Floral arrangement for summer

It is getting nice and warm day by day. The sun roof in the dining room brings bright sun shine all day long. Makes the room so lively. The desire to decorate and make the dining table increases by all the sun shine. So now the dining table does not have the 'ready to eat' look but ' ready to party'  look. What better way to add colors to any room other than flowers. For the love for floral arrangements I did a certificate course in floral design. Although I admit that most of my designs come up impromptu without much attention to the traditional setups. Here is what I did recently. 

Curled up the leaves on the sides all around. Blues, purples and pink with hints of white giving it a wavy symmetry with few leaves springing out to add a little drama.  

Some more pictures. Wooden jars giving them company. 

A glimpse of my living room in the background. 

Have a lovely weekend!!

Joining party @ BNOP!!

In my son's library: The way back home by Oliver Jeffers

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My son is 26 months old and loves books(touch wood!!) The way back home is the first book of author Oliver Jeffers I have bought for him. This book is perfect for toddlers. Introduces to the world of mystery, aliens and adventure. It is a interesting tale of a little boy who finds a airplane in his cupboard. He gets stuck on the moon and meets a alien. They become friends and help each other to get back home.  It is good for introducing to the elements of universe- dark space, stars, planets, moon. It is perfect for toddlers.

What I like about this book : 

Imagination : I think toddlers world should be like this full of imagination, without the logic of real life, thinking and dreaming about the (im)possible.

Emotions: I like that the book explores many emotions like being alone, afraid, friendship, helping each other,being tired and distracted,parting with a friend and worrying if they  would see each other.

Beautiful illustrations and text: Story is told in simple watercolor illustrations and short sentences. I think toddlers lose interest if the text is too much. Also this way I can tell him more from the pictures and ask what and why questions well. It also is a good book to start reading on own for kids.Since the text is short it gives me a chance to tell / explain the story/ pictures. 

Board book: As  I said this book is perfect for 2 year olds especially in their early 2s like my son. 

What my son learns from this: 

- about planets and moon

- aliens and humans 

- airplane and UFO

- helps develop  imagination

- emotions

Questions I ask my child while/ after reading the book:

- which planet do we/ aliens live on?

- what color is planet earth and mars?

- what is the boy/ alien doing( in the picture) and why?

Which planet you like? ( its always Mars:))

- Imagine finding a airplane/ going to the moon/meeting a alien

Last but not the least, all children are different and that's the beauty of life. The views and opinions in this book review are based on my experience with my son. 

Fresh hues from the garden

I recently brought a bougainvillea for my garden. I totally fell in love with the vibrant colors of bougainvillea in the garden shop.. Beautiful pink , purple, red .. They could any day cheer up our spirits.. 

After I re potted it in a bigger pot some of its leaves fell out and they looked so beautiful to me that I had to bring them inside and let them live a bit longer. I hate to pluck flowers from my garden. I feel they live longer on the plants plus that brings  the birds to the garden. My son loves seeing the birds - mynas, woodpecker, colorful small birds and pigeons. I love them too .. Makes living in a desert so much better.

Coming back to the bougainvilleas.. I kept them in my wine glass holder. I had found it in a flea market when we lived in Zurich. A young man was selling his late Mom's belonging( sad isnt it !! hate when youngsters do that) He said belonged to her for 20 odd years. 

I simply love giving giving new life to old yet beautiful items.

Images taken by me @ my home. Subject to copyright.