UmmuNoora

Finally here.

2011-11-21T12:53:00.001+05:00

My shoes love the beach too.

I am quite absent vacationing.Mostly trying.I overlooked the fact that being a mommy also means that you really don't get vacation anywhere anyhow. :)

The weather has been stormy and cloudy and gray and rainy and all in all,very lovely.Give me a few days here and there to enjoy the sun and im a happy girl.

Hubby,me and Noora got wet in the rain today.On purpose.And it was AWESOME! :D Noora was shivering after a while,teeth chattering,and yet she insisted that she wanted to stay out playing in the rain,and that she did,till it stopped.I wonder where she got her love of rain from. ;)

We don't have internet access readily as we do in Mal'e.I thought i would miss it,but surprisingly enough,i don't.

Life is simpler here.

Pots and pans outside a kitchen

The air is crispier.cooler.its cleaner too.

a cousin of mine,on a palm tree!

The kids find entertainment on their own..they don't need the TVs and the video games..I can only hope that the techno stuff that is ruining the younger generations will stay out as long as possible..

passion fruit

Tree and vines grow here,and there is soil here,actual,soil!we have none in Mal'e anymore,with the exception of a very few homes..There is no space to grow anything in Mal'e.Its all tall buildings everywhere..Too many of them if you ask me.I cannot imagine how great it will be to grow and pick your own fruit!!!This is one of my greatest wishes..to one day be able to grow something..herbs,fruits or veggies..even my own chillies..oh how nice that would be..

Be back with more soon! :)

IT's finally happening..

2011-11-10T20:03:00.001+05:00

We are leaving for our vacation this Saturday! :D
I cant wait to touch the white white sand..

To feel the soft cool breeze..

The sunshine on my face..

To see my daughters curiosity meters go crazy high while she absorbs the new and very beautiful places and things that she would be seeing for the very first time...

Oh dear i'm getting my pre vacation heebie jeebies.

Coconut Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

2011-11-03T16:26:00.000+05:00

I love coconut using coconut in baking.It doesnt hurt that it is one of the very few things that are grown locally. ;)

These cookies are absolutely the best there is.They are chewy,the coconut gives a lovely texture,it smells heavenly so all in all,this is my favorite cookie recipe.My picky little girl agrees.So does the hubby.

It tastes way better and is cheaper to make than the store bought extremely expensive oatmeal cookies.

I am asked for this recipe all the time,so here it is!

Coconut Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup white sugar (use only 1/2 cup if you don't like it too sweet.)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup rolled oat (quick cooking oats work well too)
1 cup shredded coconut (1/2 cup would work too)
1/2 cup dark raisins (i like them better than the golden ones.)
3/4 cup vegetable oil (i have also made with as little as 1/2 cup)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

here how:

1.preheat oven to 175 degrees C.grease cookie sheets.

2.in a large bowl,stir together al the dry ingredients.

make a well in the center and add oil,eggs and vanilla.mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands.roll into balls and place on cookie sheets,2 inches apart,and flatten slightly.

3.bake for 10 to 12 minutes till light brown and chewy.cool a while and remove and let cool completely.

Store in an air tight container.

I use fresh shredded unsweetened coconut.If you are using sweetened,you may want to lessen the amount of sugar.

Don't let the sunshine spoil your rain.

2011-11-03T01:12:00.003+05:00

Life wise,i'm very drained these days.No one told me these toddlebums drain you almost empty..and i miss my mom.after my dad passed away,my mom went back home to her island.(Our country is a bunch of islands sitting together (but not joined) in the Indian ocean.)
I'm seriously in need of a vacation.The thought of it,is the only thing that's got me going these days..
As soon as hubby has got it settled at work,we are off insha Allaah..
We were expecting to leave tomorrow,I tried to not get my hopes too upsy because this might happen.but in my mind,i had made plans and i had made a lot of things in preparation.But the Boss has other ideas.(As much as i hate to say this,we haven't had a decent vacation for the four years we have been married.). :(

I can't wait.To see my mom,my lil brother(Noor,the two n half year old noora's uncle :)),all my extended family who lives on this tiny island that is my parents home island.
Oh keep me in your prayers,i'm sewing and stitching and beading and crafting like a mad woman and neglecting pretty much all else that i have to do, because that's the only things that s keeping me sane.

For now,i'm trying to adjust my attitude.I can't afford to be mad at those who are standing in our way for no good reasons or be too frustrated.

source

aah that;s better.Even seeing that makes me feel a lot better.The rain is coming..lets be happy while we wait :D (for those of you who don't know me,rain is my source of rejuvenation.what the sun is to the trees,the rain is to me,i always say. ;))

Lets show you what ive been doing.

Mini quilt.

Midnight madness is how i got it done in 20 minutes.

Free machine sewing,that joy.

pink ruffled dress.I love this pattern,made it three times now :D

Label on the dress directly!

Instead of sewing on one of those tags,i ironed a little piece of my name directly on to the fabric.and it stays well.chiffon holds iron transfers best,as of yet.

She is quite the sand lover.

She loves picking things by her small hands,she has a good technique mastered..she finds lost pins and needles for me..exactly what i dont need her to find!

Noora on papa's motorcycle.

that's how we got to her to stay put for this photo. :)

Papa hold her while momma tries to snap one decent pic of this dress!!

Embroidery on Noora's jeans.Quite in love with this one. :D
The bling is iron on.
No pictures of her in the jeans im afraid. :(

I'm assuming i will be making a lot of stuff in the next few days, because I have to do something to keep me from exploding..God knows how close i am..

Anyways,lets keep the smiles up.Cuz you can't smile from the outside without feeling better from the inside. :D

Simple wishes that have taken over my whole mind..

2011-10-27T01:37:00.000+05:00

Of watching the sunrise on the beach..

Source

Of playing with the waves..

Of feeling and smelling the cool green grass..

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Of picking little flowers..

Source

Of taking long walks under the trees..

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Of running free..

source

Of relaxing and really enjoying a good book..

Source

Of walking in the rain..

Of sitting under the stars..

Upcycling jeans!

2011-10-14T22:33:00.000+05:00

I made some up-cycling with a pair of my old jeans.I made this bag,and a pair of jeans for the little miss.

I used Velcro to close it.d black on hand,but i don't think i can stand that,but i will wait till i get to go out to get some white Velcro.myself fights with myself,one half of me needs instant gratification,the other is a perfectionist,who would gladly take all the time as required.Poor self.

See,I even stitched on it my very own personalized label.Love it! :D
I will get to how i made that later..but here is the basic tutorial!
And notice the pencil in the pocket?Aaaah its so chic that i can hardly handle it.

It's fully lined with a some floral cotton.I love the contrast.the looong handle is upside denim and the other side floral cotton, the liner fabric.

The stitching is quite wobbly as i couldn't help being hasty.As i said, some times, i need results,and i need them fast.

See the pretty flower?
My hubby says i can't help it if i wanted to.There has to be a flower.
I even wanted to iron on some jewels.My brothers and my hubby liked it this way,no LOVED it this way, so my bling has to wait a bit on the sidelines.for now.

And this,would be a sneak peek of Noora's jeans.it's adorable!
I should get some action shots of the adorable diaper bum in it.

So how do you like my very first bag? :)

Things that are inspiring me today.

2011-10-12T17:22:00.000+05:00

source

I'm on a embroidery high these days.
literally. :)

Ummu Noora

2011-10-09T15:30:00.000+05:00

I sleep when Noora wants me to, I work as she wants me to, I live and breathe mostly as she allows me to, so I don't think I belong to myself anymore.

So i might as well just admit it.

Proudly. :)

why cant more people T.H.I.N.K?

2011-10-09T05:05:00.000+05:00

Credits

DEEEEp breath.
we've gotta stop letting unkind words hurt us so much.

Credits

i'd rather be free of anger.i'd rather be light of grudge.

Credits

because life,is too short for that.

New Yellow Blouse

2011-10-07T18:55:00.002+05:00

that's the dress i made last night.i made a pattern and made this as a sample to see if the pattern works.And guess what,it did.

It was another good sewing session.the whole thing was completed within 45 minutes from start to finish,drafting the pattern,cutting and sewing.the stitching had to wait due to a toddler clinging on my legs.i couldn't sleep after everyone was tucked in,so i finished it. :) i love hanging out hanging out by myself and my stitching or other crafty crafty when everyone is gone to sleep.pure bliss.

Don't mind the scribbled background.(that was the best place i could get some decent light from.The wall outside my kitchen.The kids next door like drawing there.me,not so much.)

The trim is the same as i used on this one.I've got lots and lots of yards of this same trim,good thing i don't seem to get tired of it.

The little flower bunch is embroidered.I am still having doubts about the color.it doesn't look too bad does it?

I'm in a very sewy mood these days.Here is to making a lot more dresses while i am feeling like so.

this time im back.for sure.i think.

2011-10-07T04:38:00.000+05:00

hahhhhh its been long.its been hectic around here.

i think I'm going to get back to blogging once again,and hope to post more often!

lets forget how much I've neglected my blog for a minute there,shall we?

no?

OK then lets ~~see if some eye candy can bribe you.~~ show you something hoping you will forgive me once you are too overwhelmed with how beautiful it is!deal? :D

my shiny braided bread.glorious it was.

I made Dana's braided bread a few nights ago.It came out really great,the texture super nice and it so happened to be the best Ive made yet.It was easy to slice,no crumbling,and it kept well without refrigeration for three days.

i wish i worked better on my photos.

tsk,what a pity.

it was late,two thirty in the morning,so its just this shot and an identical one to this,that i managed.sorry.

You should try this bread.but remember to make two it two loaves.~~or they will grow too huge and get almost stuck to the roof of your oven like mine almost did.ahem.~~

on other tones,i made a sample beaded flower.i cant remember for the life of me where i saw the tutorial from.so i cannot give credit where its due. :o( i've been searching far and wide for days,to no avail..please point it out to me if anyone knows! :o))

Beaded flower

i made a lot of dresses for my baby girl while i was busy not blogging.lets see how long it takes for me upload ONE, atleast! :)

Anyone has tips about toddler tantrums?Noora has become an expert.and i seem to be following her.and i seriously need help.poor husband.

i cannot focus on one thing for very long these days.

*snap*

gather some ideas while im away,alright?

let me be back in a while.

this time,im back for sure.

i think.

toodles! :o)

first bullion sampler

2011-04-21T00:30:00.000+05:00

bullion roses,the first ones I made,which i keep as samples. :-)

(Click on pictures to view it larger.)

the bullion stitch is quite as pain in the you-know-where if you are new,but once u tackle it,it gets easier.its the one stitch i struggled most to learn.but so,so worth it.

Pretty trims and ruffles dress

2011-01-20T01:53:00.000+05:00

Was sewing this evening.And this is the result.
It was a good sewing day,today.
no seam ripping,the bobbin was always full,and i even had pretty little red heart shaped buttons which matched.
And trim and everything else too,plus more fabric in my stash for the little ruffle on the bottom.
yep,it was the rare kinda session when everything went right. :-)

result?

