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  • Bible 365: Week 7

    This week we finished up the book of Deuteronomy.  Picking up from where we left off in in Week 6, we already talked about how Moses wasn’t going to live in the Promise Land.  So, God gave Moses some instructions to pass down to the new generation of elders and leaders.  One of those was that once the Israelites had passed “over the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and whitewash them with lime.  You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the Lord your God is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey’, just as the Lord God of your fathers promised you” (Deuteronomy 27:2-3).
    In Deuteronomy 31, Joshua is appointed as the new leader of the Israelites. One of the key verses that stood out to me was Deuteronomy 31:8, “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”  Often times, storms and challenges will arise in our lives and we will feel like throwing in the towel.  However, as this verse says we are not alone and we should be dismayed.  I’m definitely committing this verse to memory because this past week has been one full of more downs than ups.
    God also predicted to Moses that the Israelites would rebel against Him one final time and thus forfeit their inheritance of the Promise Land.  So, He told Moses to write a song which was to be taught to the Israelites to explain why they would forfeit the Promise Land.  After Moses dies on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34), Joshua then begins the task of rounding up troops to cross the Jordan and conquer all the lands that God has promised to the Israelites forefathers.  
    And you would think that at this point the Israelites would know to take heed to whatever God tells them to do.  However, Achan decided to disobey God and took silver, clothing and gold from the land of Ai after God had commanded all the silver and gold to be put in a treasury and everything else was to be burned to the ground in the city.  That bad decision cost Achan his life.  He was stoned to death and then they burned his body and covered him with stones (Joshua 7:10-26).  This just goes to show us that our sins do indeed have consequences.
    Although, bad things happen to good and faithful people, bad things can also be going in our lives because we have failed to do as God has commanded us to do.  For the most part, the book of Joshua details the conquering of all the different lands and how it was equally divided up among the 12 tribes.   You also notice that there is a difference between Joshua and Moses as leaders.  Moses allowed the Israelites to pull at his heartstrings and whenever they did wrong, he would also go to God to get Him to not bring wrath down on them.  Whereas, if God told Joshua that His wrath was about to come down on a particular person or tribe, Joshua just said ok and followed whatever God told him to do with the guilty party.
    I definitely think that this was in part due to Joshua having witnessed the stubbornness and rebellion of the Israelites under Moses’ leadership.  I’m sure he also saw how God punished Moses and probably didn’t want to end  the same.  However, Joshua dies at the age of 110 and Eleazar, the son of Aaron (Moses’ brother), dies too at the end of the book of Joshua.  
    The the Israelites haven’t fully conquered the Promise Land, but the lands around it  and in Week 9 we’ll find out whether not God’s prediction to Moses will come true and see if the Israelites will forfeit their inheritance.  What do you all think?
    Week 8 Readings
    2/18 Judges 1-3
    2/19 Judges 4-8
    2/20 Judges 9-12
    2/21 Judges 13-16
    2/22 Judges 17-21
    2/23 Ruth 1-4
    2/24 1 Samuel 1-3

  • Thankful Thursday

    “We would worry less if we praised more.  Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.”

