I’m on a quest
You know me, I can’t hear about something going on without popping in to see what the fuss is all about. So Kristie’s got this Quest going on over at her and Katie’s blog. You can read about it here. You see she read Broken Wing and went ga-ga over it.Now since The Great North and South Crusade which my lovely PIC hooked me up with came from over at Ramblings on Romance I had to jump on in with the Quest. I mean come on, I will be forever grateful for North and South coming into my life. If you didn’t get on with that, please get thee to Netflix quickly and thank me later.That said, I’m currently reading Broken Wing. I’ll let you know if I end up a quester. Kristie was consumed. Wow. Big word. A lot for a book to live up to. Hmm…So what are you all reading? Up to anything exciting this weekend.I’m currently on the way back from home Savannah after being stuffed better than the Turkey this week.Best,KwanaGive Thanks
What’s Jack up to? Oh that little Jack will me feasting on way too many decadent treats that he really shouldn’t have today. But it’s Thanksgiving so it all will be shared with lots of love.Happy Thanksgiving!
photo by me.Please enjoy this special day will those you loveand remember to give thanks for whatever you have. Anything is a blessing.Have a wonderful day!KwanaThe biggest diva is…
So did you all watch the Not So Real Housewives of the ATL? You know I did. For the record I gave a glance to the new OC season, but just a glance. I can’t get my head or my heart into it yet coming off the ATL ladies. We’ll see as the weeks go on.
Back to ALT, I would not miss this hot mess for the world. I’m sorry (no I’m not) It’s my guilty pleasure and I loved it.
The looks, the drama, the hair. How could I not? All the housewives were in rare form. NeNe was taking no crap and telling like it T-I-S.On to Kim…So now we know Big Papa/Poppa is married and Kim says stay tuned. Should we keep our fingers crossed and watch just to see if he makes an appearance. Come on! Does somebody out there know who this guy is? And the Kim cancer thing was that all and act?
And I still say Sheree left NeNe off the party list intentionally.
And I loved Dwight with the long hair and the advice at the end. So all in all I guess he was the biggest diva.I sure hope they come back for another season. Could it be next week please?
Best,
Kwana
Motivation
How fab is she? This protege of Big Boi of Outkast, Janelle Monae actually kept me on the Dreadmill a full minute past my normal running time.
I love her fresh Grace Jones quality.
So who are you listening to?
Best,
KwanaTradition
What’s Jack up to? Jack’s tuckered out after a busy weekend (not so much) and a bath (much needed) so as I write this he’s off to his bed. Way to hang Jack.What fresh hell is this?I imagine this is what my family is thinking as we stand in the middle of the waiting room of Sears portrait studio on Sunday. Yep, I said it. I take Sears holiday pics. I have been carting the dear twins down to Sears every year since they were a year old. 6 months really, but it was that first Christmas picture, all done up and incredibly glossy that had me hooked.Their cheeks gleaming, eyes shining bright. What was a mother to do, but pluck down her card and sign up for the full package?So there we were on Sunday at year 14. Another year with more new sweaters from Old Navy, Me, The DH, The DD and The DS, a bunch of other parents and an army of screaming infant to 5 year olds. My gang kept looking at me and saying, is this it? This has to be the last year mom. We are not doing this next year. Eyes roll, heads shake. Even the DH agrees.The tears prick, prick, prick at the back of my eyes. This can’t be it. This can’t be the last year. So what they are not babies. They are MY babies and it was just yesterday that I was carrying them in here in my arms. Besides this is our tradition. Our family photo. Does it matter that we look like fools and my babies tower over these other babies all done up in their holiday finery and screaming like banshees.In a few short years they won’t be here to take these photos with me and all I’ll have is the hi-gloss techi-color sparkle in their eyes, the memory of these days of my forced tradition and maybe some Aretha Sings The Blues or Amy Winehouse and probably a bottle of wine. Sob.How will I get them all back again next year. Bribery? I’m sure they will get hungry sometime.
Best,KwanaMerriment
So I was all ready to sit down and write some really profound post for the day (Hey! Stop laughing) when I get a call from this temptress down the street.
“Hey”, she says all sweet and innocent. “Why don’t you guys come on down the block? We’ve got our other buds here just having some grub and vino.”
Hmm, I think I’ve already had grub, but I could use some vino and I really like those other friends too, but I’ve got so much laundry to do and I’ve been out all day. I know I’ll just stop by with the DH for a few minutes- ½ hour tops.
4 hours later after much vino, more grub, music and merriment we roll back into our house.
I guess the holiday season had begun!This one is for you friends.
Oh and TWILIGHT is done. Yeah, I have been bitten.
