This Little Life of Mine

Barakah Life Ramadan Cookie Contest

2011-04-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

Barakah Life is hosting a Ramadan Cookie Contest.

Eid Cookies, November, 2010

Anyone and everyone (international submissions accepted!) is welcome to participate. There are two categories, traditional and non-traditional. You may submit one recipe, so pick your best! Click over to find out all the required guidelines. Hurry, submissions must be e-mailed to info@barakahlife.com by April 30, 2011. Forgive me for not notifying you all sooner! If it makes you feel better, I haven't started my recipe yet!

Tweet, Tweet

2011-04-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

This Little Life of Mine is now on Twitter. Follow me @LLifeOfMine

Class Pics and Good News

2011-04-15T11:02:00.001-07:00

J's school pictures arrived last week and I had to hold myself back from crying. Her first few years have gone by in a blur. As I held her cap and gown picture I could only see my senior ready to graduate from high school. Are cap and gown truly required for preschool? Why must they tug at our heart strings? My first born is growing up and becoming a little lady with a whole lotta sass. When will our babies be born with a pause button?

Yesterday I received the great news that she was accepted into the school I had been dreaming about since she was crawling. I am so thrilled! Alhamdulilah, all praise due to God. My baby is longer a baby as she heads off to Kindergarten this fall. Full time schedule, backpack, recess, lunch box. Oh, it's so much to take in. So now I will slow down and watch her officially grow out of her stay-at-home-with-Mama stage into her have-a-good-day-at-school-make-sure-you-listen-to-your-teacher stage.

Maybe the pause button can replace their belly buttons?

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Quiet Art Center

2011-04-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

I try to keep all sorts of creative materials in reach of the girls so that they can let loose whenever that creative mood strikes. I've stored them in a cute little bin tucked away inside of a cabinet in our bookcase in the kitchen. Even though it was easily accessible and at their level, they hardly tapped into that bin.

I decided I'd bring some of the items out from "hiding" and store them front and center so that the girls could use them regularly. I found super cute baskets at Target last year on clearance for only $3. I filled a basket with papers, stickers, scotch tape, a ruler, glue sticks, crayons, envelopes, and some pom-poms. On the kitchen table, I laid out an outdoor runner found on clearance for one dollar ($1!!!) from Marshalls and set the basket right on top.

No longer out of sight and out of mind.

Now the girls will pull up to the table from time to time to scribble out a drawing or "write" up a letter. This art center is a blessing when I'm trying to get dinner ready and I need them safely seated close by instead of up to trouble in another part of the house.

Wondering why the runner was only a dollar?

Either the art basket or a large platter of fruit covers that right up. You would have never known if I didn't show you. Make it work!

Simple Homemade Birthday Cake

2011-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

I love to bake, but cakes are certainly not my forte. The last time I tried making a cake from scratch was last year while my in-laws were staying with us during the summer. In an attempt to impress my mother-in-law, I made Ina Garten's coconut cake. It was a total fail. It came out weighing ten pounds (or at least it felt like it), was ridiculously dry, and didn't even taste like coconut. I was to blame, not the recipe. My mother-in-law was the only one to request a second piece because she liked to have dry desserts with her tea. Bless her heart, no wonder why I love her so much.

With a bit of hesitation I dared try to make a homemade birthday cake for Maysoon. First I searched foodgawker to no avail. Then I headed over Annie's Eats because I have had good results from her recipes. Sure enough she had the yummiest looking cake that didn't require so many difficult additional steps like others I had seen. The more steps, the more chances for me to wreck the cake.

Here goes nothing...

Mini bakers, ready?

Okay girls, the recipe doesn't call for any cheese.

Yellow Butter Cake {via Annie's Eats}
Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pans
1 1/2cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups milk

Directions:
To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour the edges of the pans, tapping out the excess; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together to blend well and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk. Beat each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pans to help remove the cakes. Invert the cakes onto the rack and peel off the parchment. Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. Level the cakes if necessary.

To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a serving platter. Top with 1 cup of frosting and smooth over the top of the cake. Top with the remaining cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting as desired. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to make the chocolate frosting that she posts along with this recipe (you can find it on her blog). I regret not making more time to do so. I used strore bought frosting that affected the final effect of the cake.

The result:

It was delicious! I seriously couldn't believe it. I had finally made a cake that people actually wanted to eat. It came out very moist and the recipe was quite simple. I will make this cake again. Seriously, there is something so rewarding about homemade baking. Especially when it's done with my sweet little girls.

I decided it need a little something to spruce it up, so I added a "2". Gently place a cookie cutter on top of the cake. Pour in just enough sprinkles to cover all the frosting inside of the cookie cutter. Gently press the sprinkles down so that they stick to the frosting and don't spill out on to the surrounding area once you've removed the cookie cutter.

Ta-dah!

Monster approved. Yay!

Hopscotch Art

2011-04-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

J loves hopping and jumping. She'll jump from area rug to area rug in the kitchen. She jumps on her bed. She bounces off the walls.

via my cell phone - September 2010

I've been wanting to make her a hopscotch rug out of one of the old runners I have in our hallway but haven't found the time to get started on it. While sorting through some old scrap booking stickers, I found some square stickers that I decided to hold on to despite not ever using them before. I figured Jenin could always play with them when I need her to sit down for some quite art time.

Well just last week, a hopscotch image popped up on TV and I instantly found a use for those unused square stickers. Seriously, inspiration hits at the most random times.

So I gathered up my supplies and got to work.

A frame that I've had for years and years, white card stock (or any color you want), square stickers, white vinyl signage stickers.

Well, when I sat down to start I wasn't feeling the colors of the square stickers and the numbers were too large to fit in a way that I liked. Moving on to plan B.

Reassembling of the supplies: Large square craft punch, card stock in Jenin's favorite rainbow colors, and a rounded edge cutter.

The squares were too large to fit as is in the mat's 8x10 opening. (I didn't have paper large enough to use without the use of the mat.) There would have only been about 5 squares and I wanted to include as many as possible. So I cut them down.

Then I rounded them off. Love this little tool.

Then I placed the numbers on.

Then glued them down in the easily distinguishable hopscotch manner. I loved how the colors popped off of the white, but I didn't like the white mat on the white card stock. So I painted it a sky blue.

Isn't it adorable? I think so. It took less than half an hour to complete. Love quick and easy projects.

Want to create your own? Hop to it! (sorry that was corny)

Islamic Art Giveaway Winners

2011-04-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my first giveaway! The winners were decided through random.org.

The winners of Peter Gould's "Kids of the Ummah" e-book are:

Yup, four winners!! Yay! I decided this morning that I'd like to extend the giveaway to two additional people. Congratulations to all of the winners. I hope that you and your children (or nieces, nephews, grand kids, neighbors, cousins....) enjoy the book as much as we did. Your pdf files will be e-mailed to you shortly.

Didn't win? No worries, you can purchase your own e-book from here.

I really enjoyed hosting this special giveaway and certainly look forward to more in the future.

*HijabiMommy, I need your e-mail address!!

A Weekend of Firsts

2011-04-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

What a special weekend this was. I got to check three things off of my "I'd Like to do That Some Day" list.

For Maysoon's birthday, I wanted to attempt to make a homemade cake for her. Now I say "attempt" because I have made cakes in the past. However, they were hardly edible and extremely heavy. Me and my over mixing. So I decided that I'd try one last time. If I fail then I'll know that baking cakes is not for me. Since last year for her first birthday we had her monstrously huge party, I wanted to make this year as low key as possible. Just me and my girls, baking.

The recipe was successful. Yay! I made one (crucial) mistake by using store bought frosting. If it weren't for some time constraints I would have made homemade frosting. Next time. I'll post the recipe later on this week.

On Saturday we had the privilege of attending a creative children's open house at Barakah Life Studio. The weather potentially cancelled the event, but luckily the skies cleared up for a beautiful afternoon of crafting. This month's theme was "collage" so there were many beautiful papers, different types of scissors, and plenty of glue sticks for the kids to use. Everything was set up so nicely and I wanted to take pictures, but I got very shy and stuck to taking only a few of my girls while they colored.

Did you know I'm actually very shy in person? Well, I am at first until I can assess my surroundings and get a feel of the people around me. I'm working very, very hard on coming out of my shell. I digress.

I finally got to meet the very talented (Mashallah!) Khadija O'Connell who was an absolute pleasure to be around. She has set up her studio so beautifully, It was such a serene setting perfect for creating all things handmade. My girls and I look forward to going back for future open house events and hopefully take classes one day.

Sunday afternoon while picking up Jenin from Sunday school, I spotted a brochure for Peace Village, which is a Muslim run farm located right here in Fremont. I noticed some open house dates and realized that there was one that day. We rushed home to pick up Maysoon (she was home with her dad, I didn't leave my two year old home alone) and headed over there as quick as the speed limit would allow us. We got there towards the end of the open house but there was still a large crowd hanging out.

Maysoon assisting Grayee with a drink of water.

The girls headed straight for the dirt, of course. They dug around a bit before I moved them over to see the animals. What is it about tiny goats that make us forget all our cares? We had a fun time petting them and following them around. The rooster made his presence known repeatedly and quite loudly while chickens scuttled all around us. As we left the animal's pen, I was stopped at the gate by a lovely mom that had recognized the girls from my blog! I was actually shocked that any Muslim Bay Area moms read my blog. I even became a bit flustered as I've never been approached by anyone regarding my blog before. (There goes my shyness again.) I was pleased to meet her and look forward to seeing her around the Bay again, InshaAllah, God willing. {Salams Shannon!}

My girly-girls found their way to the sand pit and went to town. They loved that they were allowed to get dirty and that I was okay with it. We eventually moved into one the classrooms that Jenin was curious about and decided to stay for a while. They set up a little tea party with another set of sisters that we had first seen at Saturday's Barakah Life event. We introduced ourselves and later found out that we would be running into each other again at another event later on in the week. We continued to play with some play-dough and wooden blocks. We were having such a good time that we didn't realize that everyone had already gone home. Again, another wonderful afternoon that we hope to experience again next month. Unfortunately Jenin's schedule currently doesn't allow for her to be able to take any of the classes, but I'll definitely bring her back to this lovely little farm in the heart of our town.

Baking an edible cake, creating at Barakah Life, and playing at Peace Village. Check, check, and check.

How was your weekend?

Weekend Breakfast: Easy Waffles

2011-04-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

While the title may say Weekend Breakfast, these waffles are actually easy enough to make during your weekday mornings and I have many times. The batter comes together quickly and I have consistent results each time I make them. Rami prefers his crispy so I cook them longer, while I like mine soft so I take them out early. If there is any leftover batter, I make the waffles and store them in the fridge in an airtight container. They reheat nicely in the toaster oven the next morning.

