Love thy home

 Our home in Peshawer from ‘92-‘94

I grew up in tens of houses and apartments of all shapes and sizes in big and small cities and suburbs all over Pakistan. We loved each and every house that was a part of our story for the few years we lived in it and said goodbye to every house with tears in our eyes and lumps in our throats. I can distinctly remember standing in our empty rooms as our luggage was being loaded outside and noticing how sad our rooms looked without our stuff and our families living in it; and simultaneously remembering all that that particular home had meant to us.

My mom and us in our apartment in Kuwait right before our move back to Pakistan in ‘87

Our last visit to Pakistan was the first one where despite having the amazing time that she was having, Anya would say 'I miss my home', ‘I want to go home’, almost every single night before going to bed. And if Bilal and I are ever discussing future plans about moving houses or cities sometime, there is her persistent voice in the background that keeps telling us, 'Noo I like this home, I don’t want another home', ultimately leading Bilal to explain to her how people make a home really and that even if we moved to another house she would still have her own room just like this one and all of her stuff in it.

This connection Anya feels to her home though, makes me so happy. Each house that I lived in, small or big, new or old, fancy or not, was such an important part of my story and I would love for my daughter to feel the same way. The house we currently live in, is not what you would call a dream home; it is pretty tiny, it is dated, and it is far from what people would consider ideal. But flaws and all, we try to love it and make the most of it. It is easy to get drawn into what you see around yourself, it is easy to judge your home compared to the homes of those around you, it is easy to feel embarrassed of your space if it doesn’t fall into the league of those around you, but for our kids sake, I believe it’s important not to. I feel it is important to give our kids a pride in the place they live in. And the best way to do that is by living the example, appreciating what we have and making good of what we’ve been given. Even if in our hearts we are dreaming of another space, we should enjoy whatever time we have in our current home because really, at the end of the day a house is just that, a structure, a building. The memory-making, the fun, the laughter, the celebrations, the traditions, the love, all of that that happens in it, is just going to be the same in whichever place we call our home. 

(From top to bottom): Our family of 4 standing in the driveway of our house in Quetta from ‘87 – ‘89; My sister and I outside our home in Karachi in ‘92; The three of us outside our Peshawer home in ‘93. 

I have noticed young kids noticing and commenting on how big or fancy their own or their friends houses are or are not and find it a little odd. I would think it happens because of what they unconsciously pick up from their parents and their conversations and realized as parents our own insecurities can easily become our children’s if we’re not careful.

Just something on my mind that I wanted to share. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading and lots of love.

Our home in Sargodha in ‘99

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Also from earlier on the blog: How to love the place you call your home.

My dad, the PAF, and a quick shadow frame to honor his life.

My dad was a proud aeronautical engineer in the Pakistan Air force and we grew up in those bases in all corners of the country. It was an amazing childhood full of all things that make it memorable and because of that, among many other things, the PAF holds a very special place in my heart.

The memory of my dad immaculately dressed in his uniform and looking so handsome is the first one that comes to mind most of the time when I think of him. And those shiny medals that were a part of it, continued to grow as we grew up. Of course it was not always happy, and I also remember his stressful times. I remember always knowing that being in the military, my dad would have to choose his country over us. But that itself was a huge source of pride for us.

All those years of being a part of the Air force family, the postings, the changing of schools, the excitement at each promotion my dad got, the houses that were home to us for a few years and which we had to say goodbye to ultimately, the friends we met and parted with at different bases, became such a huge part of us that we were more upset than Papa was when he retired suddenly.

And so out of all the things that belonged to my dad, and that we found hard to part with, some of the things we couldn't let go of, were his medals and uniforms. We all kept a few of these and I knew I wanted to display these somewhere to remind me of my father and the life he chose for himself and us.




Used adhesive velcro  (similar to this) to stick the items inside the shadow frame found at Marshalls.



Have you ever displayed treasured items using a shadow frame?

