Small Step into the Big World

My baby started school today! And I am going through a mixture of emotions. On one hand, thrilled that she is big enough now to go to her school and happy for her independence... and on the other hand, feeling that little tug at my heart-strings. Logically I know that this is just one of the many steps she and her sisters have to take to achieve glorious womanhood, but emotion is totally out-riding logic here.

Hmm.


God bless you little T, as you forge your own path through life. And here is a Gaelic Christening blessing, the words of which hold true for you...


Dearest Father in Heaven,
Bless this child and bless this day
Of new beginnings.
Smile upon this child
And surround this child, Lord,
With the soft mantle of your love.
Teach this child to follow in your footsteps,
And to live life in the ways of
Love, faith, hope and charity.

Gardening Ideas

Does it happen to you too? That you get an idea in your head and until you execute it, you feel incomplete? I live by that credo! And for the last many weeks, have been meaning to visit this interesting sounding place called Sunshine's Garden Boutique, close to home.

And today, finally I did! Yippee! Came away from there with not one dent in my wallet. Cos if had to buy something, that dent would've been almost a crater! Talk of being expensive! Whew!

But I did come away with lots and lots of ideas. And am now itching to get going on crafts with the kids which I can use in my balcony garden patch. Will definitely keep you updated on how this stream of ideas flows...

Here is the link to Sunshine's Garden Boutique, if you want to take a virtual tour. Enjoy!

Food Again! Apple Crumble

And here I am, back to food. Wanted to share with you my latest creation - Apple Crumble. This is what it looked like...

And here's the close-up...

And my inspiration? The Purple Foodie. A gal who blogs with such passion that I feel like eating the screen when I read her posts and view her scrumptious pics. Here's the recipe I followed. Only left out the walnuts cos I didn't have any at home.

Added later:
Just thought that I'd put this recipe here too. In case you wanted to follow it. Thanks Purple Foodie!

Crispy Apple Crumble Recipe

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
2 tbsp Brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp / 30g / 1oz. cold butter, cut into cubes

Topping:
½ cup oats
½ cup flour
1/4th cup granulated sugar
1/4th cup brown sugar
1/4th cup walnuts, chopped
5 tbsp / 75g / 2.65 oz. cold butter, cut into cubes

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
2. In a bowl, toss together apple, brown sugar and cinnamon, until well coated.
3. Grease an ovenproof dish with butter and transfer the apples to it. Dot with cold butter. Set aside.
4. In another bowl mix together the ingredients for the topping. Cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry cutter. Refrigerate this for about 10 minutes if you’ve got the time.
5. Spread chunks of the topping mixture over the apples and bake for 35-40 minutes until the apples are done.
6. If the apples are rather juicy, you might have to drain off the excess juices halfway through baking.
7. Serve the apple crumble with vanilla icecream with caramel sauce or even better, Dulce de Leche.

I ate 2 bowls of this already. And tell myself that at least I am eating apples hehe.

My Little Garden

This blogging is getting to be mighty addictive, I tell you. And so here I am again. To share my little gardening experience with you.

I've never been a great gardener, by any stretch of imagination. But always liked to have a few plants around the house, which would prosper for a few weeks, then die. This time, however, the gardening effort has continued for some time and I haven't killed too many poor plants. So here is a glimpse of my little balcony garden. Will keep you updated of changes.

The Erst-while Shoe Stand now carries Greens!

Marigold, Daisy and Parsley

Close up of the yellow flower (don't know name) which sleeps at night and blooms to its sunny glory when the sun is really hot!

Day ?

And I fall off the wagon in even blogging about what I ate... If you want excuses, there are umpteen... I had dehydration/kids not well/laziness/too much socializing and so on. But if you want the truth, it's that I can't seem to find that discipline to write every day. And to be frank, I myself got bored detailing my diet, so imagine how bored you would have been reading about it hehe.

So now have to find something new to write about. Will wait for that bolt of inspiration to hit me. Or will wait for a slow story to unfold....

Till then, adieu...

Day 4

Thursday, September 22

Pre-breakfast: One cuppa kaapi
Breakfast: Quarter cup of lychee yoghurt and Chocolate Muesli in milk
Mid morning: 2 guavas and 1 cup tea
Lunch: Kerala red rice, dal with snake gourd and beans thoren
Evening: One cup milky, sweet hot strong coffee
Late evening: Half a boiled cob of corn
Dinner: One brown bread grilled cheese sandwich and salad on the side (green capsicum, carrot and lettuce; dressing - little mayo, honey, hp sauce and olive oil)

Isn't my usual diet so varied? So very mallu on one hand, and so very "foreign-food" (as bekah calls it) on the other!

