Sign for Justice ~ Trayvon Martin

 

Sign for Justice

Trayvon Martin (Courtesy)

Please sign the petition for Trayvon Martin.

http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin

17 year old, Trayvon Martin was murdered on February 26th by Sanford, FL Neighborhood Henchman  Watchman, George Zimmerman.  All Trayvon wanted to do on that fateful day was go to the store for Skittles and Arizona Ice Tea while talking on the cell phone with his girlfriend.   His cry for help can be heard through 911 calls.

After being followed by Zimmerman, Trayvon was confronted face to face where he asked, “What are you following me for?”  The burly looking man reportedly said, “What are you doing around here?”.

Can you imagine how frightened Trayvon must have been?

Yet the police accepted George Zimmerman-Murderer’s story of self defense.  Stating, “he’s a college grad who took a class in criminal justice”.  Hello? What college degree gives you the license to kill any unarmed human being who hasn’t entered your home?

My heart aches for Trayvon and his family.  I have two young boys and a daughter.  This could have been my son, your son, a friend’s son…..

Sign for Justice.  Please sign the petition.

A Message from My Daughter

My daughter sent me a message.

She wrote:

“Honestly, I am so proud of you. You are taking control of your life and you’re doing a great job. You are so determined and believe it or not you are inspiring me to live a “healthier” life style. Keep up the good work and don’t give up.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Si Si means the world to me and I am so proud of the young lady she has become.  Si Si’s a college student studying Psychology with the hope of someday opening a home to assist children with eating disorders.

Thank you, love, for inspiring me every day to be a better me.

 

Staying the Course ~ Fighting Hunger & Cravings

In the last four months of my weight loss journey I have been working hard to stay the course.  It’s not so much what or how much I eat because tracking my calories has made that part easier.   Here are a few tips that have helped me deal with hunger pains and cravings.

1. Hungry late at night?

Go to bed!  It’s that simple.  Get a drink of water and go to bed.   If it is past 8 or 9 o’clock in the evening, most of the time our bodies are either thirsty or tired.

2. Hungry during the day? Read more »

Sesame Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Sesame Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

I found this delicious Sesame Shrimp Lettuce Wraps recipe in a 2007 Ebony Magazine (chef unknown).  I doubled the recipe and slightly modified it for my family with the help of my teenage daughter.   Cooking with Si Si was nice and the best part was that she offered to assist.

All you’ll need is about 20 minutes and the following ingredients:

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

                Cayenne and Salt to taste

½ cup snow peas, thinly sliced lengthwise

½ cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

1 pound cooked medium shrimp

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1 Boston or Bibb lettuce, broken into leaves

                Option:  Chili Garlic Sauce

Combine the honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, vegetable oil, sesame oil, cilantro, cayenne and salt in a medium bowl.   Add snow peas, red bell pepper and shrimp; toss to coat.  Season with salt, if desired and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Serve shrimp mixture in lettuce leaves.  Add a side of Chili Garlic Sauce, for bold spicy flavor.

Tips:  

Stack snow peas 4-5 at a time to slice.

Sesame Seeds are best freshly toasted.  Sprinkle in a lightly oiled pan to brown for few seconds.

Servings 4, Calories 240

Virtues of Respect and Patience

Rosa Parks

I’m at a point in my life where I have very little patience for bullshit.   I have accepted people’s less than adequate behaviors and excuses for all of my adult life.  I’m done, over, tired of it all.   I may give someone’s foolishness a pass, but repeat offenders will be checked.  No longer do I sit quietly by biting my tongue for fear of hurting some one’s feelings.  I have feelings too.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not a mean person and have to think that I will never be that.  As a matter of fact, I have always been a little too nice…. to a fault.    I swallowed my nerve, shed tears publically and privately at times when I should have simply stood up for myself and/ or what I believe in.   I don’t like confrontations, never have.  And I honestly believe that there are too many folks out there who thrive on drama.

