Hooray for great husbands who give awesome Christmas gifts

Dear Canon Rebel T2i,

I look forward to all our future adventures.  Oh, the places we'll go!

Picture Credit

Mrs. K

Merry Christmas from the K Family

We wish you a Merry Christmas 

from our family to yours 

We were so frustrated with the dogs we almost made this our Christmas card photo but...

The dogs cooperated and we got one or two good photos.

Don't forget the "reason for the season." Be blessed!

Mrs. K

I must be insane for doing this

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I've been doing the Insanity workout videos.  I don't have a goal to lose weight or anything like that.  In fact, I haven't weighed myself in months and I don't plan to weigh myself (unless I go visit the doctor of course).  I guess I want to feel fit and be/?stay fit.  I've also mentioned that I'm trying to have my best pre-baby body (errr...since high school that is...lol). 

Anyway, my husband and I have completed 2 weeks of Insanity so far.  We've been getting up around 5am most mornings to do it.  It's definitely a challenge but we like tolerate it so far.  Actually I like getting up and working out with my honey.  It motivates me and I like to start the day with a good workout (except for the last few days because I think I'm getting sick with a cold).  In this post I will show you my Fit Test results, done at days 1, 15, 36, 50, and 63.

Here's what the Fit Test looks like.  During the test, there's one minute to do as many of these as possible.  Trust me, it looks fairly easy until you start doing them.

Picture Credit

Below are the results of my insanity Fit Test:

Move	Fit Test 1 (Day1)	Fit Test 2 (Day 15)
1)) Switch kicks	60	63
2) Power Jacks	53	57
3) Power Knees	63	92
4) Power Jumps	31	39
5) Globe Jumps	4	7
6) Suicide Jumps	13	16
7) Push-up Jacks	8	20
8) Low Plank Oblique	36	56

I will keep you posted as I complete future Fit Tests.  For now, I'm going to go eat more chicken soup and try to take more Vit. C so I can fight this cold.  It is tough working out when I'm sick, especially if the workout is INSANity.

Mrs. K

Parties make this time of year so much more enjoyable

So far I've gone to 3 Christmas parties.  Woohoo!  Last year we went to 4 (and I think that's the record...so far).  These are not including family gatherings.  I enjoy going to these parties.  Here are some things I like about them:

1) Getting dressed up fancy.  On a daily basis I wear what I call "work clothes" which is usually isn't anything fun or fancy.  When I'm not in "work clothes" I'm either in "house clothes," "workout clothes," "night clothes," or "going out clothes."  I know these labels may seem strange to you.  Don't worry you are not alone, my husband finds them strange too and he laughs at me whenever I say anyone of them.  Anyway, these parties give me an opportunity to parade around in a nice dress, heels and fancy (but inexpensive) jewelry and not look too crazy.

2) Putting on make up (ie. mascara and lipstick).  I wear lip gloss all the time but not lipstick.  I feel the make up completes the outfit although it is kept at a minimum.

3) Seeing my husband dressed up.  I've mentioned before that my honey is a basketball shorts wearing down-to-earth kind of guy.  Although I think he looks great everyday, whenever he dresses up in a suit he looks amazing.

4) Socializing.  Yes, I am social butterfly.  Well in a way I am.  You see at my husband's work functions, I wont initiate a conversation with someone I don't know.  But if they come up to me and start talking--it's on.  Although if it's someone I know, I have no problem going up to them first. I also like meeting the people that my husband comes home and talk to me about from work.

5) Watching co-workers/professionals get tipsy and start talking/behaving without inhibitions.  Yes, it's pretty fun watching this, especially when they start dancing.  It's a sight to see.  From a sober person's point of view it's hilarious!

6) Eating the food.  I am not ashamed to say it.  I look forward to the food and I love the diversity of food offered.  Except for the party for my department, the food at the other 2 parties were awesome.  

7) The smiles and the laughter.  I like seeing people from all walks of life fellowshipping and having a great time.

8) Cutting a rug on the dance floor.  My husband doesn't like to dance as much as I do although he is a good dancer but he has learned over the years to just go with it.  He usually is prepared to be on the dance floor with me most of the night.  I love it all from the "soul train line" to the "cupid shuffle."  I also like to watch others try to dance.

