Rantings of a Creole Princess

Presenting Mama Biscuit!

www.MamaBiscuit.com 

I'm country so yall know I was raised to not eat everybody's cooking.  It's a country thing.  You can tell alot about a person's cooking skills and presentation by the way they handle themselves in other situations and yeah...I don't eat from many folks.  Office potlucks?  Yeah...I always ate what I brought.  LOL!  Too many of yall come out the bathroom too quick for me.  I'm good.

My dear framily is about to follow her dreams and audition for a cooking show.  I'm so proud of her decision to do this because it's way outside of her comfort zone.  She is an EXCELLENT cook, a true kitchen cook and she cooks for me so often that I just call her for her grocery list so I can run to the store for her.  And yall...I'm not talking regular food.  I'm talking RESTAURANT looking food.  It's always so pretty you almost don't want to dig in...oh but you do.  Like...she be inviting people over for dinner and I GET MAD!  I'm like...WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!  I WAS PLANNING ON HAVING SOME FOR LUNCH TOMORROW HELL!

SIP:  Just evil.  But for good cause.

Since she's gotten serious about honing her skills, she decided to start a Facebook fan page and a blog.  The blog is going to have tutorials and all sorts of fabulousness.  I'm sitting here now after just finishing checking it all out this morning and man...I'm about to burst the buttons on this henley I'm wearing I'm so darn proud.

When you see your people living their dreams out loud...you're supposed to raise 'em up...waaaaaaaaaay up.  You're supposed to dig in and let them know, without a shadow of doubt, that you believe in them and want what they want for them.  

You show up and show out.

Please visit her social media links and add her if you don't mind helping her out as she's super new to the online world and needs to get her weight up quickly so the producers on the show can see that she's somebody people 'LIKE' and, quite honestly...if you knew her...you'd love her as much as I do.

I'm proud of you Mama Biscuit!  So very, very proud!  You know I'll be there rooting you on the entire way!  Relax, relate, release!  You got this!

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lesleyrileymamabiscuit

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/mama_biscuit

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJkoP8x2THKy3eF8iwzYFNQ

Don't forget to send her some good wishes!  Auditions are this week!!!!!  SO EXCITING!

 

Older.Wiser.Gentler.Framily-er

I am blessed that I have three best friends, lots of great friends and a whole host of really, really good friends.  I have friends from waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in elementary school and people who's spirits I've fallen in love with instantly in more recent years.

But I only have one best girlfriend.  She knows the majority of my secrets and she knows when I'm dealing with something even though she knows that I'm not ready to talk about what I'm dealing with.  She waits patiently and she always knows exactly what to do and say.  You guys know her and you also know that we love as hard as we fight.  LOL!  Thankfully we haven't had a major blowout in years and we both think we've reached the point of no return as far as our blowups are concerned.  I doubt if we ever have another one cause we're older.wiser.gentler and more framily-er.  Oh...and we have Cole.  LOL!

Since she knows me so well she always gives me the absolute best-est gifts.  I love a long robe and it's very seldom I find a robe long to the floor on me and when I do I buy it because, again, I love a long to the floor robe.  All of the ones I currently own are for mild weather up North and that's about to change so she searched for a Summer weight one for me:

Isn't that MARVELOUS?????????????????  GO ME!  GO SHELLYBEAN!!!!!!!!!  IT'S ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!!!

And the best thing about it?  

Oh yeah...the monogram!  Yall know I love a Mingogram.  LOL!

Thank you again.  I love you and I know you love me.  You're my favorite.  :)

Do you have a robe that hits the floor?  How tall are you?  Where did you get it?  Aren't they FABULOUS?

Dating Marrieds

I was having a conversation with someone recently and they shared they are in a relationship that isn't traditional.  They constantly repeated that they were happy. The nature of the relationship/s made me cringe but hey...not my circus...not my monkeys.  Stay away from my damn husband and we won't end up on an episode of "Snapped."

I thought about it afterwards and wondered...why do we automatically assume that someone isn't happy if they are doing something we'd never do because we feel it is super wrong?

Take dating someone married for instance.  Now...yall know how I feel about that.  If folks are married...leave married folks the hell alone.  Married folks...if you're married...stay your azz out other folks' faces kee-keeing and shoe-shooing.  HOWEVER...I've heard a lot of people say they are happy in their relationship with a married person.  I know one person in particular who, upon learning that people who love them disapprove of their relationship, go all out to state that as long as she is happy why should anyone else care?  And hey...I guess she's right.

