Twenty-Five!

That's right folks. A quarter of my life has now been completed.

You know what the best season is to be born in? Autumn!

 It was a beautiful crisp cool scenic morning on my drive to work. :)

My mom threw a little get together over the weekend and invited family over. I bought the little cone birthday hats for my cousins and myself and Meeka to wear! Everyone wore one to make me happy.

Meeka looks slightly annoyed. 

"What is this? What is my life? Get this off me before I claw you"

The year 2013 has brought my taste buds to a decision on what makes me foam and drool at the mouth.. One Pakistani, one American and one Universal. Biryani, Lasagna and Salad! :D

I'm on a mission to learn how to make the best biryani. :)

I think presents come and go but cards last forever! A nice memory keepsake! :D



Allah (swt) has blessed me with the most amazing parents aH!

21 Years

Topic of the Day: 21st Birthday

One bad thing about American culture is how much emphasis they put on drinking. As if that's all there is to life. It's a marketing ploy, happy hour after you get off work to 'release' stress you accumulated throughout the day. There are other ways folks. Meet with a group of friends for dinner and laughs seems more appealing to me. 

 

Anyways, a few days ago it was my younger cousin's twenty-first birthday. I tried to look online for gift ideas but unfortunately for me everything revolved around booze. So I put my thinking cap on and came up with something unique: 21 presents for a 21 year old to be!

 

I love adding a little bit of a joke gift in every present I give out. So this time my first present of the twenty-one would be fake alcohol! I wanted to go with a theme as well (like I always do), this time it would be Pink & Turquoise! Flirty and Girly. ;)


Apple Cranberry Sparkling Cider

 

For people that know me personally they know I'm obsessed with scents! Very specific scents though. I worked at Macys and the brand new carpets they had come in I could sniff them all day. The new car smell? AHmazing! Old books that have been shut for years and forgotten? Love it! Yes I'm a weirdo. When it comes to scents that I gift to others I choose something more human like. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the perfume bottle. It was pretty and pink to match with the theme.

 

The other items I got are random smaller pieces to make up the twenty-one gifts.

I also added some food items such as Pringles, Granola Bars and Candy!

(although I didn't take any pictures of them sadly)

These beautiful bracelets are the perfect color! Pink and Turquoise!

 I also got pink nail polish, pink lip gloss, colorful hair bands and pretty earrings!

A pink loofa, pink and turquoise rose socks and a cute little cat mirror!

This candle smells oh so good! I'm going to be going back to get one of my own.

  A few of the candies that I got, tried to stick to the pink color, haha. :)

THE END!

Meeka's Spay

So as you know, Meeka is a Ragdoll. A kitten which I bought from Rasta Ragdolls located in California. According to my contract which I signed with my breeder, I must have Meeka spayed before she turns 7 months or I forfeit the documentation for her.

 

As of today she is exactly 6 months old to date. I can barely remember her kitten days and she's already a teenager. She's lost her little baby face, her tail has gotten thicker and her fur is all around fluffier and softer than ever. And she's still growing! They say Ragdolls fully mature once they are 3 years old. Imagine that. :)

 

It's hard finding a good vet. Apparently I've been ripped-off twice now. From two different vets. I've taken her to Countryside, where they charged me $160 to treat a kitten cold which she developed on the plane.  I found out the spay procedure they do costs well over $500!!! So I took Meeka to Dunloggin per advice from a client. I forgot this client is rich and owns their own business. Needless to say they charged me $300 for her spay procedure when it could have been done under $150. Ya live and ya learn I suppose.

 
I read an article that they now offer pet insurance which I feel is just a pull for more money to straddle out of you. If you think about it, the monthly costs add up to what you would be paying anyways. The pet insurance does not even cover the more hefty costs such as surgery! That's what you need it for!!

 

Not for the faint of heart:

Those are her stitches day two. Brutal isn't it?

 

I was feeling so horrible I went out and bought her this tower scratching post that conveniently came on sale the same day as her spay procedure.

 

 

I've been wanting this particular one for a long time and it was $40 cheaper so why not! Although the spay procedure price knocked the wind out of me the next day.. It's quite sturdy. Withstands her random climbing and jumping off crazyness. The carpet is nice and soft and the rope is great for scratching. 

 

She lays around the funniest ways. I know I shouldn't be making fun of her. With all the pain she's going through. Granted my sister started it first. Though that's no excuse. Shame on me. But take a look at these funny pics!

She does not give a hoot about the way she's sitting.

Imagine a proper lady sitting that way! Haha!

Eid-al-Adha

So as you may or may not know, Muslims celebrated their second holiday of the year!

This one is called Eid-al-Adha and does not require a month of fasting in advance.

I tried to fast for two days prior since your rewards are greater but unfortunately there was a slight mishap with that. I started off to a great morning - until my sister and I entered Wegmans. We walked in and I saw piping hot chocolate with a frothy fluff that looked oh so delectable that I forgot I was fasting. I'm normally not even a chocolate person, unless it's shark week, so.. I don't even know why my brain was like "EAT THIS". 

