~Five Years Ago...~

aSalaam uAlaikum My Stylish Sisters...

Subhan'Allah how time flies!  It is hard for me to believe that it has been five years since I took my Shahada and became a follower of Islam....one who submits to Allah swt alone...a Muslim.  Alhamdulillah.

It has also been five years since I married my best friend, the father of my children, the one who I have been through the best of times with, as well as the worst.

Some days it feels as though I've been Muslim my entire life.  It's hard for me to remember the "old" me...the one before the scarf, before my beautiful kids, before my handsome husband.  The one with fewer pounds, no wrinkles, and no bags under my eyes.  She may have been skinnier back then, and much less sleep-deprived, but she was also less patient, less understanding, and less kind.

It took me a while to decide how to celebrate this anniversary with my handsome hubby.  We are not normally in the habit of celebrating anniversaries, but I felt like five years was a pretty significant number and deserved being recognized.  After convincing him to let me do the planning this year (and telling him that the ten year anniversary was his responsibility) I decided that instead of going out to a fancy restaurant, where we might be disappointed by the food, frustrated by the service, or have a heart attack when we saw the bill, I would set a romantic, formal dinner at home.

I often cook for my husband (of course) so I wanted this dinner to be very special, and decided to do a full, four course meal.  I chose to serve appetizers of bruschetta with ceasar salad, followed by french onion soup.  The main course was an herb marinated french lamb rack, with portabella mushroom risotto.  To finish the meal I bought (yes, I cheated) a personal berry cheesecake for the hubster, and a caramel chocolate mousse for myself.

For the table I chose to do an off-white tablecloth, with a black tablerunner, and black cloth napkins.  I went online and learned how to fold the cloth napkins into "crowns", and completed the table dressings with nice wine glasses (minus the wine of course), and a white candle surrounded by red rose petals inside a vase for the centerpiece.  By bargain shopping all of these pieces ended up being a grand total of $26.00.  Here is the finished look (although my husband had already moved a couple of things around so it's not quite as perfect as it was initially).

I set the table on our balcony so we would be around all of our plants, and bought some little solar-powered lights at Target to add a romantic touch.  He was totally impressed with all of the effort I put into the table, and loved the delicious dinner.  Here's a look at what I cooked:

The lamb was a recipe I got from Bon Appetit magazine, and the risotto I found online on food.com.  I garnished the dinner with a few slices of marinated portabella mushrooms, and a sprig of rosemary.  I must say, it turned out to be very tasty alhamdulillah.

Of course I wanted to dress up to look my best for my hubster, and it's rare that I'm able to get dressed without worrying about what scarf to wear, or how to layer my look appropriately, to look beautiful for my hubby, yet suitably modest for others.  It was nice to be able to wear what I wanted without worrying about being covered, so I chose to wear a simple, flowing, turquoise dress I bought at Macy's a few weeks ago.  I paired it with sky high black stilettos, and this beautiful necklace from shopthesouq.com.

When I received the necklace in the mail, I was a bit disapointed because the color of the necklace I received was much lighter than what was pictured.  If I had more time to exchange it I probably would have, but in the end I'm glad I didn't because the lighter color ended up matching my dress perfectly mash'Allah.  The necklace was such a great price, and it came with a matching pair of earrings- smaller versions of the feather that hang nicely from the ear.  This website has some truly beautiful accessories, as well as stylish hijab ranging from square hijab, to pashmina, to designer prints, at great prices.  I will definitely keep an eye on their site for future goodies.

Thanks to the lavish linens I found at unbelievably great prices, the delicious dinner I was able to cook on a tight budget, and the shimmering accessories I got to complete my outfit, the night was a total success.  The hubby was pleasantly surprised, and totally impressed by all the thought and planning I'd put into it.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate an anniversary that is so important to me for so many reasons.  Alhamdulillah.  Here's to many more anniversaries ahead, insh'Allah.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Anniversaries!

Fashionably Yours,
The (Muslim Martha Stewart!) Mujahada in Prada

~For The Hot Mama Muslimahs~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters!

Sorry to have neglected posting lately, but with a two and a half year old, and a newborn, it's hard to find time to breathe!  It's crazy how things you normally take for granted (like having a nice, hot, relaxing shower...or having enough time to actually chew your food before swallowing it) are practically impossible when there's a new baby in the house.  I had never noticed how much time I used to spend cleaning up the house after my two year old, until now that I don't have the chance to do it anymore.  I still do my best to keep up, but I spend so much time nursing my hungry little monster, my in-depth cleaning spurts are few and far between.

And speaking of nursing....WHY is it absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to find suitable, stylish, nursing clothes?

