A Busy Mind in a Colorful Scarf

Pickled Turnips

2012-01-26T09:57:00.003-05:00

Well, I love mezes. Those Middle eastern small dishes we almost serve with each meal. If you are not familiar with mezes, you can find some information and the common dishes here. Pickled turnips are one of my favorite mezes. I made some yesterday using my Mom's original recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pounds white turnips, peeled and cut into medium size wedges

1 medium beet cut into medium size wedges

3 cups water

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp sugar

Directions:

Place the turnips, beets in a canning jar. The beets will dye the turnips pink.
In a medium saucepan, bring the water, sugar and salt to boil. Set aside to cool briefly, then pour warm mixture over the sliced turnips and beets in the jar. Place the lid on the jar and allow to rest at room temperature for up to a week.

I usually open the jar in a week. I recommend transferring the jar then to the fridge so the pickles don't get overdone.

Enjoy!

Asian caramelized chicken

2012-01-10T07:54:00.000-05:00

I just posted a new recipe on my cooking blog. Check it out here.

I feel like I haven't blogged in ages. I have been busy lately. I have a lot to talk about but can't manage to write them in a post. Sometimes I just wish I chose to blog anonymously so I don't hesitate talking about things that bother me!

Now back to work. Hope you all are doing well!

Lately purchased

2011-11-29T21:04:00.001-05:00

I bought these boots few days prior to Eid. I was looking for black boots with comfy heels. I found those at Boomingdale's. They are my second pair from UGG. They are cute, fashionable, and comfortable!

Tall when extended

Ankle-height when cuffed

Knitting/Crochet addiction

2011-11-14T10:50:00.001-05:00

Hubby's hat in the process

Ready to wear

My little boy's bear beanie

More to come!!

To buy or not to buy!!!

2011-11-12T13:12:00.001-05:00

My iPhone's pumper is worn out after a year and half of using. I have been thinking about purchasing a new one. I stopped by Apple store few days ago and was fascinated by the wide collection of cases and pumpers.

I saw those two wristlets by Kate Spade and Micheal Kors and fell in love with them. The thing that I'm not sure if they are practical to use. I don't want to take the phone out to make calls. I know I need to do that for taking pictures because it doesn't have a hole for the camera. But They look so adorable that I want one.

Just a little update!

2011-11-02T17:15:00.000-04:00

It's officially winter here in my area! We already had a 10 inches of snow last Saturday. And since the trees are still leafy, we got lots of broken branches due to the excess snow weight and so major electricity outages. Good news our neighborhood didn't suffer that as a lot around.

In front of our house - 10/29/2011

It was Halloween last Monday. And since we don't celebrate Halloween, hubby picked the girls early from school last Friday because we didn't want them to attend the party. No Halloween means no costumes, and no trick or treat. Hubby and I talked to the girls and they were very understanding! They never complained. I was so proud of them. Hubby was so proud of them too, so he wanted to reward them. We went to the mall yesterday and they got to pick the toys they wanted. They both deserved them!

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary! Man, we are getting old! But as long as we are getting old together, it's okay. I just can't believe a decade has passed already!

Hubby just came back home with this lovely cake!

Eid is almost here! I'm done with Eid shopping for the whole family. I'm so excited about this Eid because it's on a Sunday. It has been a while since we had the Eid on a weekend. I have some nice plans for the Eid this year. I'll be posting pictures inshallah. We'll be fasting on Saturday inshallah. Fasting Arafa day is one of my favorite things about Eid Al-Adha. I keep remembering the Eid when we were actually on Arafat two years ago. I miss these days a lot. I always pray to get the chance to perform Hajj again.

Eid Mubarak to you all in advance!

مما سمعت وأعجبني

2011-10-12T09:17:00.001-04:00

أصول التقوى أربعة: الصلاة، والذكر، والإنفاق، وترك المعاصي

سأل كافر مسلما لماذا الحجاب؟وكان في المجلس طبق حلوى فأخذ المسلم قطعتين ونزع غلاف إحداهما وقلّبهما بين كفيه ثم قال:اختر واحدة فاختار المغطاة

خطأ أن تستشير العقل وحده في كل مسألة فالقلب له حكم والروح له اعتبار يضاف إلى حكم العقل أو يعدلهّ

دع ما مضىولا تأس على ما فاتولا تقلق بما سيأتيوعش يومكواسعد بما عندكوتفاءل بالخيروأبشرفالرب رحيم كريمابتسم وانظر للأثر

Happy 1st Birthday to my little boy!

2011-10-11T16:56:00.000-04:00

One year ago today I was snuggled in my room at the hospital holding my 7 lb 3 ozbaby boy! Since then he has been the sweetest thing in our life. It has been one wild ride, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Happy Birthday to my sweet little boy!

It was my birthday last Wednesday! That's why October is so special to me! I had a great day! My hubby got me this very nice cake. It was a nice surprise. To be honest, I expected a cake because he always gets me one. But this Barbie cake was unexpected. I was extremely happy. Hubby did it again; he made me so confident that I'm one of the happiest out there, alhamdulillah! It's not about the cake or the gift. It's about taking care of the smallest details. It's this unlimited love and kindness.

Couple of weeks ago, my daughters asked me to get them some yarn to learn knitting. I was glad to hear that because I like knitting myself. It has been a while since the last time I did it so I was so excited about the whole thing. I also have been thinking about learning how to crochet, so I found it a good chance. Here is what I have been working on. I find it so relaxing and fun. I try to work on it during the girls' swimming classes, and whenever I get a chance!

Still here!

2011-10-01T20:11:00.002-04:00

I know that I have been away for a long time. I just didn't feel blogging. No other reasons to be honest. Being busy is not the reason, since I'm always busy! Really BUSY!

I have been looking recently for an in-home babysitter, and I finally found one. She is a young Egyptian lady. Hubby and I went on a date the other night. A real no-kids-date! It was one of those unforgettable nights. Having a babysitter on call is priceless!

I also found a new Arabic teacher for my daughters. I'm so glad that I have finally found a good one. Talking about the girls, I also signed them up for private swimming classes at the YMCA. Between my dissertation, girls' classes, household duties, and my baby boy, I'm going to be fully booked this year!

Now let's talk shopping! I have bought this shirt from H&M few weeks ago. It's so light and airy! I love it because it works with hijab so well. It's loose and long and there is no need to wear anything underneath, which makes it perfect for summer days.

Hubby and the girls just went to the movies. They went to watch Lion King in 3D. So I found it a good chance to blog, and I'm glad I did!

نور أضواء الطريق

2011-09-15T07:51:00.001-04:00

ظامئٌ أنا لطعم الحياة ..

ظامئٌ لسقيا النور .. للأمن الجميل ..

أنا من أنا؟

أنا ياسامعي عبدُ ذليل

حاد الطريق

وانساق خلف المغريات

يمضي حثيثاً للسراب

ياويح قلبي .. كيف وليتُ بعيداً

وتلاشت في مسيري نور أضواء الطريق

وحنين نصحٍ للرفيق

وبقيت أمضي .. خلف شيطان الهوى ..

قلبي يئن من النوى ..

يحن أن يحيا الرضا حرٌ طليق ..

لكن رحمة خالقي ظلت معي ..

أبداً تشوقني الهدى ..

أبداً تذكرني الطريق ..

نورٌ تجلى في الدجى

لا زلت أذكر يومها ..

حين انثنيتُ ساجداً .. أدعو الإله

وأبثه دمعي السخين

أشكو إلهي ظلمتي ..

أدعوه سراً أن يعيد لي الحياة ..

وتشققت ظلم الحجب

وتفرجت كل الغموم المظلمات

ماخاب يوماً من رجاك

حمداً سأحيا خالقي ..

حمداً وأرجوك الثبات ..

وسأظل أدمن قولتي

ماخاب يوماً من رجاك *

* بقلم سمو

Eid Mubarak

2011-08-31T08:58:00.000-04:00

Zero productivity!

2011-08-14T15:41:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah, I have zero productivity this Ramadan (except for cooking). Half of Ramadan has past already, and I still can't get to the lack of sleep, caffeine, and FOOD! I bet it's hard in the Arab countries, but it's harder here in the US. I'm really glad that my kids are going back to school after Ramadan, or it's going to be a big mess.

This Ramadan, I'm more into cooking. I almost cook everyday! I guess, I get too hungry! I also make a dessert almost everyday. I feel like I can't survive the night without a dessert.

I want to share all the recipes of the things I tried with you. But, unfortunately, I didn't take pictures for everything I made. Anyway, I've started today to post some recipes on my other blog. I hope you check them out. You'll find the link under the following pictures.

Hope you all are having a blessed Ramadan!

Fattoush

Sambousek

‪I love Dayem

2011-08-08T15:15:00.000-04:00

I really don't because I simply never tried Dayem products!! But this is my daughters' favorite commercial on TV this Ramadan, and it's mine too! My favorite part is Qaddafi's voice in the background, do you hear it ? :)

Zanga, zanga. Dar, Dar!

Chocolate buscuit cake (Lazy cake)

2011-08-07T15:43:00.001-04:00

Find the recipe for this yummy cake on my cooking blog. My kids and hubby loved it. It was a pleasant change after eating too much Arabic dessert in Ramadan :)

Ramadan Mubarak!

2011-08-05T17:24:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone's Ramadan is going well! Mine is good so far alhamdulellah. The first couple of days were too long but it's getting smoother with the days passing. May Allah make it easy on all of us, and accept our fasting and prayers in this month.

Since I spend a quality time in the kitchen during Ramadan, I will try to share some of the recipes on my cooking blog. I will leave you now with some pictures for the dishes I made so far.

Fattoush

Freekeh with chicken

Veg. soup

Sambousek

Kofta with tahini sauce and basmati rice

Qatayef

Knafeh - cup cake style :)

Lately..

2011-07-23T13:22:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since my last post, but it's been a busy summer. Things are slowing down now, and so I hope I'll spend more time blogging.

We had a great vacation this summer in Jordan. It was a bit short but lots of fun. I'll leave you now with some pictures from Jordan. I already miss Amman so much!

Sunset in Aqaba

Tala Bay, Aqaba

Red Sea, Aqaba

The farm, Mahis

Very true!

2011-06-14T08:43:00.001-04:00

I'm just borrowing this post from LioneSS. I thought she was talking about me and may be about everyone of us.

ناس بترتاح معهم و بتحب جلستهم وبتحس انك منهم و ما بتحس بغربة المكان معهم أبداً و بتمر الساعات و انت مبسوط و الكلام و المزح ما بخلص معهم. و ناس مشاعرك بتكون حياد معهم يعني حلو معرفتهم بس بتفضل ان تبقى العلاقة معهم رسميه وهالشي ابداً مو انتقاص في محبتهم و احترامهم بس تحديد العلاقة معهم افضل. و في ناس ما بتنحب من أول نظرة من أول كلمة ناس بتحس انهم من عالم تاني عالم غير عن عالمك و عالم ما بتحب تختلط فيه من أصله لانه عالم مش حلو، عالم معهم بتخلص كل المواضيع و بتضيع الكلامات و الدقيقة بتصير برفقتهم ساعة و بتتمنى و انت معهم ان هالتعارف ما صار من أصله

جد الدنيا غريبة و مليانه العجب، مليان طيبة و حب و احترام و تواضع و ايمان و بنفس الوقت مليانه فسوق و غرور و نفاق و كذب و كفر. بس المهم الواحد يعرف كيف يختار أصحابه لانه على رأي المثل الصاحب ساحب

و قول الرسول الكريم

(المرء على دين خليله فلينظر أحدكم من يخالل)

It took until June, actually!

2011-06-06T16:30:00.002-04:00

Today I sent the research paper to my advisor. Yeah, finally! I was so optimistic in my previous post when I thought it would be in April.

