15 Marbles

Moments.Musings.Memories. ❤️Gathering little marbles from ordinary days and keeping them for our memory jar. ❤️

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  • A dress for dolly and a crown for teddy

    Today in craft hour,I revived a childhood memory.
    I was crazy about my dolls and loved dressing them up.Mom never tired of sewing little clothes for the dolls.
    One summery afternoon,mom told me,that we were going to get dolly ready for party.She gathered all her craft supplies and we got to working.
    Today was one such day..only,I am no longer a little girl..I am the mom to one.So,we spread out the craft table-cloth,got all the craft supplies and got to work.At the end of craft hour,this is what we had to show-

    Barbie Ready for Ball,in her new Skirt.

    A pinwheel

    And a crown for the Teddy Bear.
    Here’s what we did-

    To dress up the doll- first make the base skirt with card stock or chart paper..any stiff paper.Staple it in the back.Then,Cut strips of crepe paper in red and blue(or any colors of your choice).Starting from the base,start sticking the strips to form layers of the skirt.Dress up the top with straps or a sash. And then,stick some beads of glitter to the skirt,to jazz it up.

    For the pinwheel- Take a rectangular piece of paper,the size of a tissue paper.Fold it like a fan.Take a skewer and stick the two corners on one end to the skewer.Open up the fan on both sides and stick the other two corners to each other.

    For the crown- Use any scrap paper..even the community newspaper.Measure it around the child’s head,leaving space on the back for ties.Paint it in a color of your choice.If you do not wish to color it,use a colored paper instead.Let the paint dry and decorate the crown as you like.Punch holes on either side and thread a string in each hole.

    If you have any questions about any of these projects,feel free to leave a comment with your email and I will get back to you.
    If you do end up,making any of these projects,don’t forget to link up here.

  • Stop to smell the flowers


    I had the most unproductive day today..and just as I was starting to feel guilty,I decided,it was Ok to stop,one day..to do just nothing.
    I went through the pictures on my laptop and found this picture of tulips.My daughter was around 3 months old,when this picture was taken..I was suddenly filled with so much joy and energy..May be tomorrow will be a better day!
    Till then,enjoy these lovelies and smile.

  • The craft hour

    Its the Valentine month. So,we made some cards. Aadi chose the paper and I cut out hearts from them.Aadya loves stickers and this was the first time she handled glue and she was so excited.She did confuse it with paint at first,painting being her first love and all.Then,I showed her that she can stick with it and then she was on the roll..She was pasting hearts so fast,getting impatient with me,for cutting it slow.
    The thing about being a pre-schooler is tha they find even trash,interesting.She loved even the windows that were left after the hearts were cut..looking at them in awe,saying Woww with each window that I kept aside..
    And after we finished making cards for mummy and daddy,she insisted on making one each for Friend S and her hubby too.
    Here’s what we came up with-

    We used readymade cards and hand made paper from the scrapbooking aisle of the reject shop.I just cut hearts and she pasted them,as she liked.
    She is enjoying these craft sessions more and more.This will be our entry for this contest.
    Edited to add- Can someone tell me how I can upload an audio file here?I tried but,it didn’t happen.

  • Light Daal Makhani

    [Edited to add pictures]

    I love playing with recipes..In another era,I could tell the ingredients in a dish,just by tasting it.Now,I have mommy-brainitis and can’t focus enough on eating,without,yelling at the child to stop running around or to chew her food properly.But,I learnt lot of my cooking,by just taste and tell and try and try till you succeed.
    Daal Makhani has been my favorite since childhood..and I love making it for my friends and family.But,much as I love the yummy creamy dal,I am not too fond of the calories.And I love playing around with my ingredients.This is one recipe,I tried got it right on the first go..and so it was easy for me to tweak it,to make it low cal.

    Here you go-

    You Need-
    2 cups black Daal(whole Urad daal)
    1/2 cup Rajma(Red Kidney Beans)
    1 medium sized onion(finely chopped)
    1 medium sized tomato(finely chopped)
    1/2 tsp grated garlic
    1 tsp grated ginger
    1 tsp cummin seeds
    2 tsp oil
    2 tsp corriander-cummin powder
    1 tsp chili powder
    1 tsp garam masala
    salt to taste
    3 tsps low fat butter(I used the olive oil spread by Bertolli)
    1/2 cup low fat milk

    Preparation-
    Wash and soak the black Daal and kidney beans in warm water with plenty of water.Typically 6-8 hours is enough to soak.
    Heat oil in a pressure cooker.Add the cummin seeds,let it cackle.Add chopped onions,fry till golden brown.Add the ginger and garlic..stir and add chopped tomato,followed by the soaked Daal and beans ,salt and spices.
    Add 3-4 cups of water.(I don’t measure it,I eye-ball it..the water should be enough to cover the beans and then some.)
    Pressure cook (4-5 whistles or 20 minutes).
    After you take the cooker,off the flame,let it cool a little.Wait till all the steam goes out.Then,add the milk and butter,stirring while adding.Simmer for 5 minutes,garnish with fesh corriander leaves and thin ginger sticks.
    Serve hot with Roti or rice.