Random Spewings

(I just re-read this and it is long! My bad!) Hey all!!  It has been a LONG while since I have posted anything! In fact, I think the last time I blogged, my baby was almost 17 weeks...or something like that. And now...we are weeks away from her third birthday! Time flies! (Honestly...whether or NOT you are having fun, time zooms! Can we all agree on that?) In the time away from blogging, I have discovered something: I LOVE talking about all things motherhood! Partially because I LOVE being a mom (like, honestly...God is amazing and He really knows ALL things! He gave me THE BEST first child!!!!!!!!!!!) and partially because I think women need to know that there is support available...and that we are not alone, whether we love motherhood, loathe it or something in between! So, between talking to some friends who are also "new" mothers--they have children under three--and talking to some friends who are expecting (YAY, new babies!), I have decided to start blogging about my ...

It's been months (six, I believe) since I've last posted anything! TONS of stuff is happening in my life...not all good, but not all bad! God continues to be magnificent in my life! My baby girl, the prettiest girl in the entire world, is now nine months and busier than EVER! Whew! I've been in the mood to write...not just blog posting, but maybe poetry, or a short story, or just...words together in some kind of organized fashion. I'm not exactly sure of what or how or when, but I'll be back...blogging, writing, in general, being awesome with words! ;-) Until then, remember that with man it's impossible, but with GOD, ALL things are possible!!

Today is December 31, 2013! Wow! As the title indicates, I'm sitting here thinking about how time flies! I haven't blogged in a while! So, let's see if I can play "catch up" in this posting. My beautiful daughter, the lovely Lady Eden, was born on September 4 at 11:38am. It was a quick and easy delivery. Labor wasn't too bad, either, more discomfort than anything else. My entire pregnancy (though I did develop gestational diabetes) was pretty great and was really an answer to my prayers! Eden has been a joy and delight to raise. Sure, she's only (as of tomorrow) 17 weeks, but hey...those can be tough times for new parents! She's so pleasant and peaceful. She sleeps well (now, for the most part, PRAISE GOD!) and eats even well-er! LOL! I honestly still can't believe that I'm a mom or that my husband is a dad; it's CRAZY! But, it's super! She has made the three of us a family! I mean, sure we were a family before she was born. But...she...

So, as promised, I am back with an update about our BABY!! As you may have guessed from the title, we'll be having a baby GIRL!! Oh my goodness...we are giddy! Though my husband and I kept saying, "We want a boy"...we were THRILLED when the, uh "ultrasound tech"--that's what she is, right??--said, "I don't see any boy parts. I think we have a baby girl!" I think the real joy was just knowing that SHE is real!! Seeing her feet, legs, arms, heart beating (again) and hearing it (again)...knowing her little weight--she's not yet a lb! BUT, it does seem she's already above the average weight of, uh, a fetus, her size--just made it even more exciting! We had already picked out names...so we were prepared, either way. We can now use her name around the house--we have decided not to reveal her name to everyone, probably until she's born. We can say "she" and "her"; it makes it all so real!! A real THRILL, that is!! See...

That's how far along I am in my pregnancy: 18 weeks...today! That means in two weeks, we get to find out if this is a baby boy or girl! That also means in 22 weeks, give or take, my little bundle of JOY will be arriving! My husband and I are thrilled beyond words! I figured that I would be happy when I got pregnant, but I didn't imagine it would be like this! It's so exciting and weird and awesome being pregnant. My body has been, sometimes, all the same, and other times, SO. VERY. DIFFERENT! Thankfully, I haven't gained much weight. God really answered my prayer with that one! Seriously! I have enough, thank you very much! So, I didn't need more! My doctor actually gave me the OK not to gain any! Since she said that, I first lost seven pounds...but then I FOUND all seven and 1 more! Since she said don't gain any, I've gained one pound! If you ask me, not bad for being 4 and a half months pregnant! I've started wearning maternity clothes, not exclusive...

I haven't posted in a really long time--LOTS GOING ON (busy at work, husband & I moved...OH AND A BABY ON THE WAY!!!!!!! YAHOO!!!!) I'm hoping to be able to blog more this year...I actually really like writing and would like to do it more often! With that said, I felt compelled to write today! The last few weeks, well months really, people have been amazing me...and NOT in a positive way! I have been wondering...what drives most people? Why do people do the things that they do?! I'm convinced that, for some people, it's an unhealthy self-centeredness! What do I mean by this? If "you"--"you" here being anyone to whom this is applicable--are only focused on the things that are happening in your world, and you can't seem to grasp that there is an entire world of things going on around you, you may have an enlarged sense of self. To me, this is different than someone who is just selfish! Selfish people know, for example, that you have a nee...

