Monday, October 31, 2011

Good Monday Morning... The Halloween Edition

Monday Morning... once again.

And it is COLD in the ATL... 41 degrees.

Funny. It doesn't feel that cold outside. And I can't really judge since I don't spend enough time outside when it is cold.

Fall is definitely here. You can tell by all the earthtone stuff in the stores. And then there are the pumpkins.




I took that picture at my local Whole Foods. If you look at the top right hand corner, some ballsy chick had jumped up on the display to get a pumpkin she wanted. I was waiting for her to fall and bust her behind. Luckily she didn't. And if she did, I was gonna snap a picture.

I don't celebrate Halloween. You won't see me getting all dressed up, or decorating the house. Never have, never will. To each his own. Not sure I've enjoyed too many holidays in general as and adult. We aren't big holiday family people. So Halloween is no different.

I give out some candy to trick-or-treaters, but that is about it. I already separted it out into bowls on the counter.





That bottom picture... What the heck is "Swedish Fish"??

I also have chocolate. I brought it to work and placed it in our stash place.



Can't put that out. It disappears instantly. Especially when I am not at my desk.

Interesting how grown folks act that way. Sheesh.

I put the cheap candy out on my desk...

Peppermints, speariments and tootsie rolls. Cheap candy. Lasts longer.

And I rarely eat any of it. (Well I like chocolate, but trying to get away from it.)

So that's it for my Monday morning rambles.

Man... I almost made it 31 days posting everyday. Messed around and fell asleep on Friday night without posting. Sigh. 30 out of 31 days was great... not bad at all. I especially like my Sunday Spiritual thoughts, even though I don't want this to be a spiritual blog. I can look back at all 4 sundays of the past month, and actually see that I was actively working on myself in that aspect.

Maybe I will extend the daily posting on out the rest of the year.

O_o

Not sure about that. But it has done my heart good indeed. And it is good when that happens... on purpose.

Have a great week, ya'll...

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sunday Night Thoughts and Scripture

Ah yes... alas, here we are... Sunday night, where I can list out my spiritual thoughts from the week...

This was a good week. I did a lot of things I need to do for my spirituality this week.

The most interesting thing that happened this week is that I had a good conversation at work with a coworker who has been a member of our church for close to 18 years. He's 50 years old, but I always thought he was joking because he looks like he's in his early 30s. I've always kidded with him that he's a vampire!

LOL!

(I know he had to be kicking the hard eyeroll, and going "This chick here is tripping.")

I didn't know we attended the same church. He seem to know. I think we talked about it before, but heck, I forgot.

But I got a chance to sit down and talk to the brother on Friday afternoon. Short convo, only about 15 minutes long. But I tell you, it was REFRESHING to talk to someone who isn't seeped in misery and negativity. I spend way too much time around that all day long, which accounts for my janky attitude at times. I got a chance to give my thoughts on a few things, and this dude really imparted some good advice and wisdom into my spirit. And it is good to talk to someone and just get their heart on a few things, what they are believing God for, and to discuss the last sermon we heard, etc. It was good to talk to someone who is focused on their personal spiritual growth. That's a gem to find these days. Trust, the "crowd" ain't thinking about that.

I know earlier in the week, I ran up on him about a particulary interesting sermon on last Sunday. He was sitting in a chair at his desk, typing on his computer.

"Man, was you at church last Sunday?"
"Oh yeah, oh yeah! I got the DVD! Sent it to my Mama!"
I grabbed his shoulder, shook his hand. "Could you believe that? That was something good!"
"Yeah," he said. "Already sent Mama the DVD."

LOL

That was funny. I think I've watched that sermon on the internet at least 5 times. I am doing my best to work up a few notes. I rarely buy recordings, but I went to church today (which is rare. I am a friday night church girl) and bought the DVD and the CD. It was something I needed to keep, and I am still working on my notes.

The sermon was on the triune being and understanding your own triune functionality. We are spirit, soul, and body... and it was about getting a crystal clear understanding of the functionality.
Interesting stuff. And it has been something I have been thinking on and working on all year in my personal time, and it was good to hear a sermon on it. And my pastor is the type to stay on a subject for a few months, really purging out and finding every scripture on the matter. So I am spending time with my concordance looking up a few things, and combining them with my notes.

So that was all a very good thing....

Verse of the week. I was discussing some issues with my online play mama, and I told her of a scripture I heard some 7 years ago that has stayed on my mind, and it especially helped me in my faith concerning my prayers. It was out of 2nd Chronicles. One of our assistant ministers was speaking about how his son was born a preemie, and was in an incubator, and how it was a scripture he stood on concerning his hope for his son to pull through.

2 Chronicles 20:9 KJV If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

2 Chronicles 20:9 MESSAGE 'When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—and we take our place before this Temple (we know you are personally present in this place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that you will listen and give victory.'

I highlighted what stands out to me. Actually it all stands out, but that part highlighted is the easiest thing for me to remember... and it gives me faith towards the fact that God hears when we cry out, and will help.

I find with many, when they haven't been praying about things (because that is the first thing I ask), it is always pointing back to some unbelief or not being sure that God hears... and will help.

I have struggled at times with that. But I always go back to this verse. And I, like many, have a long laundry list of prayer victories.

So we discussed that. A good discussion.

I usually like to look at about 10 different version of the same verse. The most interesting one I found was, pararaphrasing, "In our times of distress, we can pray, and You will hear and You will help."

Distress. You find out what you believe in times of distress. You find out what you are made of in times of... distress.

That has been my meditation scripture of the week. I can write all day on it.

But I will spare you.

Jeremiah. Still reading through. I came across a much quoted verse. I loved reading it in context of what is going on in the book. But I think you will recognize the scripture. I am posting up the Message Version.

Jeremiah 29:11 "... I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out- plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you home for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for Me, you will find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed. God's decree. I'll turn things around for you."

That's is one heck of a faith filled verse. Goodness. And to read it in context was great. The jankiness of the people in the book of Jeremiah is paramount.

I love that verse. It helps me remember that I am on God's mind.

Joyce Meyer's Living Beyond your Feelings.This is a fantastic book. I have it on my phone via my kindle app. So I can highlight and save the parts I want to remember and go over later.

I am on the chapter on forgiveness, which I must admit that I struggle with. This was an interesting passage out of that chapter.

I have learned that once I make a decision to forgive- to let the offense go and forget it- I must also stop talking about it unnecessarily. The more I pay attention to the offense, the more strength I give it. But if I ignore it, then it is easier to get over it emotionally.

Joyce Meyer gives a little insight into her own process. Looking at my own process, it made good sense. You know if I am harping on something, I am mad, and I am struggling to forgive. If I ain't talking much about it, it's not really renting out space in my mind. And I've probably forgiven, and made my peace with it.

Something for me to think about indeed.

Song of the week. One i love when my choir sings it. It was good to come across it on Youtube earlier this year. I am glad someone posted it up.







