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Showing posts from 2006

Christmas and Stuff

Christmas went off nicely, except for the fact that I had to return to work the next day. But, I guess I should be thankful since there are so many people that have to hit the streets every day job hunting. The food was good: turkey, mac and cheese, collard greens, blueberry muffins, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole (an invention of my husband that turned out really good), stuffing (not dressing), sour cream pound cake, lemon meringue pie, sweet potatoe pie, and I may have forgotten something. All this for just 7 people (not including the baby since he doesn't eat solid food anyway). This is what I love about the holidays. Danae got a toy vacuum cleaner that she loves. She also got her 'hot girl' accessories - an Elmo purse and sunglasses. She thinks she is the stuff with them on! Hilarious!!! She also got an Aquadoodle that she is beginning to enjoy now that her cousin is allowing her to play with. Speaking of that, I don't know if I'm ready for the sibli

New York City

I went on my first trip without my babies and it was fabulous. My husband and I travelled a lot during our dating and early marriage years and it was nice to revisit that time in our lives. Although I'm tired and sore at the moment, I'm so very glad we went. We left Friday night around 9:30. We didn't get into our hotel room until close to 3 am Saturday morning. For church, we attended Kingsboro Temple of Seventh Day Adventists in Brooklyn. We got there late but didn't miss very much. We got to hear a wonderful choir called Temple Praise. There were so good I swear angels from heaven had to be singing along with them. The speaker was Pastor Marcel Wip who was visiting that church as their pastor was on vacation. His sermon title was "I've Got Reasons to Praise." It was based on the story about the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus but only one returned to thank him. We heard a different sermon based on the same story the week before. Two different men p

And I'm back...

Thanksgiving turned out to be really nice, even though we had way too much food. My dad, parents-in-law, brother and sister-in-law all came out to spend time with us. Actually, they probably all came for our kids. When you stay so far away from family, it's nice to see them. For Christmas, the in-laws will be here along with our oldest niece. Should be nice! Our baby took his first formal pictures yesterday and he did such a good job. He smiled and laughed like a little pro. It was so much fun! His big sister didn't do as well her first time around but you better believe she's a professional model now. I can't wait until they take pictures together; that should really be a lot of fun. You know, life is so precious! It seems that we're always hearing of someone finding out about an illness or having tests run because things just aren't working as they once did. We need to truly treasure the normal days because things could always be a lot worse. Happy Holidays!

O.J.

This is my second week back at work and it's not as bad as I anticipated. But, I do really miss my babies! I have a countdown... O.J. Simpson is either an idiot or a pretty smart man. I haven't figured out which one it is yet. I always had a feeling he was directly or indirectly involved with his Nicole and Ron's murder but now I am convinced he was involved. He is reportedly being paid $3.5 mil for the book tentatively titled "If I Did It". My husband thinks he's smart because he'll be replenishing the bank account and he can't be retried for the crime anyway because of the double jeopardy laws. I think he's crazy because it's like he's writing a confessional. But then, I guess his reputation can't get any worse. If you're interested, he'll be on the Fox Network in a two-part interview this month telling more about his book. In the book, he explains how he would have killed Nicole and Ron if he were actually involved. Yeah, rig

Another Fun Day

Today, I decided that I would take my children to Toddler Time at our local library. My baby girl definitely needs to spend time with others her age so I thought this would be great. Whoever told me things really change once you have a second child was right. It is so much harder to do things with two babies. We got to the library about 10 minutes before the class started. Good, things are on the right track, especially since I'm a habitually late person. Danae is holding her little ticket to get in the class in her hand (instead of tearing it up like everything else). Good, maybe this will be a successful trip. The lady on the speaker announces that it's time for the class to start so we enter. We sit down in a cirle with all the other mommies and little ones. I notice that I'm not the only mom with two kids there although my second is the youngest person in the room. (Inner thought - why didn't I bring him in the car seat instead of carry him? I know Danae isn't g

Day at the Park and Birth Control

I'm in a quandary now about birth control. I presently have two babies in diapers and have no desire to add #3 to the mix. But, I also am not ready to make the oh-so-final decision to have my tubes tied. So at my doctor's appointment this morning, the good ole doc wrote a prescription for the Nuva-Ring . He told me all the good stories his other patients have told him about how easy this is and how they've had no problems. I had more than enough problems with the birth control pill. And the thing is I didn't know about the problems until I got off the pill. So, I vowed to never pop another one in my life. My opinion about birth control in general is that it messes with the way God intended for the female body to function. I want to just trust that God will close my womb and I won't get pregnant again. On the other hand, I didn't totally expect to be pregnant just as my daughter was celebrating her first birthday and I really would not handle it well if it happen