My friend Tiffany over at Reconstructing Tiffany is a wonderful writer! She captured an awesome experience that we (her, me, our friends and church family) had over the weekend beautifully! Rather than try to capture the same feelings without being repetitive, I decided to just send you to her page! The post is entitled " All Things in Common ". I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I can "feel" myself getting older! NO! I can't literally feel my bones or skin or anything changing! LOL! But...I can just sense the changes that I'm going through (emotionally, mentally, and yes, some physically) and I gotta say...I'm digging it! There are things that REALLY excite me now, that just a few years ago, I'd never give a flip about! The idea of decorating my house (the new one that the hubby and I are about to get! I'm speaking it into existence!) is the most thrilling thing to think about these days! I'm like, "ooh, what colors do I want for the master bedroom?" Or, I'll see something in Target and be like "OOH, I could put this in the formal living room"! Or see a throw rug or a pillow somewhere and think "WOW! This would be SO much fun in the family room!" I have to laugh at myself, sometimes! Another thing: While I still LOVE my fashion blogs (especially the ones by/for plus size women!)...I'm r...

I don't always write from my "Christian woman" standpoint or about my beliefs...but they are the ruling factor in my life, my beliefs. Well, the ONE belief is the ruling single factor in my life. The Lord Jesus Christ is God...He's MY God! That is my single belief! And IT is the ruling factor of my life! One of the many zillion reasons that I love Him...He gives HOPE like no one and nothing else can! It's amazing! I have conversations with my brothers and sisters in Christ and I see how we can just BELIEVE for these great things...and even for the mundane. We can believe that "everything will be ok" without any kind of real or tangible assurance. We can also believe that God will give us things that require money, lots of money, even if we have NO money! It's something that the "world" can't and doesn't understand. Sometimes I take that, the HOPE that comes from knowing and trusting Christ, for granted! Romans 15:13 (NIV) says ...

I started a post a while back, with the title above. but I never finished it. I deleted it and started writing this. But...as the title indicates, I have gone through some major changes in the last few months! For starters, I GOT MARRIED! I could write all these different things about that, but the short version is this: I. Love. IT! I enjoy knowing that he's there when I wake up randomly in the middle of the night. I love it that, even though he's usually pretty tired, he indulges my desire to have full & deep conversations at 3am. Being married has given me a sense of security that I didn't think I would ever need or even like as "woman who's doing it for herself." I don't love the moments when my husband has to MAKE me stop being so busy or when he's right about something and I'm wrong and have to admit it. But, even in those moments, I LOVE being married! It's causing me to learn a lot about myself. The main thing, though, is that I LOV...

This morning, I was randomly thinking about this guy I used to have a crush on. I guess that's the best way to put it. We "talked", I guess you could call it, if you HAD to call it something, for a lil while. This morning, specifically, I was thinking about how he told me, pretty much, "you are called by GOD and I ain't the one for that!" I used to say "if I were to build a guy, he would look like _ _ _ _ _". And while that statement IS true, I'm thankful that God's thoughts are higher! I'm grateful that "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand." Proverbs 19:21 delivers this GREAT news! Because, if I had it my way, and somehow we did magically get married (I LAUGHED as I typed that), assuming he stopped playing games long enough to actually get serious with me (he did eventually get married...so I assume he got serious about someone, huh?!) I'd be worried about wh...

So, I haven't done a post dedicated to getting healthier (and also losing weight) in a LONG time! But it doesn't mean I've aborted this mission! In fact, just today I applauded myself for making a wise food decision! I felt like I was craving an "all bad foods" lunch! The cafeteria in my building at work pretty much offers the same menu each week! I knew today would offer the option to get a reuben. I had envisioned a reuben and chips (or fries!), along with an orange soda. Well, one, I don't need the soda because it breaks me out! (My acne is still in "active" mode, even at the age of 32! Boo to that one! Boo, I say!) But, I also recognize that I don't need the added calories! So...instead of an "all bad" lunch, I think I made some wiser choices! I got the salmon (on which they always do a great job!), a vegetable medley (a bit different today: broccoli, carrots and chickpeas!! Yum) and some sweet potato cornbread. I chose water as a m...

The mere fact that looking at baking supplies on Michaels' website is bringing me this much excitement should tell me that I REALLY need to just give my current job my two weeks notice and get started on this baking in like, well, two weeks! LOL! This is really exciting for me, as I prepare for the birthday parties of two of my closest friends! (They have the same birthday but are celebrating on two different days! Thankfully, because otherwise, I'd be run ragged! But for them, I'd do it!) I'm getting all kinds of decorating ideas (for one, I'm providing cupcakes and for the other, some of the food and the desserts) and I'm telling myself "please, please, please don't spend a million dollars when you get to Michael's! PLEASE don't!" We'll see what happens!

