What a beautiful weekend

It was indeed a very beautiful weekend. 

On Saturday we went to my favorite Dastkar fair. Just being amidst so many creative people, colors & ofcourse the awesome-awesome-awesome handcrafted products makes one feels great. A very detailed post to follow soon. We are talking hundreds of pictures & lots of deets :)

This was Sara's second time there and booooy she loved it. At eight when we were ready to leave, she wanted to go back and see the puppets & lamps! Love for all things handmade...I am obviously very thrilled. 

On Sunday it was my Dad's 60th birthday. Happy Birthday once again,Papa. You are the best. And what never fails to amaze me is the amount of energy & enthusiasm you have for everything you do. Just a few months back he "retired" and has now taken up a new job in a completely new sector at a senior post. Which means he has to really know his subject as he is answerable to his juniors and so while I am writing this he is busy studying for an exam! He thought that would be best to way to know the subject! 

Really, I have lots of learn from you. Wishing you lots of luck, good health & a really really long life. We had a long celebration which started with an early breakfast with family & ended with lunch at one of his favorite places. It sure was fun!

That's the card that his one year plus grand daughter made for him. He sure was delighted and I am sure just like the many many cards we used to make for him and he would then save them all, this one goes right there as well :) And thats the gift wrap I came up with ...his fav color blue & button flowers.

I hope you had a lovely birth-DAY papa. This also means I get to strike off one thing off my Because this makes me happy list:) Are you working on your lists as well?

I am linking to this to Patty's weekend wrap up party

Images : Personal

Beyond Five Days of Durga Pooja

Ok folks! Its officially festival time from now on till Holi in March next year. No wonder October to March is my favorite half of the year.

Being married to a Bengali has several perks. Awesome Bengali  food, getting to share their love for literature & music are just some of them. But the one that stands out for me is definitely being part of Durga  Pooja. 

I had so much fun after I got married and went for my first Durga Pooja to Kolkata. Though I had been to Kolkata many many times on work & had even stayed there for two months during my summer internship stint with Britannia, this was an entirely difference experience.

Come evening everyone would dress up and walk all over the city; pandal hopping.  Each Idol and each pandal had a theme. The word "creative" doesn't really do justice to the kind of work I saw. And I can't even begin to imagine the kind of hard work that must have gone into making each of these. But one thing that I know for a fact is that those five days kept my creative soul delighted & surprised. Sharing some pictures of my first ever Durga Pooja here. Enjoy the intricate idols & the craftsmanship of the pandals.

I am linking this to Beyond Five Days of Durga Pooja. Wishing all of you a happy beginning for the LONG festival season ahead :)

Images : Personal Collection

Because this makes me happy!

I am quite the queen when it comes to making lists. So this month I decided to make a list of a different kind. A list that will make me happy, a list that will inspire me to try out new things and a list that will make life seem so much more beautiful.

11 things I'd like to do in 2010-11.

By 30^th September 2011 I would like to:

1. Bake a cupcake & ice it. Because I can bake cakes, cheese cakes, muffins, soufflés but have never had the courage to bake & ice a cupcake
2. Re-do Sara's room. Because she is a toddler now and her mother needs a reason to redesign & redecorate
3. Change all the artwork in the house yet again. Because I want to. Because the last time I made each was five years back and I am bored. Because there will be only 25 frames to be filled and I am completely mad to attempt the same with so much already going on in my life
4. Learn the complete lyrics of the song Hope you dance (the song we used in Sara's first year video montage). Because its such a lovely song and I am really bad at remembering lyric. Because I'd like to sing it for Sara.
5. Get a snap of the three of us (DH, Sara & me) clicked. Because we have the lousiest family snaps in the world. Because its rare that we get the opportunity to click the three of us together its either DH & Sara or Sara & me
6. Plan a memorable day for my dad. Because its his 60^th birthday and I love him. Because he is the best dad in the world
7. Throw a really really CUTE birthday party for Sara. Because she is turning two next year and I want to start spending all my days & nights planning it!
8. Complete my collection of Nigella Lawson books. Because I am HUGE fan and love that she only cooks food with 10000 plus calories and there are three that I don't have including her latest release Kitchen
9. Spend an entire night watching our favourite DVDs, munching popcorn & downloading coke into my system (We are talking beyond permissible limits) with DH. Because there was a time when we would watch two movies a night after getting back from work at eight. Because that was our favourite part of the day. Because it was so much fun. Because ever since the little one came into our lives we haven't been able to do this.
10. Learn how to maintain indoor plants. Because the only indoor plant I understand is plucking a stem off the money plant in my balcony and putting it in a bottle. Because I love greens inside but they always die as soon I get them in
11. Come up with a sweet little tradition for each festival or special day that we will be celebrating in 2010-11. Because now is the time that Sara has started understanding & participating in the things we do around the house and it will be awesome  if she has a particularly sweet-something to look forward to each time we celebrate a particular festival or a special day