Right?

What about the woman who is about to marry a guy in jail?  She obviously loves him right?  Why can't we be happy for her?  Why would we sit there with our lips perched waiting on someone to ask our opinion?

So are there limits about caring for another person or friend?  Can you want them to be happy but only as YOU'D wish to be happy?  Can you wish that they are healthy without focusing on their spiritual health too?  Can you understand that even though you know it's DEAD.DAMN.WRONG to be sleeping with a man or woman who is CLEARLY married...that you can still want that person to be happy even if you don't personally condone their relationship?

Or...does caring about another person mean that you automatically want better for them so you're well within your boundaries to express disappointment in their choice?  Sure...it won't mean a thing will change but I'm not going to sit here and let you think I condone this crap.

Holla.

 

CreoleInDC Motto #427

I've had a lot of calls for my birthday of people wishing me well and it's been wonderful catching up with people I don't get a chance to talk to often since I'm truly not a phone person.  The other day I caught up with a friend who has a heart of gold.  Always has...always will.  A couple of years ago I had a come to Jesus with her about how much she gives to people in her family who are constantly in need.  She was depressed and stuck in a rut and when she called I was packing to go somewhere.  She said something along the lines of...I wish I could go on a trip and I was like...well...um...why can't you?

Family Resemblance

I'm always astonished by how much my family looks alike.  You can pick us out anywhere.  Does your family look alike too?

Elder Speak

"You can get pissed off about it but what pisses me off more is when Raheem kills Tyrone and it's business as usual.  Twenty-three Black people got shot in Chicago this past weekend and five died.  Yet...everybody is focused on the White man who killed one over yonder in the Midwest.  That right there is the stuff that pisses me off.  They killing each other left and right down in New Orleans too.  You only know about it if you read the Picayune and, truth be told, you tend to start skipping over those stories because they are in the paper far too often.  Same old same old.  Black kid kills other Black kid or two or three of them.  'Cept they are not kids by that point.  They are hardened criminals who are just trying to figure out how to survive in the world they live in and are restricted to by economics and society.  And people, no matter what color they are, are going to steer clear of them and the section of the cities they are restricted to live in by economics and when they are seen in other areas, they stand out.  You know you see them and you know you steer clear.  Doesn't make it right per se...but hey...we're all just trying to survive.  I gave my children and my nieces and nephews some of the same warnings everyone else gives their children and told them who to stay away from and where to stay away from.  You can't make people value what you value.  People got their own way of being and you rarely know the rules unless you were raised that way too so yeah...Well, that's my take on it now let me go.  I have some work to do so get off my phone.  I Love you."

Is this something only an Elder can say in private?  Thoughts? 

High School Friends

How many of you still have SUPER close friends from high school?  I mean like...bestie close?  Of course you still have friends from high school...but do yall interact daily or even weekly?

I was talking to a high school student about making friends in high school and I agreed that it could be difficult to maneuver.  First off, you guys are all lumped in together in classes.  There is no commonality really normally, other than the grade you're in.  Because of this, it can be hard to find teenagers who share the same interests you share.  There are clubs, of course, but even then, there might not be any clubs you're interested in joining and some of those clubs are filled with kids whose parents forced them to join.

So...if you don't meet friends in high school, then you'll certainly meet people in college where interests are more organized by curriculum, etc.

Because I'm a stupid adult, I doubt if the teenager believed me because well...yall know teenagers know everything.  I shared that I have friends from high school, of course, but I only really spend time with them when I go back home and we're all happy to see each other and have a good time but when I return to where my current home is...we only "see" each other on Facebook.

I can't explain that.  It is what it is.

What say you?

Family Secrets

Does your family discuss them when you're together or...is it like they never happened?

kiz4tj DID IT!

A few years ago, after working for law firms most of her adult life, kiz4tj decided she wanted to go to law school.  She finished her BS and applied to law school.

She started studying for the LSAT and applied to her dream school.

She got in.

Of course.

She packed up her life as a single mother of two daughters and moved.

As with anything worth having...it wasn't easy.  There were challenges.

Challenges she ALWAYS met.

She went to law school.

Full time.

Her daughters went to new schools, made new friends, had new experiences.

She just graduated.  

Yall...SHE.GRA.DU.A.TED!

SHE GRADUATED.

