| IF..... |
 Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, ' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! ~ by R. Kipling This poem makes me think about one my Mothers favorite bands. Bread.Their catalog of music was as much of a staple as the band name in our house. "If" you don't know Bread "IF" Click here Mom loved great bands of the 70's. Here are a few more favorites - Chicago (the band) Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? Click here Three Dog Night Joy To The World, Click here Yes Respect Greatness! This..I..Just..the words will make you out~n~out Click here Roundabout Lyrics Click here Someone in my house loved Roundabout, played it all the time..um... Fleetwood Mac ~ if you don't know Stevie well..., Bee Gee's AND The Ohio Player, E.W.F, Heatwave and KC and The Sunshine Band Shake Your Booty Click here are among others I have named in other post. Nothing like a band. It's Sunday! I hope you had time to reset! |
Monday, November 21, 2011
"IF" The" Bread" of Life.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, Sunday, bah da bah da da da..
It's my favorite day of the week! Sunday means family, good food, relaxation, laughing and smiling.
Things I love about Sunday -
- A Big Sunday Breakfast!
- A Big Sunday Dinner!
- No Traffic!
Easy Like Sunday Morning. Click here
Sunday we have -
- Gospel Radio and Sports!
No value in History makes me sad.
But not on Sunday! On Sunday I Smile :-)
Smile - GP are you with me? Click here
It's the God in me. Mary Mary
Those two songs are from a short list of Contemporary Spiritual/Gospel music I enJoy! Coming from a rich Louisiana Baptist background practically everything other than those old moaning and whaling hymns of my youth are contemporary.
EnJoy! The Gospel of my youth.
Mahalia Jackson - Move on up a little higher. Click here
Mahalia Jackson-Move on up a little higher lyrics. Click here
We did not have "the greatest gospel singer of all time" in our Sunday services at "Greater King Solomon" or "Jackson Chapel", but the Sunday music rotation in our home made her number one on the Sunday playlist. My NOLA Grandmother was a total Mahalia groupie. Truly Mahalia was loved by the people in
Wikipedia says-
Born as Mahala Jackson and nicknamed "Halie",
Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel".
Mahalia Jackson died in
I was six years old and will never forget that day. My school announced her passing over the loud speaker which could be heard in the school courtyard where we were halted to listen. When I close my eyes and remember this day, I am taken back to that courtyard and can still smell the pinto bean aroma in the air from our lunch menu.
Mahalia had funeral services in
Instead of the sweet sounds of Mahalia in service, our service was more...
It goes a lil something like this... and a 1 and a 2...Click here
The unison clapping, stomping, rocking rhythmic melding of voice and spirits soothed my soul. It was as though someone hit the reset button on life and everything was made new again.
"Rocking was a term first used by gospel singers in the American South to mean something akin to spiritual rapture". - By Dr. Frank Hoffmann
Even without regular Sunday service and certainly no music like this. I still love Sunday for family, for music, for food, for Joy!
Sunday, Reset!
Now for Monday....
Monday, Monday bah da bah da da da..
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Delight In the Little Things
More of a blessing than the abundance itself is to realize abundance in your life and want to share that abundance with others freely. When I say abundance you may immediately think wealth or excess, when I simply mean enough to share. The caveat of that thought is "what is enough"?
We run on empty with our busy lives filled with chores and errands and activities required of us to be considered active, engaged, connected. But when is enough, enough?
There are multitudes of regurgitated hypotheses written on the topic of satisfaction. The elusive condition we all seem to crave. We want satisfaction in our relationships or our work, but for some great mystery or some great UN achievable process, we the masses, still "can't get no satisfaction".
Mick Jagger Break
The Rolling Stones - Satisfaction Click here
After all, what is a blog about life, love and music with out a nod to The Rolling Stones? Maroon 5 know a great recipe for a hit song. Lie about your moves, add one of the best voices in the world, mix in clips of the funkiest front man of the best known band, stir or is that a shake, bake until the world believes you got moves. No M5 video posted as to not insult T.R.S. The M5 dude barley moves - really people?
I refer in previous post to the Bible series "Reaching Your Financial Destiny" as the spark to my current condition of thought and activity. In the study, I re learned that satisfaction is not about achieving more. It is about being happy or content with what you have now. If we looked at what we already have as abundant or enough, what would that do for our lives?
Have we stopped counting our blessing- daily? Is counting our blessings a falsehood to the reality of our lives today? Do we really feel blessed? Perhaps if we felt we had more, we would find that we could share more. More time, more love, more understanding, more patience, more Joy.
Last week at the shelter program I shared, along with my time, an easy bake apple pancake. I can tell you the women, children and my co-volunteers seemed to be delighted and it was enough.
