Talk About it Tuesday (Ready to Trigger My Bad Dating PTSD)

I really should have kept track of all the gross bosom comments. I really could give Sallie Mae a nice hefty for a dollar. Oh Well... Let Me Do So, Now

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

To the Airport & Back✈️

Three Facts About My Niece, Alura (Blog Name)

-Her Loves...God & People

-As a Preschooler She Thought I Lived at the Airport instead of Beaumont

-She is an Ancestor

Yes, the First reason I fell in love with being an aunt has left this world for the next. It took me a while to grasp celebrating this life in an Outspoken_Diva fashion. Every life is celebrated. But the pain of this young woman's passing was heavy on me. She is Forever 27 years old. 

Then we found out she was an organ donor. When I mentioned she loved God & People, Alura Loved God & People. Even passed her leaving this world gave such a selfless act for strangers in need to prolong their lives. When we heard the news I could be shocked. But this was something my niece believe in...Being Sweet to Others.

Her Belief System was in a Rhythm that Only She could know to play.

I remember when I found out she believed I lived at the airport. I was home from college for Winter Break & I had to punish her. I don't spank often. I'm a stand-in-the-corner/give-out-restrictions type of aunt. Well, while standing in a corner in the living room, she told me, "Well, You Can Go Back to the Airport Where You Live" and cried. I had to walk to the back of the house to silently laugh & report that to my sister. She found out where I lived when I graduated from Lamar University the next Summer in 2003. We have laughed & cherished that memory all of the time. To the point where on her birthday, my message always ended with, "To the Airport & Back".

I don't have children of my own because my niece & nephew took my love & refused to give it back. And well, my niece, Alura took her portion and put that eternal stamp in my heart where she belongs. 

To the Airport & Back

Fly High✈️ 

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Granny

At 99 years of age, the matriarch of our family, Granny passed away quietly recently.🕊️❤️

Please keep us in your comforting & strengthening prayers & positive thoughts.

The person who taught me about God picking flowers for his bouquet became the gladiola that he chose one day.

In our human experience, people are supposed to bury their grandparents. But it still feels sad & weird. They say Grief is Love Without the Happy Face. I believe that. I turned the light off in her bedroom. It hadn't turned off in 10+ years. Later into the night, I had to focus to see down the hall, upfront toward her room while I was up. *sigh* It was Dark. *sigh* The religious, prissy, rule-making & keeping, and shade-ready influence in my life is gone. And there is nothing anyone can do about it.

I had a complicated relationship with my grandmother. I didn't get to have the stereotypical "soft life" that some have with their grandmothers. Anyone who lived with grandparents full time will tell you it ain't for the weak. Especially when you're an adult. As a kid, I just thought Momma was my mother but Granny & Pau Pau were like dad. And that was my normal. But as an adult, it's like a roommate who demands her respect at all times. And she was due it. But she had to be taught to respect those younger than her also. Some days that was a challenge. But as one of her caregivers, it was a challenge worth the pain.

Let me share something simple she always shared. It is a song I remember her garden club sisters & she sang from as early as when I was a toddler. They opened up their meeting with it.

I can hear her soprano voice singing, now. And I see her belting out that final, "My God and I". As if it was only he & she there.

To a Life that walked with her God in the garden, in the home, in church, in ...in...In Life. God is Love ~ 1 John 4:6

Rest Well Granny, Rest Well!!!

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

First Date with a Dead Waste Collector

Questions! Questions!! Questions!!! Come & Get Your Answers!

Q: Would you rather be a Mortician vs Waste Collector as a Profession?

A: Mortician because I get chatter & peace & quiet from humans. I'm an ambivert. When the Talking & Emotions from the living become too much, I know the Silence from the non-living will give me the same moments to reset.

This Post's Video:

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As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Best of Restaurant Bias: The Dessert List

I'm not a major fan of most "Best of" lists, especially when it comes to restaurants. And what is a meal without a little dessert? Well, that is how this series will end, with a little something sweet.

