Rantings of a Creole Princess

Bookin' It!

Me Before You: A Novel

Whatchu reading?

 

Flash Mob Mandela Tribute

 

This gave me chills.

Shiny Boss. Bow down...

What's YOUR rapper name?

CALLENGE! (Not to be confused for challenge...)

It has been a challenge for me lately to find dresses which are long enough.  Seems like dresses are shorter than ever these days.  Ugh.  Super ugh for a tall chick.

Are you having difficulties?

HotNESS or HotMESS? (SM)

Embellished Metallic Lace Sheath Dress

Alex and Ani Collegiate Bracelets: HotNESS or HotMESS? (SM)

Collegiate Bangles

HotNESS or HotMESS? (SM): Large Fancy Earrings

I have large, fancy earrings.  Faux stuff, of course.  I never, ever wear them.  Maybe once or twice.  I don't know why...I just don't.  Weird huh?  Do YOU rock large, fancy earrings when you get jazzy with it?

Buy Black Santa!

I might have to get this dude:

18" Santa Claus Christmas Figure with Leopard Trim Suit & Tree

 

Here are some other things which look cool!  

Black Santa Sweater

Santa with List

 

Santa Sitting Figurine

 

Santa Kneeling with Girl Figurine

HotNESS or HotMESS? (SM)

One Shoulder Lace Sheath Dress

Gifts for the Person Hard to Shop For!

Looking for a gift for a difficult person to buy for?  Check to see if they have an Amazon Wish List!  

AWESOME.SAUCE!  

Find a Wish List or Registry 

Do YOU have an Amazon Wish List?

War on Black Santa and Black Jesus

Pharrell Williams is "Happy!"

Soldier Proud

A couple of weeks ago I went to my favorite Colombian (Thanks SraRod!) restaurant and got some lunch to go.  You know how you be in the mood for something but don't know what it is?  Yeah...that was me.  I was just roaming around all casual and whatnot and decided that yeah...I want some arroz con pollo.

When I walked in I noticed a soldier sitting by himself waiting for his food.  I was getting mine to go and when I was paying, I asked had the soldier paid for his meal yet and they told me no.  I told them to put it on my check.

They did, I signed and rolled out.

No biggie.

When I opened my bag, my receipt fell out.  I bent to pick it up *BLINKED*  when I looked at it.  Dude had ordered $40 worth of lunch.  I FELL.OUT laughing.  It was seriously the absolute funniest thing in the WORLD to me.  My lunch was $14.  Dude's was $40.  DEAD.

I enjoyed my food laughing my azz off the entire time cuz seriously...that was funny.

When I told Robby about it he was eating an apple.  He choked he started laughing so fast.

I hope he enjoyed the hell outta that $40 lunch where it normally costs $14.  LOL!

Do you ever buy a soldier a meal or a cup of coffee when you see one?

December 12, 2013

I am SO not ready.  Are you?

Having Thanksgiving the last week of November threw me off, big.time.  Usually I decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Well...I didn't get to do that this year so I was a full week behind decorating.  I still haven't decorated outside, other than putting the wreath on the door, and I only have 12 days before Christmas.

I started getting stocking stuffers and I've picked up a few gifts but I don't have my menu planned yet and I only JUST ordered my cards day before yesterday.  

I just feel like I'm so unprepared this year.

What about you?  Are you there yet?  Is the timing off for you too?

Question...

Do you do Christmas stockings and stuffers?

Scenario...

You're out shopping with your mother-in-law and you're not feeling good.

She takes one look at you, asks a few questions and tells you that you are pregnant.

You freak out, stop to get a test and IMMEDIATELY take it!

You're pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're sooooooooooooo happy! You start planning how you're going to surprise your husband with the news and your phone rings.

Your MIL has already texted him with the news.

You good?

Joy.

I've been wanting to take a picture outside together for our Christmas cards this year.

PAUSE...

Ms. Smart's card came the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year.  I've been *HARD.STARE* in her general direction since I opened it.  WHO DOES THAT??????  UGH!  HATE.HER!

