quick Tuesday Blog

I promised Smith I would put out a blog today, so even though I had a topic and forgot it, I do have another ...

I may have already touched on this subject BUT it never gets old and it never changes

todays subject is OPINIONS and ADVICE

so in my current state of being pregnant as well as looking to relocate EVERYONE has an opinion

on the pregnancy...everyone and I do NOT mean my mother or anyone in my close circle I am talking random strangers or people I work with....everyone seems to feel quite comfortable in sharing what they WOULD or WOULD NOT do if they were me and here is the bottom line you are NOT me

i will consult my mom or heck even if I come TO you and ask for advice that is different but the urge to just spill and share and be oh so forceful with your opinion....well all i have to say is BLAH BLAH BLAH

on the topic of relocating...sometimes i appreciate hearing others opinions on areas because I am NOT all knowing BUT if you offer your constructive advice, offer it and drop it...i DO NOT want you to continue to harp on it or make faces or continue to say things like I WOULDNT LIVE THERE, YOU SHOULD LOOK ELSEWHERE, IT'S NOT NICE....etc etc

#1-i asked for your opinion BUT i didnt need all the extra, to just say HEY IT WOULD NOT BE MY FIRST PICK, or YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF would suffice.....

especially considering if i have thought about an area I CLEARLY have done my homework,,.for big decisions I am THOROUGH if nothing else

i have been there done that with youthful indiscretions and making impulsive decisions

NOW I do my homework and I plan

and back to the baby thing...the DC metro area is CRAZY well the cost of daycares and i do not BEGIN to pretend to know any other family's finances SO once again HOW DARE you try to rationalize with me that $1900 a month for an infant "ISN'T BAD CONSIDERING" ...considering what...considering you dont have a kid yet ...or considering you dont know what my finances are

OMG

so maybe i am annoyed with most of the world that i dont love ...and i dont mean to say that in a mean way BUT people have some AUDACITY that normally I would just roll off my back but today I had to take the time and vent and express my true thoughts on people's opinions ....

i guess like my dad says...opinions are just like.............................EVERYONE has one

if someone is your friend/loved one...i think you know how to gauge the sharing of your thoughts and any soapboxing... if someone is a stranger and not about to endanger you..just SHUT UP

--

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her."  - Maya Angelou

 

oh neglectful me

Man...I did not realize it had been quite so long since I had last posted

For that i say ...sorry

so today i am highly distracted but focused on culinary creations and fabulous food

being as though i do not want to take responsibility for any of this...i shall first blame josh

he turned me on to the idea of "blogs" and has forced me to utilize the internet in ways beyond shopping....so now how do i spend my free time
perusing the net for food and recipes and of late salivating over our food blog..which has other blogs linked to it

i have always appreciated Paula Deen and Ina Garten and Diners Drive Ins and Dives and most of FOODNETWORK.com

growing up in my house has left me with an unmistakably keen sense of appreciation for good food and even better home made food..

my buds have been tweaked over the years to recreate recipes and flavors that I imagine or see

but back to josh...he encourages and motivates me to stay on this path of delectable delights and i just know if i ever become Obese

it will be more his fault than mine

now that i am carrying my little one in the womb....i think Lil Crumpy too is refining their taste buds and can appreciate and desire some of the finer quality meats and cheeses...Lil Crumpy likes when Mommy reads the latest edition of Bon Appetit magazine or when Paula Deen starts to speak

Chargrilled Parmesan Oysters you say!!!

anyhow-the point i was trying to make is there is NOTHING like good food....

good food can make the day all better....good food can make you forget about the BS of the world

food is a bonding area.....it's an area for Josh and I we have certainly grown closer over

sharing ideas...sharing photos of creations


check out our food blog...PIEDMONTPHOODIES on tumblr.com

i dont think you will be disappointed in our ventures, ideas, and passion







--

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her."  - Maya Angelou

 

been so long

i have been turning into a Josh and neglecting my beloved blog....this used to be a huge source of release and peace during my day at work but lately as with most situations..we are in the Easter or new season of BS...and as a result I have been left with little time to surf the net, write a blog, or any of my other daily musings...

