min-myinnersoul

Here is a project that I did a few weeks back, and just never took the time to get it posted. I found this sofa table at a yard sale for $15. In it's original state, it was honey colored, and very well taken care of. Of course, me being who I am, I couldn't just leave it in it's original state:o)  Painting this table was a 3-step process. I spray painted a base coat of Krylon's Peekaboo Blue. I didn't worry about full coverage b/c I knew that I would be distressing it. I had just a smidge of the chalk paint left over, so I dry brushed a thin coat on top of the Peekaboo Blue. Once that was dry, I sanded it to death. It was still a little too blue, so I dirtied it up with some Valspar antiquing glaze. I found these glass knobs at Lowes. They were a necessity since every piece of furniture needs a little bling:o)  It fits perfectly in our living room....It was meant to be...sigh:o) Participating in these parties: This project was featured at:

Just imagine this. You earn a salary of $ 25m a year. And then you go on strike demanding improved wages. Believable ?? You better believe it. Kobe Bryant (arguably the best basketball player in the world, for those readers not familiar with sport), earns that salary, but is on strike from tonight. Actually not just Kobe. Every basketball player who plays in the NBA ( unsporting types - that's the National Basketball Association, which runs the League in the US of A.) The NBA is a private league. Players have formed a union and there is a collective bargaining agreement every few years. The last agreement expires today. Negotiations with owners of the teams has broken down. No deal; so there is a lock out. The team owners are losing money. The players claim they aren't getting enough money. Despite the wild popularity of the game. Unlike other American sports such as Football (the American variety) and Baseball, which have limited appeal outside the country, basketball  is wild...

 Yesterday I got the sewing bug again:o) I have been on a sewing hiatus after my encounter with the bridesmaid dresses that I worked on. It was actually nice to take a break...but now I am back. I have had a beautiful stash of fabric that I have been putting off using for far too long now. I came across  THIS dress yesterday, and new I had to make a similar one. It is so sweet:o) So here is my version of the  "Summer Dress" .  My mother gave me some baby ric rac and I had to find a way to incorporate it on the dress. It adds just a little bit more to the ruffle don't you think? The lace that runs down the center front is some vintage lace I had in my stash...also given to me by my mother:o) I am so happy with the results!  I love visiting  Girl.Inspired . She always has the most beautiful outfits for her girls...she is definitely "inspired" and very inspiring! I am hoping to get some matching "4th of July" outfits made for the kids today during nap tim...

As you all may have noticed, I have been M.I.A. here lately. This summer has been jam packed full of things. Playgroups, swim lessons, family gatherings, and cutting hair have been filling my days. The laundry room still isn't complete. I haven't had time to finish it. Next week should be a little slower, so maybe I will get around to it then:o) I thought I would share with you all some Super Hero Party inspiration that I have come across here recently. E has begged for a Spiderman/Batman/Superman birthday party....a.k.a. Super Hero Party. I have been scouring blogland for inspiration, and here are some of my faves. For those of you who are new to this blog, I always start planning the kids' parties 3 months in advance....I LOVE PARTIES!! Aren't these some great ideas? To check out more from these fabulous parties, click on the links below: Wonder Woman Birthday Party Vintage Pop Art Super Hero Birthday Party A Batman Birthday Party Super Hero Birthday Party

This blogger is not enamoured of traveling now, the consequence of over exposure to this activity over many years.   In this forum, there has been many a rant against airlines, fellow fliers, roads, and even cows. But I discover that there hasn’t been a full throated rant against an important abomination that is an inevitable component of the aforesaid activity – the hotel. This post rectifies the imbalance. Does anywhere else in the world, the day start at 12.00 noon, I ask you. I can understand that the lazy Senior Division Clerk at Chennai Telephones believes that day starts at 11.00 AM. But 12.00 noon ? or 2.00 PM ? or even at one place 4.00 PM ?   You arrive at a new city after some 12 hours of being frozen in a Nataraja pose (after extensive research, airlines have learnt that it is the best “seating” arrangement in which you can squash the maximum number of people). The blasted flight has landed at 5.00 AM. You leg it to the hotel, to be told that the day starts at...