The question now, did I achieve all the things I listed in that post by now? Let's see:

It's officially Spring here. But it took until the end of May for Spring and warm weather!
Baby Aboudy is much bigger mashallah! He crawls now, but he still, sometimes, wakes up once during the night! But I sleep much better, elhamdulellah.
Unfortunately, I'm not back to my pre-pregnancy weight yet. I look much better and I feel so close but still need to work more on those extra pounds!
It's only 18 days till our trip to Amman. And I still miss my family and friends so much! I also still need to do tons of shopping!
DONE!
CLEAR!

انا العبد

2011-05-26T10:03:00.000-04:00

أنا العبد الذي كسب الذنوبا وصدته الأماني أن يتوبا
أنا العبـد الـذي أضحـى حزيناً على زلاته قلقاً كئيـبا
أنا العبد الذي سطرت علـيه صحائف لم يخف فيها الرقيـبا
أنا العبد المسيئ عصيت سراً فما لي الآن لا أبدي النحيـبا
أنا العبد المفرط ضاع عمري فلم أرع الشبيبة والمشيبا
أنا العبـد الغريـق بلج بحرٍ أصيـح لربما ألقــى مجيبا
أنا العبد السقيم مـن الخطايا وقد أقبلت ألتمس الطبيـبا
أنا العبد الشريد ظلمت نفسي وقد وافيت بابكـم منيبا

I'm on Twitter!!

2011-05-06T13:16:00.001-04:00

I started tweeting couple of days ago. And I think I love it. Follow me at @BlackSusu

Another random post!

2011-04-14T21:47:00.001-04:00

Nothing much is going on around here! I'm just busy getting my research paper done. I hate to be away from blogging for that long but I'm really busy. And when I'm a little free I try to do things I really enjoy and unfortunately blogging is not on the list these days!!

Today is my younger daughter's birthday. She is 5 today, and she is so excited about it. She even wanted to go bed early last night to make her birthday come faster!

Nothing much other than that. Busy but happy and content :)

What do you expect?!

2011-04-04T22:23:00.003-04:00

I've decided to lower my expectations because I've discovered that they are (for some) unrealistically high. This should be my strategy for getting more peace of mind, hopefully.

"The higher my expectations, the lower my serenity."

مش فاهمة

2011-03-30T08:26:00.000-04:00

أنا بس مش فاهمة ليه كل واحد بطالب بالاصلاح والعدل في وطنا العربي بيكون إما بلجيكي أو شيعي أو مسيحي أو اخونجي أو قاعدي. يعني لازم يكون طائفي أو مهلوس!! يعني ما في حد من أهل البلد نفسه بده اصلاح اذا اعتبرنا انه ما ذكر اعلاه من طوائف مش من أهل البلد ومندسين. حد يفهمني لأنه اللي عم بيصير مش معقول

Blogging...Not really!!

2011-03-29T22:22:00.000-04:00

It's been a while, I know! But I'm not into blogging recently. I even barely have time to read my favorite blogs. Busy, busy, busy, and not in the blogging mood :(

Lately...

2011-03-10T10:25:00.000-05:00

My hubby came back last Thursday. YAY!! It was the best day ever after a rough week. I know I need to be tougher in such situations but it didn't work this time. El7amdellah he is back safe and sound. BTW, He got me these things from Singapore :)

gold ring

silk fabric

Nothing new other than that. I work on my research regularly. I did a lot of shopping in the last couple of weeks, and I got a lot of things for myself (makeup, boots, purse, and clothes). Amman in the air, I guess!! We booked the tickets for this June :)

My baby is getting bigger. He is gonna turn 5 months tomorrow. I started giving him solid food such as cereal and mashed fruits. He still wakes once or twice during the night. Recently, he is giving me hard time to sleep outside the house. The only place he can sleep in is the car while moving. I find this annoying when we are visiting some friends during night time. I wish I can take his room with me sometimes. I can't deny that he is a good boy and even when he is not feeling good he is not that annoying but still I find it uncomfortable. Do you think that I need to stop visiting friends late until he is bigger, or what do I need to do?

Guest Post 3: How to love your veiled self

2011-03-07T20:35:00.002-05:00

Okay I'm cheating here! I got this post from Chocolate mint in a jar who guest posted for her sister RJay. I loved RJay's post and I couldn't resist posting it. I personally follow most of her tips and I guess this is why I love my veil (Hijab)! Enjoy it :)

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I’ve read hundreds of articles on how to hijabify your sundress by wearing a shirt underneath or jean jacket on top.

I’ve learnt a dozen ways to tie my hijab , cover my neck but show my pretty earrings.

I’ve scored the internet for ideas on how to wear anything hijabifiyed.
I’ve learnt how to shop.

I’ve learnt to try to stick to clothes that are already long sleeved and won’t need too much layering.
I’ve learnt to wear pretty colors and nice accessories .
I’ve learnt to wear my clothes with pride and feel pretty on the inside not just the outside after all. I've been practicing for 12 years.

The one thing I struggled with the most was not the year of the leggings or the year camisoles and miniskirts were in , I didn’t struggle with deciding between wearing skin tight tops or skipping.

The thing I struggled with the most for all these years (and still do) is loving myself veiled.

Mind you struggling with your hijab is the second best kept secret (after how horrendous childbirth is)no one tells you how hard it is to keep it on I’ve gone violently back and forth from wanting to take it off to wearing loose fitting clothes and no make up.

I used to look at happy cute veiled girls and wish I was that happy …I felt the same envy for the girls with their loose hair down their backs and miss my own

However the good news is that I’m at a good place right now and thought I would share with you and spare you 12 years

1- Girls are prettier on the other side whatever side you are on whether you are veiled or unveiled tall or short thin or curvy blond or brunette …sometimes you will feel that anyone who isn’t you is better.

Hate to burst your bubble women are beautiful in all shapes and sizes and nothing is more beautiful than loving yourself enough …when you love yourself you are able to focus on other people when you do that people can tell how amazing and strong you are to long beyond the pettiness of oneself

When you don’t like yourself you are so busy internally nitpicking every part of yourself and seething with green eyed malice at anyone around you that people step over you so they don’t get infected.

I’ve watched guys go gaga over the new girl and forget her in a week because she was too self centered.

I’ve seen seemingly average girls get the hottest sweetest guys because they loved themselves enough to shine and knew deep down they were worth the best guys.

I’ve longed to be friends with girls who commanded the whole room but looked nothing like your typical siren just so I could be near all that happiness.

I’ve sometimes been the new it girl and sometimes I joined in the praise of the new girl with my guy friends …I know my place and it’s a pretty good spot…. because after all god put me there.

2-Loving yourself is a must but you must also know how to project a certain image

If you want to love yourself while veiled you must treat yourself to all the indulgences of non veiled girls just because your hair is covered doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dye it if you want have it permed have it blown dry , cut and cared for by the best products you can get your hands on

You deserve to look at a pretty you in the mirror you deserve to smell the pretty shampoo from your hair

3-You must have a beauty and clothes regime that you have designed personally and stick to it

This is mine:

I buy the prettiest-smelling, softest-curl-inducing shampoos I can find
I cut , style and blow dry my hair regularly
I wax regularly even if no one will see
I go to the gym every day (choose my outfits carefully but that’s the next point)
I buy any hijab unsuitable clothes like lingerie and swimsuits and wear them at home or at girls only events
I buy big dangly earrings even if no one can see them , I can
I use nice smelling creams
I have a huge array of any nail polish that takes my fancy I apply it after I pray 3esha so I don’t worry about wodoo2 and remove it at night before I sleep, this might seem like a hassle but believe me it’s worth it

4-The clothes maketh the girl

Deciding what to wear is the biggest deal but most of us have a picture of what they want to look like in their heads but beware freedom has a limit we made that commitment the day we decided to cover our hair don’t make a fool of yourself by wearing too much make-up or tight revealing clothes it makes you look desperate, confused and have no idea who you want to be.

The veil is about being presentable yet conservative don’t defeat the purpose.

Guidelines:

Choose colors that make you happy and comfortable buy 80 % of ur clothes in that color and 20 % of the time go on a limb and by something different.
Care for the details , your scarf matters think comfort –color –coordination.
Not everything that is in fashion works for your body , face or your veil think wisely.
Your accessories mean a lot bag, shoes, and jewelry wear whatever takes your fancy and if they r too loud just wear a one colored outfit and go crazy!!
You are an ambassador keep that in mind.
If you don’t know what style to choose find someone you like and mimic mesh 3eeb.
When it comes to the gym make sure your top is long colorful and comfortable preferably cotton same goes for your veil you are going to the gym to sweat not to flirt you look ridiculous when you try to hard that goes for non veiled girls too.

Personally I buy boys shirts coz they r long and dry fit just go for colorful ones , choose your shoes wisely too and please for the love of god DON’T WEAR MAKE UP AT THE GYM I agree you look prettier with eyeliner but you also look DESPERATE.

5-Last but not least

Choosing to be veiled means that you are supposedly at a higher level of piety not necessarily better or worse than everyone else but conduct yourself wisely you are an ambassador to your faith be sweet and polite don’t be loud and vulgar not only are you scrutinized more closely you are labeled as desperate and unstable.

Home alone!!

2011-02-27T20:47:00.003-05:00

I know that you can't be "home alone" with three kids, no one can be! But this is how I feel when hubby is traveling. He's in Singapore until Thursday. We can't wait for him to come back!

I have not been into blogging recently. However I have a lot to blog about, but I guess with things happening in the Middle East, everything does not seem worthy to talk about. The good thing that I can see the change coming, regardless of the rough/long way. The Arab world will be a better place soon inshallah.

I learned few things from those revolutions: Arab youth are so brave and strong despite that they were raised by the weakest Arab generation (sorry to say that but this is my opinion). And that there will be always some people, and thank God they are some, who are loyal to the regimes no matter how bad the regimes are. The problem that I can't tell if those people are stupid, ignorant, cowards, or that they just can't live without being insulted!!

I'm now praying for the people in Libya. I had my own experience with the revolution there as my brother was working in Benghazi and he just went back to Jordan last Thursday. It was so scary to hear the news when you have someone really close to you there. last Tuesday I was sick worried that I couldn't stop crying all day. I was sick worried about him and his wife and baby girl. But el7amdellah he made it home safe and sound after a rough trip through Egypt. When I was worried about my brother I thought about those who lost their loved ones in the revolution in Tunis, Egypt, and Libya. You need to be in their shoes to feel their pain. I'm so sorry for their losses.

I wrote the above post last night but I didn't feel posting it. I was not home most of the day today. I just came back, fed my baby and put him and the girls to bed. I wanted to post what I wrote but then I felt I want to add something, anything. I just want to talk. I'm feeling down, suddenly. I thought about calling my friend here but I couldn't, I didn't know what to say. I hate to be that weak and I just hate when my husband is far away and I can't talk to him!!!

Liquid foundation

2011-02-16T21:43:00.000-05:00

I need help here! I'm looking for a good liquid foundation. I have been on Double Wear from Esteelauder for the last year. I'm not that happy with it because it's kinda heavy on my face. So I'm looking for a new one and I really can't decide what to get. So I really appreciate your recommendation here. I have a combination face and looking for a medium coverage with natural look.

Thanks :)

Lately in pictures

2011-02-14T17:15:00.002-05:00

I was thrilled last Friday when I heard that Mubarak stepped down. They finally did it! I was so proud of them.

Long live Egypt

The snow in front of our house as of today 2/14. It started to melt down, finally! It hit 50 degrees today for the first time in months. The snow you see in the picture is the accumulation from the several snow storms hit us in the last couple of months. The last was two weeks ago.

I made this cake over the weekend. My hubby believes that I need to start thinking about having my own cake shop. I guess I might consider that if the PhD thing didn't work out :)

Back under control

2011-02-08T20:47:00.000-05:00

I'm just so proud of myself! I finally got my life organized and under control. It was uneasy and took a while but it worked. I now find myself able to work on my research, take care of my family, exercise, and hang out with my friends without feeling overwhelmed or overload. YAY!!