  

We dressed up all pretty and nice and headed over to the Mosque. Prayer started around 9:40 in the morning, had a lecture afterwards and then hugs and kisses to those around you. Afterwards we headed over to my aunt's for brunch. The food was delicious! Regrettably I didn't take any pictures, was too busy stuffing my face instead. Then my cousins and I went on an aimless trip around town.

 

I skipped out on 3 Eid parties and decided to take a nap since I rarely get a day off during the week. Then I got started on my Eid treats for the party we were having at our house that night! I like to call them Lá Petitè Eid Cupcakes! Or you can call them Fancy Cupcakes like my sister. I found two recipes on Pinterest, combined them whilst changing some ingredients and this is what I came up with:
 

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting filled with a Cookie and Cream Hershey Kiss center topped with Gift Box Chocolate! Does that not tingle your taste buds? I'm not even a chocolate person but this creation was oh so delicious! The types of chocolate on the cupcakes were: Tiramisu, Crème Brûlée, Brownie, Meringue, Molten Cake and Caramel Éclair.

I used a Ziplock bag (tinted the frosting with a smidge of red food coloring) and snipped off the tip to create the dots border then squiggled on the normal colored buttercream frosting for a different design. I don't mean to brag I think the pictures look pretty good but in person they were so much more beautiful!! One thing I would change though - the sweetness. They were sweeeeet.

 

It was a really fun night spending it with family and relatives, enjoying good food, conversation and laughs. The highlight of the festivities continued on into the next day!! At work three of my clients surprised me with a special card and dessert:

 

I think this is the most absolute thoughtful thing anyone has ever done! Don't get me wrong there are plenty of clients who are generous. But to remember a holiday for a religion they do not share - that's something special. I was so taken aback by their kindness and just idk it was so thoughtful. I can't get over it. My ears turned red and hot when I was thanking them over the phone and in person. I feel happy butterflies like at the top of a rollercoaster - people are so kind! *yay*

Meeka's Walk

Topic of the Day: Taking your cat for a walk on a leash.

I know this is probably totally odd for some of you to read. BUT! Before you judge and label me as a crazy cat lady. Take note! I've seen people do this before (on YouTube) and I'm just trying to give my pet a little more freedom. I was waiting till she got a little older so that I could buy her a harness which is a lot sturdier and safer but I couldn't deny my little cutie patootie meowing at the door wanting to go outside to enjoy the beautiful weather and warm breeze.

Here she is enjoying the sunshine in front of the door.

 Taking a graceful walk around the perimeter of the house.

 Lying in the grass, oh sweet fall bliss! :)

She definitely enjoyed the occasion. A little too much actually! She got rambunctious and started to run across the lawn where I could barely keep up with her. Thank goodness for her leash!! It was a little scary I thought she would break free and escape.

Ragdolls are supposed to be strictly indoor cats with 100% supervision when let outside. They don't defend themselves and will probably walk up to a hungry wolf out of curiosity. They aren't shy of strangers either and tend to get stolen pretty often. I'll be getting her a harness as soon as I can. I'm sure if she was determined enough she would be able to wiggle out of her collar or snap her leash off by tugging on it. I would be beyond devastated to lose her. So lets not ever let that happen!

Nicknames

Everyone has nicknames, I'd like to meet one person that has never had a nickname. 

I chose Meeka with a switch of the end letter to make it sound more feminine since Meeko is a MALE raccoon from Pocahontas. I've only had her for almost three months but she already has several nicknames given to her (mostly) by me and my family. She actually does answer to her name Meeka. Smart Kitty! And will turn her head and look at you if you randomly say it. :)

Meekoo (my mothers NN for her), Meekster (like a hipster), Meekasa (like Picasso), Meek (the shortened version)

I'll share my siblings nicknames (as well as my own) that we had growing up since they are so bizarre and odd!

Some of them I can explain others I cant, it's really so funny how people come up with nicknames! Hehe. :)

My older sister is named Aminah. Pronounced Ah-min-ah. Our dad used to call her tuk-tuk, which meant 'small'. My cousin (his nephew) couldn't pronounce that and his attempt was Tu-tu. He used to run around yelling Tutu and the name stuck, haha. Much to the dismay of my sister who didn't like that nickname at all.

My brother has an even weirder nickname than my sister! His name is Omar. Fairly easy to say. So it's a wonder where in the world he got his nickname - Manee. Nobody knows. My parents don't know how that started since they always called him by his given name. It's a nickname given by our relatives and they are the only ones that call him by it.

Here's a picture of me showing my mother I can stick my foot in my mouth. I really could too, lol. I never had the nickname Mary until I hit middle school. Technically my name is actually pronounced Maar-yum. But if you're not middle eastern or desi you wont know how to say it. My family used to call me Moolee. Which is a pale vegetable that looks like a carrot but it's white. Haha.

