40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 15 - The Aliens are Landing!

Who can guess what this is and why it is there?

40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 14 - Sabotage

Did I mention recently I like cola bottles?  I'm sure hubby loves me really, he also knows I just cannot resist...

40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 13 - View From My Window

This is what it looked like from my window at work this morning, could not see a thing.  All a bit spooky (reminded me of James Herbert's "The Fog"). 

40 Day Photo Challenge - Day 13: Gift from Little Man

Pots and Pots of Love

Every child brings home a mishappen pot made in a class pottery lesson at some point.  So I have been waiting with eagerness for mine.  Little Lady finally bought home this which she made as part of her ancient Greece topic.

I have to say its better than the wonky, lumpy attempts my younger sisters used to bring home...Its even nice and round.  Its currently got pride of place on my bedside table and will house my bits and pieces treasures.

40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 12 - Chatpatti Things

Definition: This word is used to describe dishes that have a hot-and-sour flavour. It gave rise to words like chaat (a hot-sour-sweet snack flavoured with chutneys) and spice mixes like chaat masala (source). 

When your mum-in-law says she fancies something sweet, what better excuse to drag hubby out gallavanting at night go for a long walk and come back with some sweets (brown Habshi halwa and carrot halwa) and a spicy snack to eat on a cold night.

This is channa-chaat, a favourite South Asiaan street food.  I was convinced no-one does this like the Lahori's until I found a tiny little shop tucked away that serves this perfect spicy and sour version for £1 a box.  Now most of our evening walks seem to end somewhere near this little shop.

40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 11 - Green

There are a few things which have made me consistently happy since childhood (cola bottles, kindness, books, sparkly things) and certainly the colour green is one of them.

40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 10 - View from Excel Centre

Colourful Jummah, Wonderful Weekend and the Twins of Faith Event

I am looking forward to today and this weekend.   I have a half day at work, then lunch with girlfriends and then have to be a home to pick the kids up from school as hubby and mum-in-law will be away for the weekend.  I plan to spend the evening lounging at mums enjoying her comfort food and then have the kids in bed with me eating junk and watching an old movie.

I have picked out something fun and colourful to wear to meet the girls (I love this scarf from my mum, reminds me of her as she loves to wear bright colours) and the ring is my favourite.

This Saturday I will be at Mercy Mission's Twins of Faith conference at ExCel in east London which I am looking forward to immensely.  I am going crazy trying to work out which workshops and talks I want to attend.  Will be taking Shutterbug Sister and my camera with me, so should be lots of pictures, notes and motivation to come back with insh'Allah.  Are any of you going?

I love the questions the website asks: Amidst the pressures of everyday life, how can we remain sincere and serve this religion only for the Love of God? How can the communities that we live in appreciate us in the same way that the community of Madinah valued the Prophet and his Companions? If our presence in the UK ceased to exist, what – if anything - would this nation miss from our absence? On a personal level, what value have you added to it? Are you known as a caring, trustworthy and reliable person in your community? Are you the most diligent team member in your workplace? What will be your legacy?

Then Sunday the local sisters circle will be moving back to my house insh'Allah (it will make me clean the house of nothing else).  Hubby and mum-in-law will also be back on Sunday evening, so will be my day for cooking a special dinner for everyone.

have so much to write about - recipes, my school lunchbox journey, book reviews, so many posts and thoughts that have been going through my head, (redundancy, a littering project, new opportunities, a craft project prompted by Shutterbug Sister).  Just need a bit of time to write everything up! Would write more, but getting late for work now!

Have a wonderful Jummah day insh'Allah!!!

40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 9 - Colour

40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 8 - Henna Design

I manageed to sneak out this evening to celebrate pay day...by window shopping.  Spotted this lovely henna design on a giant plate of all places.

40 Day Photo Challenge: Day 7 - A Quiet Moment

For day 7 of my first 40 day challenge, I thought of a quiet moment on the bus on the way home from work.  I usually get dropped off and picked up by hubby so have a few minutes between walking out the door from work and getting home and getting started with the second shift as I call it (change, feed kids, send off to madrassah, wudhu, pray, groceries, kitchen, cook, clean, blog...). 

Today though I came home by myself and savoured the train journey (only three changes) with my book (Rumi's Daughter by Muriel Maufroy) and the bus ride home (doing nothing).  Not a great picture but it shows all the junk I carry round - two big bags with my lunch, diary, book, spare flat shoes, glasses, purse and who knows what else.