That is Constance singing. She starts off soft and ends strong. Today at church she started and finished strong. Make me wanna yell "Sang that Song, Constance!"

That's my song I play in the mornings when I am all grouchy about going to work. Right before I go out the door, when I am packing my bags, and locking the house down.

Right before i say "Bye Oscar! You have a fine day, boy!"

LOL

Well, not bad for this week. Sorry for the long post. This could have been a 4 part post, couldn't it?

A lot on my mind. I must say that I spend a good 90% of my time pondering my spirtuality and growth.

I'm still working on the other 10%.

Nice to take a break from my tomfoolery...

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Saturday Seven

Shame on Me!

But I forgot to put up a post yesterday.

Normally, during the week, I tend to put up something at night.

But last night? I sent a few good-night texts....

And I was OUT like a light.

Sigh.

I was a sleepy Oldgirl. By Friday evening, I am worn out from a long week.

So today, I will do a Saturday Seven.

Seven things I wanna do, seven thoughts, seven whatever...

Potpourri!

1. I must crochet today. One of the most difficult things for me to do is to get a crochet project started. So that is what I will do today. For November, I want to finish my baby blanket project. Yes sir!

2. Chores, chores, chores! Chores all day today. Sigh. I had been doing great with my weekly chores, but goodness gracious alive, honey... It has been a busy week at work! Goodness! I need to switch up my strategy. I am pretty alert in the mornings, so I need to assign myself at least one chore for the morning.

3. Yardwork. I am currently awaiting a local to drop by and paint my porch rails and stain my porch. I must admit I was mean to him during the week. I told him LAST Saturday to come by on THIS Saturday. I needed to go buy supplies.

Why on earth did I come home Monday to my grass cut?







Looks mighty nice. Even my bushes are all trimmed up.

Sorry bruh... I will pay you on Saturday.

He has been coming by all week... making me madder and madder.


That first 30 minutes of my arriving home is decompression time. I don't want to talk to NOBODY. I just want to think about my day, and decide what I want to do with the evening. Talking to local folks just short circuits the cheese out of my process!

Yes I was mad. Yet it caused me to stop and think. It forced me to rein in that anger emotion. So yes, it was an opportunity for growth.

Yeah, I haven't seen him this morning. Fine.

You don't get paid until you finish everything. Have a blessed day! LOL

4. Reading. I have to read today. I am close to finishing up the book of Jeremiah. And I am 3/4ths of the way through Living Beyond your Feelings by Joyce Meyer. So some light reading is on my schedule today.

5. Prayer. That is already done for the day. I think that has been one of the best activities of my year thus far: to get up in the morning, before the sun even comes up and pray. Hands down, the best thing I have done for myself all year. Especially if I spend a good hour doing it. You wouldn't believe the answers and clarity concerning many issues in my life that I have received this year. I am so thankful for that.

6. My favorite picture of the week. One of that Original Oldcat, Oscar-Tyrone.





I took that right after prayer. He knows prayer time means get somewhere and sit down and have some quiet time of his own.

He looks less surley than usual. And that's a good thing.

Oscar-Tyrone turned 14 this month. Happy Birthday Oscar-Tyrone!

7. Television. Man, I need a good Lifetime Movie. I love Lifetime... television for women. But as the SNL skit a couple of weeks ago said... television for White women.



LOL!!!!! If you can't see that, then click this link.



Yeah... you learn from shows like Snapped, and virtually anything on Lifetime: White women got some issues, too.


Really though.


Well, that is my Saturday 7 for this Saturday!


Hope you are having a great weekend!!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Mattress Tales!

This post right here goes out to Ginae.

Because she has been waiting for my matress post!

Here you go, gal!

Anyway, I needed a new mattress set for my master bedroom. The old one was 10 or 11 years old, and it was time for a new one.

No, my old mattress wasn't some nice Sealy Posturepedic. I couldn't afford that back in 2001. I bought a matress set off a guy who was suppose to be an interior designer. A friend had told me about him. He didn't "look" like an interior designer. He looked like a red neck. I was living in New Orleans at the time, and LadyTee was visiting. He took us to a storage facility, to some storage slot.

Me and LadyTee were set to beat the cheese out of this dude if he was shady...

But...

He was an interior designer for real. And in his 20ft by 20ft storage unit, he had lovely mattresses and furniture. We had a fine time in there, looking around.

I bought a king size set with support rails for $400 bucks.

What a lovely deal.

Then we decided to get on out of there.

That stuff coulda been fenced. Mighta been hot.

And LadyLee is too cute for prison.

BUT. We bought it.

That's my story. The short story of my old matress. Good matress, but cheap.

Alas, time for a new one.

I didn't wanna do all this research about it. I just knew I needed something and how much I wanted to spend. That is all. If I laid on that sucka and it felt alright. Then cool. Let's roll with it.

So, I went down to the local mattress spot. Yeah, I did a little bit of looking around on the internet to get a thought or two about what I wanted and different prices. So I was just going to wander around the local mattress spot and see what I thought.

Interesting place. Especially when I walked in and saw $2000 matrresses.

I lay on them. And they felt okay. But uh, no. I wasn't trying to spend $2000 bucks. NOPE.

My goal was $700-900 dollars. I continued to follow the saleswoman around the store.

Lovely chick.She was a big girl like me.

We will call her "Sista Wanda".

Such a nice saleswoman. They taught her well.

Because she ran me over to those Tem.per.ped.ic memor.ary foam beds.



I didn't lay on them. I pressed my hand to them. I mean, they felt alright. I didn't get chill bumps from touching them.

I wasn't laying on NUTHING that cost $5000.


Oh it was cute. You can press the area around the wine glass, and the glass wouldn't fall over.

Cute.

Sista Wanda talked about it. She's a great saleswoman.

I had to tell her... "Look honey, if you hear tell of me having this mattress in my house, you can assume it fell off the back of the mattress truck. And I tied it to the top of my Mazda and took it home."

She had a look on her face that said "I can't wait to call all my friends and talk bad about you."

Not in the budget, babes!!!

And I have had friends over the years who have paid upwards for $3000 for a mattress set. They say it feels good. Real good. And i believe them.

Better feel good. But the Oldgirl was gonna pass...

Then she tried to sell me these interesting pillows.



I pressed my hand to it.

"They are coconut oil infused," Sista Wanda said. "Really nice."

I pressed my face to it. Inhaled hard. "Ooooh, that right there smell good."

Coconut oil. I like coconut oil. I use it on my natural hair.

I inhaled the pillow again. I could get with these. "How much are they?"

"$129.00," Sista Wanda said.

*ladylee letting out a holler and throwing pillow down like it's a rattlesnake*

"$129.00?" I yelled, my voice a good ten octaves higher than normal.

"Yes," she said.

I laughed.



"Yo homie, hold up. That's like, that's like for like a set of 4, right? 4 for 129?"

"No," Sista Wanda said, lovingly as if talking to a small child in danger of having a temper tantrum. "They are $129.00 each."