I'm so proud of her I could and have squealed.  So very, very proud of her.  She is such an inspiration and is the true testatment to the saying...NO.EXCUSES.

I'll get to hug her neck soon and tell her in person just how proud I am of her.  I mean it.  I'm so proud of her...it chokes me up.

She graduated.

Congrats to the baddest legal beagle I know.  My dawg.  I love the mess outta her!

Order the best cakes online! Q's Cakes! Gluten Free!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my girl Queeny.

She bakes cakes for a living.

It was her dream and now she owns her very own bakery.

Her cakes are THE.BOMB.

She ships anywhere.

My favorite?  

Her Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cheesecake.

She made it specially for me.

And it's the ONLY cake I think of often.

LOL!

If you call her...tell her she has a big head.  LOL!  

She'll know I sent you!

LOVE YOU FOR A LIFETIME QUEENY!!!!!

Family Time

Are you one of the lucky few who loves spending time with their family?  Not the people who live in your home...the rest of them.

Travel!

One of the things I absolutely LURVE about my framily and friends is that they appreciate traveling and somebody is always gone somewhere.  LOVE IT!  LOVE IT!  LOVE IT!

Shelly Bean is currently in Italy and Becca and G-Baby just returned from Puerto Rico.  Last week I think I had people on the West Coast hitting up Vegas and Cali and somebody was posting pics from Myrtle Beach.  My cousin was in Singapore and I was just smiling and smiling at all of the pictures they were posting.

What about you?  What's the last PERSONAL trip YOU took?  Did you do it alone?  With your girlfriends?  With your spouse, family, etc?  What's the NEXT trip you have planned?  Where are you going?  Who ya rolling wit?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SHELLY BEAN!!!!!!!!

A long, long, long time ago, my best girlfriend arrived in my life in an unexpected kinda way.  We clicked immediately and started our daily, several times a day talks.  Our first big fight was because I laughed at something because I couldn't believe it happened and she thought I was laughing because of something else. 

I wish I could say we've grown enough to not fight ever...but hell...as close as we are...that ain't EVER happening.  We fight.  We love each other.  We'll live to see another day.

Type A Creole women.  JOY.  LOL!

And I do love her.  With all my heart.  She's my absolute best girlfriend in the world and, because of her, I have no secrets because she knows them all.  I'm a better person because she makes me mo'betta'er!

Today is her 40th birthday and I couldn't be there to help her celebrate.  No worries...she's going to be surrounded by her family and friends at her party...but I'll still be sad I couldn't see her face...hug her neck and do whatever it was she needed done in preparation for her party.

Shelly Bean...I love you.  WE love you.  More than anything.  You're the only person outside of my home I speak to daily and I'm so grateful you know me so well.  I don't want to know what life without you is ever like and I look forward to spending the next 40 years together.  I can see it now.  Porch, ferns, ceiling fans and rocking chairs.  Sitting outside rocking...talking 'bout what we need to talk about watching Coley's kids run in the sunlight.

Happy birthday my beautiful inside and out bestie.  

I love you.

Punkette.

Scenario from television...

Your son and his wife give you a gift certificate for a family photo as a gift.

You're way excited because you've been wanting one for years.

You show up for the family photo and your daughter-in-law's parents are there too.

You good?

From Shelly: Throwback Tuesday with @oneblackman

Brothers

I love how close Niles and Frasier are on the show.  And Ray and Robert.  It's nice that they see each other so often and share so much.

On television.

LOL!

Is your S/O that close with any of their siblings?  Is it nice?

A Lifetime of Friendship Indeed

I've been friends with this FABULOUS woman since the first day of first grade in 1975.  We were in Ms. Gatz's class and shared a tremendous love of books and reading.  

She kinda took her love of books and reading to a major level.  LOL!

And we LURVED us some Ms. Gatz.

38 years later...and I still adore her and am still grateful for her friendship.  There aren't many like her.  She's TRULY a joy as a woman.  Strong and AWESOME.  Simply put...I love her.

I got to spend some time with her and other of my  classmates from the 1rst grade this weekend and I thought about that saying my mother always said about being careful of anyone who has no old friends.  Old friends know who you are.  They've seen you through your highs and lows and TRULY know who you are.  I'm blessed to say that I have many dear, dear old friends.  

Do YOU still have any friends from grade school?  Middle school?  High school?  

How long is your OLDEST friendship?

Prayers for Jilli, Please!

This most perfect 5 year old Princess started complaining of headaches.  Two weeks ago her parents took her to the hospital after a seizure and it was found that she had a brain tumor.  

They removed it and she went home last week.  She was such a strong baby during the process and stayed in good spirits surrounded by her family.  At one point, there was a mini family reunion going on in the hospital filled with love and a praying, faith-filled family.

The pathology report just came back.  Jilli had a malignant tumor.  

Her parents are asking for her to be put on prayer lists far and wide.  We call her Jilli, lovingly, but please ask God to heal her by her full name, Jillian-Rae Catherine Williams.

Our request is that this child be healed in the name of God.

Amen.

onefromphilly and SIP Business!

"The Gulabi gang (from Hindi gulabi, "pink", transln. "pink gang") is a group of women vigilantes and activists originally from Banda in Bundelkhand district, Uttar Pradesh, India, but reported to be active across North India as of 2010. It is named after the pink saris worn by its members.

The gang was founded in 2006 by Sampat Pal Devi, a mother of five and former government health worker (anda former child bride), as a response to widespread domestic abuse and other violence against women. Gulabis visit abusive husbands and beat them up with laathis (bamboo sticks) unless they stop abusing their wives. In 2008, they stormed an electricity office in Banda district and forced officials to turn back the power they had cut in order to extract bribes. They have also stopped child marriages and protested dowry and female illiteracy."

After a couple of drinks recently...onefromphilly and I mused that we should start a business that dealt out well deserved azz whuppings.  

Picture it...Sicily DC Metro, 2013.  A womanizing man is tossed in the back of an unmarked van and beat within an inch of his life all the while an Elder is yelling at him to put his hand down, stop grabbing the belt and preached to about the errors of his ways.  Or a teenager who thinks he/she knows everything stomped into a hole in the ground the size of a quarter.  Or a simple azz woman doing simple azz ish slapped repeatedly after writing on the board 1,000 times, THOU SHALL NOT BE SIMPLE.

I think we'd be a million dollar company before the year end.  'Specially since we know where to get brass knuckle stun guns.  Blast Knuckle Stun Gun 950K Volts w/ Holster - 1 YEAR WARRANTY

Anybody want to invest?  Handle marketing?  Volunteer to drive?  Bleach the van interior down?

Question...

Who takes care of your grandparents?

Heart Monitor Needed

Before I got my coffee this morning I looked at my cellphone and noticed I had two missed calls from my baby brother at 1:49am and then at 1:52am.  

My cellphone is on silent overnight.

My heart stopped.

My ears started roaring.

I started shaking uncontrollably.

I called him and he answered.

Baby Brother:  IT WAS A BUTT DIAL MONNIE!  WHEN I SAW THAT I CALLED, I CALLED YOU BACK TO TELL YOU IT WAS A BUTT DIAL SO YOU DIDN'T GET WORRIED!!! I'M SORRY!!!!!!

And I tried to keep it all casual and cool but it was hard to cuz yeah...I immediately started thinking the worse.  Nobody calls me that time of night unless tragedy has struck and I immediately started thinking tragedy.

Why do our minds do that?  All in the span of a minute my heart was racing so fast it was crazy and it took me a minute before I was calm.  I love my baby brother.  If anything happened to him...man...I'd be done.

*sigh*

Good morning.  Tell me something good.

PLEASE.

 

"Too many women out there screwing for free."

Being from the South I've heard plenty of harsh advice.  A lot of times I was dipped down in a hallway somewhere listening in on grown folks conversation that I didn't have any business listening to.  Had I been caught...oh yeah...I would have been called a "fast tailed lil girl."

Which was the worst thing you could have been called in my world.  Nobody wanted to be fast tailed.  NOBODY!

I remember overhearing once that "too many women out there screwing for free."

Now...to a simple brain...that sounds like the woman speaking was advocating for women to be prostitutes.  To someone who knew her...they knew EXACTLY where she was with that.  Basically...she was saying that women need to understand the power they have and that there was no reason you should be with a man who can't do anything for you.  See...they were quick to peep the lil boys who were sniffing up behind you and, if they didn't have potential...they didn't have nainh problem letting you know this.

Straight up.