I'm also trying to get my emotions under control. I still don't feel like I'm fully back as before, so today I made some decisions or rules that I need to follow. I will discuss this here later. I just need to give myself time to see how good I will follow these rules!

It's me on the treadmill (behind the camera for sure!!)

Praying for Egypt

2011-02-02T10:46:00.000-05:00

I just can't stand the crime happening right now in Tahrir Square against the protesters! Please keep praying for them.

And please Egyptians, don't give up!

A night post!

2011-02-01T23:47:00.002-05:00

It's another snow day, or you can call it an ice day. Despite the fact that I'm not a fan of snow anymore, I was glad to get some extra sleep this morning after the hard time I had last night after the root canal. Sad to say that I need to go back in three weeks to get the root canal done, because the dentist said it can't be done in one session!!

It's 8:10 PM now and we just came back home couple of hours ago! Yes, we went out in this messy weather to get our hair cut, I mean the girls' and mine, while hubby (or the boys) went to grab some pizza. Just finished dinner, before hubby shut his office's door to finish his late meeting, one of those several nightly meetings he has to do every week with overseas workmates. He recently discovered that he has to travel to Singapore around the end of this month. I was not happy to hear that since I'm not a fan of his work trips, neither his late meetings.

I just got an email that schools are closing tomorrow. Ice storm is supposed to get worse tonight. Hopefully there will be no power outage. I also hope we have a better day than today because everything was not going right since the morning. Started with a call that made me really angry. It's unbelievable how impolite some people could be! And ended up with some damages in my car and home appliances!

Now I'll leave you with a quote by Amr khaled. I like it because I find (found) it somehow true:

إذا رفعت أحد فوق قدره ... فتوقع منه ان يضعك دون قدرك

Good night!

A rough week

2011-01-28T15:04:00.004-05:00

It's Friday, the end of the week. A rough week actually!

My friend's dad died yesterday. May Allah bless and forgive him and grant him to Jannah.

I have been suffering a bad toothache since Monday. I'm having a root canal next Monday. I have not been sleeping well, and last night was the worst. I can just take Tylenol or Motrin because I'm nursing :(

I'm snow fatigued!! We had 6 snow days in the last couple weeks and it's still snowing. We have tons of snow outside.

I'm kind of worried about what's going on in Egypt. I'm glad that the people finally stood up to make the change we all have been waiting for in our Arab countries. Still worried that some sick people will use this to steal, destroy, and hurt others. Please keep praying for Egyptians.

Snow, toothache, and sadness result in zero motivation to do anything!!

Guest Post 2: Hate

2011-01-24T16:23:00.001-05:00

It's about time for my monthly guest post. Thanks to sweet Wafa' for accepting my invitation to post on my blog. Wafa's blog is one of the first blogs I started to read and enjoy. She has a very special way in writing and talking about things. You can tell from her blog that she is very humanitarian. She always seeks peace and love for all humans!

It is an honor to have your post here Wafa' :)

Hate

"Lovely Susu invited me to write a post on her blog which i love dearly.

So many topics rush into my mind when i first saw the email and kept wondering what will i write about, but the topic that came in my mind first and stuck was "hate", dunno why? probably cuz it fills my life to the "hate" point actually.

i didn't grow up in a "loving" surroundings, there were hate between families, hate between siblings, hate for this person and hate for the other one. And with the lack of love too , hate will just take control.

Being "almost" the youngest makes you neglected mostly and invisible so you can see and do things without the realization of others.And it makes you the target too cuz no one will notice either.

But you know what, most times i am not grumpy about what happened over my childhood and most of my life. The older i got the more i realize how lucky i was, how much good this hate has turn me into. Yes, i do have my share of ups and downs but i tend to get up quicker than falling, So maybe this hate has taught me something.

One of the things that "hate" taught me is/was to be more understanding . Understanding of the scars these people who hurt me might have, the pain and the sufferings they must have been in that make them hurt and transfer them into a person who hurts others.

We keep insisting on "remembering only the goods about the dead" and i like that but when i think about my father and all that had happened, i keep wondering about his childhood. I never knew it , i know that he has lost his father when he was young and he was the eldest. But i wonder how did the death of his father affect him ? How being the eldest son who would have to work for his younger ones make him feel? .

Was he happy about it? Was he sad and angry cuz he didn't have the chance to study and be someone whom he might wish to be ? .

He was married before my mother and has two kids who died young. How did that affect him?

wow, now i am thinking is he with them right now? .

Sometimes working hard and not getting what you think you deserve makes you live in anger and destroy your inner self. Did working hard for his younger brother and getting nothing in return made him less caring about his second family "us" ?.

I don't hate my father not only because he is dead but also because i am trying my best to understand him and love him instead of hating him.

The cycle must stop and be cut at one point, so why not make it stop right now. Hate is like digging a hole to bury your haters in forgetting that the sand and mud of that hole is all over you.

I don't want to hate anyone, i want to try to understand their surroundings and i don't have to "know" these surroundings to actually understand them but just the idea that

"they are like me, the have tough times ,sadly they can not get out of these tough times so the least i can not hate them" .

And that's not a belittling them, it's actually a way to stretch a hand and show that we are similar in so many ways and that today i can understand you and forgive you and one day you can understand me and forgive me too.

BTW,forgiving doesn't necessarily mean forgetting. But understanding and loving can make you forget sometimes.

P.S: This topic is not ONLY about my father but he as merely an example of people whom i didn't have a good relationship with or hated due to the way they hurt me badly. Before you judge me over your religion views, try to love me :)"

Appalled too!

2011-01-21T09:44:00.000-05:00

This video got me really, really mad when I first saw it on Facebook. Not only because this first grader kid was verbally and physically abused by his teacher, but also because the teacher and the other one who is filming are using the kid's fear and tears for fun. You can see how both of them are enjoying the kid's begging as you hear them chuckling in the background. I was just hoping this video to spread so the kid's family see it and take action toward the teacher. I believe this teacher should not be only prevented from teaching, she should be taken to court too.

I was glad last night to know that this got Queen Rania's attention and that they are trying to find the teacher now.

Why Am I desperately looking forward to April?!!

2011-01-17T17:00:00.001-05:00

It's going to be officially Spring here. I miss Spring already!
Baby Aboudy will be bigger (around 6 months old), which means sleeping through the night (or at least this is what I'm hoping)! I really can't wait to get at least 5 continuous hours of sleep!
I'll be in my pre-pregnancy weight, hopefully!!! I'm counting on the coming months to lose the extra weight.
It's going to be only two months away from our trip to Amman. I miss my family and friends so much!
I will be done with my second dissertation paper by then, hopefully. I'll try my best!!
I went through a lot in the last few months. I guess by April, things will be cleared out! Also, the postpartum phase will be behind and so the right decisions about things and people around will be made. No vagueness, not anymore!!

I'm just wondering...

2011-01-12T20:20:00.001-05:00

How do you know that you are a good friend? How can you tell? Does the number of friends you have give any indication? I'm talking about close, like really close friends!

Also, how can you tell that you got the BEST girl friend!! Should the best friend be the best all the time, or the best currently?!

Did you get confused with this post? Don't worry because I'm confused too!

My new template!

2011-01-10T22:05:00.006-05:00

If you got to read this post I guess you've already noticed my blog's new template. I tried to have it personalized with some of my own pictures. I also tried to make it as simple as possible. I hope you like it!

I think this is the only thing I have been up to recently. It's too quite around here; hubby and kids are back to work and school after the winter break. And I have been trying so bad to get some work done on my research since then.

I'm also trying to get some of this year's resolutions done. In addition to those resolutions, I have a list of things to do in the coming weeks. First thing will be getting my teeth fixed after having some major troubles with them during pregnancy. My next step will be getting them whitened. Oh yeah!!!

Pregnancy had also its bad effect on my skin. I had bad acne on my face all around pregnancy that left dark spots which are not going away with any face cream. So I'm thinking about consulting a dermatologist on treatment options. I might do some laser treatment, if recommended, will see!

That's it! I guess it's all about my look. I need to get back in shape before heading to Amman this summer :)

On a last note, my thoughts have been lately with my dear friend who's taking care of her very sick dad. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks!

2011 Resolutions

2011-01-03T20:48:00.002-05:00

To be honest I never put a new year resolutions before. At the end of any year I just look back and see what I accomplished in that year; what are the best and worst things happened to me. I try to learn from my mistakes so I don't do them again. Or feel happy for the good things Allah helped me to do or achieve (since good things are always from Allah and bad things are from me and the devil).

Looking back at 2010, I see that the only and BEST thing I accomplished was having baby Abdurahman. I feel like I spent the whole year between pregnancy, delivery, and taking care of him. I know that I had rough times during these days but it is all worth it. Seeing him smiling which just happened recently erases all those hard moments.

Now writing down my 2011 resolutions:

Finishing my PhD!!!! It has been one of my goals for the last three years and unfortunately it was not achieved :( I'm optimistic that I will be able to do it this year though, inshallah!
Losing weight. I guess this is another repeated resolution because I always want to lose weight no matter how thin I am :) I also need to exercise on a routine basis. I'm thinking about doing some Yoga this year.
I will try to forgive myself and others more.
I will show my husband, kids, and anyone I love how much I care about them.
I will think and maybe start working on that thing, my own thing, I want to do. Something I really enjoy doing and will benefit others. More details to come...

Have a peaceful and healthy new year, everyone!

I'm back :)

2010-12-29T20:00:00.004-05:00

Actually, it did not take that long! I mean my break from blogging. Well, I promised to come back only when I have something good to talk about and I'm not sure if I have that thing. But I feel so good these days, and may be telling you how good I feel deserves blogging. Maybe I have to, after I bothered you with all those depressing posts!!!

Thank God I'm feeling better. The last couple of months were miserable. I guess I started to feel lonely, overwhelmed, and depressed the day my husband went back to work after the c-section. I had to resume my all responsibilities as a mom and wife, and I guess I was not fully ready to do so. Despite all my husband's help and understanding, I still could not manage it. I needed help, mentally and physically. But my husband was there all the time. I guess without his support, help, and love, I wouldn't be able to move on and feel better.

I was so sensitive, emotional, and confused. I couldn't control my feelings, and I even couldn't think right. I found myself getting angry for the silliest things. I couldn't handle crying for nothing. When I remember these things now, I feel so silly!!

Okay, what happened to make things better? I have no idea! And I think I'm not all better, but much better, I guess. I feel myself again, I can think right again, and I can enjoy things again! One of the things that helped was going out more. I stayed home most of the time in the last couple of months. Having a newborn and nursing him made hanging out uneasy. Cold weather made things more miserable. So last week my husband decided to work from home for the whole week so I can hang out everyday in the morning while the girls at school. He took care of the baby while I'm out. I had the chance to do something different each day. I went shopping on one day, had a lunch with my girl friends on another day. Feeling free again made all the difference.

Before getting to the end of this post I just want to mention something. Few weeks ago I wrote something about friendship; how keeping up friendship is hard. It's true, especially when you feel down. It's sometimes not your friends' fault as it's yours. Mad people can't be understanding and forgiving as they should be. I know that I have always to find excuses and to give more chances to my friends, but I didn't. I need to listen more and talk less, since talking does not always help. It didn't help in my case!

I guess that was a long post. Thanks for hanging on with me! It feels good to be back :)

My new cooking blog!

2010-12-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

I decided to create a separate blog for my cooking recipes: Susu's Kitchen. I kept all the old recipes here but from now on I will post the new recipes in that blog. Yesterday I posted a new recipe so check it out!

I hope you like my new blog :)

Guest post 1: Its all in the eye of the beholder

2010-12-24T21:59:00.000-05:00

Here is the first "guest post". It's written by my husband, who was behind this post's idea as I mentioned in my previous post. He is the one who encouraged me to create this blog. And he is one of my regular readers who I look forward to hear his opinion after each post I publish.