A dress done in less than half an hour. :-)

I have a pattern draft that i use to make a basic bodice for my one year old,which can be altered easily,and the skirt drafted and joined even easier.i have used it for many of Noora's dresses and it works every time beautifully.it's nothing professional,but it works for me,so let me know if you would like me to upload it!(Lazy bum that i am,i need motivation. :-D)

What say,you?
(been watching Pirates of the Caribbean,can you tell?)

me,i LOVE it!

linking here.

Finding myself again.

2011-01-12T15:46:00.005+05:00

This is a painting that i did some five years ago,back when i was in school.I saved some of my art from back then.This is one that i love very much.Hubby got me a brand new printer scanner last night,and this is what i did with it first.more coming soon.
Hubby even said that i could paint on my printer flowers to girlify it.*grin*
bless his sweet soul.

*************

Recently I've started this journey to find myself again.

When i got married,three years ago,i became a wife,and a housewife.And then two years after that,i became a mother.besides life being as it is on everyone,hardships one after an other,life got busier than busy itself,and my daily chores has become more or less,the only point of my life.

Don't get me wrong,i love what i do,and there is no place that I'd rather be.But a few days ago,someone who knew the old me reminded me of that girl that i was before.without realizing that i had felt lost for a long time, i've found myself again.it's liberating to say the least.i was reminded that there is a person inside me who is not only the wife and mama,but there is a ME.

Ahh,but most probably you already know what i'm talking about if you are a Home Executive like me.
Ive been recently finding myself just loosing it,loosing myself and going a bit berserk.more often than not,i do not remember that there is a me,a person who is just as important as the momma and the wife.
I used to write.A lot.i used to translate articles,not professionally,but it always was something that i have wanted to do.I don't know how i forgot that,but i did.I used to sketch.Paint.And a bunch of whole other crafting.
Most of which i haven't done for quite sometime.

Taking my friends advice,I started doing what i like,for myself.i took my pen and a book to write down my thoughts.It was hard at first.i couldn't bring myself to write much.i had gotten too used to sorting everything out in my head.but guess what,a writer will always be a writer.And eventually it did start pouring out.And i felt better,closer to myself,and lighter than i had felt in many a day.And i have realized that even though my priority is my family,i need to be myself,for myself because i need to hold on to my identity.I need to hold on to what makes me who i am.I need to know and remember who i am.because if you have yourself figured out,it makes the rest a bit easier to deal with.And it will help you do what you do so much better, help a lot more people and do so much more.

Find yourself.Do what you love.And do what you do best.we mess up so much.Life gives us so much crap.you gotta do whatever it takes to show life that there is many a thing that you can do and do well.things that you love,that which makes you feel good.things that you feel as though they love you back.

life will always suck twice as much as it doesn't.But when it doesn't,its always worth taking the crap thrice as much.Because it always gets better.

And you,no one's happy if momma aint happy.it's so true.You gotta be happy with yourself and confident,you gotta be content with life and stable,for you,YOU gotta be the foundation of the happy,safe home that no one can build the way you can.

Ahem.I'm done.
*Blushes a deep shade of red*

:-)

JCasa's girly dress.

2010-12-17T23:09:00.001+05:00

Inspired by this,from JCasa handmade. Love that blog!

It's quite easy and it was all done under an hour.Maybe half.yes i think only half an hour,minus all the interruptions.

it seems a tad too wide for my little girl,but maybe more room would make it more comfortable for her,plus it will buy the dress a few extra months of wear!
love the lace,and the two buttons on each side!

Go check out the tute and make one for the girly in your life!

And i have come up with my own version of the big butt baby pants.i drafted my own pattern ,have made quite a lot of pans and bloomers with rear panels,and i must say, i love it!

it looks so much better when its on a big baby bum,but i couldnt get any decent action shots of my whizzing baby!

Regardless to what it may seem like..

2010-12-10T21:50:00.006+05:00

Regardless to what it may seem like..her momma does feed her!

This is my eleven month old baby.She loves biting on her chain necklace.Oh just keeping it in her mouth.she used to do an upside down move so that when it falls onto her face,she catches it by her mouth.
Now that,she's got her pincer grasp mastered,she picks it up and puts it into her mouth.So stinkin adorable i tell ya!
Not so adorable when she finds and picks up those buttons,coins and teeny glass beads that momma lost (and never found,)and almost eats them.

Momma's been sewing.Again.

I made my own pattern for this,which did not really work..

The straps were tooooo short.Too small that her head doesnt fit.I should have let the pretty straps be and made a placket at the back.But instead i changes them to spaghetti straps that should be tied.The result somehow is not satisfactory.i loved how it looked before way more.Dont you just love the pretty little dresses on the fabric?i have some more of this fabric.hopefully,i will make something that will be happy with in the end!

And can you see the happy clutter on my working table top? :-)

And this little pretty is a knit top.i love how it turned out.originally,it had long sleeves.I made some very stupid mistakes and chopped them off.It doesn't look bad with those tiny cap sleeves either,does it?
More of momma's sewing for noora has been done recently.i will come back when i have some pics.Apologies,i took these with my 2 mp phone camera too!

please respect my decision and do not take pictures of Noora without my consent.

pleasant blossom peasant top

2010-12-05T21:54:00.003+05:00

Oh you oh pleasant blossom peasant top..how i love thee..
On my way to mastering the peasant style dresses..i made this one a coupla nights ago.I love how it turned out.And my husband loves it even more.It accentuates the pleasant features and hides the problem zones pretty well. ;-)
It's a peasant blouse shirred in the middle.
i used some old style lace around the edge of the whole thing,which gives it a pretty delicate feminine look!

i love it!
i think I'm gonna make more of this same dress!

Updates on my little angel..
she has started walking.she was trying the whole day,and managed to take four or so steps,and then finds that it takes her way too much time and then gets down and crawls the rest of the way!
Unbelievable how time flies..it seems like it was just yesterday that she was born..
She is only but a day short of being eleven months old!

linking here.

The Blossom Peasant top

2010-12-04T00:43:00.003+05:00

And it became a kimono dress.

2010-11-28T20:36:00.007+05:00

The little dress is completed.It's a kimono style dress with ruffles on the edges all around the dress.The pattern is my own.Which might explain why it does not fit my baby like it's supposed to.i used a pattern that i had drafted on my own.Maybe it was one that i was supposed to have discarded while i was experimenting with them.This does not happen often.So i,m cutting myself some slack.
:o)
But it's completed nevertheless and I'm quite happy how it turned out.However,the butterfly has still not been completed due to me not being able to make up my mind about it's color,still.

I used a bit of vintage lace on the neckline.i wanted to use it near the ruffles on the hemline.But decided against it as it just might be a little too much.

I think I'm gonna make it again,and this time,my baby should be able to wear it.I labeled the small pattern as i should've done before.it wont be that difficult to scale it up a bit to fit my girl.

I'm linking here!

So help me paint the butterfly!

2010-11-26T20:10:00.009+05:00

This is going to be a dress for baby Angelittle.She's outgrown most of her clothes,and momma has been too busy sewing for other people.so,the poor little thing cruises around the whole house in her diapers.She doesn't seem to mind,but it breaks momma's heart nevertheless.True story.

I worked on this all evening.this being such a simple piece,it's not quick as i would've finished it if i could sit in one place for a few minutes.With a baby who's gonna catch up with the speed of light if she doesn't slow down in a couple of weeks,i consider this is awryt.
The pattern is courtesy of french knots.com.They have awesome stuff!

I could not decide which colors i wanted to use for the butterfly.I asked hubby,he doesnt have a clue,i asked Angelittle,she almost ate the butterfly.
So all the people who live with me counted out,i need some help!

So help me paint the butterfly!
what colors do you think i should stitch the butterfly with?

The fabric is a soft bubblegum-ish pink linen.in case you were wondering.i know that it doesnt look so,but it is.
Sorry about the lousy picture.it was taken indoors at night,and it was darker tonight than normal..tonight its cloudy and rainy! ;-)

alphabet mini quilt

2010-11-25T00:42:00.006+05:00

inspired by this one from orange flower patterns,i made one too.
Isnt it so so neat and precise?She knew what she was doing.

me,not so much.tsk tsk.
it was made a made a while back.
this was my first mini quilt ever.i've made three others after that,one which i blogged about before.(gimme some time and i'll come back with the other ones too!)
If it looks a bit lame,that would be because it was my first attempt at making any size a quilt,and binding,and because the photo and lighting is lame,and because in general,im pretty lame too. :o)
So please pardon the way its hung there because i will maybe fix it.Someday.Maybe.

And i just realised...
This is my first time posting any embroidery that i had done!
come on,say yayy for me!

Working on another piece of embroidery for a wall hanging.
lets see how long it takes for me to blog about it.

:o)

ruffled skirt dress

2010-11-20T00:15:00.012+05:00

i had trouble with this one.i didn't want there to be seams on the side of the ruffle skirt,and believe me it wasn't easy.the top was a pattern drafted on my own.i think i have more thinking to do on the continuous ruffle all around.i haven't quite figured it out yet.do you get what i'm talking about?,do you?the front and the back of the skirt if they were separate and were joined later to complete the skirt,the sides of the skirt where the both sides are joined,there,the ruffle would be sewed down into the seam.i wanted to make it in a way that the skirt would be like an A line skirt,you know,wider at the bottom,and with no ruffles sewn into the side seams.
i did it sort of,but i had quite some trouble which i had to mend after it was complete.if you peeked under the ruffles,you would see the painstaking work i had done.Good thing you see no evidence of unprofessional-ism from the outside.:0)

the bodice is lined with some linen.(Oh don't you just love linen?)It gives body and colour to the otherwise flat thin cotton that i had used for the dress.because of the lininf,no top stitching was done on the outside of the arm holes or the neckline,which gives it a pro look.
plus,i hid the seams from the inside too,so that my baby would not feel any seams poking her from the inside.

Its buttoned from the back and a tie for a better fit,as it was a bit too wide for Angelittle around the waist.i love how how the button placket is of the linen fabric that i used for lining!

And then just because i have to make and put a flower on everything that i make,i made a rolled rose and sewed it on.and also hot glued it some more to ensure that it would not unravel.i might have got carried away and over done it there. :-)

i love the result.

Tell me what you think too!

Oh and if there's any ''i wonder what how whys'' going on about any of the not too easy to understand language that i just used,let me know.i would be happy to confuse you a bit more.ahem,try to clear it up for ya i meant. ;o)

And im partying over here today!

tweeeeeeedles!

