Sneak Peek

This weekend was all about cozy dinner, a little bit of shopping and lighting up the tree. Usually our tree is up Thanksgiving weekend and so was it, this year.
I told the kids, I will set up the tree once the house is tidy. Those words worked like magic and the house was clean in no time. Rohan is working on his wish list and may be I should too.

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Thanksgiving Dinner - Finale

Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, we all have plenty of reasons to be thankful for and its time to recall a few. We go around the table and each one says what he or she is thankful for. Its been one fabulous year and I enjoyed TG dinner with my family. I hope you had a great time with your friends and family as well.

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Thanksgiving Dinner - Green Beans

You take a perfectly healthy vegetable; load it with fat and turn it into an unhealthy dish. Alton Brown said something close to this on one of his shows on green bean casserole and I totally agree with his comment. Here is my recipe inspired from a time when I was addicted to Chinese buffets.
Green Bean Recipe
Wash the beans and trim the ends.

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Thanksgiving Dinner - Cranberry Sauce

Ina Garten's recipes are out there on the Google's doodle link. That's how I came across the recipe for the cranberry sauce. I am not having any guests over but that can change any minute. This Thanksgiving is family only and its been relaxing so far. So relaxing that I am posting recipes as I cook.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Cook 12 oz fresh cranberries in 1 cup water with 3/4th cup sugar, chopped green apple and 1/4 cup raisins. Rohan chopped the raisins, not that the recipe needed it, but that's the only way I could keep him occupied.

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Florals

The weather in Dallas is gorgeous and the temperatures are in mid to high 70s. It almost like we are in the Southern hemisphere instead. Last night one of our friends turned 40. What's a big number birthday without a humor card that can't give the birthday boy a hard time, even if it lasted only a few seconds. Seriously guys, now those big 30s hardly seem big anymore. We went to Samui Thai in Legacy Village for dinner.

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of Louis Vuitton and Diwali

I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner and for some reason my head is struck in Diwali mood. School's out next week and I foresee a lot of cooking, board games and movie watching. The next few days, I will be busy googling menu ideas for Thanksgiving dinner and other easy bake recipes with less or no sugar.
On another note, did any of you get to check out the window display of Louis Vuitton on Diwali day? If not, just scroll down for some pictures here.

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Collectables

One of my neighbors in India collects bells. They possibly have bells from all over the world. When I got married I wanted to start my own collection of souvenirs from our travels. Very soon realized I could get the same, sitting in front of my computer. I know we can buy anything ( I mean there was one guy selling his spit and people were bidding on it ...sorry for the diversion there. Had to share that piece of info) on eBay or Amazon, but the magic of finding a beauty unexpectedly and bringing it home has not worn off for me.

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Sweet Spot

My photographer is back in town and I am off of my single-mom duties. Double Yay !!! I was on a mission this weekend to find a belt. Let me put it this way, the search was not easy and I tried all shapes, sizes and material before I found this. Right after my husband took that picture he asked me, "Is that where you are supposed to wear a belt?"
...and I wanted to tell him, "Have you really stopped looking at other women around you?"

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Tawny, Pecan and Berry Reds

"Wearing too little can diminish your credibility as much as wearing too much" is an excerpt taken from Lois P. Frankel's book "Nice Girls Don't Get The Corner Office 101", where she talks about 'Make Up' and it sure fits right in with my work place.
For an everyday look I like to keep my skin/face as natural as possible with an even skin tone and un-chapped lips made possible by applying and re-applying lip gloss. If I can't get to the cup of Joe, then its mascara to the rescue to wake my eyes up.

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Outsourced

Do you watch this show? Its hilarious. You can see it online via nbc.com. There was a movie with the same name a while ago. Similar story, similar cast but the movie but highly stereotyped and I hated it. This one is fun and a must-watch.
Next on my list to check out is 30 Rock. I am a big fan of Tina Fey.

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Office Romance

Hubby dear and I work for the same firm. We pretend we don't know each other at work but every now and then we would sneak out for lunch dates at near by restaurants. We do this quite often as there are many many days we find no time for tete-a-tete at home. It was a gorgeous day in the low 70s. Just perfect for a lovely lunch date. Now that's how Texas weather pays us back for putting up with its scorching summers.

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Good Morning

After all the festivities, we woke up to a breakfast of beta carotene, vitamin A and E and other minerals aka carrot juice. Here is my recipe
Wash and peel a big bunch of carrots (20-25 carrots)
3 apples, peeled.
Run the carrots and apples through your juicer and voila, the drink is ready.

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Count Down To The Festival Of Lights - Part 2

Is there something called too many candles? If there is one, that's not for me. More candles go up, as the days get shorter and gloomier ...and some more for Diwali. Nothing says holidays and festivities more than a home smelling of freshly harvested apples, cinnamon or warm hearth.
I wanted to get the lights outside the house today. But its been raining all day that I turned indoors. A few flowers, glassware, marbles and candles in varied shapes later, my dining table is now ready to accept friends and family for a warm Diwali dinner.

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Women in Pumps

Are there days, when certain incidents or thoughts reverberates in your head long after you packed up from work? If yes, it is time to take a few minutes to focus on something you like and unleash those creative neurons. Be it dressing up or arranging flowers or even setting up a dinner table. The key however is not be judgmental or critical and to simply enjoy those moments.
I wore this outfit to work yesterday. I know that mini bag almost looks invisible on my frame, but I love it as I can pull out what I need in less than 5 seconds. On another note, one of my favorite style blogger made it to the Forbes list of top 20 fashion blogs for professional women. Check her site out. I am sure you will like it.

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Count Down To The Festival Of Lights - Part 1

Have you heard about Destination Imagination? It is an amazing way to instill creativity in young minds. I volunteered again this year to manage a team for Riya's grade. We made sure it was an all girls team. Go Girl Power!
While the girls thought through various mythological characters for their Destination Imagination project, I made coconut burfis for Diwali and the girls gladly volunteered to be my official tasters. Tomorrow I plan to take a few to my team at work.

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