Happy 8th Birthday Son:)

My Sonnie boy turned 8 this 3rd September!.............he is already showing the signs of nearing teenage,sigh!!
Why/how do kids grow up so fast!
I don't want to dwell on the sentiments of a child growing up & eventually away,I am just going to share what we did for his birthday!

This is just before he left for school on the 3rd,though we had his party  the next day!

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For the decor,I made tons of buntings from colorful crepe paper & criss-crossed them across the small lil lawn sprinkled with balloons & a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner:)

I plucked a bunch of flowers & stuck them in a jug for additional color:)

Cupcake toppers are a novel concept in India,so the kids were super amused by them,they picked up the toppers & left the cup cakes alone in the second serving .......LOL:).................I printed out the free toppers printable from here- Best Gift Idea

Made a ruffle sorta cake inspired from here.............it's not an exact copy but yes the inspiration was that ruffled cake!

I made triangles out of handmade paper,wrote my son's name on it , hot glued it to a scrap of white wool ,tied it to chopsticks & my banner was ready...............Tada :)

 Menu-

1. Noodles

2. Mac 'n' Cheese 

3. Pizza

4. Chocolate Chip muffins

5. Samosa

6.Strawberry Ice cream in cones

7. Cake

8. Juices

LOL.............I forgot to click pics of other goodies like favors & the ice cream mania! ........................the kids were going absolutely ballistic especially when doggie B came out to join the celebrations:)

 Was a fun party & now I am back to business:)

Clicked pics of a cute Doily Waterproof  Messenger  in white & red which I had made but didn't find the time to list................It is in the shop now:)

Find it here

 

Precious Bowtique

hiya.....................how was your weekend?
Mine was a mix of good & bad.The bad first...............my daughter had an accident & had a big gash on the back of her head...............she came home screaming with her clothes soaked in blood..........oh boy,that was a terrible day!..............we rushed her to the hospital,got the wound cleaned up & treated but had a restless night!

The good started the next day,namely my son's 8th birthday..................well the day was spent baking muffins,making yummies (details coming in the next post),had a rocking kiddie party on Sunday...........overall a happy day:)



My daughter's bandage is off,the wound is healing nicely & I am back to my normal routine:)

Now the weather is cooling just so slightly reminding me to take out my knitting paraphernalia......................and I am wandering around etsy shops admiring knit goodies:).............I found this superb knit hat in a cute lil shop called PreciousBowtique

find it here

I just love the rainbow colors!
I love love love these dish clothes in her shop made from chunky wool

find it  here

She has some more fun stuff too like cute headbands,earrings,baby stuff..............I am going to check them out now..............join me HERE

My Dream!

I have a dream...............to have my own B & M shop!
ONE DAY...............I don't know when & if this will happen,but if it does,THIS is my dream,my visualization of how my space will be!

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 I want an informal ,fun,eclectic space............it will not be just a shop,I want it to be a place where people WANT to go & fall in love with things & pick them up!

The display will be such that my guests will just stumble across goodies in all nook & corners,it will be a like a treasure hunt!...............LOL not a hunt where they have to try too hard,but I am not a fan of organized display either!

It will have comfortable colorful bean bags thrown around,a coffee machine is a MUST!
Fun music flowing around, a mix of Bollywood & Western Music!

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 One thing I definitely want are large decorative mirrors strategically placed all around,women love to admire themselves while shopping ,ain't it;)

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 My shop will have lots of Indian handicrafts as part of decor:) Terracotta pots in all shapes & sizes,fabrics flowing out of them artistically,a few mannequins.................Buntings are a MUST!...........it just lends a cheerful,festive aura.

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I will have a small lil nook for myself with my sewing machine where I will churn out goodies right in front of my customers  & put them on display.............nothing like that personal touch right!

And I know, whenever this happens,I will pour my heart & soul into it.............it remains a dream for now,but knowing myself ,I KNOW,I don't leave dreams alone................I go after them & chase them to transform them into reality!

So watch this space...........you never know:)

AMEN to that!

Birthday Recap!

