{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.-soulemama

W.I.P. Wednesday

I have promised this cross stitch to my mom for the past two Mother's days and still have not finished.  Hopefully it will get done before next Mother's Day!

Woolly Creatures

Here are my latest creations in wool. I followed the online Fairy Wool Class for this project

The mouse is my favorite.

Here is a little rabbit with giant ears.

A Snail

My little gnome.

And the Sheep.

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Eid Mubarak!!!

I wish all a blessed eid and I hope that our fasts were accepted. Inshallah. 

Make your Eid special and remember the mercy and beauty of Allah (swt).


I want to remind or encourage my brothers and sisters in the west that this is our holiday. We are supposed to celebrate it. We are not supposed to go to work or send our kids to school.

I found Eid decorations on-line. I purchased the banner above, a table centerpiece that is shaped like a masjid, and confetti that says Happy Eid with moons and stars. The website http://www.soundvision.com/ has a lot of wonderful Eid decorations at reasonable rates.

Monday night me and my cousin made baklava yum!!  We put henna on our hand and even on the baby's hands.  It is so cute.  My son looks at his hands and sniffs or tries to eat the spot of henna on his hand.  I must say I went a little bit crazy with the presents.  It is really his first Eid that he can enjoy a little bit so why not.  I got this really neat magnetic puzzle made from wood at our local toy store. We went to Walmart to look around and they have nothing everything was plastic and made in China...scary.  Then while I was in town I stopped by one of the kids boutiques and picked up a set of toys.  They are made by Apple Park and are made from organic cotton and corn fiber stuffing.  The set included a bear rattle, finger puppet, little blankie, and a book.  Here's a look at our Eid celebration!

Playing with his Apple Park toys.

My husband's little cousin bought him the headpiece.  It was so funny he loved turning his head and seeing the tassels sparkle. 

Felting

I have been kind of obsessed with wool lately and wanted to try a little felting.  I found a book at the library  called Simple Felt  by: Jayne Emerson and Margaret Docherty .  It really is a good source for begginer and advanced felters.
To make a sheet of felt you need wool roving, soap (I used dish soap), a bamboo mat or blind (I bought mine for $5) and lots of hot water.  I worked outside because it can get messy.

I had some BFL roving in my stash that I used.

                                      


Here is the finished product.


It is amazing how something so soft and fluffy can tun into somthing so flat and strong.  I was planning on using the felt for a project from the magic fairy wool class but I don't think I will.  For my first time I am really pleased with how it came out.  I can't wait to make more!

The Garden's Bounty

Here is my mega watermelon. This is one of the biggest ones we got this year. We had 5 around this size. This one weighed in at almost 20 lbs.

This is some of what I harvested today. Tomatoes, cucumbers, a mystery squash and a baby canteloupe. The canteloupe was so sweet. I am not sure what kind of squash this is but I found the plant growing in my compost heap and planted it. This is the only squash it produced.

More Tomatoes and cukes. Here is one sunflower ready to satisfy my husband. My husband eats it just like that no roasting required. And one of my lovely eggplants in the back.

More and More tomatoes and cucumbers. With some cute little carrots on the side. I just love carrots with the green tops still attached.

Peach Overload!

Homemade peach jalapeno jam!!! Yum!!!

Sunday my husband decided that he wanted to go on a mini family trip out to the country. We live in a suburban town about 1 hour from the nearest farms. Whenever we go out that way we do the "pick your own" of whatever is in season. Luckily the peaches and nectarines were ready for picking. My husband, his uncle, and his father went a little over board with the picking. We ended up with 37 lbs. of peaches and nectarines combined. And as luck would have it Monday was the start of a terribly hot and humid heat wave that was sure to spoil our peachy treasures. I decided to just simply can some peaches in light syrup and make a peach jalapeno jam.

We love the peach jalapeno jam that is sold at our local farmers market but it is somewhat pricey at $8.00 a pint. I made 3 pints of jam for about $9.00. Not bad.

While I was searching for peach recipes I came across something called "peach honey" made from the peach peels, water, and sugar boiled down to the consistency of honey. It basically is a peach syrup that would be perfect over pancakes. With the peels left over from the canned peaches I made a pint of this peach honey.

Hadith of the Week

"Save yourself from the hellfire even it be by giving in charity half a date"
Narrated by Sahih Bukhari

Prefolds, Fitted, and Flats Oh My!

