Today’s post almost didn’t happen..But I am loving the daily posts and comments and FB likes and didn’t want to take a break.
Today was a typical saturday..After I finished work,we went to the shops.The girls got hot-dogs and we split up and walked in twos-Aadi and SD went to some shops that he wanted or she wanted to and Nanhi and I went to the shops that I was after.
We came home and I got the details of a lady who sells Indian traditional wear..and she had some outfits for girls availble..so we went to her place,and FINALLY..I have an outfit for Aadya..and its Indian and its what She likes..
We came home and I made chalk rangolis and SD put up the tinsel garlands..
I am going to stop..because I am falling asleep on the laptop..not kidding..SD woke me up twice..
More later
Category: Uncategorized
Of Mushy Fathers and wifely rants-Day 9
You can laugh at the title all you want,but I do try to keep it as real as possible here. For instance,most of you know that the girls had moved into our bed when SD was travelling..Actually now that I think of it, Aadi moved into our bed,when I was pregnant,I moved her back to her room and then after Nanhi was born,she came right back in.
I moved her out again,when she started school and SD started feeling sorry for her.So,he moved into her room-to keep her company!I know!!!! *rolling eyes*
And when he was travelling,I couldn’t keep up with them waking up in the middle of the night and it was just comforting to have them near me.
Anyway,when I set up their room,they were really excited.They like hanging out in their room and *knock on the wood* Aadya has been sleeping in her bed all night long.
And SD is a pile of mush.Every night,he asks Aadi,if she is sure,that she wants to sleep in her room!I mean,WHY?
Before we go to bed,he asks me,if we should take the girls along…again,WHY?
I have worked so hard to make the room pretty for them.I have finally managed to get them to sleep in their own beds and I can sleep as I like.And why does he want to upset that?
I am the one who wakes up with them..EVERY night..He?Well he can sleep through an earthquake!
A friend shared this on FB and I swear,this is the story of my life on most nights..
All in favor say,yay!:D
I better wrap up now..I am so tired and have a long day ahead tomorrow.
Take care,be good!
Recycled clay lamps-Day 8
Every year we buy 5 new diyas or clay lamps,as tradition.And every year I save them for next year..as a result now I have amassed quite a collection of clay lamps,that I go about placing through out the house.
The ones that are placed,higher up,out of kids’ reach,have tea-lights in them.The ones on the floor and on the coffee table have battery operated tea-lights in them.
Anyway,not digressing,every year,a few days before Diwali,I dig out my stash of used diyas and clean them,dig out the wax,wash/wipe them clean.I have stopped using oil diyas now-with the exception of one that I keep near the main Diwali Pooja set up.So most of the Diyas can be reused and look all pretty,with just a touch of paint.
This year,however,Ms.Aadya wanted to paint them. We found a box of plain clay lamps at the Indian shop and she was going to paint those..but I asked her to try her hand on these first.
And using some paint and rhinestones and glitter,she did a great job.I am so proud of her!Here have a look 🙂
Nice and pretty,eh??
Before I go,I wanted to say,”Thank you” to everyone who takes the time to read my posts. Seeing the numbers go up on the stat counter,makes me so happy.Even if I see one extra visitor,my heart jumps with joy.So sincerely,from the bottom of my heart-Thank you for supporting my blog and encouraging me with your comments and visits.
Kids Room Makeover-Day 7
Over the last 2 years,when I was pregnant and then during Ananya’s first year..the room that we set up as Aadya’s room had turned into a big junkyard toy dump.It looked like a toy store just exploded in there.There were toys every where..I had put some toys in boxes and put them on the top-shelf in the cupboard,but there were always new toys-big toys,small toys,broken toys,happy meal toys,dolls,doll-houses,kitchens,kitchen sets,Cars,robots,soft toys,everything!
I couldn’t even bear to step inside that room..let alone ask her to sleep in there. Bit by bit,I kept sorting through toys,throwing some every few months,donating the good ones,saving some for Ananya.SD says,”yeah right!As if you are not going to buy toys for her!And I realise thats true..we do end up buying toys for her-the ones that she likes and not her sister’s hand-me-downs. I sorted through the toys yet again-threw out two big bags of broken toys,kept aside two baskets full of toys that I could sell or donate.And then gave the room a thorough clean,changed the position of the bed and moved Ananya’s crib in the room!
