Our Valley of Happiness

This was one of the best birthday i could ever do i believe. I started planning for this months back and was so excited the days before his birthday. I planned a grand treasure hunt with 12 gifts(since 12th is his birthday) and added clues. The grand prize was the lemon curd cake i baked and he had an amazing time :D One of the sample clues😀 the answer is supposed to be - Television The wine was homemade and i picked a custom label. We are planning to open the bottle on our 10th year anniversary <3 Some of the goods which he found ;)

Done at an artbarn by my hubby and me. We had great time making it :)

The trip to pikes peak was a very anticipated one for us. We knew the drive was going to be extremely scary, well at least for me. From the moment we made plans to visit Pikes Peak, I had been watching many images, videos..etc to know the severity of the drive. Each time i saw a videos, i got scared even more. But we still wanted to do it! Pikes Peak is one of the highest summit of rocky mountains range and sits on a height of  14,115 ft.  We had our breakfast and started driving towards pikes peak. More than excitement, i think I was curious to see the road which is so famous for its adventurous nature.The drive towards Pikes peak was absolutely stunning. I think anywhere you drive in CO, its all going to be so awesome.

Well, this is one of the trips which I never want to forget.  CO is absolutely stunning and everybody, if possible, should go and see it for yourself. You would see how mesmerizing it is. You would find it breathtaking and you would wonder about how beautiful God's creations are! We rented a car and started our journey on July4th 2015. From the moment we got out of the airport we started seeing the majestic mountains. A view from the road.

A pair of smocked pillow!

Pillow done with small level of  smocking and fabric flowers! Pillow done in honey comb pattern.

Skewers painted in silver and gloved together on a mirror. Didn't turn out as i hoped, but still worth the time.

This year i had been so busy cooking tons of food for his birthday. I got personalized M&Ms and a watch as a gift. M&M got one of his favorite photos on them ;) And the delicacies: All these were sides of rice.

This year my man's birthday was a food fest :D Appetizer: Parippuvada Appetizer : Achappam  Chicken Biriyani Gravy Fried chicken And dessert:

This is one of my absolute favorite! Painted pine cones!

This is done by spiraling the magazine pages and painting on it. Its rolled into circles after.

Birthday gift for hubby, knitted hat and a shawl, with crocheted heart. This was my first time using a loom for knitting. For a basic shawl and a hat, this seemed not bad! The cake was Black forest cake- Thanks to joyofbaking.com. It came out so well! I waited until 12 AM pretending to be busy and when the clock struck 12, got him to the living room to this:  

It was a misty dawn.

I looked at him. Through the corner of my eyes. He was strange. Scary.

“Have you ever been in love with me?” “yes”, he shivered while answering

The light house remained as a mystery. Deserted. No one dared to go there. Ever. You may hardly see the top of the light house, it was that far from land. But believe, there are people who have heard loud screams from there. At nights.

I struggled to open my eyes. My eyelids were too heavy. The pain was unbearable. I could still feel blood oozing out of my body. Bones were fractured, I couldn’t move a bit.

“Really?, OMG “

The night was colder than usual. I was feeling very uneasy to drive. Usually I enjoy every part of driving, but today it was bit different. An odd feeling. Intuition.

“But my son” “We will take care of him”

The heat was extreme.

“You take a step forward, your father will be dead”

I was so scared.

“No, u won’t die Akino” “I am scared, Father”

Mrs. Katy ran after the cockroach. Her eyes were set on it; not even a single blink. Sneaking, creeping and more or less like a cockroach she followed it.

“You just have to obey whatever he says” “He. Who?”

I felt as if the Atlantic Ocean had no ends.

It was lunch time. Class was still noisy.

“Dr. Coyne, Look at her. She is dying”

Drops of water scattered from the hard-whittled-dark rocks.

“And I stared at the sky where the stars stood laughing, Swelling their glow, to the deeper side of my mind”

I frowned. The assignment was tough.

He coughed again. It was dawn.

Varun was busy in his biotechnology lab.

Ryan was fed up.  

Just a look at his face proved him cruel.

She was lying on the bed, keeping her eyes half closed.

The night was too dark and cold. Aimy and her mother were still outside. “Mom, I feel like someone is lurking behind the bushes”, Lil Aimy was really scared. She held her mom’s hands tight. “Don’t worry my girl, we don’t have to fear anything”, Mom consoled her child, caressing her hair. “Mom, look . Someone is there, behind the tree”    Aimy pointed her finger towards a tree at the corner. Pin drop silence. Aimy was nervous, her eyes reddish.   Her mom stared at that direction. “Oh Hon, its some silly human standing over there” saying that her mother hugged her daughter and they vanished.

“Whom do you love the most? “, her eyes were glittering while asking this to him.

He was holding a knife.

He didn’t want to kill again. He was sad but it was inevitable. He closed his eyes, and set up his mind for the next murder. ****************** “ Why did u do this to me? “, he heard someone screaming. He had no answer. ‘No one thinks about me’ Said God with a sigh, dabbing his eyes.

My mom was crying. I wanted to console her but she didn’t seem to be looking at me. Her eyes were red and swollen. She was leaning over my dad’s shoulder. Dad’s eyes were wet too, but he was trying his best to bind his tears inside his eyes. I knew that it was all because of me. I couldn’t do anything. I stood there silently, staring at my mom and dad. ************************************ It was a morning in December, but still it was so hot. Where ever I looked my vision was blurred. It was strange. I felt as if I reached some alien planet, just near sun. The wall was transmitting heat. Scary. I took a glance. The only thing I could see was a closed door, locked from inside. But beside that, there was someone … Someone with long grey hair, the founder of E=Mc2- Albert Einstein!! My eyes were wide open when I saw Albert Einstein relaxing on a couch. I pinched my hand to make sure I was not dreaming. Yes-it was real. “How com--e yo--u are here? “,  I tri...

