min-myinnersoul

Just a short post today.  I finally dove head first into a mesh ribbon wreath. It seems like they have been around for ages now, but I am always a little slow on hot trends...I have to make sure they're going to stick around before I jump on the bandwagon:o) I am really excited about this wreath, and I loved how easy it was to put together. My "W" looks right at home in the middle:o) I hope you all are having a great Thursday! I'll see you soon! Remember to come back and check out the Dollar Store Christmas Crafts next week!! Participating in: the CSI's Christmas Wreath Challenge

India is embarking on a major revamp of its social security system - replacing subsidised food, fertiliser, fuel, etc etc with direct cash transfers to the bank accounts of the "poor". Is this good or bad ? The current system involves heavily subsidised foodgrain, fertilisers, fuel, etc being made available to ration card holders through the public distribution system. This suffers from a whole host of problems. Bribery, corruption, pilferage, etc ensure that only a fraction of the stuff ends up in the hands of the targeted people.  In some areas like fuel, cooking gas cylinders are widely misused and the diesel subsidy lands into the pockets of rich car owners. The waste is so incredible that something ought to be done. The solution proposed is to eliminate all subsidies progressively and instead simply transfer cash by electronic transfers to bank accounts of the target population. Initially it will cover various anti poverty schemes, then extend to cooking gas and kerosene...

Finally... I am finally sharing my Christmas decor with you all...about time, isn't it? Today you get to see my living room. There are 6 other rooms to see, so I decided to spread them out in different posts.  Things are much the same as last year, but for those of you who are new here, it will be your first time to see it.  We have 9 foot ceilings, so I get to have a gi-normous tree:o) Our tree was a craigslist purchase about 2 years ago, and I am so glad that I found it.  Filling it up has been a task, but thankfully, my mother purchased most of the ornaments:o) She bought them for herself, but they didn't work with her decor, so I gladly took them off of her hands!! The wreaths on the tree were made from the hubs' grandfather's old hymnals...so they're extra special:o)  The Hob was out of the ribbon I have on the mantle, so I had to settle for this really cool ribbon. It was in the ribbon section, where as the other was in the floral section. It took two rolls t...

I wish I had pictures of my trees, but I don't...by the time I got around to taking them, the lighting was bad. Today is an overcast, dreary day, which is terrible for taking indoor pictures. So, my dear friends, you will have to wait a little longer..sorry! I did get some pictures of my mantle, though. This is the after: This was the before...sad, skinny little garland. I know it's hard to believe, but that is two strands of garland wrapped around one another. Those things are so skimpy. I was bored to tears with my mantle. Just plain ole bored. I have always wanted to have live garland, but after checking online, I realized that it is truly more trouble than it's worth. So off to the Hob I went. I purchased 6 pine cone picks. They are always 50% off, so they were $2 each. I also picked up some really pretty burlap ribbon... (I am going back for more today so that I can wrap the garland on my entertainment center. It looks out of place since the one on the fireplace is so ...

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! We surely did!! We got back home on Friday, so there was plenty of time to get settled and relax a bit before starting the work/school week. The holiday baking has begun, so I have to make sure I keep my running shoes broken in, or I'll be asking Santa for the next dress size up;o)  Our first Christmas craft was peppermint Christmas trees.  Thing 1 & 2 worked very hard at unwrapping many many peppermint discs...most made it on the trees...a few ended up in their bellies:o) We started with tacky glue, but that was a bust..wet glue and sugary candy aren't a good mix..so we had to pull out the hot glue gun.  I did all of the gluing, but this was a craft that required all hands on deck, so they didn't get bored with me doing the work. We had a lot of fun crafting, snacking, and listening to Christmas music. Oh yeah, there was a wedding over Thanksgiving holiday:o) Here are a few shots of the kids in their outfits I made.  I am...

