Introducing the "Butt Baths"

Really though, they are more of personal 'showers' than baths....but Caden started referring to them as 'Butt Baths' and it has stuck. So, in our household that's what they are. 

AND, I know, I know. I told C it was inappropriate to talk about 'butt baths' in public. This is obviously a very public forum, but I just can't help but share this discovery with all of you. I just don't think I can share the Bahrain experience with you without talking about this! Almost 2 months later - and these still baffle/surprise/confuse/amuse me every time I see one. Which is daily.

I first referenced the existence of the Bahrain 'Butt Baths' in THIS post. It earned the #1 spot in my 10 Things I've Learned in Bahrain (so far) post earlier this month. 

What is it? It's hard to explain. SOOO I've made a point to take some pictures to show you!

No need to thank me. 

 

See it there on the left side of the toilet?! It's the little shower head/hose coming from the wall. Honestly, the first time I saw it I thought, "Oh this must be to wash off your feet after being at the beach! How nice!" I especially thought this because there is ALSO a floor drain in every bathroom too....not so sure what to think about that.

At first I thought it was a novelty, or a fluke, but then I noticed them in the malls, in the restaurants, in the grocery stores, EVERYWHERE!!!

It wasn't a fluke. It's a real thing. A part of their culture. To have these next to all toilets. I've also found that almost EVERY toilet has it's own toilet brush mounted on the wall next to it. 

I can't decide if both of these are because the Bahraini people want everything to be really clean...or if they are naturally really dirty and need to have these extra tools. Both? I don't know. I'm kind of disturbed by it.

All 5, yes 5 bathrooms in our house have them. This is in our guest bathroom.

SO interesting. I guess it's the little things that amuse me right now. Sorry for the inappropriate post - but I'm seriously INTRIGUED by this! Have you ever seen this installed by every single toilet before?!

And the floor drain?!?! Are you supposed to 'spray off' onto the floor and let it drain?!?! Do you teach kids how to use these along with potty training?! Should I ask a local what I'm supposed to do with it?! Do they realize that in the 11 other countries I've been to this is the fist time I've ever seen this?! 

Not to mention that they have these by Every. Single. Toilet. But they don't have electrical outlets in bathrooms?! Where am I supposed to blow dry my hair? So annoying. Priorities I guess.

Also...these are a horrible idea to have around a 5 year old. C thinks it's a toy and "accidentally" sprays me with it whenever he gets the chance. It's lovely. 

ANYWAYS...back to normal, acceptable conversation...

We met our neighbors yesterday. They seem very wonderful! They are in the process of moving to Bahrain from Saudi Arabia as they are opening a new International School here. I am fascinated by their accents as they are originally from New Zealand! Their 2 year old son is adorable and sounds so proper and cute when he talks! Little kids with accents are so classy to me. SOOO much better than Honey Boo Boo. 

So far I've met Laura and her son Harrison, and her mom ("mum") and dad.So excited to have some friends! How sad is that?! I'm so desperate for friends here!

But even better than being just neighbors...they have a POOL! The canal is nice and all, but sometimes a pool is just wonderful. They have given Caden an open invitation to come on over whenever he wants to use the pool. All he has to do is walk along the bulkhead (trying not to fall into the canal) and come on in through their front gate! I don't think they realize what they've brought upon themselves. My poor son is so missing family and friends, he stalks them. He plays out on our porch listening in on their conversation. I heard him yell out, "What's going on over there?! What's so funny?" I have to remind him that he isn't always part of their conversation.

Laura told me that yesterday he told them his entire life story. Yep...he's definitely my son. 

OPEN. BOOK.

C has already taken full advantage of the pool...this is him enjoying the pool earlier today. I checked on him every now and then from my bedroom balcony. Then as I fed Davis in the living room I was able to open the sliding glass door and hear him swimming and laughing and playing with them. 

It melted my heart. I'm SO EXCITED to have some great neighbors. 

(Especially ones with a pool.)  I have a feeling that we are going to have an open house policy in this neighborhood, and I can only hope that the neighbor kids come and go and play all day long.

Have I mentioned how much I love Floating City?!?!

I honestly feel safer here than I did back home in Maryland. Crazy, but true. 

This place is winning me over. Butt baths and all....

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

Can You Handle It?!?

