Cup of tea with Aisha

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh all :) how's your week started? I had one appointment today, and after that I did some grocery shopping. I bought yoghurt and frozen blueberries, and I can tell you that nothing tastes better right now! With a drizzle of honey of course. I also bought my favorite flavored dates, tastes like cinnamon rolls, and I enjoy them now with a cup of silver tea. Husband sleeping, only the plates are calling me to come and wash them, but I postpone it because I need a bit of time for myself first. ... I consider myself so lucky. Before I was a muslim, I prayed occasionally, but after I started calling God Allah, I saw how my prayers came true, one by one. It's a bit funny because Allah means just the God in English, so basically it was the same thing. But maybe I had more clearer idea, which kind of deity I was calling. And Allah is the greatest. As muslims we know that Allah has 99 names/attributes, which describe for us how He is like. You ...

Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh dears :) how are u? I have had some health issues, nothing dramatic but enough to keep me sunken in the sofa. That's why I haven't written anything, just been trying to manage. But alhamdulillah, I feel now a bit better so we get to chat again :) how are u doing, how's your weekend going? ... I have a strawberry plant on the balcony. I bought it from the supermarket in the start of summer, and ma sha Allah it very kindly gave me a fresh strawberry every now and then. What I didn't expect, is that it still keeps giving and is making more strawberries in the late month of October.. I'm not sure can it make a ripe berry but we'll see. It's been a very warm autumn, only now these days we get some cold air. The cold feels good. I had been inside the whole day so I went to do the grocery shopping already which I planned for tomorrow, so I got a taste of the coolness and it felt so good. Summer is beautiful, but I like ...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah dears :) how have u been? This is my second "day off" of this week. I know, I'm on pension so technically almost all my days are actual day offs, but I do still need a day to charge my batteries. And I was waiting to get to chat with you guys! Make a cup of hot tea and curl up in the sofa corner, I'm here too :) ... Since my anxiety has been gone for some time, I have had time for insecurities! Haha. This never ends, does it? Lot of my current insecurities have been about my weight and looks. I have become a grown woman, and my body has grown together with me. It has been, and is sometimes difficult to accept. In the West, we have grown into the culture that only youth is beautiful, only a skinny body is beautiful, and when you're +30 and "let yourself go" you become expired and worthless. And it couldn't be more wrong! Beauty doesn't end at a certain age. Beauty is how you carry yourself, and how you love yoursel...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullah all :) how r u? I have had something to do every day this week, which is good. It's good to be a bit busy sometimes. I'm a bit tired, but I had to come see you guys :) and make a cuppa of course, some silver tea. ... I've gotten out of my comfort zone this week, by going to new places and also been out in the evening time, which I normally avoid. This is what happens easily to anxious people, they start to avoid certain places etc. So, as I want to treat myself and not in that good way, but maybe good in a long run -way, I occasionally do things I don't like to do but which are good for me. And of course there's a greater good: I met a sister I haven't seen in a while, and her toddler too, ma sha Allah. It was nice to catch up and meet face to face. I'm more active online, but I want to be more active overall and enlarge my circles. After all I can't live just in my home-market-home life forever, I need to do things and g...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh dears :) how did your weekend go? This could be an aw27 style post, but it's not. Today, like every day, we focus on the everyday things and experiences > consuming. So today, we finally went to the Winter Garden here in Helsinki. The weather was warm, and we had matching sweaters, so a bit too warm, but a nice day still, hehe.  ... The Winter Garden is small but a very precious spot close to Pasila and Töölö. It's free, that's nice too. It has three different rooms full of plants, which are actually very common houseplants but grown for years, probably decades. Cacti, palm trees, flowers.. and a little pond with koi fish living in :) Then there's a rose garden outside. Beautiful place. Of course this time of the year the flowering plants and the roses outside had seen their best days already, but the sunshine mended the flaws. I recommend! We've had some ups and downs, so spending time together and going on a date f...

 Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh :) how are u? I just made a cup of 'hopeatee', in English 'silver tea'. It's a warm drink often introduced to us as kids by our grandmothers. A drink which simply has hot water, honey and milk. It's not bad at all :) I am following a diet, and also want to reduce my caffeine intake, so this is a good alternative. I have been a bit busy, doing regular things, nothing special. Household chores and grocery shopping. ... Generally the start of the week has been good, alhamdulillah. The anxiety is there, as always, but more at the back of my thoughts. I can do things and go to places, and it's so relieving. Today was clearly a colder day, autumn is here. So should we go to autumn favorites? :) 1. Shea butter My go-to moisturizer. Starts to get extra handy now when the weather changes. Cold means dry skin, so I usually use shea butter to moisturize my skin, usually after shower. It's best to apply as soon as possi...