Sniffles, Coughing, and Chills....oh my!

Yesterday was a really bad day for me....

Fever of 103.5
Chills
Hot flashes
body aches
chest burning coughs
headache

I felt like a MACK TRUCK ran into my body. So, I decided to go the ER. My doctor won't be bacn into her office until the 29th and she doesn't have anyone covering for her. Bummer right?

Well, I get there and they told me it will be a 2-3 hour wait. I was miserable already, but decided to wait it out. While in the emergency room, there was a group of teenagers, that were there and I guessed one of the girls had been involved in a fight and was hit with a pair of brass knuckles.......

Baby, I was ready to choke those kids up.... They were LOUD, CUSSING, TALKING VULGAR, just acting like little buttholes OK. And guess what? There parents were right there, right freaking there.

I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! I was growing more and more annoyed by the minute! Do you think security came over to say ANYTHING, to these little JERKS.....no!!!!!!

The language was just UNBELIEVABLE....

I have a soon to be 16 year old, If I thought he acted in that manner, he would be GROUNDED FOR LIFE...

I was a TEENAGER TOO, but I never acted like that in Public. I am not going to act like Miss Polly Perfect either, but I was atleast respectful to my ELDERS....

My mom would kill me if I wasn't....

Anyways, the three hours wait turned into 7 hours and guesss what, I went HOME!

There was no way....I was going to endure those little ignorant jerks one more minute...

There were elderly people in there trying to be comfortable, children, they didn't give a care.

I was so HOT! I think my temp went up 3 more degree's...

I came home made some tea, ate a little something, took two advil pm's and called it a night!

I was gone....

I just woke up at noon....

and I feel better than I felt yesterday......

I am not leaving my bedroom today....

Another lazy day...

I am happy to report that the kids have been taking good care of the house....

The kitchen and bathroom were SPOTLESS when I got home, I wanted to check their heads to see if they had a fever ....

And Jaree, my baby, made my bed for me....

And Jariel rubbed my back until I fell asleep...

Bee missed school, and I was too tired to take him, so he just got up, cooked breakfast for Bonnie and Clyde, got them ready for school, and layed back down...
He kept them quiet and out of the way...

Baptiste had to work, so my mom is dying to get over here...

I told her to take care of my daddy, because he is sick too.

They found that he has an aortic aneurysm of the stomach as well as spots on his lung for lack of treatment of pneumonia. My dad is almost 74, my mom needs to take care of him.

I will be fine! I guess I will never stop being her BABY! lol

I have been reading, somewhat!!!!! Gathering inspiration for my next project!!!

Love you all



Signing out
2 fingers

**Cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle, cough****

You guessed it! I am sick! And boy do I feel bad. I have a TERRIBLE COLD. Thanks to Miss Jaree, who was sick and decided to sleep in my bed. You know when our babies are sick, they want to sleep with mommy and daddy. I allowed it! And now I am paying for it. I need to sue, the vitamin c tablet corporation and lysol..... I STILL GOT SICK!!!

My throat is dry and itchy, on it's way to be soar....
My nose is running ( and I am not complaining, because atleast it cleared my sinuses, I am usually congested)
I am sneezing so much I think I am going to have to put on some DEPENDS....kwim? LOL
And I have the chills and aching muscles....

Dh has been taking care of me, but I think I need my MOMMY now....LOL

Well I am off to drink some tea and try to get comfortable...

Needless to say, this will be a LAZY day for Dana
I am not coming out of my pj's .....

Until I feel better.....

You already know....

what time it is.....

Ok, Let me say this song was for young and old.....

My grandmother would get up and do the dog....LOL

But, my brother Marcus Pledged Omega Psi Phi aka Q-Dog and this was his crew's national anthem....

He would walk around with his purple tshirt and spray painted Gold boots.....their colors

and STEP his butt off....

Does anybody remember step shows?????

Well, I learned how to step with my brother and even got to dance at one of his step shows at CArbondale, IL where he attended Southern Illinois University....

they loved it!!!! I had on a little purple and gold skirt, with a purple halter, and gold shoes...

That was one of the most fun and happy days of my life .....I was in
8th grade. I thought I was the shiznit.....LOL

I was around all of those college kids....cough cough college men....LOL

Didn't know what to with myself...