Day 3

Wednesday, Sep 21

Today woke up all blank as to what to make and eat for breakfast. Was also feeling a little sick so wasn't going to office. Anyway, after deflecting suggestions of puri and palya, settled for idli (thank you ID idli batter!). Then I got all adventurous and made coconut chutney with the grated coconut that was sitting in my freezer, after due defrosting of course.

So here's the list:
Morning coffee... yummm
Breakfast - idli and coconut chutney (as detailed earlier)
11 o'clock - pomegranate
Lunch - Yesterday's veg pulao, dal and lime pickle
Evening - Steaming Tea
Dinner - Chappati, dal and lady's finger dry

Howzzat for Day 3?

Day 2

Tuesday, September 20

So what did I eat yesterday?

Morning - my usual cup of milky, one-teaspoon sugared coffee
Breakfast - White bread sandwich with one small dollop of mayonnaise
Enroute to office - 3/4 blueberry muffin and 1/4 cashew muffin
At office - one cup of milky sweet tea
Lunch - all homemade!!! veg pulao, pumpkin erisheri and lime pickle
Evening - one strong coffee at pantry
Dinner - butter garlic noodles and sauce

What I did good? No crazy snacking in the evening
What I could have done better? The muffins rate a 'hmmm' and where were the fruits, Annu?

My Diet

I just completed the veg version of the GM diet (General Motors) diet last week! And lost a whopping 3 kilos in the process. It was a little difficult, I must say, but I had some colleagues for company who were also on the diet, and that helped because of the mutual support we could provide each other. I got a lot of support from those closest to me, and a million thanks for that.

I used to be a person who would get all cranky when I didn't get my meal on time. But this diet week helped me to focus on something other than my stomach. The psychological link to physiology.

Anyway, this week and henceforth, I mean to eat healthy. So here am I listing out my diet for this week. Will post what I ate yesterday, and hope to regularly update this everyday with my food intake.



Monday, Sep 19
1 cup Bru coffee with milk and sugar
Breakfast: 3 dosas with cucumber chutney
Lunch: Garlic Noodles with 2 steamed momos and 2 fried wontons
Dessert: 1 gulab jamun
Evening: 1 cup coffee like the morning cup
Dinner: 2 chappathis with beans thoren, black kadala (channa) curry and beef dry kerala style

Please comment on this... and ask for recipes if you want.

Lets see how this week progresses.


.

Flowers

Flowers... Love their colours and shapes. Living in Bangalore, I am so lucky to have access to fresh bright flowers through the year. Russell Market or the neighbourhood pavement florist, they all do their bit in bringing a smile to my face.

And not to forget the flowering trees-  the slow progression of vivid colours synchronizing with the paced advent of spring and summer. Yellow, violet, pink, orange-red - the hues paint a poem without words.

The concrete jungle advances and threatens to swallow these beautiful trees. From the balcony of my house, I can see all of five trees (and at least twenty buildings), and feast my eyes on them, the trees I mean. None of them are flowering trees, sadly, but sometimes, green itself is lovely. It's cool and refreshing to the eyes and the soul. And even virtual greenery can do that sometimes - I just saw a cousin's photo on facebook, where she is posing in the middle of a forest, and I could almost smell the dewy leaves and the imposing trees!

But coming back to flowers...

Here today, gone tomorrow, vivacity when they live, sometimes seen and appreciated by the human eye... sometimes, bloom only for God's eyes. I had attended a funeral the other day... so many floral wreaths and bouquets... symbols of condolences, memories. Some were placed lovingly into the grave, some were thrown around the cemetery and some were eaten by goats. Yes, goats. So what is an expression of love or sympathy to one creation of God is mere food to another!

I don't like artificial flowers one bit! And with my Gulf experiences, that was something I saw a lot of. The other day, had gone for a friends' house-warming. And saw that they had artificial flowers in every single room! And they live in Bangalore, and they are not from the Gulf! Help, there seems to be a conspiracy by the artificial flower manufacturers to take over the nature-loving world!

 As those closest to me say, live and let live. I know that each person is entitled to their likes and dislikes, and they probably have a logical reason as to why they like or dislike something. But artificial flowers, sheesh!!!


Here's to my favourite flower... the red gerbera!

Back to Corporate Life!

Back to corporate life after so many years. And I didn't know how much I missed it. M, one of my oldest friends, is waiting for cynicism to kick in, as it does in most facets of life which become boring. As for me, I am still excited about coming in to work, interacting with different kinds of people and learning so much from each of them.

Of course there are times I wonder whether I am spending more time at work than with my growing kids. Then, logic kicks in and I tell myself that they would prefer a happier mother for some time rather than an unsatisfied mother all the time. Also, it feels really good to get this kind of time to myself. I know I am growing as a person, and am not limited to just being a mother or a wife.

Of course, all this is possible only because of the amazing support system I have- parents, in-laws, maids.... And the emotional support I receive from those closest to  me.

This blog post is a reflection of a thankful heart.