Of Families, vacations, birthdays and stitching

Hola dear stitchy, bakey, crafty friends!! Am back after being MIA, from the blogger world, for 2 months. That's because life has been crazy busy in a good way. July/August is always like that when cousins and families, brother and family all come from several parts of the World and hence the busiest months of the year for us. By the end of August, they all return to their worlds and we to ours hungover from the holidays holding on to the energy till the next year

This year we all went on a very short trip and almost all of us cousins were there, making it even more special. We travelled to Pollachi, a short drive from Coimbatore. The resort where we stayed was a quaint little one and we had the resort almost to ourselves, so we could make all the noise without fear of disturbing other guests. 

There was beautiful river flowing right behind the resort and we had full access to it. A very scenic place and so many peacocks around

It was a very nostalgic trip - recollecting childhood memories, catching up with the new members in the family, getting to know them all better. Our kids enjoyed themselves too, with so much open space to run around and no fear of traffic etc

We celebrated a few birthdays too in August and September

August is V's birthday. I baked a pinacolada cake this time with fresh cream frosting

Dad turned 76 last week. As his birthday coincided with Ganesh Chathurthi this year, we decided to bake a Kozhakattai cake

Amidst all this I did manage to stitch some the last 2 months

That's the progress on project Amma. I have progressed 2 more pages since my last post and can say that I am a little more than half way through

..and here's the ORTS for the last 2 months

That's all that's been happening in my part of the world the last 2 months dear friends. Till next time.. take care.. be happy.. keep stitching.. Au Revoir!

A birthday and some stitching

Hello dear friends. It is the festival season and also season of birthdays in the family. It was dad's 75th birthday on the 18th and we threw a surprise party with a few very close relatives. Dad was totally overwhelmed and extremely happy

We ordered a blackcurrant cake which was absolutely delicious

V started college last month. She's now doing her undergrad in BSc psychology and she's loving it so far

After quite a long gap, V baked these delicious snickerdoodles - the recipe from my William Sonoma's Baking

I was able to catch up on some stitching this month

..and here's the Orts from the month's progress

..a closer look at the progress. I am almost done with the 4th page now. With the holiday season coming up, hope to get some more stitching done

That's the update from me tonight dear friends. Till next time.. take care.. be happy.. keep stitching.. Au Revoir!

Vacation Time

Every year in August, we go on a vacation or have a get-together, when our cousins come down for their holidays. Our last vacation was in 2018! We could not go in 2019 due to V's board exams and then 2020 happened. So, it was a really good break and a change to be able to get away for a couple of days to Kodaikanal. 

All tourist spots, except the lake, were closed. So we relaxed in the resort and made use of all the great amenities that they offered. 

Some pictures from the trip

First thing that I noticed was this poinsettia tree. I always thought that they only grew outside India, so was pleasantly surprised to find them here

I was totally in love with these potted beauties that were placed all around the resort. 

Another really pretty wonder of nature

A friend told me later that these were succulents. So beautiful they are

A complete view of the lake from a specific view-point

We stopped over for lunch at a place where these I saw these stone sculptures. Don't they remind you of the dementors in Harry Potter 😁

Now for some stitchy update. 

A quick look at my mandala lotus. ORTS from last month's progress are on the bottom right

These are the YTD ORTS collection

 So, that's the update from me today dear friends. Till next time, stay safe.. be happy.. keep stitching.. Au Revoir

Lotus progress & September ORTs

Friends it's new moon and time to share ORTs for the month

Progress on lotus has been slow, as too many things have been happening at home - birthdays, weddings and hence outstation trips, get2gethers.. wow it has been a busy month indeed

So, here's my ORT jar

I have not segregated the ORTs from August stitching alone, hence it is the year-to-date

Here's a closer snap of lotus. I love the way it is coming along - looks like a namaste and a lotus too

That's the update from me today friends. Till next time.. take care.. keep stitching.. Be happy.. Au Revoir

TUSAL and updates

Am late again in posting this month's TUSAL. Here it is, all from the June cottage progress

Speaking of which, though there is some progress, I'd have liked to have finished it by now.

Of late there has been a lot going on, with work and family functions. So, have not been able to stitch too much.

I have also resumed some on the beading front, on order from my cousin for her colleagues.

This is a long necklace with ear-rings. The picture is quite murky as I took it in a rush.

Wow, wasn't that a quick post :) Till my next update.. Take care.. Be happy.. Keep stitching.. Au Revoir