Shalini's Sewing Space

Turning 32 and Henna answers Sorry for ignoring the Henna questions! I read them and made a mental note to answer and then forgot. Oops. It was applied by professionals, not by me or any family though in a pinch I've done it myself before. Usually in Delhi markets, you'll find a bunch of youngish guys (18-25 yr olds) sitting along sidewalks, with Henna cones and some albums of their work to flip through. I should have taken a picture or better, a video, but it is such a natural thing for me, I didn't think of it! It took 2 guys, 20 minutes total for both hands, and $2. The $2 (Rs.100) is expensive by daily standards because I got it on KarwaChowth, a festival where Henna is a must for married women keeping the fast. Usually it is Rs.50 total for both hands. It lasts for 15 days, though it starts fading away after 2-3 days. When you first remove it after applying, do not wash hands in water if you want it to give a better color. After removing the paste, you let it sit overn...

Posting from India London was fabulous. Pictures coming soon. We reached Delhi on the 16th. Yesterday, I got henna done for Karwa chouth fast. After washing off, the color isn't as dark as I usually get because I had to remove it earlier. Here are the pictures while it was drying.

Rakhi, Independence Day and Teej First off, today is Indian Independence Day - so Happy Independence Day to any Indians out there. Tomorrow is Rakhi. It is the festival of celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters. I have talked about it before so I won't go into details. I just wanted to show a picture of the Rakhis that have arrived for DH and Mehul! So, tomorrow morning before breakfast, I'll be proxy-sister to both of them and tie their rakhis :LOL Next up, Teej is on Tuesday. That is the day when I get to fast until moon-rise, dress up in nice clothes and perform rites for the moon. I will be home this time. It is too stressful trying to work and get back home in time to prepare for the evening. I will be working because there are project deadlines but it's ok as long as I'm home. Now for some stitching. My first Biscornu. I skipped the bead in the center. I like it this way. Sorry for the hurried list - Michael Phelps is on in a few minutes. There is a s...

Holi Holi - The Festival of Colors is right around the corner. It is a festival for the kids, and those who are kids at heart. As a kid, I used to love to play Holi. Oh, the dry and wet colors, the water balloons, and the pichkaris (Water guns). The fun never ends. We used to get up on the roof in the morning and start generating a *good* supply of water balloons (gubbara). Sometimes we'd put colored water in the gubbaras, but mostly, it was just plain water directly out of the tap on the roof. So after having an ammunition of atleast 50 or so balloons, we'd hide and be on the lookout for unsuspecting passer-bys down in the street. Spot a target, aim and shoot. If you miss, there is no second chance as the victim would know where it came from! The aunties used to be our favorite targets because they'd get so irritated sometimes...Heee And then we'd say the favorite slogan of Holi - 'Bura na mano; Holi hai' or just "Holi hai!" ("Don't mind; It...

Diwali Pictures rescued from the camera Thanks for your comment, Fiona :) It helped me put a perspective on the purpose of this blog. That is partly why I started it in the first place, so I have a place to share my side of the world's view with others. Here are some of the pictures I promised. Sorry I have none in the sari I wore on Diwali. I just have to make it a habit to wear traditional clothes more often that we have been. And to remember to take pictures in them. LOL! Rangoli It looks better in the pictures - They were taken at night after lighting the diyas (earthen lamps with oil and cotton wicks). A closer look Crackers Diwali Lights Coconut Burfi - Recipe going on my food blog soon. I am in love with my tile flooring. It was so easy to clean it after having the Rangoli there for 5 days. There even was some oil spilled from the diyas. I could never light oil lamps on hardwood flooring. So happy about this choice. Saturday was my birthday. I celebrated by having a girl...

Happy Deepawali

Diwali Preparations Yes!! Diwali is Friday - Nov. 9th. It is a Hindu Festival but the entire country celebrates it, and Indians abroad celebrate it as well. You can read more about Diwali and it's origins here . So my entire family is getting together in Delhi. My little sister is coming home from college in Alwar, my brother already came back from Chennai last weekend. My big sister lives in Delhi about 20 minutes away from my parents, so they are all there. I am (slightly) getting down, as it happens every year. But I refuse to stay like this. I am doing my own preparations. So what am I doing? I am going to make a Rangoli - a colorful design made on the floor with colors or flower petals. Last night I started making the colors - by dyeing sand with food coloring and Rit Dyes. I designed and cut out a template for the design I'm going to make. It's a peacock! That's all you get for now ;) We'll see how well this plan goes LOL! If it doesn't work, I will fall b...