Healthier banana bread

2010-11-15T23:29:00.005+05:00

I like bananas.I especially like them when they are over ripe.so when i get a bunch of bananas,i let them sit around till they get sick of sitting on my counter and decide to join forces with the garbage bin.Almost.that's when i want to eat them,except that i can't eat all of them before they give up on me and just go bad.So to use them up,i make banana bread.See,it's totally out of necessity. ;-)

OK,I actually do that just so that i can make banana bread.

I had this perfect recipe which turns out great every time.well,it was perfect except for the part where it uses butter and i love the flavor yes,but it just does not feel right.(seeing as i have a dozen kilo's to loose.)
until today,I've been scared to tweak my recipe because my changes might not turn out well and ruin my oh so loved banana bread.I can't,not don't,can't usually follow a recipe too well without making my own playing with it.But i have a phobia of changing,tweaking or compromising when it comes to baking.you know,like breads and cakes.i follow my usual baking recipes exactly to the last letter.if you know me,you would know how strange that is for me.)But today i just went ahead and did it anyway.
And you know what,it turned out just as awesome as my old recipe,if not more.:-)

oh yes you need this recipe.

Healthier banana bread recipe

3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas(like 3 bananas,i had very small ones so used 7)
3/4 cups oil
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
A handful of nuts or dried fruit,i like raisins in mine(optional)

1.preheat oven to 180'C. (350'F)

2.in a large bowl,mix oil,sugar and eggs.mix in the mashed bananas.

3.in another bowl,sift flour,mix with with it the baking powder,baking soda and the salt.

4.add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just until combined.Oh and add vanilla before you forget it.don't over do it!You should have a thick and just oh so beautiful looking batter.

5.pour into greased loaf pan and bake for an hour or until a knife put into it comes out clean.

6.enjoy it warm..or cold!

***I thought i might as well add some cocoa while i was feeling brave and playing tweakerdoo.which i did.
i did not measure,i just added cocoa until i was happy with the chocolate color of the batter.
And it turned out really,really good.it tastes heavenly with chocolate ice cream.
ehem,i'm just saying.

Now go make some banana bread.

2010-11-10T16:47:00.001+05:00

excuses..and an awesome find that i just had to share in case you haven't already found about it..

2010-09-23T16:13:00.007+05:00

Knock knock..anyone still there?

oh my poor neglected blog.
Life has been quite busy.
With Angelittle starting to walk,crawl and eat everything in her way now,i hardly get anytime to anything at all.it has been three or so days since i last sewed up anything or did any crafting at all and I'm literally feeling sick because of that.
you know how its like to us addicts,eh?
i have done quite a bit of sewing while Ive been absent here.with the time i get as a minute here,and two there.and i have completed quite a grand total really.sorry,no pictures.
i will work on that.maybe that's why i have been really avoiding my poor blog lately.the lack of pictures of ANY of my projects.Last week,as i was whizzing all over blogsville,i stumbled upon an awesome website.they have gorgeous patterns for clothing.i fell in love with each an every one of them.and here is the best part,they are letting you download their patterns,ALL OF THEM,till the end of this month,FOR FREE!
its almost too good to be true.But there is one little thing though.they are giving the patterns for free download is two sizes,burda size 42 and 44.
As i have been making my own clothes since i started sewing like 4 years ago,and also my husbands clothes since we got married,i have some experience in making clothes.but here's the thing,i have never used patterns before.i measure and draw on the fabric an just cut away.i assume using a pattern would be a heck lot easier right?no thinking or drawing right?
when you are a seamstress,no one walks in a dress by you,unnoticed.you think about it and try to figure out how it was put together.sometimes you do,and sometimes you dont succeed in that.And when i saw these patterns,i thought like,now i can get a glimpse at how its made!the clothes we see on the street and on TV,we dont get to peek inside right?

maybe make a pattern of my own from it,or modify it to my size!
That cant be too hard right?these are some patterns that i downloaded in hopes of trying them out someday.
They have patterns for men too,and for little girls and boys too.I did download some of those too.

Top with a reglan sleeve(this can be a basis pattern for so many a dress and top!)

Ruffled shirt-ish top

A night dress from a sheer fabric
A nighty(in some soft light fabric..that would be pretty awesome huh?)Butterfly poncho style top..?A ruffle dress
A bolero(I plan on making one with longet sleeves so i can wear it out,with sleevless dresses!)A shirtAn evening gown..( how about in red?) A ruffled skirtA top with wings(this can be easily modified to make dress!) A ruched chest dress( have been trying to figure out one of these for sometime)
Another dress

Go check the place out,you just might find something you like!Or better,something that you have been looking for all along!

come back and do tell me if you do!

Oh and i am in no way involved with them nor am i advertising them or anything.Its just an awesome find that i wanted to share,in case you didn't know!

Now i gotta go try to make this cool awesome hexagon pincushion caddy while Angelittle is still asleep!

ciao!
Angeliquez

Rae inspired dress

2010-08-07T01:50:00.007+05:00

This little linen dress was inspired by Rae's baby dress.I made it without a pattern like always.I also made a matching little ruffled butt diaper cover.Made with a piece of white linen that I had in my stash,and scraps of dotty white cotton from another project.

Don't you just love that cute pocket?
Rae makes awesome big butt baby pants,the pattern for which im looking forward to.(more like obsessing over it in my head, checking every single day whether she has put it up yet!)

While i wait i am thinking that i would try my hands on making one perhaps..without a pattern??

Am linking here..
until next time,ciao!

======help!======

2010-07-24T23:36:00.003+05:00

I tried my hands at ribbon embroidery when i was pregnant.i had satin ribbon and its difficult to get through the fabric.i crippled my hand for a week after this lol.For some reason i never got to finishing this.(OK the design is not completely working for me and i dont want to break my hand again for something that i wont even really like.) Can you give me some suggestions what i should with about this?Wanna do something worth my while..i spent a lot of time on this!(And poor fingers too.their pain should not be in vain right.)

It looks alright if you are looking at the details.the whole thing all of it sucks,but..when you look at it little bits a part at a time..then its ok.

peachy flower=pretty
Roses and buds=awesome

Embroidered..weed is it?

MOre flowers and leaves=alright

bullion knots combined with fly stitch

And finally the whole thing..what the what???see what i mean?
or is it just me?
Any suggestions would be well received!

Angelittle is in my lap pulling my hair.she likes to pretend that mommy is a horsey..so mommy's rein is her hair.uh poor mommy.

steering awayyyyyyyy!!!

toooodles!

Chic Baby clothes

2010-07-12T19:59:00.008+05:00

smocked tank and matching bloomersSmocked dressruffle dressTiered tank dress
Button front denim dressBubble romper
Bright dot bow dress
Gap.com

You gotta love that place.

Now to re-create them.

mini wall quilt

2010-07-08T23:27:00.003+05:00

this baby here is a mini wall quilt i whipped up two days ago.
I don't get any quilt batting or craft fleece here,so i just used a piece cit out from an old fleece blanket.clever eh? :o)
i had to see how it looks hung up so badly that i actually did,and i wasn't even done with the stitching on the vase,which i did with hand.nope,was doing.its still hanging there unfinished,but it aint noticeable,but i will get to it soon.

its raw edge applique on linen.first one yet,but am happy with the result.

like it?
Angeliquez

2010-07-05T14:02:00.011+05:00

Here it is..my first attempt at smocking.I made the pleats by hand using the lines on the fabric as a guide.as you can see a little glitch seems to have happened at the upper left side.They just wouldn't open for some reason.Anyone help me figure out what happened there?I guess that it could be a problem with my cable stitch ..right?
I'll work on that later.

sorry about the dark photos..cloudy cloudy day today..And i usually dont touch my photos.(how does anyone have time for that?)
It was one of the best moments of my entire 21 year long life,(hey that is quite long)the moment i took out the gathering threads and the whole thing stretched and opened..well to me it was more like bloomed!!!(seriously,i thought it was the coolest thing that i have ever done.And i was giddy with joy for two days straight about that.)This should be made into a dress or maybe a bubble romper.........not decided yet..ideas?

And this one,i made last night.Silly me,i was hoping that it would stretch just as much as the one above did..And it didn't stretch much.i would have to use it was a middle panel for a dress or something..it doesn't stretch at all.(How could i have not known that?)

The diamonds are not very even either.This one i hadn't pleated real well.i think the pleats were a little too big,they were folding to a side and that made it kinda hard to keep the stitching even and neat.The technique that i used last night needs to be revised.
I think i would work some bullion roses in betweens and it wouldn't look too bad.what do you think?
these bullion roses were worked on a little sundress i made for my Angelittle.here on this the dress.
I owe you more pictures of the sewing I've done these past coupla months ,don't i..here are some..Another shirred little sundress.embellished with a fabric flower.Here is a close up of the flower.Ruffle butt diaper covers.I love ruffles!

also whipped up these lovelies a while back.Place mats.fusible fleece isn't available here,so i used an old fleece blanket instead.works doesn't it?i have used it for other projects too.aren't they just darling?(first patchwork experience.A good one!pat on the back! :o))
ps/this post three times more time it usually takes me to finish a post,because Angelittle was helping me.You know,reaching out to the keyboard and correcting mommy's typos,adding all the letters and signs that mommy missed.(Why she has to make a thunder storm in the meantime i don't understand.)

Long post eh?

awryty then,i'll be back later.Have a lot more of Angelittle's dresses you have to see.you see,it's totally mommy made!

Hope you are all having a groovy time too!

toodles!

my newest obsession.

2010-07-02T14:05:00.003+05:00

Smocking.That's my newest obsession.I have always been fascinated by it.And I don't know anyone who does it.Not personally anyway.
So when i started thinking about it,i went about and completed my usual obsessed with something routine,thinking about it all day,and staying awake way past bedtime ,thinking about it some more and then virtually doing it,then talking about it to anyone who will listen,(usually the victim is my dear husband),and searching all over the place for anything and everything that i can find on it.
And i didn't have really much luck for a very long time.
you see,one thing is that i dont have a pleater.Everything i found about it always always talked about a pleater.I felt a little discouraged and then realized,the people who invented smocking in the first place,they couldn't have had a pleater.so i got started on a piece of checked fabric,the lines on it being guides for the pleat stitches.and it worked like a charm.
i found some tutorials and introductions to smocking in a few places here and there.my experience with hand embroidery helped a lot.
there isn't much help on the web for a beginner.but i did find some treasure and i have to share it with you just in case you might be interested.
Marie Grace has an awesome introduction for beginners.A hand pleating tutorial and then follows a hand smocking tutorial.It's really really clear and mark my words,get started and you will be hooked.
images of her smocked work made me drool over my keyboard for hours.
The next find is not even a little bit less in the awesome department.they are some video tutorials,all the better for those of us who always have a hard time reading long instructions and following them.
I have already smocked a piece,which i got done yesterday,(after which i was giddy with joy for several hours).
Will come back with some pictures soon insha Allaah.
Angelittle is being a very good girl and taking a long nap.
Gotta go try to do some laundry before she wakes up,for when she wakes up,she will move mountains .(and i gotta be there to help the villagers evacuate or something.)

