Raya oh Raya... version 1434H ;)

Hi everyone. Hope you guys had a wonderful raya ya! :)

As for us, we had a great time bonding with our family... alhamdulillah :) It was indeed a wonderful Raya :) I do believe Hari Raya is the best time for family members to bond with each other! Masa ni la nak eratkan hubungan silaturahim kan... visiting relatives, ect.

This year, our 1st Syawal was celebrated in hubby's hometown in Kampung Sempang, Melaka :) And 2 days before that, I dah 'advance' beraya with my mom at my sis house in Sri Damansara... alhamdulillah :)

Haji Hussin clan - warna warni di pagi raya ❤

Opsss... tak cukup corum lak... Kak Eina and Imran not in the pic... 

2 handsome boys looking good in baju melayu on raya morning -  Ilhan and Izzat ❤

And 2 lovely young ladies looking pretty wearing peplum this Syawal - Izzaty and Alea ❤

p/s : the beads on Izzaty's peplum saya yang jahit okeh! :D

Jom zoom sket kasi tenguk hasil 'keras tangan' yours truly... :D

Amacam? Okay tak? hehee... :D

Wahhh... this year Abang Imran bagi duit raya!!! woohoo!!! ❤

Uncle Ee pun bagi duit raya.... waaahhhh.... the kids boleh kumpul duit bertingkek-tingkek!! :D

The boys naik Uncle Chik's pickup pergi beraya rumah Nek Yang and Nek Chik! They sure had fun! :D

This is what they called Raya Millennium... 

Everybody was busy with their gadgets... ipad, smart phones, ect... hahaa!

******

On 2nd Syawal, alhamdulillah... we got the chance to balik Kuala Pilah (suka sangat!!! sebab last year tak dapat balik... huhu!). Well, 3 places yang 'wajib' kami singgah when beraya in Pilah are...

1. Kubur my arwah ayah 

2. My Pak Teh's house (my mom's brother - the only one who's still staying in Kuala Pilah)

3. My Pak Long Ino's house (my late grandma's only son - well, not really my real grandma... but she's my real grandma's eldest sis and the one who raised my mom and her siblings after my real grandma passed away when my mom and aunties were still small...).

Pekan Kuala Pilah where I grew up... 

I really miss this place... :'(

Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang weh... ini kan pula tempat membesar.... huhu!

1st destination - my Pak Long Ino's house in Kampung Gontam :D 

My Pak Long Ino looking so rugged on Hari Raya with his sun glasses... haha! :D

FYI, ini lah grandpa to my artist-niece... Sari Yanti :D 

Unfortunately, Sari Yanti was not around when we dropped by. If we came on first raya, insyaAllah, dapat jumpa artis sorang tu... haha! :)

Kebetulan, my mom, aunty, eldest sis and brother was at my Pak Long Ino's house when we dropped by :) Well, actually memang plan nak jumpa diorang pun kat sini... hehee... 

Our boys - Izzat (my boy), Adam (my bro's boy) and Daniel (my eldest sis's boy). These 3 boys (plus my niece, Alea) are all going to sit for UPSR exam next month.... huhuuu.... apa2 pun kita raya dulu... hehe.

2nd destination  - Tanah Perkuburan Islam @ Tanjung Jati... 

2 kubur wajib visit... my arwah ayahanda Haji Abdul Manaf  and grandma, Hajjah Zawiah. Wanted to visit my real grandma and grandpa's kubur... but I wasn't sure which one... *sigh!*

The kids at kubur my dad... My nephew and niece, Adiel and Alea followed us balik kampung Pilah.

I wish my kids got the chance to get to know their Atuk Manaf... :(

He passed away when I was 7-months-pregnant of Izzaty :'((

Al Fatihah buat arwah.....

I miss you Ayah... '((

Right in front of Simpang Tanjung Jati, is where our old house was located... yeah, "WAS". Past tense :(

Used to be my playground... all gone now... penuh ngan pokok2 liar jer... sedey :'((

3rd destination : My PakTeh's house in Kampung Senaling...

Lepak with my Mak Teh and her cucu while hubby and the boys followed my uncle and cousins to mosque for Solat Jumaat...

That night, the kids had a blast main bunga api and mercun... 

