Thanksgiving Goodies that I Have to Share!!

THANKSGIVING!!!  GIVE THANKS WITH A GREATFUL HEART!  COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NAME THEM ONE BY ONE!

My family and I have so many things to be thankful for.  We moved to the UAE, about a year and a half ago, and we have been blessed on every turn.  At first the move was a very difficult one, but just like everything else in life in you adjust.  We have experienced multiple cultures and lands, made friends from all over the world, and learned so many things.

This Thanksgiving we hosted my hubby's co-workers and some friends in our home.  There babies and kids running everywhere.  Good fellowship and good food!  We deep fried two turkeys (this was a first for many of our guests), served traditional cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, mac and cheese, and so many other things that in true Thanksgiving style was brought by our guests.  One friend brought over some Buffalo Chicken Dip that was WOW!  I will include the recipe below with many of the other recipes I served.

So here are some of the recipes:

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Ingredients Needed:

• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1 box of rolled pie crust
• 9 inch pie crust pan
• PAM cooking spray

Directions:    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray your pie pan with PAM cooking spray first.  Lay out the pie crust across your pie dish.  Create a decorative edge on your pie crust be pinching your finger and thumb together and taking your other finger and pushing the dough into your finger and thumb.  (see the photo for a visual example).  You could also tear off the edge and braid it too but I find the technique in the photo to be easier. Next mix the pumpkin, eggs, milk and spice in a bowl until it’s smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into your prepared pie crust. Bake for a full 15 minutes on 425 degrees just long enough for the edges of the pie crust to get to a golden brown color.   IMPORTANT TIP:  Place a thin piece of tin foil around the edges of the pie crust to protect them from getting crispy and or burnt.  Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking it for another 40 minutes.  To test if it’s done you will take a butter knife and stick it in the center of the pie.  If the knife comes out completely clean then it’s done.  If it doesn’t continue cooking it for 10 minutes at a time until it’s completely done.
(Recipe found on this link… http://www.isavea2z.com/homemade-pumpkin-pie-recipe-giveaway-pamsmarttips-ad/ )

Key Lime Pie
Juice of 4 limes
3 tbsp of lemon juice
2 (8oz) packages of cream cheese
2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg of instant vanilla pudding mix
2 graham cracker crusts

In a bowl combine the lemon and lime juice with the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and pudding mix.  Mix until blended and smooth.  Pour evenly into two graham cracker crusts (either pre-made or homemade…your choice).  Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight… YUM!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
1 cup Ranch dressing
2 pkgs cream cheese
2 to 3 Tbsp. hot sauce
1 large or 2 small cans of chicken (or cook 2-3 medium chicken breasts, then shred them)
2 cups of shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese

Mix all ingredients together, then spread evenly into a casserole dish.  Bake for 20-30 min at 350F. Serve with crackers, bread chunks, or toasted baguette slices.

Let me know if you try any of these recipes!  I would like to hear if you liked them or not!!

One Year is Done

It has been a few months since my last post.  Shortly after my last post school ended and summer began, and with summer came our trip home.  Even returning home was chaotic...Here is how it went.  First Clay (our oldest) and Denver (our youngest), boarded the plane and off they went to be met in Houston by my sisters.  Joshua (our 2nd born), stayed behind so that he and Clint could take off a few days later for the Phillipines and a big baseball tournament.  A week after Clay and Denver left for

Clint & Joshua preparing to
leave for Phillipines
tournament.

home, I boarded a plane and traveled all by my lonesome back to TEXAS, aka HOME!  A week after my arrival and two weeks after the other two had traveled home, Joshua joined us.  Clint was not able to join us for another 3 weeks after that.  Are you tired yet?  I am tired typing it, LOL!  It was a crazy, hectic time for us all.....

After Joshua arrived in Texas, we had about a week for him to visit a couple of friends before we set off to Cincinnati and New York for more baseball.  This time it included Clay participating as well.  Both of the boys participated on an internation travel baseball team, and were able to go to a baseball camp hosted by the Cincinnati Reds and then on to a tournament in Cooperstown.  It was a really great experience for both of them.  That was the furtherest north any of us had ever been in the US.  The countryside is beautiful and really holds a sense of history at every turn.

"Statue of Liberty"
outside of Great American
Ballpark in Cincinnati

Denver did not travel with us to the northern part of the US, he chose to stay with friends.  This was extreme in advance planning for sure.  I had to contact and start making these plans back in the spring, so that I could pinpoint which friend or relative could take Denver for how long and for which days.  He was able to spend the 3 week period with cousins and then 3 different friends' families.  We are so blessed to have family and friends that would do this for us!  He had a blast and really enjoyed being able to "hang" with friends.

