Lemonade & Peaches!

When you can have lemonade in so many different ways.. how could you ever get sick out it?

Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade is the TRUTH. And no, Whole Foods is NOT paying me to say this.. (even though they should!) *sends jedi-mind-trick-message to Whole Foods "Please stock my refrigerator with FREE organic, locally grown food!!"* In addition to making fabulous tasty lemonade, Santa Cruz is such a cool "green" company. Everyone associated with the Santa Cruz Organic® brand - from upper management to growers in the field - is dedicated to making environmentally sound choices. The Santa Cruz Organic® brand has raised awareness for the health and economic benefits of organic agriculture, while strengthening the market for organic fruit worldwide. They have a 96% recycling rate and use renewable energy. It is nice to know that I am doing so much to save the environment just by sitting on my couch and drinking lemonade.. ;-)

And the summer is not summer without lemonade!


I don't know how the rest of you feel about watermelon, but I personally cringe every time I hear the word.. thinking "my blackness will not allow me to eat watermelon and enjoy it". If any of you have absolutely no idea what I am saying, I encourage you to see Melvin Van Peebles "How To Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (And Enjoy It)".. even though it has little to actually do with watermelon.. but it is a great film! I get so easily distracted...

But anyway, once I spotted this recipe on the Whole Foods website.. I decided that I might just have to give it a go. I think it would be great for an outdoor end-of-summer BBQ!

Serves 16

Oh boy, oh boy! It’s truly the best of summer when you can have lemonade and watermelon at once. Be sure to taste the watermelon first. If it’s very sweet, reduce the sugar. Offer some refreshment to the planet, and economy too, by going organic and local when you can.

Ingredients

6 cups 1-inch cubes seedless watermelon (from about a 5-pound melon)
1 bottle (10-ounce) 365 Everyday Value® Organic Lemon Juice
6 cups water
3/4 cup cane sugar
Crushed ice
Mint sprigs, for garnish

Method

Working in batches as necessary, purée watermelon and lemon juice in blender until smooth; transfer to a large container. Add water and sugar; stir until dissolved. Pour over ice in tall glasses, garnish with mint and thin slices of watermelon, if desired, and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 6oz/172g-wt.): 60 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 15g total carbohydrate (0g dietary fiber, 13g sugar), 0g protein

Here's to long summer walks, sun sets, Harlem nights, and time spent with someone who God designed just for you! Here's to Lemonade & Peaches every day of your life!

Martin de Candre

Another one of my favorite Paris purchases..

I am completely in LOVE with the ROSE SOAP from Martin de Candre that my friend Marion insisted that I buy. It is made from fresh roses at and the aroma is heavenly. It is so amazing how much our SENSES effect our mood. There is something about the smell of fresh roses that brings me back to the French countryside where everything is beautiful. There is nothing better than a hot bubble bath with a bar of Rose Soap. *runs away from computer and starts running bath water..*


In the heart of the Loire château country sits the Domaine de Mestré, a beautiful country estate which has been run as a family soap making business for thirty five years. The soaps are made to old recipes, using the Marseille method, from natural ingredients. Olive or palm oil is used and all the fragrances are from essential oils. They are left to dry for two months; the drier a soap, the more developped its perfume becomes.

I also purchased a small bottle of pillow mist for pleasant dreams.

A Shiny Pink Pearl Earring.

So today I go on another long walk. Another walk not really knowing where I was going or what I was looking for. Somehow I find myself heading in the same direction. After going as far as I would go I sat down for a moment. Sometimes I ask God for a sign that I am moving in the RIGHT direction in my life. Somewhere I have read that only the Non-Believer asks for a sign that he exists. I Know he exists. I have seen Him. But as I am mostly-human sometimes my spirit needs a hint.

I sat down for a moment next to a pool and listened to the children laughing. I met a brilliant woman who had just got back from Ikea, and had a dog just like mine named Paris. When it was time for me to leave, I left. Not thinking much of anything on the way home I noticed that my earring, a shiny pink pearl earring had fallen out of my ear. I looked for a second, questioning God how could he let me lose it.