N E WAY...

No...wait...CaliGirl's card came in and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO perfect and happy, family, awesome that I was ooohing and aaaaahing the entire time I flipped through it.  LOVE!

So I was like...I need to get on this ASAP.

But I didn't and I started getting nervous.  All I wanted was a nice picture to put on front of the card.  

Lord...Robby DROVE ME.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

How to Cancel Cable and Survive!

For the past year, once every couple of weeks or so, I have to listen to The Robinator cuss up a storm about how there is never anything on television and yet we pay a straight GRIP for all the channels of nothing.  

Basically...it takes us about 30 minutes of channel surfing to even find something reasonably decent to watch and it's usually something on the Discovery Channel.  Dude has really started to taking a liking to Survivor Man, Moonshiners and some show about being dropped off naked in the woods.

*BLINK*

I've decided to not look too much into that in the even it means I'm going to have to leave him soon because he's thinking about being one of those crazy out back woods people.

MOVING ON...

Musical Chairs? Or making sure nobody gets it twisted?

We know this probably isn't as it seems...but it's funny.  LOL!

The Edge

I like my edge.  I like knowing that I can jump up out a ditch with the best of them at a moment's notice and feel absolutely fine with my decision to go there.  

Listening to someone talk about their mother being abused in a nursing home puzzled me recently.  They were all calm and ish about it.  Just basically talking about the plan of action, what they are doing, what's been done, etc.  I sat there thinking...well...they are just the loveliest of people.  A real responsible adult who is thinking about how their actions affect lots of lives.

Lovely.

Just...lovely.

I didn't share what I was thinking because I already know I'd pop off so badly behind something like that...it wouldn't even be right.  Like...I can't even imagine being able to calm myself down enough to NOT pop off super crazy.  Abusing my mother?  MY MOMMY?  WHO IS PRETTY MUCH HELPLESS?  IN A NURSING HOME?  

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.  

Carry on...I'm simply not evolved enough to be calm and handle this possibility like a responsible adult probably should cuz I already know...THERE WOULD PROBABLY BE BLOOD.

Is that bad?  Probably.  But I'd feel better with everyone knowing that right off the bat so if it ever crossed their mind to do so...they already know repercussions were in store that ain't got ish to do with the law BEFORE the law has been summoned cuz they are probably going to be summoning the law on me.

Again...I love my edge.  I love that I can jump from nice lady to SIP in point 00000000000000000000000009 miliseconds.  

Do you have an edge?  Or are you one of those lovely, always responsible adults who handle business the text book way?  What would give you the MOST edge?  Messing with your kids?  Your parents?  Spouse?  What?  What brings out your EDGE?

Are you KIND to yourself?

I was talking to some framily the other day, catching up. As always, we were going back and forth catching up on all the important things which have happened in our lives since the last time we had a catch up conversation.  The discussion turned to something about Christmas and their significant other walked into the room.  They put me on speaker phone to ask my opinion about a disagreement they were having about Christmas.  I listened feeling a bit nervous because suddenly...the light mood of the conversation changed.

Instantly.

Would YOU date him?

Well educated.
Working in his dream job which pays meagerly.
Has over $100,000 of student loan debt.
Has no desire to move out of his current job.

NOTICE!

If there is a male human in your home over the age of 12...this is his job. Not yours...HIS.
Let men be men.

What say YOU?

Too far?  Or funny?

Burlap, Berries, Magnolias and Poinsettias!

I'm in the process of decorating for Christmas on a perfectly snowy day!  Instead of Christmas tunes in the background, however...I have a yelling husband and a Ravens' football game to listen to.  LOL!

My inspiration for the topper came from a floral arrangement I saw at Michael's in Asheville, NC.  

I knew a smaller version of that could be crafted for a topper so I did it.  I think it looks kinda neat.  I didn't want to add too much because I didn't want it to overpower the tree.  

I couldn't find a burlap tree skirt that I liked so my mommy-in-law made me the perfect one because she's so awesome and rocks so solidly!  LOL!

