Making Our Home a Haven

 It was fun to see last night that Monica who blogs at The Homespun Heart was planning on having a Make your Home a Haven week. I think it is fun to join in with other homemakers as we work on making our homes something that is welcoming to our family and others and a place where God is honored. It is my goal to try to have a home like that and I hope to encourage others in that as well. I like the idea of every so often really focusing on that goal and thinking and writing on it to help cement in me what I should do and how I should be. So I am joining Monica (and hopefully others) this week in striving to make my home a haven.

Last night I made sure to set my alarm clock so that I could get up in good time and get plenty of undisturbed prayer time. Often I just listen for Ken's alarm clock and then figure I still have a few more minutes and I often sleep later than I would like. So this morning I was up and out of bed at a bit before 7am. (still not that early but we aren't extremely early risers around here.)

I was able to spend some good time in prayer. One thing that I really wanted to talk to God about in depth was Jonathan and his math. He has been quite frustrated with it again lately which has caused me to get frustrated with him and then in turn he has not been happy with me. It hasn't been good and I needed God's help. I am happy to report that today's math lesson went quite a bit better!!! Praise God. I will continue to pray on this.

One of the verses that I spent time meditating on today was Ephesians 4:15 & 16 which says: "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." I have really been thinking lately about how we speak to one another in our home and wanting to make sure that it is full of gentleness, kindness and love and not ever words that will tear down (I posted about this yesterday too with some other verses that I am trying to emulate.) I have decided that we will talk about a verse like this each day this week and add it to our memory verses. We do want to grow up into Christ and be part of His body that works together in LOVE!

For breakfast I did add candles to the table (the flowers and pears were already there for decoration). Breakfast was Hash browns (which is a favorite of Ken's and all the kids) , eggs, grapefruit and milk. I am so happy that we can all eat together as a family (though Ken is usually in a hurry and out the door to work pretty quickly but at least we have a few minutes with him too).

 Monday's are my big cleaning and laundry day so besides our school work we:

• are doing all of the laundry (as of now it is still in progress).
• mopped.
• cleaned the kitchen.
• washed some dirty walls that were needing attention.
• cleaned the upstairs bathroom.
• cleaned the living room.

I am still hoping to work in my office and work some more on the project I have been really pursuing lately of getting rid of clutter. Last week I really worked on getting rid of clutter and made a lot of progress. I am exciting to get working on that again this week. I have been going through papers, clothes, e-mails and more. I am realizing more and more how much simpler it is to live with less stuff and when I only handle things like mail, etc once or as few times as possible.

 Those are some of the things I am working on to make my home a haven. What about you?

Making Our Home a Haven

 It was fun to see last night that Monica who blogs at The Homespun Heart was planning on having a Make your Home a Haven week. I think it is fun to join in with other homemakers as we work on making our homes something that is welcoming to our family and others and a place where God is honored. It is my goal to try to have a home like that and I hope to encourage others in that as well. I like the idea of every so often really focusing on that goal and thinking and writing on it to help cement in me what I should do and how I should be. So I am joining Monica (and hopefully others) this week in striving to make my home a haven.

Last night I made sure to set my alarm clock so that I could get up in good time and get plenty of undisturbed prayer time. Often I just listen for Ken's alarm clock and then figure I still have a few more minutes and I often sleep later than I would like. So this morning I was up and out of bed at a bit before 7am. (still not that early but we aren't extremely early risers around here.)

I was able to spend some good time in prayer. One thing that I really wanted to talk to God about in depth was Jonathan and his math. He has been quite frustrated with it again lately which has caused me to get frustrated with him and then in turn he has not been happy with me. It hasn't been good and I needed God's help. I am happy to report that today's math lesson went quite a bit better!!! Praise God. I will continue to pray on this.

One of the verses that I spent time meditating on today was Ephesians 4:15 & 16 which says: "But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." I have really been thinking lately about how we speak to one another in our home and wanting to make sure that it is full of gentleness, kindness and love and not ever words that will tear down (I posted about this yesterday too with some other verses that I am trying to emulate.) I have decided that we will talk about a verse like this each day this week and add it to our memory verses. We do want to grow up into Christ and be part of His body that works together in LOVE!

