• Lifestyle
  • Baby
  • Fashion
  • Travel
  • DIY
  • Guides

A Bit of Everything ~


Starting this post hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be..
Perhaps it's because it's bringing back so many memories of the 9 months that have passed, or even the 3 and a half years of marriage before them.. Maybe it's because being a mother has always been a dream of mine, and I still can not believe it happened!
Anyhow, my pregnancy journey started in October 2018, in the exact month my gynecologist told me I might have to take some kind of medication because my "eggs were too small".. TMI, I know, but I'm just mentioning this to show how much of a blessing it was to get pregnant, in that month, and before even starting that medication! Subhanallah.. Right then and there it fell in my heart that "Verily, when He intends a thing, His Command is, "be", and it is!"


However, we didn't know until mid November and what an unexpected, delightful surprise!
My husband and I told our families and we I guess that's when it started to sink in..

Alhamdulillah, I didn't suffer from any morning sickness at all - maybe it's because I was busy with my internship to even think about it, or maybe it's a genetic thing as my mom didn't have it as well - either way, I was pretty happy and blessed to have a smooth start.. However, I did feel tired most of the day, which was very normal..
A couple of months into my pregnancy I stopped interning and stayed at home where I rested better and focused on obtaining a healthier lifestyle in general, so I ate better, drank more water, and took my vitamins and all .. I also focused on memorizing Surat Al-Baqarah and made it my goal to finish it before the baby arrives 💖
As the months rolled by, I started noticing mild changes in my body, like my bust size and fast hair growth, I felt less tired, and acid re-flux started kicking in.. At first, it was rare and would go away once I take an Antacid medicine, however, as I was encouraged to drink lots of water through out the day, it became more irritating and harder to get rid of, and that's definitely one of the things I do not miss from my pregnancy :')

At 17 weeks, we visited the doctor for a routine check-up, and we got to know the gender of our baby! *yay* And when the doctor told us that "it" was a "she", so many thoughts and emotions ran through my head! I was so happy and excited; however, a bit nervous as I think I have "better experience" with dealing with boys since I have three younger brothers.. As for my husband kept calm and quiet for the rest of the visit but I could see his wide, shy smile whenever I looked at him..
We then did another ultrasound as per the doctor's recommendation, and the other doctor confirmed it.. "How do you know that's it's a girl?" I asked, "See? There's nothing there!" and she pointed towards her legs on the screen in front of her 😂

We then decided to tell both our families together so we had lunch together at my parents' house and celebrated with a cake.. The cake was made by Jood Cakes - I've linked her Facebook page for you to check out; they deliver to all emirates, and the cake was absolutely delicious! 
Most of our family were team girl, except for two of my brothers and my father in law.. My mom said she wanted a girl but expected a boy, but once we cut into the cake, everyone cheered and was so so happy.. However, we then fell into the daze of choosing a baby name which was NOT easy at all! In fact, we didn't name her until four days after her birth, but that's for another post ;)


A few months later, the holy month of Ramadan arrived and I decided to fast as long as there was no harm on me or my baby, so I fasted the first 15 days continuously thinking that everything was okay judging by the baby's movement and all.. I felt more tired than usual but figured it was thnormal as I was over 28 weeks pregnant and fasting.
However, in that month's check-up, the doctor told us that the water surrounding the baby has become very low, which might affect the baby.. So I stopped fasting and drank loads of water which really encouraged my acid re-flux. I couldn't sleep well because of the heartburn and I became very self conscious of every thing I do, decision I take, and food I consume.. 
In the following doctor visits we kept checking on the water levels and although it wasn't as perfect as it should be, it was okay, but I was still advised to drink as much water as I can..

Alhamdulillah, despite having that hiccup along the way, I'd still consider my pregnancy to be very smooth and easy. I guess my excitement to finally have my baby and hold her overpowered any fear I felt or discomfort I faced..
Of course by the last weeks of my pregnancy I craved sleeping on my belly or back, and I wanted to eat all the junk food I laid eyes on! But what are these compared to being able to hold my healthy and beautiful baby in my arms?!.. To being able to hold Allah's greatest gift to us yet 💖
August 29, 2019 No comments
So, since I'm here - again - and hopefully going to stick around for a little longer, I decided to give my blog a complete makeover!
The old posts and photos might clash with the new concept, but hopefully the new ones will get along better and give you a pleasant experience as you and I go through them..