My brother and I still remember the routine, and everytime we hear this song, best believe, we jumping up and doing it...


So sit back and relax,


and DO THE DOG CATCHER,DOG CATCHER, DO THE DOG CATHER.....

Until next time

Without further ado....

Okay, let me say these pictures really suck.....YOu cannot see the richness of the colors....

I really went all out with this album, expensive ribbons, charms.....I am so proud of myself

I love thickers, this is my advice for my baby

This is the intro, don't know why it looks crooked, but anyways, I did not add the note yet, because I am wondering if it should be handwritten or typed

this is the back cover

This is one of my favorite pages...

Okay, that is a seperate booklet with Jaree's story on it, and it folds out into the story of her life!
Do you see the pins holding it together and the ribbons....


This so has a meaning and I hope you can see it. Words can't bring you down...
The words has holes in it, I wrote a bunch of mean words and covered them some with white acrylic paint....and I chose a bolder font for for CANT....

lOVE THESE PHOTOS OF MISS RAY RAY

I will type out the journaling later and tell you what it says....But these photos crack me up

For some reason I forgot to scan the opposite side of this page. It says be silly...and doesn't she look silly with all those missing teeth. Her teeth grew in totally wacky.....LOL

She looks so sweet on here. The Be kind page, flips up to reveal more pictures and journaling, but you guess it I didn't quite finish it yet....LOL


Again I did not take a picture of the opposite page, but it says don't be afraid, it's also a seperate booklet that unfolds.... see below


I love this last page....I plan to include more....

I am not done with this album, but wanted to share with you what I have done so far...

I hope you enjoyed it...

The pics really don't do it any JUSTICE....

Dana

Disclaimer: Blog Overload

Okay, so I have been talking about organizing my scraproom.....Well this is what I have done so far. Those oriental boxes hold kits from Jenni Bowlin, Scrapologie, and Poppy Ink. The smaller boxes hold all kinds of embellishments

So I want to get rid of the plastic carts....It's ruining the look I want to achieve, but not sure just yet what I want to get? Any suggestions???

So I bit the bullet awhile ago and purchased the clip it up. Adrienne and Bonnie are such enablers.....LOL

Recently bought this organizer by MM, should I leave it white or spray it red? What do you think?

My expedit sure filled up fast.....I want things to look nice and neat. I hate CLUTTER!!! I probably could have filled up 2 of these easy......LOL

I got this little bookshelf from dh's job. But I am going to switch it out for something, you guessed it red.....lol

Okay, my shelves are kind of empty, but NOT FOR LONG.....I am going to buy two ladder bookshelves to lean next to both sides of these shelves.....

I am thinking of hiring a carpenter to build my Pottery barn inspired desk.....
Because I want it to be a little longer. The desk is too short, I am going to see if my brother in law can make it. He's pretty handy.....

I am getting excited!!!!!!! I will keep you updated......

Stay tuned, the next blog will be my grand reveal of Jaree's "you are beautiful album, and I will be posting it for sure TODAY!

Until next time....

Long overdue....

Bare with me...

I have a lot to share with you guys...

First of all, I am so Happy to report that BAPTISTE AND I have decided to work things out and get marriage counseling.

I couldn't be more HAPPY!!!!

i LOVE THAT MAN SOOOOO MUCH, it's just that we lost our focus on WHAT was IMPORTANT and WHAT REALLY MATTERS...

We have been going on dates like we first met or something....

I have been soooo busy!
Let's see dinner, concert, museum, lunch, breakfast, walks, breakfast in bed,

I am loving this!

Don't get me wrong, my husband and I always go out! There is nothing NEW about that, but it FEELS BRAND NEW... kwim??? Maybe not! But, I know what I mean....LOL

I was tired of all the BICKERING AND FIGHTING, and now all of that is DONE!!!!

We vowed to NEVER let our RELATIONSHIP take a turn like that AGAIN...

For the record, I vow to never allow it to get like that AGAIN...

i VOW TO BE MORE...

Patient,
Understanding
Loving
Forgiving
to listen more
to give more

To do WHATEVER it takes to make it work...

