Blueberry Muffins are delicious!

Blueberry muffins are a delicious treat for suhoor, so if you sisters can get up early enough make your families or yourself some muffins. My Mom made them for my family this morning complete with oatmeal. Very filling, and I'm not even hungry yet. Ramadan went very quickly! We only have 11/12 days left depending on the sighting of the moon, alhamdulilah! I got this really pretty Cinderella-copy baby blue dress. It's so pretty, but now I need a nice cardigan, hijab, socks, jewelry, and a hijab. Insha allah on Saturday I will be doing henna to make money for those things, and a few gifts.

Speaking of gifts, I knit my friend A a pair of fingerless gloves. I can't find the name of the pattern I used to give you an idea of what they look like, but they are so pretty. I really want to keep them for myself. Lol. They are a soft lime green with a lime green bow. Then I made my mother a cowl, scarf, shawl thing. It's the Irish Hiking Scarf but I knit it on big needles so that it could be 3-in-1. Next I'm knitting my little sister a Zig Zag Trellis Scarf. Insha allah I will have that finished before Eid if I work hard enough. I still have to knit a few pairs of slippers, some more fingerless gloves, and maybe another scarf if I have time. If not, I'll just buy the rest of the gifts that I have to give.

We have been going to Iftar night at the masjid every Saturday and Sunday. There is so much good food there, the sisters in my community really know how to cook! I have so much fun when I go. My friends are always there, and we have a table reserved for us that we sit at every Iftar Night. Alhamdulilah, I have amazing friends. This Ramadan is going way too quickly. I'm getting used to breaking my fast and fasting so much that it doesn't really feel like anything anymore. These days of Ramadan are like clock work. A typical day for me, get up for suhoor, make fajr, read quran, go do school work, make zuhr, take hour nap, clean house, prepare iftar, more qu'ran/arabic, exercise, Isha/Taraweeh, bed time. Then it starts all over again.

The Qu'ran reading is going great. I'm still memorizing surah al-Fajr. It's a beautiful surah, but it's taking me awhile to memorize it. My younger brother has memorized more of it than I have, but we all work at different paces. Speaking of learning, school started yesterday so I'm doubly busy.

This Ramadan has been amazing for me so far! I love Ramadan, I love being Muslim! Alhamdulilah! May Allah bless and guide us all! -Nisa

Things you should have in your purse!

I have put together a polyvore set for the things that you should have in your purse! I have the problem of filling up my purse with the basic needs, so this is a basic guideline for me. I hate having to carry around a half empty purse, but I don't want it to be too junky either.

1. Pocket Mirror

2. Extra tampon or pad

3. Three million different kinds of lip gloss

4. Chewing gum


5. Matching Eye Glass case

6. Sunglasses that match with almost anything

7. Hand cleanser

8. A book/ Noble Qu'ran

9. A pad and pen

10. Hand lotion

11. Clear nail polish

12. Eye liner and Kohl

13. Wallet that does NOT match.

14. Cell phone

15. MP3 Player

Charity, Kindness, and Random musings

Today I really am feeling hungry, but I can handle it. I'm keeping my mind off the idea that hunger pain sharks are ripping at my stomach. OK, so it's not that bad. It's just uncomfortable. I believe I am keeping control of my temper. Haven't had an argument with my siblings yet. If they do something to irk my nerve, I just keep it low-key. Doing a great job over here, alhamdulilah! :D

Last night we did attend taraweeh prayer. I wore my blue abaya with a blue hijab and white under cap. My friends were all there. The sheik let his son and brother lead a few of the prayers this time, so we had three different types of recitations last night. Alhamdulilah, it was really nice. There were more men there than usual, but not many more women. That's usually the case at our masjid. My friends were talking of an organized sleep-over at the masjid. The young sisters in one room, and the brothers in another big room. To be quite honest, I don't think I would feel comfortable. For one, if we have to sleep in hijab that is no fun. If we don't, what if someone comes in? Two, I don't like waking up looking at a whole bunch of people who have just woken up. Three, what if someone steps on me while trying to get to the bathroom? No thank you, sleeping over at the masjid seems like a terrible idea. Maybe a huge late night get-together, but not a sleep over.
This morning for suhoor we had cheerios, apple sauce, and water. My Mom wasn't feeling well so we were expecting her to cook. I can cook, but I don't like to cook. Rather not risk burning our suhoor, so we just ate cereal. It was really yummy anyhow. I am still trying to memorize surah al-fajr. Tonight insha allah I will do Qu'ran. I don't know if we will be attending taraweeh at the masjid tonight. We'll see what my Dad says.

