Making Spaghetti...

My lifelong Italian student decided he wanted to share a little of his culture with the class. One night he made spaghetti for everyone. I thought he was going to share his ancient family secret for the sauce, but as it turns out...that secret comes right out of a jar!

The Brownies are Coming....

Yes, the brownies are coming...and I have already started baking. Thank you to all the people who stuck some brownies in the mail. You are a blessing! Over and over from students and friends I hear people tell me their favorite desert is the American brownie. So thank you for helping me to continue baking and giving!

New Instruments...

I have started learning a new instrument. This is used in Middle Eastern music and is sometimes called a saz. The problem is that very little information is out there about it and no written instruction or music can be found. Most people who play it have no knowledge of music and simply play by ear. So a friend and I have started writing down and compiling some of the familiar Arabic songs. I am now teaching my self to play the instrument using the written music. It is somewhat of a challenge but I am up for it!

Friends...

These are two of my friends. The one on the left is from Syria. She is having a baby boy next month. And the other friend is from Morocco. She has been terribly sick with an allergic reaction. This reaction has caused her eyes to swell and turn red and has caused burn-like blisters all over her arms. The doctors gave her shots that did not help, so her condition has lasted over a month. In times like these Hary and I have been making visits, fixing brownies, and praying.

The Ever Changing Weather...

I went down to the Grand Place not too long ago. The morning began nice and sunny and the weather didn't seem too cold. But the afternoon the snow was falling and people were running for shelter. After a small blizzard the weather turned nice again. As they say in Brussels...if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes!