why, oh why...

why do you continue
to look at me that way
and touch me that way

i am no match for you
who have the powers that be
on your side

so i am begging you
please, don't hurt me
anymore

i am only a child.

*for all the Children and Women of Darfur who continue to suffer unimaginable atrocities on a daily basis, JAH JAH please help them!

*To find out more, please visit SAVE DARFUR

do you really need to...

do you really need to
see the sun shining
warmly upon my face
to appreciate my beauty?

Inspirational Monday: celebrate life...

celebrate life
no matter how challenging it may seem
because everyday is a gift.

Inspirational Monday is hosted by vchelle at Operation You.

palate teaser...

if your world seems a little tilted
try baking some chocolate chip cookies
and sharing your yummy spoils
with the neighbourhood children.
bliss.

Ingredients:
1 cup and 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened (8 Tbsp)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup ghirardelli chocolate chunks (60% cacao)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit, with oven racks in the center of oven.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. Stir with wooden spoon to mix ingredients. Set aside.

Put butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Set electric mixer on medium-high speed. (on my kitchenaid stand mixer, I use 4).

Add egg, one at a time, and vanilla and beat until mixture is smooth and creamy. (turn off mixer occasionally and scrape down sides of the bowl with rubber spatula).

With mixer on low speed ("stir" for kitchenaid), gradually add the flour mixture and beat until blended.

Fold in chocolate chips by hand. For good measure, add a little ghirardelli chocolate chunks.

Use tablespoon and drop dough onto greased baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.

Bake until cookies are nicely browned, 11-15 minutes. (I like mine chewy so I only bake for 13 minutes).

Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 3-4 minutes, then use spatula to place on cooling rack.

Makes about 18 cookies.

the earth wept...

Conscious Friday: goodbye MJ...

not many things bring me to tears
i was just telling a dear friend
but today, i'm holding back tears
for the king of pop, michael jackson

you led by example
raising your voice to defend
those who couldn't defend themselves

you have taught me so much
about love of humanity
about caring for those less fortunate
and for at least that much, i thank you

i pray for your young children
who innocent though they are
are now left fatherless.

goodbye MJ!

*Earth Song


*Heal the World


*We are the World

cheers...

I am so extremely grateful for all who enter the doors of my necessary room. We've got a really nice vibe going here. Can you feel it? Without you, it would not be possible. Thanks for not only visiting, but also for taking the time to leave such wonderfully touching comments.

I wanted to take this opportunity to recognise a few bloggers (in no particular order):

*A friend in need is a friend indeed. Today my spirit moved me to do a guest post for my dear sisterfriend, vchelle over at Operation You, to let her know i love you friend. Won't you please join me there?

*Christina of Soul Aperture, I've got nothin' but love for ya, my true soul sistah. You have shown me an added dimension to the simple things in life.

*A special "Thank You" to Gayle over at Planet M Files for the Sisterhood Award you recently awarded me. Please know that I truly appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart.

*And to my wild thing, Cam, over at Journey Wildly, you make my heart skip a beat. I'm honoured to serve as the Official Spiritual Advisor of Journey Wildly. Life is good.

*Thanks to Wanda over at What Would Wanda Do? You are simply awesome. Thanks for all you do.

*To the Souers du Jour, you know i treasure you.

*And to ELK over at red or gray, you make me smile, each and every visit. Thanks for always brightening my day.

*To Relyn over at Come Sit By My Fire, I can never thank you enough for the generosity you've shown me. The field of education is blessed to have you. Thanks!

*Also, thanks to Hello Sweet World for the wonderful care package I received this week. Giveaways are fun to win, but especially from you. A sweet, sweet, thank you.

*I simply cannot leave without acknowledging those who have joined me in posting for Conscious Friday: Operation You; Authentically Unique; and sunnydaytodaymama. It is always a blessing to lift up my conscience. Everyone is invited to participate in Conscious Friday so please feel free to join us.

There are so many more I'd like to thank but I really gotta go to bed. Thanks to all of you (including my non-blogging friends and loved ones)!!!

One Love.

(to be continued...)

even on the rainiest of days...

always look on the bright side of life.

Inspirational Monday: friendship...

Greetings friends!

This Inspirational Monday, you will find me over at my sisterfriend's home, Operation You. It would be so lovely if you could stop by for a visit. Hope to see you there.

One Love.

honour roll...