Just Stuff

I watched Tyra's show one day last week. Normally, I don't really like her show but this one had stars from popular shows in the 80's/90's. Karyn Parsons was on (Hillary from The Fresh Prince of Belair) and she was talking about a new production company that she started called Sweet Blackberry . She is producing DVD's for kids about Black History. And, she's focusing on little known people so it won't just be Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, etc. I thought this was worth sharing. I also started working out. Lord knows pregnancy does not leave you looking very cute. My stomach is out of control and my thighs apparently got bigger too because I can't pull my jeans up over them. What a mess! This weekend, I finally watched Akeelah and The Bee. This movie was so good and I'm mad I didn't see it sooner. The only reason I rented it at all was because I fell in love with KeKe Palmer on the Black Movie Awards. This is one to buy as f

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Last night I had two dreams about people trying to kill me. What in the world does this mean? Dream #1: I went back a few decades for this one. I was in the house when Marvin Gaye's daddy was about to shoot him. Have no idea why I was there but I decided to try to be the hero and jumped in between the two of them. Dad was like "You need to move out the way. This don't have nothing to do with you." Did I take his advice? NOOOO. The next thing I know Dad pulled the trigger and I jumped in front of Marvin Gaye. The dream ended there so I don't know how good a shot dad was. Hopefully, we both dodged the bullet. Well, sadly we already know Marvin didn't. Dream #2: I'm hanging out with some friends. One friend had a few cousins here from out-of-town. Don't know where. One of them got mad about something I said so later she told her cousin (my friend) that she was going to kill me. My friend told me and I kinda blew it off. She said "this girl is really

-Ology Meme

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it was something to do so why not? Maybe some of you will find out even more info about me you didn't know (in addition to the story on the breast cancer post). Grub-ology: * What is your salad dressing of choice? Classic Caesar * What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-fil-a * What is your favorite sit down restaurant? Churrasco's or Maggiano's * On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant? 15% * What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Chicken * Name three foods you detest above all others. Spinach, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw * What is your favorite dish to order in a Chinese restaurant? Lettuce Wraps at P.F. Chang's * What are your pizza topping(s) of choice? chicken, cheese, mushrooms * What do you like to put on your toast? butter and strawberry preserves * What is your favorite type of gum? don't have one Tech-ology: * Number of contacts in your cell phone? don'

Wanna smoke?

This is a ceiling mural in a smoker's lounge somewhere.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Well, this is breast cancer awareness month and I'm posting this blog to encourage everyone to please check yourselves out. Yes, I said everyone because from what I've read, men (although it's rare) can also get breast cancer. In June of 1990 (I can't believe it's been that long), my mother was diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer. Four short but painful years later, she died because of cancer. I will never forget that June. My aunt and I traveled to Houston, TX (of all places) to visit my cousin. I found later that this trip was arranged so I would be away while my mother had a biopsy done to find out if her tumor was malignant. Anyway, when we returned my mother sat me down to let me know she had cancer. I felt like the world ended right then. Unfortunately, I was no stranger to cancer. My grandparents and aunt died from it, another aunt had a mastectomy because of it, and another cousin was undergoing treatment at that time. To me, she just told me she was go

Aging

It's kinda funny that I posted yesterday about beauty. On Oprah's show yesterday, she talked about aging and had beautiful women over 50 that hardly looked their age. One was Ms. Diahann Carroll. I have always considered her to be one of the most beautiful women around and was surprised to find out that she's 71. She looks so good. So, while I was sitting there all impressed by her good looks and all, she goes on to say that she has had plastic surgery and recommends it for others. Man, I thought that was just natural beauty. Silly me! But, I'm still hoping that when it comes to aging, my black half comes through for me because it really seems that black women generally age a lot better than some others. For the pictures attached, the first is from the show yesterday, the second is from 1961, and the third is from the Dynasty days.

