voneelu ceremony

  
first listen the song

 My daughter is my first love and i always tell her that.
we have our fair share of arguments, yelling at each other, i wish i have a nice mom stares and what not, but it's a separate post, not in here;) 
because this post is about love sharing not other side:)

she is the first grandchild from my side of the family, younger girl in my husband side of the family.

girls grow faster, she is a pre-teen now. she grow up observing all the stages and traditional ceremonies of our nieces in India through phone conversations and photos.

she never attend them but saw the pictures of those ceremonies numerous times, she asked all sorts of questions, why they dressed up so pretty and colorful, when i am going to get that kind of attention.

she dream of the attention and love the girls get through those ceremonies. 

i started dreaming along with her because there is nothing wrong of giving some deserving attention to your daughter and tell or show her how many people care about her, and love her!

voneelu ceremony is one of them. 

in telugu society pre-teens wear a langa-oni or half saree  while friends and family bless her for her bright future, then change in to saree that symbolizes the transition from girlhood to womanhood.

Indian celebrations are full of fun and colorful, 

bangles, silks, 

henna

 curls, up do, tearra

 spicy food,

 goodies for kids

thambulam (goodies)for woman
1.betel leaves 2.pakuchekka 3. quarter 4. banana 5. senagalu
6.egg whisker 7. vendi ginne 8. sweet 9. incense 10. blouse piece 11. kumkum 12. pasupu 13. apple 14. putarekulu

 i purchase this cutie from beau coup
to put the silver goodies (vendi ginne) 

 all the arrangements, invitations, last minute party hall changes, decorations,  menu decisions, help from India (sisters pulled in for purchasing clothes, gold, necessities for ceremony)
at least once a day while doing these for a while i started wondering why the heck i started this, but at the end while looking at her pretty face
in the pictures it's worth million bucks.

For about two solid months we are talking about her, planning for her ceremony, guests are there for her, blessing her, praising her how pretty she turned, patience, grace and smile i hope she felt the attention she deserves.


girls bring color, smile, tears, love, attitude, emotions, what not!
and i still have time to enjoy her presence before she leave the house for college and i cherish with all my heart.
ceremonies are just the reminders of the time the families share together!

veggie garden is in FULL swing!

so many interesting things happened since my last post and i can't wait to share and keep them here, all of the incidents are great except, my laptop suddenly, stubbornly backed down on me :(

My garden is in full swing, looks FAB and delish!!

i planted many crops for experiment and pleasure to see how they grow and none of them disappointed me :)

mostly Garlic came out fantastic!

i planted garlic last year in October and harvested in 

July!

yes! these are from my garden!

i got the garlic seed from seed savers exchange in September 2009 and they send 2 bulbs and a garlic planting guide, i just followed the instructions 

ola!!

• when you are planning to grow garlic do not separate the cloves from the bulb until you are ready to plant.
• plant the cloves root end down, 6-8" apart. 
• cloves will begin to emerge in 4-8 weeks if not do not be concerned, the plants may  suffer frost or freeze and will survive the weather and emerge in spring, very forgiving:)
• fertilize up to may 15, do not fertilize after 15.
• garlic needs 1" water per week during the growing season. stop watering from June to harvest easily
• keep weeds under control.
• 'Scapes' form when garlic matures. cut or break them off after they are 10" long.

i don't know that the bulbs up there are good in soups or stir fries, so i toss them, and got so sad after i got the info:(

•   harvest after leaf die-back begins sometime in June or early July.
• dig the garlic carefully, do not pull the stalk or it will separate from the bulb.
• gently clean the dirt, don't bruise. remove from sun immediately.

• tie a bundle and hang in shaded, dry shed or garage. leave hanging for 4 weeks.
• after drying, trim off the roots and cut the stalks off leaving 1 1/2" above the bulb. store in netted bags or baskets, do not refrigerate.
• hold the nicest bulbs for replanting.

i think i am definitely planting them again this October!!

i love the feeling of digging them from ground like treasure hunting and find out how big the cloves and the smell of them.