Migraine Attack At Work

Yesterday didn’t go well. It started off fine, and I was excited because it was my Friday, marking the beginning of a two-day break. However, things took a turn while I was at work. I suddenly started feeling very unwell—first, my blood sugars dropped unexpectedly. I took a break and had a snack, but it didn’t really help. Despite trying to soldier through, I only felt worse, experiencing dizziness, nausea, and a painful eye, which are typical signs of an impending migraine attack.

Since work was slow, I spoke to the person in charge and explained that I needed to leave due to the onset of a migraine attack. I left early around noon, took the bus to Fred Meyer near the transit center, and stopped to grab a soda for some caffeine and menstrual pain relief. I called my doctor to inform them about the severe migraine attack triggered by perfumes and colognes. They documented the incident for me. I took the second bus home, arriving at around 1 PM, and went straight to bed. I slept until my husband woke me up because he had been repeatedly calling my phone.

Migraine attacks are challenging for me. They bring dizziness, nausea, a strange flashing brightness in one eye, and temporary loss of vision in the other. My sinuses ache, and there’s a constant feeling of wanting to vomit, especially if the migraine goes untreated.

Today, I called my doctor to schedule an appointment for this issue. The soonest available slot is next week.

SWEET SPONGY BRIOCHE BREAD

Ingredients

500 gr. strength flour

160 gr. butter

100 grams white sugar

50 ml. whole milk

18 gr. fresh yeast

8 gr. fine salt

4 medium eggs

Preparation Brioche dough:

1. In a small bowl, pour the warm milk with the yeast and mix until completely diluted. We reserve

2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, salt and sugar, and eggs.

3. Add the dissolved yeast and eggs to the dry ingredients, knead the mixture by hand or by machine until everything is integrated. 4. Add the butter, knead again until the dough becomes flexible, and until you obtain a fine, shiny and elastic mixture.

5. We must knead for around 20 minutes.

6. We reserve the dough in a previously greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Brioche Bread:

1. We put the dough on a counter and divide it into pieces of about 50 grams, place them in a greased mold or on a tray, and let it ferment again for another 30 minutes.

2. We paint the breads with egg beaten lightly with salt and let it ferment again in a warm place for another 120 minutes. Baking the brioche bread: 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

3. We put our tray in the oven and let it cook for about 25 minutes.

4. We let it cool on a rack.

Dutch Oven Stew

Dutch Oven Stew
2/25/2022 when I wrote it down
Ingredients needed:
Beef cubes 1 lb
4 pieces garlic peeled and minced
1 onion peeled and minced
4 small carrots peeled and end removed, one-inch slices
1 lb small potatoes, red, yellow, and purple cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon each
Salt
Black pepper
Sweet paprika,
Cumin
Fresh herbs 1 sprig of rosemary, &
4 of thyme, removing leaves from stem chop up
3 tablespoons worchestire sauce
1 quart, of beef stock
16 ounces frozen peas
1/4 cup flour to 1/2 cup water mixed well no lumps

Dutch oven preparation :
Heat oil in the Dutch oven add garlic, onion spices, and meat saute until meat is browned then add in potatoes, carrots and beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed put the lid on, and place in oven at 350 F for 60-90 minutes. check potatoes and carrots, when soft add in 1 16 oz. package of frozen peas and the flour. mixture. cook again for 30 minutes. then serve hot can keep warm in the oven until ready to eat.

CrockPot preparation,
Can use a crockpot just braise the meat in a cast-iron skillet and then transfer it to a crockpot. cook 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high then an additional 30 minutes After adding the flour mixture.

Firepit preparation:
If cooking in a fire pit make sure you have a nice bank of hot coals that are slow-burning hardwood to bury the Dutch oven in, can start the night before and eat for lunch or dinner.