Yes, it is Croup. The pediatrician said we were already doing what she was going to suggest - give him steam, keep the humidifier going to help with the symptoms. We gave a treatment or two of Xopenex via nebulizer to help open up his airways. It's mainly used for lungs but does help with the throat in a pinch. He had immediate relief from the treatment. Thankfully, we already had some Xopenex at home. She wrote another prescription as well. He is doing better today but I kept him home for another day. Karwachowth yesterday was awesome (except the headache from dehydration and caffeine withdrawal LOL!) The three of us (neighbors) who are really close wore saris and did evening puja together. Then we hung around in Monika's place until moon-rise and meanwhile put our husbands and kids on Spot_The_Moon duty. Moonrise was at 8:55 PM yesterday but we didn't see it until 9:30. We cooked together and had tea (an exception I made due to the headache. I normally don't have anyt...

Croup? and KarwaChowth Mehul had a low grade fever and trouble breathing last night. His voice became horse and his cough sounded very strange. My instant thought was croup. After some reading this morning, it's almost confirmed. We will take him to the doctor tomorrow as our pediatricians office is closed today. Sadly, there isn't much we can do about it other than try to fix the symptoms. We tried giving him steam but that didn't go very well. He is acting fine and eating well so it can wait till tomorrow. I wasn't well yesterday either. The house is a mess. I don't need anymore illnesses around here, please! Tomorrow is my day-long fast of KarwaChowth. I blogged about this last year . This time there are many Indian neighbors who will be keeping the fast as well, so this should be fun! Last year, when DH took me out looking for the moon, an oncoming car killed a Skunk right in front of us! Please, no smelly killings this time around!

Summer is definitely here This weekend was so relaxing. We did not have anyone over, we didn't go errand-running (except a trip to Walmart - Diaper Emergency!), heck I didn't even clean the way I usually do. Mehul and I went to the library on Saturday but that was a short trip. Mostly, we just stayed inside or played in the backyard. Saturday - DH helped us setup the Slip-N-Slide in the backyard and then he went to get the car fixed. Mehul and I stayed outside for about 2 hours. I put my chair next to him and continued my reading. He really enjoyed it. After this, trip to the library. I am so impressed by our Library's Collection. So far, there are *very* few books I've wanted to read and haven't found at the Library. There are actually 6 branches and I can request books from other branches too. Their catalog and request system is online as well, it's very convenient. Sunday - Father's Day. I made DH one of his favorite dishes - Puri Aloo for lunch. I also ...

Anniversary Gift This is what I gave him this morning. He LOVES it. It's going in the MBR. I had made the layout 11x14 size but this frame only had 10x13 opening. I *love* the way it turned out. This isn't the first poster I've done though. I did this one ages ago. Love that photo :) We had decided to go to Flat Top Grill for lunch. It is located near my previous office in Arlington. They have this buffet with rice, noodles, etc, and uncooked veggies, meats, and sauces. You load your bowl with everything you want and they'll cook it for you the way you want. They even have a special area to cook vegetarian stuff (a luxary for me!). I had been there multiple times when I was working there and I just LOVE it. Girish hasn't been so I wanted to take him there. Well, we started late from home because we weren't particularly hungry at lunchtime. We had a late leisurely breakfast and then I soaked in the tub for about 1 hour. Ahhh. Anyhow, we got there and found out t...

Merry Christmas (Belated) So, did you have a good Christmas Weekend? Mine was really nice. As I mentioned in my last post, we had a Parent Teacher Conference on Friday. Got some not so good news along with the good news. I will post it separately, but it involves Mehul's teacher mentioning that he might have to work with a Speech Therapist in a couple of months. We spent Friday evening finishing up the paint (or so we thought!) Had to do a third coat on 2 of the walls as some streaks were visible. This project has been stretched longer that it should have. We underestimated the amount of supplies needed, having never painted a room this size (technically, it's 2 rooms) ! It took 4 gallons of paint, 3 rolls of tape, and a lot of hours! The result is absolutely beautiful! Pictures coming in the next post. We decided to go out for the Christmas Party! LOL. I guess everyone needs a break. It worked out for the best. We all hung out around our house from afternoon. Had tea and snack...

