Hi Everybody! Quick question...do any of you have a blog OR know of anyone that has a blog that's updated often, with imagery, that FOCUSES on: arts/crafts, design/interior, painting, creative living, sewing, crochet, knitting, textiles/quilting anything of that nature? If so, please leave your link in the comments below!

Thanks so much!
Ericka Taylor | Editor
ymib.com

Warm Love All! I hope every ones new year is off to a good beginning! Ours has been pretty good thus far. It seems as though organizing ones life never ceases to get easier, except I can say that I have developed a schedule and I am working on putting together a home planner which also includes my work/crafting/blogging ideas and schedules.(i will post about that later)

Nevertheless, we found out that we will be having a little girl!!! YAY!!! We we're all so very happy (especially my husband). To celebrate the news the little one and I made vanilla cupcakes with pink icing on them:) ([pictured above) LOL!

Ok, I'm sorry yall, but I could not let this one slip away...at first I thought this was a real music video, then i saw that nope, it was an ad for some chicken nuggets. I just stared at the screen like huh? These two are serious about their 10 piece nugget meal...LOL

Circle Sister MsLoveChild: (http://ymib.com/user/3103) posted a great intro about herself in the forum: http://ymib.com/daily-inspiration/speak-forums/introduce-yourself/start-..., so I thought I would take a moment to answer the same questions that she took the time to share with the Circle:

Here are 50 questions survey/questionnaire in attempt to "getting to know each other" and you getting to know me. Feel free to play along if you have the time! Just copy and paste it into a blog post It doesn't take long!

------------------50 Things About Me--------------------------------

Were you named after anyone? no

If you could change your name what would it be? Seshat, but I will most likely not be changing anything:)

Shoe Size? 8, but before I was pregnant with our 5 year old I use to be a 61/2...sigh..LOL:).

If you were a crayon, what color would you be? a avocado green

What colour is your bathroom? a tacky tan

What is your least favorite color and why? bright red

Favorite Smell? babies

Favorite Sounds? quietness

What is your special talent? art & inspiring/writing

Warm Love Circle Sisters! If you have been following ymib/me on twitter (http://twitter.com/ymib) then you may already know, but, if you have been wondering why the site has slowed down, it is because I am pregnant!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! I have been DYING to tell you all(especially to get all of your motherly advice for pregnancy!), but I wanted to wait to officially announce the news until my first trimester was pretty much over. I am in my 11th week now and we heard the tiny heartbeat on Friday, and we also have a sonogram at just 6 weeks! I had never had one that early before..there were no eyes and all, but the organs were there and you could see the heart..it was darling! Anyhow, I wanted to let you all know that I am still here, but I have been SO VERY tired. I mean really tired, I have been sleeping a lot, but I hope that my energy will regenerate itself soon...LOL! But when i do not feel like blogging on ymib or jubella, you can usually find ymib twittering!

Hi all! I wanted to share a few recipes that I have tried lately. My absolute favorite being the Que Jimenez Garden Burger, in which the patty is totally made out of squash and bit of bread crumbs!!!! It is delicious and a big hit with the fam! Even with the little one! I added some chopped onions, worcestershire sauce, and seasoned it quite a bit. Next time I am going to add a little bit of black beans. It does not taste like squash...it tastes super delicious & very firm!!!! Click here for the full recipe.

Hi everybody. I just wanted to pop in to explain why there have been no new posts this week. I decided to take this week off to catch up on some serious organizing and scheduling. With so many things on my wish list of things to do, it is a necessity that I have as much order & creative inspiration possible around me so that I can achieve my goals with a clear mind and with as little stress as possible. So I have devoted this week to making our little abode feel fresh, clean, and pretty as well as to finalize a decent daily schedule for myself, our home, and our little ones homeschooling adventures!

I just read this over at Afrobella(http://afrobella.com/2008/08/04/small-businesses-need-love-too/), and I find it quite disturbing, especially when there are so many wonderful body care companies that could never afford to pay FDA fees, please pass this along to all of those you know who buy from or run a business where they make & sell their body care products. If something like this ever passed, I would try my hardest to boycott large body care companies!
____________________________________________________________

FDA Globalization act of 2008

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is trying to draft a law that would have every handmade cosmetic product treated basically in the same way that a drug like Tylenol is. That would mean that all of the body butters, hair conditioners, lip balms, and shower gels produced by up and coming businesses would have to get approved by the FDA before they can be sold. To do that, these companies would have to purchase licensing and registration fees, which can cost up to $12,000.

Click here to Read More: http://energycommerce.house.gov/FDAGlobalAct-08/index.shtml

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.