It started with a wall....

Planning birthday parties for my boys is one event that makes me want to crawl into a deep, dark cave for a long nap....only to surface after the birthday is over. Whereas I love birthdays in general (specially my own :), I am not a fan of planning them for my kids because a) I always try to seek something unique; b) I try for a theme; c) I draw a blank each time!!!

 

So as usual, I went to my DH for advice and he asked me to consider the activities that our almost 4 yr old enjoys. We short listed painting, running around, crafts, books, and TV!! Some location scouting in the neighborhood resulted in us honing in on "The Green Pocket" - a patch of green paradise in the midst of the city's concrete jungle. Very hesitatingly, I asked Anahita, the proprietor, if I could take over a wall of her place and get the kids to have a go at it.....she agreed (to say that I was completely overwhelmed by her generosity would be an understatement!).

 

Next up was figuring out a theme and frankly, our nightly book reading exercise took care of that when Vivaan picked up "The Gruffalo" from his library and announced that it was one of his favorite books.

 

Whew! I had not started and was already feeling overwhelmed!! Anyways, the next step was to get the wall painted with some characters from the book so that the kids could color it during the party.

It was truly supposed to be a simple affair....I promise....but....somehow, it took on a life of its own....

 

 

This was done a week before the party and we were very happy with the results....

 

 

I do believe that DH has the ability to moonlight with wall murals as a second profession :).

 

Then the task was to pull together the return gifts (another HUGE area of stress for me)...and here too, an amazing friend, R, stepped in with an outstanding idea of making messenger bags for the kids which they can customize using acrylic paints and stencils. She created the bags for me....Love you R!

 

I created some candy wrappers using the Gruffalo images and wrist bands for the bags as fillers. Each bag also had a character print out from the book included for kids to go home and practice a puppet show recreation of the story with their parents.

 

In meeting with Vaishali from "The PowWow Club", I found my perfect party puppeteer and craft/activity coordinator!!! She was superbly enthusiastic and truly a joy to work with!!! Kids loved her!!!

 

 "The Gruffalo" puppet show left all the kids truly enchanted....

There were plenty of activities happening to keep them occupied....the bag painting was a grand success, coloring and sticking foam teeth, warts, and ears on Gruffalo masks was a load of fun, and pin the wart game with their eyes closed kept them guessing.

 

There was a obstacle course race planned for all the children which required them to go thru an "underground tunnel", a "log pile house" and climb up a "tree-top house".....following the paths of the fox, the snake and the owl.....they each got "gruffalo's knobbly knees" (marshmallow candies) after the completion of the race......

 

 

The food was thematic....with "samosas" served as "roasted fox"; "gruffalo" water bottles; colored "idlis" served as "gruffalo's eyes"; "bhel puri" served as "gruffalo crumble"; wafers served as "logpile house" and the cake customized to incorporate all the characters from the book...

 

 

Then it was time to "paint" the wall!!! Kids were given old T-shirts to wear on top of their clothes and asked to dip their hands in the green paint (we used water based wall paint which is safe for kids). Parents were asked to lift their children and have them create leaves for the trees using their palms. It seemed to be done in less than 5 minutes...everyone was super enthusiastic and excited (parents included :).

 

Of course, there was a quintessential piñata. Is there anything better than games and treats falling from a box? yes...doubling it as a surprise :) - we had a double layered piñata. 

 

And here is the before and after image of the wall........task accomplished!!

 

It was a great party and I was left with an everlasting impression of friends who stepped in to help thru out; kids who seemed to get joy out of the smallest of things; and a wall full of our hard work and children's hand-prints.

 

Now its time to go into a deep, dark, cave....coz, my older one's birthday is just a few months away!!!!

 

 

Soup for the Soul

Read a post by someone on a social networking website seeking advice on what to do/how to respond to a friend who had been thru a personal tragedy, but, had requested space at this time. There were a number of different responses....ranging from cook her meals, help her get organized, listen to her, take her out for a play/movie etc. Thankfully, no one advised that the friend should be left alone.

How is it that when we read about any one's personal loss and pain, we automatically put ourselves in their shoes? That post stayed with me for a long time and I recollected my personal emotions (during my lows) to give back my piece of advice. "Go to her, give her a long, warm hug, make a cup of tea and simply listen".

We are all super strong as humans. We are specially strong when it comes to "hiding" our true emotions. Losses are hard....in any form. But, if the lasting impression of the loss is the memory of the friend who rang the door bell when you were least expecting her.....then truly the bitterness of that loss gets softened by memories of some one's kindness.

It is easy to tell yourself - I am giving her "space"/ this is "family time"/ what will I say? I have too much going on -  and think that you are doing the right thing. However, somewhere you are left with the unending, nagging sensation that you did not truly stretch yourself as much as you could have/should have.

Yes, this one is a "heavy" post no doubt. It has probably got each of you thinking of your times of loss and the times when you were there for someone.

With that, let me do what I do well....which is share a recipe for a heartwarming soup. After all, is there any better "pick-me-up" out there? No, alcohol does not count!!
 

Roasted Bell Pepper Soup

(serves 5)



3 medium size red/yellow/orange bell peppers

2 medium size tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped apple

3 cloves chopped garlic

4 cups vegetable stock

2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp butter

1/4 tsp red chili flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Prep the bell peppers by applying olive oil on the whole peppers and roasting in the oven at 200 degree Celsius for 20 minutes (turning occasionally). Once done, put in a zip lock bag and seal to allow the peppers to sweat. After 10 minutes, remove from the bag and carefully peel away the skin (be careful, it will be hot). Slice and keep aside.

Roast the tomatoes similar to the peppers (slicing them lengthwise may be faster). Keep the chopped vegetables and apples aside as well.

Place a large saucepan on medium heat and add the olive oil and butter together. Once its heated, add the chili flakes. Add the celery, onion and carrot mix with the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the apples and a little salt and allow to cook while covered for 5-6 minutes. Once the vegetables are softened, add the bell peppers.

After a minute or so, add the tomatoes and start adding the stock gradually. You want enough to just cover the vegetables. The stock used above was made at home with carrots, celery, onions, thyme, salt, peppercorns and sugar. Allow the soup mixture to come to a boil and adjust for seasoning. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and cover the saucepan and leave it on low heat for another 5 minutes.

Blend the soup and sieve. Check the seasoning and serve warm.

 

For a slight variation, you can add a swirl of herb flavored sauce which can also second as a side dip with your bread.

Basil and Yogurt Swirl

(makes 1/2 cup)

1/3 cup basil leaves

1/2 cup thick yogurt (or low fat sour cream)

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 green chili

Salt/pepper to taste

 

Take all the ingredients and blend together in a food processor till smooth.

 

Add this to your soup when serving to get bursts of basil flavor combined with the smoothness of the yogurt base. A true joy - specially when you consider that it is almost fat free!!

 

 

As it happens, this recipe and pictures were pulled together while I was at a friend's house and we were experimenting with cooking.

 

Thank you to each of my friends for being their over a cup of coffee, bowl of soup and brownie treats - laughing, crying and sharing stories together with you, leaves me with a warm feeling in my soul.