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

INSPIRED TABLE ARRANGEMENT****

Blogs are my real inspiration , I feel very inspired when I see other ladies all around the world doing so many things to make their homes look more beautiful...

I had been near a flower market the other day I am not the one to go and shop for flowers , I normally have flowers in my house when someone get a bouquet for some occasion.

So here I am a person who does not pay much attention to flowers ,one who never ever goes to a market to buy flowers  (I don't know what they are called , if any of you know the name please write to me...).

I saw these lovely flowers and purchased them and it does not end there I pulled out a nice little jug which i have and decorated them in a simple way on my dining table.

My inspiration does not end there I also searched for a nice matching table mat to create the right effect , so that's inspiration for me i.e doing things that you have never done before because you

feel-inspired by others.

DELIGHTS OF THE DAY****

There are so many wonderful but little things that inspire and delight us in our day to day life , and that's for us to see what they are...Our days are full of activities , things which we take for granted things that we handle without noticing their beauty , without noticing how they feel or how beautiful they are but that's life too .. we are too busy to notice such things...

This post here made me aware of the things that we miss out and should really look out for to find the delight in our day to day life.

so yesterday morning I tried to search for things as I was going about my day to day pottering around the house and I did find them in the little time till lunch , so you too can find delights in your life if you look out for them....

 My morning breakfast of poha on a lovely polka dot plate on a colourful stripped table mat....
Isn't it a wonderful way to start your first meal......

I am learning to crochet for a person who does not sew or knit this is a big achievement please don't look closely as you will find lots of faults , but I am trying... and I love the colours. orange and yellow are my favorite colours and so I chose them for making my first ever granny square... 

Pencils sharpened for my son .I love to have them made sharp which my son does not appreciate much ,he says they last longer when you sharpen them shorter (???).

Making my bed in the morning and laying a lovely bedspread on it... (yellow and orange again) These two colours seem to dominate my day....

My mid-morning tea with some good cook book yesterday it was a baking book....

and....

My mustard coloured  dry white pea vegetable made for the day....

How do you like it? try to search for your delights and share them with us too....

A BEAUTIFUL PHOTO......

This photo was taken by my son last weekend when we went to a restaurant last week end , I was going to click it when my son who also loves to take close up shots wanted to do it himself .. and I feel proud to say that he has done a wonderful job...

There was this spotlight kept on the single rose on the table...

I would appreciate if those reading this blog would come forward , give me a minute of your precious time to put in a comment on how you like these photos and give your sincere word of advice too . It would be a great encouragement for my son .( I have seen from my statistics that there are so many visitors everyday on my blog but I don't see anyone commenting on the posts please do so it encourages us to write more....)

COLLECTION---PAPER NAPKINS...

I think I have mentioned before that I love to collect things especially kitchenware and stationery (but there are many more things that I love collecting which I will share with you as we go along together through my journey of blogging and connecting with my fellow blogger around the world...).

My sister stays in the US and their they have some real good collection of paper napkins and so when she came down to India this December I told her to get a few for me ...

But I will be sharing them with the food that I make and not as a collection so that they look pretty as they are supposed to be...

Here is the second one I had written about the first lovely napkin that I had HERE.

 I know this photo looks as though it is for the sandwiches and not the napkins but unfortunately the ones that I took from the other angle did not come out well and so I could not share them with you...

 But you can still see that these napkins are so pretty and coincidentally they have a very Indian design on them and that's so good to see such a design on  things which have traveled so long to be with me......
I had made my sons favorite cheese toast sandwich with Italian seasoning for breakfast... 

MONEY PLANT****

SUCH A GREAT DATE TODAY   11.1.11

I have just placed a new pot of money plant on my window sill and its really growing very well and green .

I don't have a green thumb but I try to take as much care as it requires and so my day starts with a hot cup of tea which I prefer to have atop my window sill and before I sip my cuppa I make sure that I give this plant  a nice morning shower.

I actually wash it with my hands just the way one would wash a baby's crop of hair . 

Just looking at the fresh colours of the leaves and its simplicity makes me feel cheerful at the beginning of the day...

Is there anything that makes you feel that, early in the morning.. Please share it with me and I am sure my other blogger friends would love to hear from you too....