Many of these circumstances still exist but I think we've gotten too PC to say them out loud I think.  Sure...when you're with people you REALLY care for, you have no reason to not say these type of things because you're not trying to let your loved ones go out like that.  I've had this conversation with lil cousins fo' sho.  I was on the phone with one of my cousins recently and she reminded me of something I said to her over a decade ago.  I'd forgotten it, of course, but she said she always stuck to that simplistic and harsh as hell view when making decisions with matters of the heart and well...it works and worked for her.  YOU would probably be shocked to hear what it was I said to her because I'd never say it to anyone OTHER than someone who flat out knows that I love them unconditionally and would do anything for them.  PERIOD.  I doubt I'd EVER put in print what I told her but I meant it and told her because I love her.  

Same as my Elders have done with me.  They can say some offensive azz, ratchet azz sounding ish but you can't pretend they aren't right.  You might be hurt and mad cuz they DARED say some ish to you like that but trust...if you tried to go at them they'd be like...

"And who the hell are you that I have to watch my mouth before telling you something?  I'm YOUR Uncle/Aunt/Grandmother/Mother/Father/Sister/Brother/Cousin.  I want the best for you and don't give a damn how you feel if I know you're out there fucking up and you need to do better.  Sitcho' lil azz down somewhere and listen.  Bruised feelings ain't got shit on having a fucked up life cuz you thought you knew every damn thing.  Take stock is what you need to do.  Take stock and change some thangs cuz if you don't...shit is going to stay the same.  I don't want my blood to be struggling for dumb azz reasons.  Now go in there and bring me a cold glass of water and bet not be no Ceily shit floating in it either!"

And that's that.

Are we too PC with young adults and adults when it comes to checking their ish these days?  Do you often find yourself not getting involved and not saying anything because you don't want to say the wrong thing knowing they will focus on the wrong shit?  Or do you say it anyway not giving a damn?

Ravens.

I have had the most amazing birthday today.  From the moment I opened my eyes until now...it's been COLOSSAL (way better than epic)!  

And now...the Ravens are about to play the first game of the season and, while I'm not a football fan...I'm a Boobie fan BIG.TIME.  I want him to win and stomp up on some folks to show them he means business.  He deserves every opportunity to show the world just how much he loves doing what he does.  I'm so proud of him and the family man he is.  

I hope they win tonight but if they don't...no biggie.  #FRAMILYFIRST

Ravens.

Sun Trust Bank Commercial

I just saw a commercial where the elderly mother died and the son and his family bought a big enough house so that his father could move in with them because dad could no longer live alone.  Seems they merged finances with the dad's finances so it was easy.

Could YOU do that?

Would you?

Home, Sweet, Home

Have you ever had to live wth a family or friend since you've been an adult?

How long did you stay?

Did they charge you money?

Did it end well?

Do you leave when you said you'd leave?

SIP DELETES...Hashtag #Trayvon

I did a lot of unfriending on FB since Saturday.  I was slicing folks left and right.  

No tears for thugs?  DELETE.

Using that word I DESPISE?  DELETE.

Talking about rioting and the revolution?  DELETE.

DELETE.DELETE.DELETE.

I didn't want to hear shit.

One young man used the word I despise twice.  All caps.  He was mad and calling for folks to rise up and get mad.

DELETE.

Question

Do YOU have a FAVORITE Aunt?  Do you get to see her often?  What's your fave memory of her?

OPINION PLEASE!

The proposal that ended a friendship

Please read that article and let me know what YOU think about it.  Do YOU think asking a friend to ma.st.u.rb.a.te with you is a deal breaker?  

If My Mommy Was Alive

If my mommy was alive I'd probably have picked her up from the airport 'round 'bout Tuesday.  She'd be all excited and jittery about coming and she'd be in new stuff from head-to-toe in that simple, country folk way she had about her.  See...when she was going somewhere she considered "big time" she believed in wearing all new stuff.  If it was just jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt I bet it was brand spanking new right down to her sneakers cuz baaaaaaaby...coming to visit her only baby girl and son-in-law all the way up in the DC area on a plane was BIG.TIME.

Tunic Tops, Friends, and Friends of Friends

I was rocking a tunic with jeans and the date of a male friend asked me why was I wearing a tunic because it did nothing for me.  She then went on to tell me that with my body, I could wear pretty much anything I wanted to since I didn't have to hide anything.  According to her...what's the use in being in shape if all you're going to do is cover it up.

I stopped talking.

My friend, her date, sent me a text which said:  THANK YOU FOR NOT BLASTING HER CRAZY AZZ.  YOU'LL NEVER SEE HER AGAIN.  I PROMISE.

