DAY 46 : EYECANDY..

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

Courtesy of "Country Living"

DAY 45:

I will be taking a long hiatus from the blog world from tomorrow, so this is the last post for this year. I will be back again after the 2nd of January, next year. It's been a wonderful journey this year in my blog world, I have read wonderful bloggers from different categories. Hope to see you all next year.

Happy Holidays and New Year Everyone....

DAY 44 : Fulfillment????

Where the time flies by... it's almost the end of the year, a new year at our doorstep, it's that time of the year when you want to reflect back on your life, how was it good, bad, sad , happy or a cocktail of all these???? For most of us probably the last one. I don't know how I should describe mine this year... off course buying our first house was the most happiest moment of the year, and the saddest was the death of my brother-in-law , but that's life isn't it, you get something and on the other hand you loose something or somebody...you can't get it all.We crave and long for things we don't or can't have, we regret some things, we feel sad in little things but we forget to thank for the things we already have , we forget there are people who do not even have this much that we have, that's the saddest part.
So, let's just be happy for what we have and make that more enjoyable for our life , it's hard, it's hard for me too, as this requires lots of concentration and restraint for my part to be happy with whatever is in my life, but that's the way to fulfillment, it's not easy, I know, but I or rather we have to keep on trying...

DAY 43 : Eco-Friendly Wreath...

Recycle holiday greeting cards into holly leaves for this one-of-a-kind decoration. Using a holly leaf stencil, trace onto old cards and cut out holly shapes. With a glue gun, glue a toothpick onto the backside of each of the leaves to form a 1-inch pick at the "bottom" of each leaf. Take a 10-inch Styrofoam wreath and insert these leaf picks around the shape until it is completely covered, fanning and overlapping them as shown. Cut out more holly leaves as needed to cover the wreath with regifted greetings.

Courtesy of "Good Housekeeping".

DAY 42 : EYECANDY..

From "House Beautiful"..

DAY 41: Holiday Card Swap...

Ok so yesterday my holiday card came on the mail.. it's from Lori from Tennesse..It's cute , isn't it? yes, that's the card ....I was so happy to recieve it and glad that I joined the "Holiday Card Swap" hosted by Haley from haleymathiot.blogspot.com

Lori wrote a cute little note too, I don't know if you can to read it...

Thanks, Haley for organizing this, it's fun.

DAY 40 : My Blog is PURPLE !!!!

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

DAY 39 : CHRISTMAS FROM INDIA TO USA....

I thought a lot about what to write today, then I came to an understanding that I should write about my experiences of Christmas in the two different countries , one from which I come and another where I settled down.

Growing up in India, during Christmas we had a 2-3 weeks break, which we refered to as the “Winter Vacation”. We went to the zoo, had picnics, visited our cousins house during this time. Though there were no religious strings attached we visited the some famous churches built during British rule, and they were wonderful. My mom loved to bake so she always baked a cake for Christmas and New Year and made pudding. We also got store bought pastries (which were quiet expensive, so we only got them this time of the year), and boy were they delicious!!!! but there was no presents involved in this holiday.

Then 9 yrs before when me and my husband came to U.S., we didn’t celebrate anything, we just went somewhere for a week for vacation. But after I had my elder son 7 yrs back, we started changing…. now the change is significant. We put up lights all over the house (both my boys love this), we have a tree that we decorate, I bake cookies and cakes (from the box, hey, I am from India, we make curries no baking!), when we stayed in Pennsylvania we used to make snowman and now in Southern California we go to the mountains for a couple of days so the kids can play in the snow!!! We buy presents too, for our friends, neighbors, now that ,my 7 yr old is in school for teachers and lots of greetings cards are sent over to India for grandparents, uncles & aunts and cousins….

We have come a long way in celebrating the holidays, I loved my holidays of my childhood in India and I love my holidays now with my little cozy family in the U.S. and I look forward to this wonderful journey more…..

Happy Holidays Everybody……..

DAY 38 :

A Very Happy Holidays to Everybody.....

DAY 37 : Weekend..

Went well. This week is the last week before the holiday vacation at my son's school. So, we did some shopping for the school, teacher,aids,the nice lady at the cafeteria.. you know the drill...then neighbors...5 houses, and the kids... piano teacher, acquaintances and I am glad to announce that we are done!!! how good is that!
Then we had the open house at our piano teacher's house, which was just fun, with lots of food and mingling and then the evening ended with a recital program, where all the student's took part, it was great to hear the little Beethoven and Mozart's playing their heart out, all they have worked for the whole year.
My 7yr old played wonderful, we were so proud of him.

DAY 36 : EYECANDY..

