~Let The Good Times Roll!~

aSalaam uAlaikum My Amazing Muslimahs!

Okay, if anyone knows me well it's you.  And if anyone knows me, then they know that I love nothing more than to host a stunningly stylish soiree.

Yes.....it's PARTY TIME!!!

Although I had to squeeze four days into two, I am soooo happy I didn't miss out on the BEST category of Hijabi Fashion Week yet:  Party Hostess!

So...in honor of us all having one big virtual party together, I thought I'd share with you one of my all time FAVORITE mocktail recipes.  I love this drink to bits.  In fact, I often make it to celebrate just about anything, from a new pair of stilettos, to finding a parking space in front of my house!

So here it goes....

The Nojito

(get it?  instead of Mojito?  because there is NO alcohol! hahaha! wait...am I the only one laughing?)

6-8 Leaves of Fresh Mint per drink
Club Soda
Lime Juice
Simple Syrup
Ice

Gently smash most of the mint, being careful not to rip the leaves, and drop 5 or 6 leaves into the bottom of each glass.  Fill each glass with ice, then fill the glass 3/4 of the way with club soda, and add a splash of the lime juice (more if you prefer a more citrus-y drink).  Pour simple syrup into each glass until the glass is almost full, and garnish with the remaining mint leaves.  If you do not have simple syrup onhand, you can simply heat water to almost boiling, and add sugar.  (2 parts sugar to 1 part water)Allow to cool before using.

I love this drink because it's refreshing, tasty, and it looks so pretty with all those bright green mint leaves floating around!  You can always make your own version by adding different flavored syrups, and by garnishing with lime wedges, fresh strawberries or raspberries, or those cute little umbrellas!

Okay, now that we're all sipping away at our Nojitos, and the hors d'euvres have been passed around, it's time to reveal the last outfit of the week:  The Party Hostess!

I've chosen to put together an outfit that I would wear for an all girl's event, since I honestly wouldn't be hosting a party with men anyways.  Unfortunately in this picture this beautiful handkerchief style dress ends up looking like a wrinkly, shiny mess.  So you'll just have to take my word for it: with it's uneven hem, and vibrant, regal print this dress looks stunning when on.  I've chosen to top it with a flowing, shimmering gold cardigan by I.N.C. that is available at Macys.

    Because it's an all girl's event and I wouldn't be wearing hijab, I would definitely accessorize with these stunning, leaf chandelier earrings.

I would further accessorize my look with this amazing cocktail ring that I bought at a boutique in Florida, and (of course) my wedding ring.

And finally, (leaving the best part for last) I would complete my look with these amazing leopard print stilettos by Gianni Bini that I got at Dillards.  Aren't they Uh-mazing??  Seriously, I would wear these shoes with jeans and a tee shirt I love them so much.  hehe...but I digress.

So, there you have it.  My ensemble for the hottest hostess for a gorgeous girly gathering.

Insh'Allah you enjoyed my choices for Hijabi Fashion Week.  Hopefully I won't be running late for the next one in November (yeah right, I'm late to everything).

Ma'Salaama and Happy Hosting!

Fashionably Yours,
The (who wants another Nojito?) Mujahada in Prada 

~Work Wear, Formal Wear, and Travel~

aSalaam uAlaikum My Stylish Sisters...

In my last post I expressed (more like whined) about the fact that I didn't know about Hijabi Fashion Week, so since that last post I looked into it and learned that all hope is not lost!  The Titanic is still afloat!  The fat lady didn't sing!!

In other words...it's not too late!

Sooooo...since I didn't have time (nor had the knowledge) to be able to throw together outfits for all six days that have happened thus far, I chose my favorite three categories.  Here's what I was able to compile in the past few hours.  Insh'Allah you like them.

(P.S.  The lighting is horrible.  The backdrop is terrible.  The photography is less than professional.  In short...the pictures may stink, but the outfits are amazing.  And really...isn't that what counts?)

Work Wear

Crisp black menswear-inspired tuxedo shirt by I.N.C. available at Macy's.  White linen slacks by Ann Taylor.  Pinstripe white scarf by ummmm...no clue (sorry!)

Watch by Guess.  My own wedding ring and cocktail ring (both bought in Jordan by my in-laws) and a simple, pearl hijab pin.

My version of a briefcase, by House Of Derion (available at Macy's), along with some simple black pumps by Sheikh Shoes.

Formal Wear

This brilliant blue caftan with gold embroidery, and finished with beads and gemstone detailing around the neck and sleeves is from Soft Surroundings.