I am not brave enough to share the before picture…but this is how the room looks now:
This is the view from the door:
This is the view from the other side of the room:
This is the bookshelf that holds their books,pretend food,dolls and cars.On the sides of the book shelf are -a shopping trolley that holds little toys that Ananya plays with And a doll crib that Aadya plays with.Like the wall decal?
Lastly this is the wall by the door.The painting is from Aadya’s kinder artwork and that cube is my favorite toy for the kids.It was one of the first toys that we bought for Aadya when we first moved to Australia and it is now Ananya’s favorite toy.Today,Ananya suddenly disappeared somewhere in the house.When I found her,she was playing quietly with the cube.Love the colors on it!
I want to move the trolley n the crib etc. in the cupboard,so that there is more space for them.That and add some small touches here and there..Like add a rug for instance and may be desk with storage space or may be a bed frame with storage/desk attached,but may be later..for now this will do.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more Diwali Savories..till then,if you know of any fancy storage solutions for the kids room,then please share here 🙂
TEXTAREA_ID
TEXTAREA_IDNamakpara/Mathri-Diwali Savories-Day 6
Today has been a very productive day for me. While the rest of Melbourne was celebrating Melbourne Cup Day..I spent most of my day,revamping the kids room.What previously looked like an overcrowded toy shop now looks like a lovely kids bedroom.I still want to add some finishing touches..but for now this will do.
After a late-lunch,I made the first of my Diwali savories or namkeen. SD helped and I feel so proud of myself for having a productive day.
Namakpara or Mathri as we call it,is one of the easiest snack ever.It was my cousin,Runa’s favorite munchie and whenever they were visiting,my mom made sure that there was big tin full of Mathri ready to welcome her.
Anyway,now on to the recipe-
Ingredients:
1.5 cup All Purpose flour
1/4 cup oil
salt -1/4 tsp (or to taste)
a dash of black pepper
1 tsp ajwain seeds.
warm Water for kneading.
Oil for frying.
Add all the ingredients,except oil and water to the flour.Pile up the flour and make a well in the center. Add the oil to this well and mix well. Then knead the dough using water.
Cover the dough with wet paper towels and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Divide the dough into 5-6 balls of equal size.Sprinkle some plain flour on the counter or on a wooden board and roll out the dough in to a circle.Then cut vertical strips and then horizontal strips.You should get small rectangle strips in the end.
Heat oil in a kadhai/deep bottomed pan. Test the oil by dropping a small piece of the dough.If the dough floats up straight away..the temperature is right. You can start frying your mathris now.
Add small batches at a time.Fry on a medium flame.If the rectangles are sticking to each other,in the kadhai..don’t worry,keep putting oil on them,with your slotted spoon.They should come apart.Even if they don’t..when you take the fried cluster out..you should be able to separate them and fry again.
Please do not fry on a high flame.This will just give you crisp on the outside,but soft inside mathris..not fun and they won’t last longer.
One of the reasons why I chose Mathri as my first snack was that it has a long shelf life..its another thing that they are so yummy and addictive,they don’t last long enough.
I hope the instructions are clear enough.. Please feel free to contact me,if you get confused.I will try and post a recipe of the baked Mathris too..hopefully before Diwali!
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do and if you try this recipe,don’t forget to tell me,how you liked it..and if possible send me a picture!
Xox
Trish
AnanyaTalesDay5
Ms.Ananya is getting bigger and busier..She amazes me with her understanding of the things around her. She picks up on moods..she tries to be cute when she knows that she is in trouble. She is not one to get scared easily.If we raise our voices around her ..she plain ignores us and goes on with her business. When she sees that she has no escape and needs to face us,she smiles at us, that cute toothy,scrunched up nose smile..If we don’t relent she bats her eye lids or just keeps at the cuteness till we dont give up.
