Raising Little Lions

Events After the Wedding Ceremony

2011-06-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

After the wedding ceremony, there is alot of hulla bulla amongst the family and friends - lunch to be eaten, socializing to be enjoyed, games to be played. shoes to be stolen :)

There is a traditional Punjabi game where the girls on the bride's side steals the groom's wedding shoes and in order for the groom to have them returned to him, he must pay a price to all the bride's sisters - whatever they request. It is usually ALOT of fun when u are on the girl's side but being on the boy's side, ur main task is to hide his shoes. It gets kind of silly because during the ceremony, instead of watching solemnly and praying for a beautiful future life for the lovely couple, I find myself looking for exit routes and perfect hiding spots under cushions and ladies' outfits. :) Just kidding. The girl's side didn't really fight for my brother's shoes so this made an easy win at this wedding.

While all teh wedding guests return to their rooms to relax, the couple has their alone time together for pictures and enjoying their newly wed status. After a few hours of rest and picture taking, everyone gets to get ready all over again for the Reception!

The bride with her brother and I

The bride upon entering the groom's home. Here a game is being played where the groom's sister (me) has to attempt to drink water from a golden cup for 7 times while my brother has to try to prevent me from doing so. The significance? Beats me.

A FUN game where the bride and groom have to fight each other to win golden rings hidden inside a bowl full of milk and roses

My brother and his new wife in the wedding car!

The quaint wedding richshaw

Tradition where the bride's first steps into the house are recorded by having her step in red paint and then over a white scroll of paper adorned with rose petals

My brother and his friends along with his new wife.

The weddign car decorated

My dad and I with the newly married couple

Bringing Devina into the boy's home for the first time

One of my favorite pics :)

Helping Devina step on rose petals laid out for her to enter our home

My hubs and I :)

My cousin's wife Chandni and I watching our kids play together after the wedding ceremony

Devina feeding my brother traditional Indian sweets

The ring game

The real wedding car - not the richshaw

Devina and Moni

My new sis in law and I :)

My little nugget Jeevan at 8 months old

Me chaperoning the ring game - making sure there are no cheaters! The cheaters ended up being the women in my family who told Devina that catching quarters in the milk was just as good as rings and while they told my brother quarters wouldn't cut it and he would have to find a gold ring to win. Devina won with the help of the lovely ladies of our family :) Girl power!

Another cute game where the bride shakes her decorations from her hands over the heads of unmarried females of the house. If a gold piece falls off by itself onto the head, then it is good luck and signifies that the female will be the next in getting married - similar to the boquet toss!

Me receiving Devina into our home

My brother dancing on the path Devina had to walk into our home. SO SWEET how happy and proud he is. It's written all over his face.

My little Kavanjot with his cousin Noor :)

Devina and Moni

Anand Karaj - Sikh Wedding Ceremony

2011-02-25T19:06:00.000-08:00

The actual wedding ceremony of my brother and his wife was beautiful. It was held outside in Goa near the Banyan tree under which he proposed. It was lovely. The immediate family sat near the bride and groom while the other guests sat behind on beautiful little sofas lined with comfy cushions.

The meaning of Ananad Karaj is Blissful union. The couple does 4 lavaans or rounds around our holy scripture called the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. In the Sikh faith, although the bride walks behind the groom holding his scarf, marriage is considered a partnership amongst equals. No consideration is to be given for caste, race or social status nor is dowry permitted. The families from both sides are very involved during the ceremony. The ceremony must end before noon and afterwards is langar or a lunch for all the guests.

There are fun little games played amongst the boy's and girl's side after the ceremony where the girl's sidehas to steal the groom's shoes and in order to get them back, he has to offer a price to pay them which they usually do not accept and keep asking for more. It's meant to be alot of fun but I have been at weddings where the girl's sister has stolen the shoes and asked for the bride's wedding ring and GOT IT. I know, nuts. Talk about taking tradition seriously.

My brother coming up to our Scriptures covered in white and blue

Moni (my brother) coming up to matha tek (pay respects to our scripture)

The canopy for the wedding ceremony

Guests surrounding where the couple is to sit

What we saw coming up to the wedding site.

Up where immediate family and the couple sat

The bride's side.

The bride, Devina, coming in.

She looked stunning

Wedding guests looking upon the ceremony

My brother with me dabbing my CHIN (ugh) behind him.

bride's entrance

bride and groom attached with a pink scarf which she held onto following him during the rounds

The bride's mother. Just a lovely lady.

The bride and groom making their rounds

Where the guru granth sahib (our scriptures) sat

Me telling Moni and D what they need to do.

Scarf being adjusted

Looking onto the ceremony

The couple making their rounds with her brothers surrounding the area (symbolizing that they will always be there for her throughout her married life). Very sweet.

Getting garlands put on them by our priest

The couple standing together before making a round

Rounds

Garlanding

And they're married after the 4th round!! (my brother wasn't really allowed to touch her but I guess he couldn't resist!) :)

Events Leading up to Wedding Ceremony

2011-02-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

Well after all the before partying, the time has almost arrived for my brother and his wife Devina's lavaan phere which is the Sikh wedding ceremony, also known as anand karaj.

I was a flutter all morning thinking of my brother and how he must be feeling and just imagining him in his moment and promising mama that I would be right by his side through it all for her. Since losing our mother, I can speak from personal experience that the most meaningful and significant moments in life without her just don't feel right. While I always *feel* her presence, having her there physically would have meant SO much at things such as my wedding, the birth of my first son, the birth of my second, their birthday parties etc. I knew it was time for my brother to feel this and the pain is quite indescribable and while I couldn't take that away for him, I just needed to be there for him. I tried to garner a sense of peace and calm so I wouldn't be a puddle of tears when he turned to the rock he needed to lean on. This was to be HIS moment and in that time, u need a strong soul to guide u through, to reassure u and to constantly comfort u with their smile, no words necessary but that knowing smile and loving touch that everything is going to be ok. I am here with u. and I love u more than anything I know how to love. Right before the wedding, my brother was very emotional as was expected and I got a few moments with him alone to let him know I was there for him - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. Our bond is like none other and I was just so honored to see him through his day with this beautiful woman. I smiled and waited til he heard what i was saying. I said "it's OK. U look amazing. Mom is SO proud of u as am I. She is here and we both know it. Now, come on, let's go get Devina. She is waiting for u." :)

There are a few rituals before the ceremony, one of which is called the sera bandi where the sister along with the female cousins prepare the groom for arriving at the ceremony by adorning his turban and walking him into the hall. This is usually accompanied with a prayer that I recited along with the elder females of the family.

The sisters also feed the horse some grains and corn before getting the groom ready. This was kind've nuts because I started offering the horse my HAND full of food when the horsekeepers were like girl what are u DOING? and told me to just offer him the bowl with the food inside it which he should eat from. Yea, could've had a fatality right there. Jeez. I need specific directions people!

Another tradition is for the youngest male on the male's side to sit atop the horse the groom rides on. This youngest male is usually a child, if not a baby and is called the sarballa. The sarballa for this wedding was my little lion Kavan! We had been practicing riding a horse and elephant for months so he wouldn't get nervous but I was prepared for his hesitation and anticipated stage fright so our backup sarballa was my second little lion Jeevan. When we saw the horse, I brought Kavan out there to pet it and feed it which I think helped. They both had a turn riding the horse. Unfortunately while we had plans for an elephant, those plans fell through.

Next, one of the BEST traditions we have is for the whole entire groom's side, called the baraat to DANCE all the way up to the bride's side along to a - u guessed it - DHOL (Drum) BEAT. We arranged live drummers to walk along our side the whole way. This is usually a few blocks but we must have danced a mile in the hot goa sun on the beach to get to the bride. Oh my lord I wasn't expecting that workout - we were all sharing water and sweating by the time we got up there but as soon as we got off the beach and passed through the foliage of the Goa woods and saw the bride's party up high on a raised platform where the ceremony was to be held, we went NUTS screaming, dancing, hollering and just bringing my amazing brother in on his horse. I led the baraat with my father. I wore a green lengha (skirt and top with scarf) that my brother picked out to match his outfit. It was a little jazzy for me for a religious ceremony but I must admit, lots of fun to wear and dance in :)

Last, a part of the wedding event is called the Milni which means MEETING where the males in the bride's family formally greet and meet the males in the groom's family. They hold garlands, put them over their counterpart's head and then there is usually a fun part where the guys tussle to see who can pick up the other one first. While the significance of the milni is very sweet, everyone is usually waiting to see who gets picked up :) I told Bobby if he doesn't pick up the guy he is paired up with - not to come home. haha. My sis in law said the same thing to Bobby's brother when we got married. It's kind;ve competitive I'd say.

Enjoy :)

My cousins and I before the ceremony at the groom's side house

The home where the breakfast before the ceremony was held

My brother on the horse and us all watching

Ardas prayer in the morning with the groom's side

Me doing the serabandi which was attaching the piece covering Moni's face

Me with Kavan and my brother - the groom!

My little lion and his daddy

Making sure these strings weren't clouding Moni's vision

Bobby and I :)

The guys hanging out

A friend made me pose for this

My Kavu and I having some tea

I am beaming with pride standing with my brother

My cousin Natasha and I

My cousin Raja and I with Kavan

More serabandi

Boys side guys :)

In the car with My brother

Love this shot of him. Getting ready for a prayer

Baraat dancing

Me pinning on strings to his turban

My cousin Natasha and I pinning on the strings to Moni's turban

Guys

Kavan and his daddy

leading moni out

Little lion #2 with his mamu (maternal uncle (my brother)))

baraat dancing

Kavan and I with one of my favorite aunties

Moni looks amazing on that horse

Monu and I :)

Daddy and I

He looks like a Maharaja here (Prince)

Mama's duties still call - Me feeding Jeevu :)

What a sport!

The baraat (groom's side) walking/dancing on the beach

It was nice of the bride's side to decorate our path and provide us a matting to walk on!

Amazing

Dancing on the beach!

Dhol walas (Drummers) with us the entire time. The drumbeats rang throughout the village

Daddy and I leading the baraat

Man it was hot

The drumbeat was INFECTIOUS

By my brother's side

Guys doing their thing

Little lion #1 - SO proud of him for getting up there!

WOO HOO!

