Muslim Woman in Amman

 The year is finally at an end and I think we are all happy to see 2020 in our rearview mirror. I especially need a new start in my reading life. After my success in 2019, I was ready to go even further in 2020. My goals for 2020 were:  Read 366 books one book a day and because I read a lot of picture books for work I thought I could totally nail this challenge. Finish Around the year in 52 books. Finish the Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge. Did I complete these challenges? Nope! I completed none of them. 366 books? Nope! I got up to 235 books which percentage-wise is 64% Around the year in 52 books? Nope! I read 46 out of 52 which puts me at 88% Ultimate POP Sugar Challenge? Nope! I read 26 out of 50 books which is around 52% Is this going to discourage me from trying again in 2021 Nope!Nope! Double nope because I'm going to get it done this year not only that I'm going to up my game and read 40 books before my 40th. I turn 40 in 2022 so I want to mark the occasion by read...

  This summer Allah blessed me with the opportunity to purchase a chalet down in the Dead Sea area. It is a two-story two-bedroom house with a pool.  It looks over the Jordan Valley and it's not clear in this photo but you can see the Dead Sea just at the edge of the horizon.   Currently, we are working on making it even more beautiful; with plants and furniture. It already had some citrus trees like this pomelo tree and it also has a lemon tree and a Seville orange tree plus a guava tree. Our Seville orange has little tiny fruit on it, but the Guava and lemon haven't fruited, we are waiting for spring. The previous owners left us some furniture. In the living room, there were some hedious orange cushions on a nice rattan furniture set. Luckily I unzipped the orange cushions and found pretty beige cushions underneath with some stains that could easily be washed out. They also left this ugly lamp that I'm currently repainting and hope it will look much better. Lastly,...