Beauty

So, I am so glad Monique was kicked off America's Next Top Model. Her attitude was horrible! I love the show but the contestants for this cycle are a little boring to me. I mean the "rock and roll" girl is kinda funny but overall they're just not doing it. And, I'm so tired of seeing J Alexander looking a hot mess. It trips me out that he talks so badly about the girls as if he looks good or even decent. I digress. On another note, my daughter has me tripping. She is really rough and likes to do dangerous things and play with nasty bugs. But, she's also kinda girly. For instance, she loves to carry a purse and rock her sunglasses and toy cell phone (complete with the cute pink case). This morning, she decided to try to put on my lipgloss. When she couldn't open it, she decided to put vaseline on her lips instead and then proceeded to the mirror to check herself out. What's up with that? She's not even 2 yet!! This has me thinking about our future b

It's been a while but I'm back!

I am seriously enjoying my stay at home with my two children. Wow!!! I have two children and two years ago I had none. Anyway, my daughter is a serious entertainer. She loves performing for an audience and so far I have enjoyed being her audience. She loves her little brother and spends half the day kissing and tickling him. I don't think he really enjoys the tickling though. I am so blessed to have two beautiful and healthy children. My baby boy has gained 1 pound and 4 ounces in his two weeks of life outside the womb so now he weighs a whopping 9 lbs, 8 oz. It's all good though! Now to talk about my time at home. First of all, I have discovered that all the court shows (Judge Judy, Judge Alex, Divorce Court, etc.) are pretty much spinoffs of Jerry Springer. Crazy people talking about their crazy lives so millions of people can be entertained. How embarrassing! If anyone wants to sue me, please take me to a regular court. I have no desire to end up on TV looking like an idiot.

He's Finally Here!

On Friday, September 15th at 8:02 am, my beautiful baby boy came into the world. We were finally released from the hospital today and I was so happy to see the sunshine and trees again. I'm extremely happy to be home, especially since I missed my daughter sooo much during those 48 hours. Anyway, God has blessed us with a healthy son and we fell instantly in love with him. That's all for now, I'm tired.

Whitney's Coming Back!

I am so happy that Whitney Houston is finally making efforts to get herself back on track. The article on Black America Web was very uplifting for me. We all know how beautiful and extremely talented she once was. I just hope all the drug abuse hasn't permanently damaged her vocal cords. It has been so sad to see her go through so much drama in her life! I hope Bobbi Christina doesn't come out too badly scarred but I do wonder where the social workers are. It seems like someone should have intervened for that child...or maybe they checked everything out and I shouldn't believe everything the media reports. Check out the article here: Black America Web

My Little Bible Scholar

My baby has learned her first Bible verse. Well, it's not exactly as it's written in the Bible. In her little sabbath school lesson, they make it easier for her age group. So, the real verse is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:15 and it says, " See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men ." In her book, it just says " Be kind to each other . " She said it all by herself during our family worship last night. That was so exciting! It took a few tries for her to get it all out. She would get to the word 'to' in the middle and go 3,4,5, because she got confused and thought about the number 2. Anyway, she eventually said it right and we applauded her. I know this is probably not as exciting for most of you but it was the highlight of our night.

Living Abroad

Okay, so my husband is in a career advancement program with his job that may/may not result in a permanent move abroad. It will likely include a temporary move abroad though. I'm actually excited about the possibility but still a little anxious. When he finished grad school, there was a possibility of moving to China for a while but he was NOT interested. He was like "we can go visit but I have no interest in moving there." My thinking was that we were young, childless, and adventurous and the timing was perfect. This would suit us just fine. Now, he is extremely excited about moving but this time we have two children...small children at that. This is what makes me a little nervous. The three main possibilities according to a recent email from his boss are...Maracaibo, Venezuela; Lagos, Nigeria; and Bangkok, Thailand. Of the three, I actually would prefer Bangkok. Why? Well, I decided to do a little research about these places (since I have very little actual work to do).

Good Reads

Back in the day, I used to love to read. I could sit down with a good book for hours and hours. But then, I ran out of time for my favorite pasttime and I stopped for a long while. I then decided to start reading more material that would actually enhance my life, such as spiritual or educational books. My husband even started me to reading books to become more financially savvy so we can achieve our goal of early retirement. Anyway, here's two good reads that I have indulged in lately. The first is a book called "Ten Commandments: Twice Removed" and it's written by Danny Shelton and Shelley Quinn. My husband recommended this book to me and he doesn't really like to read so that says a lot. It talks about how the ten commandments have been removed from our government and most of our churches (that's the twice removed part). I haven't finished the book yet but it's interesting so far. They answer questions like: Did the Ten Commandments exist before Mt S

Still waiting!!!