And he has gone beyond what I could ever IMAGINE....

We are doing BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS.....

Adrienne, did you hear that girl!!!!! LOL

What have I been doing besides COURTING MY HUSBAND....lol

let's see....
I have been CREATING, CREATING, CREATING....

I took some pictures from the mac of "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL ALBUM, they did not come out like I wanted, maybe Adrienne you can help me flip the pics.... The words are backwards....

I want to show it, but I want you to get the full Picture.

I must toot my own horn and say I TOTALLY OUTDID MYSELF with this...

This is PUBLICATION WORTHY ....

I have never submitted anthing in my life, but THIS IS AWESOME....

I went allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll out!

I wished I had a better camera! I didn't know I had it in ME.....lol

I am going to email my buddy Adrienne and see if she can help me out with this...did you hear that Adrienne....LOL


Also, I have been painting. This is second nature for me, because I used to paint all the time. My dad is an artist and I took my creative side from him. I do mostly abstract art, but am going to dibble and dabble into some freehand drawing....


What else have I been doing....

Baking, Baking, Baking. .. Melissa and I have a lot in common in our love for baking. I bake mostly cookies and brownies, but plan to venture out into other things. I will tell you I make some mean cheesecake and sour cream pound cake. I am a regular Betty Crocker...LOL


What else Have i been doing?

Writing....I love to write more than ANYTHING...even SCRAPBOOKING, can you believe that? I am very fond of the pen and pad. I love to write .... short stories, poetry, journal.....
It's my outlet.....


What else have I been doing?
Reading, mostly magazines,but I plan to finish a book I started months ago. This is so unlike me, I can read a book in day, but I know why? My mind wasn't right? Kwim?


What else have I been doing?

ORGANIZING....
and guess what?

I have waaaaay too much stuff!
I feel the need to SIMPLIFY MY LIFE....

I have soooo many purses with tags still on them, clothes, shoes......and why? I will never be able to fit a size 7/8. And if so, the crap will be so outdated!!! Why o why am I holding on to this stuff.

I AM A BINGE SHOPPER, there I admit it.

I am in No way as bad as my mother, but I AM BAD.....

Same with scrapbooking supplies....

I probably have more stuff than Archiver's, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby combined and I was sorting through and realized I need more ORGANIZATIONAL STUFF, and less toys.....LOL

So I bought the following:
Clip it up
Storage Baskets
and my new favorite the desk organizer circular thingy by Making Memories. Got it with my handy dandy 50% off coupon for Michaels....
I want to paint it red though....what do you think?

Am i running with the red theme too much!

My scrapbook room is red,black, and white...with small hints of lime greens, yellows, and orange.

Dh thinks I have a problem.....LOL He's right?

But, atleast I admit it...

I am going to take some pics of what I have accomplished......

Keep in mind I am using a crappy camera, the mac, and a camera phone as I still DO NOT HAVE MY CAMERA, booohooo. Everytime, I go to get it. Some catastrophe happens that takes my money....

Like 500 dollars worth of work on my car......I started to let the damn car sit and buy the camera, but how would I get to go shop for more stuff....I need my car! My trunk is my secret hiding place for all of my new purchases! Can anyone relate? Maybe not!

I have missed you guys soooooo much!!!!!!!

I think about you guys everyday...

A lot of you have become my family and I value you so much....

Thanks again, for all the well wishes, the prayers, the words of encouragement.....

Guess what?


IT WORKED!!!!!


lOVE YOU....

MORE LATER

I went to see them in concert

Have I ever told you that I LOVE SILK!!!! And when they sang this song I almost fainted! Do you hear me. They did the damn thing!!!!!

It was a Lady's Valentine's night special, dh took me. I had to catch myself. I almost threw my undies on the stage...well not exactly, but you know what I mean!!!!

Lil G wasn't there though! I was sooo angry. But they did good without him.

It was Atlantic Starr, Angelo Winbush, Silk, and Keith Sweat!!!!

And baby.....Keith Sweat is still begging and still looking good!

but I have to say, Silk stole the show!!!!!

I needed about 10 cups of water to cool down!

Those are some sexy brothers and they can move!
Man can they move....