Come on Argentina. How often do you ask everybody to cry for you ?  On Wednesday, a US District Court Judge detonated an atom bomb (metaphorically, thankfully), in the world of financial markets. As usual, Argentina was at the centre of it. Here is the story, with a little bit of history. In 2001, Argentina defaulted on its sovereign debt - one of the rare instances of a major country doing so. A default essentially means that a country has no money on the due date to repay a loan it had taken and tells the creditors to fly a kite. The consequences of such an action are drastic - the country immediately becomes an international pariah in financial markets and nobody would lend to it anymore. That has been Argentina's lot for the last decade, and the situation Greece is desperately trying to avoid today. When Argentina defaulted, most of its creditors got together and negotiated a "restructuring package" which meant that they would get something back at least - spread over...

A day late, I know, but here is E's vest and bow tie.  I used a pattern for the vest, which was very confusing by the way. That's one of the reasons I like making my own patterns. I can piece the puzzle together quicker than I can read instructions and try to make sense of what they're trying to tell me:o) Anyway, I am glad to have it done!  The bow tie took about 35 minutes to make from start to finish. I think I will be making more of these. It's so stinkin' cute! The hubs even said he wanted some bow ties:o)  Tomorrow is the big day. The kids are pumped, and the hubs and I are reeeally nervous:o) Not about the kids being the flower girl and ring bearer...they'll be fine...the hubs is playing the music and I am taking the wedding pics...no pressure..no pressure at all..ahhh! I hope you all have wonderful Thanksgiving. Make sure to treasure every moment with your family, (no matter how annoying you might think they are, for those of you dreading it). You never ...

Good Monday to you all! The elves have been busy here in our home, and are ready for their naps:o) It looks like the North Pole exploded in our house...AND I LOVE IT! I am not ready to share all of our trees...yes there are multiples..possibly 8...so I am waiting until after Thanksgiving to let you guys in on the fun:o) I know the suspense is killing you;o) I thought I would share my center piece for the dining room table, just to hold you over. I created it using items I already had. I love FREE:o) The September or November(can't remember which) Southern Living magazine had a beautiful centerpiece for fall with pumpkins, fall flowers, and berries. They had an enormous trough that they put it all in, and I thought, I wish I had something like that...well I completely forgot that I did:o) I got a VERY distressed plant container from one of my mother's friends back in the summer, and stuck it in the attic so the hubs wouldn't fuss at me for junkin' up the garage. Out of s...

What do people do in bed, other than sleeping ? Should be an easy one, isn't it. Well, it turns out not to be so easy. No, it's not what you thought.  Apparently, the activity that is most often done in bed is working !  This blogger has often moaned about the complete encroachment of the office in to the home. The awful mobile phone started the trend. The tyrannical Blackberry, despite offering the serious affliction of arthritis of the thumb, turned zillions into addicts.  The tablet completed the victorious rout. The office has completely taken over the home. Wife and kids - can you move to the garage please.  You know that working in bed is a reality when you see companies offering products that "improve your productivity" while in bed. I had thought that such a claim would strictly be in the realm of the magazines of a certain slant, but apparently these come with a U certificate. Take the example of this bed (online price $5,999) No, this doesn't rock and sh...

Brrr! It's cold today! I can't believe how easily the cold wind can cut through you. I'm so very thankful for a warm home to shelter me from this frigid weather! Speaking of being thankful, I have some wonderful news that my family and I are very thankful for. My uncle is getting married! He is engaged to a fabulous woman, who is absolutely perfect for him. We are all overjoyed for the both of them. They are getting married on Thanksgiving Day, and my little ones are part of the wedding party.  If you are a follower of my Facebook page , you saw the inspiration dress I shared yesterday. This is my version.  For seven straight hours, I sewed away.  Drowning in ruffles, constantly back and forth from my machine to the ironing board. Blood, sweat, but thankfully no tears:o) (Stinkin' stick pins!) I accidentally figured out how to make the ruffles quicker by loosening the thread tension...it could have been longer than 7 hours if I hadn't stumbled upon that!  The neckli...

