Thursday, January 31, 2008
Let me clear the air
I have prayed! I have prayed for wisdom and knowledge to know what do.
I have prayed for faith!
I have prayed for strength.
I have prayed for peace of mind...
I have prayed for some clarity...
Make a long story short.
Dh and I have been having some serious problems....
Without going into it, I was considering seperating....
Not a divorce, but seperating.
I, wear it all on my sleeve to some extent...
But sometimes I have to keep private!
Kwim?
Never in a millions years, would I have thought it would get to this point, but I was fed up.
I have since prayed and changed my mind...
I decided to stick it out and make the best out the situation...
I do love my husband soooooooooo much, but we have been having issues, for awhile. A few months after we moved into this house.....
I have been keeping things private.....
We have decided to seek couseling through our church, but it's going to be a long process...
I am just sick of the bickering, back and forth...
Why? I choose to keep to myself. I hope everyone will respect that. I really hate to show my vulnerable side, but I have really been upset for awhile.
Only a few of my friends and family know what's going on...
NOT EVEN MY MOM!!! Especially not my DAD!!!!
Didn't say anything, because I was confused myself....
I didn't know what I wanted....
Dh begged me to stay.....
He says he is willing to do whatever it takes to save our marriage...
I don't handle stressful situations well....
NO HE DIDN'T CHEAT LADIES.....
Just other things....
NO HE DOESN'T ABUSE ME....
I am guessing you are thinking what the heck did he do huh?
Well, I can't say...
It's not one thing....but a MULTITUDE of things....
NOT ALL HIM EITHER...
but me too...
and NO I DIDN'T CHEAT EITHER....lol
Thanks to everyone for their encouraging emails and words of wisdom...
I really appreciate it...
Dana
Prayer request
Don't want to get into it just yet....
Too fresh, too raw, to even talk about it...
I'm fine, the kids are fine, dh is fine....
No one is sick, ill, or have died........
I am just disgusted about some things and I am at my wits end...
Just pray for me...
Dana
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Visual imagery
a technique we learned in stress management. YOu mentally visualize a place where we would rather be, than in the present. Some people may visualize a flowing river or mountains. I visualize, being on a beach, with apple martini in hand, feeling the sand beneath my toes, kicking and splashing in the warm ocean, looking through the transparent water to see all of the pretty little tropical fish.......
Anything, but being here in Chicago, where it is current -1below zero. With windchills -30 below zero, my souther gals cannot even fathom in their brain, what the heck zero temps feel like, let alone sub-zero temps, but my northern and midwestern girls ALREADY KNOW....
Old man winter needs to go on vacation....
I love all my seasons, but DAMN...
who the heck am I kidding, in the MIDWEST there are all TWO SEASONS...
WINTER and SUMMER...
Either its 105 degrees or -50 below zero....
Hot or cold...
There is no in between
There is no spring and fall.....LOL
When it's this cold, I don't leave the house or sometimes I don't leave the bed....
I am in my bed right now, under a heated blanket, drinking some green tea!
I love fuzzy socks, because I can't stand to have my feet cold...
If my FEET ARE COLD...
I can't get warm!!!
I can't stand being cold.
But you have to make the best out of bad situations...
I am an opportunist at best....
I have been scrapbooking my heart out, reading and..............
doing some really fun things with the dh if you know what I mean...
I may even be pregnant....LOL just kidding...
No more babies for me.....
I am soooooo not bored! LOL
Until next time...
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Letting go.....
Up at 6am, getting the kid up for school, starting laundry, driving Bee to school, and I got home and got the other two kids off to school. Came home and looked at my disaster of a living room, that my oldest son had just cleaned before he went to bed.....blankets everywhere, xbox controllers all over the floor, empty water bottles, and I was enraged........ I was thinking where is the DAMNED REPSECT in this house. Does everyone think that my son and I are the cleaning service....
The CULPRITS:
BAPTISTE and nephew Marion....
and of coures Bonnie and Clyde....
did I mention dh left an empty ice cream container with the spoon and napkin still in it on the floor...
My first reaction was to come upstairs and smack him upside the head, and tell him to pick up his CRAP...
The second reaction was to just throw it away....
But, something came over me and I decided to Let it go....
I didn't touch a thing......THEY WILL CLEAN THEIR OWN MESS AND IT CAN WAIT UNTIL THEY GET HOME....
Then I stumbled upon this post by Sarah Bown.
It was like she wrote the post for me!!!!
I am no Martha Stewart, but I like a clean house.
I can't function when it's dirty...
The dirtiest room in the house is MY OWN ROOM....
Not lately, but I have never been able to keep a tidy room....
When it's tidy, I can't find a damned thing, but when its a mess I can find anything...
However, the rest of my house is immaculate.
I can't stand filth! It turns my stomach, and I have a fetish about my house smelling good. So I am constantly cleaning the garbage cans, I am the febreeze queen, and I have a plug in every sing socket and candles going all the time...
It irks me to no end, when the kids throw their clothes on the floor! Or leave their clothes in the bathroom...
Or leave toothpaste in the sink.....
I just can't take it....
But today, I am going to sit back, relax, and let it go.....
Why should I stress over things that can be corrected...