While I was in Paris I recall a day when I was trying to decide what earrings to wear. I picked up a fabulous swirly pair of ones I bought in Brazil and then put them down thinking, "if I am going to lose an earring I would really hate to lose these". I decided on wearing a pair of black and white zebra print earrings I had just bought in Africa thinking, "these only were a couple dollars". Later that day, I lost an earring. I had ATTRACTED losing an earring. I told my spirit that I would lose an earring that day, and here I was heartbroken that I had now lost an equally fabulous earring which I would never find again. Even though I had lost, I had found a much more valuable lesson about continuously giving your spirit Positive direction.

Today, I had not attracted losing any earrings.. and as these were my favorite shiny pink pearl earrings, I knew that this had to be my sign. I continued looking for awhile and had virtually given up. I spotted a young brother a little bit further down on the sidewalk, selling Che Guevara DVDs. I told him that I had just lost an earring and asked him, if he should find it could he just hold on for it to me. He smiled and looked down at his feet and retrieved my shiny pink pearl earring from the sidewalk and handed it to me.

I said thank you, and he laughed not saying a word the entire time. I journeyed home thanking God for the lesson that ALL THINGS LOST WOULD BE FOUND. Just like the Sun and the Moon go up and come down. Life is constantly moving towards the restoration of itself. It may not happen at our convenience but its happening. Water is the strongest element on earth. It could wear away a rock and sweep all that falls before it. And here we are as Men, still trying to fight against the tide. When we don't even have to turn around and go in the opposite direction, all we have to do is put down our paddles and LET GO and let God do all the work for us.


-- Post From My iPhone

Thank You From Laura and Euna

Two journalists trapped in North Korea, return home.

"..and we thought about those lights.. and they gave us hope."

Bush on Supernews

This episode with Bush a la "The Office"is bananas..

Hi Can - Canopy Bed

The Hi Can Canopy Bed is considered the Ferrari of beds...

Inspiring new technology..





I'm definitely adding this bed to my vision board.
but I'm wondering if I would ever get out of it..

RT 3AM TWEET TO ERYKAH BADU

Speaking of Astrology:

3AM IN TWITTERVERSE:

perhaps it is the approaching full moon.. which tends to bring out the maternal side of the crab..

HER children:

fatbellybella. seven sirius . puma sabti , and mars merkaba

fatbellybella. seven is 11 .very humble .he is a quiet leader among his peers .he is a hard worker and str8 A student.he is a beast on the lacross field.

4freepeople. @fatbellybella what is his sign?

fatbellybella. puma is 4. shes VERY strong & creative. loves to sing,act & dance. natural ability as an artist and is willful. walks to own beat.eyes green

fatbellybella. mars merkaba is a baby . 3 mos . aquarius . eyes metalic gray . she is a big girl . heavy . smiles alot . recognizes smiles and smiles back

fatbellybella. im pisces , seven scorpio , puma cancer, mars aquarius - she breaks up all the water

fatbellybella. i home schooled the children in earlier years . 7 till 2nd grade , puma till kinda because mars needed me ...puma still gets xtra schooling

fatbellybella. the children are all different . i really like them .

4freepeople. @fatbellybella they sound beautiful. i am a cancer, like puma.. and an artist. we certainly walk to the beat of our own drum.. but love hard

Happy Birthday Harlem!

Today is my pookie-bear's birthday! I can't believe that he is already three years old. Which in doggy years means he's twenty-one. He seems to be going through a little rebellious stage where he feels that HE should decide on when we should walk, and where we should walk.. and tries to go in the other direction when I tell him "let's go.." but even thought he THINKS he is grown he will always be my little baby.

His birthday is in August which means he is a LEO.

Leo (♌) being the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac Leo is ruled by the Sun. I've come to know LEOS quite well in my life time.. My MOTHER and MY GRANDMOTHER being a Leo the Lion. They are very much like CANCERS in the way that family is very important to them. I was a little bit worried about leaving him with my parents while traveling, knowing I would be gone for a whole month but I knew in my heart that he was with family and he would be okay.

So here is a toast (eh hem shot) to you, my little LION, pookie-bear, buhbee, cutie-pie, smug muffin! I love you and you are my best friend may we not drive each other crazy and you can live to see another year!

