Pumpkin Ale

From Beer Advocate:
Pumpkin Ale
Description:Often released as a fall seasonal, Pumpkin Ales are quite varied. Some brewers opt to add hand-cut pumpkins and drop them in the mash, while others use puree or pumpkin flavoring. These beers also tend to be spiced with pumpkin pie spices, like: ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. Pumpkin Ales are typically mild, with little to no bitterness, a malty backbone, with some spice often taking the lead. Many will contain a starchy, slightly thick-ish, mouthfeel too. In our opinion, best versions use real pumpkin, while roasting the pumpkin can also add tremendous depth of character for even better results, though both methods are time-consuming and tend to drive brewmasters insane.

I plan to try them all this Fall! :)

9/26: Shipyard Brewery Pumpkinhead Ale. A great beer! Nice mild pumkin flavor with a touch of spice.
9/30: Baffalo Bill Brewing - America's Original Pumpkin Ale. Made with real pumpkin. Good stuff! Maybe a touch too much spice in it, but a nice light brew. Definitely reminds me of Fall.

Summer 2009

Our summer was absolutely wonderful! The weather was questionable for a lot of it, but it didn't really affect us, since staying on the cool side actually worked well for us. We didn't get to Orange pool as much as we had liked to, but we did manage to go a few times. Sahil and Samira also took swim classes at the Westerville Community Center on Saturdays, so we did in plenty of pool time there. Some days they loved the class, some days they whined through a lot of it. The same held true for me too....

Every summer weekend was happily packed with parties, BBQs, long walks, parks, wine tastings, playing in the fountains at Easton, visiting the zoo, Crew games, happy hours, dinners with friends, making new friends, farmers markets, and lots of other fun stuff! All ordinary things, yet so special to me....

For the monkeys second Fourth of July and second Red White and Boom, we once again went to the Mt Carmel Foundation's RW&B party on the rooftop of Mount Carmel West. Mom & Dad and Mama didn't join us this time, but I think the monkeys still had a great time. We had a great dinner, drinks, dancing, and a perfect seat to the best fireworks show in the land! Samira's poopy diaper also got us into the nice restrooms vs the Porta-Johns. Mommy thanks you baby girl! :)

We took our "summer vacation" trip in September actually. We went to Ft Myers beach for 5 nights, and it was wonderful! Very relaxing! The monkeys had a great time, and it was so nice to spend so much time with them and not have to worry about everyday things like cleaning, bills, etc.

We also had many visits from friends and family! The monkeys met their cousin Shreya from Michigan and their cousin Nikhil from SF for the first time. Can't wait to meet up again!

All in all, it was the best summer ever! But it always is.... It made me feel so blessed to have such happiness and love in my life, thanks to my dear monkeys, Chetan and family and friends. Yes, I would now like some wine with that cheese :)

Sad...

This used to be a sad blog, now it may be the saddest blog ever! I can't believe I haven't written any posts since June! My one reader has probably given up on it too!
This was supposed to be a journal-type for me, so let me try to revive it, for me. I can't see me going back and reading it it any time soon, but maybe one day?
Okay, today starts a new life for this blog!

The King of Pop

Michael Jackson passed away yesterday. Yes, he was a total weirdo by the end, but an amazing artist, a big part of my childhood memories. So many of his songs evoke different, wonderful memories for me.

I was OBSSESSED with MJ in 1st and 2nd grade. I remember Dad would bring home a different 45 record from Thriller each time he came home from a business trip, and I would listen to the record non stop for days, even the not so great songs on side B.. I had a big bulletin board in my room meant for important school papers, etc, but instead it was filled top to bottom with pictures of Michael, articles about him, and anything else I could find related to him.

I remember skating to Thriller at the skating rink, listening to songs from Bad with my cousins in India, Mom and I listening to his songs in the car on the way to school, listening to his records with friends and dancing around the room....I even thought Jam was a great video and watched way more than anyone should.

MJ, hope you now find the peace and happiness you seemed to always be looking for....

Slow Parenting Movement

Apparently I am part of a movement, and didn't know. The slow parenting movement!

http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/06/03/chill-free-range-or-slow-parenting-on-the-rise/

Memorial Weekend

I love Memorial weekend...it means summer is here! This year we were going to go to Chicago to visit Ankur and everyone else, but I didn't get an extra day off so we decided to stay local. We ended up having a great long weekend! Went to some BBQs, had a BBQ, went to a couple parks, the Asian Festival, went with Mom and Dad to the temple in WV while Chetan golfed, and enjoyed the great weather!
Here's a link to some pics of our weekend:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chetansonali/MemorialWeekend#

Here's to the start of a fun summer!

Mother's Day

I can't believe my second Mother's Day is already coming up this weekend! After last year, it's now one of my favorite days of the year!
Has motherhood changed me? Heck yeah, more than I like to admit. I'd say it's magnified my strengths and weaknesses, deepened my compassion for others, gotten me to be more organized, made me rely on Chetan more, made me appreciate my own parents even more, softened me to the point of tears when I hear a good song or read a sweet poem, strengthened my faith in G_d, taught me how important it is to live in the present moment, and made me realize how wonderful an ordinary day can be when it's spent with my lil monkeys.
On the flip side, at times I forget I'm not in high school anymore, I'm a mom with responsibilities! I am still amazed that someone has allowed me to be charge of these little creatures. I still often feel so clueless about so many things, but my monkeys are alive, healthy and happy, so I like to think I'm doing something right.
Bieng a mom a is most amazing thing ever, and also the most challenging! And I'm still a rookie...
Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there! Enjoy it!