Anyway, these are just a few things that I like about parties that make this time of year more fun.  Hear are some pictures of my husband and I at his department's Christmas party this past weekend.  We both had a great time but had to go home a little earlier than normal because he had to work the next day.

I wanted to show the coat I wore over the dress.  It was a cold night.

Ok, I know I look like a "mad 'oman" (Jamaican patois for crazy woman) but I posted this picture for 2 reasons: 1) I wanted to show the pin (see my bootleg arrow) not seen in previous pics. 2) To make you laugh since I'm a goofball--hubby and I were being silly when we took this picture.  I hope the big eyeballs didn't scare you too much. LOL!

By the way thanks for all the thoughtful comments left on my last post.  I appreciate them all.  Also, I will be posting my 2010 Christmas card in a few days--I'm too lazy to do it right now.  I'll also post about my "Insanity workout" videos progress so far some time soon.

Mrs. K

Farewell...

Picture credit

No I have not given up on blogging.  I hope to continue that for a while.  

I am so happy to wave goodbye to nausea, farewell to vomiting, adios to weight gain, and bu-bye to difficulty wearing contacts.  Yes, all of the above are the most common side effects associated with OCPs (oral contraceptive pills) and I have had them at some point.  If you can remember from a previous post--I hate taking pills but I've been glued to my OCPs for the past two and a half years.  It has done the job so far--no unplanned pregnancies yet. But it's time to say goodbye.

You may be curious to know why I'm doing this.  The first thing that may come to your mind is that I'm trying to get pregnant.  Actually, I'm not.  At least not yet.  I've been wanting to get off "the pills" but have been frightened by the idea.  My husband and I planned that I would stop in December 2010 and to help me become more comfortable with the idea I've been doing my research.  And, thanks to the Fertility Friend I'm a little more comfortable with the idea. 

For the new year, the "rhythm method" will be my only method to prevent pregnancy (that is if I'm successful).  Right now I can't chart my cycle because I'm on OCPs.  My cycle was very regular before so I shouldn't have a problem.  Of course it's still in the back of my mind that this method is not as successful but I'm being hopeful.  Although my plan is not to get pregnant right away, if I do it wouldn't be the end of the world.  It would just be a few months earlier than planned.

I just picked up my last month of OCPs so I'm still taking them for a few more days but I'm so ready to give them the boot.  This is just my excited farewell speech (in advance).  I must admit that it will be difficult to say goodbye to the increase in boob-age but I don't care.  I'm sure I'll get them back again some day (i.e. when pregnant) so I'm not worrying.

Mrs. K

Family Photos

Yesterday we took our family photos for our Christmas cards and they came out well.  Last year this is what the process looked like (note the progression): 

K family 2009 Christmas Series: 

Took a picture of Sampson just for fun because he was looking so spiffy in his Christmas bow-tie (that I made).  Sampson was probably thinking: "Boy this is going to be a long night."  And he was so right.

Take 1: Trying to get situated in front of the fireplace.  Ok, maybe it's tough because it's the first take (at least that's what we were hoping)

 

Take 2: Maybe grabbing Gideon's (our not so smart Great Dane) back leg will help.  Aside: Please excuse Gideon's unneutered male parts.  He was still too young to get it done at the time.  He's neutered now.

Take 3: Ok so now Gideon decides to not run away but faces away from the camera trying to nibble on Sampson.  Sampson obviously is not enjoying the attention and is trying to hide.

Take 4: Fine!  Gid doesn't have to be in the family picture, we don't care. Ok, I'm kidding yes we do.

Take 5: Sampson and I showing our mad face.  My hubby being his usual patient self.  We were all thinking: "Gideon get your butt over here, I can't stand all this sweating anymore."

Take 6: Wow, can we catch a break please.  Really? Tongue sticking out? By this time hubby and I have fixed fake smiles just in case we capture a good picture.  By the way, where's Sampson.

Take 1 million: Ok we are getting closer.  Gideon's now cooperating but his ear is all funky looking inverted.

Take 1 million and 1: Almost there...

Take 1 million and 2: Yay! We did it.  All of us thinking: let's not do this again next year.

This is the picture we used for a Christmas cards last year.

