Instant splurge on 'Maati'.....Thank you 'Once Upon A Tea Time'!

Woke up this morning quiet miffed & muddled at the mundane routine of playing mother, wife and God knows what else.

The day began with on a ‘not so happy note' with my husband over my toddler followed by unnecessary banter over regular daily fusses. This was post my morning cup of chai (thank God), got lil boy ready for school and then felt miserable that I have changed so much as a human being...sulk...sulk...sulk! Just while I did manage to bring down my daily pace to a near zero on the meter gauge this post by 'Once Upon A Tea Time' brought by a ray of hope.

Sulk bubble 1 burst when I read that this beautiful shop called Maati (meaning Earth stands for the essence of nature and earth that’s imbibed into all handmade crafts in India) Crafts was only about 100 meters from my home (that's a big high for anyone remotely aware of Mumbai n distances)! So next thing was a quick shower and post my breakfast I was in my car driving to Maati...

Sulk bubble 2 burst the moment I stepped into the store. Greeted by dokra metal craft (I am very fond of this craft) from Madhya Pradesh (most popular in this n neighbouring states like Jharkahnd), textiles from Rajasthan, Kutch, Chennai and clay pottery as well! Yippie...all under one roof and so close to home! By now I was feeling partially rejuvenated but completely unsure of how much will I buy! There were beautiful ceramic magnets in the form of colorful butterflies and bugs. Little artifacts like sheep, turtles, Giraffe's (cutest of the lot) and elephants all in clay glazed ceramic finish; some amazing kurti's and sareer's; Flower pots, dinner/heat and serve ware, teapots n cups; bedspread, silk cushion covers, material.... WOW!!!!

Fresh daisies

Claypot, the kind I like!

Sulk bubble 3 burst when I picked up a couple of flower vases, a beautiful ceramic aroma decanter and a vegetable die bedspread for the house. On my way back I picked up some flowers (rajanigandha/tube rose, a stalk of red glad and some white daisies) all set to get the house ready for my beloved husband...a kind of mid week surprise...stuff I'd love doing when I was just a few years younger!!! :D





Displayed at another angle. This time with the aroma decanter.


 

The second vase for my Budha corner.

Well...expensive way to burst the sulk bubbles but hey, ian't that the way most women feel good?

Once upon a tea time, you just made my sulk day into a memorable one. Thank you!

Signing off feeling 'not as miffed' anymore!!!









8 important ornamets for Christmas and it's significance

Well, it is that time of the year when we celebrate the most loving team of the year...Christmas!!! I have always wondered the significance of use of ornaments on the tree and was delighted to chance upon the reasons.

Holly leaves symbolises Jesus crown of thorns and the red berries is his blood. According to the Roman culture, Holly symbolises the Sun God, Saturn, which keeps the Holly leaves fresh even during winters.

I love the way they smell...

Angel depicts the birth story of Baby Jesus and the Legend in which the angle plays a very important role in the birth of Jesus Christ. Angle had heralded the birth of Christ. Angel is often placed on the Christmas tree.

A tree without the shining angels looks so incomplete!

Star is the symbol of the guiding star which took the magi to the birth place of Jesus Christ.

Fir Tree is the second colour of Christmas and symbolises the omnipresent light and life. The needle of the fir leaves points at heaven.

Bells are to guide for the lost sheep to get back to the herb. This symbolises that for Jesus everyone is equal and he wants to guide all his children to the right path.

The light of candle is the symbol of the starlight which guided the magi to the birth place of Jesus Christ.

Christmas gifts are always tied into a bow and represent the strong bond among people.

Mistletoe symbolises peace and joy and also ensures a good next year. It is also believes that if a couple stands under the Mistletoe, they are supposed to kiss, to bring good luck to their relationship.










Of course, to top this if we have a beautiful chimney as part of the decor Santa sure feels easier to get! :) Ho Ho Ho.....Merry Christmas!!!!

Tea with some clouds...

Rain and garam chai- a trip down memory lane...

Woke up this morning to the kind of rains that I love watching while cosily perched on my red chair in the balcony. The raindrops seem to be in such a hurry and the wind only helps as much with bringing in all but chaos in the rush hour!

..and while I sit enjoying the tease play comes my mug of garam chai! My husband is famous with his chai making skills and both of us can sit chatting for hours on multiple cups of this warm concoction.

Come monsoons and chai takes in first place to any kind of drink. A trend which has been part of my growing up years too! 

My school would plan a week long (if we were lucky) trek every monsoon and we'd all wait for this event to happen all year long. The trek would typically happen at Sinhagadh, a fort destination about 90kms from Pune. The trek up from base camp would be about a couple of hours. We'd climb, wade through trickling baby streams, slip in the slimy forest muck, walk through a small strip of land precariously planted at the edge of a steep fall into the valley and seldom sit to catch our breath around a reasonably large water stream gushing down the terrains! This sit down would intersperse with a light snack and a drink of 'CHAI'. A memory which is beyond any tell tale. Cold from getting wet in the rain, tiered of climbing the steep but heightened levels of enthusiasm to taste the adventure and just while the determination would begin to simmer came along the much awaited drink of chai! :) 

Wild mushrooms particularly would be my point of fascination during these treks. Their shapes, the way they'd all cluster together to make some amazing shapes, some which would grow out of barks of tree trunks and a few that would grow amidst corners of a row of stone carved stairs.

They all seemed to thrive so effortlessly in this moisture...

Another chai memory is of younger day's when it would pour outside (Pune would be chillier during monsoons compared to winters) and my Mum would make this extra large, over-size egg omelet with toast OR sausages with macaroni for brunch and a steaming hot pot of tea, the only time when we'd be allowed having tea at home. We'd polish off this feast inside the warmth of the blanket while watching the rain outside the window.

When in college my drop in attendance typically happened during the monsoons. A favorite activity with friends was to ride out on bikes and soak ourselves wet. These drives were amazing with the beauty of the terrains at its full glory we'd look for amazing chai tapri's (local stalls) where we'd warm up around the stoves while the chai got made n then warmed further with a drink of chai... We did this day in n day out! Miss those days!!!

So the chai stories continue to date and I am so looking forward to the warm plate of bhajji's with masala chai when Mumbai comes to a stand still this monsoon!

 Amar chai 'Gorom Cha'!!!

I feel like lavendar today!

Lavendar is a pale tint of violet. It applies particularly to the colour of the flower of the same name. The colour lavendar can be described as a medium violet or a light pinkish purple. The complimentary colour of lavendar is Olive.

The term lavendar may also be used in general to apply to a wide range of pale, light, medium or greyish violet colours as well as some pale or light pinkish, magenta, or purple colours as well as some pale or light bluish, indigo colours.

The first recorded use of the word lavendar as a colour term in english was in 1705

The colour amethyst is a moderate transparent violet. It's name is derived from the stone amethyst, a form of quartz. Though the colour of natural amethyst varies from purple to yellow, the amethyst colour refered to here is a moderate purple colour most commonly associated with the stone. Some believe that the colour is there due to the presence of manganese while others have suggested that the colour could be from ferric thiocyanate or sulphur found in the amethyst stone. This colour may also be called as medium deep lavendar. it is deep rich medium violet.