Here is the next chapter in my cloth diapering 101 series.  There are basically 3 different kinds of diapers to choose from with the exception of AIO (all in one) diapers.  There are prefold diapers which look a lot like a burp cloth.  Its sewn into three sections with the center being the most absorbant.  Fitted diapers look a lot like a disposable diaper but are made from cotton.  Fitted diapers need to be used with a diaper cover.  Last are birdseye flats which are one thickness and very large.  I call them sheets.  Of course there are pros and cons for each but I think a good diaper collection has a variety of each.
                                       Prefolds                    Fitted                          Flats
Cost                                   $$                            $$$                              $
Absorbancy                     Very                       Moderate                      Low
Convienence                    Medium                   Very                            Low
Sizing                               S,M,L                      S,M,L                         One size 

Flats are the cheapest and good for hand washing.  They grow with your child just by changing the way that they are folded.  When I use a flat diaper I add a doubler for added absorbancy.  Fitted diapers are the most expensive but are extremely easy to use.  There is no folding neccessary.  Prefolds are my favorite.  They are the most absorbant and easy to fold.                        

Ramadan is Upon Us

Today is the third day of Ramadan.  Ramadan is a month on the Islamic lunar calendar.  It is the month when the Holy Qur'an was first reveled to Prophet Muhammad (saw).  During this month Muslims fast from dawn till dusk. Sex, backbiting, gossiping and fighting all break ones fast.  This month is an opportunity for great reward.  Each good deed done by a fasting person its reward is multiplied ten times.  Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an , ‘All the deeds of Adam's sons (people) are for them, except fasting which is for Me, and I will give the reward for it.'"  During this month the time that was spent eating can be used for prayer. Allah's Messenger (saw) said, "When the first night of Ramadan comes, the devils and the rebellious jinn are chained, the gates of Hell are locked and not one of them is opened; the gates of Paradise are opened and not one of them is locked; and a crier calls, 'You who desire what is good, come forward, and you who desire evil, refrain.' Some are freed from Hell by Allah, and that happens every night." (Tirmidhi).


Ramadan is my favorite time of year.  It is a time of self reflection.  The sense of community and brotherhood is increased.  A billion Muslims are all doing this one act for our creator.  It really is an amazing time.  We fast for Allah, we fast so we can feel how the hungry feel everyday, we fast so our hearts can be soften and we can regain some humility.

Ayat of the Week

"Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.''
Holy Qur'an (39:10)

Hadith of the Week

The prophet (peace be upon him) was reported to have said
"Muslims will always earn the reward of charity for planting a tree, sowing a crop, and then birds, humans, and animals eat from it." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

To Diaper Service or Not

If you have already decided that you want to cloth diaper the next thing to think about is do you want to wash the diapers yourself or do you want to hire a diaper service.  I wash my son's diapers but my Aunt chose to use the diaper service for her three children.  Most diaper services provide you with a certain amount of diapers which they pick up once a week and give you clean diapers for the coming week.  The diaper service in my area charges a weekly fee but you must commit to 1 month.  A diaper service is great for those who want to cloth diaper but do not have a washing machine or a dryer.  It is also a good option for people who are busy and do not have the time to wash diapers themselves.  Or some people are just grossed out by the idea of putting the dirty diapers in the same washing machine as their clothes.  With diaper services you must purchase and wash your own diaper covers.  Diaper services cost more than washing the diapers yourself... you are paying for convenience.  
Washing the diapers yourself is really easy.  I chose to wash my own diapers because it was a lot cheaper than using the diaper service.  And I didn't like the idea of using a diaper that was used on someone else.  If I wash my own diapers I can control what kind of detergents are used too.  I must say that if I didn't have a washing machine I probably would have used the diaper service. 

Strawberry Picking we Went!

Strawberry Goodness

Yesterday was Father's day.  My husband's first.  He wanted to go strawberry picking to celebrate.  We picked about 6 quarts.  We all had a great time and were stuffed with strawberries by the time we got home.  Now I have dreams of some fresh made jam... yum!

Someone had fun!  Devouring juicy berries!

My son loved it.  He was eating strawberries off the vine.  It was so funny.

Cloth Diapering 101

I am planning to do a couple of posts on all aspects of cloth diapering.  I have been using cloth since my son was about 6 weeks old.  In the beginning I was overwhelmed with all the options out there.  I didn't even know how to put the diaper on.  But through a lot of trial and error I finally found a system that works well for me that I want to share with all of you.

Yogurt Soup (Yayla Corbasi)

A tangy traditional Turkish soup. This is a quick and easy soup to make and can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner along with nice crusty bread.