This year it took less time (even with a new addition to the family--Eliza).  Our neighbor, Paul, owner of Bean Fruit Coffee Company helped us out.  He was so patient throughout the whole process but I think he had a good time taking the photos.  It may have been my husband and I bickering or the cat digging into my husband's leg while he was trying not to scream like a girl or each of the red balls (ornament) falling off the dogs' neck because they were romping or the disgusted look in our eyes at the dogs for not cooperating. lol. 

Whatever it was, our neighbor had a good laugh while the hubby and I were sweating bullets trying to get the whole thing figured out.   I don't know why we do this to ourselves.  It's like we are gluttons for torture.   We both agreed that we can't wait to have kids so that they can be in the family picture.  We may just put individual pet photos on there when we have a kiddo.  

Anyway, I will post the 2010 photos in a few days. If you plan to take family photos this year hopefully your session was less eventful.

Mrs. K

Thanks for the award

Thank you Ms Baby Plan for this blog award.  You are truly a sweetheart for considering me.

There are few rules to follow.

1. Link back to the blogger who awarded you.
2. Pass the award to five other bloggers.
3. Comment on their blog and let them know.

The awards go to:
1) Creole Wisdom

2) Motivation Mama Drama

3) A Mama with Flavor

4) Just Another Day with MrsTDJ

5) Mommy Glow
 

Mrs. K

Blessing in disguise

Yesterday was such a blessing.  Remember in my last post I mentioned that my camera was no longer working.  I was so disappointed that I could not capture pictures of some of the holiday events.   Anyway, I told my hubby about the camera and he reminded me that we have a 2 year replacement plan on it.  We went back to Best Buy yesterday and walked out with a brand new camera for free (with all the accessories and all).  So of course I wanted a digital SLR and was hoping that we could get one yesterday and pay the difference but we couldn't afford it.  Or at least we thought it wasn't wise to get one at this time.  It will remain on my wish list for now.  If you have any ideas/advice about a reasonable priced digital SLR for an amateur please send them my way.

New camera (same as old camera). Picture credit

The first picture I took with my new camera was a picture of some cross training sneakers I saw in the store that I'll probably buy online (hopefully for cheaper).  Of course we also took some photos of the doggies and kitty.  Mr. K and I also took our "before" pictures since we both will be starting the Insanity workout videos.  Actually we both did the Fit Test this morning which was tough.  I'm excited about it though and I plan to Dig Deeper.  By the way, I wanted to mention that I found out about Insanity through a fellow blogger Motivation Mama Drama.  I also want to thank her for being so positive and for motivating me to attempt Insanity.

Picture credit

Mrs. K

Holiday events so far...

Disclaimer: I have no personal pics of any of these events because my camera is acting up.  The shutter won't open.  I had plans to take lots of them but I guess not.

As you may remember from my previous post, last night I went to a Christmas party for my work.   It was so much fun.  I'll recap a little.  So unfortunately my hubby was sick (cold symptoms) but he tried to be a good trooper and came with me anyway (despite given a free pass to not go).  

On top of being sick he was also scheduled to work the next day.  After being there for a few minutes he looked miserable and not his usual upbeat, social self.  We discussed him going home and me getting a ride home with one of my colleagues so he left after half an hour.  I felt a little bad but he was totally ok with it.  Besides I love social events like these and I had been looking forward to the party for quite some time.  A friend visiting from out of town also went to the party with me.  She was in town interviewing for job.

The party was filled with laughter and lots of dancing.  The food was pretty bad though but we expected it because that's been the trend for the last few years.  They need a better caterer but that's besides the point.  Anyway, I danced so much that I was drenched in sweat (I know it's gross but I had so much fun).  It was also nice to see some of my bosses get loose.  I wore a black fitted (tight) dress that went below the knees.  Sorry there's no picture and I'm bad at describing things so I won't even try.

Dress I wore to the Christmas party last year

Tonight I saw the Nutcracker Ballet.  I went with a girlfriend.  Once again I have no personal  pictures.  Anyway, it was very entertaining.  Anyway, I can barely keep my eyes open so this is all for now.

Picture credit

Mrs. K

Post Thanksgiving Update

I know I've been MIA for some time now.  I'm still trying to recover from the turkey coma.  Here's a recap.

