Archive | September 2014
Sold out for a First Lady Hat and Parking Space
People that know me will be nodding their heads to what I am about to say – in the past I was NOT a fan of Iyanla Vanzant. There…. I said it out-loud. Nope, I did not like the award 
winning, Oprah validated, Sistah Friend, Yesterday I Cried, In the Valley author. I can almost hear you saying – “WHAT? Iyanla is awesome, Diva you are out of touch….not like Iyanla….there is something really wrong with you…! Where is the sisterly love and support in that?” My feelings were based on her philosophy of the Universe and not God formulated my opinion of her. It was that simple. Judge if you want, my thoughts, my views, my opinion. Daddy used to say they (opinions) are like bellybuttons (he used a different anatomic part but I’m going to keep it clean) everybody has one.
However, as ‘life’ happened to Iyanla – I’ve seen a change, I hear her acknowledging God, I see a more genuine spirit of love in her and as a ‘fruit inspector’ I am seeing more in her fruit than in her eloquence of speech and her signature endearing term that she calls everyone – Beloved.
Now with that out of the way, let’s move on to what is under this former First Lady Brim. 1In an episode of “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” Iyanla travels to Louisiana to help a couple in crisis. The husband, a pastor, admits to cheating on his wife with about 20 women over the course of his 10-year marriage. Many of his mistresses are members of his congregation… and one of these women gave birth to his child. His wife, Natashia, wrote to Iyanla asking for help in deciding whether to stay or to go. Continue reading
HAVE I LOST MY SPARKLING MIND???
By Constance Palelei
Source:http://constanceinthegiantjewelrybox.com/
As I sit in my dressing room between shows admiring my gorgeous Asscher cut band ring I have to ask myself… “Am I losing my mind?” I am a diamond jewelry designer completely in love with these synthetic stones I now work with. Where is the girl who shunned the idea of Cubic Zirconia? Where is the girl who loved to play with real diamonds and said proudly that every woman should own at least one diamond because you’re worth it? Am I cheating on my “Girls Best Friends”? Continue reading
The Backyard Chronicles – Episode I: The Herbal Handbook
THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE (MOMS VERSION)
THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE (MOM VERSION)
Eating Clean Does my Body (and Mind) Good
**The following is a re-blogging from: http://netiebee.blogspot.com UHB has not change the content.**
“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth” — Pema Chödrön
A few years ago, my friend Holly was talking to me about Tosca Reno’s Eating Clean diet. Fairly quickly into her “eating clean monologue”, her words fell on deaf ears because I had dismissed it as something that would be so incredibly complicated, expensive and downright hard for me to incorporate into my life that I didn’t want to hear anything else about it.
My thinking back then was, “how could this eating regimen be fulfilling when I would have to limit refined sugar, give up fake sugar, white flour, pre-packaged and processed food?” Frozen meals save me time. Diet Dr. Pepper hits the spot when I start getting sluggish at 3:00. And word to your Mother and mine – ain’t nothing like a Snickers to take the edge off during that time of the month. I was also on a popular weight loss program at that time and I was losing weight, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Right?
Okay, I was hella wrong. Now, I can see that I was giving so much push back because this was taking me out of my comfort zone. These were HUGE changes and I was too nervous and too scared to make them at that time.
Even though I was losing weight, I knew what I was putting in my body was not good. I would always hit the wall at 3:00, I had spikes in my sugar levels, and rounded out with stomach and digestive issues – yea, I was gross. I could not keep lying to myself – I had to man-up and make some changes.
Right now, it is six in the morning as I write this post and in 30-minutes, I will begin my eating clean regimen. I have been eating clean since mid January 2012 and I can honestly say it has really done my body and mind – good.
I usually have my first meal by 6:30 a.m. (everyday) and I eat every three hours. Each meal includes a complex carb and protein. I spend either Saturday or Sunday cooking a week’s worth of food for me and Jack – and I love it. The meals I cook are the bomb-delicious – just ask my sister and her boyfriend! My monthly grocery bill is down 85 bucks and I no longer need a weight loss program, so good-bye fees.
My partner in crime Naomi is on her own eating clean journey and it is cool to be able to share ups and downs with each other. Don’t get me wrong, I slip up but slip-ups are expected after decades of poor eating habits. Bottom line is – I’m doing it.
Shout out to Clean Eating magazine for the delicious recipes and flax seeds – for doing what you do!
