Sushi Anyone?

Like most of the things I attempt in life (including my latest craze- weightloss), I try and try again until I get it right and then the most amazing thing is that I don't make it anymore! Hope I won't give up on my weightloss journey just like everything else.

Anyway, coming back to the topic, here is a picture of sushi I made a few days ago. I made it again today but did not take pictures of it. I make the California roll with roasted sesame seeds on one side of it. I have improved since the last time in that I do get defined ridges/edges on the roll now. Since I am a vegetarian I enjoy eating the vegetarian sushi I make with yummy avocados, cucumbers and carrots in it. The little cup in the middle has the wasabi swirl (very aesthetically arranged indeed if I should say so myself!).

A word about Wasabi here: Wasabi is horse radish- the same kind which when you taste, feels like something just exploded in your nose and brain and everywhere else in between all at the same time. A good treatment for sinus pain I will say - you forget your sinus pain for several minutes after eating some horse radish because a pinch of it (almost a lethal dose according to me) makes you forget everything else! But wasabi is a good thing . It gives sushi a good spicy flavor and taste and is yummy on green peas which I get from the Chinese store.

Curves...

Went to Curves after more than 3 weeks and I feel alive... I can feel all my body parts (aching)! But it still is a wonderful feeling after a good workout. Am planning to join Weightwatchers next week. I have 7 more pounds to lose and I think WW will help me keep the weight off better than if I tried to take it off by myself.

3 Stitches in and 9 Stitches Out!!

Well, I hated the color combination so much that I just ripped the whole row out. I have a feeling things will go faster if I start again. I do want to go to the other side of the bag and work on it. Now I think I will get into a better mood and work on it and not just stare at the ugly.

No No No....Not Those Colors!

What do you get when you put together some very different and bright colors and a very preoccupied mind? A really bad not- so- fun looking bag. (note: two negatives do not make a good looking bag here).

I had bright yellow pearl thread (what we call mustard color in India) and a bright red-orange pearl thread and I am not sure what I was thinking when I used a combination of the two. And on top of that I used some odd cream color too and that just hit the spot! Now the bag looks horrible. I hope that if I put another row of the same "ugliness" somewhere else on the bottom side of the bag that it will be symmetric and the two rows will sort of knock each other out??? or cancel each other out??

I think I know why I used those colors. I love that combination of colors in my sarees. I have 2 sarees with those same contrasting colors and I love them and wear all the time.

Will post a picture in a day or two. Meanwhile I think I should stare at the bag a few hundred time to internalize it, meditate on it and then finally hypnotize myself into liking it just a bit. (like what I do with some songs/music - listen to it lots of times until I begin liking it)

Fun Bag, Fun Bag, Talk to me!

My bag isn't talking to me yet to tell me what to do with it. All I am doing with it is going around in "circles" doing blanket stitches. My dolls talk to me all the time and demand for laces, trims, beads and other stuff but this is a tough cookie. Maybe there is a communication gap since it is my son's jeans. What do you think?

Fun Bags

Shannon Boggon has a wonderful website and a blog called www.inaminuteago.com in which she shares many embroidery designs and projects. She also teaches classes through Joggles.com. Check it out, the class description and the sample looks gooood!

When I saw the Fun Bags project on her website, I liked it so much that I went hunting in my son's closet for jeans. Here are a couple of pictures of the front and the back. I started working on the back and you can see some of the embroidery. I am still thinking about the front and what to do with it. Oh, BTW, I call my bag "Neel's Butt Bag" and Neel, my 8 year old loves it and my little girl has her eyes on it too. But I have told them that this one is for me.

New Year- New Project

I am looking forward to doing something with my hands again and not just bake cookies. I did not bake cookies this year.. I cooked rice pilaf instead! I think I won't be mistaken when I say that most Indians are not good at baking( other than what comes out of a box or a tube of dough with the Dough boy's picture on it). When we cook, we normally do what I call "pinch & dash cooking"- you know, a pinch of this and a dash of that. I know some people (I mean some Indians) do use their measuring spoons and cups for cooking and baking but that is not me.

My new project is a bag made from my son's old pair of jeans. I lovingly call it Neel's Butt Bag because according to him, that's where his butt used to live! This is the only time I wish my son were a little older or taller because after trimming out the large holes on the "knees" of the jeans, there is very little cloth left for the handle. I might have to use some other cloth on one side of the handle and I will think of it later. But his butt/ jeans seat is a perfect size for a small purse and not a diaper size bag I would get had I used one of my old jeans.

Will post the picture of the bag as soon as I find those extra batteries. I know they are hiding from me as usual.

Happy New Year 2006

WOW, Its here...It is here....2006! This is my 15th new year's day in the US as I came to the country from India on 1st Jan, 1992. I am looking forward to

• New Year..
• A New Me...
• New Resolutions (cross fingers and hope I won't break them- not my fingers, just the resolutions )
• New Dolls..
• New Projects....
• New kids....nay....got 2 ...no more!

(I can finally (;-) ) change colors of the font from greens and reds to other colors- now that Christmas and the holiday season is over) (But I do still like greens and reds and so might decide to use them again soon.)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

This is "Rudy" the young and spunky apprentice to the COP (Chief Ornament Polisher) at Santa's workshop. I made him for a "Ball/ Ornament" exchange at my doll club. Rudy is about 6" tall sitting down and measures 10" while standing up.

I got a lovely pin doll in exchange and she is pinned to my winter jacket. She is having a ball sitting on my jacket refuses to get off until the end of the season but she might agree to pose for a picture.

Now where are those batteries?

Long Time no Write

It was a relief to log into blogger this morning. I was almost sure that I had forgotten my password. It's been such a long time since I last wrote in my blog. I have a couple of pictures of dolls I have made and exchanged in my doll club. I plan to post the pictures soon. This is just a note to myself (a little kick in my behind if I must say so myself) to get going again before Christmas break. I think this is a nice spot to put a cute little clip art. I know I can find it and it is here....Somewhere..... Yup! Found it!

Merry Christmas to all.