Boys' Side Dhol Night

2011-02-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

Dhol is the term Punjabis use for DRUM and in Punjabi weddings, the DRUM, or dhol is a central part of the majority of our music, traditions and festivities. There is absolutely nothing that gets me more excited and gets my blood pumping more than hearing our classic dhol beat going. The boy's side decided to hold an impromptu DHOL night at the boy's side house in Goa at the night of the mehendi which was the night before the wedding. During our little party for just the boy's side, the girl's side was doing the traditional churra (bangle) ceremony for the bride which is an intimate ceremony amongst her important family members. Our dhol night was one of the highlights of the wedding events. It was particularly special to me because it was our family that was there in Goa to celebrate my brother and it was downright pure classic punjabi fun. My cousins, aunts and elders all collected and sat on teh floor and sang every Punjabi wedding song with such ghutspa and literally until our voices were gone. We hired a Dhol wala or a guy who comes with a huge dhol and he came and did the traditional boliyaan which are little fun verses that he shouts out to sing and we all know and sing back to him and the crowd and to each other and then he just blasts that dhol beat, LIVE, and we all just went ballistic dancing. At this point, everyone is so completely exhausted from all the events but attending this and staying up all night for it wasn't even a question. It was an honor and a priority and one of my favorite nights of the trip. I will never forget the memories made, the bonds strengthened and my brother's face when he and his friends came through the door and we highlighted their arrival. OH what a night!

Some pics:

Mehendi Party

2011-02-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Mehendi party was maybe one of the best events of the wedding extravaganza. My sister in law's rules for attire was - "the brighter the better" and I am so glad everyone followed her instructions because it was a color explosion on a perfect day in beautiful Goa. The decor fit the theme perfectly and was absolutely out of this world.

She looked stunning in a pinky peachy sari and seemed to be having a great time watching on as she sat on a couch adorned by bright pillows getting her Mehendi applied. Henna is another term for mehendi. It is a natural herbal green mix that is placed on the skin and left on to dry for a few hours. After washing it off, there is a temporary red to orange colored staining that has a tattoo effect wherever it was placed. It has been a tradition in Indian weddings for centuries. Traditionally at a mehendi party, the bride gets her mehendi put on her hands and feet. Everyone watches as the designs are typically very ornate and we all stand around and dote on her. Then we all get our turn to get a little bit put on as well. At this party, everyone joined in on the mehendi fun - guys and girls alike! Everyone was just roaming about barefoot, dancing, mingling, drinking, kissing, hugging and henna'ing :)

Devina described this afternoon perfectly - the mehendi party that turned into a RAVE :) We were there for HOURS until the boys' side literally got kicked out of the house for the bride's next bridal ceremony for her bangles to be placed on that night.

In addition to all the merriment, each side from the wedding prepared a dance to entertain the guests. I choreographed the boys' side dance along with my cousin coming in to help me when I started panicking that this wasn't going to come together and then the girls' side had a dance and skit of 20 minutes long choreographed by a professional dancer. We were clearly the underdog but for what we had to work with int he time we had to do it, we held our own and honestly just had a complete BLAST getting together to celebrate the bride and groom. The dance took a loose form of a skit that represented the last 5-10 years of my brother's life from when he worked in NY, dated in NY, to when he moved to India, met Devina, courted Devina to when they get married and then we projected into the future a bit to what their future married life would look like with blessings abound :) Everyone who was up for joining was a part of the dance which ended up including about 20 people or so on each side. My brother's friends did a great job making fun of him through mimicking how he parties and orders food for everyone when we are out down to his little nurances like his catch phrases and facial expressions. It was such a fun ROAST on him and SO much fun. We had a great time watching the girls' side dance and dancing for my brother and putting together our routine with our friends. We laughed so hard til it hurt. Someone afterwards made a comment that Moni's sister didn't just dance up there, but that i danced for my brother and it couldn't be closer to the truth. My face hurt from smiling and I had tears in my eyes just watching him next to his love and just going all out for them. I love them so very much and wish them the best this life has to offer. Ok getting weepy!! At the end of it all, the boy's side and our whole fam and everyone from the girl's side just got up thee and boogied down - for. hours. :)

Here are some snaps!

Cocktail Party in Goa

2011-02-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

The first event in Goa was a cocktail party to welcome all the guests. The attire was non traditional and everyone was wearing Western cocktail dresses and gowns. I had an awesome Calvin Klein dress lined up but last minute splurged in Delhi and bought a designer flowy Goa-ey dress with my cousin's wife, Chandni. She convinced me I had to have it and as much as I felt like an Indian barbie in it, the wallet is kind've regretting the splurge now - eek. ANYWAY, the party was light and fun and a great way for all the guests to meet, esp those who came straight to Goa and didn't go to any of the Delhi events. It was held outdoor and the weather was downright balmy and breezy, pure perfection. There were funky performers surrounding the home and the decor was so different and fresh. Here are a few snaps from the night:

My cousin Natasha and I all dolled up before heading out

Pics of the family at a pre party cocktail hour before the event

More family I love.

Fun decor hanging from the trees

Belly Dancer

Crazy fun performer

Closeup of the balance act

Shot of the decor from the balcony above

Closeup of hanging lanterns

Devina with her friend from London and Nats

My brother (hanky in his pocket) and our cousin Raja

My lovely dovely cousins and I

My brother with our two cousins Radhika and Nandita who we adore and always have since we were so very little

My brother and I with a friend of his from Delhi. This girl was awesome - I wish I had a way to keep in touch.

My brother and I. Just love him.

Welcome to Goa :)

2011-02-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

Coming to Goa was such a treat. It was a true getaway in every sense of the word. Goa is in southern India and it is so far away from the bustling city of New Delhi and everything we associate with being in India - shopping, hectic schedules, exhaustion, visiting family and friends and just being busy. We got to relax a few afternoons and mornings in between events. Every day had something planned so there was still stuff to do but it was in a tropical destination which made it still feel like vacation! We took in some sun, some ocean and some scenery.

The only hectic part for me amid this all was choreographing and bringing together a dance the groom's side was to perform for the mehendi party a day or so later. It was quite a challenge since no one had cell phone or internet service properly working nor were people responding (serious post celebration funks set in) and I was staying with my family off in a villa away from everyone as opposed to the hotel all the kids were in. I might have panicked a few times but was determined to PULL THIS OFF - I was the groom's sister dammit! There was no way I was going to drop the ball on this one. In hindsight, I may have been a bit unecessarily harsh with the guys :) but it was worth it because our dance was awesome and the fun was amazing and they all pitched in when they saw how freaked I was getting that things weren't getting done. I'm below in the yellow - not smiling. Very serious business here. In the end, it was a BLAST!

More on that later in the Mehendi Party post but for now, enjoy some scenes of Goa.

And here are pics of our dance practice - yes ONE of maybe 2 practices we had for a 10 minute dance in front of 300 people. God was on our side that day! :)

The Sangeet

2011-02-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Sangeet was unlike any function I've ever been to. I'm pretty sure all of New Delhi was invited :) It was luxurious and gorgeous and just such a GRAND party. Devina and my brother looked like a princeess and prince - full out. She was dressed in a beautiful white lengha and looked downright stunning. My brother was wearing a matching white achkin and just fit her perfectly. They looked regal to say the least.

Sangeet means Music and it is the night days before the wedding meant for merriment, music, dancing and complete celebrating of the couple and the wedding to come. Just letting loose! Traditional sangeets generally are held at the home amongst the ladies singing and ladies but these days it is a Great excuse to have a big old bash at a hall. I've got a glimpse of the professional pics and they really did the events, esp the sangeet, justice. Here are a few that friends and family have shared. Enjoy! :)

Devina and I doing the kikli, a traditional punjabi dance where u hold hands and spin each other around :)

Me and my cousins

My cousin Natasha and i

Bobby and I with dad, cousins and my brother

Me with our friend Lindsay

The decor from the sangeet - jaw dropping in person

My adorable brother making sure he is having a GOOD time.

Devina doing her dancing THING

Me with my cousins Natasha and Sukhmani and a friend Tijana

my gorgeous sis in law devina

My cousins Mannu and Chandni

D :)

My brothers GOOD friends - I call them my gems

Devina dancing with me in the background

My brother with his boys

Me with my lovely cousins Sukhmani and Natasha

Little cousin Nats and my dad

The elderly women in my family and Raja uncle

My little cousins

Tijana with my dad's youngest brother

Chunni (Scarf) & Ring Ceremony

2011-02-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Before the official weddings events began, there was a big birthday party of the bride's brother that we attended that was AMAZING but sigh I don't have pics so until I can find some from someone who actually had a camera on them, that night will go down in history as one of the most amazing parties I have ever been to. There were Circus du Soleil style dancers and artists performing all over the place from the ceilings to right next to u to on stage - it was unreal. Kudos to the planners and Happy Birthday Shiv! Then there were a bunch of little get togethers and small parties that were just as amazing but......lordie, no pics. I'm mentioning them now because I am on a mission to find some pics and when I do - this is what I would have been referring to basically!

The Chunni ceremony is a pre wedding event that takes place the beginning of the week of the festivities in a Punjabi wedding. At the Chunni ceremony, the boys mother is to place a wedding scarf/shawl on the bride to be and give her some jewelery sets. There is a ring ceremony called a Roka which we just did at the same time.

Since we lost our mother, not only was this event very emotional and sober but it was very touching for me because I took the place of our mother for my brother and I was the person to sit by Devina (the bride) and place the chunni on her head, recite the formal prayer, feed her sweets, present her with jewlery and gifts and a sari and basically be the woman to welcome and embrace her into our lives just as my mother would have. Waterworks over here. I missed mama so so very much in this moment and I fought the hot tears in my eyes back but I just looked over at my brother and at how happy he is and then to Devina at how lovely she is and u just can't help but smile so big because they are just meant to be and we are so blessed to be in each other's lives.

So this is when I place a chunni or bridal shawl/scarf ON the bride to be basically claiming her as ours to put it roughly along with presenting her with a sari as a token of our acceptance of her into our family and the groom to be (my brother) puts a ring on her finger. This event was combined with the ring ceremony also referred to as the ROKA where the families basically formalize the relationship between each other and the boy and girl. I (along with the elder females in my family) started the event off with a prayer (ardas) to bless the couple and the families and Gifts (Shagun) are exchanged between the families from one another. Then lots of sweets, fruits and food are FED to the bride and groom from everyone there who loves them. This BRIDE was such a trooper if I ever saw one. She basically ever so gracefully took a bite from every single person in that room - oh my word - that poor girl took the bites and had a smile on her face the whole time. Some people joked and gave really big bites which she took with a smile and some of us just gave her a taste so she wouldn't have to endure any more. I felt so bad for her not only for being a female and thinking omg I have to fit into outfits that aren't so forgiving in just a matter of hours and also for feeling bad for her if she didn't even like that particular dessert or desserts. Funny stuff. :)

Enjoy some of the pics :) U can kind of get the feel of how it goes.

