Sing Celebrate

What an amazing MLK weekend.  Started it early and ended it late.  Went to see a taping of The Doctors with my homie Thursday afternoon (I enjoyed spending time with my friend.  Spending time watching the taping of The Doctors..not so much).  Then raced through traffic to meet the man at the movies (I loved "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Some scenes were racy so beware)  Friday afternoon, went to Roscoes Chicken and Waffles with some college friends that were in town (I inhaled them chicken wings! I don't play around on my off days for my fast). 

That night, celebrated Delta Sigma Theta Sororities 99 years of service with my sorority sisters at a great restaurant in Bel Air (Vibrato restaurant is a beautiful place with awesome musicians and great food.  But the portions...yikes.  Three raviolis on a plate! Really?! What am I suppose to do with that..hey Mona). 

Saturday, sorority chapter meeting in the morning followed by a  play date that started in the afternoon and went well into the evening (when cocktails are involved you lose track of time).  Sunday I hung out with my sorors again at a clothing line launch and had a great time. (Thank you Miss Jessie's for the hair care product gift bag.  My hair thanks you). 

Then finally today, Monday, hung out with the family at the MLK Parade on Crenshaw this morning and then celebrated a dear friends birthday at a small gathering this evening.  

I am feeling so blessed so far this year! The time I have been spending with family and friends is recharging me.  It's making me feel like I am somebody outside of being someones mom.  Love my babies but I am loving, loving life again(my social life that is).....Now to get a job so I can afford some more hanging out:-)

PS:  Last few days of the fast.....No slipping this week! Let's go!

It's the holiday season

I love this time of year....

I love sitting by the fireplace....

I love leaving cookies for Santa....and a cocktail...

I love getting to decorate the smallest of rooms...

I love celebrating with my community (Kwanzaa)...

I love spending time with the ones I love...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS...

AND MAY A LITTLE SMILE, CREATE A LOT OF SUNSHINE 

IN THE NEW YEAR!!!

Princess and the Frog....Mission Complete

I know, I know.  Why is it December 1st and I am writing about a party that took place on October 22nd.  Well, it's because frick and frack upstairs limit mommys nighttime "freetime" with "having to go to the potty", "I'm thirsty" "I need a hug".....go the heck to sleep!

Yet I digress....the birthday party was awesome(In my opinion)!  My daughter had fun and so did I, so that is all that mattered.

In the beginning....

If I saw anything green, purple or froglike, I picked it up.  I held on tight to my receipts because I knew I wasn't going to use half the stuff I bought.  But when Michele (the other birthday party planner) and I went shopping downtown, we knew that most sales were final, so we better like what we buy. Downtown is where we got the pinata and party favors.

The set up...

Why in the heavens (if I cussed, that word would go right here) does time seem to speed up when it's almost party time?!  Half my decorations didn't go up, the table wasn't set the way I wanted it to be and I was funky and unshowered with an aunt jemima scarf on my head when the first set of guests arrived. BUT it was hard to smell my funk over all the great food Michele served.  Princess and the Frog is set in New Orleans so we did a cajun style menu.  She did an amazing job preparing the food.  The the decor might have been lacking on the food table, but the food was doggone good that people didn't even notice.

Party on...

The Kids Table

The Dessert Table

The Gift Table

The Jumper

The Painting Station

The Painting Station...Final Product (Each guest painted 3 strokes to celebrate the 3rd birthday)

Eudora's Dress Shop...Dresses for rent

The Grand Finale

Well, I got the Tiana Dress from Costume Craze and it was as cute as can be.  My neighbor couldn't do it so it was mama to the rescue. Since mama is not a size 12, I was swimming like a fish!  That once size fits all jibberish was a lie.  My poor strapless bra kept falling down, I had 2 big safety pins under my arms and I swear it was the hottest day of the year cause I was sweating like a pig.  BUT The kids loved her...Tiana that is!! 

All in all....The Princess and The Frog was a success!!

Countdown to my rebirth: Day 22

Wow wee!! I am so behind with this blog. But those of you reading that have kids know that finding time to do anything "not kid related" is very difficult. But here I sit at 12:30am writing my blog because I promised myself that I would see this to the end.

So let me catch you up a bit on my birthday celebrations. My last entry was Day 30 where I spent a relaxing evening with "The Man". Well, I think that peaceful evening near the fire sparked something in "The Man" because this is no longer my personal countdown, it has become his countdown. Since my last blog, I have woken up to cards, flowers and wonderful surprises.

Day 24 he gave me a word puzzle that was my clue to the days event. Soooo cute. We went downtown to the fashion district which is a spend thrifty womans paradise.

Day 23 I went to I Fly which is an indoor sky diving place. I am soooo glad I tried the indoor skydiving before I did the real thing. I was not feeling it. I'm a cheesy, smily, laughy type of person and none of that could be done in the air chamber without losing all the breath in my dag gone body. I felt like my cheeks were gonna fly off because the air pressure was so intense. But woo hoo for trying something new before I turn 40.

And here we are at Day22....an amazing day. I went to hang out with some girlfriends and when I returned home, there was jazz music playing and candles lit throughout the house. In the dining room there was an arrangement of cheese, crackers and an awesome array of exotic teas. Does this man know me or what?! I am a tea drinking fool. So we sipped tea, relaxed and then he enjoyed the sound of my snoring once I fell asleep half way thru our mini date. Ah, the simple things in life make me so happy.

