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Marzipan

Crafty Idea

November 10, 2011 by Imaan 6 Comments

Mars is running out of clothes to wear. It isn’t easy shopping for this first-born child of mine for the following reasons:

(1) She is not your average girly girl. Now, I’m not unhappy about this, but in a country like Pakistan where stores cater only to girly girls, it is a problem. I was a tomboy myself – hated eveything fussy and frilly and would not be caught dead in anything pink. Mars is a lot like that, but a little better. She will wear skirts (which I’d never deigned to wear back in the day, LOL!) and things slightly (keyword being SLIGHTLY) feminine, provided they have an edge. They have to look grungy, shabby chic or retro … they just cannot be prissy and they cannot be, you’ve got it, PINK.

(2) She believes in covering up. This, of course, I’m pleased about. She started wearing the headscarf back when she was 2 going on 3 (not full time). I remember when her aunt told her it was way too hot once when they were going out – it was a sweltering Isloo summer – and told her not to wear the scarf. She cried her eyes out. I had to step in when I heard the commotion and tell the aunt that it wouldn’t harm her and that we shouldn’t stop children if they want to do what’s good. ANYWAY! By the time she was 5, she wore the scarf full time and stopped wearing short-sleeves out of the home (she’d wear them with a long-sleeved T under). These days, she prefers wearing her abayas out. I do want to get some more abayas and long-sleeved blouses tailored for her, but we’ll still need some jeans and Ts though for her outdoor play and “explorations”.

(3) She has odd taste. I should say that she basks in her individuality :P This is a girl who asked me to embroider a skull and crossbones on her bookbag! She looks at skater Ts and grungy hoodies with longing. I had, last year, bought a couple for her that were not masculine and that suited her colour, but we’ve really run out of luck in this department this winter. In Pakistan, you don’t always get a good range – some of the skater Ts and hoodies are garish and downright awful. She has scoffed at the girls’ sections – they have glitter and lace (oh yes, those are out too, didn’t I tell you?), silly captions (“Adore Me!” … “I LOVE to Daaance!”) and just plain horrid pictures.

So what’s a desperate mum to do? Well, I’ve been thinking… The stores these days are selling lots of plain cotton Ts that serve as undershirts – they are long-sleeved and turtle-necked and look quite decent on their own. The fabric is also quite thick and durable. I thought I would buy loads of these for Mars and… EMBROIDER THEM!

Genius, no?

Heh, I actually got the idea from this site which I’d bookmarked ages ago: Made By Joel. (There are LOTS of wonderfully creative ideas for toys and games that you can make yourself so check the site out.)

I’ll look up some urban and funky designs in shaa Allah and give it a shot. I might even applique! I must remember to steer Mars away from her skull and crossbones notions… I might also make some for Bear although she has been fortunate – there are loads of very lovely clothes for kids her age. Well, the dad man did buy a pink T with a crown that said “Princess”. Bear has vowed to cover it up with a very anti-Princess caption. This is all Mars’ influence I tell you… :P

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Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend wh Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend who is a member of a minority group here. (I am keeping things vague for her safety and mine.) She has a relative who is also a friend of mine. 

In both my early encounters with them, I’d always sensed an air of reserve and secrecy. I understood that we had different beliefs, but I could not understand what I perceived as fear. Not being a native here in Pakistan, I’d had my share of bewildering and unfathomable encounters, so I’d left things at that. Maybe I’d understand in time to come, I thought.

They had always been very kind to me and I tried to reciprocate as best I could. For all our (acknowledged) differences in opinion and belief, we found some common ground and focused on doing some good. My friend’s relative donated science kits as well as books for my homeschooling gang and I’ll always be grateful for that. 

I read news yesterday about how my friend and her people do in fact live in danger. She told me how she fears for her husband’s life every single time he leaves home. She jumps every single time her doorbell rings. She worries about sending her daughter to school for fear of bullying or worse… Target killings of her people are a reality.

It made me feel so ashamed because this is tragic and downright disgraceful for any country, but even more so for a Muslim one. 

It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to debate. It is NOT OK to terrorize and it is NOT OK resort to violence. It is wrong and it is unjust and it is EVIL to do so. When dealing with people of different beliefs, can we not be civilised? Can we not be HUMAN? Can we not behave the way our deen taught us? 

We need to find a way to make things better. It is not right to allow people who know precious little about Islam to desecrate it. 

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#islam #minorityrights #knowyourreligion #pakistan
Journalists say this time it is different. Rushdi Journalists say this time it is different.

Rushdi as-Sarraj, Yasser Murtaja’s friend, told Al-Jazeera, “This task is difficult under normal circumstances, so you can imagine working under a fierce offensive that does not distinguish between a journalist, a civilian or a military leader.” Israel is working hard “to silence the image and voice, and to ban any news or information that exposes its crimes”.

He also says, “My family doesn’t stop calling me, fearing that I could be harmed. It is an endless circle of fear and exhaustion. But we must continue sharing our message.”

Praying for Muna El-Kurd @muna.kurd15 , her brother @mohammedelkurd and all the journalists putting out the truth. 

#palestine #freepalestine #freemunakurd #freemunaelkurd #savesheikhjarrah #savesilwan #savelifta #savemohammedelkurd
«THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019» «We returned «THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019»

«We returned to the park after the lockdown earlier this year… sadly our tree for all seasons is no more 😢»

FOREIGN LANDS by Robert Louis Stevenson
Up into the cherry tree
Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad on foreign lands.
I saw the next door garden lie,
Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.
If I could find a higher tree
Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships.
To where the roads on either hand
Lead onward into fairy land,
Where all the children dine at five,
And all the playthings come alive.
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#throwback #pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
A couple of you asked me to make a post of my stor A couple of you asked me to make a post of my story in response to LV’s despicable use of the keffiyeh design. Pictures in this post are from hirbawi.ps and @palestine.pixel … 

EDIT: yes, my second slide should have been edited and it is bugging me. I repeated 1930s… sorry! If you want a more polished version, DM me. You get my meaning anyway, right? 
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#palestine #freepalestine #keffiyeh #gaza #jerusalem #savesheikhjarrah
«YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020» I was feelin «YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020»

I was feeling a little out of sorts (again) – I’d left the house a mess (again) and the boy and I were in a rush to get to the Art Co-op. Habiba @ourlivinghomeschool was doing a session on Wassily Kandinsky that day. 

We were delayed by a massive traffic jam and our stress levels rocketed when an obnoxious motorist kept sounding his horn repeatedly as if to shoo other cars out of the way. What was everyone else to do but wait for the jam to ease? 

We made it just in time though…barely! As we ran towards the gathering, it was as if a huge weight was lifted away. This gorgeous view greeted the boy and me, alhamdulillah. When we got down to studying Kandinsky, we felt more than fine.

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#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #desidiaries #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers #artcoop #artoutdoors
«THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» Once upon a time before «THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» 
Once upon a time before Covid.

The calm before…

We had our Monday meet up again at Fatima Jinnah Park. The air was cool and crisp and the skies sunny when the nature gang got together. Then, it was on to a jolly game of Simon Says – Katelynn’s @_k8erpotater clever way of teaching the kids about body parts and how they move.

The kids did their usual tree climbing and exploring. Then, the dark clouds started rolling in. We took a while to decide whether or not to leave – the park literally looked dark and ominous on one side and cheery and bright on the other. We only started rushing for home when lightning split the sky. The kids were not to be hurried, however. They felt little pellets hitting them and stopped to investigate… hailstones!

Our ramble was cut short and I got cold and wet, but I think it was a gorgeous day. We got to learn about nature in a very real way.
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#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
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