I'm a pour-syrup-on-the-side-and-dip kinda gal. What about you?

I love this recipe so much that I think I've made them over 10-15 times in the past two months. Seriously, they're that easy to make. My lovely cousin scored me a $70 waffle maker for only $10 on Black Friday. It's definitely made a place for itself in our kitchen.

Easy Waffles (adapted from babble )

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

In a blender, beat the eggs, milk, and oil until frothy. Stir all of the dry ingredients together until well mixed. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour the wet mixture into the well, then stir just until the mix is moistened. Pour a scant one cup of batter onto a hot waffle maker and cook until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Top with your favorite fruit and/or chopped nuts.

I've topped mine with strawberries, blueberries, bananas, toasted coconut (yum, this was so good), pecans, walnuts, simple powdered sugar, basically anything I had around. Just not all at once, though I'm sure that wouldn't be so bad. The types of toppings you add always make it special and new. This way you don't get sick of having waffles everyday for a week which may or may not have happened at our house.

Well, that's one way to eat it.

Reminder: Today is the last day to enter the Peter Gould children's ebook giveaway! Remember you get three possible entries. Enter now if you haven't already!

Two

2011-03-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

Today, my sweet precious monster of a daughter, you turn two.

You love to "read". (You're currently sitting in my lap singing as you flip through a board book about monsters, of course.)

We love that you babble on in the very distinctive Despicable Me minion gibberish.

You adore your big sister but sometimes you annoy her to no end. (It's not easy being a little sister.)

We are absolutely enamoured by you and love all the added energy (as if we needed more) that you've brought to the house.

You love strawberries and saying the word "ugly". (Your father taught you that one.) You love skirts and swinging at the park. You love "Kowco" (popcorn) and your grandfather's hat.

Maysoon, are such a unique little girl that we know will grow up to be a strong woman that will pave her own paths. You already have a great sense of humor that makes us laugh and see you as a future class clown.

I pray that you have the strength to follow your dreams and shine like the beautiful ray of light that you are. I love you, Maysoona!!

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-03-29T06:00:00.001-07:00

Once I find a recipe that works really well for me, I rarely attempt another version. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right?

Well something about the word "mini" always gets me. So when I saw these cookies a while back on foodgawker I figured I'd give them a try. I like that this recipe uses less butter and one less egg than the recipe I've been using. I've also noticed that I get more consistent results with this recipe than the other. I thought it was funny that the first recipe I was using was for jumbo sized cookies now I'm stuck on these mini ones. You can obviously make these any size you please. Just bake accordingly.

My new go to chocolate chip recipe.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies { via Two Peas and their Pod}

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 35o degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.

2. In medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla extract.

4. Slowly mix in the flour, until combined. Stir in mini chocolate chips.
5. Roll dough into tiny balls, about 2 teaspoons of dough. Place on baking sheet and slightly flatten with the palm of your hand. Bake for 8 minutes or until cookies are golden brown and set. Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

* I usually add chopped nuts to the recipe.

Islamic Art

2011-03-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of Sydney based designer/artist Peter Gould, you are surely missing out.

For a long time I struggled to find Islamic art that suited my taste. I was looking for something clean and modern but still had the traditional beauty of classical Islamic art. It's when my sister Iman bought me this artwork for my girls' room that I found what I was looking for.

Andalus - Kids

A few months later I had the privilege of purchasing my own piece from Peter Gould himself at a fundraiser for Jenin's (soon-to-be, I hope!!) school. He had redesigned the school's website and was donating half of his proceeds from the night to go towards the school! "And whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allah's Cause), He will replace it.'' (34:39)

Fitrah - Artwork

Granada - Photography

Peter Gould's work can now be found every where you look. He's designed for Yusuf Islam (aka Cat Stevens), Zaytuna College, and Seekers Guidance to name a few.

Some examples of his talent:

Photography.

Fes - Peter Gould Photography

Graphic Design

Peter Gould for Barakah Life

Clothing

Dhikr (Rememberance) - Clothing

Well, for a few months we (his Facebook fans) have been in great anticipation of an incredible e-book, "Kids of the Ummah" (Muslim Community), that he has been working on. It features some of the most well known mosques throughout the world as beautiful illustrations accompanied by adorable little children peeking out from different parts of the mosque or gardens. My girls and I were absolutely thrilled when we downloaded it. The girls enjoyed the marvelous colors of each page and pointing out all of the children. I named off each country we visited as we went through each one.

Our favorite: (Being Palestinian, we may be biased.)

via Kids of the Ummah - Peter Gould

Now you too can own your own copy of the gorgeously illustrated Kids of the Ummah! I'm giving away two copies to two lucky readers! Any child in your life will definitely enjoy going through these beautiful pages.

Giveaway now closed.

~~To enter:~~

~~Visit~~ ~~Peter Gould's~~ ~~newly launched website, then share your favorite item in the comments. (one entry)~~
~~"Like"~~ ~~Peter Gould~~ ~~on Facebook.* (one entry)~~
~~"Like" my wall post on Peter Gould's Facebook wall. (one entry)~~

~~Please submit a separate comment for each entry.~~

This is open to all readers! Anonymous comments, please leave an e-mail address that you can be reached at. Giveaway will close on Sunday, April 3 at 11:00 pm (PST). Winners will be announced Monday, April 4. Good luck!

Disconnected

2011-03-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

It's been one week since my precious phone fell to it's demise from my pocket as I was running through a torrential downpour. Why was I running? Because my dear hubby lost my umbrella.

But you see, I didn't realize that I dropped my phone until I got home. So I quickly jumped back into my car and went back to where I suspected it had fallen. I didn't even think I would find it but I had to at least try. And there it was. All sad and lonely in the middle of the crosswalk, drowning in the rain.

Internet access or not, I feel so disconnected from the world. My goodness, where were we before cell phones and Internet anyway?

Rest in piece(s)...er, peace.

Be sure to come back Monday for a very special post. :-D

Crafty Mama

2011-03-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the embroidered alphabet piece that my sister Iman recently shared on her blog? My mom made it while she was pregnant with my sis. It's beautiful and I've always admired it. If it didn't have Iman's name and birth year embroidered on it, I would have jacked it from her by now. I love it's new modern frame and the added marbles are just so fun. Hello ohdeedoh? Did you see that?

Well, I was quite jealous of the piece before and have become even more so with it's little makeover. So it was with great delight that I rediscovered something that I had been saving for a while. (This will be a reoccurring theme until I've completely blogged about my pre-spring cleaning cleaning spree.)

This was also made by my mother pre-me. Not sure why her crafting days ended before me. I guess she wanted to save up all of that lovely handmade energy and pass it on to me in the womb. Or maybe not.

This hung in a gold frame on the wall in my grandmother's living room for years and years until my last visit three years ago when I decided that it should come home with me. I removed the frame and packed it away in my suitcase.

Sigh. It's so hard to look at this picture. One day I will paint a room this color as an ode to my Sitti. I miss her so much.

I picked up a long Ikea frame (Ribba line) not even knowing if it was the right fit but it was the closest thing I could find.

Using the mat as my size guideline, I wrapped the fabric around it and taped it to hold it in place.

Squeezed it into the frame for a nice tight fit. Removed the glass because the little metal tabs wouldn't fold down because all the layers were too thick. I like it exposed, so that worked out just fine.

The result:

Did ya notice it's embroidered on burlap?? Apparently what's old is new again.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

List Maker

2011-03-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week as I was preparing Maysoon to take her to the doctor's office, Jenin requested that I bring her back one of the sugar free lollipops that they keep at the front desk. Considering she had been behaving particularly well while me and Maysoon were sick, I agreed.

Getting Maysoon dressed in her bedroom, Jenin called out from the kitchen table asking how to spell "pink". I proceeded to yell out " p i n k" without thinking anything of it. Since she's learned to write her letters, she continually asks me how to spell certain words during random parts of the day.

I came to gather my purse and such when I found this:

via my cell phone

Jenin: (in Arabic) "I wrote you a list so that you don't forget which lollipop I want."

Plate Art

2011-03-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I've been ~~digging~~ gently sorting through my closets the past few weeks, I've been uncovering things that I have ~~completely~~ temporarily forgot about. For example, this plate:

Very cute, right? I picked it up on clearance at Target for 88 cents. I know, I don't know why they ever sell anything full price either. I figured I'd hang it up in the girls' room. Well when it came under my hands again, I had a new idea for it. I still intended to use it in their room, but I felt it need a little something extra.

Enter also forgotten scrapbooking stickers.

I wanted it to say "you are special", but I didn't have enough Es in this font. The best part is that if I get sick of it, I can just peel them right off and stick on another phrase. The possibilities are endless.

Never take things for face value. Find something cute? Chances are someone else also found it. Take a couple of steps to make it your own.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Enough

2011-03-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Going through my drafts in my blog posts I found this post that was never published!! It was written November 30th, 2010.

The girls have enough dolls. Enough dresses, headbands, shoes. Enough puzzles, crayons, patterned tights.

I think about my girls and about giving them more than I had as a child. I was surely not deprived but certainly always yearned for a little more. What kid doesn't? As I look around the house, I realize that my girls have plenty. I constantly go through Jenin's books, clothes, and toys with her help to donate to children that don't have as much as she does. I want her to appreciate what she has and be compassionate enough to give to others so that they experience the same childhood joys of having special belongings.

I have enough fabric. Enough scarves, cookbooks, craft supplies. Enough kitchen appliances, ~~enough shoes~~, enough pasta, enough albums. I always come across an item on clearance that I just "have to have" when in reality I could live without it and did up until the point I saw it. I'm not entirely to blame. It's genetic. But I've realized at this young age that I can break that habit now. With a bit of willpower and a boycott of Target. Okay maybe not a flat out boycott, but a break.

For the next three months I will ~~no longer~~ try my absolute hardest not to buy anything we don't need. Alhamdulilah, all praises due to God, we have everything we could ever want anyways. I want to focus on our actual lives and not on de-cluttering or picking up their toys. I'm sick of stressing over the pile of laundry that I haven't folded because there isn't even any room in the girls' drawers to put them away. If I have to clean/organize/purge my garage one more time, I will seriously just load everything into a cargo van and haul it all away leaving only my washer and dryer. I just can't take it anymore.

If I find myself putting something unecessary into my cart, I will take it out and write down the name of the item in a notebook. It will be very interesting to see the list (hope it's a short one) of items that I would have bought that I didn't actually need. Might also be interesting to record the price and to add up how much I would have potentially spent on ~~crap~~ stuff.

Wish me luck.

