Celebrate good times c'mon!! - weekend wrap up

Ahh the weekend!

This was the first time in a few weeks that I've actually been able to be still and not running around like a crazy person.

And possibly the last for another few weeks as this next month is shaping up to be quite busy.

Saturday I was able to sleep in a bit and then lazed about with my Sweet Pea.

I even had the audacity to take 2 naps!! Can't remember the last time that happened.

I think it was college.

I was feeling kind of blah and was enjoying laying around the house but managed to rally and get it together in time to go pick the birthday girl Ms. Ebony for her Ladies Night celebration.

Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out with some lovely ladies in honor of one of my bestgoodfriends - Ebony.

Not only is she one of my closest friends , she's also my hair stylist and an all around amazing lady so I was happy to rouse myself out of the laziness of the day and get a little jazzy to go out and celebrate her!

We ended up at L.A. Live for dinner & drinks (rather appetizers cuz it was on the late side)

as she had never been down there.

So there I am on a Saturday night and about 3 blocks from my job!

Haahaha! It was great.

 However, we realized we were officially old as it was FREEEZING out and we all had on jackets and scarves in comparison to the young tenders out runnin around without 'nary a coat on!

Oh well.

We giggled a LOT, gossipped a little and generally had a good time.

Quite familiar with the menu at Yard House having spent many a happy hour there I promptly made a bee-line for the bar and ordered her a Strawberry Fields martini which she happily enjoyed.

There was random entertainment by the way of two boys at the bar w/ lovely accents and a Sasquatch in the bathroom.

Not even kidding this chick ( ?)- not really sure she was a woman- HAD to be about 6'5" as her behind was up to my head!!! I'm 5'4" but had on 3.5 inch heels!

It was awesome!

We finally rolled back to her place about 3am (wayyy past our bedtimes) and discovered her car was FROZEN!!!

Good times with great company and so happy I got to celebrate her special day with her!!

Love you Eb!!

Today was pretty chill.

I slept in again and awoke to the sound of Babe talking and couldn't figure out who he was talking to until, I peeked out the door and found him and Sweet Pea on the couch where he was explaining basketball to her!

so cute!

Had a nice chat with my brother and  then my sister-in-love Ganell and then my father-in-love stopped over for a yummy dinner of

Blue Cheese Butter Filet Mignon, Mashed Potatoes, a fresh salad and Artisan Rolls

topped off with Yellow layer cake with Chocolate icing.

(my Babe's fave!)

I did manage to catch the red carpet of the Oscar arrivals before I was kicked out by the hubs and his dad so they could watch the A-team but no worries, I recorded it upstairs so I can watch it at my leisure (and fast forward)

In a few minutes the kid will head off to bed and the hubs and I will watch "For Colored Girls" and my weekend will be complete!

What did you all do this weekend?

Blog Sugar 2011

It's back and I'm so excited!

My good friend Rachel (a.k.a Mrs.No.17) is working out the details for this year's Blog Sugar.

If you don't know - Blog Sugar is a networking event for local bloggers.

We come together, eat, chat and discuss all things blogging while getting to know the people who's blogs we stalk read , in real life!

I went last year and ended up late to another party I was supposed to be going to as I was chatting my little heart out!

I got to know so many wonderful women and it just made my heart happy.

Stay tuned for more details as I will be posting about them as soon as they are available.

And if you're interested in attending: Let me know so I can send your email to the ladies who coordinate and we can get you on the list!!

January backlog

Here it is  the end of February and I somehow never got around to writing about some of the January fun!

what the heck?!!!

so here goes....... the last few weekends have been a whirlwind of activity.

We are about to enter what I like to call "the birthday season" and January is the kick-off!

(side bar - I made a 'master birthday list' and discovered that between 5 families we have 28 birthdays/year!!! that's not including the new additions that we are expecting this year!)

We started the month of with the celebration of the birth of the Prince and then his brother the King had his first birthday a mere two weeks later.

