Happy Diwali to my Hindu Readers!

Happy Diwali to my Hindu Readers!

Had a Great Weekend!

Saturday evening I went to an event with my in-laws in celebration for the upcoming Diwali. My nieces danced and sang, and there were lots of other performances. Of course there was yummy food... which is one of my favorite parts of the Hindu festivals. We had a nice evening sleeping over at my mother in-laws house, and woke up early Sunday morning to prepare for Diwali. For those of you who don't know what Diwali is... it's like Christmas but in the Hindu religion. It's the festival of lights... after sunset everyone has fun lighting candles, says a nice little prayer, and enjoy eating and spending time with your loved ones. This year Diwali is actually on Tuesday... and then their New Year follows towards the end of the week. So it will be a busy week of festivities.

Sunday we did a "spring cleaning" type of thing, since it will be a new year coming. Then we had fun making some yummy Indian sweets... and of course test them out! My favorite that we made was the Ladoo... which is basically an Indian version of a butter cookie... mmm! What makes it Indian? The main difference they add cardamom spice, which is so yummy. If you're someone who likes spices that are in autumn baking, then you would like cardamom... similar.

Then we made puri's... lots! They covered the whole kitchen table rolled out. What is a puri? It's similar to pita bread, but it's fried. It is served at special or ceremonial functions as part of ceremonial rituals along with other vegetarian food offered in prayer as prasadam. The name puri derives from the Sanskrit word पूरिका (pūrikā), from पुर (pura) "filled".

After all of that stuff... it was time to decorate the house with some fun bright colors. On the front porch I got to do what's called rangoli. Once again you're probably asking yourself... what is that?

Rangoli are decorative designs made on the floors of living rooms and courtyards during Hindu festivals. They are meant to be sacred welcoming areas for the Hindu deities. The ancient symbols have been passed on through the ages, from each generation to the next, thus keeping both the art form and the tradition alive. The patterns are typically created with materials, including colored rice, dry flour,(colored) sand or even flower petals.

The purpose of Rangoli is decoration, and it is thought to bring good luck. Rangoli is used as a symbol of religious and cultural beliefs, specifically Hindu. It is considered an important part of the spiritual process; it might be called the purification of the spirit and the prosperity that lies behind such purification. Moreover, it represents a philosophy of life that enthusiastically celebrates the impermanence of knowing and devotes itself to a constant wish to live in the present. The idea that tomorrow will be renewed, which is the purpose of the rangoli, is one of the greatest concerning this symbol. Additional house festivals or family occasions inspire the art of crafting rangoli. Women may make rangoli at the entrance to every room of the house. The hobby itself is a basic symbol of eternal innovative creation, thus symbolic of the spirit. Rangoli created with icons, such as the swastika, lotus flower, Lakshmiji step (Pegalie), etc., are considered indicators of prosperity. Many homes today craft rangoli daily. The art, then, has become a part of the modern family. This decor created for almost all except the few; it is a symbol of human spirit and thus an important means to realize cultural feelings. Rangoli symbolizes joy and happiness.

With this being the first time doing this, mine of course isn't as good as others... but I'm determined to master it for next year!

Later in the evening after sunset, prayers were said and candles lit around the house... and in the front of the house where the rangoli was done. Everything looked so pretty... love it! So today it's time to do the same at my apartment... cleaning, rangoli, prayers, and candles!

Had a Great Weekend!

Saturday evening I went to an event with my in-laws in celebration for the upcoming Diwali. My nieces danced and sang, and there were lots of other performances. Of course there was yummy food... which is one of my favorite parts of the Hindu festivals. We had a nice evening sleeping over at my mother in-laws house, and woke up early Sunday morning to prepare for Diwali. For those of you who don't know what Diwali is... it's like Christmas but in the Hindu religion. It's the festival of lights... after sunset everyone has fun lighting candles, says a nice little prayer, and enjoy eating and spending time with your loved ones. This year Diwali is actually on Tuesday... and then their New Year follows towards the end of the week. So it will be a busy week of festivities.