Many thoughts This isn't going to be a coherent entry :) (Like it is ever. Huh) First off, Thanks for the comments on the new look. I can't take credit for the new title "Expression Alley" though. While watching TV and creating the new header, I started thinking along the lines of "Expressing". This blog is all about expressing, afterall. Expressing in written form, or in art in the way of scrapping or stitching. First thought was "Express Lane". Created the header and asked DH what he thinks. He said "Huh? This doesn't make any sense and makes me think of Grocery Store Express Checkout Lane." LOL! I said that this is where I express my thoughts, so it is *my* Express Lane. He said it still makes him think of the checkout lanes. Dumped it. Next thing he said was "Expression Alley". Bingo. My first thought was it's something out of Harry Potter. Diagon Alley, Expression Alley. Love it. I LOVE Harry Potter. So, that was it...

Christmas is coming.. You see it everywhere now, in the stores, on TV and radio, in the scrap booking galleries and stores, it is here. Still more than a month to go, but okay. We may have found our Christmas Tree. This is the first tree that we're buying together! I initially thought of getting a small tree, 3.5 to 4.5 foot in height. After looking at a 4.5 ft. tree, both of us felt it wasn't the one for us. We need a bigger tree. A 6.5 ft tree at JCPenny seemed appropriate, but it wasn't as 'full'. A friend mentioned Lowes. Off we went, and I (obviously) selected the pricier one, the one which looks just like the real tree. And, it's 7 feet, and prelit, so we don't have to do tedious task of attaching lights. It's really pretty. Girish has agreed on that one, and we are hopefully getting it tonight. I was drooling over the cream and gold ornaments at Michael's the other day. Now I can get them!! Here is the tree. Can you believe it's not a real...

Happy Diwali! Today is Diwali. I usually make a Rangoli and put up the lights outside, but this year I can't. I'm busy preparing for the party tomorrow. Plus, I don't know where the lights are. We'll put them up on Christmas :) We're Online We got the phoneline. Finally! My home is no longer an Internet, Phone Free Retreat! LOL. Party Party prep is in progress. I have done some dishes and will do a couple more more today. Rest will be done tomorrow. The items that are prepared, or bought_and_need_no _prep are in silver. Starters Small Samosa/Chutney Sausage BelPuri Nachos/Salsa Jaljira Dry Fruits Tray Paneer w/ Chalmasala Kids Menu Chowmein Main Course Shahi Paneer Chicken Makhani (Take out) Bhartha Chole Raita w/ Bhalle Tricolor Rice Roti Crunchy Salad Papad Dessert Nemo Cake! Kheer Icecream Drinks Sprite Diet Coke Whiskey White Wine Red Wine Beer Tea

Yesterday's KarwaChauth So, I know not everyone is familiar with this. Karwa Chauth is a Hindu festival that all married women participate in. It's more popular in North India, but now, it's gaining popularity in the South too! This festival is very well played in the Hindi movies, and is a big attraction for everyone. This happens once a year, always at the begining of fall, though the date changes each time because it's based on the Hindu calendar that is based on moon positions and so forth. The main objective of this is for married women to pray for the well being and long life of their husbands. For this, they keep a day long fast. They stay without food or water until they perform rites upon moonrise. The festivities begin the night before. Traditionally, all the women in the family would gather around and decorate their hands (and sometimes, feet) with Henna. They wake up early morning at 4AM, take a bath, and eat 'Sargi', which is basically noodles with...

Rakha Bandhan! Tomorrow is 'Raksha Bandhan'. It is a Hindu festival honoring the bond between brothers and sisters. Sisters tie 'Rakhi' - an embellished thread on their brother's wrists and bless them for their well being. In return, brothers promise to take care of them, and shower them with gifts! It's a lovely custom. You can read more about it here - http://www.raksha-bandhan.com/ We live 7000 miles away from our family but the bonds have not weakend! My Rakhi has reached home, DH's Rakhi has reached here. Mehul's Rakhi from his cousin Arushi is expected today, it's late! Tomorrow morning, we'll tie them and have some sweets to close the deal haha. Happy Rakha Bandhan! Here is a layout I did yesterday, it's funny now that I think about it. The flower with ribbon behind it *looks* like an actual Rakhi! No, it was not intentional, some things are cosmic. Mom and Mehul