Monday, May 30, 2016

Memorial Day Observed ....with a smile :)

Happy Memorial Day All!!
I know I need to write something serious and patriotic about what today means to me and how I will be honoring those who have given their lives to allow me to live free..... BUT

KSN just tossed this beauty into my lap and I cannot NOT pass this along
because whether you are packing up for a picnic, recovering from last night, or about to break out the grill, I'm sure you can use a laugh....

and once you finish you may return to the reason and purpose of this holiday and what it means to you and your family

By Michael Harriot
I don’t even know when it started. I don’t even know why the controversy became a trending topic on social media, but for the past two days there has been furious debate on social media over whether sugar or salt is the appropriate seasoning for grits.
To be sure, this is a Black debate. I’m sure white people eat grits, especially in the South, but grits is a universally Black food. It probably has something to do with the fact that you can purchase a metric ton of grits for less than seventeen cents, so it has become a historic staple on the breakfast tables of Black families. Although I could not find a Gallup poll or government statistics comparing the percentages of Black people who eat grits to Whites (Yet another reason to distrust The U.S. Census Bureau), the fact that most of my white Southern  friends sometimes refer to them as “Hominy” and my suburban middle-class associates give me a quizzical look when I talk about grits until I say “polenta” is evidence that this is a discussion for Black people.
Plus, when talking about seasoning and spices, always bet on Black.
I don’t find fault with my Black friends who don’t like grits. They are allowed. Although, when anyone tries to derail a grits conversation by equating it to Cream of Wheat or oatmeal, I believe they are intentionally trying to distract the attention of the grits-loving population. It’s like talking about real hip hop and having someone bring up Vanilla Ice–you are immediately disqualified. Your vote doesn’t count. Be gone.
But let’s get to the people who like sugar on their grits.
You are what is wrong with this country. You are the part of the constituency of people who want participation trophies and don’t believe kids with bad grades should flunk. You want to live in a sweet and saccharine world. You probably believe in “safe spaces” and think Kenny G is jazz.
Well guess what? The world is not like that.  Everything shouldn’t be sweet. You are handicapping your taste buds and insulting the memories of the people who gave their blood, sweat and tears to plant, grow, harvest and grind the corn that you have dishonored and debased by defiling them with Dixie Crystal.
Sugar on grits is an abomination. It is a microagression. Many people don’t know that Harriet Tubman carried a shotgun and would kill anyone who she thought might endanger the lives or compromise the secrecy of the Underground Railroad… or who liked sugar on their grits. One of the ways King James modified the original Bible was to remove the “B clause” from the sixteenth verse of  the 3rd chapter of Revelation, which originally said “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth as though thy were sugar grits.” If you look through the historical archives, before Martin Luther King edited his speech at the March On Washington, there was a sentence at the end that said:
“I have a dream, that the people who believe in the supremacy that robs us of our our dignity, our right to vote and our freedom to live as full citizens will one day suffer the same fate as those who believe slavery was a noble institution, women should not have the right to vote and sugar belongs in grits.”
People who have refined taste buds know anything tastes better with sugar on it, but that doesn’t mean you should eat sugar on grits… or microwave grits… or Kwik grits. God made grits perfect. The only variation you should ever consider is white grits or yellow. If you sprinkled granulated Domino sugar over a bowl of naturally fertilized potting soil, it might be edible, but you’re still eating shit. People who eat sugar on their grits are capable of anything–murder, theft, slowing down when they change lanes…
God likes salt on his grits. Satan prefers sugar. Donald Trump likes sugar on his grits. Bernie Sanders likes salt. (Hillary Clinton used to prefer sugar, but recently issued a statement calling it an “unfortunate choice of seasoning” that is now part of her past, and it is time for America to move forward.)
But I understand there are objections. There are people who believe Lebron is better than Jordan, the Madea movies are funnier than the Friday movies and Chris Brown can outdance Michael Jackson. Some people just weren’t raised right.
If you ever catch someone putting sugar on their grits, don’t try to stop them–they are obviously crazy and could hurt in you the same way they are harming their breakfast. Just let someone know. Like they say–if you see something, say something.
And if you have young children who want to sprinkle something sweet over their breakfast, explain to them that there are some things you will not allow in your house–drugs, Young Thug albums and sugar grits. If they object, then you should take their plate and fix them a bowl of Corn Flakes. When they ask why, inform them that there are standards and traditions that everyone should pass to the next generation. Tell them that Jesus didn’t die on the cross for them to ruin his creation with sugar. Finally tell them that you offered them one of the oldest and most filling breakfasts in the history of Black people, and if they need sugar to consume it…
Maybe they just don’t like grits.
 