I am simply going to make the children pick up their things when they get home from school and that is that....
I am going to tell my husband "hey you left something in the family room, and point it out....
SEE....
NO STRESS THERE!
I AM GOING TO LET IT GO!!!!!
Atleast for today....
The rest of the house is super, duper clean, so I guess I cannot complain too much.
The kids even shocked the heck out of me and made their beds....
So I will focus on scrapbooking today, reading, and letting go...
wooooooooooooooo saaaaaaaaaah!
LOL
Until next time
Dana
Monday, January 28, 2008
Challenge extended.....
The reason why I decided to this challenge is stated in this post.
I am really serious about this challenge and would like as many people as possible to participate. I know we are all busy and maybe 2 weeks was not enough. I would be will to extend the challenge for an extra 2 weeks. Which would make this a month long challenge.
Challenges are fun! But this is not the point for me.
OUR CHILDREN are the FUTURE.
They need to be equipped to deal with the CRUEL world we live in...
They need to know that life is not all full of well paved roads and that they will encounter a lot of potholes...LOL
I am not only going to make this a challenge for mother's of little girls, but for our boys too. They will become MEN one day and in our culture it is shameful for men to show emotion. They feel like they have to be strong all the time. So they tend to hold things inside. They need to know that they are BEAUTIFUL TOO.
So again, This is not just for girls...
And you don't have to be a mother, this could be a message to a niece, granddaughter, cousin, or friend....
The new date will be Monday February 11th.
I will announce the winners Tuesday February 12th.
Does this work for you. Or is this still not enough time?
Here are the details: You can create a one page layout or mini album honoring that special child in your life. I will select 3 winners. You will receive a package from me chalked full of goodies. That simple. The deadline is Monday February 11th. You can post a link to your blog, showing your layout.
Let me know! I am halfway done with my own mini album for my daughter. I will post a preview tonight. My camera died, as most of you know and I have to use my dh's cell phone. Boohoo. Won't be long until I get a new one. Can't wait!
Stay tuned....
Sunday, January 27, 2008
lay your head on my pillow.....
Do you remember that song by Tony Toni Tone....
Maybe not! But that is what I am doing right now....
R E L A X I N G
This has been a busy week....
Friday I was cleaning like a fool! My sister is a consultant for a company called WARM SPIRIT. I hosted a spa/pamper party Saturday at my house.
So I was cleaning like the board of Health was coming to inspect.
I am really particular about my house, anyways, but when you have guests......
YOu have to pull out all stops....
The kids were not happy that they had to do the following
-wash all walls and baseboard
-remove all blings and clean them
-clean refrigerator
-dust everything in the house
-mop all floors
-clean any troubled areas on carpet....
-wash any dirty laundry
-hang or fold all clean clothes in closet or put into drawer (Not still sitting in the same laundry basket from a week ago....LOL)
Of course you do know who did the bulk of these things. If you said I DID, you are right.
I was so damned tired by the time Friday came around, I needed all of that pampering...
She did foot soaks, hand treatments, and chair massages...
It felt so goooooooooood.....
I felt so exhilarated and rejuvinated...
I think I was liking it a little bit too much, because my sister told me to get my BUTT out of the chair and let someone else sit down. I always get into big trouble with by big sister....LOL
The foot soaks were damn near EROTIC....
My feet still feel good!!!!!
The hand treatments were really nice too....
What I love about the company is that it all WOMAN BASED! Not just women consultants, but women who actually make the products. Women from all over the world....
The shea butter comes from Ghana...
The teas come from Vietnam....
Its all about EMPOWERING women...
I was sold!
They do sell products for males....
I bought a few things for Baptiste for VALENTINE'S DAY....
I have to share a funny story with you guys...
Yesterday, Baptiste came home from work and went immediately upstairs, changed clothes and left. I thought it was odd. He kissed me and rushed out. He came home after about 2 hours and I said "dag, Baby you could have let me known where you were going" He said "the hell out of here, I didn't know what you girls were going to be doing, massages, foot rubbing, hand rubbing, booty rubbing....didn't want to see something I didn't want to see" ..... He then said, I saw you sneaking the strippers out of the back door when I pulled up....
Is that what men really think goes on at a SPA/PAMPERING party? LOL
I bought a ton of stuff...
I mean a tons of stuff...
I did get tons of free product too, as I had a good show.
My show does not close out until next Monday, so if anyone of you are interested in learning more about Warm Spirit, please feel free to email me: dpaynebrooks@yahoo.com
They have some really good products. One of the best products is the SPECIAL ATTENTION CREAM. It is really good for people with dry skin or eczema.
My favorite spa scent was the Passion Pomegranite and I bought the entire line.
They have foot soaks
Sugar scrubs
Soy based candle tins, where you can use the liquid for massage oil and it returns back to its regular form, not really a candle but skin conditioner in a tin....so cool.
Shower gels, body mist, lotions
Body Butter
blooming teas especially for women that remedy (such things as indigestion, upset stomach, menstrual cramps, anxiety, stress.. and many more)
massage oils
My other favorite item is called HERBAL SPA WRAP. You heat this wrap in the microwave or you can freeze it and apply it to any thing that ail you on your body. Its a blend of eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, essential oils, and organic flaxseed. It is literally a doctor in cloth form. I put it around my neck where most of my tension lies...and I did not want to take it off. It felt so good and soothing...