Kavan and I :) I am SO happy to begin the festivities!

Devina and I while holding my baby Jeevan on my lap

My handsome brother (the groom to be)

The beautiful bride to be

Beginning the ceremony with an ardas (Sikh prayer)

The family looks on and gives gifts and feeds Devina

More gift giving lucky girl :)

Devina's mom gives my brother gifts and blessings

My brother with my eldest Kavan

Some flowers, sweets, gifts etc.

My brother and his best friend

Me sitting with Devina waiting for a prompt for what's next. Eek.

Devina with her chunni on (bridal scarf) and my Bhua (aunt)

My dad presenting Devina with food and gifts

The rings being exchanged!!!

My cousins Chandni, Mannu and Natasha

My chacha (dad's youngest brother) holding my littlest lion Jeevan.

My cousin Natasha and I

Pic of Devina with her Chunni on

My boys - brother, hubs and Kavan

Devina and I

Funny little lion Kavan playing around :)

Devina with her gifts and Chunni and me

En Route to New Delhi

2011-02-03T05:40:00.000-08:00

My disclaimer for my posts about India is this:

I did not take any pictures.

I am so shocked and embarrassed at this fact. How could I Not take pictures on this trip? I know. I know. But in hindsight I do realize that with HOW busy it was and all the running around and managing both kids and myself and shopping and being ready for whatever I needed to do at each event, there was just no feasible way I could have and if i DID, I would have for sure lost my camera or my phone (which I use as my camera). Thank GOODNESS other people in my family took pictures which we all pretty much share as our memories from the trip. Honestly tho - pictures just don't do this trip justice. It is simply imprinted in my memory forever.

That being said!! I took like 2-3 pictures of us on the way to the airport and before our trip began.

Here are the boys days before we left for our trip in a new double stroller we bought for the trip. They are cozy and cuddly and smushed in there with their winter gear. They're all bundled now but we were looking forward to frolicking on a beach in Goa soon!

Here are the boys as we landed in India at the airport, still bundled, off of a crazy 15 hour flight and just happy to have landed safely.

Usually when u land in the New Delhi Airport, it is a shock to the system that u are IN INDIA and it really feels like u are on the streets of India with an old outdated airport and people staring at u from all directions. However, when we landed this time, I was floored. I had NO idea the rennovations that took place but it was a proper international airport as if in any other country in Europe or the USA. It was beautiful and clean and organized. So much has been revamped for the better and it felt wonderful to land there and go through immigration seamlessly. What a difference it makes to begin a trip! I see the difference now. It makes u look forward to being there that much more. Really nice to see.
Here is a picture of Art you see as u walk to immigration in the airport. It is so beautiful and so striking, I was completely taken aback. I was so impressed by how put together everything was. I was reading up on it a bit and learned that the sculpture is of Indian hand gestures called mudras used in classical Indian dance. When constructing the new airport, they wanted something to represent their theme of "Expressive India" but avoid any sort of religious ideology. These mudras are represented in Buddhist art as well as in Southeast Asian art as well as used in much of yoga, which is a very worldly, secular activity and not just Indian per se. They were based off a female hand as well. There are 9 gestures in total and learning about them all is so enlightening.

I'm Baaaack!!

2011-02-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

but not so sure I'm back in full effect yet. I know - my blog fell off the face of ur google reader, hasn't it. Almost. I am determined to maintain it because my heart is there - I'm just swamped with babies and no help. That is hopefully changing SOON. Then I can focus on mama for a bit as well because this chica is in need for a major rejuvenation - part of the whole new year's resolution pact I made with myself.

Last we spoke :), I was going nuts preparing for our trip to India for my brother's wedding. With 2 babies and no help (yes I know I already said that), getting things accomplished happens in S-L-O-W M-OT-I-O-N so even just buying things for the trip, packing and getting important documents together Barely got done.

The trip was amazing, the wedding was unreal, out of this world, like a complete DREAM - I had to constantly ask my cousin to pinch me ..... and then she actually did, like really hard and I insisted she pls stop. Crazy girl.

I'd love to share some pics of all the events so pls plan on hearing about this for the next month or so not only because (a) would I like to relive it but (2) pictures or blog entries about it just won't and can't do it justice and (iii) I want to record for my brother the details I remember so we can read about it in years to come. He was so busy as was the bride's family putting everything together and making sure guests were taken care of. While it's no small feat for us to travel to India to .... party.... poor poor souls we are :) - it's even a bigger task to make sure everyone is provided for, accounted for, included and acknowledged and my brother and new sissy in law did a fabulous job.

Pics to come!

In the meantime here is a picture of the map of India so u have some context. My family is originally from PUNJAB (baby!!!) Ahem, Sorry. But the bride and groom are currently living in New Delhi, India and that's where we flew into and stayed with family for about a week and did the preliminary ceremonies and festivities to kick of the wedding. The actual wedding ceremony and reception was in Goa which is down towards central to south india to the west. I hate to be a nerd and give u a picture of a map but it's important and I promise I will make it up to u with fabulous wedding pics soon. Take a look see.

Happy Birthday Little MAN

2010-12-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

My little man just turned 2 and I still can't believe it. The time has just flown and I just want to hold onto every memory so snug and tight so I never forget just how precious this little soul is. He has grown So much and has come SO far that it blows me away with every step he takes and word he utters.

Kavan, in these last 2 years and even when I carried you for 9 months, you have taught me so much about life and how to live it. You have taught me to love unconditionally, to slow down and appreciate the finer moments, to smile constantly - even in our hardest times. You never stop amazing me with your affection, energy, curiosity, laughter and love. You surprise me everyday with your new discoveries and every daily achievements. You have allowed me to witness and be a part of your learning in motion. For being such a little lion, you have Such a big spirit. I love u dear Kavan, mama loves u ferociously.

I used to sing Carly Simon's Love of my life song to you everyday since you were born and it is so true ........"From the moment that I saw u, the second that u were born - I swore that u were the love of my life...quite simply the love... of my life."....

Here is a trip down memory lane for my sweet little lion Kavan.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAVANJOT!

Meri jaan hai tu (U are my life)

Life is nuts.....

2010-11-20T03:20:00.000-08:00

..... for us right now. I know I am out of the loop. I have been insanely busy - giving my grandma TLC, wedding stuff with my brother, getting the house ready for Thanksgiving here and planning my little bean's 2nd birthday the same weekend. It is just nuts. Just wanted to check in and see how everyone else is doing. I'm starting to realize, it's always this nuts and always will be - is it nuts for everyone else too? I need to start scheduling "nothing" for the weekends. Til then - I will be plugging away.

Here are my little lions the last few days. Uff. As i sit here in the calm of the 5 o'clok hour waiting to watch the sunrise, I just look at their pictures and think - thank u God. Thank you for my crazy, wild, sweet, silly, beautiful children. Be still my heart. Boys, mama loves u more than u could ever imagine.

Impromptu Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-11-11T12:29:00.000-08:00

Have u ever been in a crazy rush but need to get something made and just use the first recipe that comes up on google? That's what happened to me yesterday when the first batch of blueberry muffins my husband made turned out not so hot. I am sick with a cold and hosted a playdate at the house yesterday. Why? Well - sigh, because that's ME and my life. :/ The hubs wanted to help so before he went to sleep he made a box of blueberry muffins I asked if he could whip up - for those that don't know him - I must share that he LOVES TO BAKE. I was shocked they didn't come out well. It can't be him - it must've just been a cheap mix or something because they were terrible and he really is quite the baker.

As soon as I realized these weren't going to work, while still in my towel from getting out of the shower I said alright no worries and I googled chocolate chip muffins sine I knew I had choc chips on hand and muffins are just perfect for a morning playdate at the house. I used this recipe and frantically worked away. As I'm mixing and stirring, my eyes scan down the page and I'm reading the reviews of these muffins being awful and starting to realize this is how they're going to taste?! so I start adding and recreating a new recipe - bad news. Why is following a recipe so difficult for me?!

Well it turned out they were perfect and scrumptious and quite a hit. Here are some pics! Can't u just smell them through the screen!

Today is Diwali

2010-11-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Diwali to all that celebrate it! Diwali is known as the festival of lights and is an official Holiday in India as well as celebrated by many South Asian religions all over the world. Diwali celebrations are chock full of family traditions, lighting candles and fireworks, getting together with loved ones and sharing snacks and sweets.

In Hindu Mythology - the story of Diwali signifies the victory of good over evil. I am not so versed in the Hindu stories of Diwali but there are beautifully written accounts of them here.

Those who celebrate Diwali light candles outside their home or put up christmas lights around the home. The significance is that this light should illuminate ur home and heart and empower us to commit ourselves to good deeds which will bring us closer to God. In India, during Diwali, lights are everywhere inside and outside as people light firecrackers and incense and celebrate this holiday. (Source)

It has become more than a Hindu - festival - it has become a cultural holiday much like Christmas for those who choose to celebrate it living in the United States.

In my religion, SIKHISM, we celebrate Diwali for . In Sikh Historydifferent reasons and call the Holiday Bandi Chor Divaas. In Sikh history - Diwali signifies the release of our 6th guru. In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple - our most holy temple - was laid on Diwali day. During the life of our 6th Guru, Guru Hargobind, the Muslim emperor Jahangir imprisoned Guru Hargobind and 52 kings along with him. People all over India begged the Emperor to release them and the Emperor agreed to release the Guru but the Guru said to also release the kings. The emperor agreed but with one condition - that only those kings who could hold onto the guru's cloak can be released so our GUru made a gown with 52 pieces of strings attached to it for the Hindu kings to hold. They were all freed on Diwali day. Lights were lit all over upon their release. The guru's mother was so happy her son was released that she ordered food and gave sweets to everyone. Many people float colored light candles on teh water at the Golden temple along with a big firework display.

A great version of the story is told here.

