Rantings of a Creole Princess

Just so yall know...

...it's never going to warm up here.  

My feet are never going to be warm again.

Or at least that's how I feel.

*sigh*

What's the high out by you today?

Girl.Guy.Bye

When you've decided you're not messing with someone anymore, do you think you have to tell them or is it possible for you to just go on about life as if they no longer exist and not saying a word?

Deeply Devoted Friends

Sarah Jessica parker says that the friendship she and the girls had on "Sex and the City" is a thing of the past and that the culture of the past 10 years of reality shows have changed friendships with women.

Instrasti...

What do YOU think?

Affirm Regular Relaxer is my CRACK!

So yeah...the new hair guy wanted me to go natural.  Or texturize.  I chose texturize.  I was extremely unhappy with my hair.  I suffered lots of breakage because of the two textures of my hair and I'm just really not the person with the level of patience necessary to be successful.

So...I went back to my old faithful, Affirm.  I ordered a 4lb tub from Amazon with all the stuff that goes along with it and it arrived last night.  This morning?

I BUSTED THE HELL OUTTA THE THICKNESS.

I used a normal lye relaxer instead of a mild no-lye relaxer so I could deal with the new thickness that is my new growth since I stopped eating gluten.  And now?  I'm happy again.  You have no idea.  I like my hair straight.  I like my hair to move.  I don't like the amount of work it takes to get it straight and to move when it's not for real relaxed.

New guy is awesome for anyone who wants to transition into his version of healthy hair.  Old me just wants her hair to look like she wants it to look.  GO.ME.  My hair is now straight again.  I won't do the rinse again because he was totally right about that.  I'm going to grow it out about 3 more inches and keep it this way forever.  

Or until I change my mind again.  LOL!

Any relaxed hair people still out there?  Anybody who tried the transition thing and decided it wasn't for them?  

Scenario from television...

A 40-some year old single man is hit on BIG.TIME by a 21 year old woman who makes it clear she is digging him.

He is flattered but keeps it moving.

She tries to get is attention again on another occasion and you're with him.

He asks your opinion on whether or not he should ask her out.

What would YOU say?

Most Magical Hot Oil Treatment EVER!!!!!!!!

Inside this jar, is the most magical hot oil hair treatment I've ever used on my hair.  See...it's been so dry this winter and my scalp has decided it's SO.OVER.IT.  So I needed to do something.  Shelly uses olive oil on her hair but that just made a complete mess for me.  I had olive oil everywhere it seemed.  I needed something thicker and castor oil was simply TOO thick.  So...I put half castor oil and half olive oil in an Herb-ox  jar (I HARDLY EVER THROW THESE AWAY!  They come in handy for so many things!) and heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Then I put on my hair with my hands, massaging it in well.  I cover it with a wet, hot towel and then cover the towel with a plastic cap until the towel is cool to touch.  Then...I wash and condition my hair.  

Yall...

FAB-U-LOUS!  No more itchy scalp!

I don't know if it will work with your hair type but I know it works uber well with mine so, if it's not something you already do...give it a try and let me know how it worked out.

If you do hot oil treatments...what do you use?  How long do you keep the oil on for?  How often do you do the treatments?

What's the laundry situation at YOUR home currently?

Those of you who don't live alone...

..are you ever home alone?

Dogeared

If you could get a free one of these...which would you pick?  Dogeared

Would you keep it or would you give it away?

Dating Question...

Have you ever dated someone who is divorced?  Was it a good experience?

Scenario from real life...

You're at a friend's place when you meet someone.

The someone is annoying as hell.

You're polite because your friend does business with them.

You run into the annoying person a few days later and they are even MORE annoying and...slightly offensive.

How do you react knowing you met them through someone they do business with who is a friend of yours?

Does respect for your friend cause you to be as polite as possible or, since you're somewhere else and the friend isn't around, are you comfortable tagging that azz?

Weird...

Does it weird you out when a man you don't know touches you unexpectedly?  I was talking to a man recently and he was trying to explain something and put his hand on my arm.  It was a "Say bruh..." moment.

Isn't that just ODD?

Buying a Home in 2014

I know two people who are buying a house.  Both of them have been working on this process for about 6 months now.  One is a couple and one is a single woman.

The single woman has excellent credit.  She already owns a home which is rental property now.  She has normal money for her down payment and a good job.  She is going through HELL.  I'm confused because she has EXCELLENT credit.  She didn't have any problems buying her first home and doesn't have anything in her creditworthiness which would be a signal that something is wrong.  She is using the same bank she used to buy the first home and baaaaaaaaaaaaaaby...they've been making it hard.  

I don't know much about the couple's creditworthiness other than they are responsible adults with jobs so I would assume they are on point too.  They've been going through it as well.  The hoops they are having to jump through really seem like a lot and I can't really fix my face when they tell me about all the crap the lender is putting them through.

I was sharing that it sounds like the crash has REALLY changed the process up a lot since we bought our house and it makes me worried about future house purchasing.

During this discussion I found out about this type of loan:  

How to Finance a Fixer Upper House With an FHA 203(K) Program

I've never heard of such a loan before but I am now glad I know about it.  This will revitalize so many neighborhoods torn apart by the housing bubble which went bust...bust...bust...bounce...bounce...bounce.

Do YOU know anyone who has purchased a home in the past two or three years?  Did it seem far more difficult for them than it did for you BEFORE the bubble?  Have YOU purchased a home in the aftermath?  What were you the most surprised about?  Any tips for people buying a house in today's world?  Have you ever heard of a 203 (K) loan?

J. Cole featuring Amber Coffman, Cults - "She Knows"

Sexy and Saved!

A while ago there was a controversy surrounding Erica Campbell being a top gospel singer but dressing sexy.  Ms. Campbell showed up for a photoshoot in this white dress stunting on all fools.  The dress was turtleneck, long sleeved and past her knees.  And it fit her like a glove.  She showed she had an amazing body with curves to die for as a mother of three.  When I saw the picture I didn't even THINK it would blow up into super secular crazy but well...it did.

I didn't have much to say because well...hey...she looked good, she sounds good and she wasn't breaking any rules but people were MAD.ABOUT.IT.  Especially men in the church house.

CONDEMNED TO HELL AND BEYOND.

They tried to straight stone this woman to the point she had to address it in a video.

In the video she's basically like...my husband doesn't have a problem with it and I'm just blessed I get to spread the word of God with my voice so can yall worry 'bout yo'self?

I was clicking and clicking this morning and ran across someone discussing this again and it made me squint my eyes.  

Recently I had a conversation with some folks about the pastor of a church whose wife left him because of affairs and an outside newborn baby or something like that.  The people who attend the church don't seem to have nainh ainh problem with his ho-ish since they still go to church with their index fingers in the air if they have to move while he's speaking.  Many seem to have the whole controversy on IGNORE...a man will be a man status.

And it irked the pig ish outta me.  Everybody excusing his behavior talking about they won't judge, it's God's job to pass judgement...not theirs but them same people straight slinging STONES at Erica Campbell.

Guess it's her "type" who was the devil that is trying to bring Pastor down huh?

Do you find there is a major double standard in the church about what a woman and a man can get away with without being judged by the flock? 

When you're in church and have to move...do you put up your index finger?  :)

Scott Walker and Thomas Nardelli's Nightmare

Yall aren't sleeping on this are you?

THE NIGHTMARE, reproduced in full below, was forwarded in 2010 by Thomas Nardelli, who was Walker’s chief-of-staff when he served as Milwaukee County Executive, to an undisclosed number of recipients, including Walker’s deputy chief-of-staff, Kelly Rindfleisch.

Some People Need Another Way to Hear #ChooseHappy

You ever get tired of saying the same ish to the same people knowing good and well they aren't going to take anything you say to heart and yet ONLY want to wallow in all the ish they're comfortable wallowing in?

Jacked up childhood.  CHECK!

Screwed up opportunities.  CHECK!

