Beauty Bailout!

We did it!

Well family after much prayer and soul searching,I packed my little family up and we moved to North Carolina! I know that some of you already know, and some of you are like WHAT? I think there comes a time in everyones life that you have to let go of your fears and trust that GOD is going to see you through whatever your issues are.
It sounds easier than it looks, I know but if God puts something in your heart to do, you gotta do it. Moving away from my family and friends, just me and the boys didn't sound right to anybody at the time but now that we did it they can see how happy we are! The boys love their new house! Will and Wes are doing well in school and they are both making friends! I'm happy also and can't wait for everyone to visit. God has a wonderful, fullfilling life for all of us, but WE have to have faith to reach out and grab it. You can do it! And don't worry Jersey we will be visiting often! But if your in our neck of the woods, y'all come on over and see us sometime ya here!

PS Pooka South is getting ready to blow up, LOL!

Sweaters and Flip Flops!

Greetings family! Yes it is me. The summer has gone by and I haven’t talked to you. I hope you enjoyed it, such as it was. The weather did not cooperate at all!! I feel very cheated. Well now it has decided to become Fall right on schedule. Family I am holding out. I am not ready. My sweaters are packed very far away, my Fall shoes neatly in their boxes. Who are these people that look like they stepped out of a Fall fashion catalog the first cool day of the season. Now, I do plan to look fabulous this winter. I am going to be a frugalista like they say in the Target commercial. That’s right…all my clothes will come from Target much to my husband’s annoyance! (Those who know my husband will completely understand) He does not realize this leaves me more money to spend on shoes and pocketbooks. So for all of you passing me by with your sweaters, and boots and shawls and fabulous coats I say… you look marvelous. I just ask that you not make fun of the woman looking cold, wearing her summer sweater and flip flops. It will probably be me!

Donna

In the spirit of Sisterhood!!!!

This weekend in preparing for Circle of Sisters I started to reflect on sisterhood! You know what happens when I start to reflect…..I started thinking about all of my “sisters” that I have been blessed to have in my life! Take a moment and just think about all you’ve been through and who has been with you by your side! I love to think about growing up and when I do, I have to think about my sister! I have some funny sister stories that Donna would actually shoot me If I wrote, but let me just share one….
I remember going out to buy a car by myself, now, my father warned me “DAWN DON’T BUY ANYTHING JUST LOOK!!” “Of course dad”, I replied, “I’m just going to do some research.” I thought about this conversation as I drove my new Honda Prelude off the lot! I was almost in tears as I drove home because I knew I shouldn’t have purchased this car, but they really got me and it was all shiny and new! My first call was to my sister in tears I said, Donna! I bought a car, daddy told me don’t buy anything and I did and I think they ripped me off!!!” . I went home a upset, not wanting to call my father and tell him the news and then I heard the doorbell. It was my sister with her overnight bag! She laid on the couch and went to sleep, I didn’t even talk to her, but just knowing she was there gave me comfort. We got up the next morning and she called my father and told him I bought the car. I could hear my father just losing it! Man I was so glad I wasn’t on that phone. Well the next morning I went back to the Honda dealer with my father and he quickly went down the list of all the places I had been ripped off and after they changed a lot and lowered the price, I happily drove off the lot. I have to say my sister has always come through for me and she was also there for me 1 month later when that car was stolen!!! I’ll wait until next time to tell you the call Donna got when I worked as a bank teller and got held up!!! Ahhhh………..I love my sister!

Getting kicked out of my own bed!

Hey Pooka Family! It's me! Six months into being a new mom and I still love every minute! Okay, well, not every minute, like when Taiye doesn't want to sleep in her own bed! She actually started out good with sleeping in her crib but there was one time I let her come and sleep with me and Wale and that was all she wrote! Now she starts out in her crib at bedtime (between 9-9:30PM) but when she wakes up for her 12AM feeding, she doesn't want to get back into her crib! She wants to stay up and talk and play and sing (yes, sing! I think this chick is going to be an opera singer because she belts those notes out like Kathleen Battle)! When she is finally ready to go back to sleep she screams bloody murder when I gently lay her in her crib. Well I'm exhausted after all that midnight playing so I give in and bring her into our room and let her lay down with us. Now of course my wonderful husband wakes up (only for a second) to ask if I need some water then he instantly falls back to sleep. So I'm left lying on the edge of the bed with Taiye's hand on my boob ready to squeeze out her next milk supply. Ahhhhhh Motherhood...but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Coyote Ugly!?