Bake Along - Chewy Jam-Almond Bars

2011-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

I know, I know... it's been a while. All should be back on schedule again very soon. One Bake Along recipe a week. I hope. I've decided not to do all 100 recipes. I'm going to do 25 and then move on to a different book. After repeatedly going through the magazine I've found that I'm not wildly inspired by it. And life isn't fun unless you're wildly inspired.

This original recipe calls for cherry preserves but I really don't see why you can't use your favorite flavor. I went with raspberry this time as I'm pretty obsessed wtih raspberry lately. These weren't super popular at home but only because my family doesn't care for any type of jam or jelly very much. Loved the chewyness of them. I'd make them again trying a new flavor.

Chewy Jam-Almond Bars {via Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies}

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups regular rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 12 ounce jar (1 cup) preserves, I used raspberry

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges. Grease foil, set pan aside.

2. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and almond extract until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour, the oats, and almonds.

3. Remove 1/2 cup of the dough and set aside. Press the remaining dough evenly into bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread with preserves. Crumble the reserved dough evenly over preserves layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using edges of foil, lift cookies out of pan. Cut into bars. Makes 36 bars.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Relief

2011-03-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Thousands of people have lost their lives in the past month fighting for their freedom in Libya.

Thousands of people have lost their lives in the past week in one of the worst natural disasters in Japan.

Such is life. Full of struggles and tests. It's easy to feel despair and anxiety when contemplating the world's tribulations, but do not lose hope.

"Verily, with hardship, there is relief." {Qur'an 5:52}

Eating follows hunger, drinking follows thirst, sleep comes after restlessness, and health takes the place of sickness. The lost will find their way, the one in difficulty will find relief, and the day will follow night.
- Don't Be Sad

Please donate towards humanitarian efforts in both countries. More importantly, pray that God eases their burdens.

Life, Resumed

2011-03-16T10:26:00.001-07:00

Maysoon and I are back in good health, Alhamdulilah (all praise due to God). Her doctor suspected it was bronchitis but I don't think it was quite that. I have been decluttering the house to the point of knocking my immune system out of whack. So her and I have been resting up and are ready to get back to our regularly scheduled programming: Maysoon making the mess and me cleaning it right up.

I'll be back soon with some good posts including a Bake Along. Remember those?

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Downtime

2011-03-10T18:22:00.001-08:00

Went to bed last night a little drained and woke up to find myself completely out of it. Worse still was that my baby woke up with a fever. So me and my little monster have been knocked out on the couch all day sniffling and snuggling. And watching the most random television shows reminding why I'm not into TV. (Outrageous Kid Parties? Seriously? One mom dropped 33k which I think she should have used on a kitchen renovation. Eh, whatever...)

For the past few weeks I've been going through the house for some pre-spring cleaning. Every room, closet, drawer, corner. Nothing has been safe. More on all this later, but I think all that de-cluttering is what lead me here. On the couch. With my head feeling like it weighs 50 pounds and my limbs made of noodles.

But I'm grateful for the downtime. I can't remember the last time I actually just lounged on the sofa. Maysoon sleeping across my chest all day has been super rewarding. She's almost two and I can hardly remember the newborn that just laid in my arms full of content. Now it's go, go, go! Guess her little body needed some downtime too. Crib climbing ain't easy, ya know?

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Boost In Confidence

2011-03-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

Did you catch the picture I posted of Maysoon climbing out of her crib? Well it caught the eye of the uber talented Michelle Moore, the guest judge over at i heart faces.

Holla!!!

Third place! I was crazy excited and just couldn't believe it. While I was taking the pictures I didn't even have the (anything but a face) challenge in mind. I simply wanted to capture my baby girl in her last true moments as a baby. However, she had no intention of posing one last time for me in her crib. Almost as if there was a magnetic pull in her feet pulling her to the ground, she would immediately climb out. So instead I decided to capture her at her current self. A fearless girl that is growing up before my eyes much too quickly.

That being said, I thought it would be fun to just participate along with the challenge for the sake of being part of an incredible online photography community. There were hundreds and hundreds of amazing entries. I really didn't think I had a chance, but I adored the image so didn't really mind.

When I found out I placed in the top 10 I was ecstatic!

Remember the 30 Day Photo Challenge I was posting here? Well...

Shahirah thinks I'm an inspiration! Crazy! Me? Have you checked our her blog? She's the inspiration!

I was hesitant about participating in this challenge because I was rather nervous about disclosing some personal thoughts and feelings that I haven't blogged about here before. But I realized that this is my blog and it is about me, so why not? I'm glad I went ahead and went for it. I felt relieved once I completed it because I finally felt like I could be myself on my own blog.

This new boost of confidence is exhilarating. Being myself and having this new courage is pretty darn cool.

BFF

2011-03-06T15:23:00.001-08:00

I hope that you two will grow to be the best of friends.

Lean on each other for support. Lend the other your favorite pair of jeans. Tell her if she has spinach in her teeth. Encourage her to follow her dreams.

Just realize that there is nothing in the world like a sister.

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Butterfly Collage

2011-03-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

Edited to clarify: This is not my idea. I do not want to take credit for some one else's project. The first paragraph links to where I saw the idea.

I've seen my share of DIY specimen art all over the blog world. I've bookmarked quite a few with full intention to recreate my own version one day. But recently I saw a project made by bright eyes + blue eyes on ohdeedoh that was more my style. You know, not perfect.

I was really drawn to it because it was something Jenin and I could do together. An easy carefree project that came together in one afternoon. Supplies are minimal and the mess factor isn't anything out of the ordinary.

Supplies needed:

White paper, preferably card stock
Water colors
A canvas, any size
Butterfly punch, this one happens to be the Martha Stewart one
Craft paint and brush, not shown
Glue

Have your child paint the sheet of card stock with the watercolors. You'll want them to cover the entire sheet in order to be able to get the most butterflies stamped. While they do that, paint the entire canvas with the color of your choice.

So pretty.

After the card stock has completely dried, punch out as many butterflies as you'd like.

Fold each butterfly slightly in order to give them the look of fluttering all over the canvas.

Then just begin gluing the butterflies down where ever your four year old's heart desires.

In an attempt to get more pictures of me with my girls, I set up the camera on self timer to capture us doing the project together. After checking the images I found Jenin either giving the camera these really funny looks out of the corner of her eyes or looking completely freaked out because the camera was about to go off. It was hilarious.

The finished product:

Aww, such cute little shadows.

I think a cute twist on this would be punched flowers on a green canvas. Maybe. It looks cute in my head.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Big Girl Bed

2011-03-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

Guess who's ready to move on?

Daytime naps have become nonexistent around here since my little monster picked up this new trick. Don't even get me started on bedtime.

I'm going to miss my little baby girl that used to sleep safely in her crib instead of scaling the railing like a pro mountaineer.

Submitted to the "Anything but face" i heart faces photography challenge.

Suburban S'mores

2011-02-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

I've never had an actual s'more. The whole marshmallow roasted on a stick over a campfire while your eyes burn from the smoke kind of s'more. Nope, never.

Don't feel so sorry for me though. I've had toaster oven s'mores. That's kind of cool. Until the little timer goes off and your kids realize that something is up. I don't like sharing my toaster oven s'mores. Kids shouldn't be eating that kind of junk anyways.

I'm more than willing to share a batch of suburban s'mores though. Only because I can't eat an entire tray on my own. I've tried.

I first made these a million years ago and posted a picture with a link to the recipe but that blog no longer exists. So here's the way I make it.

Suburban S'mores

1 box family size brownies (13x9)
1 jar marshmallow creme
1 package graham crackers
1 handful chocolate chips

Prepare brownies as directed on the box. Bake in a 13x9 pan, but take it out about 7-10 minutes early. It should be firm, not gooey.

Drop dollops of marshmallow creme over the surface and let it melt a little before spreading evenly all over with a rubber spatula. Don't worry if some of the brownie's surface starts to crumble into the creme, but try to spread it more gently or wait until it melts a bit more.

Crush one package of graham crackers coarsely with your hand and sprinkle evenly over marshmallow layer.

Sprinkle with a handful (or more) of chocolate chips.

Put back into the oven for about 7-10 minutes until the chocolate chips melt.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan.

Make some this weekend. Just don't blame me if your jeans don't fit the same way Monday morning.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Put A Bird On It

2011-02-23T16:51:00.000-08:00

What I love about linky parties are that they provide so much inspiration for so many kinds of projects. But us crafty ladies sure know how to take a trend and run with it.

Some other potential slogans: "Put a mustache on it", "Put a rolled fabric rose on it", "Put quatrefoil on it", "Put a pennant on it", "Put burlap on it", "Put something on it and carry on".*

*I may or may not have taken part in using a bird, mustache, rolled fabric rose, quatrefoil, pennant, burlap, or carry on sign.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2011-02-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

Katie Moon of oohmoon announced that she was having a custom family illustration contest. All you have to do is fill out a small form explaining your favorite family activity and submit a family photo. Easy stuff. Or so I thought.

As I started going through folder after folder of my photos I started to realize that, well, we have no family pictures. No real family pictures.

Any pictures of us as a family are strictly during special occasions like the Eid or weddings. Even then those pictures have issues. Uncooperative children, missing one child (see uncooperative children), or awkward arm length shots.

The last time we took a family picture: November 2010. Three months ago!!! Not cool. Not cool at all.

I have been begging Rami to take family pictures but he has been putting it off since Maysoon was 6 months. She'll be 2 at the end of next month. A year and a half.

Whether Ms. Moon selects our family or not (though I really, really wish she does!) I will be taking pictures of our family every single week. Hair brushed or not, clothes stained or not, in need of a shave or not (ahemahemrami), good mood or not. Every week we will have a family picture. I think I'm going to need one of these.

Life As You Know It

2011-02-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Things haven't been as they usually are around here on my blog. The photography challenge covered topics I don't typically post about. I definitely feel that it made you as readers have a better understanding of who I am though. This is my little life and that is who I am.

Politics are certainly not my forte but with all the recent uprisings going on in the Middle East I wanted to do my own little part to spread the word and support the cause.

But fear not craft/sewing/sweets loving readers, lots of goodies coming up.

Oh, and don't forget that you're all still incredibly awesome.

Freedom Train - Now Boarding

2011-02-21T11:56:00.000-08:00

Tunisia. Egypt. Now Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain.

source

The people of Arab countries are (finally!) taking their lives, and freedom, into their own hands. Fear no longer paralyzes them into following ruthless dictators. The people will no longer be silenced. They are paying with their lives for the sake of their fellow citizens. Please take a moment to pray for their safety and freedom. Educate yourself here. Specific and up to date information regarding Libya here.

May the Palestinian people also one day find their freedom.

