In the company of friends

Empty plates ready to be filled up with Biryani rice with roasted chicken and tabouli.





Followed by Turkish coffee and Romosh Elset..YUMMY!

Farmers Market Here We Come

This is the flyer designed by my friend for our Farmers Market corner.

I have learned so much about regulations and food prepping for sale the last couple of days and I plan to in sha Allah tell you more about it.

Farmers Market

One of the things that I really enjoy about being in the US is being able to visit the local farmers market and enjoying the bounty of the different vendors. When I moved to our new place in this really small college town I was pretty disappointed by the fairly small farmers market and vowed never to set foot there again.

Surprisingly I was introduced to this lady who attend the same graduate program as I do and sells Tie dyes at the Farmers Market. I made a mental note to go see her the next Saturday there because that is when I take the kids to the park. When I visited her that weekend I ended up buying 2 T-shirts for my girls as well as an onesy for their doll.

The neat part was that she introduced me to the chair of my department who was selling vegetables in the next booth. Now if you are from the US and reading this I guess it's hard to get my point but if you are from my culture or from a similar culture (middle-eastern, Arab) you will understand my point.


Professors in my country do not sell vegetables or do garage sales like what I have seen from my American professors so far. I do not want to generalize but my experience with that breed was seldom positive. They have so many issues and complexities that it is very hard to have a normal respectful relationship with any of them.


Well that day got me thinking about my own skills and what I can possibly sell at the Farmers Market. My American friends have always loved my cooking and I was famous for my Zalabya or lo'mat elkady. I asked my friend and talked to some people and according to the laws I'm allowed to sell baked goods as long as they don't need refrigeration. What is so great is I talked to the only Muslim girl that I know here and she was equally excited about this as I was and she's helping me out with the setup and selling of our stuff.
So now I'm selling Middle Eastern sweets at our local farmers Market and something tells me it's going be so much fun and that the kids are going to enjoy it as much as I will.

my latest book find.

I was browsing through the book section at this really cool consignment shop when I found these 2 books by the Osho foundation. I say it's a cool consignment shop because it carries real high quality items ranging from kitchen items to clothes to books to CDs and even personal care items like bath and body lotions and body mists at a fraction of their regular price.

I can't wait to read these 2 books and absorb all the information inside.

school lunch

My main focus these day as we try to re-organize our lives is eating more healthy while saving money. One of the areas of great chaos in my life was preparing packed lunches for the girls.

I reserched it online and found this neat idea of laptop lunches. It's a lunch system where can pack several lunch items in a single container. they have a wonderful and inspiring section on the website where people share pictures of their lunch ideas and I just had to recreate it!

I found some cheap containers at Hy-Vee and what's so cool about them is that the cover helps protect different compartments so the food stays seperate.

Here's the girls lunch for the 1st day of school.

Grilled cheese sandwich with pretzels and a different veggie for each kid.

Great deals AGAIN!!

I just came back from a garage sale with this amazing find.

First let me share a little background story with you...

I'm currently on the lookout for storage solutions and ideas for my new place. It's only a 2 bedrooom and with 2 kids we have lots and lots of stuff between us.I really want the rooms to look tidy and stylish.

First time I saw this bin was at a garage sale but I wasn't quick enough and a lady baught it before I did.

Next time I saw it at Target for $39 and I decided I would buy it from there if I couldn't find one at a cheaper price.

Finally, 2 days ago I was browsing through garage sale listings on Craig's list and one of the listings had pictures. I saw the bin in one of the pictures and I saw my opportunity.

The sale was beginning at 8 am so I was there with my kids at 7:50 am. Although it was stated in the ad that they won't be accepting early sales they were already selling. Good thing that we were there early.

They had two yes two bins...and I was dancing with joy.

One was made out of wood with blue and yellow plastic bins (exactly like the picture) and the other was white with more girly pink colored plastic bins. I almost had second thoughts when my eyes hit the price. They were priced at $25 each but I decided I was going to get the wood bin after all and it's still $15 dollars cheaper than the one at Target.

My kids picked up some nice toys and really Excellent books for cheap cheap prices ranging from 25 cents to $2. I paid a total of $40 and we were on our way.

To my extreme and ultimate joy when I checked target's website I discovered that the bin I bought is pretty expensive (priced at $69.99) and with this deal I've saved $44.99.

I LOVE a good deal .