Remember I was rambling about turning 32 & not being very happy about it!........................so I woke up to an uneasy,not-so-happy feeling on 23rd August!
But surprisingly the day went MUCH MUCH better than I anticipated:)

Well I woke up & picked up my blackberry to see lot of wishes on my FB which was a nice start to my day:).....................went straight to the kitchen to prep breakfast for kids , hubs was standing in the kitchen making tea & was of-course the first one to wish:)

Then rang the doorbell & the flurry of cards started,from my friends to officer families in our brigade ,followed by endless calls from my parents,in-laws,sister,relatives & friends ,so yes the day started on a happy note!
A friend of mine gave me 2 exquisite handmade paintings in Madhubani Art!

Since it was a weekday,the day went in the blur of household chores,but the evening turned out to be interesting!
We decided to go for coffee in the evening as against a dinner because of work & school the next day!

I asked my son to get ready to come with us & he goes "I have to go biking with my friends,can I take a rain check!"   OK next to daughter & she goes  " I have to go play with my friend & her dolls "


So we got a chance to go out,just two of us for the FIRST. TIME. IN. EIGHT .YEARS!
Yup no kidding.................well this was exciting,so I actually put on some makeup ,got dressed nicely & left waving goodbye to the kids!


Now before I go on I must tell you a trivia ................I am truly my husbands co-driver not just in life but in actual driving too!
He has the habit of looking everywhere but the road while driving & it's my job to keep telling him "watch the road,don't hit the dumpster,don't ride ON that old woman!"

We drove off but were pretty uncomfortable knowing we had left the kids back home & were planning to enjoy just on our own!.

This was the conversation we had on our drive:)

Yash:So let's go!
Me:Yup



Yash:{Silnce}.............he is the quite types:)
Me: Yash,watch the road
Yash:I am


Yash :{silence}
Me:Yash watch the barrier,don't drive into that!
Yash:OK


Yash:{trying to make a conversation}So how old are you today:)
Me:{glaring} Do you have to rub it in!
Yash: embarrassed smile followed by silence
Me:Yash watch the road................


Yash:{silence}
Me: Are you carrying any identification {we live in a military cantt. near LOC & can not get in unless he is in uniform or is carrying identification}
Yash: {grunt}..........which I assumed was a YES!



 Me:The car is almost out of petrol,let's top it up
Yash:OK


After filling up the car


Me:Turn the car carefully on the highway,don't bang into anything!
Yash: OK



Me:Let's go & pick up the kids
Yash: Why!.............let's just enjoy with each other!

Me: {glare}
Yash: OK

LOL.................so after this electrifying start to our date,we turned back to pick up the kids.

My daughter squealed in delight seeing us back so soon & hugged her daddy as if she hadn't seen him in years:)....................my son too parked his bike & came sat in the car & it was instantaneously filled with laughter,chatter & happiness!


OMG.................I didn't realize how far we have come in our relationship ,it felt so empty without our lil ones!
A simple coffee evening felt like a big celebration!

I know the day is not far when the kids would prefer their friends & may not want to hang around with us,but till then I plan to savor each & every moment with my lil family:)

There were cute lil bunnies ...................kids loved playing with them:)

the small lil pastries,the cool blue,coffee just added to the ambiance:)

so I didn't get tons of gifts,or go for a romantic candle lit dinner or have a big party,but this was probably one of the best birthdays I have had so far!

I was HAPPY & that mattered the most!

Well...................I did come back to 3 sales,few inquiries that turned into sales the next day which boosted my flagging confidence in my career choice......................would I trade turning 32 and the happiness it gave me for a smaller number?................Nah..................let's just say I turned 18 with a 14 year experience;)

Another Year Older & a FAB offer!

We know when we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it.~Author Unknown
 
You must have guessed .............YES,I am going to be another year older:(
Birthdays lose their charm once they are on the other side of 30 right!

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 So yeah,I am turning 32 on 23 August...............not a very happy thought!
I don't have the crow feet around my eyes or wrinkles or grey hair YET....................but I know they are just around the corner!

But I have hopefully more wisdom,experience,tolerance,patience to show for all these years!

Do I have any plans? .................not yet!.............it's a weekday & kids will be in school & hubs is super busy...........so yeah NO plans!

Maybe I will pamper myself in a salon,get a nice facial,pedi,mani.....................

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Well.................I do have something special planned in my shop though!