I smirked. "Honey, if you hear tell of me having those pillows, you know I stole them... Out of somebody's house."

Sista Wanda had that look on her face again. One of difficulty and confusion. Like she was searching her mind for the training on how to properly deal with fools who walk in the store.

"If I pay all that type money for a bed and accessories, I better be spending 18 hours in that bed!"

"Come on, now," Sista Wanda said. "Nothing like a nice bed."

I am sure that is true. But for $5000 dollars for the bed and $130 pillows, I better be spending 18 hours in that bed...

With a man, some liquor, some BBQ ribs...

and a bag of weed.

I'm just saying.

That is all.

Needless to say, she left all that alone.

I kept gravitating over to a cheaper memory foam set. It was on sale. It felt really good.



I lay on a bunch of beds and I liked it best. That low price probably made it feel very good.

That is a queen set. The king set was $150 dollars more.

I bought both. Really because I could get them both delivered for one fee. I was a little miffed at the delivery fees. So that was best for me, since in a perfect world I wanted 2 mattress sets. I plan on moving upstairs sometime soon.

And there they are in their rooms.

Upstairs bedroom.



I rarely go upstairs. I live downstairs. Upstairs was my sister's domain before she moved out in June 2010. I'd been meaning to get up there, but was lollygagging. After getting a few things done to the bathroom and cleaning up up there... I have to say that I like it... Feels like I have a second house!

Here is the bed in the downstairs master bedroom.

I hang out downstairs more. I am trying my best to break in both beds.

I covered both sets with waterproof covers. Sista Wanda was trying to sell those to me too, for $119 per set. Uh no. She left me alone.

(My sister later hollered. "Girl you can get the mattress covers for $25 dollars at Wal.Mart!!"

She was right.)

I LOVE the new mattresses. Memory foam is the bomb. That is all.

Get yourself a good high thread sheet set and it is ON!

I did more research after buying the beds. (I know. I am backwards). You can get away with buying a cheaper bed, and then go buy the memory foam mattress pads. Not the same thickness, but I think it would work. Memory foam mattress pads are aroung $200. After adding everything up, I did okay.

But I got two nice mattresses, with about 4 inches of memory foam, for about $1400 bucks total. You cannot beat that.

Sista Wanda is the bomb. She worked in some friends and family jazz, etc... Hooked me up for buying 2 sets. (Maybe she didn't, and that's what she told me. Once I started whining about buying 2 sets, she started jumping down on the prices).

I have had the sets two and a half months. I love them. I am sleeping better. No strange pains when I wake up...

And that is all I can ask.

I am satisfied.

Yes indeed.

Well, Ginae... and blog fam in general... that's my illustrious mattress post.

I hope you enjoyed it!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Crochet Projects

I have been crocheting a little lately.

Not as much as I would like, but crocheting nevertheless

I love crocheting. We are living in a time when everything is high tech. I like to skip all that and make things with my hands, do something homemade. It takes patience, time and care to do so.

And I love it.

Recently I worked on a blanket for a baby girl. My blog bruh 12Kyle and his wife recently welcomed little Skyler into the world. He wrote the most WONDERFUL post about this new venture as father to his daughter on his blog entitled the father/daughter bond.




I like it. All pretty and girly.

I like baby blankets. Those take about 30 hours give or take a little. I'd never made one like this before (made for a girl). I've made 2 or 3 for boys, substituting the pink for the blue.

I am about to make one for my new nephew, little Dillon or Devon, due in January. It's going to be like the one above, but less stripey. 80% blue body, with green and white ripples near the ends. I have the yarn and I hope to work on it for the month of November.

I keep forgetting that a baby's due date, even though given, is an estimate. I finished this blanket on October 1st. Little Skyler was due in October. So I was on time, right?

NO.

Kyle's wife had the baby around September 26-28th. I don't know when, but it was NOT October. Humph. I went over to his twitter page looking for his email addy so I could get his street addy, and there he was holding a baby.

*lee throwing self out of window*

I snapped at a couple of people for not telling me. UGH.

I finally got around to mailing the blanket some 2 weeks late. Lawd help me! CP time is something else!

Next project, a big blanket.



This one has been laying around, half done for the past 3 years. I've taken it out and draped it on the couch. I suppose if I keep seeing it, I will work on it.

We'll see how that works out...

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

35 Years

35 years.

35 years ago.

35 years ago TODAY.

No, it's not my birthday. My 42nd birthday is coming up.

I wish I could see 35 again.

Not a birthday, but an anniversary of sorts.

Not a happy one... more of a shocking one.

35 years ago today... this happened.

The "Accident".

October 25, 1976.

Not much time goes by when I have thoughts about it. I wish I could not have thoughts about it at all.

But it's something that stays with me. A residue of sorts...

Baggage. Emotional Baggage.

I thought much about it during a Friday night sermon this past summer, given by one of our assistant ministers. He was talking about marital conflict.

And how emotional baggage starts in childhood. Something happens in childhood, and it carries over into adulthood.

Baggage. Big baggage.

I don't know. But as he talked about it, I agreed with his reasonings.

I remember looking around at people, wondering if they had emotional baggage like mine.

I think much about it when watching the news, and it is reported that a woman and child were killed by an abusive boyfriend or husband. It stirs up some old dormant pain that I've swept under a rug laying in the back corridors of my mind.

And I think about it every time I see my mother's reset collar bone. Or the scar from where her jaw had been sliced open.

She never talked to me about it. Life just went on, like nothing ever happened. I don't even think she cared that it was the start of a rip in our relationship...

A relationship that no longer exists.

All my years, after that happened, I have kept an eye on her. At a young age, I knew I couldn't trust her to keep me out of harms way. I always kept an eye on my brother and sister, listened for any sign that Mama's men were trouble.

It pains me to this very day to see a child in a situation where there is conflict in the home, and they are just there... can't leave, can't do anything but watch what goes on...

They can do nothing but watch, and pack their own set of baggage.

It pains me something awful. My pain turns to insidious anger.

And that's not good.

Children see things. They think about things. They ponder... deeply.

But I must tell you. Anytime I get depressed or down on myself, I think of that night.

That night, 35 years ago.

I didn't die that night. My mother didn't die that night. We survived. And we are still here.

I am still here.

And it gives me hope.

I am still here, some 35 years later.

I am still here, right here, right now...

For a reason.

For a purpose.

Even though I can't tell you why... i can't see the reason or feel it at that time, when I am feeling down... I can't hold the reason in my hand, can't feel it, can't smell it or touch it. Can't physically detect this reason.

All I know is: I am here... still here, for a reason.

So.

35 years.

35 years ago.

35 years ago today.

A terrible thing happened.

35 years later.

I am thankful that I am here.

That I simply... am.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Monday is Here

Monday is here.

Once again.

And it is the 24th day of October. The days are no longer brutally hot, but cool and crisp. I'm still trying to get use to these low temperatures.

It is 57 degrees in the ATL right now.

Cool. And I am still looking for my jackets. They must be outside in the garage. Sigh.