Pray for my Nanima

2010-11-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

My Nanima is my beautiful grandmother. She is my mother's mother and she is sick. She is very sick. She had a massive stroke a few months ago in India and has since had a series of problems after the fact. Last week my uncle brought her over here to America on a plane, sedated. She is one strong lady to make that 24 hour flight. She was immediately put into the ICU at the hospital when she landed and has been there since. This past weekend was the first time in a few years that I got to see her. We are extremely close and it BROKE my heart to see her helpless in that condition. Her right side is paralyzed - she is not eating, not talking, not moving, not anything. She was otherwise SUCH a vibrant woman who LOVED just Loved to laugh and giggle and chat and share secrets and get dressed up and get manicures and wear revlon's toasted almond lipstick :) I brought my 2 babies to see their great grandmother in the hospital and thru that one eye she has working, I saw a emotion. I saw recognition. She laid her hand on their heads and gave them her blessings. She looked at me in pain. I don't know if she is physically in pain but she moans and groans and is understandably uncomfortable. I know she wants to live and I know she wants to fight. I have been a walking zombie since seeing her and can't think of much else these days but her. I love her dearly and need her. I don't have my mother anymore and my nanima is a piece of my mother that I have left. I need her - we all do. I know things are not good right now but I will continue to stay positive and hope for the best. She deserves it. Without her, none of us would be here. She is an amazing lady and she deserves us fighting for her, rooting for her, willing her to continue to want to live. I believe with time, prayers and therapy, she can show improvement - anything better than this.

Please pray for her - Please pray my nanima gets better soon.

What in the...

2010-10-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Who knew squirrels ate pumpkins?! Who knew squirrels would devour the pumpkins we worked so hard at "picking" (selecting and placing on wagon). This was a MAJOR bummer to wake up to in the morning :( Overnight our beautiful pumpkins that we decorated the front steps with turned into these! EEK! I guess the little rodents feasted didn't they. They didn't seem to be fooled by the fake pumpkins in the lot. I haven't caught any of the pesky little rascals in the act but I'm pretty positive they are squirrels as I've heard of this happening before but it's never happened to us before. I guess it's a whole different life now we live in the "Country". :)

Two cute little stores that sprung from this:

My 22 month old toddler is speaking much more now and lately he has been saying OH NO BOKEN - meaning, Oh no, broken. When we walked out and saw these pumpkins I said Oh no! He examined them and said, "Oh no, boken!" :) I just had to laugh. At least he realized this isn't how we had the pumpkins to start with and
We had a playdate at the house a few days after this happened and one of the mammas commented on the intricate pumpkin carvings I did with the kids. haha As if this was deliberate?! How strange that would've been :)

In the News...

2010-10-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

My religion (Sikhism) and the President's scheduled trip to our most holy temple in India has recently been in the news. It is difficult for me to use words to even capture the significance of what the Golden Temple symbolizes for Sikhs. It is a site of great religious and historical importance for Sikhs. Thousands of Sikhs and Non-Sikhs alike from India and all over the world come and visit this temple daily. It is built in the middle of a pool of water and is covered in gold. It is absolutely beautiful. Whenever I go, I find such peace and serenity there - it is truly majestic.

The gist of this issue in the news is that President Obama's camp is not satisfied with the forms of head covering he must wear during his visit for how it will make him appear and what it will look like to the outside world and America. When one enters any Sikh place of worship (gurdwara) including the Golden Temple, their heads must be covered while in the presence of our holy scriptures called the Guru Granth Sahib. President Obama only has 4 days scheduled to be in India. Of those 4 days, he is scheduling a trip to visit the Golden temple, the only religious visit he is making. However, Obama's camp fears that he will look too Muslim if he covers his head with a headscraf or skullcap. They feel it is not a good political move in light of political sensitivities around the world and in the United States regarding rumors of him having Muslim beliefs despite the fact that he is openly a very devout Christian which he has stated time and time again. His head must be covered but a baseball cap falls short of regulations and appears insulting.

MY THOUGHTS: I am saddened that this is even an issue that would prevent our President from visiting a respected shrine of the world. I'm not sure why limited suggestions like a headscarf, skullcap or baseball hat are being considered as the only options to cover his head. Plenty of sojourners that come off the streets pretty much will tie a handkerchief on their head or a bandana and that is completely acceptable. I am also shocked that it is cited that about 20% of the American population "suspect" the President is Muslim by citing that his middle name is Hussein and mentioning his Kenyan heritage. He is a publicly devout Christian and shouldn't be bothered about his religion. It is absurd to me that American citizens waste time debating about whether the President is muslim or not. Even if he was, so WHAT. His religious affairs are his business, his private concerns that no one should be second guessing or speculating about. Moreover, even if he "appeared to be Muslim" (which I just loathe the connotation that gives off since it shouldn't even matter if he appears Muslim or not), ANY person regardless of religion, race or creed is welcome into the Sikh Golden Temple and would never be ostracized or shunned away in any manner. The place where the temple sits - Amritsar, Punjab - is VERY close to the border of India and Pakistan and it would not be odd to see any person of the Muslim faith entering the Golden Temple (at least I hope not). Last, I am disappointed that the President's camp didn't have the foresight to have known to address this issue BEFORE scheduling a trip to the Golden Temple. I can imagine how many Sikhs were so excited and now just disappointed. It would be an honor to have the American Present visit our holiest of temples as should HE feel honored and blessed to be in such a sacred place that is special to SO many Sikhs in India as well as the Diaspora. If his trip is cancelled, it would be a disappointment to say the least. The President would be missing out for an issue which has many solutions.

Here are some pictures of the Golden Temple:

during the day.

At night.

No Sew Halloween Costumes

2010-10-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

I already bought the boys' halloween costumes last month (grumble grumble). BUT if I had seen any of these amazing ideas earlier, I would have totally had the boys dress up in something more creative, no sew and homemade. If ur a mom out there trying to get last minute costumes together, any of these are completely doable. Don't be shocked if u see my kids in some of these in the upcoming years :) Here are some of my favorites!

Book Review: Zoo Story

2010-10-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

I just finished a book called ZOO STORY by author Thomas French. I loved this book. I've always had a love for animals of all kinds and love seeing them in their natural settings and love seeing them even at zoos. Many a time when visiting zoos I felt bad for some of the larger animals in the unspoken word "cages". It didn't feel right or fair for them to be stuck there but you give it a moment's thought and move onto the next exhibit and the rest of ur day and don't really think about it again unless it's a passing thought.

The book basically takes you behind the scenes of a zoo called Lowry Park in Tampa, Florida. It dives into the difficult issue of the truths, difficulties, benefits and challenges of keeping wild animals in captivity. It was downright fascinating to say the least and I learned a great deal. One of the reviews of the book is true - I can never visit another zoo again without recounting the images and stories from this book and the plight of most of the animals there.

One of the best parts of this book was the way it was written. The author is a journalist and writes for newspapers and teaches journalism at a university now. The writing was excellent. The way he described the conditions of the zoos and what the animals could be thinking or how humans interfered with their lives really made u feel for each party involved and made u feel like u were right there. As a writer you tend to take a tone with which "side" u agree or disagree with and I feel his tone was most definitely clear that he disapproved of the way in which certain animals were kept in the zoo and the way in which it's CEO (for 20 years) ran the place. Even when he put a spin on the events, he still raised room for questioning each side and gave u plenty to think about. Should we support the institution of zoos which help to save certain animals and educate our society and young children about animals and have a first hand exposure to them even if this means they're being held against their will or should we leave these wild animals be in their natural habitat even if this means they are subject of mass killings by the country in which they live due to their overpopulation and running rampant in the wild and causing mass destruction wherever they go.

Accurately, the author says it's the animals that get caught in this struggle between protection and control. Surprisingly, I found myself on one side of the table before reading this book and throughout reading I was constantly questioning my thoughts and feelings on the subject. It is simply fascinating and I highly recommend it to anyone who has a love for animals.

My boys...

2010-10-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

There's no specific subject for this post. I'm just taking a rare moment to sit here and look through pictures of the end of this summer and smile.... at my boys. I love them more than I could ever imagine loving anything in this life. If I had to imagine a few years ago where I would be and what I'd be doing now, I would never forsee this ... but I wouldn't paint a better picture. These little men that occupy my days make me smile and laugh so much. They provide me with so many new and different challenges I'm only experiencing now in a way only a mother could. I hope I remember all their little sweet and silly moments. I plan on telling them all about it when they grow up. For the meantime, as exhausted as I am - I am so thoroughly enjoying...my boys.

Child Labor in southwestern CT

Hi Bright Eyes!!

Mama love..

Kavan in a cozy chair

Kavan playing Goldilocks trying out different chairs :)

Boys - I am so blessed to have u in my life and so honored that I get to be ur mommy. Mwa.

Delicious Apple Clafouti Recipe

2010-10-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

Tis the season for baking!! I like to kick off this cozy socks, warm boots and snuggly sweater weather with some hearty kitchen baking. That being said, I made this dessert in the dead of summer. Err. :/ haha But made it again after our recent stint of apple picking with the babies which consisted of hubs and I picking apples :) There are tons of great apple recipes out there for the fall season since it is the season of pumpkin and apple recipes. There are some great ones here. At this rate, I will *never* lose this baby weight - but it's worth it!

I found the original recipe from this amazing lady's site. She has scrumptious picks, delectable pictures and easy to follow recipes. I love her story and her blog. Definitely check it out. Her CLAFOUTI recipe originally calls for peaches. I loved the idea but adapted it for apples since I have them coming out of my ears these months - everywhere I turn, there are apples apples and more apples!

I love learning about everything and anything life has to offer and esp in the kitchen. Love to try new recipes, altho many of them failed :/ It's alright. Just have to mop it up and keep going. I learned that a clafouti is a French dessert baked in a buttered pan. A true clafouti consists of black pitted cherries which must be pitted because that's what gives it the lovely flavor for if it's not - then the dessert will be milder in flavor. Isn't that interesting? After a little digging, I've seen people make clafoutis with a variety of fruit - apples, peaches, blackberries, u name it. I found it to be super easy to make because for some reason, I can't make apple pies - it's beyond me and I've accepted it. I prefer the french rendition :)

This is the original recipe I worked off of for my Apple Clafouti. I didn't follow it to a tee - I clearly changed it around to make it simpler and to use what I had on hand (like not using creme fraiche (no idea where to even start with that) and like using plain ol' vanilla extract instead of slicing a vanilla bean - what the..?). It turned out amazing and was much easier than it seems. The hubbinator was praising me for days which lemme tell ya -- a girl can get used to :) The aroma that filled the house was like none other. For a day it felt as if we were living in a log cabin in the middle of the woods where apple pies were made around the clock. Does that even exist? I have no idea but u get my point! The taste is also much lighter than the feeling you get after eating a heavy pie. Definitely try it.