I am releasing ONLY FIVE 50% OFF coupon code valid only for 24 hrs.

So starting at 12 am EST on 23 August ,use coupon code BIRTHDAYGAL to avail 50% OFF on anything in the shop.

But remember it is valid only for 5 sales so as soon as I get 5 sales,the coupon code will be taken down!................so be sure to reach there on time & get yourself some handmade Arm Candy!

Raksha Bandhan

Today-13/8/2011 is Raaksha Bandhan or Rakhi as it is commonly called in India.This is the special day of all brothers & sisters!
It can be safely assumed that the friendship band in vogue today is an extension of the Rakhi custom.

The chaste bond of love between a brother and a sister is one of the deepest and noblest of human emotions. 'Raksha Bandhan' or 'Rakhi' is a special occasion to celebrate this emotional bonding by tying a holy thread around the wrist. This thread, which pulsates with sisterly love and sublime sentiments, is rightly called the ‘Rakhi’. It means 'a bond of protection', and Raksha Bandhan also signifies that the strong must protect the weak from all that’s evil!

Here is my daughter tying Rakhi on her brother's wrist:)

LOL................yeah that is a Doraemon Rakhi:)..............even the rakhis have to be in sync with the latest trend ,right ?!?
This is the traditional Rakhi thali (plate) used to perform the ceremony.....................it has an oil lamp,kumkum(vermillion) to put on the brother's forehead,akshata(rice) ..................it is said the number of rice that sticks on the forehead equals the number of blessings he gets!................the Rakhi,sweets,gold to cast off any evil eye(I put my gold ring on the plate).....in turn the brother is supposed to give her gifts,since I was too lazy to go & buy her something,I put some cash on the Thali,as its inauspicious without it!

When I was growing up,Rakhi didn't really mean much to me,it was just another holiday for me as I don't have a brother but seeing my kids celebrate Rakhi every year,I have truly understood the significance of this custom!

And my son insisted they tie a Rakhi to Doggie B too,as he is a family member :)................he was mighty amused & polished off all the sweets on the plate when I was not looking!

I used to love this song from a Hindi movie "phoolon ka taaron ka".................... the brother is singing this for his lil sister who is upset & crying ,it goes something like "flowers,stars & everyone say,my sister is one in thousands,& we have to stay together forever"..................LOL my translation skills are pretty bad but the song is lovely & very touching & I am going to show it to my kids today:)

Unfortunately the YouTube embedding for song is disabled:(...................just adding the link to it!
http://youtu.be/xmaEAEMNfKY

God bless my kiddies & may their love for each other strengthen with every passing year & they remain best of friends forever:)

Inspire Me Wednesday- Underwater

I was sooooo looking forward to Wednesday so I could do my Inspire Me series!
Today's theme is Underwater!
There is a reason I chose this theme..............I am petrified of Underwater!................believe me I am verrrry scared of being underwater!

Yes..........you will never see me frolicking on a beach side because of my inherent fear of water!................I taught myself how to swim but I am a strictly shallow end swimmer......................I swim with my eyes open & I constantly look at the thick white painted guide lines at the bottom of the pool.I am comfortable as long as the lines are visible but as I swim towards the deep end,the lines begin to fade,my heart starts beating faster,the rush of water scares me,I begin to panic & turn towards the safety of the shallow end!

I have probably dared only twice to swim all the way to the deep end (barely 15 feet),but knowing I can not stand even if I want to gives me the chills................my lungs start giving away & I start thrashing when I am perfectly capable of swimming!..................so I venture only till my legs can still reach the bottom of the pool like here!

This is a picture from our holiday in Dubai:)

So getting back to today's theme,I want to list beautiful underwater pics to inspire me,give me courage so MAYBE I will take that extra lap,not be so scared & enjoy the beauty of water!....................that is why I am choosing pics of HUMANS underwater,not sea-life...............they don't need to overcome their fear for water duh!?!

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Maybe if my mum had done this while carrying me,I wouldn't have been such a chicken!.................yeah right blame it on mom;)

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I have always felt my fear of being underwater partially stems from my being a fire sign.........I am a Leo,but this cat seems to be doing well underwater!

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Well if all fails,this will be my last resort to enjoy the underwater;)

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