Soul Stitcher

This whole blogging thing has been new and interesting.  I’m not sure whether I didn’t see the power of blogging or just didn’t have time to update it regularly.  But since I’ve been reading information by the Blog Squad, I have seen the light.

Soul Stitcher is going to go through some changes.  I’d like for it to be informative, offer patterns that I’ve been longing to do, maybe some blog book tours, and more. In the meantime, I’ll update it with my WIPs and work on my new Soul Food blog, which is about more personal stuff.

Black Purl Magazine has been officially nominated for a Black Web Award in 2 categories:  Best Lifestyle & Entertainment E-zine, and Best Site for Crafts, Decor & Creative Living.  The real kicker is that two of the other nominees for the best site for crafts are Oprah.com and Essence.com.  My dh got the biggest laugh out of that one and chimed in with “oh, you’re a shoo-in.”  Smart butt!

I don’t know what the prizes are, but it sure is fun being nominated.  So stop by the BlackWebAwards.com and vote for us.

And on the 6th day, there was…squash!

Did I mention that the 21-day detox program is a non-eating one?  I’m so excited that I made it through 6 days of it.  In reality, the book outlines a weekend, 7-day, and 21-day program, so I don’t feel like I failed by any means.  How could I?  I’m down 11 pounds.

The way you break a fast is as important as starting one, so I read that I could have a small bowl of steamed veggies.  Enter squash!  I’ve never been that excited about 4 pieces of squash in my life.  Even though I’d gotten through my healing crisis, which in my case was a 3-day migraine, I was feeling shaky and weak and never really got over that.  Fortunately, I’m still taking supplements and eating small amounts.  I’m on my way.

Must…eat…more…squash.

In the midst of this chaotic life of mine, I love that I’ve managed to lay my head in the lap of awe.  A couple of weeks ago, the tween and I went to see Bodies The Exhibition.  I was awe struck and have no words for this exhibit other than go see it.

It appeals to the scientific side of me (I have a degree in biology), but what I also found was a renewed appreciation for the human body.  Once I got over the fact that these were real bodies, my attention shifted to the real meaning of phrases like for the nourishment of my body, or my body is my temple.  Our bodies are miraculously complex, strong and fragile — all at the same time. I’m going to take the time to take care of mine.

Tomorrow, I start a 21-day detox and I am so excited to focus on myself. I’ll be starting a new blog about finding and following what feeds the soul.  I haven’t determined the name yet, though I’m leaning toward Soul Food.

Since you don’t have to spend a fortune to find things to be in awe of, I’m going to make sure I stop every day and soak in something that leaves me as speechless as the Bodies Exhibition.

This past weekend was our 4th family reunion.  Since my mother had dialysis on Friday, we drove down to Goldsboro, NC on Saturday morning.

We’re late on the family reunions.  My family had been talking about it for years, but no one picked up the ball.  So you know what that means — I planned the first one.  My father is one of 8 children and he’s the only one who has passed.  I did it in his honor.  Fortunately, we’ve kept the ball rolling every year since.

One of the highlights of the weekend was visiting the school where most of my relatives attended.  The alumni has really outdone themselves and have rooms of artifacts and photos that are truly priceless.  Since my mother doesn’t have pictures of herself as a young person, it was so cool to see her graduation picture, her picture on the cover of the school paper (she was class valedictorian, skipped twice and graduated at 16).  And I’m going to go there — for the quality of education and teachers who truly cared about the students, I don’t believe segregation was a bad thing then.  That’s all I’m going to say about that.

Here’s the real heartwarmer:

Playstation Portable = $300+
Nintendo Wii = $250+
Playstation 3 = $600+
Watching my tween and the toddler play with their cousins with not an electronic game in the joint = PRICELESS!!!!

Yes, kids still know how to throw a ball in the parking lot, swim, bowl and just hang out.