Lots of small things

I got a comment on the last post on how I manage without any support. I got the kind before too, and I confess it makes me feel good - like I am doing something that is worth asking about ;)

I should admit though, that I used to feel bitter about it in the beginning. Having to manage a one month old infant with no one to give advice or share experience was daunting and very intimidating especially since this was my first-born. We grew up together literally - me and my son - and I learnt a lot of things the tough way and at the extreme lows I used to give in to a little self pity too. But I hate self-pity and so invariably always tried to bounce back. And what do I have for that today - a son who adores me and is a total mamma's boy. No matter who else is around, his face lights up like nothing else can when he sees me and sometimes I feel, just for that, the whole thing was worth it ;)

Then my Dad said he was trying to post a comment on this previous blog in Facebook and was not able to and just sent it to me in an email - here is an extract that is relevant to the last comment -

You have a beautiful mind and heart. Your sense of time management is excellent and worth emulating. Keep up the goodness for posterity. May God bless you

And then my father in law had sent me this sometime back

 I am proud & happy to say that you are a gem of a woman in the present society. Managing the office, home, kid etc quite comfortably and happily. Your planning is perfect. Facing all the challenges bravely and coming out successfully by God's grace from time to time. Keep it up. Hats off to you.

So there, I indulged in a little show-off and back-patting ;) I haven't really taken permission from both Dads before posting this - but I am sure they won't mind :)

So I guess apparently I am good at managing time and maybe that is the answer to how I've been through the last three years. I confess I don't think I work very hard but everyone around me - the husband, dad, father in law, mother in law (when she was around), mom and recently even my sister - keeps saying it and it does leave me puzzled. Maybe it is a case of not feeling the pinch if you enjoy what you do? I don't know ;) I love managing my house, I love my job and I have this "I want to do everything" zest and ohh, I also love my work-outs ;)

Yesterday my mother-in-law's monthly ceremony went well - and I realized one thing - the only direct mother-in-law -- daughter-in-law relationship I will ever be in again is when I have my own daughter-in-law! I confess I felt a little nervous on how I would be then - of course that is donkey's years away and all that. But still, I hope I manage well :)

The best compliment on my cooking ..thus far..

Before I start this post I must write a note to Subhash that everytime he eats something that I make and says "Too much undi!!!" I have a flutter:) I get really happy and feel it was all worth doing:) He is always appreciative of what I make:) Which makes my life in the kitchen a very pleasurable one indeed!

Valli, a common friend of ours from Engineering has his mother over in the US on a short trip:) His wife's mom was here too, so we invited them for lunch. I was not even speculating on what to make;) Mummy had recently sent Maagai and it had been a long long time since I had Maagai pappu, so that was decided. Pulihara is my specialty, or so Subhash says, so that was also decided. Then I had to make my favorite (proprietary recipe!) Gutti Vankaya, as a) It had been a long time since I made it myself b)It was yet another thing that Subhash always likes, even though he doesn't particularly eat Vankaya. Actually that is a common laugh among friends that I always make Vankaya when I call someone over for lunch;)

So anyway I started around 10.45 and had everything ready by 12:) Rathi had recently given me a buffet style serving stand which holds two dishes so I even had them arranged nicely in that;) For the first time I was presenting something nicely:D:D

When everyone came over we started lunch and they were wondering what the dal was, and when I told them it was Maagai pappu, Valli's mom said, ohh yes, we used to make that, I almost forgot that something like that existed:) You reminded me of it :D (I was very happy by now;) ). Then they all started eating and she said that Maagai pappu was very good (Last year Subhash's brother had it and loved it too;), well, its in the Maagai, is what I say:D ). Everyone had the Gutti Vankaya and said it was amazing:) I feel particularly proud/happy when my Gutti Vankaya is praised as it was a recipe I "discovered" and learnt from a lot of trial and error all on my own:) Not borrowed from anywhere except for my instinctive taste buds:):D:D

Valli's mom had the Gutti Vankaya too and she said it was just like the one her mom used to make. Everyone had the pappu and loved it:) Then Valli's mom said, "Ivaalla ma amma vanta ni gurthu chesavu, ma amma vanta ilage untundi" and that was it, I was so upbeat, I can hardly express it:) She said that to Shaila's mom too, "Ivaalla ma amma vanta tinnaru ani anukondi, ilage chesedi ma amma". And she told Valli a little while later "Ammamma chesina dani lagane undi". That was it, I was overjoyed. Shaila had a lunch all over again after finishing her first round, and Valli also had a hearty lunch. Shaila's mom also loved the Dabbakaya which Mummy sent and all in all it was happy lunch. We then treated everyone to Dibs, our standard dessert menu:D

If I thought that was the best compliment ever, then I was wrong:) After they left saying they were really heavy (and I know they were not kidding, we almost fell short on rice), Subhash didn't stop saying how good the food was that whole evening:) Everytime he looked at me he would go, lunch was tooooo much!;)

I was one happy and content soul:):) Loved the fact that everyone liked what I made so much:) Subhash always said my cooking was very traditional, but I never imagined it would remind someone of a cooking style two generations ago!:D

Great!:)