For breakfast I did add candles to the table (the flowers and pears were already there for decoration). Breakfast was Hash browns (which is a favorite of Ken's and all the kids) , eggs, grapefruit and milk. I am so happy that we can all eat together as a family (though Ken is usually in a hurry and out the door to work pretty quickly but at least we have a few minutes with him too).

 Monday's are my big cleaning and laundry day so besides our school work we:

• are doing all of the laundry (as of now it is still in progress).
• mopped.
• cleaned the kitchen.
• washed some dirty walls that were needing attention.
• cleaned the upstairs bathroom.
• cleaned the living room.

I am still hoping to work in my office and work some more on the project I have been really pursuing lately of getting rid of clutter. Last week I really worked on getting rid of clutter and made a lot of progress. I am exciting to get working on that again this week. I have been going through papers, clothes, e-mails and more. I am realizing more and more how much simpler it is to live with less stuff and when I only handle things like mail, etc once or as few times as possible.

 Those are some of the things I am working on to make my home a haven. What about you?

Organic Palm Shortening {Review and Giveaway!}

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is Rachelle!

The latest item that I was blessed to receive from Tropical Traditions for review is Palm Shortening. This is something I had never tried before and so I was curious about it. I would love to use all healthy fats and oils when I cook and bake for my family and so I was eager to try this one.

 I had tried Palm Oil a while back and was amazed at how orange it was and found the taste interesting. I knew that the shortening was made from Palm Oil so I wondered if it would have some of the same flavor and color. It does not. The Palm shortening is a creamy white and has pretty much no taste. I almost think you could pass it for butter if you made honey "butter" or garlic "butter". It is so much nicer than crisco or a shortening like that!

Here is some more informtation about it from Tropical Traditions:

"Palm shortening is derived from palm oil (read about Virgin Palm Oil here). In its natural state, palm oil is a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, with most of the unsaturated fat being monounsaturated fat. Palm shortening is palm oil that has some of its unsaturated fats removed, giving it a very firm texture, and high melting point. The melting point of our Organic Palm Shortening is 97 degrees F., making it very shelf stable. It is NOT hydrogenised, and contains NO trans fats! It is great for deep-fat frying and baking, and is not prone to rancidity. Since it has been separated from some of the unsaturated portion of the oil, it is colorless and odorless, and will not affect the taste of foods like Virgin Palm Oil does."

This last week I have been trying Palm Shortening in the different baking I have done. It was great in biscuits, crackers and cookies. The results were very light and nice. I also tried Ginger Coconut Bars from the many recipes that tropical traditions has. We enjoyed them.

To buy Organic Palm Shortening:

The one gallon bucket (7 lbs) is on sale right now for $30.65 (normal price is $40.75). Go here to order and then if you are new to Tropical Traditions be sure to use the referred by a friend # 6527139 and you will recieve a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil with your order. (I will also recieve something).

To win Organic Palm Shortening: (Do any or all of the options below and get one chance per option.)

1. Leave a comment (make sure to leave an e-mail or contact information other than just a blog link) telling me what type of oil/fat you normally use in baking.
2. Sign up to recieve Tropical Traditions' e-mail newsletter. (leave another comment letting my know that you subscribe) 
3. Visit Tropical Traditions' Recipe Blog and come back and leaving a comment letting my know what recipe you would like to try.
4.  Follow my blog and leave a comment letting me know that you do.

Organic Palm Shortening {Review and Giveaway!}

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is Rachelle!

The latest item that I was blessed to receive from Tropical Traditions for review is Palm Shortening. This is something I had never tried before and so I was curious about it. I would love to use all healthy fats and oils when I cook and bake for my family and so I was eager to try this one.

 I had tried Palm Oil a while back and was amazed at how orange it was and found the taste interesting. I knew that the shortening was made from Palm Oil so I wondered if it would have some of the same flavor and color. It does not. The Palm shortening is a creamy white and has pretty much no taste. I almost think you could pass it for butter if you made honey "butter" or garlic "butter". It is so much nicer than crisco or a shortening like that!

