Egypt Day 3 – Cairo

Day 3 in Egypt started at the Al Azhar Mosque, which is a grand structure that reflects many centuries of style & elegance. There are five very fine minarets with small balconies and intricately carved columns. It has six entrances, with the main entrance being the 18th Century Bab el-Muzayini (barber's gate), where students were once shaved.

You then enter into a great & grand courtyard which dates from the 10th century and is overlooked by three stately minarets. The white facades, the huge pillars and the beautiful carvings and arches is where you can spend most of your time.

The madrasas are not open to visitors. But tourists may enter into the main prayer hall, which is warmly carpeted and supported by alabaster pillars.

This is inside the mosque. The lighting was amazing...

The dome with inscriptions...

The Cairo Museum, should really be on top of your list of things to do and see!! Its an amazing experience….. to walk through history. The Egyptian Museum is situated at Tahrir square in Cairo. Camera were not allowed into the museum, so I have no pictures to show you.

On the ground floor there are the huge statues. The upper floor houses smaller statues, jewels, the treasures of Tutankhamon and of course the main attraction - the mummies.

The museum ahs around 120 halls. Here you will find monuments from pre-dynasty and the Old Kingdom, monuments from Modern Kingdom and overall Middle East. The museum is also home to a large library and photography section. You can also see monuments from the late Greek & Roman periods and an area for coins, papyrus & scarabs.

You must surely visit the hall of the royal mummies. There is an extra entrance fee for this, but it is well worth it. Currently the museum has eleven kinds & queens.

We ended day 3 with a dinner cruise and cultural show on the Nile. The experience was well worth it. The music & dancers, all traditional Egyptians….. were just awesome.

On My To-Do List

 

There’s no such thing as relaxing around here.  Between ballgames and birthday parties, I’m hoping to work on our house a little this weekend. . .

 

 

I’ve managed to add a little Fall to the front porch, and hope to bring some of the season inside as well.   I finally tossed my Pier 1 fall wreath after 8 years.  The fake leaves were literally dripping their colors off on the front door every time it rained :)

 

(Notice one of my Big Lots garden stools is yet another color.)

 

 

If I get really ambitious, I plan to tackle a gallery wall in our entry.  The frames are purchased and sitting by the front door now (just to remind me of things I probably wont’ get finished. . ).

 

 

I started taping (and taping and taping) and spray painting this lantern I picked up at Habitat Restore last week.  It’s going to take some major touching up before it gets installed in the office.

 

 

And,  most importantly, we’ll be celebrating this sweet boy’s 7th birthday this weekend.  He’s a good one :)

 

What are your plans?

 

PS—Check back tomorrow for a fun Halloween giveaway!

PPS—Good news! I’m able to pick up a few, new online design projects for Fall.  Please contact us for more rates and details.

In The Zone ~ Collection

Here is a quick round up of ~ In the zone ... The first entry.. was Kala Pohl with her gorgeous studio!! 

The second one ...  Peekadot ... 

Then a stunning henna design by Creative Mind ...

And this stunning entry from Ethnically Chic

Oh.. .and then Sudha at Avial n Rasam... with a gorgeous kitchen... Must see for sure!! 

This blog is my new favouirte... ~ The purple Rickshaw *smiles* 

And I am sooooooooooo envious of Sonam and her Pottery Zone... Another must see!! 

The last entry is close to my heart ~ A One Cent Life .... and she says...

I blog from my bed, which is next to a window. The window lets the sunshine streaming, rain splattering and the a view of the beautiful rainbow afterward. That is sometimes my inspiration for my posts.  It is ordinary, but that's where I'd like it, I love lounging and blog :)

You've got to see 'in the zone' by Not yet 100 hub.... Simply amazing blogging and reading corners... *smiles*

Hope to see you join in the next 'In the Spotlight' series... *smiles*... Can you guess what the monthly topic is??? See you tomorrow!!

