The quote for Day 15 of Ramadan from my box of things to think about is: “Account yourself before you are brought to account and measure your actions before they are measured.” ~ Umar Al Farooq (Radi-Allahu anhu) I have a variation of this quote written in a speech bubble above my bedside table as a reminder. […]
This week was my young cousins engagement – an affair full of both nervousness on everyone’s part and joy. I got to buy a new dress which I wore with red suede pumps and red lipstick: Mash’Allah it was sweet to see her innocence and shyness and moving to see her how emotional her dad […]
Like my previous fruit-themed cards this set of cards was made with the DCVW Sweet paperstack. I like very much the idea of food-themed cards and have used the papers as sparingly as possible, so hopefully there will be lots more.
I have been trying hard recently to add some exercise into my routine. I did Pilates for a while from videos I found on Youtube and that really, really helped improved my movement and flexibility. But I stopped when I felt under the weather and I haven’t wanted to start again since. What I really […]
I was expecting my last day with this office to be the usual goodbyes, a card and maybe a gift (we do that for everyone). The mean blues that have been plaguing me on and off were present this morning, so I made the intention to get through the day as best I could and […]
It’s funny how things balance out sometimes. I tried to get hold of my husband yesterday to ask him to call a family friend and invite his wife to the Eid party. I couldn’t get hold of him and a little while later he called and said that the same friend had invited us to […]
My mum and dad are in Pakistan at the moment and I am missing them a lot. They have been travelling around between our village in Jhelum, Lahore and Rawalpindi. My in-laws hosted them for a few day’s, and they enjoyed their stay. I am so grateful for WhatsApp and being able to check in […]
I did go to lunch with the best of intention. Something light, low calorie and sensible was the plan. Once I was down there the poor collection of sandwiches, which I knew wouldn’t make much of a dent in my hunger, were enough to lead me to the chip counter. Chips and cheese, cola and […]
One of the things me and my best friend have been talking a lot about recently has been our attempts to please others and the disabling effect this can have on us.I realised when I was in my late teens, that getting over that desperate childhood craving for the approval of my parents in everything […]
I came home after a long, tiring day at work fretting about praying on time and what to cook and the laundry (and anything else that was going through my confused head) and found this scene: I just physically felt every anxiety melt away. What is it that Allah (SWT) does to us when he […]
After weeks of sickness and exhaustion and two trips to emergency, my scan finally came round this week. After much trepidation, nearly throwing up in the waiting room and expecting the worst, the scan showed a perfectly healthy 11-week old baby bouncing around like a little mad man (or woman). The consultant said it was […]
My better half has now left to visit America for six weeks. He will be staying in Chicago and doing dawah work until the end of Ramadan and come home to us in time for Eid. This time last year he was in Pakistan and I came close to having a breakdown trying to manage […]
I have always struggled to engage in Salah in just the way I believe it should be prayed. The Prophet SAW said: “The coolness of my eyes is in prayer”. There have been times when I have felt deeply moved during Salah and times when it has given me a deep peace. Yet nothing close […]
I was asked to translate for one of the Councillors over the phone this morning when a lady called up in deep distress. I usually put my name forward for Urdu, Hindi or Punjabi speaking constituents because I think of people like my mum and gran who had the same language barriers when they first […]