Here is some more informtation about it from Tropical Traditions:

"Palm shortening is derived from palm oil (read about Virgin Palm Oil here). In its natural state, palm oil is a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, with most of the unsaturated fat being monounsaturated fat. Palm shortening is palm oil that has some of its unsaturated fats removed, giving it a very firm texture, and high melting point. The melting point of our Organic Palm Shortening is 97 degrees F., making it very shelf stable. It is NOT hydrogenised, and contains NO trans fats! It is great for deep-fat frying and baking, and is not prone to rancidity. Since it has been separated from some of the unsaturated portion of the oil, it is colorless and odorless, and will not affect the taste of foods like Virgin Palm Oil does."

This last week I have been trying Palm Shortening in the different baking I have done. It was great in biscuits, crackers and cookies. The results were very light and nice. I also tried Ginger Coconut Bars from the many recipes that tropical traditions has. We enjoyed them.

To buy Organic Palm Shortening:

The one gallon bucket (7 lbs) is on sale right now for $30.65 (normal price is $40.75). Go here to order and then if you are new to Tropical Traditions be sure to use the referred by a friend # 6527139 and you will recieve a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil with your order. (I will also recieve something).

To win Organic Palm Shortening: (Do any or all of the options below and get one chance per option.)

1. Leave a comment (make sure to leave an e-mail or contact information other than just a blog link) telling me what type of oil/fat you normally use in baking.
2. Sign up to recieve Tropical Traditions' e-mail newsletter. (leave another comment letting my know that you subscribe) 
3. Visit Tropical Traditions' Recipe Blog and come back and leaving a comment letting my know what recipe you would like to try.
4.  Follow my blog and leave a comment letting me know that you do.

Truck Art

Asalam Alaikum,

A couple months ago a neighbor of ours had a tanker come to fill up their water tank and they had the cutest little decoration on the truck, we had to take a picture of it.



Saad loves airplanes and when he saw this one he got so excited to go out with daddy to look at it up close.



I really like seeing all the trucks and buses in Karachi, they are always decorated with vinyl stickers and paintings in every color of the rainbow. Some buses even have large tassels and feathers sticking out of the top. Even trucks that cart around garbage have decorations covering almost every inch! Here is a site with some great pictures of truck art in Pakistan.

I have seen some buses that are older and look pretty beat up, I do sometimes wonder if the vinyl is only for decoration or if it is like the old joke about duct tape being the only thing holding something together! It isn't just trucks and buses either, people decorate their motorcycles and bicycles too.

Pakistan is really a very vibrant, colorful place.

Foldable Diaper Changing Pad

Apakah ini hehehe?

ini diaper changing pad..

ini rupanya sebelum dibuka..

bila dh buka..

cmni la rupanya..

maka mulakanla sesi menukar lampin bayi anda..

tgk tu ada 2keping diaper dh standby kt situ

ukuran 30inci x 25inci

cukup besar untuk guna sampai baby leh jalan mahupun berlari hehehe..

selain dr tu leh juga guna pad ni semasa travel..

leh letak pad ini as a liner dlm car set atau alas kt kereta..

kalau baby newborn..

leh ajer alas kt atas katil sblh ibu semasa tido..

so multi functional la pad ini..

pas guna lipat dan ikat jer pakai tali sprti pic diatas td..

sy tkde baby tecit..

so action la dgn doll anak sy punya k..

Sesapa berminat nk order leh contact sy :

ninieaziz@yahoo.com

or hp 019-651 8844

RM45 sahaja..

menggunakan 100% fabric ikea..

fabric leh pilih sendri mana nak..

tp 1 jenis fabric saja yerr..

nk 2jenis kena re-quote blk rege nya..

The words of my mouth...