-- Post From My iPhone

Lemonshood

Lemon Anderson

Brooklyn based hip-hop artist, Lemon Anderson's one-man show County of Kings is the TRUTH. Produced by Culture Project in partnership with SPIKE LEE and The Public Theater, County of Kings is a true story about finding passion and purpose in life against all odds.

Lemon, most recognizable as a regular on HBO's Def Poetry Jam presented by Russell Simmons, and playing opposite Denzel Washington in Spike Lee's "Inside Man" was not always on top. In fact, very early on in his life he witnessed both his beloved mother Millie and his step-father Charro die of AIDS as a product of heroin addiction. Hopeless and helpless he turned to selling drugs which resulted in him getting locked up not once but twice. Finding solace in a poetry reading in Brooklyn after returning home, Lemon turned to creative expression and was determined to make his mother proud.

It is evident why Spike agreed to produce this show with us. It is one of those inspiring theatrical experiences that a person experiences only once. He says, "the world is not a ghetto.. we don't have to stay here". Although he was born a poor Puerto Rican kid from the boogie down Bronx.. he has made a name for himself declaring that "I am gonna take these lemons and make the best lemonade". He brings his heart and passion into everything that he does and that is very clear on the stage. He speaks tenderly about his mother and his Grandma-mommy who took care of him when his parents were unable to. He speaks of his brother whom he looked up to.. and just wanted to be like even though he never gave him the time of day. Interchanging monologue with spoken-word poetry, lyricism and music brings the audience into Lemonshood.

No matter what he experienced, Lemon never gave up. When he had no one else left in the world, he never gave up. When he had nothing and was homeless and living in crack houses, he never gave up. He found his smile, claiming at the end that although HE may not always be there when you call.. HE is always right on time. The audience left inspired, many in tears. How dare we give up when GREATNESS awaits?!

County of Kings opens October 4th at The Public Theater.

The Lessons We Learn From Sesame Street

Rushing out the house this morning.. Well not really rushing. While calmly preparing for my day, I turned the television to Sesame Street to keep my doggy company while I was away. A familiar bright blue bug-eyed character appeared on the screen who goes by the name of Cookie Monster. He says, "it's not easy being a cookie monster! You have to wait around all day for cookies!" (He was very sad about this.) "I WISH I could have cookies all the time, whenever I wanted them.." Suddenly a fairy god-mother appeared (played by the Asian woman from ER) in her bright pink tutu and cookie magic wand she tells him that his WISH is her COMMAND and from now on anything he touches will become a delicious cookie for him to eat. Overjoyed, Cookie Monster starts touching EVERYTHING turning it all into delicious cookies and eating them all up. After sometime he gets bored. He decides that it is no fun having all these cookies all to himself! Having all the cookies in the world doesn't mean anything unless you can share them with your friends and all the people that you love...

Cookie Monster in a few short moments became a master of the SECRET. Step #1. ASK. Cookie Monster had to know exactly what he wanted so that he could ask for it. The Universe/God/Fairy godmother responds to specificity. If you don't know what you want how is he/she 'goin know? Step #2. BELIEVE. Cookie Monster first had to believe that not only the Fairy-godmother existed and was there speaking to him, but he also had to believe that he in fact COULD have all the cookies in the world if he really wanted. If you truly believe this, you can have your cookie AND eat it too because you know that the supply of the Universe never runs dry. You don't have to save your cookies and lock them up in some bank! You can eat and spend freely knowing God is the GIVER and the GIFT. Step #3. RECEIVE. Cookie Monster gladly received his gift and was thankful! But he realized quickly that it was no fun unless he SHARED it. One must GIVE in order to RECEIVE. This is the SUPREME LAW and it works for EVERYTHING! From money... to LOVE and even bad things. One must send jealousy and hatred into the Universe to receive it. A person with a completely pure heart will never receive these things.

For example, I had been sending out a great deal of love into the Universe towards a certain person and was realizing that this particular person was not returning it. But instead of becoming sad, I left the situation up to the SUPREME guidance of the Creator. My phone rang and I was told to answer. It turns out that the caller was Ayanna, one of my best girl friends and I had been wanting to talk to her for some time! We had a GREAT conversation and it really warmed my heart to talk to her. Although the love wasn't received from this particular person (yet...) the love was received. Full circle.

He may not always give you what you WANT but he will always give you what you NEED.
-- Post From My iPhones