IN (instagram) PICTURES – November

Hey you guys. Apparently I hardly took any photos from my big camera in November so here is the IG version of last month. Enjoy :)

November brought our first time mailing in our votes//And wrapping up my client sessions for the year

Rainy afternoons at the library//Cozying up with our piles of books afterwards

Chilly-but-so-beautiful sunny mornings at Anya’s school//And my cups of tea in bliss while Anya’s at school

Loved getting up before sunrise to my morning chai and some Quran reading early morning. Made for a perfect start to the day.

Random home moments: Weekend chai for two//dreaming up some plans as she joins along//doctor in the house all the time//toddler art is the most adorable.

Yummies for the tummy: Meeting up with friends over pizza//Cupcake Date with my little girl//Favorite new broccolli salad recipe//Quick weekend dinners.

Out and about with my girl

Sick days with first the little one and then the husband.

Love the in-between moments (as few and far-between they might be sometimes!)when you actually feel the joy of spending your days with a little toddler.

Skype with her bestie//Art from the same little bff hanging up on her wall.

Lots of shopping and running around getting ready for an upcoming trip. PS: Anya chose the neon socks for me :)

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Thanks for stopping by. Lots of love.

More in this series here.

Scents and Memories.

There is a face wash that sits in my shower area. I bought it in 2008 when I was visiting my family for a few months in Karachi¹. That trip of mine was the last time all five of us were together as a family (the only time after that was when my dad was sick and in the hospital). This face wash, by Johnson's has a pretty typical light-powdery smell. And I just have to close my eyes as I lather it on my face, to be transported to that time all those years ago. I inhale the scent and I remember it all. Standing under the cold water in that small bathroom I shared with my sister on those typically Karachi hot summer days… The comfort of my parent's house knowing Mama and Papa were just around somewhere.. Going for walks with Mama in the evenings through the dusty Malir² roads and sitting outside on the road with Papa at night when the lights went out.. So many random memories go through my head as I close my eyes and let the scent carry me away.

There is a perfume, a men's perfume by Junaid Jamshaid that my mom got for Papa. During that time in the hospital, my dad always smelled of that, his things that all came back from the hospital after him, the clothes, his rumaal or handkerchiefs, my mom's pink and blue flower pillow that he used to lay his head on, his chaddar or long scarf that he used to wrap around himself, everything had that perfume and his scent in them. My parents gifted Bilal the same perfume a few years earlier and I'm glad that he never got round to using it much. Now it lies safe in a drawer under my bed. I can never smell that fragrance again without being reminded of my father, but also cancer, that hospital, the fear, the despair, and just a wrenching feeling in the heart, but yet also my father. So whenever I miss him, and want to feel his presence, I take this perfume out, and as my heart tugs at my soul, I slowly open it, close my eyes, and surround myself with him, his fragrance and the memories of the days when he was there.

Memory is a strange thing, how these precious moments are just a thought/ a whiff of a scent/a familiar song/ away, but yet, however much we want to relive them, too far beyond our grasp.

Please say a little prayer for my father and my family as you read this. Some days it is still hard, the realization that he’s not there.

Thanks for reading.

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FYI

¹Karachi, a coastal city located in the south, is the largest city of Pakistan.

²Malir, is a neighborhood of Karachi, where my parent’s lived.

Friendships and Traditions.

I thrive on friendships, making memories and traditions and this one that happened on it’s makes me smile. Three consecutive fall seasons.. One spot close to Duvall.. Two little hyper girls.. And two crazy moms who will go to some great extents to get pictures, even if it rains! The past three autumns, after similar semi-lazy days at our home, we’ve bundled up, buckled our girls in our cars and driven down to this spot on the Snoqualmie River Trail. We’ve dragged tripods (only the first time, and learned to not do it again because of how crazy it got) and umbrella’s (only this year as it was drizzling through out). We’ve begged these little girls to catch up as they’ve trailed far behind us or screamed at them when they’ve run too far ahead of us. We’ve waited for strangers so we can get a picture of all four of us, and taken some terribly framed ones with our tripod. We’ve laughed hysterically, danced ‘leafy-leafy’ dances, collected leaves (one little adorable nature-lover particularly has apparently not outgrown that love as visible from the pictures below), wondered aloud about the foliage and how it compares with previous time(s), and we’ve (two particular little girls) fought over umbrellas and who should get which one!

There is something about traditions. They make everything feel more special. They force us to make time for the ones we love and the things we love. And they help us look at the past with fond memories! Even though sometimes you might have to drag yourselves/your kids/your friends along to continue them, they are totally worth it, I learned that from my mother and it finally makes sense to me!

Sharing these series of pictures from the last three autumns with our beautiful friends!

2012

2013

2014

Do you have any traditions with friends you’d like to share? Would love to hear:)

Thanks for reading, lots of love.