I'll leave you now with his post. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

"Well, I guess a "thank you" is in order since Susu invited me to post here, something that I intentionally and successfully avoided until now - Blogging! ;) However, this will teach me to hold my tong unless I'm prepared to be a guinea pig, after all this was my idea!

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against blogging, in fact I nudged Susu into it (& I'm glad I did), its just that growing up I was a socially shy kid, and I guess this turned into a private personality as I grew older. Still, I was one curious kid.

I was eager to learn and explore, sometimes to my harm, but still it was a whole lot of fun and very, very exciting. One of my uncles likes to remind me how rebellious I was, as I didn't listen much and liked doing things my way, often the wrong way. I'm sure many will associate with this, its just the nature of kids. Its a thing most adults miss and long for when thinking of their childhood. So what happened to our curiosity? I think its mostly still there, deep down somewhere. Its just one's responsibilities had been racking up all these years until we ended up what we are now, "boring adults".

But just when we realize that we started forgetting our curiosity, God blesses us with the antidote, children. First, we learn (and then relearn) how to raise them, which is an experience by itself. But then an amazing thing happens, something you knew is coming but you never fully appreciated until now: a brand new curious being is brought into this world, with absolutely no preconceptions, and they're completely attached to you. You start to rediscover the world through their eyes, not because you need the knowledge, but because you long for the experience. You rediscover how much fun sand is, how exhilarating a slide is, how much you miss your bike, and how quickly your energy gets drained compared to your kids! - by the way, the last one is the only thing stopping you from buying a bike :)

Often, we quickly slip back into our "boring adult" mind set. We like to say the world have changed a lot, but the world never changes, its we who change, its all in the eye of the beholder.

I just wish I can get myself to rediscover more, to spend less time being a boring adult, to spend more time with my kids as a kid not a parent, I know I'll live better. My kids do."

Guest Post!!

2010-12-21T17:37:00.002-05:00

Last night my husband got an awesome idea for my blog which I found really interesting. He suggested me to invite some of my readers to write a post for me that I can publish on my blog. I decided to call it a "Guest Post". The guest author will pick the topic. This post will appear on my blog once a month.
Now, if you happened to comment on one of my posts expect me to send you an invitation :)

Since my hubby is the one who suggested this and since he is one of my regular readers, he is gonna have to be the first to invite. Waiting for your post, honey :)

I guess this is going to be a good come back!

Taking a break!

2010-12-18T00:26:00.000-05:00

I decided to take a break from blogging! I'm not sure how long it is going to last. Maybe hours, days, or weeks, but I won't be back until I have something I feel good to write about.

Until then I wish you all a happy winter!

This pining feeling!

2010-12-14T19:41:00.002-05:00

I just feel like missing someone. I terribly miss my mom that I can't get her out of my mind. I miss my sisters and brother. I miss my girl friends back home.

I miss being myself again!!

Happy snow day, Amman!

2010-12-13T16:30:00.001-05:00

I was reading Al-Ghad newspaper this morning as I do everyday when I saw the pictures of snow in Jordan. I was so glad to know that it is finally raining and snowing there after all those dry days.

Those pictures took me back to my childhood days in Amman. When snow days were our favorite days each winter. When my older sister used to look through the window 50 times every minute to check how much snow out there. When we used to pray all night to have no school the next day. When we all used to sit around the heater eating chestnuts while watching Egyptian plays. When we used to go out play with our neighbors in the snow despite all my mom's warnings of getting frozen hands.

How much I miss those days! I don't miss snow. It's actually snowing right now through my window. I just miss those snowy days and... I miss Amman.

ME freaking out!!

2010-12-10T15:11:00.004-05:00

First, Thanks to Wafa' for tagging me in "7 weird facts about yourself" post. Right now I think I'm all weird and everything about me is weird as well, seriously! So until I get out of this phase, I can't tell the 7 weirdest facts about me ;)

Second, I'm really not a drama queen who tends to overreact to seemingly minor incidents. But I recently can't deny that I act like a one. I'm starting to be a boring blogger, I know :(

Let's change the subject before I say something that could make anyone mad. Guess what, this brought another subject here. It is about my blog and people in my personal life like family and friends who read it!! I'm the one who chose to share my blog with friends when I posted a link to it on FB, since it was the place where I wanted to post my food recipes. To be honest, I didn't expect everyone knows about it to read it on a regular basis.

The reason I'm talking about this that I recently started to hesitate talking about some stuff in my life because at some point it could be related to one of the readers. I didn't want my blog to be a secret in the first place, however I wanted to write everything I feel talking, good or bad, with no limits. Sometimes I pretend that I don't know any of my readers in person so I can write whatever I want, but before publishing the post I find my self changing a word or another, deleting a sentence or even a paragraph!! I love my friends and I don't want them to get mad, so what do you think, do I need to stop talking about things that are related to my readers?

Before letting you go, here is an update about my weight. I have not been counting points for a while now because, I guess, I'm not in a good mood. However, I'm still watching my food. I mean I try to eat healthy as much as I can and I guess this is the whole point from WW plan. I lost only one pound since my last post which brings the total weight lost to 8 lb in less than a month. This is not bad but I think I need to keep going on eating healthier with or without counting points.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Thank you!

2010-11-30T17:09:00.001-05:00

I didn't know how sad my yesterday's post was until I got some of your messages, calls, and comments. I really appreciate your concern. I feel better today, still not in a perfect mood and still can't get some of the things happening around, but I'm trying to be wise and forget about it.

Thank you, my friends!

Sometimes I wish I could just press rewind!

2010-11-29T14:04:00.002-05:00

Don't you wish that sometimes? I'm not sure if I would do any better but I just wish!! I have nothing much to say today. Feeling down, sick, and not in the mood :(

Anyway here are some updates:

I'm trying to get back to work on my research.
Still watching my weight. I lost a couple of pounds in the last week.
Thanksgiving break was OK. Lots of ups and downs, but I was so glad to have my husband and kids around all the time.
I thought finding a good friend is hard, but discovered that keeping up friendship is much harder.

Weight Watchers and I

2010-11-23T08:00:00.008-05:00

As I promised previously, I'm posting about my weight watchers (WW) plan. I started the plan about 10 days ago, and I lost about 5 pounds so far. BTW, I'm not enrolled in WW, but I'm using their points system. If you're not familiar with WW, it's a weight loss plan that is based on calculating daily points for the food you're consuming everyday. Every food or drink has a certain number of points. You can eat whatever you choose as long as you stay under your daily points. .

As I mentioned in a previous post, I gained a lot during pregnancy (about 50-ish). I lost some pounds after delivery but I still need to lose about 30 - 35 pounds to get in shape. My daily points are 32 points (including 10 points for nursing).

I find myself sometimes can't count the points for some meals, especially the ones I cook from our middle eastern kitchen, so I count how many points left for this meal and try to guess how many points in my plate based on the ingredients. I use this website onemorepound.com to calculate how many points each food deserve based on calories and fat. I find it so helpful! I also use it when I eat out to check the restaurant's menu and see how many points in the food I'm ordering.

When you follow the plan, you will find yourself picking healthier food. You will trade small chunks of fatty high calories food with bigger full of vegetables plates.

My dinner the other day(this is btw an oven-baked chicken breast)

Summary:

Previous weight:161 lb

Current weight (as of 11/23): 156 lb

Another random update!!

2010-11-18T11:13:00.001-05:00

While some of you are still celebrating Eid, our one-day Eid is wrapped up and everyone is back to work/school. The girls and hub enjoyed having the day off. We went to the prayer in the morning and then had our breakfast at the Islamic center. The girls enjoyed their new clothes and money gifts from dad. Later that day we got the chance to see our friends and have dinner together at one of the girls' favorite restaurant.

For me, I was not happy that I couldn't fit in any of the nice clothes I was planning to wear for Eid. Still, I managed to wear something else and it looked okay.

Talking about getting back in shape, I'm starting my weight watchers (WW) plan. I know that I will lose the pregnancy weight eventually, but I wanted to get faster results. I was motivated by some blogger friends who really got good results. I thought sharing this with everyone would be like those WW meetings where you need to show others the results you got. This will make it more serious and will make me stick to the plan. I will be posting another post regarding my WW later on.

Now, let's talk FUN. I went shopping last week. I got to buy myself some gifts!! Yes, it was my birthday last month which happened to be few days before the baby delivery which also happened to be couple of weeks before our anniversary, so my hubby wanted me to pick the Birthday/anniversary/baby gift(s) by myself.

My Birthday cake

Our anniversary cake

I got to pick whatever I want, so I got this handbag and those sunglasses from Bloomingdales (I still need to pick one more thing):

So when I was not able to enjoy my clothes, those were great because they fit just FINE :)

I hope you all had a great Eid.

Have a nice pre-Eid weekend, everyone!

2010-11-12T16:10:00.001-05:00

Are you busy getting ready for Eid! I bet you are!! Just wanted to wish you all a good weekend. Don't forget me from your prayers in these holy days especially on Arafa day.

Happy Eid preparation :)

Postpartum Therapy

2010-11-08T15:56:00.014-05:00

OK, Baby Abdurahman is four weeks old. I'm feeling much better el7amdellah, and baby Abdurahman is much bigger. However, I still feel overwhelmed! Still can't get back to my pre-pregnancy well-organized life! Too many things I need to start working on. No motivation to do anything though! I'm sure the first thing to jump to your mind as you read this are the postpartum hormonal changes I'm going through. It surely is :(

To overcome those symptoms I decided to have some therapies :)

First, a message therapy. I have a bad pain in the neck and shoulders area that is going to kill me. I guess this makes me in need for such a therapy. I'll try to make an appointment for next week.

Second, some retail therapy! I guess it's the ladies favorite therapy. Shopping is always soothing! I enjoy shopping either in stores or online. I have been surfing the web recently looking for nice boots.

Because I had swollen feet during pregnancy, and due to the fact that I was not able to wear anything except for my Kate spade flip flop (which turned to be so ugly due to excessive use and weight), I really miss shoes, real shoes, especially those yummy high heels :)

However, I'm thinking about getting one of those tall boots with low heels since they are so trendy this winter. Some of the boots I found online and I really like are those UGG boots in the pictures below.

Those low heel boots for a stylish look.

Or maybe those for a funky look!

Or maybe those if I decided to go with wedge boots.

On the other hand, I really like those peeptoe booties which were so trendy in the summer. I'm not sure about getting one now but maybe next summer! I like those Guess booties. So stylish :)

Awesome, I feel better already :)

I'm going shopping this week. I need to get the kids new clothes for the Eid, and some stuff for me (including the boots). Keep tuned to know the winner boots!

Eid Mubarak in advance!

Random

2010-11-02T11:54:00.000-04:00

كراوية

I made this caraway dessert for my friends who came to visit last weekend. It was so good!
Today is our 9th wedding anniversary. I'm simply still in love :)
Baby Abdurahman is still consuming most of my time.
I have not left the house for three weeks (except for doctor's visits and dropping or picking my daughters).
I miss shopping so much! I'm planning to buy a new boot, coat, and handbag next week! I've already found what I want online and can't wait to go to Bloomingdale's to get them :)
I'm drinking more than 2 liters of water everyday. I feel thirsty all the time!
Still can't fit in my old clothes! I'm on track though.
I'm still looking for a nickname for baby Abdurahman. Any suggestions? Don't suggest Abboud please! :)
It's getting really cold and I'm not liking it.
I desperately need a vacation.
I will cook okra (bamyeh) today :)

Fenugreek cake (حلبة)

2010-11-01T13:38:00.002-04:00

This is traditional dessert from the Palestinian kitchen. Fenugreek frequently used by lactating women to increase milk supply and since I'm currently nursing my son I thought it's going to be a good idea to make this dessert. It's really delicious!