So, yesterday I spent about an hour typing out a post with my THUMBS. Letter by letter. It was painful. 

THEN....

my iPhone died and I lost it all. It was a great post. It was funny. Lots of pictures. AND it's gone. 

Gone. Gone. Gone.

I don't have it in me to retype it yet - but I will - I promise. It was all about Caden and his love for delicious, juicy, Shawarmas. It was good, and someday soon it will live again. Just not now.

SO - until then I have a little gift for you. 

I'm not sure you can handle it....Are you ready? 

HERE. YOU. GO.

BEST. FAMILY. PICTURE. EVER!!!

And, in case you are somehow missing what makes this pictures so awesome. 

I've blown it up for you!

YES - Davis is twirling his mustache. When we saw this we laughed so hard we cried. It was that good, laughing SO hard no noise is coming out anymore kind of laugh. 

Caden rocks the handlebar mustache too. He was in character...that's for sure. He had to try eating and drinking with his 'stache. He loved it. 

What's cuter than a baby with a mustache?!

A baby meme with Davis and his mustache....

Do you have a good caption for this photo?! Send it my way!

Maybe we aren't as funny as we think we are? Maybe, just maybe, it was our moving-in induced exhaustion that made us think this was the most hilarious thing we had ever seen. If so, oh well. 

We love it. 

I mean we aren't THIS family...

NOPE...That's my sister, her awesome husband, and team of superhero sons. 

From oldest to youngest Mason, Reid, Nolan, and Cash. These boys are ALWAYS. IN. CHARACTER. This is a normal thing around their house. 

Seriously - who can top this? They actually dressed like this on Father's Day to go see the new Superman movie. They are that cool. My sister said that people were stopping them and asking to take pictures with them. I mean, can you get any cooler or more beautiful?!

Oh wait...

Yeah...not even close. Brandon was the Homecoming King - Stephanie was the Prom Queen. Andrew and I - WELL...let's just say that I was President of the National Honor Society, and Andrew was President of the Latin Club. 

Not nearly as cool - but hey. We are ROCKIN' the mustache. 

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

Just keep swimming....

I feel like Dori on Finding Nemo right now. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I just have to keep pushing forward.

Truth be told...I'm so over it.

This is probably why we weren't fully unpacked in our Maryland house until my nesting phase kicked in. It took us 2 years to hang everything and put everything in its place...then we had to take it down a month later to move. How awesome is that?!?

I'm still without Internet, so here is another picture filled post brought to you by my thbs. ( and THIS is why it's short...I can't even type 'thumbs') and its way too hard to up back and correct it. So you're welcome.

I can't wait to get our Internet up...I have so many stories to tell from the move, but for now this is all you get!

We went patio furniture and storage shelf shopping (my biggest shit show yet)...and C begged and pleaded for this 'perfect relaxing spot' - at least he was entertained while I shopped.

I would also like to take a brief moment to thank my dad for giving me his horrible sense of direction. It took me no less than an hour to finally figure out how to get to the home store with the patio furniture. 110 degree weather, fussy baby that just had immunizations...sweaty hungry mom...and a 5 year old that can't hold still for the life of him. Not my best day.

Let's not forget the fact that I had dressed to do unpacking all day, capri workout pants, and a tank top. I hadn't really planned to run these errands and walk through two malls to find the freaking shelves I needed. In the States it would have been no big deal. But here...I WAS PRACTICALLY NAKED! (In the States I would have only had to go to Target to get everything I needed...but let's not go there...)

I got some very strange looks. I guess I could have put on a workout jacket I had brought...but are you kidding me? I was sweating in places you don't want to sweat. 

I've since decided that my favorite new term...HANGRY, which means hungry and angry is also applicable to HOT and ANGRY. 

I was all kinds of HANGRY by the end of this day. Which pretty much means I sat in the furniture section of the home store and cried. 

This is after walking through the base, through two malls, and the freaking crazy Car Park (Bahraini for 'Parking Garage') where you are lucky to find a spot and blessed to do so without getting run over!. In the midst of this my phone died, so I bought a car charger, made our way back to the car, and found my way out...

Well...once it was charged I called Andrew...and WHERE was he?!? Waiting for me IN the mall. I was already back on the freeway, so I had to turn around and do it all again. We. Were. A. Mess.