2010-05-24T20:39:00.003+05:00

"When you were born,
you cried and the world rejoiced.
Live your life so that when you die,
the world cries,and you rejoice."

In the loving memory of my father.

2010-05-22T16:43:00.005+05:00

hi and salaam.
it's been quite a while hasn't it.
things have been happening though i haven't been blogging as faithfully as i should.Guess that is expected and would be accepted from a new mother.(this time around i have a valid excuse eh?)

i cant go on as its been all lollipops and rainbows.
my father passed away a while ago.
On the 12th of April.

i just haven't been able to put myself to write about it.
every time i go to my parent's,i go thinking of seeing him.talking to him.
and then i remember that he's gone.still seems unreal.

i was with him the last moments of his life that he spent conscious..He was having very much difficulty breathing.,so he wasn't really able to speak,but i saw how strong and brave my father was.
He passed away while he was in the ICU, sedated,and i was called to the hospital and went there not even knowing that he had passed away. :-(
as i sat to write this post,i thought i was,but tears streaming down my face,i have only just realized that i am still not ready to talk about it..someday maybe i will be.maybe i wont.

the pain would never go away,but i guess it becomes more bearable over time.

He was a great man.

I am thankful that even though my daughter will never know her grandfather,her grandfather had met her.

and i am proud to be his daughter.
Even prouder to have had him as my father.

May Allaah ease his abode,have mercy on and bless his soul.

Our Baby Angel is finally here!

2010-01-16T20:04:00.003+05:00

I just gave birth to our little Angel!
She is of today a week and three days old.
And i have been too busy to blog about it.
Yep,bad blogger i am,i know.
But you should forgive me,for i brought such wonderful news!

I went into labor close to dawn,January 7th.
After a few hours,(considering how long it could have been,and believe me it didn't at the time seem few,)at 12.50PM our first born,Noora binth Migdhadh was born,weighing 3.01 kg, shining into this world,bearing all the beauty in the world masha Allaah.
Now i am officially a mommy.
Its like i can no longer remember any pain i went through.

She is so sweet Masha Allaah,i can stare at her for hours straight.
I can't believe that something like her actually came out of me!ME!!!

Because of her,i now understand why mommy's make such a fuss.
And because of her,i see the whole world in a whole different light.
I've come to feel feelings that I've never felt before.
I've found a true,a new meaning to my existence.A purpose for my life.
And because of her,the man whose status in front of me i thought couldn't become any higher,just became twice as important to me as my own life.

There can definitely be not much that is as significant as becoming a mother.

It's the end of a chapter in my life.
And a whole new beginning to a whole new chapter,a whole new world.

I'm all smiles.
all thanks.

Alhamdulillaah.

Angeliquez

Angelique-ical updates.Or something like that.

2009-09-25T16:28:00.006+06:00

ahem.
i am officially the worst blogger.Ever.
(This is where you try to convince me that i am not.lol.but don't even try.because that even sounds tempting to give into.lol.)

I have been doing so much crafting yet i haven't posted about a single one of them!

So not to make myself feel bad,I've been convincing myself that i am going to do it soon.insha Allaah.

Update on my pregnancy..
The second trimester is almost over..Can you believe that????:-) :-) :-D
Our little Angel kicks around and plays inside me all over the place now,Masha Allaah..what a beautiful feeling..
So far,hubby has been only able to feel it two times..(I cannot forget ever how happy he looked that night when he first felt it..:-) )
I am feeling pretty good too,Hamdulillaah..No more extreme tiredness and fatigue.The nausea and morning sickness completely gone,it's like i never had it!(Did i have it? LOL..)
But of course there is this new routine of one thousand pee breaks every night.and then,my baby seems think that my bladder is a trampoline.or its exactly the spot where the baby wants to sit,even when not jumping sky high bouncing off it.,lol.
And my super fragile bones.That's the one thing that really bothers me these days.can't sit in one place,it hurts so so bad.(which is all too important for my crafting needs.)
Other than that i am perfectly happy hamdulillaah.

how i soo soo wish to hold my little angel soon..

I am trying to make the most of these days,as the second trimester is what they call the best days of the pregnancy.
that is so true.

thank you so much,you have all been so sweet checking on me!

cya soon..tc all of ya.
lotsa love,
Angeliquez

Heart felt..

2009-08-17T11:57:00.004+06:00

Look what i just received!
A lovely package from sister Aida!I had mentioned that I'd love to work with felt,and that it wasn't available to me here,so she sent me some!
isnt that just awesome?

Thankyou sooo much sister Aida!
i received it yesterday.She had also put in a felt apple and a flower brooch..Her work is amazing..wanted to post about it and mail her right away,but couldn't as my net connection was down.So after i wa done dancing around the house dancing with joy, i spent most of last evening playing with my new treasure.
Here is what i came up with..

A strawberry magnet.Now it lives on our fridge,holding notes and scribbles in place.

Another strawberry i stitched on my maternity dungaree chest pocket.I had previously undone what was originally there.
(Yep,that's where luscious strawberries came from.I LOVE strawberries!)

And this baby,would be my first donut.:-)It's for my sister.
I have so many ideas making crazy havoc in my already jumbled up mind.i'd be running back to show em to ya as soon as is showable!lol!

Thankyou again sooo much sister Aida..

have a nice day..i think ive more felting to do!

xoxo,
Angeliquez

2009-08-06T22:57:00.006+06:00

So even when you dream,you might as well dream well!

Ain't this just sweet?

2009-08-03T14:57:00.003+06:00

And now i want to make one just like this.
these are key chains,but imagine the dozen things it could be,altered the fabric and size?!
:-)
I love felt food.
Too bad felt isn't available here and i have no experience whatsoever buying stuff online!
bummer.

2009-07-30T11:10:00.002+06:00

Sleepy beauty-ness..

2009-07-18T00:51:00.008+06:00

hows ya all?

me?why,thanks for asking,im..just great!
Finally the nausea and hate for all things edible is receding..slowly..
I was beginning to think that it never would!

finally,i am growing biiiii-iiiig,Masha Allaah.This time its real i tell ya,it's not my imagination.(my hubbs told me so.)

and it does not help with my sleepy beauty-ness.
No one ever told told me how bad it would be!

i cant stand too long,cuz my back hurts,my feet aches..
i cant lie down to rest comfortably because when i lie on my back,i cant breath,
when on my sides,my hip bones ache like nothing I've ever experienced before,
and obviously,lying on my belly is off limits.So is a good night's sleep.:-(

I decided that if it really troubled every pregnant woman,someone would have told me.
after all,one can tolerate sleep deprivation only so much..
specially when one is pregnant,
counting all the fatigue,and the others that come with the package..lol..

so I've been reading a bit about difficulty to sleep during these days..
and it happens to be that most of us really do go through this..
how come no one talks about it?
only later i found out that it all cancels out and you forget it once you hold your little angel..

sigh.......**dreamy smile**
**drool**

Ahem.back to..where were we?
yeah,sleep.
maternity pillows seems to be a good solution for the sleep problem.

looky here!

don't you just wanna go to sleep?

As we have to if order it online,and have no idea what would work best as there are at least a dozen types of pillows designed specially for pregnancy.

Anyone any advice?Tips?
About these pillows or anything for the sleep problem?

And I've seriously started thinking about beginning to make some baby stuff.I'm hoping to start as soon as i start feeling s'more strength to keep me up and running.:-)

meanwhile,i'll be in bed snuggling with a book of chicken soup for the soul,with half a dozen pillows and cushions,ignoring my aching hips.

....hips?what hips?....
(yep,im totally denying that i even have hips.Clever huh?**grin**)

toodles!

Angeliquez

A cup of tea,please?

2009-07-08T20:09:00.006+06:00

More like half a dozen please?
I haven't really been much of a tea lover,well lets say,ever.But the past week,I bought two packages of tea,chamomile,and peppermint.I was looking for cinnamon tea,which i hadn't had a lot,but over the few times that i had,it had become my first choice for tea.And it has amazing benefits too.
No cinnamon tea i found that night,so i settled for chamomile and peppermint,of which's amazing benefits i had also read,and thus, was born my tea loving tea-self.

And you know what,i had totally forgotten that i was pregnant and that it complicates everything.

I came home and googled and read about consuming tea during pregnancy.Everything i found was contradicting each other.one says its ok in moderation,others say no NO,YOU CANT EVEN LOOK AT TEA,or else it's going to become a two headed monster or something.
(Ok,it didnt say that exactly,but they might as well have!
it seems that herbs arent really tested stuff so its not really safe during pregnancy..not because it has done something but more because they arent sure wether it may do something.for instance it's been said that as chamomile has relaxing properties it relaxes the uterus and MAY trigger early contractions.not good during early pregnancy!But chamomile relaxes body and mind,soothes tired and sore muscles,helps sleep well at night,even cure colicy babies,and help ease the discomforts of PMS.So if you are NOT pregnant, you should definitly go for it!)

Imagine my disappointment..the only thing that i actually wanted to go inside my throat willingly after so long,and i couldn't have it!:-(
so i talked to my sister about it and she also was of the opinion that moderation was the answer.she also talked to a friend of hers who is a doctor,and she said that teas even some herbal,has a substance tannin.which theoretically,interferes with the body's iron absorption.She said that she drank coffee(which has tannin and caffeine too),all throughout her pregnancy but Masha allaah she and her baby are both fine.So no tea not a lot definitely,but an occasional cup,once a day,must be OK.not close to meal times definitely.

And hubby bought me cinnamon tea today!
:-)
It's been v rainy and very cold the whole day and it was totally out of this world enjoying a hot cup of delicious cinnamon tea!
Thank you sweetheart!:-)

Go have some tea,and enjoy it!
(And please let me know that you did,lol!)

lotsa lotsa love,
Angeliquez

missed me?

2009-07-06T21:15:00.003+06:00

i tell ya,i sure did miss ya!
It's been way over a month since i posted last,right?
no,i wasn't erased from the face of earth..only stuck away as far as the blogsphere is concerned..
Thank you so much for being concerned and nice enough sweethearts to check on me!
believe me,you made a girl real happy!
this happy actually.:-)
I'm am alhamdulillaah past my third month and into my fourth and counting.Last month was a nightmare every single day of it lol..The pregnancy gift package bonuses hit me hard at full power..i got each and every bit of the lovely bonuses!
every smell made me sick,so sick of every smell and scent i was that hubby even stopped wearing perfume(my poor poor beloved!),
and i held my breath and was breathing through my mouth all the time.Ahem,not so cute,but i hadn't any other option.
every food was way beyond disgusting that i have to make up a word to describe it,
and i was tired,hungry and always starving,as my poor body couldn't keep anything inside for more than a mere second from eating it.and there was hardly anything that i liked or wanted to eat!
I even lost weight,but fortunately as i am not exactly (ahem,)under weight,it doesn't seem to be a problem as far my gynecologist is concerned.
my poor hubby..he has been so worried sick about me!
But hamdulillaah over and over again I'm feeling better..fatigue and little bit of nausea still there,but back pain always there now almost always, with my belly growing.
though more fatigue and sleepless nights are to be expected,i feel so much better and am so happy that the morning sickness is finally going away.my sense of smell is quite bearable too,and i can breath with my nose more often.
And since ive begun feeling better,ive been able to keep my eyes open for longer periods of time.Which resulted in quite a bit of sewing!
I've managed to whip up an awesome (even if i say so myself,lol :-p)shirt for hubby,a little baby dress for Sara and experimented with my sewing machine's various functions I've been too busy to explore before.
I hope to keep in touch more often,now that i am feeling a lot better Masha Allaah..

toodles!