At the Cincinnati Reds camp

After all the baseball was done, we returned to Texas for a little over a week before we loaded the plane again to return to Abu Dhabi.  We all had mixed feelings about the return because we were ready to get back and no longer live out of a suitcase, but at the same time we knew we would miss our friends and family.  It will be a full year before we will make the trip back to TEXAS.  On a positive note though, I was glad to hear that all the boys were somewhat ready to return to the UAE because Clint and I had been concerned that this summer may make everyone even more homesick.  God is good and He is helping each of embrace the adventure of international living.

So we are back here in the Land of Sand, school has begun, and I have almost unpacked all the suitcases.... UGH!  I hate the unpacking part just as much as I hate living out of a suitcase...LOL!  Our summer was very, very busy and returning to the UAE hasn't slowed us down at all.  If anything, it has picked up speed.  In the very near future, Clay will be off on a service trip to Tanzania in Africa, Clay will be playing football (yes, American football) and Joshua may also be playing, all 3 boys will be gearing up for baseball again, Joshua will be traveling to Turkey again with his 7th grade class, and we will be moving into a little bit larger villa (still within our same compound).  These are just the things that are coming up in the next couple of months....There is more to come throughtout the year! Soooo, stay tuned--one year is done and now you never know what may happen next......

Life is Busy

Life is Busy!!!

Every day, all day....  Constantly going, going, going!  Kids to school. Mom to work. Dad to work. Cook dinner or Dinner to go. Go to practice. Do homework. REPEAT!

No complaints here...just living in the whirlwind of daily life, just like everyone else in the world!  Ever so often we get a day off here or there to just stay home, BUT then we feel like we are supposed to be going somewhere...LOL!  It is hard to know how to occupy oneself when you find that you have free time that you are not used to having....

So let me catch you up on the Anderson family and the Land of Sand!  

Clint is working and having great success with his position at work, which is a good thing being that is the whole reason we made this move to the Land of Sand!  I am also making progress with my little student...she has come a long way this year.  There were things that she was not able to do at the beginning of the school year that I did not think she would ever be able to do, and she is now showing signs that she has built a few skills that I didn't think possible.  Practice, practice, practice....repeat, repeat, repeat!  I am hoping that she retains everything over the summer and that we can continue to build during the upcoming school year!  She keeps me laughing with her funny little ways and beautiful smile!  She is a precious little girl....frustrating at times, but she is 6, what 6 yr old isn't a tad frustrating!  LOL!  The boys have adapted to the new expectations of the new school.  They have made friends and we have had great experiences this year, from all of us experiencing London, Joshua going to Turkey, Clay going to Nepal, our trip to Thailand, baseball from November to present-including a tournament in Kuwait, a surprise trip to Qatar to watch Clay play in a baseball tournament for school, Clay winning MVP for the Varsity baseball team, making friends with people from all over the world, me teaching myself to crochet and beginning a new path towards better health with my bike rides, and so many other things are yet to come!

The school year is winding down and we are all preparing for a much NEEDED trip home to Texas!  It is a completely crazy schedule of travel, but LIFE is BUSY!  Clay and Denver will return to Texas before any of us, I will follow them a week later, and then Joshua will join us a little over a week after that...he is participating in a tournament that is considered a qualifying tournament for the Little League World Series!  Super exciting!!  Clint will have to remain in the UAE until later in the summer and he will then join us in New York for Clay and Joshua's travel baseball teams' tournament....again super exciting!  Before we know it we will be heading back to Abu Dhabi to begin another school year and our second year living in the Land of Sand....Life is Busy!

Yes, Still Here...

It has been almost a month since my last post....Life has been super, super busy!!  I have mentioned before that all three of my boys play baseball.  Well we have been at it since November, and it's not slowing down!  We are still playing and training!  Joshua and Clay are part of a travel team that will travel to Ohio and New York this summer for a camp with the Cincinnati Reds, a tournament in Ohio against other teams from all over the US as well as a few other international teams, then another tournament in New York, a stay in the Baseball Hall of Fame, and so much more!  It's going to be awesome!!!  There will even be a college advisor available for those who are hoping for a little college level ball action in the future....I can't believe that in 3 VERY short years, we will be facing that leap of faith!  Our first born, Clay, will be branching out into the world of adulthood!!  Just breathe...just got to breathe!!! LOL

The school year is winding down but not as fast as we would like it!  We have 6-7 weeks to go!  UGH!!  The boys will out of school June 19th but I will not be finished at my school until June 26!  Seems like it will never get here.....  Then it is EAST TEXAS bound!  We are looking forward to seeing friends and family as soon as we get there!