One of the members touched my hand, and I felt like a damned teenager. I wouldn't allow them to pull me on stage. I wasn't trying to get my neck POPPED OFF!!! LOL

Angela Winbush still has it. I didn't know she had stage 3 ovarian cancer, but SURVIVED. Man not only did she put on a good show.. She gave us her TESTIMONY and took us to Church!!!!

Atlantic Starr-Killed it with Play another slow jam and No Parking on the dance floor, they have been together over 30 years and they still can move. Especially the girl....

you should have heard me and my husband saying "beep-beep, beep-beep, beep/beep-beep, beep-beep" I don't have a voice!!!!

Now Keith Sweat did his thing of course! One of the highlights is when he went into the audience to search for a girl and he chose this BIG girl, I mean she had to be atleast 300lbs. I am not talking bad, because I am no slim jim, but damn. He sang "I will never do anything to hurt you", and he lifted her up and carried her across the stage...

ENOUGH SAID!

I WAS LIKE DAMN!!!!!!!!

When he sang "How deep is your love, I had to jump out of my seat" The room suddenly became 250 degrees hotter.

I think I conceived off of a Keith Sweat Song....LOL

He sang "There's a right and wrong way and Make it Last forever and I was about ready to faint.

We partied too, when he sang "Don't stop the Love"

But again, even though KEITH SWEAT was the Headliner, SILK stole the show and ran with it!

I am still fanning....

hehe

Throw it back baby.....

Ok, the year was 1990.....

This new boy came to our school....

He was all the talk....

He was soooooooooooooo fine.....

I wanted to date him so bad, but I was not the type of girl that would EVER APPROACH a boy.....

I went to a party.......

He was there.......


This song came on........

We danced........


And now 18 years later, we are still in love and have 3 children.....


This was the first song my dh danced off of....

This was OUR FIRST dance at our wedding....


I love Guy!!!!!

(baby, baby).....LOL


Enjoy!!!

Sit back relax....

and CHILLLLLL!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Love Day!!!!!!

Promise to be giving a great big ole post soon...

stay tuned..

Dana

You already know what today is....

OLD SCHOOL FRIDAY BABY!!!


oK,

I was in my first year of college when this came out....

and I was dating my husband....

We had 1 child....

Bee.....

and I was getting tons of attention by all of these new men......

But I was in LOVE .......


so I had to keep passing them by......



LOL

I loved this song....

It's still a club banger...

I will get up out my seat and dance...


I will stop my car, pull over and jam to this....


LOve it..

Hope you enjoy....

Until next time

Feeling refreshed and renewed...

This is me today!  Feeling refreshed and renewed. 

The sun is shining down on me and I know everything is going to be ok.

I took awhile to just collect my thoughts and CREATE..

And boy have I been creating....

I will share some of that with you later today.

Baptiste and I are talking...

Taking things VERY SLOW....

Things have it's way of working itself out....

I LOVE my husband GOD KNOWS I do....

but, sometimes things get in the way ....

I took the time to work on Dana first.....

Now we are working on us....

We have been talking and just putting our cards on the table....

It's definitely fixable...

and I definitely miss this man....

He has been looking so damned good lately too!!!  

Makes it hard to stand firm, but I have....LOL

Well, stay tuned I will be posting news about the rak challenge and giving you a sneak peak of my "You are beautiful album I made for Ms. Jaree. 

Remember, if you are participating THE LAST DAY IS FEBRUARY 11TH, at 11:59 PM cst, will announce the winners on the 12th.....

Good luck

Dana

Still here....

Just collecting my thoughts...

Doing me...

Enjoying life...

Finding out what makes Dana tick...

Trying to hang in there....

Things have not been easy....

But, I am still here..

Dana

Let me clear the air

I am fine!

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

....I am going through alot right now...

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

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...

Letting go.....

.....so I was doing the usual....

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

Challenge extended.....

Awhile back I decided to do my very first blog Challenge. See this post.

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....

lay your head on my pillow.....

........and just RELAX, RELAX, RELAX....

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...

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!!!!

Lazy day....

Do you know what I did today: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!

Well, I take that back!  I did take Jaree to see the neurologist to get the results of her EEG.  

and.....

