What the shamal is going on?!?

To read about Shamals, click here, but basically, it's a sandstorm. Just imagine tornado like winds, kicking up sand and dust. And there is plenty of sand and dust to be kicked up here. I think it's going on about a week now that it's been too windy to go outside. I can't even take Adam to the playground, and y'all know how tragic it is to be cooped up with a very energetic 5 year old!! The past couple of mornings I've taken him to the bus stop and it was nice and breezy, so I thought it was over, but then BAM, it would start back up in the afternoon. I hope there is some nutrition in sand because I've eaten some the past few times I went out. Even if the wind has stopped blowing, the dust lingers, and that's not good for anyone to breathe in on a regular basis. A lot of people walk around with surgical masks on. Outside is not the place to be for severe allergy or asthma sufferers. The wind was so strong that it sent shrubs and satellite dishes flying and uprooted trees! Dusting is one of my least favorite household chores, so it only makes good sense that we move to a place where you have to dust every day. 

We went to Bahrain last weekend.....I'll tell y'all about it soon.

Uh, that ain't our tree!

A tree on our street that was knocked out of the ground by the wind.

Another tree around the corner

I did not take this picture, it's from google. This is a picture someone took while driving through a shamal.

I did not take this picture, it's from google. This is a picture someone took while driving through a shamal.

Random pic of a nice tree-lined street

Another random.....love the swirly trees.

And a really random pic......I found my favorite!!!! But I just can't see myself paying $16 for the small bag. sigh.

Just some random things

There is an Outback Steakhouse opening here. We were invited to their "soft opening" the other night. Basically you go and have a free meal so the staff can practice on you. It was wonderful. The server was great and the food was just like home, maybe a little better. I walked out of the restaraunt (it's in the mall) to get Sophia calmed down and the regional manager was standing outside, so I asked him where he was from. He's from Houston, but he lives in Riyadh. He travels all over the Middle East opening restaraunts. I didn't spend too much time talking to him while I was by myself though. I didn't want the religious police to come by and clothesline me for talking to a man. Kidding! They don't clothesline you, they just pop your ankles with a bamboo cane. Kidding!! For real, I haven't even seen any religious police. If i've seen them, I didn't know it. 

There were some American servers teaching the locals, and the cook/chef came out from the back and I could tell he was American too. We were stuffed when we left. Adam ate at home because I didn't feel like having the regular "I don't like this food" fight with him. So since he ate all of his food at home he got a "milkshake" (smoothie). Sorry for the crappy pictures, I was using my phone 99% of the time.

                                        

                                

I cropped myself out because my expression wasn't any better!

He said "thank you mommy for letting me have some ice cream"

Doggy bag

Corn, it's a "thing" here. There are little carts all over the malls that sell corn. They steam it and mix it with salt and pepper and I think lemon juice. I love corn, but I didn't like it with the lemon. And I really didn't like it when Hisham told me the man who was selling it had dirty hands. 

We bought Adam a thobe. It's a traditional saudi garment. It looks so nice when the men wear it because it's so crisp and white. Adam looks SO cute in it. He was going to the mosque last Friday and I tried to get a good shot of him. He was squinting even in the shade and wouldn't open his eyes for me.

He left me outside and said "i'm DONE taking pictures, it's HOT out here"

Just a regular ol' car and truck. Funny to see these next to the BMWs and Range Rovers. Felt like I was back in Bama.

Needs no explanation

I found the yellow school bus!!!

Do you see any lanes, or order on this highway?

There is a store called Saco World. It seems like a mixture of Super Wal Mart (without the food) and Sears. It felt like we were walking around Sears when we saw all of the power tools and hardware

A couple of weeks ago we were at the grocery store. Hisham was looking for some car wash stuff. They had a very small selection, and nothing good, but he still bought a few things. We were at Saco World and rounded the corner to find this. It was like the heavens opened up and rained skittles on his head. He was pretty excited.

It actually smelled pretty good. Not that i'd want a 5 year old in control of how much he gets to spray anything on himself. 

We went to a nice grocery store called Tamimi. It seemed like almost every product was imported from America, even the fruit!! Sorry, but I don't want strawberries badly enough to pay ten bucks for them.

We're all set for Thanksgiving!!!!

(just kidding about this part. Canned cranberry sauce!!! Something bad is going on in the world if THIS made it over here).

I haven't had sloppy joes since I was a little girl, but after seeing this on the shelf, I felt like I had to have one NOW.

You have to REALLY, I mean REALLY be addicted to Dr Pepper. This 12-pack is about $24. T-W-E-N-T-Y F-O-U-R D-O-L-L-A-R-S. No thanks, i'm good with Dr Thunder (except they don't have Dr Thunder here)

Whaaaattt???

I think this was about $9

 Burlap has made it to the Middle East! To be fair, this *was* in Pottery Barn

  I moustache you a question!

I get to where i'm not surprised at what is available here, then I turn the corner and see this for sale in the bookstore, then i'm surprised all over again.

Oh, and I promise i'll start posting about things other than food. I must just be hungry these days!!

Hillary Clinton was right

So something happened today. Something that's never happened before. We went to the mall. But that's not the 'something that's never happened'. While at the mall, we went to the mosque to pray the evening prayer. Hisham went while I stayed with the kids, then he came out and I went and took Sophia with me. I had her in the baby carrier, and I was going to pray with her in it, but she's not 9 pounds anymore, mashallah. So to save my back, I layed her on the carpeted floor next to me and I started my prayer. I was halfway done when she started crying. I saw it in her face when she was flat on her back looking up at everyone. I sped my prayer up a little so I could pick her up but right when I did a woman swooped in like a hawk and picked Sophia up and sat next to me with her. She was rocking and shushing her. And she got quiet! Now, for a split second I was thinking "oh lord, she's about to run away with my baby". Then I stopped being so paranoid, let my sister in humanity calm my baby, and focused on my prayer. When I finished I took Sophia and said "thank you so much" and she said with a smile, "you're welcome". It really does take a village.