Ingredients:
5 cups water ( add an extra 1 c. if using uncooked rice)
1/2 stick of butter
a heaping 1/2 cup cooked rice or barley or 1/3 cup uncooked
3 cups yogurt
2 egg yolks (1 is o.k. but 2 makes it richer)
1/4 cup flour
salt to taste
dried mint
dash of red pepper flakes (optional)

Place water butter and rice in a large pot. Bring to a boil. (If using uncooked rice/barley lower heat and simmer until rice/barley is cooked.) Lower heat. In a large bowl whisk together the yogurt (you can use the whey as well) the egg yolks and flour until smooth. Slowly temper the yogurt mixture by adding a ladle full of hot liquid from the pot to the yogurt mixture. Mix. Then slowly pour the yogurt mixture into the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer. Season with salt to taste and mint (I usually use about 1 tbsp. of mint)

The biggest compliment ever was when my husband said that my yogurt soup was better than his mom's!

The Electronics Graveyard

Or so me and my mom call it. I am refering to my town recycling center. Yesterday I went to drop off a non-working T.V. to be recycled. Everytime I go down there it always amazes me at what is available. At my local recycling center there is an adopt a bike program where you bring your unwanted bike and then the town gives it to someone in need. That's wonderful. Especially since it could help someone with employment, make them feel more independent and reduce carbon emissions. The whole point of this post is to encourage you to learn about your local recycling center. See what's available. More things can be recycled then I thought (a couple months ago I brought a broken hair dryer). If everyone took a couple of minutes to go drop off a broken computer or whatever you have we would be saving resources from the landfill, we would be keeping our water clean, and we would be making revenue for our town (since they sell everything to a private recycling company).

Farewell to Oprah

Yesterday was the last Oprah Winfrey show.  I have never been a regular viewer but I had to see this last show.  I'm glad I did.  It was so inspirational.  She talked about finding your calling in life and living the life that you were meant to live.  I am still searching for my life's calling... my true passion.  I hope one day to find it.  When I do, I must not be afraid to live that life.  I must take responsibility for the energy that I put out into the world (another point of Oprah's farewell show).  Oprah was an inspiration and she will be truly missed.   

Booties for Baby

I have been going through a crocheting phase.  All I want to do is crochet.  And now that I found Raverly I have been hooked (pardon the pun).  My first crocheted clothing item were these booties.

I made these booties about 2 months ago from some random stash yarn.  I finally got around to sewing the buttons on just in time for our trip. They look so cute and fit my little guy perfectly. 

How to Make Homemade Yogurt

My husband is Turkish. Turks love yogurt. Their national drink is basically a yogurt shake. So because of this love for yogurt...I have been making yogurt a gallon at a time for about 3 years now. I use my yogurt as a sweet or savory dish. I want to teach you how to make your own yogurt very simply. You can easily adjust the amount of milk for your families needs.

Ingredients:

-1 gallon Milk (I always use whole organic milk)

-Approximately 1/2 cup cultured yogurt with live cultures. (I like the probiotic yogurt by La Yogurt, Or if you want an organic one the greek style yogurt by Stony Field Farms is also good.)

Place the milk into a large heavy bottom pot. I usually take the milk out of the refrigerator in advance to let it get to room temperature. Place the pot over medium heat. Slowly bring the milk to just below a boil making sure to stir frequently so you don't burn the milk. Once you see it start foaming up be extra careful that it doesn't boil over. Burned milk is a terrible smell. Take it off the heat. Let the milk cool at room temperature to around 108-110 degrees Fahrenheit. In the summer it can take a while. You can test it with a thermometer or with your finger. If you can comfortably hold your pointer finger in the milk for 10 seconds it is at the right temperature. While it is cooling take the yogurt out of the refrigerator so it can get to room temperature. Once it is cool to 108-110 degrees find a place that the pot of milk can rest overnight without being disturbed. This is very important. It the milk is shaken or disturbed your yogurt will not set properly. Place a towel or blanket down and place the pot on top. Stir the yogurt until it is smooth then slowly add it to the pot of milk. Mix it in. Wrap the pot up in the towel. Use two towels in cold weather. Let the yogurt sit around 14 hours. You can check on it then and see if it set. I usually wait like 18 hours. Then refrigerator your yogurt. Once chilled it is ready to eat. Keep a small amount of yogurt for your next batch.

Tips for successful yogurt:

1) Make sure everything you use is very clean and dry!

2) Don't forget about your cooling yogurt. If you miss the 110 degree window you might have to start over.

3) Starters seem to lose some of their abilities over time. I usually get 5 batches of yogurt from the same starter. Then I buy new yogurt to use.

4) Use a wooden spoon.

5) Most importantly don't get disappointed if your yogurt doesn't set properly. It happens. I keep the milk and use it for something else. Some homemade cheeses work great with this milk. Or just use it for smoothies.