My Little Miss Congeniality!

...Baby Girl is wide awake, I have been rocking her for ONLY a couple of hours in my arms and she continues to stare at me... :-) Both of us enjoy the silence and look at each other and the lovely lights of the Eiffel Tower...I can't help but remember the time when I was pregnant and unable to sleep, I would sit in the living room and worry about whether everything will work out fine and if I will have the darling baby safely in my arms? ...and now, here she is...calm and serenity personified...my body and arms are tired, my eyes droop sleepily...and she gives me a BIG SMILE! Just like that....I am all energized and savor this lovely moment...and in just another 5 minutes, she is fast asleep, holding on to my fingers in her hands! :D

I wonder how my daughter can be such a morning person, I most definitely am NOT! ...On most days, I check her crib to see if she is awake...and there she is, smiling at her toys , enjoying the colors all around her, playing by herself without a whimper...and she looks at me and gives me a big smile to say " Hi Amma, Good morning?" and sometimes will even chuckle when I make funny noises to make her laugh! (Of course, on some days, she may cry - but it could be hunger or that she did a big job or bad dreams!)

Baby Girl is the most cheerful baby I have ever seen...often, she smiles at even strangers, at the hospital, visitors she is seeing for the first time, her Amma, Appa, Athai, Anna, Patti...anyone and everyone!...and its not gas! She actually recognizes and smiles genuinely at you! Its the most gorgeous smile...

I have a horrible toothache right now and its simply unbearable. I am crying in agony and fervently trying to get a dentist appointment....while I try to explain, I am in tears....she smiles at me, a big smile...as if to say, I understand....you will be alright ( Who is the baby?)!...and I can't help thinking what a wonder my Little Miss Congeniality is! I fervently thank God for our little blessing! :-)

Lust List for the Home!

I recently updated our furniture, decor as you can see here! So of course, I need to be Bill Gates's sister to be able to afford everything all at once or buy it all at once! But there is no harm in "window shopping", in this case - "screen hopping" - so here goes!

All images courtesy, and available at : www.maisonsdumonde.com

I love how elegant and modern wrought iron furniture looks though it has its disadvantages!( tends to creak a lot!)...anyway, coming back to this lovely "cocoon", I love beds with a canopy for the simple reason that it gives me a feeling of being in a cocoon! :) Someday....or maybe one down the years for baby girl? we could both curl up together... ;-)

My love for all things "Buddha" is no secret and its apparent from all my "decor posts" earlier...(click here and here)...I am attracted to a "Buddha" only if the face is right...it should resonate absolute calm and tranquility and some of them really call out to me! Here's an example for you and left to me, I would surround myself with him anyday...

I have always fancied the name "papasan", it sounds damn cute and if you look at a papasan, it shrieks sheer comfort and you can curl up in the balcony, enjoy a lazy afternoon reading a book and some hot chai! :) It sure looks inviting, doesn't it? That is a must-buy on my list! 

While a papasan is probably more affordable, this is another "book-chair" I have been eyeing...a baroque style lounge chair! 

Baroque style furniture is typically characterized by grandeur, drama and is exuberant owing to its Roman origin...

Both S and I loved it, except the cost is as grand as it looks! It costs more than a entire living room sofa set! :P A girl can dream, right? :)

Tea lights are a great way to lend some colour, brightness and romance to a cozy corner - they are economic too! It can also double up as diyas during Diwali...I love this stand with its multi-coloured tea light holders! What are you lusting after?

...From God with love...

...comes our baby girl, safe and sound! She is just perfect - beautiful, healthy and happy ( I would repeat this sentence to myself all the time through my pregnancy). She comes to me after numerous prayers and good wishes, she is my penance! :)

We have been through some painful losses a few years back...this heartbreaking event was not only draining physically, it also broke my heart to a million pieces, shattered my confidence and has made me paranoid. It is a loss I will never get over, will carry to my grave...why am I revealing this sad event now?

I realize that you value and treasure something a lot more, when it comes to you after a lot of hard work and great difficulty. You learn to be content and appreciate it a lot more - never take things for granted...

Many of my friends are mothers now and for some of them the journey is not so smooth! What I have shared is very personal and I share this on my blog to let people know that positivity, prayers and belief in GOD can make a huge difference in our lives...eliminate negativity and negative people from your lives and you will do a lot better!

I am blessed in many ways and she is truly a big blessing in my life - many people including close friends and family have been very encouraging and positive, cheering me up when I was down( of course, I have those moments!) and sending me positive vibes - it has made a huge difference...

Some fascinating trivia - I found out that I was pregnant with baby girl in Slovenia when we were on a holiday and we scouted all of Ljubljana for an open pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test! We walked a long way to find one - it was christmas time in December last year! She is born in Paris...so she is truly a "global" child already... :)

I know all babies are beautiful. But baby girl has the most beautiful, calm and serene face and is a happy child. When she looks at me - I see God in her - she is our very own "ummachi papa" - that's how we call her fondly! :) 

Baby girl seeks all your blessings, good wishes and smiles at you...

"Let there be light and cheer..."

We are evolving constantly with time, and this is reflected in our homes as well. I love bold vibrant colours,unique eclectic elements infused into our homes - after all, your home is a reflection of your personality, of who you are...

My passion for home decor began a long time back, and the opportunity to experiment and try new things began when we set up our own home in Pune, India! Unfortunately, I did not blog or take pictures of our home when we were in Bangalore.

I update the accessories and decor at home as much as I update my wardrobe, which evidently is pretty often! :P 

When we moved to our Paris home, I began the change with this and this! Over the last four years or so, we have gone through many subtle changes - here, here, here, here and here! 

This couch has been with us for many years and we have used it a lot since we moved to Paris, so its worn out and though it looks good and is in good condition, it began to sink really low and we had back pains often....so we decided to buy a new one and get rid of this! I never thought we would be so attached to a piece of furniture, but every little thing at home has some memories attached to it.

Isn't life all about looking forward, happiness and creating new memories?  So we moved on with optimism and this time green is our "new black" of sorts! Sunlight, warmth and sunshine is such a rarity in Paris. So I wanted to infuse a lot of light and colour in our home - so I chose green and purple as our colour scheme this time for the living room ( you will notice that we are leaning towards green slowly)! :)

We veered towards a textured olive green-lime green upholstery and moved away from the traditional black or pastel colours that are often chosen!

I love purple and wanted an element of it in the living room - hence the bonus futon! This upholstery would have been too overwhelming for the couch, but adds a pop of colour in small elements to the subtle green!

Both my MIL and Amma have some lovely wood carvings in their homes and I have always loved it! So when I saw this mural on a home decor website here, that too at a bargain, I literally jumped on it! It looks absolutely gorgeous and is an absolute keeper, will remain a constant in our home - wherever we go!

Over a period of time, I have slowly collected and co-ordinated the accessories around the "green" theme, including the mural, taishi, cushions( but, of course!) and the patch work embroidery!

I can't wait for my folks and S's folks to visit us again and enjoy, appreciate and share our lovely home! I have been so excited about every little detail....and S can finally heave a sigh of relief now! :P

Colour pyschology in home design suggests that the colour green fosters peace, calm and a feeling of warmth and security in your home. Green is not only the "in" colour right now, it also leaves us with a feeling of contentment and totally relaxed. Cozy, for sure! :)

I still have it...

...its been long since I worked on a glass painting, I don't work on it here in Paris as I am not sure where I can source the glass from!

I bought a cheap photo frame to create this, so I removed the glass to try something...so I finally worked on it and came up with this! Its a rose shattering against a glass...if you can't make out what the concept is about! :)

....and the crown on Buddha's head is one of the earrings - which I thought looked really pretty....and I lost the other one from the pair! I am the queen of recycling, eh? ;)

Do you like it? :)....I am mighty pleased with it coz I finished it within a half hour!

Clothes Overhaul!