You will need:

For the syrup:

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

few drops lemon juice

For the cake:

3 cups semolina or cream of wheat

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup veg. oil

2 tsp yeast

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup fenugreek seeds

2 cups water

Directions:

Mix semolina and flour in a big bowl. Add all the oil to the mix and set aside to rest (about 1 hour). You need the semolina to absorb all the oil.
Meanwhile prepare the syrup by adding water to the sugar in a medium saucepan and mix it well with spatula. Heat the mix until it boils. Once it boils add the lemon drops and set aside to cool down.
In another saucepan add the 2 cups of water to the fenugreek seeds and boil it on a low heat for about 20 minutes until the seeds are big and soft. The water will decrease to about 1 cup.
Drain the seeds and add them to the semolina mix. Keep the seeds water to add them to the mix later. Add the yeast, baking powder, and salt. Then add the water gradually while making the dough. You might not need the whole cup of water.
Lightly grease a 9x12 baking dish with tahini sauce. Pour the dough in the baking dish and smooth with hand. Cut it into diamond shapes with a butter knife. You can decorate by placing an almond in the center of each diamond.
Cover the baking dish and set it aside to rest for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 400 F (200 degrees). Bake on the lower rack for about 40 minutes until it is gold. Remove from oven and immediately add the warm syrup to it.
Leave aside until it cools down and then cut and serve.

16 days postpartum

2010-10-27T12:36:00.005-04:00

Too busy to blog!!! Still recovering from the C-section, I'm feeling much better though! My last two weeks were all about breastfeeding, changing diapers, sleeping, taking pain medicine, and eating well :) El7amdellah that my husband was there to take care of the girls and everything else!

Here is a summary of the last 16 days: I gave birth on Monday Oct 11th, and I stayed at the hospital until Thursday. Unfortunately baby Abdurahman lost 10% of his weight at the hospital. I had to check with the doctor on the next Monday. While his weight was okay, he had a high Jaundice which required a daily blood test for 4 days. I had to cease breastfeeding for few days and just give him formula. El7amdellah, this strategy worked with him well and we were able to control the Jaundice without any other treatment. I resumed breastfeeding as soon as he felt better. It was scary!

I also resumed my daily activities as my husband had to go back to work last Monday. It feels good to be back :)

Talking about getting back, I guess I need to get back in shape too!! I gained about 50 pound this pregnancy :(. I lost about 20 so far. I need to work on the other 30 in the coming few months without affecting my milk supply. It's going to be hard, I think!! :)

Baby Abdurahman is here :)

2010-10-14T17:32:00.003-04:00

Hello there,

We were blessed on Monday October 11th 2010 at 8:35 AM with a baby boy. We named him Abdurahman. Alhamdulellah, things went smoothly, C-section was easy, and our baby boy is healthy :)

I miss you mom

2010-10-07T10:35:00.001-04:00

أحن إلى خبز أمي
وقهوة أمي
ولمسةِ أمي

رحمك الله يا أمي

My baby shower

2010-09-27T04:26:00.004-04:00

It's 3:30 in the morning and I just can't sleep! I went to bed early last night because I didn't sleep well the night before. I woke up at 2:20 and just couldn't put myself to sleep again. I have been like this for several days now. It's not fun to have trouble sleeping when you really need it the most.

I had my baby shower last Saturday and it went really good. It was a fun girlie get-together. Here are some of the pictures I took that day. I made everything myself including the invitations, the baby favors, and the cake! Thanks to all my friends who joined me that day. It was so special!

Baby favors

The cake

Some of the gifts

What is a Midlife Crisis?

2010-09-21T08:40:00.008-04:00

I was talking to my husband the other day and the phrase "Midlife Crisis" came by. We were talking about how some people change their life in a dramatic way sometime as they get older. Ridiculously, I sometimes use this word whenever I see a mid-age person does something to look younger, i.e. shaving his mustache, having a Botox, ..., etc. However, it's more serious than that!! The following is what I found online about the midlife crisis. I found it interesting since my husband and I are in our thirties!!! Thankfully, my husband is still growing a light beard and I have not done any Botox yet :)

Note: Don't forget to check the list above. My answers were "YES" to all of them except the Harley Davidson one ;)

"A midlife crisis is experienced between the ages of 40 and 60. It was first identified by the psychologist Carl Jung and is a normal part of the maturing process. Most people will experience some form of emotional transition during that time of life. A transition that might cause you to take stock in where you are in life and make some needed adjustments to the way you live your life. Most seem to come through the process smoothly without making major life changes.

For some, a midlife crisis is more complicated. It can be an uncomfortable time emotionally which can lead to depression and the need for psychotherapy. Those who have a hard time with this transitional stage might experience a range of feelings such as:

Unhappiness with life and the lifestyle that may have provided them with happiness for many years.
Boredom with people and things that may have been of interest to them before.
Feeling a need for adventure and change.
Questioning the choices, they have made in their lives and the validity of decisions they made years before.
Confusion about who they are and where they are going.
Anger at their spouse and blame for feeling tied down.
Unable to make decisions about where they want to go with their life.
Doubt that they ever loved their spouse and resentment over the marriage.
A desire for a new and passionate, intimate relationship.

Most people who have a difficult time during midlife and go into crisis mode do so because of external factors. They may be experiencing stress in their life that makes the transition more difficult or they may have childhood issue that were never dealt with that come to the surface during this time."

Routine is back...

2010-09-14T10:31:00.002-04:00

to our life after a busy Ramadan and a joyous Eid, el7amdellah. I always feel sad when Ramadan ends regardless of all the stress we go under in the holy month here in the states. May Allah give us the opportunity to be present for next Ramadan.

Our Eid was really good. We went to the prayer in the morning and then had breakfast there at the Masjid. We then headed home to call family and friends. After getting some rest, we went to one of our favorite places that we really miss in Ramadan, Barnes and Noble. At dinner time we went with our friends to a Mexican restaurant before heading to their house to have some tea. It was a fun and busy day!

On the second day of Eid we went to Sesame place amusement park with our friends. We spent the whole day there where the girls had so much fun. On Sunday, the last day of Eid, the girls went with their dad and bought their Eid's gift, a Wii. They used the money they got as a gift on Eid (3eedeyeh) to buy it. We spent the day playing with it. It's really cool :)

I'm really happy that we were able to make the Eid joyous and fun for the girls!

I'm right now craving Turkish coffee!!! I'm trying to cut on caffeine when I'm pregnant but I sometimes can't. I guess as soon as I finish this post I will be fixing myself some and enjoy it with some of the dark chocolate I got from Belgium. Yes, these chocolate my husband got for me from Belgium. They are really yummy and irresistible. I also got a Lancome makeup palette, and the girls got stuffed bunnies. I just love gifts, who does not ? ;)

Thanks honey!

With less than 4 weeks to go, I'm really busy getting ready for delivery. I have too many things to do in the coming few weeks just like painting the baby's room, getting the furniture in it, hospital registration, and much much more. By the way, last week I bought this cute diaper bag. I really love it :)

That's it for now. Keep tuned for updates :)

Eid Mubarak

2010-09-09T07:57:00.000-04:00

Eid Al-Fitr is tomorrow in most Muslim countries. In this occasion I wish all Muslims worldwide a blessed and peaceful Eid. May Allah accept our good deeds and ease the suffering of all people around the globe.

In four years..

2010-09-02T09:36:00.004-04:00

Good morning,

I'm so sleepy this morning. I don't get enough sleep at all these days. Anyway, I hope I will get better sleep in the week left of Ramadan. My husband is coming today, and I guess him being away is one of the reasons that I can't sleep well during the night. Also, this weekend will be a long one due to Labor Day on Monday which means I can stay longer in bed in the morning :)

Following Wafa' s tag (I know this is kind of late), here are some of the things that I hope to happen to me in the coming four years:

1. Where do I want to be in four years?

Absolutely in Amman! I hope we will be back home by then, settled down in our own house.

I can't deny that I love it her in the US, and that I have too many friends here, but I just can't imagine myself and my family living here forever. We have to go back home someday, and if we have to, it should be sooner while the kids are young enough to adjust to life there. I don't want it to be hard on them which will be so hard on us too. I want my kids to raise in a normal way without thinking or feeling different. My first priority is to raise them in a right Islamic way. Many will say that I can do that here, I know, but that will put too much pressure on them and me.

2. What do I hope to happen in four years?

I hope to be a better Muslim. I just wish I can do something good for Islam, anything! I always wish to give a good impression of Islam and a bright picture for a Muslim woman because this could be a call "Da3wa" to Islam.

I also wish we will be able to go Omra with the girls. My husband and I have been blessed by doing Hajj last year. However, it was too crowded to enjoy both Harams. So we decided, inshallah, to go there again for Omra and to take the girls with us so we all enjoy worshiping there.

3. I hope to have a good job in four years. Maybe be a teaching position at a good university (assuming I will be done with my PhD degree by then)! I also hope to run my own business on the side. A business that is related to something I like, for example Hijab fashion, cooking, home decor, or all together! Big dreams, I know :)

4. Finally, as Wafa' mentioned, I just hope my family and I will be in a better place, emotionally and financially.

I also wish to love and be loved more :)

Bye bye August!

2010-08-30T11:26:00.004-04:00

I think this will be my last post in August! I was looking at my archive and I found that I have posted 9 times in August, and so this post will be my 10th. I guess it was a productive month (on the blogging side only)!! Talking about productivity, I will start working on my research tomorrow. I have to finish the big paper I have been working on for a while now. I'm trying to get as much done as possible between now and the baby's arrival.

Tomorrow, the last day in August, is the first day of school for my older daughter. She is going to second grade. My younger one is starting pre-K on Wednesday. With Ramadan and pregnancy, I'm not sure if I'm ready for school yet. But it's okay, the girls will have fun and no need to think about how to entertain them during the weekdays any more.

End of August means summer is about to end too. This summer was the hottest one for me here in PA. Summer is usually nice here but it was not this year with those several heat waves that hit our area. But subahan Allah the weather turned to be nice and wet with the first day of Ramadan!!

My husband left to Belgium on a work trip yesterday. He'll come back on Thursday inshallah. The girls and I miss him so much and can't wait to have him back. The good thing that we are able to talk to him face to face all the time. Thanks to my iPhone :)

Still in August, my friends came back from vacation last week. They spent most of the summer back in their countries. We had a gathering last Friday and I got a chance to see two of them. I was so glad to see them because I missed them so much. Today I got the chance to see my lovely friend Zika again and we spent most of the day together. The kids had too much fun and we had too much to talk about.

I'm working on the baby favors these days. I have almost everything ready for the baby shower including the baby registry. I'm so excited! I'll post pictures for everything soon.

Today is the first day of the last ten days of Ramadan. May Allah give all of us the chance to observe Laylat Al-Qadr and give us all the reward of worshiping this night.

Random thoughts!!

2010-08-27T18:32:00.002-04:00

Today I couldn't stop thinking about my dissertation. I just feel overwhelmed and kind of confused! I'm one of those who believes that there is a light at the end of tunnel, no matter how long the tunnel is, but I just can't handle the frustration sometimes!

More than 1/2 of Ramadan is already over! Subhan Allah time flies by so fast. Talking a bout Ramadan, I'm really shocked of this attack against practicing Muslims and hijab by some of the Arabic TV series aired this Ramadan. I just wonder if those series writers or actors/actresses are the right ones to judge practicing Muslims. Why are they trying to make every practicing Muslim a terrorist? And since when was the hijab a matter of choice in Islam?! No Muslim can deny that it's a command from Allah! On the other hand, who said that hijab is locking Muslim woman in a cage. Most of the successful, high educated, classy Muslim women I know are wearing hijab!!!!

Note that I'm not judging Muslim sisters who are not wearing hijab. I have many close friends who are not wearing hijab, but they all believe that hijab is a mandatory "fard" and that they have to do it sometime. And here is the point, not wearing hijab but believing it is a command from Allah and that not doing it is a fault "haram" is so different than denying it. PERIOD!