I looked down at the text and then back up again.  

Still not amused.

I responded to the text with:  OKAY

We never spoke of it again and I never heard her name again.

I just thought about that.  

I didn't say anything because I respect and love my friend and didn't want to put him in an awkward position.  I seriously thought about what it said about their relationship that she didn't think the same.

It made me think about the fact that, new people come and go...old friends generally stay the same.  I doubt if she ever even considered her behavior as inappropriate.  Like...I didn't tag her azz out of respect for him and knows me well enough to know that's the ONLY reason I didn't tell her azz to go play in traffic.

People play too much.

When you don't care for a friend of a friend (date) do you say anything or do you keep it on the low-low?

 

Passive Aggressive Friendships: The Insta-Friend

I have a friend who has a new friend.  They haven't known each other for even 6 months yet.  The new friend is not from the area they currently live and they think my friend is pretty cool.

Because she is.

The new friend is a gay male.  That's important for you to know cuz you'll end up wondering once you hear about how much he whines to a woman he's not dating.

Dear Shelly:

I love my Shelly Bean dearly.  

Even when we're beefing and have broken friendship for a minute I truly, truly love her.  I'm hoping we never break up again because I realize how much of an amazing part of my life she truly is.  She's the ying to my yang and simply put...I adore her cockeyed azz.  

Last night she asked me to buy her a Porsche Cayenne for Christmas and well...I told her why wait?  I'll get her one tomorrow.  Why?  Yall should know it's because of this:  http://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ

Who pays?

A couple who are your friends visit your city.

My Best Guy Friends

I'm going to take some credit for my best guy friends being awesome husbands.  I know when we were all young adults and single...I never let them treat women like crap.  If they were misguided by some stupid man speak nonsense...I always corrected them...FIRMLY.

And still do.

And always will.

Because I love them and want them to have a good life.

Happy wife...happy life.

Do you have guy friends you do /did the same for?

 

Royce's Daughter is Leaving Us

I adore Royce's Daughter.  She's one of the people I always say I need to spend more time with.  She's always so joyful and lovely and always has a smile going.  She's smart, fun and funny and has a heart of gold.

Well...she's leaving us for Cali and we couldn't be more happy for her even as we're sad she's going.  

Here's the thing about RD...she wanted a change and always thought California would be a good place for her and well, it is.  She's a Cali kinda girl even as she's been on the East Coast all of her life.  She didn't just jump up and roll out...she wrote it down and made it happen.

She didn't HAVE to move and she wanted to do it the right way, of course.  She started applying for jobs and would go out for interviews and voila...she was offered the perfect position for her.  She's moving in the most responsible way and for the best reasons I've ever known of from a person and we're so, so very proud of her.

My advice to her when she stated her fears of leaving her comfort zone was simple..."You can always come back home."

Simple.

Good luck and I'll see you on the West coast soon!  LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S.  That's a dress from my closet that I've never rocked.  One down...more to go.  SO THERE ERICA B!  LOLOLOLOL!

Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cheesecake from Q's Cakes

If your morning didn't start off with a delivery of a Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cheesecake from Q's Cakes...I am TOTALLY better than you!

SIP:  OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YALL HAVE NO IDEA HOW DELICIOUS THIS TASTES!!!!!!!!!!!

Tribe Village Game Proper

Last weekend I was in Houston to watch the newest member of my framily be dedicated to God and to become his Godmommy.  After the church ceremony, we had a get together and had a blast.

We were sitting around after the main crowd of people left.  We'd cleaned up pretty well and were pretty much just chilling.  At one point we looked around the table and pretty much just started counting our blessings.  You know...just grateful that we were all doing so well.  Around this table were executives with entrepreneurial spirit.  From the friend who is pretty high up the food chain in the oil industry and who boils crawfish on the side for parties, to the friends who were deep in corporate America and getting their own startup off the ground and to me...a filmmaker.

We talked about challenges we'd faced and continue to face and we bounced a lot of stuff off each other as well got advice from each other regarding taxes, investments, etc. We pondered if we ever thought, back in the day in the Quad, if we'd all still be together following our dreams, helping each other, being the village we all are as it relates to family and kids, etc.

The answer was pretty much...yeah...we knew.  We all knew we had a pretty unshakable bond.