Best,
KwanaSo Sleepy…
What’s Jack up to? Brrr… I don’t think Jack’s even enjoying walking in this cold. He stops at the door and look up at us like, “you want me to go out in that?” So cute.
Alas I’ve been captured, drawn into the TWILIGHT web. I’m not done yet, only about 100 pages to go. My eyes would not stay open a minute past midnight last night. It was very funny as the girls in my DD’s dance class flitted by and noticed what I was reading. There were opinions galore.
The movie is out today so I’d better get on it.I can’t imagine being anything but TEAM EDWARD. But who knows what happens in book two? I hear from the DD it’s all about Jacob.
It’s nuts for a 39 year old to be all TEAM EDWARD a 17 year old huh? Talk about Arrested Development. But hey, he’s really over a century that’s the way I’m choosing to see it.
On the upside at least the DD and I have something to talk about for two minutes in between teen/mom meltdowns. That’s nice.
Best,
KwanaTop Dog
What’s Jack up to? That Jack is doing his own thing. Making a comfortable bed out of coats thrown about and clean laundry that he secretly pulls down to suit his needs. What will I do with you Jack?Today it’s yet another grey day and cold as all get out with snow lightly falling. Ahh sweet. Not. I’m so not ready for this yet. And do my twins put on decent coats for the 27 degree weather? No. Like the teens they are. It’s a little Northface for one and a Hoodie for the other and out the door. Oh well…The finale of America’s Next Top Model snuck up on me last night. Once again this season it was on and I didn’t even notice. How did that happen? I guess it’s because there wasn’t a girl left that I could really get behind and root for. It was a season of just eh for me. Every interesting girl was out in the first weeks.By the middle of the show Analeigh was a goner.
And it was up to Samantha and McKey to walk the wacky I just don’t get it, it really doesn’t do anything for the clothes, runway. And did you see those girls stomp? They were both in need of Ms. Jay’s boot camp. Again.
Then no big surprise the winner was the girl the bugged me all season McKey. I will give her credit though. She did have the best Cover Girl ad. Congrats.Now the question is will I be back for another season? I just don’t know. This show has jumped the shark.
In better news Top chef was back back and there was a guest judge Donatella such and such with tons of restaurants I didn’t know. The quickfire was making a Top Chef hot dog. Huh? The chefs were freaking out. Asian dogs, Indian dogs, sushi dogs, Sausage dogs. Just give me a Nathans please.
I notice once again Radhika, the Indian chef who did not want to be type cast went for Indian. Ok and boy can she serve up the dirty looks. But dirty looks and all she wins the quickfire and gets immunity.
The elimination challenge : Create a 3 course new American lunch menu and everyone gets a section, appetizers, entrees and dessert. Chefs get crazy for a sec then split into groups after pretty boy Jeff pulls rank.
Fabio talks a lot during this show and the more it goes on the better he speaks. Is he playing us or am I just getting used to him. Hmm I must watch carefully. Last week he needed cards just to say his dish. What’s up with that? Is he really from Italy or Hoboken?
Moving on, Jill is in the egg isle of Whole Foods and spots ostrich eggs. Why are they there and why is she crazy enough to buy them?
Back in the kitchen, Tom come in and announces the the restaurant that they will be cooking in is his and the diners are all all NY chefs that didn’t make the cut for the show. Ouch, nice crowd. Way do deliver good news Tom. It doesn’t matter though because it’s Tom. Richard and I don’t mind.
At CRAFT the teams pick their locations and start prep. Jamie serves up the attitude. Do I like her? Kinda. Yeah. I think she and Eugene may be my faves but I’m not sure. Give me a few more episodes.
Carla is worried about her crust, Fabio goes on about olives and Sweet Richard surprises me by not telling Ariane about her overly sweet dessert. Ohh playing dirty. Do I like him? Maybe?
Tom arrives in the kitchen and it’s time for service.
Jamie’s soup is good.
Hosea’s crab-bad
Leah’s-Potato-bad
Fabio-Beautiful. the food. not him. That’s up for discussion.
Melissa-So-so
Jill-ostrich quiche-glue
Eugene-open faced meatloaf- bad
Stefan-lovely
Jeff-chicken-nice
Alex-pork tenderloin-no good
Radhika-Avocado mouse- bad
Daniel-pound cake- good
Ariane-lemon meringue- too sweet- Padma spits it out.
Richard-sandwich- after school snack
Carla- apple tart- good
Finally Tom tries everything and the chefs sweat it out.