I truly appreciate being honoured by these lovely bloggers. Give thanks for all the love you've shown me and my necessary room.

One Love.

Thanks Vchelle & Sunnymama

Thanks Gayle

Thanks Darcel, Gayle & Mel

Thanks Sunnymama

Thanks Dori

Thanks Amelia

Thanks Darcel!

Thanks Kristin!

Conscious Friday: but before i go...

*Buju Banton: Our Father in Zion


*Buju Banton: RASTAFARI


*Buju Banton: Mary


You didn't think I would leave you without a Conscious Friday post, now did you? :)

taking a moment to pause and reflect...

there are times when
i must take a moment

to pause and reflect
in the inner sanctum of my necessary room

to give thanks and praises onto the Most High
for all of His wondrous blessings

this, my friends
is one of those moments

so i thank you in advance
for your understanding

SELAH.

can you feel it?...

hearts beat in unison
oh unconditional love
while playful souls
in the gentle breeze
tickles her cheeks
then whisks away
into the dancing shadows
mischievous, aren't they?

*what are you feeling today?

Inspirational Monday: reading to our children...

Can you guess who this is?

I'll give you a hint. She's a main character in a classic story.

One thing I absolutely enjoyed when I was a child was having my mother, or anyone for that matter, read to me. I just could not get enough of Dr. Seuss' Horton Hatches The Egg. If I was ever given the opportunity to pick a book, you can bet that was it, especially if I was sick. I have heard it so many times that I memorised the words and to this day if someone skips a word or even try to skip a page, I will know. :)

Fortunately, my daughter has developed the same love for reading. I find it important to ensure that her library contains some books that feature main characters who have brown skin or share other cultural aspects. Believe me, there's an added dimension to a story when you can relate to the characters.

In fostering the idea that "you can be anything you want to be", it is definitely important to demonstrate with visual examples.

Why, it's Little Red Riding Hood!

*You can find out more about these books published by Disney's Hyperion at Jump at the Sun.

*Many titles are also on sale at amazon.com.

*Inspirational Monday is hosted by my dear friend vchelle at Operation You.

a big shout out...

Taking a quick break during nascar race day to give a big shout out to Toni of Daily Vignette blog for featuring my Necessary Room on her Sunday Spotlight which links her favourite posts from other photoblogs. I feel so honoured and blessed to be included in your list. I only try to humbly follow your lead ;)

One Love Sis. Give thanks.

i find myself here again...

tonight
the night before
i can barely calm my nerves
butterflies flutter in my stomach
because tomorrow
will once again be
nascar race day

Go SMOKE!!!

















let's go racin' boys!!!

*Nascar Update: SMOKE didn't cross the finish line first but remains first in points in the race for the championship. Not to be a sore loser or anything but I must admit that I was pretty bummed out most of the race because my very least favourite driver was in the lead. The stars were almost perfectly aligned though because on the last lap, he ran outta gas and finished 22 (last on the lead lap). HA HA HA! Oops...I mean, so sad. (tear running down my cheek...from laughter...HA HA HA!!!). Love it when a plan comes together.

Conscious Friday: rise up...

There could never be haves, without have nots.

Each day I get out of my bed, I remember
When I turn on the faucet to clean running water, I remember
When I put on my clothes, my shoes, my coat, I remember
Whether I eat breakfast or drink a hot cup of tea, I remember
Each and every time I turn the key to lock my door, I remember
That there could never be haves, without have nots.

there go I, but for the grace of God.

The ability to raise oneself, or having the financial ability to help others rise, out of poverty has always been a social issue I hold close to my heart. Earlier this week, I was visiting this brand new organic garden blog, supermamasgarden.blogspot.com, and I saw an advertisement for KIVA. It caught my eye so I did a little research and found Kiva to be quite an interesting concept of changing lives through microfinance. For more information, please click here. Thank you for raising my consciousness, SuperMama.

Oh, and let's not forget about Honorary Knight Bono and the ONE campaign dedicated to eradicating extreme poverty, especially in Mama Africa. For more information, please click here.

Have a Conscious Friday and a divine weekend.

