min-myinnersoul

I found this book at a thrift store when E. was a baby, and knew that someday I would read it to him(& S.R.:o) (found at Amazon.com  HERE ) We started reading it this morning at breakfast, and my kids are hooked. We have made it to Chapter 6 so far. In Chapter 2, some of the children in the story are singing "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus." While I was reading the story, I sang this part. So far, the story is emphasizing the importance of helping those in need. Well mommy was in need this afternoon:o)  Yesterday, E & S.R. thought it was a great idea to take all of the games out of the cabinet and "explore" them. Not a single piece was left in it's original box. After lunch today, it was their responsibility to pick up all of the pieces. I left them to do their work, and I heard E. start singing the song...and then S.R. chimed in. It was music to my ears. Just another reminder of why God should be and is the focus of our home. My two little angels singin

It's time to kick off our Summer Fun Fest. I am so excited to see what all you guys have to share. Are you excited? Just think of all the fun things our children are going to get to do this summer!  I'll start off with sharing what we have been up to.... Last week, plans fell through with friends, and there was a threat of storms, so I had to come up with something to keep the babies occupied. My friend  Deanna  hosted a Christmas crafty party last year and served some yummy marshmallows. She posted a link to these Homemade Marshmallows(a Martha recipe) on her blog. My kids love marshmallows, and I knew they would be really excited to help make them. I took care of the mixing and spreading part.  The next morning I let them cut out their favorite shapes. E chose a bat cookie cutter for "Batman."  S.R. chose a heart...typical little girl;o)  Once all of the marshmallows were cut out, I coated them with a little confectioners sugar to keep them from sticking to each oth

She never thought it would come to this. Being dumped in a 15ft by 10ft cell in the country's most notorious jail. In a filthy place and in the close proximity of some of the most hardened criminals of the land. Her only consolation was that there were many like her, who believed they were innocent, hadn't been convicted and yet forced to already begin serving their punishment. Her crime was that she was famous. Or rather, her family was famous. And probably notorious as well, but then if guilt by association was a crime, virtually all of us would be in jail. In a land where the rule of law is supposedly in force, you ought to be judged on your own actions and not the actions of those you are "palling" with (the awful word within quotes is courtesy of a certain lady in the US of questionable intellectual capability ). The problem in this land is that there is a public perception (not unaffected by jealously) that the rich and famous have all got there by unfair means

For the past few days, I have been scouring Blogland for fun ideas for this summer. Both E and S.R. will be heading to preschool in a little over two months, and I want to have a "fantasmic" summer. Over the next few weeks, I will be hosting a Linky Party every Monday for you to share your favorite Summer time activities. I'll share some of mine as well:o) I will be highlighting my personal faves, so get your activities together, and come share them with us all!! These are some great ideas to get your summer started off right.  I am definitely going to be making this board.  Wendy, from Craft Goodies , shares her tutorial for this activity board over at  CSI   These are homemade bouncy balls...did you know you can make these?!?!? See how these super cool  Super Balls  are made over at Making Memories . When I first saw these bottles, I thought they were for bowling:o) It's actually a  Toddler Ring Toss Game . Super easy and super cheap! Me like-y! Head on over to  Tod

School is out, and E couldn't be happier. I think he was a little bothered that S.R. got to stay home with mommy & do all sorts of cool things:o) But he really did love his teachers and made tons of friends. Here are the gifts that he gave his teachers. I love vinyl, and I will put it on just about anything. Teachers need to stay hydrated, right? So why not supply them with a cute cup to keep the hydration going? One of his teacher's is a HUGE Bama fan. So her's was easy enough to figure out. E was so funny about the next 2:o) He said that Mrs. J loved fingers...hahaha! And he said that Miss C loved flowers:o) Too cute! They really loved their cups. Mrs. S even sent me an email to tell me she had been using her cup all weekend. Score! Nothing like making someone happy with a little something special! *** Tomorrow I hope to be starting a little something new, so stayed tuned...should be fun!

