When Z is away

I make single lady food...the easy staples I lived off of in college. On this particular day when Z was away I resorted to ramen. But this is not college ramen...

I added chopped veggies (tomatoes & bell peppers) as well as paneer (Curry Land's version of cottage cheese).

 I boiled it all together, strained the excess water, mixed in the paneer and then went easy on the seasoning provided in the ramen packet. viola...10 minute lunch.
 

Lovin Pinterest Fails

Thank you ladies and gentlemen who get pinterest ideas, try to implement them, and then document the unsuccessful results. You are the shining reminder why I should not try all the crafty things I see on pinterest. I'm an optimist so without your early example I would probably be elbow deep in modge podge sobbing uncontrollably. Pinterest dreamers everywhere need you to bring them back to the sober reality that we are better at social media than creating handmade projects like the pinterest doers.

Anny: woman of many talents

Our maid Anny can thread - FYI, threading is a fast and effective way to pluck and shape eyebrows or get rid of unwanted facial hair. Men and women get their faces threaded here in Curry Land. Initially I was not a fan of threading...a long time ago a beautician here took way too much off my eyebrows...I was left with skinny little pencil brows. Now I only let Anny touch my eyebrows...if she ever leaves I shudder to think of the eyebrow trauma that will insue.

Little Miss Prissy Pants

I hold A entirely responsible for putting the Miss in the Priss...she is Abi's main wardrobe contributor. She loves dress up...skirts, scarves, and bows keep her occupied as she prances around exclaiming 'Oh, wow!' everytime she is pleased with her own appearance and ensamble.

Brace Yourself...

for BRACES!
Orthodontics is inexpensive and safe here so Z and I decided to hold onto our youth and look like teenagers again - haha...actually we both have bite issues that were causing all sort of problems.
I asked our orthodontist if our braces will get stuck when we kiss...I was informed that was a myth -Darn!

From the pages of my journal 5/1/2013

We took some fun new friends out shopping to show them where we buy our Curry Land digs. We had a good time together and for me the shopping was about spending quality time with my friends...because to be really honest I am tired of Suits (3 pieces made up of scarf, tunic top, and drawstring pants that all women wear here for modesty). Buying them, getting them tailored and then wearing them...so much money, time and energy goes into it and them at the end of the day it is just a suit and the fabric reminds me of couches, curtains, or pillow covers...it is easy to feel clownish with all the colors and prints going on. But frankly, I've got to get over my suit slump because staying in my yoga pants and tank tops is just not going to cut it.

From the pages of my journal 4/18/2013

Z and Art are off to M town and Abi is down for her morning nap - I have found a very peaceful morning. Yesterday my morning started at 5am. Perry drove me to the capital to pick up a perspective client. Perry beat his record and we made it to the capital and back in under 3 hours...of coarse he drove like a mad man the entire way.
Speaking of the perspective client...we took her out the village and the women there taught her how to make some of the jewelry using the new wire techniques we taught them. Her first loop did not pass their inspection and Sunny quickly cut it off and made her start over. It was funny to see but also heartwarming that their standards now match our standards.

Coming to America!

*If you have not seen this movie you need to ASAP!
Anyways it is true...I am coming to America. Not because I am African royalty (only in my dreams) looking for a spouse (I've got the hottest hubs on the planet!). I'm coming to America to see my nephew!!!

From the pages of my journal 4/16/2013

Yesterday I quickly got all my house work done and we went off to spend the day in Katauli with some of Art's relatives. We were there for five hours. Art's relatives are great and really gentle people. Abi thoroughly enjoyed every minute playing with loads of children and eating different fruits, cookies, and curry! She did not sleep the entire day...way too much to see and do. So when we put her to bed we didn't hear a peep from her all night. Meanwhile the rest of the evening I vegged to recorded episodes of 'Duck Dynasty' - other shows seem so boring and full of senseless drama in comparison.

Family day

At least two Saturdays a month we schedule family days...we try to plan special outings, special food, and leisurely activities on these days. We started this tradition before we had kids and so now it is even more enjoyable...as our family grows so does the range of family day activities.

 

 

 

Jinxed Mumu

First of all, Yes, I own and wear a mumu. Bro bro calls it my flying squirel dress. In hot climates they are Amazing! So don't knock it till you try it.
Second, I love my mumu. I can't wait till the end of the day when no one is at my house and I can slip on my mumu...but here is why it is jinxed...
This month everytime I have changed into the mumu there instantly is a knock or ring at our door - I do not love my mumu enough to be seen in it by anyone other than family so then I have to change back into real clothes. And every time my attitude just struggles as I choose between hospitality and my mumu.