My energy bill has been low for the last couple of months. I used some of that extra money to open another account. And that is a good thing.

I am off today. I was up until around 2:30 in the morning. I'd been texting, then I got the bright idea to do some writing, and things flowed. I awoke at my usual 6, said my prayers and went back to bed. No way I was going to work. So I called in. I'm tired and I'm not feeling 100%. No way I'd make it through a full workday. So I called off.

And I am glad I did. I would much rather go in later, but management has issues, and I am not in the mood.

So today I am off. And waiting for this medicine to kick in. Nothing worse than a splitting headache.

My Weekend. Wow. It started off emotional. The latter couple of days of last week were not good. Some things went down that I am soooo angry over. And shoot man, it didn't have anything to do with me. I notice with myself over the years that I get a bit beside myself when I have to stand on the sidelines and watch people go through something.I am so bothered by it. I wish I wasn't so empathetic.

But this time was different. I was mad. Beyond mad. Straight up pissed. I like going to church on Friday nights, and I think that would've have done me good, but I was just angry and wanted to be alone. My sister called on Friday night, and we talked about a few things. I did my best to keep the angry tinge out of my voice, and I don't think she noticed. (If she did, she didn't say).

I am reading Joyce Meyer's book Living Beyond Your Feelings, and one of the core themes of the book is that we should manage our emotions and not let our emotions manage us. So needless to say, I recognized that I was being managed by this internal anger, and I needed to snuff that negativity out.

So I woke up Saturday morning, somewhat hopeful, things still heavy on my mind. And I spent some time praying about things on my heart. That brought some much needed peace, even though I was still miffed. I was excited that day because play Mama would be in town and I would get to see her and her family, if only for a brief time.

I woke up and baked cookies and made up little gift bags. That was fun. (You should know by now if I meet with you, I come with simple gifts, lol). I met up with her for lunch, and that really really lifted my mood. They are a fun bunch of peeps. So I am glad of that.

The rest of the weekend was pretty nice. Lots of relaxation. Church was GREAT. We are on some subject matter now that had me O_O. I suppose because it is something that I think about often right now, and it kind of brings everything together.

And that's a good thing. A VERY good thing indeed.

So my week gets off to a better start, better than last week ended.

I am happy for that.

Anyway, look out for more posts this week.

Where is Ginae?

*lee placing hand above brow, squinting, looking off into the distance*

That mattress post is coming up. Gotta get all the pics loaded. But that's on queue for this week, hon. I ain't forgot about you.

And I owe people some cookies. No, I haven't forgotten about you. It's just that I don't mail chocolate chip cookies in 100 degree weather. They melt and you will have a hot mess on your hands.

And I can't have ya'll talking trash about me.

So if I owe you cookies, then you should hear from me concerning addresses. And if you've gotten them from me before, don't come round wanting more. Postage costs are high. I'm thinking more now of people who I have promised cookies to. I will take care of the rest of you later.

You heard me?

I thought you would.

This is going to be a great week.

We woke up this morning. We are breathing. The blood is still running warm through our veins.

That in itself should not be taken for granted.

That in itself makes it a great week... automatically.

I'll let you think on that one...

Have a great week... on purpose.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Sunday Night Thoughts: Motivations

Here I am again...

Waiting allll day to post. Finally posting at night.

Gotta get it in before midnight, yo.

So I'm wondering, if I took time to sit down and write for 30 minutes or so... what would be my immediate thoughts?

Hmmm....

I heard an interesting sermon on television this morning, by a minister that my Aunt likes, who has a church on her side of town. It was mostly about motives. Not a day goes by over the past few years that I don't stop and spend a moment thinking about my motives.

Motives are the everything. What motivates one to do what one does?

He gave an example of a man doing something for a woman and her children, like purchasing something they need. He could be doing it out of the love in his heart, and wanting to be a blessing, to be helpful. That's a good motive. However, if he is doing it with the angle of using it later on to manipulate that woman into getting something out of her, then what should be a good thing turns into something bad. Bad motives are involved. It is ulterior.

And the minister got over into manipulation and how that is a red flag for bad motives.

I myself can make a list of folk who I know have bad motives. And the shocker is that it is normal for them. You know the ones, the ones who run up on you when they want something. Oh they are nice, but nice for a reason. I have to keep my face from scrunching up when they come my way.

They don't care about me. The sincerity they display isn't real. They just want something from me.

I have gotten in trouble with people many a time, when they get messed over.

"Girl, why didn't you tell me they were like that."

Because I thought "they" just had bad motives when it came to me. That is the assumption I always make. Might just be their behavior towards me.

Interesting.

Well the minister said something that I never thought of, but was true:

Love is the greatest motivator.

Doing things out of love is the greatest motive of all.

It made me think of myself, and why I do the things I do. My motive has been love, many times in the past. But for myself, when I do things for people around me, my motive has always been appreciation. Gratitude. I am always thankful for people.

And not necessarily for what they do for me. I don't too much care for "You do something for me, then I do something for you." Cool in some respects, but not my angle. I am genuinely grateful for the people who cross my path who help me to become a better me, who take time to be kind. I love people that I don't have to watch and wonder about. I am thankful for those who know they can trust me, in a world where it is hard to trust in general.

I am very grateful. And I want to make sure not to take it for granted, and show my appreciation.

I think that is my core motive for doing the things that I do. Yes, I continue to work on it. But I think it is a solid core to have. A good positive motive. And it allows me

Some people don't understand that. I take it serious. Last year was not a great giving year for me, when it comes to people. I was able to do a few interesting things, but not as much as I like. I have a certain percent of my salary per year that I spend on being a blessing to people. I was worried about this year. I did pretty well this year, and it's not even over yet.

More to do.

Now I have evaluated my motives for doing things in the past, and sometimes the motives are bad. I admit it. However, I am getting better and better at being totally honest with myself and pinpointing these bad motives, and stopping before going through with whatever. I find I really am getting better to listening to my spirit, and letting peace be my umpire.

The key phrase here is being totally honest with oneself... on why you are doing the things you do.

Any whiff of manipulation... well, we have a problem.

So that is what's on my mind this evening. That is what I learned today. Among a TON of other things.

Evaluating my motives, in light of what I heard today.... it gave me a chance to stop and look at my heart.

I am doing well... and I will do better with time.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Saturday Night Special

Posting late... on a Saturday Night.

Saturday night special.

A very special Saturday night.

I had NO idea what I wanted to post. But lucky for you, I went to the White People's Kroger last night.

I love the White People's Kroger. You know, it's the grocery store they built when all the white people moved back from the surburbs to the hood. Gentrification has it's perks.

Like the White people's kroger.

I saw some interesting things while shopping there, as always.

Like Gluten free flour.

When did they start making that? And why is it $5.99 for that little ol' box?



And the White People's Kroger has a FANTASTIC wine section. You know the wine section is the bomb when they put the whites on one side of the aisle and the reds on the other.

