shopping for craft materials

Well with this new found craft passion i went and got a few bits to help me along mashaAllah found a nice little place that's cheeper than where i had been. i actually got more but i couldnt be bothered to picture all.


I got some threads for cross stitch, wool , crochet hooks and a craft bag !!!!!

what to do ?

I am in a hole and can't get out , what to do? Have options but neither is the soultion Allah Al must'aan. Need your duas, need my own duas, need to be firm, need to be patient , need to put my affiars over to Allah and trust in His plan!

Craft Day with Kate

today i went to visit Kate from http://katescrafts.wordpress.com/ for crafts session , well i did it umm hibbat i made granny squares
gave me ideas and intrest to do other things , see i work better when someone shows me, i am going to invest in a book Kate showed me and inshaAllah lets see what develops, my son made a comment today he said if it aint the PC you are crocheting now! I get the feeling its a envy thing , i just can't win these kids they seem to want my attention 24/7, can't i get a life of my own? subhanAllah, an intrest of my own!!!!! Anyhow back to craft's well i learned how to cut sleeves and sommayah you will be happy to know i cut the fabric and i am going to make 2 more tunics but with sleeves inshaallah , kate my dear sister showed me how to cut sleeves, i told her to get her self a centre called kate's Craft's in Algeria. she also showed me how to sticth , its black work stitching, it is hard , i must say of all the task and in between ferring the teens via bus to the ice skating ring, the sticthing was the hardest and i foresee more help needed there inshaAllah but i am grateful to kate as she has givien me a start mashaAllah. Shuran dear Kate for all your kindness and help masha Allah may Allah bless you with jannah ameen.

count down to return has began..........

It is my last 10 days and i feel sad, i hate these returns and come backs its like leaving all over again for the first time esp when i have had such a great time subhan Allah. I have been mentally preparing myself and the kids for the imminent return inshaAllah, has to be done subhanAllah. i feel like i have given myself in 3weeks what i lacked in 3yrs subhanAllah. I have yet reached another milestone in this hijrah experience. being here in the west and meeting sisters yesterday all have a different stance on hijrah, i was advised yesterday when talking about my own hijrah and calling it a hijrah, that i was wrong as the siter said there is no hijrah after the prophet Muhammad migration, as these lands of Islam are not!! I was a lil confused and thought afterwards well in surah al nisa verse 99 it tell us to make hijrah if able, also that islam is for all time then and now subhan Allah. typically me always think of things after..........also i was warned by a sister about attending this conference yesterday subhanAllah , she was telling me , this speaker has self confessed takfri, this one is of biddah Allah Al Must'aan to that!!!! Well i am happy to say no biddah was asked of me , no takfir was announced , no deviance was encouraged alhamduillah , infact the oppiste on each account , being away for so long and returning to the Islamic community in the UK highlighted the vast segregation amongst the ummah itself, i have forgotten just how prevalent this was or had it become more since my absence?

To feel inspired

I went to an Islamic conference today, bank holiday monday alt, when i left the home it was peacfully snowing, the scence felt majical but in reality it was cold. I got the tube to the location i arrived about 1 hour into the session in the middle of a talk. It was very nice day and various speakers spoke about various aspects of reviving the sunnah. I can't express how great it felt to be part of such an event and community of like minded sisters mashaAllah. I even bummped into some friends i have not seen for well over 6-8 years subhan Allah, it was so nice mashaAllah.We lunched there , food was Indian and very nice. It got me thinking as there was a presentation by a new Islamic institute , when i was in the UK such reasources were certainly limmited suddenly there seems to be an influx and revival of islam all over the UK mashaAllah. This institute really dominated my thoughtshttp://www.tayyibun.com/, it got me thinking thee is so much to do here in the UK deen wise mashaAllah, ok the Islamic schools are still out of reach but there are other ways , am i kidding myself? After all one of the reasons i did go to Algeria was for a better Islamic life but i didn't find that yet as my learning stopped reasources and classes for english speakers are not happening there, or is it shatan playing with my thoughts at this vunerble time? That one is a biggie and i am to ponder on it for days or months to come.
There were stalls selling Islamic books and various items i got some books&CD's to take back with me for knowledge.

clothing

I was inspired to get the sewing machine out after a possible 9 years subhanAllah and i got to work with that new fabric masha Allah i produced a modest top for my 6yr old, it is to be worn with a long sleeved top under i, over her jeans or troussers. So now i see a i can still sew alhamduillah i am going to do the green fabric similar top but with 3/4 lenght sleeves if that makes sense? The plain black i am thinking pinafore dress with some decrotive banding inshaAllah.


its the frabric you liked sommayah , what do you think now its sewen?

even barbie got some modest dress too and the 6yr old was happy all around mashaallah.