2 recipes for your enjoyment- The first, THERE IS JOY AND SATISFACTION IN THE LITTLE THINGS! Try that recipe and the one below.
Easy Bake Apple Pancake
Ingredients
Complete Pancake Mix
2 Eggs
4 Granny Smith Apples
1 TBS Cinnamon
4 TBS Granulated Sugar
4 TBS Butter
Prep
Peel, core and slice apples to 1/4 inch thick slices
Mix sugar, cinnamon and apples together until apples are coated with sugar mixture
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix pancake mix to directions on package for 6 - 10 pancakes, beat in two eggs into batter (set aside)
In 9 inch oven ready pan/skillet (cast iron is best) on stove top melt butter in pan over med high heat (turn off heat when butter is melted)
Place apple mixture evenly on bottom of pan and return heat to med high
When apples bubbles pour pancake batter over apples, spread batter evenly remove from heat and place in preheated oven
Cook Time
Bake pancake 20 - 25 minutes until pancake lightly brown or tooth pick removes clean. Turn over onto serving plate warm from oven.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
Pic
This is not the traditional "German Apple Pancake" but a simpler version. If you want to have a batter closer to the German styles try 2 additional eggs in pancake batter.
I ate this mini version pictured for dinner all by myself. Joy!
The Children's Song by Rudyard Kipling
I sing to thee a poem -
Land of our Birth, we pledge to thee
Our love and toil in the years to be;
When we are grown and take our place
As men and women with our race.
Father in Heaven who lovest all,
Oh, help Thy children when they call;
That they may build from age to age
An undefiled heritage.
Teach us to bear the yoke in youth,
With steadfastness and careful truth;
That, in our time, Thy Grace may give
The Truth whereby the Nations live.
Teach us to rule ourselves alway,
Controlled and cleanly night and day;
That we may bring, if need arise,
No maimed or worthless sacrifice.
Teach us to look in all our ends
On Thee for judge, and not our friends;
That we, with Thee, may walk uncowed
By fear or favour of the crowd.
Teach us the Strength that cannot seek,
By deed or thought, to hurt the weak;
That, under Thee, we may possess
Man's strength to comfort man's distress.
Teach us Delight in simple things,
And Mirth that has no bitter springs;
Forgiveness free of evil done,
And Love to all men 'neath the sun!
If you have checked my profile, you know I do not have favorite books. I do have favorite Poems and Poets and Authors.
Rudyard Kipling (Born December 30, 1865, Died January 18, 1936) for one.
If you are interested in learning about Mr. Kipling and his work check out this site -http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/kipling_ind.html
The last stanza of this poem is a life creed I live by. What a world this could be if more people adopt and live that as truth. My next post is dedicated to this poem.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Going Home- Birthday Joy - I Will
 |
| I Like to Dance! Are you ready? Yeah! |
When I got the text that she was having a party in a night club I thought it was a joke. Really I did, because BFF is not the clubbing kind at all. I would be hard pressed to remember the last time we went out to a club together, if ever. Eventho' I'm no longer the party animal I once was; I had to go just to see it for myself.
Plus, I LOVE Birthdays!!! "Two most important days in your life are: the day you were born, and the day when you find out why." - Mark Twain
The two most important days in my life, were the day my Daughter was born and the day she gave birth to her son- Ultimate Joy! I know now this is why I was born.
The day you were born impresses me as the only real holiday in ones life. The one true celebration of life should be the celebration of your life, for without your life does any other day matter?
In New Orleans every reason and none were justification to put on a pot of something, crank up the tunes and pour out a lil' liquor. OK who am I kidding, a lot of liquor. Did I say every reason and no reason in NOLA we party? Death is reason to celebrate where I'm from. "Second Lines" would assemble at the church and dance your soul to the hereafter. Never mind the after party.
Want to see what a Second Line is? Click here This is the best way to celebrate a life in death.
But until my birthdays end, I want to party a little bit every day. I think everyone should bust a lil" shuffle everyday just like the tune below which plays every time a get a text or voicemail on my cell phone.
Put on some socks, go in the kitchen and shuffle baby.
Party Rock Click here Oooooooooo that's my jam!
If not to that one then...everybody on the floor and represent for the "dirty south" Cupid Shuffle or walk it by yo'self! I do!
As I walked into the club for BFF's Birthday bash the cupid shuffle was playing, I think it is always playing and almost immediately I was whisked away to the dance floor in my spiky slingback pumps. Joy! and Pain.
There were friends at the party I have not seen in years and thought I might never see again - Joy! We took a few pictures and reminisced about the good ol' days. It was good to see everyone and shake a tail feather.