I have been thinking about giving charity. On my own. As an individual. What could I give as charity? I don't have much money, but I can knit. So I think I will find an organization to knit preemie baby hats for. That would be such a nice thing to do. I love babies. So insha allah I will try to do my best. What about you? May allah bless and reward us all! -Nisa

All I can think about is food...

This is the fourth day of Ramadan. I missed yesterdays post. You know how Mondays are, hectic. So, on Monday we had Oatmeal mixed with unsweetened apple sauce. It was soooo good, and so filling. It kept me full all through the day. I wasn't even really hungry until 7 PM came around, and the hunger pains started their attack. Alhamdulilah, that was a wholesome suhoor. Then we had Spanish rice and chicken for Iftar. We did not pray taraweeh at the masjid, my brother led it at home instead. Yesterday went by so quickly, I forgot that I was fasting. I practiced the surah Al-fajr yesterday for my daily dose of qu'ran. Beautiful surah with a beautiful meaning.

Today for suhoor we had cereal. I had Apple jacks and a banana. Yummy! I do not know what we will have for iftar tonight. I do think we are going to attend Taraweeh at the masjid tonight, so insha allah we will go. I will probably wear my blue abaya to the prayers if we do go. It is a little heavy, but I can handle it. It's not all that hot today either. It's actually very cool. Allah is ever merciful! I'm going to read surah al-fajr again today, insha allah. I have no idea what I will be buying for my friends for Eid. I will probably go to two festivals to do henna to make money. Then I can buy an Eid outfit, and gifts for my family & friends. May Allah bless and reward us all! - Nisa

Ramadan Mubarak Everyone- From Nisa's Family to yours!

Alhamdulilah, Ramadan is finally here! Last night I attended Taraweeh prayer at the masjid last night. It was really nice, but my feet started hurting half way through the prayer. Insha allah tonight we will attend it again, and we will have Iftar at the masjid. This morning for suhoor my family had pancakes, eggs, milk, and fruit. Yummy! It was a filling breakfast, and I'm not really hungry. After Fajr we sat down and read surah al-fatihah, and a few lines of surah al-baqarah.

It's not really hot outside today. I was a bit nervous about it being hot and fasting. I fast on Monday and Thursdays, so I should be used to it. Alhamdulilah, the weather is really nice today. Insha allah ladies I will try to blog everyday of Ramadan so that I can keep you updated. I seriously can't believe Ramadan came around so quickly this year! May all of you have a blessed Ramadan! - Nisa

The big day/Ramadan preperations

Tomorrow is the big day of our (my friends and I) big speech at a bigger masjid. I believe I told you ladies before that we will not be going to the really big masjid where we were supposed to go, but a doctor will be speaking so the people who asked us to speak switched it to a masjid smaller than the original, but bigger than ours. Alhamdulilah, we will have the honor of speaking either way. We will be speaking about the Wives of the Prophet instead of hijab. Everyone else speaking at the conference will be lecturing on Ramadan. Insha allah, I really hope everything goes well. I'm nervous, but super excited. We also have to cook something to bring, and we have no idea what to cook! Oh nooooo! Insha allah, I will probably wear my blue abaya to the conference because blue looks really nice on me. :D I love blue and pink clothing!

Have any of you begun preparing for Ramadan in any sort of way? The most that my family has been doing is preparing breakfast/dinner menu's for the four weeks of Ramadan, switching around schedules, deciding what to do for Eid gifts, and fasting on Mondays and Thursdays. We will probably be going to Iftar nights on Saturdays and Sundays at our local masjid. Everyone will have to cook something and bring it. Or, we can send something to the masjid for those that will be there. Either way, I'll be spending time with my friends and family during the holiest time of the year! Alhamdulilah! My family and I will also take turns reading the Qu'ran in the morning while we are cooking breakfast so that insha allah we will finish the entire Qu'ran before Eid day. I am knitting a scarf as a gift to give to someone, and I have plenty of other things on my list that I need to start knitting! I also need to find an Eid outfit, and I have no idea what it will be. So, how does your family prepare for Ramadan? Insha allah I will try to blog everyday of Ramadan, because I love documenting these things. It will be something to go back and read during next years Ramadan. Let the count down to Ramadan begin, I am fully prepared to bring myself closer to Allah, to finish the Qu'ran, and to spend time with family and friends! May Allah bless and reward us all! ~Nisa

