Just Updates, I Guess...

Salaam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh everyone, insh'Allah everyone's well and in good health with high iman.

I haven't posted in a while...like a week and a half...I haven't really had all that much to write about/I've had horrible brain drain/I haven't felt motivated to write anything meaningful, even though I do have lots of ideas floating around my head for posts and videos/my internet connection ran out for the month almost a week ago, and my husband decided to charge the modem for yesterday and today only until he gets paid again...so I've been internetless for a bit...yes, I did in fact go through a bit of withdrawl...yes, I know it's bad.

Anyways, since my brain is not really working all too well now, it's time for a list :P

1. The kittehs are doing very well, alhamdolillah. We've had to leave them by themselves for a day or two while staying with the in-laws. They are extremely attatched to me (and my husband, but mostly to me because I'm the one who's there with them all day giving them food, playing with them, and cleaning their litter box), so they weren't very happy that they had to be all alone. Anyways, they're getting bigger and fuzzier, and their whiskers are coming in. They're still hyper as ever...and they've now discovered how to jump onto chairs...and how to climb myself and my husband like trees (OWWWW...I'm going to have to trim their claws soon!)

2. My stomach has gotten MUCH better alhamdolillah! It's still not 100%, but at least I've finished all of my medication and some of the dietary restrictions have been lifted (yay mild spice (cumin) and citrus in moderation! Still no hot peppers or harissa for me for a while lol, but alhamdolillah now my food actually has some flavor to it!). Also, alhamdolillah since I've made an effort to wear my glasses more often (computer and television) my migraine occurances have been reduced quite a bit (I've only had two since I went to the doctors...okay that might sound like a lot to some people, but really it's an improvement...I think a certain other medicine that I've been taking that I'm going to stop soon insh'Allah (only about a week to go!) has been aggrivating them because I never used to get migraines this often)

3. I think I've lost some weight alhamdolillah! I'm not completely sure because I don't have a scale...but I do have a tape measure and my waist has gotten a bit smaller...so I'm guessing a kg or two maybe? Insh'Allah I'm going to continue to try to get in better shape. It's a bit hard when I don't have a treadmill or an exercise bike, or an eliptical...because those are so easy to use...I guess I can try aeorobics or yoga or pilates or something...at least I'll be alone in my own home so there won't be anyone to gawk at me...and at least the appartment under us is empty so they won't be able to hear my crazed attempts at exercising through their ceiling.

4. I might have a job, insh'Allah! This is the work at home job with a telecom company in Canada I've been following through with for pretty much the last month and a half maybe...yes the recruiting company in Morocco is quite unreliable and frustrating at times, but it is a legit offer alhamdolillah...and the best part about it is that I'll be able to work from home. I'll have a decent salary, and I won't have to keep bugging my husband for money insh'Allah (I know that it's his Islamic duty to provide for me, but really...I HATE asking for money for little things I want that I don't necessarily need...) This also means money I can do what I please with. After having jobs pretty much since I was 14 (okay, up until I was 18 I was only really working for a couple hours on Saturdays assistant teaching karate classes...so not really a REAL job, but hey, it was $20 a week for me to do what I wanted with...including dying my hair hot pink and shocking violet, much to the chagrin of my parents LOL) having money of my own is something that I miss.

So, that's pretty much it for now...as always I've managed to write more than I originally intended. So, insh'Allah I'll be back with some good/thoughtful posts (and insh'Allah some videos too!) once I have regular internet again. See you all soon, insh'Allah, take care!

KITTENS!

Salaam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh everyone, insh'Allah you're all in the best of health and the highest of iman!