A couple of months ago Shelly Bean queried out loud that she was trying to figure out to do with Coley for Spring Break.  She just started a new job so she couldn't take the week off to do stuff with him and neither could her parents.  Spring Break camp was a possibility, of course, but honestly...that was gonna cost a grip for the week.  I told her that if she couldn't find anything she wanted to do...she could send him here and I'd make sure he had a good time, of course, and she'd get a mommy break for a week.

Before I got off the phone good...his itinerary was in my inbox.

COLE'S COMING!  LOL!

Yesterday was our Anniversary and Robby and I were sitting around talking about our blessings.  Our village / tribe was certainly way up high on the list.  We knew that should we need help with anything, we've surrounded ourselves with smart, resourceful, connected people and we've all grown together with love, respect and trust.  I thought about the myriad of options all of these kids we have in our village / tribe have because of all of the connections their family and framily have and I recognize the possibilities are endless for them.  I know for sure, if one of these kids say they want to be a filmmaker...they are going to start IMMEDIATELY growing in that area cuz their T-Monnie will put it right up in front of them.  We discussed how cool it was that Shelly could send Coley here because she has options and is financially stable but...in the event she couldn't afford to send him and still needed help...we'd have done what was needed in order to make sure she still had options.

Cuz that's how we get down.

Shelly:  How much money do I need to send with Cole?

SIP:  *RADIO.SILENCE* *HARD.STARE*

I know someone who had to back up off a friend because the friend was single and dating.  Well...the friend was a very attractive woman who attracted lots of male attention but, for whatever reason, the friend was never in a relationship.  The friend always wished it would work out with Guy A or Guy B but it hadn't and the person I know got tired of the friend always bringing a new man around her children.  She didn't know how to ask her friend to come to things alone and it ended up becoming an issue with her husband.  In the end...her husband ended up telling her that he wasn't comfortable with his daughter seeing her with so many different men (and keep in mind...it may have only been 3 or 4 different guys per year) and it wasn't up for debate.  Until she was dating someone she had a commitment with, he'd prefer her to not bring anyone over to their home.

And it didn't go over all that well.

I thought about that thinking to myself that hey...that's kinda unfair if she's single and dating and WANTS a relationship but then I guess I started looking at it from a parent's point of view and well...I guess I got it.  He wanted to make sure his children's village was strong and that they saw the most positive images whenever possible.  She's a good person and she is more than welcome to come over...she just can't bring over Chuck, Jack or Shawn.

I get that.

All this rambling is basically to say that I guess it's pretty important who's in your Tribe / Village and a lot of people recognize that.  What do YOU think?  Do you have a Tribe / Village or do you pretty much keep it immediate family only?  Do you think YOU'D ever ask a friend to stop bringing casual dates around your children?

LADY TEE GOT ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Nothing starts my day off better than waking up to an overnight text of a dear friend getting engaged!  I just LOVE LOVE!  We met Tee's beau for Thanksgiving this year and adored him instantly!  He truly cherishes her and it made us so happy to see her well taken care of.  AND HE HAS EXCELLENT TASTE IN BLING!!!!!!!  WHOOOOOHOOOOOO!  LOVE A MAN WHO KNOWS HIS WAY AROUND A JEWELRY STORE!  LOL!

This is truly a full circle moment for her.  I'm so very, very proud and happy!

Talking to Grown Folks About Weight Loss

Yes...I said coversating.  Leemelone.  

SIP:  She also said "leemelone."

I was on the phone conversating with someone I don't speak to often recently.  She'd watch "The Coalition" and called to tell me how much she enjoyed it.  We're friends on Facebook so she'd taken an opportunity to look through some of my pictures and commented on how I look at age 43.  Basically...she thinks I look really good for my age and stated she wished she could look the same.

Her:  But I can't be eating bird seeds like you do. *Giggle.Giggle*

Pics from San Diego!

Robby's Grandmommy has left us...

We are currently in Mississippi putting Robby's Grandmommy to rest.  She left us on Tuesday, January 8th and she left a sudden void with all those who loved her and were blessed to have her love.  

When the call came, my darling, sweet, loving husband broke down.  He was so shattered...it cut me to my core.  I would have done anything...and I mean ANYTHING to have him not hurt as much as he was hurting.  As I held him while the pain wracked through his body...I rocked him and prayed for God to send him visions of better, happier times to get him to the other side of his grief.  

Within a couple of hours we were on our way to the airport so he could get home to see about his mommy, who'd spent the previous day shopping with HER mommy...who'd left us that morning.

