Diwali, Bhaia dooj of 2014

It's third day of Diwali celebrations  that is  

Bhaia-dooj 

The simple jars with crochet  jackets   holding tea   lights thrown across the chest of drawer   adds so much drama.

my niece with her self stitched out-fit

A pooja that's normally performed at home annually this time coincided with Diwali

  

My daughter usually create a light filled home, which is really serene, relaxing, with an airy breezy feel and lots of punchs of colour. She is talented and she is a person with esthetic sense.

She did her diwali shopping from different markets of Delhi. She has used a lot of different natural textures to bring a homely feel, ....rugs,......blinds,.old art prints carefully handpicked from......hang in groups

All kinds of lamps come together, t lights in crochet jacket jars, traditional Haryanvi  oil lamps, candles and my new Haryanvi   Lantern(hidden below the chest). 

xoxo

Emily

I cannot resist myself to read the last few pages of Wuthering Heights  as last night I got in the grip of  sleep reading it and few pages were left to read.  It  is a story of passion and love, it is also a story of class, of families, of how one cannot resist and yet must one do what society dictates. At the core however, it is a love story like none other. The story is dark. It is not pretty. It is not meant to be. It was considered vulgar and preposterous when it was first published. Emily went to her grave thinking she was a failure. The book was reprinted by Charlotte and now it is one of the most beloved classics of our times.

Photo Credit: http://www.stuffwiththing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/wuthering-heights.jpg

Wuthering Heights is narrated by Nelly Dean. She has lived around for a long time. The story is told in extended flashback to a lodger or rather the tenant at Thrushcross Grange. Nelly narrates the story of Heathcliff and Catharine – of their obsession, their love and their madness. Of how they could not be together and yet would not give up each other for the world.

 The book evoked very  strange feelings in  me  . It is more than just unrequited love. You know there is only one way in which this story will end and yet – you pray that things become alright and they do, in a different way of sorts. The core theme also, mostly forgotten is that Heathcliff is an outsider. He has been adopted by Mr. Earnshaw at the beginning of the novel, which Hindley, Catharine’s brother cannot stand. This is just the start of things to come though.

At some point you feel Catharine also detests him and to some extent maybe that is true, but you know that love will prevail and she is merely trying to succumb, but you know she is stronger than that. Wuthering Heights will break your heart – even if you do not want it to, it will. There is no way out from that one. A read which you will never forget for years to come, that is for sure.

It’s really a classic work of English literature that deserves a careful read. There has to be a reason it has persisted for a century and a half, whether or not I agree that it should persist much longer.

 Did you now that  Hindi film  Dil Diya Dard Liya is a 1966 Hindi film based upon Emily Brontë's celebrated novel Wuthering Heights. The film is directed by Abdul Rashid Kardar and Dilip Kumar.

xxx

Hand Made Diwali Luminaries

Behind a word as beautiful as "chandelier", hides tears lamp or chandelier. In addition, they are fashionable. When something into fashion in the world handmade unseen there is a competition to see who makes a more pompoms, yarn, or string. There's a lot of craft postureo back (we'll talk about that another day), but just take a look on pinterest .

  

                                         source

xoxo

cushions and magazine holder

This summer I stitched a pair of Silk embroidered pillows for my daughter’s new home. You may recognize the patterns. The color is "maroon" in each of these photos, in oddly inconsistent ways (both fabrics are actually the same color, and I used the same threads for both), but the right-hand pillow in the first photo is probably the closest, albeit a tad darker than reality.

Pillows

 And I made a magazine holder for her

My daughter was requesting me to make her a magazine holder which I made years bak and was featured in one of the leading Hindi magazine.

I made this   beautiful fabric  magazine holder  using scraps of red and blue cheque fabric from  my stash . Its machine washable, with demounting the steel  on the top that can be used to attach it to the wall.

 A unique and colorful way to keep your magazines or newspapers from taking over the house. Isn’t it beautiful? 

fabric magazine holder

xoxo

Indian touche

Found on idathue.blogspot.com

https://www.flickr.com/photos/idathue/

http://www.ivy-and-co.com/2012/08/featured-and-i-won-giveaway-all-in-same.html

http://sandyshook.blogspot.in/2010/12/x-tra-thick-textured-slippers.html

indian law site

http://www.lawisgreek.com/tag/consumer-rights

xoxo

Early morning .