I did not let the excuse of being tired or not wanting to get dressed stop me from going and I am so happy I went. It reminded me to keep dancing on the Joy list and get out a bit more. Until the next night out I can party a lil' bit everyday!
I will "bust a move" even if just in my car "dance driving", and be grateful for every birthday I get to share, mine or others.
I will have more Joy! I will, until I go home.
Monday, October 31, 2011
The Gift of Giving and the Joy of Cooking
Although I recently re-committed my time to a local shelter program for women and children, I found through journaling for the Bible series I can do more.
One of my "gifts" is Cooking. More of a blessing handed down by the best cooks in the world, My Grandmother, Aunts and Cousins. I have a true feeling of joy when cooking. I am a "foodie" and like all foodies, I love to eat. This is quite natural coming from New Orleans. Although I have met many a New Orleanian that can not cook, I never met one that did not like to eat. I am so thankful the "no cooking" part was not true for my family.
My love of cooking started with my Grandmother in NOLA. As a girl I would go "make groceries" with her and plan the daily meal. This often meant we were having what she or I wanted to eat that day. Oh Joy!
My Grandmothers reputation as a cook and joy of giving kept a crowd in her kitchen from morning to night. It was mostly our immediate and "extended family" there, but that extension was a cord at least 50 miles long.
"Grandmother" and "Pawpa" were from rural Louisiana and moved to New Orleans to raise their family.
My Grandfather was a man of few words and when he spoke it often sounded like Paw bear from Hillbilly Bears.
Hillbilly Bear Throwback Don't sleep on the premise. Nothing like hanging with Dad, even in "toonville".
Our "Pawpa" was not going to repeat himself so you had to pay close attention when he was speaking. I loved his way. In every right my Grandfather was also a great cook. He cooked the best skillet scrambled eggs in the world, often the one making breakfast for himself and the family before going off to work during the week. Weekend breakfast was a larger affair and more collaborative effort. As a child and young man living in the "Country", my Grandfather routinely hunted or fished for his family meals. Later in his life, living in New Orleans he took our family on many trips out to the "Country" where my Grandfather would get with his peeps to hunt or fish and my Grandmother would get with her peeps and cook, it was the Always The Best Time in My Life!
My Grandmother was purely and simply love personified tending to her family with the love, care and wisdom of a family laureate. She was my Hero as a girl and my Hero still from the hereafter.
Most of my Grandmother and Grandfather's family were still in the "Country" and I can remember asking to go to the" Country" for weekend visits. When we did it was a party. Food, lots of food, Music, lots of music, Family, lots of family and Drink, lots of drink. The city cousins kissed the country cousins and caught up with each others lives. Do not let the "Country" fool you those "Country" cousins had it going on with college degrees and were very active in the community. City cousins - not so much. What we truly shared were family ties. But the overwhelming feeling was a sense of Joy and Love. Love for each other, for our lives and Joy in the world we lived in. Al Green - Let's Stay Together A family anthem! I wish I had video of my family singing this back in the day.
Sundays were the best days and because of the wonderful times we had on Sunday I still hold that day as a sacred time for family. Life now in Chicago, family day may be a Wednesday but the theme is always the same, love. We have less family members gathering with less food and less music and much less drink but the love is still the same and we still like to eat.
Those of you that have seen the movie Soul Food or the BET series by the same name depicting family gatherings around a large meal will understand what Sunday mealtime can be in a afro centric household.
Kitchen time in my Grandmother's house hold many memories for me. There were several kitchens in different homes over the years, painted yellow and always in the back of those "shot gun" houses, famous in New Orleans. The women of the family would gather with the radio always on but the music will never be the same.
Let me take you back if you were there and if not let me" hip" you to it. Click the song title!
Slippin Into darkness - WAR If your going to listen to WAR then you must play All Day Music, it even has the vinyl touch. All day one of my all time jamzzz. My Uncles would play this in the park and jam with it on their bongos. The best days ever!
Zoom - Do I have to say?
I'd Rather Be With You- Bootsy
A Family Affair - Sly Stone This is Church!
I got to stop now, I'm hurting myself, too much music for one post!
Words of wisdom were shared as we snapped, picked, peeled, sliced and diced culinary delight and our family bond grew stronger with every pear we pared.
Whether in the City or the Country, meals with my NOLA family (especially on Sunday) were superb! These were true moment of Joy, times I try to recreate now with every pot of red beans I make, every pot of gumbo, every pot of greens, every pan of dressing, bowl of potato salad... oh I could go on forever.
And now this gift of cooking which is really more of a blessing that came with words of wisdom handed down from those wonderful women, is a gift I always love to share with family and friends. Some recipes have been slightly altered for heart health, but none lack Full Soul Flavor.