So that was my list of eleven things I'd like to do by September 2011. I will be striking them off as I complete them. And of course sharing it each time I accomplish something on the list. They say sharing goals always helps in achieving them quickly and by putting it here on the blog and sharing with all you lovely people who have always encouraged me for everything I have taken up in the past I am hoping the same!

I intend to make a list like this each year and share the same with you. With a little difference though. For the year 2011-12, it will be 12 things I'd like to  accomplish and 13 for 2012-13...the reason being If I can manage to do eleven things that make me happy this time around I am sure I can manage one more the year after!

Have you noticed how my list revolves around making my loved ones feel special, designing, renovating, baking, eating, throwing handcrafted parties...well because that is what I like and is a large part of who I am!

Having said that...since I love parties of any kind...lets transform this activity into a lovely party. I invite all of you...bloggers, readers, friends, family to make your own lists...things that will make YOU happy and share it with all of us. This is how you become a part:

For bloggers:

1. Write a "Because this makes me happy" post on your blog and link back to this particular post on purplehomes, url here
2. Copy the 'permalink' from your blog leave it in the comments section
3. I will be then collating them all on a separate page on the blog so that we can all drop in there whenever we feel like and see the group growing
4. Any questions, email me at purplehomes.blogspot@gmail.com
5. Share on your blog each time you meet your personal goal. Don't forget to share it with us!

For Non-bloggers:

1. Write a "Because this makes me happy" note on paper, click a picture or scan it and upload the picture here.  Or the Corel/Picasa/Photoshop savvy ones can make use of that and upload it here as well. Or simply email me!
2. Any questions, email me at purplehomes.blogspot@gmail.com
3. Share with us each time you meet a goal against your picture here

Spread the word around...tell your friends, family, little ones...anyone and everyone you want to and lets all work towards becoming happier!

Before I end,

• This is not a list of New Year resolutions (It's still three months away; in case you didn't notice). No "I want to lose weight", "I want to start getting up early", "I am going to read the newspaper everyday", "I want to become a better human being", save that for New Year! We are talking small, we are talking happy, and we are talking just because I want to do it!
• This is not a list where I intend to keep doing something through the next 12 months. Thats tough! This list is for those one-time things that I have always wanted to learn/do but somehow never managed to squeeze out time for it
•  This is not my typical to-do list that I make every day of the year
• This is not a place for listing professional/work related goals

There is no last date to join this one. Start when you feel you are ready for one.Think hard. Think happy!

Looking forward to many of joining me here! Let the party begin!! 

Images : here, here & here.

Hello Monday!!

Hello everybody! How was your weekend? I had a lovely long lunch with friends...really long...we are talking five hours, watched Barney & Dora :) and worked :( Terrible I know! But the lunch and the time I spent with DH & Sara made up for the working day on Sunday! 

This is going to be awesome week...work & lots of fun..wink wink..will tell you later!!

Wishing you guys a great week ahead and linking this post to September Carnival on The Key Bunch. They are celebrating their blog's second anniversary this month...join me in wishing them. They also have a special treat for their readers. Check it out here...Tote from Clean Planet


Images : Personal