One year old

Can you believe that pudding is one year old?

Time goes so fast!!

It was his birthday yesterday and I wanted to write something then but I have had a terrible flu that I just can't seem to shake and now the kids are sick as well but alhamdulillah. I don't celebrate birthdays as such but my non Muslim family does of course, so my Mum brought him this big dump truck on the weekend which he loves wheeling around the house. Sometimes he stands on it as leverage to get into things he shouldn't be! Such as my chocolate stash I hid in my scarf drawer.....he obviously takes after his mother ;)

Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my last post, I love all my sisters so much! I wish I could give you all big hugs and cookies xxx

The little things

As most of you know I stopped writing about six weeks ago due to some very difficult circumstances, most of you know anyway what it was about and then a few days ago I had something else happen, something I just never saw coming and it totally blindsided me. After spending the morning crying to Allah and making lots of dua I prayed that instead of focusing on what's happening right now he would make me see the beauty in the small things in life because sometimes that is all we have.

Above is my precious love reading books on my bed with me. He has this obsession at the moment with pop up books and books about a panda called Noodle :) A small thing that brings so much joy to my heart.

Ramadan has been a good time for me to reflect and increase the simplicity in my life and conclude I need to cut way back on my computer time. It's time for me to go back to spending my time in my garden, sewing a new quilt, making bread by hand,walking by the ocean, reading a book with a cup of mint tea, making soap and all the simple things that have always brought me joy. Sometimes we get caught up in another world we begin to forget the things that truly bring us happiness.

A fresh baked chocolate chip cookie, falling asleep to the sound of the rain, the sunshine on my face, the smell of bread baking, my little boy's laughter, a line of diapers blowing in the wind, sitting next to an open fire with a cup of cocoa and halal marshmallows :)

It used to REALLY annoy me (and still does) when people say things like "Just say alhamdulillah and thank Allah for what you have" this is just not helpful. It's like a Dr telling a patient that they need medication but not what kind, how much or what for. Of course you should thank Allah but things are never just that simple. I think when things get too much that you can't think of getting through the next day let alone the next week one of the best things you can do is to focus on the little things you can do that bring you happiness. It forces you to live in the present by enjoying what is right in front of you.

I pray everyone is having a beautiful Ramadan. May Allah bless you all and I hope to catch up on your blogs soon, that is whoever has one left! It seems all my favourite blogs are slowly vanishing one by one! xxx