Last time I was at the ultrasound place I got some cool 3D pictures for my baby. It was really amazing!

That's it for now. Have a good weekend :)

Bold if true!

2010-08-23T15:51:00.006-04:00

I am a cuddler.

I am a morning person.

I am an only child.

I am currently in my pajamas.

I am currently pregnant.

I am currently single.

I am currently suffering from a broken heart.

I am left handed.

I am married.

I am addicted to my myspace.

I am online 24/7, even as an away message.

I am a little shy around the opposite gender at first.

I bite my nails.

I can be paranoid at times.

I don’t like anyone.

I enjoy country music.

I enjoy jazz music.

I enjoy smoothies.

I enjoy talking on the phone.

I have a car.

I have a cell phone.

I have/had a hard time paying attention at school.

I have a hidden talent

I have a lot to learn

I have a pet.

I have a tendency to fall for the “wrong” guy/girl

I have all my grandparents

I have at least one brother

I have been to another country

I have been told that I am smart

I have been told that I have an unusual sense of humor

I have OR HAD broken a bone

I have Caller I.D. on my phone

I have changed a diaper

I have changed a lot over the past year.

I have done something illegal.

I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color

I have killed another person

I have had my hair cut within the last week.

I have mood swings

I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life

I have rejected someone before.

I have seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I have seen the television show The O.C.

I like Shakespeare.

I like the taste of blood.

I love to cook.

I like to sing.

I love Michael Jackson

I love sleeping.

I love to play computer games.

I love to shop.

I miss someone right now.

I own 100 CDs or more

I own and use a library card

I read books for pleasure in my spare time.

I sleep a lot during the day.

I strongly dislike math

I watch soap operas on a regular basis.

I will try almost anything once.

I work at a job that I enjoy.

I would classify myself as ghetto.

I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scar-free.

I am currently wearing socks.

I am tired.

I love to paint/draw/sketch/sculpt.

I have had/have a broken heart

Graduated High School.

Smoked cigarettes.

Rode every ride at an amusement park.

Collected something really stupid.

Gone to a rock concert.

Helped someone.

Gone fishing.

Watched four movies in one night.

Gone long periods of time with out sleep.

Lied to someone.

Been dumped.

Taken a college level course.

Been in a car accident.

Been in a tornado.

Watched someone die.

Been to a funeral.

Burned yourself. (accidentally)

Ran a marathon.

Your parents got divorced.

Cried yourself to sleep.

Spent over $200 in one day.

Flown on a plane.

Cheated on someone.

Been cheated on.

Written a 10 page letter.

Gone skiing.

Been sailing.

Cut yourself.

Had a best friend.

Lost someone you loved.

Shoplifted something.

Been to jail.

Had detention.

Skipped school.

Got in trouble for something you didn’t do.

Stolen books from the library.

Gone to a different country.

Dropped out of school.

Been in a mental hospital.

Watched the “Harry Potter” movies.

Had an online diary.

Fired a gun.

Gambled in a casino.

Had a yard sale.

Been in a school play.

Been fired from a job.

Taken a lie detector test.

Swam with dolphins.

Gone to sea world.

Attempted suicide.

Voted for Pop Idol.(Arabic Super Star or Star Academy)

Written poetry.

Oven baked okra (طاجن بامية)

2010-08-18T17:12:00.001-04:00

You will need:

2 pounds lamb meat, cut in medium chunks

1 pound fresh okra (or frozen)

3 big fresh tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic gloves, finely minced

6 tablespoon veg. oil

salt and pepper

4 cups water

Directions:

Prepare okra by cutting the tops off. Rinse well and set aside.
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan (if you have an oven/stove top pan that will better) over medium high heat. Add chopped onions and saute for few minutes until they are gold.
Add meat to the pan and brown them, turning constantly, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. You do not need to cook it thoroughly because it will cook further in the oven. Transfer the meat to a baking pot.
In the same saucepan that contains the remaining onions and fat from meat, add okra and saute for few minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add chopped tomatoes and stir well. Add water, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Let it boil for few minutes. Add to the meat in the baking dish.
Add 2 tablespoon to a small frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until they are gold. Add immediately to the okra and cover the baking pot right away so the mix absorbs all the garlic smell and put the pot in the oven.
Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until meat is fully cooked.
Serve with rice.

Ramadan at our house!

2010-08-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

As six days have past, my Ramadan has been overwhelming so far. I was just able to fast for one day (the first day). I tried to fast again but I was so exhausted and I couldn't do it.
The experience of my daughters has been interesting though! We are trying to make them fast as much as we can. In the last few days, my older one was able to fast for about six to seven hours a day which I think is not bad at all. My little one was able to fast for about 4 hours a day. However, whenever you ask her if she is fasting she will say "YES", even if her mouth is full of food :)

Ramadan lights!

Our Iftar on the first day of Ramadan

Qatayef (قطايف)

2010-08-14T12:51:00.002-04:00

Qatayef is an Arab dessert commonly served in the holy month of Ramadan. They are sort of sweet crepe filled with cheese or nuts. They are similar to pancakes, except only one side is cooked, then folded. Here is the recipe I use to make qatayef.

You will need:

Syrup:

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

3 drops lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon rose water

Qatayef:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup semolina

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 pinch salt

1 tablespoon powder milk (optional)

2 cups warm water

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Vegetable oil for frying

Cheese filling:

1 cup sweet cheese

Nuts filling:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup grated coconuts

1/4 cups raisins

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Prepare the syrup by combining sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil add and then add the lemon juice drops and rose water. Stir well and set aside to cool down.
In a deep bowl mix all qatayef dry ingredients well and then add water.
Put the mix in a blender and blend for few minutes until you get a smooth batter.
Let the batter rest for a bout an hour.
Preheat a pancake griddle to 350 degrees (or you can use a frying pan on the stove top).
Add the lemon juice to the batter and blend it really well.
Using a ladle pour the batter in small pancakes size (around 3") on the hot griddle (don't flip them like pancakes). Let them cook until top is spongy and the bottom side is lightly brown.
Put the cooked pancakes between towels to keep them moist. While the pancakes are cooling down prepare the filling.
Fill the qatayef with cheese or nuts filling. Fold in half and pinch closed along the edge with fingers.
In a frying pan preheat the oil and then fry the filled qatayef until they are gold (you can also spray them with butter and bake them in the oven until they are gold).
Submerge the fried qatayef directly in the syrup and enjoy them.

Eggplant Gratin (منزلة او مسقعة باذنجان)

2010-08-11T13:52:00.002-04:00

Ramadan mubarak everyone! I know that some of you have already Iftar, so may Allah accept your fasting and worship on the first day. It's still mid day here and we still have about 7 hours till Iftar. And by the way, I'm fasting today (so far), YAY! Inshallah I will be able to finish the day :)

Yesterday I cooked eggplant gratin. This dish is one of my favorite. You can cook it by itself or as a second dish when you have some people for lunch/dinner (or Iftar). Here is the recipe I used.

You will need:

2 big eggplants (about 1.5 pounds), unpeeled and cut in slices

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

3 big tomatoes, cut in cubes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup of water

1 cup mozzarella cheese

oil for frying

1/2 teaspoon all spices

salt

Directions:

Heat the oil in a big frying pan and then fry the eggplants until they are evenly browned on both sides and cooked through. Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to paper towels to drain.
In another frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and then add chopped onions and fry until they are gold. Add ground meat and cook until well browned. Add tomatoes, water, and tomato paste and cover the pan over a medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked. And then add spices and salt and stir well.
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
Arrange half of the eggplants in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Spread the meat sauce over the eggplants, and then arrange the second half of the eggplant over the sauce.
Spread the mozzarella cheese on the top until it covers the whole pan.
Bake it for 20-30 minutes uncovered in the oven.
Serve with pita bread or rice.

It is Ramadan in the air!

2010-08-09T10:22:00.006-04:00

Ramadan is about to start, and inshallah it will be a blessed month to all Muslims. I'm so excited about the holy month, I'm not sure if I will be able to fast though! I started my third trimester couple of weeks ago, and as my belly gets bigger as I need to eat more frequent. I barely can survive two hours without a food or my whole body will start shaking so bad. Last time when I was pregnant, I was about 9 weeks pregnant when Ramadan started and elhamdulillah I fasted the whole month. However, I was so sick and not feeling to eat at all. This Ramadan, I will try to fast on the first day to see if I can do it or not, if it doesn't work I will make it up in winter, inshallah.

Last week we went to Paterson, NJ and did some grocery shopping for Ramadan. We bought yummy dates, Arabic cheese (too many kinds), dried apricot, spices, and too many other things. I just love Ramadan grocery shopping because it puts you in Ramadan atmosphere. Since Ramadan doesn't feel here in US the same way it does in Arab countries, we're trying to create this atmosphere ourselves so my kids and we enjoy it. I'm kind of worried though because of the long hours of fasting and the short sleep nights. It would be really hard on my husband and us, and I'm not sure if we can keep organized and productive as we hope to. Ramadan is all about fasting, praying, reading Quran, doing tahajud, and being too close to Allah, and I just hope we can perform well in this month. May Allah accept our worship in the holy month.

Now back to the food :) I haven't decided what to cook on the first day yet! Any suggestions?! My sister insisted on us to go to NYC and break our fast with them, but I don't think we will be able to do so because my husband will be working on that day, and it's gonna be hard to drive for 90 minutes for just having Iftar and then coming back on the same day.

It was the 10th anniversary for our official marriage (katb kitab) yesterday. This day is much important to me than the wedding day itself because it's the day on which we both became tied to each other and officially married. Time flies by so fast; it feels like yesterday and I remember all the details, the smallest ones. It is the best thing that ever happened to me. I'll be always not able to thank Allah enough for his blessings on me and my family.

Ramadan Kareem!

7 things I hate about myself!!

2010-08-04T13:59:00.001-04:00

I don't know where did I get this post's idea from or why did I choose number 7! I just thought maybe confessing some of my weaknesses will make me feel better.

1. I get nervous so easily and this affects my performance badly sometimes.

2. I sometimes can't handle criticizing people no matter how close to me they are.

3. I get emotional fast and sometimes cry in front of other people when I really don't want to.

4. I regret a lot and it takes me too long to get over stuff.
5. I get sick (REALLY sick) whenever my husband travels.
6. I can't get over fear of getting old and I get freaked out when I see any signs of this!
7. I can't be as good/strong Muslim as I wish to be.

I'm tagging you all to list the 7 things you hate about yourself.

I'm in pain :(

2010-08-01T22:15:00.002-04:00

I've been having a sore and tender gum for more than two weeks now. It's really bad that I bleed everytime I brush/floss my teeth or eat dry food. Besides the sore gum I started to have toothache one week ago. As soon as I felt the pain I decided to go to the dentist, I though was not happy to go because I know dental visits during pregnancy are not recommended but I had no other choice with all that pain.

I went to the dentist last week, and she told me that I have pregnancy gingivitis, which is very common during pregnancy. It is caused by the hormonal changes that increase the blood flow to the gum tissue and cause the gum to be more sensitive, irritable and swollen. She recommended scaling (deep cleaning), but she wanted a referral from my gynecologist first. For the toothache she told me that I need x-rays to tell what's wrong with my tooth, and that she doesn't recommend it unless the pain is really bad. She wanted a referral for the x-rays and any treatment I will need for that tooth. I decided to get a referral for the scaling because I read online that gingivitis can cause preterm babies, and it should be treated during pregnancy. However, I decided to take the pain caused by my tooth and wait until I give birth.

Unfortunately, the tooth pain is getting really bad that I can't stand it anymore. It's getting really bad that I can't even drink or eat. I don't think I will be able to wait on it nor ignore it, so the first thing I will do tomorrow is calling the women clinic to get a referral.

I just pray it won't be harmful to the baby.

Baby, baby, baby!!

