Freckle Face

While viewing a commercial for ProActive:

My Niece: Ooo Grammy, that's what you need!


My Mom: Really? Why do you think I need ProActive?

My Niece: (pointing at my mom's freckles) Because of all of this on your face.


My Mom: Oh no honey, those are just freckles. Your mommy has them too and so does Auntie.
I just have a lot more. Does it look that bad?



My Niece: YES! You should get rid of it!


Ouch! At least she's honest...

Don't forget to enter the Path to Peace contest here.

~Joan

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10 Things I'm Thankful for This Year

1. God's grace and mercy

2. My Husband

3. My baby boy

4. My family

5. Being employed

6. FOOD

7. SHELTER

8. TRANSPORTATION

9. getting a break from work

10. Barack Obama

What are you thankful for this year? Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

~Joan

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Happy Thanksgiving: Path to Peace Giveaway

As a kid growing up I always loved the holidays: spending time with extended family, playing games, and of course, EATING GREAT FOOD. As a young adult, holiday were not as much fun because my parents got divorced. I felt torn between the two families, so I would spend all of the holidays driving all over creation to please everyone except for myself. Now that I am older and wiser, I do the holidays my way. I go wherever I feel comfortable going, and I've learned how to say no. Surprisingly, no one's feelings are hurt.

This year, we are hosting Thanksgiving at my house. I think it's becoming a tradition. My husband's family came over last year for Thanksgiving and this year my family is coming over. One thing I really love about my family gatherings is the games. You'll find us singing karaoke, throwin' down on some spades or Phase 10, or wildin' out over Taboo or Scene It. If you have a problem with noise, steer clear of my family during the holidays. WE ARE LOUD!

I know you are thinking, okay on with the giveaway. A couple weeks ago I had a giveaway for the Macy's Path to Peace O Bracelet via The Blogrollers. This time I'll be giving away a Macy's Path 2 Peace Basket.
Here is the basket and placemats I received courtesy of the Macy's Path to Peace project.



Here are some links to more information about how the Path to Peace project is bringing together the women of Rwanda and New Orleans for the greater good of their respective communities.

Rwandan Textiles
The Origin of Path to Peace
Rwandan Recipes


Macy's In-Store Events for Path to Peace
Macy's is having a series of FREE in-store events for Path to Peace. There will be product discounts, door prizes, and special guests from Fair Winds Trading and...you guessed it...Rwanda! Below are the dates and cities. Feel free to spread the word about these events on your blog, to your communities, and to your friends/family. Formal announcements will also be on The BlogRollers Blog prior to each one.

*Atlanta: Macy’s Lenox Square Thu, December 3 - 6:30pm
Washington DC: Macy’s Metro Center Fri, December 4 - 5:30pm
Brooklyn: Macy’s Downtown Brooklyn Sat, December 5 - 3:00pm
Miami: Macy’s Dadeland Home Store Sun, December 6 - 3:00pm
*New Orleans: Macy’s Lakeside Tues, December 8 - 6:00pm
Louisville: Macy’s Oxmoor Center Sat, December 12 - 3:00pm
*The BlogRollers will be live streaming from these events!

You can do any or all of the following to win a basket. The more you do, the more entries you get.
1. Follow my blog
2. Follow me on twitter @joanofalltrades
3. Follow The Blogrollers blog
4. Follow The Blogrollers on twitter @theblogrollers
5. Tweet the contest (link to this post)
6. Post about the contest (link to this post)
*** Best of all, you do not need to write me individual comments for each one. Just leave me 1 comment saying, "I've done x, y, and, z and I would love to win a basket."***
The winner will be chosen by random.org. The contest ends on December 13th at 10pm EST. Good Luck!

Happy Thanksgiving! What are your holiday traditions?

~Joan

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Funny Friday: Weekend with the Peeps

Last weekend my dad and his wife came down for a visit. Here are a couple of the conversations that had me saying, WTH. Some of the best laughter I've had this year...