"Holiday Greeting Cookies" Courtesy of "Country Living"

DAY 35: Today is Human Rights Day..

lets embrace diversity and end discrimination.

DAY 34: Holiday Gift Wrap & Recycle....

Isn't this wonderful ! no need to get wrapping paper from the stores! Another way of cost cutting and not to mention the "green way" ....

Courtesy of "Country Living"

DAY 33: Book Warehouse..

The small town that we moved to this September doesn't have any book store, well there is technically one in the "downtown" area but with the looks of it and the area I never went there, and my neighbor told me there is no book store, so to me there is no book store!!!
But this small town has an outlet mall!!! yah and the crowd it makes over the weekends year round..let's just say, the locals only goes on weekdays....

But after this economic meltdown, many stores like Sony, Guess, Nordstrom (to name a few) has closed down. So there are many stores now. It has been that way for two years now, but this year just before thanksgiving Toys R' Us opened and our towns most needed book store in the name of "Book Warehouse", let's just say I was thrilled so much that I went there and spent 2hrs and ended up buying more than I wanted to... I don't have to go the "Barnes & Noble" 20 miles.....The store is not Borders or B&N in terms of organization or size but they have everything in there small store, only you have to look and looks through all the disorganized books, the staff is quiet helpful though if you ask them something that you are unable to find yourself, but I don't mind looking through, it gives an opportunity to look through different unknown books, before you reach your destination!!!

Iam so happy now that I have a book store to go to, yes we have good library and I love libraries, but I love a book store too...... and I have it now!!!!!

DAY 32 : Rain,Book,Fireplace and a cup of Tea..

Yes, that's all I need today. It's pouring here in Lake Elsinore, from yesterday night, in the morning I had to go out to drop my 7yr old at school, then did some house work, even made dinner today early, but at the back of my mind what I really wanted to do was sit by the fireplace with a hot cup of masala chai and a good book. Well just now I brought my son back and now after the snacks are done, I have lit the fireplace so that he too can sit by it and do his homework and the younger one can play and after I finish this post I will be sitting too with a hot cup of tea and fried beef samosa and my new book that I got from the book store last Saturday. A really good book store opened up here, but that's another post to be written about the store as well as the books I got... For now, I am going to run by the fireplace where the cup and book is waiting for me....

DAY 31: Holiday Settings...

Courtsey:HouseBeautiful

DAY 30 : Pampered Queen ?????

The incident happened 3 weeks back, I have been meaning to write about it since than, but just couldn't wrap my head around it.
We (me my 7yr old and 3yr old) were coming back from school, we walk... behind us was a lady with her daughter, whom my son informed that they are in the same class. I stopped to say hello, nice lady she said hello too, we introduced ourselves, the kids started talking and I learned they also moved to the neighborhood just 1 week after we moved in September. She asked me some things about me, my family and I did the same. Then as we were near our house she asked whether I work or not, I said no, and asked her the same, she said she was working before moving here and she would look for a job again and start working.

Then she made the remark, "Oh you are not working for a long time, ever since your kids were born, you are a pampered queen!"

What the.... "Pampered Queen!!!!!!", did she really say that??????? At first I didn't know, what to make of it... it is the first time somebody called me that! I have some working and non working friends, mothers and non- mothers but nobody called me that! just for being a sahm. It's a choice I made for my family, it depends on your particular household, what you should be doing, that has nothing to being pampered!

Few months back, I wrote a post about "Categorizing Motherhood", here: http://http//masalabowl.blogspot.com/2009/08/categorizing-motherhood.html, covering the issue of sahms and working moms, I just hate this kind of categorization... I was so spellbound that day, I didn't find the words to say something, I can't fathom why women say things like this without giving any thought or consideration to the other ones feelings, she doesn't know me, my family , my situation, what does she know whether Iam pampered or not......

DAY 29 : EYECANDY..

From "House Beautiful" - Holiday Tablescape

DAY 28 : Lowkey...

Today is very cool, nothing much to do, a little housework, little cooking, some reading but no hectic schedule to go here and there, maintain appointments just relax in your own house day... I love these days, stay inside the warmth of the house ( yes, I will go and pick up my son from school!!!), and guess what I will be baking some gingerbread muffins, yummm...

DAY 27 : Back to my world...

Back from all the festivities, food, socialisation, birthday party, shopping , hanging lights, Christmas tree, making more lists and less sleep.... I know, and there is Christmas coming....... I really need to recharge my batteries and what better place than coming back to my blog world and throw some tantrums and mindless , useless bantering........really that's my cure right now...my own little world without the rest of them, don't make any mistake, I love the rest of it, but a girl gotta rest up herself you see!!! so before more festivities start again I will rest up here in my blogs and will be all happy and new and uplifted to face the rest again......Cheers!