Then the 28th was "Game Night" hosted by our good friends the Muhammad's for Muji's birthday.

We hit the door with Jell-O shots in one hand and guacamole & salsa in the other ready to put it down in Taboo, Monopoly and Connect Four! (one of MY favorite games)

Tenia (Muji's wife) had games everywhere for all age groups and there seemed to be folks coming out of the woodwork!

We had a blast watching the fellas play Monopoly and then it was time for Taboo!

We play this game often and we generally play boys against girls which always makes for an interesting ride home later and this game was no exception.
The women were kicking butt , as usual, and then it was Tenia's turn and as she gave her clues everyone started shouting out answers and then she got to her final clue:
(watch the video to see it all go down live)

Omg!! what exciting news!
And totally cute way to announce it to all of their friends and family!!

(side bar: notice I was the only one to get the clue??? yeah, I have a wicked sixth sense about pregnancies and what the sex of the babies so I had a feeling someone was pregnant and I knew it wasn't me......)

Congratulations Muji & Tenia!!!
We wish you a healthy and happy pregnancy and can't wait to meet your new addition!
(now you can understand why I've had babies on the brain!)
The fellas then went outside to celebrate in their own fashion

this was the last I saw of my husband that evening.

While the ladies got down a little more delicately

The following day, Sweet Pea and I headed to the baby shower of a dear friend of mine, Elisa,  from my BCHS days to celebrate her first child.
They aren't finding out the sex and have been calling the baby "Peanut" so the theme was pretty much Popcorn & Peanuts.
So cute! And there was food everywhere!!!
Sweet Pea and I ate ourselves silly and then she preceded to get her face painted and have ridiculous balloon animals made for her.

I was so excited to catch up with Elisa and her hubby Britt.
They are a wonderful couple and I can't wait to find out what they are having!

yes that is the dad-to-be swaddling a coke can

Elisa & me

I was also able to catch up with a few other high school friends so that was nice too.
I've known these women since I was 12 so it was pretty fun to see how much we've all grown in the last few years.


Shanna, Elisa, Amy & Me

  Congrats to all the new parents with babies on the way!
2011 is going to be a BIG year!!!

Shoes Glorious Shoes!!!!

ATTENTION ALL SHOE LOVERS:

There is a new oh-so heavenly destination in town for the shoe obsessed woman.

Sole Society.com - a new site that features a personalized selection of shoes each month of for $44.95 with NO obligation to buy!!!

Designer quality shoes at a reasonable price will give you a reason to shop each and every month.

The shoes, by Marco Santi, are on-trend, affordably priced and incredibly chic!

Even if you weren't into shoes before......you will be now!!

(here's a sneak peek at this months' shoes.....shhhhhh)

I've already picked out MY first pair.....can you guess which ones they are???

I'm beyond excited about this launch as I've been able to see this website take shape first hand and cannot wait to hear and see all the feedback it's going to get!

The site has some very cool features such as Trends &Fashion Insiders  sections which offer suggestions and pictorials on what to wear pair your shoes with as well as a little insight as to what's hot NOW.

And Did I mention there's FREE shipping???
No more feeling guilty for blowing all your money on ONE pair of 'so-so' shoes.

So come on and sign up as soon at it goes live to the public.

 Ladies your shoe game is about to be forever changed.

Enjoy and stay tuned for more info throughout the coming weeks!

enjoy life

I had a whole other post "planned" but saw this on my friend Inga's Facebook and had to steal it

"Do not spoil what you have, by desiring what you have not;

but, remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

What a great reminder to us all to really focus on what we have and not what we want.

In a culture such as ours where people are commonly described as the "haves " and "have nots" it's hard to enjoy what you have and not constantly desire/crave more.

Bigger , better, shinier, newer.

