5 More Minutes!

Assalaam Alakium ladies!

Good morning! I hope you all will be proud of me when I say I actually stayed up after fajr prayer today! Whoot! After some whining to the Writer that I didn't want to get up, he finally got through to me and I got up. I kept saying "5 more minutes". haha You know five minutes turns into an hour when you fall right back to sleep. How does that happen really? That extra hour only feels like five minutes and if you are hitting the "snooze" or in my case the "dismiss" button you really aren't getting any extra sleep. What's the point of falling asleep to only be awaken 5 minutes later for the next found of creative sounds.

 Good thing that didn't happen today because I needed to work out early, there is no other opportunity today. This is the first time this week that we've actually stayed up after fajr and got a workout in before work. It feels great to just get it out of the way. I know if I would have given into my five minute thing I would have been writing how I didn't get up yet, again! And how many times can I write that without seeming like I'm not even trying? 

Thursday's are super long days for the Writer and I, more so for him. Tonight is the second session of the KnewU: KnewBorn class at the Andalucia Center here in Houston, Texas. I've wrote about it before here but for a quick little overview; it's a class geared towards new Muslims and teaches the basic tenets of the Islamic faith. Of course, anyone can come new Muslim, old Muslim, non Muslim doesn't matter, it's a judgment free zone. =) 

InshAllah, I plan on taking notes like I did for the last session so look out for that in the next few days. I'll try to get the notes up tomorrow inshAllah. Oh yes, tomorrow is Friday! Happy day! =) You know those weeks that short of just creep on by, well this week is one of those. 

Have a great morning and inshAllah I'll be back with another post this afternoon. 

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~

Yay for Saturday!

Assalaam Alakium ladies!

Happy Saturday! The Writer actually has the day off so we get two free days! This rarely ever happens so we're going to try to make the best of it. Maybe we'll hit up the mall in a few since it's rainy outside. Alhamdulliah for the rain, we've needed it here in Houston. We had like a year long drought here so this rain is a good thing. =)

Last night I made the staple dinner around here, tilapia, brown rice and veggies. I was going to mix it up by making tilapia tacos but had a headache so just rolled with something easy. After dinner we just lounged around  until I passed out around 10. Migraines are no joke. 

Today is our family day so we're going to head off to visit the family. Layla time! She's the most adorable kid around. It's nice coming into a family bigger than my own. I only have one brother who is younger than me and he didn't live with us for awhile so for a long time I was kind of the "only child". I always wanted a sister and now I have two! 

Yup, she's the coolest!

I think having siblings, especially who are your gender and close in age keeps you grounded and out of trouble. Since I only had one sibling who was gone for awhile I gravated towards my friends. I spent every waking moment with them, and would often times only come home if I had to. My friends and I got into trouble and did things we shouldn't have. InshAllah if the Writer and I are ever blessed with children I would want siblings for my them. We'll see what Allah has in store for us. =)

What is your take on family? Do you want a large or small family?

Did you grow up in a large family? If so, how do you think it shaped you as a person?

Have a great Saturday!

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~

Jummah Mubarak!

Assalaam Alakium! 

Jummah Mubarak (blessed Friday)! How's your morning going? Alhamdulliah, I don't work on Fridays so I'm at home cleaning. So fun right?

I left you yesterday with a blog post about the KnewU New-Muslim class at the Andalucia Center here in Houston, well last night was the first class and I loved it. I took notes and will inshAllah post them later. Yesterday was a busy day, I was happy to get home last night. After 15 hours away from home, I'm ready to chill. (Introvert for sure)

The Writer and I tried a new place for lunch yesterday! This is exciting because we always say we're going to try something new but usually end up going somewhere we've been 100 times before. I guess it's the fear of the unknown lol. Yesterday we took the plunge and ate at a place in the Galleria area of Houston called Chacos. It's a Tex-Mex place and had great prices and generous portions. The Writer and I shared the "medium" nachos. The sauce bar was to die for...not literally but it was delicious. 

This place will definitely become a staple. Houston is full of amazing restaurants and people eat out a ton, not the healthiest option around. We usually try not to eat out a too much and it helps that I don't mind cooking, baking is a hobby of mine. 

Today, I plan on making red velvet cake pops! I'll be sure to write a post on it and make you drool with pictures haha. I'm off to seize the day. I'll be back later inshAllah! 

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~ 

New-Muslim Class

Assalaam Alakium again!

How's your afternoon going? It's a gloomy day here in Houston but it's been a pretty good day so far. Later on tonight the Writer and I are going to a new Muslim class called KnewU at the Andalucia Center here in Houston, Texas. The Writer is also a video production guy and he video-graphs the class. If any of you are interested in watching, it can be viewed live on Ustream here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/andalucialive They have an archive of previous shows and projects too. 

The studio of the Andalucia Center...featuring the Writer!

You can access the Andalucia Centers website at:  http://www.andaluciacenter.org/ There you can find events that are happening there as well as check out what the place is capable of. It is a one of a kind place here in Houston, Texas and inshAllah it will be beneficial to the community.

As for the class tonight, it is a New-Muslim class which goes over basic Islamic tenets of faith in detail with specific resources for further study. The class is taught by Abdullah Oduro who is a graduate of the Islamic University of Medinah, KSA '07. He is also a convert and I believe has been Muslim for over ten plus years. 

Here's a video further explaining the class:

InshAllah I plan on taking notes and posting them here on the blog. Is this something you all would be interested in. Please let me know.

Have a great night and I'll see you tomorrow inshAllah. I have a convert series idea in the works so look out for that. 

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~

TAIF! (Thank Allah It's Friday)

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have had a blessed day. It's a gorgeous 70 degree day here in H-Town, I definitely don't miss the weather in Minnesota! It's taken me a bit to get use to the change in climate here, it's like Summer/Spring year around....I'm not complaining. :)

A great thing about Houston is the large population of Muslims here, you don't have to travel far to find a Masjid (Mosque). Back in Minnesota most of the Masjids were in the suburbs and they were few and far between. I love being able to experience different Masjids and get a feel for the community. The Muslim community here is good, but like most could use a little help. Being a convert I have a lot of wishes for the Muslim community. Some would be: a place for children to enjoy the Masjid on Fridays and therefore, allow their parents time to listen to the khutbah (lecture), to make the Masjid a place youth WANT to be and to make it more friendly to converts and non-Muslims. One Masjid I discovered here in Houston is doing a great job of all of the things I just spoke of. They have a great facility and it's more than just a Masjid, it's more like a community center and I seen a lot of families enjoying the space. InshAllah (God willing) I'll write an entire post on the things this incredible Masjid is doing, for now I'll grace you with a beautiful picture of the place.

 

That's it for now, inshAllah I'll be back soon! Let me know what you'd like to see on this page!

What things would you change to make the Masjid a better place?
What ideas do you all have to make the Muslim youth want to come to the Masjid?

Walakium Assalaam!

~Hijabi Butterfly~

Here We Go Again....

Assalaam Alakium (Peace be upon you),

Long time no type!! I can't believe it's been this long since I've written a blog (over two years). I hope you all are in good health and have been doing well. The last two years have brought a TON of change and I've welcomed it all. I've moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Houston, Texas and have finally settled into my new apartment! More stories to come about the move, adjusting to life away from home and finally being happy!

I can't promise much with this blog, but I'm hoping to become more active and less informative....it was way TOO stuffy in here! I want to add excitement to this blog. I'll be talking more about my life as a 22 year old, white/Native American, convert to Islam and wife. If anyone has any suggestions or questions please let me know. I'm a very honest person...sometimes too honest.

Take care all and I hope to see you soon,


~Hijabi Butterfly~