I cried after I made it to where he was. Of course, my loving husband asks what is wrong and all I could do was look at him and try not to hurt him. Tears running down my face, sweat running down my ass, people staring at me like I was a naked freak show. Like I said NOT MY FINEST HOUR.

But on the bright side, I found everything we needed! I also happen to LOVE putting together furniture.

So after the boys ( Andrew included) where in bed I had some serious fun.

AND BAM!!!

Take that my furniture assembling challenged friends!!!

AND...

Patio Furniture! Though the delivery guy put it on the lawn...after I repeatedly asked for it in the patio. I guess you could say there was a language barrier. It's on the patio now. Thanks to Moman, our yard boy. More on awesome Moman later.

The house is coming together...even though I'm losing my mind in the process. 

The most beautiful part of the past few days is that I was seriously about to just crumble...then I got two surprise care packages from back home! One from my mom with stuff for the boys, some stuff A and I ordered from Amazon that they wouldn't deliver to an FPO address, and a belated birthday present from my Grandma!

Then I opened this lovely care package from my doula, Stacy, and two dear friends I met in pre-natal yoga, Katie and Christine. 

You know how sometimes you meet people that you know you will treasure forever? That's how these ladies are. They are amazing and such wonderful caring women, and  awesome mamas now too! I love them and am so touched by their sweet gifts.

It was amazing how these little things lifted my spirits. It is such a comfort to be reminded that No matter where I am, or how hard it is being away from everyoneand  in a foreign country, I am loved back home.

I WILL survive this move in. I WILL.

Oh and just so you know what I mean when I say it's HOT...

And it's not even the hottest time of the year yet!!!! When 88 is your LOW, you know it's hot. ALL. THE. TIME. 

You would have sweat running down your butt too, so no judgement allowed!

And That's 'Watts' She Said...

Davis Stew Continued...

It's been three weeks since we started supplementing....and the stats are in.

It's working!!! Little D is finally gaining weight again. He has gained 2 pounds in the past three weeks! His growth chart isn't flat lining anymore - in fact...it's gone up in almost a 45 degree angle!

I'm one happy mommy. 

He is still ridiculously LONG. Somehow he grew another INCH bringing him to 28" long! So in length he is literally OFF THE CHARTS!!! His weight is in the whopping 16th percentile. 

The tech pulled up his growth charts and I said, "What's that one mean?" As I pointed to one where D is BELOW the charts, zero-ith (I have no idea how to say that...but you get the point) percentile. He informed me that it's the length to weight ratio...and considering his crazy length, he's underweight. 

Little D even took his shots like a champ! Caden loved watching since this time HE didn't have to get shots too. I'm super proud of D though, he cried for like 5 seconds and then was over it. He is WAY tougher than his big brother.

So there you go little buddy...long and skinny and pretty awesome in every way. Those genes clearly did not come from me. The long/skinny genes that is...clearly the awesome genes came straight from me.

Dear Lord, if we have a daughter next please bless her with the long and skinny genes too. Thanks, Kristina 

And That's 'Watts' She Said....

Our First Night!!!!

Well...day 3 of unpacking and I feel like we are moving one step forward, two steps back. This whole unpacking with a baby thing...it majorly sucks. I don't recommend it. At all. At least we are unpacked enough to officially move in today!

Davis is proving to be pretty moody and hmmm...lets just say 'difficult' these past few days. So essentially one if us entertains the little one while the other unpacks. 

It's taking FOR-EV-ER....

Plus like I mentioned before we have way way way too much stuff. Though we are probably 75% unpacked...it's this last 25 that's going to be the hardest. And...my husband is SOUTHERN...so I say he has two speeds. Slow and slower. No need to elaborate more on that...

Now it's the things like, hanging pictures, decorating, and getting the right shelves/bins/ etc to be able to put stuff away. 

I love our villa..but storage space is NOT its strongest asset. 

I'm exhausted and sore, and our Internet isn't working yet, so I'm keeping this post short and sweet since I'm typing it out with my thumbs. 

So here is our life in pictures right now...

 I know, I know...this does NOT look like unpacking. We had to take a little break and celebrate My awesome Australian friends birthday and I treated myself to this. Nutella and banana crepe with vanilla gelato. It was HEAVEN. And I am not allowed to get another one until next year!

