Music Therapy with Miss Moon

"The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be."
~ Oprah Winfrey

A few weeks ago when I was going on my walk, I was approached by a young woman on Fulton Street. It seems that they have opened a new palm reading business somewhere in the area and this woman came up to me because she felt compelled to tell me something... something of dire importance.

She said that there were people who are presently in my life who are not on my side. She warned that these people were wishing me ill in every endeavor I take and that I should immediately come with her to get a reading, which she would give to me for the low price of $20. I thanked her for her warning and advised that I had to continue what I was doing right now, which was something nourishing to my soul and I kept it moving. I wonder if her intuition was foggy that day, making her unable to sense two very important things about me:

1) I have a long history with women who use premonitions, tarot cards, and palm reading. I've known quite a few in my past. Truth be told, I've given a tarot card reading myself from time to time. I know that some are the real deal, but I also know that many use fear as a tactic. For all the curses I apparently have on my head, its amazing I'm still breathing! LOL

2) I am a woman with my own source of power. I honor that power, I cherish it, and I trust it. So I would never allow anyone to corrupt my spirit, and no amount of ill wishing could siphon that power from within me.

I'll tell you folks, evolution is an amazing thing. It was on another walk that this week's Music Therapy with Miss Moon song choice inspired me to think about my encounter. I thought about how I handled it at 34, in comparison to how I would've handled it at 24. Knowing the person I was then, I would've left that woman $20 poorer and richer in paranoia. LOL

Perhaps I do have "haters" in my life, perhaps I don't...but either way, so what? If he or she is hating me, they are wasting a lot of energy that could be devoted to something more important: like improving what's lacking in their lives so that they need not use me as a scapegoat! Regardless of their feelings, I am resolved to continue to do the work on myself, so that all of the amazing blessings in my life will continue to grow and blossom like a field of wildflowers.

This week's song is about doing just that... living a life on your own terms, without fear of what others may think or say about the choices you make. I hope you all will find inspiration from "Life is Real" from the amazing Ayo.



Some people say
That I'm to open
They say it's not good to let them know everything about me
And they say one day
They will use every little things against me
But I don't mind
Maybe they're right
That's just how it is and I've got nothing to hide.

I live my life
The way I want
I got nothing to hide
Nothing at all
Life is not
A fairy tale
They should know
That life is real
I live my life
The way I want
I got nothing to hide
Nothing at all
Life is not
A fairy tale
Life is about more
Cause life is real.

A friend of mine
Gave me an advice
He said be careful and think twice
Before you talk about your life
Protect yourself
Just keep quiet
The more they know the harder they try
To spoil your ways
To spread lies and
Even though I know he could be right I just said I..

I live my life
The way I want
I got nothing to hide
Nothing at all
Life is not
A fairy tale
They should know
That life is real
I live my life
The way I want
I got nothing to hide
Nothing at all
Life is not
A fairy tale
Life is about more
Cause life is real.

Me i be ayo
Ogunmakin fear no foe
I am real from head to toe
Just like my heart and my soul.
Me i be ayo
Ogunmakin fear no foe
I am real from head to toe
Like life is real and you should know.
Me i be ayo
Ogunmakin fear no foe
I am real from head to toe
Just like my heart and my soul.
Me i be ayo
Ogunmakin fear no foe
I am real from head to toe
Like life is real and you should know.

A Little [ASA] for a Saturday Night

If you haven't noticed I'm a big-time dreamer, I would be amazed! I will be the first to admit it!!! I'm a dreamer and I'm proud.. I will say it loud!! LOL

And truth be told, there is nothing I would rather do this Saturday Night than to snuggle up in my bed, dream my curly head away, and listen to this song as the soundtrack.

Like John once said, I'm not the only one..... so why not join me tonight if you are so inclined to? I hope that Asa's "Dreamer Girl" will help facilitate some amazing dreams for you!

Yummm! Rave for Red Smoothies!!!

So of course I wanted to put together some recipes inspired by Rock the Red Pump™ day, and my first idea was to focus on the lusciousness that is red velvet, prominently featuring an intriguing recipe for Red Velvet Fried Chicken.... because seriously the thought of that makes my SPIRIT soar! LOL

Common sense got the better of me, and I knew that the recipe was hardly appropriate since I'm all about Getting Healthy, so begrudgingly, I sought out some more healthy options for this post. And to be honest, all of these recipes are certainly drool-inspiring, and will just as good for you as they are delicious!

Strawberry Smoothie

Recipe Courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups soy milk
1 cup strawberry
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup crushed ice

Directions:

Put all ingredients into blender container. Process until smooth.

Banana Raspberry Yogurt Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of SmoothieWeb

Ingredients:

1 container (6 oz) 99% Fat Free French vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 cups soymilk or almond milk
1 cup unsweetened frozen or fresh raspberries
1 medium banana
add a few ice cubes if you don’t use frozen raspberries

Directions:

Place ingredients in blender or food processor. Cover; blend on high speed about 30 seconds or until smooth.

Ruby Red Grapefruit Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of SmoothieWeb

Ingredients:

1 large pink or ruby red grapefruit
1/2 cup cold water (preferably refrigerated)
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
3-4 ice cubes
Fresh mint, chopped for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Peel grapefruit and remove as much pith as possible. Divide the sections and remove any seeds.
Add grapefruit sections and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the yogurt, honey and ice then process until smooth or to desired consistency. Pour into tall glasses and serve garnished with mint.

Fresh Cherry Smoothie

Recipe courtesy of MyRecipes

Ingredients:

2 cups pitted sweet cherries
1 1/2 cups ice
1 1/2 cups plain fat-free yogurt $
1/4 cup honey

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Serve immediately.

:::drools::: Rumer Willis-style for Plus Size Fashionistas

It's that time of year again!!! In honor of Rock the Red Pump™ day, many of my posts for the remainder of the week will be all red-inspired, starting with a plus size fashionistas post, featuring a killer red pump.

When I spotted this photo Rumer Willis (daughter of Demi Moore & Bruce Willis) rocking red pumps on the red carpet, I knew immediately that this was the outfit I wanted to recreate!! It's a simple outfit that I think really says a lot! Here's what I came up with:

Dress: Women's Plus Tie-Neck Dress ($24.99, Old Navy)
Belt: Black Braided Wide Stretch Belt ($9.50, Torrid)
Pumps: Steve Madden 'Allyy' Pump ($89.95, Nordstrom)