     ~Harry A. Ironside
    First, let me say Happy Valentine’s Day!! I do believe that Mr. Ironside was right.  I’ve done my share of worrying this week and I am over it.  I definitely need to get my praise on and shake this funk.  That being said, I want to also say that I’ve included a linky in this week’s Thankful Thursday and will continue to do so from here on out.  I’ve noticed that a few of my blogger friends have started doing Thankful Thursday and I thought it was a good idea to link up all of our posts so that we can share the positivity.
    Anyways, I mentioned on yesterday’s post that Moo and JJ had been sick.  I’m thankful to say that they are getting better.  The vomiting is gone which I’m super stoked about.  I was getting worried that they would get  extremely dehydrated because they couldn’t even hold down water.  And Moo had started saying she was feeling weak and was sleeping pretty much all the time, which is not her at all.
    She’s back to eating everything in sight and being her playful self.  I’ve been keeping everything clean and wiped down.  I’m thankful that I got to see one of my aunts this past Sunday.  I hadn’t seen her in a while and it was nice for her to come for a visit me and the kiddies.
    I’m also thankful for the decent weather we had this weekend.  I cooked out on the grill both Saturday and Sunday.  Although, Saturday half of my chops got burnt on the grill because that’s when Moo’s puking everywhere got started and it just kept coming.  It took an hour to get her cleaned and settled and then I had to clean and sanitize everything plus entertain JJ.  But Sunday, my salsa burgers came out perfectly.
    I’m thankful for new opportunities.  I’m getting back into fashion and will have some outfit and fashion find posts coming back to the blog!  Yay!  One thing that I’m very thankful for is clarity.  Often times what we want to do, what we should do and what we actually do kind of blur into a big mess. 
    I’ve been seeking clarity on a few things and it’s finally clear what I NEED to do and I’m going to move forward and do it.  I’m thankful for those who continue to support my Bible 365 posts.  I know that when you start writing about religious things some readers kind of get a bad taste in their mouths and avoid your blog like the plague.  So, thank you to those of you who comment and understand that I’m not trying to be holier than thou, but just want to share what I’m learning.
    This blog is about me and my faith is about of that.  I’m thankful that my need to stay true to myself means more to me than material things.  I review products on here from time to time, but they’re all products from companies or brands that I’m already using, have used, was interested in using but couldn’t afford or were staples in my house as child.  I have turned many offers because selling out for free products or money isn’t what I’m about or who I am.  Lastly, I’m just thankful to have things and people to be thankful for!

    http://www.inlinkz.com/cs.php?id=241944

  • Mommy Moo

    So, I told you all last week that I would be updating you all on what’s been going on with the kiddies.  While I mention them on the blog from time to time, it’s been a minute since I’ve done a post all about Moo and JJ. It’s crazy because I remember writing about Moo all the time when I first started this blog.  I’m definitely going to do better because without them there would be no YUMMommy blog, brand or anything.
    Anyways, I entitled this post Mommy Moo because Moo has turned into quite the mini mommy y’all.  Seriously, my little princess is going to make a kickass mommy one day.  For example, when the Mr isn’t occupying the playroom/man cave, the kids are in there watching their shows and playing with their toys.  We have a futon in there and JJ likes to climb on it of course.  
    So, help discouraging him from climbing on I put in the toddler rocking chair and he’s suppose to sit in that.  Now, this little guy is smart.  As soon as he notices me taking my eye off him from the living room, he’ll hop out of the chair and try to climb back on the futon.  Well, Mommy Moo don’t play that.  She will make him climb off the futon, walk him back to the rocker and sit him in it ever so gently.
    My Babies!
    It is the sweetest thing to see.  If we’re going somewhere she’ll try to pick out his outfit.  She’s always been her brother’s biggest fan, but see how she nurtures him in the way that I do for them both melts my heart.  I think it’s every parents’ dream to see their good traits in their children.  And that’s what I’m in seeing in Moo. Her love for JJ is truly unconditional and I pray that she never looses her caring and compassionate nature.
    I’m in the thick of making sure that she’s ready for school this fall.  Yes, I’m going to cry on her first day.  I’m not even going to act like I’m not that mom because I totally am.  JJ will probably cry to because he can’t stand for her to be out of his sight.  That’s another thing I’m going to miss.  It’s nice having someone else for him to be a shadow to during the daytime because I can get laundry washed, dinner thawed, emails typed and more.
    She’s completely obsessed with all things princess.  Notice the crown in her birthday weekend pic above.  They both live for being outside.  JJ enjoys eating the leaves and chewing on the rocks.  Mommy wishes he wouldn’t do that because it gives her a heart attack but he could care less.  Needless, to say outdoor time is often kept to a minimum because I don’t want to have to hold him the whole time that defeats the purpose in taking them out.
    JJ’s teeth are coming in back to back to back now.  It started with one front bottom tooth, then another front  tooth, to a top back tooth and currently a bottom back tooth.  It’s hard to believe that by summer they’ll be a full complete set of toddler chompers in his mouth.  He’s doing so well at using them because he knows to chew his food really well.
    His new word is yeah.  He’ll just say it at the most random times and sometimes he makes a song out of it.  Last night he said chicken for the first time.  It came out as chick and ken like it was two words but I understood what he meant.  Moo was eating fish which he’s allergic to and he wanted some because he’s a chicken addict and well fish is a white meat like chicken.
    It’s times like that when he’s doing all these firsts that I wish we had a tv crew to record us 24/7.  Not for tv of course.  It can get a bit crazy around here.   He’s trying to figure out how to open the frig.  Thank goodness it has tough seal on it otherwise he would be raiding it out.
    The toilet is his new favorite toy.  He started off playing in it with his hands, then he went through the let’s see how much stuff I throw in there stage and now he’s addicted to flushing it and pulling on the handle.  I never went through this with Moo and can only remember my brother doing this out of all my younger siblings.  So, I’m guessing this is a boy thing.
    Soon we’ll be potty training because he’s turning 2 in three months!  I probably won’t be able to bribe him to go into the bathroom then.  I’ve never potty trained a boy and have no clue where to start.  So, all mt veteran moms of boys leave me some tips in the comments. 
    The Mr and I are currently disagreeing over whether and when he should get his first hair cut.  I love his curly fro and thinks he should just get it trimmed up from time to time at a kid’s salon.  His father thinks that he needs a fade at the barber shop.  I’ve already said that I’ll be beyond pissed if he takes JJ to get his hair cut off. 
    Depending on a person’s face and head shape not every look or cut looks good.  And a low to the scalp fade is not for my baby.  He needs some hair.  I’m not asking for a full out fro but maybe a baby curly fro like Lloyd or Jim Jones is more suitable for him.  Either way, it’s not going down until next year after his 3rd birthday.
    Beyond that I’ve just been trying to soak up every waking moment with my babies.  They’re both sick at the moment.  Not a common cold sick but vomiting, belly ache and cranky sick.  Moo had some bad fruit from Dole and I’m then my baby sister unknowingly passed on some cold germs to JJ from sharing her drink with him Sunday.  I just want everybody to feel better so that I can sleep at night again and not have to wash a load of towels and an extra load of clothes everyday.   Pray for us!

