Raising Chefs - NBCi5

I just wanted to stop in to post an up coming event we want each of you to be on the look out for. Raising Chefs has been booked for our first major appearance this coming Saturday and Sunday @ the Dallas Convention Center. Yes Raising Chefs was booked for both days at the NBC5 Health and Fitness Expo 2008. We are so excited and if you come out make sure you stop by the kitchen booth and say hello! You may be able to try some of the tasty goodies we have planned for this event. Peace, Love and Sweet Treats!

When God Works He Works!!!

After a long battle between those people we opened our home up to they finally saw the light and gave us our things back. It turns out they still owed on their storage bill for 2 months and instead of just coming out and saying that in the beginning. All the stalling was because they couldn't pay their bill and this didn't have to turn out the way it did. We're thankful that it's over and we are RID OF THEM!!! LIFE WILL GO ON!!!

"The Grinch Stole Our Christmas" said Tyanna! :-(

My husband and I allowed some friends that we had only known for a little while to move it with us. They lost their home and needed a place to stay for them and their 14-year-old son, dog and 16-year-old daughter who only came every other weekend. (she lost custody and those were her visitation times) In a nutshell, it didn't work out. They didn't pay their half of the bills for a month and a half. My husband was laid off his job and filed for unemployment. No money for us was coming in so I withdrew my book from my publisher and my husband closed out his 401K so we could pay our bills, they’re half and ours. Once that ran out unemployment took forever. And when they finally started paying their half we could only come up with our half of the bills but couldn't buy food. They brought freezer full of food plus canned goods and other things, so we pretty much only had to replenish the small things like milk, eggs...etc. Needless to say we couldn't even do that some weeks.

We cleaned out our garage to make some room for some of their things. Trying to make them as comfortable as possible. They had a storage unit and told us we could store some of our things there free of charge and could get them back whenever. Well, things had been going down hill when their dog started biting all three of our kids. The baby in her face, my son on his cheek and my oldest daughter on her cheek and chin. They never said anything except the kids shouldn't be in his face which they weren't on several occasions. Things got a lot worse when they let their rental car go back and we agreed to let them borrow ours when we weren't using it. This went on for several weeks and they finally bought their car and left ours in Lewisville, Tx at the dealership about 45 minutes for where we live. My husband had it at that point and let her (Mrs. C) have it. She called her husband (Mr. C) at is job and he got off early and they packed and left.

They left us high and dry with no notice and bills due that were accumulated while they were here. So bills needed to be paid and THANK GOD the unemployment came through. We had to sign up for food stamps and Medicaid for the kiddos. Don't get me wrong, all of that is truly a blessing. I'm so trying to not need those services, as you’ve seen!!! Anyway, they will not give us back our belongings in their storage unit. Which includes our Christmas tree, lights, ornaments, our winter clothes (most of the kids, and my husbands'), family photos (our oldest daughter who past, and her birthday is coming up on the 29th), toys...etc.

It's almost 24 hours until Christmas. I made them a tree out of lights with tacks holding it up in its shape. They asked if Santa would skip over our house since we didn't have a real tree. We had to break down and tell them we were Santa and we just didn't have any money to do any Christmas. We helped our church hand out presents to kids in the park yesterday and they wanted to get in the line themselves to get a gift, but we were there to help others. The little one said "Mrs. C & Mr. C, are like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas". However, I truly believe for me this is the worse, and the best Christmas ever, because this situation has brought my little family much closer. I just really needed to vent. God Bless and Merry Christmas, God loves you! - Happy Birthday Brianna ANGEL!!!!!

Bridgett Gray

Mi Casa Su Casa

Funny how things work out... My mom is very big on taking people for their word. I have adopted this philosophy and have witnessed it first hand that you can't take everyone at their word. It really rubs me the wrong way when you say or tell a person one thing while withholding the actual truth and in the end telling them something totally different and when it's all said and done they try and turn it around to make the hold situation your fault.

GOD and I both know how things go down and it will be judged! So I know my sleep will be light and refreshing, because the truth as a funny way of revealing itself. GOD don't like ugly and this is very UGLY!!! Sleep on that!

Self - Exposed

One of the reasons I wanted to keep this particular blog going was to allow you to see the real me. I wanted to be that example so that as good things happen to my family and I, there are still set-backs, ups and downs, and every now and then depression comes knocking at the door. Most times it's ignored but some times the door is left cracked and it gets in.

This weekend I truly had a very surprising wake-up call. I really do focus a lot on how people see me and what that ultimately think of me and what I'm trying to do with me life. Last night my mom and I had girls night at her house (just the two of us) and while I was in the bathroom I looked in the mirror and was very disgusted at how I've let go of myself.

I'll be promoting my book soon nationally and I'm not sure if I'm at all ready for the limelight. My face use to be clear and now I have black spots all over the chin area. My teeth could use a cleaning and whitening, and I've totally neglected my hair. I told my husband that a lot of why my appearance isn't up to par is mainly because I've redirected my depression and that's been the result. There are so many other things going on and sometimes I feel as if I have no one to turn to. I know "this too shall pass" and this is advice I give others who are feeling down about things. I just needed to vent and get it out so it won't be buried.

Finding Your Niche

I was talking with my sister-in-law today and she was telling me that she heard my radio interview on KGCM Radio. She told me that she thought I'd found my niche and that she wished she could find hers. I told her and I'm going to tell you, find something you love and believe in it. And throw out the notion that it's too late for your dream to come true. I met a very inspirational women today named LaToya Brown the author of "Borrowed Water" and she shared with us, and I'm paraphrasing, It's not over until you give up!

That is so so true. I was near the end of a very tiny lifeline, and I looked at my family and what their life could be without me and I didn't even want that, so I got up and gave God the wheel!!!!! Let him have it, and see the blessing he wanted for your life along!