I dressed the mirror up by adding a berry spray and a double swag ribbon made out of red wired burlap ribbon.

I found these ornaments years ago for $1 each at the Dollar store.  I tied some fishing twine to them and used Command hooks to hang them.  That's an old spruce garland with ribbon woven through it.  Easy and cheap.

That's Day 1 of decorating so far.  I'm still working on the tablescape for the coffee table in that room.  I think with so much color throughout, I need to use white only to kinda ground it.  I don't want it to be too "busy."

After that...I'll do the family room.  

I LURVE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!  

What colors are YOU using this year?  Are you finished decorating yet?

 

JUST ATE THIS APPLE LIKE A BOSS!

Handmade Gifts Kids Can Make

Some of these are PERFECT gifts!!!  Are your kids crafty? What's the last thing they made?

Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make

Dear Runners:

If someone was looking for a gift for a runner, of that products that are available, which of them do you REALLY use?

Failure Reminder

• Walt Disney was fired from his newspaper job for “lack of imagination.”
• Lucille Ball was told by her acting coach that “she was wasting her time and ours.”
• John F. Kennedy ran for president of his freshman class at Harvard and lost.
• Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school at the University of Southern California.
• The Beatles were turned down by Decca Records.
• Hillary Clinton failed the D.C. bar exam.
• Oprah Winfrey was fired from her news-hosting job for getting too emotionally involved with her stories.
• Bill Clinton lost his re-election of Governor of Arkansas.
• Michael Bloomberg was fired by investment bank Salomon Brothers.
• Steve Jobs was fired from the Macintosh division of Apple.
• J.K. Rowling was turned down for her Harry Potter manuscript 12 times

Would YOU date him?

Is handsome.

Doesn't have any children.

Successful.

Comes from a good family.

Well educated.

Tells you that his father had another woman in the same town and his mother, who was married to his father, didn't concern herself with it and that he's decided that he wants that type of marriage as well because he doesn't think men can be monogamous.

40's Hair #MoreMagazine

I was reading this month's More magazine and there was an article about how to have your best hair at 30, 40 and 50.  I quickly skipped to the 40 page and read up on what I'm supposed to look out for and what I can do.

I couldn't find the current article online but this basically what they said:  

Why hair plays a disappearing act after 40

Great.  I have going bald to look forward to.  The more I read about this aging shit...the more I want to opt out.  Seriously.

This shit is for the birds.  LOL!  I canNOT stop laughing at this shit!  Eyes bad and baldness in my future.  One of my surrogate mothers told me that my face looks ashy.  And I was moisturized.  LOL!  WITH BRONZER!  LOLOLOLOL!  Now...in my defense...she wasn't wearing her glasses and she's way older than me but hell.  What the hell is next?  I'm not taking this ish lying down.  

If you know of some secret stuff to fight all of this inevitable ish coming down the pipeline...Imma need yall to speak up hell.  Don't be keeping the secret of the bees to yourself.  That shit is not sisterly.  If you have a fountain of youth out back...ship me a bottle.  Please and thank you.

Have you started noticing some of these things happening?  What are you doing?  Do you FOCUS on aging well?  Are you eating right?  Working out?  Drinking water?

I just LOVE HER!!!!

Mr. Nelson Mandela has left us.

*BLINK*

Dear Prudence,
Our daughter "Amanda" lives in another state and has been married to "Jacob" for several years. Theirs is an open relationship, and I have always known that. My husband, however has kept his head in the sand regarding this. My daughter has a boyfriend, "Tom,” whom Jacob knows about and has a great friendship with. They are all planning to come to our home this Christmas, but my husband insists that Tom (who has visited us previously) is not welcome. Do I tell our daughter, son-in-law, and daughter's boyfriend to make other holiday plans? My opinion is that they are all consenting adults, there are no children involved, and always behave appropriately in public.