Messed up in school back in the day.  CHECK!

The one you thought you wanted got away.  CHECK!

You got sick.  CHECK!

Insurance was messed up.  CHECK!

Wrecked your paid for car.  CHECK!

CHECK!  CHECK!  CHECK!  CHECK!

Guess what?  Bad shit could happen to any of us at any time.  You're going to let the bad shit make it so you never have any happy shit?  You're going to wallow in that shit until people can smell it on you from a block away?  Just walking around all Eeyore and whatnot sucking all the happy out of every place you wander into?  You're going to continue being the person NOBODY wants to be around because they aren't trying to let you infect their mood with your wave of nauseating crap cloud?

Yeah...no.  That's on you.  When you want to change...you won't even have to tell anyone.  It will show.  People will take a double take when they see you.  You'll start smelling better.

Less.

Like.

Shit.

#ChooseHappy or stay the hell away from those of us who are trying.  You ain't the only person with shit believe it or not.

 

10 Years Ago Today

 

...The Robinator and I decided to get married.  He didn't ask me, mind you, he simply said something along the lines of, "I guess I need to go get you a ring tomorrow."  And the next day he got me a ring.  LOL!  It was just that simple once the decision had been made that we were going to stick it out and take care of each other forever.

We lived together for a little over a year before we made the decision and I wish I could tell you that we knew from the beginning that we were meant to be but the honest truth is...we didn't.  Living together was hard initially.  We were both used to doing things our way and we both needed to learn a lot about our every move and decision being done by taking in consideration the thoughts of someone else.

We didn't know until we knew.  We knew we COULD be right for each other but yeah...we didn't know until we knew and then...we knew.  It just...clicked.  We started leaning into each other's lives and relaxed into the embrace.

Neither of us knew our engagement date when I asked you guys a couple of weeks ago.  We were watching television and a couple was celebrating the day they got engaged.  I asked him and he didn't know.  We just knew it was around Mardi Gras because it was before the first Mardi Gras marathon that he ran.  How did we track it down?  Well...like I said..he got me a ring the next day so we looked into the files and found the appraisal, receipt, etc. and the date was there.  Go us.  We're all romantic and whatnot.

I know it sounds all cliche'ish to say I love him more every day but it's the truth.  Every day he shows me why he is deserving of nothing but the best of everything I have to offer.  Every.single.day he does the right thing.  He's a good man.  He loves me.  He loves us.  He loves our family.  He calls his mother every.single.Sunday no matter what and he TALKS to her.  Not just hey, what's up...you aiight...he TALKS to her.  And he talks to his father.  Dude is grounded in what's right and real.

And he makes it look so simple.

Ten years ago my love and I decided it's going to be Monnie & Robby forever.  

Ten years ago...we got something really, really right.

And yeah...it just keeps getting better.

Thanks for deciding to buy me a ring honey...I'm still waiting on my actual proposal.  LOL!

I love you.

Question...

Have you ever dated someone you knew used to date someone you know?

Grocery Stores

I hate shopping for groceries.  I really, really, really hate it.  It's an absolute chore for me that I could seriously do without.  I have to buy the same stuff that I've already checked out or I'm azzed out because I probably didn't bring my reading glasses with me and I can't read the damn ingredients on the packaging.  And...I have to read all the ingredients cuz they slip so much crazy ish in stuff that doesn't seem like it should even be in there.

Crazy.  Crazy.  Crazy.

I feel like I have to do some serious homework before I try anything new.  I run across stuff all the time that I've never heard of and I think I'm pretty well educated on foodstuffs.  The other day, for the first time, I ran into Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA).  I whipped out my phone and found all kinds to stuff including this:  11 Food Ingredients Banned Outside the U.S. That We Eat

That made me sooooooooooooooooooooooooo frustrated.  

When I'm shopping now, I find that I'm not the only person reading the packaging on products.  It seems like just about everyone is conscious that there might be some stuff in there that they don't want their family eating.    I even asked a woman with glasses recently to read the third ingredient in a product to me and she took one look at it, told me I didn't want that and then told me two other things it's in too that would surprise me.