For the Batter you will need:

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup whole milk

For the Apples you will need:

1 vanilla bean sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch salt
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apple (about 1 large apple)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grappa, Calvados, or other fruit brandy
Confectioners' sugar for dusting
1/3 cup creme fraiche

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the batter: Sift the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolk, and milk until well blended. Add about 1/3 of the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whiskuntil smooth, then gradually incorporate the remaining egg mixture. Whisk until well blended. Cover withplastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.

Cook the apples: With the tip of a knife, scrape the vanilla bean seeds from the pod into an ovenproof 10-inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet. Add the pod and the butter and cook over moderately high heat until the butter turns nut brown. Add a pinch of salt. Add the apples and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pod and discard. Sprinkle the apples with the sugar, reduce the heat to moderately low, and cook until the apples are almost cooked through and the sugar has melted and is coating the apples in a light syrup. Add the grappa or other brandy off the fire while pouring, place back on the fire, wait for flame to die down, the swirl the pan briefly. Spread the fruit evenly in the skillet. Working quickly, pour batter evenly over the fruit. Bake until the edges of the clafouti are puffed and browned and the center is set, about 15 minutes. Put some confectioners' sugar in a sieve and generously dust the surface of the clafouti. Serve warm directly from the pan with a dollop of creme fraiche.

4 months old already?!

2010-09-29T05:08:00.000-07:00

When did this happen?? I'm late in posting this picture (surprise surprise) but i had to get it in there. Jeevan is actually over 4 months old at the moment. Sometimes I kick myself that these monthly picture signs are not cuter with the little onesies I've seen with a number for the months old the baby is or the coordinating signs for every month and matching clothes but u know what? this is REAL life and i'm in the trenches of in ur face, running around like a crazy person, trying to do it all and be a good mama and wife - REAL LIFE. So this is it and it's as real as u get - a sign written in any pen I could find and gone over with highlighter. .... And now that I look at it with a closer eye, I have to smile because...it's perfect. and so is HE. Dear Jeevu, I love u more than u could ever imagine little angel. mwa.

Teddy Love

2010-09-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

We were at Costco the other day and Kavan came across these HUGE massive teddy bears. It was as if in slow motion I saw his eyes widen and bug out of his head. I *almost* bought these giants but then I quickly remembered the Huge stuffed animal gifts people previously got him and how they sort've just lay around in random places from room to room in the house without any real spot to belong and how they are highly annoying to me because he may pounce on them oh maybe... once in 6 months! SO i was quickly brought back to reality and heard a resounding "ohh helll no" in my head :) Before u start thinking I'm a horrible mother, I feel these kids get an immunity to certain toys as they get older such as teddy bears. Not buying those bears was really an effort on MY part to retain some teddy love for the little guys so when they see big teddies like this, it doesn't lose its charm on him. It was fun watching him play with them tho and it made grocery shopping semi entertaining for the little rascal. :)

A little treat....

2010-09-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

With 2 babies under 2 (and sans nanny), the days are tough and long. I don't get to do many of the things I used to in order to relax or recharge. This is the story of any moms out there! The reality is that scheduling downtime in, while ideal, doesn't happen. So i like to give myself a *little* treat every day or every other day just for me either when the babies nap or go to bed. Today's little treat are these yummy beauties. Some homemade caramel coffees! yum yum. I made one for me and hubby. The happiness such a simple little treat provides me is immeasurable.

What do u like to do to treat urself? Treat urself today.

Fall decor!

2010-09-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to look alot like.... AU-TUMN! evvvvveryyywhere u gooooo. Does this song sound familiar? Yea, that's right - the christmas song - I have it playing in my head for this time of year - my very favorite season. Although I'm not sure I can call it that considering I have a strong dislike for the taste of pumpkin spice coffee and pumpkin scented candles or pies. Other than that - I love everything bout this time of year.

Here is some more fall decor I've been working on:

Slightly wreath obsessed! I made a nice autumn leafy one from dollar store supplies. This took alot longer than it should have. I kept the flowers on the wire stem part and insisted on wrapping the stems around the wicker part of the wooden wreath. It made it much more difficult to manage and to fit all the flowers on. But once I started I couldn't stop. The easier route would've been to just pluck off the flowers I wanted and hot glued them everywhere. I was trying to save the wreath for another holiday but that's not gonna happen considering how long this took me - I'm just saving it for next year now! I haven't decided where I'm going to hang it yet because I want the spider wreath for the front door so when I figure it out - I'll post a picture.

All the materials for this one came from the dollar store!

This took so long!

BUT i'm so happy with the results :)

This is one of my favorites. I love pitchers and vases and using pitchers, especially WHITE pitchers as vases. I have a standard Ikea white pitcher in the middle of my kitchen island that I use for everything. I keep changing its arrangement - whether it be sunflowers or red roses or art supplies or utensils if we're having a casual party and food is served on the island.

For the fall, I wanted a little island centerpiece so I can see some pretty autumn colors first thing when I ~~stumble~~ walk into the kitchen in the morning. I got some green foam for the bottom of the pitcher and started plugging it with pretty flowers and pumpkins and squash and leaves I got from the dollar store. Topped it off with some beautiful ribbon and it's done and makes me smile every time I see it.

Halloween Spider Wreath

2010-09-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

I know it's a little early BUT i couldn't WAIT to get the babies sleeping to work on this wreath. I wish I could say the idea was mine but credit goes to a beautiful wreath I saw at ~~themostawesomestoreintheworld~~ Home Goods. It was much more glamorous than mine. It had beautiful voluminous orange feathers. It was also a ton more expensive. I don't remember how much it cost but I saw it and loved it and thought.... hmm... I think I could pull that off. I saw it a few weeks ago and since have been thinking how could I replicate this... Orange feathers - what could I use for orange feathers. I was going to buy a bunch of dusters with feathers and spray paint them orange but that seemed ridiculous after a while. Today I came up with a better solution!

I was in the dollar store to buy my little man some dinosaur toys since he's been obsessed with playing with these at the library. I came across kids' bath sponges - in ORANGE and a lightbulb went off. I proceeded to pickup as many as possible and then skip to the wreath section to pick myself up a little project! :)

I also got these cute spiders. See where I'm going with this?

Here are the bath sponges

I separated the fish from the orange poofy sponge part

And here we go! Just hot glued a bit to the wooden wreath

I started wrapping getting nervous if I would have enough orange poofiness to cover the wooden part...

Not too bad. The pic doesn't show it but I made it loose with as much volume as possible

Oh I also got ONE green fish sponge for my little man (20 months old) since he yelled "GEEN!" I wish he knew how to say orange because I sure could have used just onnnneeee more orange sponge for extra poof

go go go

almost done

Orange poofy goodness

Now what the heck am I going to do with these bath fishies that lost their home. Sea themed birthday party anyone?

By this point I was giddy - so happy this worked and the wood is covered and now time to ~~kiss the bride~~ stick on my spiders!! muahahaha

It's no fancy expensive home goods wreath but it's mine a la Dollar store and i love it! :) Don't u love it :)

Is it too early to put this up or do I need to wait til October 1??

I'm Linking up here!

Lovin' Vinyl Art

2010-09-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

I swear I look at vinyl art like I'm looking at a puppies playing in a window. I've always looked but not touched! I just can't seem to decide to actually buy it or not - always wondering can I just do this myself or what? and then it never happens (of course). There's so much creative stuff out there that I want for the house and especially the children's rooms. I think I've been looking at different options of what to get for maybe a YEAR now. Talk about noncommittal. I really want to put my ideas in action for the babies' rooms. Now that the littlest monkey is getting much more interactive and should be using his room more, I want to make it a place for him to play, sleep, look in the mirror and more - instead of just being plopped in the bassinet in our room or on a boppy on anyone's bed. There are some adorable vinyl prints from the KIDS CO. Etsy shop. I can never get enough of all the personalized cuteness Etsy offers. I think I need to just force myself to close my eyes and press "add to cart" and "submit order" and not look back. The "shopping" for what I want needs to stop and the actual getting and enjoying it needs to begin! Look how adorable these pieces are. Which one should I get for each boy (one is 21 months old, the other 4 months old)?

I've been MIA, i know..

2010-09-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

the days are just flying. I feel like I always say that though! Unbelievable that is is already september. The summer has come and gone. I have to admit that I was a little done with summer around mid August. The heat gets unbearable. The carting the kids everywhere and slopping sunblock on them gets a bit treacherous when ur drenched in sweat. And I'm tired of running the air conditioner and fans and blasting it on in the car as well. I'm ready for leaving windows open, feeling a crisp fall breeze, putting on a light sweater and fall decor! :) Autumn is my very favorite season of the year and I'm looking forward to it. So goodbye summer and hello fall!

Alot has been going on in our little world since my last post. My grandmother in India had a stroke and is very sick in the ICU. I was about to hop on a plane to India to go be with her but leaving my babies home isn't something I was ready to swallow. So we are preparing their passports to be able to make a trip soon. Please keep her in your prayers.

We made a trip to Florida to visit the hubs' brother and his family - his wife and 3 kids. They just had a baby girl 3 weeks after my baby was born in May and we were lucky enough to go visit her and our niece and nephew. The kids had a great time and it was a lovely visit - too short.

I have some fall decor plans up my sleeve. It's already Sept and it's primetime to start putting lovely hues of deep oranges, browns, burgundy and gold out. Love it!

I've forced myself to pickup reading novels again and am in the middle of Promises to Keep by Jane Green. I love being in the middle of a good book, following a story, anticipating what's to follow, falling in love with its characters, looking forward to the next chance u get to read just a bit more and then devouring the same author's next book. Jane Green has become one of my favorites. Originally I just started reading her stuff like Mr. Maybe and Jemima J and Straight Talking for some mindless light chic lit on my commute to the city. Her latest books have taken a more serious tone and they're absolutely fabulous. If u haven't read it, I recommend The Beach House. It was a great read. I'm not done with this novel yet but I love how creative she is - each chapter concludes with a recipe of a dish that was mentioned in the story during that particular chapter. I plan on photocopying all these pages and trying them out for sure!