1) Thanksgiving with the in-laws turned out great as I anticipated.  The food was yummy.  I didn't overeat (too much).  It was different from Thanksgiving with my family but that was alright.  The dogs did good on the 6 hours drive there and back.  On Thanksgiving day they kept breaking out of the crate to join the festivities.  It was so much fun hanging out with my husband's family.  They are hilarious.  I spent a lot of time with his adorable nieces and nephews too.  Kids are so adorable pre-teen.  One of his nephews (who is 5--almost 6) asked me if we had any children yet.  I busted out laughing and asked my husband and his mom if they told him to ask me that.  They didn't.

Some of the food served

2) There was no Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping for me.  I did get a few things but I didn't camp out hours before.  I strolled in the stores around noon when most people were finishing up with their shopping. I don't think I'll ever do the Black Friday thing.  I love sleeping and I'm also freaked out by the thought of being trampled by some eager shoppers.  One of my purchases that I'm happy about was the dress that I got for the Christmas party at my husband's work.  It's so cute.  I'm sure I'll share it on a future post.

3) I have not done any P90X or other workout since the day before Thanksgiving.  Although my goal is to workout most days out of the week I didn't feel too bad.  My Insanity workout video came in the mail and I plan to start it Monday.  I know it will kick my booty so I don't mind slacking for a few days.  Once I start I plan to stay committed to it.  I'm excited about it but also nervous.

4) I finally sewed a few things.  My husband's genius sister (who is pregnant with twins by the way) figured out how to use my ancient sewing machine.  She taught me a lot.  I finally was able to sew without jamming the machine.  I made a cell phone cover (which I probably won't use) and a tiny pillow. Yay!  I feel so accomplished. 

5) I almost forgot.  My honey and I went to the UF vs FSU football game on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We lost miserably.  It was so disappointing.  This was a huge rivalry and our first loss (to FSU) in six years.  Our entire season has been crappy so it wasn't such a hard blow.  It would have been worse if we had a good season then lost to them.

Anyway, that's it for now.  I have a Christmas party to go to for my work today.  Should be fun.  Will let you know more about it after.  I love getting dressed up and going to social events!

Mrs. K

Random Updates

This is a post to update you all on what's been going on over the past few weeks.  My previous posts have not really said much about what I've been doing.  So here we go.

1) I cooked three times last week (that is one time less than the previous week) but that was planned.  We had a few dinner invitations that we could not pass up so we had to kick cooking to the curb for a few days.  Besides we knew about the dinners ahead of time so that doesn't count.

2) I've been eating more healthy.  I already eat fairly healthy (ok, sometimes I do) but there's always room for improvement.  I have to eat breakfast daily.  On days when I'm not eating breakfast with my husband (which is at least 5 days per week) I have oatmeal.  Yum!  I'm actually one of the rare kind that actually like oatmeal (you know the one without all the sugar and stuff already mixed in). 

So that I get at least a few servings of fruits per day, I mix fruits in my oatmeal.  You name it, I put it in there.  My favorites are grapes, strawberries, peach.  This is sometimes together but other times individually.  I wish I liked bananas because I think they would go well with oatmeal.  On some days I try to eat a fruit with lunch too.  

Speaking about lunch, I usually bring lunch to work with me.  I try to do it daily but on rare days I get lazy or have a planned lunch date.  I've never been a big veggie fan but I've been having veggies with dinner.  Hubby is also not a big vegetable fan (God help our kids) but we are slowly introducing new veggies in our diet.  It's been going great so far.

3) My husband's older brother spent a few days with us.  He drove cross country from Wyoming (out of his way) to visit us then drove to FL to join his parents early for Thanksgiving.  It was so much fun having him here.  He and my husband are both really goofy.  Of course they pulled me into it and we all had a great time.  By the way, my husband's brother is single and is looking for a future wife so if you know of any eligible bachelorettes let me know.  I'm half joking.  He is a great guy and he is hot {hi honey, he is not as hot as you but he does have an awesome body}. Ha!

4) As we are talking about awesome bodies, I've been working out more.  Ok, so I'm no where close to having an awesome body but I'm trying.  If you remember I'm trying to stay in shape so that I can get pregnant then become out of shape again.  Kidding.  Really though, I've been exercising regularly now for the past few weeks.  Last week I did 5 days of P90X workout videos.  Those were serious but I felt so good after then I started hurting about 2 days after each workout (but it's the good kind of hurt).