so whats been up with me....hmmmm just the usual...work work...and missing family

now i have some family who are not even blood or legal relation but are FAMILY and some of them are the ones i miss the most

here in DC...its me and Devon and Bella and a handful of close friends but i crave and miss that familiarness and close knit family

i think of all the places i would love to move...Chicago, Michigan, Ohio, even Minnesota (although that idea was quickly shot down by a former resident) but to me happiness will be achieved when I am within an hour 2 tops of FAMILY

i sometimes wonder what it would be like if i lived closer to say Josh....as fun and dreamy as that would be...Im pretty sure Josh would find me clingy and annoying and we'd revert back to High school days AND in the meantime we would both be obese

then again...and maybe because i am a dreamer....i watch shows like the Kardashian and despite the hype and EVERYTHING and EVERY reason that some choose to not like them..the one thing you cant deny is their closeness

another classic family like that is the SMITHS...the bond between the sisters is FIERCE...I would love to have that with my sibs ...regular visits...being a part of each others daily lives.,.,even my Dad's siblings...they are ALL in the same city and they have each other's backs...the SMITH prior generation...once again all the Aunts are in the same area with the exception of one who is like an hour away

to have that support to have that strength beyond all else..is WOW

next topic..the ROYAL WEDDING....so my question is WHY is the world SO obsessed!! Don't get me wrong I do read my fair share of LIFE AND STYLE and PEOPLE magazine BUT i dont feel my world revolves around WILL KATE WEAR HER HAIR UP,, WHO IS PERFORMING AT THE CEREMONY, WHAT DRESS WILL SHE WEAR , HOW WILL IT COMPARE TO DIANA's

dont care dont care dont care

and for the slightest bit of caring im sure when i go to the grocery store on saturday or sunday i can quickly  peruse and be updated CASE CLOSED

well tomorrow is FRIDAY...how will YOU make this weekend different from the last...what will YOU do to make it better...WHY wouldnt you create a new memory

DO those around you KNOW where they stand in your life???? if not ...why

the tornados and storms last night force me to end with this thought and i am not on the soapbox-josh..BUT 

material things, tangible things....what is their value in our life VS the people who we spend our time with

the people we say I LOVE YOU to..the people who are there on a bad day AND a good day

the people we wake up next to or dream about

how do THOSE real life people compare to those other things, activities, and commitments

if we are too absorbed with the spa and the wheelings and dealings of others and extracurricular activities

you may just be missing out on life and memories that will ultimately mean the most

i would hate to wake up and be 80 and say i wish i had more time...more time with those i love...because im sure it wouldnt be more time with a tv 

--
april janelle

Sunday sentiment

Sitting here outside the spa about to go indulge but I was just overcome by the feeling and emotion of how small I am in this world and yes my loved ones think I'm funny and other things but what is my bigger contribution...what am I doing in this world to make it a better place ...do I have any selfless contribution to the world ..to the next generation that appears hopeless....we can walk around existing....but i want more...I want to leave footprints...positive ones....maybe its my other halfs impending birthday and feeling like the world is so much bigger than me and us n...sigh

aj

Black Colleges

this blog goes out to anyone who has experienced the joys and headaches of a HBCU

I attended Hampton (the REAL HU) for a year and a half before my mass exodus back to the crisp mitten of Grand Valley....

part of the reason for the departure was Josh would be leaving VA the next year and I didnt want to be left alone in VA..yes yes..i have attachment disorder BIG TIME

However...Hampton is touted as one of the premiere HBCUs and with a price tag to go with it...BUT despite all that there were ALWAYS some MAJOR hiccups and road bumps along the way

From standing in the financial aid line because they lost paperwork of mine and didn't have me enrolled to roommate issues 

memories i will NEVER forget and I can say that I know Tuskegee U has similar "Fun times"

So my DH attended the fabulous FAMU..."GO RATTLERS"....so as we approach the birth of Lil Crumpy I decided Lil C needed a bit of mommy and a bit of Daddy!!!

On 4/06 I ordered a adorable FAMU onesie for Lil C and one from GVSU my school

by 4/11 the GVSU-all the way from Allendale MI onesie and hat had arrived and yet the FIRST onesie i ordered from FAMU is STILL as of 4/16 is nowhere to be found

This might surprise some BUT not me...i feel that maybe i should have ordered the FAMU onesie when i got a positive blue line

hopefully it will be here before Lil Crumpy comes

All I can do is SMH

--
april janelle

WTH

OK so I promised no more serious blogs so I will TRY to keep this one light

 

I am doing a combined blog today ..my regular blog and my pregnancy blog….I think this is an issue that straddles both worlds

 

All of my life I have been a certain size…when I diligently worked out I was a small sleek size 2 and in later more lazy days I am a plump size 4…and I am ok with it…as long as I float between those two and not climb to higher numbers

 

I attribute that to good genes…as my bestie says some people have it..most people don’t

 

There are some folks who are cursed with a metabolism and body type that requires heavy cardio daily

 

Josh and I have been blessed with the opposite

 

Josh got more of the  naturally thin gene as did my cousin Charles and Roderick which is a crying shame because they are men…hell make them go to the gym, they will never have to birth a baby…even my dad who SIMPLY cut out ice cream is looking thin and trim as I don’t know what

 

Now I understand at 5 months pregnant I should NOT be worried about my weight

 

Not in a EAT WHAT I WANT kind of way which I make a point to NOT do..BUT I am by no means on a diet

 

On to my POINT

 

I have gained 15 pounds thus far…and before anyone sucks in air..my doctor said I am doing really good and NOT over gaining or going crazy, so that makes me feel better and I am trying not to dwell on it BUT

 

As someone who even on her worst day wasn’t over 140…..carrying 15 EXTRA pounds-OMG!!!