It started at 5 and ended at 9:30pm....
My sister and mom ended up leaving around 11pm....
I hurried and got ready for my friend's BIRTHDAY celebration...
And I danced and partied the night away..
Guess it was all that damn pampering....I felt like Fred Astaire....Light on my feet...
Came home around 3am and didn't get up until noon today...
The kids woke me up to BREAKFAST IN BED....
Those little stinkers are good for something huh? LOL
I was so happy. I had a very tasty and toasted bacon and egg sandwhich, with just the right amount of cheese....... And a big ole cup of Sunny D!!!! Now that is what I called BREAKFAST!!
My niece and nephew Aaliyah and Aaron spent the night as well...
They did really well and didn't make alot of noise...
I ate breakfast, took a shower, only to get back into bed and watch tv....
Hell, I deserve it!!!!!
The house is still TOTALLY IMMACULENT!!!
So clean that I don't want to even cook...
We ordered Chineese.....
WEll I have rambled on long enough....
Off to go relax some more...
Until next time...
Friday, January 25, 2008
You already know what time it is....
I'm gonna take you back....
Way back....
To the year 1991....
This fine new rapper came out, under the Death Row label.
He had a very sexy voice!!!!!
His tapes was always in rotation in my 1984 Toyota Corolla...
My friends and I used to jump out the car and snap when we heard this song...
How about...
I got a SATURDAY DETENTION FOR SINGING THE LYRICS.....
and it went like this.....
IT'S GETTING FUNKY ...
IT'S GETTING FUNKY....
WHO MAKES THE BEAT SO FUN-FUN-FUNKY....
Yelled in gym class.....
and it was getting funky...
some people just don't believe in deodorant...
Enjoy!!!!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Lazy day....
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Somebody's in trouble!!!!!!
and the winner is .......BEE AND JARIEL (AKA CLYDE)!!!!
There report cards were HORRIBLE!!!!!!
I mean HORRIBLE!!!!!
So, I have confiscated the following:
2 cell phones
2 video ipods
1 xbox 360
1 television
1 computer
-------------------------------
the total of all that = THEIR LIFE!!!!
No more myspace and tagged!!!
No more late night phone calls with the girls!!!
No more Halo tournaments
No more BET and MTV!!!
No more yelling to the top of my lungs because they can't hear me becaues they have music blasting their eardrums out while listening to their ipods.....
How long is this SENTENCE?
1 month..
but they can get off on good behavior if they bring up the grades by progress report!
What are the RESTRICTIONS:
MONDAY-FRIDAY there can be none of the following:
NO VISITORS
IN BED BY NINE
NO COMPUTER
NO PHONE PRIVILEGES
NO TELEVISON
NO OUTSIDE......
They get a free pass on SAT AND SUN....only!!!!
They need to thank their LUCKY STARS for that!
Because I wanted to give them a DEATH SENTENCE! LOL
Jaree on the other hand recieved 7 A's and 1 B....
HER REWARD:
$100 Shopping Spree at Walmart !!!!
She has made the honor roll ever since she started school!
Stay tuned....
LIVE COVERAGE: LIFE AS A PRISONER IN THE BROOKS HOME!!!!
Until next time....
Monday, January 21, 2008
Happy Birthday to ya!!!!
He had a dream.....
A vision .....
A goal.....
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.
One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.
So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.
The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Time to throw it back .....
I am a little early, but I am tired...
Well, this song got me in trouble with my mom....
You know how sometimes our parents can go OVERBOARD, when company comes over.
Well, let me elaborate....
If my mom's friend would come over, she would act a little more tough with us....
She would act like she had us in CHECK , which she did, but she over did it...
and I had to tell my mom.....
AIN'T NO FUTURE IN YOUR FRONTIN...
LOL
Enjoy...
Peace
Good Morning America......
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Keeping it real for a moment...
DISCLAIMER: never ever read or respond to any posts that deal with the following:
1. POLITICS: you may get a threat to eat your young, if you don't agree with Bush!!!!
2. Gay Marriage
3. Abortion
4. Should a person be asked to take their shoes off if you have light carpeting ( I got blasted for starting this thread, you wouldn't believe it! In my house you take your damned shoes off before you walk on my beige carpet, don't like it DON'T COME! lol)
5. Anything that deals with the Clintons, Hilary, Bill, hell even Chelsea! Just don't do it!!!!
6. WELFARE... all poor people should eat bread and water, just like they did in jail. How dare they buy a Porter house steak or LOBSTER, with my .2% of my taxes that I give to support welfare from my paycheck, that I bust my ass off for..... (this is not the opinion's or views of Dana's Cafe, I am just the messenger, I don't care what a person buys with their LINK CARD, shit, I wanna know how can I be down.....LOL)
7. The war in IRAQ! If you disagree, you are a COMMUNIST, a benedict ARNOLD, how dare we not go into IRAQ and kill every damn person over there, for weapons we still have not found! LOL
Last but not least:
8. Digital Scrapping vs. Traditional Paper Scrapping: How dare you use a computer to scrapbook, you lazy COMMUNIST!!!!!! LOL
I just get amused! And so does Baptiste. He is now convinced that all Scrapbooker's are NUTS!!!
