Word of the Day Wednesday

Shukran
arabic: شكراًَ
is an arabic expression meaning thanks or "thank you". Shukran Gazeelan means thank you very much. Alfa shukr means "a thousand thanks".

This is basic Arabic vocabulary. It is probably the first word many new residents to Egypt learn. Also, it's a surefire way to win the heart of an Egyptian. You say Shukran and they go, "Ah, you speak Arabic very well!" Yep, you can go far with just this one magic word. And expound upon it with shukran gazeelan, they will be blown away. And if that isn't enough, you say Alfa shukr and you'll be scraping them off the floor like putty. Mwa-ha-ha! The companion to thank you, "You're welcome" is Afwan. The other day, Grant and I were coming home from preschool. I had a couple bags with me and Grant had his lunch box and water bottle. Mahmoud (our boab) came and helped us with our parcels. When we got to the elevator, I prompted Grant with a What-do-you-say? and Grant said, "Shukran ya Mahmoud". Mahmoud smiled, waved and shut the elevator door for us. Grant looked up at me and, "But Mommy, he didn't say Afwan!" Does my boy know his manners or what?

Sunday Quotations

I just had to dedicate this week's quotations post to President Hinckley. I think I speak for most when I say that my heart aches and the tears come unbidden when I think about my beloved prophet. I like to call him, "My Prophet" because he was prophet when I was a teenager and really discovering my own testimony for myself and he was the first prophet, for me, that I felt I could connect with. I knew in my heart that he really loved me and cared for me. I can remember the time, place and day of when I heard this first quote. I don't even have to look it up. It is from the Sunday afternoon session of the October 1997 General Conference. It was my freshman year at BYU and a group of my friends and I had taken a radio and some blankets to the Provo Temple grounds to listen to this last session of conference.

"I have a confession to make, my brothers and sisters. It is simply this: I love you. I love the people of this Church. I love all who are faithful. I love all who follow the ways of the Lord. It is a humbling thing to preside over the Church. I can never forget the words of Jesus: he that would be first among you, let him be the servant of all. "

When Spencer and I were engaged, the stake president of our stake liked to interview each engaged couple before they were married. Our stake president was Truman G. Madsen. Yeah. I was understandably intimidated. Well, it was a very relaxed and comfortable conversation and he mentioned this quote during the evening. It has always stuck with me as a yardstick of sorts.

“Under the plan of heaven, the husband and the wife walk side by side as companions, neither one ahead of the other, but a daughter of God and a son of God walking side by side. Let your families be families of love and peace and happiness. Gather your children around you and have your family home evenings, teach your children the ways of the Lord, read to them from the scriptures, and let them come to know the great truths of the eternal gospel as set forth in these words of the Almighty.” (fireside, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 12 Nov. 1996)

And how could I not mention this favorite.

"Let us all try to stand a little taller, rise a little higher, be a little better. Make the extra effort. You will be happier. You will know new satisfactions. A new gladness in your heart." (book, Stand a Little Taller)

Gordon B. Hinckley

These are a few of my favorite things . . .

It's ok to sing along. We won't laugh. Really. I was waiting for the perfect picture to complete this post. And I got it. I just have to precede it with a few of my other favs.

I just love this guy. He was part a 5 piece Egyptian band that was roving the grounds at CAC, playing and stopping at random intervals. There were two trumpets, a tuba, a drum and a guy with cymbals. But this guy, he is my favorite. It's like he's saying, "I'm serious about trumpeting, but I still know how to relax."

I found this rug at a bazaar last week. It still had the $40 Bed, Bath and Beyond tag attached. (I paid $17, btw) And it SO matches the rest of my kitchen.

I found these gems at the yearly Egyptian Week Celebration at Cairo American College, the American school in Maadi. I LOVE these! The colors didn't come out as clear as in real life, and the middle stripe is really a faded blue but looks green in this picture for some reason, but the blues and yellow match my FiestaWare perfectly. I have a mix of 3 colors: Cobalt, Sunflower and Tangerine (or blue, yellow and orange, but my colors sound better.) If they had had one with an orange stripe, that whole exhibit would have ended up in my kitchen!!

The moment has arrived. These are my most favorite of all. I have snagged the perfect picture. I just hope the same for Sara. The only thing that would make it better is was if she was in a galabeyya with headscarf. She just couldn't handle the world. Meltdown city! I'm just grateful that I was quick enough with my camera.




P.S. I also have another fav pic of Jacqui and Sam running around naked (they are potty training). Both have a full moon turned to the camera, but then if I posted that, it might be bordering on child pornography, soooooo.