Say bruh...

Meat scares me unless I get it from the Amish market.  Even when it's organic.  I wish I could quit it but I know I can't so I just stick to as much organic meat as I possibly can.

I'm rambling.  I'm sorry.  This food stuff is just too dang weird.  Just...UGH!

Do you find yourself reading more ingredients lists too?

FDA

Do YOU trust the FDA?

Fame and Fortune

Knowing what you know today about money, society, etc. would you pass up an opportunity to make a lot of money in a short period of time if it took you away from your family for a year or two?  What about if you have kids?  The money would be quality of life changing...would you do it?

Those of you with older kids...

How old were your kids when they became their most difficult?  What kind of things did they do?  How long did the difficult period last?  How did you survive not causing them severe bodily injury?

Thought Bubble

From Beyond Baby Mamas

This was a really great read.  Beating Shame, Staying Trill.

 

 

Grocery Stores

Within 5 miles of you...how many grocery stores are there?

Question...

Do you stalk your teens on social media?  Do you think you're invading their privacy?  Do you care about invading their privacy?

The Silver Lining: YOU have to do it!

Out of all the things in life I've had to deal with, child abuse, tragedy, cancer and infertility...infertility is the one that came close to breaking me.  Many of you were reading the blog back when we were trying to have a baby and it was one hell of a roller coaster of everything.  

And yeah...I barely survived it.  

Years later and I'll be in line at the grocery store and a kid is having a meltdown because he/she wants whatever crap it is they want that their parent isn't buying them.  

Years later and I'll go to a friend's house who asks me to take off my shoes because the kids eat off the floor and I'll step on a lego and tears will pop up so fast and I'll have to LITERALLY bite my lip to not scream an F-bomb at the pain.  

Years later I'll be on the phone with someone whose child is about to get cut for doing something or NOT doing something they were told to not do or do.  

I'll politely get off the phone while they handle that and go back to whatever it was I was doing.  I'll look around our home and be glad that, while it may currently be dusty...there aren't legos in the vicinity of my fluffy sock enclosed feet.  I'll fix a lovely meal that I know everyone will enjoy and Robby and I will get to eat it in peace along with a glass of wine and some cuddle time on the sofa while we watch television.

Our evenings are quiet.  We laugh a lot.  We read a lot.  We pretty much enjoy each other.

And the quiet.  We enjoy the quiet.

Now...here's where I'm going with this before your inner snark monster starts saying "She knows good and damn well she wishes she had a kid or six."  LOL!  Cuz you're totally right.

HOWEVER...it didn't happen.  It might not happen.  Should I dwell on it?  Should I allow the very real pain of it to hinder me from finding the silver lining?  The joy?  The things I'm grateful for...in the life we HAVE?

I don't think so.

I'm writing this for a friend.  They know who they are.  Life didn't give them what they thought they wanted more than anything and they have been wallowing in the ish for years now.  I didn't know them before they accepted their unhappy state of being but I'm assuming they were once happy...BEFORE the dream didn't come to life.  I'm not saying they are miserable but I am saying that they've allowed the disappointment to color every.single.thing they held dear.  They go to work and just do the minimal.  They withdrew from their family and friends.  They let that thing that didn't happen became the train wreck that DID happen.

They can't find the reason they should have to BE.

They don't know how to #ChooseHappy.

I'm not happy we didn't have babies but I'm happy with our life.  I'm happy I have him and he has me.  I'm happy we have Jaru.  I'm happy we have good people in our life who love us.  I'm happy for so much even though I wish we'd had babies.  Even though sometimes I see a toddler walking that toddler jerky walk and my heart skips a beat at what I don't have.  

Because I do have a lot to be thankful for.

Most of us won't get what we think we want.  That's okay.  We have to learn to live with that...just like the toddler who didn't get the $6 colorful piece of crap toy they fell out about in Target.  

They'll find something else to smile about soon.

P.S.  I love you.  :)

Question...