  • Show Your Heart

    So February isn’t just Black History Month.  It’s also Women’s Heart Health Month as well.  And so today I just wanted to take the time out to talk a little bit about the number 1 killer of women in America- heart disease.  Yes, contrary to popular belief, breast cancer is not the number 1 killer of women.
    1 in 3 women dies from complications related to heart disease.  I decided to write about this because as I’ve mentioned on here before I loss both of my maternal grandparents to complications related to heart disease.  And that’s something that’s bothered me my whole life because I was just a baby when they passed away.  Although, I got to meet them and they got to meet me, I didn’t get the chance to make and create memories like my friends did with their grandparents.
    Being that I have three sisters, it’s pretty likely that one of us may very well suffer from this horrible disease.  And that scares me more than anything in this world.  I’ve heard this disease is worst than cancer because it’s quick and sometimes silent killer!  My grandparents died in mere months of being diagnosed.
    However, there are preventive measures you can take to lower your risk like knowing your family’s healthy history, eating right, exercising and shedding excessive weight.  Even more important is the research that is being done to help combat this disease.  And one of my favorite companies-Coca Cola- has paired up with The Heart Truth campaign to help raise money for to fund more research for better treatment and hopefully a cure in the future.
    During the entire month of February, for every Diet Coke/Coca Cola fan who tweets or instagrams a heart inspired picture using the hashtag #ShowYourHeart, Diet Coke will donate $1 (up to $100,000) to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health to help fund more research and programs specifically related to heart health.  I definitely encourage you to do your part and get to tweeting and instagramming.  
    That $100,000 donation could very well help doctors discover a cure or medicine that could very well save your life or your daughter’s life!  I know that I wish doctors knew half of what they know now when my grandparents were alive.  Who knows how different my life would have been.  Don’t let this opportunity to give back to such a wonderful cause pass you by.  Help fight heart disease today!!
    Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post.  I truly believe in giving back to great causes, especially those that I or a loved one has been affected by personally.