My younger sister is named Sarah. Here she is with my paternal grandfather. Dada. Her nickname is Saree-the-Laree and the Champion oh and Sarah #1. Our dad taught her how to hold up one finger and then he would ask her mathematical equations that always had the answer 1. What's 2-1? What's 10-9? What's 1x1?

So there ya have it.

Our childhood nicknames at it's best.

At least you weren't named after a vegetable.



I don't even see the resemblance. Apart from the way I'm standing.. and my expression.. and my outfit. Man I really do look like the Moolee vegetable. Oh well at least I know I taste good, haha. ;)

Kayaking!

I finally got to fulfill one of the things off my bucket list.

I was down at Needwood Lake in Derwood, Maryland. East of Rockville.

74 acres of lush green grass, stunning views of the lake and peaceful serenity.

I wanted to make a light snack to have at the lake, something delicious and sweet. Pistachio Cranberry Cookies! These were deliciously light and everyone that ate them loved them! This is one that is definitely making it into my Family Cookbook.

 

I put in less of what was required in the recipe and it turned out really great, so here it is:

1 Pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix

1 Box Pistachio and Pie Pudding Mix

1/2 Cup Dry Roasted Pistachio Nuts

1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup Butter Melted

1/4 Cup Flour

2 Eggs

Heat oven at 350° and bake for 8-10 minutes! :D

The underside will be golden brown not the top of the cookie!

Makes around thirty cookies. Won't even last two days I guarantee!

I forgot to take a finished look of the cookies and by the time I remembered they were all gone. 

Getting back to the kayaking part, the park was absolutely beautiful!! 

They had all different kinds of boats. Kayaks, the Classic and some Paddle Boats too.

They had this shed full of life jackets with every size available.

They were all clean looking too! It worked for my germ-a-phobic self.

It was chilly in the air but out on the lake the sun shone brightly and warmed me up.

The clouds were so pretty, it was the brightest sky blue color I've seen with puffy white clouds.

The water was calm and peaceful. The sun shone down and made it sparkle like diamonds.

It was so breathtaking being out on the water, so wonderful.

I just wanted to pull out a book and read or just doze off in the sun.

I found a few birds swimming out on the lake and decided to follow them.

The white one is so hilarious, it's like an outcast poor thing, following other ducks.

It's quack was so different! It reminded me of how Goofy laughs. QuackQuackQuack. LOL.

 I also saw a few people with remote controlled sailboats!

 Absolutely loved kayaking so much! It was the epitome of exquisite scenery.

I saw two men fishing in the woods around the lake.

Just look at that scene. How peaceful. I love it.

After I was dried off from the sun's warming rays I decided to stop for a late lunch.

There's this adorable café called Melt not but ten minutes away from the Park.

It was quaint and clean and wonderfully priced. :)

 I chose the Tuna Melt. It was delicious and fresh.

It was an absolutely wonderful day. I loved it so much. Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

It was a great finish to the end of summer and a grand beginning to the start of fall! :D

❤ Me

Teenage Gift

I've decided to create a few defined rules in gift-giving.

It's hard choosing gifts for kids with age variations, interests, etc.

I came up with this idea that I think works and the parents are happy too.

Something they WEAR

Something they READ

Something they LIKE

Something they EAT

It was my younger cousin's birthday and she's turning 14 years old.
She's a bit of a tomboy but is slowly starting to come around to being a girly-girl.

I always choose cards from Papyrus. They are so beautiful.
A bit pricy for a card, but I think it's worth it. :)


The leopard background was made of velvet.

For me, it's not just about items, its about COLOR as well.

I've been obsessed with the color Turquoise as of late.

The gift bag I bought at Hallmark.

The book I bought at BAM for $10.

The perfume and lip gloss at Forever 21.

The chips and candy were from a Grocery Store.

I had to make a special tribute to this mug!

It has two sides to it, one is green one is pink. :)

It's a talking mug. As soon as you pick it up it starts talking.

"Ohhh you're a good drinker!"

"Is it tasty, wait don't answer that keep drinking!"

Among other funny things I can't remember off the top of my head. :P

I also had a shirt that shrunk a bit too much in the wash. So sad since I recently bought it too.

But I thought I'd send it over to my younger cousin for her to wear, forgot to snap a picture of it tho, lol.

Peek-a-Boo!

Sometimes I find cat's to be creepy. 
They just sit in a corner and stare at you.
 

Sitting inside her tower of boxes and watching me.

I was sweeping the floor. Then I look up to see her spying on me.
 

Hanging out when I see her peeking from behind her carrier, lol.

I was waiting for my laundry to dry.

Brushing my teeth when I see this.

I spy with my little eye...

BOO!

  

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

She has this peculiar look on her face too, haha.

In all the pictures it reminds me of a certain rage face!
 

Picture Courtesy of Google

Hahahaha. Ohmygoodness. This is the perfect picture description.