Daily routine...

My son's college reopened today and so does my normal routine..

Vacation over and hence the routine changes , I have to wake up early and pack  a wholesome lunch box for my dear son , I wont say have to but I want to or should I say would like to .. as I feel that the love and attention that goes into making a meal which our child has away from home is what makes him feel the warmth of home even when he is away from it...

A nice lunch box is something that I look forward to preparing ,if you read my other food blog love4cooking you will see what I mean , I always take put in a lot of thought and planning when I make a lunch box.. I have to pack 2 boxes for him one a light breakfast type and the other a little heavier which he can eat at lunch time...

Right now as the college has just began he will be having college only for half the normal time so he carries only on box...

You can always read my blogs and see when I post some of the lunch boxes that I pack for him...

Morning times are quite busy with lots to be done .. like loading the washing , drying folding, dusting (here we have lots of dust around and hence its a everyday job)..Plus I cook three full meals everyday and if you know Indian meals its a lot of cooking which takes up major time of my day...

Reading blogs is something that I have to do everyday its like a relaxation exercise for me.. I love reading blogs which you see on my sidebar...and also some which I discover new almost  everyday...

I love to read what other like minded bloggers do while at home and that's a real inspiration.. Its this inspiration that keeps me going makes me do things with renewed enthusiasm...

There is lot of other housework which forms a part of my daily routine like arranging , organizing etc

How can I forget something that I can never live without and that's reading or just going through my dear .. and huge. huge ..huge collection of magazines mainly interior and cooking...

I love listening to music and you will find my little transistor always playing in the background while I am drifting around doing all my chores... its my constant companion..

This is a little glimpse into my daily routine whats yours?

EXAM DONE!!!!

You all will wonder what is she talking about so let me tell you this , I have just come back after giving my 3 papers which were over 3 days of a FOOD AND NUTRITION  course that I had taken up....

I love nutrition and am regularly browsing through for sites on the net which will help me with my nutritional doubts...But I took it as a challenge and decided to officially learn it... a challenge because its been years since I gave my last college exam ..

Teaching your kids is not the same as learning your self . It was quite tough because of the time gap but I loved doing it and have to tell you my exams where really good I feel proud of myself..Hehe...

Here in the above picture you will see how I have collected pencils that I see and kept them sharpened for me to use.. They look good don't they?

BEAUTIFUL PICTURES.....

TODAY IS 1.11.11... A GREAT LOOKING DATE 

These pictures are from a calender which is at my place.. I had never given extra attention to the details of the pictures that are depicted on the pages , but I do not know why as I was sitting on my bed gazing at this picture, I just got drawn to the beauty of it.. I realized how good this photo is .. It shows a ordinary nomadic women working with her baby in a cloth cradle behind her , she seems to be in the woods with probably a make shift home and very little possessions , but the smile on her face is heart touching and innocent.... it comes from within ...

Which goes to show that you need very little to get happiness, to feel happy ... try to find happiness in small things don't wait for those big things and events in your life to feel happy Make the most of today and you will see a better tomorrow....

COLOUR IN SIMPLE THINGS....

If you look around you , you will find that there are so many things in our day to day life which we just pass by and fail to notice...

Today morning as I was hanging out my washing in my gallery . which is a little space adjoining the bedroom where we can hang out our days washing ..I saw these hangers left on a stool which also had my favorite table mat on it... I know there will be many who might not find this sight quite appealing or interesting but I love to see colour around me and colour in simple day to day items which feels my being with good energy...

Don't theylook good against the green of the coconut trees that you see outside...

HAPPY DIWALI.....

The festival of lights is here and I wish all my friends and dear bloggers a very HAPPY DIWALI


I wish to write a few lines just to celebrate this great festival 


You can search for happiness
It comes from deep within.
Its not the things you purchase
Or the battles that you win.


Its counting all your blessings
Accepting what you've got,
Not wanting more and more;
Being happy with your lot.


When you wake to greet each day
With contentment in your heart,
This will bring your more joy
Than owning priceless works of art.


For, though the things you buy
Can bring you lots of pleasure,
Being happy , deep inside,
is by far the greatest treasure.


These are a few lines I found in a booklet written by Marian Jones.. They tell you so much in those simple words..
Remember this during this festive season and enjoy these days to your hearts content....

A NEW TEA OR MILK CUP ****

I love crockery which give a country feel and so I am always on a look out for a look alike ( because here in a city its just impossible to use an real terracotta pot for cooking or drinking .

You will still find lot of homes in my hometown GOA and also in another state in my country called KERALA where terracotta pots are used to make fish curry and the taste is so unique and fabulous .. but its difficult to use it  on our gas stove or I would have been the first one..
Its a known fact in my family that I have an immense affinity towards all things country and rustic...
Modern furniture or interiors is not for me too ... I love more of the cozy, warm and  simple type of decor which falls in the red,orange, mustard.....range Ohh.... sorry I let myself slip into my world of simplistic rustic charms....