5) The P90X videos are not so bad actually.  I know, I can't believe I just said that either.  Ok they are tough.  The Ab Ripper X is the worse.  Anyway, since I'm feeling so healthy and athletic, I've decided to give the Insanity workout videos a try.  I like a challenge.  They are extremely expensive but I've convinced my hubby to get them for me as an early Christmas present. Yay!  I'll let you know how it goes.  I've got a feeling I wont still be cheering after I've done the Insanity workouts.  I'm surprised that I'm liking home workouts so much.  It's actually a lot easier for me to roll out of bed and go downstairs to work out than go outside.

6) Thanksgiving will be spent at my husband's family's house.  Christmas will be with my family.  Thanksgiving will be in north Florida and should be tons of fun.  We plan to drive down on Wednesday night.  The hubby may drop me off at his parents home then go to the "family house" where he will spend the night with some male relatives.  They will likely get up early Thursday morning to go hunting.  I'll drive to the "family house" with his mom and help get food ready. 

I don't have to cook anything but I think I want to make a dessert.  We'll see.  They'll have tons of games and other activities to do.  It will be very different from Thanksgiving with my family.  There will be no curry goat (this is what I will miss the most).  But I will have a good time regardless.  I plan to try everything but I will NOT overeat.  The feeling is just too uncomfortable.  By the way, our dog children will be taking the 6 hour trip with us. Yikes!

Hubby and I with my grandma from a past Thanksgiving

7) Lastly, not much progress with sewing.  My sweet neighbor has brought me over some books to help but they are way too advanced for me.  She is retired and has offered to donate some time to help me.  I plan to take her up on that offer after the holidays.  Also I plan to take my sewing machine with me when visiting my hubby's family for Thanksgiving so that his sister can teach me a thing or two.

Anyway, that's my little update.  I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with family and friends. 

Mrs. K

Recipe time (again)

Picture credit: This is not the exact one I used I just wanted to add a picture so you have an idea what I'm talking about.  It does not have to be Thai coconut milk. 

Alright so another lovely reader expressed interest in my coconut milk curry chicken so this is another attempt for me to try to remember what I did.  When it comes to cooking, I'm more of an artist rather than a scientist.  I just do what comes natural to me and deal with the consequences later.  Thankfully this meal came out good.

Note: This is not necessarily a Jamaican dish.  Many Jamaicans (and other people from different cultures) cook curry chicken but I decided to add some things I found tasty from other cultures (particularly the coconut milk).  Coconut milk is added to "rice and peas" (a staple item in Jamaica) but coconut milk is not normally added to our meat dishes.

Ingredients:

-4-5 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast (cubed).

-1 onion (chopped)

-1tbsp garlic (minced)

-1 tsp black pepper

-1tsp thyme

-salt (maybe 1 tsp) ?

-1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

-1/2 tbsp ground ginger

-1/2 tsp cumin

-2 tbsp curry powder

-1/2 tsp chili powder

-Optional: I also used a pepper cocktail mix that my grandparents made from peppers and herbs in their garden because hubby and I like spicy foods.

-1 can coconut milk

-1 cup water

Directions: Place all the ingredients above in a large bowl (except water and coconut milk) and mix together.  Pour this mixture into a crockpot.  Add the coconut milk and water, then stir.  Cover crockpot and cook on low. I believe I let it cook for about 7-8 hours.

And that's it!  Hope you find this useful.

Mrs. K

Backed by Popular Demand

Ok, so maybe it wasn't that popular.  A handful of people asked me to share the recipe of some of the meals I cook so this is an attempt to do so.  I love sharing but I don't measure ingredients when I cook and I add things as I go so this makes it difficult.  Regardless, I will try so bare with me.

I will first post the Callaloo chicken recipe.  Callaloo is slightly similar to collard greens (meaning they are both greens).  Besides that they are completely different (I think).  They taste different and I think they are cooked differently (I don't know how to cook collard greens).  Callaloo is usually eaten with salt fish aka cod fish aka bacalao.  My husband introduced me to adding chicken to it a few years ago and now this is the only way we eat it in our household.  Here is a link to a website so you can see how callaloo is normally cooked (there's also a video).  Here's what I do (note that the amounts are estimates):

Ingredients for callaloo:

-1 bag of chopped callaloo (from my grandma's garden). Canned callaloo is also available online

-1/2 tomato (diced)

-1/2 onion (chopped)

-1 tsp chopped garlic

-1 tsp black pepper

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp thyme

-1/2 cup water

(I also added an unknown amount of a pepper mixture.  It's something my grandparents make from the peppers and herbs they grow in their backyard.  My husband and I both like spicy foods so we add this to give a kick to most of our meals).