Clint is doing well, and his job is just clicking along!  He has been very successful in this position thus far, and he will continue to be successful....he is just that kind of guy!  I am super proud of him!  He not only works hard to bring home the bacon, he also has dedicated himself to coaching Denver's baseball team this year.  This has required multiple trips to Dubai, which is a little over an hour away!  Believe me that drive gets old!  It isn't a very scenic route...BUT you do see camels every now and then!  I really like it when we get to see the camels... The boys think I am crazy!  LOL

Now to brag on my oldest for just a minute....Clay is 15, and was chosen to play on the high school's varsity baseball team.  He was one of only two freshmen on the team!  Pretty cool!  He was an all-around ball player...he pitched, he caught, he played first, and centerfield!  Recently they had the end of the year Award's Banquet, and Clay was awarded the team's MVP award!!!!  It was a proud parent moment!!!  The coach made a wonderful speech about Clay having a great attitude, a willingness to lead, ability to teach others the game, and that during the Middle East area tournament several coaches approached them just to say this about Clay..."That boy can play!".  It was a really nice speech, that of course I did not record....ugh!!!  I started to record it but then decided not to just in case it was not Clay they were talking about...LOL!!  But then when I realized for sure they were talking about Clay, I was so disappointed that I had recorded it!  Video will be going in the future!!

Now I can't brag on one and not brag on the others as well....  Joshua and Denver acutually recently played together on the same team, and Denver pitched to Joshua (catcher) for 2 innings.  In those two innings he struck two older boys out, threw the runner out at first, and picked off the runner on third!  He is 10, and was playing with 11-13 year old boys!!  It was awesome seeing them play and work together like that!  Joshua also snagged himself a homerun during that game as well!!!  

So.....Yes, we are still here in the Land of Sand!  Many months ago my posts were full of sadness and tears, but now we are all finding a way to make peace with our surroundings and our way of life.  I am laughing and smiling more....  We miss Texas still, and that will never change!  It is comforting to know that we have so many loving friends and family members back home that care about us and pray for us every day!  Love you All!

New Adventures

Spring Break has been a time full of adventure!  Clay (age 15) went to Nepal with a group of students and teacher from his school, and the rest of us packed off for Thailand.  Both of these locations were totally foreign to us, but if we are going to be on the opposite side of the world for a while, we might as well see it!

Let me begin with an explaination of why we went to Thailand without Clay.  When we began discussing the possibility of taking a trip somewhere during the two weeks we would have for spring break, the school that I taught at did not have the same break period as the school where the boys attended.  We were only going to have one week in common.  So we decided that would be the week we would travel.  Once that decision was made, we received notification of the official travel dates for the service trip that Clay had been chosen for way back in November.  Wouldn't you know it....same week that we were planning our Spring Break trip.  So now the one week we would have in common was going to take Clay away on the Nepal adventure.  We did not like the idea that we wouldn't all be experiencing Thailand together but after much thought we all agreed that he was going to be experiencing Nepal without us, so we called it even!  LOL!

Now after the tickets were bought for the flight and the hotel reservations were made, the school that I am teaching at all of sudden realized that they were the only school in Abu Dhabi to have the Spring Break dates that they had.  According to the education council here, all schools are supposed to have the same break dates.  (I think this is because so many families do not have all of their children in the same school.  Some have kids in multiple schools.)  So my school announces that the Spring Break dates will be changed to match the other schools of the area, which of course, now gives us the entire break together! BUT, remember I just said tickets had been purchased and reservations had been made, so we left things as they were.....

Here we go to Thailand!

Clay with the Himalayas behind him!

The day arrived for Clay to leave for Nepal....we packed him a little suitcase, delivered him to the airport where he met the rest of the group, and off he went!  We went home after sending him off and packed our bags, and left out the next morning at 5:30am for Thailand!

We didn't have much communication with Clay during the entire week due to where he was internet connection was hit or miss and power outages happened frequently.  We got the occasional update from one of the teachers via email.  I knew ahead of time that communicating would be tough so I told Clay to be sure to take a lot of pictures!!!!  (And he did, such a good boy!)

Our Thailand trip was a little more leisurely than Clay's but both locations were definitely amazing experiences in their own ways.  In Thailand we ziplined through the jungle, walked across the historical River Kwai bridge, shopped at a floating market, rode and swam with elephants in the River Kwai, ate Thai food, saw amazing views of the land, swam in the South China Sea, built a sand castle on the beach, and enjoyed a relaxing time together!

 Elephants + Water = Soaked!!!