I haven't given up on my quest to get healthier and lose weight--I type this WHILE chewing fries from McDonald's! :0( --but I have stopped posting about it! The interesting thing is that NOW I feel like I'm losing weight! So, that's good news! I am supposed to be cleaning out my "junk room" this weekend! I "remembered" that I have my elliptical! I'm trying to decide if I want to sell it or ACTUALLY start using it again! Decisions, decisions! Oh, and that reminds me, even though there is only about a month left of summer, I really want to find a pool to join! That'll be good exercise and I'll have a lot of fun!

Yes, it's a long title, but that's the subject of this post! I did my BC ("Big chop" for who may not know) six months ago! I no longer have any chemicals to "relax" or straighten my hair! I stopped getting perms about a year ago, I think?! But I got all the permed hair cut out in February. So, for a while there, I had about 4" of hair! It's been an interested six months to say the least, chock full of unsolicited opinions, offensive comments and rude looks, but I'm totally happy with my decision! (I did have a lapse of "I love it" for a minute!) My hair has grown in leaps and bounds and I'm already comfortable enough to have worn my bush--tamed by a headband! No, I didn't go full Angela Davis on 'em--to an interview! I'm proud that I'm doing my best, still, to accessorize and not look like a boy! I think I'm in a groove, now! My friend Ja'Neé has become my twist/braid-ologist! She's the bomb! Now, all I ...

I was taking a look at this other blog of which I was a contributor. I realized I wrote a poem (back when my paternal grandmother was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. But it was inspired by both her and my maternal grandmother.) It's pretty good and I think I'd like to write again! Here it is: A Part of Life People say that "death is a part of life," Like it's supposed to make you feel better, As if it heals the hurt and dries the tears! People say that "death is a part of life," Like it's supposed to be easier to let go, As if somehow you'll sleep better at night! Strangely, it usually does. Knowing that "death is a part of life" Makes me feel a little better. It does, at least, ease the hurt and slow the tears. Knowing that "death is a part of life" Makes me more able to let go And I do sleep a little better most nights. So, "death is a part of life"! BUT, what then, is the dying? Is that also a part of lif...

...of EVERYTHING! Well, that's not true...I'm scared of being great! That seems so BIG to say...but it's true! I don't worry about being left out or being insignificant. I am in a constant quandary about doing something that will cause people to have to, or want to, look at me! So...I don't follow through with moneymaking or award-winning ideas. I hold back intelligent solutions to impossible problems. I shut my mouth when I should scream out loud. I know that I could be a great writer, actress, dancer and singer. I could work well as a (plus-size) model. Heck, I could lose weight and work as a regular model. I could solve mathematical problems and teach the world's children how to read and add. But...I get nervous about it! What's up with that?! This isn't my first time writing about this (I don't think) and I sometimes think "here I GO!" Then, I get scared again! What the heck?! Oh well, I'll keep praying and keep trusting that, throu...

I started a post about my birthday...but I never finished it! Hmm...anyway, I'm 32 years old now! :0) Yay me! Time has sped by but I'm so blessed to have seen these years and I can't wait to see what God has for me as I'm now in my 33rd year of life! I'd like to see, by this time next year, that I have moved along successfully in my baking (and tutoring) business(es), have a job that I LOVE, car and nice amount in my savings! These are all attainable goals and I'm actively working on all of them! Whoot!

So...I've been busy this summer it seems! YAY me! :0) I didn't post this past Friday because I was at the family reunion of my paternal grandmother. I must say that I knew going into the weekend that my eating would probably be "all kinds of whatever!" I mean, it was "cookout food in the South" so I knew I was pretty much doomed! BUT I didn't do too badly! My family offered pork and turkey "barbecue" and I chose the turkey option. (It was REALLY good, too!)I only ate baked chicken. I didn't eat any fried...but I did have a piece of fried fish. I made sure to get vegetables on my plate. Also, I really wanted some Cold stone ice cream, so I didn't have any of the desserts from the cookout! (It was TOUGH not to make a "desserts plate" like I used to do, but I was able to persevere! LOL!) When I got to Cold Stone, I REALLY wanted a "love it" size (or "medium" for those who have never been to Cold Stone Creamer...

I skipped last week (was at a conference with my church) but I'm back this week with some good news! I have a "good decision of the day" two days in a row! The first one is that I finally went to a Zumba class last night! I have some friends who attend and I kept saying that I needed to go. Well, one friend lovingly "called me out" by telling me that she'd been hearing me say "girl, I need to go" for a month or more. So...I finally went! I'm glad that I did, even though a sister was TIRED after a while! But I already pre-paid for my next class! Also, this morning's "good decision of the day" was that I REALLY wanted breakfast from Chick-fil-a or McDonald's, but I chose to eat the yogurt with fruit and granola that I brought instead. Yay, me! I'm getting it together, piece by piece!!