Angeliquez

Back from the hospital..Thank God..

2009-05-27T17:08:00.003+06:00

What i'm feeling like right now..

A Luscious strawberry!*giggle*

Did I mention that i have been having fever since i got pregnant?No?I'm not sure.Well,the thing is,i have been.
Actually for the last 4 weeks.It was always come and go type fever,and as it is pretty normal for my body to act like that to any changes,we assumed that it was about the pregnancy changes.
I had slight abdominal pain too,which the doctor diagnosed as a not so to worry about infection which could be dealt with drinking plenty fluids.
That was,until yesterday morning,when my fever got worse,so bad that i could hardly walk on my own.
Limbs hurting and a severe back ache accompanied with the worst cold ever,loss of appetite for a whole day so i didn't really have anything in my stomach..
hubby took me to the doctor early in the morning after fajr,at close to 6.00 AM,when i started to get sick ahem,puked(it wasn't morning sickness i guess because that was it,i don't feel sick anymore,hamdulillaah).
I was sent home after a few tests(which showed that my infection was not so good),and given paracetamol to take every four hours,and antibiotics 3 times daily.By the evening,despite taking paracetamol every four hours,my fever wasn't doing so good.I was still running a high temperature when i went the gynecologist after 3 hours of eating my meds.
As i mentioned before,i had an appointment scheduled with my gynecologist for last evening.
She checked me up.and She got me alarmed being alarmed herself about my condition.she got me admitted in the hospital right away.Luckily Masha Allaah,even though i did get fever again in the midnight,it didn't get too high.By the morning,several hours had passed without fever,and also it was without taking the pills.Alhamdulillaah.
The hospital bed was sooo uncomfortable!Hubby stayed there with me awake all night..Alhamdulillaah i was discharged late this afternoon.Now im home,ready to hit the sack.(and hungry,lol)My poor poor hubby he is asleep now,knocked unconscious as soon as we got home!I myself am dozing off right now...

The sunshine in my belly!

2009-05-25T14:01:00.006+06:00

Here's my new blog..
I thought it would be nice to have a new blog about the sunshine in my belly!

But i would be posting about it here too..just thought i might keep it in a separate blog too!Does that even make sense?

Of course you cant be as excited as i am,but it would be so nice even if you totally pretend to be!:-) )
I am 6 weeks and a day pregnant now.
We got confirmed on this very happy news when i made a home pregnancy test on the 15th of this month.By then,I was already 4 weeks and 5 days pregnant.
Thank you Allaah,for no one could have given me a better gift!

As I am writing this I am still awaiting the arrival of the dreaded morning sickness.My mom always had it,and had it bad.Everyone thought that i would follow her there.lol.
But miraculously Masha Allaah,I am in my 6th week and still have no sign of the morning sickness.Alhamdulillaah!

But that doesn't mean that I am a miracle.Though one is happening inside me right now,i am far from being one myself.I have been prettt-tty hormonal and have been ahem,on an emotional roller coaster.Or a not so joy all the time joy ride.Or a ..well,you get the point.I am hardly a person who isn't in charge of her emotions..so this hasn't been exactly easy.But i am working on it.And i have decided that i am handling it pretty well:-)
And there i this thing about me eating everything in site.Yep,everything.
Last night i ate a whole carrot,with nothing else,just dipped it into chilli sauce.No,really,and i loved it.
I know i wouldnt have been hungry enough to eat like a rabbit,not if I was my old unpregnant self.
Yeah,that's a good argument.:-)

Here is what my little angel is up to this week!

This is going to be a busy week for your amazing little embryo. Their brain is still growing remarkably fast; miniature hand plates are starting to develop and the early formations of what will be their fingers are already visible. Also, the lower limbs do not develop quite as fast, so they’re pretty much still flippers. Up until this point, your baby has been very curled up with the head and tail in close proximity, but this week their trunk and neck are beginning to grow and straighten as their tail recedes into its resting position in the back. Even though your little miracle is only 6 weeks old, they’re already capable of demonstrating reflex responses to touch!

http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/

Last night,hubby told me that my belly looks little bigger now!:-)
I have been feeling that since i missed my monthly happenings.And also it doest hurt to have an over active too hopeful imagination either!lol..
Oh the joy!
I can hardly wait to walk around with a big pregnant belly!:-)

My next appointment with the doctor is tomorrow.I have never looked forward to a doctor's appointment this much before.She said she would be checking my angels heart beat tomorrow night..:-)

I'm so hungry..care to join me for a snack?:-)

xo,
Angeliquez

2009-05-23T16:14:00.004+06:00

Dad's still in the hospital,but not in the intensive care unit anymore.
I visited him yesterday and he was feeling better,Hamdulillaah.
But we don't yet know when they are going to discharge him yet this time.
Thank you everyone,for keeping us close in your prayers..

This is for you,for being so very sweet and kind through all this..
And i have plenty more love and prayers for you.where this came from.

Hugs,
Angeliquez

Our world revolving around the ICU..

2009-05-19T22:38:00.005+06:00

My dad has been admitted again and this time in the ICU..He was taken to the hospital last night well after midnight.This is the third time in the past two months..

before they said that it was his heart,but this time the doctors are saying that he has some fluid in his lungs..They said that that's whats been causing the harsh difficulty in breathing and chest pain..

The good news is that they have said that there was no need for an operation,they believe that it can be solved with medications..Alhamdulillaah..
Please include us in your prayers..

As I am not allowed to sit in one place for too long or walk around a lot.,l cannot be there with for him as much as i would like..:-(
But i did visit him this evening..one visitor at a time is allowed for an hour in the evening..
And i spent most of it there with him..Actually till the nurses came and officially kicked me out..lol..

he was feeling a lot better and he looked much more relaxed..i was delighted..Alhamdulillah..

Someone always has to stay there in the hospital in the waiting area at all times..two uncles,my brother,(the one who is a year younger than me,Faisal)and my hubby are dividing the shifts staying there..I feel so unhappy that i cant contribute..the last time,I stayed with him most of the time,(We didn't know that i was pregnant at the time yet,though i always was feeling exhausted running all around)and now that i can't go there to be there for dad,its been tough..Mom with her baby merely a a month old,cannot even visit dad..babies aren't allowed in the hospital these days due to the various diseases..the uncles work and so does my hubby..and my brother is a student.But they are managing well Masha allaah..
I am hoping,praying for the best..
Praying that my dad gets well and back to normal soon..insha Allaah..

Me?
Im doing good Hamdulillaah.thanks for asking.
My doctor said that me and my little angel are both fine hamdulillaah..
We have to go to her again next Tuesday..to check our lil angels heart beat!I can hardly wait..
And about my pregnancy..morning sickness has not kicked in..we are hoping that it stays that way..
But i am hungry all the time!!!!
Craving sweets more than ever!!!!

Don't worry,i will try to get a hold of myself if sweet cravings are becoming too much!:-)

My only problem is that my belly isn't showing much yet.
I can hardly wait to walk around proudly with a huge pregnant belly..Insha Allaah!:-)
It's almost as big as this.Well,Maybe i only see that,but im hoping that its not my over active imagination,LOL..

hugs,
Angel

In 245 days..

2009-05-17T12:39:00.006+06:00

Insha Allaah!

I am 5 weeks pregnant now..and counting..
we are so very happy..
All we can say is Alhamdulillaah!

CONVERSATION ABOUT ALLAH

2009-05-16T20:20:00.002+06:00

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his Class on the Problem Science has with ALLAH, The ALMIGHTY.
He asks one of his New Muslim Student to stand and . . .

Professor : You are a Muslim, aren't you, son ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So you Believe in ALLAH ?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is ALLAH Good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor : Is ALLAH ALL - POWERFUL ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to ALLAH to Heal him.
Most of us would attempt to Help Others who are ill.
But ALLAH didn't.
How is this ALLAH Good then ? Hmm ?

( Student is silent )

Professor : You can't answer, can you ?
Let's start again, Young Fella.
Is ALLAH Good ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Is Satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor : Where does Satan come from ?
Student : From . . . ALLAH . . .
Professor : That's right.
Tell me son, is there evil in this World ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ?
And ALLAH did make Everything. Correct ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : So who created evil ?

( Student does not answer )

Professor : Is there Sickness ? Immorality ? Hatred ? Ugliness ?
All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they ?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor : So, who Created them ?

( Student has no answer )

Professor : Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you.
Tell me, son . . . Have you ever Seen ALLAH ?
Student : No, sir.
Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your ALLAH ?
Student : No , sir.
Professor : Have you ever Felt your ALLAH , Tasted your ALLAH , Smelt your ALLAH ?
Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of ALLAH for that matter ?
Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor : Yet you still Believe in HIM ?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your ALLAH doesn't exist.
What do you say to that, son ?
Student : Nothing. I only have my Faith .
Professor : Yes. Faith . And that is the Problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat ?
Professor : Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as Cold ?
Professor : Yes.
Student : No sir. There isn't.

( The Lecture Theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events )

Student : Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat,
a Little Heat or No Heat.
But we don't have anything called Cold.
We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that.
There is no such thing as Cold.
Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat.
We cannot Measure Cold.
Heat is Energy.
Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it.

( There is Pin - Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )

Student : What about Darkness, Professor ? Is there such a thing as Darkness ?
Professor : Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness ?
Student : You're wrong again, sir.
Darkness is the Absence of Something.
You can have Low Light, Normal Light , Bright Light, Flashing Light . . .
But if you have No Light Constantly, you have Nothing and it's called Darkness, isn't it ?
In reality, Darkness isn't.
If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you ?
Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is Flawed.
Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how ?
Student : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality.
You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good ALLAH and a Bad ALLAH .
You are viewing the Concept of ALLAH as something finite, something we can measure.
Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought.
It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that
Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing.
Death is Not the Opposite of Life : just the Absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor, do you Teach your Students that they Evolved from a Monkey ?
Professor : If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir ?

( The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going )

Student : Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and
cannot even prove that this Process is an On - Going Endeavor,
are you not Teaching your Opinion, sir ?
Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher ?

( The Class is in Uproar )

Student : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever Seen the Professor's Brain ?