I remain confounded as to why Bill Gates is not universally loved in this world. Ask people at random to name the greatest living person  and you'll get a wide variety of names. But I bet, you won't see the name of Bill Gates very much. And yet , to me, he would rank right up alongside with Nelson Mandela for that honour. Why ?;  do you ask ? here's why. There have been many incredibly successful businessmen in the world. Few can deny that Bill Gates is one of them. But he is only one of many; many preceded him, and no doubt many will succeed him. But even in the success, you should laud his lifestyle - never ostentatious, low key, with class and style and the very epitome of what a successful businessman should be. And then he gave virtually all his money to charity. In this, he is rare, but not unique. Others have donated large sums before too. The list of business tycoons, who have been major givers for social causes is an illustrious list. But he is absolutely unique, i...

I love cold weather, a.k.a. snuggly weather. I love the warm blankets, cozy fires, and most of all, hot cocoa.  I am not a big fan of cocoa mixes because of all the added "stuff" that is put in them. I prefer to cook my own.  I have a favorite recipe for hot cocoa, and I have to share it with you so that you can enjoy it too. It takes minutes to make, and warms your belly and puts a smile on your face:o) Hot Cocoa serves 4 adapted from  this  recipe 1/3 c unsweetened cocoa 3/4 c white sugar 1/3 c boiling water 3 1/2 c milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add cocoa and white sugar. Bring back to a boil, and then lower heat so the mixture simmers. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add milk and vanilla, and warm to desired temperature.  I usually pour the kids some before it has gotten too hot. I spy some happy campers right here:o) Now you can enjoy those few brief moments where they have a smile on their faces, and calling you the best mom ...

Sewing for a little girl is so easy. There are so many cute inspirations out there for girls, but there really isn't a whole lot to choose from for little boys. Sometimes I feel guilty when I make something for S.R. because for every 3-4 things I make for her, I make 1 for E. Sad, I know. It's a fine line when sewing for boys because some things out there are border-line ridiculous. You have to take great care in not making your boy look like a girl.  So anywhoodles, I went to Heart and Home Fabrics  on Etsy, and  let E pick out some really cute fabric from the "Children at Play" line by Sara Jane.  I made this cute little bean bag ottoman from it. If I ever get around to it, I will do a tutorial because S.R. wants one as well:)  I also made him a cute little vest out of the same fabric. Yes, it coordinates with his ottoman, but how often is he going to be wearing that vest while sitting on the ottoman? ;o) I'll have a tutorial on how to make a vest very so...

Since I have been out of school for longer than I am willing to admit, there are a few things that I had forgotten about...one of them being Red Ribbon Week. I am constantly being reminded of how the world isn't all roses and cupcakes. The thought of teaching my children to stay away from drugs had never crossed my mind until we got a letter from the guidance counselor about Red Ribbon Week. Yikes! How do you explain drugs to a 6 year old who has been completely sheltered? We struggled through it, but I think he got the gist of it. He knows their bad, and God doesn't want us to harm our bodies. So, since we are all about Star Wars, he wanted to include Master Yoda on his poster. The hubs knows all when it comes to S.W., so he came up with the slogan. Pretty catchy, huh? We flipped through some coloring books, and E picked this image for his poster. I used my little projector, and traced it in pencil. He traced over the pencil marks in black marker, and then colored it in with c...

Since I have been lagging on posts, I never told you guys what my kids were for Halloween this year.  E, once again, wanted to be something related to Star Wars. I'm not sure if he was a clone trooper or a storm trooper, (I get confused) but I most definitely knew that making that costume for him was next to impossible. I hate buying store bought costumes, but I know my limitations people:o) Thankfully S.R. wanted to be something easy, Pocahontas. The Disney Pocahontas costumes aren't exactly modest, so I decided that we would go for a less flashy, more coverage kind of dress:o) E didn't get to wear his Star Wars costume to school, but they do have book character day, and get to dress up for that. He chose to be Peter Pan. It doesn't get much easier than that! I purchased 2 t-shirts from Hobby Lobby. The lighter color in his size, and the darker color in an adult large. I turned the adult shirt into pants using a pajamas pant pattern, and used the sleeves of that same s...