Now today was a different story, I came across this post
You can find my answer in the post!
The question was posed: Name on thing you regret NOT DOING and one thing you did so you wouldn't regret not doing it.
If you don't feel like going to the terrorzone, otherwise known as the NSBR zone. I will give you a recap.
One of things I regret, and I can't really say regret,
I wish I would have dated more!
I have basically had 2 real boyfriends in my life. Now I did date somewhat? But, nothing to speak about. I have only had two SERIOUS relationships. I have only loved TWO men in my life.
One I will say started off as puppy love and was more of a lust thing. That was my ex Brandon. We have known each other our entire life and he always had a crush on me!! He used to a be a PEST!!! Finally we went to the same grammar school and junior high and that pest turned out to be a very tall dark and handsome young man. We started to like each other in the 5th grade, but kept it a secret, by the time we were in 7th grade it was no doubt about it. Everyone knew....
We were inseperable, but it was all SUPERVISED, our parents didn't PLAY THAT CRAP.....lol
We continued to date through high school and we were hot and heavy, just fooling around, not doing the ACTUAL DEED, if you kwim? I just wasn't ready for that!
I guess he grew tired of what I was offering and he decided he would sleep with a friend of mine, wait, let me change that, 'a so called friend" of mine. Who lived right down the street from me. The neighborhood slut. I didn't know right away, but I had this feeling....
Everyone has had this GUT FEELING....
It's called Women's Intuition....
I decided to drive to his house, but something told me not to ring the bell....and just sit there. I sat for what felt like an eternity ...
but it was only 45 minutes at best...LOL
When all of sudden I see him and Andrea walking out of the house, well he was rushing her out, and her getting on her bike..... She tried to lean over and kiss him but he moved his face and gave her a hug....
I didn't say a word. I got out of the car and proceeded to beat the hell out of both of them. I beat Andrea so bad, that Brandon's dad had to carry me inside the house and call my mom. I don't think she even got one lick in....I just punched her right in her face and knocked her off her bike, and I got on top of her and banged her head in the concrete until Brandon tried to break it up....then I started punching him..... Then I thought she was running up on me, but she was trying to get the heck out of dodge so I started on her again and that's when JAKE, Brandon's dad picked me up by the waist and I was still kicking and screaming...
He even was laughing....
He told Brandon, you know you messed up right?
Brandon tried to plead his case, but they fell on deaf ears....
I was only 15 years old....
I really thought he would wait for me, I was only trying to hold out a month in a half until I was atleast 16.....
But we broke up and I never looked back....
He tried and tried and cried and cried, but that HURT ME too bad to LOOK BACK...
Then in November a month after I turned 16, I met my husband.....
He was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo damned FINE!
Like a boy from one of the videos.....
He had his own style! I was immediately attracted, but would never tell him that...
My cousin Tara ended up telling him (because she got tired of me talking about him everyday!)
I would literally lay across my bed and imagine what it would be like to date him?
I NEVA, EVA, EVA did that before...
I believe in dogs chasing cats, not cats chasing dogs......LOL
So if he never said anyting, we would have never DATED!!!!
Turns out he had a crush on me tooo
And as you can see the rest is history!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here we are 3 kids later, married and in love...
However, I wish I would have slept with Brandon....
Because now I will never know....
I know that may sound slutty or whorish...
But I am keeping it real!!!!
This is my blog and I wear it all on my sleeve..
What you see is what you get!!!!!
Hope I didn't distort your image of me, but this is how I feel!!!!!
I know some are thinking what if your HUSBAND reads this,
He already knows...
We keep nothing from each other...
Well atleast I don't!!!! LOL
So anyways, here is my keeping it real moment for the year....LOL
So,what is one thing you regret NOT DOING and one thing you did so you wouldn't regret not doing it.
Blog about it!!!! Doesn't have to be as up close and personal as mine was, but would be interested in knowing your answers. So I challenge all my blog readers to blog this topic.
Especially you Adrienne!!! and you too BonnieRose!!!!!
I know this is going to be good!!
Let me get the popcorn!!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Pics from my crazy week...
I was feeling no pain....
the first pic I guess I thought I was being sexy....
did you noticed that one of my eyes is cocked.....
Normally, my eyes are not like that.....when I get tipsy I tend to open one eye real big and squint the other.....LOL
Courtesy of my cousins camera phone.....
There was more, but this was safe....
LOL
Dana
What a crazy, crazy week...
Alot of you know that my husband is a DJ on the side. And on every other Friday and Saturday, he dj's for a nightclub called R&D's. I normally don't go, but dh has been feeling a little clingy lately and begged me to go. I think it's my 11 lb weight loss....LOL Well, I go, didn't want to, because I was feeling really crappy with a sinus infection. So I bit the bullet, popped some pills and went ahead and went. I got there only to have the best time of my life. Turns out my cousins had nothing to do and called me to see what I was doing. They ended up coming around 11pm and we had a ball!!! I mean a ball.
