Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Happy Birthday!



I know it has been months since I have posted, but I have been a little preoccupied. Today my baby boy is 1 month old! Happy Birthday little man! He was born on April 6th, weighed 7 pounds and 9 ounces, and was 19 inches long. I know I am not supposed to say this, but he is absolutely perfect. Who knew you could have this much love for one person? I guess you would have to love him more than anything to deprive yourself of sleep day in and day out. I know what you are saying, "sleep when the baby sleeps." Yeah, in theory that is a good idea. Unfortunately, I have other things to do like dishes, laundry, eat, shower, and use the bathroom. I sleep as much as I can, but it is hard. Still, it's all worth it. My hat goes off to all of the mothers out there. This is truly a special job and privilege. I guess I am now officially a "mom blogger."

~Joan

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Not So Wordless Wednesday: 7 1/2 Months!


Well, I have 9 weeks left and I am ready to get it over with. Let me clarify. I am ready to meet my little boy, but I am still terrified of childbirth. As life begins to move in slow motion, I am thinking, oh crap, I've got so much to do. I don't know what to do first. I'd like to stop working now so I can focus on the task ahead of me. I will continue working for at least 3 more weeks and then see how I feel. As I get bigger by the minute, I try not to take it to heart when EVERYONE feels the need to comment on how big I'm getting. I especially love the comments about how big my butt is and being asked if I'm having twins. Happy Wednesday!
~Joan

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Saturday, January 23, 2010

Sugar Coma: Somebody Revive Me!

This post is long overdue. Last Saturday I participated in The Broke Socialite Does....Sugar Coma in Atlanta. Myself and a host of other bloggers and sugar enthusiasts had the opportunity to tour some of Atlanta's premiere desert restaurants and facilities. The name of the event says it all. Y'all know I love food, and I ate myself silly from about 9am to 3pm. Oh, did I mention that Cadillac was a sponsor and we got to ride in style all day in the new 2010 SRX. My sister Christie aka the Chatterbox aka 1/2 of the Blogrollers was the driver of our car.

We started the morning off at No Mas Cantina, an authentic Mexican restaurant that just launched it's breakfast menu. The blue corn cakes and their signature coffee, Cafe de Olla were both to die for.
This is the No Mas Cantina store. I felt like a bull in a china shop with my big belly and all of the fragile items that were around. LOL!

Breakfast is served!

Stop 2 was Cacao Atlanta. I learned more about chocolate than I never new before. Did you know the beans are fermented and go through a similar process as wine making? I sure didn't. They gave us a shot of their hot chocolate, and if I didn't wanna slap somebody's mama after that shot....phew! It was goooood! Cacao Atlanta is literally code for Chocolate Heaven.
The are the actual beans that they use to make the chocolate.

Stop 3 was Joli Kobe, a Japanese bakery and cafe. This restaurant by far had my favorite desert of the day. Unfortunately, I have know idea what it was called, but it's that delectable little rectangular chocolate cream cake pictured below on the bottom left of the greedy plate I made for myself at the restaurant.

Stop 4 was to The Cooke Studio, a bakery that does cookies with a cause. Part of their proceeds go to charity.

Stop 5 was Sweet N' Sinful. And boy did I feel like a little devil in there. The owner had the nerve to give me a box and tell me to fill it up with treats! OMG! Somebody stop me! The french toast cupcakes were yummmoooo!
TBS is chatting it up with the owner of the sinfully sweet shop.

Last Stop--Le Fais Do Do, where we had a simply divine lunch catered by Black Tie Barbecue. Can I just say that I had no idea what Bok Choi was, but now it's my favorite vegetable. All of their food is seasoned to perfection. A little birdie told me that they might be catering my baby shower, so I am super duper excited about that.

Oh, and did I mention that we got awesome swag bags filled with pamper products and sweet treats. Also, there was an after party that night sponsored by Yelp. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend because I kind of over did it earlier in the day. You would not believed how swollen and disgusting my feet were by the end of the day.

When I say The Broke Socialite outdid herself this time, I mean it. She is doin the darn thang and takin names. Congrats TBS! I'm so proud of you girl!

~Joan

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Here's How You Know It's 2010

My 5 year old niece is showing my 87 year old grandmother how to play solitaire on the iPhone.
Priceless!