Part of my new found commitment to joy is to share this gift of cooking with more people. I am starting with a special friend who is also a great cook which makes this just "that" much more special. As a cook, the best thing in the world is when someone cooks for you and it's good! Her Pot of Beans are in the Crock Pot now smellin good! The recipe is below - my gift to you!
Beans take a lot of time to cook right so plan to be home or use the Crock Pot and double the Cook Time.
Either way, pour yourself a favorite drink, turn on the "radio", pullout the chopping board and EnJoy!
Red Beans with Smoked Turkey Tails
Ingredients
1lb. pkg of dried red kidney beans
4 large smoked turkey tails
4 large bay leaves
1 medium white onion
1 large green pepper
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 Tb spoon season salt
1 Tb spoon cayenne pepper
Regular salt and black pepper "to taste" at the end of cooking
4 scallion tops diced for garnish
Prep
Soak beans overnight then rinse and drain.
Fill 8 quart pot with water and boil turkey tails until "fork" tender - about 5 hours, depending on size. Allow tails to cool to touch and remove from water, leave water from turkey tail boil in pot. Pull meat from tail bone and skin. Discard bone and skin. Set meat aside.
Dice onion, green pepper and garlic.
Cook Time
Leave remaining water from tail boil in pot and add water to 3/4 full line in pot. Add beans, turkey meat, onion, green pepper and garlic, bay leaves, season salt and cayenne to water. Cover pot and boil on med high flame for 3 hours. Lower flame to med low and boil additional 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours or until beans are "finger" soft. Add additional water to pot to half full if goes below half line during cooking.
Taste after 3 hours and add regular salt and black pepper to taste before finishing cook time. Serve over rice. Top with scallions at serving.
If you are not familiar with bay leaves, please do not eat the leaf, remove at serving.
Pic
Saturday, October 29, 2011
"A Letter To My Brother" Ode' to Music
The first thing I did was send an email to my Brother who lives out of state. After recent calls and multiple texts not returned, I decided to send the email.
The email in a nutshell went something like "I love you. It will be OK, hold on to your family, I am here for you". He replied something like "thank you for the kind words, I will be OK, working it out the best I can right now, I love you".
I cried reading his reply.
My Brother and I are our parent's only children and for the first 15 years of my life he was the closest person to me. We shared everything including our bedroom until around age 13 when he moved into the basement with the hopping spiders.
Bro and I also shared our parents, primarily our Mother's love for music, he more so than I and became a musician. Garage Band, Music Conservatory, Paying Gigs, Studio Owner Musician.
Our Mother, who has an appreciation of all thing music, introduced us to a vast array of music genres. Bro however loved everything rock, mostly metal and punk as a teen and young adult. I had to be "Gene" when he and the boys did air guitar "Kiss" concerts, because my tongue fit the bill and they were short of boys in the neighborhood that wanted the Gene role. All the boys wanted to be Paul or Ace. I just wanted to "hang" with the boys and was glad I had "gene"tically fit the bill.
Great song by KISS click link below. Everyone especially my Brother should pay close attention to the lyrics. Nothing happens before you can believe in "I".
I - by KISS Click Here
My Mother sings like Barbara Streisand or she used to, now it's more like Leontyne Price and as I reflect, also favored Barbara's look back in the 70's but with a tan. Growing up, music was a major part of our everyday life and often my saving grace. When the music played there was singing which was so much better than the crying or the cursing my Mother could also perform with the same volume and vigor as her stage rendition of "Memory".
Like to hear it? Here it go..
Memory - Barbara Streisand
"And what can I do"? you may ask. Well, I can sing - a little, sang in a couple of choirs, my first solo was "Memory" by Babs. I also love to dance. My girls and I went out dancing a lot back in the day and I was picked out the crowd to be a video dancer several times but decided not to make the casting couch auditions required.
Music Saved My Life - Lil Louis Click Here It saved my life and my soul! I worship Lil' Louis.
My family listened to every kind of music, something I truly appreciate in my adult life. I have found that I know the words to almost every elevator tune, TV commercial sample and oldie but goody. Maybe I can go on that lyric show and make some dough!
Music was the tie that bound our family together in joy. Some of the best memories of my life are singing and dancing at home with my family. My new joy with music is singing and dancing with the new love of my life. A fav tune of his is "Party in My Tummy" and his new groove is the alphabet song with India Arie and Elmo. It is good to see the appreciation of good music still runs in the family.
India and Elmo sing ABC's click here Now that is good music!
A part of creating more moments of joy in my life will be to spend more time listening, singing and dancing to music. Going to load up my play list with some new tunes.
I miss my Brother.
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