Hey everybody...I wanted to just jot a quick note to take a moment to dedicate the "Womans Voice": http://radio.ymib.com/voice on ymib Radio: http://radio.ymib.com to you all! If you have never heard it before, then I hope it inspires!

Admiring You All!
Ericka

I like to cook, and sometimes, I pause in the midst of flour on the counters, chocolate covered spoons waiting to be licked by the little one, water boiling over, bread in the oven, and soup simmering to its flavor, to take a few photos of my favorite foods that I try to prepare with love and creativity for my little family of 3!

Last Friday was sushi Friday. I finally took the time out to make sushi as it should be...oh...my....it was so good! & the spicy mayo sauce and sesame seeds really topped it off. The hubby was proud! One day I will try the spicy tuna rolls. I'm a little funny because I don't like raw fish in my sushi, I bake/fry my shrimp to go in it, or just eat it with the veggies(cukes, avocado, asparagus, and sometimes cream cheese) but my husband likes the raw tuna and salmon. Anyhow, I hope this inspires somebody to roll out some sushi! :) :) All you need is some Nori wraps, sushi rice, spices, avocado, cukes, shrimp/salmon/fresh tuna, etc) It's the perfect summer meal/snack!

Do any of you garden? post up your pics and tips please!!!!?!!!

So, after being inspired by the fabulous garden from the fabulous Kiandra of quejiminez, I finally stopped procrastinating and started the inital process for getting our patio decorated and spruced up with color, veggies, fruit, and plants/flowers. We went to the nursery and I got two tomato plants, Thai Basil (this plant smells magnificent), lavender, and the hubby picked out some yellow bell peppers. I was like oh yeah!!!! Because those yellow and red bell peppers at the grocery store are ridiculously expensive! I still have to get some aloe vera, strawberries/or some kind of berry, mint, and cilantro, and who knows what else.

Hi all! I fixed this for dinner last night and it was so delicious! This takes only minutes to make and is perfect for summer meals! I first had this in Maryland while visiting family quite some time ago, where my aunt served it with cous-cous(she says they ate this a lot in Nigeria when they lived there). I did not have any cous cous so I just used basmati rice which you can boil in some vegetable/chicken broth for extra flavor!

For the sauce all you have to do is blend your red curry paste, salt, olive oil, coconut milk, a bit of ground ginger, a dash of cinnamon, and about a tbsp. of pineapple juice. add more salt if needed. Let simmer and take off the heat.

So, the fabulous Nina of Neo Sew Mama has tagged me along with some other ladies to post photos of what's in our fridge and pantry! This was fun, as usual, she comes up with some unique tag ideas! Anyhow here is what is currently awaiting to be eaten in our kitchen!

I love this very sarcastic clip of Erykah talking about the industry...she is so funny in her delivery...

I recently fixed these chipotle tofu wraps and they were so good that I am planning on having them again this Friday. It's really simple to prepare. First you will want to get as much moisture out of your extra firm tofu, cut it into medium cubes, and then let it marinate overnight in some worcestershire sauce or any other marinating sauce and spices that would compliment your chipotle flavor like chili powder. Make sure your cubes are not too tiny or too large. I also cut up some smoked chipotle peppers in there too.

Then I sauteed the tofu( not the peppers..it would be WAY too hot, i just used them for flavor) in a non stick skillet with a bit of olive oil to brown it and to get rid of more of the moisture. Once I felt that they were good and brown I placed them in the oven on low heat to let them firm up a bit more.

Mama Moment: Love Water Last night while I was at my writing desk working, my little Sety comes up behind me and hands me a cool glass of water that he lovingly poured into one of my Great Grandmothers glasses and topped it off with a sweet strawberry on the side and said "Ya Ya you are a hard worker"..oh my..at that moment I could honestly say that was the most refreshing drink of water I have ever had because our little Sety poured it from the heart...I love that little munchkin...He's my little chef! & then it was his bedtime and he wasn't too happy about that. They can turn on you quick. LOL:). I made him this paper chef hat and he wears it when calls himself "making soup" It's so funny because he sits and watches the Food Network adamantly.:)

Because in the end it will just be me, myself, and I, so I choose to make Me & Myself happy first! -Seshat Mery Tut

I would like to dedicate this post to any and everyone who has ever felt like they have ever been placed within a box by their own race and outside of their race and expected to conform to stereotypes, cultural boundaries, and standard interests.