That's the first place I saw Bitch wine. Good stuff. Even though I rarely drink, I like to give it as gifts, since many of my friends are fond of the vine.

But while I was perusing the aisle I came to a section where wine was stored behind locked thick glass.

And there was an interesting note on the display: The White People's Kroger has a WINE STEWARD.

It took a minute for this to sink in. A wine steward. In the grocery store. Wow.

We can't be in the hood. Well, we were in the hood.

I was confused.

The wine steward was nowhere to be found. If he was... Trust. I was gonna talk to dude.

And look at the prices on that wine. Expensive. I pay $129.99 for a bottle of wine, I better git LIT.

And I am not sharing with anyone. That is not from the Farm called Boones.

Oh and there were signs that said the wine steward recommended a new wine.

Cupcake Wine.



Yes, Cupcake Wine.

Live Deliciously.

Nice slogan.

I have seen some interesting names of wines in this place. Bitch and Fat Bastard catch the eye.

But Cupcake...

That takes the cake.

LOL.

Ah yes... I never know what I will find at my friendly neighborhood white people's Kroger.

But you best believe I will have my camera phone handy...

Friday, October 21, 2011

Friday Freestyles... the Gaddafi Edition.

Yep Yep!

It is Friday! Once again!

Yep! Yep!

Can't wait for the weekend. No big plans, just happy to be OFF! This has been one heck of a week!

And...

Gaddafi is DEAD.





Look at him. He LOOK like he got some issues.

But he is sharp, though. He use to stay sharp. Can't deny that he was a heck of a snazzy dresser.

Well he is gone.


Captured and shot yesterday. Buried today. Wow.

They reported that he was hiding in a sewer drain pipe when they ran up on him.

YUK!

I tell you. Gaddafi's life preached that same sermon that Bin Laden's life preached to me.

You cannot plant apple seeds and expect to harvest a watermelons.

You sow apple seeds, you WILL reap apples. And plenty of them.

You reap what you sow.

And some of us have sowed some craziness. Better be hoping for some crop failure.

Really though.

What a heckuva ending to "Character Counts" week.

That is ALL.

*Lee reaches for Obama Church fan*

Oh my!

In my lifetime, I've seen major tyrant dictators eat dust.

Reminds me to walk in love. And if I ever get power, my character better be straight! Can't be wrecking people's lives, man. Nerp!

Because eventually my world will be rocked and wrecked.

This is going to be another weekend. I need to get out and do some things. My weekends are for decompression, relaxation, and getting my head straight to face another workweek.

It's almost too cold to leave the house. But I have to look into buying a coat or a jacket. I don't have one.

My play Mama will be in town this Saturday. I hope I get a chance to see her. Makes me want to spruce up the house, and go find a crackhead to paint my porch.

LOL!

She is only here for the day, and her schedule is full. I told her she can just drive by the house, she don't have to stop. I will just run along beside the truck.

Can you imagine?

Uh nerp.

Hope to see ya, Ma!!!

That's all for today.

Aren't you PROUD of me? I have posted for 21 days straight!!

*cartwheels*


10 more days to go! And you know what? I have more posts than I have days to go. Sigh.


But it has all been wonderful! Not a chore at all!

You have a GREAT weekend. On purpose!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Character Quotes for Character Week

It is National Character Counts Week!

How are you celebrating?

It's not like it's Christmas. But when I received a personal email from my President, I thought it must be important.

So we will celebrate here at the House of LadyLee.

*cartwheels*

This is my final post about it...

I wanted to post some of my favorite character posts.

"Character is what you know you are, not what others think you have.”

That right there is a "Don't fake the funk, ya chicken!" quote.

We as a society are deeply concerned about how we look to others. Making a big impression on people. Wanting people's approval.

But the painful question is, outside of all that, do you know who you are?

Or is the truth too painful to face?

Hmm.

“Everyone tries to define this thing called Character. It's not hard. Character is doing what's right when nobody's looking.”

You are who you are when no one is looking.

I do believe that. That ties in with the previous quote. We are concerned with going on with what people think of us. What do we think of ourselves, and what are we doing when we are our true selves, i.e., when no one is looking?

We are more likely to do shady mess when no one is watching.

And here is one of my favorite quotes. It is from Abraham Lincoln. I came across this one while working a cryptogram. One can learn some amazing things just from solving a simple puzzle.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”

So in a nutshell... if you want to test a man's character, give him some power.

We are always talking about how to handle adversity... how to go through hard times. But you rarely hear much about how to handle power correctly, when given it.

Power magnifies character. Now that could be good. Or it could be bad. Very bad.

Give a person power over a group of people. If that person has some confidence or self-esteem issues, you best believe they gonna treat people like crap. Yeah, I know from first hand experience. Goodness.

Money is equated with power. If I have a heroin problem, it don't stop if I win a million dollars in the lottery. I'll just grab a gang of ya'll, we fly to Hawaii, rent a penthouse, and we buy the finest heroin and shoot it up. I'll probably OD. Humph.

There are all kinds of examples in the field of politics. Look at the power struggles that go on...

And look at the extreme power tomfoolery... the power held by these dictators... these now DEAD dictators. They had a lot of power, and we saw some serious character flaws... and the affect it had on millions of people.

A person of good character won't abuse the power they have. They will use it for good.

A person of questionable character... you give them some power and they plotting on how to control and manipulate and God knows what else. Gotta watch jokers like that. They are the ones who leave carnage in their paths.

Sigh.

I suppose what I take from all that is...

Be confident in my package, i.e., who I am.

Be confident in who I am at the moment.

Be confident in who I am, independent of what other's think.

Take note of who I am and what I am doing when no one is looking.

Continue to work on my personal growth and character.

And you continue too.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Two Extremes: The Former... and The Latter

I like this poster...





Show Good Character by being Drug Free


You got that right, babes. Drugs tend to wreck character! Definitely a sign of bad character! For true!


Show good character by being caring, fair, respectful, responsible, trustworthy, and a good citizen.


Two Extremes, this good and bad character. One takes much work. The other doesn't.


Hmm.

So...

I received an interesting letter from our dear President proclaiming this week to be National Character Counts Week. We are encouraged to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs.

*crickets*

First time I've ever heard of this.

And I would go suggest to our illustrious stellar management that we should celebrate and talk about character this week, as our President suggests.

Not a good look. I would be wrote up for such... or worse, tossed out the window.

Character is just not all that important these days.

But we see it, and recognize it, each and every day.

I'm the type that notices the extremes.

On the one hand, you have people who wreck up other people's lives, and wreck up their own lives. I mean, when they step into your life, it's only a matter of time before everybody in the house- the family, the friends, the dogs, the cats, the goldfish and the cockroaches - are all out of sorts and their lives are turned upside down. And when they leave your life, mental, emotional, spritual, and even financial and physical carnage abounds... And you are left to pick up the pieces of your life.