—Stuck in the Middle With Him

FROM:  http://www.slate.com/articles/life/dear_prudence/2013/12/dear_prudence_my_polyamorous_daughter_wants_to_bring_two_dates_to_dinner.html

What would YOU advise?  What would YOU tell your daughter?

From My Inbox:

Good morning!

I have never read the I hate my husband post. It was interesting. I have a personal question/comment/request for you.

You've spoken on your parents' relationship before, but do you know if your mother ever hated your father? You seem to be the child that every woman in this situation wants to have. You have a great marriage and home life. You're surrounded by good people and you're living your dreams. Every mother that's sacrificing themselves in a horrible marriage is hoping that they end up with a version of you because of it. How did you get to where you are? Are all of your siblings the same way? Maybe you can post about it in response to the I hate my husband post.

In my experience my mother divorced my father before i was born. I never grew up with him. My older sister has memories of living with him, and is more bonded to him. Growing up we didn't spend much time with him because we lived on separate coasts. When we did spend time together I kept my distance. I didn't know or trust him as he was a stranger to me. He never took the time or perhaps he didn't have the knowledge of how to bond with me either. I later found out that he didn't miss a single child support payment in twenty four years. No matter what he was going through he made sure that was taken care of, so maybe that was his way of being there.

In college he taught me how to tie a double windsor knot. That lesson was like gold to me, I put a tie on my dog. I have the picture somewhere. I later realized how much I'd missed out on by not having him around. I knew that he wasn't the best father or husband and wished he'd been better in those areas, but he still had something to offer and I'd missed out. That's something that I never wanted for my own kids.

I still have to deal with the demons of my parents' past. Not having my father around magnified my mother's issues as well as magnifying his absence. I can't say it would have been better with them being married, but I think I may have benefited had he been around. I can relate to the women's fear of their husbands disappearing on the kids because that's what I've seen happen and what I've experienced. It's the question of is something better than nothing? At what point is the something more damaging than the nothing?

Well I am speaking from my own experience as a child of divorce. You're someone with a more public voice who is emblematic of what mothers hope their sacrifices will produce. Maybe that's something you can speak about.

Have a wonderful day!

Munki Munki Pajamas at Marshall's!!!!!

I'm kinda weird about pajamas.  I love, love, LOVE them!  But I ONLY buy my favorite kind, Munki Munki, at Nordstrom when I have a gift card.  I just feel weird paying $70 for pajamas on my own.  LOL!

But if I have a Nordstrom gift card?  Baaaaaaaaby...I'm getting a new pair of Munki Munki pjs!

I was in Marshall's recently being all casually random and saw a Munki Munki tag.  I stopped in my tracks and darted over in a frantic fashion flipping through the racks.  A woman noticed me moving so fast and came over.

Her:  What did you find?

Me:  (looking up squinting) Um...give me a minute.

Her:  I saw how quick you got over here so I knew it was something good.

Once I'd made my choices...I told her the pajamas were usually like $70 at Nordstrom and they were super soft and awesome.  She picked up a pair and felt them up.  Then...she agreed that they felt good.

I left her there happy and excited with my find.  GO ME!  Munki Munki pajamas for $24.99.  

Lemme hit my tap dance slide again right quick.  HAPPY DANCE!  

Of course I get the ones with the sock monkeys on them.  Hey...what can I say...I like actual monkeys on pajamas.  LOL!  I know it's weird but hey...you know I'm weird.

The Coalition on Showtime you say?

Do you know anyone with a movie playing on Showtime?  

Why yes...yes you do.  :)  The Coalition

Team Sizzle

Extended Family Gift Giving

How do you handle gift giving with your extended family?  Do you have gift giving rules you set for yourself so you stay in budget?

13 year old White girl with 2 Black men...

Houston cops cuff 13-year-old white girl, 2 black men visiting city for dance video shoot

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/houston-cops-cuff-white-teen-black-men-visiting-video-shoot-article-1.1535803#ixzz2mVqVptkf

What do you guys think of this story?  I'm discussing it now and I'm confused.  I mean...number one...I want to know why the girl's mom or dad didn't go with them?  I mean...she's 13.  My parents wouldn't have let me travel anywhere with other folks like that without them like that.  But I guess it's different for all folks.