So, my dear hubby came home Thursday night with two furry little surprises for me...that's right, I'm now a mommy to two ADORABLE little kittens! Ever since I came here I really wanted kittens/cats...I'm pretty much over the moon right now, ALHAMDOLILLAH! My entire life I've grown up around two cats, so I've really missed having them around. They're both females, and I decided to name them Angel and Whiskers. Angel is the greyish tabby, and Whiskers is her sister...she's the one who's white with calico spots. They're around 8 weeks old, so they still have a lot of growing to do! When they grow to full size insh'Allah I think they're both going to end up being long hairs. My hubby's never had pets, so this is a new experience for him :D

Subhan'Allah these little kitties are like little furry balls of energy; they enjoy chasing eachother all over the house and trying to climb the walls and other various kitten-like activities. When they're all tired out, they like to climb into my lap and snuggle together for a little nap before they go back to playing. Aren't they ADORABLE, mash'Allah?!?!? I still can't understand why my MIL doesn't like cats -_-'

TAG: My Favorites

Salaam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh everyone, insh'Allah you're all in the best of health and the highest of iman ^_^

Alhamdolillah my stomach has been feeling better since taking the medication and altering my diet...insh'Allah it'll be 100% healed soon, because ulcers aren't that fun :(

Anyways, I saw this over at Elisa's blog "Before Sunrise" and thought it would be fun to do ^_^

My Favorite:

1. FOOD: Salmon! I miss eating it so much...over here in Morocco it's kind of out of our price range :( Couscous is also delicious.

2. COLOR: PURPLE. Hands down.

3. ANIMAL: CATS. Again, no question there ^_^

4. SPORT: Karate...I'm a second degree blackbelt! :P

5. DESSERT: Mango gelatto

6. SHOES: Bilgha...they're traditional Moroccan slippers and I love them!

7. OUTFIT: My slim-sleeved, super A-line cut abaya made from saloona crepe that I got from a sister while she was living in Saudi paired with a large colored/printed scarf. Also, pyjamas for wearing underneath and inside the house XD

8. BRAND: Pshhht, brands are overrated. If I see something I like that's not too expensive, I buy it regardless of what it does or doesn't say on the tag.

9. PERFUME: Anything by Escada...stupid me I left both of my nice Escada perfumes at my parents' house...oh well, they were almost empty anyways lol (and just a side note ladies...perfume around non-mahrams is a no-no!)

10. ACCESSORY: Gotta have my earings! I have four piercings in each of my ears...oh, and I had them all before I was 15...my parents were very lenient with ear piercings...my Mommy has double piercings in each of her ears <3 And no...I never got anything else pierced...although I did want a nose piercing and an eyebrow piercing once upon a time...but I grew out of that wish before I turned 18 :P

11. CITY: This is difficult to say...I really don't have one. I like my hometown for obvious reasons, I like Casa, where I am now...I also like Washington D.C. because of all the awesome museums, monuments, and restaurants!

12. HOBBY: I enjoy knitting and sewing...but I haven't done either in forever! So, I guess stalking people online will have to suffice for now...(JK PEOPLE, JK!)

13. BEAUTY PRODUCT: I'm going to have to say it's a tie between lip balm and talcum powder...lol yeah I'm really boring when it comes to beauty products...Ayah doesn't wear makeup, even for hubby (hubby doesn't like it anyways) :P

14. SNACK: I like slicing up a cucumber and putting some vinegar on it and eating that as a snack (can't do that anymore now though because of the ulcers, boo!)...it reminds me a bit of eating salt and vinegar chips, which I used to be addicted to. I also really liked mochi ice cream when I was living in the U.S., but they don't have it here in Maroc :(

15. HOLIDAY: Ramadan...I look forward to it every year, alhamdolillah, especially this year! FYI everyone, only about 3 MONTHS UNTIL RAMADAN STARTS! :D

16. MOVIE: It's a three way tie between Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro

17. SONG: Mountains of Mecca by Zain Bhikha

18. GUILTY PLEASURE: Watching America's Next Top Model and Project Runway...I'm still annoyed that Mondo didn't win last season >:(

Anyways, I'm too lazy to actually tag people...so if you read this, and you feel like doing it, consider yourself TAGGED!

OUCH! Doctors Again...