  • Bible 365: Week 6

    It’s week 6 and I’m still going strong with my Bible 365 challenge for myself.  Week 6’s reading was Deuteronomy chapters 1 through 26.  Most of this was just review of the events that happened from Exodus and up to current time.  God had told Moses in the book of Numbers that he wasn’t going to be allowed into the Promise Land because he had allowed the Israelites to cause him to rebel against God.  
    Therefore, Moses was retelling all the events that happened over the Israelites 40 years of wandering around in the wilderness to the younger generation and Caleb, Joshua and Eleazer who would be leading the new generation of younger Israelites into the Promise Land.  Therefore, was a lot of mentions of obeying the commandments set force by God.  In fact, I would say that within these 26 chapters I read that the words command or commandment was probably written at least 50 times.
    And with this being Black History Month, Deuteronomy 4:9 really stuck out to me: “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”  Just like it’s important for us in today’s society to teach our children about all the things our people and we as nation have to endure over the years, God wanted the Israelites to pass on their history to their children and encourage them to pass it on to their children.
    After all, how can we expect the younger generation to move forward if they don’t know where they’ve come from?  And contrary to how many of the kings behaved, God actually commanded that kings “must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray” (Deuteronomy 17:17).  This makes total sense because imagine if the Israelite king had one wife who believed in God and another who believed in false idols.  It would be easy for him to be pulled in the wrong direction.
    Another interesting Bible fact is that if man was discovered in the act of raping a woman, he wasn’t put to death.  Instead, he  had to pay the woman’s father fifty shekels of silver and then take her as his wife FOREVER (Deuteronomy 22:28-29)!  I couldn’t imagine having to be the wife of a man who raped me.  That would just disgust me beyond no ends.  I know that this was meant to be punishment for the man because he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the woman or seek out another wife, but still I imagine that it felt like punishment for the woman as well.
    Those women must have had emotional strength as strong as nails back then.  “If a man has recently married, he must be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him.  for one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married,” says Deuteronomy 24:5.  I’m sure a lot our military families specifically would love to have this law still in effect in today’s society.  Honestly, I feel that if married couples had a year to not have to worry about work and bills but just getting to know each other, we’d have lower divorce rates.

    And since a lot of people have been asking, I’m going to start sharing the reading for each day for the following week.  I don’t know why I didn’t do this from the start, but better late than never.  And if you want to start from the beginning and catch up here’s the link to a FREE audio Bible.  They do different voices for the characters and have background soundtracks.  It’s better than any audio Bible I’ve ever heard before.

    Week 7 Readings
    2/11 Deuteronomy 27-30
    2/12 Deuteronomy 31-34
    2/13 Joshua 1-5
    2/14 Joshua 6-8
     2/15 Joshua 9-12
    2/16 Joshua 13-19
    2/17 Joshua 20-24

  • Fun Unique Riches

    A few weeks ago, I won a giveaway over on Harlem Love Birds.  I was surprised that I won because when it comes to giveaways, I usually go through a dry spell for a while and then a winning spell.  I guess I’m back on the winning side.  Hmm… maybe, I should have played the lottery too.
    Anyways, the giveaway was sponsored by the online boutique Fun Unique Riches owned by Unique Figueroa.  She creates arm candy for children of both genders.  And since most of her bracelets are spiral bracelets, they can be worn by adults if too. Not going to lie, I did sport Moo’s bracelet once.
    Speaking of Moo’s bracelet, I let her pick it our herself from the website.  She choose to go with the Jewels for $5 in purple.  I know it was the little candy style jewels that made her choose this one.  To say that my child likes candy is an understatement. LOL.

    Isn’t it pretty?!
    Compared to other accessories boutiques I’ve seen, Fun Unique Riches is reasonably priced.  I know that sometimes you have to pay for quality.  However, some of these boutique owners forget that we have the internet and can price their materials.  But this is not the case with Fun Unique Riches.  And I will be ordering from her again.
    So, if you’re in the market for some arm candy for your daughter or son or yourself if you have small wrists like me check out her boutique.  You can also follow her on Instagram at fununiqueriches!
    Disclaimer:  This is not a sponsored post!  I simply loved the bracelet we received and the work and prices listed on her website and wanted to share.

  • Thankful Thursday

    “If ‘thank you’ is the only prayer you say, that will be enough.”