( The Class breaks out into Laughter )

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever Heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, Touched or Smelt it ? . . .
No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that
you have No Brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir ?

( The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable )

Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on Faith , son.
Student : That is it sir . . .
the Link between Man & ALLAH is FAITH.
That is all that Keeps Things Moving & Alive.

It turned out later that the student was Masha Allaah,Dr Zakir Naik.

Why is it so hard to let go?

2009-05-16T04:12:00.004+06:00

a beautiful story..
It raised my spirits,and got me thinking and thanking Allaah..
I wanted to share it with you!

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO LET GO?

The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five.Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

"Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face .

"One rand ninety-five. That's almost R2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get some money from Grandma."

As soon as Fatima got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted Out 17 cents. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. Kamaa if she could pick dandelions for ten cents.

On her birthday, Grandma did give her another rand and at last she Had enough money to buy the necklace.

Fatima loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up.
She wore them everywhere - Madrassa, kindergarten, even to bed.

The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had A bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Fatima had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready For bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story.

One night when he finished the story, he asked Fatima, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess - the white Horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember,Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favourite."

"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Fatima's daddy asked again,
"Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well little one. Daddy loves
you"

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Fatima was sitting on her
Bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed
her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Fatima? What's the matter?" Fatima didn't say anything
But lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it,
there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally
said,
"Here,
Daddy.
It's for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Fatima's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the cheap store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Fatima.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up
The cheap store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So as it is with Allah. Allah is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that Allah can give us beautiful treasures.
Are you holding onto things which Allah wants you to let go of?

Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners,
relationships, habits and activities which you have come so attached
to that it seems impossible to let go of?

Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand, but
Do believe this one thing.. Allah will never take away something without giving you something better to take its place.

The butterfly story.

2009-05-14T22:54:00.005+06:00

I have not heard this story before.I read it here in a Muslim wife's blog.Masha Allaah beautiful place she has got there..Go visit her and see for yourself!

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.

one day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the Butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

Then the man decided to help the Butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the Cocoon. The Butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the Butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened!

In fact, the Butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What this man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting Cocoon and the struggle required for the Butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the Butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the Cocoon.

Moral:

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle (Jihad).

Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere.

-Noble Qur'an (2:155)

truly,Allaah is with the patient ones.

we so often forget that everything happens for a good reason.We tend to forget that Allaah always has a bigger better plan than our incapable minds could see.We are so quick to become impatient and start complaining.Allaah is the most sufficient..he does not need us,it is we who need Him..He is The All Knowing.It's up to us to be patient because every hardship in life,every misery,we are put through it for our own good.

love from,
Angeliquez

Anyone miss me?

2009-05-13T16:03:00.007+06:00

It's been so long since i posted last..
It's been such a hectic of couple of weeks.My dad was admitted in the hospital with a critical heart condition.Pile on top of it his diabetes!!!!
:-(
I stayed awake with him most of the nights,me and my hubby both.(My brother was with him for the rest.We did shifts staying with him at all times,though dad kept insisting that he was fine.)After almost a week,dad is outta the hospital Alhamdulillaah.Honestly i didn't get even a few minutes to blog.But i am thankful Alhamdulillaah that dad is doing better,and i am praying that his condition gets better insha Allaah.

It's been two days after dad was discharged from the hospital.I came home and slept all evening and all night too.It is very unusual for me to be able to sleep soooo long hours.

I don't really know why,but I haven't been feeling really well for the past coupla days.So all i am doing is reading and a whole lot of just doing nothing.No hexing either.But i hexed a lot during the long hours i spent at the hospital with dad.I felt so happy knowing that dad loved what i was doing.He even helped me arrange some hexy blocks into flowers!
Dad told me stories about how even when i was a kid i used to make little cute stuff with my hands and paste little pictures all over the place,draw pretty stuff on the mirrors..etc etc.
I felt so happy feeling how proud he was of me.

He told us various fascinating stories about his amazing life,things we haven't seen or heard of ever before.Boy was my dad a great man.He still is.maybe,I will tell ya some of the stories sometime later.Insha allaah.

About what i have been up to..
I sewed a dozen abayas a while back.So i haven't been thinking about any more as i don't think i need more right now.But recently,While browsing for abaya designs(I love doing this and do this a lot for no reason that i can explain,)I found this amazing full butterfly abaya.Love at first sight.It looks so royal so elegant,and it looks so easy i could make it in under half an hour!Insha allaah.Anyone can!(Do i hope too much??)

see the gold satin lining?isn't it just amazing?
I have to have this one.One exactly the same would be fine though.And i am going to use black satin for the lining insha Allah.It's so so so beautiful.I love it so so so much.It's from sunnahstyle.com.
This is how my abaya should look like when its done.
I wear all black on black so it's quite a challenge creating something different every time.And i try to keep embellishments to a minimum on my abayas.

I haven't really figure out whats up with this sleeve,but its a nice look,though a little festive.not for everyday wear definitely.Cover the hair and chest and it would be a perfect outfit for us.Don't you think?

Another butterfly abaya from sunnah style.com.This one isn't a full butterfly,it has a cute sleeve.see it?

My hexy garden has grown a lot very long,but no pics unfortunately.I'll be running back with it to show you as soon as i get some shots of it,insha allaah.
I'm nodding off again.In the middle of the afternoon.And i slept all morning too.
I'm telling ya, something is not right with me!

Toodles!

Lotsa love from,
Angeliquez

An omelette Pizza for breakfast

2009-04-28T10:33:00.006+06:00

What do you do when you wake up too early with a lot of time ahead of you ages before time to make breakfast for your hubby?
What if you crave pizza at this early time of the morning?
You make pizza for breakfast of course.
That's what I did.
I made a breakfast pizza for breakfast.
I made an omelette pizza.:-)

An omelette pizza

3 eggs
half a small onion
1 chili pepper
pizza sauce
chili sauce
2 tomatoes
Cheese of your choice.(I had cheddar in my fridge,so you can guess what i used.)

for the dough:

250 gm(approx. 2 1/2 cups)All purpose flour
1 tsp instant yeast(dry yeast is OK too,but you should dissolve it in lukewarm water before adding.I've had some trouble with it,so i always prefer instant yeast)
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp butter/margarine
a pinch of salt(you can omit this too)
Lukewarm water

how to:

Preheat oven to 190`C.
Make the crust.Here is how to.
Next,chop finely the chili and the onion.Beat eggs and mix the chopped onions and chili.
Make an omelette.
cut the omelette into little squares.Set aside.
Slice the tomatoes.
roll out crust.Spread sauces,sprinkle the pieces of chopped omelette.
place tomatoes all over.Well,you know.
Grate cheese onto the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.Well actually till cheese melts should be OK with the thin crust.I think.I made it in my microwave,and I cooked it om high for seven minutes.
Tadaaa!Your breakfast pizza is ready.

We had breakfast and have one whole pizza left yet.Anyone care for pizza?

PS/This was supposed to be posted this morning.But blogger needed all morning and afternoon to upload to images!!!

Being awake since the crack of dawn,I also managed to do some hexing.
As my mom was too busy being pregnant for the last nine months,the last three of which was spent by me in making of the quilt,she had not seen it.So yesterday,I took with me home the block that i was working on,as my tendency to miss working on my quilt the hours i spend at home with mom,and also wanting to show it to her at last.Previously i had showed pictures of it.Mom was happy with what i was doing,and hubby did me the favor of how it was done.(I explained the last four months telling him,and and everyone that i know all my quilting updates.And now,hubby is doing the honors for for me.saves me so much energy.And the way he explains it,you would think that he is an expert,LOL.He is that good at it now.I love you sweetheart!)

Now i have a whole new problem.Well actually not so new,as i knew it would become a problem.I have far too many orange and pink flowers.You see,i cannot place them far apart enough for it to not over power all the other colours.So i am thinking like maybe i need to make more flower blocks,and NOT give into my strong urges to make any pink blocks.
Well,that's it for now.

Toodles!

XOXO,
Angeliquez

spicy barbecue tuna

2009-04-27T00:53:00.001+06:00

Here's what i conjured up for lunch.

Spicy barbecue tuna

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped tuna
1 big onion diced
5 cloves garlic
3 tomatoes cut into wedges
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp dark soya bean sauce
a few curry leaves(i used dried,fresh would always be better of course)
3 tbsp heaped red chili pepper flakes
2 tbsp heaped chili powder
1 heaped tsp grated ginger
1 tsp ajinomoto(MSG)
sunflower oil(enough for sauteing the onions.)
Salt to taste

How to:

Heat oil and saute onion in it till semi translucent.
Add garlic and saute till soft,then add ginger.
Add chili flakes,chili powder and tomato paste.cook on low heat continuously stirring.add more oil if it tends to get dry.
Add tuna.Mix in well with the spices.
Add salt and Ajinomoto(MSG).
Blend in barbecue sauce and soya sauce.
Put in the tomato wedges and cook just until tender.Mix well.
Turn off heat.
Serve with rice or noodles.

I haven't tried yet,but i guess you can use chicken or beef instead of tuna too.

I served with it a somewhat Japanese style fruit salad.

1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup chopped orange
1/2 cup chopped apples
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp juice of a lemon

How to:

Sprinkle lemon juice over the apples in a bowl,mix to coat well.
Add all other fruits,and mayonnaise and mix to coat.
chill until ready to serve.

you should try this sometime.
My hubby loved this.
I did too.:-)

xoxo,
Angeliquez

wanna see my sewing stuff?

2009-04-24T15:11:00.007+06:00

ya.I thought so.I knew you would love to.Thank you.:-)

One of my boxes to organize my ever so growing fabric stash.Its a fabric covered box i taped together using cardboard.I made a big pocket outside and three small ones in the inside.I always need more room to store stuff!
fabric,some ribbon,lace,and a rolled up cord.

This little sweet is my thread basket.It's getting too small for all my threads.They keep increasing with my fabric stash too.I made it with this tutorial from my little mochi.She has various other sweet projects too!Go check it out,you'll love it if you haven't already seen it and fallen in love with it.

this is my sewing basket.It has several pockets all around it and also on the inside of it all around too.As i said before,I can never have too much pockets to fill up!!

Two pairs of tailoring shears,and one pair of pinking shears that i love so much.

pens,glue,tissue.hair clips and hair bands..and a nail cutter.well,things aren't where they are supposed to be,but at least they are looking tidy.lol.

My round pincushion.

Another pincushion i made..I think you can guess where this one came from!

My hexagon pincushion.Isn't it a sweet thing?If you read my ramblings,I am sure you know that i have something going on about hexagons.One side is yellow,The other is red,that's the one shown.It was paper pieced.

this here is my little hexagon basket.I made it too from this tutorial.I run all around the house and this little box always tags along.It is stuffed with hexagon cuts for my quilt.I know,its very scrambled,but believe me i organize it.It just gets jumbled entirely on its own.Not one bit my fault.lol. The first pin cushion i ever made.Also my first patchwork one.

