Simple Pleasures

One of my favorite simple pleasures is to wake up and start the day with a nice strong cup of fresh ground coffee.  In fact, I cannot talk to anyone until I get my coffee fix.  So,  I was excited when the coffee beans I ordered from Roasted Grounds Coffee Company arrived on my doorstep this week.   If you are not familiar with this company, Cara from Lilac and Grey, recently started this coffee business with her husband.  You can find more details about this delicious coffee here.  I am now hooked on this coffee and I will definitely be ordering some more.

The August issue of In Style arrived this week and I cannot wait for this weekend so I can enjoy a glass of  Cabernet and read this issue which is literally filled with 600 pages of Fall Fashion.  Drinking wine and enjoying a good magazine is so satisfying don't you think?

On Monday morning my mom made fresh watermelon juice with ginger and lemon. This was refreshing and healthy.   My sister and I proceeded to mix the juice with champagne but due to the excessive amount of ginger in the watermelon juice, this combination did not turn out well.

And my husband and I enjoyed date night every night this week.  It is Restaurant week in Boston so this is a great opportunity to try out some new places to eat.  We are also planning on catching up with some movies tonight and tomorrow. Tonight we are finally going to see Inception and tomorrow we are going to see Salt.  I really love the simple pleasure of going out to dinner or going to see a good movie and eating "movie" popcorn.  

I also appreciate the simple pleasure of spending quality time with Ariyana.   But, last Monday, before flying back to Boston, I decided to leave her with my mom and dad in Raleigh, NC so that she could spend some quality time with them for the week.  I know Ariyana is having a great time with my parents, and my husband and I appreciate this break, but we still miss her dearly and we look forward to seeing her Sunday.

And this video is literally 8 seconds but it is so adorable. Ariyana is having her first official golf lesson with my dad. It is truly amazing to me to see how simple pleasures like making the golf putt, enjoying a popsicle, or even finishing a puzzle can make a child so happy.

What are your favorite simple pleasures in life?

Fall Preview Part 2

Back in July I shared with you Fall 2010 Collections Preview from Dress in Boston. 
And here is a glimpse at the Fall 2010 looks.  I love every single one of these outfits!You can shop these looks here. 
Ok if you still cannot think about shopping for fall items, then check out the End of Season Sale and get an additional 20% off sale items.

What is going to be your "must have" item for the fall?

The Thread of Love

{image via}

This past weekend our family celebrated a baby shower, my dad's 65th birthday and we also celebrated the Indian tradition called Raksha Bandhan.  Raksha Bandhan, which literally means bond of protection, is also known as Rakhi.  This is the celebration of the love and affection between a brother and a sister.  For brothers it stands for the responsibility to protect his sister from all sorts of evil in the world.  And for sisters, it is prayers for the brother's goodwill and well being.   This year Rakhi falls on August 24th and the tradition involves tying of a rakhi, or holy thread on the wrist of the brother.  In exchange the brother offers a gift to his sister and vows to look after her.  It also involves feeding the brother some sort of sweets.

My brother, sister, and I all celebrated early this year since we were all together.  My sister and I tied a rakhi on my brother's wrist this morning (at 7am) while feeding him some delicious British Dairy Milk chocolate.

Next year this celebration will be even more sweet and special because Ariyana will tie a rakhi on her new baby cousin brother.  

And here is the sweet gift my brother gave us.  He has impeccable taste, (evident by the stylish Burberry tie he is wearing here) but we cannot give him all the credit because my sister in law has amazing taste too and more than likely she selected these gorgeous wristlets.  My brother gave my sister the Tory Burch metallic saffiano wristlet in platinum gold and I got the rose gold one.  We both also got very sweet hand written notes from my brother as well.  This is such a sweet Indian tradition.

The Baby Shower

Yesterday was my brother and sister in law's baby shower and it was so much fun to hang out with family and of course eat tons of delicious food.   I had the perfect opportunity to take lots of pictures at the baby shower but unfortunately after 4 years, our Nikon digital SLR camera stopped working.   So,  I resorted to the good old point and shoot camera but I just didn't get the same results with this camera.   I guess I will be doing some research for a new camera this week.

How was your weekend?

{sister in law, my mom, me, and me and my sister}

Family Time

Thank goodness it is Friday because it has been a long and busy week. But, I am looking forward to a fun weekend with family. We are headed to Charlotte, NC to attend a baby shower for my sister in law and brother and to celebrate my dad's 65th birthday! 
So in honor of family and spending quality time together  I leave you with these fun pictures of Ariyana  and me making cupcakes together.  Have a fabulous weekend!

The finished product

 

Ariyana is trying to use the mixer but she is scared of it

She is happier with the whisk

Ariyana is filling up the cups but complains because she keeps getting the batter on her hands

As soon as I put the cupcakes in the oven she asks "All done?"

While putting sprinkles on the cupcakes Ariyana has the urge to taste them and make sure they are "ok"

No holding back...we are not even finished putting the icing on the cupcakes before she goes after one

And we are done.....