Well people I must be on a roll this month, let me tell you about my newest adventure....a friend of mine just opened a new restaurant/bar. I told him that I'd love to help out, we can all use some extra cash, so he says "sure, I got a great idea why don't you bartend!" Now I've never tended bar in my entire life but hey I thought this could be fun so I agreed. He told his bar manager and the manager agreed to give me some on the job training. Now I'm excited, we've all seen the movie Coyote Ugly, I couldn't wait to go home and get my bartendin outfit ready, which included some sassy black heels! Well let me tell you about this "Coyote Ugly" night people! I got there and figured I'd be cutting lemons and filling the olive bin, WRONG I was learning the correct amount of alcohol to pour, how to use the bar computer system, make long island iced teas and more! "Wait a minute?!!, Did I just unknowingly sign up for a real job??!!!!! What was I thinking! But now it was too late, I was working with another bartender and she was awesome, she told me how to make things and taught me a lot and then, that's when it happened.....customers started pouring in and flocked to the bar for drinks, I was frozen and people started calling to get my attention and place drink orders, I stared getting frazzled! I was becoming undone!!! So what did I do? Yup, I went "Dawnie style", I broke out into a rendition of "On the good ship lollypop" and then I threw myself onto the floor and did the worm, stood up and recited poetry and for the finale I put up my easel and started painting peoples portraits,(thank God I remembered to bring that bag of props!) "Ta Da!!!!" But there was no applause! I thought for sure if I did the "Dawny show" they would forget all about ordering drinks! I didn't know what went wrong my parents always loved that show! I decided to buckle down and try and help this other bar tender, I was pouring beer and wine and when I got drink order I didn't know she would call out, (discreetly, thank goodness) what was in it so I could make it. Now I was extremely busy but had the audacity to grab my phone and text Donna, Tricia and April a one lined text "Coyote ugly SOS, man down!" And you know my girls shot me back words of encouragement, including "Get out of there!" And "Did you send that package to Whole Foods?", and the ever popular, "Do you want me to come get you?!" You guys know I'm just kidding, they were very supportive as usual! My feet were killing me, what possessed me to put on heels? When I looked down I realized that somewhere during my show I must have put my shoes back on the wrong feet, well that’s what it felt like! After about 3 hours I was kind of, yes I repeat, kind of holding my own! People would call out a drink order and slowly, I began to get it. I put my hand up like Larry Fishburne in the Matrix and motioned for them to give me more, I was slowly dodging bullets, like Neo, I was becoming...THE ONE!!! Okay, okay I wasn't that good but I was feelin good. At the end of the night we counted our tips and we did a couple of hundred dollars each!!!! I have been bitten by the bar bug! So if you come in and see me at the bar, sit down and wait for the next "Dawny Show", It's usually every 10 minutes or when an unknown drink order is thrown my way!

My Jan Brady Moment……(or week)

Well of course I must share my most silly moments with my Pooka family!
One day last weekend I had nothing to do so I decided to have a “Me day”, (you know sit in the park, playing sappy songs, while looking at the sky dramatically). I sat at the computer for about 20 minutes and downloaded “Me day” songs for my ipod and planned to take a blanket and go to the park. I was dressed, had eaten, pretended to clean my apt. and had my bag on my shoulder and just as I disconnected my ipod the screen went black, now for those of you who know me, I love my music! My ipod had broken previously and when I took it to the apple store they declared my ipod officially dead but, whatever they did that day resuscitated it. I knew I was living on borrowed ipod time. This was my “Me day” how could my ipod give up on this day when I needed it most!!! I tried everything and nothing worked, black screen, ipod…………gone. So this is when I flew into my Jan Brady moment(for those of you who don’t know Jan Brady was the dramatic middle child from the Brady Bunch!) I threw, yup threw my ipod at the wall and flung myself on my bed! "How could this happen to me?! I need to get to the park and stare at the sky!!!" I thought. Now, you have to give me credit for realizing how dramatic and extra corny this was, people are starving in Africa, but I’ve got no music!!! I preceded to cry, yes, I actually cried in frustration and then......I, fell asleep!(sleep must be like a magic potion for me if you read my "Always the Kid" post) I woke up about 4 hours later and still mad went back to sleep! I slept the entire day, what kind of fool was I, LOL!!! I got up later and made myself some dinner and went to bed for real. The next morning I woke up and decided to check out some new ipods, no buying, cause it wasn't in my budget. I went to Best Buy just to see what Ipods they had. I was so happy that I found the ipod shuffle and only $80 bucks so I got it! I got home and loaded all of my songs before I realized it had no screen! I was so impressed with the tiny size I didn’t realize that I couldn't see the songs and had to scroll through all of my hundreds of songs one by one! I took a deep breath and talked myself down from my Jan Brady ledge! So the next morning went back to best buy and found my sales guy and explained why I didn’t want it. After laying out another $90(not in my budget) I upgraded to the ipodnano, which I loved. I ran home put all my songs on but it was raining so I couldn’t go to the park and have my rescheduled “Me day”. That night I got an email from the apple website talking about the launch THAT NEXT DAY of the new ipod nano with the video camera!!! Are you kidding me I just got this one!!!! So what did I do in the morning, yup? Marched right back to best buy AGAIN and demanded a replacement for the ipod I just bought the day before. This was my 3rd ipod in 3 days! "Okay, Miss Fitch", the sales lady said and I quickly corrected her, "No, I’m Jan Brady!". They gave me my 3rd new ipod but I needed some accessories, that i paid another $80 for! So now people I think I’ve spent about $1000 for my ipod and my peace of mind(the little I have left) I just had to share this story of dramatic Jan Bradyism for me, now.....to the park I go for "ME DAY" with my new ipod nano with the video camera so i can record myself staring at the sky!!!(5 days later!)