I Have Moved

Hello Everyone!

I have moved to another blog and will no longer be publishing on this one.  Here is the link .  I will still be talking about interesting things but not all about Morocco, even though Morocco may pop up occassionally.

It is called:  I, too, am here and I am excited to still be out there with you sharing life from my point of view. See you there!

Jeannie

HOPE

Hello Friends,

I am going to start a new blog with a different twist in the next few weeks.  I like this blogging thing and I think that I can still talk about Morocco and other countries too, or whatever is of interest to me.  So, please don't give up on me yet.  I have a title in mind, now all I need is to get it underway. 

Jeannie

Shattered Dreams

Hello friends,

I am afraid that I will be off line for a while.  Not sure if and when I will be back on line.

Pecan Pie

This time of year is great for baking.  The house is filled with the aroma of a delightful dish.  Would you believe that just recently I have learned how to make a pecan pie?  I would look at them in the store and think that they would be so hard to make.  I sure was wrong.  The key to this pie is making sure it is done in the middle.  A couple of times it didnt get done in the middle and I had to put it back in the oven to cook.  It is very embarassing especially when company is over.  Oh well, that is how it is when one is trying a new recipe.  This recipe is not for those watching their calorie intake. 

Ingredients:

1 cup of light corn syrup

3 eggs

1 cup of sugar

2 TBS butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1\2 cups pecans

1 unbaked 9 inch deep dish pie crust

Stire the first 5 ingredients thoroughly using a spoon.  Mix in the pecans.  Pour into the pie curst.  Bake on the center rack of over for about an hour.  Cool for 2 hours.  The pie is done when the center reaches 200 degrees F. Tap center surface of the pie lightly, it should spring back when done. Enjoy!



Walking a Different Path

A couple of weeks ago today, I decided to take the Shahadah (Confession of a Muslim).  Why you may ask?  I grew up in a Christian home.  I was a Sunday school teacher, choir member, helped in the bus ministry, volunteered at a Christian coffee house, and was a helper in the library.  Yet, whenever I had questions about the doctrine, I was always told, "just believe" instead of getting an answer. For years I struggled with the religion.  Some of the things that Christians believe just didn't make sense to me or there were many contradictions.  Lately, I have been doing some more investigations and found that Islam seems right for me.  So far, I have been focusing on getting the prayers right.  Islam is not just a religion but a way of life. 

Women of Morocco and Rug Weaving

When I was visiting my husband in Morocco we went to visit the lovely city of Fes.  The famous tannery is there.  While on our walk through the city we came upon a carpet store.  We were shown upstairs and given tea to drink.  The owner thought that my husband was my guide but he was quickly put right about us.  Anyway, we were shown a lot of carpets.  Beautiful carpets.  Expensive carpets.  I came home with a carpet from one of my husband's relatives for free.  It took her a month to create it.  Which brings me to the subject that I want to discuss.  The art of making carpet in Morocco.  They are hand woven on looms.  I have always wanted to try to do this but have never had the opportunity.

Photo from here

There are women all over Morocco who weave carpets to make extra money for the family.  The carpets are usually sold for large amounts of money and the weavers are generally given a small portion of the profits.  However, cooperatives have sprung up all over Morocco and the women sell them directly to the consumer.  Weaver Fadma Mahamedet lives in the village of Ait Hamza and belongs to the cooperative there. 

Photo by Anna Beeke

You can read about her and the rest of the women who work in the cooperatives in Untangling Threads: Female Artisans in Morocco's Rug Weaving Industry.

Morocco's Music Revolution

I don't know about you but I love to listen to music, all kinds of it.  Since I have gotten married, my music genre has expanded dramatically.  I now listen to Arabic, Latin, Spanish, Moroccan, and any other kind of music that is out there.  Can you imagine having your music censored?  No, neither can I.  But there are some places in world that does just that.  Yet people are longing for freedom of expression.  Isn't that how we are supposed to be?  Today I came across this music video which talk about Morocco's music revolution.  How the young people long to be able to listen to the music that everyone else the world over is experiencing.  Take a look and tell me what you think.