A Perfect Meal!

Awe, sweet victory! I am living in the wonderful feeling of accomplishment. All the months of trial and error, sweat on my brow, anguish over defeated moments, I have finally done it. I made the perfect Indian meal last night, and not only for my family, who have gotten used to it, but my Pastor and his family. Better yet, I have received rave reviews! Through the whole meal, I heard constant compliments, by both words and "mmm" sounds. Even at church this morning, he was sharing his delight with other church members. The menu: chicken tandoori (which the hubby cooked on the grill), naan smothered with ghee (clarified butter), aloo gobi (potato & cauliflower curry), and spiced pullou. With both prep and cooking time, I was in the kitchen 2 hours. And the were the best invested hours! Even my family and I were amazed by the taste sensation. The funny part to this whole story? While deciding what to make for them, and deciding on Indian food (which many people are not partial to), my husband had that look like...That's a brave thing to try, hope they like it. Good luck with that.

So, I feel much more confident in my cooking abiblities now, and cannot wait to try some other recipes on some more family and friends!

12 Anniversary - Indian Style

Last night we celebrated 12 years of being married! Our actual anniversary is on 11/8, but last night just worked out the best for us. Since I have 3 salwars in the closet, and cannot normally wear them anywhere, we decided to go the Indian restaurant, and dress up. Of course, I chose a salwar, while the hubby chose a nice dress shirt and pants. He looks so nice dressed up! Anyway, we had dinner, then ventured over to Tejal (Indian store), and really enjoyed ourselves there. Molly and Jacob are the owners, and two of the nicest people you could ever meet. It was fun just chatting with them, but of course, we did make some minor purchases as well. Then we had to stop by my mother's for something, and she took some photos of us dressed up. So, at last, I can include another pic of me in a salwar, as promised!

Homeschooling Overseas

So, here I am, feeling better since my bout with the flu, homeschooling my kids. This is our first year, and it's going fairly well. Not to say I haven't had my times of doubt and such, but I think we are doing okay. I actually am using an online charter school, so it's structured by local standards, and the curriculum in use is K12. I love the fact that it's free, since it's a "public school", but lacks the traditional "brick and mortar". And, I'm the teacher, which means I choose what comments are added or edited, especially in regards to personal and religious convictions that our family holds. So, you may think, what does this post have to do with India? Well, let's just say, that once we realized that God had placed the call in our hearts to be missionaries one day, we would have to seriously decide what would be the best course of action regarding our children's education. I'm sure I could find a private school of some type, but truly felt His leading to begin the homeschool adventure. Not sure if I'll continue the K12, since it's EXTREMELY expensive to do internationally, but we'll see. I may just venture out and decide on something else, something more "fitted" to our family and the kids' learning styles. But, it's just another step closer in preparation for all that God has in store for us. Yes, I (and the kids) have my time of frustrations, where I think I'll just give up, and send them back to public school, but that's just not for us anymore. We are "new creations" in more ways than one.

Math-time anyone? :)