...I strongly believe in getting rid of clutter, but holding on to the good things in life AND clothes! Optimum utilization is KEY....I love to do potter around and do something creative with my time...it makes me feel very productive and creating something, even if in a small way...makes a huge difference to how you feel...anyway, I digress!

So I have this old top that I bought in Singapore a long time back, which shrunk in size over several washes...but I love these chinese accents on it! 

So I got rid of the top I had "outgrown", but cut out these beautiful and vibrant accents....

....attached them to a plain silk top in black....and Voila!

I have an interesting new top and I retained the lovely embroidery patches too! Ingenious, you say? I KNOW!! :P

9 years of...love and happiness(mostly!)

S makes his yearly visit to the blog...I have always maintained...he is a man of few words, but they are always profound and astute! 

I thought long and hard since J asked me to write another piece for our 9^th anniversary but wait…no, that’s not true at all! Neither did I have to think long nor very hard since it all came to me when…

I awoke early this morning to the soft pitter-patter of summer rain outside our bedroom window. Then, I was jolted awake by the rumbling of the washing machine (it hasn’t been installed properly so it makes a hell of a racket). Once that was fixed, I lay awake in bed listening to blissful heartbeats asleep next to me.  Soon (too soon), there was bright sunlight streaming through brushing aside the rain, only for the rain to make a sweeping comeback announced by rolling thunderclaps.

I mused at how these early morning minutes were like our partnership: serene, raucous, frantic, peaceful, dazzling and thunderous.  In our years together, we have had pretty much all of this and more. 

Of course, when you go to sleep, you know you will get up fresh the next morning and when it starts to rain, you know that it will be sunny eventually (even in these grey European climes!). But, in life, there is only love, hope and trust that take us through to “the other side” of whatever cloud we’re under.  I have always felt we are like the Sun to each other – you know that it is there always even if you can’t always see it. As time passes by, it’s like a piece of you that grows a little each day and you don’t even realize it’s there.  

9…2003…2012…numbers like any other but for us, they are all special...the last 9 years have been quite special (see my 2011 post to pursue this line of thought). Is it 9 years already? This is the first year in a very long time that we have not travelled outside of “home” in the first 6 months of the year as its been so busy since the start!   

This is the first time we are in a place that we have been before on our anniversary. We spent the day watching a movie (in a theatre after a long time!), shopping and just wandering around the city, which was a welcome change! This is the first time J lost a bet to me and actually admitted it (she bet on Djokovic). And it’s our first 9^th anniversary! Lots of firsts in 2012 and we’re not yet ½-way through the year!

2003 changed both of our lives in a way we would never have imagined, in a good way. There were so many pleasant surprises along the way: for example, before I met J, I could never have imagined a person calling me to say “can you come and pick me up? I’m out of gas and standing on the side of the road and there’s a tree here” :P . And little did we imagine then that we would spend our evenings gazing out over Parisian rooftops at probably the most famous monument in the world from our living room…

and 2012? it’s all change now again… Just like the number 9 is what you get when you add the digits of any multiple of 9, we will keep coming back to this year in many ways…

so, I look forward to getting up tomorrow and many more days after to the soft pitter-patte of summer rain outside our bedroom window knowing that, there is more to come…                             

P.S. - S writes some beautiful poetry on his blog, if you would like to read...click here! 

Accessorizing my personality!

Offlate, I am really drawn to quirky pieces of jewellery....everyday stuff that is interesting and unusual in a way that brings a smile on your face and reflects your personality...not make you wonder what's wrong with this woman, mind you!

I love how gold complements my skintone, but I prefer the matte gold as opposed to too-shiny-in-the-face kinda gold! I found this really cute collar necklaces on www.asos.com , I am in love with it and wear it to work with bright summery tops/blouses. It really brightens up the entire ensemble!

I love turquoise and have many bold and chunky necklaces or "statement necklaces" in the same color and I picked most of them from my trip to India! :) It goes well with a plain white shirt or top! 

Here's another one that's really cute - its a moustache, of course I prefer my man clean-shaven for sure! It makes for a nice change to brighten a Monday morning, what say?