The hubs and I spent a fantastic weekend at Callaway Gardens. It was kid-free & uber relaxing:o) He arranged everything, and I'll have to say, I don't think he could have done any better....it was PERFECT! When we first arrived, I got sick...(not so perfect).   I have been on antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection, and it's been making me icky at times. We were supposed to start the trip off with a 2 hour bike ride, but I wasn't feelin' it, so we toured the gardens by foot & car. Inside of the butterfly house:  The Chapel:  Entrance to chapel  Stained Glass Window in chapel  View of Lake from chapel  Lots of pictures of the chapel, eh?  Me taking a break to keep everything down....was that T.M.I.?:o)  This bunny was so cute:o)  This little guy was cute until he started blowing his chin out at me to back off....not cool!   The hubs and me:o)  It's hard to see from this pic, but there were around 30 turtles coming towards me(that little red dot at

This post is a vain rant against the female invasion , nay takeover, of the street barber. Evidence of the extreme intellectual rigour of this blog. Needling fair ladies, who throng this space :) is an occasional pastime of this blogger. Considering that its been a while since the opposite sex was needled here, and considering his rather impish mood today, its time to risk life and limb again. There was a time, not so long ago, when the barber down the street was exclusively a male preserve. Indian women of that vintage, let their hair down (literally, but never, figuratively) and had no use for that specimen, who had the artistry of a butcher.  Men could go there in peace and submit themselves to the shears, while engaging in discussions exclusively masculine in nature. Alas , no longer. The blasted guy has metamorphed into a 'unisex salon". Or a "spa", Or a "beauty therapist". I understand none of these words and had to look them up. These places are now

Great News girlies! My  PB Knock Duvet  is being featured at So I can proudly wear this button for the SECOND time:o) I am a lucky girl. Be sure to go check it out. Just click on either of the buttons, and you will see it:o) In other news....I have a busy next few days ahead of me. I am having a  Princess House Party  at my house tonight. It was supposed to be last week, but we had only had our power back on for 3 days. So everyone was trying to get back to normal. Since it's so close to the end of the school year, everyone is packing everything into the next 2 weeks. Not many are coming tonight(sniff, sniff), but those who are coming will have a great time and some fantastic food:o) I hope you have a great weekend! I'll be back Monday to share with you my weekend...it's going to wonderific:o)

Unless you have a visceral hatred of the IMF, you could not have missed all the media coverage of Dominique Strauss Kahn, its boss. The affair has exploded like a nuclear bomb on a number of fronts. Firstly there is the IMF itself, currently deeply involved in the European bailout situation. Secondly it has blown open the French Presidential race - he was the front runner and it was quite possible that Sarkozy would have lost to him in the elections next year. It has called into question Continental European tolerance for sexual profligacy of its leaders - surely the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is at least a bit worried. But this blog must remain a strictly non political one. This post is about the appointment of the new IMF chief - DSK has just resigned today and even if he is acquitted, is unlikely to get his job back. It has been an utterly shameful arrangement that a cosy understanding exists that the World Bank chief is an American and that the IMF chief is an Europea

Summer break is just days away, and I wanted to give E the chance to hand out a little something special to all of his buds at school. I stopped by Walmart and browsed their party section last night. There isn't much to choose from, but they did have these cute little guitar necklaces with bubbles inside. They are $2 for a 4-pack. Here's what he will be handing out: And if you are interested in this printable,  then go  HERE   to download . We are going to eat lunch with E today, and he really excited:o) Looking forward to making his day!!!

Remember a few weeks ago when I said I was going to finish the bridesmaids dresses? Well, things didn't go according to plan. There were issues with the sizing chart and after sewing and ripping seams, and sewing some more and ripping a whole lot more seams....I am FINISHED!!! Blood, sweat and tears went into making all 5 dresses. Making those dresses put every bit of my sewing skills to the test. I did things I have never done before, and I really don't want to have to do them for a long time now:o) I am mentally drained. But everyone seemed to be really excited about their dress. I think this is the first time I have seen girls happy about their bridesmaid dress. The bride did a great job of picking out dresses that the girls could actually wear outside of a wedding. So now that the dresses are done, this is where I want to be  Doesn't this look like the perfect place to relax?  I am so ready for an ocean breeze and the sun on my face. However, I can't seem to talk th

The price of oil has been well above $ 100 a barrell for sometime now and there is every likelihood that its going to stay there. Yesterday the Indian government was forced to raise the price of petrol by Rs 5 per litre.  This blogger has railed often against the the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich, from the rest of the world to the Gulf, etc etc. This Sunday, its a light hearted look at the benefits of a world without oil. Imagine the utopia it shall be. At an instant the road everywhere in the world will become oases of peace. The whole world will become slimmer,  Rajalakshmi will now have to walk, or bike and hopefully an ounce of athleticism will come to her. TV programmes such as the Biggest Loser will cease to exist - instead new programmes such as "how lazy can you be" may become the rage. Some of blots on humanity will mercifully be consigned to oblivion. Like Heathrow, or O'Hare. And imagine  a world without Air India - sheer bliss. And &quo