But you do find certain handicraft exhibitions which exhibit such items and I am always on a look out for such a piece , this cup is not a terracotta drinking cup but a ceramic cup which is like a normal tea cup but looks exactly like a terracotta cup...
There is one more very simple thing that I love to drink and I think this too falls in my love for everything that is natural and without pretense or show...and thats MILK .. 
Here you will find me drinking a cup full of milk instead of my mid morning cup of tea....( I do that atleast twice a week )

.

GREAT LOOKING DISH*****

This purchase was made about a month back,,,I went shopping with my hubby its special because my husband always shops with an plan i.e. He will only go to shops where he want to shop and he will buy only 
what he has planned to buy .

He is extremely focused when it comes to shopping for himself while me hummmm….I am the opposite, I love to browse around look for at least 5 items falling in the same category , think, rethink and again think before I 

buy something.

By this, I get the pleasure of window-shopping plus I feel I get something that I really want and it’s never a spontaneous decision (good for me…..). on the other hand my hubby buys things (I won’t say he takes rash decisions but as I said earlier he is focused so never ever regrets what he buys…) OHHH… how different two individuals spending their lives together can be…

So here we were at a shop buying gifts for someone in the linen section, we have to pass the kitchen section to reach the linen section (???...) and as I was passing by I saw these lovely plates or dishes on display.(I can never ever go past a kitchen section without looking at all the kitchenware on display …Pshh.. let me tell you something I took this route, through the kitchen section on purpose.. as I knew with my hubby with me today I would have to leave the store without a 

glimpse of my favorite things…Hehe…)

NEW PURCHASES****

As I always say blogs are such an inspiration, when I see friends and fellow blogger around the world buying lovely stuff for their homes , there are a few things which one wants to have for oneself but but.... due to the country where one stays they are not available here...

I love floral pieces (Its a very newly developed passion as I see lots of floral stuff in decorations and fabrics all around the world ) I would love to own some lovely floral plates which have flowers all over like the ones that I see on the CATH KIDSON catalog .

Cath Kidson is not available here in India and see I have to be satisfied looking at them on the computer screen, But when I visit shopping malls, markets and streets my eyes always search for floral stuff...

I have written about the floral pillow covers that I purchased some months back in this post here.

Last week when I had gone to a small shop in the suburb of the city in which I stay , Here I found this lovely lovely floral tray which is gorgeous(according to me) and comes a little close to the dream I  have of owning floral stuff....I picked it ups just as soon as I saw it its melamine and has nice upturned edges, I use this tray everyday more my cup of tea with others in the family..And the most important thing is that this small , inexpensive thing gives me immense Joy every morning when I use it ...

There is one more thing that I purchased last week, which I had been on a look out for a pretty long time

This glass jar which I have placed on the tray I found at big shopping mall which has some imported stuff

I paid a double price for this jar ( compared to the prize I would pay for an Indian made jar of the same size) as its imported...and also found at a big mall.

How do you like this tray I would love to hear from you I wish you share my enthusiasm.

ORGANIZATION*****

Bloggerland is  a real boon to have and as you browse and go through various blogs you find such great information and inspiration.

I have been reading a lot of blogs which help you organize and which give you ideas of how others are doing it as well.

You will find many links of such blogs on my sidebar..

Here in India we have a perpetual problem of shortage of space not only for our things but also for us… 

Our homes here in India are tiny and storage space is tinnier. We have to really challenge ourselves to fit in our day to day requirement.. we can never afford to have a pantry separate for our storage  food items , at the most we can have a drawer where we keep our extra stuff  (hence it so happens that we do not stock on things just buy them as and when necessary and keep them in the allotted space for those items…).

One would be lucky to get one double door wardrobe  to keep his or her clothes and other things in one place normally one wardrobe is shared space with someone else...

I am planning to organize my home in a slow and steady way..

we do not have container stores where we can get containers specifically for organizing ideas but you can be innovative and buy some plastic containers and organize your drawers...

I have already purchased some plastic boxes which will help me do it...

HERE IS THE LIST OF THINGS I PLAN TO ORGANIZE....

1. Stationery drawer

2.Medicine drawer

3.crockery cabinet

4.home-clothes

5. my clothes shelf (I have 2....)

6. My recipe cutouts (this is going to take a long time....)

7.My books and magazines (This will take the longest as i have three shelves in different places filled with my mags and books...)

8.My sons room

9.bedsheets and linen

10.fridge
11.drawer with all electronic devices their boxes , pamphlets etc
12.Pantry (This has to be done too too often )

There are many more which I will add as I think about it and strike it off as I am done with it...

HERE ARE SOME SITES OR BLOGS WHICH HELP YOU IN ORGANIZING

http://creatingahouseofgrace.blogspot.com

www.abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com

PILLOW COVERS****

I read a variety of blogs and those which have vintage , crafty , homey things are my favorite..

I see that many bloggers love fabrics and love to create such wonderful things with them, I do not know how to stitch but surely do appreciate things made by other with such love and care and always feel that I too should be able to stitch something... 

I was out shopping the other day and I came across this good looking pillow covers which gave me a feeling of the variety of vintage fabrics which I see on the blogs...

 I want my blogger friends to please comment and tell me if its a vintage design that you see and do you like a this fabric , as I have said before this is a new fabric love for me which I have cultivated an eye for after reading a great no of blogs featuring such fabulous fabric designs