* Happy New Year *

Assalaamu Alaikum!

It is the first day of 2008 ... wow, time is flying. I wanted to write an entry earlier, which was the plan, but so many things came up that I did not get the chance. What came up, you ask? Well, here's the list.

Sick
I fell really sick last weekend. Alhamdulillah, I don't get sick often but this was just horrible. I had a terrible fever that lasted for a couple of nights and on top of that, I had the flu. A terrible one too! Then again, whenever I get the flu, it's always terrible. That weekend was quite busy too so I wasn't really able to get some rest. I had to go to my fiance's place for dinner and then the next day we had to attend a party. I am finally getting over it now but the cough is still present. Go away cough! *cough*

Baking
I was able to get myself to do some baking:

Since it was Eid-ul-Adha, I decided to make my baking treat. Eid this year wasn't the same because a lot of my relatives were somewhere else. My aunt and cousin are away for Hajj at the moment so not everyone was able to gather the way we used to. But that didn't stop me from baking! I tried to make Boston Cream Pie Minis. They turned out really good! I think these little guys got the most positive review than anything else I've made hehe Yummers.

I thought I'd try to make my own chocolate tee hee It actually worked! I was so proud of myself. I melted chocolate, poured it in a plastic sheet (which was for chocolate bars) and then kept it in the freezer. It was pretty cool :) I used it to decorate my fiance's cake.

This was his Collector's Cocoa Cake. Now, this was not how it was supposed to look. I had issues with this cake from the beginning :( But hey, it was nice and chocolatey so that's all that matters!

My sister's birthday was the day after my fiance's. She wanted cheesecake so I made her a Triple Layer Cheesecake. It was pretty cool to make because I had never made a layered cake before. I did a little mistake with one of the layers but since I know what the mistake was, I can fix it next time and it'll look much more better! Boy, was this cake rich! Verrry sweet. I used Chocolate, Butterscotch and Vanilla for this cake.

I think that was all the baking I did so far. Well, actually, I did bake with my cousins last night for New Years Eve. Umm ... it did not turn out at all. I think it's because we didn't have the right pan. I am determined to try that recipe again and make it work!

RIS

This past weekend, I attended Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference. I've been to it quite a few times and each year had it's fair share of good lectures but I the topics and theme didn't really appeal to me that much. I was really excited to attend this year's conference because of its Family theme. Not only was it on family, but the rights of men and women in marriage. It was just very appropriate to attend with my fiance hehe We learned so much, alhamdulillah and pray that we are able to implement everything we learned from the lectures. I found the lecture on Divorce to be interesting too because we were told of how a husband and wife should treat one another during the marriage and how to make it strong and last. I really enjoyed myself this time at RIS ... great lectures, great company ... it was lovely :)

2008

And now ... it is the New Year. A new year that holds so much for me, insha'Allah. So many changes that I will experience but insha'Allah everything that happens will be wonderful and happy. There has been so much going on ... I really want to focus on taking advantage of my time. Concerning Islam and how I practice it and how often I have been practicing it and also, worldly pursuits. I want to do as much as I can and am able to.

It's been a crazy year .... insha'Allah this year will be even better. I hope and pray that all those who read my posts have a very safe and happy new year ... filled with so much happiness and adventure!