Where have I been hiding?

Some of you may have been wondering where I've been hiding lately? Well, I'm still here, just going through some stuff. I haven't been around the computer much, as I haven't been feeling the greatest. Not only has my gallbladder been acting up, but I've also been stressed like never before. You're probably wondering what I'm stressed about... well I will fill you in about that later.

I just found out my surgery date to finally have my gallbladder removed... June 1st. Thank God, because I've had several attacks of incredible pain, and it doesn't seem to really matter what I eat that brings it on. I even had an attack after eating Cheerios... which is crazy. Am I scared about this surgery? Hell no... I can't wait for them to rip the damn thing out. If you're someone considering having gastric bypass, expect to have your gallbladder removed sometime after, as rapid weight loss can cause gallstones. I still wouldn't change my decision for the world, as it was one of the most important, best choices of my life.


Now for why I've been stressed... I'm getting married. No, the marriage part doesn't stress me. In fact, I can't wait to finally marry my fiance. The stressful part is that I don't exactly have my mothers blessing. So it looks like both mom and grandma won't be attending my wedding, which is heart breaking for me. She seems to think that if I waited a year everything would be better, however, it's already four years that him and I have been together. I don't need any extra time to know that he's the one, that I love him, and that he makes me happy.

Yes it's an interracial marriage... he's a Hindu Indian and I'm Caucasian Canadian, Scottish/Irish background, Catholic. I'm very open minded when it comes to religion, and his family is quite modern. I find the Hindu religion to be quite fascinating, and peaceful when it comes to visiting the Temple. I have never been so happy before in my life, and no one has ever treated me so good. With him I truly feel like a princess, and he's my best friend... other then my mom of course. Is it the culture that scares her? The religion? Why can't she be happy for me?

So that's some stuff that's been on my mind, and why I've been hiding. Normally when I have stuff on my mind I blog about it, but it's a little awkward when I know there's a possibility that my mother may read it. Just in case... mom... I love you, and I love him... please be there for me.

Where have I been hiding?

Some of you may have been wondering where I've been hiding lately? Well, I'm still here, just going through some stuff. I haven't been around the computer much, as I haven't been feeling the greatest. Not only has my gallbladder been acting up, but I've also been stressed like never before. You're probably wondering what I'm stressed about... well I will fill you in about that later.

I just found out my surgery date to finally have my gallbladder removed... June 1st. Thank God, because I've had several attacks of incredible pain, and it doesn't seem to really matter what I eat that brings it on. I even had an attack after eating Cheerios... which is crazy. Am I scared about this surgery? Hell no... I can't wait for them to rip the damn thing out. If you're someone considering having gastric bypass, expect to have your gallbladder removed sometime after, as rapid weight loss can cause gallstones. I still wouldn't change my decision for the world, as it was one of the most important, best choices of my life.

FortuneKeeper: Read it, believe it, keep it ~ Necklace or Keychain Giveaway!

Have you ever opened a fortune cookie, had a powerful connection to the message inside, and wanted to hold on to it for inspiration? Do you have other inspirational messages or pictures that you would love to wear? Are you someone who likes to keep inspirational quotes around you at times? Maybe you're someone who loves reading your fortune when it comes to opening your fortune cookie, after a good Chinese meal. Well, if you have something that has some importance to you, keep it in your FortuneKeeper. FortuneKeeper is a company that designs jewelry, as well as keychains, that can hold your inspiration, fortune, prayers, mantras, or photo close to you at all times.

What a cool idea I thought when I originally came across the company. I know I've opened fortune cookies in the past, and the fortune seemed to fit to my life perfectly. What do I do with the fortune? I used to fold it up nicely, and keep it in a pocket in my wallet. But what good does that do? It's always hidden! Now that I have my own FortuneKeeper, I can glance at it whenever I'm in need of some inspiration.