This one is my favourite.Isn't it obvious..It's pink!;-)Its the one that runs along with my sewing basket all the time. And here is my progress on the quilt since i posted last..um..was it Tuesday? Nine flower blocks joined and the tenth started. My hands hurt from all the sewing.I didn't want to stop.too eager to see how it looks as it keeps growing!my left wrist kept hurting and hurting from holding it for so long in one position,..i guess..And the fingers by which i hold the needle from my right hand,the tips,hurt so much that i cant hold the needle.so i assumed that it was time to take a break!:-)But hopefully,I will resume as soon as i can hold the needle!
I definitely am obsessed!
A close up. nine blocks and growing.

I am very happy about how its turning out.
What do you think?

Love from,
Angeliquez

ahem.progress.

2009-04-19T19:33:00.008+06:00

i finally am back working on my hexy garden.It has been a pretty looong break.But finally I am up and running again.Boy,it feels good.I didnt even realise how much i missed working on it every single minute that i had.

I have started joining the flowers together.It is amazing seeing it grow slowly.Ahhh,pure bliss.;-)

This is how much i have got done so far.Not much to the eye,but it takes two times more time to join two flowers together than to actually make two flowers.(For me anyway.)Not to mention how not very easy it is to me yet handling the growing blocks.But it is such a beautiful feeling seeing it grow piece by piece.Every little obstacle i stumble upon along the way is worth the while.Totally.:-)

Two or three nights back i was at mom's,sleepy and i was waiting for hubby to come back home with.That was till i found a full of paint tubes waiting for me to do something about it.Anything.SO i had to paint something,i had no choice.And when i couldnt find any decent paper to play with my paints,I tore off a piece of cardboard from a box that was going to the garbage after a sorry life..I gave it some life.At least to a torn out piece of it.lol.

I didnt really finished it..But i have a feeling that this is how its going to stay.

I am back to working on my slowly growing garden.see ya!

xoxo,

A quick microwave dessert

2009-04-10T18:43:00.005+05:00

I have been dreaming of food and doing nothing else for the past few days.Again.My sweet tooth has been going crazy lately and it was only a matter of time before i surrender to it completely.Which is why i made this sweet pudding.And the best thing was that it was super easy and with the microwave,it was super fast!

Ingredients:

1 can sweeeeet condensed milk
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

How to:

Beat eggs.
Add the can of condensed milk.And mix.
Add vanilla.Beat well.
Pour into a microwave proof glass pan.Round pans work best in microwaves because the corners tend to over cook.)
Microwave it for 5 minutes.Check if its done.A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean.If not give it some standing time.If not done still,microwave it a minute more.
Cool before serving.I love it chilled!
Enjoy!

Its a very simple dessert..But it is always a winner

You can caramalize some suger in the pan you are going to use for the pudding before pouring pudding mixture into it.bake it just as above,and Viola,Its caramel pudding!

Lotsa love,

My brother has been named..

2009-04-07T00:07:00.003+05:00

my Little brother has been named yesterday.The newest member of our family is Noor Al Salam(pronounced Noorussalaam.)
The proper rituals according to our religion was performed and it was a hectic day.We live from our parents house by a distance of um..like 20 minutes.Which is pretty long and draggy when it is a rainy day.Taxi's are not available ever here at the slightest sign of heavy clouds,let alone rain.It was very rainy and cold all day long.Hubby's motor bike caught flu and decided to stay put,so we had to walk all the way.On this very exact day which was rainy,and we were on a tight schedule.We did some delivering of bits of the happy occasion.We had to take my daddy's old scooter for that.We cycled all over Mal'e in the cold evening,delivering the packages to various relatives and friends who lived scatterd.
And little Noor was very quite yesterday.I think it was because of the weather.It is normally hot and i guess he loves it when it gets cold.
Again no sewing to show you.Managed to finish 2 skirts of the simplest pattern yesterday morning.
When i came back home later in the evening,i was exhausted and starving.We had not done grocery shopping for a while and there wasnt much to eat.There is this saying about great things being invented out of nessecity.Or something.Well,i kinda realised that last night.there were so few ingredients available to me at home.So i mixed and matched everything that i had and it turned out to delicious.(And maybe i was toooo hungry to taste well..just maybe.)
So i thought i would tell you how i whipped out this piece of work,the simple dinner that i made out of utter nessecity.;-)

The dish i havent had time to name yet.

Wat I used(Actually what i had in my fridge):

two eggs

1/2 cup chopped salami

half a carrot,sliced

1 small onion.diced

butter,or vegetable oil will do too

What i did:

saute the onions ans salami in some oil,till salami is well browned.Take care not to brown the onions too much.

Add the carrots ant saute in it till it becomes slightly soft and just a little bit brown.

Beat eggs and pour into pan.Scramble the eggs with the rest of the ingredients.

You can add herbs,and or chilli of you like it hot.

Enjoy!

I loved this recipe.Try it sometime.It would make a great breakfast.And if you ever do,let me know how it turned out!:-)

It's a boy!

2009-03-31T15:39:00.003+05:00

My mom delivered a beautiful healthy boy early this morning.:-)mommy said that it was yet her hardest delivery yet.Thank God,the hardest part is over.I was with her all morning and most afternoon.My cold has got better,as in i got worse.I've developed a cough now.I'm exhausted and falling asleep right now.Lack of sleep.It was so late when i had hit the sack last night.And i was up with the sun.But i had to give you updates.

I must admit that i was kinda freaked out that it might be a girl.Being my mom's only daughter,I have four brothers.(Now five!:-))I guess it was because i dont have a little sister..i was thinking like i wouldn't know how to be a sister to a girl..because i have a lifetime of experience with being a sister to brothers..confusing right?Yeah,i thought so too.Funny though..:-)

Be back with more soon..After i get some shut eye.I soooo don't want any,but all of my body is against what i want.So it's not like i have a choice.:-)

Love from,

What's been going on..

2009-03-30T23:11:00.006+05:00

My mommy has been admitted in the hospital this morning.Has not delivered yet,and i am worried about her. The doctor's have said that the baby was quite big.Which might supposedly make delivery a bit more difficult.They are keeping a good eye on her.Still,i am worried..And i am going to her first thing in the morning.Daddy is there with her tonight.

I have not been doing much sewing.I made two baby blankets.you know,the ones with the sweet little hoodie part?I could'nt take any pictures as my camera is down with some kinda flu.I think.:-)No wonder,i have been fighting a tough cold and fever for three days now.My camera must have caught it from me.no,wait..i think i caught it from my camera.LOL.

I have some pics from some time ago.random stuff.I know how much i drool over pictures from beautiful places out there.So even if it has nothing to do with anything what so ever,I'll still post some of my pics here.Totally random stuff.This here is of a little sketch,one i had drawn one a corner of a page of my recipe book.With lotsa scribbles all around it,But i thought i would spare you the the mind boggling beauty of my scribbling.LOL;-)

This here is the clock in our bedroom.The wall was looking too bare for me to handle,so i cut out petals from sticker paper and made a little something to make it look a bit more not so boring.we were thrilled with the results.

One of the best pictures i ever took.It was snapped with my phone one evening.Was with my sister while the sun was setting.But somehow this picture turned out to look nothing like it should at the time it was taken.I mean sunset is orange,red.not blue.right?even so,I Love this shot!:-)

I keep getting hungry.With my stuffy nose,watery eyes,sore throat and aching body.Some how this cold seems to have made my appetite biiiiiiiiig.I dont know why,but i become some what a stress eater every time when something changes.Let it be my mood from normal to some thing greater or worse..Or my health.Or anything else for that matter.Any changes in anything and i instantly start craving something edible!

Talk about issues huh?:-)

It's 2.30 in the morning.And i am still wide awake.So that i can feel sleepy all day tomorow.like it will do me a lot of good.:-)

hope to come back soon with some good news about mommy..And hopefully some sewing!

till next time,

lotsa love

It's a girl!

2009-03-21T21:23:00.003+05:00

My sister gave birth to a beautiful BEAUTIFUL baby girl this afternoon!:-)
Isn't that wonderful?And my mom is having a surprise later in life too.She is due in the beginning of april.April 2nd is the date given,to be exact.AND I HAVE TO I HAVE TO MAKE SOME BABY STUFF FOR THE NEW BABIES!
I have'nt much experience in making baby stuff.But i will give it a try i have to.Any ideas?

I havent been doing much lately.All i have been doing is making a lot of pizza.And eating them ofcourse,for all the meals of the day.(hubby even called me pizza girl.how cute is that?:-))Really.I really cant get crazier ,can i?(Though i am surely sure that i will find a way to top that somehow,soon.LOL)
Not done any hexing lately.No sewing either.What have i been doing?

Anyway,I have lots of sewing plans.For the babies.Any ideas any help would be truly appreciated.

It's 10.00 pm and i am craving pizza.Again.Can you believe that?

hugs,

My pizza recipe.And other stuff.

2009-03-11T00:05:00.010+05:00

I can't quite figure out why,but all i've been doing lately seems to be dreaming of cooking.Not much progress with the flower blocks for my quilt,or any other sewing.And not much cooking either.Just thinking about cooking.Just thinking.But I'm going to go work berserk soon.I just know.;-)

Last Friday i made a lot of experimenting with my oven.I made a heck lot of pizzas.(And i have got it quite nice how to to make a great pizza in the microwave.)

My pizza recipe

250 gm(approx. 2 1/2 cups)All purpose flour
1 tsp instant yeast(dry yeast is ok too,but you should dissolve it in luke warm water before adding.I've had some trouble with it,so i always prefer instant yeast)
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp butter/margarine
a pinch of salt(you can omit this too)
luke warm water

First sift floour into a big bowl,add all dry ingredients into it and mix.Add butter or margerine,and mix it too.yes,with the flour,no,no water yet.When you have mixed it all nicely,add water and knead the dough.seperate the dough into two balls.Cover with plastic wrap and keep in a warm place for it to work its magic.:-).Leave for like 20-30 mins.No peeking or peeping till its time!(If you wont be using both balls,you can store one in the refrigerator or freezer for quite some time,depending on how long you want to keep it.)

Is it time yet?If you are absolutely sure so,take the dough and punch it a bit to break the bubbles inside.Nicely roll out or you can just flaten it with your hands on a dish.

Take it carefully and put on a grill rack.spread a little olive oil on the dough so that that sauce will not soak the pizza.Add your favourite pizza sauce and toppings,grate some cheese,and put into oven.I made it in 45% grill 55% microwave on high power,for 8 minutes.

Grill on 85%grill power for 5 more minutes afterwards.that browns the toppings nicely.I guess it depends if you want to do it or not.

Its done!

In a convection oven,it takes about 25 minutes.It takes longer in a convection oven,but you can get crispier pizza if thats how you prefer it.(I love it soft,so the microwave version works for me great.)And you dont have to use a grill rack if you are using a convection oven.

