Welcome 2015!

Sculpture at Uffizi Gallery, Florence

We had celebrated Christmas at home mainly packing for our trip and having a quiet but busy day with church activities. Molu was invited by her voice teacher to sing the first solo that starts the Christmas Eve service at their Episcopal Church. She did a great job with this song in the church full of unfamiliar people.  Just got back from our visit to HAunt's house full of love and food. Kids were devastated as always to leave but are coping nowadays by thinking of the next time we meet. It is as cold in the bay area as it was warm in the east coast! I am still keeping our nativity set up. It emanates a warmth that I love to look upon these cold evenings.

The year went by rather quickly. Getting most of these two weeks as holidays was a much needed break from the feverish pace at work. My mom is starting to forget things as she is progressing in old age. Time to think of a visit to India to see her. Old age will catch up with all of us yet we all go through the youthful years with this thought rarely bothering us. Here is a road picture my daughter clicked for me from the car while traveling back from somewhere. I hope our lives will settle down in the end as peacefully as the sun set this day.

I also have some pictures of the cupcakes my daughter made for her class party. I am not exaggerating when I say it was all done by her including the little christmas tree on top to decorate the mini cupcakes. She used the recipe from a bakeware set we had bought for her.

She had added christmas colors to the cupcake batter which I thought looked very pretty! Of course we cannot see this once the frosting goes on top.

I made the usual appam and stew to celebrate Christmas. Took some of the fruitcake I had made with us for the visit to the east. My girl made the best tasting marshmallows with HAunt. I couldn't get pictures once they were cut into cubes and rolled in sugar. Here is a picture of the slab of goodness. 

HAunt and my girl also made cookies and icing and we all had fun decorating cookies. There is a Raphael in all of us:-)

While there we visited the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.  It was good to see and read about all the deep feelings associated with it. Philadelphia served as this great nation's capital under two of its first presidents. George Washington & John Adams. At the suggestion of cousins who are Philly residents we gouged ourselves on philly cheese steaks(PCS) at Jim's Steak's. I had loved PCS the moment I tasted them at my university town in Fayetteville, Arkansas. But I could never get that taste back in any of the places I had tried here in Cali. This one blew me away. There is no equal to what we had here! My son was so enamored, he went for seconds despite the long line and my husband also joined him. The light fluffy bread and the tender moist beef are the secrets of this delectable dish.

When H visited China last year he had brought back a cute Budha. This morning when we woke up we saw light falling in such a way that the Budha was lighted. It was good to see the enlightened Budha first thing in the morning. 

Wish you all a wonderful year ahead with good times and cheer throughout.