Nature Center

2010-08-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

The other day I took the boys for an outing. I wanted to do something different so I took a chance and took them to a nature center in our town. It was amazing and Kavan, my (almost) 21 month old had a great time! He was so intrigued by all the "natural" activities found there like playing with toy versions of natural elemnts - acorns, leaves, fossils, butterly and insect imprints and seeing all teh exhibits and learning about different ecosystems and animals and their roles. I know he is a bit young but not for a minute do I underestimate this child. I explained everything the center had to offer to him and he was intrigued. I am pretty certain he followed along. This age is such a joy because now I am seeing all the feedback he is giving me. He says and does everything I've been rambling on to him over our days together since he was a baby :) It's such a pleasure. My favorite part of the center was a wall of tiles with beautiful quotes about nature on them. It was set up by the doors as u leave and I spent a good 20 minutes reading them and pointing out the different trees, birds and pictures to Kavan. Here are some pics (i took alot) of what I'm talking about. Which one is ur favorite? :)

Tupperware Transformed!

2010-08-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA! I have family from out of state in town and have been cooking and cleaning the week away to make their stay as cozy cushy and comfy as possible :) Gosh it's alot on a mama. I hate to complain but lordie - physically and mentally I am just wiped by the end of the day. The whole newborn thing and being up to feed him 4-5 times a night then trying to appease my 20 month old during the day and tune out his high pitched squeals and screams all MAY have something to do with it :)

In the middle of all our craziness, if I get a moment to create something - anything - for me, it makes me feel so satisfied. Even the littlest simplest silliest thing brings me such fulfillment. See: toddler board of fun :)

Now we all love the dollar store and great finds from there BUT i must say i can't STAND it when I buy clear plastic storage containers or tupperware from the dollar store and they seem to close just fine in the store and when I get home they don't???? or after a load in the dishwasher, they're absolutely defective. It's the dollar store - what do I expect. I used to just chuck anything that didn't have a lid or a lid that didn't fit (to avoid tupperware avalanches in my kitchen) until................. I was looking at all of my crafting supplies sprawled on the dining room table and thought of a little old useless tupperware container with a non fitting lid that was on its way to the trash. With the help of some pretty paper, miss modge podge herself and touchup paint - I have my very own supply bucket! :)

dollar store tupperware with remnants of the sticky label still on

Modge Podged some pretty scrap paper on

Painted the rim of the container with leftover paint

a quick paint inside as well

fits just the right amount of supplies to craft and journal at any moment!

u know, essentials like scissors, little brushes, glue sticks, hot glue gun, pencils.

I am linking up here...

Yummy Chicken Pot Pie

2010-08-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

I made a yummy chicken pot pie the other night. I'm trying to think of healthy meals my toddler will eat and he likes things gooey if that makes sense. He likes his mac and cheese with gooey cheese and not just a little cheese with dry macaroni, he likes his pizza with gooey sauce and cheese, he likes bagels with gooey cream cheese. So i racked my brains for gooey meals that involve some sort of vegetables I can hide in there without having to puree. Chicken pot pie is the first thing that came to mind! it was my first time trying this recipe and it came out pretty good :)

Ingredients:

- 6 cups cubed chicken (i used leftovers from grilled bbq chicken the night before)
- a package of pie crust
- olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 9 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 package frozen veggies (not thawed)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove pie dough from box and unroll and bring to room temperature
Heat oil in pan. Sautee onions and celery 5 mins. Put into a bowl with chicken and set aside.
its box and follow directions for bringing to room temperature.
Microwave chicken broth and milk 3-4 mins. Heat butter over medium heat in empty pan. Whisk in flour and thryme. Cook 1 min til golden. Whisk in hot milk mixture. Bring to simmer and continue to simmer until sauce thickens - bout 1 min. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place pie dough at bottom of pie dish. Save remaining piece for the top after the mixture is placed into dish
Stir chicken mixture, parsley and frozen veggies into the sauce.
Pour mixture into pie dish with dough on bottom. Top it with the pie dough
Cut 5 slits through pie dough on top to let it breath. To make crust, pinch the ends around edges of pie dish with ur fingers.
Bake until golden brown 30-35 mins

This is what it looked like before placing it in the oven

I forgot to take a picture of the chicken and veggie mixture in the pie dish and on top of the dough before placing the top dough on but I had a little mixture on the side to freeze for later. Here is a pic of what the inside looks like. gooey goodness! :)

Voila! To avoid the burning around the edges, u wrap them with foil a bit. We like a crisper crust.

Board O' Fun for toddlers

2010-08-13T12:27:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for interactive fun and simple toys for my 20 month old to play with. With books he wants to lift the flaps, pull the handles where the arrow points or touch the fuzzy hair on some animal. At the fridge he is constantly drawn to the alphabet magnets and farm animal toys we have stuck to it. I see that he prefers more simple toys that he can explore like the melissa and doug wooden toys rather than the plasticy noisy toys with sounds and lights that do the work for u.

I made a no brainer board for him the other day. Last year I had these little wooden animals I picked up from Michael's in his room when he was a baby, I stuck them to the wall with velcro. Bad move - it pulled off the paint and some of the wall along with it :/ So this time around I made it on a white board I had lying around. just buy a pack of velcro dots with the sticky backs at walmart - maybe $4 and u can stick anything on there: cutout shapes, letters, these little wooden animals, flashcards etc.

Im happy to report that he loves his new little toy. I'll name an animal and have him pick it out or stick it on. We talk about each animal. It's a bit more involved and interactive even if it means just sticking it on and taking it off rather than just pointing to something in a book (which we do plenty of as well). This was just to change things up a bit. I've also added a bunch of more shapes and letters and animals with velcro on the back to switch up the objects on his board o' fun! The best part is that it is portable and we can take it from room to room and in the car on a long drive. Simple, easy peasy and cost to me - around $5.

Dear Mom,

2010-08-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom,

It's been 8 years today since the day u died. Even as I write these words out, I can hardly believe it. I can hardly believe I was able to go on after u were so suddenly taken away from us. I replay the events of that day over and over again and to date, it was the worst day of my life. I kick myself for not spending every second with u that I could have, that I took for granted. Over the years I have grown so much and have matured in a way I never thought possible and I want u to see me now, I wish u could see me as a woman - not the difficult young girl I once was. Everyone tells me that I am ur carbon copy now. I can't think of a greater honor or success for my life and can only pray that is the truth. U were such a shining star - so amazing and so loving. Even now, I've never met anyone like u. Everyone flocked towards ur energy, ur charisma, charm and grace and I get it now - I understand why and how. I wish u were here with me now. We would be the best of friends - even better than we were because... only now do I or CAN I understand the struggles and triumphs u had as a woman and a mother. You were a full time mother and held a full time job as well as went to school at night. How u did it, I have no idea. U never showed us anger or frustration and always gave any time u had with us freely and creatively. How you brought two babies (Moni and I) over to America from India by urself - I have no idea. All my memories of u are of u smiling and laughing even through the worst of our times and challenges. You were such an amazing woman that I can only dream to be one tenth of the woman and mother u were. I miss u so very much - I miss ur contagious laugh, your radiant smile, your beautiful voice, your sweet smell and your warm embrace. I miss talking with u about everything and laughing about anything. Whenever I am in the mall, I make it a point to go by your perfume and smell it to just take you in. I've saved all ur bottles, all ur clothes, everything I can manage to hold onto. I hold onto pieces of u when I cook ur classic dishes u always made for us. I can feel u with me when I rub a piece of ur jewelry I wear and remember how beautiful u looked with it on. When I hear ur favorite songs, everything around me comes to a standstill and i just smile and sing along remembering how u would do so when you were with me. I believe in these moments, u are with me.... speaking to me. That's all I have left. I wish I could hug u again and take u in. I wish u were here.... I wish u could see my beautiful babies and get down on the floor with them and one day wrestle with them the way u did with Moni and me. I know the rest of my life will continue to be a journey of healing over ur loss. You were a slice of history and I carry ur spirit with me and hope I make u proud. I tell my babies about u all the time and hope they have ur energy and blessings. When I stop to think of u, I can feel u smiling down on me. I aspire to be ur very essence - the woman u were, the compassion u had, the love u gave, the kindness u showed. I miss u dearly......

Love, your Candle.

Me and momma in India

Me and Moni (my brother) in India

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

my little man...

Sectional Shopping

2010-08-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Since moving into this new house we realize that there's not much by way of seating for guests here. We have one set of massive couches we got from Jennifer's Convertibles the year we got married. We split them up where one couch is in the main living room/ tv area and the other is downstairs in the den/playroom. It serves its purpose for each room but if more than 2 bodies want to sit down in the living room, they have to pull up a heavy hard dining room chair near the sitting area. Awkward. :/

We've always loved the idea of a sectional and have been sectional shopping!! I'm thinking it's a great use of the space. To give u a visual to work with, this is a picture of the main living room area (prior to renovations, painting and moving in!). It's a big space with high ceilings (and beautiful beams :)). Right now, our long couch is against that bare wall in the back .... and that's it?! We're thinking a cozy sectional will fit nicely right into that corner u see.

I found a pic I took of the couch as it currently sits. Pls ignore the bright white lights, the baby chair, the boppy, the pack n play and the .. mess. err.

My husband is entertaining the idea of a leather sectional. Me? Not a fan. I want something that's gonna catch my back when I plop down and give me cushion yet support. That falls along the lines of the couches that look like they have a bubbly back. do u know what I mean? Hubs is not a fan. grumble grumble. He wants extra loungy and super soft as in when u sit down - u fall right in. That doesn't help me when I need to sit down with the babies - it's so much work to scooch back up and get some bearing to feed them! That's my problem with this couch now. It's 8 years old and still in good condition but when u sit down, u sink into it til the point of no return without a bit of an ab workout and trust me - that's Not the reminder I need right now with this post baby body. (:///). Oh and hubs is also insisting one end of it be a chaise for his loungey HGTV tv time after the kids go to bed. I can't argue with him there. The man knows what he wants. We just have to find a happy medium because these babies are expensive!

Here's a few sectionals we came across while shopping.

I loved this one. It's on the more affordable end. It looks like leather but it's microsuede. My hubs hates that and feels it looks cheap.

A sectional we saw at Lillian August - one of our favorite home stores. It's beautiful and white and SUPER comfy but super expensive too and kinda on the small end...

I loved the shape and size of this sectional - altho this particular one looks like it was made out of 300 parakeets or something. Sorry animal lovers. Jk. U can customize it to ur colors and fabrics and tubing around the borders of the cushions. It broke my heart when I sat on it because it just wasn't that comfortable....

This one looked nice but not comfortable - so it's out. Hubs didn't like the bubbly back look altho it's not as bad as some other ones i loved...

