Stones & Woods

I am exited and equally anxious about our upcoming home improvement project. However, not looking forward to a dusty/messy house. We are changing the floors on the first floor. After a lot of discussions, visiting model homes and window shopping in Texas Summer, the perfectionist single kid*** husband and the maverick middle child*** wife agreed on travertine stone for the master bath and hard wood for the rest of the first floor. Pictured above is a sneak peek of what we chose for the bath. Marble to replace the slate inlays. Apparently slate chips.

*** The reference is from the "Birth Order Book" by Dr Leman. You do have to take the contents with a pinch of salt. I hate to admit, did not finish the book, read the parts that appealed me.

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Bless Your Heart

I am reading Paula Deen's new book, "Savannah Style" and falling in love with everything Southern. The porches, the breezy afternoons, the dull hum of the ceiling fans and a nap on an old wooden or wicker  rocker. There's something genuine about Paula that draws me to her cooking and books, even though I hardly ever (another way to say never) make her recipes.

This is the season of lemonades and freshly grown cucumbers. With too many failed tomato plants, we decided to bring home the patio tomato plants in pots. I am probably the only one in the Northern hemisphere who complains about difficulties in growing tomato plants. I know many who distribute tomatoes to friends and neighbors because they had over-production.

 
The salad I am making all the time these days is none other than our very own kosumalli, a popular South Indian salad. The recipe is pretty simple. Here is my version and you should be able to get plenty of variations on this recipe.

Method

1. Mix diced Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, finely chopped green chillies and salt.
2. Heat a tsp of oil. When hot, add mustard seeds and wait until it pops.
3. Add asefoetida powder, and a pinch of red chilli powder to the oil. Add it to the salad.
4. Add juice of half a lime and mix well and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

*** In case you did not get the title, it's simply a Southern expression, that can be used to mean a lot of things.

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Vintage Thrillers and LOLs

Sure has been a while and will save you the long apologetic post on why I was distracted. Instead will get you started on the book I am reading.

The Larsson's series took me back in time to a period when I had all the time to read a gripping book cover to cover in one sitting accompanied by music and snacks. Thank goodness I found the book on our Spring Break trip and had the time to read it without distraction. I read book #2 first, #3 next and then book #1. I would highly suggest reading them in order, if you have not watched the movie yet.

Do not read Bossypants in public, unless you are really comfortable laughing out loud by yourself. I bought my copy of the Bossypants in the airport on my way back from Richmond. The book is drop dead hilarious (if I can coin a phrase like that). Numerous women stopped me and wanted to know how the book was. It's a must read.

Mindy's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me" is more like having one of your chatty friend over for tea and she goes on and on ..in a fun hilarious way. As I read the book the voice in my head started sounding more like that of Kelly Kapor's (of Office fame).

 
Anyone who ever said women cannot be funny has to read Mindy Kaling's and Tina Fey's books.


Images Source : Google.com

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Lauren Myracle

Source : Amazon.com

How exiting it is for a eleven year old to meet one of her favorite authors? An author who has a way into a girl's head that Riya is certain the author can almost read her mind. May be a book I should read soon.

Lauren Myracle is visiting my daughter's school. Riya got to be one of the lucky people to go.

In my daughter's favorite, well known series, the Winnie years, Winnie shares her adventures about growing up from starting as a spazzy (that's my daughter's favorite word, so had it fit in somewhere) idea generator to being a role model for her little brother. I think she likes the series as she can relate to the relationship between the brother and sister.

My daughter hopes to get an autographed copy of one of the books from the Winnie Series and eat cake with her. Amazing, how important cake can be for a 11 year old. Riya also has an idea that she wants to share with the author for her next series. Lets see how that goes.

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I Don't Know How She Does It

There is no better time to read this book than now. We have been passing the parenting baton every weekend. Last week I was out of town; next week dad's going to Vegas (again, for another conference) and I go to Virginia the following week. Well, single parenting is not that bad either. For you have supremacy and don't have to hear "Daddy said I can watch a show on T.V and then go to bed". When I say its bed time, it works like magic.

You can credit my SLR camera for the glamor factor you see on my blog. If you want a real peek into my life or any other working woman's life, all you need to do is read this book. The chaos and struggles of a mom with young kids are accurately depicted in the book. If you ever made a decision to stay home, do ahead read this book. You will be convinced you made the right decision.

On a totally insignificant note, I loved SJP's polka dot blouse and might watch the movie just to see SJP's wardrobe in the movie.