Is Gils living in Angola or Mongolia ?? He isn't, but he very well could be. He is in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, but in terms of GDP he would be no different to living in Angola and in terms of per capita GDP, he would be the same as a Mongolian. This, according to a lovely chart by the Economist, which you can see here . They say a picture is worth a thousand words (something this blogger evidently doesn't believe because he regularly inflicts 1000 words on the reader, without a photo in sight). Surely a chart like this is worth 10,000 words. Brilliant, as the Economist usually is. Vishal can chose between Turkmenistan and Latvia. Sandhya can opt for Croatia or the Philippines. When she goes home, Reflections , who is now wonderfully active in the blogosphere after extensive bouts of laziness, can chose to be a Tunisian or a Papua New Guinean. Wow. All of a sudden, India doesn't seem to be that great an economic powerhouse, does it ? Each state by itself seems f...

I guess you noticed that last week was sort of hit or miss around here. Hubs stayed home last week....worked a little, and helped me a little. I decided on a whim that the laundry room needed a face lift....well we are still in recovery...WOW!  We spent more time on that one small space than we usually do on a full size bedroom. We are still putting the finishing touches on it, but I wanted to give a sneak peak:o) The hubs built this riser for the washer and dryer....He's DA BOMB:o) For the plans, go  HERE . baskets from Pier 1 Little decor action here. I'll share what these little guys are perched on in Part 2. I will share with you a completed project. This cabinet was purchased from a garage sale for $1. It's one of those cabinets that goes over the sink in your kitchen. I didn't know what I would do with it, but it was solid cherry, and a buck. I couldn't pass it up:o) After much contemplation, I decided that this cabinet would make a perfect bench.  I removed t...

On June 16th, IBM turned 100. Yes, 100 years old. That is a colossal achievement by any standards. As with living beings, so with corporations - the primary motive, and a great achievement,  is survival. Time to bring out the cake and sing Happy Birthday. The company started life in 1911 as Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation, formed by a merger of three small companies. A decade or so later it changed its name to a more catchy International Business Machines, the name by which it is still known. And over the decades it has weathered many a storm, made many a significant achievement and today, even at a ripe old age, is strong, robust and dancing. That is has done so in the field of information technology, where the pace of change is far more rapid than in other sectors, adds a special gloss to the achievement. Look at the inventions it has to its credit. The punch clock to record time, the electric tabulating machine, the ATM, the floppy disk, the hard disk, the magnetic st...

Indian roads are hell; right ? Well, Yes and No. This blogger has characterised them as the most dangerous place on earth, even more dangerous than Iraq or Afghanistan here . But that's only part of the story. They can also be delightfully brilliant. Really ? Yes. Some years ago, a wise old man , who was the then Prime Minister of India, conceptualised the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) . The cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai would be linked by world class highways. This is now a reality. Driving on them can be a breeze. Even 5 years ago you could not have dreamt that the words driving, breeze and Indian road could feature in the same sentence. These four lane highways are truly world class. Not a pot hole in sight. No speed breaker too. Its actually a greater pleasure to drive on them than say in Europe or China, simply because the roads are often empty. These are toll roads, a concept still new to India and trucks haven't got used to the idea that they have t...

On a walk the other day, I spied a shop that was a "fair price shop". There are many of them dotted around cities and towns in India. They are usually shut with a "No stock" board hanging in front. They are part of government initiatives to sell foodgrains and vegetables at "fair prices". They are not ration shops, mind you, which are designed to sell subsidised grains to the poor. These are shops where you and I can buy as well. At "fair prices". Begs the question, fair to whom ? Here's Economics 101 for the economically challenged. Prices are fixed by supply and demand. A willing seller and a willing buyer together fix the price. As long as there are many sellers and buyers and as long as there is information on what everybody is buying and selling at, the price that is so determined freely is what is a "fair" price. But to Rajalakshmi, a fair price is a low price. Nothing wrong with buyers wanting the lowest possible price, but t...

