IRL OOTD: City Market

Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatallahi wa barakato~

May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you~

Just thought I'd share an IRL OOTD with ya'll.  Sunday my husband and I ventured down to the city market -- it's my favorite thing to do.  We looked around at the flea market and then bought tons of fresh produce for incredibly cheap.  I bought eggplant for Mat'loobi, yummmmm, my favorite.

This is what I wore -- it was incredibly windy, so I was happy to have my jacket to tuck my scarf into.  Nothing's worse than your scarf magically floating around your head...

After we were done shopping I got some berry gelato at the Italian market.  It was delicious!

In sh Allah you all had a delightful weekend :)

Going Home

Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatallahi wa barakato~

May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you~

Next weekend my husband and I will visit my parents' country home, in sh Allah.  These pictures remind me of the simple beauty of my roots.  My ancestors have been farmers for hundreds of years.  My mother's cousin traced their lineage back to the 1700s, and her family were farmers in Tennessee.  My father's family is much of the same, although located more centrally in the U.S.

The place I grew up is so lovely -- in sh Allah I will share some pictures here sometime after next weekend.  We plan on planting some fruit trees, and my husband and father will go turkey hunting. We will probably build a bonfire and sit outside late, chatting and making fire foods.

I always miss home when I go back, but I can't imagine staying there for too long, you know?  Much to my mother's disappointment...

Country life has a much different rhythm.  I still run to that rhythm, even though it's been years since I lived there. Alhamdulillah for my roots.  I would not be who I am without them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apartment Decorating on a Budget

Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatallahi wa barakato~
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you~

As I am moving to a new apartment soon, this gives me lots of new opportunities to redecorate/add decorations to my spaces.  My apartment now is cute, but not terribly put together.  I didn't have much of a budget when I moved last year.

I thought I would share some of my budget-friendly redecorating ideas on my blog :)

Idea #1:  Botanical Prints

Did you know that you can find botanical prints for free online?!  Well, you can.  Here's one site I found:  vintageprintable.com.  I plan on picking out the prints I like, saving the large size, printing them off, and framing them.  I think some vintage fruit sketches would look cute in the kitchen/dining area, and I might use some flowery type ones in our bedroom.

Idea #2:  IKEA bargains

Wow, is IKEA affordable.  It's comparable in pricing/cheaper than Walmart and Target 9/10 and the quality/look is very nice.  They have also recently added more items to their online shopping dept. so woooohoooo, Swedishstuff here I come :) !  Here are some finds I might purchase...

I love how country chic this duvet cover is.  Right up my alley...

This is my husband's pick for a duvet cover.  I like it also -- I've always had a thing for this print.  So long as it doesn't actually have people printed on it, which would be weird/Islamically impermissible. 

These curtains don't seem like much, but I plan on making a bed canopy out of them!  I've always wanted a canopy, and there's no time like the present, so... :)

I love this crib and bookshelf series, and it's on sale right now!  Enough said.

Idea #3:  Etsy

Etsy is a great way to find wall art and antique decorating accessories on the cheap.  I have also found that they have a good selection of Islamic prints suitable for a child's room...  You can also find Islamic wall decals, if that's your cup of tea. 

thewheatfield Etsy Shop

LittleWingsGallery Etsy Shop

Simply Impessions Etsy Shop

Antique wash basins are so sweet!  They always remind me of my grandmother, she always had them in bedrooms.  You can always find heaps of antique teacups and handkerchiefs also, which are so affordable and cute.

Idea #4:  DIY

DIY is a great budget-friendly option for decorating.  If you have any old furniture, or you find some thrifting, it's so easy to refinish furniture and make it look new.  Or add something to a wall space with a stencil.  I have a project planned with an old cupboard I inherited from my grandmother.  Here are some stencil ideas (which you can also use to add patterns to cheap-o rugs)....

OMGstencils Etsy Shop

If you see a stencil pattern that you like, it's fairly easy to copy. Most stencils show that actual stencil.  You can print that out, then trace it onto a thin piece of cardboard (I always use the cardboard from notebooks!), and you can paint accordingly.  Pretty easy.

Blog on Re-doing Furniture



Replacing the hardware on furniture is another easy/cheap way to restyle the furniture  you already have or furniture you have thrifted. 

Another DIY to consider is bed canopies!  I love canopied beds, and have always wanted one.  Recently, I've been thinking, "It would be so easy to DIY one!" So that's what I plan on doing.  Here's how (hopefully) the end result will look:

 

So, that's all for now!  In sha Allah I will post after pictures and let you all know which ideas I used and how they went.

Wearing Niqab

Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatallahi wa barakato~
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you~

A couple days ago, I had my first bonafide experience wearing a niqab.  It was not planned.  I was driving home from university, and I just decided to wrap my scarf around my face and pin it.  It was instinctual, really -- kind of like my first time wearing the hijab -- it just felt right.

So anyway, that feeling of "rightness" didn't last long.  Almost immediately I got a reaction (mind you, I was in a car on the highway).