Then there are people who are build up other people's lives, in addition to their own. When they step into your life, it's only a matter of time before everybody in the their immediate vincinity feels and does better... even thinks better. They are very aware of and in tune with what they need to change in their lives, and challenge themselves to do better. They are a blessing. And when they leave your life, you are a better person, whether it be emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically or even financially.

Two Extremes.

And I make note of it.

Now if you ask the former about themselves, even after all the disaster they cause, they will swear they are the perfect people. It is YOU that has the problem, not them.

But if you ask the latter, they are quick to let you know that it is important within their ownselves to work on their personal growth. To be a better person. They welcome any opportunities to grow, to learn, to help people. They don't consider themselves perfect, but are willing to do whatever it takes to sharpen their own rough edges.

Two extremes.

I want to be the latter. Be a blessing. Be useful.

It's not all about me.

It's not "What about me?"

It's more of "What about you? I can I be of help to you?"

Because if I am good to you, someone is going to come along my path who is good to me... and so on, and so on, and so on.

I want to be the latter... I stay away from the former...


I have a good ways to go. But I am headed in that direction.

What about you?

Monday, October 17, 2011

Monday!

Once again!

Man, this year is going by fast. Feels like it was just January.

Soon we will be hollering "Merry Christmas!"

And a Happy New Year!!

LOL

I am enjoying the cool temperatures. There is nothing worse than 100 degree weather. And it is humid in the ATL, which makes it MUCH worse. Ugh.

My Weekend. I didn't do much this weekend. Aunt Flo showed up on Friday night. Good grief. I think I managed to make it to Wal-mart, but that was it. I was wiped out afterwards.I am like the womens of the Old Testament: throw me in a tent on the outskirts of town in isolation, man. Ugh.

Anyway, I got much done around the house. I was a bit upset because I had other plans, but oh well...

I also watched the national news for a change.

Current Events. The whole Herman Cain surge in the polls is interesting. And that doesn't surprise me at all. I use to listen to his radio show for the past couple of years. It would come on the local talk station right when I was leaving work. I never listen to urban radio, so I either have a CD on, or a talk radio station.

Uh, they have been BEGGING that man to run for awhile. So I knew he had the support. Not sure about the whole 999 concept, but he explained it well on the Sunday news shows.

I like him, think he's a worthy candidate. But I don't think he can beat the Romney or Obama. Romney is congenial, says what everyone wants to hear. Cain says whatever, just like any black man over 65 does. And you can't do that in politics.

And it is a shame to say it, but you have to have BIG money to win these elections. He ain't got it. Combine that with running off at the mouth, being politically incorrect, and Cain has a hard road to go...

And what is this about this baby missing up in Ohio or Minnesota? You know the first thing we think: the Mama did it. Shoot man, I hope that ain't the case. I am SICK of that. Happens over and over. I hope that is not the case. It is not looking good for that Mama, though.

Food for thought. I went to church on Friday night. This one minister is doing a long series on conflict resolution in marriage. I'm not married, but it is very interesting stuff. One quote I found interesting:

You can make a promise or committment to do something, but it is your character that backs up that promise or committment.

Content of character is important. No matter how much you fake the funk... your character shows up eventually... for all to see.

I worry about that within my ownself... and it's why I work on my character daily. Difficult, because there is so much I need to correct. But at least I am cognizant of it.

It is truly important.

That is all for today. I have been blogging daily, and I am loving it! So stay tuned for a full, full week!

Have a good week! On purpose.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Sunday Thoughts and Scripture

I have a plethora of spiritual things that have been on my mind this week... and i will just list them...

Verse of the Week. I Peter 5:7 AMP Casting the whole of your care [all of your anxieties, all your wories, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

That has been my meditation and prayer scripture all week.

I am particularly focused on the words affectionately and watchfully. Those two words denote a high order of attention. And that is a good thing.

General Reading. I am usually perusing a book or two, and for the past couple of weeks, I've been reading Joyce Meyer's Living Beyond your feelings.

LOTS of interesting things in there. Lots. I have it on my kindle app on my phone, so I can highlight and save notes.

Some items of interest, concerning courage, which is a weak area for me:

Courage is said to be progress in the presence of fear.

I will be courageous and not let the emotion of fear rule me.

Knowledge without action is useless.

Jeremiah. Still reading the book of Jeremiah. I am on course to finish by the end of the month.

Verse of interest. Jeremiah 23:35 MES Instead of claiming to know what God says, ask questions of one another, such as 'How do we understand God in this?''

Interesting verse. More interesting is the mood and tone of the book right now, where there are many prophets in the land and they are competing. Soooo, the best way to do that is to tell the people what they wanna hear...

Hmmm.

That verse backs things up a step. Well, it appears to, to me. It endorses healthy discussion. Something that I like.

So those are my spiritual ponderings and learnings for the week...

New week coming up! Let's make it a good one... on purpose.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Good Saturday Morning!

Good Saturday Morning!

We serving up a good hot breakfast/brunch this morning!

I broke out the mandolin and shredded a potato... cut up some peppers and onions, and tossed it all on a hot griddle with a tablespoon of olive oil!



I let that fry up, and we have hashbrowns!



Homemade in my kitchen!

Feel free to join us at the House of LadyLee... It's BYOBS... That is, bring your own breakfast stuff. Like eggs, bacon, sausage, juice, or whatever it is you eat in the mornings...

We'll cook it all up for you!

Bring enough to share!

LOL!



Friday, October 14, 2011

Friday! Freestyles!

Friday!

Glory!

*Cartwheels*

And it's PayDay!

*multiple cartwheels*

Time to PARTY! Ball til we fall, ya'll...

Yeah right. How about we hit up the online bill pay and pay some bills?? That sounds like a winner to me!

A big weekend is NOT ahead of me. I am trying to lay it all the way down somewhere. This week has been busy and I am TIRED.

But I may go holler at Grandma. See what she got going on.

She know she can TALK! Wow.

But it is always interesting. And she likes to watch College Football. Not sure what is up with that.

Nothing much going on today. BUT last night I went to the Farmer's Market!

I saw two interesting vegetables...

Chinese Okra.




Okra as long and big as a human arm! Looks like okra on steroids!

And Indian bitter melon.



Looks like something from outer space! Interplanetary! Extraordinary.

Now I KNOW some of ya'll eat these wonderful vegetables on the regular!


Holla back with a recipe!

LOL

And finally here's a song on heavy rotation in the car. Definitely a Friday song!





I'm not sure why I have that on a CD of slow songs. Hmm.


I like it anyway! Reminds me of 1983!


You all have a good weekend!! On purpose!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Favorite Beats, Part I

Look at me...

Forgetting to post today. BUT I will be posting something.

Man, we have been SLOW all summer workwise. The new fiscal year come up and now we are busy as all get out. My feet are firmly planted in the air! Goodness!

I am posting, but got what I wanted to post today, but that's cool.

I wanted to post up one of my favorite beats. Just the instrumental. I like rap instrumentals. I can't really listen to much rap unless it is really old. I listen to too much, and I will be ready to open my Book of Cuss and bust a sucker upside the head with a brick, man.