 I was taking my lemon water in early hours in the morning . Then i became nostalgic and remembered the after meal treatment in Amritsar  for our Golden Temple  visit.

                     

See the picture above.........This method of cleaning hands post meal are now very rare even in India!

xoxo

significance of swastika and Lakshmi paduka on door In divali.

SWASTIKA & THE IMPRESSIONS OF THE FEET OF GODDESS LAKSHMI ON THE MAIN DOOR

It is a great Indian tradition to pay attention to the main door. Many households sports ‘Rangoli’ at the entrance. In Maharashtra and other states too, we find drawings of ‘swastika’ and ‘feet of Lakshmi’ the goddess of wealth near the door. In South India’ Rangoli’ is drawn in intricate fashion with wet wice flour (Kolam). This practice too is closely related to Feng Shui.

Lakshmi  paduka Attractive ‘Rangoli ’ attracts good cosmic vibrations. Don’t we focus our attention on an attractive object or a beautiful piece of art? The basic Feng- Shui principle is’where attention goes, energy flows’. Our ancestors too realized the importance of this aspect. They performed ‘umbara pujan’ i.e. worshipping the ‘threshhold’ of the house to keep the path of good energies open and to shun the evil ones. However, we tend to draw ‘Rangoli ’ rather thoughtlessly. There is a place for everything and the footprints of Lakshmi and Swastika  emblems are no exceptions. With the generous blessings of my Siddhaguruji, I am disclosing the secret of the right place  for these two symbols. On the left side of the  main door frame, nine inches above the floor, draw swastika and Lakshmi’s foot prints. Repeat the same on the right side. Today most apartments have a safety door. So these should be drawn between the safety door and main door on the door frame. Do not draw these symbols on the floor as they are stamped upon by visitors. These are potent symbols and should not be crushed under anyone’s feet. This should be followed rigidly as today’s landings are narrow. Entrance doors are small and apartments are too close to each other to have any open space. Swastika is a very powerful symbol and is associated with Ganesha and overall well- being. Most people hurriendly draw the symbol which leaves it incomplete and thus is meaningless. It is essential to make a note of this. The wings of this symbol should appear rotating in the right direction i.e. clockwise.  Swastika  The right side of the Swastika is the universal creation and progress and the left cannotes destruction. Swastika should always be drawn in red or orange colours. Usually, we tend to draw Swastika on Diwali day to usher in a prosperous new  year and forget it till the next Diwali. It is ideal to draw a Swastika, everyday using ‘vermillion’ or ‘Sindoor’ on the main door to activate positive energy and protect us from harmful energy. Use the ring finger while drawings and keep faith that the symbol  is going to be beneficial to you. Try this for aq month and see the difference for yourself. You will find many hurdles just melting away Above all, have sincere intention and faith. You will be rewarded with unbelievable blessings ! xoxo

crochet,More Fashion For Less

More Fashion For Less

on my to-dolist

PROCRASTINATION

PROCRASTINATION IS THE THIEF OF TIME<===> गया वक्त फिर हाथ नहीं आता  गया vakt phir hath nahin अत )[Noun]

Did you ever procrastinate about anything? My maami referred to me the master of procrastination.But did you know why? I did’nt stitched her dress, did’nt made her bag, didnt did embroider her pillows? All it was not procrastination.....i think creativity is a SIN!!!

My son cleaning his  car

Do y'all ever procrastinate about anything? My son and I have referred to ourselves as the king and queen of procrastination. HAHA!!

Diwali cleaning was initiated with  two things that I have put off and put off for a long I needed to clean above the door frames. You know that little section above that door frame that sticks out from the door? I have noticed lots of dust up there on the bathroom door and it's been driving me NUTS looking at it. But, of course, I noticed it LAST WEEK and just yesterday finally cleaned it off. OH!! And you know what? I cleaned that part of every door in our home and it took only about 20 minutes to do it!! Just two quick wipes was all it took above each door frame and ta-da they are clean!!!