Snowed In

I’ve been snowed in for a few days now. It all began last Thursday when heavy snowfall prompted the buses to switch to snow routes. I left work early at noon due to the rapidly worsening cold weather, and I’ve been at home ever since. Work was canceled on Friday, and I received a text message confirming the same for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The cold weather and continuous snowfall have brought everything to a standstill in the Portland Metropolitan area of Oregon.

Work Place Bumps

As Salam Alikum Dear Readers

I’ve been on the job for a little over a month and encountered some challenges in the workplace.

One of my colleagues initiated a political and anti-Semitic debate in the lunchroom. In my opinion, both topics are inappropriate for the workplace and should not be discussed during work hours.

Additionally, another coworker consistently loaded the automated system incorrectly and refused to consider my advice on the proper way to load the bins. I sought guidance from a person in charge on the correct procedure for loading products into the bins and explained the situation, allowing them to address the issue with the coworker.

Furthermore, I’ve been experiencing allergies and reactions, which I traced back to the excessive use of perfumes, body sprays, and other strongly scented products by people in the workplace. I’ve discussed this issue with the human resources person, explaining that the strong smells are significantly impacting me, causing uncontrollable sneezing and making my eyes itchy and red.

Mallard ducks at transit center on way home from work

Needing A belt for My Pants

as Salam Alikum Readers

I have been working at my job for a little over 10 days and already I have lost several inches off my waist to the point my pants are falling down. My saving grace at the moment is that I have on an extra-long sweater and my butt is well big is the only word I can use to describe it.

I am on the hunt now for a belt to hold up said pants!

Today is one of my days off and I will be using it to catch up on chores and clean the house as well as possibly help out a friend if she’s feeling up to having company will be calling her at around 10 am to see how she’s feeling. My friend called me to tell me not to come over as she has a fever and is sick so I will not be going over no need to be exposed to germs and get sick. I hope she feels better soon.

I will be decluttering my sitting area and organizing it as well as putting away my clothes and possibly going to the bank today we shall see how the day plays out.

Wedne is one of my other days off and that’s when I volunteer at a clothing closest and help sort out clothes and toys and arrange shelves.

Here is a photo of what outside looks like most days when I go to work..

New Job

As Salam Alikum Readers

I have been a bit busy as of recently, I started a new Job and am getting use to the schedule.

On Friday the day after Thanksgiving I had to go shopping for shoes not fun, but I did find a brand of boots that fit and are comfortable and wide enough they don’t squash any of my toes. Here is a link to the boots, https://www.danner.com/caliper-6-black-al.html .

A friend and I went shopping for pants, that was a little bit more challenging than I expected, as I haven’t worn pants in almost 15 years.

I had no idea what size I was in, so we went to JCPenney, to try on sizes as they have a petite section and I learned that I am a size 16 petite short which is harder to find comfortable pants that fit correctly.

I also got myself four new shirts in solid dark neutral colors I got dark blue, dark green, dark brown and dark maroon round collar long sleeve shirts.

That is what I did over the Friday after Thanksgiving and on the weekend, I was working.

I just need to figure out a routine to keep my house cleaned and tidy while I am working, I suspect, that it will take time to figure out a system that works.

Eggplant Salad – Zaalouk

Ingredients:

3 large eggplants

4 each red and green bell peppers

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 medium tomatoes, halved and grated on the large-holed side of a box grater, see note

8 medium garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press

1 teaspoon cumin

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 tablespoon harissa

1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more to taste

1 medium bunch, about 1/2 cup cilantro, large stems discarded, finely chopped

1 medium bunch, about ½ cup, flat-leaf parsley, large stems discarded, finely chopped cilantro and/or parsley leaves,

For garnish argan oil or extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling crusty bread or flatbread, for accompaniment

Directions: Roast the eggplant directly on a gas flame until soft and blackened.

Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Set aside for 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

When cool, peel and cut into medium dice.

Roast the red and green bell peppers directly on a gas flame until blackened.

Put in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

When cool, peel, seed and cut into medium dice.