I felt kind of bad, because men were buying our drinks left and right, but I told them look "My husband is the dj, he's right over there in the dj booth". All of my cousin's are single. Dh is a jealous teenager, but he can go there sometimes....LOL
I am not a big drinker at all. I am more of a social drinker, but Friday, I turned into a lush!!! I was doing tequilla shots, and drinking watermelon and mango martini's all night long. Then those fools talked me into drinking some Absolut and orange juice and hypnotic.
Why o why, did I do this? I am a FOOL already! LOL I don't need anything to enhance that! My cousins claim, I took over the dance floor and was dancing like a dancing machine all night long. She claims dh had to come and get me quite a few time, because he was getting just a tad bit jealous of all the men I danced with.....
I said NO, not me. I am the good cousin.....LOL
The last thing that I do remember is Freddy B(the other dj) and my husband putting me in the car (guess I needed a little assistance) then Freddy's wife Red came over lauging and crying, because she was a little tipsy too, she sat at the table with my cousins and I, and then her falling in the car.....I couldn't stop laughing! I remember both REd and Freddy kissing me on the cheek and saying goodbye and after that......BABYY.....I don't remember nothing. I don't now how I got home, who took me home, who took me out the car, who took off my shoes, and coat, who took off my clothes, how my gown got on, and who put me in the bed.
I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I woke up in my bed and didn't know how I got there. I will never, ever, ever party WITH THOSE CRAZY COUSINS of mine ever. If I get tempted, please somebody remind me of this day....LOL
I was feeling no pain, until.....
I had to get up at 7:30am, to get ready for a funeral....
My mom's next door neighbor Mrs. Calep father died at 99 years old. Only 16 days shy of his 100th birthday. It was soooooo sad, because they had planned a huge 100th Birthday celebration, and she just sent out the invitations....so sad!!!! He had total recall. No dementia. NO Alzheimer's. He was in total control of his faculties and in good spirits. He moved better than me. LOL He passed peacefully in sleep and died with a HUGE SMILE on his face!!!
Jaree was TOTALLY devastated, because everytime we went to my mom's she would go next door to the Calep's and visit daddy Yarrington. She loved him and he loved her. They had a very good relationship. You couldn't tell Jaree, that WAS NOT her grandfather and you couldn't tell grandaddy Yarrington Jaree wasn't his little grandbaby!!! He loved Pringles and everytime we would go over, jaree would buy him some Pringles and go feed it to him. He could eat on his own, why Jaree thought she had to feed him I don't know, but she did.
She also used ride with him, on his high powered wheel chair! I wish I would have recorded the moment, that Jaree got in his wheelchair with him and he said "Wanna go for a ride?" Jaree emphatically said "yes', I guess daddy wasn't going fast enough because Jaree took control and they went ZOOMING down the streeet. I had to run after them. We couldn't stop laughing.....
Even daddy Yarrington thought it was hilarious......LOL
Jaree just loved him soooo much and I know he loved her just as much...
She took it really hard, but was BRAVE enough to get up and say how she felt about him. It was something she really wanted to do. That girl is a lot braver than I ever WAS at that age.
Saturday, was a very sad occassion, but it was also a CELEBRATION of Daddy Yarrington's life. I was laughing and crying all at the same time....
Sunday, Baptiste got off work and we went out with friends....
Now we were supposed to go to Holiday Blvd (dinner and a movie) to see First Sunday, with Katt Williams and Tracy Morgan, but they were not showing it there ...FIGURES...
So we went to Chili's because we were starving...... I got the Cajun Ribeye, with loaded mash potatoes, garlic gread, and corn on the cob....We had South west rolls for appetizers, I was in HEAVEN. LOL By the time, I was done with all of my food. I was EXTRA SLEEPY, but went along with the plan to go to another theather to see First Sunday. Well, the next show wasn't for another hour and 15 minutes, I didn't want to be a KILLJOY, but I was OVERJOYED, when everyone else did not want to wait. We talked in the car for about an hour, they took us back to our car and we came home......
I did some laundry, did Jaree's hair, made sure the kids got their school clothes ready, and took their showers, and I crashed....
I was OUT!
No television, no computer, no LOVING(LOL),.....
just GOOD OLE SLEEP...Baptiste wasn't too happy, but I was....
LOL
How was your weekend?
What did you do?
For those of you who got the Clip it up, I still haven't put mine up. I have had it for almost a week, is there alot of assembly. Because your girl Dana, is SOOOO NOT good at this type of stuff....LOL
Any tips???
Also, I got the 7 gypsies ATC holder and I must say I was a little dissappointed. It's kinda flimsy. Plus I didn't realize how small it was ....Looked so big online. This was definitely a hyped up impulse buy, but I will make it into something great.....LOL
Well, I gotta go. My goddaughter Marrissa had her baby today, she's 17 years old and needs all the support she can get, so I bought baby Zo tons of clothes, diapers, onesies, and gowns. I have to go take them to her. I LOVE BABIES!!!!!!! I will probably be keeping him while she finishes her senior year.... I don't mind. I kept her, her entire life, she's like my own daughter!!!! So I feel like a grandma.....LOL
Take care....
Friday, January 11, 2008
Old School Friday and rak challenge
Ok,
Let me give you the history of this jam I am about to share with you....I was 11 years old when it came out. I was in daycamp, and we had a talent show, and I won along with God sister dancing off this song.
