he expected. We were glad he got home and was safe & sound.

The photos are from a message he left us on Fayth's magnetic board. He earned "brownie points" for this!!! We LOVED it!!

The Famous Mall of the Emirates

When you hear about Dubai, you always here about the famous "ski slope" inside of a mall. The Mall of the Emirates is a beautiful mall and it indeed has a full functioning slope indoors. Amazing...just amazing. When it was 110 degrees in August it just didn't seem possible. Now, it's kinda nice because it gives us a sense of "winter" here and puts us in the holiday spirit.

The malls here, even though Muslims don't celebrate Christmas, are decked out...WAY DECKED OUT with beautiful windows just like downtown Chicago. They do this for the large population of ex patriots in Dubai. The last picture is the huge selection of trees, ornaments, tinsel, etc. available at one of the "hypermarket" stores in Dubai. We will be headed there next week to purchase a tiny tree for our apartment and some festive decorations. Tis' the season...

even though it is still a warm 85 degrees outside.

Yummy Nummy Dots...

Dots, dots, dots...I know we ALL had them as a kid. A childhood isn't complete in Gramie's mind without dots!!!!!!!!!!! I really have to agree and I know my sister, Cindy, and sister-in-law, Jill, definitely agree!! Well, a little three foot person is also in LOVE with these fabulous paper tasting candies and Gramie is going to need to stock up!! I think we will remember and refer to Gramie as the "candy dot" grandma. Nutritious...who cares...they keep her happy and quiet!! These photos, well...I just adore them!!!!!!!

Gramie Leaves and I Catch-Up on ths Dog-Gone Blog!!

All I have to say is, I am enjoying doing this blog but I feel so far behind!!!! Gramie is on her way to the airport with Jon right now and I am sitting down catching up from last week. We will miss her dearly and had a great visit with her. I anticipate Fayth being sad in the morning when Gramie is gone, me too! However; we have wonderful memories and over 500 pictures to prove it!! OMG...yes, we took a ton. It was fun touring the town not as a resident but as a tourist. Now, when others come to visit, I can take photos of just them and not have to take so many of the town. I will have a really nice book to share with Fayth someday and all the important landmarks of Dubai. It was all in all a wonderful visit. The photos...I probably ought to talk about them...

1st one...hanging out with daddy in Fayth's room. Love this...cuz this is what we do!!!

2nd one...the round-a-bout at our apartment building after entering by the security. What a view!! Fayth loves the "water feature!"

3rd one...out cold in the cab. Fayth was a bit under the weather.

4th one...all I have to say is, "Bibbity, bobbity, BOO!" I am singing this in my sleep!!

Date Night...

Need I say more...we had a date night!

We were both so tired didn't want to go out at first, by Gramie kicked us out and we are happy she did!! We had a few cocktails at the stunning Address hotel's outside bar in bean bag chairs and then decided we better eat something...So are you ready for this...Yes, we hit the Taco Bell at the new Dubai Mall. Actually, it was a perfect night out for us...