A taste of winter

It snowed at 6.15am this morning and i watched the snow fall tucked up in bed, i watched with much pleasure subhan Allah, it was sure cold bitterly infact but i loved to feel it as its been a long time since i felt this cold subhanAllah. Even the chesnut tree in the garden next door is stripped of its green glory and all that remains is chestnuts hanging in the bitter wind.

Shopping for modesty

I have become very concerned about my 6yr old and modest clothing , i am finding it so hard to find modest clothing in the western shops, clothes are too tight and too short. in the end i got some troussers and opted to make modest long tops to wear over them , i picked up some fabric i am going to make pinafore type tops sleevless so she can wear a long sleeved tee shirt under it, make them thigh lenth , i am no talior but i am willing to give it ago , i have an ides on what to doand a sewing machine so why not inshaAllah i dont spoil the fabric.I also brought her a ready made Abay and scarf it was just so cute mashaAllah

Salmon fish & Spinach Pie

I made a pie today- i used
salamon fish, spinach, onion, potatoes thinly sliced
Spices, salt, white pepper, mixed herbs
Roux sauce
short crust pastry

I made the pastry by rubbing butterinto the flour until it resembled fine bread crumbs , with cold water i formed a dough. I set this aside ina ball shape in a plastic bag in the fridge while i made the filling. i put a little cooking oil in a pan and sweat the onions. Add the herbs and spices , i added the thinkly sliced potatoes , and salmon pieces, covered the pan and let this cook a little and when the fish was nearly done i added the shreaded spinach. Once the filing is cooked , make a white roux sauce, this i made with butter , flour and milk.
Now roll out the pastry to fit the dish and fill, with salmon filling and roux sauce. now roll out another piece of pastry for the cover , you can decorate it with some pastry leafs, brush with egg yellow, sadly i didn't have any so mine is cooked without.

Appricot&Chocolate Ring

You will need
Ingredients
1/3 cup of butter (4oz)
4 cups self raising flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup (1/4 pint) of milk
Filling & Decoration

2tbsp melted butter
51/2 oz of ready to eat apricots dried and chopped
31/2 oz chocolate chips
1-2 tbsp of milk to glaze 1oz of dark or milk chocolate melted
rub in method
METHOD

1.Grease your 25cm/10inch round cake tin (pan).
2.rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in sugar, eggs and milk to for a soft dough.



3.Roll out the dough on a floured surface to form a 35cm/14 inch square. Mine was a bit wonky so dont worry if you dont get an exact square
4.Brush melted butter over the surface of the dough. Mix it together the chopped apricots and chocolate chips . spread them over the dough to within 2.5 cm/1inch of the top and bottom.
5.Roll it up tightly like a swiss roll and cut it into slices of 1inch. Layer the rings in a slight tilt in the pan to form a ring shape. Brush it with milk and bake for 30mins on gas mark 4 or 180oC/350oF until golden brown. Leave it to cool in the tin for about 15mins then transfer to a wire rack to further cool.
6. Drizzle the ring with the melted chocloate and it should look something like this if not better

Lunch with a friend

I went to see my yemeni friend who was born and raised in Kenya, i know here from when i lived in london for about 6yrs or so but masha Allah a very dear friend , she made me Kenyan Buriani
it was lovely masha Allah a different taste to Desi buriani and method. I made here a cake ''choco & Apricot ring''

Stuffed Bread Rolls

these lovely stuffed bread roll are something i found on Jamila's blog first but can't stop making them since , so here are mine
1/2 bag plain flour
1-2 cups wholemeal flour
1 leveled tbsp of yeast
salt to taste
1 cup of milk

Make into dough and leave to rise, knock back and kneed before rolling out

Filling
spinach
boneless chicken
salt,pepper, garm masla, tumeric, cayene pepper, tumeric
chesse
Garlic
little flour to thicken


rolling

brush with egg yellow and sprinkle with seseme seeds and bake for around 20mins

outing with the kids

I am trying to relax and de-stress and enjoy my time in the UK with the family inshaAllah, I decided to take the kids to The Childhood Museum in London. So this is how our day unfolded its was bitterly cold to start with but i braved it and went as time is short subhan Allah.

A sweet house

a chocolate house

Moscow
I really like the museum and it was a blast into my childhood and i was suprised , we all enjoyed it and i was able to reminiss and thell the kids about my past and some things they related to as i had spoke about certian toys before and i couldn't belive it when i saw them on display subhanAllah. just wondering if any of you ladies can relate to these old toys?
care bears
the sotty show
wozzel gumage and aunt sally
Jemmima
The Old Lady Who lived In A Shoe
Remember Golly?
The Mupet Show din't see miss piggy though!
papa smurf

Transformers old style
star wars
Paddington Bear
Dr. Who
This ones for Kate!!!!
Wonder Woman
Anti Racism badges, did you own one Kate???
Asian (Desi) Ken and Barbie