Thanks for reading and lots of love.

A family picture wall, finally!

I love pictures and specially family pictures. I have always found little ways to display pictures of loved ones around the house but I had still been dreaming of a photo wall to display these for the longest time. And I finally made one last week. Here is a peek.

It is straight down our hallway and visible from pretty much our whole little house. And that is pretty much my favorite part. To be able to look at these loving faces and happy memories, makes the house feel that much brighter :)

I wanted to keep the eclectic feel of varying sizes and colors of frames so I used up all the frames I had around the house. But to join it all together I tried to fit it in a rectangular margin to keep it from looking too disconnected. I have to admit, I have no patience (or talent) for making gallery walls the recommended way so I just made the arrangement of the frames on my bed and then just went on to hanging them with my trusted trial-and-error method (!). I think I like the end result and Bilal approved it too so I guess all is good. Now off to plan the other two gallery walls I am dreaming of ;)

Thanks for reading and stopping by.

Made with Love. Anya’s toddler room.

I have been wanting to share this little part of our place since forever. This post will get a little long, let me warn you. Lots of pictures and so much I want to share about it. This room is full of love and lots of stories behind every single thing that sits here and that is my favorite part about it. That it brings happy memories, reminds us of loved ones, and is the place where our little girl discovers herself and the world around her.

Come and finally take a peek?

The crib is Gulliver by Ikea and one we have loved since the first day. The blanket that hangs over, along with the pillows that sit in her crib are a gift from someone who was like family back in the days before I got married. Her name is Rashida and she used to help us with household chores and stitch clothes for us. She specially made this set for Anya and gave it as a gift and I love having it in her room.

My husband and I come from families of art lovers. I love how art always has stories behind it, about who made it, where you found it etc. Nothing like art to bring personality into any room. For this room, along with the framed art wall, I also wanted to have one where I could easily change what it held. This wall is also the first thing you see when you enter it. I also love how anything can be art when displayed well. 

About the art: ABC art from Land of Nod. I love you to the moon, made by my sister Waliya. The Sweet Dreams art is from a calendar I found in my dad’s papers. My dad was an aeronautical engineer and this art from a Boeing calendar that he had kept, reminds us of him.

Rocker from Ikea, DIY blue pillow made by me (shared here), White Crochet blanket is handmade for her by her nani¹ and another favorite in this room. Trousers Hangers from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

I always knew I wanted to incorporate our baby pictures in her room. So the black and white picture of my husband as a baby and the one of me with my dad that my mom took sits on the shelf. Its funny how Anya has looked so much like us at different times of her little life, mA. The shelf also holds our growing collection of fairytales and folktales. Most of these were Bilal’s along with one that is from my childhood and even a Russian Fairytales that was my mothers’. 

Alarm Clock, Bird sculpture (actually a tealight holder), Lampshade and the 4 by 6 frame from Target. 

Lamp was a 4 dollar find at my first ever thrift store buy and made to work thanks to a sweet friend’s husband.

The large frame is from ZGallerie and the square frame from Marshalls.

This little illustration was made by my sister, Waliya along with a little place for Anya’s bangles and her never ending hair accessories.

The shelf, Expedit from Ikea is the perfect place for Anya’s books and toys.

Most of her toys are gifts from family, her grannies, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and sweet friends. Her growing little book collection also contains books passed on from her cousins and some are from my childhood and I specially love that. To know that these same books were enjoyed by others before her and then lovingly passed on, makes them even more special.

 

The art: (Top row) Mushroom digital art drawn by Bilal. I’m still learning art made by Anya’s Waliya khala². (Left most) Kitty cross-stitch made by Anya’s youngest phupo³. (Second row) Red Birds print bought from an art fair in Leavonworth, WA on one of our trips, Owl print bought from an art fair in our little town, Sketch my mom made of me sleeping as a baby in ‘84. (Third row) Asian mom and baby art made by my sister-in-law again. Colorful collage art made by my sister, Anya’s Nadiya khala². (Bottom most) inspired by paint chip art, a card I made for Anya’s 2nd birthday framed.