The Truth about Chai

Ever since we arrived here and started learning language and culture the truth about chai started coming to light. That milky tea goodness in not original to Curry Land. It was introduced by the British...and now afternoon tea is as much an intricate part of culture here as it is in the U.K. Initially the British provided chai for free, then once everyone was hooked it became a money making comodity. Now adays people drink chai in the mornings and afternoons, as well as served to guests. As Z was having chai in a village one of the elders shared about how chai got it's start. Z then asked 'what did you drink before chai was introduced?' His response...'Buttermilk'. Hmmm...now I see why sweet milky tea took over so easily.

Poop was everywhere!

Most mornings we wake to the happy little jabbering of our sweet angel. She wakes up before us and talks and plays in her little nook that is off to the side of the master bedroom. This morning the jabbering was a little different and Z looked over to her nook and saw her moon walking and dancing around in similar sliding fashion to moon walking. And what was she moon walking on...POOP! She had runny poop all over her legs, feet and sheets - EWWW! Z saved the day, cleaned her up and the stripped the bedding.
FYI: the culprit to runny poop was watermelon.

AC addict

We have finally turned our AC on (at night when we sleep...don't want to get to soft, we have a reputation to uphold). Anyways in one week I have become completely addicted to AC...I sleep as long as possible to get the full AC usage out of 24 hours. I feel so guilty about the late morning start, especially since Anny comes to work and I am usually just getting out of bed in my pj's...this AC addiction has to stop! It is causing embarrassment, denial, apathy...you know, just like any other run of the mill addiction.

just like mommy

One scary thing about parenting is that your children pick up on everything you do and mimic it.

New rug

A rug walla came through the neighborhood with a cart full of rugs...I was curious so I called out for him to come show me the rugs. There were tons of paisley and Persian patterns but for some reason this one spoke to me. I think it fits nicely in our Curry Land home. Abi loves it, Z detests it - and although it spoke to me and I bought it I don't think I was patient enough to listen to what it was trying to say...so I am on the fence. Some moments I love the rich colors and sharp contrasts and then other moments I ask myself why I bought a rug straight out of the 90's. No matter now because if you buy anything from a walla with a cart there is a no return policy - it's ours now.

Confused by bumper stickers

One evening Z and I were driving home from dinner out and were cut off by another vehicle ~ surprise, surprise...we do not get bent out of shape like we used to when other vehicles cut us off, we kind of drive expecting it. Anyways, this vehicle had a very familiar bumper sticker "Honk if you love Jesus!" It was the other bumper stickers that left us scratching our heads.
~ "God, guts, and guns keep India free!" So possible members of the NRA...or republicans
~ "Follow me to Hooters" - Bah!
~ "wing em', ding em', 69 em" - What??? Z had to explain to me that it was a dirty refference to interc__se (I'll let you fill in the blank).
Because none of the other bumper stickers had anything to do with Jesus I think it is safe to say that the vehicle owner is way more confused than we were.

From the pages of my journal 3/18/2013

This weekend I caught up on a lot of housework. Now it is Monday morning and I look around me and see baby socks on the bed, wash clothes on the table, sippy cups on the floor and sofa. This home is deffinitely lived in. Our baby is on the move picking up little things and redepositing them in different spots throughout the house. It is a constant pick up and put away game with her around. The entire time she is going through the house happy, giggling, and gabbering. It really is heart warming to watch. Not very many people parent with rigidity here in Curry Land. They do not expect my home to be clean and orderly. They graciously smile and love on my child even when she is not acting like a little angel. Their attitudes have really helped me develope into a calm and patient mother.

I wish every day was Sunday!

So many things make Sunday the best day of week for me. Sundays mean sleeping in. Then my sweet hubby Z goes straight for the kitchen and makes pancakes for Abi and I. I get to stay in my pj's as long as I want. There is no house work, and no one else except our small family. We watch our American church online from the comfort of our office (in the comfort of my pj's). I make an easy American lunch and we enjoy reading a marriage related book together while Abi takes a nap. It is a simple day simply full of  relaxing, learning, praying, being together, and love.
Oh by the way, Happy Easter everyone!