I Got It Covered

2011-02-18T08:32:00.000-08:00

I truly believed covering my kitchen chairs in outdoor fabric was a great idea. It seemed completely foolproof. Cute fabric that was stain resistant. No more crying over spilt milk. Unfortunately, the fabric faded miserably due to scrubbing off messy spills all the time. Good idea: FAIL. Plus, my chairs turned out to be crappy quality so everything was a total waste. Double fail.

It finally dawned on me (with a little help from Dana) that oilcloth would be the way to go. I searched online but wasn't crazy about the prices. I searched in the stores but didn't find anything to my liking. As I knew my trip to Washington was approaching, I knew I would check out Pacific Fabric & Crafts. They carry all of the top names in fabric and have an open and welcoming store. I found exactly what I was looking for. It was more expensive than I was hoping to spend, but I considered it as a birthday present to myself. I deserved it, right?

Ta-da!

I love, love, love the colors and pattern.

At the time I put these together I was still seating Maysoon in her highchair so I didn't assemble all of the chairs. Being the monster she is, she kept climbing in and out of it and standing up so I've since banished the highchair to the garage.

I'm not worried about anything dropping on the chairs. Tomato sauce, strawberry milk, olive oil (we're Palestinian, there's going to be some EVOO at the table at one point or another), Play-doh.

Pretty, pretty. If you don't mind my saying.

(That's the outdoor fabric before it faded.)

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Oh My Bookshelf

2011-02-16T14:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever in your entire life seen anything more lovely?

source

The smaller ones are not available for sale and the large one will only set you back a few months rent.

I think I may have to save up my pennies for one of these beauties.

These bookshelvesmasterpieces ("bookshelf" alone doesn't justify it) are the work of the obviously incredibly talented Younes Duret.

Spotted via Barakah Life.

"Ounie"

2011-02-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

My sister-in-law, Walaa.

The first time I met her was when she came for my wedding in 2005. She was still in high school and looking back both of us agree that she was quite immature. Neither one of us liked the other much, though at the time we acted like we did. It wasn't until I started visiting Palestine and staying with Rami's family that her and I became very close. She is the only girl in a family of six boys. I quickly became more of a sister than just her brother's wife.

While in Jenin, we would sleep in late and dawdle over our breakfast, much to my mother-in-law's annoyance. Then we would head into town to the souk, markets, to shop for random things. Mini color pencils that I knew would be great for Jenin's first birthday. Hijabs, head scarves, in all sorts of colors. Children's Arabic picture books to improve my vocabulary. We would finish off our trip with a "cocktail" as they call them, which is actually just a fruit smoothie.

At home we'd feast with the family over a filling lunch, which is actually their dinner time. At the sink, we would take turns of washing and rinsing the dishes. Then a kettle of water would be brought to boil for mint tea. We drink it out on the balcony while taking in the view of the city and the mountains.

After Maghrib prayer, just after sunset, we would head out for our nightly walks. Just me and her. She tells me things she would have told her older sister if she had one. We laugh about not liking each other at first. She helps me with my Arabic. We hardly ever walk in silence. Once we reach the end of the road which for us is the beginning of the souk, we order our nightly falafel sandwich to enjoy on the way back home.

Last year in May when the whole family came for my brother-in-law's wedding, her and I got even closer. This time she was on my turf and I got to take her to all the places I've always told her about. That included my favorite "cocktails", Jamba Juice.

I can't wait to see her again.

p.s. Her nickname is "Ounie" though I'm not quite sure why.

Spreading The Love

2011-02-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

I love baking. I love Bakerella. I love free stuff. So I totally love this:

via oohmoon

Every day the super generous and super talented Katie Moon releases one of her awesome illustrations for anyone to download for personal use. Absolutely free. Every single day. Once the 24 hours are up, the image is available for a small fee. Be sure to go over today to get your free Bakerella print minus the watermark.

This week is all about baking. I can't wait to see all the illustrations!

Read To Me

2011-02-13T17:35:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 29 - A picture that always makes you smile.

Maysoon "reading" to Rami.

I love seeing the girls reading with their father.

Who Let The Dogs Out?

2011-02-12T17:34:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 28 - A picture of something I am afraid of.

Dogs.

source

Every shape and form. The biggest offenders are those without leashes. I literally become paralyzed with fear. Goes way back to when my neighbor's big black dog, Midnight, attcked my ankle.

Baba's Little Girl

2011-02-11T17:33:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.

This picture of my father and I hangs on my fridge. It reminds me of the days when life was good. I was his little baby and the keeper of his heart. Of all my siblings, I'm the one that resembles him the most. In looks and stubbornness. We are standing front of the gazebo he had built in the backyard of my childhood home. My sisters can deny it as much as they want, but I'm totally his favorite.

Walk Like An Egyptian

2011-02-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

"God does not change the condition of any people unless they themselves make the decision to change."
- Quran 13:11.

Egypt has freed itself from a tyrannous regime. And it started with a Muslim woman in hijab.

Congratulations to my brothers and sisters in Egypt.

Motherhood

2011-02-10T17:32:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.

August 2010

I don't take a single day of being a mother for granted.

P.S. I hardly have any pictures of me with my girls. Not cool.

At Home

2011-02-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 25 - A picture of your favorite day.

Any day spent at home with my family in the comfort of our home.

October 2009

Testing a new recipe. Crafting with J. All of us seated around the table for dinner every night. Snuggling with Maysoon. Sewing up a new project. A leisurely breakfast filled with laughter and spilled milk or tea. Baking up batches of cookies. Munching on popcorn and sipping hot chocolate during our family movie nights. Reading bedtime stories.

Lately I have truly been enjoying spending my days at home.

The Way I See It

2011-02-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.

My vision.

This is exactly as I see things without my contacts or glasses.

I still remember my first eye exam. I wasn't calling out " E D F C Z P" with my left eye covered. Instead it involved pictures of little houses, cats, and boats. I still didn't know my letters at the time since I was so young. I've gone through many, many glasses. One pair were large pink frames that covered half of my face. Another favorite were the bright red ones with little Mickey Mouse heads on the sides. The most traumatic were the black frames that I picked out while not wearing any glasses, thus technically making them a "blind" decision. Those were my "Where's Waldo?" days in junior high. {shudder}

Eventually I was able to move on to hard contact lenses. If the smallest particle of dust got in my eye, it was all over. My eye would instantly seal shut, begin to water profusely, and when I could finally open it would be deep red. Embarrassing stuff. My friends have a particular episode that they will never let me live down. And no, I'm not going to share it here. Luckily none of my high school friends know about my blog, otherwise they would be more than willing to share in the comments. Plus don't get me started on the times that I've lost a single contact and still had to go through my day half blind.

I'm sick of it all. Hopefully one day I will have laser eye surgery done.

Don't Be Sad

2011-02-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.

Don't Be Sad

Consider it a religious or spiritual version of "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff". It is an amazing book that has a lot of wonderful mini lessons. It covers just about every topic that could ever bring you down. I adore this book and encourage anyone, Muslim or not, to check it out.

Kitchen Decor

2011-02-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to doing a few projects for the kitchen that I've had in the back of my mind or have been meaning to post for a while. Our rental kitchen is old, outdated and just about as ugly as I can physically stomach. So anything that temporarily takes my mind off of that is worth doing.

I purchased some vintage highway letters from Etsy seller SalvageNation last year in March. (I really need to work on my turn around time of completing my projects.) I simply used some craft paint on them to add some color to my windowsill.

The little owl was an ornament that I picked up on clearance from Target. Just yanked the hook out.

I found a really cute crocheted pear at Daiso, the Japanese import store where I also purchased the paper lanterns for my daughters' room. The have a lot of cute little curiosities in that store. Some of the English translations on the packages are hilarious as well.

I used an Ikea Ribba frame (glass removed), some card stock, and fabric glue.

Cut card stock to size.

Apply glue along the edge of the pear then place in desired location.

While visiting Bellingham (two years ago) I found this giant plastic fork and spoon set at a thrift store. I totally loved them and their somewhat kitschy vibe.

I originally planned on spray painting them black, but after using the gray primer on them, I liked the way they looked. I used strips of double stick tape and hung them above the kitchen window.

The above picture was taken November 2009 when I was supposed to blog about it. The plants never had a chance, the green canisters are gone, my favorite little alligator soap dispenser remains. My favorite rug is from Overstock when it was still bright and new.

I'll be back soon with my new chairs. Yay!

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Picture This

2011-02-06T23:02:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.

Photography

I've taken courses. I've been trusted with people's weddings. I've gone through four professional cameras. And I still have no idea what I'm doing.

Playing Catch-Up

2011-02-06T01:11:00.000-08:00

Things have been hectic and I've slightly fallen behind.

I'm in the process of catching up.

Some good posts coming up.

Hope you're all doing well.

Forget it

2011-02-05T23:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
(Grrrr... I hate this one!!)

Junior high and high school.

Nothing prepared me for the harshness of junior high and high school. To this day, those six years still haunt me and affect the way I feel about myself. Seriously.

"Do not live in the nightmares of former times or under the shade of what you have missed. By constantly dwelling on the past and it's happenings, you place yourself in a very frightful and tragic state of mind."
- excerpt from Don't Be Sad

Morocco

2011-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

Morocco

source

I want to bring home a freight container filled with tile. I want to eat every meal from a tagine. I want to get lost in the souks. Well not, really lost because that would be scary. I want to take 1 million pictures and print every one. I want to adopt an eldery Moroccan man and take him as my grandfather. I want to pray in the Hassan II mosque. I want to ride a camel on the dunes of the Sahara desert. I want to visit Peacock Pavillions. I want to drink mint tea while watching the sunset on the Atlantic. I just want to go!

Mornings in Jenin

2011-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 19 - A picture and a letter (choose any photo and write short entry to explain why you've chosen it).

Edited post: I didn't actually write a letter like the rule states the first time I posted this so I'm writing it over.

August 2007
(During our visit for my brother-in-law's wedding. That's Jenin reaching for the bread.)

Dear Jenin,

I did not know what to expect when I first came to visit you. I was nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. Pregnant with my first child, I entered your city limits with hopes that I would be able to win the hearts of the extended family of my husband, broken Arabic and all. As I looked out the window of the taxi, I gazed upon your souks, markets, your produce stands, and flower lined streets. Somehow this is not as I imagined you but I was genuinely pleased.

My husband's family came out in huge numbers to greet me and feast over an amazing BBQ outside in the warm summer evening. I struggled through my sentences with the little Arabic I knew and not once did they laugh at me. I told them about America and they told me about you. I knew that you as a city had made this amazing family what they were. Generous, laid back, and forgiving.

Your green fields, the falafel sandwiches, and the streets of your souk all won me over. Such an amazing impact that you had on me as a city, that I named my first born for you. To honor the short week that I spent there that left me in love with it's town and it's people.

I am forever yours.