In a large fry pan, over medium-high heat, add the tomato puree and crushed garlic and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the olive oil, eggplant, peppers, cumin, paprika, harissa and salt.

Stir to combine, lower heat to medium, and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the cilantro and parsley and cook another 5 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature.

Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with argan or olive oil, sprinkle with parsley and/or cilantro leaves, and serve with a crusty loaf of bread or flatbread.

Notes: To make fresh tomato puree, cut a ripe tomato in half crosswise. Lightly squeeze out the seeds. Grate the tomato on the large holes of a four-sided grater until all you are holding is the skin, which you discard. Voila’, fresh tomato puree!

Note: Can omit the harissa and make without salt if on a salt restricted diet.

Yield: 6 to 8 as an appetizer or first course

BUTTER COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups all-purpose/plain flour

185g butter room temperature

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

1&1/2 Cup icing sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD :

In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt, mix and set aside

In a separate bowl, beat butter and icing sugar until pale and creamy

Add one egg and beat for about 3 min

Add milk and vanilla extract, mix

Gradually add flour to the butter mixture and mix properly

Place batter in pipping bags with different nozzles

Pipe batter in a greased and lined baking tray

Place the tray in fridge and chill for 30mintues (cookies won’t lose their shape when baking)

Bake in preheated oven at 180°C until golden brown.

Poem

It’s not hard to be a trouble maker..

It’s not hard to smoke a cigarette..

It’s not hard to drink alcohol..

It’s not hard to use bad words..

It’s very easy, even a kid can do these things…

But:

Not everyone can wake up for Fajer..

Not everyone can be truthful..

Not everyone can stay away from sins..

Not everyone can remain firm on righteousness..

Know that the righteous are the real special ones.

May Allaah make us from them.

How Does One Soften Their Hearts?

How Does One Soften Their Heart?

As the last ten nights of Ramadan are upon us,

Many of us are still in shock at the speed with which Ramadan has passed. Our goals may not yet be realized,

Our habits may not yet have changed,

And our hearts may not yet have felt the sweetness of this beloved month. Disheartened, many of us may have already given to despair,

Feeling that our Ramadans have not been as fruitful as we had wished and planned.

To make things more uncomfortable,

We sometimes pray in mosque where the Imam or those around us begin to cry,

Weeping loudly when they hear verses of the Qur’an or when the Imam makes the du`a’ (supplication) during witr.

Everyone else seems to be touched by this blessed month; everyone else’s hearts seem to soak in sweetness of this faith,

The tears soaking their cheeks as they beg for mercy, provision, and forgiveness.

What about me?

What about you? How can we,

Too, be of those whose hearts are softened?

Make Du`a’

I once heard a khatib (lecturer) say,

“If you have approached the end of Ramadan, and you do not yet feel it in your heart,

Keep knocking on the door of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). Keep knocking,

Keep knocking,

And Allah will answer.”

Ask Allah (swt) in all of the blessed times to make du`a’ to break the hardness of your heart and allow sincerity and gratitude to gush through. Ask Him to soften your heart,

To fill it with an awe-inspiring realization of Him,

To exchange your bad deeds for good deeds and let your heart tremble in Awe of Him as your actions show love for Him.

Sit Alone,

Think about Your Sins,

And

Ask for Forgiveness

Take a few minutes every day to sit and say,

“AstaghfirAllah (I seek forgiveness from Allah).”

Every time you make this request of Allah (swt),

Remember something you’ve done that may have displeased Him.

Remember that time you yelled at your mom when all she was trying to do was help you?

Remember that time you cheated on your exam?

Sit and ask Allah (swt) forgiveness for every single thing you’ve done, Great,

Small,

Intentionally,

Unintentionally,

Asking Him to replace the hardness of your heart with softness and replace your sins with forgiveness and good deeds.

Allah (swt) tells us in Surat al-Furqan:

“Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work.

For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good.

And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful” (Qur’an, 25:70).