Attaining things will not make us happy.
True happiness lies within and allowing oneself to be 100% content.
Not complacent. Content. Meaning that you are happy with the way things are right then.
Not in 3 weeks or 6 months or after you get that promotion/new job/ bigger house etc....
But being satisfied with all the joyous things you have and are able to experience on a daily basis.
For me, it's about really taking the time to enjoy the moments we spend.
I want to be conscious about making the most of the time I spend with my family and friends.
I know that I am super blessed to be able to have this life that Babe and I have created.
To have a husband who loves me and supports and encourages my dreams, flights of fancy and general ridiculousness.
To have a healthy daughter who is both beautiful & smart and creatively inclined.
A family that is close by and supportive of all our endeavors.
That's what makes me rich.

I don't ever want to take that for granted.

You shouldn't either

baby, baby, baby,baby...

It goes without saying that I've had babies on the brain as of late.
I've written about my baby fever here, here and here.

 And,  recently it's been taken to new heights because we are really doing this.
Like really 'trying' for a baby.
Is that TMI????
Too bad - it's the truth.
We are. And we're excited.
There have never been so many babies in the family as what we are looking forward to in the coming year.
The wife of one of Babe's BFF's is 3months along (more on that later), our other friends (the Pierre's) had their Prince this past January and here we are......shooting for number two.
And you know what?
Getting pregnant is HUGE.  (pun intended)
There are fifty-eleven-thousand things that can go wrong prior to conception, at conception, whilst carrying a baby and once the baby arrives.
My dad (the retired OBGYN) says that anytime a baby is born healthy and with no complications is a miracle.
It's enough to make a girls head spin!
Or at least fall into an information overload induced state of shock.
Fortunately I have really great girlfriends who are super supportive and helpful.
They answer my questions, entertain my 'what if's' and just generally keep me positive, focused and grounded.
So I'm excited to be on this journey.
I know it will be so different from our experience being pregnant with Sweet Pea - the drama, the uncertainty and the fear......all of that is different.
Now, I have a better handle on what's going to be happening, should be happening and the fact that this is planned.......well that definitely changes things.
This is a whole new ball game for me but I am a willing and active participant and anxious to see where this all goes.....
Not to mention we are having fun with this whole "trying" process! =)

Crushin

Hey!

Yeah you!

Head over to TheSmartlySoCal.com right now!!

Why you ask?

I'm the featured writer today!!

And you know you want to find out what Crush Groove is all about!!

Lakers, Lasagna, Lemon Cake and Loved ones......Sunday Love

"Let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and truth..."

1 John 3:18

 

Love is all around us and I make a concerted effort to not only speak of my love for others but to show them as well.

The past few days have been kind of a love fest around these parts.

Saturday I woke up (rather early I might say) to a beautiful sunny California day.

A perfect day to head to my hometown (the LBC) with Sweet Pea and go get our pretty on.

The weather was lovely and as we cruised down the highway  with the music blaring and singing along to the radio it seemed all was right with the world. 

We went and got our hair done and then spent a lovely afternoon with my dear friend Amber.

Boy- was that a great, soul baring , heartfelt, self-discovery filled conversation!

sigh.
I love that woman. 

She is ......well really....there are no words but to simply say she is so good to and for me.

Then it was off for a date night with my hubby. (smile)
We went to Roy's and had a mediocre experience with the dinner service and meal  at that particular location 
(I have been to others and it was always yummy)
but the chocolate souffle was divine! 
Kind of made up for the sub par eats.
You would think a night without the Sweet Pea would have us living it up until the wee hours.
Not so much. At home and in bed by 11:45.
Cuz, we're cool like that.
Sunday -
Ahhh....sweet sweet Sunday.

Sunday was a full blown Love Fest at my house.

Woke up with a smile on my face a pep in my step.

We had invited a few family and friends over for dinner and needed to run to the store to get the necessary ingredients.