*Editors note: As a point of clarification, the original author would like to note that he was not debating whether or not white people eat grits–only that he does not factor in their votes when considering any seasoning-related topic.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

a day late a blog short

I was promptly reminded yesterday that I did not complete a blog yesterday and that doing the one over the weekend was NOT a substitute sooooooo

im trying to think of what to say...oh what to write *taps on forehead*

how about some random thoughts/ideas

#1 my brother has for like the second time in a week gone to Luke's Lobster for lunch GREEDILY and supplied a picture to taunt me and make me rather jealous and hungry

#2 i am in awe and still processing the fact that my child is fast wrapping up her  Pre-K year and is about to have her graduation in like 2 weeks

my child, my only baby thus far, the first, my belly resident, is going to Kindergarten and quite honestly i never understood the parents who cried over stuff like this ..
i never got why it was a sad or emotional situation and yet now here i am...the super crier Mom who cannot even keep it together during a parent teacher conference

i am the mom who teared up again when i asked my child what they are doing tomorrow and she said trying on their cap and gown

sigh just sigh

#3-we finally got some super hot weather in DC today with no rain and that just made me feel worst about the state of my truck...i need to drop it off somewhere..make them sign an non disclosure and give them my checkbook and say  i will be back in 24 hours lol

i will blame this solely on Jordan and whatever shenanigans occurs in the backseat when i am driving

#4 there is no #4 sorry Kelz...that's all i got for the day...stay tuned for next week or maybe another Saturday

Saturday, May 21, 2016

A day or two early

Today was THE PERFECT..stay inside the house, stay in your pajamas day

It was rainy and dreary and all the right elements for pj's, delivery, naps, and couch time

normally, when that perfect situation calls...I answer ....BUT Jord had a karate graduation today which demanded showers and clothes and being a productive and clean member of society ..she is no longer Ninja Jordan she is OFFICIALLY ......DRAGON Jordan *to note Uncle Josh you may want to rethink the ninja nickname you have been enjoying for the past year

and of course because today is Saturday, I had church and I had volunteered to Usher because one of the others was sick so I picked up an extra day

so i got word on Friday that my very casual and cool Saturday night service was going to be suspended due to a shrinking budget and they hoped that people would absorb into the Sunday services... Normally that shouldn't matter..It should be an easy choice..pick a new option

but somehow i felt a certain kind of way..i cannot quite put a finger on it..there was never a question of would i look for a new church, i LOVE my church, it feeds me in a way that no other church has

saturday service is relaxed...saturday service is very come as you as...and as someone described it tonight...the sunday service is very Loudoun County and all the things you think about the wealthy and often snobby area

i dont know if i was having angst just because of the "change" and something new and different and when i am not given a choice but a decision is made for me..

and while i cant take it personally because as Pastor Jim explained tonight it was a very tough decision....initially i did and i felt a moment of panic

but as the voice of reason sank in...talking to my Mom and talking to the head of some of the ministries i am involved in, i realized that my love for the church left me with only way to go...either 9am or 1045 am service!!!

soo sometimes in the midst of our easy breezy existence sometimes a change comes and we just have to trust in it and the bigger plan
and while this change is small and maybe doesnt seem overly personal...

i dont think every change has to be EPIC and every change may not be earth shattering to have some type of bigger plan element in it


so on this saturday i just want to say embrace change

embrace it when its easy
embrace it when its wanted
embrace it when its tough
embrace it when you want to kick and scream
embrace it when you can see the bigger picture
embrace it when you lack clarity and control

sometimes the best adventures and best life's plans occur not always when we are checking our perfect list and accomplishing items on them

sometimes the best chapters in our life come from the left when we were looking right

sometimes the sweetest moments in life come from when we eyes wide open took that first step and then the next

sometimes the happiest seasons are the ones when we looked up and looked out and without anything but faith and prayer just
simply
embraced
change

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

In the words of Alexander

and his Terrible, Horrible...No good, VERY BAD DAY....

I vehemently concur !!!

I didn't write yesterday and then today I was actually kinda busy at work AND I had an abbreviated day so I didn't get a chance to ummm well take my normally allocated "personal time" we shall call it :)

So my morning started off pretty swell and even though I was anticipating a boring 2 hour meeting, I was NOT prepared for the extent to which that meeting would draw on and draw out and really get under my skin especially at the end when I had finally made it to the two hour mark when the meeting was due to be over and people kept talking, people kept talking as if someone else was not waiting for our conference room, people kept talking as if they had ALL day, people kept talking as if 2 hours was NOT enough to cover the material, people just KEPT talking... if you have not guessed by now, it really got under my skin and it's now been added to my pet peeves list and other poor office etiquette list.

moving on.....

the rest of my day was great and dare i say productive :)

