I usually am the kind who plans ahead. Not so far ahead but I like to have a somewhat clear vision of where I’m going.

This changes when you have a husband who’s work is unpredictable, two children, a house being built and not going as per scheduled and of course you juggling all that along with the days you want to relax in the kitchen… oh and of course planning all the cookie orders.

Speaking of which, I wanted to take some time off from taking cookie orders. That isn’t working successfully!
A lot of people keep emailing, bbming or sending text asking to order and sometimes, just sometimes… I feel bad for saying no!
This time I was taking off was because I wanted to spend more time with my family and also to work on new recipe ideas I had in mind. Still getting there…I hope.

Back to the unpredictable days…

I believe there should be some kind of balance… between the present and the future… sometimes we plan for the future and forget to live our present… enjoy it a little… one day it will be very late…

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Summer slapped us in the face so hard this year and then apologized and gave us two breezy and immensely humid days… but then slapped us again even harder!

The only things I look forward to in the summer are dates, mangoes and of course berries! (I used to look forward to traveling but we haven’t traveled in a few years)

Berries Berries and more berries… but most importantly raspberries… my all-time favorite!

Raspberries remind me of the summers we spent in France growing up.
Going to the Farmer’s Friday Market and buying punnets of plump juicy raspberries!

That’s what I really miss about traveling to Europe.

ok I also enjoy going to the beach house during the summer and have been enjoying it even more since my boys started overcoming the fear they have from the waves! I admit!

We were there last weekend and that was the first time they actually played in the sand. There were occasional screams from some big waves but then they just made peace!

Everything seems a little different once you look at it from a distance… sometimes you feel quite emotional about a certain matter but as soon as you take a few steps away… your reactions change…

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I was a little disappointed to readers’ (be it on my blog or twitter) reactions towards Fight it – my breast cancer awareness campaign. Especially that I had a feeling that people would react more positively about supporting such a cause.

But… only a few people commented, retweeted or answered the questions.
Usually when there’s a cause, people can relate and react to it so I just naturally assumed everyone would to my blog post and tweets.

The pins are still available if you still want to order

After a day or two of feeling uneasy about the whole feeling and after bugging Fatma from Figs&Saffron about it… I then took a few steps away…(not literally of course) and I gave people excuses… maybe they were busy or weren’t interested in reading the whole post… maybe they’ve lost someone for cancer and don’t want their wounds to be open… maybe maybe maybe… only then was I able to relax a little and focus more on Cakes for a Cause!

He that can have patience can have what he will
Benjamin Franklin

I’m not a patient person everyone who knows me certainly does know that. My lack of patience also adds to me being short-tempered which is the worst thing especially when you’re married and have children!

It’s not an easy thing to do in a very fast paced world and especially now with everything being “instant”! I try to be patient but it doesn’t always work and I try to control my temper but it usually succeeds and I lose! Such a battle I have with my self-discipline!

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Summer fruits are awesome and berries are the yummiest but raspberries are my utmost favorite!

Amidst my daily crazy/hectic/calm-for-a-minute day, and mother going to the fruit and vegetables market the day before bringing back raspberries among other yummy seasonal fruits, I had to make something with the raspberries but didn’t want to do the usual. Nothing came to mind… at least for that moment!

As a kid, I used to love going with my mother to the fruit and vegetables market and back then it was two streets away from our house! The smells of freshness, different languages traveling through my ears, people bargaining on prices…utter nostalgia!

That moment ended and there popped an idea in my head!
A new recipe… the thought made me feel proud! Just the thought that I felt daring enough to come up with a recipe from scratch and didn’t even know how it will turn out!

The Final Outcome!