I still will get up and dance off this song. It's one of those songs that will never go out of style. I can still kick it off this song...
Ricky, Ricky, Ricky, Ricky....
Now for the challenge:
I orignially stated that I wanted to do a challenge for moms with daughters, but I will extend it to our boys too.. Using the you are beautiful theme. You can either do a mini album or just page layout. I will give everyone 2 weeks from today to get it done. Please post a link on my blog and I will pick 3 winners and send them a rak. I will post pics of the raks on next Friday! So stay tuned!!!!!!
Now jam on it......
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Irony
Two blogs in one day!
But I have to post about something I just read!
I am more of a blog reader, than I am a blogger! LOL I know some of you can probably relate. My first passion, is the traditional journaling, I LOVE TO WRITE!!!! So, I write more than I blog!!!! I write on a daily basis, all the time. My most intimate thoughts, my fears, my strenghts, blessings, things that tick me off, things that hurt me, things that I am confused about....
I get a pen and a pad and WRITE....
Today I am going to share with you something that truly made me realize, we can't protect our kids from everything.
Jaree has had several seizures, while there has been no brain damage, thank God!!!! It has affected her speech. I rarely even talk about this, because I get so choked up, but ok....Woooo! Let me try and get this out, without choking up...LOL
One day Jaree came to me and said " Mommy, why did God make me different?" and I said,
"Baby what do you mean, different?" She said with tears in her eyes "Why am I RETARDED?" I felt like a hundred daggers had been drove into my heart. That is when I realized, "wow, I can't shelter my kids from hurt". It was really a devastating moment for me. I took my baby in my arms and I told her that SHE WAS NOT RETARDED, but God did not make her different, and that she was NORMAL as the other kids. But, God made her SPECIAL, He made her BEAUTIFUL and he made me the happiest mother in the world, when he chose me to be her mother.
From that day forward, she has never told me that anyone called her names, but I know they do. Does it affect her? Of course, but I build her up everyday! I always tell her how smart she is, by the way, she is not in any special education or modified courses and she is a STRAIGHT A student, She reads at a upper 7th grade level and is in 3rd grade, and she is smart as A WHIP. She has been reading chapter books, since 1st grade and learned to read at 4. So she is doing pretty damned good, if you ask me.
To be honest, it PISSED me off. I wanted to go up to the school and start slapping the hell out of every child who called my baby a name....and I am speaking HONESTLY. I am not sugar coating anything, but my mom raised a person with good common sense and I know I can't do that, but IT WAS A THOUGHT....lol
I was reading this post by my good friend Bonnierose, which led me to this post by Jill Conyers.
As I was reading, I just cried, because my mind went directly to JAREE!
I had just written down, in my journal that I wanted to do a 'YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL' mini album for her and at that point it was just an idea, today for me, it 's an affirmation. I am going to start on it TODAY! As soon as we arrive home from the hospital. I don't care how tired I am ....This is a must for me now.
I encourage us all, as mothers to BUILD OUR DAUGHTERS UP, to UPLIFT THEM, to tell them all the things they want to hear, so they don't have to turn to the STREETS, to hear someone tell them that they love them, but they really don't. You get where I am going with this? LOL
Even more, I am going to do my very first challenge. MOTHERS of daughters, I encourage you to do a layout or even a mini album using the 'YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL theme. I will pick 3 winners and send you a very special rak!!!
Thanks Bonnie! and Thanks Jill Conyers!!! I needed that INSPIRATION TODAY!!!!
Until next time...
Big day ahead of us....
Please say a prayer for my little princess Jaree! She is going to have her 4th sleep deprived EEG today. As most of my blog readers may know, my daughter suffers from an atypical epilepsy. This means there's nothing that shows up on and MRI, Catscan, or EEG, that would suggest an abnormality in the brain. However, she keeps having seizures. Jaree had a first seizure at 14 months. She had just taken the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine and 24 hours later she had a very high fever. At the time, Jaree was in day care and I was not notified that she was sick or showing symptoms of being sick. I always checked my babies temp in the morning to make sure they were not sick, because when my children get sick, they GET SICK!!! So, when I picked her up, she looked normal. In fact, I picked her up early that day, as I got an early quit from work. She looked so beautiful like she normally does. I gave her a gazillion kisses as always, and loaded her in her carseat. Dh was off that day too, so we picked Bee up from school, because Jariel was also in daycare with her. We headed to the local Wal-mart and Jaree was playing and trying to grab the clothes off the racks as we rode by in the cart. I was looking for some shirts for the boys ...when it HAPPENED. Jaree's head was flung back and I pulled her arms, because I thought she was being silly. Her eyes were rolled back and she was foaming at the mouth. My immediate reaction was that she was choking. So I took her out the cart and turned her on her stomach, and tried to get whatever the heck, she was choking on out of her mouth. She started convulsing and I panicked. I ran with her in my arms, screaming call 911. I guess I was so hysterical, the lady at the front desk panicked and just froze. I remember yelling at her, to get off the phone and call 911. Then, an angel walked in. A lady walked in with a newborn baby, she looked over and saw Jaree and took over. She turned Jaree on her side, and made everyone get back. She asked me what her name was and through teary eyes and a shaky voice I told her. She talked very calm, to both Jaree and myself. She summoned someone to go back to pharmacy and get a suppository, which she immediately gave Jaree. She had someone call 911 and the paramedics arrived shortly after. Once the paramedics arrived she told them that Jaree was having a FEBRILE SEIZURE, she was talking very technical and I realized she was in the medical profession. Turns out she was a RN. She had just had her baby 1 week, and was not even supposed to be out. She was sneaking out of the house just to get out. Finally, it dawned on her that she didn't have her own baby and then she got emotional, but as luck would have it, someone pushed her baby away from the entrance door, out of the way of the cold and stood beside the very tiny baby. Her NURSING SKILLS took over. As they were loading my baby into the ambulance, she knocked on the doors and told me that Jaree would be fine, I hugged and thanked her, but never got her name. I truly believe she was Jaree's guardian angel. Because the paramedics said that Jaree would have truly died of asphysixia if she hadn't showed up, because she had aspirated into her lungs.
