An Unremarkably Remarkable Birthday

A year older, a year wiser?

The past year has been eventful to say the least. We welcomed and said goodbye to family, I completed my first year of Phd and  I carried and delivered a beautiful baby boy.

Of all the things that came and gone, one thing remains the same: that Change is Inevitable.

As someone who does not enjoy change, this year has brought about lots of new challenges. However, the very thing about Change that is terrifying is also the very thing that is comforting, in that All is Temporal. This too shall pass. The only thing that lasts and ultimately, the only thing that matters is my life with the Lord. Such an important reminder for me as I embark on this coming year.

Our home reflects the change as we reshuffled things to accomodate the biggest change in our life so far. I feel like it has grown with us. The latest of all changes came on my birthday week. We decided after 2 years, it was time to change the colour of the wall in our hall (also due to the fact that mold was creeping out around the corners due to the cold damp winter). We repainted the wall very quickly one evening and I love how it turned out. I was pleasantly surprised that it took only one coat of paint! Of course, I must take half the credit as I made sure not to leave any spots when I rolled the paint on. My husband skillfully finished off the bottom corners and the hard-to-reach spots behind the bookcase.

 A new colour for a new phase of life. It brings out the pillow and parquet nicely too!

I also updated the bookcase which now includes a selection for Callum as well. Personally, the beautifully illustrated Maps book is for my husband and I. We enjoy dreaming about the lands we could visit one day.

My husband and I walked into a local bookshop one day and we laughed so hard flipping through a tiny book called Don'ts for Mothers. He surprised me with it as a birthday gift. We ended up getting the Don'ts for Husbands and Wives too!

Here are some choice excerpts from the book written in 1878. Cautionary advice which are so true. Love the English and humor!

Celebrated my birthday at home with my little family. 

My husband, inspired by a Tasty video made me homemade stuffed chicken nuggets! What a delicious surprise. He knows the way to my heart. :)

Such yumminess. He made another batch the next day to ease the post-birthday withdrawal symptom.

Happy birthday to me! We enjoyed cake from the Asian bakery. I was missing the Asian style light and fluffy cakes with lots of cream on top. 

Thanks to my dear husband for being ever so loving and thoughtful.

Thanks for such an unremarkably remarkable birthday, no pressure, filled with love and quiet, just the way I like it!

My new birthday year's resolution: A year older, a year closer to God, God-willing.