On the menu

Appetizers:

BBQ Bacon Jalapeno Poppers

Main Course:

Caesar Salad

Lasagna
Garlic Bread

Dessert:

Locally World Famous Lemon Cake

Yeah. You read that right. 
Locally world famous....don't hate....it is what it is. 

So,after my grocery run, I was pretty much in the kitchen from 1:45ish until about 7pm.

A veritable whirling dervish of activity.

Boiling noodles, washing lettuce, stuffing jalapenos and baking.

It was labor of love as it always is when I decide to make a menu like that from scratch - impromptu style.

Don't get me wrong - I knew I had this dinner planned and was very much looking forward to sharing some laughs and breaking bread with our famdamily.
But somehow I always underestimate the amount of things I can do as one person.

Thank goodness I have the best husband ever, because even though the Lakers were playing he was kind enough to be my sous chef and handle 'dirty work' for me.

(read fine chopping the herbs)

I tried a new recipe for Lasagna - and am rather pleased with the way it came out.

Babe invited another of his friends families over to get a "re-match" in Monopoly.

Talk about comedy!

The level of competition is intense and these guys are not playing around at all when it comes to winning.

By any means necessary.

It's a little scary. If not equally hilarious.

Grown men......all I can do is shake my head.

So we fed everyone and then proceeded to nosh on  what is usually known as my "locally world famous lemon cake" although yesterday it was ' the ugliest cake in America' - the top got stuck to the bunt pan and it came apart a bit while frosting.

Yeah. Not pretty.

But it sure was tasty!

It was another Soulful Sunday spent loving on my family with good company and delicious eats and it just made my heart happy.

What did you all do this weekend?

Happy Valentine's Day

To all the lovers out there!!

Whether you are in love with your spouse, your boy friend, your best friend or your kids.

Tell someone you love them today.

And then SHOW them.

I plan on doing just that for my loved ones today.

Yesterday I loved on everyone via the time and energy I put in preparing our yummy dinner and dessert and while it was a long process it was for sure a labor of love.

The look on everyone's face said enough while the clean plates and mouth noises convinced me the food was a hit.

My cup runneth over.

And today after a yummy "re-mixed" dinner Sweet Pea goes to bed, Babe and I will share a quiet moment or two.

Strawberries and Rose` anyone?

I'm pretty excited.

And to put a cherry on top of it all.......the government sent us money!!!

(tax return for anyone who's confused)

My cup runneth over these days and I want to share it with everyone.

What are your V-Day plans?

Love is in the air....

T.G.I.F y'all!!!

It has been that kind of week and I am so looking forward to this weekend!

We have some fun things planned as a couple and as a family that I'm pretty excited about.
First thing tomorrow morning, the Sweet Pea and I are off to the LBC to "get our hair did" as it's that time for both of us.
And I get to see my girl Ebony and chat it up while she makes me look snazzy.
Sweet Pea also has another loose tooth and is hoping it comes out tonight.
Teeth gross me out so I hope it's while she's with her Nana.
After the hair salon I'll drop her off with my mom for their girls weekend and then head over to my dear Amber's for some QT.
Definitely jazzed about that ( insert happy dance w/ jazz hands)
Then I have to hightail it back out to my neck of the woods and get 'spiffy' as I have a hot date with my husband.
Awhile back we got gift cards to Roy's and we fully intend to take advantage of the 'free food'.
Have you all been?
 Babe's never been so I can't wait to introuduce him to Hawaiian fusion!
It's quite delicious.
Sunday some local family is coming over for a pre-Valentine's dinner and I'm making her lasagna and some kind of yummy dessert.
Today was Sweet Pea's Valentine's party at school (they don't have school Monday)
 and she cleaned up....candy wise....
She'll be spending the weekend elsewhere so Babe and I treated her to Johnny Rocket's for dinner where he then regaled me with stories about work that had me LOLing so loud others turned around.
And can I just say that when I write LOL I am actually the goober that's really laughing out loud?
Hard too. I love those moments.
We don't generally do a lot for V-day and since it's a Monday & work day for us we will be keeping it low key w/ some yummy dinner and perhaps a little sparkling cider to keep it festive?
Our house has been decorated for quite some time so that's all taken care of.
I actually have a backlog of blogging & picture posting so be on the lookout for that in the next few days.
Our famdamily has been quite busy lately and I have been beyond exhausted so it's been hard to keep up.
Bare with me and ye shall have some fun photos of our recent activities and finds soon!