 

Let me tell you

 

I do not know how people do it…I don’t say this in a mean way but 5 pounds I could see the change..10 pounds I could not avoid the change and 15 pounds…I FEEL THE POUNDS

 

I do not know how the average person continues to gain…I am very in tune with my body and I PROMISE you..my body aches …my knee which was already bad..I can feel it MORE

I creak  and I can feel it in my back…honestly I can feel it everywhere

 

Which really got me thinking how overweight kids do it…how obese adults do it

 

Working out may not be fun and it may not be trendy amongst all but if it prevents me from feeling like this…I won’t find another excuse to miss the gym

 

Now like I said before I am able to not fully give to the gym and I can manage that through healthy habits and such and maybe moderate exercise but right now with this unavoidable gain

 

 

I want to warn EVERYONE..do not gain weight if you don’t have to..if you are pregnant FINE

Otherwise get up off your ARSE and sweat and there is a cardio for everyone

 

I’m sitting here at my desk now and my BACK hurts

 

WTH

 

If I had an extra 50 or 100 pounds on my frame….I wouldn’t make it

 

Sigh…anyhow…just wanted to share…..it’s amazing to watch my body grow and grow for a cause versus just growing

 

Not to be graphic but now my belly kinda eclipses all else so I can’t imagine not being able to look down and see whatever it is I want to see on a normal day

 

I recognize my state is temporary but it has given me a totally new perspective on the world of gaining weight and being round

 

 

 

 

 

quick shot out

I want to quickly acknowledge my city and i know it is going through a tumultuous time right now BUT i have faith my city will once again be strong and rebuild itself out of the ashes like a MIGHTY PHOENIX

so instead of focusing on the negative ..let's do all we can to focus on the positives and all the great things the city DOES have to offer

Slows

Union Street

The Whitney

Marios

Pizza Papalis

Greektown

The Anthenium (sp)

Coneys

Faygo

Better Maid

Wayne State

PURE DETROIT

MADE IN DETROIT

just to name a few

but here is an article i came across with some things made in Detroit that maybe you didn't know about

Top 10 Made in Detroit Products

Not Including Music and Cars

Many people may not realize it, but Detroit has produced more than just great music and cool cars. There are tons of products that we use everyday that are made in or near Motown. Here is just a brief listing of them.

1. Better Made Snacks - Makers of chips and other snacks. They are located in the heart of Detroit right on Gratiot (and if you're not from Michigan, you 

 probably don't know how to pronounce it.. Gra-shit)

2. Carhartt - Anyone who works outside in the winter cold will recognize this name. They are most known for their brown coats and overall, but they are also available in many other colors. Carhartt also makes jeans, shirts, hats, and other pieces of clothing. This company is headquarter in Dearborn.

3. Faygo - This is a cheaper pop. They have the usually cola and lemon-lime flavors, but also a whole other range of flavors not available in other brands such as Rock and Rye and Red Pop. This company is located in Detroit. A 2 liter usually sells for 0.99 or less. They are celebrating their 100 year anniversary this year.

4. Jiffy Muffin Mix - We've all seen these small little blue and white boxes down the isle at the grocery stores. They sell the nation's best selling corn bread mix. This company calls Chelsea, MI home.

5. Kowalski - This company is most known for its sausage. They also make other meats, cheeses, baked goods and spreads. Kowalski is located in Hamtramck.

6. Saunders - Just the name is enough to make your mouth water if you are familiar with it. Saunders Chocolate topping is one of the best! The have various chocolate, caramel, and other toppings for ice cream.

7. Little Caesars Pizza - Owner Mike Illitch and family started this company in Detroitand it has become a national pizza chain. The first store opened in Garden City. 

8. Stroh's - Depending on how old you are, this name could bring 2 different products to mind, beer or ice cream. Both come from the same Detroit company. Other beer products Stroh's make include Schlitz, Lone Star, Red River, and Old Milwaukee.

9. Vernor's - This company makes ginger ale and was the nation's first soda pop which was invented by a pharmacist.

10. Kellogg's - Best know for cereals such as Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies. Battle Creek is the home town to this company. Kellogg's celebrated their 100 year anniversary in 2006.

--
april janelle