In DFW, many of us think we can bake. Have you ever had my sweet potato pie, caramel nut cookies, & diabetic apple cinnamon cake? No? You have missed a treat. It's not a socioeconomic issue here. Well, maybe because even in the food desserts in the area, I can name a baker & sweet shop within it, but I digress. There are so many choices for bakeries & bakers in the area. And I have to force my favorites in the City of Dallas down to 3.

Cretias There are 30 Cake Flavors, 34 Different Pies, & 26 Cookies & other Goodies like Breakfast Rolls at this bakery & lunch spot. And if I am in the Bishop Arts area even if I am supposed to get a tasty salad only, a Scandinavian Almond Bar somehow comes home with me. LoL

Le Bon Temps Beignets and Coffee There is a little sugary slice of New Orleans in the Deep Ellum area. I suggest for your first visit start with the sugary Classique & the flaky Le Boneignet. If you're a coffee drinker, grab a fragrant one. And I promise you it is worth its wait.

Cake Bar  How does one become so favored that you have to create a vending machine for after Trinity Groves' hours of operation? And there are cookies & ice cream too. Oh, my go-to flavors are Old-Fashion Chocolate & Wedding Cake.

Well, that was Sweet!!! And if you put your favorite dessert places in the comment section would be even sweeter.

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Talk About It Tuesday (Make Us Feel Good, Fatty. Not Yourself)

But y'all know this. This lesson is so old. Yet, y'all refuse to learn. *sigh*

And I Don't Look Anything Like Martha Walsh (or Tamela Mann)🙃

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!

Juneteenth & the Healthier Side of Freedom (OUTSPOKEN Diva's Favorite Recipes)

Hibiscus-and-Ginger Iced Tea

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup water
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• One 3" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 hibiscus tea bags (I like TAZO)
• 8 cups water, room temperature
• Ice

Directions

Ginger simple syrup:

1. Combine the sugar and 1⁄2 cup of water in a 2-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil and let syrup cook for 3 minutes, stirring until all of the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove the pot from heat and add the grated ginger.
4. Let syrup cool completely and strain. Set the syrup aside.

Hibiscus tea:

1. In a 4-quart saucepan, pour 4 cups of water over the tea bags and place the pot over low heat.
2. Bring the water to a slow simmer and let cook for 5 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat and let the tea steep for another 5 minutes.
4. Strain into a pitcher and add in the remaining 4 cups of water.
5. Fill the pitcher with ice.

Baked Catfish Fillets

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 catfish fillets (6 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon reduced-fat butter, melted
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions

1. Combine the first six ingredients; cover the fillets on both sides with the mixture. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Combine the lemon juice, butter, and garlic; drizzle over the fillets.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
   
   
   

Simple Black-Eyed Peas with Collard Greens

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch collard greens, chopped (about 4 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans crushed or diced tomatoes, low sodium
• 1 (14 oz) can black-eyed peas
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Wash collards, remove stems, and slice leaves into strips. Cut across strips to cut leaves into bite-size pieces.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onions, and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Stir in collards to coat with oil and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. (Add water if collards start to stick to the pot.)
4. Stir in tomatoes, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Add the black-eyed peas, cider vinegar, and spices.
6. Stir well, cover, and simmer on low heat until collards are tender.
7. Serve on a bed of rice.

Strawberry Spinach Salad (Because what is the holiday without the fruit)

Ingredients

Dressing:

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salad:

• 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled, and sliced
• 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
• ¼ cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions

1. Make the dressing: Whisk together sugar, oil, vinegar, sesame seeds, onion, paprika, and Worcestershire in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
2. Make the salad: Combine strawberries, spinach, and almonds in a large bowl.
3. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Happy Juneteenth!!! Healthy Juneteenth!!!✊🏽

As Always Talking to You in Adult Terms!