 "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

Philippians 4:8

This is an area that I really want to grow in. I am praying that the words I say can be ones that build up, that they always please God and help others. This hasn't always been what has happened when I speak but I really want to change in this area. I am praying about it and am meditating on these verses. I thought I would share them with you too in hopes that they will encourage you also in your walk.



The words of my mouth...

 "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear." Ephesians 4:29

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

Philippians 4:8

This is an area that I really want to grow in. I am praying that the words I say can be ones that build up, that they always please God and help others. This hasn't always been what has happened when I speak but I really want to change in this area. I am praying about it and am meditating on these verses. I thought I would share them with you too in hopes that they will encourage you also in your walk.



Stick Football Player...EXCELLENT

Rose's Order

Rose wanted the Sail Boat Quilt for her baby boy. She asked to add some pillows & bolsters. Made matching pillow cases.

Its actually 1x set of baby pillow + 2 baby bolsters AND 1x bigger pillow (for when baby is bigger).

L.O.V.E.L.Y.

She also asked for another set of pillow & bolster cases. Made them in lite blue polkadots fabric. Hope you like 'em all Rose!

Duck Fishing

Its a simple panel showing a duck fishing with the saying, "I Wish I Wish I'd catch a Fish". Thot it was kinda cute.

Simply added a 5.5" red hand-spray fabric all around and used a lite blue thread to quilt the center piece.

Amidst all that green in my garden.

Backing fabric was a lovely red & blue polkadots and decided to go with yet another polkadot fabric for binding - yellow this time!

Nice & Simple.

Measurement : 42" W X 50" L

MAde out of 100% American cotton

Price : RM220

Status : SOLD!

New design.. Animal in the Zoo..

order Kak Suhaini lg..

this time dia mintak quilt yg lebih tebal.. 

dgn konbinasi color ni mmg la sesuai utk baby boy.. or even baby girl pun..

sy sgt suka.. harap kak Su pun suka la yerr..

RM130 per set (quilt tebal)

or

RM120 per set (quilt blanket)

open for order juga klu ada yg berminat.. 

nk tempah quilt shaja pun boleh

RM90

size 40"x35"

  

nak pillow + bolster sj pun boleh

RM60 per set

2pillow+case & 2bolster+case

contact me at : ninieaziz@yahoo.com

Ready Stocks - Paddington Bear 2pc Set (Blue White)

Paddington Bear 2pc Set (Blue White)

Price : Rm22/set
Sizes Available :
6-9m
12m
18m
24m

Interested?
sms : 016-6835083 Pn.Ida
PM in my inbox

Ready Stocks - Paddington Bear 2pc Set (Orange Red)

Paddington Bear 2pc Set (Orange Red)

Price : Rm22/set
Sizes Available :
6-9m
12m
18m
24m

Interested?
sms : 016-6835083 Pn.Ida
PM in my inbox

It's Just Like Riding A Bike

This morning I woke up to a very quiet and empty house. For the first time in a very long time, it was only me and the cats and dog. Jon is with his band students in Boone, NC for All-District Band and the kids are enjoying a sleepover at Nana and Grandpa's house. The house was strangely quiet. I found myself talking to my pets a lot more this morning. I'm used to a bustling house full of noise so the complete silence took a little getting used to. After feeding the animals, taking a shower, and watching a few episodes of "Empty Nest" (Hallmark is having a marathon today!), I was bored of relaxing.

Let me take you back a few days before I tell you what I did with the rest of my morning off....

Lately I have felt the urge to exercise. This is a pretty weird urge for me to have. You'd be surprised by how long I can be completely happy while sitting on the couch with the remote, my knitting, and carbs. Lately, though, I've felt like getting my rear off the couch and doing something active. I want to exercise for fun, not because I have to. (This is a very strange sensation for me) I've been maintaining my goal weight for 2 1/2 years (thanks to some great therapy that helped with my emotional eating) so weight loss isn't my goal for exercise. My goal is to have fun, get my heart rate up, and feel more energetic. This will also be a great way to get back in shape in time for gardening.