Conversation 1: While watching a tribute to Michael Jackson...
Dad's Wife: Who is Jamal?
Me, Hubs, & Sis: Huh?
Dad's Wife: He is always referring to somebody named Jamal in his songs and I wonder who this Jamal guy is.
Me: Do you mean when he says, "Shamon'?"
Sis: Yeah, you me "Shamon." It's like he is saying, "come on."
Everyone: laughter


Conversation 2: While watching a tribute to Michael Jackson (The Way You Make Me Feel video)...
Dad: Oh, isn't that Tavoy right there on the end?
Me, Hubs, & Sis: Tavoy?
Dad: Yeah! Look!
Me: You mean Latoya???
Dad: Oh yeah whatever...
Everyone: laughter


Conversation 3: Talking about the Blogalicious 2009 Conference
Sis: India Arie even made a quick appearance at The Blogrollers' party.
Dad: Who's India Arie?
Everyone except Dad: OMG!!!!

Conversation 4: In car listening to India Arie...
Dad: I don't know if I like her?

Me: What do you mean? Why not?

Dad: Well, when we were watching her on TV it sounded like she was doing those...you know...drug chants.

Me: Drug chants? What the heck is a drug chant?

Dad: You know...like that rap stuff.

Me: OMG!!! Drug chants? Where did you even get that from? And India Arie is not a rap artist.

Dad: Was she the one with the short hair or the one with the big hair (referring to Jill Scott)?

Me: She was the one with the short hair, but Jill Scott was the other one and she's not a rap artist either.

Dad: Well she sounded like she was doing drug chants.

Me: Sigh. Shaking my head.
Hubs: So why are you calling it drug chanting?

Dad: Because all those rap guys do drugs.
Everyone except Dad: Big SIGH...laughter

Conversation #5: Talking about shooting guns

Hubs: We have plenty of deer out here.

Sis: They even have turkeys walking around.

Dad: Yeah. I remember riding bareback on a mule and shooting birds out of trees when I was a kid.

Me: WOW!

Everyone: laughter

*********************************************

I mean did he really say, "bareback on a mule?" What century was this man born in?

What is the funniest thing your parent has said to you in his/her old age?


~Joan

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Wordless Wednesday: It's a...

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Joan

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Things I Took For Granted

10 Things I took for granted before becoming pregnant:

1. Breathing: I have not been able to breath for 3 weeks. They say it could last for the rest of my pregnancy. WTH?! You mean I might not be able to breath for the next 5 months?!

2. Running: I think if I ran right now, I would definitely need a medic. Sometimes I forget and catch myself "running" up the stairs. By the time I reach the top, I am panting like a dog in heat.

3. Cleaning: So I had stop cleaning for a while because I just didn't feel like it. I recently got the bright idea to clean the whole house. Why do I feel like I've run a half marathon?

4. My Memory: Not that my memory was the greatest before pregnancy, but now I can't even remember what I was just about to type.

5. Patience: Again, not that my patience was the best before either, but slow and/or bad drivers are getting the horn a little bit quicker these days.

6. My Body: I have gained 14 pounds and it's kind of weird weighing more than I ever have in my life. I know it's normal, but still weird. I wonder what my body will look like post-pardum. Actually, I'm a little scared that my body as I once knew it will be gone forever. It also doesn't help when people say things like, "Dang girl! You gettin' big! Um, gee thanks...

7. Sleeping: I am used to sleeping on my back or my stomach. Yeah, great. Can't do either of those now.

8. Privacy/Personal Space: I normally keep to myself, especially at work. Now everyone is always in my business. Everyone has an opinion about what I eat and what I do. Everyone wants to touch my stomach. I am quite the showpiece right now. I'm not sure how I feel about all the attention. It's okay sometimes, but at times it can be a little annoying.

9. Grooming: Shaving and doing my hair is like asking me to perform surgery at this point, and I am no doctor. My hair takes 3 hours to do, and I just don't have the energy. I am close to giving up on shaving my legs. Can't see...can't reach...who cares...

10. Portion Control: I used to pride myself and attribute my girlish figure to exercising portion control when I ate. I have always loved food, but made it a point to never overeat. Well, that's all out the window. If I had a dollar for every time I used the old "baby has to eat" excuse every time I'm going up for my fourth or fifth helping of food, I'd be rich.

Just sharing. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying...

~Joan

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Spiritual Sunday: The Music That Moves Me

I'd like to share the concert I had with myself in the car the other day. As you know, my job is a hot mess! For some reason these songs just really spoke to me. Let go and let God. He is in control. Enjoy!









~Joan

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