I was sent a keychain from the company, with the Door of Opportunity design. I have to say that it's so much prettier up close to the naked eye, then any photo. No photo does this piece justice, although I will try my best to capture its beauty. When you're purchasing your keychain, or necklace, you have the opportunity to customize it to your liking. You can even add a cute little crystal for some extra added bling!

When it comes to the design of this Door of Opportunity, it's actually inspired by the doors of India. Many Hindu woman paint and/or draw intricate designs using rice powder in front of their doors, on the doors, or on the walls, which these type of drawings are called Kolams. For generations, Indian women have passed on to their daughters the knowledge of the ritual wall and ground painting as a visual prayer, an invocation to the divine to protect their home and make it a sacred space. Another similar name for these are called Rangoli.

When it came to the packaging of the product, it came in a cute tin box, that had a little window at the top. Peaking though, shows the keychain/necklace, with padding for protection, as well as a small little card describing the design. Excellent presentation of the product, and I love that they added the extra information regarding Kolams! With my fiance being from India originally, he loved the idea of this product and the design that I chose.

You may ask yourself, how do you get the fortune in the keychain? Well it's quite simple. The FortuneKeeper holds your inspiration between two pieces of crafted lucite, (approx.7/8"x 2 3/8") is secured by rare earth magnets, and finished with lead free beads. It just easily slides open with a touch of your fingers, and then once you have the paper in place, it easily snaps closed!

Everything that was sent with the keychain was very informative, and I truly love my new keychain. It makes me want a necklace, but it's so hard to decide on just one... maybe that means I need a few! Some other designs that I would love to have are...


Interested in purchasing your own funk FortuneKeeper? Click here to visit there store today! Interested in finding out what's going on with the company, and their latest trends? Click here to read their blog! More designs coming... check out their Facebook page for some more gorgeous designs!

Thanks to FortuneKeeper, one lucky person will get a chance to win their very own FortuneKeeper! The winner gets the option of selecting their design of choice, and whether they want a keychain or necklace. Must be in Canada or the USA to enter.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Products were provided for the purpose of review. I am not paid to write this review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

FortuneKeeper: Read it, believe it, keep it ~ Necklace or Keychain Giveaway!

Have you ever opened a fortune cookie, had a powerful connection to the message inside, and wanted to hold on to it for inspiration? Do you have other inspirational messages or pictures that you would love to wear? Are you someone who likes to keep inspirational quotes around you at times? Maybe you're someone who loves reading your fortune when it comes to opening your fortune cookie, after a good Chinese meal. Well, if you have something that has some importance to you, keep it in your FortuneKeeper. FortuneKeeper is a company that designs jewelry, as well as keychains, that can hold your inspiration, fortune, prayers, mantras, or photo close to you at all times.

It's been a crazy week... Weekend Medical Update!

This past week has been quite hectic, and I'm feeling it mentally and physically. I've been out almost every night this week, and I'm feeling exhausted. Monday was the night that I fainted, which was quite scary. Tuesday I had group therapy, and my fiance stayed over since I was nervous to be alone. Wednesday was Diwali so I went to the temple for prayers, and then over to my fiance's families home for dinner and more prayers. I'm not Hindu myself, but I found it fascinating and very spiritual.

Then Thursday was my birthday, so my fiance and I went out to dinner. We went to Red Lobster since it was walking distance, and I ended up bringing most of my meal home. It's embarrassing eating out at times, as most of my meal is left on the plate. The waiter or waitress can see that I'm not some tiny person, yet I can only eat a small amount. I'm having a huge problem with it comes to self image... as I still feel like i'm over 300Lbs, yet I'm under 200Lbs. I'm having a BIG issue with the hanging skin, and trying to conceal it. I hate my body when I'm naked, and almost hate it as much as when I was fat. Weight loss surgery doesn't change the fact that I still have an eating disorder, and it's a constant battle that I deal with daily.

Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali to my Hindu Readers

May this Diwali bring joy, health and wealth to you. May the festival of lights brighten up you and your near and dear ones lives. May the Diwali light show us the way and lead us together on the path of peace harmony WISH U A VERY HAPPY DIWALI !