And we don't want that, do we?

So here is one of my favorites...



My brother would fall out his chair if he heard this write now. When he was 11, he would holler "Play that rap song with the violins in it, Lisa!"

LOL

And it has one of my favorite rap lines

"Find another CHICKEN to jerk!!!"

I know that's right, honey. This chicken ain't having it. I might have to print that out and place it on my cubicle cabinet.

It reminds me soooo much of my final days in grad school. Xzibit's cassette tape was on heavy rotation while I was writing my dissertation. I went into my defense ready to tare something up if I didn't pass. LOL

My how time flies. Doesn't even feel like it was that long ago...

But it's still one of my favorite beats!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Repost: Food for Thought: Public self ("The Representative") vs. Private self ("The Real You")

There are often times that I am in deep discussion with someone and I have trouble explaining myself and/or getting my point across to them.

So I will often think about a post I wrote, and send them the link.

"You talk about EVERYTHING on that blog," I've heard many say.

Yes I do. In over 6 years of blogging, I can always find a topic... and send the link.

In a recent convo, around 2 ro 3 weeks ago, I was discussing with a friend the difference between "The representative" and "The Real You."

My hypothesis was...

"When you meet people, you meet their representative."

That touched off a discussion. And I sent a link to a post detailing such.

I've thought about it since then. And I really thought about it after I read a scripture in Jeremiah, which I posted this past Sunday. Very much indirectly related, but related nevertheless.

It's 3 years old and worth a repost.

So enjoy...



I am reading the most interesting book right now.

The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns, published in 1997. He has written numerous mysteries and thrillers, and he's also a poet, penning a fair amount of books of poetry.

Normally I wouldn't read anything with a title like this. There is nothing that would make me pick this book from a store bookshelf and buy it. I came across it while reading a writing craft book on plot and structure development. The book sited this book as one with a nicely written beginning. So I put it on my reading list. I 've had it for a couple of months, and decided to read it now.

This book starts out with a very detailed description of a terrible scene: three teenage girls found murdered in an attic, and their left hands are missing.

I was expecting this book to go on from there as a mystery, but it doesn't. Imagine the play Our Town gone astray. It goes back a few years and describes the thoughts and feelings of the inhabitants of the small rural sleepy town of Aurelius as one by one, these young girls turn up missing. The townspeople think that the killer is amongst them, and fear and suspicion spread like a virus. Everyone is suspiciuos of everyone else.

People look at each other in a new light.

The distinction between one's public personna and one's private life dissolves as a result.

This book is a very slow and psycological dissection and examination of that whole phenomena. I swear, this book is only 10% dialogue, yeat 90% exposition and thought. Normally that would drive me completely batty, but I find it all, I don't know the word... let's just say, deeply satisfying. Yeah, that's it.

Now, this isn't a book review, and I haven't finished reading the book. I only wanted to read the beginning, but I decied to read the whole book.

It reminds me much of my favorite book of all time, Tayari Jones' Leaving Atlanta, a fictional tale surrounding Atlanta's Missing and Murdered children in the late 70s/early 80s. It is, like, some long drawn out version of her book.

So, uh, you know I have to read it all the way through.

The story is narrated from the point of view of the local high school's biology teacher. I don't know why the author decided to do that, and I don't think much about him until some of the private details of his life start to unfold.

Then I read a passage at the title of Chapter 15, which stopped me cold, and is the subject of today's "Food for thought"

"Just as we are only aware of the surface parts of one another's minds, so are we only aware of the surface parts of one another's behavior. We see the polite part, the public part, and we can only speculate on what exists underneath. But usually if the surface part is conventional and well-mannered, we assume the rest to be also. Although what does that mean? How can we assume that a person's secret self is equally conventional and well-mannered? If the offensiveness of one's public self is created by fear, then it would seem possible that one's private self could be anything at all." (Church of the Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns, Chapter 15, page 127)


It amazed me that such a paragraph would be found in a fiction book. It looks like something of nonfiction.

The narrator goes on to elaborate on the difference between one's public and private selves. He talks about the big boon of 1-900 sex lines of the 80s. People call the lines, but would they ever admit it? He also describes how he watches his next door neighbor's daughter, who is blind, and whose bedroom window faces his own. When she finishes her bath, she sits in a chair and pleasures herself. He watches this, but out of guilt, he moves into another bedroom. He marvels that when he talks to her, she appears to be nothing more than a smart and bright college girl...

You get what I'm saying.

Anyway, that had to be one of the most unforgettable chapters I've ever read.

And it made me think about our private self versus public selves. How we act differently when we are amongst people versus how we act when we are alone and/or amongst people who we are very close.

Me and my baby blog sistas were joshing around on our usual email thread, and the subject turned to the men we meet and how hard it is to figure them out.

They know I always screech, hoop, and holler the same ol' same ol'.

When you meet anyone, especially someone of the opposite sex, you meet their REPRESENTATIVE.

Now (from a woman's point of view), when you meet the Representative, you are attracted to him. He is snazzy. He has on a fly Armani suit, and a pair of gators so fresh that they still snapping (LOL!). His teeth are gleaming white, and his breath is minty clean.

He does allll the right things, says alllll the right things. He is Mr. Personality.

He is perfect.

He is the best thing since water and dirt.

As he should be, you know. Afterall, he is the Representative, the public personna.

But then, the plot thickens. The representative thinks he has done his job. The woman appears to be pleased with what she sees. She may even be a little emotionally caught up right about now.

Yep, he's done his job... and he's done it well.

He turns to the one he represents... that private part of himself.

"I've done my job," he says. "You take over from here."

Then he leaves the freakin' room. I mean, he walks straight out the door.

And you're left with... well, you're left with what's left.

The "Real" man.

One minute, you are there with the snazzy fella in the Armani suit. The next minute, you're there with a man dressed in a burlap sack. A length of dirty rope is tied around his waist to hold that sack together. His teeth are all jacked up. His breath is horrific. His knees are ashy. He got hammer toes.

On top of all that, his personality has totally changed. He has some jacked up idiosyncracies.

You don't even recognize him. You are looking around and past him, looking for that fella who had your nose wide open.

Then the questions arise...

Do you stick around and put up with this bullsh** or do you split?

Hmm...

I'll let you answer that question for yourself.

Not that easy of a question to answer as it appears to be. You would think that you would leave... but there is one thing you've not considered: leaving is dependent on the degree of emotional attachment you've allowed to take place. And let's not even get over into spiritual attachments... GOODNESS.

We get over into all of that on our email thread. I know my blog sistas want to yell "Shut up, LadyLee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!".

But everytime some mess go down, a heart gets broken or what not... I state my same hypothesis, much of which I've derived from examinations of my own personal experiences, and too many times of wailing out loud...

"Why this n**** acting all crazy? He wasn't like this before!!!! And why it hurt so bad when I try to leave? Why am I feeling this way?!!!? What's wrong with me? Why am I still with him??"