Babies and small children! ♥

I love babies so much, I can describe them in one word. Adorable. Well, if someone asked me to describe babies in one word, I would. However, there's so many more words that I can describe them as. Adorable, fluffy, sweet, cuddly, cute, beautiful, a blessing, and all that mushy jazz. :) My teacher from my masjid just had a baby, and I had watched her baby grow while she was pregnant. It was so weird seeing her baby out of her stomach for the first time. The baby is beautiful (the picture to the left is not her)! I was amazed when I touched one of her perfect little toes. Masha Allah! I love babies so much!
At our masjid, there is a large community of small kids. On Family day events it gets kind of hard to control them all, but my friends & I do a pretty good job of keeping them in check. We play games, talk to them, and cuddle them (even though they aren't our children so we can't keep them! Lol). I cannot wait to get married, finish my schooling, and have myself a baby. Although, I am a little afraid of them growing up. Because when they are 18 you can't cuddle them like that anymore. Then what with all of the terror birth stories, I get really nervous. Other than my little fears, babies are such a reward. Ladies, if you have babies you should be sooo thankful! I am so jealous when I hear that someone is having a baby, but I am also excited for them too. Alhamdulilah.

All I can do for now is play those virtual "baby" games, and play with my baby doll. Lol. Insha allah one of these days I will be blessed with a little one myself. :) May Allah bless and guide us all! -Nisa

July Sisters Youth Conference

On Sunday my best friends, sister, and I had a conference. Before we began the conference, my friends & I helped set up the tables, podium, did henna (I did my Mom, myself, another girl, and Sis double you), and food. Then we talked, and had a little bit of then. When the people finally arrived, we talked about the Wives of the Prophet (saw), as I told you all before. It was great! All of my friends did their essays nicely, even my friend who doesn't speak English very well. She did amazing! This time we stood in the Musallah and spoke to the audience over speaker. Some people took pictures, and some took video recordings, alhamdulilah. Wipe the horrified look of your faces, there were no men. :P Not one, except for some sisters Husband and my friends brother. They stood outside for three hours waiting for us to finish when they didn't have to, subhanallah.

Afterwards we had a bake sale and henna art. My Mom made coconut pound cake and Patti Labelles carrot cake (I do NOT like carrot cake at all, but this cake was delicious! You NEED to try this cake! We didn't add raisins though.) My friend # 1 made home-made brownies and strawberry cake. Friends 2 & 3 made these Moroccan cookies that are made with honey, and strawberry cupcakes (she made 54!). Friend #4's mother burnt whatever she made. Friend #3 and I also did Henna Art. I had brought my portfolio, but she didn't bring hers...so she used one of my patterns. I did one little girl, and she did the little girls sister. When the conference was finished we made Asr, split up the remaining cakes among each working family, and went home. I was so tired! We were going to go to a soccer field to play soccer afterwards, but everyone was too tired, and it was too late!

As for my Henna, insha allah I will be having a Henna Art business because my customers that I do randomly really like my work. Insha allah I may also be doing Henna art for a bride at my masjid! I can't wait!! Next month we will be going to a big masjid that is a bit far away to do another conference on hijab. We are really excited about that too. We were supposed to be doing a speech on hijab at another masjid that is closer, but the sister wants us to do it in front of MEN and women. We were like, no way! So insha allah we we will see. May Allah bless and guide us all! ~Nisa

An-Nisa; oh no!

This coming week at my masjid we are having Girls Youth Gathering. People from other masjids are coming to our masjid, and we have to speak on the topic of the Wives of the Prophet (saw). Last month we put the names of the Wives in to a hat, and picked. I had to write an essay on Zainab bint Jahsh (R.A). I finished writing it last week. I really loved writing about her, she had such a beautiful story! If you ever get the chance, please read up on her. So yeah, I finished my essay and I am to read it on Sunday. I am the MC again (well, I was elected to be a permanent MC for our monthly girls youth gathering). I still have to write up a introduction, and the "quiz" for the end of the conference on the Prophets Wives.

We will have prizes for those that get answers right. Two gift certificates for free henna that costs $8.00's and under (from my bestie and I), hand made hijab pins, and my friends will probably think of some more ideas. That's all going to be in order, but that isn't the problem. The problem is that I'm being forced to learn an ayah (or a few verses) from surah An-Nisa because it has something about Hijab in it. It's really nerve wreaking! Plus, I need lots of practice before reciting in front of people, and lets face it; my voice isn't all that pretty to listen to. Make dua for me, please!

