Don't be surprised that I'm about to spit a rhyme about an article of clothing. Many of you already know that I'm sort of a goofball. Remember back in 2005, when I wrote Ode To My Thermos? That was real and from the heart, y'all. It's been a few years, and I'm feeling like waxing poetic again. My love for my black trench coat is real. I'm feeling extra amorous right now, because while trying to figure out what to wear to Blogalicious 2009, one thing I never doubted was that I would take my black trench coat. This weather down south is all over the place right now, and my classic trench coat is perfect for it all. Plus, it looks just as fab with my favorite pair of jeans and Chucks as it does with a cocktail dress and heels. I love my black trench coat, y'all. I wrote a poem about it.
Here you go:
To borrow from the great E.B.,please, "let me count the ways". You stylishly complete me on those cool and sunny days. And when the rain surprises us the way it always does, I simply pop your collar--when it rains or just because. And when you cross my mind at night the way you sometimes do, You discreetly cover what my lover gets to view. While fashion trends may come and go like random acts of kindness. You, my love, will always be-- classic and chic and timeless.
I remember getting a black doll for Christmas when I was in second or
third grade and literally throwing it against the wall and crying
because I didn't want a black doll. Believe it or not, y'all by second
grade, I, HomeGirl, had totally bought the message that I got from the
images I had been exposed to: cartoon princesses, Shirley Temple,
baby-dolls on the store shelves, Barbie--all white. Those where the things I had learned to nurture and adore. Those
things where beautiful and special. Not me. What was I supposed to do
with a doll that looked like me? I wasn't special, right? That was the
message, intentional or not. And thousands of us heard it loud and clear. Fortunately, I was young enough and had parents who where
present and informed enough to undo some of the damage and put me on a
path toward self love. How much self love? Enough for me to be THRILLED about the new line of black Barbies!
BLACK BARBIE, WHAT?!
Can I just say it's about time?! If not now, then when? We've got Barack and Michelle in The House, we got Gen. Bolden doing his thing over at NASA, we got Venus and Serena 'nem handling things. For the first time, a generation of young people are growing up seeing reflections of themselves as presidents and astronauts as well as top athletes and entrepreneurs. For the first time little black girls will grow up with a Disney Princess that looks like them (shout out Tiana!), and now, thanks to the new, PERMANENT, not special edition, line of So In Style Barbies by Mattel, they will get to grow up with Barbies that look like them or somebody they know. The line is comprised of dolls of varying skin tones, hair textures and facial features, that reflect, more than ever before, beautiful black women. Y'all, this is huge. Click HERE to see pics of and to meet Trichelle, Kara, and Grace.
Here is a video of designer, Stacey McBride (who is black) talking about creating this new line of dolls:
Thanks to Disney and Mattel and even to Michelle Obama and the girls, there are some pretty awesome images of feminine black power and beauty that black girls and boys (it's important for them too) haven't seen mainstream before. This is huge, y'all.
Future Mama over at BabyMakin(g)Machine has taken a breather (believe it or not) from blogging the play-by-play of her first efforts at conception, to raise money for a good cause, March of Dimes, an organization that is dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Her original goal was to get companies to donate $300 worth of products and services for her to raffle off on her website. Within days of posting her call for donations, she received $1000 worth of donations from 25 companies. Not too shabby. And, y'all, she is taking nothing away from this deal--no products, no cashola, all the products are going to people who enter the raffle and 100% of the funds raised will go to March of Dimes. Again, not too shabby.
I'm doing my part to help a do-gooder do gooder by giving you guys the opportunity to do good too. Simply enter the raffle by donating between $1-$20. If you donate $15 or more you're GUARANTEED a prize from Future Mama. For specific details and to make a donation, click on the image to the left or click here.