Yes !Thorough cleaning

The other job that I've been putting off is washing our mesh windows and doors. In the past, I have said that mopping is my most dreaded part of cleaning. While doing it I always ……. Nope. I've discovered that I washing windows is worse!!! That would definitely explain why I haven't cleaned our windows since JANUARY this year!!! Oh my!!! And before that it had been TWO YEARS since they were last clean!!!!!! Yes, it's true!!!! So, I have decided to mend my ways and put myself on a monthly window cleaning schedule!!! When they are cleaned more often, it's MUCH easier to clean them!

Anyway... I started cleaning the windows and I cleaned all of them in our house in about 45 minutes!!! That was MUCH faster than I had anticipated! I was very happy to be done with cleaning them AND that it was much faster that I had expected!!!

So... what dreaded task have YOU been putting off? Tackle it today!!! I bet it'll take a whole lot less time and energy than you think!

Make Millets your friends

Grains have been included in human diet ever since early man discovered that these are edible. Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad, has developed millet-based snacks for health and wellness. Time to add it to your shopping basket.

Health-conscious consumers are now looking for products with particular ingredients and nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals, dietary fibre, and now even omega-3, as they offer significant health benefits. Such products are essential in a country like India, where malnutrition and infectious diseases remain a silent emergency.

 The increasing numbers of cases relating to coronary heart diseases, cancer and diabetes are linked to diet. Health concerns in low income segments of the population are attributed largely to poor nutrition, whereas among affluent segments they are linked to changing lifestyles and food habits. In this scenario, millets offer great advantages. It is naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and nutraceuticals.

The term ‘millet’ is widely used to refer to a variety of grains that are popular for their culinary uses as well as their health-promoting qualities. The health and nutritive benefits associated with millets are crucial to tackle problems like anaemia, diabetes and several other degenerative diseases, apart from malnutrition.

Millet is nutritionally equivalent or superior to other cereals. It is believed that consumption of millets reduces the risks of coronary heart diseases, diabetes, cholesterol and cancers. It also helps in the treatment of other health conditions.

 Basically millets are rich in minerals like calcium, zinc, magnesium and iron, which help in improving health in many ways. Magnesium and zinc are useful for diabetics and calcium for bone health etc. Protein contents in pearl, proso and foxtail millets are comparable with those in wheat, barley and maize.

Finger millet has slightly lower protein content, but is in fact nutritionally superior. Finger millet is also high in calcium and iron, and contains fairly high levels of methionine, a major limiting amino acid in many tropical cereals. Substances found in millets act against different types of hormone-dependent cancers, like breast cancer, and also help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Millets and millet products contain good amount of dietary fibre and resistant starch. Resistance starch is soluble type and when consumed it will get fermented by intestinal bacteria and produce short chain fatty acids which again provide health benefits by altering the intestinal environment and helps to enhance the mineral absorption etc.

Phytosterols and policosanols are cardio-protective compounds present in the waxy layers of the millet. If these millets are ground into flour without de-hulling, then one can have multiple benefits.

Millets have antioxidants, which are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals.

Free radicals (molecules produced when your body breaks down food or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation) can damage cells and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Some of the millets, especially ragi, foxtail and some coloured and tanned jowar varieties, are found to have good amounts of antioxidants.

Besides, millets are gluten free. That is, they are suitable for gluten-intolerant people with celiac disease. Gluten is a type of protein present in wheat and related grains.

Traditionally millets have been used mainly in the form of rice, porridge, roti, pops etc. Although not many products are made with this grain, de-hulling of the millets enables the processing and value addition.

Thanks to advances in processing technology, the department of foods and nutrition of Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad, has already developed many value-added products under the National Agricultural Innovative Project and other millet projects. The list of such products from ANGRAU Foods includes biscuits (four kinds), gluten-free rawa, vermicelli, pasta, ready-to-eat extruded snack, bread and noodles.

People who are looking for health and wellness through cost-effective foods can simply include millets in their food basket.

xxx