~Joan

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Friday, January 15, 2010

Happy New Year!

Okay, so I know I'm like 3 weeks late, but better late than never!

Here is my 6 months picture (notice I am sporting the Macy's Path to Peace O bracelet that my sister gave me for Christmas). I just turned 7 months this week. Unfortunately, I've already gained all of the weight I'm supposed to gain for the whole pregnancy, and I still have 3 months to go. I guess I'm eating too much. I just love food though. Somebody stop me! The nurse literally had to weigh me twice because she thought the scale was wrong or that she had read it incorrectly. Sorry. The scale does not lie (isn't that what the host of Celebrity Fit club always says). Anyway, my second trimester rocked! Now that I'm entering the third trimester, life is getting increasingly difficult. Putting on socks, shoes and underwear, shaving, cleaning, and walking up steps, all seem like Olympic sports these days. And a good comfortable night's rest is a thing of the past. I can't complain too much because I have had a really uneventfully pleasant pregnancy, so thank God for that. I hope you all have had a great start to your new year.

**Prayers for Haiti: Click the button in my left sidebar to donate to disaster relief for the people in Haiti. May God bless our brothers and sister in Haiti!


~Joan

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Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! This is a random post, but who cares. It's Christmas!

Just finished the little bit of Christmas shopping I had and managed to get all gifts $10 and under (patting myself on the back).

Bought some much needed maternity clothes. My bras and underwear were cutting off my circulation and something needed to be done (was that TMI?)!

I managed to almost give my husband a heart attack. How, you ask? I placed my laptop on the edge of my dresser (dumb, I know). Then instead of detaching the cord from the computer first, I picked it up by the other end. Suddenly the laptop began to spin off of the dresser. I rushed to catch it and...."HONEY, NO!!!!!!!!" screamed my husband. He scared me about half to to death because I'm not sure I've ever heard him scream that loud. The first scream was followed by a, "DAMN THE COMPUTER. LET IT FALL!" Well, I did end up dropping it anyway. I apologized and told my husband I was fine. It was just a reflex. You must understand his concern though. You see I don't have one of those cute 1/2 pound Macbooks. I have a 2003 Dell Inspiron 6000 which weighs almost as much as a desktop. Not to mention, I'm six months pregnant.

My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night. Running a close second is Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli's rendition of What Child is This.



I hope you all have a very blessed holiday full of joy and new memories!

~Joan

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: Pajama Day

6 months!

~Joan

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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

I Feel Naked

My fingers are officially too fat for my wedding rings, and I feel completely naked. I put my rings on a chain, but it still doesn't feel right. I keep feeling my finger, and something is missing. Anybody else feel this way when you stop wearing something that you've been wearing for years?
I don't like the feeling :(

~Joan

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: I Think I Put Too Much


~Joan

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Monday, December 14, 2009

And the Winner is...


From the desk of me... from How Full is Your Bucket?

Congrats on winning a wonderful Path to Peace Basket from Macy's.


~Joan

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

A Letter: There's Got to Be a Better Way

Dear Veteran Politicians, Athletes, Entertainers and other people of status who have managed to make it through this life without a whole lot of drama:

Is there any way you can develop some sort of a mentor program for these troubled fallen stars? For some reason this is weighing heavy on my heart today. I neither condone or condemn the actions of some of these troubled famous people. Let she who is without sin cast the first stone. However, it does seem like the success is a little too much for them to handle.

I'm not talking about folks who are destined to be a hot mess regardless. I'm talking about people who are very talented and have it in their spirits to be good people. But temptation is a mutha, isn't it?

I mean when you take a person who has never had a dime, and all of a sudden give him $100 million, do you expect that he will automatically know how to manage that much money and do the right things with it? Or a man who has never gotten any play his entire life all of a sudden has a billion dollars, he might just go buckwild with the ladies because now he's some how become soooo "hot." NOT! Take me for instance, I am very greedy. If all of a sudden I were able to have whatever food I wanted whenever I wanted it, I might be in big trouble--even develop an eating disorder.