Free Arabic download from Currclick

How Exciting !!

This week's freebie from Currclick is Arabic Picture Blocks FREE download.

You can download it HERE
If you don't have an account it's really easy to create one.

When you get to the page click "Get it Free" and download to your PC.
Enjoy!!

Joy From Fasting To Feasting (Season-III)

Sister Lubna at Yummy Food is hosting "Joy From Fasting To Feasting (Season-III) " for her 3rd year. I'm hoping this year I can share some pictures and recipes with all of you in sha Allah through this blog and through this event as well.

This Ramadan is very different as it is my first Ramadan in the US & I'm sure I will be faced with many challenges.

I'm trying to stay focused and organized before and after the holy month. I'm hoping that staying in touch with family and other muslims even if this is only via the internet will make a difference to our fasting experience.

Here's what sister Luna says about the event:

An event where you can meet new food bloggers, come to know about new traditions, new recipes, etc….Overall it’s a fun being part of this event……The old participants of the event already know about the rules and regulations…..but for the new ones who are going to connect this year to share there yummy recipes and experiences on Ramadan, fasting, iftar and seher…..Here are the guidelines…..As a part of this event, attach the above logo in your sidebar. This not only paints all the blogs with oneness but also many people visiting your blogs will know about this event. Inshallah we will have a yummy Ramadan this year too.

Free Kids Event at Home Depot

To make this nice Back to School craft head to your local Home Depot tomorrow Saturday, August 7th from

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Details: This weekend the kids will be making a school bus pencil holder. While it is geared towards chidren 5 – 12, you can bring younger children and help them with their project.

Get details about the event HERE .

Get details about your local store HERE .

Walgreens Coupon- 2 days left to get 15% off

You can print this discount card here

I'm inlove....

with garage sales that is.

Sister Umm Omar asked about what I think of the US so far and one of the things that I LOVE about living here is the fact that every weekend I can drive around naighbourhoods looking for deals.

It's amazing some of the things that you can find in garage sales, from children's toys to household items.

Some of the great things that are a real bargain are books ,these are usually from .25 cents to a $1. Another item that I like to get at garage sales are glassware and baskets these are pretty cheap even cheaper than the dollar store or the thrift store.

One of my proud moments was when I found a Sony Digital Camera exactly like this one that retails at $$150

and what did I pay for mine...ehm ehm... $15 USD.

I would love to end this post by sharing this touching story about garage sales from Carol at American Bedu.

Walgreens deal on Epsom salts

I was at Walgreens stocking up on some of their Back to School great deals when I grabbed some Epsome salts that they have for $5.99 B1G1.

They carry two types regular and Lavender . You pay $ 5.99 and get 2 of the same kind.

I'm planning on using this for Bath salts and maybe give some of it as gifts for friends.

It can also be used as a bath soak for kids to calm them . How I dream of calm nights after using this for my kids night bath.

Another use is for those tired feet after a long day running after the kids.

A $100 value Free Giveaway

Here's a chance to win Latin for Children Bundle ( $100 value) from the wonderful people behind Freely Educate.

Just visit the link HERE and follow the directions posted.

A great idea : Positive behavior jars

While in the process of getting our lives in order I'm on the lookout for new ways to simplify our lives and help the kids perform at their best.

So when I saw this idea on teach mama blog for gem jars I fell inlove with it and wil be doing 3 jars for me and my girls.

I plan on purchasing the materials for this from my local Goodwell and Dollar store and I'll be posting some pictures soon in sha Allah.

Thanks teach mama for the wonderful ideas.

New Life

Holding a positive attitude to my New life

To my dear blog and my dear dear followers

Asalam alikom my dear friends

It's been so so long since my last post... 10 months to be exact.
I hardly visited my blog during this time..and I can really sat that during this period my life has turned upside down...but hopefully in a positive way.

I moved AGAIN but this time to the US. A big move that was long over-due alhamdu Lelah.
It took me a very long time to adjust to this new life and my life is almost resembling a normal??? life now.

Well I'm trying my best to give my family the best I could and Allah is Great and has pulled me through one of the hardest times in my entire life.

I'm going through the process of getting and furnishing a new apartment. This has given me a chance to really exercise my thrift muscles :)

I have really gotten some really great deals on some awsome stuff and in sha Allah I'll be blogging on this and sharing experiences.

Thanks for bearing with me and now it's time to be blogging again.