My baby boy has still not made his appearance. I've decided to change my perspective though. Instead of being disappointed, I am now trusting that God is just finetuning this little creation. And, I get to enjoy a few more nights of uninterrupted sleep...well, with less interruptions that it will be with a newborn. I haven't been having any leg cramps lately and it seems that my back hasn't been hurting as much either. My mother-in-law arrived safely yesterday so I didn't even have to wake up my daughter this morning to get her ready and off to daycare. That's a pretty good start to my week. I'm sure my daughter will enjoy sleeping in a little later than usual too. And, she gets to enjoy her grandma for a whole month and 5 days. Yay!

8 cm to go...

Went to the doctor yesterday and found out that I have dilated 2 cm. I hope that's not TMI but if you've ever been pregnant you will understand my excitement. I can not wait to give birth!!! I mean, I'm not excited about the pain or anything but I would love to have my normal body back...well, as normal as it will be post-delivery. And, I can't wait to see my bouncing baby boy. Keep me in your prayers.

Bag Borrow or Steal

Okay, so some of you may have already heard of this website before but I'm obviously not in the loop on such things so I just found out about it today. There is actually a company set up for a person to "rent" a designer purse. There's also jewelry for rent too. My initial thought was that our society is way too materialistic. I mean, if I can't afford to buy an expensive designer purse, should I really be spending my hard-earned money to rent one??? Surely, there is some bill that needs to be paid or groceries to buy. After perusing the site for a bit, I did however find a good reason to rent. There is a section dedicated to weddings so for that special day perhaps it may be okay to rent a purse or some of the other accessory items shown. Or, maybe you've planned a special trip or class reunion and want to have the right look. They have a plethora of designers listed on the site, from Coach to Hermes. It's a very interesting and ingenious business plan.

Awww, man!!!

I have exactly two weeks until my due date. I was supposed to go to the doctor today but, wouldn't you know it, he had to perform an emergency surgery so his appointments have been cancelled for the rest of the day. So now I can't go until Wednesday. I was very excited to go today because I just knew he would tell me I had dilated about 6 cm and needed to go straight to the hospital and deliver my baby. I am so disappointed!!! And, the funny thing is that last night my husband said I bet your appointment will be cancelled tomorrow. Maybe he jinxed me! I only wanted to make it past Aug 31st since that was the date for my baby shower at work. I secretly hoped I would have him on that day so he wouldn't have any problems once it's time to start school. I guess that really shouldn't matter though as long as he is born healthy and strong. On another note, I am very tired today. Why? Because I woke up 3 times last night, either to use the bathroom or because I got leg cra

Just Stuff

I'm at work and all kinds of random stuff is in my head so this will probably have a lot of unrelated info in it. I know I should be doing my work but I just don't feel like it right now. If anyone who reads this ever totals their car, please understand that it will not be worth what you paid for it or probably even what you expect for it. It is not in perfect condition. All cars depreciate the moment you drive it off the lot. Accept that please and be nice to your friendly insurance representative when they tell you this same info. It's the truth! I just got off the phone with a man who owns a 1985 Oldsmobile Delta 88 (yes it's 20 years old) and he is convinced that it is worth something. It's not!!! And, unless he totally restores it, it will never be worth anything. Thank God you survived the accident and move on. ( Sorry DB, but I had to write this even though you told me not to ) If anyone needs a reason to restore their personal relationship with God, they s

Tired

I have 3 weeks and 2 days before the due date for my second child and I am tired! Don't get me wrong, I love the miracle of childbirth and treasure the opportunity to experience this but I am soooooo tired of being pregnant right now. My back and legs ache and I haven't had a good night's sleep in ages. Okay, I'm through griping. For those of you who have no kids yet, please don't be discouraged. It's well worth it and, like they say, you forget all about it after the kid is here.

A New Beginning

Okay, so I was inspired by a friend to start my own blog. This will be interesting since I've never even kept a journal or diary. But, I'm on the computer daily and I need a forum to gather my random thoughts and events in my life. So, please feel free to read and comment as you wish.