My name is Kristina, and not only do I pee my pants when I workout, but I used to be addicted to MAC makeup. I've been carrying this around since high school...and I'm finally letting it go. Downsizing people!!!

D hanging out like a boss. One of his few nice moments. Is it me, or are his arms freakishly long?!

I loved the ladies that packed up our house....and I love them even more after seeing what one of them wrote on these boxes of Caden's books. 

We took a little break to wear some mustaches around the house. Why? Well, thats just how we roll. Awesome family mustache picture to come later!

Caden took his very first dip in the canal. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this place? Just walk out the door and hop on in! See the life jacket mom? Don't worry.

The previous tenant, another Navy guy, rigged up this outdoor shower. It's super handy. 

And now we are ready for our FIRST NIGHT in our new home!!! 

Finally...

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

Moving Part 1: 264 Boxes...CHECK!

That's right. We had 264 boxes. TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOUR!!!

The total weight of our shipment: 8,200 POUNDS

Seriously, who needs 8,200 pounds worth of stuff? Apparently, we do. Actually, no WE DON'T. We are downsizing. Big Time.

I feel like my mind is going to explode - and my body is going to collapse. Moving just may be the best workout I've had in weeks. 

I was so excited last night I think I only slept for 3 hours. About 30 minutes into the move all I wanted to do was crawl back in bed, this is A LOT of work and not nearly as fun as I was anticipating it to be. Now I remember why I dread moving. 

I spent the morning looking at our packing inventory and checking off EACH and EVERY box as it came through the door. From #1 to #264. 

I'm happy to report that everything arrived! (Except for Andrew's toy remote control helicopter and his ceremonial sword - those are being held in customs. Did you know that remote control helicopters are banned from Bahrain?! We didn't either. Poor Andrew, he lost his toy. He will be able to go pick up his sword though - so that's good. Oh man...boys and their toys...). So far there are only a handful of casualties...

1. Glass in a picture frame is broken

2. Another picture frame/key hanger/entry way thingy is broken. A hook broke off.

3. Broken vase

4. Oh, and the SADDEST casualty for me - my dried wedding bouquet. It went from round - to square.

It used to be round and beautiful. Why is it my wedding bouquet is the ONE thing they didn't pack with ridiculous care?! The ugly Navy mirror made it, but not my bouquet? Just my luck.

This is the one thing that I think they packed horribly. It was shoved under a table with some blankets and then the entire table was wrapped up. 

Meanwhile...take a look at the precious packing job below. 

Hmmm...I wonder what can be in the paper - it feels so light. I'm glad they packed it so well...

WAIT...Is that what I think it is?!?

WAIT...WHAT?!?! Two tiny magnets?! All that wrapping for two tiny magnets?!?!

WTF...

And they just shoved my wedding bouquet under a table with some random linens from the linen closet?!

We mourned the loss. All three of us (Andrew, Caden, Me) just looked at it sadly for a while. I think Caden almost cried. He loves all things related to the wedding. 

So, my beautiful wedding bouquet is no more...

I'll just have to print this picture really big and remember its glory days.

Photo By JKOE Photo

Caden loved being at the new house - he just can't wait to feed the tiny fish that swim in the canal. 

I'm sure this is the first of MANY times that he will be enjoying lunch on the porch. 

Davis fared pretty well. He even slept through a lot of it...

The louder it was the harder he slept. MAGIC! 

What a trooper!

All in all, it was a good day. I'm learning a lot for my first official PCS move. 

Here they are in no particular order:

1. WE HAVE WAY TOO MUCH STUFF. I'm serious about downsizing. We got rid of a lot today. My plan is to keep weeding it out. 8,200 pound?!?! That's insane. 

2. We have more kitchen supplies than anything else. 32 boxes worth. It was never ending. 

3. We have like 15 flower vases. WHY?! I have NO IDEA. My husband better start buying me flowers to fill them or they are going away. 

4. If you have great movers on the US side they can help you package your alcohol so that customs doesn't take it. We were shocked to see that it all came through. No toy helicopters...but hey, enjoy your Vodka!

5. It takes 8 HOURS to get most of our kitchen supplies to fit in our kitchen. We had to take a few boxes worth out since they just cannot feasibly fit. I doubt we'll miss them. 

6. There is SO MUCH waste in the moving business. I hated seeing it...so I'm just going to pretend that they are definitely going to recycle and reuse everything. 