Ingredients for chicken: 

Let marinate for a few minutes:

-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (cubed)

-1/2 tomato (diced)

-1/2 onion (chopped)

-1 tbsp garlic

-1 tsp black pepper

-a little salt

1) For callaloo: Saute` onion, garlic, tomatoes, thyme in a pot.  Then add chopped callaloo, salt and pepper. Add water.  Cover pot and let cook for about 20-30 minutes (until soft)--stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.

2) For chicken (while callaloo cooking): Add all ingredients in another pot, including chicken. When chicken is cooked, pour over callaloo and stir together.

This is commonly served over white rice but you can also eat with it fried dumplings or "food" (a combination of boiled dumplings, green bananas, yellow yam, etc.

                                                                   Picture Credit

Fried Dumplings

Pre-cooked fresh cut callaloo

OK, so this is the best I can do with reproducing the recipe.  Hope it's helpful for anyone willing to give it a try.

Mrs. K

A naive lady's take on the movie "For Colored Girls"

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I have decided to post about my reactions/thoughts on the movie "For Colored Girls."  Before I proceed I will caution you that the opinions presented here are my own and are influenced by my knowledge and experiences.  Also, I'd like to give the disclaimer that there will be multiple "spoilers" in this post so if you intend to watch the movie (and haven't yet), you may want to read this at a later time. 

I think it's important for you to have some basic knowledge about me for you to fully understand my review.  As you can probably tell (from this post title) I grew up very sheltered, thankfully not exposed to most of the horrifying acts that occurred in this movie.  I was born in a third world country and partially raised there until I moved to NY.  I humbly confess that I have never lived in the projects and have spent most of my US years in the suburbs.  I grew up in a culturally strict Caribbean family which definitely influenced my views of myself and the world.  With this being said, although I may not be your home girl from the block I've interacted enough with others (friends and patients) to be able to give my two cents.

I will start out by saying that I feel the movie was well done.  I won't say that I hated it but I also can't say I loved it.  I enjoyed the poetry and the creativity.  All the actors played their characters very well and made an impression on me in some way (good or bad).  I must admit that I almost used up a whole roll of toilet paper by the time the movie was over.  I did not know much about the movie (shameless confession) prior to seeing it so I entered it bright eyed and bushy tailed but came out with big frightening eyes and mouth wide open. 

Now, since I have not seen the play or read the book, I don't really know how closely Tyler Perry portrayed the original story (therefore I cannot comment about that).  Anyway, a fault that I have with some of Tyler Perry's movies and others is the negative light that males are portrayed in.  From the married men who intentionally sought out sexual pleasure by cheating on their wives, to the successful husband who ends up also being a cheater and a man who enjoys having sexual relations with men, to the cheating loser who repeatedly goes back to the woman who hurt him, and finally to the father with mental health issues who abuses his children's mother and murders his children.  The only male with any redeemable qualities was the supportive, understanding husband played by Hill Harper.  This was very disappointing.  Another disappointing point about the story in my opinion is that it provides no hope.  

I was blown away by the stories of all the women in the film.  The female characters were powerful women that were all beaten down by life in some way.  But, I wished the movie would have been more triumphant.  I guess I kept looking for the hope in the movie but could not find any.  Some strong points about the movie is the emphasis on sisterhood and the importance of women supporting each other.  But again, it went back to the same thought --does it have to take being badly treated by males for women to bond together?  I guess there was a little hope in Tessa Thompson's character (Nyla)...meaning even if you come from messed up beginnings it's still possible to go to college and hopefully become successful.  I wish their could be a part 2 that showed how these women overcame their individual barriers.  I guess I like happy endings but I know that for some there is no such thing. 