*sigh*

I couldn't catch that flight with him because I needed to make arrangements for Lucy but my heart was heavy as I kissed him and hugged him tight through his tears and I watched him walk into the airport to go home to a new tapestry...one which no longer included hugs, kisses and long talks with his Grandmommy although many lovely memories will always remain.  

He was so hurt.  My baby...he was so, so hurt.

My Grandmommy-in-law's obituary contains the following:

She loved the outdoors and being able to enjoy a great sunny day. While she didn’t like to travel, she was always up on current events and knew what was going on in the world. She was always looking out for the neighbors and family in the community. She had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh at the everyday things in life. She never missed a phone call and was always a pillar of strength to her children and taught us to appreciate hard work. She lived a much uncomplicated life in a very complicated time. She loved listening to gospel music and reading her Bible. She liked things simple and tried to live her life that way as much as possible. She enjoyed visits from many family members and friends.  She was married for 42 years when her husband passed away in 1989. 

And that...is how I knew her as well.  The first time I met her...she hugged me tight and kissed me right above my jawline softly.  She was warm and soft with the loveliest sense of humor.  The most important thing to her was that  her family was happy and healthy.  She knew how to LOVE.

As you're reading this...we are getting ready to go lay her to rest with honor, dignity and, above all else, love.  Her memory will always remind us to be kind and nurturing.  Her legacy to us will be to strive to be the person who brings out the best in others.  

As you're reading this...I hope you're smiling and not sad for her family.  She wouldn't want that.  She'd want you to have a "good old time" and smile.  She'd want your life to be of comfort and of purpose.

Thank you for reading this.  My husband thanks you as well.

Tell the truth and shame the devil!

Do you have family members you adore but who really drive you bat.shat.crazy?  

Autism Awareness Walk! - TEAM HIGH FIVE!

It's always cool to have a good time while also being supportive of those you love and socially conscious!  I got to do that today and I'm still feeling all warm and fuzzy inside!

TEAM HIGH FIVE BABY!

Bad Blood

Do you have any relatives you have "bad blood" with?  How do you act when you have to be around them at family functions, events, etc.?

From The Broke Socialite:

The Broke Socialite

MiMi and PawPaw

Did YOUR grandparents go to college?

Gluten-Free Cookies from Queeny!

I can't believe she did this for me!  How awesome is that?  Have you ever baked for anyone for their birthday?  What's your specialty?  She'd never did gluten free ones before and did them just for me!  I feel so loved!!!!!

From Po' Shelly

They can't leave the house and have no 'lectric.  Oh...and the 'lectric people not gonna come out until the water is gone.

Saved by the SIP

I was out and about in the world surrounded by framily, friends and colleagues on set last summer.  I rounded the corner and saw someone I love looking VERY distressed and on the phone.  I knew they'd recently had a difficult breakup which was taking a toll on their spirit and I made sure they saw me see them.

I crooked my finger.

When the person got off the phone they sought me out and I asked was everything okay.  

Framily:  That was _____, my ex.  

Apparently, the ex had sent my friend a text basically stating they wished the CURRENT person the ex was dating...was like my friend.

B'WHAT?????????????????????????

So I'm standing there with my lips perched.

SIP:  And then they called you?

Framily:  No...I called them.

And while standing there...my friend's phone rang and they looked down to see it was the ex calling back.  My friend was looking so defeated and I told them to send the call to voicemail.

Then...I held out my hand and asked for the phone.

The friend gave it to me and I put it on silent and then put it in my pocket.

SIP:  That was a shitty thing for _____ to do.  It's pretty gotdamn fugged up actually.  Good people don't do ish like that and you shouldn't deal with a piece of shit azz person.

And we kept working.

When we were finished that long, long day...I gave the friend back their phone.

We never spoke of it again.

We were somewhere else recently and the framily member was back in stride.  We were sitting with two other framily/friends and the friend brought up the time I took their phone from them and why.  Said it saved them from making a stoopit, stoopit mistake that night and that they were able to focus and get genuinely mad at the ex for trying to go there with them.  I was very surprised that the friend brought it up around other people and I smiled thinking the friend had healed well from that tragic shit and I was glad I was able to help in such a small way.

SIP can be right sometimes.  LOL!

Have YOU ever had to take unorthodox methods to help someone not make a stoopit mistake?  Did it work?

Family.