7. 15 people working on your house at one time is too many (7 movers, 4 cleaners, 2 air conditioning guys, 1 painter, 1 water guy)

8. Coconut oil is probably always going to be in its liquid state in Bahrain...this cracked me up!

9. (I learned this one when we got here, but it became annoying today) In Bahrain what we call the "First Floor" is their "Ground Floor" and what we call the "Second Floor" is their "First Floor". With a 4 story villa we ended up with a lot of stuff on the wrong floor. I guess we will have to do some heavy lifting ourselves. Darn.

10. Pizza and cold water and soda go a LONG way with the movers and a bottle of Whiskey goes A LONG way with your new property manager. Shh....

Well...we were at the villa for 14 hours today. I feel like we have hardly made a dent. I mean, all we finished was the kitchen. Obviously the most important room in the house, and I'm sure this will be the hardest room too- but wow. So much work and not so much to show for it. 

Except for this:

Nope...no doors on the cabinet. I'm going with it. As far as I'm concerned this extra shelving is a blessing, we would be so screwed without it. 

It's starting to feel like home...

There isn't an inch of spare drawer or cabinet space. It is FILLED to the brim. (Haha, TWSS!)

AND...I'm calling it the night. Another LONG day of unpacking tomorrow. 

and That's 'Watts' She Said...

Rug Shopping 101

Three years ago when I started dating Andrew he was SO proud to show off his Persian Rugs that he had purchased while stationed in Bahrain. I thought they were nice and made sure to smile and approve. For a bachelor he had some pretty nice things - though it definitely wasn't my taste. Then when we moved in together in Maryland, placing the rugs was a huge deal. I was like,

"Okay, I mean, they're nice - but I really like this one I saw at Pottery Barn..." 

Needless to say, he was SUPER offended. I mean, the rugs were beautiful and all - but it wasn't really my style...YET. We may have had a fight about it. Okay, we totally fought about it.

I gave in and the rugs were moved to center stage in the living room and our bedroom. Honestly, they grew on me over the years, and randomly one night I asked him how much he spent on them. Finally I was truly impressed - but then he told me what they would cost IF you could find them in the States and I was really impressed. I know - I'm a bit materialistic, so sue me. Suddenly - these rugs were awesome.

And..when I say that you can't buy these carpets in the US - I mean it. There are US sanctions forbidding the import of Iranian made carpets. So folks...if you want a beautiful carpet now's the time to get one while we are here!

Anyways, since our first rug argument we have since decided that we want our house to feel eclectic and have rugs/art/decor from all of our duty stations. We call it, "Decor with Meaning".

When we got our orders to Bahrain, Andrew could not wait to get back to his favorite carpet place, Oasis Carpets, and get some more rugs. My thought was, "REALLY? MORE Persian rugs? Isn't 2 enough?!"

Fast forward to our third week here. I couldn't understand why Andrew was so giddy to go into the Carpet store until we went in.

It. Was. Awesome.

Abdul, the owner had sold Andrew our two carpets 4 YEARS ago, as luck would have it - he was at the shop when we walked in. 

Here's where it gets CRAZY...he REMEMBERED Andrew from 4 years ago. He said most of his business comes from the base, so it wasn't like Andrew was the only 6'4" white guy buying a rug from him. There is Navy memorabilia all over the shop. But this guy...this guy was amazing. He remembered that Andrew was with HM-14, but was working with HM-15. He remembered that he flew 53s...and he REMEMBERED the carpets that Andrew had purchased! 

I mean seriously. This guy sells A LOT of carpets. I was impressed. 

So, we chatted for a while and told him that we would be back to buy some carpets in the next 2 years. I guess I didn't realize at the time that Andrew really meant, I'll be back in 4 weeks before moving into the villa to buy carpets. But, that's what he meant. 

As soon as it was for sure that we would get this awesome villa we made a trip to the rug store. As you can tell by the pictures of the villa - there are a lot of hard, cold floors. This is obviously good considering the oppressive heat of Bahrain, but we needed a little warmth from some carpets. 

The grin on Andrew's face was priceless as we walked in and said, "Well...we need to buy 2 carpets!"