The frames are from Ikea, Target, Michaels, and some spray painted white to go along.

Because this room functions as a guest room whenever there is need, we keep the queen bed in here and this little cushions plus stuffies collection sits atop.

The cat and hen pillows are made by Anya’s older phupo³, my older sister-in-law. The Tweety Pillow I made with a TShirt my dad had got for me on one of his trips. The knitted penguin is from my childhood and my nani¹ knitted it specially for me when I was a baby. I was ecstatic to have found it in one of the boxes back home last year. The yellow Ugly Doll was my first buy for Anya when I found out we were having a baby. The bicycle pillow on the front is from Francesca’s. The heart striped pillow, my mom bought for Anya. The duvet cover on the bed is from Ikea.

Fox Stuffie from Anthropologie and the burlap bear was a lucky find at Safeway at one of our grocery trips.

The DIY bird mobile now hangs over the crib. And so does the DIY yarn wrapped A from Anya’s 1st birthday celebration. The rug in front of the crib is handmade in Pakistan, a gift from my parents’.

The shelves from Ikea are our happy place to keep our treasures. I love using flash cards for Anya so decided to hang some below. These ones I found at Dollar Tree and are as good as any more expensive other. The white crate is from JoAnn’s and holds Anya’s growing collection of stuffed toys.

Top Shelf: left to right: Paper flower garden made by Nadiya khala², The little pirate in front was made by Anya’s Shafqi phupo³ many many years ago. The birthday hat is from Anya’s 2nd birthday. The little chalkboard in the back, my sister-in-law brought for me in Pakistan and I painted it yellow. The wooden train is from Melisa and Doug. The Abacus by Melissa and Doug also was a gift from a sweet friend.

Bottom Shelf: left to right: Ceramic Owl bank from ZGallerie, Vintage Lady and the Tramp book found in Pakistan was a childhood favorite, Carved Wooden camel bought from Bahawalpur, Yellow Elephant from World Market, Sketch of Anya made by my mom. Anya’s baby sneakers were a gift from her Waliya khala². Pink frame from TJMaxx with a picture taken by Muqu, a talented photographer friend, stuffed owl I made for Anya before she was born, a get well soon Minnie we got for Anya from Walgreens, Little glass ball is my husband’s, Initial mug from Anthropologie, a gift from a friend. Adventure Stories for girls, is my mom’s from her childhood.

For me, the best part about decorating any space is incorporating items that mean something to you. That involve a particular memory or remind you of loved ones and this room is full of these things. Whenever someone asks me what they should get for Anya, I always ask them that I would prefer something handmade for her and her room. I love that this room reminds us of all the sweet people that love our baby and who go out of their way to make her feel special.

Hope you enjoyed this little tour.

Thanks for reading and for stopping by.

Go here to see what this room looked like before.

FYI: ¹Nani is maternal grandmother. ²Khala is mom’s sister, ³phupo is dad’s sister.

Anya’s room. The in-between phase.

Remember Anya’s room when it looked like this? I am embarrassed to see the date on that post because it is almost a year later and I still haven’t posted about her room! ANYWAYS. I finally took pictures and I’m happy to tell you, it will definitely be up next week. So do sure to check back if you'd like to take a look.

For today, I thought it would be fun to show you the in-between stage. Here are a couple of shots from before the paint job and after removing the molding running across to discover the room had been once been blue.





And here it is when the paint was done. It was a slight change but one that made a world of difference. I ended up repainting the white too with a brighter shade and then the accent wall in my favorite shade of grey. I was so proud of myself for doing it all on my own! Hehe.

We just did up the room a little bit for guests that were going to be staying for a week soon after. Here are some glimpses of our makeshift guest room.









Check back next week for what her room looks like now. Here is the slight teaser I posted once.

Thanks for reading and for stopping by!