If you are doing something that is pushing you out of your comfort zone – please share, I’d love to hear your story.
Dating: The Problem Might NOT be What You Think!
Source: http://www.reachupmag.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=MPZ6PKo1NL8%3d&tabid=110&mid=569 ReachUP Magazine Winter/Summer 2009
“Will you accept this rose?” You’ve probably heard these words uttered on ABC’s The Bachelor. I know, not a very
good show to watch! But there is something special about watching people find love in such a magical way.
The media really has a way of enticing us to believe that love is a fairy tale, and we can find the man of our dreams in six weeks. They call it “reality TV,” only it’s not real, as many of you saw when Jason broke up with Melissa. Broken-hearted Melissa was left to ask the questions we’ve all asked ourselves before, “What did I do wrong?” “What’s wrong with me? “Why can’t I find love?”
This is the part where your best friend says, “Girl, it’s not you. He’s just a jerk!” But two or three jerks later, you need to realize the problem may not be him. The problem may be with you and the men you select.
We must be wise in the selection process. Ask yourself – how do you choose whom you date? Does he need to be tall, dark and handsome? Does he need to be career-driven and have a good job? Does he need to dress a certain way, talk a certain way,like to do the same things you do? Although all these things are important, they are not the most important when choosing a suitable dating partner. Continue reading
GRANDMA’S GOT HER EYE ON YOU!
SOURCE: http://constanceinthegiantjewelrybox.com
Yesterday I was flying back from Minneapolis and had a really sweet chatty skycap. He asked me what I was doing in Minneapolis that I only came for one day. I said work and then he asked what I do. As soon as I told him I was a Jewelry Designer he lit up and showed me his ring. (This is one of the things I love about what I do. It allows people to open up and share a little part of their story with me.)
He began telling me of how when his grandmother passed he received one of her brooches which had several diamonds in it. He glowed as he told me that he took the largest one out and gave it to his wife. Knowing he wanted to keep a little piece of his grandmother with him all the time he kept the rest for himself. He told how he had played around with the stones for many months and was finally inspired to create a rings with an eye on it because, “They always said Grandma’s got her eye on you!”
#Gemstalking
About Constance Palelei
As a self-taught designer and jeweler, I have been the jewelry industry outsider so I take great pride in being able to make jaw dropping jewelry more accessible to everyone, because everyone deserves luxury. I am the clumsy girl next door who happens to now be a jewelry expert. I know what it is like to work hard for your money and there is nothing more satisfying than purchasing something for yourself that is beautiful, durable and legitimately valuable.
I hold these truths to be self evident: Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend, and Gemstones are like Love Affairs. Goddesses drip in Gold but life isn’t the same without the Silver Lining. And as Coco Chanel said “Women should mix fake with real”. 😉 Oh and a little party never hurt nobody!
NATURAL HAIR IN THE BUSINESS WORLD- “SO ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO WEAR YOUR HAIR LIKE THAT?”
NATURAL HAIR IN THE BUSINESS WORLD –
“SO ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO WEAR YOUR HAIR LIKE THAT?”
Sharing an article with you that I read here: SOURCE: http://www.curlynikki.com/2013/10/natural-hair-in-business-world-so-are.html
Dr. Kimberly Nettles writes:
I will never forget my first time preparing for a pharmacy job interview. “So are you really going to wear your hair like that?”, my fellow colleague asked peering into my Afro as if it were a foreign object. I had never given a second thought to the idea if my hair would be “acceptable” to wear to a job fair. I always put more emphasis into making sure my makeup didn’t look too bright, my business suit wasn’t too tight, or that my heels weren’t too high. Professionalism was something I always took pride in, but the concept of how I would style my hair was never a concern.
Continue reading
You Got The Cancer
**The following is a re-blogging from: http://netiebee.blogspot.com UHB has not change the content.**
You Got the Cancer
May 1, 2014
SOURCE: http://netiebee.blogspot.com/
I got the call Monday morning, March 31st, while I was at work. “Hello, Ms. Burgess. The results from your biopsy came back and the tumor in your right breast is cancerous.”
A stage 2, non-hormonal, triple-negative cancer – to be exact.
I can look at that fragmented sentence and no longer be scared or pissed-off. Not that I was scared when I received the news from Dr. Roth but I was a little bit pissed-off. Okay – a lot. Honestly, what the dilly-o, like – how did I get cancer? This crap does not run in my family, so how is my name attached to that diagnosis? Continue reading
Under Her Brim 