Hillary Visited Memphis, TN (my home town)

Hillary - Obama Dream Team?

Hillary Clinton, Presidential candidate, visited Memphis (my home town) on Sunday. See the article here.

Senator Clinton visited a local church for their Sunday service. It may be interesting that she chose to spend her campaign time in a church, but more interesting was why she choose Monumental Baptist Church to visit. The minister, Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles, of this mostly African American membership church was the very last person still alive, who spent the last hour of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's life with him. Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed on, April 4th, 1968 after his famous "Mountain Top" speech. He had come to Memphis at the request of the Sanitation Workers, who were striking at the time.

Senator Clinton considered her visit to the river city to be symbolic and monumental.

Jyotsna

Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Ravi (again!)

We love to cook Indian food, and Ravi asked to cook again last night. I was so proud of him, I had to take photos. He actually made the puri again, and also the green pepper and califlower curry, which was UM UM UM!!

Tonight we are having idli and rasam, simple because of the high wind and tornado watches are causing our electricity to waver, and I was just wanting to do it quick in case we lose our electricity. I'll post photos tonight after the kids go to bed, or in the morning. Good stuff!

And here are the photos of Ravi's cooking session, including help from Lakshmi and Priya, who helped roll the puri balls.

Jyotsna



By the way, this is our "cow" potato. We don't know why, but it grew horns! Stay tuned tomarrow to see what becomes of the "cow" potato!

















Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

Old Photos from the Past

Before I bought my Dell laptop, I had a Gateway desktop computer. I bought it new in 1998, and filled it with photos of my son. By the time 2005 came, it was a mess, and I could no longer use it. There were several viruses on it and I really needed it fixed. I was able to buy a new laptop in 2006, and started filling it with my new photos. What I really regret is never having gotten my old computer repaired so that I could get the old photos moved to my new computer.

I had a website and blog way back when, and I uploaded photos of my kids all the time. Finally I thought to go to those sites and right click and get back many of the photos floating around on the internet. They don't look the same as they did the day I took these photos, so I enhanced them a bit to improve them. Here (above)are some of the old photos. Hope you enjoy them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of my most favorite old photos, because this was my first full day home with Ravi, after arriving home from four months in India in November 1997.









Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

Hamster in a Ball

This is one of our Russian hamsters, Robo. He is quite the character, always trying to escape from his house. If you open the door, he is there. Also, if you walk by, he will immediately climb on the walls of his cage, trying to make contact with you. We got a new (smaller) ball for the hamsters today from a friend, and they LOVE it.


And here's another...


And here he is crawling onto my sweater, a place he likes to hang out.



They are so cute. I'll post some pics of the other hamster, Bobo, in a few days. They are identical looking. We have started to notice a small or slight difference between the two, but mostly due to hamsternality! ; )

Jyotsna

Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

Lakshmi age two

Little Lakshmi at age two. I just love this photo of her.
Jyotsna

Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

Ravi Made Puri (Indian Flat Bread)

This evening I made puri for part of our dinner. Ravi wanted to try it so I let him give it a test drive.

Here is the recipe:

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup (approx) of luke warm water
Pinch of salt

Mix the flour mixture with your hands until the dough sticks together nicely. If it is too mushy, add a tiny bit of flour. If it is too dry, add a tiny bit of water, but use your common sense to make the right consistancy.

Once you have a ball that is sticking together, divide the ball in half, and roll out both halves. Pinch off a small amount of dough until you have pinched all the dough. Take each peice of dough, and roll each one until it is in a nice ball shape. Then pinch the dough on the outer edges and middle, until it is fairly flat.

Using your rolling pin (or mason jar) roll the dough into a circular flat shape.

Meanwhile, have the oil in your pan heating up (about medium until it is hot enough (use a pinch of the dough flattened, drop in the pan and it should rise up fast if the oil is ready).

Carefully drop the puri dough into the pan (careful not to splash oil) and let it rise up and start to puff up. Take a metal spoon (slotted spoons are best) and hold the puri down in the oil until the the whole puri puffs up. Flip the puri over and let it brown until it is golden brown. Then hold the puri on the side of the pan and allow the oil to drip out of the puri.

Place the puri on a plate with a paper towel.

Do this until all of the puri dough is cooked. Use the puri with potato curry, cabbage curry any other curry that you would like to eat it with. Pull off a peice of puri and eat your food by hand by pinching the curry with the puri.

Enjoy!
Jyotsna

And now for the photos:




Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

Family Mosaic

This is my current best job doing a photo mosaic. I chose things that had to do with my family and our life.

What do you think?
Jyotsna

Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

I've been tagged....

I've been tagged! Kimmie Sue at Universe Is Laughing was tagged, and I wanted to be tagged, so I thought I would take the opportunity to share a response:

(All of the questions have 2 answers. After answering all the questions here, add one question of your own (this tag started with 4 questions) and then tag 2 people. So, I'm tagging everyone! Tag whoever you want!

