The Titanic sunk again!!

Over the weekend we had celebrated my brother's 21st birthday, as well as my nephew, Amjad's, 1st birthday.

For Amjad, my sister and I decided on a pirate theme for the party. I was to make a cake in the shape of a ship and she would supply party packets for the kiddies. My children provided the flags and boats made from paper. The flags would be pushed into cup cakes adding to the theme and the boats were used to hold the sweets. Well I started with the baking of the cake on Saturday already. Toufeeq, my brother, just wanted a chocolate mousse cake as usual. This was a family favorite, no, I'd say a tradition!!

I had started preparing the ship cake and it was coming along nicely!! I had just finished the final decoration and was admiring it when the unthinkable happened!! The ship split right down the middle!! Oh my!! Everyone watching shouted at me to grab the cake with both hands, which I did!! Then we frantically tried anything and everything to keep the cake together and from falling apart!! With everyone giving directions as how to go about fixing it, you can just imagine what a raucous it was!!

All my hard work fell apart before my eyes!! It was sooo very frustrating, nonetheless nothing could be done to save it!


I think I was more upset because the birthday boy was sleeping and he wouldn't be able to see the finished product. Blah!!



After holding on to the cake for dear life, I finally just let go and it split open completely, spilling my jelly baby sailors all over the deck!! LOL!!

My hands looked like I had been doing finger painting LOL!! Suffice to say that the icing tasted yummy!! And it looked like I was having lots of fun!!

"Did you see what happened?? What has Tietie done??"

"What am I going to do without a birthday cake?? A birthday is not a birthday without a cake, right??"

"Did you just see that?? The whole thing fell apart!! Oh my, what now??"

"Well I'll just have to chew on one of the oars, that will have to do for now!! Yummy, it's good"

July birthdays!!

Today I'd like to say a very Happy birthday to Toufeeq, my younger brother, who just turned 21 years old!! Where has the time gone?? I remember the other day seeing you as a little boy!!

Time sure does have a way of creeping up on you when you're not looking!! Suffice to say that we need to take full advantage of the time given to us. So, without further adieu, I'd like to say, Slamat Toufeeq, may Allah guide and bless you Insha-Allah Ameen. Although we don't really get to talk much, know that you are always in my duas and that you have so much potential!! Take advantage of that now while you are still young!!

Then I would also like to say Happy birthday to my youngest sister, Ayesha!! We certainly don't get to see one another as often as we would like to, but you are always in my thoughts. May Allah bless and keep you safe, Insha-Allah Ameen!!

Happy birthday also to my other mum, Fazlin Jardien, I might not always say so but I do love you very much. You have certainly been an inspiration to us all and I hope that in the years to come we will continue to grow as a unit and individually, Insha-Allah Ameen!!

Shucks, I hope I haven't forgotten anyone, it sure is difficult keeping track of all the birthdays, especially with a family so big!! In the event that I have forgotten anyone, please do forgive me!! Make the most of each day as it comes and remember that nothing is impossible!!

Stop already!!!

There are so many things running through my mind lately, I don't know if I'm coming or going!!

Firstly, I've had to give my 2 older children extra tutoring with regards to Maths and Afrikaans. Their trip to Knysna with the school is coming up soon, meaning I have to get a move on the fund raising. My orders have increased but there's less time to finish them. I'd like to enrol for an extra course in journalism or creative writing but don't know how I'm going to manage with so much on my plate already.

My younger brother's 21st birthday celebration takes place on Sunday and I need to bake for the occasion. As well as my nephew who just turned 1 year old on Tuesday, need to bake for him as well!!

Oh, and my eldest one starts high school next year!! Where did the time go?? She was just a little girl the other day!! I still need to enrol her, and she refuses to attend a high school in the area. There are times when I feel like burrowing into a hole to hibernate and by the time I'm ready to face the world everything would have sorted itself out!! Yeah right, that only happens in your dreams!!

Speaking about dreams, I seem to not be getting much sleep lately with all these thoughts running through my mind!! Woke up at 3am this morning and being the type who cannot just lay there started busying myself with THINGS!! No, I'm not crazy, well not just yet!! LOL!!

Taking everything in my stride!!

Isn't is just typical when people decide to keep you responsible for THEIR actions and decisions???

This kind of behaviour has always bugged me!! So how is it that I should be the one held responsible if you decide to fly off the handle, or if you decide to act in such a way as to cause embarrassment to yourself?? I've learnt the hard way that I can only control my own actions not someones actions towards me.

So if someone doesn't say or act as you would want them to, then it certainly is not their fault. Why have expectations of that kind in the first place?? You just end up disappointing yourself at the end of the day. Everyone has the right to an opinion or view and it's totally up to you as an individual to respect that. Agree to disagree is what I always say, in that way many relations are still kept in tact.

I think our world would be a better place if we were more tolerant with one another and at least give the next person the benefit of the doubt!!

Fun in the snow......

I'm not going to say much today, suffice to say that the pics below will speak a million words!! Cape Town has experienced very cold weather for the last few days because of snow that has fallen in Ceres and on the Matroosberg mountains!! My sis and her family decided to drive there and have fun in the snow!! From the looks of it they certainly did!!

Saeed and his snowman!!

