New around here…

Subhana’Allah….

There are many verses in Quran that guide us to find out God’s signs in nature…..

He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect

Chapter 16 Verse 11

I can never get enough of seeing new flowers in my garden…subhanaAllah

  

and I know that the magnolias will make an appearance shortly too….just bare branches and one or two leaves for now but I know I will not be dissapointed when that first flower is there…subhana’Allah….nothing beats Spring and all the newness of it…mash’Allah

And this one is new…the plan is to cover the ugly wall and metal fence at the front…the climbing clematis should do the trick insh’Allah….

And a new corner in my garden…a place to sit and ponder…sit and read…sit and crochet…sit and get my daily dose of Vitamin D…..

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

P.S….I forgot the other newbie here….say hello to Azalea…isn’t she a beauty? SubhanaAllah

 

 

WIPs and challenges…

I started on my first basket using textile yarn last Friday and I’m loving it…

 

I think I’m ready to give sewing another go….I tried my hardest last year but it just didn’t take off…second time round I’m starting again with a dress for little one but with a crocheted top….something like this…

Only I’ve chosen to do it using star stitch and it is proving to be quite tricky….I’m following a youtube tutorial but still….I’m going to have to keep trying or wait untill the next crochet session where I can get help from the lovely Michelle 😉

This is the fabric and cotton I’m going for…

Talking of challenges…the time has come to step it up on the exercise front…I have been using a 6kg kettle bell for a few months now but look what just arrived in the post today…

You know what they say…No pain no gain….I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon enough….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

 

Only an Algerian….

would bring back so much fresh produce ….mash’Allah…as soon as he opened his luggage we could all smell Algeria….just like being there in the marketplace…for a few minutes I was transported…..

and from his visit to Biskra, his father’s birthplace….

sand statues

believe it or not …sand from the Sahara…

tamina to celebrate the arrival of a new cousin…

and of course, the obligatory sweets…

but best of all……these wooden maamoul moulds that I couldn’t find anywhere online …

 

alhamdulilah for his safe return….so nice to have all my family under one roof again….alhamdulilah….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Soon…

Insh’Allah…. I will have pretty yellow and red orchids to brighten up my front door ….subhana’Allah

Soon dh will be back….four more sleeps insh’Allah

Soon …tomorrow perhaps…little one and I will start on this year’s indoor sowing…she can’t wait…Insh’Allah

Soon….dd15 and I are going to do a photography one day course…blackberry pics are just not good enough and I’m too scared of using the ‘real camera’….Insh’Allah

Soon….Soon dh will be back….four more sleeps insh’Allah…….Soon dh will be back….four more sleeps insh’Allah….yes I miss him sooo much….

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Taking it easy Tuesday…

actually , make that Taking it really really easy Tuesday……..This morning I could hardly get out of bed. I was really tired, happy tired though….it was one of those weekends were you are on the go non-stop….Friday airport run,say goodbye to dh, exercise class in the evening, exercise class Saturday morning, shopping with 4 teenagers in the afternoon, cook for them and their moms in the evening, power walking Sunday morning, Chinese cooking lessons in the afternoon and then come Monday when I’m usually ready for a quiet day at home, I had a few sisters at home …..So yeah exhausted  but as I said …happy…loved every minute of it…mash’Allah…

So today Tuesday , after some tidying up and minimal cleaning, little one and I have gone to the craft shop before meeting some friends at an indoor play area. Now little one is chillaxing with her tablet in bed and I’m sat here just too tired to do anything else. I haven’t even the strength to google what to make with these lovely textile yarns I bought this morning at the craft shop.

First time ever for me…… My friend Mary is making a lovely bag. She is almost done so when she comes on Friday to crochet class I will take a pic of it….I’m thinking a basket perhaps?….

Have you ever used textile yarn? What did you make with it?

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Cooking with friends…

well it was meant to be cooking with friends but ended up being more of an eating with friends affair….sister M and I go a loooong way…she introduced me to real chinese far eastern food….the woman cooks too fast….she likes to cook….she loves to cook actually…I asked her to teach me how to cook vegetarian chinese soup with tofu for my vegetarian daughter ….she agreed of course…what a feast we’ve had….the food was great, the catching up even better, the laughs in abundance…my kind of afternoon…cooking, talking, eating in great company mash’Allah….

You wanna see pics…I know….let me tell you …we’ve had mussels , we’ve had spring rolls, we’ve had chicken wing, we’ve had seafood Singaporean noodles….oh and sushi too….all real, all homemade …….

 

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Weekending…

wasn’t the weather over the weekend just amazing?  What a change a bit of sunshine can bring to our days…subhanallah…I sure had more than my average dose of Vit D….

First picnic of the season…

First robot making with big sister…

First hexagon …

First time to cook kale…a superfood btw 😉

Dd15’s first attempt at origami….

As I said, what a difference the nicer weather makes….mash’Allah we had a great productive weekend alhamdulilah…..

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

This moment…

My old new table….

I can not express in words how happy I am with our old new coffee table…my dear friend has just dropped it off …little one even did a happy dance around it…

 

But I’m sure you want to see what is was like before…here are some more pics…I can not explain the whole process to you but I do know that it took lots and lots of sanding and some priming and then lots and lots and then some more varnish…oh and the brown bit is stain varnish…I think…well I’m not an expert , all I know is that I have a coffee table that I simply adore mash’Allah….thank you Allah for good friends…

Don’t you think that reusing, revamping, recycling,reclaiming is the way forward? I do!!!

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines

Taking it easy Tuesday….

also known as a more child friendly day after a day stuck at home. Mondays are not much fun for little one cause her mama is busy trying to clean the house and make it somehow more orderly after the weekend’s  laid back chaotic attitude of my family….and even though I have read in many places that little ones have lots of fun cleaning alongside their mamas, it does not happen here. She loves cooking with me, gardening with me even shopping with me but when it comes to cleaning…no thank you very much. So she follows me round holding her tablet. My only consolation is that she is going through a ‘super readers’ phase

So, by the time Tuesday comes I’m so guilt ridden that I do my very best to plan a day full of activities she likes. A day with very little housework, just the bare necessities.

Yesterday it was a visit to the library with friends. Book Bear made an appearance but the best bit was scootering all the way there and back. We also stopped in a playground on the way back. Lunch was had at ikea where she played even more.

 

Today is more of a mama day…exercise class for me, creche for her…in the afternoon I have 2 hours tutoring, she is getting better, she sits with us and do her colouring or just watch us…..so yeah is a balancing act over here…I don’t always get it right but I try…

Salaams y hasta la vista,

Ines