Thursday morning was my first day of exercise. I went for a walk around our neighborhood at 5:30am. I usually wake up at 6am but in order to fit in a walk before my day begins I have to begin it a bit earlier. It was 34* outside so I bundled up but by the end of my 1.6 mile brisk walk, I was plenty warm. Our neighborhood is so quiet at that time of morning. The only sounds I heard were a few heat pumps and the sound of the interstate in the distance. It was very peaceful and a great way to think about the day ahead. I found I had so much more energy after that walk and the energy lasted throughout the day.

Yesterday morning was raining so Jon and I did an AM yoga video tape to start the day. It was mostly stretching and relaxation but it was a nice way to wake up. Later I looked through our VHS collection looking for old workout tapes we could use on rainy mornings. I found a beginner kick-boxing tape from the 90's and a Pilates tape. I put in the kick-boxing video yesterday before dinner. It was fun and I like bouncing around on the balls of my feet. That's a strange thing to like about kick-boxing, isn't it?

So that brings us to this morning. It was going to be a beautiful day... sunny and mid-50's. I decided to get my bike out of the shed and cross my fingers that the tires were in good shape. I haven't been on this bike in over 5 years. Before that I'd only ridden it a handful of times. I was so glad to see that it was still in good shape and after I put a little more air in the tires it was ready to go.
I love this bike. I bought it shortly after buying my first house when I was 23. It was sitting outside of Kmart in line with all the other bikes. I loved everything about it. I loved the color, the super wide seat(it's much wider then the picture shows), the white walled tires... I just had to have it.

So, 9 years later, I pulled the bike out of the shed, dusted it off and put it in the van.

I am so lucky to live only 5 minutes away from Salem Lake. We went as a family last year in May. (I'm promising myself right now that we're going to spend a lot more time at the lake this year.) The lake has a wide, dirt "road" going all the way around it. I say road but it's really just a very wide path.

The road is very close to the water. The road follows the lake around curves and little tucked away places. The lake has so many little "corners" that it feels like many bodies of water instead of one lake. It looks different around every turn.

The path around the lake is 7 miles long. Yes, I've hoped on my bike for the first time in 5 years and I'm going on a 7 mile ride. Sound crazy? Well, I may not be able to walk without pain tomorrow but it was absolutely worth it. I had forgotten how good it feels to ride a bike. I love going down a hill... gliding down with the wind in my hair. It feels so free.

About a mile down the path is my favorite spot at the lake. This little bridge with it's fast flowing creek almost takes my breath away.



There were times this morning that I could have cried because I was so overwhelmed by it all. The sun shining through the trees, the sounds of a few birds calling, and the sound of this creek.... it was just so perfect. It sounds silly when I say it outloud. I don't usually consider myself an overly emotional person but there was just something about this ride at the lake this morning.


I watched people jog by with their Ipod's on and wanted to tell them that they were missing the best part. The sounds of this lake and the time to be "disconnected" from the world made those two hours I spent at the lake worth every muscle ache I'll be feeling in the next few days.

I took my time riding my bike. I stopped often to take pictures or to take a little rest. There were a few times when I rode up a hill that my legs burned like mad but then the fun of riding down that hill made it worth it.

So much of my thought usually goes to what needs to be done during the day... "When do I need to start dinner to have it ready in time?" "What day does Charlotte need to wear red to school?" "What day did Jon say he had that band thing after school?"

Not this morning. This morning I had no where that I had to be. There was no one waiting for me to hurry up and get home. My children were having a blast at Nana and Grandpa's and Jon was listening to music in mountains of North Carolina. It was just me, my bike, and the lake.

These two geese were about 10 feet away from me. They looked at each other, probably wondering why I was taking their picture.

I can't wait to go back to the lake. I would love to get a pretty basket with a lid for the front of my bike. When it gets warmer I could pack up some knitting in my basket and sit by the creek and knit for a while. It would be nice if we could get a babysitter and Jon could go on bike rides with me sometimes too. We could pack a picnic lunch and sit by the creek while we eat. I think I'm ready for Spring and longer days.

So, a 2 hour February bike ride around the lake... definitely a great way to spend a morning to yourself.