this n that

This is going to be a jumbly post. I have been even more scatterbrained lately than usual. At least I'm not sick, unlike my poor sweetie. He actually missed a day of work this week and didn't work any extra, which is unusual. He's watched the entire series of Harry Potter movies, his comfort viewing. I even let him close the curtains and turn the lights off (which I hate - too hard to quilt).

One big item on my list of things to do before we pack-up in early September was to get our dvd cabinet fixed. It is an incredibly beautiful piece of work custom-made here in Egypt - this picture doesn't do it justice.

The doors were too heavy and were scraping along the bottom of the cabinet. And then one of the knobs came off, which was a real sign there was a problem. I talked to Mr Taha and the very next morning his son, the furniture maker, arrived to fix it. He took the doors off and tried planing them down and when that wasn't enough he took the doors back to his shop and fixed them there. The bottom shelf is rather thin now, but it shouldn't be a problem.

It astounds me how this was made. It's all oak - and darn heavy.

Here's a detail of the mother-of-pearl inlay and the gorgeous carving.

I would love to have more furniture made, but since we do have a weight allowance to worry about I've kept myself under control. For those who haven't seen it, check out the gorgeous hand-made cabinet and my quilt display box here. And the incredible mashrabiya screen can be seen here.

SewPrimitive Quilter Karen asked if I had any other collections after I showed you all my canopic jars and phrenology heads. I have a tacky refridgerator magnet collection. Whenever a friend is going on holiday (or on a business trip) and asks what I'd like, I say "tacky magnet." I've since had to adjust the rule to indicate that they have to be souvenir magnets and clearly show where they are from.

I was so incredibly proud of my sweetie, who doesn't have a tacky bone in his body, when he brought me home the gaudy sandal magnet that is actually filled with sand. Woohoo - he just picked out the most obnoxious magnet that he hated the most, and he had a winner. We both got a magnet from the National Archives in DC. His has the consitution, mine has Elvis shaking hands with Nixon.

For another view of the fridge magnets, you can check out my bad girl Pokey trying to knock some off. I've since moved the more enticing and bulky magnets further out of reach, tho I have a couple that need repairs.

We had a going away get together for my friend L, who's now off enjoying the muggy hot weather in the states. (Ya'all think it's horrible here in Egypt? Ha! It's been worse in many places in the states.) I was surprised to find that it was sort of a going away for my hubby and I as well. We received lovely gifts, including a table with this marble mosaic top. Looks like a cool quilt design, doesn't it.

Before I forget again, the pre-printed tent fabric? 100% polyester - looks better in pics than it does in real life. There are also heavy weight cotton tablecloths that smell strongly of gasoline (which eventually fades) and have to be set with vinegar.