Laura James is an artist and she's amazing. Her depictions of motherhood are harrowing and powerful, and her religious art is simply beautiful. Yes, "beauty" is subjective--in the eye of the beholder and all that, but I feel strongly enough about her work to share her with my world, and that includes you guys. Don't you feel so special? :) I have two of her pieces, Black Girl Wings and People Waiting In The Sun adorning the walls of my dining room and entry hall. Now you can have her too! Over 100 Laura James prints and posters are now available on art.com.
I met her online years ago (which I blogged about here) when I purchased Black Girl With Wings (that's her to the left) directly from her and have been a fan of the artist and of her work ever since. This was the first piece of art I purchased. It sparked my interest in art in general and I've amassed a sweet collection over the years.
Right now I'm talking with another artist (fingers crossed that he'll get the piece I'm after to me) who I'll be introducing y'all to pretty soon. I'm keeping him to myself for now--or at least until my hands are on the object of my desire. It's an extremely limited edition, so forgive me for being shady and hiding him from y'all. It's a bit selfish of me, yes, but you understand, no?
It doesn't have to be Laura James. Just get some art in your life y'all! Get some!
"We're here are we're awesome!" :) Not that I speak for all black people, but I'm just sayin'. I'm feeling a bit excited is all. Why?
First of all, Blogalicious 2009 will be happening at The W in Atlanta on October 9-11, and I am SO looking forward to being among my blogging sisters. This conference is designed with female bloggers of color in mind, but white girls, y'all better get down there too. This conference is sure to be enriching and educational for all bloggers in attendance, and most importantly, all are welcome to attend. Just take a look at the conference agenda and you'll see that Blogalicious 2009 will have something for all of us girls. Oh! And the who's who of the brown bloggeratti will be there! I don't know about you, but what I'm looking forward to most is meeting my favorite blogstars in person. I cannot even front.
Secondly, The 2009 Black Weblog Awards Finalists have been named, so make sure you get over there, check out the nominees and VOTE! I'm biased towards some of my favorites, but am thrilled about some of the new ones I had no idea where out there. Y'all, we are doing it out here right now. I'm enjoying reading the blogs from the list of nominees. They are inspirational. I'm SO proud.
In virtual reality and in our reality, we are minorities, but we are doing it BIG right now. Holla! LOL
Greetings to you white Austin bloggers, you guys rock, I totally see you. I'm just feeling a bit lonely over here and refuse to believe that there are so few black (or brown or other) bloggers in Austin. I know there are only a couple hundred thousand non-whites in Austin in the first place, but there must be more than three of us blogging. I know you're out there! Show your faces!
Calm down. I'm not being racist, or reverse racist or whatever, by bringing this up. This is just my little unscientific experiment to measure the diversity among, and to connect with a wider range of Austin bloggers.
If you're black, brown or "other", say hi and leave your Austin blog link in the comments.
If you're not black, brown or "other", say hi and leave your Austin blog link in the comments. DO you know any? Leave their link too.
If you're shy, email me at homegirlblog at hotmail dot com.
I recently entered a giveaway over at Nerdlike.com and got an email today that I won! My swag?
A piece of clothing from the Spring 2009 line of Parish Nation! Yes, it's menswear, so HAPPY EARLY FATHER'S DAY BILLY!
I've had some pretty good e-luck lately with winning the Clinique Insider video contest and the nomination in the Momversation.com video contest. Maybe I should learn how to play the lottery--get a scratch off card or something.(I am SO serious about that.)
And speaking of contests, enter my Creme of Nature giveaway. One or two winner every month for the rest of the year!
So I totally did not win the Momversation.com contest. The grand prize winner is Nap Warden. Congrats to her. Still, it was a complete shock and honor to even have my video nominated. I get why they always say that at the Oscars. Being in the running for a cool prize is super fun. THANK YOU to all of you who voted for me!
The following bloggers where so supportive of my rally for votes. Check out their spots. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do...
FutureMama.
Who says you have to be a momma to be a mom blogger these days?