Ok this is the epitome of a bubbly back sectional. Hubs hated it. I thought it was amazingly comfortable which in my opinion is all that really matters and who cares what it looks like - it's not as important to me as the functionality of the piece. It's out .... :( bye bubbly back

NOW THIS is the piece I am hoping I can convince him on. It's a perfect corner unit for our space. It's a neutral enough color. It has a chaise. It's not THAT expensive. Not as expensive as some others that we have seen. And it's really comfortable. He wasn't budging in the store but I'm hoping I can talk him into rethinking this one. Unfortunately I can't just get my way on this - we both have to love it but I'm not sure how that's gonna happen with such different tastes!

The search for our perfect sectional continues....

Craft Fair Purchases

2010-08-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

2 weekends ago there was a craft fair in a town over from us. I love crafts (obviously) and love supporting local artisans. I thought it'd be a nice outing for the boys as well - something different. We had a great time, saw some neat items and met some new people! My little lions were such troopers :) It was a hot day and it was outside and mama took her time looking through stuff. Everything at the fair was on the pricey side but personally, I don't mind spending on hand made works and products with a special message because the quality is so much better. I'm trying to incorporate quality or quantity in our lives in general!

Here's Kavan :)

I came across a booth that was selling children's toys, books, cds and the like. The stuff was beautiful and very brightly colored and illustrated beautifully. I was instantly drawn to it. Then I started looking at some of the prices and eek!! too high. It was definitely expensive esp for a mama with 2 children who wants to get them each a few things. We settled for 2 books. I started speaking with the lady and I fell in love with the concept of the products. The brand is called Barefoot Books and the items really expose children to other cultures and people of the world and tell colorful stories from every country and even in different languages. This was right up my alley!! And wouldn't you know it - I came across a book of children's stories from our country, India with stories from all the different states in India, including Punjab! The stories are long but they are common tales that children grow up hearing and knowing when they are young. My babies are a bit young for these but there's no harm in beginning to show Kavan the different stories with their pictures and make shorter versions of the stories to tell him.

I also came across some beautiful pottery. I knew I had to have a piece! It was so hard to choose! I love hand crafted and homemade items, especially pottery and always try to support anyone putting such love and effort into making something like that. A friend of mine is a potter so I know how much work she puts into her pieces I'm thinking a plant that roots right into the water of a little clear pot and then placed right inside the pottery piece would look better than this small terra cotta pot here. Here are a few pics. Pls don't mind the cell phone quality to them or that the house is a mess :) thanks!

Chicken Soup!

2010-08-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

All my boys are sick :( That puts mama to the task! I brewed up some yummy homemade chicken soup from scratch and it came out delicioso!! (in the words of my friend, backpack). Sorry for the lame joke but the mommies of little kids out there will know what i mean!

Since i have NO time these days, I relied on my handy dandy crockpot.

As we were gathering up our things to leave the house for the morning, I literally peeled, washed and chopped up the ingredients and threw it in to cook for 6 hours.

My recipe included 4 chicken legs (with bone), 4 cups water, 4 cups chicken broth, carrots, celery, a chopped onion, some parsley, a bay lead, salt, pepper and i threw in a chicken boullion cube. After 5 hours of cooking, I took the chicken legs out and took the meat off the bone and cut it up into pieces and threw just the meat back in. You can serve this with noodles or rice but I needed Kavan to eat up too so I left it plain.

He ate well as did his dad and I hope they're feeling better for it!

Need.. Want ...Desire ..Den Curtains

2010-07-31T07:26:00.000-07:00

I've been hunting down fabric for beautiful curtains for the house at an affordable price. We have several rooms that need curtains and I'm leaning towards starting fresh and getting new stuff. There's the den, the office, the powder room, the kithcen, the dining room, teh living room, kavan's room, jeevan's room, master bedroom, master bath, boy's bath. Now that I type that all out - we will NOT be getting all new stuff :// Time to get creative.

As much as I love Ikea, I'm NOT so crazy about their geometric patterns and floral designs for fabric. It's a bit too bold and prime colored for me. Or - I haven't seen something there i like yet, Yes, shocker. I made curtains for our kitchen in our old house a while ago from Ikea and everytime I walked into the room, the curtains made me grimmace. Not a good thing. I believe the curtains dress a room and can make or break the look. SO i am completely willing to splurge on beautiful curtains.

I'm going to have to tackle one room at a time. First, the den. Yesterday I looked through our linen closet and only had two sets of long curtains for a door for our den. One was a transparent creme colored curtain and the other a clear creme curtain with floral embroidery all over. These have worked in apartments in the past but after combining them and putting them up on our Den sliding Door/window - not so much. The wall color is called indulgent mocha. These curtains blend in too well. I need a bit of a contrast. (Ignore the broken up slate outside - outdoor rennovations are being put off til oh, let's say a year or two or TEN from now).

I prefer a more subdued look and color for a curtain. I love prints of trellis designs. I can't put into words what I like as much as I can readily identify what I like vs. what I don't if I see it. My splurge choice would be either of these two from West Elm.They're having a sale right now of 20% off through August on curtains so if I was a wise woman, I would oder.

I saw something like this online you can make at home that I really liked and looks simple enough? Maybe.

I saw some pretty fabric at Lillian August - a local designer furniture store I like to go and walk trough if I can convince my hubs. An evening there consists of him cleaning up the drool coming off the side of my mouth. That's a gross visual sorry but my point is that everything there is LUXURY and gorgeous and expensive but quality - so worth it. I'd love to make my own curtains with some luxurious fabric but with everything I have going on in the house after renovations and the perfectionist I like to be, making curtains is a project I'm starting to think will never happen. ....The research continues.

Dining Room Progress

2010-07-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of our dining room before and after!

We replaced the screen sliding door with french doors which both open out onto the deck. We changed the lighting fixture to something a bit more....modern. We did the raised paneling that has the shadow box look on the walls and we had the doorways into and out of the kitchen shaped into arches. I also had an arch entrance shaped out between the living room and dining room. The arches the contractors did and it's the one thing out of all hte rennovations that took the longest time. I had no idea a little curve would cause so much ruckus! I was also trying to do something with my buffet table. I first had it behind the couch as a sofa table but love the design to it and felt it was just hidden back there behind the couch and also didnt want to hide my wicker baskets because let's face it - a girl can't get enough wicker! This girl at least! :) SO i had an idea and my sweet hubs so sweetly just went along with it. I stuck hte buffet table in the dining room and got one of these storage pieces from Ikea as opposed to having a traditional hutch in there. Now we sort've have the hutch Look. I wasn't sure how it was going to work out but it's not so bad and both pieces are pretty functional so yay and phew! because that was a close one.

So here are a few before pictures. I apologize for the move in pic but it shows the original lighting fixture. What's under the old gold lighting fixture is what WAS our dining room.

And here are a few After pics....

Err....I need to get better at before and after pics! The walls look mustard in these super awesome cell phone pics (sorry!) but they're actually a camel color. I Added a few plants and some baskets and voila! Not sure why I am saying voila since it isnt done yet and still a bit messy but I was anxious to post a pic! Oh and the pack and play for my 11 weeker is riding the wall between the living room and dining room at the moment cuz... we're real like that :)

Linking to Anything Related @ All Thingz Related and Show me the Progress Party at Serenity Now.

Sesame Place!

2010-07-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

We took the boys to sesame place last weekend and had so much fun. The drive there was unexpectedly long. We planned for a 2.5 hour drive and it took just about twice as long. :// It made for a very cranky toddler, sleepy baby and grouchy parents. We stayed across the street from Sesame at a hotel so we made sure the boys stretched out and rested before going to the park. The place was amazing! I had no idea how much fun was to be had. The baby was in his carseat the whole time and getting very hot so I kept dousing him with a wet washcloth to cool him off which did the trick. My little guy was overwhelmed i think - he had a poker face on the whole time except for when he got to meet his very favorite - COOKIE MONSTER! the elmo show was a blast and we sat in the front row. Cookie monster came up and tussled Kavan's hair and gave him a high five - i thought my kid was going to pass out in utter joy. I can't explain the happiness in my heart seeing him have so much fun. We went with 3 other friends of his and their mommies and daddies. The pics are adorable :)

Another Ikea Beauty

2010-07-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ikea, u never fail me. In fact, u take my breath away. :)

After waiting 8 long weeks of staying indoors and avoiding public places so baby Jeevan doesn't get sick, the first place I wanted to go to was Ikea. Jeevan had his 8 week shots and we were off sailing down a highway of promises to the promiseland itself. :)

We bought a bunch of goodies and spent ridic amounts of money but I wanted to show u this beauty below that I got for the foyer entryway. I've been experimenting with several small bookcases and random tables in that space but nothing quite fit and they're all dark and brown and for some reason I just want white everywhere these days. Maybe it's a CT thing, a new england thing or just a summer thing because me and the hubbernator usually go towards dark browns. I'm shocked he's letting me run with this white phase.

I saw this and thought it'd work best. Will post pics later of the final result! It's still a work in progress!

P.S. I wish this whole joking thing about Ikea was an exaggeration but it's not. It's heaven there and I feel so bad for those who are too far from one to visit. U poor, poor lost souls. :)

Behind on Blogging but Moving forward with Pics!

2010-07-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've come to the realization that life is truly chaotically hectically manically insnae now with 2 babies under 2 and will be like this until.... they leave for college? not sure. I have accepted that I will never have that magic day where I catch up on all my blogging, responding to emails and phone calls, putting together my imaginary baby scrapbooks or pictures of our rennovation process from start to finish. There has just been TOO much going on in our little world in the last few weeks. Reminder for those of u new to us - new house, new job for hubby, new state, massive rennovations, end of a pregnancy, new baby and an 18 month old. THAT BEING SAID, I plan on moving forward with the blogging and here and there I'll find the time or space to fill in the missing gaps. No reason to put everything on hold now is it!

Here is a pic of my 10 week old chicken nugget in the arms of his 18 month old big brother! :)

I've been obsessed with dressing them in matching outfits. I find it irresistibly cutie!! I thought I never had to buy another baby outfit with having all the hand me down clothing from my first son but my philosophy has changed - they must now match. always :) hehe. Hopefully I'll stop around the teen years :)

Here is an action shot with mama (me) and my boys. Note the matching outfits :) Oh and ignore the excessive baby weight on me as well as the cluttered living room.

Here is my little gem goofing off at the store with sunglasses which he calls - "EYE" :)

Here is the littel clown again wearing daddy's SHOOOOOS (which is how he says is) :)

Here is my golden ray of sunshine around 9 weeks. How could u not fall in love with this "totally handsome" little onesie man!