This is my favorite water bottle.  It was a gift from sincerethoughts a couple of years ago and I take it with me everywhere.  It holds a solid 40 ounces of water and I drink two of these a day.  I have left it somewhere probably about 8 times in two years and every.single.time I realize I left it...I call all panicky and whatnot asking for someone to please help me find my bottle.  And...once they return the call telling me they have it...I drive all the way wherever it is and get my bottle.  I've even left it out of town before and paid to have it FedEx'd back to me.

I LOVE my water bottle.  I know I can get another one.  Yes I have other ones.  But this one?  It's my favorite.  I feel the same way about my headscarf for sleeping.  If I leave it somewhere...MUST.HAVE.IT.BACK.ASAP.  No negotiating.  NONE.  COD if need be.  Just please send me my headscarf and thank you in advance.  

Have you ever left your favorite something somewhere and returned to pick it up even if it was out of the way?  Even if it's something you KNOW you can just replace?

Or is it just me?

"Idris Elba didn't..."

People are FUN-TAY!  LOL!  Check out the tweets!  JOY!  Idris Elba Didn't

HBO's "Girls" - Hannah and that Green Bikini...Just...NO!

I get it.  You want people to get used to seeing your body without clothes on going about everyday life.  You want people to not blink twice if they see you naked.  I GET IT.  You seem to be in some semblance of nake-id-ity every episode.  WE GET IT!

YOU'RE ALL FEMINISTA AND WHAT NOT!  WE HEAR YOU ROAR GIRL!

LOUDLY!

HOWEVER...If you've worn a bikini all day long...swimming, dancing, cutting the fool, riding bikes, going to the grocery store, etc...and you then sleep in it and walk around in it the next day?  You are nasty.

N

A

S

T

Y

Nasty.  

Nasty.

Everybody else has changed three/four times and you're still in the same bikini.

NO!

I would NEVER eat from Hannah.

AND WHEN YOU PULLED THAT GROCERY LIST OUT AND GAVE IT TO MARNIE TALKING ABOUT IT WAS IN YOUR BACK POCKET KNOWING YOU HAD A WEDGIE THE ENTIRE EPISODE AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY DAMN POCKETS????????????? NO NO NO NO NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO!  MARNIE...GIRL...YOU JUST MIGHT BE NASTY TOO IN YOUR JCREW FIT!

I just CAN'T with her.  Just...ew.  

P.S.  I love Shosh.  That is all.

P.S.S.  If Adam isn't going to be on the show can we get a head's up?  Robby only watches for Adam.  LOL!

What did YOU think?

Contact Lenses and Glasses

Those of you who wear contact lenses...do you ever wear glasses?

THE STANKY LEG!!!!!!!!!

Sonia Kashuk Yellow Alluriana Shower Gel

I was in Target recently and stopped at the new Sonia Kashuk body products.  I loved the smell of the Yellow Alluriana Shower Gel so I put it in my basket.  I thought it was $5.99 and it smelled REALLY good and I LOVE grapefruit and verbena.  The container size wasn't that big so $5.99 was okay I guess.

When I checked out...I looked at my receipt and it was $8.99.  I questioned the cashier and I was told that I had to go to customer service.  UGH!  

But for $3...I headed that way.  

When the customer service agent scanned it...it was $8.99.  She then asked me how much I thought it cost and I said $5.99.  She said she'd adjust the price.

Me:  Huh?

Her:  If it's within $10...we can adjust the price to what you thought you were paying.

Me:  But that's not how much it costs.

Her:  It's okay.  

And she returned $3.00 to me.

*BLINK*

Because I THOUGHT it cost $3 less.

*BLINK*

I walked out of there still confucious and every.single.time I use the body wash it makes me happy.  Happy because it really does smell wonderful and kinda sneaky grin-ey happy because I got away with $3.

STILL BLINKING.

Have you ever received a price adjustment to what you THOUGHT something cost at Target?  Isn't it odd?

The ULTIMATE Anti-Heroes: Claire and Francis Underwood

“I love that woman. I love her more than sharks love blood.” – Frank Underwood of Claire Underwood

Brain on Books.