Do you think it was racial profiling or suspicious looking circumstances taken too far by the police?  

Christmas Decorating Tip

Don't buy anything new until you unpack your old stuff.

Tell the truth and shame the devil...how many of you didn't do this?  LOL!  I know I didn't.  HOWEVER...I haven't taken it out of the bags yet so I can always return it if I find I truly don't need it.

Spanish Speaking

Can you speak any Spanish?

Caroline Berg VS. Maria Kang: Abs by Baby

Remember this?  You Mad at Maria Kang?

We established that we weren't mad at Maria Kang.

Yesterday Caroline Berg Eriksen posted the picture of herself 4 days after the birth of her baby.  Folks were going IN on her.  I read in the Yahoo! article that one of Caroline's critics said, "This is not a selfie. This is an act of war."  

*BLINK*

Okay.  War.

I've felt sorry for the backlash Maria Kang received but I felt some kinda way when I read that on her FB wall last night.  It's like...she's doing the same thing to this woman that she claims everyone else it doing to her.  Why in the world would she think that's okay to do?  Like...she seems to feel like this woman needs to be taken down a notch for posting that picture and isn't that the same thing she's been saying women have been doing to her?????????

What do YOU think?   

Prince is going to be at Essence...

...so will I.
That is all.

You Should Own This Too!

Last year I bought a Foot Switch for my Christmas tree lights and if you didn't yet...you should because it's seriously the best thing EVER!!!!!!!!!

Best New Christmas Thing I've Purchased!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE Alstroemeria!

I bought a bunch of Alstroemeria Sunday before last to put in a vase.  I didn't want to spend a lot on flowers because I knew we'd be leaving even though I wanted flowers that day.  I paid $3.99 for a bunch at Trader Joe's.

When we got home last night I was blown away at how they'd opened up and how such a cheapo pack of flowers looked so beautiful.

I changed the water today and here is how they look tonight...8 days later:

How is that even possible?  I think this is going to be a standing flower for our home.  Cheap, lovely and super long lasting.  GO ALSTOEMERIA!   

Question...

Do you know what your kids are getting for Christmas yet?

Loot from the Farm!

Our road trip to the Smokey Mountains was a success!  Robby and his father got to golf and his mommy and I did a bit of crafting and a wee wee tiny bit of shopping.  Most of all, however, was relaxing and spending good quality time with people  you love.  That is IMPORTANT.  That is necessary for all of us to do in order to reconnect and stay connected with the very heart of who you are.

It's no secret that my mommy-in-law is one of my favorite people on earth.  She is so sweet and funny and awesome.  Just WAIT until you see what she and I have cooked up for Christmas decorating.  It's going to be sweeeeeet!

So...that  up there is our haul back from their farm.  String beans, pears, pickles, preserve, pecans, etc.  We even got an entire bowl of satsumas.  SOOOOOOOO DELICIOUS!  If you've never had fresh canned veggies and fruits, you're missing out BIG.TIME.  My mommy-in-law shelled those pecans for us herself and I plan on freezing them in quart size bags today because baaaaaaaaaby...pecans ain't cheap these days.  She said to let yall know that they will probably be pricey this coming year because pecan trees throughout didn't produce much.  I can't WAIT to make some sweet potato pecan candy!

I'm not going to say that I'm already looking forward to our next road trip.  Because I'm not.  It's hard on the body.  LOL!  I don't want to do more than one per year and if it has to be for Thanksgiving...so be it.  It was nice.  VERY nice.  And The Robinator was in seventh heaven and honestly...if he's happy...that makes it all great.  Jaru REALLY loved the mountain air, if you can believe that!  Our pampered pooch LOVED it outside! 

How was your holiday?  If you road tripped...when did you head back?  How long did it take you?  We got caught up in traffic in Tennessee so our 8.5 hour trip took us 10 hours and all three of us are SO.TIRED!