*****

3rd Syawal.... last minute plan.... kami beraya di JPO (Johor Premium Outlet)... hahaha! Don't judge us okay... tapi mmg dah lama nak pergi sini... so ambil peluang cuti raya ni... lol! :D

Yours Truly with my 'advance' birthday present from Mr Hubby :D

Thanks darling... love you soooo much!!! ❤

What's inside the bag?? Haaaa.... biarlah rahsia dulu... nanti on my real birthday I reveal yah... lol!

Bonding sambil sopping with family at JPO... heheee ❤

Had a blast!!!!! :D

What a wonderful raya we had! Semoga dipanjangkan umur bertemu Ramadhan dan Syawal lagi next year... Aamin.. 

Of Raya Preparation

My preparation for raya this year is very, very moderate. Believe it or not... I have not gone to any shopping complex for raya shopping this Ramadhan! Macam tak percaya kan....hehe! Well, definitely not by choice... tapi tak berkesempatan! Stress I tak dapat shopping tau!! Hukss.... :'(

But alhamdulillah, most raya preparation has been done! At least all the important things! :) Baju kurung and baju melayu tahun ni all cotton! Tak gi kedai pun beli... online ajer ngan Sis Ika @ WardrobeUmi nya! 

Why cottons? Cottons are practical and comfy! It's sempoi too :)  It's too sempoi that I decided to sew some beads on one of the kurung... konon kasi naik seri sket :) But hubby said, 'tak payah la... nanti you penat!'. Hmm... true! Tak de masa pun ye... malas pun ye jugak! But still I want to do something to that baju! So here it is.... 

I just sew some pearls kat hujung tangan baju kurung ni.... simple but I like! :)

Another baju kurung cotton - mine and Izzaty's were sent to Melaka for beading... Tahun ni no time to do myself... so outsource jer kerja2 beading ni! Upah an FB friend in Melaka... Post ajer! Huhu... 

I guess I've been relying heavily on online shopping lately for this year Raya preparation *grin*. Tudung pun order online @ Sugarscaf and Souq Scarf. Ohh not those glamorous mak datin's tudungs with beads ya! I am no Mak Datin :P I really dunno how to wear one of those :D Just bought simple shawls for myself and Izzaty... that's all! :) Hmm... for the first time ever... tak menvisit  Masjid India which is just a few meters away from my office to shop for tudungs!! Ohhh... sungguh tak percaya!! :)) But opsss.... Ramadhan is not over yet.... I still got time to go shopping... muahahaha! :D

My mental therapy...

What do you do when you are feeling down, sad or having problems?

For me, the best way to make me feel better whenever I am feeling down or having problem is by communicating more with Allah. Subhanallah... I found peace by doing that, alhamdulillah. I try to recite the Quran everyday whenever possible, especially after the Maghrib prayer. But of course there were days when I came back from work and felt so exhausted that I just want to rest and go to sleep the soonest I can! *sigh!* I know... I know.... lame excuse! I pray to Allah to give me more strength to be a better muslimah each day.... insyaAllah...

I have been following Ustazah Tsuraya's Quran classes for about a year now. The class is just once a week... and yes, I did skip some classes... huhu! But alhamdulillah... I picked up lots of ilmu during her class.... and now certainly had improved my pronunciation when I recite the Quran, insyaAllah. I found it easier and more enjoyable to recite the Quran now :)

Early this year, I bought these from Ustazah Tsuraya.....It's a set to 10 books - the whole chapter of Quran complete with translation and guidance on the tajwid. Each book has numbering system that would guide you on the tajwid on each ayat. Suitable for someone like me yang baru berjinak2 belajar tajwid :) And yes.... I still have a lotssss to learn as every time Ustazah Tsuraya asked me on tajwid questions in class... terketaq2 nak jawab... haha! :D *padan muka.... sapa suruh ponteng kelas kan! hik hik!* I brought the books home and hubby has started using them as well... syukur alhamdulillah... sharing is caring, right? :)


Secondly, of course, there's retail therapy.... another effective way for me to distress myself :) But again... this is a VERY dangerous solution.... takut nanti terlebih sudah, terlebih fening pulak bila dah terlebih budget :D

Last but not least, I just love sewing beads! I found it very therapeutic! :) I've been doing it for the past few years :) But I guess you all already knew this :D

This is what I have been doing for the past few weekends....