I loved this "peace and love" pendant with the very girly sort of detailing in it, makes it look very feminine and pretty...

I picked this up in Bangalore from India coz the pendant has an elephant aka my favorite God Ganesha or "the Elephant God" as people here in Paris tend to refer to him...its really cute and brings out the child in me....

I fell in love with this claw bracelet, beware - i might dig into you if you rub me the wrong way! ;)

My Super Mom (Amma!)

I feel there is a lot of beauty in calling her "Amma" in my mother tongue rather than calling her "Mummy" or "mom"...hence the revised title!

On my way back home yesterday, I could'nt help feeling emotional as I kept thinking about my teen years. When I became 'sweet 16', my mom did the sweetest thing for me. She went to Hyderabad with her friend before my birthday for some occasion....and came back and gifted, not one or two, but 16 dresses!!!!! She was like, I wanted your 16 to be very special for you! :-) I was so touched by her thoughtful sweet gift!


My mom/dad have always been really loving and thoughtful, despite being strict most of the times. I remember when i was 13 or 14, my mom got transferred to Bangalore, and she had to go due to circumstances. My brother and I, stayed with my dad and he took very good care of us. I would cry everytime she came visiting over weekends and when she had to go back...So my dad surprised me the next morning. I woke up to my mom fondly waking me up lovingly with endearments and calling me her sweet little baby....I was thinking I must be dreaming...Amma is in Bangalore, so how can i hear her voice? Actually, my dad had recorded her voice and she spoke to me like she was right there with me...and every day he would wake me up with that recording...When we got back from school, he was very thoughtful and engaged us in learning the 'Hanuman Chalisa'...my brother and I sang the whole shlokas in some time to my Mom in a few days time and her face lit up with happiness....it was worth the effort. Appa did everything he could so that we did not miss Amma too much.

I remember staying with my Perima ( my mom's elder sister) one weekend and crying to see my mom...she was like 'Come to me, darling! I will hug you!" I was such a mean thing and said 'But your sari does not smell like my mom's! I want amma...'!!! She (my perima) is no more but I always think of her as a person with genuine love and affection for me.I think about it now and can't stop feeling bad about my behavior. But at that point, i could'nt fully understand why Amma had to be away from us. She must have been miserable already staying away from her husband and kids. To top it all, if i cried everytime she left, I am sure she would go back to Bangalore very miserable too...I wonder how she coped with it all and remained cheerful and happy, it would make me insane to be in a situation like that. Amma is a very strong woman.
That kind of selfless love, only comes from a parent, I guess!! :-) I feel so blessed when I think of my awesome parents! I am what I am because of them...( I turned out pretty ok, me thinks!) ;-)

Edited to add: Amma in her stylish avataar when she visited us in Paris in 2010!

www.shopo.in

P.S - I WON the contest! Yay!! 

Indian jewellery with a twist!

...my newest acquisition...after the neli ring, is this pearl beauty! I love it as it combines the traditional kundan pendant with a cluster of pearl strings - which makes it really modern yet ethnic! :)

I am a pearl junkie and have a variety of jewellery in pearls, including multitude of traditional pearl strings (thanks to Amma!)...to contemporary pearl strings in grey that can be paired even with western outfits - which I do tend to wear to work sometimes!...and I am very lucky in the fact that they are ALL gifts from family or friends! ;)
  

...here's adding another treasure to my kitty, and for once something I did BUY! :)

Organizing Fetish!

...and a fetish I am glad I developed! I have grown fond of organizing all my stuff and especially how it makes life easier and "sorted"!

After organizing my dressing table here, I tackled the bathroom with its numerous appliances we both use, well mostly I use! ;) The hair dryer, straightener, curler, S's electric shaver and other sundry toiletries that we tend to use on a daily basis and stuff that can be all over the place! So finally, I managed to put it all together like this and "brand" it in my own style!

I bought this online from www.littlewoodseurope.com if anybody is interested...