I went shopping with my mom recently, and after at least two hours of shopping around in the maternity section of Macy's was able to bring home only four tops that were functional and marginally fashionable.

As you ladies know, I'm a big fan of maxi dresses for the summer.  They are modest, cool, and totally cute.  BUT I have found that they are usually not ideal for nursing.  *sigh*  Which leads to my hunt for some alternatives for my summer wardrobe. 

After a lot of searching, here are a few options I came up with....

Floral Fun

This super cute floral print dress is from nursingbraexpress.com.  Being a hijabi, I would wear it over some skinny-ish jeans with a cute pair of ballet flats.  I'd sport a cute, summery jacket on top, like this one from nordstrom.com:

To add a punch of color I'd wear a bright scarf like this one from hijabgirl.com.

  The nice thing about this dress is you simply lift up the smocked section of it to nurse! 

Bohemian Baby

I love the funky, bohemian print of this short dress from trendytummymaternity.com.  I would wear a loose, drapey duster over top, like this one from forever21.com:

 I would probably pair it with some bell bottoms and super high wedge sandals or espadrilles, and top it off with a brighter, pale blue pashmina, like this one from shopthesouq.com.

  Similar to the other dress, all you do is fold up the bosom section of the dress to nurse.

Pretty as a Peacock 

All of my searching has paid off.  I finally found the best of both worlds at figure8maternity.com: a maxi dress that functions for nursing!  And, it goes without saying, it's absolutely gorgeous! I looove the mod peacock print of this dress and the colors are absolutely beautiful!  I would take this stunning dress on a trip back to the 80's by pairing it with a lightweight, faded sweatshirt over top of it like this one from (who else?) forever21.com:

some silver gladiator sandals (target.com), and a bright peach scarf to add a punch of color!

So...after a lot of looking I was able to find a few pieces that are modest, fashionable, and baby friendly.  It is disappointing there aren't more choices out there, but hopefully sometime soon one of these maternity brands will catch on and start introducing some more stunning styles for super hot mama muslimahs!

Well, my amazing muslimahs, I'm off to get Big Sister to bed, and change Little Sister's diaper.  Ahhhh the life of a mother alhamdulillah!

Ma'Salaama and Happy Nursing!

Fashionably Yours,

The (it's great to be posting about fashion again!) Mujahada Mama in Prada

~She's Here!~

aSalaam uAlaikum WaramtuAllahi Wabarakatu...

Well sisters it's official;  I'm a mother of two now!  Alhamdulillah!

That's right...my newest little bundle of joy was born April 6th at 9:38 AM.  She weighed in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces mash'Allah and was 20.5 inches long.

Originally her birth was planned for the 8th of April, like I posted before, but when I went to my last OBGYN appointment, my doctor guiltily informed me that he wouldn't be in town on the 8th.  Now...I have to admit I was NOT happy about that news, because my doctor did that to me before with my oldest daughter's birth.  It was a scene straight out of the movie "Knocked Up" when my husband called my doctor to tell him my water had broken and he confessed he was out of town for the weekend.  So you can only imagine my frustration when the doctor calmly told me he had a conference he'd forgotten about on the 8th when he'd scheduled my c-section.

After a few deep breaths, and counting to ten, we were able to negotiate and figure out we could do the c-section on the 6th instead alhamdulillah.

Well, it all turned out just as planned.  The new baby is beautiful, with all ten fingers and all ten toes alhamdulillah.  She looks amazingly different than her big sister, but is just as gorgeous mash'Allah.  I have to admit that before she was born I was pretty nervous about having another baby, and wasn't sure the timing was right.  But I've totally fallen head over heels with her, and so has her big sister.  Mash'Allah my older daughter (who is only two and a half) takes such wonderful care of her.  She is always making sure she is covered with a blanket, fixes her hat if it slips over her eyes, and showers her with as many hugs and kisses as she can.  She is always asking when she'll be old enough to walk and play with her, but is perfectly content with just sitting next to her on the couch and stroking her tiny little hand or cuddling with her mash'Allah. 

Subhan'Allah, it is exactly as my aunt told me it would be.  She told me that my oldest daughter would be my little girl, until the baby was born.  And then, overnight, she would be my big girl.  Before the new baby came I still looked at my daughter as a baby, but now I see just how grown up she is mash'Allah.

Anyways, I could gush on and on about how happy I am to be a mom again, and all the details about my newest baby's birth, but I don't want to bore you lovely ladies.  I just wanted to check in quickly to let you know that alhamdulillah she was born, she is healthy, and we are all loving her to bits.

Insh'Allah all is well with you amazing Muslimahs as well, and I will post again soon.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Mommy-ing!