Here's to a new beginning,

Bismillah <3



August 26, 2019 No comments
So it's been a year and a half since my last blog post, and SO many things have happened during that time.. I tried a few jobs and internships as a graphic and interior designer, traveled to Europe twice with my in-laws and once with my family, and both trips were amazing.. I guess I'll put up a couple of posts regarding those trips, especially that they were filled with activities and moving around countries and cities instead of sticking around in one place..


However, the most important event of the past year and half was being pregnant and giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, which happened a little over 3 weeks ago.. For some reason the memories feel so distant yet so close; weird description, I know, but whenever I look back at those memories I feel like they happened a long while back, but then I look at the cutie-pie in my arms and I realize it's only been 3 weeks. Maybe it's because we're still getting used to the newest addition to our family, but she is truly a blessing..
I guess i'll be writing about my journey through pregnancy, giving birth, and recording my baby's growth in several blog posts; not only as way to support other moms-to-be the way I found support and comfort in reading and listening to other mothers' stories and experiences, but also as way to record this huge part of my life so that one day I get to relive those beautiful memories as I read them out loud to my baby girl and tell her how much joy she has brought into our lives ♥


So for part number 1 of the series, let me introduce you to baby Malak! 
A beautiful baby girl whose face is as round as a full moon with two full cheeks poking out at each side.. Her eyes are slowly turning blue and her eyebrows are still not completely filled in, which makes her facial expressions both adorable and funny.. Her tight lips outline her small mouth which surprisingly opens so wide when she yawns! She's calm and well-poised, which clearly shows even at her very young age.. She doesn't cry much and is very quiet and angelic, much like her name, Malak, which means (angel) in Arabic.
She loves to be bathed and washed in warm water, and she loves to be held and cradled.. She makes very cute noises when she's asleep and she stretches so much! She sleeps like her father, with both arms raised above her head, and she sometimes snores, which is just too adorable, and she's at that stage where newborn clothes won't fit her any more but the 0-3 months clothes are a bit too big, so her small hands are hidden inside the sleeves and her feet inside the legs of her onsies ♥

In the next post under this new series I'll talk a bit about my pregnancy and share a few helpful thoughts and tips I lived by during those 9 months, or 37 weeks to be exact.. 
When you're reading this in the future, Malak, I want you to know how happy we are for having you in our lives ♥ There's something new to learn and experience almost everyday with you and we couldn't be more content.. May Allah bless you in your life and give you days as beautiful and wonderful as you are..

With love,
Mama Aya
August 06, 2019 No comments
Yay! I finally graduated! - Well, I kind of was a graduate when I finished uni in May :P but the official ceremony was last week and everything was just perfect..
To be honest, I didn't really want to attend the ceremony as I heard it was going to be very simple and boring.. My parents, however, felt like they've been waiting their whole lives to witness their daughter walking on that (pretty small) stage, so I couldn't really let them down.. My husband, Humam, was also more excited than I am for this! He kept on talking about how hard it was for him to stay up with me during submission nights and eat meals we either bought or took from our parents xD
And to be honest, the ceremony wasn't really what made my day - it was the family get-together Humam planned for us and both our families.. and guess what?! It was on a boat! AH! ok ok enough for the introduction hehe - allow me to walk you through my day <3


🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷




Waking up, I was pretty excited about what the day will hold for me.. I had no idea about what I was supposed to do in the ceremony! But nevertheless, I was excited to see my family and really hoping I'd see the pride in their eyes once they see me on that stage..
I wore my dress but was SO conflicted in how to accessorize it that I had to take it to Snapchat to let people decide for me! My dress was pretty simple, it was the beautiful Sapphire Dress, designed by Annah Hariri (whom I've featured here previously just because I absolutely love her designs!).. It's royal blue, perfect to match my graduation gown, modest, and very comfortable! I didn't know however whether to wear silver or gold accessories - but after a VERY long conflict, I decided to go with silver!


So, I wore my silver scarf
silver metal belt
silver watch
and my silver heels which i'm IN LOVE with!!.. 


Once I arrived to the hotel where the ceremony was held, I rushed to get everything done so I can have time to take pictures with my friends and family before the sun goes down.. We took A LOT of pictures, snaps, boomerangs.... you name it! It was great to see my friends again since the last time we actually saw each other properly was mid May..


🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷





The ceremony was small and brief.. Only 3 schools were present at the ceremony as the others have attended previous ceremonies in the morning or the day before..
Unlike EVERY situation in my life, I was actually the very last to get called upon! Which gave me more than enough time to watch how the others walked on stage and how I was supposed to walk and behave.. It also gave me time to take pictures and cheer to my friends..
We had no caps to throw, but still the ceremony was special, and we were very warmly welcomed into the Alumni club and the 'world after university'..