I think for myself, when answering the questions whether to stay or leave, well... at the age I am now, I would split. I am the worst skeptic, and I'm always thinking waaay in the future. I don't have the "ticking biological clock" isshas, and I far from lonely. That trumps my inate need, just like any other woman's needs, for a relationship. I can take it or leave it.

And on top of that, my own public self "Representative", is a little different from my private self.

My representative doesn't get emotionally attached at all. My private self may never even show up. It's a looooong time before you know me privately. Long time, babes.

Publicly, I am what I am. Most people don't know me privately, as I guard my emotions like they are Fort Knox. But I can say that I spend much time making sure that representative part of myself acts responsibly. I will leave it that.

But I leave you with a question...

Do you ever think about your public self (your "representative") versus your very private self ("the real you")? Are they vastly different, or are they similar?

And more importantly... are there any changes you need to make to either?

Hmm... this book is making me more cognizant of that.

I'll let you think about that.

Have a great weekend...

Monday, October 10, 2011

Happy Columbus Day!

Happy Columbus day to you ALL!

Why am I excited?

Because I am OFF.

And it feels GOOD.

One of the perks of working for the good ol' government.


So yes, I celebrate Columbus today, who swept through here and discovered what was already here. Yep. I get a day off. Enough said.

Whatever.

I planned on doing something today, but doggonit, it is dark outside, and it's suppose to rain cats and dogs in the ATL. I in no way want to be caught up in all that.

My weekends have been unusally quiet. People ask me, "What are you doing this weekend?" quite often, and my answer lately has been "Absolutely nothing." Strange answer, but man, I don't want to spend my weekends on the run, running to and fro. I had that problem before. The weekend was a time to hurry up and get everything done, and I was wiped out and tired by Monday.

These days, it's a decompression time for me. A time to exhale. I seem to have gotten into the habit of running errands and taking care of things during the week after work, which leaves my weekend a LOT quieter. And I am okay with that. If I do something, it's because I enjoy it. That is the goal.

I am doing great on my posting daily. Yeah, only a third of the month has passed, but that's alright. I think I can make it.

I got good news the other day. I have another nephew on the way. Little Devon or Dillon will be here in January. Not sure what to call him. More Milk and Cookies, I suppose. LOL

So that is good news indeed!

That's all we have for today over here at the House of LadyLee...

Get the week started right... on purpose...

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Sunday Scripture

So...

I am still barreling through the biblical book of Jeremiah. I find it a tad bit depressing. I am not halfway through yet, but that is okay, because I plan on spending the rest of the month mulling over it...

There are a few verses I am thinking about. I will post one.

From the Message version. I've heard this before, and found it interesting to come across it.

Jeremiah 15:19

Use words truly and well. Don't stoop to cheap whining. then but only then, you'll speak for me. Let your words change them. Don't change your words to suit them.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.


I'm not really interested in discussing these scriptures. I'll be pondering these all night long if I did. But they make me think of several things.

Whining (complaining) is right up there with making assumptions. Low forms of human thought.

Make sure you're having an affect on people... and you are not doing what you do, saying what you say, just for approval.

That next verse reminds me to sit down and really be honest with myself and examine my motives. Why do I do what I do? If God examines this, so should I.

I'm also picking up on a theme throughout these complicated chapters... It is easier to say what people want to hear, go along with the crowd and the like...

Much harder to stand up for what is right in the face of it all. People will reject, and criticize. They will even hurt you. But that is alright. Integrity is valuable and to be treated as such.

Always.

Hmmmm... I think much more about those verses. I just wanted to post them so I can look back at it.

I will ponder. Continue to wonder.

And keep reading.

Saturday, October 08, 2011

Saturday Night Special

I am posting at night... on purpose.

Because honestly, I didn't know how my day was going to go, or what I was going to do. It was going to very much be a "Freestyle Saturday".

But I woke up to craziness. and commotion.. sounded like a plane was about to land on my house.

I looked at the clock. It was 8:00. 8:05 to be exact.

"What the world?" I said, as I tried to get my barrings.

Someone was next door cutting the 8 foot tall grass.

It was tall because my neighbors walked off from the house last June.





It is a beautiful house. Simply gorgeous. And they'd tricked it out inside. Dark cherry hardwood floors, crown molding, hot tub out back. They even installed a new bathroom.

And the balcony upstairs off the master bedroom with the french doors? It was to die for.

Just nice.

I'd been over several times, over the past 5 years. I have to admit that I wished in my heart that I could afford it. I'd wished that I wasn't alone, living on one salary. I love my house, and it in itself is too big for me (I am learning just now after 6 years here to live upstairs and downstairs. Didn't realize my house was THAT roomy).

But my neighbor lost his job. His partner was in school. And well... they were casualties of this economy.

It could happen to any of us. I would love to have a couple of years of savings stockpiled, but that's not the case. Things can change.

We can just hope they change for the best... and in the direction of increase.

I lay in bed this morning listening to all the ruckus... the attempts to tame a wild yard that had been so immaculate in the past.

There had been early morning ruckus earlier in the week. There was some work going on inside the house. I myself had to get out there earlier in the week and work on a piece of ivy vine on the fence that runs along the property line of our yards that had gotten out of control. One of the boards had come loose too.







Looks scary, especially at night... I underestimated the creepiness factor.

But I spent 10 minutes with my hedge clippers yanking and chopping away at it. I nailed the board back up.

I got it down to something reasonable.



... And headed on in the house.

But I lay there thinking about it this morning.

It is eerily similar to what my character Chandra in my story Watch was experiencing: excruciating noise, as seen in this excerpt.

Saws buzzing.
Trees Falling.
Rocks Cracking?

For an entire week, Chandra heard sounds she'd never heard before. The most unusual debilitating sounds permeated what were once quiet evenings. At one time, she heard the sound of what has to be a mighty giant grinding his teeth in the middle of a very bad dream.


Yes. I've written out the exact scenario... a couple of years ago.

Interesting.

I thought about all of this as I lay in bed this morning.

It was all over in an hour. The people had packed up their lawn equipment and were gone. Just that quick.

My master bedroom is downstairs, closest to the house. I stood on the bed and peaked out one of my long transom windows. The backyard was free of brush and debris. The big tree that had fallen back there was gone.

I'm not sure if anyone is moving in or not. I think it's the property management that the state requires from the banks on foreclosed houses. Whoever gets that house, gets a great house.

But that's how my day started. I got up, did a little reading and did 3 loads of laundry. I did a thorough cleaning of the laundry room, including scrubbing out the laundry sink and scrubbing the floors. (My goodness, I felt like my name was Celie). I did more reading, and went outside and cut the hedges of the bushes in front of my front porch.

And that's about it. I didn't even leave. I ran most errands during the week after work so I could have more time at home this weekend. So I was happy for that.

I had a big bowl of purple cabbage for breakfast. Spaghetti for dinner. YUM!

Saturday started off noisy, but it is ending peacefully.

And I am glad of that.