Other Books On My Shelf

Do let me know what you are reading now.

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Recommended Reading - Picture Books

There seems to be an upward trend towards weaning kids from picture to chapter books as early as possible. Almost like a desire to reach a milestone on target. Use of limited words and amazing illustrations is a sure proof way to instill imagination in young minds. I still love to read picture books, fairy tales and any story where good triumphs evil or stories with a moral at the end.

All Images courtsey google.com

Some well known picture books that were made into a motion picture are "Polar Express" and "Jumanji". If you are looking for more options for your little ones, do check out the list of books that received the Caldecott Awards. Caldecott Awards are given to artists for the most distinguished work in picture books.

A few family favorites we are reading right now are "Officer Buckle and Gloria" and "Where the Wild Things Are". There are numerous safety tips in the book "Officer Buckle and Gloria", the one my son did not know was "Do not stand on a sivel chair". Not that he's stopped doing it but at the very least he knows its not the best thing to use when reaching out things from top shelfs. However the book is about friendship, jealosy and trust. Infact the book is such a family favorite, my middle-schooler joins me when I read it out loud for my son.

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Happiness And Tea

I am back from Richmond Virginia. As of Thursday, the power companies were working on restoring power back but for most parts the city is back in action. I stumbled on the "The Happiness Project" in a bookstore in the airport. Its another of those I-re-discovered-myself-on-a-one-year-blog-project turned book. Don't get me wrong, the book is a good read. Most of all, I could associate myself with the book, almost every single line of it. As I was wrapping up the book, my head was soaring with inspiration and the back of my head was scanning through a plethora of topics that I could write about, ranging from "What Motivates You To Start The Day" to "How To Go The Extra Mile At Home, Just Like We Do Outside the House". By morning, I was back to myself. Who am I kidding!!! I am not one of those deep thinker-types, I like to take it easy, enjoy the moment and take pleasure in mundane things. I might change for the good later, but this is who I am right now. That also means you get a post on my latest obsession and not those deep thoughts that kept me awake at night.

How much would you pay for an ounce of tea? There are many up-scale tea shops sprouting all over the country. I found one reasonably affordable and bought a few ounces of green and white tea. I also found that German Rock Sugar works well with tea than white sugar. It is not too sweet and mellows in the background, letting you savor the taste of tea.

The teapot set is a new addition to my collection of tea pots. I bought it in Toronto's China Town.

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Of Books And Scrapbooks

My daughter is back from her field trip. No points for guessing, I did not volunteer to be a chaperon. Instead, I threw a scrap booking party for the girls to journal their trip, when its still fresh in their memory.

Its been a week of books, good books to be specific. I did not want the book, "The Help" to end. Read it as slowly as I could, cherishing every word.

Cleave transitions seamlessly between humor and serious issues in the "Little Bee". However I did not like the fact that the author/publishing requests the readers not to reveal the story. If I can convey what's in that book in 3-4 sentences, I wonder what's the point in writing the book in the first place?

It was a good read and the book would would have done quite well, even with out adding that statement on the book cover.

Happy Mother's Day

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Books Galore

When I am busy I somehow find the time to accomplish a lot.  Ironically, for the days with unstructured time, I seem to have a bigger list of time pass activities. Like aimlessly sit in front of t.v and sift channels or read a chicklit. I am taking a few days off at the end of the year and can't wait to do 'nothing'.

The kids (and grandma a.k.a, my mother-in-law) are asleep, hubby at Mavericks game and I am loving this silence at home. Will probably cuddle up with one of the goodies I ordered from Barnes and Nobles. 

I am a big sucker for women in power or leadership roles. I bought Condoleezza Rice's book for Riya. Its never too early for girls to read about inspiring women or have an active interest in current affairs.

Image Source - barnesandnoble.com

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Lighting Their Fires

 via

On a rare occasion when I get a couple of hours to myself, I like to grab a cup of chai latte or cappuccino and sift through books at Barnes and Nobles. During one of those visits, two books caught my attention; “Lighting Their Fires” by Rafe Esquith and “The Art of Choosing” by Sheena Iyengar. I made a mental note to myself to order these online and totally forgot about it until I came across Esquith’s book at the library.

The setting in this book is during a game between the Dodgers and the Cardinals as Esquith takes us through his 5th grade class in Hobart Elementary where kids come to school weekends, stay late, arrive early and perform Shakespeare plays. Upon further research, I found to my surprise that Hobart school is not an upscale prep school, like I thought it would be. Kids here come from troubled families but land up in good colleges with guidance from able teachers and parental involvement.