I have a bunch of artificial creepers that I bought long back, I added that to give the room a touch of "greenery and nature". :) We are pretty sorted and "safe" now that there aren't wires hanging everywhere and its all neatly stowed away after use!

Spring is the time of plans and projects...

...as sunlight peeks into our lives slowly...we are waking up to the warmth and sunshine and are definitely more cheerful! I can never say it enough...I never ever thought I would long for sunshine so much....this year has been pretty busy from the start, yet I have managed to complete tiny projects around our home, which always brings me joy! :)

 

I deliberately chose a pastel coloured frame to offset the blue in the painting and it adds the right "springy" effect to the room...

I bought these 2 prints of Van Gogh that I loved, when we went to Amsterdam to bring in my big 3-0! Finally, I got it framed and it brings a pop of colour to our room, and we wake up with a smile in our little fairy land! I love our bedroom - it totally looks like our very own  little paradise! One of the print is this - of almond branches and another one is the very popular "Cafe de nuit" ( which means cafe at night!). Our home in Paris has this painting in a big frame and I loved it, so I bought one to take back to our own home in India! :)

These white orchids are one of my gifts from S this birthday in March! I loved it coz its going to be around for a while! I get really sad when fresh flowers wilt and don't really last long! S was super thoughtful and got me the plant too! So they adorn my kitchen window and cheer us up in the mornings as we have our cup of java or chai! :D

Have I changed?

...of course I have...we all change over a period of time! Some of us change drastically - I would like to think I have changed for the better...I always observe that I react differently to a situation now, than I did in the past...I don't waste my time or go out of my way to ponder over something that is not within my control anymore , and this is something I have to learnt to let go consciously. Especially, with people or "friends"! Its impossible to please EVERYONE - PERIOD. I have realized that its not absolutely essential that every single individual should like me or vice versa, and agree with my point of view or vice versa. Finally, I understand the phrase " agree to disagree"! :)

My mind is never free - I am always thinking about something or the other...and since I moved to Paris, I realize that I enjoy the silence and the quiet times here a lot more now. Initially, I missed the hustle-bustle back home and missed all the familiar noises. Now, it irritates me when someone talks loudly on the Metro or when a group of people make a lot of noise. While, I have been guilty of all that sometime back... I no longer feel, I need to voice my opinion or views all the time, any longer! I feel that I need to talk or be heard - selectively! Of course, I am still close to the people I love and am very vociferous with them...except I don't feel the same way with everyone...in that aspect, I have indeed changed! :)

As I read through this, I have to admit that I feel I am slowly removing all the clutter in my mind - slowly but steadily and its definitely a good change! Its been very busy since the beginning of this year - and I have not written much on the blog this year...here's to making a start with something...

I feel sLOVEnia!

...this is the slogan for you guessed it right, Slovenia! ....and what a beauty she is! :) S and I, didn't really plan our holiday too well and on a whim decided to head eastwards! While all our friends were very surprised about our choice, we can't imagine why the country is not a popular travel destination! People are very friendly, the country is gorgeous and blessed with tons of natural beauty!

As always, I brought along something to remember the lovely times in Slovenia! I have been eyeing this ceramic drawers on various sites and wondering how to get one, for myself! When I saw this...in a store and fell in love instantly! Its a unique piece, just like I am! :P

Each drawer is very colorful and is BEA-U-TI-FUL! S gets his share too, maybe one draw? :)

I love the ornate wood carvings on top and it holds all my little , pretty bottles of heaven - which by the way - are ALL gifts! I have never bought myself a perfume in a long time! :)

 

I love chimes and the soft clink-clank of it as the wind blows! Its very pleasant and calming. Though, here the weather here does not permit us to open the windows right now - back home in Pune, the balcony with the swing was filled with chimes of all kinds - all around and we were referred to as the house with all kinds of bells! :) I remember S taking a conference call from home once, and everyone asked him where the lovely sounds came from? 

...This is my first post this new year, and I am all excited and filled with wonder and hope, that it is filled with loads of love, happiness, good health, peace and everything warm, bright and motivating as these lovely tea-light candles! :)