2010-07-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

Nowadays I can't stop thinking about my baby who will be coming late September early October. I can't stop looking for a name, buying new clothes, and looking for baby shower ideas. I really can't wait to see him, take him in my arms and hold him tight!

Baby names: I have been looking for a name since we have known the gender of the baby six weeks ago. My husband has already picked a name that he really likes so much. The name he has picked is Abdurahman. I really love the name but I find it a little bit long. Unless we find a nicer name in the remaining couple of months, Abdurahman will be the name of our baby, inshallah :)

Baby clothes: I really can't stop clothes shopping for the baby! Since I have two girls, I don't have any clothes for the coming baby boy. I'm trying to get the things that I really need and trying to convince myself that the baby will grow fast so not to buy too much! I took shots for some of the stuff I got in the last few week. Aren't they so cute? :)

Baby favors: I haven't started working on those yet. I still need to pick a theme, and make the decorations. My sister got me the chocolate from Amman but I still need to decorate them. I found some incredible ideas for baby favors online.

Can't agree more :)

2010-07-22T23:42:00.000-04:00

Home design - Living room (Cont'd)

2010-07-21T22:00:00.004-04:00

This is the fireplace wall in my living room. I finally found the sunburst wall mirror I was looking for to hang over the fireplace. My next project is to mosaic the fireplace. As you see in the picture, it has those big black slates, which are really ugly and hard to clean. I'm thinking about getting multi-color mosaic that contains green, orange, and brown patterns. I will surely post a picture as I'm done with this project.

I'm working on decorating the guest bedroom now. My sister is visiting us this weekend and I want it to be ready by the time she is here. We painted it last week. Now I need to buy new drapes, bedding set, and some wall paintings. I'm also planning, if I get time, to build a headboard for the bed. It's a big project, I know, but I will try to finish it in the coming two days. I will post a picture for the whole room when it's ready. I'm so excited :)

Sayadeyeh (صيادية سمك)

2010-07-19T22:42:00.007-04:00

I cooked this dish last Friday. It was really good! I'm sure there are many other ways to make the Sayadeyeh, but I always try to make the dish appeal to me better. And as always I'll be glad to hear from you. Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

2 pounds fish fillets (I used haddock fish)
2 cups rice (I used Basmati rice)
5 medium onion, sliced
1 cup flour
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
all fish spices
water (about 4 cups, note that this amount depends on the rice you're using)
2 fresh lemons

Cooking instructions:

Soak rice in warm water for 30 minute.
Wash the fish and dry it good
heat 1 inch of oil in a skillet
Dip fish fillets into flour mixture.
Fry fish for about 3 minutes on each side; remove to a platter.
In another skillet heat one tablespoon of oil and fry sliced onions until they are brown.
In a deep pot arrange fried fish in the bottom and then add the fried onions until it makes a a layer over the fish.
Wash the rice and rinse it, then add it to the pot over the fried onions.
Add water, 2 tablespoon of the oil you used to fry fish, salt and pepper, and all spices. Bring it to boil and then cook the rice on low heat as you usually cook your rice.
When the rice is ready flip the pot in a serving plate (so the fish will be on the top).
Serve with sliced lemon

Note : If you want the rice to be darker you need to use more onions.

Kofta with tahini sauce (كفتة بالطحينة)

2010-07-13T17:45:00.016-04:00

Yesterday I cooked kofta with tahini sauce. This dish is popular in Sham countries (Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria). In my recipe below, I do it differently than the traditional recipe, which I will summarize at the end.

Ingredients:

Kofta:
2 lb lean beef meat, minced
2 big onions, minced
1 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon all spice
salt and black pepper

Tahini sauce:
1 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt salt
3 cups water

Optional:
Two large potatoes, sliced

Directions:

Mix meat, parsley and onions in a big bowl. Add spices and salt and mix them all well using your hands
Mold the meat mix into finger shapes and place into a large pan
Bake them in a preheated oven (350 degrees) until it's brown (I do this step to get rid of all the fat)
Mix tahini, yogurt, salt, and lemon juice together well until it forms a smooth paste.
Slowly add the water while stirring to keep the mixture smooth.
Pour sauce in a cooking pan and put it on the stove at medium heat until it boils
Add meat fingers to the sauce and let cook at low heat for about 30 minutes
Pour in a serving plate
Serve with white rice
Optional:
Slice potatoes and fry until lightly golden on each side
Add them to the sauce when you add the meat

In the traditional recipe, the raw kofta is spreaded in a pan and then covered with sliced potatoes and some water, baked in the oven until the potatoes are cooked, then covered with the tahini sauce and baked again until it absorbs most of the sauce. At the end it's going to be thick and it's served with pita bread.

Home design - Living room

2010-07-12T22:54:00.016-04:00

We bought our current house in Spring 2009. It's the first time we own a house here in the states. Since we have bought it I'm trying to add my own character to every space in it.

Starting from today I will be sharing with you some of the things I have done to my house. I still have a lot to do, so it's gonna be a good chance to also show you some of the new designs I'm making.

The first thing we did when we moved in was repainting. I started with the living room and the kitchen. I then finished the whole first level. I'm still working on the second level; I have the baby's room and my bedroom left.

The wall in this picture is the TV wall in the living room. I recently bought those two shelves from Lowes and put some old pictures for the girls on them. As you see the room color is green (like pistachios color). I tried to add some colorful accents like those orange and red vases to give that warm feeling.

Now tell me how do you like this part in my living room. I will be posting more pictures for my home designs soon, so stay tuned :) I will love to hear your opinions!

Getting a cold and "flowers" in hot summer!!!!

2010-07-09T10:22:00.009-04:00

I'm not feeling well today! I'm having a cold. I find it weird because it's extremely hot these days. But I guess the air conditioner is behind my sickness. It's hard to have a cold in summer, and it's even harder when you're pregnant. I only can take Tylenol, nothing else to help me feel better.

Yesterday I was not feeling well too, so my husband took the girls to the swimming class. On the way back home my older daughter asked her dad to get me flowers. It was so nice. It seems like kids are copying everything you do, even those small things you're not paying attention to. She used to see her dad getting me flowers in different occasions and now she wanted to do the same. I was proud of her.

When you have great husband and kids what else could you ask for?

I'm not fat... I'm growing a baby!!!

2010-07-06T16:42:00.004-04:00

When you are pregnant, it can be sometimes depressing to watch your weight go up, up, and up!! I've gained 20 pounds so far and I still have 17 weeks to go which makes me wonder how much more weight I will put on by the time I deliver my baby! I know dieting is never an option when you are expecting and so instead I'm trying to eat healthy as I can because it's really hard sometimes with all those food cravings.

I'm using an application to track my pregnancy week by week on my iPhone. It's called: What to expect. It's really cool, and I really love it. It gives really good information about what to expect when you're expecting. I was checking it yesterday when I read this about the worries I should have now about the weight gain. It asked me to repeat this sentence which I just wanted to repeat all the time: "I'm not fat, I'm growing a baby".
I'm not fat, I'm growing a baby :)

17 weeks to go...

2010-07-01T14:03:00.001-04:00

I'm back! I know it has been a while since my last post, and I guess I just didn't feel like blogging. I even started writing this post few days ago and I never finished it!! I'm even not posting new recipes, I know!! But this summer I'm not in the mood for cooking or baking! Maybe the last dessert I made was the apple tart! But I will try to come back with some good recipes for summer soon, inshallah.

By the way, I'm pregnant! Yes, I'm 23 weeks pregnant. May be this is why I'm not that productive these days. I'm sleepy all the time. I barely can work on my research or at home. I'm excited though, we are all excited especially the girls. They can't wait to have the baby :)

Regardless of all the side effects of pregnancy, I love being pregnant and try always to enjoy every minute. I try to ignore all the weight I'm gaining, all the acne I'm having around, and every unexpected unwanted symptom I'm experiencing now and just enjoy the little precious baby inside who is playing soccer all the time :)

I guess that's it for now. I hope it will not be too long before I come back.

Take care!

Apple tart

2010-05-20T08:45:00.002-04:00

Today I'm posting a recipe for the apple tart I baked last Saturday. I wanted to post this recipe few days ago but I was just not in the mood. I have been feeling up and down recently! Mood swing is not fun at all.

Back to the tart, it was really yummy! The sweet pastry crust gives the crust a rich cookie like flavor. You can by the way use this crust to make any fruit dessert.

For the pastry crust:

3 cups purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter

2 large egg, lightly beaten

For the apple filling:

5 big apples

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Powder Sugar for browning the top of the tart.

Directions:

The pastry crust:

Note: I usually do this part one day before and refrigerate the pre-baked tart in the fridge.

Mix flour and salt and set aside.
Beat the butter with your mixer until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the beaten egg, and beat until incorporated.
Add the flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a dough (you can use your hands to form it).
Cover the dough with plastic wrap
, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.
On a floured surface, roll out the sweet pastry to the tart pan size (12 in).
Lay in pan, lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan.
Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with beans, making sure the beans are distributed over the entire surface.
Bake crust for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is dry and lightly golden brown.
Remove beans and cool crust before filling.

The apple filling:

Peel, core, and slice the apples.
In a large skillet melt the butter and stir in the sugar, and the cinnamon.
Add the apples and saute over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are soft.
Gently mash the apples with the spoon and stir the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.
Spoon the applesauce mixture into the cooled pre-baked tart shell.
Cover the edges of tart with foil and bake it a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until the apples are nicely browned and soft.
Remove from oven and sprinkle the tart with confectioners' sugar, and broil it under a preheated broiler until the edges of the apples are golden brown and crisp.
Serve the tart warm or at room temperature with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Hummus War!!!

2010-05-11T10:16:00.004-04:00

I was watching tv when this came up:

"Lebanese score in hummus war with Israel. Lebanese chefs prepared a massive plate of hummus weighing over two tons Saturday that broke a world record organizers said was previously held by Israel — a bid to reaffirm proprietorship over the popular Middle Eastern dip. Lebanese businessmen accuse Israel of stealing a host of traditional Middle Eastern dishes, particularly hummus, and marketing them worldwide as Israeli."

Honestly, I thought this the silliest thing ever. I was wondering if this is the only thing that Israel has stolen from Arabs. Maybe this is the only war we can win!! I find this ridiculous. It would have been better to cook all that food, which will most likely go to waste before being eaten, and give it to needy and poor people in Arab countries!!

Coffee cake

2010-05-03T09:06:00.017-04:00

I baked this cake last Saturday. We had some friends over and since my Saturdays are always crazy busy, I wanted to bake something that is easy and fast. And so this cake came to my mind. I always order it whenever we're at a coffee shop. I find it irresistible :) Later in this post, you will find the recipe I used for my coffee cake. I hope you try it and enjoy as much as we did!

It's Monday, typical Monday! Woke up early, fixed breakfast, packed lunch, and then said goodbye to Sinan and Lina. I then fixed my morning Nescafe, checked my email, Facebook, blog list, and news before updating my to-do-list for today.

Every Monday, I have the cleaner over. I finally found a good cleaner. I'm so happy because having a big house is not always a plus especially when there is no one to help you cleaning it. I'm one of those nut people who like to see the house clean and neat all the times, but with this big house and all the responsibilities I have, I really needed a cleaner to keep up with this.

It's raining today. I believe it was raining when I last posted too. It's Spring, and Spring is the most rainy season here. I have no problem with the rain as long as it's warm. And it's warm, actually it was really hot yesterday. In such hot days I thank Allah all the time for having a central AC at home, I can't survive without it!

Now check the recipe below. Thank you all for reading :)

Coffee Cake Topping:

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (I used Hershey's kisses)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Coffee Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream or milk

Coffee Cake Topping:

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, ground cinnamon and flour. Set aside.

Coffee Cake:

Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) a 9-inch round pan.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a bowl, beat the butter using electric mixer (or a hand mixer) until softened. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and keep beating, and then add the heavy cream. Mix until combined.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Sprinkle about half of the nut topping on top of the batter. Cover with the remaining batter and then sprinkle with the remaining nut topping.

