Oh, dear!

I didn't realise that we are exchanging gifts this Christmas till 6:45 a.m today. I knew that my mum was hosting the meal this year and that I had volunteered to cook the bulk of it, but Christmas presents hadn't entered my thinking. It's partly because even though we always celebrated Christmas growing up in India, we didn't always exchange gifts. And because no one said anything.

Oops. I suppose some last-minute gifts are in order. I'll have to buy some but I'll also be trolling the internet for some ideas (feel free to share any that you might have) in the next few hours, so I must be off. I'll leave you with some of my favourite photos from the last few weeks.

Kids getting ready for their first Communion at Church, Vasai.

At a rural school for tribal children in northern Maharashtra. All smiles.

I spy.

Juna Bazar. A bi-weekly street market where you can find all manner of cool things.

Own two hands

A couple of inspiring things:

1. My husband is painting a mural on our bedroom wall. He has wanted to paint one for several years now but I guess the timing was never quite right. Several weeks ago, it started off looking like this -

Now it looks more like this -

I really love it. It's beautiful. It's a work in progress and he says he has several hours of painting ahead of him to complete it.

2. I recently discovered that my cousin likes to hand embroider. Here are some of the things she made -

Pretty, no? Maybe I'll ask her to teach me.

Being thankful

1. for my health and safety, and the health and safety of my family.
2. for the food and comforts I enjoy each day.
3. for the chance to pursue things that make me happy.
4. for the beauty of nature.
5. for a great sense of direction!

Re-entry is difficult

So much has happened in the past month and half, I'm not quite sure where to begin. So here is a random list of things to help me start:

1. I spent the second half of September in the US of A. Spending two weeks on the other side of the planet made for a lot of rushing around and jet lag, but it was lovely to see family.

2. I was in Kerala for a week after we got back. Our trip involved some long bus rides and stunning country side. And we ate well.

3. I finished a couple of sewing projects before I left on the trip.

4. I missed yoga class for a month. It's dark when I get back from class these days. Sorry, no photo.

5. We enjoyed being in India for Diwali this year. It was noisy, but very festive.

Urrgh

Why does blogger mess up my font size and formatting?