She wants a baby, and then maybe wants a baby, and then definitely sort
of wants a baby NOW! Married four years, with an awesome career and a
successful blog under her belt, she's already accomplished more than
most 23 year-olds. Just no baby...yet. She's an open book when it comes
to what's on her mind during her journey towards the inevitable baby
bump. Mom or not, I think you'll find her content-rich blog
entertaining and surprisingly informative.
BrownGirlSpeaks. She's black. She's green. She's a coupon QUEEN! [Not sure why I rhymed that, but I had a moment and just rolled
with it.]
This homeschooling momma
writes about everything from making her own laundry detergent to the
hottest indie music track you probably never heard of. AND she'll show
you how she walks out of the grocery store having paid $4 for $60 worth
of goods...or something crazy like that. She's definitely a cool mom.
Adiaha. When I read her blog, I feel like I should be sipping tea and burning a patchouli and vanilla scented candle. The vibe over there is so
peaceful. I absolutely LOVE her About page and wish I had thought to do
something so creative with my own. She's candid and honest about her
life as a once working mom/current at home mom and the journey she's on.
Sip your morning coffee and click over to adiaha.com to read a mom who
does it all with grace.
MyBrownBaby is a place where moms of brown babies go to share their
humor, insight and wisdom. Posts range from thought provoking entries
like the recent post that asked "Where's the media frenzy when brown babies go missing?" to heartwarming like this recent one about missing
the pregnancy just before it's over. Motherhood is universal, but there
is something unique about the experiences of brown moms in America. It's
refreshing to read so many of their stories...our stories, all in one
place.
I have a secret. I won't tell everybody, just you guys. As my dear friend would say(from a radio show that doesn't air in Austin, but that she listens to, and quotes frequently, where I think people call in to make confessions), Cat Daddy I must confess...
Honey Magazine recently took their beta site live and is gearing up for the official launch of the new website. There's a whole new vibe going on over there with new layouts and features and most importantly BLOGS! As y'all know I was the Austin Honeybee back when they had City Blogs, but now you can be a Honeybee too...and you and you and you too.
So buzz on over to HoneyMag.com, checkout my profile, "HomeGirlBlog", set up your own, friend me and get buzzing!
February 19, 2007: I posted >>HERE<< about my miscarriage. We found out about it on Valentine's Day. We had all these romantic notions of hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time on Valentine's Day, but when we got there, they told us there was no heart--no baby.
There are no words really. Only facts. Yesterday he was here. Today he died. Today a family and a country are changed forever. He was such a bright light. He will be loved and missed forever.
There are no words really. Please send positive thoughts and prayers to the grandparents, parents, wife, siblings, nephews, family and friends of Peter Dennie of St. Vincent and The Grenadines.
10:39 a.m. - The dogs, Okie and Stella, are outside. I'm sitting on one end of the sofa, my husband is on the other end. His laptop bag, my cell phone and house phone fill the space between us. We both have laptops on our laps. He's working. I'm blogging. Our son is playing on the floor at our feet. The television is on CNN. Barack Obama is about to be introduced to the crowd. My adrenaline is high, as it has been for most of the morning.
10:43 a.m.- Barack Obama is walking down the steps. My heart is beating so fast. My husband, Billy, just took pictures of the television screen. I 'm getting the camera now--just captured a picture of Zack playing on the floor with Obama on the tv. It will probably be my Daily Photo tomorrow.
10:48 a.m.- Rick Warren is praying.
10:53 a.m.- Rick Warren is still praying. I'm about to stop typing to give my son some attention. Aretha Franklin is singing "My Country 'Tis Of Thee." Her hat is fly. Sasha and Malia are dolls.
10:57 a.m.- Joe Biden is being sworn in on the biggest bible I've ever seen.
11:01 a.m.- I just sat back down after fixing my son a bottle of formula. I gave it to him and placed him in his playpen. Barack Obama is the president officially...it's noon East Coast time. I'm feeling tingly and emotional. Yo-Yo Ma and company are awesome.