Lovingly Yours,
The (yes, I'm back wearing my heels already!) Mujahada in Prada

~I'm Still Here...And The Bun is Still in the Oven~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Jummah Mubarak My Stylish Sisters!

Well ladies...so far, so pregnant.  I'm at 37 weeks and counting, which is how far along I was when my water broke with my daughter.  It's kind of funny because every single time I wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom (which is usually upwards of four or five times a night) I lay in bed for a few seconds thinking "is this it?".

I can still remember the morning my little lovebug decided to make her debut into the world.  I sat straight up in bed planning to make a(nother) run to the potty when I realized it wasn't the potty I needed, but a ride to the hospital.  Instead of rushing out of the door, though, I chose to take a nice warm shower, eat an apple, and relax at home for as long as possible.  Once my husband made it home (accompanied with his brother and cousins in tow) and got over the initial shock of realizing he was actually about to be a father he started freaking out.  The fact that I wasn't freaking out just freaked him out even more, and after a couple of hours of this all-around fun had by all, we were off to the hospital.  Three cars full of us.

My daughter's birth was traumatic for all of us, off to a rocky start, ending with an emergency c-section, complete with 21 hours of labor in between.  But after all of that, I was blessed with an amazing, beautiful, sassy little fashionista muslimah who stole my heart and ran. 

This time is very different than the last time.  My relationship with my wonderful husband is a thousand times stronger than before.  Alhamdulillah.  My relationship with myself is a thousand times stronger than before.  Alhamdulillah.  But this time, I have one more relationship than I had before.  One with a little girl whose laugh makes my heart laugh, and whose tears make it cry.

And that relationship, my sisters, is what gives me confidence that not only can I get through another 21 hours of labor, if that's what Allah swt has intended for me, but that I can make it through all those sleepless nights, late night feedings, stinky diapers, and newborn worries. 

I can get through it because I'm a mom.  And that's what moms do.

Ma'Salaama and 2 More Weeks To Go!

Fat and Fashionably Yours,
The (Gotta Love those Braxton Hicks) Mujahada in Prada 

~And The Countdown Begins...~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good Evening My Stylish Sisters...

Recently my preggy brain has given away to full-blown mush, my body aches have turned into all out preggo pains, and my patience has dropped into the negatives.

Ahhhhhh the joys of motherhood!  :)

Alhamdulillah, I actually truly love being a mother.  But, as we've talked about before, I do NOT truly love being pregnant.  That is why I am actually ecstatic to say that the final countdown has begun!  Only three more weeks until my scheduled c-section insh'Allah.  Now, if I can only convince the little stinker to stick it out that long.

The other evening I was chatting with my amazing mother in law about all things pregnancy related, and we started to discover that every single woman that we know has had either all of her kids early, or all of her kids late.  I was very curious to find out if this was just a coincedence and asked my doctor who confirmed that his is quite common.  She said that women's bodies deal with pregnancy in different ways, and if you have your first child before the due date, chances are high that you will also have any future children early as well.

Which is especially scary for me, considering I am at 36 weeks, and my daughter was born at 37. 

ACK! I am NOT ready yet!  The hubster and I still need to get a baby bath, bottles, a pump, more receiving blankets, and the list goes on and on! 

Mentally, though, I am more than ready to get this show on the road.  I am so excited to see my daughter learn to love her little sister as I know she will.  I'm waiting with anticipation to feel those tiny fingers wrap around my finger, to watch her sleep on her baba's chest as her big sister did when she was tiny, and to experience all of those "firsts" as a family, not just as a couple.

Alhamdulillah my handsome husband has finally chosen a name for our newest princess, although I won't reveal it until she has made her appearance.  In fact my daughter has chosen a name too:  "Buka buka".  I am pretty certain we will go with her father's choice instead, but I wouldn't be suprised if Buka buka stuck around as a nickname for years to come.  (Won't she just LOVE her older sister for that one?)

You named me WHAT?

We chose a much more simple cradle than we were originally looking at, mainly because once I started seeing more gliding cradles that had wheels I fell in love with the thought of being able to wheel her into a different room while she was sleeping in case my daughter's tamborine playing, Old MacDonald singing, or general two-year-old activities became too loud.  Here is what we chose from Babi Italia.

To coordinate with our brown and blue bedding, and my daughter's brown, pink, and blue bedding we chose this beautiful sheet set from CoCalo:

I also absolutely adore the mobile that we ended up getting on Amazon.com.  I think it is sooo cute, and coordinates with the bedding well, while being much more interesting than the boring hearts mobile that was supposed to match the bedding we got.