    ~Meister Eckhart
    I know that I’ve been a little MIA around these parts again this week.  It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say, but I’ve just been putting a lot of focus on finishing up some projects for Moo’s Closet, working on some proposals, enjoying time with my family and a million other things.  But you will be seeing more posts next week including an official update on what’s new with the kiddies.  So, thank you for hanging in here and baring with me!
    This week I’m thankful for being able to make even more progress with Moo’s Closet.  I’ve gotten like three model blankets completed as well as a couple of new beanies.  I’ve had the chance to brainstorm some marketing ideas.  I’m going to be attending my first arts & crafts show as a vendor this coming April and I’m thankful that my baby sister has agreed to help me man my booth and watch the kiddies because I’m not sure if the Mr will be working or not.  I’ll be posting more details about that as the time draws closer, but I’m excited beyond measure.
    I’m thankful that there are serious injuries to report this week.  My little dare devil JJ hasn’t given me any recent almost heart attacks.  And that last little pin dot from his bruise is gone.  I’ve been seriously looking into getting him a safety helmet and body pads.  He’s still climbing on the couch and even climbed on top of the coffee table earlier this week.  At least if he’s padded down, I know that he won’t get too banged up.  Boys….
    I’m thankful for everyone who’s been lifting us up in prayer.  God definitely moved in our life this week.  I can’t elaborate on it now, but we’re waiting to hear some good news.  So, continue to say a word of prayer for us that this situation works out in our favor!
    I’m thankful for family.  I’ve been going through some stuff with two family members and got a phone call from my cousin whom I consider my older brother last night.  He just reassured me that as long as I keep my hand in God’s hand and stay strong in my faith that the situation would work itself out.  The truth would be made known.  I really needed that talk and am thankful that God put me on his heart to call me and see what was going on.
    I’m thankful that we did get some lovely weather yesterday and Tuesday.  The Mr was off on Tuesday and we took advantage of that by hitting up the indoor playground at one of the local malls here in the Queen City.  The kids had a blast.  Moo really enjoyed herself.  It was so sweet watching her interact with the other kids.  I did get a bit sad because I had flash of her at school on the playground this upcoming fall and it just made realize how quickly she and JJ are growing up.
    I’m thankful for everyone who’s celebrating Black History Month.  It just seems like this year the schools and news stations and people in general are not making enough of an effort to celebrate it.  I think holidays like this are very important and if we don’t make enough noise about it or put enough focus on it they’ll start to disappear completely.  But I’ve had a blast reading all the Black History Month posts around the blogging world though.
    What are you thankful for this week?

  • Bible 365: Week 5

    Sorry for the late post today.  JJ is back to teething again and today has been all about meltdowns.  This is the first free moment I’ve had to sit down and blog.  Anyways, I read the book of Numbers this week.  The children of Israel have been freed from the Egyptians, God has given them the Ten Commandments in addition to the rules and regulations they already had and by now they’ve been journeying to the Promise Land for about two years.
    You’d think that after all the miracles God has performed for the Israelites to deliver them from Pharaoh and while they were in the wilderness that they wouldn’t question Him.  However, people back then must have been really hard to convince because the Israelites rebelled a LOT.  And the book of Numbers gives us a glimpse at the ways they tried God’s patience and His mercy.  First, they started to complain about not having meat to eat.
    Yes, they had flocks but I guess they didn’t eat the goats or cows because they had also use those animals to make sacrifices and for atonement offerings.  God had been giving the manana out of which they could make bread or a cake similar to our modern day rice cakes.  That clearly was not good enough for them.  So, they all gathered outside of Moses’ tent and complained yet again.  And of course, Moses had already had his doubts about this whole delivering of the Israelites situation.
    And after they made that golden calf idol, Moses was just too through with these people. So, he cried out to God saying, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?  I cannot carry these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.  If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now- if I have found favor in your eyes- and do not let me face my own ruin: (Numbers 11:11, 14-15).  
    He is beyond at the end of rope and would rather DIE than continue on having to deal with the rebellion, sinning and complaints by this point.  Now, God is pleased to see that once again rather just simply asking for what they want the Israelites have resulted to whining like children and complaining about how God can’t be as powerful as He’s supposed to be because He can’t even give them meat!  Well, God is like ok, you want meat I’ll give y’all some meat.  “You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month-until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it- because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you and have wailed before him, saying ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ ” (Numbers 11:19-20)
    And give them meat He did.  “Now a wind out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea.  It brought them down all around the camp to about three feet above the ground, as far as a day’s walk in any direction” (Numbers 11:31).  God also put a plague on them.  And you would think that after this nobody else would complain or try to come up against Moses.  Well, his own brother Aaron and his sister in-law, Miriam, get a little jealous that Moses seems to be God’s favorite- a teacher’s pet pretty much.
    And they started to talking and trying to plot against him.  Now, Moses probably was God’s favorite.  Numbers 12:3 says “now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”  Anyways, God doesn’t stand for this foolishness and punishes them by giving Miriam leprosy for 7 days and has to live outside of the camp.  Aaron was the high priest and therefore would have been unclean if he had been punished with leprosy.  Being the good person that he is, Moses pleads with God for him to heal her but God is like enough is enough.  She serves her 7 days and that’s that.
    Finally, God tells Moses to send out scouts from each of the different tribes to go and explore Canaan aka the Promise Land aka the Land of Milk and Honey.   So, they scouts go and they see that this is indeed the prosperous place that Moses has been telling that God is going to deliver to them because of the convent he made with Abraham and Issac.  However, many of the men get scared because they see how well populated and united the Canaanites are.  Their feat and doubt of God’s ability to to deliver this land into their hands causes them to lie to the Israelites saying, “The land we explored devours those living in it.  All the people we saw there are of great size” (Numbers 13:32).
    So, you can only imagine how this made Moses, Aaron and God look.  Joshua and Caleb, who were also scouts, try to call the other men out but the Israelites weren’t trying to hear that.  “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in the this desert!  Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?  Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” Numbers 14:2-3).
    I’m sorry but I would not be trying to go back into slavery.  The Egyptians treated them horribly. Anyways, they started debating whether to stone Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua for trying to lead them into a deathtrap.  God is like oh so you trying me again?!  I “will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you [Moses] into a nation greater and stronger than they” (Numbers 14:12).  But Moses intercedes on their behalf asking God not to destroy them.