We were at a friend’s place and she thought it was fun to keep hitting her 18 mo ..hitting ,grabbing her hair…I gave her several warnings and then put her in the high chair..she was distraught..I took her out..and asked her to say sorry..She gently patted her friend’s face-her way of saying sorry and reached for her hair again! I picked her up,put her on the couch and was telling her off-‘blah blah..If you do this again,Mumma will put you back in the high chair..blah blah…’ She looked at me and said,”High Chair?” OMG!I was so excited at the new word..I said yayy and clapped..and she gave me this weird look!!
And the next day,she wasn’t paying attention..So I started counting,”One,two…” Now normally when I do the count-down with Aadya,she does what is required of her..But,this cheeky,when I said,”One,two..” she said..Theeeeeeee and clapped!!LOL!
She has a new bedtime routine now. When we tuck in Aadya,Ananya wants to climb up on the bed..sleep next to her,pull the covers up to her neck,like didi..Then,I have to kiss them both g’nite and turn off the lights and leave the room. They huddle up together..Ananya tries to whisper things to her sister..LOL! And then 5 minutes later.. gives her a big kiss..ummmah and leaves…
She love music,absolutely loves it.I think,she was born to dance-anything remotely musical is enough to make her tap her feet..Oh and she loves singing-tries to copy the tune as much as she can:)
She can now climb up on the couch herself and get off from the couch and the bed..but its so funny,when we are out,even if the couch is the same height or lower than ours,she needs help!LOL!But I like it how she can just climb up and relax on the couch!
Her favorite activity is doing “Jai-Jai” with Papa.When SD sits down to pray,she wants to play there.She climbs in and out of his lap,saying Jai-Jai..and he favorite thing in the prayer room is the Red Hanuman Chalisa book.There are tears if she is denied that.
Taking her to school for pickup is a big pain.She wants to walk alone,no holding hands,no sitting in the pram..just walking straight ahead,not a care in the world..bumping into kids and adults,walking through crowds,while mumma and didi follow,mumma saying sorry to people and didi giggling at her silly sister. And when Mumma tries to hold her hand,she calls out to all the people walking by and says,”Ow!OW!OW!”
She is soo naughty..she is so adorable..she is so funny..She adds so many smiles and giggles in our life.. Love my little silly billy!
Handmade with Love
It was Aadya’s teacher’s Birthday..sometime in July. She wanted to bring her a present.It was after 7 pm and we were tired from hosting Ananya’s first birthday party that weekend.I needed something quick,something nice..That’s when I thought of the coffee-brown sugar scrub,that a friend had shared with me.
We had all the ingredients and so quickly made a fresh batch of coffee-brown sugar scrub from here
Aadya felt so ‘rensponsible’ mixing up the ingredients.(Responsible) is her new favorite word! Now to package it nicely.
I used an empty Baby food jar-decoupaged the lid with some brown scrap booking paper,cut out a gift tag from the same sheet of paper.Filled the scrub in the jar and finished off with some silver ribbon..
Ta da.. beautiful gift ready in a jiffy.. 100 % handmade Love!
My Day Today -Day 3
[Image Courtesy:Google Images]
Saturday is my workday and it usually my busiest day of the week. My day,today,started at 5:30 am with a crying toddler.I woke up to the sound of her crying,sitting up in bed and no matter what I did nothing seemed to calm her. SD and I suspect she is cutting her molars.She hasn’t cut a tooth in a long time..and it seems just right.She is warmer,irritable and the body flinging crying that takes place at night..makes me sure its the teething.
So,anyway..I tried in vain to calm her down..and finally managed to get her to sleep and the alarm for 7 am rang.I was still sleepy..I cuddled up with Aadi for sometime and the next thing I know is it was 8 am. I got a text from a friend asking how many Laddus I normally get in 1 cup measure..and I sent her this long elaborate text.When I woke up,I realized all I had typed out to her was..Asazdzzhhh.. LOL!
So anyway.. Woke up at 8 am…I was rushing through shower and morning routine when there was a knock on the bathroom door..A sleepy Aadi asking me if she could watch TV..I said no and was met with sulking and frowns and when a sleepy child sulks,she sulks bad.
Anyway,I ignored her and got dressed,warmed a cup of milk for myself and negotiatied brushing teeth and brekky with Aadya,before she could watch TV.