There is no “eureka” moment in the book but subtle reminders to parents and teachers to fall back on core values like modesty, humility, punctuality, patience, focus, knowledge, decision making and honesty. The book offers numerous activities to hone and attune the young minds.

The book is a good read and reminded me of a great teacher and author, E.R.Braithwaite, and his autobiographical novel “To Sir with Love".

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The Newbery Challenge

This summer Ri started reading books that received Newbery medal. The Newbery Medal is awarded to children’s book to encourage creative work and has been around since 1922. Some of the more popular books that won the title are The Tale of Despereaux, Shiloh, Bridge to Terabithia, etc.

At the end of each book, we discuss the reason why the book was chosen for the award. My only academic expectation is that she learns five words from each book, not necessarily new or jazzy or complex words, but simple words she could use in her school writing assignments.

The award winning books are unique in their own ways with respect to the author’s style of writing, subject and era. The book that received the award for 2010, titled When You Reach Me, weaves the science of time travel and relativity into the story line and the backdrop is New York in the late 1970s.

While the one that won the award in 1936, titled Caddie Woodlawn is about a pioneer girl who befriends the Native Indians during the 1860’s.

Ri’s favorite is Number the Stars, an gripping story, set in the Nazi occupied Copenhagen, Denmark in September 1943.

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Damned If She Does, Damned If She Dosen't

A husband and wife started off their careers at the same time with similar qualifications. During their initial years, their titles, pay and bonus were almost the same. A few years down the lane, things changed. The husband got way ahead of his career than the wife. I am sure numerous working couples can relate to this. The authors Lynn Cronin and Howard Fine married couple and management consultants explain this phenomenon and many more real life situations.

There are no short term fixes or n-steps to the “Corner Office with Windows Facing Hudson River” suggested in the book. Instead the authors walk you through scenarios closer to real life where disparity between the genders exists in its subtlety. They interpret these scenarios that potentially impact a women’s career by drawing valuable insight from their own experiences.

The paradoxes mentioned in the book are true to the title and a must read for aspiring women.

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One Night @ the Call Center

Many moons ago, a buddy at work and I happen to have a real lousy boss. We would humor around saying, if we ever got fired; we had enough substance to write a book on bad management or outsource it to the television series “Office”. Interestingly, Chetan Bhagat raced us on this one. If I say, I have heard every single statement made by the ‘so called’ bad boss in the book that would be an understatement.

Later, I googled the author and found that he worked for the same firm I am referring to here. Its amazing, how many miles, a corporate would cross to ensure the work culture is consistent across the oceans.

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Ro's Favorite Book

Ro is fascinated with animals. Zoo is his favorite place to visit. We read a lot of non-fiction animal books to him. On our weekly library visits, he heads straight to the animal section.

On one such trips, he found ‘Owen and Mzee’, a touching real life story about un-explainable friendship between a baby hippo and a 130 year old tortoise. The baby hippo, a lone survivor of the 2004 Tsunami is rescued and moved to a reserve where he rushed to the safety of a 130 year old tortoise, Mzee. The tortoise is initially reluctant to bond but eventually reciprocates back to the baby hippo. The book takes you through the journey of this unusual relationship via words and pictures.

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A question here and a question there

  

Ro thinks the dinosaur book he is reading is ‘sooooo …crazy’. He questions pointing to the small dino, Amma, why is this dinosaur following the other one?” I did not get it, I ask him why not. He explains, “They are not in the same family, Amma. This big one is a herbivore and the small one is a carnivore.” He was right; they were not even the same kind of dinosaurs.

Yesterday, when I took him to the temple for Rama Navami, he asked me “Why are we celebrating the birthday of somebody who killed somebody?” He’s moved on but I still ponder over it...

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First 90 Days

The book starts with the following line – ‘The president of United States gets 100 days and you get 90.’ I gave it a quick reading as most of the book is geared towards C-level officers. At 16,000 feet high, the book talks about the impact a person needs to make in the first 90 days when taking over a new role irrespective of whether it is in the same organization or outside.

It left me thinking about the changes I needed to make since the title change -

• For starters, I stopped counting the number of battles I won and focused on building relationships.
• I remind myself not focus on my “Likeability Quotient”.
• Every once in a while I look for that unique opportunity to say ‘No’ in a fashion that is politically correct.

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