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.