From that point on - the carpet experience was like an awesome dream. I felt like Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman' but instead of clothes...it was carpets. So not really nearly as cool, and no red ruby necklace - but still so much fun. Most of all I was shocked that my penny pinching husband was so willing and excited to spend money. He was like a little kid in a candy shop...so I just went with it!
I mean, what girl turns down a shopping spree...rugs or not?!

(Note: this is SOOO much cooler than the time Andrew bought me a bathroom rug for my birthday present. That was not cool. I will never let him live that one down. AND yes, that was my ONLY present, and NO it wasn't even there in time for my birthday. So it was, "Hey, Happy Birthday, I bought you a bathroom rug but it won't be here until next weekend" not his finest moment. Nor mine, I cried. What?! A rug?! Where's my ring?! Yes, this was WAYYY better.)

Ready to shop!

So here you go...

HOW TO BUY A PERSIAN CARPET 101

Some friendly tips:

1. Pick your Carpet place. Our favorite is Oasis Carpets in Carpet Alley. Great service, great English, great selection. We walked in and told them we were there to buy some rugs and they waited on us hand and foot after that. (They even went over to Shawarma Alley and got Caden fresh orange juice.) You can visit their website HERE. They go into Iran every month to buy the carpets, so their selection is always changing and they get them straight from the source. 

2. Know before you go what size you are looking for - and ABOUT how much you want to spend. The price range is pretty wide. All of the rugs are hand-made, all one of a kind, almost all are beautiful, but some are silk, some have 600 knots per square inch (more affordable), and some have 1000 knots per square inch (these ones feel AMAZING, and are super pricey). Spare yourself the grief and don't fall in love with the $10,000 rug. This is like wedding dress shopping in a couture shop with a David's Bridal budget. Just don't do it. 

3. You don't need to know what you are looking for - and I suggest that you keep an open mind. In my mind I wanted a neutral colored rug that would go with anything. In the end I got a more unique one that will make a little bit of a statement. Hey - if we are going to have an expensive, one of a kind Persian rug, I guess I want people to notice it!

4. If you can, buy more than 1. You can get a bigger discount - and hey...why not?!

5. Sit back and relax as they put on the show! All you need to do is nod your head yes or no and they do all of the work!

6. NEGOTIATE. Don't take the first price - they will always come down. We negotiated ours down by about 100 BD ($265). 

7. Enjoy - and keep the red wine AWAY from the rug. 

*8. AND try not to look too much like a hot mess while shopping. You might realize halfway through that the kind woman also rug shopping and giving you her opinion is the Ambassador's wife. Just saying...

The Process

As soon as we told them what we wanted, a team of 4 guys came out and started tossing around thousand dollar carpets like no big deal. I was cringing...and also adding up the ridiculous amount of money in carpets stored in this tiny shop.

The owner - the guy in the white - stood there and directed while the others got a serious workout. It was awesome. He would reference a rug and they would know the exact one. To me - they all started blending together and I was going cross eyed after a while. 

One by one they unfolded the carpets and I would simply make a face (smile = maybe, disgust = no way), or nod, or speak, any of those worked. I was ONE with the carpet team.

 The first goal is just to weed out the NOs...then we went through the maybes, and kept narrowing it further and further down.

If there were two that were similar we would put them side by side, stare at them, walk around them, walk on them, and then pick one. I think we were there for hours.

 It felt like forever, but in a good way.
 

Oh, and taking your shoes off is a MUST - you need to feel it under your bare feet. After all, this is going on your floor you better like how it feels. 

 For our biggest purchase, for the main living room, we decided to go with a Nain (nye-een). Here is some information from the Oasis Website:

Nain Rugs - The Synonym for "Fine" Among the finest carpets in the world, the word nain is sometimes used in Iran as a synonym for 'fine'. These elegant carpets are produced in and around the city of Nain; a favorite of many collectors, Nains are precise, delicate and can be stunningly beautiful. Excellent grades of wool and silk are used on foundations of fine cotton. Typical details include the curvilinear vines with forked leaves, Shah Abbas flowers, birds and animals, and regal borders.