Do you all have anything fun planned for the weekend?

some kinda way

I've been in kind of a weird place lately.

Feeling some kinda way.

Not necessarily in a funk but more like a transition?

A lot is weighing on my mind and as much writing as I do, some of it just can't/shouldn't be posted

and some of it......(shakes head)

well sometimes a girl's just gotta 'run her mouth' a bit ya know?

So I did what every smart woman does.

I called my nearest and dearest.

And I have to say......I have some of the best friends.

My girls are so different and they all bring a much needed element to my life in some way.

Some are the perfect ones to go to for advice, some just for a laugh, some to vent and others to pray.

They are all great friends to me and each one means so very much.

I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

Especially considering the losses that have occurred over the years.

Friday I started with a good heart to heart with my girl Michelle - she happened to be just getting home and the kiddo's were already down so we had ourselves a lovely girl chat for about 2hrs. about absolutely everything under the sun from following our dreams to baby #2......

She soothes my soul.

No matter what she gets me.

Sunday it was my girl LaShaunda ( well truthfully that was Thursday night too)

She allows me to vent and vice versa and cracks me up in the process.

She makes me feel less crazy at this thing called wifedom/motherhood and always manages to put things in perspective.

This morning my girl Pie was up at the same time so we got our early morning chit-chat on.......

felt so good to catch up and get out my feelings!

I have been a mess!

All bottled up with no release.....the words just came out rapid and nonsensical but she felt me anyway!

Then this afternoon - my girl Amber got our text on......she is like a salve for my spirit.

Always the right thing at the right time.

She was placed in my life for a reason and I am so grateful for it!

These four women combined have helped ease my mind so much in the last few days/weeks/months.

And on Saturday I get to see my girl Ebony and Amber in person!!

I.am.so.excited!

I have been craving some comraderie and conversation and I think this is just what the doctor ordered!

So thank you my loves, for letting me talk your ear off, nurturing my spirit, laughing at my jokes and being such wonderful friends!!

You all make my life that much more fulfilling because you are in it!!

Focusing..... a poem (cicra 2000)

Out of the darkness

inspired by "the light"

like water for chocolate

I FOCUSED my sight

bright as the sun and clear as the skies

I can look into your eyes and tell

we're underneath the same spell

mesmerized by each other

time and again

consistently glad we're more than 'just friends'

being able to reach out

and knowing that you're there

kissing you whenever as an indication that I care

common knowledge we share

never mattering where we are

spending continuous days

chronically blazed

not giving thought to the number of passing days

but I remember clear as yesterday

looking into your eyes

after experiencing the ultimate high

a real life roller coaster ride

venturing to the top of the world and back.

Letting you know I like it like that.

joining together
 hand in hand
soul to soul

our bodies melt away and our hearts become whole.

and ever since then Baby it's been you and I

much better friends than before having finally recognized that it was LOVE

that I  constantly saw in your eyes....

In the begining....(why I write pt.2)

"We all started out with words.

And words became phrases,

which turned into sentences,

that led to paragraphs,

who became essays,

which evolved into short stories,

that became chapters in the novel of our lives"

- Lady Lavendare......

circa 1999

Free Therapy ....or why I don't need a shrink

Happy Thursday!!

I'm featured today over on TheSmartlySoCal so mosey on over  for a little FREE THERAPY 

and check out my piece!

Oh and leave me a comment and tell me what you thought/think!!