I passed an SUV going 5 over the speed limit--normal, non-dangerous type driving.  The man in the SUV began speeding up, so I looked over.  And I will never forget what I saw.

I have never, EVER in my life seen such an expression of shock and disgust -- even horror -- as I saw on that man's face.  It was as if I didn't have a face, or my face had been ripped off.  Yup, if my face had literally been ripped off, his reaction would have been the same, most likely.

He sort of drove side-by-side with me for what felt like an eternity, although it was probably only a few minutes.  I just stared calmly back at him -- I didn't show any emotional response to his crazy behavior.

Well, the interchange ended with his revving off (he suddenly decided to drive like 90 miles an hour) and leaving me in his dust.

I can't say that I felt completely cool and collected after that.  I mean, someone had just looked at me like I was the grim reaper.  I tried to calm myself down and carry on.

Now, I have had crazy reactions to my hijab.  I have had harassment, and rude comments, and unkindness.  But I have never had a face react quite like that to my appearance before.  And it frightened me.

I just keep thinking, what was running through that man's mind?  He looked so disgusted and shocked, but what did he feel when he looked at me, a covered woman just driving on the highway?

And mostly, why did he feel it was okay to react to a human being that way?  Just because I had covered my face up didn't mean I suddenly became a robot.  It didn't mean I was something to be feared, or leered at like some sort of nasty spectacle.

I will never treat anyone the way that man on the highway treated me.  My heart goes out to all of the sisters who wear the niqab, especially in the West where reactions to it can be so violent.  May Allah reward all of you, in sh Allah.

Pinterest Picks

Asalaamu alaykum rahmatallahi wa barakato~

May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you~

Here's a few of my recent Pinterest favorites.  I love coral for spring, and flowy maxis.  The lily bracelet at the end is similar to a ring I made when I was an art major.  I love biomorphic jewelry :)

Moving On

Asalaamu alaykum rahmatallahi wa barakato ~

May the peace, mercy and blessings of God be with you ~

In two months I will (in sh Allah (God Willing)) graduate from college.  And although I am feeling incredibly excited,  blessed, happy; I'm also filled with a multitude of other emotions --

mainly, anxiety.

I am a girl who does not deal well in change.  I've gone through several "adjustment periods" in the past four years, just to cope with changes that I've undergone.

I mean, if I move -- there goes my sanity.

New school -- forget the calm, normal Albie you know and love.  And hello neuroses.

I don't know what it is.  I think because my parents stressed making my life as continuous as possible when I was a kid, I'm now sort of paralyzed when it comes to any major life events.

Which stinks.  

How did I end up marrying a foreigner, changing my religion, and moving hours from home?  I mean, you would think someone like me would end up in the same place she grew up, doing the same exact thing day after day.  Picture a cat lady eating bran flakes and watching the exact same T.V. show for years.  That's what I would be like, if I let my anxieties get the best of me.

Whatever God wills, that's what happens.  And it just so happens that I am meant to have a life fraught with huge changes every couple years or so.

So I gotta learn to deal.  Goodbye, cat lady obscurity -- hello, brave new world.  Here I come, ready or not.

May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala (glorified and exalted be he)) teach me to be more resilient in the face of fear and change.

Ramadan is Coming!

Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatallahi wa barakato,
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you,

I just wanted to make a pre-Ramadan post because things are about to get REAL real quickly.  I am so excited for Ramadan this year!  What a great time to grow in Islam and get closer to Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala (glorified and exalted be He).

I want to start having some Ramadan traditions this year -- since I live in the U.S. and am a revert and all, (and I don't know many other Muslims) I think it would be nice to have an activity that makes me feel more involved and festive-y.  Crafts maybe?  Make some cute lanterns, a banner, a garland?  Invite the neighbors to Iftaar (I saw that idea on the internet, so cute and nice, masha'Allah (God has willed it)? I dunno though, because when I fast, I don't have too much energy.  It can be challenging to keep up with chores, do homework, and study the Qur'an when your brain is muddling by on a few calories from the iftaar (after sunset meal) you ate the night before.

Here's some cute crafts that I could make in sh Allah (god willing):

My spiritual goals for Ramadan:  I want to learn two new surahs a week.  That may sound ambitious (or not, I dunno) but my summer classes are over soon, so ins ha'Allah (God willing) I'll have enough time to do more memorization.  I also want to work on my Arabic and read the Qur'an in Arabic.  In sha'Allah!

Lastly, Ramadan Kareem to anyone and everyone out there!  Hope you all enjoy a blessed month from Allah (swt), insha'Allah.  :)

My Day at the Beach :)

Asalaamu alaykum wa rahmatallahi wa barakto ~
May the peace, mercy, and blessing of God be upon you~

Today, my husband and I enjoyed a relaxing day at the beach.  The weather was gorgeous, and there's a lake not too far from our home.

I got a few leery eyes at my unique beach apparel -- I guess these people aren't used to seeing a covered gal at the beach ;).

Seeing as I don't yet own a "birkini" (I plan on getting one soon), I just wore a breathable black maxi and basic tee, and relaxed with a trusty Jane Austen novel.

I love lazy summer days :)