Original post:
I first visited Jenin, Palestine when I was 5 months pregnant with my daughter Jenin. I still hadn't known the gender during my visit. I was incredibly nervous about meeting my husband's entire family especially since he was not with me. They welcomed me with so much love and generousity that I was overwhelmed with joy. I found myself crying out of sheer happiness so many times during that week long visit. I blamed the hormones because they were starting to think I was crazy. I had always dreamed of being part of a large family and here they were with arms wide open.

~~My experience that week is what essentially lead me to name my first daughter after the city that had taken me in as it's own. It's a much more detailed story, but Sha said keep it short. ;-P~~

Insecure

2011-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

Myself.

Sometimes I secretly wish I knew what other people really thought about me, but I immediately distinguish that idea because I realize I'd rather not know.

End post.

Parenting

2011-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Seekers Guidance "Islamic Parenting" Course

March 2010

There are times when I question if I'm being the best mother that I can for my little girls. I'm only two weeks into the course and I've already noticed that I've made huge improvements. I'm more confident in my techniques and am incredibly grateful for the guidance that I am receiving in the departments that I've fallen short. I hope by the end of the course in April that I will be the mother that I've always wanted to be.

Inspirational

2011-01-30T23:59:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.

Iman.

I know, I know, I've mentioned her before, but hear me out...

source (my photo submission for the challenge)

She had the courage to approach my {old school} Palestinian father about marrying a Pakistani man. A first in our {entire} family. They've been {happily} married for 12 years.

When she was pregnant with her second child, she had severe complications that left her on bed rest in the hospital for over 3 months. Not once did her faith falter, it only grew stronger. After her miracle baby, Serene, was born, she truly realized the power of prayer.

She supported her husband's dream of learning to fly and attain his pilot's license, post 9/11. You can watch the whole journey on their documentary. Yes, their own documentary. Inspired yet?

source

She will be starring in her own documentary soon as well. Find out more here.

She has great style.

She has a great sense of humor.

In her laundry room and bathroom combo.

She incorporates our religion into her children's lives in fun and accessible ways.

In her children's bathroom. What's Next? cards available here.

She had her own little feature running with NieNie. Yes, that NieNie. Is there another?

source

She's also an amazing hostess.

source

Seriously, she's awesome.

This was posted on 1/31/11 but I've published it to appear on the 30th so that each day has a picutre for the challenge.

Do or Die

2011-01-29T22:55:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.

Skydiving.

source

Hopefully it isn't what kills me.

Rami

2011-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

My hubby, of course.

Long before we had our girls, it was just me and you.

After they finish college and get married, it will still just be me and you.

And a kitten. Can we get a kitten then?

August 2007 - Dome of the Rock - Palestine

Fave Band

2011-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.

Our Lady Peace

source

I was introduced to them way back in the day and I have all of their CDs. Marc Anthony is another top fave, but homeboy hasn't come out with a new {English} album in forever. Actually neither has OLP.

Bruno Mars might soon take the title from both.

My Baby and I

2011-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 12 - A picture of your favorite memory.

The time shortly after my girls have been born.

You are only a mere few hours old. The nurses are gone and Baba has left to work.

It's just me and you and neither one of us needs anything more than that.

March 31, 2009 - Maysoon. But this memory applies to both of my girls.

Hate

2011-01-25T09:28:00.001-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.

Hate is a very strong word, yet it still doesn't come close to how much I abhor the argeela, an Arabic water pipe. It's a large, glass, glorified cigarette. It's disgusting and ridiculously unhealthy. The charcoal used to light it up smells atrocious. It burns holes in carpets, sofas, and clothes. I despise smoking. Blech.

The morning after my engagement party, these were all lined up outside. I wanted to smash them with a baseball bat.

Sitti's Scarf

2011-01-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photo Challenge Day 10 - A picture of your most treasured item.

My grandmother's headscarf and glasses.

When my grandmother passed away, I knew exactly what I wanted from what little belongings that she had brought with her to California. Her little headscarves that she used to tie on and wear under her khirka, a long, loose, cotton white shawl, and her glasses. I also wanted her turquoise stone rings that she always wore, but Iman got those. She was her favorite after all.

I wrapped her scarf around a thin piece of cardboard and attached my favorite picture of her with a bit of double stick tape. The glasses fit perfectly between the glass of the frame and the back board. A few months ago while I was cleaning my grandmother's room at my parent's house, I decided to fold her traditional embroidered Palestinian dresses and put them at the top of the closet instead of leaving them hanging. As I shook them out and folded them perfectly, I heard a muffled jingle. I knew automatically where to look.

A thoub, the traditional dress worn by most of the elderly Palestinian woman, does not have pockets at the hips. Instead, it is at the chest. I'm not even sure if all grandmother's have this pocket or if it was just Sittie, my grandmother. Sitti used to carry everything in that pocket. If she was going to be out, she would pack away her lunch in there. There was always a piece of candy or stick of gum for a child that she may have seen during the day. And most certainly it is where she carried her money.

Once my hand touched those cold shekels, the currency used in Palestine, I felt weak in my knees and tears rolled down my face. Sitti's money. Her small, wrinkled hands with the turquoise stone rings were the last to touch these coins. Bus fare. Change from the little shop around the corner, perhaps. A few pieces left from the land and life she left behind.

I knew immediately that I would add them to the scrapbox that I had already created for her items. I miss her terribly but I'm happy that I have these items as a daily reminder of her.

More about scrapboxes here.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Coloring Once a Year

2011-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Almost a year ago, I saw an adorable idea on Handmade Beginnings. You give your child the same image to color every year around the same time. I saw the idea in March, found an image (via an Etsy seller that has now closed shop) I liked in April, my in-laws came in May and the rest is history. I just now finally got around to starting this. Stinks that I missed out on one year.

I knew that I wanted nesting dolls, but couldn't find any coloring pages that were just right. I found an image through an Etsy seller that was actually selling stamped tags. She stamped and enlarged them for me. Unfortunately they were still smaller than the 5x7 I was hoping for. Since we finally (!!) got a copier/printer/scanner/toaster, I was able to enlarge the images myself. First I went over the lines with a Sharpie to give me a more defined picture, scanned it and then boosted the contrast to make sure it was only black and white without any fuzzy gray areas. With trial and error and a whole lot of ink and paper later, I ended up with an image that was closer to 8x10. Oh well.

Thank you Eva for passing along this wonderful project.

Contemplating her next color decision.

Final product.

See, stuck in 3rd grade.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

BFF

2011-01-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Day 9 - A picture of you and the person who has gotten you through the most.

My on-call nurse. My go-to cookbook. My Arabic-tradition know how and know what to say. My step-by-step deep clean expert. My in-a-pinch play date. My (yes, I can go on) bling-bling accessorizer.

The Yin to my Yang, my best friend forever. Nada.

My Hero

2011-01-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Day 8 - A picture of your hero / knight / heroine.

Iman. The one who continually saves me from myself.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

All it takes is to see my little girls sick for me to wish I had some Green Mile skills to pull them out of whatever funk they're in. Instead, all I could manage was to make them some homemade chicken noodle soup. I guess that beats death row voodoo any day.

My poor baby. She never falls asleep on the couch unless she's absolutely out of it.

This was such an easy soup to pull together even including roasting the chicken. If you don't want to roast your own though, just pick up a precooked one from your local supermarket and shred it yourself.
Chicken Noodle Soup {via Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style}

2 chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Olive oil
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock (calls for homemade, I just used canned)
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup medium-diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 cups wide egg noodles
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breast on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred or dice the chicken meat.

Bring the stock to a simmer in a large pot and add the celery, carrots, and noodles. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are cooked. Add the cooked chicken and parsley and heat through.

Season to taste and serve.

It's such a light and simple meal.

Maysoon liked it.

On the other hand, Jenin couldn't quite appreciate the concept of chicken noodle soup.

No worries. Our resident carnivore took care of it.

Don't ask how she ended up on the table in her undershirt.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Bake Along - Chocolate-Dipped Butterscotch Logs

2011-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Go ahead, you can read that again.

I'm sorry I haven't posted a Bake Along recipe in a while but I assure you that these are worth the wait. If you love butterscotch. If you don't, then... well... there's always next week. Personally these were my favorite cookie of the Bake Along so far. Rami agrees.

Chocolate Dipped Butterscotch Logs {via Better Homes and Gardens 100 Best Cookies}

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup butterscotch-flavor pieces, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces I used chocolate bark
2 tablespoons shortening Not necessary if you also decide to use chocolate bark
2/3 cup finely chopped almonds, toasted Didn't toast mine. But you knew that already, didn't you?

I wish this was a scratch 'n sniff picture.

1. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour and the butterscotch pieces.

2. Divide dough in half. On waxed paper (I did this on plastic wrap), shape each half into a 9 inch roll; flatten until about 2 1/2 inches wide. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap or wax paper. Chill for 2 hours or until dough is firm enough to slice. I ~~forgot mine~~ let it chill for 2 days. I wasn't joking when I said I'm easily distracted.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a serrated knife (I don't know why they suggest a serrated knife, it leaves the cookie looked jagged), cut rolls into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (lined mine with parchment). Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.

4. In a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and shortening. (Remember, if you're using chocolate bark, you do not need the shortening.) Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip on side of each cookie into melted chocolate; let excess drip back into pan. Place cookies on waxed paper. Sprinkle with almonds. Let stand until chocolate is set.*

*I used my chocolate melter for step 4. I have burned far too much chocolate on the stove top. Plus I don't have a microwave to melt chocolate that way either. The melting pot is perfect for me. I totally love it and use it often. If you have chocolate melting issues like me, I would recommend one. Just make sure you use a coupon from Joann or Micheals.

Once she realized what was going on, she ran and grabbed a stool.

I may not have toasted the almonds, but I did use a mesh colander to shake out the almond skin dust (almond skin dust???). Look at me going above and beyond.

Set up a little melting-dipping-sprinkling-setting station to make things go efficiently.

Dip.

Sprinkle.

Repeat.

If a cookie falls in the forest, does anyone pick it up and eat it?

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Silly Sister

2011-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Day 7 - A picture of the person you do the silliest things with.

Psssht, that's easy. My little sis.

via my cell phone

Ooooh, gurl! Where'd ya get dem earrings?

Embrace the Camera: A Piece of Culture

2011-01-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Warak dawalie, (stuffed) grape leaves, is one of my favorite Palestinian meals. You may know them as "dolmas". It's a tedious process, but one that every Palestinian knows well. Blanch leaves, a couple pinches of rice mixture in the middle, then roll, roll, roll. It's the sort of thing you hate to do by yourself. It goes much quicker with good company and a mug of coffee. Luckily I wasn't alone for long.

Thanks for the company Maysoona. Did you catch that? Rice, roll, fold in from the right, fold in from the left then roll, roll, roll. Maybe you can help out when you're a bit older.