Warm Love Sisters! I just wanted to make sure that you all did not overlook this months giveaway/contest(which are always in the top right hand corner with a "y" in the bottom corner of the banner) sponsored by a wonderful company called Ohm Body. We have done a review of their products that we feel are exceptional(especially their body oils and fragrances..I l LOVE the Shaka line).

Ohm Body is giving away FIVE gift boxes(see bottom photo) that are filled with great items, scents and are packaged quite lovely, so click the banner below to leave a short comment on YOUR JOURNEY TO PEACE...Have you reached peace yet...are you still traveling to reach your goals...let us know & good luck!

So, I feel so honored to be tagged by the lovely Nina of the fabulous blog "NeoSewMama". So here you go Nina..here's whats in my bag:

1. The Bag: I love this bag that I wear as a sling that I ordered offline from a lovely lady in Singapore. here is her website: BohemianCloset.com.

2. Wallet & keys; I plan on making me my own wallet as part of the ymib Sewing Circle. I particularly hate this one..LOL.

3. Paint Sample: i just painted my walls in the lovely "Island Shores" blue(3rd one down)..Lovin it!

4. Rum & Butter candy cane..because I like my sweet treats.

Hey Ladies! One quick question...where/how do you all find your creative inspiration for the following things (websites, blogs, books, locations, etc.):

Arts/Crafts

Cooking & Recipes

Design/Decor

Fashion & Beauty

Culture/Life

Thanks so much..looking forward to hearing back from you all.

Little Talks: A Little Chat with the Little One: me: “oh no the wind knocked the chairs over outside again” the little one: “uh oh, I'll fix it” me: “bad wind, I am going to go outside and give the wind a spanking for knocking over our chairs” the little one: “no!!!(he said very abruptly with a sharp look of concern and “how do you think you are going to do that” on his face) you can't do that, that wind is not bad, I'll fix it for him!”

Little Talks: A Little Chat with the Little One: me: “hey did you like the ice-cream that Ba-Ba bought you?” the little one: “yeah”, me: so what kind did you have...chocolate? The little one: no i had blue...like this color(as he points to a big spill of blue ice cream on our carpet)

The little ones will always fill you with laughter!

Fresh: From The Market

Wow ladies...you all are hard to keep up with! I have been so moved inspirationally and creatively by all of the wonderful posts here. So nevertheless I am finally catching up with you all:

The new year seems to be headed in the right direction mission wise. As a full time mom, wife, and artist, things can get really hard. I mean really hard. Managing time is often the essential when you help run a household and that is something that I am learning and acting on as the minutes pass. After talking with the hubby about it, he told me something that should have been obvious but it wasn't until he put in the way that he did.

Did you know that sisterhood can float in the wind and bring along winds of inspiration & warmth?

Did you know that laughter and health can float in the wind and bring showers of growth? Did you know that love can float in the wind and give you a hug?

Did you know that confidence can float in the wind and bring you beauty? Did you know that you are the wind?

Stay in tune with the wind sis...I feel your breeze! You Make It Beautiful! -ymib.com

A great way that is currently inspiring me to cook creatively is to keep a cooking/recipe journal that I fill with pretty pics of soups, teas, entrees, sweet treats, and entertaining & place setting ideas. I just grabbed a 3 ring binder with the clear pocket on the front and back and then did a collage to go in them as well as on the sides. Then I just used dividers to separate my categories(beverages, entrees, desserts, products, etc.) This has really inspired me to get crafty in the kitchen. I use it the same way that I do with a regular sketch book. It's a great and unique way to keep your recipes and flip through them.