IT WAS NORMAL!!!  Thank God!!!  However, SHE DOES HAVE SLEEP APNEA!!!  

It was found that she stopped breathing or limited breathing every four minutes while sleeping.   Her oxygen saturation at one point dropped to the upper 70's which is NOT GOOD!!!

She has an appointment to see the ENT doctors on TOMMORROW!!!!!

We will find out if she needs to have her tonsils and adenoids out.  

Please pray for me, as I am not to keen on her having SURGERY.  I pray that there is some kind of other treatment.  I know they want to put her on a machine to keep her air ways  open, but I have heard that is MISERABLE....

I am at a loss...

This is the 4th opinion....  It has be unanimous that she has SLEEP APNEA.

Please keep Jaree in your Prayers, and pray for me to make the CORRECT decision.

As for the rest of my day....

I did the following:

Cried for a little while.... (well when your baby is sick...you know...)

made some good green tea

took a long afternoon nap

ichated with ADRIENNE, my sister from another Mother....LOL

chatted with my GOOD friend BonnieRose, we have SOOOO MUCH IN COMMON!

helped the kids with their homework...

watched tv.....

and the rest is history...

I ordered some quizno sandwiches for the night and WE WERE ALL GOOD!!!

Sometimes, it feels great to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING....

KWIM?

Well, I am about to take a VERY LONG, HOT, SHOWER....and call it an early night....

Adrienne,   CHAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLENGE!!!! LOL

You know what tomorrow is .......OLD SCHOOL FRIDAY...

Until next time!!

Somebody's in trouble!!!!!!

and that would be actually two bodies.....

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....

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!"

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......

It's about 6am.....

I am up getting my oldest son together for school...

He is the only one who has school for the rest of this week...

Jariel and Jaree are off until Tuesday.....  Damn!!!!!

Those two are going to drive me nuts...

When Bonnie and Clyde get together it's like Hurricane Katrina...LoL  Those two get into a lot of trouble together....

I am super pumped this week.  I have actually scrapped for 3 days straight can you believe it...

This is a start of a NEW BEGINNING YALL....

So what have I been doing since I last blogged?  Let's see!!

Cleaning!!! Scrapping and Cleaning!!!!!

I have cleaned the following:

Kitchen cabinets

Pantry

Refrigerator: dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Cleaned my drawers:  Not the ones on my butt, but you know what I mean, DRESSER DRAWERS!  LOL

Cleaned my closet

Organinzed my scrap room (Still can't believe I have a scraproom.  It's only been a year Dana...helloooooooo!)

Washed all walls and baseboards

Cleaned all blinds

Dusted entire house

Still to go:

More organization in my room.  Have to purge so much stuff!!!!  After watching Oprah two days ago, I must go to the CONTAINER STORE!!!!!  

I feel the need to get organized!!!!!

In scrapping news:

I have started on Jaree's "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL" Album, I will reveal it in about a week.  I will probably you give you a peek of just the album....but won't reveal it's content until a week!  So stay tuned!!!!!!!

What's on the agenda for today, hmmmm Let's see!

Have to go the grocery store

Have to go to Pets Mart 

Have to go to Wal-mart

 

finish organizing my room!!!!  

And that's it!!!!  

After that, I am turning on the tea pot.  Making some chai-tea!!!!!  Turning on my aroma therapy, taking a hot bath, then climbing in my bed, journal a bit, read a bit, and nap a bit!!!

It's time for some Dana time...

My mom is picking the kids up tommorrow and I couldn't be more Happy...

I love my children, don't get me wrong, but it's good to just let it hang all out without the kids ya know....

Well...

I gotta go...

Be easy!!!!!LOL (My son Jariel says this all the time)

Keeping it real for a moment...

One of my fav pastimes is going over to the NSBR at 2peas and watching all the drama unfold. I swear I sometimes laugh my ass off at some of these people who get so heated and even hurt when people who they don't know from ADAM say things that are negative. Why do their opinions count ? I had to even remind myself of this very thing when I got caught into some drama over there. It is very easy to do over there I swear.

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!!

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...

I'm back!!!! Back from a very non-productive, but fun weekend....LOL

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....

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......

Irony

This is rare...

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...