From the pages of my Journal 3/15/2013

Last night and this morning I have enjoyed pleasant weather - there has been a nice cool breeze blowing. I love these days and take advantage of them before summer hits. So I got exercise out of the way around 7:45am and then watered the plants & washed the car.
Abi was playing in the patio while I was working. Unfortunately it only took her under 1 minute to slip away from me and head up the marble stairs. I did not know where she had gone until I saw my baby rolling down the stairs. Thankfully she was not hurt, no bumps, breaks or bruises. I think she was more startled than anything.
This week has been full of accidents. The day before yesterday Art got into a motorcycle accident and was scraped up pretty bad. Then I was cleaning the bathrooms with a toilet bowl cleaner that contains hydrochloric acid and one little drop got into my left eye. Instantly that eye started burning and I momentarily lost vision. Z and I quickly rinsed my eye with water for 10 minutes. My eye is still sore from the incident but it is getting better everyday...and we had a good laugh when I put a make shift eye patch on.
We are all weary this week and trying to get work done - and because we are in Curry Land, little stresses keep piling up everyday. The gas cylinder for our stove runs out, no water for hours, no power for hours. All these little things mound up like little road blocks/ set backs on the coarse of a day's productivity. Then we look back over our day & week and wonder 'what did we accomplish?' So much time and energy was eaten up by the road blocks. The set backs will never go away so we must find a way to use them for good. So many times they have a negative effect on my outlook and perception of life here when really deep down inside I love my life here. And if everything ran smoothly, Curry Land would not be the everyday adventure that has made life so endearing.

What Would Cavemen Eat?

Z and me are trying to get healthier...so we have been tossing around some ideas:
Idea #1 - get a Golds gym membership...crazy huh, we have a Golds gym in the Rut! As far as gym memberships go the price is pretty steep.
Idea #2 - Buy a stationary bike or treadmill...one drawback is power outages. I can just envision it now...I am running on a treadmill, jamming to some tunes then all of the sudden the power cuts out, the belt stops and I careen into the front of the machine in an ungraceful front flip and bust it on the marble floor underneath - OUCH!
Idea #3 - Go on the Paleo diet, also known as the caveman diet...Z does not want to eat like a caveman, he is happy eating like a civilized man...so we have debated this one extensively.
Our diet here in Curry Land consists of fresh fruits, and veggies - which already goes along with the Paleo diet, but giving up dairies, grains and lentils for straight up protein would be difficult...do the creators of Paleo know how much goes into finding, cleaning and cooking protein here!?! Then I go out to the villages around my house and I watch families in simple mud and brick dwellings cook over a small mud fire pits fueled by gathered sticks...the picture of simple caveman living if you ask me. And what do they cook in these simple dwellings over small fires? Well, mostly whatever vegetables, grains and lentils that were gathered in nearby fields; also whatever dairy that was collected by their goats and buffalos; and on fewer occasions whatever chicken or goat that was slaughtered.
So for Z and me the caveman diet will be a little different...and could probably instead be called the Curry Land villager diet and will consist of Fruits, vegetables, grains that are simply ground and not processed, Dairy with out additives and hormones, lentils and proteins. Oh, and my inner pyro deffinitely wants to cook over a small fire pit fueled by gathered sticks :)
 

From the pages of my journal

I have decided to add something new to the blog this year...from time to time I will post entries from my journal. I am an avid journaler, not such an avid blogger - so the journal is loaded with lots of stories, contemplations, musings and pages upon pages of raw emmotions and shame...Maybe you will you laugh with me, cry with me, be inspired, be encouraged, or maybe you will be so traumatized you will never frequent this blog again. Or if you are like me you easily become drawn into trainwrecks like those shameful reality TV shows that I really should not be watching.

Anyone heard of triple A?

While in the Curry Land capitol we were visiting some friends at their hotel when they were traveling through. We drove there in our car, parked in the back (b/c Z is too cheap to get the car valet parked), and entered the swanky hotel that made us feel like we were no longer in Curry Land. It did not even smell like Curry Land! The hotel had this crazy water misting set up that sprayed lemon grass scented water on all four sides of the building so that guests were not assaulted with the normal smell of raw sewage upon entering and exiting. For some reason I could not make Z see the importance of installing a similar set up at our house. Anyways during dinner I asked Z to get something from the car for me. He was gone for a very long time...I was getting worried...so I called him. He informed me that he was alright and just waiting for assistance because he had locked the keys in the car. No one knew of any locksmith that could open our car. So Z paid two security guards to break into our car...which I find ironic that he is willing to pay someone to break into the car but not to park the car.
We learned a valuable lesson that night. Locking your keys in your car is a big pain, there is no triple A in Curry Land.