Insha allah, I hope this conference goes well. We are supposed to have a bake sale on that day too, and we are going to be raising money for our masjid again. I think my Mom is making mini cheese cakes and lemon pound cake. My bestie and I will be selling henna art again. I love doing henna art, it's so much fun to watch people smile at what they think is so beautiful on their hands. It makes me really happy inside. Alhamdulilah.

I don't know what I'm wearing this time. My bestie and other friends had planned to dress in green & white together. I don't have anything green and white. So I'll probably wear a black dress, and add color to it. I haven't decided, but whatever I decide I hope it'll be okay. On Saturday we have last minute rehearsal, and we have to organize everything for Sunday.

Oh, and remember the speech on hijab my friends and I did? Well, we are invited to TWO masjids because the people liked it so much! Both are really big masjids! However, at one masjid we might do our other speech on Adaab, because we are getting tired of doing the hijab one over and over again. Insha allah, we'll see! May Allah bless and guide us all! ~Nisa

Honest Scrap

*Bismillah* (astagfirallah! I've been forgetting to add Bismilallah!)

I was tagged by sister Nailz for an "honest scrap", thank you my dear sister! :) I love doing tags, they are so much fun!

To do the Honest Scrap tag... Here's the deal. Tell your readers 10 things about you that they may or may not know, but are true. Tag ten people with the award, and be sure to let them know they've been tagged (a quick comment on their blog will do). Don't forget to link back to the blogger who tagged you.

Okay, here it goes...

1. I am a knitter and crocheter. My last blog was a blog about my hobby on knitting and crocheting. I won't say the name of it because the website isn't working. Shame on me, shame on me. I had a knitting magazine and everything. I guess after awhile I sort of became a bit more interested in other things such as keeping up with my Masjids community, going out with my Muslim friends more often, and just being really active. I'm more interested in reading blogs about other Muslims like me, about Hijab fashion, and visiting another turn in my life. Insha allah I will go back into knitting. I was hoping to try it today because I want to knit/crochet some things for my friends for Eid. In that picture to the right is a pair of slippers I made for myself.

2. I love cleaning. There is nothing better to me than cleaning up and making everything look sparkly clean. I can't sleep in a messy room. If one thing is out of place, I have to turn back on the light, and put it neatly in it's place. I think this really annoys my sister, but I can't help it. I feel so uncomfortable in my own bedroom. I'm really trying to stop this. Like, even if the top of my laundry bin is off, I have to put it back on. No, there is nothing mentally wrong with me...I just think I need to feel comfortable.

3. I love to drink hot tea, my Dad loves to drink tea, my family loves to drink tea. I was brought up with "tea time" as a family thing, and as a rare treat. I guess this stemmed for my love of tea. Even in the summer, I will relish a cup of steamy tea. I hope that before the summer ends I will have a tea party with my friends. At least before school begins again. Insha allah.

4. I am a full course honor student. I have honor roll classes in Math (I do intermediate college math), college level Language Arts (been in honor roll since I was 10 and my reading level was 11th grade), honors in Science, honors in Social studies, and honors in creative writing. I work pretty hard to keep my grades up, and I think it's because I really want to please my parents. Besides having a strong belief in my religion, making my prayers sincerely, being obedient, keeping my chores in order, the last thing I want to do is keep my grades up.

5. I love to read. I will read any book, any place, at almost any time. When I was younger, I used to read books all the time. I didn't even stop to go to the bath room if I had to. I would read until I were finished. I finally got rid of that seemingly bad habit. It's just the feeling of connecting with the characters, and visiting different places in my imagination. The most frequent books I read now are the Qu'ran and Hadith (I need the knowledge so that if someone is accusing me of doing something "wrong", I can let em know how it is. Hehe.). I do still read a book once in a blue, but like knitting, I've curved that hobby down a bit.

6. I am really close to my Dad. I know that if I'm in trouble with Mom (I'm close with her too, but a bit closer to my Dad), he'll make me feel better. He always does. He can tell the funniest jokes, and now that I'm a lot older...he acts more of my age. People always tell me how funny my Dad is and how lucky I am. Yeah, I know I am. :) I love you Dad.

7. I try almost everything I can to keep acne, oily skin, and extreme dryness at bay. It's not a self-esteem issue, I just love for my skin to feel really nice. If I feel that my skin is too oily, too dry, or really dirty I feel pretty out of place. My love for healthy skin is shown in my All Natural Hijabi sections of this blog. It just shows another part of my personality. It also stems from my loving to feel "girly". Lol.