At the end, I couldn't help but think that: Crystal will never be at peace and will forever be haunted by guilt, Jo will continue to live a long bitter life, Juanita's moment of self confidence will be only short-lived, Tangie's self hatred as a result of being a victim of incest will last for generations, Yasmine will continue to have post traumatic stress symptoms despite the death of her attacker and she will probably have a difficult time trusting men, Kelly may continue to feel guilt and possible hopelessness as she continues to work in a system that she cannot change, Tessa will have to live with the guilt of having an abortion and may never be able to have children because of the unsafe abortion practices.
  
Now, I have not walked in any of the characters shoes but I was able to understand them and the struggles they faced.  I was not the innocent  dance instructor who's rights were sexually violated. I was not the stoic, successful businesswoman who gained a heart after witnessing a traumatic event or contracting HIV from her spouse.  Neither was I the young teenager who almost died from unsanitary practices from receiving an abortion.  I was not the woman who finally gained confidence to stand up to a cheating partner and realized how powerful she was.  I have never been the woman so scarred by incest that she cannot define who she is.  Lastly, I hope to never be the woman that will be forever tormented by not being able to flee from a situation that placed both her and her children in danger.  Yet, I was moved to the core by their stories.

With all this being said, I don't believe that one has to walk a mile in someone else's shoes to be able to empathize and have one's own heart break for them. What do you think?

By the way, I saw this movie with a few lady friends.  My husband wants to see the movie also but I hate seeing movies twice and especially not one that is so emotionally draining as this one.

Mrs. K

My Best Cooking Week in a Long Time

Woohoo!  I am so excited that I cooked several days last week.  For a while there it felt like I cooked more when I was single compared to while married.  Although I know this is probably not true, it felt like it.  My husband and I were eating out almost daily for a while.  We never turned down a dinner invitation.  

One of my goals was to change this and eat at home more.  I wanted to do this for several reasons including: eating more healthy, saving money, getting practice for when we have kids, having more intimate dinners at home, etc

I have slowly been doing this (cooking more) and it was very helpful to have a house full of people this past summer because we could no longer afford to pay for eating out daily.  After the summer we went right back to our old habits.  Now we are re-training ourselves.  Since I'm so excited I will post what I cooked this week.  I must also say that on the days that my honey got home before me he started dinner (which was very helpful).  So here was last week's plan:

K-Family Weekly Dinner Plan--Week 1

SUN: crab cake, red potatoes, edamame. Was so delicious.  Quick and easy to make.

MON: coconut milk curry chicken over orzo pasta (from Miracle Noodle), french cut beans on the side.  Done in crockpot.

TUES: shrimp taco with salsa, fresh spinach, shredded cheese. Homemade guacomole on the side. Triumph: I got my husband (and myself) to eat spinach, tomatoes, avocado, green peppers, onions.

WED: Callaloo with chicken over brown rice.  Fried plantains on the side. Callaloo is normally eaten with saltfish (at least in Jamaica) but I guess we put an American twist to it.

Picture credit with callaloo recipe

THURS: Ate out with friends, celebrating one of the guys taking his Board Exam (a big feat for him). Had Pad Thai @ Pan Asia.

FRI: Planned on eating something that hubby was supposed to cook but ended up eating left overs.

SAT: Ate out with a friend--Japanese buffet.  The sushi was awesome but I ate too much.  I promise myself I will never do that again.

My goal is to plan the dinners for the week on Sundays (ahead of time).  I hope to be successful at cooking more at home by doing this.  I plan to write down my daily dinner menu on the board in our kitchen and cross it off as I cook each day's meal.  I've never been this excited about cooking before.  I will let you know how it goes.

Mrs. K

Weekend Review: Hodge Podge of Stuff I Did

This weekend was laid back.  I didn't do anything terribly exciting.  Hubby was out of town and I chilled with my dog children again.  Here's a recap:

Friday:

-Went to work as usual and watched in shock as one of my colleagues get annihilated by one of the head physicians.  Was difficult to watch but I couldn't really do too much about it.

-Ate crackers (with "raw milk" cheese) and canned soup for dinner while catching up on reading other people's blogs.  I was too lazy to cook for one.

-Hung out with dog children

Saturday:

-Partial house cleaning while listening to music and jamming out.

-Hung out with pet children

-Called a few special people (family mainly)

-Went shopping: bought hair "stuff," a brown leather pleather skirt and black pleather pants from New York & Company.  These two purchases are out of character for me (meaning I've never worn leather before, except for shoes).  Also bought a pair of black denim Jeggings from Target. 

