I Do…

A little while ago, I mentioned in one of my posts that the Beloved and I

are anticipating the next chapter of our life to unfold…

I do know that there will be loads to adjust to,

to explore,

to learn,

to know.

I’m excited as we start getting ready to pack,

as we move to Canberra, Australia,

come July…

The Beloved is going to study his Phd,

and I’m following…

When at the altar, we said “I do”,

We knew that come what may,

Our lives will be full of excitement and uncertainty,

as we heed the Lord’s guidance 

and go where he may lead…

So, here’s a reminder for myself, that when I said “I do”,

I will love, serve, honour and pray for you always…

 

So, with much anticipation,

we are in the midst of loads of packing,

saying goodbyes

and completing our work…

With all that to do, creating remians very important in my life, as it energises me. In this layout for Pink Sketches, I enjoyed playing with the Prima papers which are really not very me. What gave me a sense of satisfaction was incorporating the microbeads into the layout - in the title:

 

 

Do keep us in your prayer, as we continue to close this chapter of our lives in Singapore, and learn how best to prepare for the next chapter… Thanks!

The Great Scrapbooking Adventure

Coincidentally, this week’s layout for Pink Sketches is about how I stumbled upon scrapbooking… When selecting my pics, I forgot that the weekend that just past was scrapbooking day! So here’s “In the Beginning”. When doing my Masters course, one of the modules I took was archaeology, in order to better understand Singapore’s past. Because of that module, we got to go to a lab on Fort Canning, a hill in Singapore (really rather mini), where artefacts found were housed. On that fateful day, 8 October 2004 (after checking my records, relised I wrote the wrong date on my layout…opps), the Beloved, back the Boyfriend, and I had just eaten our dinner and were walking around when right before my eyes, I saw papers in a wide array of colors. For me, that’s an immediate magnet!

I’ve never looked back since, when I purchased my first eyelet tool. I still kee pthat original receipt and must scrap that someday. I;ve always found it to be rather coincidental that in one day, when attempting to dicover the nation’s past, I also learnt to preserve my own past, through using archival quality materials. So that’s the pic in the layout – my loot from the archaeological class that day, where I sort all the artefacts according to type and colors. The archaeologists at the lab later told us that that’s perhaps the prettiest bag of artefacts laid out after being washed! From artefacts, my collection today of course revolves round colors and matter of a totally different nature – inks, stamps, papers and the likes. How fun! I’m glad I went to class that evening…

While creating this page, it also brought back memories of how fast time has gone by… My first crop and earliest pages were created some five years back! Wow… of course, in that time, I’ve completed my studies, become a trained teacher, got married, set up our home, worked tremendously hard… I still remember a period of time when I could only stare doefully at all my pretty products and not have the time to play with them…months on end… Today, I tell myself, no matter what, it is through creating that I recreate, so I must make time for it! Yeah!

Being Loved

Yes, another year of my life unfolded a couple of days back and I’m greatly reminded of how blessed I am, as seen from the love showered upon me by many loved ones and friends. This entry serves as a reminder on how much I’m loved and to never ever take the people around me for granted…

One of the greatest surprises came at work on my birthday. When the school office staff called me while I was working, I thought it was a parent waiting to speak to me. Lo and behold, when I made my way down to the General Office, this greeted me:

The Beloved had actually arranged for his regular florist to send me a bouquet! Wow! He knows how much I love surprises and truly, this one came without me actually suspecting anything! And yes, if you have the patience to count through every single stalk, there’s one there for every year of my life… Thank you Darling for being such a Dear!

The surprise did not stop there. That evening, after a simple dinner, the Beloved declared that he will do all the clean up and all I need to do is go to the room and rest. I did just that and then came surprise number 2:

 

Yummy, yummy chesscakes that I adore! All decked out with candles=) I must really have been in a daze not to suspect anything…. The Beloved got it easy that day I guess, since I just got up from a nap… nonetheless, I’m thankful that the Lord has chosen to bless me with such a loving and thoughtful man… Our conversation together has never ceased since the day we spoke in the library, some six years back and there has never been a dull moment when we’re together. So my birthday dinner, which we went for the next evening (I’ve always love to do that for my birthday dinner as I can return home later, without having to think of work since it’s a public hol here in Singapore on 1st May!), I got to indulge in some really wonderful yummies, like these: 

That’s one of my favourite shots from the evening out. Those yummies are called kueh pie tees, a peranakan dish. It’s a crispy shell filled with stewed turnip, prawns, eggs and topped with parsley and chilli. There were loads of other food and we ate to our hearts’ content.

The Lord has certainly been very kind, as he brought to my attention throughout the month about the many people who value me for whom I am. There’s the gals whom I grew up with in my youth ministry, my family, my colleagues and of course my students… This cake was one of the earliest surprises I had for my birthday, when we gals gathered at my place with our significant others and children.   

As we chatted and filled each other in about life, it warmed my heart to know that after all these years, we still do care about each other and truly value one another.

Then there’s my darling nephews whom I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. These were the earrings that the sweeties bought for me and greeted me at the door with when I visited my parents.

 

So after receiving all these love, I told myself that I must share the love, and make it a point to cherish and remeber the people whom I love as well. So this morning, I took the time to create this for HM, a dear friend who will be turning 21.

Through these few days, I’ve been reminded once again that as a crafter, I’ve been gifted with the joy of creating and I certainly must share this gift with others by blessing them with my creations. I’m sure you know what I mean…=)