Following the ceremony was a big buffet which we nibbled on before going to the after party where the rest of my family awaits..


🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷




This party honestly was one of the nicest parties I've ever had! Humam was the main event planner/ manager/ host, and I could not thank him enough for what he did for me..
So, the after party took place on a boat in the Marina, and it was honestly, beautiful.. Both our families were there, the weather was amazing, the calmness of the sea was mesmerizing, and the food was very funky and delicious.. Alhamdulillah everyone had a great time, especially that we got to talk, laugh, and everyone shared different stories from when they went to university..
The cruise ended at 12, and we each went home and went straight to bed.. My brothers have apparently missed school the next day, we woke up late for work! xD
Thankfully the next day wasn't very busy as the next day was a national holiday/ weekend for Al Mawlid Al Nabawi and the UAE's National Day <3


Tell me about yourselves in the comments section down below or on Twitter! :D
Are you in uni yet? Have you graduated uni? How do you find life after uni? Maybe I can learn a thing or two in order to prepare myself for looking for jobs :3

Stay safe, take care, and talk to you soon inshallah in the next blogpost!
Salam <3

December 04, 2017 No comments
Belated eid mubarak lovies! and AH it's been so long!!!!! X.x
Hope you're all doing okay :3

For this post, imma show you the three outfits I wore on Eid <3 Tell me what you think and tweet me your outfits for eid! ;)


🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

DAY NUMERO: ONE!

I invited my in-laws and my husband's family for lunch on the first day of eid, and so in between cooking and making the house look neat, I barely had time to choose an outfit! So I went with this dress which I have featured in this post on eid long ago - I actually bought it a couple of years ago but barely wore.. and so I threw on this ensemble as I had to keep it modest:

Dress - Splash
White Shirt - Burberry (I just went for the first white shirt I could find!) 
Hot pink chiffon scarf


Alhamdulillah, the lunch went good as planned :') and we had a great time..


🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

DAY NUMERO: TWO!


We spent this day with my family who came from Abu Dhabi to see us and my aunt. We all had lunch in a Syrian restaurant (hehe), we then visited my aunt's house, and finally we invited them over to celebrate my dad's birthday.. and this was my outfit for the day:

White skirt - a Syrian store that was named 'Elle'
Blue Shirt - Bursa Turkish store, Sharjah
Floral jacket - a replica of an apparently very expensive brand :$
Shoes - Shoe Mart



🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

DAY NUMERO: THREE!


The final day I spent with both my in-laws and my parents, as my in-laws visited my folks in Abu Dhabi.. It was an evening visit, so this is what I wore:


Black skirt - Marks and Spencer
Black twins - hand embroided from Lebanon
Scarf - handmade in Syria
Shoes - Milano



For that visit I wore an all black outfit which made me look thinner (yay!), and the shoes were so high I had to take a picture of them like this!

Overall, my eid was amazing, Alhamdulillah.. I spent it with all my family members, to whom I thank Allah for allowing us all to be together, safe, and happy..


🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷


How did your eid go? Tell me all about it in the comments below <3


Until the next blogpost! Salam! <3
September 05, 2017 1 comments
Subhanallah, how time flies! Ramadan is once again nearby, exactly when we, I especially, are in need; for its blessings in time and actions, as well as its spiritual flows and energy.
As the days until we meet our beloved month become less, I decided to plan my month ahead as I usually end up coming up with my own schedules and plans spontaneously but run out of time to actually accomplish my goals. Therefore, I wrote down seven things I want to focus on or start doing this Ramadan. Of course accidental changes of plans may occur, but never the less, planning how I want to fill my days beforehand gives me a clear view of where I'm standing now and how I want to become 30 days later.

Also, I chose these focal points based on things I have started but stopped doing, as well as wish to start doing to improve my health, both spiritually, and physically..



1. As I usually focus on reading Quraan and finish the biggest number of khitmas I can do, I decided to focus on memorizing Quraan as well.
In fact, I have already started memorizing the Holy Book, but sadly, my enthusiasm and will slowly started to diminish, until I eventually stopped. That's why, inshallah, I'm planning to start memorizing again this month and finish memorizing at least 3 parts!

2. Other than improving my five daily prayers and taraweeh at the end of the day, Inshallah, I'm willing to pray an 'extra day' every day; meaning that I would pray Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Ishaa every day instead of those that I previously prayed incomplete, like if I wasn't focused well, and so on.

3. Not only does paying 'sadaqah' improves and purifies ones physical well-being, it also improves their gifts and blessing from Allah, as the Prophet PBUH has taught us. In fact, I strongly believe in improving bad situations and good ones by paying even a very small amount of money. And so, I decided, to train myself on paying daily, especially during Fajr for its many blessings.