BROTHERLY LOVE - which is usually the scene at the house these days :)

Here is one of my favorite pictures of when little lion #2 (Jeevan) was about a week old sitting with little lion #1 (Kavan):

More Renovation Pictures

2010-07-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

Im getting there guys. I promised pictures - but never promised them quickly :) Now life with two little babies means u REALLY don't get anything done unless they're BOTH conked out during a nap :)

Ok the first pic is of the hardware we chose for all the cabinets in the kitchen including the pantry door, the fridge (which isn't finished being paneled yet) and the dishwasher. It is the first handle in the picture and we just love it. We got it from Klaff's and paid a pretty penny for this pewter beauty but it's perfect and we love it.

The second picture is a closeup of our granite called Gallo Ornamental. The tile store's mixup actually ended up working in our favor. It looks amazing with the white cabinets. More pics coming. :)

Now this last picture is a shot of the master bedroom. We took on a project in there to knock down the small walkin closet that shared a wall with the TINY bathroom and then build a closet on our own in that bedroom out of drywll. While i begged for a nice updated master bath - I wasn't so sure how much I liked the idea of this compromise. How is a girl to choose? walkin closet? master bath? AH the torturous nights I stayed awake pondering this one. So i opted for a master bath.

The bathroom that previously was in there was miniscule and grimy and out of the 70s and just felt ikky to me. It was clean but still felt ikky with the way the tiny shower stall was squeezed in there in teh corner bteween the toilet and miniature vanity. The built closet int he picture will do the trick. We just have to be very selective with what comes into the bedroom now. The master bath turned out BEAUTIFUL and mamma got her wish - mama now gets a little piece of serenity in my pseudo spa like bathroom after the kids go to sleep and i close down the kitchen. Nevermind that this happens at 1 am. I;m working on that part. Pics coming!

Some Rennovation Pictures

2010-06-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the rennovation progress back in April. The rennovations are 90% done now so I'll post some pics of what it looks like now a bit later but I realized with the end of the pregnancy (so hard) and the new baby coming, I never got a chance to get ANY pics up. :/ Sorry bout that!

Below are pics of the main hallway bathroom which is the boys' bathroom. Our accent tile is a blue and beachy beige. We placed it in the shower inserts and on the floor outlining the vanity and the bathtub. They originally painted it a color I picked but the color came out ALL wrong. I brought the color I chose to a sherwin williams store which tried to match it to their paint, but instead of coming out a light blue, it came out purple, so we changed it to a coffee color - "indulgent mocha" to be exact :) even that - was a little off but i'm going to stop being so picky now. We had a linen closet Built right next to the vanity out of dry wall only because the linen closet we ordered to match the vanity never came in. I love this one so I'm glad it ended up working out this way. The raised panel on the tub didnt come out the way I designed it b/c I wanted 2 big squares not 4 little ones but the contractor threw this in :) so i won't complain. I think it looks nice.

The Days are flying

2010-06-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Oh man where do i even begin to revitalize my bloggie blog. I don't want my blog to fall into a black hole never to be seen again. But i must admit I had no idea just HOW BUSY being a mama of 2 would be. I'm not even paying attention to hte house or moving in properly, unpacking or unfinished renovations at all and it's still a mountain of tasks to get thru during the day. It's just so physically demanding from breastfeeding to diaper changing to baby holding and toddler playing/feeding. Phew.

..... and..... just as I type this - little J man AND his brother just woke up. They're conspiring together to do this to me I swear.

Will be back with pics soon!

Welcome Jeevanjot Singh!

2010-05-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ridiculously behind on blogging but again, with good reason :) REASONS many many reasons that is :)

The biggest update is that my beautiful baby boy was born on May 5th at 3:33 in the morning. His name - Jeevanjot - means light of life. and that he is! What a crazy ride that labor and delivery was - will post the story, later. Mama is just getting a minute here.

We are living in our new house! Renovations are 90% done or so. We love evrything that's been done. Will post lots of pics and stories, later :)

Baby boy #1 - Kavan - is hanging in there. He is doing a pretty darn good job for a 17 month old. He has been incredibly adaptable, resilient and well behaved considering the chaos and complete lack of routine, order, and well, a HOME for hte last 2 months. We are teaching him about his baby brother in so many little ways and making every extra little effort to make sure he gets lots of TLC and attention from mommy daddy :)

In the meantime - here is a pic of the new little one (Jeevan) and another of me and Jeevan. I am clearly so very tired. :///

Tile Store Mixup of our Granite Slab works out in our favor :)

2010-05-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Before we embarked on choosing our granite for the kitchen, we researched a TON of options. Since we were going with Ikea cabinets, we were just going to go with one of their granites which had to be included in the special deal they were offering of getting cabinets, granite, 2 appliances installed and 20 % off in the end. This ended up just being the offer if u went with an order in a NY store. Since we switched over to CT and wanted to avoid a $400 plus delivery fee of cabinets from NY to CT - we ended up going with a CT deal of buying ikea cabinets with 3 appliances but not having to commit to their granite. I happened to really like the Ikea granite. But that's ok. The tile store we ended up getting all our tile from had a granite slabyard that we visited MANY A DAY!!!!

Going to the slabyard and choosing the granite was a challenging experience being this pregnant (almost 10 months) and having a very active 17 month old who just wanted to play with all the slabs of stone! So dangerous but we had to juggle him around and manage him to get the task done! We ended up finding something we liked and the lady workign with us gave us a sample of what we ordered - a Santa Cecelia Granite. Ends UP that she actually ordered a slab of Gallo Ornamental granite - not the sample she gave us and not what we ordered, BUT happens to be the granite we originally picked from IKEA in the beginning of this process in the Ikea store in NY!

Im starting to really believe everything happens for a reason and there exists a crazy cosmic fate out there for even HOME renovations!! :) So the end of the story is that we told her that even tho she made a mistake, we are happy with the granite that was mistakenly ordered for us. Pics below!!

We ordered and she gave us a sample of this SANTA CECELIA GRANITE but now that the slab has come in - it looks way too black and orange and tiger stripey to me and I don't like it :////

Here is the GALLO ORNAMENTAL granite that was mistakenly ordered - but which we like better. It's more beigey with less black veins running thru it and I think itd match our white cabinets better. Def the look hubs and I prefer.

Truly Madly Deeply ....

2010-05-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

in LOVE with our staircase runner!!

Hello everyone! Ok - A huge massive update is sounding more impossible as the days go by SO i'm going to just post little bits of what's been done here and there.

Earlier I posted our options for runners for the stairs. Remember this slab?

I had an inspirational pic to go off of and my number one choice was way too expensive but everything has worked out in the end! The staircase runner is the first thing u see when u walk in the house and I wanted to open the house up to a bright cozy traditional yet classic look. Most of what I liked was out of our budget but I went back to the store and went thru EVERYTHING and found this. I have been on pins and needles waiting to see what it's going to turn out like - I was feeling GOOD about it and now that it was installed yesterday - I am truly, madly, deepy in love with it.

When the carpet guys came, I just had to pick a matching seam on the sides - they all looked the same but I ended up staying away from yellow or white and went with cream and I think it came out pretty great

Here is how it looks on our stairs. I absolutely LOVE IT!

Too much to Update!

2010-04-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

I've been so delinquent but I genuinely have a gazillion good reasons for being MIA - 2 of them being (1) being homeless and (2) being excessively pregnant and in pain!!

sigh. This has been one of hte most challenging months of our lives here - going from hotel to friends' places to the floor of our new house. Renovations are not done yet but are close. This baby could come ANY day now which is putting alot of stress on us but we're learning to have an adventure with it and just go with the flow. I def have very low moment of being in complete despair because of all the pain associated with this pregnancy - I can barely walk some days and feel bad for my 16 month old who has learned how to SPRINT! god help me.

I have LOTS of renovation pictures and stories but may just post them all in one batch because i just can't keep up with it everyday.

The latest update is that last night was the first night we slept at the new house. We have a mattress on the floor and running water in one of the bathrooms. Still no floors, carpets, kitchen, fridge, vanities or shower ready. Sigh... Trying to hang in there!! Miss all u lovelies!!

Happy Vaisakhi!!

2010-04-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today is Vaisakhi! a religious holiday for us. Culturally, in Punjab India where farming is the mainstay of life, it makers the new harvest season. Religiously, in the Sikh religion, it marks the day that the Khalsa, the Sikh faith, was established at Anandpur Sahib in 1699, by the 10th Sikh Guru (teacher) Guru Gobind Singh^[2].

There is a beautiful story around the day the Sikh religion was formally established, Vaisakhi day back in 1699.

Our 10th Guru asked thousands of people to gather together with their hair uncut and coming in full beards and scarves to cover their heads as a sign of humility. He addressed the congregation, took out his sword and requested a sacrifice - for members to come and give their head to god without asking any questions. One man boldly stepped forth and the guru took him inside a tent. He came out with a bloody sword and asked for another head. 4 more men came forth. After he had 5 beloved devotees who came into the tent and offered their heads, the guru then came out of the tent with those same 5 men dressed in white and initiated these beloved 5 (the Panj Pyare) as Khalsa Sikhs (religious Sikhs). They were the 5 beloved ones who he never actually beheaded, but who showed their ultimate humility and devotion for God. These 5 volunteers and everyone who watched in the crowd thought they were walking to their deaths for god. The guru's test for these devotees was performed to prove their unfaltering dedication to the Sikh religion. They were ready to give themselves up unknowingly. They were praised and given a new distinctive Sikh identity and wore 5 emblems of purity and courage. These are the 5 Ks worn by all baptised sikhs - the Kesh, unshorn hair; Kangha, the wooden comb; Karra, the iron (or steel) bracelet; Kirpan, the sword; and Kachera, the underwear. By being identifiable, no Sikh could never hide behind cowardice again.

For the whole story and further reading - check out this link

Here is a nice depiction of Guru Gobind SIngh ji initiating the first 5 members of the Khalsa.

AND HERE is a picture of ME this evening with my little Singh (lion) Kavan (and 9 months preggers with my second little lion) in front of the Sikh temple (gurudwara - door to the guru/teacher) that will be our local temple here in our new home. Unfortunately we missed out on Vaisakhi celebrations and the program they put on here during the day because we were stuck at the slabyard picking more granite and choosing the final placement of the kitchen island and finalizing accent tiles - BUT we did manage to make it in the evening to pay our respects. Our quick little visit was followed by promises by hubs and I to each other to be much much better about attending things like this for us and for our children in the future. We just have way too much on our plate right now and are focusing on getting renovations done and moving into our new home.