Now. . .And Then: Jen of Made By Girl

 

Today, I’m wrapping up my Now & Then series (at least for a little while).  Hope you’ve enjoyed it.  And, now for the grand finale . . .

 

Blogger: Jen Ramos of Made By Girl

 

 

 

Now:

 

 

 

And Then. . .

 

 

What makes me cringe when I look back:

The ugly carpeting all over the place along with too many patterns and not enough accessories.

 

What I love most about my home now:

Oh my gosh....the wood floors of course.

 

The biggest influence on my evolving style has been:

Probably Elle Decor Magazine. I pick it up every time for inspiration.

 

…..

Thank you, Jen!  She’s obviously always had a great sense of style.  I, for one, could live with her “then” picture and be a pretty happy camper!  To see more of her home,visit her blog and check out her artwork at Cocoa & Hearts.

 

 

Sea themed birthday

This post is long overdue... *smiles*.. Sorry!! I've just been horribly busy... Anyway... about that later.. One of my blogger friends... About Time Now, hosted a sea themed birthday party for her six year old daughter... 

The decor was absolutely stunning... so I simply had to share it with you all... 

DECOR: Lots of shells, blue and green paper and balloons, fish related toys of Aditi, food fish and mock edible sea ( marshmellow and rusk crumbs)

FOOD: Shell & Star biscuits , Goldfish, Pasta salad, Honey twists, Veggie Fish/ Starfish cutlets, Candies, Chocolates, Juice, Two tier marine Cake

The food... the cake.. the decor... simply perfect!! *smiles*

Happy Birthday... little Anushka... You look absolutely gorgeous in this beautiful blue dress... *smiles*... 

So tell me what you think about her lovely efforts... Hop on to About Time Now.. and leave her a comment as well.. Am sure she will be thrilled... *smiles*... 

Do you have a birthday party to share... email me on torresp27@hotmail.com

Paper Fall Wreath

Well hello!! Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments on our deck and patio over the past week or so. We are just pinching ourselves – everything turned out so beautifully and we couldn’t be happier. I am so not worthy of the awesomeness. :) The next party on our Autumn Linky list is the Door Decor shindig over at Rhoda’s! I had an idea for a couple DIY fall wreaths this year, and

Take a Seat

Now that my table has taken on a new look, I've decided to change up the seating. I have a weakness for anything with cabriole legs so these chairs had to come home with me from the thrift store---even though there were only two.

I gave them coat of gray spray paint

to freshen them up. A little glaze helped to age and bring out the details.Next came some new upholstery that will, hopefully, hide food stains.Now I just need to find a few more chairs to seat my family, but the hunt is part of the fun right?

Thinking About My Kitchen

 

After yesterday’s wordy post, I thought it would be good to keep things simple by sharing some ideas I’m pondering for our kitchen.  When we first looked at our house, it was my favorite room.  Beautiful cabinets, open feel, etc.  But, of course, I’m thinking of ways to give it a boost. 

 

I’d like to add a couple of these inexpensive stools at the counter—just spotted them in Southern Living, and I like their industrial feel.  I also think they would be a nice contrast to the white, cane back chairs we’re using around the table.

 

 

We have darker, traditional cabinets and I was originally thinking that I would paint the walls a dark charcoal gray to make them seem a little more modern.  Lately, though, I’m feeling lighter, brighter walls. . .

 

Dillon Kyle Architects via DecorPad

 

And, a painted gray island. . .

 

House Beautiful

(It looks nice with the darker cabinets behind it, right? Do you know how hard it is to find great inspiration pictures of kitchens with dark cabinets?)

 

And, I am in love with the colors in this little breakfast nook.  I have the perfect windows to hang several curtain panels and I plan on going with a print of some kind.   The end chairs in this photo are great, too. . . Probably a little too nice for our house at the moment.

 

Studio M Interior Design

 

Just dreaming until I can put my plans into action.  What’s on your kitchen wish list?