4. The number 400 just jumped to my mind and so I thought, why not!  Zikr, or the mentioning of Allah's name as well as praying upon the Prophet PBUH are also my focal points this Ramadan, and inshallah I'll try to do as many as I can..

5. Inshallah, I will start watching less Youtube, and therefore reducing my addiction to it. However, that doesn't include watching beautiful series and videos such as the ones I previously mentioned here, as well as a new set of episodes set to be released in Ramadan like the ones of Alhabib Ali Al Jifri and Ahmad AlShugairi.

6. Praying with the same terms and for the same intentions may lead to feeling bored or unenthusiastic about praying anymore and asking God for His blessings. Therefore, Inshallah, I'm intending to start changing my prayers, phrases, and intentions every night to increase my 'dictionary', and prabably find more beautiful ways to praise God and ask Him, Al Mighty, for His blessings.

7. Lastly, but probably most importantly, repentance. Ramadan always leaves its impact on me by reconnecting me to my beautiful religion and Merciful God, and inshallah this Ramadan I am planning to do the same, by repenting from what I have done before and starting a new chapter..

I guess this will become a checklist and a continuous reminder of what I want to change and accomplish this Ramadan, so.. may Allah help me and you by using every second of this holy month to please Him and improve our lives to the better, inshallah..
June 04, 2016 No comments


Salam lovelies! and happy mothers day to all of you mothers and mothers-to-be <3
Today's blogpost is about the four dresses I recently bought from Annah Hariri's online store ... Thankfully, they also had a branch here in Dubai which made it so much easier for me to edit the dresses to fit me perfectly!


~(˘▾˘~) The first dress is the beautiful White Tobe Abaya which I instantly fell in love with!
It has a black fabric belt which you can choose to wear or not, and it zips from the back... It fits like a dress eventhough it's an abaya, which makes it very light to wear and go out with.. I'd usually wear this with a black scarf, a black bag, and black shoes - However, it would also look beautiful with red accessories and detailing.


However, with the advantage of it fitting like a dress, what you should wear underneath it should be somewhat light and thin so that it doesn't show under the white, nor does it puff your chest up...



~(˘▾˘~) The second dress is the Dark Blue Aka Dress, which is super elegant, super comfy, and even has pockets!!
I wore this dress to events like my sister-in-law's graduation and it looked amazing as I styled it with the Beige Jersey Scarf I bought from the same store, a beige clutch, and beige/brown shoes.


I also wore my gold watch, and put on very simple bronze makeup to match the whole scheme.
As much as I love this dress, the only 'disadvantage' is its cut which makes it look like a maternity dress eventhough it's not - I guess that means I'll get to wear it when I'm pregnant inshallah, but for now, it does give me a puff in my belly area...



~(˘▾˘~) Because I loved the previous dress, I got the exact same one but with a different color: the Red Aka Dress.
It has the exact same cut which means I have the pockets (yay!), but also a small 'pregnancy puff'. I would wear this dress with either white accessories, such as a white scarf etc., or black with touches of gold, which gives it more glamour.


Because of the bright color, I can't really wear this dress outdoors by its own, so I'd usually wear a black abaya over it just to draw less attention to myself and the dress...



~(˘▾˘~) The last addition to my wardrobe is the Aksel Dress which my husband actually picked out for me!
I  was a bit hesitant to wear it at first because I thought it would make me look plumper, but it - thankfully - didn't... We added a belt of the same print as a statement peice, and I'd match the dress with a blue silk scarf, blue shoes, and a white clutch whcih I got from Nine West.


The dress fits beautifully and - I know it's weird - but I love it's sleeves (hehe). I also like how wide it is from the bottom, and the colors really look lively, especially that it's almost Spring and afterward Summer.


Hope you guys liked my choices, and make sure you check Annah Hariri's amazing creations and collections, as they represent modesty, as well as beauty and elegance <3
March 22, 2016 No comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

About Me

Welcome to my blog, where I try to organize the random parts of my life and share with you a bit of everything!

My name is Aya, and I am a..
💍 Wife
👶 Mother
📐 Interior Designer

Happy reading!

Follow Me

recent posts

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2019 (6)
    • ▼  December (1)
      • Hospital Bag Must-Haves
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  August (3)
  • ►  2017 (2)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  September (1)
  • ►  2016 (2)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  March (1)
  • ►  2015 (11)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (2)
    • ►  July (2)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2014 (5)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (2)

Created with by ThemeXpose