Here is a quick tip for all of you mommies out there with youngin's....I mean really young;o) Most people have those little tubs for their babies or a bath chair hammock. If you are in a pinch or out traveling and can't take it with you, here is a quick solution. Use a giant sponge as your go-to. Here are the step-by-step pictures in how to create a head rest for your baby's noggin. Easy peasy, right? Is that not one of the sweetest faces you have ever seen? I'm thinking model material!;o) I want to thank my Best Bud for sending me this quick tute. She's quite crafty, you know:o) *** I spent most of yesterday working on some furniture(using my chalk paint...details to follow). Today I'll be painting walls, and in between coats, hitting the pool. Can't wait to share what we have been working on!! Have a great day!

If you are in the UK this coming autumn, you better brace yourself for a series of strikes. Public sector unions are calling for a series of sustained strikes. Throwback to the 80s perhaps ?? Maybe. My view is that these planned strikes are completely unjustified and the unions are living in cuckooland. The problem is pensions. Readers of this blog are young enough to completely switch off at the mere mention of this word. But this is one of the biggest problems in business today. The problem is that, years ago, stupid HR types, gave away a perk called "defined benefit" pensions. This meant that when you retired you were eligible for a pension which was a high percentage of your last drawn pay. To add insult, these would be inflation indexed and accrue to you till you die. That's all fine, but who's going to pay for all this. The even more stupid accounting types, blissfully ignored the ramifications of what they had promised and simply ignored this future promise. Wh...

I hope you all had a great weekend! We had a fabulous weekend! The hubs and I got to attend a Vanderbilt baseball game Friday night with my dad and sister. It was awesome! More to share about that later on;o) And Saturday, we all attended my dad's company picnic at A Cowboy Town near Nashville. We had a blast there. The kids LOVED it! They got to ride horses, play fun games, & play on water slides. I'll have some pictures to share with you later on this week....hopefully:o) Now, let's get down to business.:o) Here are the highlights from last week's party: Summer To-Do List submitted by Mommy Minded Pokemon Birthday Invitations submitted by Making Memories. Bean Bag Toss submitted by Secret Pie Shoppe Hawaiian Themed Birthday Party submitted by This Too Thanks for participating girls:o) You guys are great! Make sure to grab a featured button on the left side bar!! I'm taking a break on the linky party this week. I have a few projects in the works for this week, ...

The call had come to the village. The ship had come. It was anchored in the deep seas, some distance away. Where it was sailing to, nobody knew. Even if they knew, it would have meant little; world geography wasn't their strong point All they knew was that it was going far far away. And that the white sahib was promising work for any able bodied man or woman who was willing to sail. The terms were simple. Or at least, this is what they understood. The white sahib would feed them and house them. He wouldn't charge them for the ship journey. They were to work for about five years or so. They wouldn't be paid any wages, but they would be given food and shelter. After five years they were "free" ; could come back home (they would have to pay for the trip) or stay or whatever.  This was to be their "contract". When they landed , the white man would thrust a paper in front of them to that effect. They were to sign the contract. Of course they didn't know ...

I missed last week's Friday Faves...not sure what I had going on...I have slept since then;o) This week has been uber busy with appointments, playdates, and a sun scorching day at the water park yesterday that left us all burnt to a crisp, but happy as larks:o) Next time I will make sure to check the expiration date on the sunscreen BEFORE we hit the pool!!! So here are my favorites from last week, since I didn't have a chance to check anyone's blog out this week:o) Lizzy  painted this beautiful  Diamond Pattern Wall  in her bathroom. Gorgeous! Love that shower curtain too:o) Would you believe that these are not real coffee mugs? I had to do a double take:o) Head over to Diary of a Ladybird, and check out her  Hot Chocolate (fondant) Cupcakes . This Picnic Blanket  is so simple and yet so genius. Head to Infarrantly Creative and see how simple it is to make one yourself...and the best part..NO SEWING:o) And last but but not least, I love these  Watermelon S...