Come Sample Our Selection of Nain Rugs

Although Nain is not a very old rug-weaving city, it is well established and among the most valued carpet-producing centers in Iran. It has adopted most of its skills from the very ancient, neighboring city of Isfahan. Customs and traditions here have changed very little in the past century. Nain's talented master weavers may take several years to complete a single carpet. Though very similar in appearance to Isfahans, they are easily identifiable because of their distinctive color scheme and smooth, closely clipped pile. Nain are all signed (Habibian is the most reputable family in Nain). Nain carpets are available in three levels of quality (based upon knots per square inch, double knotted - the higher the number the higher the quality):

After an hour or so we had narrowed the gazillion rugs we looked at to these three - you can't really see them all very well in this picture.

I was HEAVILY leaning towards the rug in the middle (it was SO unlike any other that we saw)...then I found out that it was $4,000 and the other two we were looking at were about half that price.

The owner told us that he occasionally likes to put his rugs on eBay, just to see what people would be willing to pay in the States. He had the center rug posted last week, after a few days it got to $12,000...then he pulled it off. So, in some ways, I can justify this as an investment, right?!

In the end I decided that I felt too guilty spending that much and would rather get a less expensive rug. To my shock and surprise Andrew was like, "If you really want the one in the middle we can get it." AND I was like,
"Who the hell are you? What did you do with my husband?"

Even the owner said to me, "Isn't the wife supposed to be the one wanting to spend more money!?!"

My oh my...what has my husband turned me into?!

There's only one other time he was like this - engagement ring shopping. Again - I thought an alien had invaded his body. I guess when it's something he really wants the price doesn't matter. I mean, I am pretty great after all.

After much debate and going back and forth. We bought the one above! I love it. It was the only one I saw with yellow in it. And the flowers were different than any of the others. I'm pretty excited for it! I think it isn't too in your face like some of the others, yet it still adds a pop of color. I can't wait to put it down in the living room TOMORROW!!!

Davis was excited too...this is what he did while we shopped.

So...deciding on the living area rug was the biggest challenge. After that we went through the process again for a rug for Caden's room. For his room we went with a less expensive, durable, blue rug.

I thought we were done there, then my crazy-rug-buying-possessed husband asked, "Do you want to get an entryway rug too?!"

Ummm..."SURE!"

So we went through the process AGAIN for an entryway rug!

We narrowed it down to 3. Oh...and want to get your MIND BLOWN?

The rugs look totally different depending on what side of the rug you are standing on! So during the process make sure you walk around all 4 sides of the rug - it is a completely different rug from different angles.

Here's an example:

The 3 entryway rugs we were debating over from the "Light Colored" angle

AND...

The same exact 3 rugs from the opposite side!

Is your mind blown? 

Mine is! 

Oh, and I never could decide on just one - so we got all 3. 

All together we walked away with 5 rugs...AND that's when our credit card company froze our cards. They thought FOR SURE that someone had stolen our credit cards and had gone on a rug buying shopping spree in Bahrain. Andrew had a fun time explaining to them that it really WAS us doing all of that shopping. Yes, we are in Bahrain, YES, we just bought a bunch of rugs in Carpet Alley. I swear he almost had to give a DNA sample to them to prove that it really was us. 

Meanwhile, Caden was pretending to be Spider-Man in the stack of rugs! Hey, at least if he fell, it would be cushioned.

So there you, go. Rug Shopping 101.

This was such a fun and special experience. I highly recommend that if you get a chance to do this, you take full advantaged. We are so blessed to be in a position where we can. I will cherish these rugs forever (they better last that long) and am cured of my desire to buy Pottery Barn rugs ever again.

And as far as this rug goes....we still want it. Though we've decided that for now, we'll take a picture of it and come back in a year. We asked if they could find another one for us when we were ready. He said that he would try. So in one year we will try to find it again, and hope that in the ensuing 12 months they can locate one for us in Iran and bring it back for us take home.

OH...another VERY cool thing. We will be hosting a "Rug Flop" sometime in the next year. Think Tupperware, or Mary Kay, or Cookie Lee jewelry party but with RUGS! They will bring the rugs, the food, and the drinks and we have our friends over to rug shop with us!

I can't wait. I just wish I could take THIS business back to states with me!!

Seriously friends and family - if you want a Persian rug, let us know now! We already have orders from some of you. I will gladly go rug shopping as much as needed!

AND FOLKS....TOMORROW we move in to our villa!!! I feel like it's Christmas Eve right now! So excited!!!!

But this year, Santa is bringing me an entire truck full of my own home-goods and 5 new Persian Rugs! 

and That's 'Watts' She Said...