Ibn Kathir, In the tafsir (exegesis) of this ayah (verse), cites a hadith (tradition) in which Abu Dharr (radiAllahu `anhu –

May Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (peace be upon him) said,

“I know the last person who will be brought forth from Hell,

And the last person who will enter Paradise.

A man will be brought,

And it will be said,

‘Take away his major sins and ask him about his minor sins.’

So it will be said to him:

‘On such and such a day,

You did such and such,

And on such and such a day, you did such and such.’

He will say,

‘Yes,’

And he will not be able to deny anything.

Then it will be said to him:

‘For every evil deed you now have one good merit.’

He will say: ‘O Lord, I did things that I do not see here.’” He (Abu Dharr) said: “And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ smiled so broadly that his molars could be seen.” (Muslim)

Ibn Kathir further explains, “…those evil deeds that have passed are turned into good deeds by way of the true and sincere repentance itself. This is because every time that person remembers what he had done,

He regrets it, feels remorse, and seeks Allah (swt)’s forgiveness.

In this way, the sin becomes an act of obedience.”

Allah (swt) is always ready for us to turn back to Him and can easily turn our bad deeds into good deeds on our scales!

But how many of us are begging Him for this? To soften our hearts, be forgiven,

And increase in our good deeds, let us sit and make istighfar, begging for Allah (swt)’s forgiveness and for Him to turn our bad into good.

Sit Alone, Ponder Your Blessings, and Thank Allah (swt)

Watch this and contemplate:

How many of us have been blessed with parents or others who love,

Mentor and care for us?

We have been given trillions of blessings that so many have never tasted. How many people are ungrateful and forgetful of all they have been blessed with?

Sit and think of every blessing He has given you-

The Qur’an,

Eyesight,

Clean water,

Literacy-

The blessings are uncountable,

As Allah (swt) tells us in Surah Ibrahim (14:34).

Let us show gratitude, for when we are grateful, Allah (swt) increases us,

“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed,

‘If you are grateful,

I will surely increase you [in favor];

But if you deny, indeed,

My punishment is severe.’ (Qur’an, 14:7).

Let us sit, contemplate blessing after blessing, and continually move our lips in gratitude to Allah (swt), saying, “AlhamdulilLah (praise be to God),” asking Him to write us amongst those who are grateful to Him, asking Him to soften our hearts and allow us to be moved by gratitude for His Favors.

Contemplate the Qur’an

Allah (swt) poses this powerful question:

“Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an, or are there locks upon [their] hearts? (Qur’an, 47:24)

How can we be of those whose hearts are not locked? We can make massive du`a’ that Allah (swt) opens our hearts, and we can contemplate the Qur’an. Listen to the Qur’an with a recitation which penetrates your ears and overwhelms your heart. While listening, go through the translation and work to understand the Qur’an.

When you go through the words, sit and really think about the meaning and the ways in which it applies to your life. Think about the meaning of the Qur’an and allow yourself to be captivated, head-over-heels in love with the powerful words of the Creator of the Universe- the One Who created you- the One Who revealed these words for your personal guidance. Allah chose you to be Muslim; He personally planned for you be of those who want to come back to Him and read the Qur’an. So go back to the Qur’an, be grateful for His favor upon you and sincerely seek to understand His Words.

Give Charity

The Prophet ﷺ has told us that, “Sadaqah extinguishes sins like water extinguishes fire” (Tirmithi). The sins we commit continually build up and rust our hearts. Without polishing, this rust will take over, covering the beautiful jewel beneath it. This jewel, when polished, gleams internally and externally, becoming a means of benefit for the person whose body it houses, and spreading light to all those around, bi’ithnillah (with the permission of Allah). With charity, we can help polish our hearts. Let us give in charity, asking Allah (swt) to soften our hearts, to remove the buildup of rust, and to purify our hearts and souls, bringing us back to Him `azza wa jal (the Almighty and Majestic).

