Happy Friday!

Hello darlings. It has been two weeks since the last post. I have been moody, busy, ephemerally euphoric (I just learned this expression), had a couple of Yes! moments and - sometimes - selfishly uncaring (ya Allah, help me mend my ways please)..

But it is Friday again. What are your plans this weekend? My niece Nadira is getting engaged! Yeay.. And InsyaaAllah the invitation cards will be ready to be sent out. I need to sort out many little details this weekend too.

And I hope to be livelier, more productive and happier -

Something I would definitely live by. Have the best weekend ever!

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On A Quiet Sunday Morning

Saya terbaca ayat dari Surah al-Maaidah ayat 118;
 "Jika Engkau menyeksa mereka, (maka tidak ada yang menghalanginya) kerana sesungguhnya mereka adalah hamba-hambaMu; dan jika Engkau mengampunkan mereka, maka sesungguhnya Engkaulah sahaja yang Maha Kuasa, lagi Maha Bijaksana"
dan teringat semula cerita ustaz yang sungguh beremosi tentang ayat tersebut.

Dan saya juga terjumpa sebuah hadith,
Dari Anas bin Malik ra, "Sesungguhnya Allah Taala mengutus seorang malaikat di dalam rahim. Malaikat itu berkata, 'Ya Tuhan! Masih berupa air mani. Ya Tuhan! Sudah menjadi segumpal darah. Ya Tuhan! Sudah menjadi segumpal daging.' Manakala Allah sudah memutuskan untuk untuk menciptakannya sebagai manusia, maka malaikat akan berkata,'Ya Tuhan! Diciptakan sebagai lelakikah atau perempuan? Sengsara atau bahagia? Bagaimanakah rezekinya? Dan bagaimanakah ajalnya?' Semua itu telah ditentukan dalam perut ibunya." HR Muslim 4785

Dan saya terbaca juga surah al Qaf ayat 39;
Oleh itu bersabarlah (wahai Muhammad) akan apa yang dikatakan oleh mereka (yang menentangmu itu), dan bertasbihlah sambil memuji Tuhanmu (terutama) sebelum terbit matahari dan sebelum matahari terbenam.
lalu teringat juga sebuah cerita lama - something I heard from years ago when I was very young (and it felt like I was another person).

Sesungguhnya tiada daya dan upaya tanpa rahmat dari Allah.

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A Delight

I am thinking I would title each post as an expression of happiness to celebrate the joy of life; like rhapsody, elation, pleasure and contentment. Or even ecstasy, glee and bliss. Di sebalik setiap ujian ada saja ni'mat yang diberi.

Anyway, this post is not meant to reflect on the seriousness of life.. I only have photos to share this time.

I made heart shaped agar-agar and dried them out in the sun for a few days and this is what I've got. And how lovely are these?

Maybe now you'd understand why I banish the pets from the house - he cant get his homework done when they are around.

 

We were at Saba (I know, again! But it is hub's favorite place) for Miza's birthday.

We went shopping at KLCC for beddings and stopped for a break at OBrien's. The salad dressing was gorgeous. So was the walnut cake. But the  mushroom quiche was quite flat.

 

 We fooled around at the tailor's when the boys went to get measured for their baju Melayu. The tailor totally ignored us / pretended he didnt notice us playing with the stuff..

 

I am somewhat into cooking again, whenever I have time. Anything that requires tomatoes has got to be plum tomatoes these days. Trust me, they'll make your dishes, especially pastas, taste so much better. These are some of the ones that I like to stock up with (I love Waitrose because of the pretty label on the can..)

 And most recently we were at Wang Solo; for Iman's birthday. Seperti biasa sambal ayam penyet brings tears to everyone's eyes.

 

MasyaaAllah. Isnt life a delight, then? Lalu, nikmat Allah yang mana satu yang ingin didustakan lagi?

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His Dinners Part 5; Homemade Burgers

Finally the burger photos turn out right..

The burgers are already a staple at home. Hubs is already an expert at this. He'll grind enough mixture of meats on the processor and then add caramelized onions and uh, stuff. I think spices like black pepper and jintan and serbuk ketumbar. Then eggs, salt and bread crumbs. Go easy on the crumbs; kalau banyak sangat nanti meat patties tu jadi keras instead of juicy.

 

And how gorgeous does that look, huh?

And on easy days we even get home made fries with the burger. He'll cut potatoes into thick julians and soak them in cold salted water for a short while. Then fry them in hot oil until very lightly brown. Cool that and freeze them. Fry them again when you are ready to eat. Trust me they'll taste better than those you find at Carl's Jr.

(saya je yang tak rajin!)

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