A Sista That Can Cook...

“There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.” 

~ Thomas Wolfe

Hey lovelies!

This time last year, I was eating McDonald's and junk food pretty much twice a week. Then later on in the month, I wondered why I didn't have any extra money in my bank account. The lack of nutrition in my diet along with disinterest in exercising was bringing me closer to sickness. The saddening part was that I KNEW that my dad's side of the family has a lot of people dealing with diabetes, but I just wanted to eat whatever I wanted, even after REPEATED warnings from my father about the dangers of what I was doing to my body.

A few months ago, God allowed my eyes to be opened to the damage that I was doing to myself. Hallelujah! I realized that I would save a lot more money if I started cooking at home. Armed with my newly crafted and highly detailed grocery list, I set out for my local grocery store. I'm proud to say that after some successfully planning, I was able to make $40 of groceries stretch for 3 WEEKS! I'll go into more detail about the grocery shopping extravaganza later, but for now, I just wanted to share a couple of photos of some of the delicious meals that I have made over the past few weeks:

Black Bean Quesadillas w/ a Side Garden Salad and Italian Dressing

Fried Chicken and Cilantro Lime Basmati Rice
(I didn't cook the chicken, it was leftovers from an event I attended)  

Chicken Parmigiana w/ Penne Pasta 

Curry Chicken Stir-Fry with Basmati Rice

The quote that I posted above summarizes exactly how I feel when I prepare myself healthier foods. I now understand that I am a beautiful woman who loves herself enough to take charge of her health and prepare more nutritious meals on a regular basis, and I will continue to do so by the grace of God!

peace,

nNb :)

Enjoying the Little Things (Compilation Video)

Me at my cousin's graduation party. (Ignore the bra strap, lol!)

"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were big things."

~Robert Brault

Hey everyone!

I'm coming off an incredible high this weekend from the 4 F's--food, fun, family and fellowship! This weekend, laced with its own ups and downs was truly inspiring. First and foremost, my cousin, who I admire very much, graduated from law school and received her J.D. on Sunday! Praise the Lord! She set out to fulfill her dream and accomplished it! I'm so proud of her. My whole family came to the Detroit-area to celebrate her achievement in true Naija fashion, with partying and praising God! I took a couple of videos during the weekend and created a simple compilation video of the weekend's events. I would have more content on the video, but I didn't think to capture anything until 1am on Sunday morning (I know, I'm slackin right??). While simplistic in nature, the video indirectly makes one crucial point, summarized in 4 words: ENJOY THE SMALL THINGS! A lot of times, we get bogged down with the stressors of work and life and forget to take time to thank God for the little things in life. One thing that I am truly thankful for is that I got to rest and enjoy the company of my family that I don't get to see often. It is truly a blessing that we were able to convene for a joyous occasion and not for a tragic one.

Take some time and appreciate the small things that God allows in your life to bring you joy! It is those same things, often overlooked, that get you through the rough times.

My compilation video:

peace,
nNb :)

The Exceptional Lady...

Viola Davis: She exudes poise and confidence. She is the
perfect example of a LADY.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." 

~Leonardo da Vinci

Hey lovelies,

For the past few months, I've been thinking about the characteristics of a lady. No only have I been doing research regarding the topic, but I have also been observing the youth that I am currently working with. There is a misconception among them that being a woman AUTOMATICALLY qualifies you to be a lady. While this startles me a little bit, I've come to realize that the perception is not uncommon. Most young black females, when asked if they consider themselves to be a lady, respond with "Yes". The same girls that respond in the affirmative are later caught in the hallway screaming and cursing out their peers and teachers...certainly not ladylike behavior.

For the last couple of months, God has been laying on my heart the unction to do something about the behavior. The problem was that I didn't know what that something should be. After thinking about it for what seems to be an eternity, God gave me confirmation by showing me that some of the girls wanted me to do a seminar on how to be a lady. God is so faithful, because He has shown me that I truly have passion for teaching young girls the characteristics of being a lady. So I've decided to so a two-part luncheon series entitled: (Miss)understood: Qualities of the Exceptional Lady. My hope is that this will help teach the girls how to be exceptional ladies.