Word of the Day Wednesday

Peripatetic -
noun - a person who walks or travels about. adj. - walking or traveling about; itinerant.

I like this word. For one, it describes our family very well. We are a peripatetic people. Also, very alliterative and fun to say. Peripatetic, peripatetic, say that 5 times fast!! It was in the running for the title of our blog. The Peripatetic Penrods, but it also sounds like the Pathetic Penrods and I just couldn't do that. You can see our address is penrodpostings. blah, blah, blah. I was wracking my brain, trying to come up with a catchy name for my blog. It probably comes from my dad. Growing up, my dad was in the Air Force. We moved around a bit, not as much as other military people, though. Since we were far from family, my dad started up a monthly newsletter. And this was in the days before blogs, email and the fancy-schmancy Interweb. He created quite a wonderful monthly publication. There was weather, current events, the Kid Korner with a spotlight on one kid a month, the whole thing was chock full of family updates. And then he would print it off and we would stuff and address numerous envelopes. Oh, and apply the licked stamp. (back when we licked stamps. funny story, i licked a stamp the other day and the wonderful old Sudanese guy in the mail room showed me how to peel off the backing and apply the already sticky stamp.) Well, that memorable annal was titled, "The Holloway Herald". And the title usually changed to fit the area were we were living. It was the Heartland Holloway Herald when we lived in Nebraska. Anyway, I had to settle with Life, Kids, and Pyramids for now, but I have been thinking about what it will change to when we leave Egypt. France would be really convenient for us, Penrods in Paris. Or Spain, the Peninsular Penrods. Then Jordan, Penrods for Petra or, well, that's it I'm out of locations and ideas. But enjoy and I may think about making this a weekly thing, Wordy Wednesday. (see, the alliterative thing again.)

WHAT??!!

Since when did my childhood toys become vintage??



And I have that chime ball in my kids toy chest right now!!

Go here to see more "vintage" toys.


http://www.aliviastoys.com/fisherpricevintagetoys/fisherpricevintagetoys.html

Bang, Bang, Bang On the Wall, Baby!

So, all day we have been subject to our downstairs neighbor's (our landlord) construction noise. These walls are cement. I had no idea how well sound carries through cement walls. It sounds like they are banging on the other side of the wall and not downstairs. Bang, Bang, Bang. Oh wait, you didn't want an audio description of what the soundtrack of my day sounded like? Well, too bad, you can listen here below. It started up at about 10 am, when all respectable working Egyptians begin work. (actually, that's pretty early for them seeing as how most shops, etc, don't open until 11 or 12) I got back from the gym and it was reverberating throughout the house. The epicenter of it all was in my bathroom. So, I started the shower and got in. Then, I felt the banging right under my feet. It felt like he was going to break right through my tub!! With me standing in it!! I could live with that, but then it started affecting the water. Bang, bang, bang, hot, cold, hot, cold **(yes, no, in, out, up, down)** I could not live with that, so I began some banging of my own with the shaving cream can on the bottom of the tub. And yelling incoherent rants to the imbeciles below. Hey, they can't understand me! They stopped for a few minutes, then began again. I have no idea whether my banging had any effect on their "work". I had other errands to run and so was out from noon to 2. When I got back, it was still going. I had taken Jacqui with me and it was time for her nap. Oh, I had hoped that they would be done by now. But no. I put her down for her nap and BLESS HER LITTLE HEART she's still sleeping 2 hours later. ^^big smile^^ I am marching down there to protest if this continues past 5pm. Anyone got a big fat Advil?

**If you know what I'm referring to, I will send you the best flair that Facebook has to offer!**

Sunday Quotations

I'm looking for a weekly theme. I've come up with a few ideas, but I'm going to try this out. Maybe 'Sunday Sayings'? Sabbath Sayings? I don't know. I do know that I won't always be in Egypt where the Sabbath is observed on a Friday. Anyway, this quote is one that I hold near and dear to my heart.

"Take your children when they yet lisp and have them kneel down by your knee or by their cribs or beds in the evening when they go to bed. Lead them in their prayers until they get big enough and know enough that they can pray by themselves.... I don't know a thing in my life that I owe more to, for not being worse than I am, than the practice my mother trained me to when I was a child. To this day, my conscience won't let me go to bed at night or leave my room in the morning without saying my prayers on my knees, if I am where I can get on my knees. If I am where I can't get on my knees, I say them as I lie in my bed. If your children will always do this, they will not go far astray." --Marion G. Romney, 52nd Annual Primary Conference, April 3, 1958