Black Teenage Boys on Television

I have a question for you.  Pretty simple question really.  I want to ask you this and then...I want you to think about it thoughtfully.

When was the last time you saw a Black teenage boy on television?  What was he doing?  What kind of program was it on television?  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Did the weather wreck your plans for tonight or this weekend?

I was in such a funky mood yesterday that The Robinator gave me my gifts and card early.  LOL!  This was AFTER he'd told me that the weather had messed up his plans.  It's like he doesn't know me at all.  Dude would have been cut.  LOL!

What are YOU doing?

By the way...I love you.  Yes...warm and fuzzy kinda love all huggy and ish!

Scenario...

Your son tries to ask a girl to a dance three times.

Each time she cuts him off before he can ask.

He tells you this.

How do you advise him?

Tell the truth and shame the devil!

Have you ever had eggs cooked in bacon grease?

15 inches of snow. Still snowing.

That coat tho...

- MMingo

Best side?

What is YOUR best side for pictures?  Left or right?

Valentine's Day Scenario

It's Valentine's Day and you're in a new relationship which is going along amazingly.

You're extremely happy.

Your best girlfriend is single and you decide to send her some flowers to her office for Valentine's Day.

You share this with your guy before you do it and he tells you to make sure she won't be offended first.

You question him and he says that well...it might come across as your feeling sorry for her or something because she doesn't have a boyfriend.

You never thought of that before.

What do you do?

"Eat the cake, Anna Mae!"

Everyone who hears, "Eat the cake, Anna Mae," knows where it came from.  Many of us have said it in jest in the years since we first saw the movie, "What's Love Got to do With It."  

What do you think?  Is is disrespectful and promotes violence against women?  Or...is it simply one of those catchy one liners that stuck with all of us after watching the movie?

Is it a big deal?

Scenario...

The man you know was the love of your life broke your heart by cheating on you.

Yall didn't have any problems before you found out about the infidelity.

You left him and never looked back, moving to another state.

Years later you run into him when you're visiting your parents and yall end up talking.

He says the biggest mistake he's ever made was hurting you and making you hate hm.  

He tells you that he's never gotten over you and probably wno't ever.

He'd love it if you would give him another chance.

All of the feelings you felt for him before come rushing back and your remember how much you loved him.  How much he loved you.  How GOOD it was until he cheated on you.

You return home still thinking about it and the man you've been dating for 18 months is there.  Steady as always.  

You go to the restaurant for dinner where you had your first date.

He's acting weird and...before he starts...you KNOW he's about to propose.

What do you do?

Do you try and stop him before he does?

Do you let him and say yes?

Do you let him and tell him you have to think about it?

 

 

LOVE!

I am SO in love with that gallery wall.

Engagement Date

Do you remember your engagement date?

 

Pet Peeve #3,483

I absolutely 100% DESPISE when I'm trapped in close quarters with someone who is on the phone.  I'm not talking about a quick call to answer something right quick...but someone tucked in on the phone holding a full random azz conversation with someone while you're sitting right there.  That ish makes my teeth itch like nothing else cuz that's the rudest ish in the EN-TIRE WORLD to do to someone.  UGH!

I also don't like it when you're in a whole dang house and someone does this.  Take your azz to another room for some privacy and so you don't come across as if you were raised in a damn barn without manners.

 

Man Loses 220 Pounds

I've never known anyone who has gone on a diet and lost the weight they wanted to lose and then keep it off once they completed the diet.  The people I've known who struggled with their weight seem to be constantly yoyo-ing.  From the outside looking in I'll say this...diets don't work.  The people who are successful are those who made for real lifestyle changes.  The runners, the daily exercisers, the ones who completely rehauled their food intake THE RIGHT WAY.

I've never read something that made more perfect sense than what this guy says in this article:  The 7 Things I Did To Lose 220 Pounds Without Dieting

That guy laid it all out there.  He's lived it and beat it.  Dude is a rockstar.