Christmas frenzy

Christmas time again and fun time for the girls. I wasn't surprised to a list of presents in their Santa's letters, but then what surprised me was the way the letter was written..Every year I want to speak them out of this Santa Claus thing but ,, somehow feel, let them enjoy the few more years left ,and then anyway they will find out.
just posting pictures of their letters and the way they decorated the house. We do plan to bake a egg less chocolate cake. will post the recipe with the pictures tomorrow. Today the letter has to reach Santa.. or else they might not get their presents in spite of being nice all year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Her letter was simple and to the point... here is what it says!!!!

Dear Santa,

I am so glad that Christmas is here once more. It will be very fun since dad is here too.Santa, did you know that plum cake has no plum in it at all? I saw the ingredients in the supermarket...Funny, isn't it? How is Mrs. Claus and how are the elves? Here is my list

1.happy family

2, Roller skates

3.A set of nice party clothes,

4.A 3.D board game , scooby doo one!!!

That's all ,I want for this Christmas.I am really sorry the letter came late , were were busy .I also have a C.D of harry potter now so i did not ask for it . Thanks in advance..Bye

!!!

Cheers!!!!

P.S. My thumb is better now.

It isn't any piece of art but seeing their interest in making the card, collage etc.... I decided to make it the topic of my blog..

The little one's letter much sweeter .....

She says...

Dear Santa Claus

How are you?Is it really cold up there in north pole?I feel really bad for the polar bears u there , they are losing they're homes because of Global warming!!! Please say hi from me to the elves, they must be working very hard every year.What do u reward them with? How is Mrs. Claus... sending my regards to her too!!! I heard she makes delicious cookies. is that true?

I have tried to be a good girl this year. I have got very good compliments in my report card and outstanding marks in all my tests.. Here are the things I want for this Christmas.

M.A.D art kit

Instrument (anything other than guitar) with its lessons please

A happy family - A Sasha Bratz doll

Roller skates

P.S. Sorry for writing the letter so late..and also I am trying to stop global warming!!!

Love you..... very much.Hopeing you will be here on the 24th midnight...

Aren't the letters cute???? I wish I could belive in Santa as ardently as they do!!!

Hope Santa will visit all who asked for him to visit.....

Saaru, Palya.. a simple filling meal.

A simple meal after a long journey is something i would die for. after a Long flight... and having the privilege of hearing,..sorry we don't have a veg meal left.. i was dying to have a most simple filling meal , Hot rice, ,saaru ( lentil soup )and one sabzi... Palya as it is known very simple , just slightly steamed of cooked vegetables with some salt and garnished freshly grated coconut.
Nothing can match the hot rice, ghee, tomato Saaru and Palya combination for me.
Simple to make and nutritious as well.It is a well balance meal, with carbohydrates, fibre, proteins and fats all in it. Here is the recipe for the most simple palya (sabzi) and Saaru..
Tomato Saaru:

Tomato Saaru:
Ingredients:
Tuvar Dal - 1 cup,
tomatoes 2 - 3 (medium),
Saarina pudi / Rasam powder - 2 tablespoons,
salt to taste,
tamarind juice - one small bowl
and turmeric - ¼ tea spoon
For seasoning:
Ghee - 2 teaspoons,
mustard seeds ½ teaspoon,
hing/asafoetida- ¼ teaspoon,
curry leaves few springs
and chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
Method:
Pressure cook Tuvar dal .cook tomatoes in water.squeeze the tomato pulp and separate out the skin.To this tomato puree, add turmeric, salt, rasam power tamarind paste and cook till aroma is all over the house!!!.Add the cooked tuvar dal and boil for another five minutes with some more water.
In a small kadai heat the ghee .(pure ghee is always a tasty option. Oil can be used but then the aroma is definitely better with ghee., so is the taste). Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, hing and season the cooked saaru. Add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot. It can be served as appetizer as well. Tastes as good to sip as it is to eat with hot rice.

chapparada avrekayi palya (Broadbeans Palya/sabzi)

Ingredients
Broad beans/Chapparada Avrekayi: 1/4 kilogram

Green chillies - 1 or 2

Freshly grated coconut:1/4 cup

oil - two tea spoons

Mustard seeds - a spoon

Jeera/Cumin seeds - a spoon

turmeric power - a pinch

salt to taste

method:
Wash and chop the broad beans.. In a deep bottomed vessels or kadai.. heat the oil. Add mustard seeds when it splutters add jeera , turmeric, and slit the green chilly.Add the cut broad beans and saute a little. Add half a cup of water and salt. Let it cook till the beans cook thoroughly.. and water is drained completely. Garnish with freshly grated coconut.simple isn't it?

Enjoy this these two simple dishes with plain hot rice...a wholesome meal.

Ciao....

Smiley in the Sky

SMILEY IN THE SKY

as on December first 2008,18:23 PM

It was a fascinating view. Last evening when I was having my usual walk.. my friend said.. "hey ladies look at the moon today.. it looks like a smiley." Wow what a view it was!!!!!!!!!!!! I just cannot stop smiling remembering even after three hours....two small stars and the moon like a smile... a proper smiley.I just managed to take some pictures... None of which do the justice to such a beautiful sky...It was a visual feast.
After a few pictures one of the Friends said they were no mere stars they were Jupiter and Venus.. and this was one of the rare events of the decade.Jupiter, Venus, and a sliver of a crescent moon formed a spectacular, tight triangle in the evening sky, near the horizon. They were so tightly packed that I was able to cover them with my thumb at arms length..
Venus is the most impressive.On the right in the pictures, it was brighter. Although it’s 93 million miles from Earth about now, it shines with a brilliance.
View the moon with a slightly averted glance and you’re likely to pick up the dull but noticeable glow of Earth light reflecting off the darkened lunar surface.
the small dot on the left is Jupiter. Jupiter’s brightness isn't great, as we have to remember it some slack. Despite it’s enormous size, it’s currently about 472 million miles away.It is likely to be there for another 44 hours I was told.

After coming home and googling
this was what I found... on the net about yesterday's event
[b]“Look towards the southwest and you will see something very pretty - Venus and Jupiter beaming together through the twilight. The two closely-spaced planets are about to be joined by the slender crescent Moon for a spectacular three-way conjunction,” Nehru Planetarium director N. Rathnashree told IANS.
The three brightest objects in the night sky will be gathered so tightly together that you can hide them all behind your thumb held at arm’s length.
The Nehru Planetarium will put out telescopes at Old Fort in the capital.
“Although clear to the naked eye, a small telescope will make the evening even more enjoyable. We will be putting up some telescopes at Old Fort in the evening for people to have a clearer look of the celestial triangle,” Rathnashree said.
“It is a rare activity. The winter sky is very clear and you can have a spectacular look of the celestial activity,” said Ajay Talwar, a member of the Amateur Astronomer Association.
The celestial triangle will be visible from all parts of the world, even from lightly polluted cities.[/b]

I was fortunate enough to witness. A moment of the lifetime , may be it isn't as rare a phenomenon as I think, but I have not seen anything like this... so I feel..blessed really!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have managed to load some pictures for memory and for those who have not been able to witness.

Have a great week ahead..