Navrathri 2021

 This year we had navrathri  during September end and Arshi's exams were ongoing and covid restrictions were too there.Social gathering was limited to 2 people and so we had to be very careful .Cases very increasing too and I was keeping ck home because of this .He went for a day in between and was issued hrw as he teacher was affected by covid .This navrathri was very simple in terms of inviting friends. My golu is usually very simple with toys and miniature God figures i have .I don't have thisw traditional clay bommais .I have been keeping like this from 2008 .I always want to have a full fledged traditional golu We usually create steps or padi using carton boxes. This time hubby ordered fairy lights to go around the steps to give it a little festive look.Glad ck didn't mess around much and though he took few bommais and played kept it back throughout the 9 days .This time I made small chettair set using playdough set ck had received from his school for their children's day .It was fun making really small set with few baskets of fruits and vegetables. I also did some bead and stone rangoli / kolam with available stones inspired from kundan rangolis everyone displays these few years and maybe next India visit should buy proper set to display .

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Hubby's birthday 🎂  in between navrathri and my simple home baked cake 

A few pictures 📸  from our golu 2021.

Deepavali 2021

 Deepavali is a much awaited festival and this year we started preparing quite early. Shopping for the whole family!!! Yes whole family was such a funny.Usually I don't shop for my dresses here and just use a dress my mother buys for me while I go to India and keep it aside for deepavali.irs such a fun to shop for yourself. After years ,I say years .And we went to little India 2 weeks before the festival. We had planned to buy a week ahead bit as ck was issued hrw we couldn't go the week early .We went on a Friday evening abd choose to buy dreses from Nalli.Yes nalli is in Singapore too.We decided to buy traditional outfits for us and arshi suddenly thought of buying dresses in similar shades so that we can have a 👪  dress .Same day we went to temple too and saw lights that were lit for deepavali light up along little India. It was amazing. And so beautiful. We also shopped for the basic essentials like flour ,ghee etc along with other provisions and few snack packs to add in festive cheer .As covid is still around and cases still high we avoided those crowded deepavali bazaar streets and bought in a our regular super market. I started preparing deepavali snacks in small batches a week ahead of the festival. My mother-in-law was also sending few snacks fron India through courier.Packed few to arshi's friends and close circle here.Had packed for ck's teachers but as cases were raising kept ck home last week. And couldn't pass the packs to the teachers .Deepavali eve we lit sparklers in night .I usually get the kids wear new dress on deepavali eve too.Ck didn't have a top so these people went to shop yes in deepavali eve and bought a top for the guy abd immediately we changed him to his new top and lit sparklers. Next morning woke up early, had oil bath ,changed to new dress, prayed to God, lit sparklers, had few sweets abd snacks, took few pics and yes deepavali was so much fun.Called our relatives over watsapp too to wish them.Evening kids lit sparklers in house and they lit sparklers in our near by park too.Took them for a small walk to the near by OTH to view deepavali deco displayed outside. Deepavali day ww usually go to temple in the morning but ss we feared too much crowd we avoided going to temple in the deepavali day.Instead we went to temple the next day .Deepavali 2021 went well.

Deepavali lightup 2021 at little 🇮🇳 

Deepavali deco in our tampines hub (OTH)

Peda using milk powder and condensed milk. 

Pottukadalai urundai( simple sweet )

Mixture ( before adding omapodi and karaboondi)

Deepavali marundu

Cornflour halwa and custard burfi

Deepavali mom son drawing 

Jeera boli and somasi

Paul boli and somasi 

Bajji and banana chips 

Deepavali eve

Deepavali day 

Mul thenkuzal ,mixture, omapodi, deepavali marundu,karasev

Milk coconut burfi,rava ladoo,payatham urundai,pottukadalai urundai,pottukadalai coconut and nuts urundai ( made from left over stuffing made for somasi ),peda,cornflour halwa,custard burfi,deepavali legiyam
All these are home made 
Then few sweets sent by my maamiyar/ mil -bodhisattva,mothuchor ladoo,krishna sweets mysurpa,chandrakala.There are still few unopened sweets and many small packs of savouries which we will open after all these snacks are finished as the expiry for the savouries are till mid December 😀. She had sent the sweets and snacks bought from Adayar Ananda Bhavan ,Chennai .

Happy Deepavali to all!!!