With this post, I will become One Of Those People who take photos of their breakfasts and post them on the Internet.

( enjoy! )

Fortunately for all those who live with me, one of the ways I practice self-care is to whip up tasty treats in the kitchen. The beautiful thing about this is, of course, the instant benefit for all those involved: a feeling-better Me, and Good Food to eat.

This afternoon, I came across a very promising recipe for chocolate mousse. Basically, you ( Read more... )

Here are some very big beans:

( ::: )

Merry Christmas, dear readers! I may write something more later, maybe about our trip to Kirkuk for Sunday mass two days ago, but for now I'm taking a wee break from being ruler of the kitchen and so I'll just post a few photos of my latest baking adventure.

( Cinnamon rolls! )

I've talked before about how baking is self-care for me. (I'm sure I have, but I don't feel up to locating the entry right now.) I'm realizing that it's not just baking - I think it may be any time I can work with food (on my own time, in "my" kitchen; there are some outstanding factors here but it still feels true ( Read more... )

So, yesterday we had a super healthy breakfast:

( ::: )

I started researching the US Episcopal Church, while listening to electro-remix powwow music, and somehow ended up reading about Tolstoy. From there it was a short jump to Prokudin-Gorsky photographs, but then I circled back and downloaded Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You, because I've been feeling the need to explore social Christianity ( Read more... )

It's been quiet, here. This is a blessing, really. "No news is good news," as they say. The cross-border attacks that so disrupted villagers' lives last year (and for many years prior) did not manifest this year. The Iraqi Kurdish borders, at least, are calm. AlhamdulillahBut sometimes I prefer activity, because at least when I'm active, I'm not ( Read more... )

Well and last night I was restless and punchy and tired of staring at my computer screen, but I didn't much feel like reading (it's true: sometimes this happens), and I didn't feel like going to bed (it was only 20:30). I didn't know where David was (up near the bazaar getting his hairs cut, as it turned out), and Garland had retired. Patrick was ( Read more... )

We attended a demonstration this evening, held in solidarity with the Syrian Kurds who are even now in control of several cities in eastern Syria. (Also known by some more nationalistic folks here as "western Kurdistan," hearkening back to the fact that the Kurds' traditional homeland overlaps modern political boundaries ( Read more... )