The Unites States spends some $700 bn on defence. Its spending is more than the combined total of the next 17 countries - a list that includes China and Russia (See The Economist's chart on defence spending here ) . It's none of this blogger's business to question whether it should be having so many bombs - that's for American citizens to decide for themselves, although we can have a mild interest as to whether it is sensible to fire a AGM Hellfire II from a drone above North Waziristan at a cost of some $70,000 to hit a donkey in its ass ! This blog, having some pretensions to economic bias, instead ruminates on the sheer scale of cost effectiveness that is possible on defence spending. Without reducing the number of bombs that is. You see, the traditional ingredients by which businesses attack costs are simply not present n the field of defence. There is very little competition. The best way to reduce costs is competition. But there is little chance of that with US de...

Great news! We have hit the 300 Follower mark! How exciting, right? I think there needs to be a giveaway to celebrate:o) Be on the look out;o) I want to thank those who participated last week in the first Summer Fun Fest Linky Party. This week, I am going to change it up a bit. This week will be a free-for-all. I want to know what you are doing this summer. What projects do you have going on? What are you cooking? What are you doing with your kids? Anything you want to share is fair game:o) Here are some highlights from last week: Homemade Magic 8 Ball Oatmeal Chocolate Waffle Cookies Sweet & Salty Deliciousness Show these girls some love and visit their sites! If you guys were highlighted, go ahead and grab a Featured Button. Now it's your turn! Show us what you are up to this summer...besides melting in this heat:o)

When you reach a certain age, you start to think of the legacy that you wish to leave behind. What would you like to be known for ? What would history judge you by ? Generation X , to which I belong, is the post baby boomer generation in the Western world. The generation of transition from Mao to modern China in the Middle Kingdom. The generation that came of age post the Indo-Pak-China wars in India. Our best years may have gone by, but we are young enough to still influence our legacy. So what would history judge us as ? Alas, my conclusion has to be that of a wasteful generation. A generation that went on a binge and is leaving a debt to its children. Every major country in the world is saddled with mounting public debt, created because we of Generation X wanted instant gratification, but were not prepared to pay for it. Be it health, or pensions, we wanted it all, but are leaving the bills to be paid for by our children. Alas. We were wasteful also with the environment. More than ...

Guess which country is this ? The decision on where a company should locate a new factory is made by the unions and the government. The company, which thought it could decide for itself,  is rapped on the knuckles for presuming this right. Where could this be in this day and age - North Korea ? Zimbabwe ? Libya ? Alas, none of these. It is actually the US of A. The company in question is Boeing. For long it has had factories in the Pacific NorthWest - in the states of Washington and Oregon. It now needs additional manufacturing capacity for making the Dreamliner - the new 787  series that is being launched worldwide.  It set up an additional factory in South Carolina. The unions representing the Washington and Oregon plant workers filed a complaint with the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB upheld the complaint - Boeing was wrong to open a factory in South Carolina !! The case boggles the mind. Boeing did not shut down any factory or lay off any workers. On...

Last weekend I got a wild hair and decided to tackle a ton of projects that have been sitting in our garage for MONTHS. The hubs was getting a little flustered with all of the junk stacked up in there, so I finally bit the bullet and got down to business. My mother gave me this milk can who knows how long ago;o). It belonged to one of her friends, and had been painted a taupe color. For the longest time I didn't know what I wanted to do with it, but after wandering thru Lowes the other day, I knew it had to be a table:o) The table top was around $17...a little more than I would normally pay for something, but I needed the 24" round top so it would look proportional. I used one coat of primer and 2 coats of Cherry Red by Krylon for the paint. Because the top of the milk can was such an odd shape with concave and convex curves, nailing or screwing the table top down wasn't an option. So I decided that liquid nails was the way to go. Here it is nested between our two chairs:o...