Happy Diwali

The mood was a little too buoyant this diwali. I was a little over excited this time and prepared well in advance - buying lights, lamps, clothes, making plans & lists. More so because we became parents on Diwali morning! Which is why make a little extra effort on Diwali and try to make it a little more special.

So this time we lit up 3 windows using serial lights - our bedroom

and the living room

and even that did not seem enough.

I made (semi-disaster) gulabjamuns (no pics that's why) & easy laddoos, nimki, kadhi (another first), paneer, among other things- over a period of last few days. The sofas had already got a makeover And we put new bedspreads too to add to the festive feel- a traditional applique one in the bedroom and a festive orange in the other room.

We did the flower rangoli for the first time- using marigold and jasmine. The marigold on the ends of the star are the kids' idea. They enthusiasticaly did the flower decor along with me.

The highlight of the day was the gharaunda. A cardboard home on which we would do the Laxmi puja. Ojas & Tejas were most excited about this part. They were peeping through the door like an oversized Alice in the rabbit's home! And pushing their arm through the tiny windows. They decorated the house with animals and cars - do not miss the spider on the window, monkeys on the tree behind, aiming for the banana on the terrace and the fish pond in pink with their plastic fish towards the side!

(Offcourse after arranging all this I went for a nap inside the room and the kids pushed the entire setting in the room and began playing with the toys and the house), apart from eating the lava -mudhi even before the puja- from lunch itself.

We did the Ganesh- Laxmi puja & the Tulsi puja wearing our Diwali finery and then lit the lamps, apart from attacking with renewed energy on the lava (Tejas) & Mudhi (Ojas).

Check my floating candles

Matka lamps painted in a red bandhni print

Lamp & Lanterns

Lamp on a metal frame (courtsey sis) Lamps on the flower decor

Candles
Lamp on stick & cloth frames & the hanging terracota lamp on the side
A bit of cracker ….the fingers never really came off the ears…