Back to reality...

So here I am. Back in Belfort. Ramadan has started. I think I'll keep myself busy by baking, straightening up our now dusty apartment and doing the half ton of laundry we've accumulated over the course of our vacation. Then, I'll get my life organized before going for a twilight run.

I'm going to be using the recipe I told you about here to make chocolate chip and walnut banana bread. I use the same recipe but throw it in a loaf pan instead. Lately, I've been making it with tiny pieces of cut-up apple and walnuts, but I think after a day of not eating, I'll give us a treat - indulging just a little is okay by me!

Then, I'm going to make a three cheese and spinach lasagna. This is my Mom's recipe. It will be my first time making it! I'll let you know how it goes. My guy absolutely loves my Mom's lasagna and has been begging me for quite some time to get the recipe from her. I finally asked for it yesterday, and we picked up the ingredients right away.

Besides the cleaning and doing laundry, I really need to get my work schedule organized. Shortly after I arrived in France, I landed a job teaching English to business men and women. I will go to their offices or they will come to mine. It's mostly one-on-one but sometimes I'll have small groups. The company has locations around the world, and I am excited to work with and for them. I don't start until the end of August, but they send the schedules by e-mail and I have to reply with a simple "OK." Since I want all the hours I can get but haven't wanted to open a ton of e-mails while on vacation, I've been replying "OK" like crazy but now I need to take the time to get my Google Calendar in sync with my now blooming work life.

So that's my schedule for today. The laundry is already swirling around, the bananas are already mashed - making progress!

I am happy Ramadan has arrived. I feel like while it's here, we're in a little bubble. We're safe in this bubble. All little issues are meaningless and we can enjoy this time together.

The windows and doors are open. The sun is shining. There is a lot to be grateful for today. And, a lot of delicious food to look forward to as well!