I left early to go get my little to have some allergy tests run ...soooo i was told it was simply going to be like scratches on the back and that is what Jord was prepared for and i was prepared for a quick n easy visit to the office...welllllll that is NOT QUITE what happened

after she's in my lap the doctor pulls out the first panel of allergens and there must have been 8 on each panel and into jordan's skin she presses and THE SCREAMS and THE TEARS began and the look of horror and that she had been lied to was written all over her face....NOT COOL

be honest with me and my child so we can be prepared and not go into a situation like that expecting a walk in the park
so then we sat and within 5 minutes we learned that our puppy that we were picking out would not be coming this year...as i watched her back puff up and the doctor immediately said oh yea she's got some allergies and some of them are at the full level of allergy


sooo we finished and then I GOT THE BILL....ok im still too salty to even write on this...but lets just say in the past 2-3 months on my daughters health I have paid around $5,000

now let me STOP right now and say I am blessed and I am not complaining because I am so VERY fortunate to be in a position to not have to choose between my childs health and other bills or not be able to have my child feeling better, so I know that is only God continually providing for me

I just wasnt expecting another bill today, but alas moving on

that was a quick lull before heading to teacher's conference which turned me into a ball of tears in awe at my baby who will officially be a kindergartner soon, they say don't blink and i try not to but my baby is a legit BIG girl...and a Big girl whose teacher feels is exceptional and so very ready for this next stage...i guess mommy just has to get there

sigh ...just...sigh

Jordan: "Mommy do you know what will make me feel better and forget about the shots"
Me: "What Jordan?"
Jordan: "Duck Donuts!!!!"

Me:*blank stare-drives truck to Duck Donuts*

Finally we return home and Im thinking I just want to get in and curl up in my robe, BUT before I can get to my safe spot I close the garage and while my truck was in, I was not in ENOUGH oh and what happens....yup the garage door comes down on my front...and because i miscalculated..I hit the button two more times before I realized I needed to back up more.....

sooo now at 744 pm i am finished a blog, from my couch, in my pink robe, and shortly is bed time , not just for my 4 year old but for me....lights out, melatonin wasted-lol

because today has BEEN A DAY...I won't say Terrible Horrible NO GOOD  and VERY BAD but

there were highs and there were lows...I embrace the lows because after the lows follows a high and i can appreciate the highs more because of the lows BUT from a place of honesty I am looking forward to crawling in my big king size bed and letting my 4 year old crawl in as well and then sweet dreams

Monday, May 9, 2016

Magnificent Monday in May

That sounded like the start of a Dr. Seuss book!


Well folks here we are again, the start of another week


what does that REALLY mean


do you start your week on Sunday like a calendar week or do you consider your week to begin on Monday when businesses and work resume


just a thought


do you begin your week with grand plans and ideas...eating better, getting more sleep, exercising, being nicer, better attitude


how does that work out for you?


if you stumble on Monday at 8:55 do you think say the week is shot or do you say tomorrow is a new day, a new chance, a new beginning


do you wait for BIG resets or do you look at each day or each moment as a chance to course correct and begin again


my two cents


why wait for the big reset


why wait until NEXT week


why wait until LATER


if you have a bad day of eating you can always get back on track for the next meal


or you can own it and say today is just NOT the day


I think part of the WHETHER TO CORRECT NOW OR LATER has to come from compassion and understanding AND also are you holding yourself to YOUR standard or someone else's


while that only applies to some situations, I think it applies to many


As I look at the many influences in the world today


I think we place unrealistic expectations on how we should be, what we should be, and what we should be doing


we look around at others to gauge our success or often times what we deem as failures


instead of realizing maybe just maybe we are all doing the best we can do at that very moment


how does that tie in with the why wait or wait...


well I think my point was just to say on this Monday no matter where you are no matter how you feel
whether you had a Monday and were on "fire" as Jord likes to say or whether you are counting down til its wine o'clock


just take it in stride...later may be better..tomorrow may be better too..just know this moment does not define you and if the moment is AMAZING ride that energy as long as you can and when you find yourself in a low energy moment think back to that HIGH and put a smile back on your face











Monday, May 2, 2016

Blog-a-licious

well its Monday so I better pump out some thoughts, some ideas, something lol

so i am sitting here with my "opportunist" 4 year old...its storming out and of course to ensure she gets cuddles and a night of sleeping with mommy she has planted the seed of being afraid and "not wanting to sleep alone" Toddler WIN..Parent LOSS

my funniest moment of the day...my darling adorable nieces were apparently having the best day with their day and he had a totally new appreciation for how hard his wife works daily with them

i can JUST imagine the voice of my 3 year old niece who is incredible smart and vocal..I can picture her giving her Dad instructions and her opinion because that is what granddaughters of educators do..they are smart and smarty pants-y

speaking of free entertainment...my child post shower tonight has her pajamas shorts hiked so far that it cannot be comfortable AND she has her undershirt tucked in..hmmmm  and while i type she is singing "winner winner chicken dinner"...note to self do not teach her anymore annoying sounds or sayings


as this impending Mother's Day..I just have a whole new appreciation for my Mom and all of her love and support and prayers to make me who and what I am today ..


short blog but hey something is better than nothing :)