That was one of the SCARIEST moments of my life. Jaree was comatose for almost 48 hours after that FIRST seizure. I wanted her to just open her beautiful eyes... I never left her side.
We started to notice pus-like bumps on her stomach and lip. Very few, but she had chicken pox. She also had double pneumonia from aspirating into her lungs.
At that moment, I began to prioritize what was important. MY JOB or MY CHILDREN. I loved my job, I was making really good money. I was starting to get my life together, however I truly feel if Jaree wopld have been at home, I would have noticed she was getting warm or I would have noticed that she was listless and sleeping too much. Jaree was not a baby that slept during the day....she took cat naps! No longer than 30 minutes at a time. I later found out that Jaree slept that entire afternoon until the evening when I picked her up.
I turned in my 2 week notice and quit my job. Dh and I decided it was the best thing to do. He was working at Carmax at the time, and was making a pretty good living, so we struggled at first but, things got better.
However, Jaree has had a total of 11 seizures since that day.
One just before Christmas, and that is why we are going to have yet another EEG.
I pray to God that they don't find anything, but at the same time, if they don't find anything, why does she keep having seizures.
Another thing is that they have all been FEVER related seizures. She has never had a seizure that didn't accompany a fever...
But she is almost 9 years old.
9 year olds are not supposed to have seizures....
It is not the norm!!!!
I will keep you posted!
I ask that you all keep us in your thoughts and prayers...
Thanks in advance!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Christmas is officially over
Taking the Christmas tree down, kids going back to school, no more Christmas carols or movies...
I get so melancholy...
Am I the only one who feels this way?
We spend so much time and money on Christmas and the day comes and goes so fast..
I hate saying goodbye to Christmas...
I cry while taking down the tree....don't know why? Just makes me sad!
Today, I have to go to downtown Chicago to take care of some business, I so hate driving down town. Then I have to take Bee, shopping, he still has money left over from Christmas and it's burning a hole in his pocket...
Dh is super sick. I have been taking care of him. The flu swept thru our house like a hurricane. I had it sooooo bad! Both Jaree and I had it the worst. Now Baptiste has it and he's super sick too!
You know men, they are big babies when they get sick! LOL
Well, gotta run.
It's super late.
I have to get up early so.....
I have to say bye-bye
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Had a great time
Yesterday, my friend Michelle and I went to see One Missed Call and went to dinner for her birthday. This movie was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo SCARY! Over the years, horror movies are not what they used to be. Movies like the OLD Salem's Lot, Carrie, The Shining, Christine, The Exorcist, Amytiville Horror,Nightmare on Elm Street and Christine scared the living daylights out of me....Every once in a great while you will get a great horror film....The Ring, Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Messengers, Saw, Final Destination, Dead Silence,Valentine.. but great horror is hard to find...
Horror movies have turned porn....or turned Gory
Well One Missed Call is the epitome of a great horror film. I was literally terrified! When a movie gives me goosebumps or has me looking over my shoulder at night.....
I THINK YOU GET THE POINT!
I was so unnerved from this movie! I came home and it took me hours to fall asleep.
Do not take the kids to see this movie, unless you want a permanent bed buddy....LOL
I got so scared at one point, some kind of way, my bracelet flung off and flew 3 rows behind me, i am so glad it didn't hit anybody. I guess I must have threw my hands up and it flung off...LOL
Everyone was laughing, I was soooo embarrassed.
We had a bunch of people with us too. My oldest son went with a couple of his friends, my friend Michelle and her younger sister went, so we had a blast!!!
I was holding my cousin Cashelle's arm, the whole time. He's only 15, the same age as my son! I think he was more scared than I was......LOL
Afterwards, we went to Dusties for a good soul food dinner.
Only Michelle and her sister went to dinner, and of course myself.
My son, Cashelle, and the rest of his friends went to a party, so I dropped them off and headed out to Dusties.
I ate myself into a coma!