Never underestimate the power of self-timer.

Super Princess

2011-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Day 6 - A picture that always makes you laugh.

Don't stress Rami. Jenin will save you.

Up, up, and away...

Love

2011-01-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life - Day 5 - A picture of something you love.

My daughters.

The day you become a mother, you simply cannot think of the word "love" without immediately thinking about your {not so} little babies.

Forget Target and hot chocolate. No matter how cute the shoes or chewy the chocolate chip cookies. Nothing tops my girls.

August 2009

Plus, they happen to love me back.

Hajj

2011-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Day 4 - A picture of something you'd like to do again.

Hajj.

I'll never forget taking this picture. It was some time after 3 am and already the first level was packed.

Seven years ago I was privileged and blessed enough to be given the opportunity to go on the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. I went with my mother, my father, and my younger siblings. It truly is a journey of a lifetime and not something that I can describe eloquently enough to do it justice.

Seeing the Kaa'ba for the first time was one of the most powerful moments of my life. We face in its direction five times a day when we pray. We see it on TV and in magazines. We know that image as well as we know our own mother's face. Yet, when you are standing right there before it, it is as if you are seeing it for the first time.

I went through the rituals and performed my duties, but I was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that it was easy to get distracted. Millions and millions of people from practically every country of the world all together for one reason. To praise our Lord and pray for His mercy.

Inshallah, God willing, I will return.

Modern Family

2011-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life - Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.

I'm really not a TV person at all. I could honestly do without it. If I'm watching, it's usually cause Rami is and I just want to hang out with him.

For a really, really long time I was totally into The Biggest Loser. I would set it to record and still watch it "live" because I couldn't stand not knowing right away who lost what. I would cry in every single episode. No joke. Then with each passing season, the show became more and more annoying. Everyone was so obsessed with gameplay. People that normally couldn't lose 6 pounds in a month, were pissed off that they only lost 6 pounds in one week. What? I'm over it. Heavy starts on A&E and I'll be watching that instead.

As I said I'm not big on TV, but the one other show that I've been setting to record for the past few months is Modern Family. Hilarious stuff. Awesome set design.

Comments and Replies

2011-01-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

You're awesome. Yes, you. And you, you, you, and you. All of you. Thank you so much for taking time to read my blog and comment. It makes me feel a little bit awesome.

Replying to comments is always so tricky for me. Ideally I like to hit "reply" in my inbox and send you a direct "thank you" but I almost always get no-reply@blogger.com as the address. So then I try to visit your blog (if you have one) to leave you some comment love. I've added a "reply" button in the comment section but it didn't work as it does in Wordpress, with a reply directly under your comment. It just leaves another comment all the way at the bottom. Plus it just bumps up my comment count which I'd rather it didn't. Besides, I'm not sure if you come back to check the comments to see a response.

I want you all to know that I read each and every comment and totally get a kick out of them. What I need to know from you is where is the best place to reply to your comments? If you ask me a question, should I respond in the comments section? Do you ever go back to the comments section?

I have been asked a few questions but haven't always been able to reply and I hate that. I'm trying my hardest to make this blog more interesting and worth your while. Bear with me as I try to figure out where the best place is to reply.

Stay awesome.

Mama

2011-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

My Mama.

Mama,

I have been with you before I even became me. You carried me inside of you dreaming of your little one to be. You felt me roll around and stretch at the walls of your belly. Once in this world you adored your little baby girl with eyes big and brown. You never let anything that was in your control harm me. Over the years you held my hand and guided me through life. As I grew up, I began to forget how important you are. I was right, you were wrong, or so I thought. A trying time in my life but you never once turned your back on me. By the grace of God, I resurfaced back to reality and there you were.

Years later I went on to become a wife and soon a mother. I felt my first "growing pains" and broke down in tears. You once felt these pains with me. In the womb. At birth. In the hospital when I was 10 months and you thought you would lose me to a stomach virus. When I was 3 and smacked you and said "shut up big mouth". {Karma anyone?} The times I refused to listen to you those early mornings while in elementary school. When I was a teenager and I thought I had this whole world figured out. When I try to get you to clean out your closet.

But then I remember that you are my mother and I would not be here without you. That I owe you everything that I do. That you were there with me from the very beginning.

"A man asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): 'Whom should I honor most?' The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother!'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your father'". (Bukhari and Muslim)

Me

2011-01-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Colours of My Life Photography Challenge: Day 1 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.

I...

... refuse to watch scary movies. Biggest. Chicken. Ever.
... can't eat sweets without drinking a glass of milk.
... wear braces.
... wear contacts. {Blind as a bat, ya'll}
... rarely sleep before 12 am.
... used to think I was actually related to Abraham Lincoln. {Give me a break, I was in second grade.}
... am always cold. Always.

My...

... first car was an 89 VW Jetta that I named "Hummus".
... handwriting looks the same as it did in third grade.

... wedding dress still fits.

... front yard makes me cringe every time I see it but I can't do anything about it because this is a rental.

... car's gas tank is usually empty.

... shoe size is a 10. {I'm such a beast.}

... friend's big brother once told me in fifth grade that my name should be in lights. I still think about that.

Aaaand, just for kicks.

Just in case you were wondering where Jenin gets it from.

One Man's Trash...

2011-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Back in October (of 2009), I picked up this table from a curb. It wasn't something I have ever done before, but I felt like it would be an easy project.

I scrubbed, sanded, and primed it. I wasn't about to take any chances, this thing was nasty. My cousin had actually lugged it into my trunk at night. Had I seen it, I wouldn't have touched it.

Chubb Scholl?

I spray painted it a lovely shade of yellow. I've had it in the corner of my living room since October 2009. Not sure what took me so long to finally post it. Oh, right, it's because every plant I had gotten would die before I could take pictures of the finished product. Here she is:

So long "chubb scholl".

The tile is a gift from Iman from her trip to Spain, abstract Ka'baa canvas by Peter Gould, white Target frame with picture of Jenin on my late grandmother's veranda, and glass house thingy also from Iman. I found the "T" shaped stick at Tenaya Lake during our first trip to Yosemite.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

Forgotten Moments of 2010: The Girls

2011-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Not forgotten, just not blogged.

Maysoon started walking in February.

Jenin visited the library for the first time in September. This one deserves an explanation so that you don't think I'm a horrible mother. Since Jenin was born, my husband has insisted that I speak to Jenin only in Arabic, including reading her stories. With my very limited Arabic I tried my hardest to make up stories to go along with the books she has. (Just because we weren't going to the library, doesn't mean she didn't have books. Sheesh, I'm not a horrible mother.) I never felt like the stories were exciting for her when I kept having to describe everything as "hilew", literally meaning "sweet". Soon nice, fun, amazing, charming, pretty, wonderful, fantastic, magical, incredible, adventurous, etc., became hilew. There was no excitement in the words, no rhyming sentences, no imagination provoking lines. Once Jenin started preschool, she was introduced to a world of new words but she had a hard time really understanding them and appreciating what they can do for a story. Finally, I put my foot down and told Rami that the time has come to read to Jenin in English. She adores books and I want to keep that love in her forever. When I read to her now, she has memorized some of the pages. She never ceases to amaze me with how much she notices and observes from the stories. We've started going to the library regularly and I'm definitely making up for lost time.

I love when the house is quite and I automatically suspect that she's up to no good, only to find her quietly enthralled in a book. Melts my heart.

Maysoon has had some serious hair issues since she was a newborn. When she was first born she had a beautiful head of hair. But slowly with each few days, she started balding on the top of her head. Soon she had a completely bald head, save for a few hairs here and there, and a half circle of hair around the bottom of her head. My baby girl looked like my dad. So we shaved her head. I thought for sure her hair would grow back thick and even. Instead she got a mullet. Business in the front, party in the back.

Everyone kept telling me to cut it, but I just couldn't do it. So Jenin did it for me. Yes, you read that right. My sweet little J used her "safety" scissors and cut a snippet of Maysoon's mullet. Jenin claims she was "doing a project". Hello Future Crafter. So I finished it off. Wish I did it months ago.

Jenin with Maysoon's birthday cake, a pictorial story.

My dear, dear readers, you now understand the phenomenon that is Jenin.

Maysoon's revenge.

A very spontaneous trip to Disneyland with our very best friends. Yes, this is the Nada! Such a wonderful and memorable trip. Hopefully a yearly tradition.

Twirling.

Used this site to create the gif animations. So easy.

Rosy reading

2011-01-11T18:08:00.001-08:00

She literally sees through rose colored glasses.

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30 Day Photo Challenge

2011-01-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Going to try this. More information at COLOURS OF MY LIFE.

Six

2011-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

My Dearest Rami,

Six years ago I put my hand in yours and we embarked on our journey of marriage. I, an American born girl with the wildest thoughts you've ever imagined. You, a Palestinian raised guy with centuries old traditions coursing through your veins. Different sides unable to agree to disagree. Slowly a shift was made and we saw each other with new eyes. Give and take, give and take, give and take. We rode the highs and stood fast through the lows. Hand in hand we continued toward creating what we have now. A beautiful family that I thank God for every single day.

Six years full of amazing adventures and wonderful memories. I love your spontaneity, the passionate entrepreneur inside of you, the way you take care of me and our girls, and that you'd always give me your last bite if I wanted it.

You hate my stuffed French toast and I hate that you leave water around the sink. You love my baking, I love your ability to find totally random restaurants that turn out to be amazing. You won't let me forget the time that I didn't know where the freeway was, and I won't let you forget about taking me to Morocco. You want to live on a farm and I in the city (or at least 15 minutes from the nearest Target). You asked me to speak to the girls in Arabic and I admit that you were right. You put up with me doing lame and boring things (according to you) like going to flea markets because you know how happy it makes me. I adore you and Maysoon's relationship and am totally envious that Jenin does look like you. I will continue to be patient for as long as you need. Don't stress.

I love you, Rami. You hear me?

Heath Bar Almond Crunch Cheesecake

2011-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

No point in taking any of your time trying to come up with a story of how this recipe ties to some random childhood memory or something cute Jenin has said.

It's just an awesome cheesecake recipe that is officially my go to cheesecake recipe (for the filling) from now on. If a recipe works for me twice, it's a keeper. Once you have the base down, you can top it with practically anything.