This necklace was a gift from my mother in law from Jordan.  The large cocktail ring is from http://www.gomodest.com/, and the other ring is another of my wedding rings (also from Jordan).

Shoes by Gianni Bini, handbag is from Newport News catalogue.

With such an intricate caftan, and fancy accessories I would keep the scarf relatively simple.  Like this off white one with gold sequin curls.

And now I have caught up with today's look................................

Day 6-Travel

Psychedelic peacock sundress is by Emma & Michele, jersey military inspired jacket is by Glimmer (available at Macy's) and pale turquoise pashmina was given to me as a gift.

Gold gladiators by Sam Edelman (available at Nordstrom), and brown sunglasses by Ralph Lauren.

Juicy Couture charm bracelet with salted pretzel charm, and royal purple hijab pin by Love Nyla (http://www.lovenyla.com/)

So, there you have it.  I'm always late to everything, so it figures I was late posting for HFW too, but alhamdulillah I'm able to squeeze in the last couple of days.

Now it's back to the closet to figure out what I'll post for tomorrow's category.  Hmmmmm.......

Ma'Salaama and Wish Me Luck!

Fashionably Yours,
The (wow! this is more than I've posted in a long time!) Mujahada in Prada

~Hijabi Fashion Week~

aSalaam uAlaikum My Stylish Sisters!

Ok....I must admit I'm a little hurt.  Why didn't anyone tell me about Hijabi Fashion Week?  I feel like I'm a nice person to be around.  Maybe not exactly the life of the party, but pleasant enough...and I can make some KILLER mocktails and appetizers, so what's the deal?  Why didn't I receive an invite to the party??

I keep browsing all of these other amazing Muslimah's fashion blogs and see one after another showing off their to-die-for ensembles, and I get a little tinge of disappointment that I wasn't sent a Save the Date for the occasion!

Soooo....that being said, I've decided to do my own!  Only I'll call it The Mujahada in Prada's Fashion Week.  (what else?? LOL)  Now, the only issue is this:  I'm not sure how to do the pictures.  I don't feel comfortable posting pictures of myself for all the blogosphere to see.  Not that I'm so especially smashing that I feel like I'll cause pangs of jealousy or anything, I am just a bit camera shy, particularly because I just had a baby not so long ago.  Let's just say I won't be bikini-ready anytime soon.  (Not that I wear bikinis anyways, but you get the point)

So I was thinking I could do the snapshots one of two ways:  Collages using Polyvore or something of that nature   OR   wearing niqab like I did for the photo up at the top of my blog.  Hmmmm....the jury is still out on that one, but I will definitely keep you lovely ladies informed.

Alhamdulillah this past week has been great.  I am still constantly struggling with the fact that I can't keep my house nearly as neat and tidy with two kids, as I did with one kid.  I guess I never realized how many hours a day I put into scrubbing the kitchen or vaccuming the floor, until I was too busy with a baby to do it anymore.  Some days I'm fine with the mess, but other days it literally causes my head to spin when looking around at my living room.  Just something to keep in mind for those sisters who are thinking of having kids, and don't have the funds to hire help.

My handsome hubby surprised me with an absolutely gorgeous diamond ring I've been lusting over for a while now.  The only problem is, when it was delivered a couple of the diamonds don't look right, so now I have to take it into the local store and see if they will exchange it for me.  *sob* How totally disappointing after waiting for weeks for it to arrive.  Ah well, insh'Allah khair.

Anyways, enough random-ness for one post.  I didn't really have anything too earth-shattering to share with you this week, but I wanted to pop in quickly for a quick cuppa and let you know what's going on in my world.

Oh...and one more thing.  I have decided to make a serious attempt to start eating better.  I've been reading a lot about how important it is to get lots and lots of antioxidants in order to try to stave cancer and other scariness.  Also, I am tired of still wearing my maternity jeans and am totally anxious to squeeze into my Sevens again.  Alhamdulillah the hubby has decided to participate in Operation Eat Healthy, which will make it much easier to stick to, so insh'Allah this weekend we will make a major grocery mission and get started with the healthy living.

Anyways, insh'Allah you all enjoy your weekends.  Do keep in touch, sometimes I feel as though I'm talking to myself in here! I love to get your comments, whether positive, negative, neutral, un-related, random ranting, or incoherent rambling.  :)

Ma'Salaama and Happy Hijabi Fashion Week! (hey, better late than never, right?)

The (I'm always fashionably late to everything anyway) Mujahada in Prada

~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