    I think any other leader would have let God have gone through with his original plan and felt relief to be free of the doubters and complainers.  So, rather destroy God decides that none of the men 20 years and up (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb) will see or enter the Promise Land.  Instead, they have to wonder around the wilderness for 40 years until the current generations dies off.  Only their children and grandchildren will be allowed to enter Canaan.  And as for those lying scouts, they got their just punishment and were put to death.

    This is only half of the drama that goes down in the book of Numbers.  You really have to read it to get a sense of how unappreciative these Israelites were.  At the first glimpse of struggle they turned on God and were ready run back to the enemy.  Maybe, I will post a part two tomorrow.

  • Savory BBQ Meatballs Recipe

    Although, my Patriots didn’t make it to the SuperBowl this year, the Mr’s 49ers did.  Of course, we had to plan a menu to celebrate.  And sadly, they didn’t win.  They did put up a good fight though.  Anyways, we had wings, chips with dip, crescent rolls, bbq meatballs and a homemade punch.
    So, I thought I’d share the recipe for my savory bbq meatballs with you all.  These are great appetizers for pretty much any kind of party or get together.  This possible one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make.  Seriously it’s foolproof!

    Ingredients
    2 39oz bottles Kraft Original Slow Simmered Barbecue Sauce (or your favorite brand)
    2 bags FarmRich Italian Meatballs
    1 jar Grape Jelly
    Directions 
    In a crockpot (or large sauce pot) combine all ingredients.
    Set to low heat and let simmer for 3 to 4 hours or cook on high heat (medium heat if using sauce pot on stove) for 1.5 to 2 hours.
    Stir every hour to help mix in jelly as it melts.
    Yep, it’s as simple as that.  And they taste amazing!  You can make your own meatballs from scratch (hamburger, 1/2 cup bread crumbs & 1 egg) or use any other brand that you like.  Either way this recipe is sure to be a hit!

  • A Celebration Of Freedom

    Source: Microsoft Clipart
    Happy Black History Month!  I hope that each and everyone of you reading this will be taking the time to celebrate this month with your families regardless of your racial background.  Black History Month is so much more than just a holiday for African Americans. It’s an opportunity to teach your children about the world and society they live in. 
    It’s a chance to celebrate the legacies that have been passed down to us from leaders like Fredrick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, Martin Luther King, Jr and so many more.  Most importantly Black History Month is a celebration of freedom.  There’s so much that we take for granted now days.  Some of us walk around with entitlement attitudes like the world owes us something.
    Well, not too long ago our parents, grandparents, great grandparents and beyond had to fight for the simple freedoms that we seem to dismiss and overlook on a daily basis.  For me and my multiracial household this month is about self reflection and looking at what me and mine are doing to make this world a better and more unified place so that our future generations can continue to enjoy the freedoms that we have today.   Our children are our futures and if we don’t teach them about the past, how can we expect them to move forward?  So, let’s get to celebrating!