Heath Bar Almond Crunch Cheesecake {adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook}

Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup finely chopped toasted almonds I didn't toast the almonds due to time constraints
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into small pieces

Filling
2 pound (4 eight-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature I used four this time
2 tablespoons heavy cream Skipped this because I didn't have any. I don't feel like omitting it compromised the recipe
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping
3 coarsely chopped Heath Bars or chocolate covered toffee bits (about 3/4 cup) Only had Heath toffee bits (not chocolate covered) on hand. I'm sure the chocolate version would have been much tastier.
3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To make the crust: In a food processor bowl, combine the flour with the sugar and almonds (This is where my almonds got chopped.) Add the small pieces of butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Press into the bottom of a buttered 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

To make filling: In a large bowl, on the low speed of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Gradually add the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. To ensure that the batter has no lumps and that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the bowl, stop the mixer several times and scape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla extract.

I should have mixed the almonds and Heath pieces together before sprinkling on.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until edges are set and center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 1 hour. At the end of the baking time, remove the cheesecake from oven to add topping. Sprinkle Health Bars and almonds evenly over top of cake and return to oven to cool. Turn off the heat, and using a wooden spoon to keep oven door slightly ajar, cool cake in oven for 1 hour before removing. I was able to do this since me and the girls headed out for some errands after I finished baking this. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Remove cake from refrigerator at least 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Note: To toast almonds, place on a baking sheet in a 325-degree oven for approximately 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

You Likey?

2011-01-06T14:13:00.001-08:00

Me makey.

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Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots&Jello.

The Girl Who Ate Bellingham

2011-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

I went to Bellingham, Washington for two reasons: Iman and food.

While I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and good eats are plentiful, there's something about the food up in Bellingham that makes me crave it so bad you'd think I was pregnant. Maybe it's the fact that I'm always chowing down with my BFF. Yup, that must be it.

Mount Bakery

Iman's order: Sun dried tomato, onion, mushroom, and basil quiche. This was amazing. I can't wait to try making my own.

via Iman's phone

My order: Fresh fruit crepe. Uh, yum. After eating this I decided that everything tastes better with chocolate.

Pel'meni

Don't let the look of this innocent serving of Russian potato dumplings fool you. These are really, really good. Especially with a dollop of sour cream. They're cheap, totally filling, and so tasty. Definitely a favorite among the locals, which I am now starting to consider myself as. The restaurant literally only serves two items; potato dumplings or meat dumplings. When you can stay in business with just two items on your menu, you know you're doing something right.

La Fiamma

This is one of the first places I tried when I first visited Bellingham over 6 years ago. I love a well made pizza and La Fiamma doesn't disappoint. I love any of the vegetarian options (I'm a sucker for veggies) but we went with the Margherita Supermo. Yes, that is vegetarian, but not as loaded with toppings as I would have liked. *I'm not complaining Iman. I loved it! After all, it was my fault I took an hour in the fabric shop while you stayed in the car with 5 whining, crying, hungry, bored, tired kids.* They also have great salads. When I first saw my salad with pumpkin seeds six years ago, I thought Bellingham was so high on the hippy scale it couldn't even be measured. Now I absolutely adore seeds in my salads.

Fiamma Burger

The cousin of La Fiamma, this burger place is amazing. The burgers are super filling and loaded with flavor. However, it's the chili cheese fries and frozen lemonade slushy that hold a special place in my heart (and stomach). I really don't care how cold it was up there in B'ham, a frozen lemonade was a must. I think the sweetness of the drink and the saltiness of the food played off of each other really well. If anyone knows the spice that's used in every chili cheese fries recipe, I am begging of you to please disclose it. For the life of me, I just can't figure it out. I happened to have this on my birthday. A perfect birthday meal indeed.

Woods Coffee

Seriously. Every time we went out. Good thing I tried the pumpkin scone on my way to the airport, otherwise I would have been ordering it every single time. So good and pumpkin-y. How do you order your blended drink? I just can't get past white mochas with raspberry.

Avenue Bread

I love, love, love a good sandwich. Using fresh, quality ingredients can elevate this simple meal to a foodie's dream come true. Avenue Bread makes awesome sandwiches. I could eat them everyday. I ordered the Turkey Pesto with a cup of the lentil tomato soup. I tried recreating that soup here.

Haggen

Yes, this is a grocery store. A grocery store that sells the best grocery store cupcakes that don't even taste like grocery store cupcakes. The ladies behind the counter over in that bakery department know what they're doing. I just can't explain it, they are just so good. The vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting are my fave. If left unsupervised, I can eat an entire pack on my own.

Iman picked up some other additional snacks for our movie night.

Peach Snapple for me, Lemon for Iman. My oldest sister Amena makes lemon iced tea that tastes exactly like Snapple's, if not better. It's so good. Aww, I miss Amena. She has her own good eats out there in Jerusalem that I totally love and miss. Hmmm, I think a Jerusalem food post is in order when I get the chance to visit again.

D'Anna's Cafe Italiano

I'm not a steak person. This place unleashes my inner carnivore. And their butternut squash ravioli? Fuggedaboutit. The spinach gnocci? Fuggedaboutit. The whole meal including the cheese bread and salad? Something I hardly ever fuggedabout.

Busara

The new kid on the block. Quickly became the Jordan of the bunch. (Cmon, where my NKOTB fans?) Iman has told me about this place but I vaguely remember paying attention to her describing their salad to me. Let me just tell you, I'm all ears now. She ordered things for which I can't remember the names, but their flavors are forever carved into my taste buds. I had one prior experience with Thai food that made me shun that category all together. I'm now a believer. This place was so great, we ordered twice in two weeks. I loved the noodle dish. I loved the chicken and cabbage dumplings. I could have drank the dipping sauce with a straw. The star of the meal was the Thai crispy brown rice salad. It has so many flavorful things in it. Ginger, red onion, crispy brown rice, cilantro, and lime leaf (I don't even know what that is, but I think I loved it). It's got the right stuff.

Mallard

Ever since I had pistachio and hazelnut ice cream in Jerusalem, I've been on the hunt to find some here in the States. In B'ham, Sirena Gelato Cafe serves those exact flavors and they are to die for. This place was definitely on my list. (Yes, I had a list. A mental one.) Unfortunately they were closed the day we went, so we went to another local favorite. Mallard's has really amazing, quality ice cream. This is something that you just can't get from any store bought brand. No pistachio or hazelnut, so I got coconut almond chocolate crunch, Iman got coffee (such an addict), and the kids got chocolate and strawberry. They print that cutest labels for their ice cream containers.

image source

The following two aren't in Bellingham, but in Canada. Anyone that lives in Bellingham is close enough to try these places out. Granted they have a passport. And don't mind a 40 minute drive.

Nando's

Love, love this place. Iman ordered us the lemon-herb chicken, salad (look more seeds!), and the regular fries. Skipped the famous Peri-peri fries because of Maysoon, but I think that little monster would have been able to handle a bit of spice.

Happy Sushi

California rolls, tempura rolls, and I can't remember the other one, but they were all yummy. I enjoyed mine with a splash of soy sauce on each. Also an order of deep fried scallops.

My jeans don't fit as well as they used to, but it was well worth it and I'd do it all again.

New Year - Do Over

2011-01-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last year I had a list of things I wanted to work on or improve just like everyone else. Resolutions, intentions, goals. Whatever you want to call them, it's always good to feel a renewed sense of hope towards bettering our lives.
Looking back at that list, I look at what I did right and what I completely missed the mark on.

Be proactive about my health. Unfortunately, I fell short on this one. I never started an exercise routine and I'm sure all the baking I did this year didn't help my case in warding off diabetes. I don't eat poorly and I make pretty good decisions about what I feed the family. Jenin understands the importance of eating healthy and can readily identify junk foods to avoid. I'm glad that I've at least set a good example when it comes to food.

Playing at the park. Good for the heart. Good for the soul.

2011 Do-Over: I must start exercising. I must take care of my heart. I must be a good role model for my girls. I own a treadmill and I will use it. 30 minutes a day before everyone wakes up. Just 30 minutes. Once that becomes a habit I can eventually bump it up 15 minutes each few weeks.

Would you believe me if I told you that I can go days without drinking a glass of water? It's a very sad, but true. I drink milk daily, but I somehow manage to get through my days without drinking any water. For 2011, I will drink water. At least one cup a day. Sounds like a pretty minor and pathetic goal, but remember, I don't drink any for days! Crazy.

Create a comfortable home. I think I've done well with this one. Certainly it irks me when things get spilt on the sofa and carpet, but I realize that kids are kids (and husbands are husbands) and everything can be washed. Granted these rental carpets have seen better days, I know they're clean despite being stained. I've covered my dining chairs in outdoor fabric and don't bat an eyelash when a forkful of spaghetti falls on them. I don't stress as much when I see writing on walls (nothing a Magic Eraser can't fix). Fingerprints on my full length mirror again? Seeing the girls intrigued by their reflections makes up for a 30 second Windex job.

2011 Do-Over: To make things even more laid back around here, I'm in the process of switching the (faded) outdoor fabric on my dining chairs for a colorful and bright oilcloth. The girls toys all have official places to be put away. They are welcome to take everything out and spread it out all over as long as at the end of the day, or at least before dinner, everything gets picked up and put away where it belongs.

Eat Good. Haha, check. No problem there.

Cored squash ready to be stuffed with a meat and rice mixture. Rami's favorite Palestinian dish.

2011 ~~Do-Over~~ Do-Better: I think I did well with this one this year but there's always room for improvement. I would still like to try new recipes obviously. I'm hoping at least 2 per week. I tried my hand at menu planning one week and appreciated the organization of the idea. Unfortunately, I never planned out the falling week and it ended there. This year I'd like to try menu planning again and hopefully try making some freezable meals. Also, I'd like to focus on fresh, quality, local ingredients. Maybe join a CSA?

Be smart with my money. Things were going fine and dandy with this up until my in-laws came in May. I went from avoiding shopping unless necessary to out shopping practically every day. Taking them to all kinds of stores to find gifts for family back home and for themselves. Obviously I got caught up in it and my old habits came back. Slowly but surely I worked most of it out of my system again. I made smart purchases with some foresight. Clearance items for Eid treat bags, seasonal clothing for the girls to put away until the next year, household items that I've wanted forever and actually used once I brought them home.

My vintage glass water jug used as our savings jar.

2011 Do-Over: Be even smarter. ~~Every time~~ Sometimes when I'm in Jo-Ann or Micheals, I'll buy things because I might need them later on. I figure it's a hassle to get out of the house with the girls to buy just one thing, so I might as well just buy it now while it's there in front of me. And on sale. But there's something I've learned over the years and that's that everything is always on sale and it's not really that hard to get out with the girls. Whenever I shop from now on, whether for groceries or craft supplies, I must have a list and stick to it.
Use my hands. Check.

2011 ~~Do-Over~~ Do-Better: This year I will open my Etsy shop and everything I make will be amazing. Or at least as amazing as I'm capable of.