Yeah!!!! We're having fun!!

Hmmmm!! I wonder how much longer this cold weather's going to last!!

I think we should take some of this home!! Lug, lug!!

Brrrrr!!! A nice hot cuppa is just what I need now!! Hmmmm!!

Can we go home now?? You humans might enjoy this, but I'm freezing my butt off!!

Driving back home!!

He's not on his knees yet!!

About two years ago, I was introduced to Cece Winans' music. At that point in time we were a group of ladies travelling in a lift club. The same ladies who meet once a month for our morning coffee, that is besides Debbie.

Arlene, who was the driver played Cece Winans, Kirk Franklin as well as Martha Monizi. There were particular tracks on each cd that made an impact on me. Most importantly though, was the fact that all the ladies in the lift club needed each other at different points in time. My belief has always been that every person that you come into contact with during your life, is there for a certain purpose, whether it to support you or to mirror their experiences.

Cindy had just started working at Jetmaster and I certainly knew why she had been placed in my path from the word go!! She, like I, was just discovering herself and needed someone to point her in the right direction. And when I say 'right direction', I mean by delving within herself to find what makes her happy. For she had become so busy trying to make everyone happy she had forgotten that to give happiness you had to be happy as a person too!! She too soon discovered that there was a big difference between sacrificing and giving. When you sacrifice yourself you end up feeling resentment, but when you give of yourself from the heart without expecting anything in return, you overflow with happiness.

Leona on the other hand was placed in my path for completely opposite reasons. She was there to allow me to discover that it doesn't matter what life threw at me, I had to look at the positive side of matters. She has this bubbly personality, and it doesn't matter what comes her way, she seems to rise to the occasion!! Even her ability of handling clients under duress amazed me completely!! And I don't think that in the 3 years that I have come to know her, have I ever seen her in a bad mood!! Seriously!! Nothing, absolutely nothing, would get to her!!

Then there was Arlene, her amazing belief that God would see her through all life's tribulations was truly an eye-opening experience!! Although I was the only Muslim amongst them, there was much respect and tolerance with regards to religion. They had received misconstrued information with regards to Islam in general, so I explained many things which led to a better understanding and respect of it.

The one specific song which really made an impact on me was one sung by Cece Winans and the title was 'He's not on his knees yet'. The crux of the song was that humans tend to look elsewhere for solutions to their problems when all we needed was to really raise our hands up to God and ask. And in her song she was asking God to guide us and have mercy on us because we are weak and not on our knees yet. Our problems are as deep and worrying as we make them to be, once we realise that just by letting them go and leaving them up to God to solve. For God's love is all-encompassing and we do not realise how much He does love us!!

He doesn't know his worth,

Wears the saddest smile on earth.

He denies it.

Love is reaching out to him.

But he won't let it in.

He defies it, He defies it.

He's not ready, he's not on his knees yet,

He's too strong to be weak.

Show him mercy, he's not on his knees yet.

Let him break, please make him better.

Put the pieces back together.

He thinks that he's alone,

I have walked the road he's on.

And I know he's searching,

Looking everywhere but up.

He can't fill his empty cup,

So He keeps hurting, he keeps hurting.

He's not ready, he's not on his knees yet,

He's too strong to be weak.

Show him mercy, he's not on his knees yet.

Let him break, please make him better.

Put the pieces back together.

Help him please, he's not on his knees yet!!

Putting everything into perspective

With the recent spate of suicide killings taking place in Cape Town, there's nothing better than spending time with loved ones to bring things into perspective.

My kids have been on holiday for the past 2 weeks at Rabia's place. Rabia has 3 girls all in the same age group as my kids. Her eldest one Saadieyah celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, and we were invited to attend the gadaat they were giving. Saadieyah's wish was that I bake her a chocolate mousse cake in the shape of the numerals 12 and so her wish was granted.

When we arrived at Rabia's home, I was greeted with lots of hugs and kisses!! My kids missed me so much, so much though that they didn't want to come home yet!! LOL!! My youngest sister was with us and we normally end up chatting away catching up on everything. We are a close-knit family I'd like to think. This led me again to think of the suicide killings taking place in and around Cape Town. According to news reports, the families were well known to their neighbours and were 'quiet people'.

I looked around at everyone trying to take in as much detail as possible. Just grateful that I was sitting there chatting to everyone, making memories, and not in a morgue somewhere because a family member decided that it was time for me to die!! WOW!! That sure does put things into perspective doesn't it!!
I shook that thought from my mind and went to make salaah with Raihaana, asking Allah to protect my family and most importantly my children!! Afterwards Raihaana told me about her visit to the dentist!! She had me hooting with laughter when she told me about her antics!! Apparently the dentist was a very good looking young man, probably about her age. She was as nervous as could be, thinking to herself, how this gorgeous man could be scratching in her mouth!! LMAO!! By the time she was done explaining my stomach muscles were sore and I had to catch my breath!! We finally made our way downstairs where they had started serving boeber and eatables. There was so much cake and savouries to nibble on, you'd swear there was a wedding taking place!! Nonetheless everything was delicious!!

Take advantage of each dawning day and make the most of it, say what you need to say to your loved ones to assure them that you love them. You might not get a second chance to do so!!