There have been only 29 days this Ramadan, but why should
that stop us from Journalling? :-)
Day 28 – Best Memory
so far
My best memory this Ramadan has been an iftar with my
parents, siblings, hubby and Cub. My Mom cooked all the food, and it was a
lovely evening.
Day 29 – Henna/Art
As anyone who has tried it will testify, it isn’t that
easy to do henna on your own hand :-).
Day 30 – Eid Preparation
This is the first time I’ve made a bunting. I’ve wanted to
do one for so long after seeing it on so many blogs/pinterest. This one
actually exceeded my expectations :-).
And so ends 30(or err..29) days of journaling!!! This has been a fun
journey and I really enjoyed thinking up stuff for the various prompts :-). A
huge Thank You to Neelu of Creating Memories for organizing this event! See you
guys after Eid!!
My Journal Posts are lagging again!! It’s the end of
Ramadan and things are just crazy over here. There’s loads and loads to do, and
so little time!! Shopping, cleaning, decorations, dress alterations, along with
extended prayers. Whew!!!
Day 24 – In Your
Mail
This was in my mail on Day 24, a subscribed mail from
shopyourwardrobe.com. Jill Chivers lists out 33 ways to cull your closet. A
very informative article and you can read about it here.
Day 25 – White
This was an Eid gift we received – a lovely white dinner
set. I think I’ll take it out to serve our Eid feast!!
Day 26 – Joy
I don’t really have a photo, but this Ramadan has been
quite blessed with food and joy for me. I found this lovely quote and thought
I’d share it with you.
Day 27 - Shopping
This salwar suit wasn’t actually shopped by me, but was
gifted by my father-in-law :-). He always gets all of us new clothes for Eid
:-).
Okay, gotta go guys, a mountain of chores awaits!!!
I spent the weekend visiting relatives, so the Journal
posts have been lagging behind a little :-).
Day 20 – Something
Crafty
This mosque craft is very slightly modified from the one
at ‘A Muslim Child is Born’. Cub
had fun spray painting the stars and painting the cotton balls green for the
trees.
Day 21 – A Nearby
Mosque
We don’t really have a mosque close by, and I felt kinda
weird going out and photographing the mosque by the busy road. So, I thought
Cub and I could make one together with Lego Duplo blocks – a nice bonding
activity for us. However, it ended up with me snatching blocks from a preschooler like some crazy, demented person, with Cub screaming in the background.
Day 22 – Prayer/Free
Ramadan is usually considered to be divided into three
parts – first 10 days of Mercy, second 10 days of Forgiveness and the final 10
of Freedom from Hellfire.
Day 23 – What’s on
News Today?
The biggest news in
India India India
Image Source: ibnlive
Day 18 prompt – In Your
Kitchen
Here are some chopped onions being sautéed for bhindi
masala.
Day 19 prompt –
Happy
This is Cub grinning behind one of our Happy Face Coasters
:-).
We are now towards the end of the second 10 of Ramadan. Good
going so far!!
So here we are in the second half of Ramadan, and the days
seem to rush by now. This rush sort of abates during the last few days, when everyone
starts counting down to Eid :-).
Day 15 – Sunrise
Like I mentioned here, I have sort of cheated and done the
original Day 15 prompt, Sunset, on Day 1. So here I do Day 1’s prompt.
That is actually the moon, even though the picture was
taken at sunrise. The moon does play quite a starring role during this month!
Day 16 – What are
you reading
Day 13 – Mother
This pic of my Mom and me was taken when I was about five,
I guess. Of course, this picture has nothing to do with Ramadan, but when I saw
this prompt in the list, I just felt like looking at some old photos. So my
sister and I dug out the dusty old albums, and my Mom joined us. It was fun
going through those old discolored snaps together, and I picked this one for
the blog :-).
As far as Ramadan is concerned, my Mom is my signal for
beginning Ramadan preparations. She’s the one who reminds me that it’s time to
go Ramadan shopping; sends me a big load of frozen samosas, cutlets, spring
rolls and the like; even checks on what I’m wearing for Eid (and I’m 30 :-)).
Day 14 – A for …
…Almonds.
Love these little gems. I put them in my muesli for
Suhoor, and it lasts me wonderfully through the day. Blend them with some
dates, milk and honey and I have a healthy, yummy drink to break my fast with. These
are really a perfect food for fasting days.
Here is a pic I clicked when I woke up for Suhoor (about
4:35 AM). The moon was full and bright, and light was flooding into our
bedroom. It was really magical and I couldn’t help but capture the moment.
I guess Lazy Me has really liked the idea of combining two
Ramadan Journal posts into one :-). Well, whatever works, right?? :-D
Day 11 – ‘Grocery
Bill’
This is my grocery bill of the week. We already had a lot
of stuff leftover from last week, so this week was light on the groceries. It
did feel a wee bit weird, dumping groceries on the table, hunting for bill,
then camera and immediately clicking a picture before I forgot :-).
Day 12 – ‘Prayer/Forgive’
This is a poster that has been with me a long time. I
really like the words on it. It seems to cover any problem that you might have –
past regrets, worries about the future or difficulty dealing with the present. Short,
but succinct.