I know, I know.... flowers tu sedikit senget here and there :P But I was inspired by a friend, Adriana Ahmad who showed her beads-work in her Facebook album :) She calls this design - cupcake :) Cute le pulak nama tu.. and I just had to try it!! :D So another kurung cotton of mine yang dah siap ber-beads! :)

Well, those are some of my ways of cheering myself up as mental therapy. So what's yours?? Do share! :)

It's finally finished

FINALLY!!!! After weeksssss of trying to finish this... my latest beading project is finally completed!! Phewwww!!

My first attempt buat bunga sisik ikan ni..... tak cantik aaa... :( Mimi darling... tolong bagi tips sket kasi cantik??? ;)

Sampai sakit tengkuk makcik nak siapkan project nih.. :P

It's finally done! Alhamdulillah..... another baju cotton with new look :)

Okay.. no more beading project for now!! :P Nak rehat dulu :P
Next project?? Baju raya kot?? huhu...

My latest bead craze :P

Another project of mine for the past few weeks...

Alhamdulillah.... Another baju cotton ku yang berimej baru :) Quite simple eh? But I kinda like it!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

An eventful weekend

On Saturday, Izzaty had to attend a one-day UPSR seminar in Batang Kali... about 30 mins drive from our place. Malas nak drive 2 times ke sana... we made a plan - I sent 3 kids to the seminar, and another parent would fetch them back late in the eve - phew, lega sket :)

As for Izzat, he was not well on Saturday morning, but got better in the evening. He had to get better real fast cause he had a taekwando grading test on Sunday morning!

Sunday morning was most busy! Izzat got a taekwando grading test, and Izzaty had a pertandingan tilwah Al Quran (I did not know that until Saturday night! My mom registered her name for the competition without informing us.. adoi aii... nasib baik lah tak buat plan lain pagi tu!) So terpaksa lah Izzaty ponteng taekwando class again (semalam pergi seminar pun dah ponteng... adoiiii she aaaaa... asyik ponteng aje! :P).

Anyway, mama went to see Izzat for his grading test. As usual, jadi paparazi (or shall I say 'mamarazi'??) yang tak bertauliah :D

Izzat introducing himself

For once, my cheeky boy looked so serious :D

Stedeh Izzat! :)

Sparing with his partner, Danial Hashimi who happened to be a son of a good friend, Dr Aniza. Perghh.. boleh tahan ganas juge depa sparing!

Alhamdulillah... naik satu calit!! FINALLY!!! After one year not progressing anywhere!! I was getting worried you see!! :P Anyway, tahniah Izzat... am proud of you *muah!* ♥

As for Izzaty in the Majlis Tilawah Al Quran competition... she got 4th place! Dapat la hadiah saguhati - jadi laaaa.... alhamdulillah! Am proud of you too *muah!* ♥

Fuyooo... sijil dia in Arabic... Ana lak afham!! :D

The kids' mom definitely had a busy weekend :) In between those kids' activities... yours truly managed to do this :)

Wahh... baju kurung cotton ku sudah berimej baru! :) sukerr sangat!! =)

Beading Project in Ramadhan

This year, baju raya kami dah settled waaaaay before the Ramadhan month... sangat2 advance! :) I bought them during my previous Bandung trip. Baju Melayu for beloved hubby and son were tailored by hubby's favourite taylor who happened to be a dear friend's eldest sis. And mama and daughter's baju kurung were tailored by my favourite tailor - Kak EsDilla, Medan Mara :) Izzaty requested me to sew some beads on her baju kurung raya. But mama has been so busy.. lots of work at office and at the same time trying my very best to do the recommended acts in Ramadhan. The only free time for me to do beading is on weekends. Baju mama and daughter tahun ni sama ajer.... in term of materials and design... boria la gitu :) So, since I have 2 pasang baju to bead... I decided to make it very, very simple... and Ta-Daaa!!!

Simple ajer kan?