Hey Shandon peeps

Shout out to our Shandon peeps!

We miss you.

Introducing Anny - warning she's quirky

So one of my Crazy A friends left the Rut and I inherited her house helper. Her blog name is Anny. There is a lot I am still learning about Anny. She had a love marriage instead of an arranged marriage, She has two little girls and has buried a son, She always smiles, and she plays with Abi any chance she gets.
One day she saw a Space Bag laying on the bed and exclaimed 'Oh you bought this off the home shopping network!' You could tell her bubble was burst when I explained that I did not even know there was a home shopping network in Curry Land. I learned something important about Anny that day...she is an avid veiwer and promoter of the home shopping network. Everyday since she tells me about a great household product I should buy off the home shopping network.

The many uses of Shower caps

 

We travel a lot...and I have to confess that yes I am one of those travelers that raid the hotel room bathroom and sweep it clean of any complimentary item provided. In the past I would always leave the complimentary shower cap...they reminded me of my grandma and her newly permed hair that she could not get wet...so I thought, 'surely I don't have a use for a shower cap.' Boy was I wrong! Now those dinky shower caps are the first thing I look for...my hotel experience is gauged by whether or not they offered complimentary shower caps. I use them all the time here in Curry Land, and not because I get my hair permed.

- They are a great substitute for cling wrap when letting bread dough rise...

- you can use them as a lid for Tupperware when the right lid goes missing...

- or covering your salad bowl so pesky fruit flies don't hover...

 

 

 

- Also useful when you have to give yourself a lice treatment

 

 

Unfortunately lice is an occupational hazard here...at least I have a stash of shower caps :)

The wedding of the 3 brides

Last weekend we went to Art's sisters' weddings...the three of them got married at the same time to three guys, two of the guys were brothers...so it was kind of like 7 Brides for 7 Brothers except that weddings are completely different here in Curry Land, also the brothers and brides did not sing or tend to farm animals...so, probably nothing like 7 Brides for 7 Brothers...bad analogy.

 

 

 I've been to a few weddings here in Curry Land and at this one I finally got to see them sign the marriage certificate. BTW, these men are not the husbands...they are the religious leaders explaining the significance of the marriage certificate and asking the girls for their approval and signature. Once the girl says yes and signs she is officially married. No special prayers, romantic songs or loving vows...the ceremony just consists of this colorfully embossed sheet of paper and a pen.

 

Since three brides were involved and three grooms and the brides had the same last name and two of the grooms were brothers I hovered close by waiting for a mix up...I was sure one of them was going to sign the wrong certificate or one get married to the wrong brother...

 

But alas, these guys were pros, no such incident occurred. The brides, without even seeing their husbands at all during the engagement or wedding, said yes then signed. It was a powerful moment to witness, these women's lives will never be the same, my prayer is that their men will be good to them and they will have a blessed family.

 

...meanwhile wedding guests took advantage of a distracted mommy who was soaking in the cultural experience and passed around Abi, made her pose for pictures, and fed her all sorts of sugary substances. Which in all honesty is pretty much a normal day for her in Curry Land.

Where did my baby go?

Guess who turned 1? I'll give you a hint - not the bearded one :)

Of corse she thinks she turned 16.

My two Valentines

 

For Valentines we went to a nursry, picked out some plants and then planted them...or if you are Abi then you simply played in the dirt.

To kill a rat.

First of all, Z, me and Abi are back in Curry Land - Yay! I am so happy to be back. The downside to coming back to a house you have locked up for 6 months...the clean up. We were pleasantly surprised  when we opened our door to find that there wasn't inches of dust accumulated on everything...only a light film. However there were signs of an intruder...the bathroom and bedroom floor was covered with rat poo...so we started the clean up by sweeping. I was moving some baskets that were piled on our bed when I suddenly saw a rat tail move - I squealed and ran out of there...Z and Art armed themsleves with a broom and shoe and went in after it. The rat ran into the bathroom so Art pushed Z into the bathroom and shut the door behind Z. Only one of them was going to make it out of that bathroom alive and lucky for me Z made it and the rat did not. That night it was hard to sleep, I was shocked and stunned that there was a rat in my house, Z was shocked and stunned that Art locked him in a room with a rat.