And did I mention before how excited I am to start wearing high heels again?  I can't begin to explain how much I have missed my pretty platforms, stunning stilettos, and wondrous wedges.  In fact, my loving husband has promised me a shoe shopping trip as soon as I'm up for it, because he knows how much I've pined away for my days in high heels. 

*sigh*

So, on that note:  Let the countdown begin!  Two weeks, six days, seven hours, and forty-five minutes until I can hold my newest blessing in my arms, introduce her to her beautiful big sister, and enjoy being a new mommy of two amazing Muslimettes.  Alhamdulillah for everything!  May Allah swt guide them and protect them always, and provide me with the strength, the knowledge, and the patience to be the best mommy to them that I can be.

Ameen.

Ma'Salaama and Keep On Counting!

(Not So) Fashionably Yours,

The (Get Me Outta These Flats!) Mujahada in Prada

~The New Hair Craze: Feathers! (and I don't mean Farrah Fawcett style)~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Good (very early) Morning My Stylish Sisters!

I am sitting here pouring myself a cup of green tea (trying to cut back on coffee) relaxing after a late-night girly session of feathering my cousin's hair.  By feathering in no way do I mean those gigantic, fly-away hair styles that Charlie's Angels made popular in the seventies.  I mean actual feathers. 

Yes....from birds.

Like....tweet tweet.

It's the newest and hottest craze here for hair in the United States, and I actually think it's pretty cool.  It's much less harmful to your hair than putting in highlights, and they can be taken out at any time.  The feathers are available in any color under the sun, and are easy enough to put in at home with a little patience and the right tools.  Here are a few pictures of celebrities and other ladies who have opted for these sweet little accessories:

Kesha-The Original Feather-er Herself

A More Dramatic Feathery Look

More Subdued Feather Effect 

(similar to what I did tonight)

Look At All The Pretty Colors!!

Hair Feathering Kit

When properly inserted, these fancy filligrees can stay put for a little over a month, even with washing and drying of the hair.  The coolest thing about them (IMO) is that if you have a formal event, job interview, funeral, etc. suddenly come up you can easily remove them, and then put them back in later.  For those sisters who wear hijab it's an inexpensive way to add a touch of sass to your hair for a women's-only event or an extra special evening with the hubby!

Now, I must admit one thing.  I am personally a little freaked out by birds.  I'm not sure, but I think it may stem from some trauma I endured as a young child discovering that my two beloved parakeets had been mauled by a relative's dog.  I can still picture the feathers scattered throughout the room, and I've never been able to own a pet bird since.  I would also be curious to make sure that all of these feathers that are being used to adorn all these ladies updos are come by in an ethical and safe manner for the birds.  Those two issues aside, I really do adore the look.

So...for those ladies who want to jump on the bandwagon and get their own funky feathers, you can go to dohairextensions.com for all of the supplies you need, including beads, a crimper, a threader, and the feathers themselves.

So, what do you fabulous fashionistas think?  Is this a fad you can see yourself following?  I'd love to hear your comments!

For the time being, I'm off to finish my tea and roll my preggy belly into bed.

Ma'Salaama and Happy Feathering!

Fashionably Yours,

The (tweet! tweet!) Mujahada in Prada

~Subhan'Allah! It's Been Two Months?~

aSalaam uAlaikum and Jummah Mubarak My Stylish Sisters!

Where have you been for so long???

Oh wait....

Yes, I forgot, it's been ME who has been missing in action *oops*

Well, my amazing Muslimahs, I am sorry if my absence has caused you distress.  Although I'm quite sure you have all been perfectly well without me and my preggy brain I must confess there have been numerous times I have logged on with every intention of posting something exciting and entertaining and earth-shattering....only to feel that I, in fact, had nothing interesting to say at all.

Alhamdulillah since my last post I am happy to announce that my handsome hubster and I did quite a bit of redecorating of our apartment, bought a car, and have been busily preparing for the arrival of another beautiful baby girl in April insh'Allah.  I am extremely fat and uncomfortable at this point (ah the joys of pregnancy!) and am literally counting down the days until I can start wearing high heels again.  We are also holding an on-going debate about names for the baby (any suggestions?) as well as searching high and low for the perfect bassinett/cradle to suit both of our tastes.

Other than that life has been quite uneventful, which I guess I should be grateful for after reading a few other sister's blogs/FB statuses/tweets about their ongoing dramas.  And this, my stylish sisters, is why I haven't updated you lately.

I am so sorry.

Really.

And that is why I am posting this very quick, very BLAH update for you all until I am able to spend the time (and what little brain power I have at the moment) writing a more interesting post.

So, until then....insh'Allah all is well with you lovely ladies and your families.

Ma'Salaama and See You Soon!

Boringly Yours,
The (yawn!) Mujahada in Prada