Today we complete
the first third of Ramadan. It’s been okay so far by God’s grace and I hope it
stays that way.
Day 9’s prompt was ‘Love’.
Here is what I’m loving right now:
I can’t really
think of anything more refreshing than lime juice to break a long weary day’s
fast. Of course, this differs from person to person, but for me, lime juice is
my love. No soda or salt, just lime, cold water and sugar. Blissss!!!!!!!
And for Day 10 – ‘Dish
of the day’. On the menu today was Wholewheat Naan and Healthy Butter Chicken.
The Naan is an
amalgamation of my Mom’s and my recipes, and the chicken recipe is from here.
It feels real good
to take food photos in Ramadan, I wonder why :-). Anyway, 10 days of Ramadan
Journalling are successfully done!!
Lazy me has combined yesterday’s and today’s Ramadan
Journal prompts into one post :-).
Day
7 - ‘You are grateful for…..’
I’m grateful for Automated Adhan Systems such as this
clock. Also for smartphone adhan apps. Not all areas have mosques and that’s
where these softwares and apps come to the rescue. This clock tells you the current time and date
as well as when to expect the next prayer. And of course, when that time comes,
it gives the call to prayer.
Day
8 – ‘Green’
This is my parents’ lawn. I love strolling about in it
or watching the rain fall down on it. Yup, love all that lush green.
Prompt of the day –
‘4 pm’.
This is my quietest
daylight time. Mr. Tiger is away at work. The Cub is napping. Cue for me to
devote myself to prayer and some Quran reading. Bliss!!!
Mee Siam is a spicy vermicelli dish from Singapore Singapore Siam
This is the dry
version, generally served garnished with a boiled egg. I have used egg within
the recipe and hence omitted the garnish.
What you’ll need:
150 g roasted
Vermicelli
1 medium onion -
sliced
1 large tomato -
chopped
1 tbsp ginger
garlic paste
1 green chilli
chopped
1 tbsp coriander
leaves
150 g peeled
prawns/leftover chicken or meat
1 small carrot
diced
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 egg, beaten
juice of 1 small
lime
salt
Note: If you have
un-roasted vermicelli, simply roast it in a large pan till quite brown like
this:
What you’re going
to do:
1. Boil 3 cups
water with salt to taste. Add vermicelli and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Drain the
vermicelli and rinse immediately in cold water. Drain again.
3. Heat oil in a
large kadai, add onions and fry till light brown.
4. Add ginger
garlic paste, stir fry till raw smell disappears and add tomatoes.
5. Cover and cook
till tomatoes are mushy. Break any leftover chunks with the back of a spoon.
6. Add green
chillies, prawns, chopped carrots, peas, turmeric and salt to taste.
7. Cover and cook
without adding water, till prawns and veggies are done.
8. Add a beaten egg
and stir well till egg is scrambled and cooked along with the rest of the
masala.
9. Add the drained
vermicelli, coriander leaves and lime juice and stir well till completely mixed
together.
10. Switch off,
cover and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Serve onto a plate
and enjoy!!
This is a very
mildly spiced, gentle dish and is great to eat after a long day of fasting. Other
advantages, it makes use of regular pantry stuff, leftovers, is really easy and
takes very little time to cook (4 minutes for the vermicelli – can it
get any speedier?) Bonus: Kids love it!! You can enjoy this dish with tomato
sauce, or if you’re the fiery type, try Tabasco
Joy from Fasting to Feasting – V at Yummy Food
Ramadan Friendly Recipes at the halal Foodie
The prompt for
today – ‘Yearning for’. Right now I’m really yearning for some free time. I don’t
know why, but ever since Ramadan has started, my days are really busy, even
though now I don’t take out time to exercise or eat. Strange.
This clock in our
living room is more of a decorative item than a clock. The background is such
that seeing where the hands are is nigh impossible, although here it appears
deceptively clear :-).
Today’s topic is ‘Write’.
I really had no idea about what to click for this one. I thought a bit and this
is what I came up with.
I had learnt to
write in Arabic when I was a child, but then since it didn’t really come in use
in my day to day life, it sort of died down. So when I saw this prompt, I
dusted out my old Arabic writing skills and wrote down God’s name. Not so bad
for a non-Arabic writer, right? :-)
The prompt for
today is “Food”. Well, well, well :-). Food is definitely on the agenda during
Ramadan, the lack of it during the day and delicacies during the evening.
This is a photo of
today’s meal – 'Irachi puttu'. Literally translated from Malayalam, it means ‘Meat
steamed funnel rice cakes’. That is quite a ridiculous name for such a simple
dish. This is a dish that’s mostly seen in homes in North Malabar .
Usually ‘Puttu’ or the ‘Steamed funnel rice cakes’ have coconut between
the various layers, but here, it’s a masala made of meat. Any meat can be used,
even tiny prawns go well. I tried to balance it out with a mixed veg korma.
The topic for Day 2
is “Prayer/Mercy”. Here I have Cub praying on his little prayer mat.
