Remembering George Tiller: A Hero for Women and Families

May 31st is a day that I will never forget.  Today marks the three year anniversary since the horrific murder of Dr. George Tiller.  Dr. Tiller was gunned down and shot in his church where he was serving as an usher.  His wife was in the church choir.  It was a Sunday; I was living in DC and was about to enjoy a beautiful Sunday with many other Washingtonians playing kickball on the mall when my phone rang.  It was my coworker calling to say, "You better sit down, they murdered Dr. Tiller this morning".  

At the time I was the Director of a national Hotline that fielded calls from all over the country and Canada from women who were seeking abortion care.  We sent many women to Wichita, KS as Women's Healthcare Services (Dr. Tiller’s clinic) was their last hope.

Dr. Tiller provided late-term abortion care, a needed service to save women's lives.  I feel that it's not stigma that surrounds late-term abortion care, its ignorance and lack of understanding.  The women who went to see Dr. Tiller for his care were often carrying wanted pregnancies.  Many women had received a diagnosis of a catastrophic fetal anomaly that would result in a horrific disability or death, if carried to term.  Other women who needed his care had been desperately trying to get a first trimester procedure, but due to obstacles out of their control, they were not able to receive care in their home state and had to make the life-changing journey to Wichita, KS.        

Dr. Tiller was one of the few remaining providers that gave women their lives back.  He used to say, "Abortion is not a cerebral or a reproductive issue. Abortion is a matter of the heart. Until one understands the heart of a woman, nothing about abortion makes any sense at all."  He knew every woman’s story was different.  It makes me want to scream at these lawmakers who think they can take their privilege and create these blanket ridiculous laws that are harmful to women.

We used to strategize on how to get women to Wichita from all over the country.  He used to say to me, "thank you, I don't know how you do it" to which I would say, "Planes, trains and automobiles, I don't know how you do it.”  He would say to me, "Kira, just get her here, I'll take it from there".

Dr. Tiller, it was an honor to work with you.

Homemade Pita Chips

It is amazing to me to see how much money can be saved by cooking at home.  I'm lucky that Habibi is very aware and appreciative to the creative ways I'm finding to save a dollar. 

I find one of the most overpriced food products that's easy to make at home is pita chips.  The last time I was in the grocery store I checked and saw that one bag considered "party size" was $7.00.  We all know that those bags are mostly air anyhow.  

Pita chips at home are unbelievably easy and here's how.  

Brush pita bread with olive oil.  I like to use garlic infused olive oil.  Sprinkle sea salt carefully.  I say carefully because the pita will shrink and a little salt goes a long way.  Cut pita into eight pieces and place on sheet pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes depending on your oven.  

Curious to see what the exact saving truly was, I did the calculations:

Pita $1.59 a bag (8 slices/bag);  I estimate that the equivalent to the store "party size" took 3 pitas.  Yep, my version cost 60 cents.   

I'm Officially a Michigander

After about a month of living in hotels and dealing with the hell that is moving, my husband (Habibi) and I have settled in a cozy condo in the suburbs of Detroit (not Ann Arbor as we were first considering). I have immediately fell in love with midwestern living for many reasons.

First, let's talk about more bang for your buck. The first week of being a Michigander I felt myself and my lack of poker face every time Habibi and I would either make a purchase or get the bill at a restaurant. Being so accustomed to DC prices you could have easily inserted a 1 before the 37.98 food bill and I would have taken that as a normal dinner out.

Second,Space: prior to this move and becoming a married lady, I was living my home life in a box. A very expensive box I might add. Now our condo has rooms I don't even go into on a daily basis. Our kitchen could even fit a table in it, but I just felt that a table would get in the way of my dancing while cooking.

Third, one word..... traffic. When something is 20 minutes away it really means you can get there in 20 minutes. I can not tell you how much Habibi and I love to buzz around without the feeling of wanting to pull your hair out. Or playing the game, 'what the hell is causing this random traffic backup'.

Now that we are all settled in, I can get to work on posting recipes, crafts and all other things creative. I am proud to say I am the proud owner of my very own craft room. Yes, I now have a space to craft and blog that is the same size of many places I have lived. It's such a wonderful space; thanks to Habibi and a dear friend from CCC. It turns out that Habibi contacted one of my crafty CCC friends to ask what furniture to surprise me with. I absolutely love my Expedit table and have been getting crafty. Here is my first craft. A wreath for my laundry room door.