8. I am extremely sensitive like my Mother. The smallest things may hurt my feelings, and it's not something I'm proud of. It's actually really embarrassing. I can easily cry if something if I feel like I am being disliked. I try to make sure that people don't see me cry, so I know that they don't know they have hurt my feelings. Usually people can tell when I've been crying, or when I am about to cry. That's the worse thing about it. When I heard about the crisis in Gaza, I cried my eyes out. Thinking about all of those babies dying...oh it was horrible. If I read a sad book, I cry and everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. If I watch a sad movie, tears trickle down my cheeks.

9. An ironic contrast to being a cry baby, I say things most people wouldn't say. For example, friend 1 thinks friend 2 is hanging out with friend 3 alone too much, is being bossed around by friend 3, and is ditching us. All friends after the number 3 agree with her. I am the only one who says to friend 2 to either bring friend 3 with her, or to not be friends with us at all cause you can't be two faced. Shocked faces, shocked faces. Now, I'm not a totally blurt mouth. I am "reserved" as my Mother likes to call it. Before I say things, I usually have to think awhile. So I don't just "blurt" things out. I just say things before they hurt another person in a different way. I also have a temper, and I won't hesitate to tell someone about themselves if they make me angry. Subhanallah. I am trying to hard to control my temper.

10. I love animals and the natural world. I especially love squirrels, bunnies, and cats. You know, the cute stuff. I have a lot of things with cats on them, and I have a lot of things with bunnies. I haven't found any things that have to do with squirrels, except that I love to take pictures of them. I love going on hiking trips, fishing trips, flower pickings, and just laying outside enjoying the sun (can't stay out too long, I get sun burn...and then immediate skin peeling!).

And that's it! Ten things about me. As for the people I will tag this time;

1. Never Ever
2. Sister Lela
3. Sister Jaz
4. Slave of God
5. Random Hijabi
6. Sister Lisa
7. Ms. Mango (cute name, huh?)
8. Bengali Heart
9. (Sorry sis, I don't know if you do tags or not, but I'm going to include you any way. :)) Canadian Hijabi/Sister Nazia
10. Anyone else I missed! :)

May Allah bless and guide us all! ~ Nisa

Soccer is a ladies game - move over!

Yesterday I had a very, very long day. It was so long, I stopped paying attention to the time. First, after Zuhr prayer, we went to a barbecue's with two family friends (I mean, two other non-related families). The park was overrun by six (including me) hijabi teenagers, and a bunch of little kids. Haha, it was so much fun! The only part I didn't like was when I was trying to get the soccer ball from my friends little brother, I tumbled head over heels on the grass. Then, I sat up and saw some other non-Muslim family staring at me like I was crazy. I simply burst out laughing. Thank goodness for my lovely sense of humor.

So, after my friends and I ate the typical barbecue (hot dogs, cheese burgers, BBQ chicken, salad, potato chips, a big cake for those who passed the school year, and some soda's) meal, attacked the playground (parents were giving us dirty looks), and almost killing the ducks (I fed them bread, and my friend A [you know who you are A!] told me at the last moment that the police came one time while they were feeding them, and said that they could make them sick!) we went to go make Asr, and then to the soccer field. The girls and women thought that they were going to play soccer, but the men ended up hogging the field and game. So, my friends and I (including another friend who came out...which makes 7 teenage hijabi's) wandered off to eat more potato chips. Until, dun, dun, dun...one friend had a major idea.

Friend (point to deserted net): "Eeyyy...I know what. Let's go play shoot out."

Me (stuffing down chips): "Uh? Whassat?"

Friend 2: ">:|"

Friend: Come on! Pleaase!!

Me: What?

Friend (all the while tugging at my arm): "Let's go play shoot out. Get the ball, come on!"

Me (sighing): "Ya allah..."

Finally all of my friends agree, and we go down to the soccer net to play a ghetto game of shoot out. It get's boring after awhile so we decide to play a twisted version of soccer with one net (ah, reminds me of elementary). Goodness, after all these years of not playing soccer, I didn't realize how lazy my playing has gotten. It took a bit a warm up to get back into the jig of it. Then, I pwned everyone with my amazing soccer skills...until A kicked me in my shin and gave me a bruise that still hurts. Ouch.

Insha allah the next time us girls will play soccer. We have good goalies, and good offenses...we should be able to have our own game too! There were too many men to be playing a semi-contact sport, so we're going to have our own game insha allah! Guess what? I'm still tired from all that running around I did! May Allah bless and guide us all ~Nisa