Amnah + Rami. An entire year has passed and still not a single time spent out alone. Finding child care isn't the issue. I'm not even sure what it is. We hang out at home after the girls are sleeping but it's obviously a different experience going out and doing something fun as a couple. In terms of our marriage, I've definitely made him more of a priority. He does so much for me and our family so I've made more of an effort to truly show him how much I appreciate that. Always trying to provide his favorite foods, less nagging about his clothes on the floor, and more time relaxing with his friends.

2011 Do-Over: Date night, once a month, every month. No matter what. My super wonderful sister-in-law and my bestie Nada both are always offering to watch the girls so that me and Rami can go out. I will start taking them up on that. Maybe I'll alternate between them so that I don't feel like too much of a burden on either one. I will also make more of an effort to make the Arabic foods I know my husband enjoys. I'm horrible at Arabic cooking, but practice makes ~~palatable~~ perfect.

Make my home mine. I love my style. Who doesn't? Not who doesn't love my style, but who doesn't love their own style? I feel like I'm different enough from what's around me to stand out but not so out there that people are shocked when they come into my home. I like mixing patterns and styles. I love using color and experimenting with new decor ideas.

2011 ~~Do-Over~~ Do-Better: Complete my master bedroom! My goodness, almost six years and I still don't have a bedroom that I'm particularly proud of. It's a complete dungeon in there. So dark and uninspiring. I hope to change that this year. I also plan on starting some other design ideas that have been swimming in my head for the past few months.

To all of my wonderful readers, I appreciate you! Thank you for giving me someone to answer to regarding my resolutions/intentions/goals/plans. May this year be filled with lots of new opportunities, new experiences, new ideas, new friends, new recipes, new beginnings for all of you.

Happy, happy new year!!

Forgotten Moments of 2010: Food

2010-12-31T21:58:00.000-08:00

Well maybe not forgotten, just not posted.

I hosted another Sweet Exchange earlier this year. Homemade sweets only. There were a couple exceptions, but everyone else was a very good sport about it. I pulled out my infamous pink boxes that I purchased from a restaurant supply store for the first exchange. Everyone got to take some goodies to go. Can't wait to do this again in 2011.

On Jenin's first trip to the library (it's a long story), she picked up a kids cookbook. Crepes were one of the recipes that she chose to make. She measured and mixed all the ingredients. We went with sweet and savory versions. Her love of cooking and helping out in the kitchen remains very strong and something I encourage daily.

When my in-laws came for my brother-in-law's wedding, we hosted our first ever BBQ. I assembled our little grill in the living room the night before they arrived. Rami and I have said every single year since we got married that we were going to buy a grill and BBQ. We thought it was hilarious that when we finally did get one, it was a measly $35. Something we could have done years ago.

With the help of some seedlings from my cousin's wife, we grew our first tomatoes! Granted I did it wrong and planted all the seedlings into one container, we still got some little guys growing on those vines. We had mini plum tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. Next summer I hope to grow more. The girls loved these. Jenin would water them everyday with her little watering can.

Rami made dinner! This was exciting stuff. Having lived in Louisiana for 6 years before moving to California, he made what he knows best: Fish fry. It tasted really good and I completely appreciated having a night off from making dinner. He claims the only reason he doesn't cook more often is because my food tastes better than anything he could ever make. Getting his way out of cooking by complementing me will only last him so long.

Peanut picnic in the backyard. The weather was perfect. We were feeling very laid back and just enjoying the late afternoon. I laid out a blanket and brought out a big bowl of peanuts. Me and the girls just peeled peanuts in the quite of our backyard and enjoyed our carefree snack. When all was done, I shook the blanket on the grass and headed in for their bath.

I'm proud to say that I introduced my sister-in-law to the world of frozen yogurt. She loved it and I finally had partner in caloric crime. We dreamed of opening up a fro-yo shop in Ramallah, Palestine. We'd call it "traffic" because she liked the sound of the word. She also liked the words "nasty" and "duvet". In fact she liked them so much that it's what she wants to name her kids. I miss her.

Manakeesh in Anaheim. We stopped at this place for the first time on our way home from our Disney trip in March. It's handmade Palestinian flat bread stuffed with an olive oil, thyme and sesame seed mixture and crumbled Arabic cheese in another. These are to die for. With a cup of mint tea, these are my hands down favorite Palestinian breakfast. It's usually served with sliced tomatoes and Persian cucumbers on the side. Since having them in LA, I've recreated them over and over again at home. It's never tasted nearly as good though.

Olive Garden salad dressing.

Pioneer Woman's lasagna.

Fish tacos.

My top rated food experiences of 2010 are coming up.

Forgotten Tutorials of 2010 - Monster Birthday Party

2010-12-30T21:03:00.000-08:00

Nearly every aspect of Maysoon's monster themed first birthday party was handmade. The games, the decorations, the food, and the desserts. I had fun making each and every single item and took great pride in the finished products. Majority of the projects we've kept and continue to use. Everything came together so easily and each project can be adapted to any theme you choose. I got the look of a completely custom party without dropping a ton of cash. See the full party here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Monster Croquet

I purchased this croquet set from Walmart on clearance after Easter. I used a 2 inch round craft punch to cut out the images of my monster printables. I then glued a different monster over each number. Doesn't get easier than that.

Monster Knock-Out

Materials: Felt for monster bodies, eyes, and mouths, baby snack puff containers (labels removed), sand, card stock, elastic, and fabric glue.

Freehand your monster (or whatever image you desire) onto card stock. Then fold in half using your best half as your stencil. Fold felt in half and place stencil on the folded edge. Trace around and cut out.

{Almost} even monsters.

Cut out eyes, tongues, and mouths and glue on with fabric glue. Sew a 5 or 6 inch of elastic to a 3 inch piece of piece of felt creating a band. Make one for each monster. Glue the felt part of the band to the back of each monster. This will allow you to slide the felt monster on and off of each snack container. You can also just glue the monsters directly to each plastic container. I just wanted to make mine removable so that I can use the containers again if I wanted to.

Fill each container with enough sand to make it sturdy but not too much to make it difficult to knock down. Maybe about half a cup of sand each container. Hot glue the lids on so that the sand doesn't get knocked out.

To keep the green monster's eyes up, I glued flat food picks on the back of it's head.

Bean bags

Materials: Fabric squares (I think mine were about 6x6 inches each) and dried beans.

Cut out fabric in the size of your choice allowing an extra inch or so for seam allowances. Sew right sides together leaving a 2 inch opening. Snip corners. Turn inside out and fill 3/4 of the way with dried beans. Top stitch all the way around being sure to catch the turned in seam of the 2 inch opening.

Monster Cut-Out Bean Bag Toss

Materials: Two sheets of MDF, two sets of hinges, a jigsaw (thanks Baba!), paint and brushes.

Have an employee at Home Depot (or Lowes) cut your MDF to your desired size. Mine was 3 feet tall x the standard width of the sheet of MDF.

Draw on your monster (or desired image) using random household objects to use as stencils. Draw a darker line of the area you want cut out. Make sure it's large enough to toss in bean bags but not so large that it makes the game too easy.

Have your super talented dad (or husband, brother, neighbor, yourself!!) cut out the mouth using a jigsaw. Hold the board pretending like you're actually contributing to the process.

Next screw on the hinges on each top corner to attach the monster image to the plain back board. This will allow you to stand the game up like an A-sign.

Let your ultra cool dad think of something you never considered: cut off the excess screw length so that the game can fold and store flat. Get distracted by the cool sparks.

Paint your image and background. Spray paint (or paint) the inside of the game black so that the mouth appears black. I wish I had thought of using a top coat of some kind of sealant so that I could be able to just wipe the game down when got scuffed.

Pin the Hat on the Monster

Materials: Felt, two sheets of poster board, fabric glue.

Draw out your monster on one of the sheets of poster board using household items to get the most even results. Cut out the large monster shape first and fold in half. Fold felt in half and place stencil on the fold. Pin the poster board to the felt and cut around the stencil. This will give you an even monster. Then cut out the eyes and mouth and cut those out of felt. Glue down eyes, mouth, tongue, and lashes. Glue down a large piece of felt cut to the size of the second poster board. Mine was a little narrow so I added some strips as a border. Next glue the completed monster onto the felt covered board.

For hats: Cut out triangles of felt and decorate each differently. Attach a small piece of Velcro to the back to ensure it sticks to the felt game.

She was held up using suction clips. You can always just use thumbtacks to hang up on a wall or with ribbon for a prettier presentation.

Monster Accessories (photo booth props)

Materials: Felt, elastic, fabric glue (or a glue gun).

Eye ball. Cut out a large white circle and smaller black circle. Glue. Sew on a strip of elastic on either side of the eye. Make sure the elastic isn't too tight or too loose. Measure around a child's head and take off 2 inches. I made a second version with red eye lines drawn on but felt it was too creepy for the little ones.

Multiple eyes. I used this as the blindfold for the Pin the Hat game. Make 3 large eyes. Overlap slightly and glue. Sew on elastic on either side of the finished set. Make sure to double stitch to give a secure grip.

Teeth. Cut out two triangles. Sew onto a band of elastic.

Horns. Used this tutorial. They weren't hard to make. Made them the morning of the party.

Ribbon Photo Display

Materials: A few spools of ribbon, plain white paper, double stick tape, pictures.

Depending on where you want to hang this, cut ribbons to length. I hung mine behind the buffet/dessert table in front of the window. So my ribbon went from the top of the window down to the top of the table. I added some thinner ribbon in the middle of each strand just to add some interest and color.

Arrange pictures in a way that pleases you. I went with horizontal, vertical, horizontal, etc. Since I hung mine against the window the picture appeared a little transparent and the line of the ribbon was making a shadow through the picture. So I cut paper down to size and taped behind each picture. If yours is going against a wall, skip this.

Streamer Windsock

Materials: Embroidery hoops, streamers, double stick tape, fishing wire.

I saw this idea in Better Homes and Gardens a long time ago. Cut long strips of streamers, double the length of what you actually want hanging down. Place a strip of double stick tape around the outside perimeter of the inner hoop. Drape your each strip over the hoop, pressing against the tape so that it sticks. Slightly overlap each strip. Replace the outer ring of the hoop. Hang with fishing wire.

Punched Circle Garland

Materials: Card stock, craft punch of your choice.

Punch out as many shapes as you want. Arrange or leave random. Feed each shape through your sewing matching and sew a continuous strand. Sew as short or as long as you'd like. One long strand can always be cut down to size.

Streamer Bunting

Materials: Twine, streamers, glue.

I originally got the idea from Oh Happy Day. Instead of cutting sheets of tissue paper, I cut strips of streamers. Fold each strip over the twine and secure with a dot of glue.

Phew, that post was a doozy.

Linking to: Made by You, Just Something I Whipped Up, Get Your Craft On, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Much Ado, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots & Jello, Sew Chatty.