Jamie, Fabio, Carla, – They were the tops. Fabio still needs to hear himself talk and decides to argue before the judges could say they liked his dish. Ugh. I can’t stand him. Of course he’s the winner and he’s tied with Stefan. These two should pull out a ruler and just get it over with.
The bottom three were: Hosea, Jill and Ariane.
Poor Hosea is surprised to be there. Ariane is nonchalant and Jill is just spacey.
Jill has to pack her knives and go.
Best,
Kwana
Night Runner
What’s Jack up to? That little stinker has the nerve to enjoy being stretched out in front of the fireplace even more than me. Jack you’d love it all the more if you were reading TWILIGHT too!
I think that maybe, kind of, sort of I’ve gone over to the dark side. Although I’m not fully able to admit it here because I don’t want you all to throw it back in my face in a couple of months when there’s snow on the ground and I’m snuggled up cozy in front of the fire refusing to go out let alone workout.But the othe
r evening after a particularly busy day with the teen twins, night had come with no workout. I went over the rest of the week on my head and it seemed that I would not get another chance for my daily workout. At this rate my training was going to quickly be blown. Oh well, shrug. What could I do? My life was too busy and look, it was time to get dinner started anyways. So sorry no workout for me. Shucks. Not.But then it dawned on me. I wasn’t really that late. I was just making excuses to push my needs aside and take the easy way out.So I quickly threw on my workout gear, said goodbye to Jack and the Dear Son, pushed dinner back one hour and headed out for my date with a Dreadmill. For once family could wait. It was time for me. I’m still running. Not strong yet, but still running.In other not so newsy news: I took the Housewives quiz. Wanna guess who I t
urned out to be? I’m a NeNe! Do you agree with that? All my friends out there shout it out. See I’m yet another step closer to Anderson. Just saying, again. Take the quiz here and see which housewife you are. I soooo want to know.What did you all think of the finale? Don’t these women with chefs crack you up? I’m so glad to know it’s a real possibility. And have you seen the chefs? I just wonder how the DH would react to having another man cooking in my kitchen all the time. He would so NOT be going for that. The Alpha male would be out in full force. There would be a cook off every night.But back to the show. What did you think of:
Dallas laying it on the line with Kim.Mychael Knight sticking it to Sheree, but sweetly. I love him. He should have really put it all out there, but he’s such a gentleman.Then the big dinner. Whew.And did you see the preview for the reunion show? OMG! This makes me talk way too much. But little Lisa’s talking about flipping Malibu Barbie Kim over the couch. Till next week.
Best,
KwanaI Gotta Have Faith
“Faith is stepping out on nothingand landing on something”I heard that years ago when I was in a hotel room in Turkey. It’s one of those messages that came right on time. This was back in the days when I was a designer and I was in Turkey to get samples made to put in our showroom to show buyers the new designs we had for the season.Sidebar: Note to Sheree ATL Housewife. This is how a desiger does it. You watch your garments getting made to make sure they are done right.But I digress. I had never been to Turkey, heck, like Sarah Palin, I had never been out of the country and for this to be my first trip I was pretty scared. See, I was sent all by my lonesome to get the job done and I was not sure I could do it. Plus I had left my twin babies back at home. Eek.I remember being in the hotel room on a Sunday flipping though the TV desperately looking for anything in English when I stumbled across BBC religious broadcasting. I rolled my eyes, but stopped anyway because it was the only thing in English and I was lonely. On the screen was an African preacher and I can’t tell you what he was preaching on or talking about, but I do remember the one line he said that stuck with me all these many years.“Faith is stepping out on nothing and landing on something.”Wham! I was dumbstruck. It was like a light-bulb went off. I felt like finally I got this faith thing. This believing in what you can’t see thing. This believing in yourself, your ideas, your dreams, your hopes for the future, just believing. Faith. Wow.So what brought this on? No, I’m not trying to convert any of you to the: Kwana Faith Believers Church. And really, like always, (I have teens) I’m talking to myself. Tell a friend about this blog, please. But seriously, It was another blog post that I read from a mother who lost her job and she was totally pissed at everything, rightly so. I get that. Cut to me most days. Just give me a reason and watch me go. Picture me with a cigarette and a cosmo and I don’t even smoke.I told her to have faith. Which sounds so lame and corny. Doesn’t it? Then I remembered the saying from all those years ago. I hadn’t thought of it in a long while and I really think I needed to. I think my Faith had been slipping a bit because Faith alone is nothing. Faith needs a partner. Action.So thanks to her for this reminder and I hope in these terribly bleak economic times we all keep up our FAITH. Hey, layaway is back at tons of stores. Yeesh! Way to go out on high Bushie.Best,KwanaPainting: Allegory of the Catholic Faith -Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632–1675)
