Tuesday, January 29, 2008

More photos...

Well I seem to be in a picture mood these days, so here we are...

Here's a doll I crocheted a few months ago. Yes I know, no face. I only like representational stuff like maybe buttons and I tried some on her and it just didn't look right...


Here's some steps in a little ground beef filled bird's nest bread thingi I made today... First you use a cookie cutter that makes a cookie about as big as your plam..


Then you push them into cupcake molds and fill the empty center with the graound beef mixture. You can either close the edges or leave them open at that point.


And, tada! All baked up!


And here's a crumb cake I saw on Mama Mona's blog that I just had to make today too... Even though I can't eat it since I'm DIETING!!!!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

a couple of pictures to share...

Just wanted to share the day in pictures...

This one is my youngest standing in front of the washer crying as she ponders the fate of her blankie rolling around in the washer.


This is some one evening mittens that I made knitting with two needles... I was inspired by Surviving's craft blog to make some wool mittens for the kids and I found out they were quicker than I ever imagined! I found the pattern on
THIS SITE. I'm making a set for every kid, insha'Allah.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

What is hijab?


There is no doubt that we women want people to look at our clothing and say, "Allllaaahhh! Where did you find that outfit?" And this includes us hijabis. But, we have to remember that the purpose of hijab is to protect us from people looking at our beauty... So does the new style I am seeing in Egypt protect or accent our beauty?

Is this hijab?


OK, well what about this?


Or this?


Now I am not an all or nothing gal when it comes to hijab. All I ask is that you understand the definition of hijab in your heart and mind even if you are not wearing it properly. You do what you can at the moment. It's between you and Allah(swt). So, if all you can do is loose clothing and tie your hair back in a bun... Go ahead, bravo. If you can wear niqab, good for you, bravo. I am not going to be the sister to even ask you about it and I certainly know that there are women in minimal hijab that are more pious than the sisters in full out niqab, Allahu'Alim. As much as I love to see magazines geared toward hijabis like the one I ganked these images from, I wonder if we are giving off the wrong impression about hijab??? Are we supporting sisters who wear it or chastsising them for wearing it and not still looking hot? Hmmmmmmm.

This is me at my walimah. I wore hijab... And my SIL was so sad when I didn't wear the viel she brought for me (one like in the above pictures) but I felt like I had to strike a compromise between looking good at my walimah and going so far from the principle of hijab that I might as well just take it off for the event (which was suggested BTW by my in-laws who should know better).


So I come to the questions that are milling in my mind as I read these magazines... Is the look of the stylish hijab a gateway for young women scared to go all out and look frumpy? Or, is it too tempting to let these images redfine hijab in a way that takes us away from its core purpose... Shielding our beauty?

When I think of hijab, and what is happening to it I think of a few verses/hadith:

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “There are two types of people who will enter the Hell-fire, whom I have not (as yet) seen: People having whips similar to ox-tails with which they will beat people, and (secondly) women who will be dressed yet appear to be naked. They will seduce men and be inclined towards them. Their heads will be like the swaying humps of bacterial camels. They will neither enter paradise, nor smell its fragrance, even though its fragrance can be smelt from such and such distance.” (Sahih Muslim, no. 2128)

Narrated AbuHurayrah: A woman met him and he found the odour of perfume in her. Her clothes were fluttering in the air. He said: O maid-servant of the Almighty, are you coming from the mosque? She replied: Yes. He said: For it did you use perfume? She replied: Yes. He said: I heard my beloved AbulQasim (peace_be_upon_him) say: The prayer of a woman who uses perfume for this mosque is not accepted until she returns and takes a bath like that of sexual defilement (perfectly).

And of course the verse that defines hijab in the Quran...

“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear therof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers, or their brothers’ sons or their sisters’ sons, or their women or the servants whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex, and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O you Believers, turn you all together towards Allah, that you may attain Bliss.” (Quran 24:31).

These are the things that run through my head when I look in the mirror. Those are the words that ring in my ear as I reach for the perfume bottle in my vanity. I wonder what verses are going through the minds of the people who make these magazines? Or is hijab for them reduced to a fasion statement?

****edit****
Since it was brought to my attention that I might not be clear... The first picture is meant to be a hijabi dressing up, I have no problem with that one at all. It was one of a handful in the magazine that actually were pretty much hijab for me.



Monday, January 21, 2008

5 things you may not know about toddler nursing...

Since I am currently nursing a toddler, I thought I might do a post about extended breastfeeding... Then I thought there are many great places on the web to read about it....Kelly Mom, LLL... So I will settle for this short list. And I hope if you are nursing a toddler you will proudly answer YES I AM! the next time someone asks you if you are still(insert surprised and annoyed voice here) nursing.

5. Toddlers will usually nurse less frequently than infants. In other words you won't be nursing every 2 hours if you have a toddler!LOL

4. There are many times that nursing is the only thing between mothers of nursing toddlers and insanity. Ahh yes, the power of oxytocin!

3. Other people might think you are slightly insane. Oh yeah, you probably already know that one...

2. Toddlers are still getting many benefits from nursing, emotional as well as physical. Three cheers for mommy's antibodies, yeah!

1. In many parts of the world nursing past the first year is (gasp!) NORMAL, and the World Health Organisation actually RECOMMENDS it.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

What's up in Ummlayla's world


Well, I have been flirting with the idea of getting serious about losing some weight for a long time now... I hit 150 (and I am only 5 feet tall) which is more than I weighed when I was pregnant with my kiddos and I decided the time is now. So, I am doing the whole South Beach Diet thing, and I hate fad diets but I need a jump start really.

I am hoping to drop about 35lbs... Which will take time of course. I am also going to start going to a pilates class and maybe yoga a few days each week. I hate that I have let it go this far. But I love food, and DH does too... So our recreation is cooking and eating or even just eating out. I have never been this heavy and I am miserable with it. So wish me luck ladies! I'm gonna need it!LOL

Oh, any weight loss tips/thoughts/otherwise?

Friday, January 04, 2008

Computer trouble...


Well, that's not really what my computer trouble is of course... But something like that could and would happen to me! Once my computer was out of commission for 2 weeks because some little gremlins (aka my children) popped off all the keys while I was on the phone. Creative, huh?

Well... Right now I am having some trouble getting the lap top to hook up to the plug cord to charge the battery or just use outlet power... So I am looking to get it repaired or maybe just replaced so I can give this one to the kids.

Anyway, if I am neglectful... It's not my fault! The computer may just have finally died, or gone to the shop for a long rest! I think I am getting to that point very soon... We'll see how much longer it will hold on like this!

*****Edited on 1/7/08******
Well, thanks to DH I went to Denver and got a new laptop! Yeah DH! We were able to get some of the upgrades I have been looking for like a DVD burner and what-not... So it all turned out well in the end, alhamdulilah. My dad is fixing the old one to give to the kiddos, insha'Allah.