Weekend Fun at U-Pick Citrus Farm :)

U-pick apple on 2014 (Click here for U-pick Apple Post) was so much fun that we decided to go to local U-pick citrus farm this year. Since citruses ripen around winter time,  Dec-Jan timing was perfect to pick them up. Undoubtedly, picking citruses was an amazing experience. There were so many different varieties to choose from and I made sure to pick each one of them. Frankly, I had never in my life imagined that oranges had these many varieties.  There were varieties of grapefruits (Bhogate) as well and I am planing to make Bhogate Sadeko (Recipe Here) this coming weekend.

Another surprising thing to note is that there was a tree loaded with tangerines (suntala) just like we get back home and it was so delicious. It had been years since I hadn't had one and when I found one I was so excited and picked so many :) First thing  I did once I got back home was I roasted some peanuts, made spicy cilantro chutney, and sat outside in the sun for hours and enjoyed juicy suntala just like we used to do back home around this time :) 

Enjoy :)

Summer Barbecue Fun :)

Summer is almost on its way out here in the Midwest. Last week temperature suddenly dropped and was in lower 50s. So, before the snow nightmare gets into our lives, we Nepali residing in Illinois decided to do an outdoor barbecue fun. Surprisingly, Saturday was beautiful and temperature was in 80s. We went to a park nearby and spent our entire Saturday there.

My friends and I without a doubt had lots of fun. This time guys in our community planned everything, so food wise there were so many different varieties. When I say food and guys planned BBQ, meat was an item with most different varieties ;) Food was delicious and the park itself had so many things to do. There was a small but very pretty Botanical Garden, small creek filled with lotus, and a good size water fall fountain. We toured and visited each of those places and of course took tons of pictures.

This outing after a hectic week at work was so worth it and relaxing. We ate, laughed, sang, toured, and most importantly met each other after a long time. Below are the pictures from yesterday :)

Good Night Everyone >:D<

Saturday Fun and Apple Picking :)

It has been more than five years since I came to the United States and all of these years I have been living here in the Midwest. But during these times, I had never been to any of the U Pick Farms! I once went for Strawberry Picking but wasn't impressed that much because the harvesting season at that time  was over and I ended up picking sour baby strawberries :( After that, I always ignored and never bothered to visit one of these farms. 

But yesterday, day was nice and as always I was searching for nearby attractions to spend my weekend. I found out this Orchard near by, which had mentioned apples being ready to pick. I was hesitant at first but I had no other choice and I wanted to get outside of the house so bad. So, I and my husband decided to visit this Orchard to pick apples.

Seriously guys I was so surprised and amazed at the same time because the Orchard was beautiful. I was constantly scolding myself because the orchard was just fifteen minute drive from where we used to live before and we never even thought about it a single time. Unlike, the Strawberry Farm that I had visited in the past, this orchard was amazing. It was filled with apple trees and there were so many varieties. As seen in the pictures below, apples were fresh, red, ripen and so delicious! 

This has to be one of the best experiences of mine here in the Midwest. I regret that I ignored this place before. I am definitely going to visit this place often and recommend to everyone living here in the Midwest. This seriously is a Must Visit :) Hurry Up! This season will end in no time. Address: (http://www.curtisorchard.com/)

>:D<

Being Social :)

2013 has been the best year. January to December life was full of fun, exhilaration, family, friends and success. I hope the trend continues in the same manner every year. Out of all the things this year, there were two incidents that took my happiness level to the extreme. One was the day when I got my first job and another was the day when I got to meet children in an orphanage in Nepal.

Since I was a kid, I have been involved in various social service activities. Helping needy and making small changes if not big, always provided me the greatest satisfaction. Now that, I can somewhat afford some savings for well being of the needy, I decided to visit “Self Peace Orphanage” when I visited home last year (2013). This organization was first started by Maina Devi Bhandari in 2005. When I asked her about the motivation behind this great work, she replied “Mero Man” (My heart). The fact that she cannot endure seeing needy women and children, gave her enthusiasm and courage to start helping these people. She in fact, donated her own land and with the help of others, she was able to build an accommodation. Currently, this organization is home to twelve children who lost their parents at a young age and children who were found on streets or garbage cans. With kids, this organization also takes care of women who were forced to leave their homes because of the domestic violence. “Self Peace Orphanage” provides food, education, shelter, and security to meet the basic daily requirements for these children and women. The motto is to make them realize their potentials, so that, they become a responsible independent citizen in the future.

I was mesmerized by the fact that we have noble citizen like Maina Devi Bhandari. After looking at those innocent faces in the orphanage, I was constantly thinking about the ways to involve myself in activities that would help disadvantaged people in our society. And one of the ways is to inform you all about this great organization. Below is the information if you want to make a donation:
Please donate funds at: Account No. E61-11-11673 (Nepal Bank Limited); email: selfpeaceorphanage@yahoo.com; Phone: 071-561427; 9806971936.

Money can make a difference but there are other ways of helping like volunteering (if you live nearby), donating clothes and stationaries. Also, below are the pictures to give you a glimpse of this organization.

The Name Banner of the Orphanage.

 The Lady behind the Great Work =D>

Happy kids withTihar sweets.

 Mumy and I with the whole family. It was such an amazing experience.

 Mumy and I with the founder and women currently living in the orphanage. 

 With the youngest in the orphanage. 

 This little girl was found in a jungle covered and bitten by insects. She was just two days old at that time. Later they realized that she was blind and her blindness cannot be cured. So, glad that now she has a home, friends and family.

 Made some donation to the family and realized that you can actually buy Satisfaction :)

 Kids Bedroom.

The Kitchen.