You should try this recipe.I have been using this pizza recipe for as long as i have been cooking.ahem,not a looooooooooooong time,but the last five years of my life.It has never failed me,its always perfect.And it tastes way better home made.next time you want pizza,don't bother to take out or order,but just try and make this one.I promise you,you will not regret.I would love to hear from you how you liked it if you ever tried it!:-)

Edit:

It works well even though you don't grill it.100% microwave cooked works just as fine too..confirms my various experiments.So even if your microwave doesn't have grill mode like mine,Its still fine too.(Though i don't know how it will turn out if you use a plate.or any other dish for that matter..because i have always used the grilling rack only.)

(Thanks Drew for pointing that out!)

And to post a pic of what i sewed last.
I couldnt get a better shot of this dress.i tried many many times,but this is the best that i got.I know,it's almost blinding right?I sure can't look at it too much!(just ignore my babbling and my photos if it's becoming too much.:-) )

I have a loads of sewing to do.But i am not having much progress on any of it.And i am having lots of progress ignoring how much work i have to do.
tata for now.
Be back soon.Hopefully with somethimg intersting.Or not.(as in some more babbling.LOL:-))

xoxo,

my first attempt at making a pie.

2009-03-10T09:05:00.007+05:00

one with a shell i mean.

I love cooking.I love baking.I love experimenting with all sorts of recipes and play with food and make stuff just like i play with everything else.:-)And i am so lucky to have my own food critic who doesnt have except good things to say about my food! LOL:-)And he believes in me and helps me when ever i need any help,supports me when i am feel like i am not sure of what i am doing,and gives me a nudge in those moments when i need someone to show me that i can take some chances and still win,and always,always is there with me when i try a something new,to enjoy it together..and ofcourse,when ever i need him..:-)(i love you sweetheart!)
And he just got me an oven!I've wanted one so much for sometime,and my hubby got one for me!
I am soo happy.it's a microwave,and i forgot to check wether it had convection mode.And when i remembered,it was all too late.It did not have convection mode.It has grill,microwave and combination of them both as cooking functions,and i am determined to make do with it for everything that I could possibly want a convection oven for.So far,ive done a few experiments,and all have turned out pretty well so far.and it makes everything so quick.So i am really happy about my new oven.i love it,and have no problem with it,watsoever.LOL:-)
thankyou you sweetheart for the great gift..i lovvvvvvvve you!:-)
yesterday i gave some thinkng to how i could make a pie in the microwave.i would make the crust and microwave it first on its own,and add the filling later.And i tripped over and fell face down while i was running all over the internet,of all things,it was this recipe of how to make a pie shell in a microwave.Can you believe that?I was smiles all day long.:-)I book marked the place,and also wrote it down in my recipe book!!!!!i fell asleep wanting to wake up and give it a try first thing in the morning.And thats exactly what i did!I had to make it in time for breakfast,so i had to make it really fast.And i made it i totally made it!!

I made a mushroom and sausage filling.the crust was sooo flaky!it was kinda crunchy too.Is that how it's supposed to be?I would love to have any tips or advice if anyone has any!I have no idea how it is supposed to taste like,but we loved it!It was wonderful!

And right after breakfast i knew i had to write about it right away!

Did i mention that i love cooking?

xoxo,

Me,the busy Queen bee.

2009-03-06T19:27:00.012+05:00

Aint i quite a busy Queen Bee?if you saw around our place,you would think that i dont do anything except make big sewing and other-stuff-i-do related messes.cute ones though.;-).

Two days ago,i achieved this huge accomplishment.It was a dress that i never thought i could get done in a condition that anyone wuold want to wear.It was one i made for a neighbor,and she had given me the design,how she wanted the dress to look like.And as in my case of inability to say no,i agreed to do it for her!

i worked on this for two days.a whole day i spent trying to figure out how exactly i am going to pull it off.i messed up a couple of times too.like both neck facings were diferent.this is the front.

and here is the back.

i spent hours trying to figure out which side would be which,and in the end,i decided that the less steeper would be the back.Really.

i had a trouble with the fabrics,as the outter part of the dress was lace,and both sides needed to be gathered.i had trouble,to the point that i was almost ready to give up!!!I kept trying anyway,and in the end,i got it done.yay!!!and she likes the dress.and thats all that matters i guess.

i also make this purple dress,for a friend of hers.this one was very simple,so didnt take me more than an hour.i need to put some embellishing on this one yet.

here is my newest cushion cover too.those are yoyos on the red part.Oh don't you just love those sweet little things?

and this is the cute as a button shirt that i made and promised to show you so long ago.its the first time i sewed a girl shirt,but it turned out beautiful.plus,it fits me perfectly.I love it!

the progress on my quilt is alright too.I managed to finish three flower blocks in the past week.i used fabric that i had already used before,so i thought i wouldnt bore you with it again.Am i not thoughtful?;-)

And as for the projects that i am working on now,its a dress for my neighbor's friend,and ofcourse,my precious garden in the rainbow.

Well,thats it for now.

thanx for stopping by!

i'll be back soon:-)

xoxo,

Angeliquez

more weekend sewing

2009-02-28T15:49:00.008+05:00

ive been sewing and sewing.two nights back,i bought some floral fabric to make sheets for our bed.i came home straight away after that,sewed a sheet and cases for our pillows,washed and ironed it and dressed our bed before bed time.:-)

There is no saying what i end up doing when i really want something done:-)LOL..

i fell in love with the fabric at first sight..so love at first sight does exist..LOL..im living proof..:-)i thought i would show it you since its soooooo sweeeeeet..hoping that it may make you smile like it makes me:-)

And here are the flowers i managed to get done these three days.not much,but something:-)i specially love this red one,i lovvvvvvve it.(It was made from scraps from the bed clothes project.)

Oh isn't it sweeeeet?

gotta go back to do something.My hands are aching for some needle work;-)

be back soon.

lotsa love,

Angeliquez

how to links about hexagon quilting..check this out friends!

2009-02-25T17:55:00.002+05:00

Some friends have asked me how i made these hexagon flowers.As i have no experience in quilting from before and as i have never seen a real quilt ever in my life,it doesnt feel right for me to give you quilting lessons LOL.not yet;-)so instead,i will show you some links with plenty of hexagonal goodness in them.

here's some history about the hexagon quilt;

http://www.womenfolk.com/quilt_pattern_history/mosaic.htm

2. how to make a hexagon quilt using the english paper piecing method ;

i hope you like it.

xoxo,

Angeliquez

A little party dress..

2009-02-25T09:05:00.005+05:00

This little party dress is one i made for my hubby's little niece.It's for a gold theme wedding party.I am not too confident playing with satin fabrics,and have all sorts of seamstress nightmares about them.this fabric is one of the most difficult satins i have worked with,but i must say that i am quite happy with the results.

i chose one of the easiest and quickest patterns for this dress.It was done pretty quickly.But it took me some time to make those flowers and put them on the dress.

And this picture here is a close up of the flowers.Ooooh arent they adorable..! :0)

The dress is all done and ready to go,though i think that i will end up working on it some more if i have it with me for even a bit longer,LOL :0)

Thats it for now.Thanx for stopping by :0)

till the next time,hugs

Angeliquez

what i have accomplished in a month..

2009-02-24T23:27:00.004+05:00

It's been a month since i started working on my first quilt.since the day i started,ive finished atleast one block every day.so today,when i counted (for the hundreth time this month,LOL),i had finished 30,a grannnnnnnnnnnd total of 30 flower blocks!!! :):)

Not too bad for a months work right..:)

Here is the whole stack.

these are the ons i finished most recently.

i think i have posted atleast one pic of each of my blocks.(i have repeated same fabric in some,maybe thats why it appears that i havent really posted all 30 of my flowers.)

While i was looking at them all taday,i realised that i hav almost one fourth of all the blocks in pink,though various shades.honestly,i had no idea.:)

Anyway,i'll keep working and posting my progress inshaAllaah.

till then lotsa love,

Angeliquez

what i've been doing day and night

2009-02-19T09:06:00.007+05:00

i've been making more and more blocks for my precious quilt.it really is an addiction.i can no longer sit still in one place if i was'nt working on my flower blocks,surrounded with bits of cloths,needles and threads..LOL..:-).

so far i have completed 25 blocks.but still i cant really decide on how i want to arrange them.not a problem,i still have some till i have to think about that..:-)

i arranged these blocks on my floor to take a picture.its pretty clear that a white background doest work for it,ryt?or is it just me?

i really couldnt figure it out,but i have this feeling that i have some colours missing!!

is there something missing or is it just me?

LOL:-)

well,thats it for now.right now im working on a shirt.i'll be back with some pics of it as soon as im done with it.

till then,hugs

angeliquez

more flowers for my garden..

2009-02-09T22:54:00.003+05:00

ive been as busy as bee making more and more flower blocks..
this is a quick post,and im going to come back in a bit with pics for you..:-)

hugs,
angeliquez

more of my quilt blocks..

2009-02-07T20:50:00.008+05:00

Here are my latest updates on my garden in the rainbow..

i've finished three blocks in the past two days.I love these fabrics,and the blue one is really special because its the first blue coloured fabric i have ever bought or used on any of my projects.really.:-)

my hubby is really thrilled too.i think it has something to do with a breath of freshness/something new/(most probably) something that is not pink sort of thing.no one can blame him,because he is surrounded with all things pink

and its all my fault.but its totally unintentional...LOL;-)

(and being the wonderful man he is,he tolerates it well:-)i love you huny!:-))

and here is the green block close up..i love it really really and i wanted you to see it close up too.but this photo doesnt do it justice.it looks way better in real..but i hope that you like it anyway.:-)

i have joined this great quilt along group..such nice ladies,so sweet and so motivating and sooooo much inspiration.they have really helped me and i dont even feel like a quilting newbie anymore!

i really owe them so much thanx..

thanx ladies..

you girls rock my world!

im off to make some pizza.

im hungry and feeling verrrrrrrrrrry much like pizza.;-)i've a wonderful pizza recipe and ill share it with you sometime soon insha allaah.the last time i tried,i was trying to get a decent shot of my pizza to post here,n i turned away to adjust my camera for a second and when i turned back,hubby had eaten it..:-)LOL..my dear sweeeeeet hubby:-):-)

better luck next time:-)

till then,hugs..

angeliquez

My very first post

2009-02-04T00:17:00.002+05:00

this is my first post and im feeling wee bit wiggledy(whatever that means..lol:-))

so let me post on what im currently working on.this is my first block for my first ever quilt,which im going to call my garden in the rainbow quilt.:-)lame?lol..

i have made a six blocks so far.it will certainly take some time before this one is done.But,i think i'm going to enjoy it allllllll the way to the end:-)..

ive gotta run..will be back soon,insha Allaah.

till then,hugs