Many of times I find myself rushing through my tasks and responsibilities. This hinders a major problem on my energy level and psyche. For some reason, I feel like I am always in a hurry. Whether it is cooking dinner, writing, researching, creating. I seem to not let myself fully relax and just enjoy the moment in time and the task given, then I end up feeling guilty after it does not come out the way that I had envisioned, because I had not given it my best. One of my favorite books is The 4 Agreements, and in there he talks of the art of doing your best and how important it is. It is so true and I think that in order for us to do our best, we have to slow down. We are encircled with so much in-n-out technology, food, and services, that I think it can take a toll on how we treat our personal lives. We feel like everything has to be completed quickly as if we are running out of time. For example, sometimes...my time gets away from me and I end up rushing to cook dinner, then when it does not come out the way I want, I get upset that the fam does not like it, when I really need to be looking at myself as to why I was rushing.

Recently my mom and I had the rare opportunity to share a day of crafting, which in this case consisted of making fabric bowls with the McCalls M4797 pattern. This project was really fun, and best of all, really quick(I consider myself to be an instant gratification type of artist you know? LOL). So if you are looking for a quick and easy craft project, I would suggest making some fabric bowls. I have used mine for everything from fruit to a catch me all.

As each day passes I try to incorporate more and more creativity into the home...I have so many ideas, and at times that can get a little discouraging, because I then feel as though I am not completing a task/the goals, that I know that I am unrealistically setting...do you know what I mean? Nevertheless.. .if you like sewing, then you should try this project on a weekend or a free day off! Happy sewing.

This is one of my favorite dishes. Its actually an Emeril recipe: Grilled Salmon with Sweet Corn, tomato, and avocado relish, served with Asparagus! I do not grill mine, but just bake it in the oven. The Seasoning blend blow is wonderful as well, and can be used on just about anything to give it some spicy and aromatic flavor. It tastes fantastic and is full of fresh and healthy flavors. Enjoy!

2 large ears fresh yellow corn, peeled and silk removed

2 large tomatoes, cored and cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)

2 Hass avocados (14 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)

6 tablespoons finely chopped red onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets with the skin

1 tablespoon olive oil

This homeschooling/un-schooling season, we are focusing on math, art, and reading with our four year old. Lately he has been wanting to use boxes to practice on rather than notebook paper, so being that we promote creativity...I went along with it. We use his blocks, popcorn, and crayons to do addition problems. He seems to be getting the hang of it & I think the visual stimulation makes it stick..he even did a little subtraction! It feels so good to see your children learn, especially when the teacher is you! I traced his left and right hand, and his left and right foot onto the box with some crayons(which he thought was hilarious) and we played a quick game of “mini twister” to make sure he has the right and left senses down, and then we numbered the toes and fingers & used the drawing to practice counting from 1 to 20. What is your pre-schooler & kindergarten tot currently learning? Do any of you have any unusual/fun learning activities that you use at home?

I dedicate this post to those who may have had a sister friend that you were very close to and then just seemed to grow apart due to life circumstances and changes. Sometimes you may have a friend that it just seems so hard to let go. You know she is causing drama, or she just does not fit into the lifestyle that you have grown into, yet you keep her in your life. Why do you think a sister will keep pursuing a friendship even though she knows deep down in her heart that it is not worth the bother? Have any of you dealt with this situation?

Today, as most Fridays are, was filled with craftyness, simple meals, and a sweet ending. The little one and I gathered up some branches from the neighborhood and went into our project thinking we were going to construct a masterpiece of a pencil holder for the Ba-Ba, but after failed attempts(well, mainly my lack of patience with the glue gun, the rigid branches, and it getting way too close to dinner time) we came up with a rather snazzy little picture holder. Pier one who? LOL, anyhow, we don't eat pork, chicken, beef, or turkey, but we do eat seafood, mainly fish. So I fixed tacos today(I like fixing quick meals on the weekends) but I used ground salmon instead and the taste was terrific! Then we made some whole wheat cocoa-muffins(these taste great with walnuts and carob chips). Yum Yum!

I am totally loving the East Indian inspired designs of Indian Designer Ritu Kumar. She blends the color, patterns, and textures that you might find on traditional East Indian clothing and décor into modern, indian-bohemian type of pieces that is filled with rough edges and simple cuts...Love It!