Went to pick the boys up from the party and the party ended earlier so Bee's girlfriend Katie came and picked everyone up....Yes my baby has a girlfriend, and she's 17!!! Wow! But, I love Katie, she's very respectful and she treats my son like Gold, that is all I care about! He loves her to death too. They make a pretty cute couple. Too bad her family doesn't feel the same about Bee, well the dad and brother does not approve of Bee because of his race. So sad! Yes, Katie is white and my son is black, but who the hell cares! Love is Love! Like is Like! Oh well, some people will never get it....LOL Let me get out of this train before it wrecks....LOL
In other news, dh told me that I can get the Canon 20D, but not until March. We are going on a cruise in August and this month, we are going to the Wilderness in Wisconsin, so he said I must be patient!!!! LOL
In the meantime, since my camera died, he is going to allow me to get a new point and shoot digital camera, which I wanted both anyway. I did my research and am going to go with a Fuji Fine Pixs S700, it got a A grade, has some manual settings like a slr, I can get get filters and all kind of lenses to enhance the camera, it has a 10x optical zoom, which is equivilant to 28-300mm camera, so for that I am happy. It has 7.1 mp, and movie mode. It will get me thru this months vacation and its small and compact. It has been hell, without my camera, I tell you. I feel naked without it. As you can imagine. I have to use the mac or my camera phone, for most of my pics now and I hate it!!! Or I use my Aps camera, hate camera processing and not knowing what I am getting....kwim?
Can't wait for my clip it and my 7 gypsies ATC to arrive. My Atc holder shipped already! Should be here either today or Monday, can't wait!!!! Don't know if the clip it shipped, I know that is coming Ups ground, so I know for a fact that won't be coming today. I am so excited. I have so many ideas for the ATC Holder. Think I am going to do a People, places, and things theme. All the people I love, all the things I love, and my favorite places. What do you think?
Would love your opinions on what I can do with the ATC Holder as I may get many more.....
Well, today is going to be a crock pot day....Beef stew....Lazy days....
The kids go back to school on Monday, so I want to do something special with them today. I think we will all go roller skating. Ms. Jaree has been talking about it for the longest time, also Jaree wants to make ICECREAM, with that dang blasted Icecream making machine she rec'd for Christmas. I have been putting it off and putting it off, but today I am going to have to bite the bullet and JUST DO IT!
We already made cookies, brownies, and cakes, withe her Easy bake oven, she got that last year, but I always get her refills every birthday and Christmas. She has the real meal Easy bake too, but that thing is so big and awkard, that we barely use it.....LOL We use the cute pink one that looks like an oven.....LOL
Also, I have to take Jariel to get minutes on his phone! I told him he has to be minute conscious, because he does not have a job! LOL He has a prepaid phone, I learned my lesson with Bee about putting CHILDREN on your contract, I just finished paying his Sprint bill, to the tune of 985.67 and half us that was for text messaging alone, 200 worth of games and ringtones, and 150 worth of overage...CAN YOU SAY IT WITH ME ....NEVA, NEVA EVA, AGAIN.....LOL
My kids will have a prepaid contract until they are able to get their own phone.....LOL
And I will decide when and if I will put the minutes on there...
It's all about learning time managment skills....
Well, this post has become long as the river NILE, and also random, so I am going to run...
Until next time
Friday, January 04, 2008
It's that time....
To throw it on back....
Now this song got more airtime in my car than any other song, while in college.
My cousin and I used to dance to this song all day and night!
This was a total CLUB BANGER!!!!!
HERE'S A VERSE: LADY TAKE IT EASY...HATE TO SOUND SLEAZY, BUT TEASE ME, I DON'T WANT IT IF IT'S THAT EASY.....LOL
GOTTA LOVE PAC!!!!!
ENJOY!!!!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
It's Dana time!
So far...
For Dana....
Dh bought me a chochlate brown short mink coat, with detachable hood!
1 BeBe animal print purse
A bunch of costume jewelry...I love accessories. I am the accessory queen!!!
Today, I am going to get some brown boots from my favorite store BARE FEET SHOES!!!!! I love that store.
Some brand new 7 jeans. They fit my body so well! I have a small waist, but I have very large hips and thighs and big ole but and its very hard for me to find jeans that fit. Either they are too tight or they gap in my waist. I can't shop at Old Navy or the Gap, they don't make jeans for my body type....LOL I like Baby Phat and Apple Bottom, but they are really for a younger crowd. I don't like a whole lot of rhinestones on my butt. I don't need to attract any attention to that area.....LOL
Thanks to ADRIENNE AND BONNIEROSE, I bought that dang blasted clip it up.....LOL
Tracking:
Order Date: 01/03/08
Order Number: yhst-7331083477943-55069
Shipping Method: $5.99 Flat Rate Ground Shipping
Ship To
Dana Brooks
16949 old elm drive
country club hills IL 60478
708 705-1056
Bill To
Dana Brooks
16949 old elm drive
country club hills IL 60478
708 705-1056
dpaynebrooks@yahoo.com
I will be putting that order number in everyday until it arrives!!!!!
Now I am off to buy that 7 gypsies ATC holder, I have plans for that bad boy!!!!! I am the project queen. I love mini albums. I have to admit I do a like the smaller unique albums, more than all my 12x12 albums. I am always thinking of ideas for the albums. I am going to scrap today, I just woke with a gazillion ideas flowing through my mind. You know those "EUREKA MOMENTS". I am in a really good mood and I plan to just shop and scrap.....
In no particular order ....LOL