Salaam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh everyone, insh'Allah you're all doing well, and are in the best of health and the highest of iman! ^_^ So, as of Friday, my husband and I are back with the in-laws for a little bit. Alhamdolillah I'm happy about this because I was starting to feel quite lonely... Anyways, my stomach hasn't been feeling too well for a while now, but on Friday, the pain was absolutely excruciating. I woke up feeling nauseous, and with a mild headache, so I decided to take it easy and to just eat a bowl of plain rice for breakfast, thinking that I would feel better afterwards. Fast forward about an hour an a half later, my headache had turned into a full-blown migraine, and my stomach was feeling worse. As time progressed, I was convinced that not only was my head going to split open, but that my stomach was eating itself. This wasn't hunger pain...it was like I had swallowed fire, or some sort of really strong acid, and it was giving me the worst heart burn I have ever had. Alarmed, I called my husband at work and told him how I was feeling. He told me to try to hang on until he got off at 5pm, and he would bring me some medicine for my excruciating migraine (which was what was bothering me the most at that moment...I can deal with pretty much every type of pain except for migraines). A few hours later he called me again to ask how I was feeling, I told him I felt exactly the same, if not worse. He told me he would try to get off work early because he was worried about me (awww! What a sweetheart ^_^ <3) About thirty minutes later he arrived with my MIL at our appartment. By then I had managed to puke up all of the rice that I had eaten five or so hours before all over the floor next to our bed, and had found it strange that none of it was in the least bit digested. When my husband came into the room I immediatley appologized for the puke all over the floor (he didn't care <3), and he asked me how long ago I had eaten it. When I told him that it had been at least five hours, he also found it strange. He told me that we were going to go to stay with my in-laws so that I could go see a doctor the following morning to make sure everything was okay. When we got there, I took some medicine for my poor head, and alhamdolillah after a while my migraine felt better. My MIL made me some grapefruit juice, which normally I love, but with just one sip my heartburn and the fiery pain in my stomach doubled. After that she gave me some syrup that she uses to help her sleep, and I managed to get some rest. The following day I went to the doctors early with one of my husband's aunts. Unfortunately he didn't speak English, unlike the other doctor, but I managed to properly communicate with him in French. He was an old man, and I definitely felt like he knew what he was doing, which was comforting. I would have preferred a female doctor...but unfortunately COMPETANT female doctors are few and far between here :( He asked me what my symptoms were, and he did a thorough examination. He pressed a few areas of my stomach and asked me if it hurt...which it did, a bit. That lead him to want to do an ultrasound (which he did for free, mash'Allah...normally you have to pay 150dhs extra). The first question he asked me was, "have you been sleeping well at night?" I haven't slept properly through the night for months...I have trouble falling asleep, and I always wake up at least twice during the night. After hearing this, he replied, "well, this might explain why..." and pointed to a bunch of white splotches. Apparently, I have developed ulcers in my stomach and intestine. The doctor told me that I need to try to relax. I hadn't realized before, but I am under a lot of stress. Being a newly-wed is a happy time in one's life, but it does come with quite a bit of stress. However, being a newly-wed in a strange country, surrounded by a strange language, thousands of miles away from all of my family and friends is even more stressful. I guess it kind of just snuck up on me. I didn't recognize it at first, because I've always associated stress with negativity and sadness...and since I've come here, I've been happier than I have been in a while. So, I am on a strict no-spice diet, and I've been put on three different medications to help with the heartburn and stomach pain (and one for my migraine headaches). I've also been told that I MUST try my best to relax. The doctor told me that I should drink louisa tea (a type of herbal tea) to relax before bed because I told him I didn't want sleeping medication. I am hoping that my stomach can heal quickly, and that I can be back to normal soon, insh'Allah.

MASH'ALLAH!