Jake was a world renowned nuclear scientist. He had everything he wanted in his life, the only thing he missed was the public life. The busy schedule of his work kept him busy while working. The protons and neutrons almost filled his life. But after retirement things were different. He was lonely. It was dusk. Jake gazed out of the window. The golden color of the nature thrilled him. He was aged, and his eyes had lost its clarity. But he was determined; the new discoveries from his own laboratories remained unknown to the world. He fumbled on the table for grabbing his record. It was filled with new equations and circuit diagrams of his new discoveries. He turned pages with his weak fingers. A well satisfied smile covered his face. Jake pulled a pen from his pocket. He wrote down the title of his next experiment. ‘Smallest nuclear weapon’. He heaved a sigh. He dreamed about the moments when he would present his record to the world. ************************************...

It was curfew. Terrorists had attacked the city. People were forbidden to get out of their houses. Streets were deserted and foggy. The atmosphere was a blend of mist and tears. The smell of bombs and blood made a thick blanket over the city. But I was feeling so cared. Rohith...; having him with me was the only thing which kept me alive. Within short span of days Rohith became so close to me. He tried to keep me happy but in vain. I couldn’t keep my eyes dry. “Shruthy, Don’t cry again”, Rohith was sitting on the floor holding my chair. My tears always made him go crazy. “My parents...” I burst into tears and I couldn’t complete that sentence. I have lost them in the riot. “I am with you, Shruthy” He voice was promising but I could see the tears in his eyes. Though stranger, he always behaved as if he has some courtesy towards me.  The memories of the riot flashed before my eyes. The bomb blast had almost turned my house into ashes. I was the only one who escape...

I watched him through the small rift of the cell.

“Dr. Wayne, are you sure? “, Asked Steve, hoping to placate him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a great pleasure for me to witness the ‘International Association of Dance Awards (IADA)’  ” The announcement echoed in the auditorium followed with great applause. The dancers from all over the world gathered there, with happiness in their eyes. It was the most awaited moment which kept them chilled for months. ************************************** Shyam Prakash kept his eyes closed. The thud-thuds of the train didn’t disturb him at all. The memories of his aged mother and elder sister popped into his mind frequently. His eyes were wet but he brilliantly controlled his tears. He wanted to help his family. He didn’t want to leave them behind at home. But there was nothing he could do without money. ************************************** “This time the award goes to one of the perfect dancer, who actually deserves it. I am proud to say that”, the audience were in full swing as the announcement continued. The whole auditorium wa...

She was standing outside, alone. She stared through the glassed window. Joan was sitting inside the coffee shop with a lady beside him. The smile on Joan’s face made her heart burn like a whittled dry wood. Her eyes filled with tears making her vision blurred. She was feeling rejected, avoided, and dumped. “Your eyes are beautiful, they are unique”, Joan’s words echoed in her mind. She dabbed her eyes and left the place. *********************************** Through the rear view Joan could see the car following him. He accelerated.  He tried to identify the person in the other car, but in vain. The faces of his enemies flashed in his mind. The car approached him with a higher speed, overtook him, and halted just in front of him. Before he could apply breaks, the other car left the scene leaving him safe. Sigh..!! ************************************* She was weeping. “Love always end up in disaster”, she kept murmuring. “Boys are cheaters”, she couldn’t c...

“Yes, I am on my way”, he said over the phone. Rohan was so happy. After a lot of writings and chatting he was about to meet Isha. Even though they never met, a bond of love kept them so close. Rohan smirked while driving. The dusky evening added color to his smile. He wondered what he would tell, on seeing her for the first time. The silhouettes in his dreams were going to acquire a face. ‘Isha would be in her way too’, the thoughts about Isha made him drive fast. ‘A few more minutes to meet her’!! He took a peep at his watch and it seemed the needles were not moving. He pressed the accelerator with great excitement.  SSSSSSSSSSSPPPPLLLLLAAASSHH…  He didn’t see the car in front of him slowing down. Before he could do anything the two cars got smashed. **************************************** *************** Rohan was sitting on a chair, enjoying the beauty of dusk. The cold wind caressed his wrinkled face, making him chilled. His grey colored hair...

Mark slowed down his car to attend the phone call. “I warn you to stay away from this case”.  Mark hung up the phone as soon as he heard this over the phone.

The street was dusky and busy. I was walking, without paying attention on anything around me. My eyelids were so heavy and I doubted whether I would reach home safely. I was exhausted with the work loads and its pressure. Being a scientist was my dream, but sometimes the work made me crazy. I kept my foot forward to cross the road. I saw the shadow of a truck darting towards me. Even though I wanted to move beside, I was late and within seconds it approached me.. I screamed out for help. But the next moment, SSSPPLLLAAASSHH…. **************************************** ****** When I opened my eyes I was lying on my couch. I tried to recollect what actually had happened. I pinched my arms to make sure that I was still alive. “Hey, look here Bella”, I turned my face to the direction of the voice. There was no one at my house. But the voice…  “Why don’t you take care while crossing the road? “, the question echoed in the hall. I felt strange and had a glance at the ro...