Earlier today, I came across a blog post on CurlyNikki entitled "Taneica's Inner Beauty Mask" where the blogger came up with an inner beauty mask. I'm definitely going to be sharing this with the girls that I work with. Here is her recipe:

I think I will use this to help teach my students in the importance of being ladies in ALL aspects of their lives. If you can think of any other ingredients to this beauty mask, please let me know! Please pray for me as I begin to formulate the curriculum for the (Miss)understood series, that I might have understanding, clarity and most importantly that I will be in alignment with God's will and that His purpose for the program is fulfilled.

peace,

nNb :)

Retaining Hair Length

Hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself.  

~Hubert de Givenchy, Vogue, July 1985

Hey y'all!


For the last couple of years, I have had a difficult time in retaining my hair length. It seems as if my hair is the same length as it was in the past. My lack of length retention has really been discouraging me as I am looking through pictures of my hair...luckily, I have come across a great blog post on one of my favorite sites CurlyNikki. In the post, one of the curlies divulges her secrets of healthy hair and length retention. Check it out here. There are also some other forum and blogs out there on the subject. As I learn more, I will share.

I'm going to take some time to read up on other blogs and and forums and take better care of my hair. Long hair here I come! :)

Peace,
nNb :)

Life Changing Updates! :)

Me in front of the White House in D.C.

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

~Jeremiah 29:11

Hey lovelies!

It feels so good to come to you all with great news. God has really been blessing me during these past few months! From the little things to the larger things, He has really been raining blessings all over me! Let me elaborate a little bit...

For those that know me well, you know that from early September to late April, I was stressing out over graduate school applications. Not only did I not know what schools I was interested in, I also didn't know what degree/program I wanted to pursue. Not having a clue what direction that I wanted to go into  caused me large amounts of stress and anguish. After petitioning God for months for direction on whether I should go into social work or teaching I felt like I was really at a stalemate. One day, however, God revealed to me that I need to release the reins and give Him FULL control...abandoning my ideas and trusting that He will provide the right path...A few days later, I was awaken out of my sleep and I randomly started doing graduate school searches and 'Minority and Urban Education' popped up and my heart started beating super quickly! I cannot even begin to describe how I felt when I found that, it was then that I knew that that was the direction that God wanted me to go in...


By the world's standards, I didn't qualify to gain admission into any of the schools that I applied to. I won't go into specifics, but I was depressed for quite a while thinking that I wasn't good enough to apply let alone gain admission to any of the schools. Through trusting God and reading the story of David (2Samuel), I applied to 4 schools with similar education master's degree  programs. This leads me to a big praise report: I'm happy to say that I gained admission to 3 out of 4 of the schools! Praise God! My first choice, was the program that I found that fateful night when God woke me up and had me researching schools, the University of Maryland--College Park's Minority and Urban Education Program!!

Yes, that's right! In the fall I will be moving to College Park, MD.!!
(FYI: I had been researching grad programs for MONTHS before this was revealed to me, and not once did this program stand out until that night...)

I was blessed with the opportunity to visit the University of Maryland last week and I simply loved it! There was sooo much foliage and the campus and surrounding areas were beautiful. I also got the chance to see Washington D.C. in all of its splendor (See above picture...more pictures coming soon). I just wanted to take this time to share my joy and testimony with you all, as you have been with me since I was in undergrad.

 I want to say this for the record: 
None of this would have taken place without God! Absolutely nothing! I am devoting both my degree AND my life to Him. I don't know where I will be after graduate school, but I know that God has got great things in store for me!

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."

~1 Corinthians 2:9

Thanks to everyone out there that was praying for me! I love you all!

Peace,

nNb :)

Finding the Perfect Condish... :)

Hey everyone!

I know that it's been a minute since my last post...I've got so much to update y'all on, as so much has taken place within the last few months... Look for an update post within the next few days :)

Meanwhile, I came across an AWESOME article on finding the perfect conditioner (we curlies sometimes struggle with finding conditioners with good slip) on one of my favorite blogs, CurlyNikki. The link is posted below:

http://www.curlynikki.com/2012/05/secret-to-super-slippery-conditioners.html

Enjoy!

nNb <3