Salaam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh everybody, insh'Allah you're all in the best of health and the highest of iman today ^_^

So, I came across the videos of a young Egyptian sister today, and all I have to say is MASH'ALLAH! Here's the latest video she's made about the topic of salaat (prayer), you should definitely watch it! In the video, she is speaking in Arabic, but there are English subtitles:



MASH'ALLAH! Did I forget to mention that she's only 9? It's inspirational to see such young brothers and sisters sending messages like this, may Allah(swt) bless and protect her, and may He reward her immensely for her efforts, ameen!

I hope that Allah(swt) blesses me with healthy pious children, and that He gives me the strength and wisdom to be able to raise them well within our beautiful religion of Islam.

Want to Memorize Qur'an?

Salaam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh everyone, I'm hoping that everyone's in the best of health and the highest of iman today, insh'Allah!

So the topic of memorizing Qur'an came up on sister Daisy's blog post here:

http://americanpolygany.blogspot.com/2011/04/pick-3-any-3.html

Mash'Allah, it got me thinking about how recently, I've been neglecting my memorization, astighfirallah. Anyways, I wanted to share with you a couple of great websites that I found a few months ago that are really useful to use when you want to memorize Qur'an.

[SIDE NOTE]

I want to take the time out to mention that it is a lot easier to memorize the Qur'an if you can read Arabic script, instead of using the transliteration, so insh'Allah, if you don't know how to already, you should concentrate on learning how to read Arabic. Insh'Allah memorization will come so much faster, and you will know how to properly pronounce the words just by reading them. I know that personally, it became so much easier for me to memorize Qur'an once I learned how to read Arabic...I know it might seem like a daunting task, but insh'Allah it will definitely be one that is completely worth all of the effort in the end. Insh'Allah I want to do a post in the future about why exactly it's better to learn to read Arabic over using the transliteration, because I feel like it's a crutch a lot of us non-Arabic speakers use (myself included once upon a time) that we really should get out of the habit of using. And I digress...

[/SIDE NOTE]

Anyways, the first site I want to mention is http://www.qurantracker.com/. Mash'Allah this is a GREAT site! It allows you to create a free account where you can track your memorization progress. It's a great motivational tool, a wonderful way to review the surahs you already have memorized, and it's a great way to stay organized.

This site also links to another great site: http://tanzil.net/. This is a place where you can really work on memorizing Qur'an in a way that it will have meaning to us non-Arabic speakers. You can choose to have many different translations of the Arabic text in several languages displayed at the same time as the Arabic text (so you can read, and know the meaning at the same time, something that I find really helps memorization!). In addition, you can play a recording of the surah recited by the qari of your preference, and as the qari is reciting, it will actually HIGHLIGHT the ayah that he is on, so you can FOLLOW ALONG!!! How cool is that?!?

I highly suggest checking both of these websites out if you're trying to memorize Qur'an! May Allah(swt) reward the developers with jannat al firdous, ameen!

p.s. I'm working on Surat At-Tin ^_~

Du'ah Request

Salaam alaikum everyone, jummah mubarak, "happy Friday"! Insh'Allah you are all in the best of health and the highest of iman today. Okay, I am going to try to keep this post short and to the point, as I don't think many of you appreciate the long novels I usually leave in your dashboard inbox, hehe :P I am here to humbly request that you please make du'ah for two people (one of whom is myself): 1. Most importantly, please keep my husband's cousin Imane in your du'ah. She has been really sick for the past two weeks. Yesterday she had blood work done to rule out anything serious (they're thinking that she might have diabetes). They will have the test results later today, insh'Allah. May Allah(swt) grant her shifaa (good health), ameen. Insh'Allah it's not anything serious. 2. This is my second day interviewing at a job for a Canadian company as a call center operative. After completeing training, insh'Allah I might have an opportunity to work for them from home. I still have to complete the interviewing/training period to see if they decide that they want to keep me. Please make du'ah that I get the job, if it is something that is good for both me and my religion. At the very least, insh'Allah please keep Imane in your du'ahs, we are all concerned about her.