Iman told me I was beautiful because she was beautiful.

So we've never met. She didn't actually say the words or send me a letter. She doesn't know who I am or that she means anything to me. Though I'm sure she recalls being the queen in Michael Jackson's Remember the Time video. The first time I saw it I knew I was beautiful. If a woman who looks like me could be a queen on TV then I had to be beautiful (in my mind as a child all queens on television are beauty and strength). Black American women were not on programs, in commercials, and the leading actresses in movies. We were not in my sight continuously and those that were did not look like me. They looked my mom; fair skin and slim. There wasn't much diversity. I remember watching the video for the first time thinking "I knew I was beautiful. Now everyone else will know it too." Iman became the image of myself in my mind. Other girls wanted to be princesses; I was a queen. The fairy tales displayed weak princesses at the mercy of the king, queen, and a savior prince. Blah! Who wanted to be her? The queen is the one who ran everything. She had the power to determine her fate, make choices, and lay down the law. Iman brought that powerful image to life in the form of a woman with brown skin. She helped my dreams come to life in how I saw myself.

Thank you Iman, for showing me I'm beautiful.

KC

Book of the Month

This month I will be entering a world created by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her book Americanah. The novel's protagonist is a young woman dealing with being identified as black for the first time, after being relocated to America from Nigeria as a teenager. I've lived my life in a society that has labeled me as black and the image I see in the mirror holds a certain beauty and pride based on that image. In the US and around the world people have different ideas of what it means to be black in this country, in their own culture, and in general. I'm interested in taking a journey with Ifemelu to see how she deals with these ideas and her experiences.

I invite you to take this journey with me if you haven't already. At the end of the month I'm going to post my thoughts and a brief review of the book. Leave a comment letting me know if you will read this with us, have read it, and any books you suggest I check out. I'm always down for a good read and expanding my world.

Here's to looking forward to reading with you. 

Hugs, Kisses, and Smiles

Free

Starting 2015 off with a Bangity Bang Bang

2014 was a special year. Mr. 1Lyfe and I hit our 6 year wedding anniversary!!!! Yay for us!!! So while browsing through my local dollar store I found cute red heart shaped vases and long red candles. The butterflies of inspiration began to flap their wings! As time goes by I find it easy to fall into routines and forget to let your partner in this life know how special they are to you....so....to start 2015 off with a Bangity Bang Bang I did a very small and quick craft to say I love you and you are special to me. It is after the first but it is never to late to let the people who mean the most to you know they are loved. 

All relationships take work, no matter how much we take them for granted!!

 Now you have the back story let's get started!

Supplies

• Vase (in this case I used the small red vase pictured below, however there are no rules so go for it)
• Red candle (red is Hubby's favorite color, the color of love, and of course it matched the vase)
• Glitter glue (only if you are recreating this exact look)
• Decorations (get funky and make it personal)
• A little bit of time. This will need to dry.

Start by using glass cleaner to remove all finger prints, oils, and dust. These will prevent your design and decorations from sticking to the glass.

Next take out your decorations and get funky with it!

I kept the design for Hubby super simple. He is not about the frills at all. 

After our Family New Years Eve Party (the babies beat us so bad at the games) and before bed I presented him the gift and explained its meaning. All that I was committing to do as a wife and a woman in 2015. If I am not a healthy woman (mind, body, and soul) I can not be a healthy wife. We held hands prayed for ourselves and our marriage. We ended by lighting the candle and entering the New Year together. 

This is an easy craft. It took no time to complete but the meaning was significant to our marriage and our values. It is perfect to customize (Valentine's day, anniversaries, birthdays, etc.) I hope that you can have fun with this and let someone know they are in your heart...now and forever.