And for your listening pleasure, I leave you with:
*Richie Spice: Open the Doors

*I-Octane: Poverty

*Wayne Wade: Poverty in the Ghetto

One Love.

t.h.e. s.i.m.p.l.e. t.h.i.n.g.s...

the sound of silence
hearing 43 engines rev while
enjoying nascar race day














softly, my daughter giggles
i cradle her gently in my arms
mommy, i love you
perfection. we play with dolls
laugh til i need medical attention, then
eat more freshly baked goods from my oven














time spent with loved ones
holidays in tropical places
incense burning
nature reveal its beauty
giving thanks and praises to H.I.M., JAH Rastafari
sailing, into the summer breeze














*The Simple Things* is being hosted by the talented Empress Christina of Soul Aperture. Please visit Soul Aperture to enjoy more simple things.

wall art...

One thing I absolutely adore about urban expressions is the creative ability to beautify otherwise drab spaces with the stroke of a brush. I gaze at these spaces in awe because I remember the days when many were punished severely for what was then labelled "graffiti". Somehow, one day someone decided that graffiti was an acceptable form of art and now many beg to have their walls tagged.

I imagine that for each passerby, something different catches their eye in these murals. (click on photos to enlarge)






















Any of these murals speak to you?
If so, you should probably see someone about those talking walls ;)

much thanks...

Thanks so much to my wonderful guests, sunnymama and sunnyboy of sunnydaytodaymama for hopping the pond to share their lively festival with us. I certainly enjoyed your guest post and am grateful that you took the time out to visit here.

One Love.

a festival at Necessary Room

I'm so excited and honoured to be here at Necessary Room. I've really enjoyed reading Se'Lah's blog over the last few months, since our blogs' paths crossed at Sunnydaytodaymama, and I truly appreciate the wonderful friendship I've found here. I'm inspired by Se'Lah's love of life, her positive energy and her joyful spirit. So I thought it would be nice to have a festival while we're here in celebration of Inspirational Monday.

Sunnyboy is going to show us around before he heads off back to the bouncy castle,


so have a sit down and an alternative brew.


There are some interesting science activities in the children's tent,


and the Interknit is here.


There are pink fairies,


and a silver Sonic Manipulator.




Someone is speaking on a banana telephone. Sunnyboy doesn't know why this is funny. Why not use a banana as a telephone?




Sunnyboy likes to 'play chess' but probably needs a bit more practice before accepting this challenge,


and here are some other signs from around the festival that we'd like to show you.

No littering,


fly free as a bird,




peace.


We hope you enjoyed the festival. Thank you Se'Lah for inviting us here to your lovely blog. We had a great time.

Sunnymama and Sunnyboy


*Operation You is the home of Inspirational Monday. You can get more inspiration there and are invited to stop by and post your links of inspiration.

taking a stroll...

*nascar update: SMOKE WINS !!!! Whoo-hoo!

who am i?...

i could tell right now but that would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? one thing i can tell you is that this gratuitous picture of a swan has nothing to do with who i am. :)

tender breasts
feeling bloated
emotions intensify
weird food cravings
tears flowing like a river
the world is coming to an end
worst yet, if it appears on a full moon
and yes, every month of your life
you will experience this
to varying degrees
who am i?
p.m.s.

*any of this sounds at all familiar to you?

*if you enjoyed this riddle, see also period 3D

Conscious Friday: Women of Darfur...

There are moments when I can literally feel the pain of others. I have lots of those moments when I think about the Women of Darfur.

Imagine. You establish your lifestyle. Then one day, for no apparent reason, someone else's implementation of genocide brings the arrival of a war you had no part of. You abandon all your possessions. You leave all that you know behind to flee for your life and that of your children, should you be so lucky. But you are sometimes caught by men. Men who rape with impunity. Even worse, you sometimes are forced to watch helplessly as they rape your daughters, right before your very eyes. This is the life of the Women of Darfur.

Why are men so cruel?

I don't know how to help these Women of Darfur. They are stuck in a region with no governmental aid. They have nowhere to turn. Even as some escape the genocide into countries like Chad, the rapes continue. No government acknowledges, much less prosecutes, these brutal crimes.

I think it's time we raise our voices for the children and Women of Darfur?

*For more information, please visit savedarfur.org

*Lucky Dube: Born to Suffer


*Lucky Dube: House of Exile

what do you hear?...

bird call,
boat horn,
waves crashing softly
and continuously
against the shore?

a moment of silence...

my heart can not process my feelings
my tongue can not find the right words
two words playing repetitiously in my brain
Air France. Air France.
so I went to the pond
to just be alone with nature
to redirect my thoughts
in a moment of silence.