Because of the spotlight and the microscope that they are under, it is impossible for these stars to have everyday people problems without being judged by their every move. Each decision they make could possible make or break their careers, and that's a lot of pressure. You have to admit that a lot of their pitfalls are directly attributed to the fame and fortune. If they didn't have the fame and fortune, the probably would do half of the things that ultimately end up ruining their lives and the lives of the people they care about. Quite frankly, their personal life is none of our business, and we should not have to depend on them to be our only role models. If a person professes to be a role model, then fine, we can hold her to that standard. But isn't unfair for us to put the pressure of being a role model on a person who is simply just trying to make a better life for their family and not necessarily trying to be America's hero?

I'm just saying, can we get these people some help before it's too late, and the media crucifies them? Some how they have to know that the very people who will build them up and portray them as golden boy and big stars will turn on them at the drop of a hat as soon as their indiscretions are exposed. It really breaks my heart to see talented influential people continue to go town the tubes over some bull. I'm not making excuses for them, I'm just saying...there's go to be a better way. I have a beautiful son growing inside of me that I know is destined for greatness. While I hope that my husband and I will be his main role models. I don't want him to have to constantly see these successful people that look like him continue to fall by the wayside, thus leaving him with a sense of hopelessness that deems him doomed to fail in the eyes of society. So to all my vets, I implore you to help these people battle the demons that are destroying them. Be their role models and don't let them drown in the media feeding frenzy cesspool.


(the second half of this video applies more to the letter than the first half does.)

~Joan

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: Seriously?



Maybe it's just me, but I always thought that "ashy" was synonymous with dry skin. Did they really need to put that on the bottle of lotion and did it need to be 3 times bigger than "dry?"

~Joan

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Friday, December 4, 2009

Funny Friday: Lessons Learned

So I'm a little late on my Funny Friday, but I have 2 funny stories to share.

Lessons learned this week...

1. When playing the name game, one should carefully choose the names.

Niece: Let's do Chuck!

Mom: Chuck Chuck bo Buck banana fanana fo....(voice trails off)

Niece: F@#$ Grammy!

My mother and I just had to look at each other and chuckle inside. My mom just moved on to the next name not making a big deal about the profanity that my 5 year old niece had no idea she just uttered.

2. Know where you shop...
A couple of weeks ago, I bought some reindeer antlers from Dollar General. One of them was broken so this week I decided to return it. So I walk into the dollar store back to the isle where I got the antlers from. Hmm that's strange the Christmas stuff isn't over her anymore. I ask the clerk where the antlers are and he directs me to the other side of the store. Hmph, guess they redecorated. I find the antlers, but they are not the same ones I bought before. These were much nicer and were 2 for a dollar. Oh well. I pick up a pair and proceed to check out.

Me: I'd like to exchange these because they are broken.

Clerk: These are not our product.

Me: Yes they are. I bought them from here.

Other Clerk: They're ours, we just don't sell them anymore.

Clerk: Okay, but they are not ours. (Scans item and it gets rejected) See.

Me: Yes they are. Look, I have the receipt right here! (getting a little belligerent and shoving the receipt in her face)

Clerk: Yes honey. That receipt says Dollar General. This is the Dollar Tree!

Me: This is not Dollar General?

Clerk: No ma'm. This is the D-o-l-l-a-r T-r-e-e.

Me: Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry. I really thought this was Dollar General. Sorry.

Clerk: That's okay. Have a nice day!

Dear Dollar Tree Lady,
I sincerely apologize for taking you on that unnecessary roller coaster ride. You see I am almost 6 months pregnant and my brain as I knew it is officially gone. You could have easily had a bad attitude, but you were so patient with me, and for that, I thank you. I am sorry I shoved that receipt in your face as if you were the idiot and not me. But I promise you, I really really thought I was in the Dollar General. Yes, I now know that the sign outside the store clear says Dollar Tree. However, I distinctly remember myself going into your store and getting the antlers so vividly that I couldn't even imagine getting them from somewhere else. I couldn't even tell you where the Dollar General is. Scary. I know, but this is my reality right now. Please pray for me.
Remorsefully,
A Deranged Pregnant Woman

~Joan

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: Past the Halfway Mark

This is me on October 11th.

Here I am in the same shirt this past Saturday at 21 weeks pregnant. What a difference a month can make!


~Joan

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Monday, November 30, 2009

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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Thursday, November 26, 2009

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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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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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Friday, November 20, 2009

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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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: It's a...



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


~Joan

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Monday, November 16, 2009

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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I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a
Self-Improving Money Managing Extrovert

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