I’m not going to get into particular incidents of past nor current events.  At this juncture, they are all irrelevant.  Nothing in my life compares to the relevance and triumphs of neither the civil rights movement nor the stance that Rosa Parks took on that historical bus ride.  What’s important to me now is to know who I am, what I want, how I expect to be treated, and where I am going.  The missing element is that I may not always know when.  I just have to carry myself strong, proud and with a confidence and grace that says, “Here I am so respect me or get out of my life.”

In order to get respect, you have to give it.  That’s an old lesson to live by.  So why settle for anything less?  I say to you, never let fear of loss prevent you from speaking your truth.  As long as you’re being fair, honest and reasonable, you have every right to speak up, put your foot down or make some noise when the situation calls for it.

For some of you, I’m preaching to the choir.   Good for you for having it together….. For others, there will always be room for improvement.

Now I need to go work on my patience.  It’s a virtue! ;^)

Cinema Me Time – Red Tails

In the theme of Makings of a Better Me, I took off on some much needed “me time” and bought a ticket for Red Tails starring Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ne-Yo and many other handsome young male actors.   It was a stolen moment in time well worth it.

For the first time in 8 years, I went to the movies by myself.  An arrangement that my husband and I have agreed would be the best way to watch MUST SEE new releases since babysitters are hard to come by and the cost of a trip to the movies far exceeds the event.  So rather than deprive ourselves of seeing good films worthy of watching on the big screen, this is a temporary solution that I actually found quite enjoyable.  This is my time, my choice, no kids, no rush at my convenience.   Hubby and I can talk about what we liked or hated about the movies later.  It’s an all good; winning situation. Read more »

Makings of a Thinner Me

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson (in case you're from another planet)

I’m in it to win it friends…. I have taken the first steps down the road to makings of a thinner me.  The process began around the first week of December 2011 at a moment when I finally said, “I’m FAT!  I’M  mutherfreakin’ FAT! WTF are you going to do about it?”  I looked in the mirror and saw what looked like the emergence of a double chin…. WHAT?  Oh hell naw!   It’s bad enough that I could no longer wear the fashionable clothes that I know I could rock well, if I were a thinner version of myself…. But not now, I know better.  And so began the “I’m Fat” series found on YouTube.

Read more »

Scallops with Angel Hair Pasta

1 lb. of Fresh Scallops

½ box of Angel Hair Pasta

½ Green Pepper

½ Large Red Onion

2 chopped Garlic Cloves

1 chopped Vine Ripened Tomato

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 splashes of Hot Sauce *optional

Sprinkle of Tajin Fruit and Snack Seasoning

Sprinkle of Italian Seasoning

 

Boil the Angel Hair Pasta.  Sautee the Green Pepper and Onion in Olive Oil, add salt & pepper to taste.  Add tomato, scallops and garlic.  Cover for 10 minutes or until scallops are fully cooked then add remaining seasonings to taste.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let settle for 5 minutes then pour over pasta drizzle a little more olive oil and serve.

 

Servings 4, Calories approx. 472

Perseverance

MLK Jr

Thank you, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  We honor you on this day for your perseverance and courage to take on the world.  We thank you for your fight for justice and equality for all races.  It is because of your strength and vision that you have inspired many to trust and believe that they themselves can make a difference.  It is because of you, Dr. King, that a movement for human dignity was born.  Through your efforts, civil rights laws were created to make it illegal for another human being to treat my father as anything less than a MAN. Read more »

The Club

Dance

Dance by David Bailey

Yesterday I went back to a place that holds many memories for me some good, some bad, but mostly fun times at a little club called The Elks Lodge #513 in Stroudsburg, PA.  The history of this place is incredible…. It was organized on September 9, 1902.

The Elks was the first club that I danced my little teen aged behind with grown folks (as long as we stayed in the back away from the bar).  These were the days when people knew how to party without throwing a punch.    Read more »