8:45am-About to drink my nesquik,when I heard Ms.Ananya wake up.I took two sips and handed my cup to Aadya..there was no way,I would be able to finish it and feed Ananya. Nursed Ananya and it was 9:00 am-time to leave.
9:06 am- reached work..turned on the computer and headed for the coffee shop.I have to open the doors at 9:30 am for my members to come in.It was 9:16 am by the time,I got my coffee..I wanted to grab a scroll but there were 2 people ahead of me..It was 9:22am so I headed back to the library.
9:30am-1:30pm- The mad chaos that I love and call,a work day. It was a pretty good day work-wise today.
1:45-2:30pm-Came home,gobbled up some leftover fried rice as fast as I could.Finished a making trifle for the BBQ that we were going to,fed Ananya,dressed the girls and left.
2:30-6:30pm -Raced in and out of flower shop and then BBQ at a friend’s. That was really nice.
7:00- 8:30pm- Gave the girls showers,Fed Ananya,finished ‘The Five Year Engagement’.
8:30-10:00pm- Went to pick up organic coriander that one of the local mums was giving away;Made omlettes for the girls and egg bhurjee for us,while watching ‘Big Miracle’ Beautiful movie..
10:00 pm-now Girls in bed(Aadya stayed up to watch the movie)..I am typing away furiously to finish this post..
But you know what was the cherry on top for my exhausting,happy day??
A friend and reader shared a pic of the Besan Laddus she made using yesterday’s recipe.. that made my day more than perfect…:) Thanks again,Barkha for sharing the pic.
I hope you all had a nice day too..and I hope yours was more relaxing than mine…
Diwali Sweets-Besan Laddu Nablopomo-2
Diwali is just round the corner and I decided this year that I would be proactive and post recipes in advance,rather than on Diwali day or after,so atleast someone else can use them to make their own goodies:)
Besan Laddu is synonymous with Diwali and weddings in Maharastrian households.It was a favorite sweet in my parents home too and even now,Aadi and SD love it. Anani couldn’t care less…but then she doesn’t like sweets in general.
Nothing marks the beginnning of festivities like the smell of besan(gram flour) being roasted..cardamom being ground..The aroma engulfs the house and even neighbours two doors down know that you have started preparing Diwali snacks.I miss that here and I try to do and make as many things I can to bring Diwali here for us..
Anyway,here’s the recipe for Besan Laddus :
Ingredients:
1 cup Besan
1 cup powdered sugar(if you can’t powder sugar then use icing sugar)
1/3 cup ghee
2-3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
4-5 saffron strands
cashew nuts,blanched almonds and raisins for garnishing.
Method:
Put Besan(gram flour) and ghee in a thick bottomed pan and roast on a medium-low flame,till it turns golden brown.By now,your kitchen will be filled with a delicious aroma and arm will be ready to fall off!!(yes ! you have to keep stirring!!)
The mixture might be a little lumpy now.Turn off the stove and add the milk.The mix in the pan starts to froth.Let it cool a little.
Add the sugar and cardamom powder,saffron strands and mix well,breaking any lumps that may have formed on cooling.
Divide into equal portions and roll into smooth balls.The finer sugar you use,the smoother your Laddus will be(I figured this one out after much trial and error!!)
Garnish with Nuts and raisins and store in an air-tight container!
Enjoy!
If you use this recipe,please leave me a comment and let me know,how it was.
Cheers,
Trish!
Halloween 2012 in Pictures NaBloPoMo-1
This year we tried our hands at Pumpkin Carving..Well,I decided we’ll do it..and SD was the one who actually did it:) I did help by drawing the shapes that he needed to carve.
He was bestowed the title of ‘The Coolest Dad in the whole World’
This year,I wanted to put some decorations up,because Aadya was so excited about Halloween..So,I made this ghost,inspired by someone from one of my facebook groups.
Nothing like a little Tinsel garland to brighten up.
A Bunting using witches and Halloween themed pictures from one of Aadya’s activity books.
The Indo-Western touch at the main door
And finally,the stars of the blog…
Happy Halloween from My Sunshines
Adding this post to Patty’s weekly Party link party
15 Marbles 