1. Name your 2 favorite scrapbooking topics:
a. my children
b. birth doula photos


2. What are the 2 best places you’ve been to?
a. Abisynia (Ethiopian restaurant in Memphis)
b. Kodaikanal International School in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India.

3. Name 2 things you do every day:
a. feed my kids scrumptous foods
b. knit


4. Tell us 2 things that pretty much everyone knows about you.
a. I love India
b. I adopted three beautiful children from India.


5. 2 places you wish to visit:
a. Rome
b. Glasgow


6. 2 things you may not know about me are:
a. I have been a vegetarian for 20 years.
b. I would like to live in an intentional community, named Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, live off the grid and grow and can my own food.


7. 2 nicknames you’ve had at some time in your life:
a. Jyotsna
b. Bedilia

8. Name 2 of your favorite drinks:
a. Eliachi chai (cardamon tea)
b. water

9. What are 2 interesting jobs you have had in your life?
a. working for a regional blood donor center, in the lab handling blood.
b. birth work

10. What are your top 2 fun things to do after work?
I rarely leave my home to work, but when the day is over, I:
a. play on the computer
b. knit, sew and write!

11. What are 2 things I would like to learn:
a. how to knit socks
b. Hindi


12. What are the last 2 songs you downloaded or last 2 CD’s you bought?
a. Million Miles Away, Adam Hood
b. The Beatles Greatest Hits

13. Name 2 movies you could watch or you have watched 100 times in your life and still watch again, no problem:
a. Steve Martins, Father of the Bride
b. Bette Midlers, Beaches

14. What's your favorite 2 lines from the movies?
a. Hmmm, haven't really thought about it. : )
b. Hmmmm....

15. Name your 2 favorite books:
a. Heart and Hands (Midwifery)
b. Guide to Childbirth (Ina May Gaskin)

Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

Mr. Groovy's Cardboard Castle

I found this very cool site called Mr. Groovy's Cardboard Castle, using recycled boxes to make a castle or other very cool things. I think we are going to have to make one of these somewhere, perhaps with the homeschoolers. I think it would be a fantastic opportunity to express their creative juices!

Jyotsna

Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

ALACE: Late Fee Amnesty Month

Subject: Late Fee Amnesty Month @ ALACE!
Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 11:25:26 -0500

Dear current and former ALACE members:

We are continuing our annual tradition of declaring January Late Fee Amnesty Month! This means that, no matter how late or how long you have let your membership lapse, if you renew your ALACE membership during the month of January, you don't have to pay any late fees, just the regular annual membership fee of $50!

I have attached the renewal forms to this email. Feel free to print them out and mail or fax them in with your payment, or call the office and do it over the phone with a credit/debit card. So, take advantage and renew today!

Call or email with any questions. Thanks!
Jemma Boyle

Membership Coordinator

Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators

P.O. Box 390436
Cambridge, MA 02139
www.alace.org
888-222-5223
617-441-2500 (MA only)
617-441-3167 (fax)


Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

Wedding Dance

And speaking of weddings, I got curious and searched online for any first dances at weddings with Indians and Americans, and found this really great thing....check it out!

Jewish and Indian wedding dance! Very funny!


Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

Movies and wedding dresses

The other day, we went to Blockbuster to pick up the movie Flicka, about a girl who loved a mustang. It was a really powerful movie by the way. On the way to Blockbuster, we decided to stop inside the the wedding dress store and from the moment we stepped inside the store, the girls were planning MY wedding. I couldn't believe they were doing that, but Priya told me that if she was ever going to get a daddy, I was going to have to get married again!

I really got a big kick out of that. I do hope however, to find a wonderful man, one who loves me for all I am, and who I have many things in common with. I would say that if he doesn't adore my kids, that would be a problem. Priya is really banking of finding a daddy before she is 8, and she is 7 right now!

When I think back to my wedding, one thing that Chandra and I wanted our wedding invitation to point out was that we were different yet alike. Boy did we hit the nail on the barrel head! Different more like it. Sadly, what we did not have down was the "alike" part, or else our marriage may have survived.

Perhaps if I get married again, I will opt for the wedding announcement card instead, that says something like this, "By the time you get this card, we will be half way to Hawaai. Could you plan our reception on our return?" LOL!

I particularly like this wedding save the date card, "Russian Roulette".

What I REALLY REALLY look forward to is the day that I move out of this house with my future man! I'll send out this wedding moving card, "Strap Er Up".

Please check out their main site.

No matter if I get married or not I truely hope it will be with a man who will satisfy me on the inside and out!

Anyway, when I get married, I want a dress like this!

Jyotsna



Click Here to Advertise on My Blog

From the earth came a flower....

Created by Crazyprofile.com

Click Here to Advertise on My Blog