Clay spent time working on an orphanage in Nepal....providing a service to help those in need.  He meet children of all ages that lived in the orphanage, and played games with them.  They didn't really have any toys so Clay found a bunch of paper and some tape and he created a ball for them.  This led to a game of impromptu soccer between the kids from the school group and the kids from the orphanage.  The teachers reported that they all had a blast!  When they weren't cleaning or painting walls at the orphanage, the service group spent a few days trekking up the mountain side and staying in little hotels along the way, eating traditional dishes of Nepal, visiting a mountain top temple, walking among the temple's monkey inhabitants, and basically roughing it by showering with water bottles in tiny bathrooms.  Even though Clay's accommodations were not as nice as ours in Thailand he had a wonderful time, and gained an even greater appreciation for the things that we have been blessed with.  He has mentioned that he would love to go back one day with his friends from Texas!

Clay told us that Nepal is a very poor place and that trash is everywhere.  We experienced the same thing while in Thailand.  There were even some places that our taxi drivers told us to avoid due to the trouble caused in those locations by the Thai mafia.  Being able to see how other cultures live their daily lives is an eye opening experience, and I am glad that we have been able to experience it first hand.  We take so many things for granted so it is good to be humbled and reminded of just how blessed we are when we see those who have way less than we have.  It is also a lesson in how much we could all actually do without.  So many things that many of us consider neccesities are really no more than frivalous wants....  

Overall....we all enjoyed our Spring Break adventures!  God is good....All the time!!

Bakeries ..... Impressive!

Wal-Mart....Target....Brookshire Brothers....Krogers....You won't find them here in the Land of Sand.  The closest thing to these shopping establishments that you will find in the UAE are stores called Carrefour, LuLu's, Choithrams, and Union Cooperatives.  They are the so-called "one stop shop".  They have departments for clothing, toys, gadgets, electronics, cheap-o home furnishings, and groceries.  So all in all they remind me of a super center from the states, BUT here is one difference that is hard to miss....the bakery!

It is NOT just your run of the mill bakery.  It looks like a fine, fancy sweet shop!  There are chocolates, desserts, and breads of all kinds that are displayed and designed to entice you in to buy....  On top of that, the bread that has just been freshly baked beckons you to come closer before you even see the displays.

You won't find your basic sheet cake here....Oh No!  There is not a cake anywhere in sight just sitting and waiting for you to purchase and have someone add a name.  

Everything is displayed in a manner that just makes it all look expensive!  Of course, some items are pricier than others, and some are very affordable, but if you were basing it just on looks, you would think that it was out of your budget.

Besides the appearance of it all, you are also impressed by the many speciality items that are inspired creations from other cultures/countries.  Very yummy!   

The pictures that I have included are all from one location... I know that they may not do the view much justice but it is impressive just the same.  Enjoy....without the calories!

2014 International Day Festivities

Each year some of the schools in the UAE celebrate International Day.  This is a day of recognition of all the different cultures and countries that are represented here in the United Arab Emirates.  The schools make a full day out of it by having a parade of students wearing their countries colors and waving their flag.  They then have a huge area set up with food booths that are manned by the parents for each culture/country that chooses to set up a booth.  Cultural performances are also on the schedule for the day.  Some are performed by students, some by parents, and some by outside groups.

I was fortunate to have only had to work for half of the day, so I was able to join my boys at their school for these festivites.  I missed the majority of the parade but I got there in time to see the best part!! (FYI--Best part for me just because I am from the USA!).... I arrived in time to see the last country represented in the parade...the United States of America!  The parade began with the UAE group and ended with the USA group.  They were the first country represented due to the fact that we are currently living in that country, so it was the respectful thing to do.  What I found interesting and cool, was that the only national anthems played were for the UAE and for the USA.  When the group of students representing America stepped up to be announced, the crowd roared with cheers and pride!  It was awesome!!  The group was the largest but then became even larger as the high school students that had been sitting in the crowd swarmed the field and joined the middle school and elementary students, chanting "USA! USA! USA!"  You could feel the pride of the Americans! (Another really cool aspect of the kids representing America was that not only were they exhibiting pride in their country but also many were wearing things that represented their particular state!...My boys were definitely showing their TEXAS PRIDE!!)

It was a very neat experience seeing just how many cultures/nationalities were being represented by all the students/faculty/parents of the American Community School of Abu Dhabi.  After the parade, we milled around the various booths sampling cultural foods and admiring cultural dress. The whole celebration reaffirmed that I really want to see so many places in this world!  It also showed the level of pride that each person has in their own country and traditions!

 

Once we had sampled the cuisine and watched a few cultural performances on the outdoor stage, we proceeded to the auditorium to be entertained by a few more performances by high school and middle school students, as well as faculty members.  It was very entertaining!

A great time was had by all!

(I have included pictures from the day...I hope you enjoy them!)