-Had eyebrows threaded.  Had to nicely ask the threader to change gloves after I'd witnessed her using the same gloves on multiple clients.  She didn't seem bothered by it.  At the end she used the same brush to dust away the hair from my face before I could tell her not to.  Once she started  I just let her continue then washed my face when I got home.  I'm curious, have you ever had to tell someone that their practices weren't sanitary?  How did you do it?  Although I said it nicely to her, I still felt like a meanie.

-Spoke at a church function at Cool Water restaurant (not my church).  It was the woman's group annual breast cancer awareness function (was postponed to this month although last month was breast cancer awareness month).  Was nervous but made it threw. LOL.  I was one of the youngest women in attendance but I still had a great time with some lovely ladies.  By the way, I wore my brown pleather skirt to this church function with my hot pink blouse.

-Wore this hot pink Pashmina (see below) scarf as an accessory to my all black outfit to the movies.  The woman's group gave me this scarf as an appreciation for my speaking.  They were so sweet.  I was so excited because I love scarves!

Picture Credit

 -Saw the movie: For Colored Girls.  One word: WOW! I may talk about this more in a later post. 

 Sunday:

-Attended church 

-Went food shopping.  I hate going to the supermarket.  When I go in there I go straight to what I want and try to hurry out.  It's like what guys do when they go shopping.  I don't check out deals or anything.

-Hung out with dog children and kittie

-Cooked dinner: Baked red potatoes, edamame, crab cake. Yummy!

-Went running for about 45-50 minutes

-Made out my menu for the week (something new that I'm trying out).

-Unsuccessful attempt to read some sewing books my neighbor brought over.

-More blogging!

-Researched a bunch of pre-pregnancy topics.  I've got Baby Center app. on iPhone, signed up on some fertility website.  Mr. K and I are not trying to conceive right now but we plan to in the near future so I'm trying to get more edu-ma-cated.  I figure that the more educated I am the less stressful it would be.

Told you my weekend was uneventful.  Nothing wild and crazy here. 

Mrs. K

Do you know what a Bean Fruit is?

If the answer is no, that is expected.  Don't feel bad.  I did not know what Bean Fruit was until a few months ago because it didn't exist before then.  Ok, I will end the suspense. 

Bean Fruit is the name of my neighbors coffee company.  There's a whole interesting history behind the name which you can check out on their website.  Besides finding out what Bean Fruit is, I've also been recently highly educated by my neighbors about coffee (well at least based on my standards).

www.beanfruit.com

For the past few months while outside or inside my home, I could smell the lovely aroma of several types of coffee beans being roasted including some from Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Brazil.  Now I must admit that the hubby and I are not coffee drinkers but this stuff smells so good it makes me want to eat even the freshly ground coffee.  Bean Fruit's coffee (roasted and ground) smells very differently from the average stuff that is carried in stores.  No offense but the ones already packaged in containers smell like cigarette smoke.

I've had friends attend a cupping (similar to wine tasting but for coffee) of Bean Fruit's coffee and they love it.  I've even brought some to work for the coffee addicts to try and they have said things like "this is quality stuff."  Which is exactly what Bean Fruit's goal is.

A friend enjoying a cupping session

Anyway, based on some complicated math and chemistry equations (I may be exaggerating a tad) the owner has managed to roast the perfect coffee.  Our friends and a few locals have had access to this quality coffee but now you all have access to it also.  Drop by, check it out for yourself and tell them I sent you :).

Now we may not drink coffee but the hubby and I plan to purchase a few bags for some of our coffee-addicted family members as holiday gifts.  Shhh! Don't tell our family, you'll ruin the surprise.

In addition to clicking on the link above, you can also check out the website of the Bean Fruit Coffee Company by clicking on their icon located in the sidebar on the right on my homepage.  When you do try it I would love to know what you think about it.

Did I mention that a portion of what they make goes towards both a local charity and also an international one from the area that the beans were grown.  How awesome is that!

*By the way, I do not get any rewards, etc for writing this post.  My neighbors are just great people who are doing awesome things and I think they deserve to be recognized.* 

Me pretending to know what I'm doing--using a French press to brew coffee

Mrs. K