Countdown to my rebirth: Day 31

Again I say, whose bright idea was it to do this countdown! I am exhausted! Day 32's closet task has spilled into Day 31 and it is 1 in the morning so we are technically in Day 30. What the heck. See, this is why people become hoarders. This purging thing is for the birds. My stuff isn't bothering anybody so why should I bother my stuff.

So, ONCE AGAIN there was no major pamper today. Just a continuation of the closet fiasco. But tomorrow, lookie here...I'm getting pampered one way or another. My better half has something planned for Day 30, so watch out now!!

Countdown to my rebirth: Day 32

This dag gone ear infection is messing up my countdown. I've been stuck in the house doing house-like pamper things cause when I go outside I feel like the girl in the plastic bubble. I'm walking on a lean because my balance is off and I am loud as heck because I CAN"T HEAR. But the countdown continues come rain or shine..right?
DAY 32: GET RID OF EVERY ITEM OF YOUR CLOTHING THAT DOESN'T LOOK GREAT ON YOU
Now this was a tuffy. This was one of those pampers that didn't feel pamper-like when I was doing it. You see, I love stuff(that's how my better half describes it). And I have a lot of "stuff"; especially in my closet. I believe that almost everything will come back in style, or it can be worn for a costume party or my kids might want it when they grow up, etc. etc. I HATE PARTING WITH MY CLOTHES!! And I take pride in knowing that I purchase things for a great price. In my closet right now I have about 20-30 vintage shirts that I bought from a costume warehouse for about 7 bucks for a bundle of about 100 pieces. Who the heck can pass up that deal!! I gave away tons and sold some at the flea market, so I basically got the stuff for free (one of my favorite words by the way).
Well that purchase was almost 10 years ago and I've accumulated 10 more years of "great deals". My closet is packed!!! So until I get my dream guest house that doubles as my walk in closet, it is time for some stuff to go.

Don't get scared by the picture...I didn't throw it all out. I'm turning 40 not turning crazy! I just took everything out so I could take inventory and organize. This is a big job. I have clothes every where. I didn't realize I had so much....okay, I'll say it....so much crap!! Am I really going to wear those leisure pants I bought from Lerners in 1993?! I can almost guarantee that I won't be wearing that midriff to any parent-teacher conferences. Why do I have my moms sequenced tops from the 80's...wait...I'm keeping those. They're cute!
So after a few hours of trying on over sized, undersized, out of fashion clothes...I finally tackled part of my closet.
Organized by style, on matching hangers and finger spaced. Boo-yah!!! So just 3 more sections to go in this closet.....then I move to my shoe closet . Help me Jesus!!

Countdown to my rebirth: Day 35

$1.99! $1.99! That is all it took to make todays pamper day a success.

Day 35: Buy a dozen doughnut holes and don't share.

My daughter is an eater. She has a passionate love for food...at 2 years old. Not sharing my food with her is usually IMPOSSIBLE. So once the midday sleepiness fell over the house and all eyes were closed, I went on my mission for doughnut holes....ALONE. The reason why alone is in caps is because mama doesn't get too many ALONE moments. I had been running around with them all morning an they were on fire. They ran laps inside the bank and I had to apologize to a million people in Trader Joes because my kids kept running over everybody's feet with those silly little shopping carts. Who's dumb idea was that? To look at, they're cute. But function wise, a 2 year old turns into a bull in china shop with this thing. Once we got in the wine section, it was time to go because two buck chuck was about to be all over the floor. (And yes, I hear some of you saying, "well why did you give it to her?" Because I wanted a screamfree shopping experience. And, what?)

Unfortunately, out here in Southern California, there aren't any Dunkin Donut shops. (No freaking white castles either. They're killing me!) So I went to my local Yum Yum Donuts for their great variety of doughnut holes. Glazed and....and...and that was it. Really?! And I know the girl behind the counter thought I was a snob because I had the nerve to ask if they were fresh. I'm just saying. They were prepackaged in a plastic bag that was tied in a knot sitting on top of the counter. So I grabbed my pre-packaged doughnut holes, headed home and hid them on the highest shelf in the kitchen. And now that the children are asleep for the night, here I sit munching on my holes and sipping on some milk.....all by myself :-)

Countdown to my rebirth: Day 36

Once again, my pamper moment almost didn't happen today. Being the mother of two toddlers, finding free time is dang near impossible. But after bath time, bedtime and a late night conference call for my sorority, I am finally in the "me moment".

DAY 36th: Soothe and massage your tired feet with a hydrotherapeutic foot spa.

As I write this, I am soaking my feet in some lavender water while sipping on a glass of wine. Ahhhhh, this feels great. Sometimes I feel so guilty when I "sit down on the job". There is a mountain of laundry to do, bathrooms to clean and about an inch of dust staring at me on top of the entertainment center. Oh well!!! I am learning to accept the fact that the world will not crumble if I leave a dish in the sink. If I am going to take care of my family, I have got to take care of myself. And once again, I am doing so in a cost effective way!! I love being frugally free!!

So , now I must go and massage my feet with my Balinese Jasmine Oil from Cost Plus World Market (Thanks for the recommend, Kia :-) I am really milking this pampering thing and LOVING IT!!

Send me some ideas for out of the norm pamper projects, because the book that I'm using is about to have me line and organize every drawer in my house. Uh, no thank ya!