Increase our Good Deeds

Allah (swt) tells us, “Indeed the mercy of Allah is near to those who do good” (Qur’an, 7: 56). God has also told us, “Indeed, good deeds remove the evil deeds. That is a reminder for those who remember” (Qur’an, 11:114).

Allah (swt) has made our religion so adaptable that we can worship Him through anything good we do, when done sincerely and correctly. Let us constantly renew our intentions; when we take out the trash, let it be an act of worship to keep our homes tidy and to please those whom we live with. When we smile at a passerby, let it be to spread the joy of the character of the Prophet ﷺ. All the while, let us seek the mercy of Allah (swt), begging of Him to soften our hearts, while we do good for His pleasure.

Live in Paradise, Sprint Away from Hell

When you read Qur’an or standing in prayer, and you come across words indicating Paradise, such as Jannah (Paradise); Imagine it. Imagine being in Paradise, standing by a river which flows beneath you, near waterfalls, near enormous palaces. Imagine yourself in awe, in immense joy, in euphoria- when suddenly, you feel a tap on your shoulder. In that moment when you turn around, imagine who it may be. Your mother? Your father? Your spouse? Your child? Your grandparent? Your best friend? The Beloved, the Chosen, the Teacher, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ? How would you feel in that moment? How would you feel, seeing the person who meant the most to you in your life, seeing the person who may have already passed years before and whom you yearn for constantly, how would you feel coming to the realization that you are going to be here, with the people you love, forever. You will never die and you will never fear all the things which brought so much worry and difficulty to you in the dunya (world). At that moment, you’ll understand what Allah says when He describes the believers in Paradise saying,

“And they will say, ‘Praise to Allah, who has removed from us [all] sorrow. Indeed, our Lord is Forgiving and Appreciative”

“He who has settled us in the home of duration out of His bounty. There touches us not in it any fatigue, and there touches us not in it weariness [of mind].’” (Qur`an, 35:34-35)

And then, when you hear a word describing Hellfire, such as Naar (Hellfire); Imagine it. Imagine the intensity of the Hellfire; imagine the pains of being burned to the point where you have no skin and it is recreated for you, only to continue the agony; where you want to die, but will never die, where you yearn to have just a cold drink of relief, but are given a drink which boils your insides and experiencing boiling water poured upon your head. Is this the end that you want? Is this what you want for those whom you love?

Would you prefer garments of fire (22:19) or garments of silk (22:23)? When you go into sujood (prostration), beg Allah for what you want for yourself and those whom you love. Beg Him from the depths of your heart and allow your tears to pour to Him.

Have an Objective

In every salah (prayer), have an objective. Whether obligatory or extra, make the objective to come out of that prayer purer than you did when you were born. Ask Allah for `afiya – for your sins to be forgiven and wiped away, so that it is as if you never even committed them. Focus like someone who aims to be forgiven, recite Surat al-Fatiha like someone who will be forgiven, make sujood like someone who yearns with their heart and soul for their sins to be wiped away and replaced with righteous deeds. In the next prayer, make your objective Paradise. Concentrate like someone of Paradise; beg of Allah in sujood to be of the people of Paradise. In every rak`ah (unit of prayer), have a unique purpose and beg of Allah to make those desires realities.

There is still time to come back to Allah (swt) and really feel the weight of this blessed month! Allah (swt) loves when we go back to Him with sincerity and humility, carrying the burden of our sins to Him, with hopes of having them obliterated and being completely forgiven.

Let us go back to Him, asking for His forgiveness and pleasure, for Him to open our hearts and soften our limbs to His command, asking Him to replace the burden of our shortcomings with the blessing of His Mercy. Once we’ve done so, let us go back to Him, feeling light, overflowing with hope and pumped with energy to seek His pleasure through working passionately for His sake, feeling immensely optimistic that He will forgive us, reward us and answer us inshaAllah (God Willing).

Keep knocking on the door. Allah (swt), the One Who Answers, will undoubtedly answer.