Using teknik 'lingkaran' yang simple kat lengan baju

'Double lingkaran' or also known as 'Lingkaran Kasih' at leher baju

Simple and sweet I hope... :) Tak sabar nak raya!! huhu! But an ustaz said during a kuliah Dhuha at Surau Al Insaf, Menara Maybank "Jangan dok sibuk buat preparation nak sambut Raya aje. Sesungguhnya menyambut Ramadhan itu lebih afdal.... rebutlah peluang berbuat kebaikan di bulan Ramadhan yang mulia ini.. "

Ubadah Bin Somit ra. meriwayatkan bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda pada suatu hari ketika Ramadhan hampir menjelang: "Telah datang kepadamu bulan Ramadhan, di mana Allah melimpah ruahkan di dalamnya dengan keberkatan, menurunkan rahmat, mengampuni dosa-dosa kamu, memakbulkan doa-doa kamu, melihat di atas perlumbaan kamu untuk memperolehi kebaikan yang besar dan berbangga mengenaimu di hadapan malaikat-malaikat. Maka tunjukkanlah kepada Allah Taala kebaikan dari kamu. Sesungguhnya orang yang bernasib malang ialah dia yang dinafikan daripada rahmat Allah pada bulan ini."

Semoga kita tidak terlalu leka dengan urusan duniawi di bulan yang mulia ini. May Allah give us the strength, the patience, commitment and determination to multiply our efforts to improve our amalan and ibadah in this holy month of Ramadhan... Ameen.

2 days break @ home

Last weekend, we all went back to Melaka for a small kenduri doa selamat at hubby's kampung. So basically... I did not get enough rest last weekend that I felt so tired when I start working on Monday. The kids have ujian bulanan this week... and I felt so bad as lately I did not spent time doing revision with them. Mana tak nyee... by the time I reached home, I was literally dead tired! Exhausted!! How lor to teach the kids??? :( Feeling guilty... I decided to take 2 days leaves... just to monitor the kids doing revision for the test. I need a break anyway.... boleh la rehat sket kat rumah sambil tu kan? It is a good excuse to take leaves :)

So 2 days at home.... BEST!!! Heaven!! Other than monitoring the kids doing revision, berehat and bergaduh ngan Izzat (yeah... he's being so difficult! Penat betul nak suruh dia buat latihan or revision... ada je jawab dia!! He really has lots of excuses! :P), yours truly juga sempat habiskan menjahit beads on a baju which I started monthsssss ago! (I think I started doing it somewhere in April??) Punya la berzaman nak siap! Huhu!

So... yeay!! boleh la pakai baju ni Raya nanti :) The kain for this baju was bought by my colleague Linda @ Kelatan's Pasar Siti Khadijah. I love Malaysian batiks :)











Baju raya tema tahun ni tak siap lagi ni... sempat tak agaknya nak tambah beads nanti? hehe... *no harm berangan kan?* ;)

Beads crazy :)

Uhuh.. I am so hooked with this new hobby at the moment.... so.. pantang free ajer (which is rare lately sebab baaaanyak sangat kerja kat office!) .....mesti nak jahit beads :) These are what I've been doing for the past few weeks! :)

Remember Danisyah's baju raya in my previous post? Well, this is the same one for Izzaty. Well, suppose to be very 'same' lor... tapi the gem stones kat tengah bunga tu tak cukup and when I checked it out kat kedai manik nearby... sudah abis stock wooo!! Nasib baik lah bunga2nya considered 'balanced'... so I let Izzaty wear first this weekend for a kenduri kawin :) Nanti stock dah ada... boleh sambung jahit.. lol!

This is my niece's kebaya... my SIL, Kak Eina asked me to jahit simple beads to make Alea's baju more glamour gitu..... huhu... budak zaman sekarang nih... glam melebihkan mak bapak! :D

And this one.... yours truly punye :) Finally!! :) Baru siap from tailor... and jahit la beads utk tambah glamour jugak... (mana boleh anak lebih glam dari mama..hik hik!). Baru sebelah tangan siap... lagi sebelah in progress.... huhu. Maklum laaa... sibuk sekarang ni.... *sigh!*

Danisyah's baju raya

This baju raya is my sister's Na idea.. dia nak baju 'boria' for her daughter Danisyah and my daughter, Izzaty :) I chose and sponsored the material and she sponsored the tailor workmanship... and of course I did the beading for them... :)

So far, only Danisyah's baju is completed... Izzaty's baju belum start lagi beading... :(

Leher and leher guna teknik 'lingkaran kasih' :)

Ni suka2 je... tenguk idea dari internet :)