11:05 a.m.- Obama is taking the oath! He said his middle name. IT"S OFFICIAL!!!! The United States of America is officially under the leadership of the coolest and blackest president in our nation's history. I feel my heart beating in my throat.
11:07 a.m.- President Obama is about to speak.
11:27 a.m.- Beautiful speech. My son fell asleep in my arms. My husband and I both teared up. Elizabeth Alexander is reading her poem, Praise Song of The Day. Billy is starting the shower. Zack is still sleeping in my arms--I'm typing with my left hand. It's 11:33 a.m.
Also, SHOUTOUT! to local Austin filmmaker/model/actress extraordinaire, CC Stinson, who will be playing teacher Emily Walker on the season premiere of Friday Nigh Lights tonight on NBC. Go, Girl! My DVR is set!
I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing her for my other blog last year. She's an award-winning filmmaker and y'all better not sleep on her. Her latest documentary is "Light, Bright,Damn Near White-A Documentary on Colorism". See what she's doing next on her production company's website ccsquared.com.
What’s your trifecta? What is your favorite movie, book and cd/album?
You can only name one for each and share a little about your choices.
So Browngirl Speaks tagged me. It was SO hard to pick just one favorite, but I managed. I had bonus picks, but exercised restraint and deleted them from the post--playin' by the rules..
Movie: Love Jones Everything about this film makes it my all time favorite--the cast, the characters, the relationships, the city, the soundtrack...everything. Best thing about it was that for once, a major film featuring all brown people told a story of us outside the hood. No stereotypes, just black folks being, working, socializing, livin' life. Every time I watch it (I own the DVD), it takes me right back to 1997 (when the film came out) , to my college days when I met my man and my dearest friends. So many one-liners from the film are still part of our regular conversations like, "well damn" and "there it is". No film has become a part of me like this one. There hasn't been a black love story told like it since--on film (somebody please buy the rights to The Accidental Diva, and feel free to cast Nia Long and Larenze Tate as the leads-Thanks). One highlight of this film is when Darius Lovehall (Larenze Tate) performs a poem for Nina Mosely (Nia Long) called A Blues for Nina. Check it...
Warning. This clip is rated R so kids ask your mom before you click 'play'.
CD/ Album: Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Oh, Lauryn. I listen to this album all the time remembering when. She gave us her best on this album, then life did something to her and she hasn't been the same. It's a shame, because she's an amazing singer and her lyrical skills when she raps are unmatched by any other female artist I've heard. This album is that fire, y'all. I can't say I have a fave track; the whole album is hot. But I do love this one in particular called "Nothing Even Matters" ft. D'Angelo. It's a love song. If you've ever been in love or just mad infatuated, you will feel this song. Check it...
" This was my third of fourth time reading this book. When I heard O was
doing a movie version of it, I had to read it again to refresh. I was
kind of surprised they left out the skin-tone issues...maybe 'cause Tea
Cake's character in the movie wasn't dark-skinned like he was in the
book. I don't think you can read this one too many times. Each time the
experience is different, especially if you read it at different stages
in your life like I have...young teen, older teen, newly married woman, etc.
It's such a rich work of fiction."
I think it might be time for another read since I'm good and married now. :)
Browngirl's trifecta theme was relationships, and based on my picks, looks like relationships is my theme too.
Free star-shaped donut at Krispy Kreme today! Free scoop of ice cream at Ben & Jerry's today!
DIXVILLE NOTCH, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama emerged victorious in the first election returns of the 2008 presidential race, winning 15 of 21 votes cast in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.
People in the isolated village in New Hampshire's northeast corner voted just after midnight Tuesday.
It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned Democratic in an election. Full article HERE.
Hopefully as Dixville goes, so goes the nation.
Results updated every 60 seconds starting at 5pm EST:
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