Quite Rainy Today

It’s very rainy here today, but that’s ok, I love the rain. I did get a little freaked out by the unexpected thunder though. I wish it had rained a bit more this winter. But, oh well, maybe next year.

I’ve been adding more things to my store in the last few days, some fabric and some unused make up and I even started adding some clothes finally. I added a linen jilbab I got in Turkey a few years ago and never wore it. I’m hoping to add an abaya this afternoon.

My daughter has an Earth Day project due on Monday, she made a bird house out of a used juice carton. I need to get some paint for her to paint it today and she just needs to add a piece of yarn to be able to hang it up and it’ll be done.  We had some grand idea of a dress made from paper fans. But, well, simple is better sometimes!

I wore my overhead jilbab again today, it dries pretty quick. I got rained on taking my kids to school but it dried out really fast. I really want another one sometime. Maybe in a pastel color.

Making Improvements

In January me and my husband got a lot more serious about practicing Islam and making an effort to learn more. And mashallah, I can see a huge improvement in ourselves. It is so important to always be learning and studying and reading Quran. I learned how to read Arabic about eight years ago when I first converted, but only on a basic level. And there would be long periods of time between when I would read.
In January a sister started helping me to read Quran again, and this time with proper tejweed. She is very knowledgeable and I’ve improved a lot. I try to read two pages a day and I really feel a sense of calm when I do. I also am reading an English translation and when I’m finished I will start reading a tafsir.

We stopped watching a lot of tv, pretty much just the news and a couple of shows such as Finding Bigfoot (Yeah, I think Sasquatch is real), House Hunters and sometimes some animal programs. It was so hard to give up the Vampire Diaries, especially where I left off watching on such a cliffhanger, but, alhumdulilah, it’s worth it. It really is. We also stopped listening to music.

There is nothing in this world worth more than Jannah.

Not TV and what’s going to happen next to our favorite character, not the latest songs or the latest fashions or if that cute guy glanced our way or not. That’s not important. What’s going to matter is if we did our prayers properly and on time, if we lowered our gaze, dressed properly as Muslimah’s, raised our kids well and were good examples for them to follow, followed the commandments of Allah, SWT. And of course there’s more than that…

I feel like I wasted a lot of time doing useless things and just plain wasted time that I could have spent learning or reading.

New Year…

So 2012 is almost here and I don’t really do new year resolutions, but right now after some things that have been going on in my life, I feel like I want to make some for this year, sort of like a fresh start. So here they are:

• Spend less time online, I’ve wasted so much time online the last couple years and it really hasn’t been of benefit to me or my family.
• Spend less money…
• Start reading the Quran again, in Arabic.
• Continue reading the Quran in English.
• Get closer to my husband and kids.
• Get into a workout routine and eat healthier.
• Read some Islamic books.

So these are my goals, basically to better myself as a wife, mother and Muslim and to manage my time and health better. I hope to be able to follow through with them all and be a better person for it. I’ve really felt miserable about myself the last half of this year and have really struggled with some things. I’m hoping that I can get back on track. Inshallah 2012 will be a better year.