Bake for about 40 - 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before releasing of the pan.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

A busy week

2010-04-26T08:29:00.009-04:00

First, I just posted two new recipes, so check them out. I was supposed to post them last week, but I was too busy that I couldn't. I have some more recipes to post, and I will do as soon as I can.

One of those recipes is my younger daughter (Lily)'s birthday cake. She turned 4 on April 14th. I made her a fondant cake, and this by the way is my second fondant cake.

She wanted a pink cake. She also wanted a cat or a horse on the top, and wanted the cake to be decorated with different cool colors. I tried to add everything she wanted to the cake, and it was not bad. My two girls enjoyed watching me making it. Lily felt so special that day :)

I'm planning to clean my house today. I have tons of things to do. Monday is always a cleaning day for me but today it's going to be Spring cleaning. It's good because the weather is so bad outside that I have no desire to go out. It has been raining all night and it's going to continue all day today. I need to finish all cleaning today because I have to go back to my research work tomorrow. I'm also invited to ladies' lunch at my neighbor's house tomorrow. She is a nice lady from Afghanistan. I like such gatherings where I get the chance to meet other ladies.

last Thursday, I had a very nice day with one of my best friends. We spent the whole day together. What was special about that day that we were kids-free. It was a "bring your child to work" day, so her kids went with their dad to work. My husband also took my older daughter with him. My younger one went to school and I was able to leave her for extra couple of hours.

We met at 9:00 am before heading to NJ. We stopped at a small bakery on the way and ate breakfast. We were heading to a nice mall that is 45 minutes away from my place. As soon as we arrived we got some coffee before starting shopping. I guess we did too much shopping and talking that it was not that long before we felt hungry again! We ate our lunch at a very nice Italian restaurant. We then did more shopping, and more talking, before heading back to Easton. It was an unforgettable day.

Chunky potato soup

2010-04-26T08:13:00.010-04:00

I have been lately craving for Atlanta Bread Company's chunky potato soup. The last time I ate this soup was about two years ago when I was still in AR. We don't have any Atlanta Bread Company restaurants here in our area, and most of the other restaurants cook this soup with bacon, so I thought about making it myself! I looked online for the recipe, and then made my own recipe from four different sources in attempt to conjure my potato soup. My ingredients were as follows:

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoon heavy cream mixed with 1 cup of water
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 pinch of cumin
1 pinch of chili powder
Sliced green onion

Directions:

In saucepan, combine the potatoes, onion, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Then lightly mash.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add olive oil or butter, stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in cream. Bring to a boil. Stir into potato mixture. Cook and stir until thickened. Add salt and pepper, and some sliced onions. Remove from the heat, and stir in cheese until melted.
Serve the soup garnished with cumin, chili powder, and sliced green onion.

Enjoy it :)

Kabseh (كبسة)

2010-04-26T07:40:00.002-04:00

Kabseh is a dish from The Arabian Gulf. It's so popular in Saudi Arabia. My Saudi friends told me that people in Saudi Arabia cook Kabseh in many different ways. For example, Southern Kabseh is different than the Middle or Northern ones. My friends used to cook a white Kabseh. The recipe here is for a red Kabseh. This is the one that is popular in Jordan. I hope you all like it.

You will need:

2 lb lamb meat (or you can use 1 whole chicken cut in 4 pieces)
3 cups Basmati rice
3 chopped fresh tomatoes
1 finely chopped big onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
Spices (ground coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric powder)
salt
2 tablespoon tomato paste
olive oil (about 3 tablespoons)
4 black dried lime
pine nuts and/or almonds (I used cashews as well)

Directions:

Add enough water to the pot so that it covers the meat, bring to a boil then cook gently over medium heat for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until tender. Reserve stock & set meat aside.
Soak rice for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, and then drain well.
Add olive oil to a large stock pot or casserole, fry garlic and onion until gold. Add tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add salt, spices, and dried limes. Add some stock (about 2 cups). Add tomato paste and let it boil for few minutes. Add the meat and let it boil for another few minutes until the meat takes all the sauce taste. Set the meat aside.
Add rice to the pot. Add more meat stock until stock covers rice (approx 1.5″ above rice). Cover pot. Let it boils and then lower the heat and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes.
Broil the meat in the oven until it has a pleasant brown color.
Serve the rice in a large dish. Place the rice first, top with meat and garnish with pine nuts.

Nightmares!

2010-04-20T06:06:00.007-04:00

I have been having bad dreams that wake me up in the middle of the night for a week now. Last night was the second night in a row. I had a bad one that woke me up at 5:00 am today, but I guess it was a good timing to pray Fajr, so I was not that mad. But the night before, I woke up at 2:00 am and I was really upset from the dream and I couldn't go back to bed. I think what makes my nights worse is the bad allergy I'm having now which makes sleeping, even without nightmares, a challenge.

As soon as I wake up, I try to forget about the dream. I keep telling my self it's nothing and that dreams just reflect some of the worries, stress, and mixed thoughts I have during the day. Therefore, no need to think about any dream interpretation.

I admit I have been recently emotionally imbalanced and I have too many things to blame. At least it feels good when you have something to blame. My biggest "daymare" nowadays is finishing my dissertation. I have been working on it for a while, and I can't wait till I finish it. I know I'm getting too close but I won't feel relieved until I'm DONE. No need to talk about having a family and studying at the same time, I guess all of you know how hard it is! Despite all that, I always try to be optimistic and positive :)

Positively talking, I feel happy today. The bad dream woke me up at 5:00 am, but I was not upset at all. I prayed Fajr, read some Quran, and then woke up my husband to pray. We both were so awake and HUNGRY, so we went downstairs and fixed some cereal for a very early breakfast. Our day was absolutely off to a good start, and I hope yours too. It didn't take too long for my daughters to wake up too with all the noise we were making downstairs :)

My husband and my older daughter just left to work and school. Now I need to get ready to drop off my younger one at school on my way to meet my girlfriends. We are having breakfast at Panera.

I think that's it for today. I might come back later today with some recipes. I have some recipes that I wanted to post for a while now, but I didn't have time or mood to do so. So check later if you're interested in some recipes.

Take care,
Love

Lately purchased...

2010-04-18T15:00:00.007-04:00

Last week I went shopping for some new makeup items. I needed a new concealer, and by the way this was the only thing I really needed, but ofcourse as soon as I made it to Macy's, I found myself looking for new foundation and eyeliner :) For makeup, I always like to try new stuff and I don't stick to any kind even if it is really good on me. Weird, I know, but this is me!!

I got my makeup from Estee lauder this time. A friend of mine recommended their Double Wear concealer, and that's why I decided to give it a try. I also purchased Double Wear foundation and Double Wear eyeliner. Check the picture below.

The foundation is really good. It gives a good coverage and feels really light. I really like it! The concealer is OK. Since I don't have dark circles or puffiness, it gives me the coverage I need. For the eyeliner, I was looking for a good one that won't smudge. I always have a problem of eyeliners smudging all around my eyes. So far this eyeliner is staying good, but I have not been using it heavily to confirm that.
I also recently bought a bronzing powder from Clarins. I like the glowing tan look it gives in summer.

Now talking about makeup, you can obviously tell how much I love makeup. However, I don't wear makeup everyday. Most of the time, I just put my face moisturizer, eye concealer, lip palm or gloss and that's it. I like to be makeup-free sometimes, and I feel comfortable with that.

On my next shopping trip I plan to get some new scarves. I love those ones sold in big department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdale's. I sometimes get them from TJMaxx and Marshalls as well. I even find them better in quality than the scarves I get from Amman, and that's why I didn't really do that much shopping for scarves when I was in Jordan last winter. The only stuff that I make sure to get enough of whenever I'm in Amman are Ameera hijabs.

Here I want to share with you some of my favorite face creams and perfumes. I have been using Youthtopia face creams from Origins for about 5 months, and I really like them. They are REALLY good, so if you need new face creams, consider buying them. In the following picture is the set I'm using everyday. The serum, eye cream, and moisturizer.

My favorite perfume is Chanel Coco Mademoiselle. I really like this perfume and can't get enough of it :)

That's it. Hope you all had a good weekend!

Spring break and more!

2010-04-07T07:58:00.023-04:00

Spring is finally here! It's really warm and nice these days. It hit 85 degrees yesterday!! I was desperately looking for spring after that LONG winter. We were lucky to have a warm spring break last week. The spring break started on Wednesday. My older daughter went back to school yesterday. It was really nice to have a break, and to have extra sleep in the morning :)

During the spring break, the girls and I had a full schedule. It was a good chance to hang out with our friends. The girls had so much fun with the other kids and I had the chance to sit and chat with my friends. I have been busy for the last couple of months that I barely was able to meet with them, so it was a nice reunion.

On Friday, my husband took a one day vacation, and we all went on a road trip to DC. It's a bout 4 hours away from our place. It was one of the places on my list to visit since we have moved to PA two years ago. One of my favorite things about living here is that we have a variety of options of things to do, and too many close places to visit by car. Before moving to PA, I used to live in AR. I lived there for 6.5 years. Living in AR was like living in the middle of no where! I can't deny that I loved Fayetteville, and that I had great times there. Still, the nearest place to go was 5+ hours by car, and the choices were not that fascinating.

Anyway, we had too much fun in DC. It was so busy though because of the Cherry Blossom Festival. We went early in the morning Friday, spent the night, and came back late Saturday. Here are some pictures from our trip to DC.

Talking about Fayetteville brought some nice memories. One of the things I miss there is the Masjid (Mosque). We used to meet every Friday in the Masjid for a Dars. For me, it was like a girls night out (oh yeah, in the Masjid:)). But it was really one of my favorite things to do every week. After the Dars, we used to have fun talking about different subjects while eating some good food. Also some of the friends I really miss there are my Saudi friends. I got to meet some awesome Saudi ladies who I really enjoyed. I enjoyed everything about them, i.e. the coffee they drink all the time, the gathering in the middle of the night, etc.

I think that's it for now. I have a facial appointment in 15 minutes and I need to get ready!

Take care

A little about me...

2010-03-23T10:02:00.013-04:00

Following the tag my friends started, here is a little about me. I'm Palestinian who was born and raised in Amman, Jordan. I have been married for 8.5 years, and I have two beautiful girls (7 and 4 years old). I moved to US with my husband few days after the wedding. My husband and the girls are the best thing happened to me ever.

Right now, I'm working on my PhD in Industrial Engineering. I'm supposed to finish soon, YEAH, I hope soon :) During my spare time, I like to do shopping, try new recipes, redecorate my house, and to hang out with friends.

OK, what else? I like dark chocolate, Mocha, bright colors, and colorful hijabs. I also love shopping, and shopping for makeup, clothes, shoes, and handbags is my favorite :)

I guess that's it. I hope this post helped to get you know more about me.

Take care.

Ghraybeh

2010-03-11T17:47:00.014-05:00

Hello everyone,

I'm back! I couldn't post last week because I was really busy. I'm trying to keep up with my blog but sometimes I really can't. I got too many things going on.

Anyway, I'm back today with an easy recipe. Very easy and delicious! Couple of weeks ago I posted the Barazek recipe, and as you all know (or at least some of you), Barazek always come with Ghraybeh. They are both butter-based cookies, very light, and really good.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
pistachios (you will need 1 pistachio for each cookie)

Directions:

Beat butter and sugar with a mixer. You can just mix them with your hand since the butter is soft. Add flour gradually and work out to form smooth dough.
Put the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Form small sized balls from the dough and place them on a baking sheet (leaving space between them).
Press one pistachio in the middle of each ball forming a small cookie. Be careful, you don't need to press them too much. You can also make any shape you want, like S-shape, ... .
Bake in the preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. You don't want them to turn gold, you want them to keep their white color.