Hello lovelies! Starting tomorrow you can find me and a special someone here. My mom and I will still be buzzing in from time to time (if I can get her to keep blogging) but for a daily dose, or almost, of the bee you now know where to find me :)

Thanks for your continued encouragement, support and feedback both on and off the blog. It's been a challenging time in my life but there's only room for happy at the new spot and I'm workin on upin my happy ;) as always one day and post at a time. Be blessed!

xo,
The honeybee a.k.a His Mrs.

Blog will be live tomorrow at 6 a.m.!!

Gettin our GROW on

Aaaaah Springtime.  Growing up, for me, one of signs that spring was upon us was a trip to the local garden center with my grammy.  Every spring she and I would make our way down the aisles of plants and gardening tools and load up her shopping cart. She often picked a variety of flowers and veggies and always insisted that I pick out a plant of my very own.  I often chose strawberries - I had to have them and she let me.  We would ride home, me carrying my strawberry plant in my lap, excitingly talking about what she would make with the veggies we grew and our plan to celebrate the start of spring with the planting of some beautiful blooms.

Many years later it feels like I am creating the same springtime magic with my daughter, that my grandmother created for me.  Since before we moved into our home, exactly one year ago (WAHOOO!!!) Jalayla has wanted a garden. It has been a dream of the both of us to spend sunny days in our outdoor abode.  The funny thing about this is that we both scream at the sight of bugs which comes with being outdoors.  We are both working on that though :)

Yesterday after a trip to the Home Depot, 2 trips to the gardening center, 7 bags of dirt (stinky stinky dirt), a packet of seeds, and a few vegetable plants we started our very first garden.  My husband Chris and I prepared the soil, Jalayla issued orders and we all dug holes and planted our pint sized pieces of produce.  We also found a worm (we don't really run from worms) whom we adopted and named  Machamo (he was a manly worm).  Jalayla and I decided to put him in a small pile of dirt, she then sat next to him to ensure his safety.  After we finished panting our plants we put Machamo in his new home.

I am so excited that we were able to make this memory together as a family.  I don't think Jalayla will ever forget planing her first garden.  She was so eager to tell everyone about her garden, don't be surprised if she invites you over for salad, and this morning told us - uh about 10 times that the vegetables are growing :)

Often times we get so busy with the every day that we forget that we are constantly making memories for ourselves and our loved ones.  I often believe that the good memories we make are what carry us through some of life's most difficult moments - they give us something to shoot for, the opportunity to create more of them!

We are excited to see if our veggies will actually be edible and actually grow but either way we are having fun in the process.  I'll be back to talk about my "project" but for now I'm savoring this particular moment...

If our garden does well this year be sure to look out for us and our booth at the local Farmer's Market (but not really).

Just curious what are you all have been doing to celebrate the start of spring? Gardening? Baseball games? Shopping? BBQs? I'd love to hear about what this lovely time of year inspires you and your lovies to do.

Falling in Love

Well hello February.  You came so fast I didn’t have time to say goodbye to January.  Which is kind of ok because January, frankly, you kicked my butt.  Of course sprinkled in between all the fanny kicking were lovely lovely moments such as bringing in the new year at church, realizing that I had one month left until transferring to an office closer to home, finishing all of my laundry, meeting Emily (we're going to be on her show!!!), celebrating special milestones in the lives of loved ones, and of course falling in love over and over again with my two lovies – Chris and Jalayla, oh and our little Stella too.

This year I set out to be grateful.   I found that finding a reason to be grateful in the mist of my challenges changed the way I saw and responded to things.  Need I say it has hardly been easy and while I would love to bore you with details what I will do instead is share is my newest venture - Project me :) mmm hmm you read that right – me.  I have decided that I am working on making ME – Krishann – a priority.  Let’s face it I’m a “helper” that’s why I chose a “helping profession” and why I am always one of the first to volunteer to well uh, um – help.  And, while I find so much joy in doing things that make other people happy I need to find a balance so that it’s not at my own expense (or my family’s), out of feelings of obligation (cuz that's no fun) and so that I don’t slip back into my former profession – “people pleaser”.  I am ready to surround myself with people who pour into my life just as I do with them.  I remember hearing a message from Bishop Noel Jones a couple years ago during which he preached about people who deposit into your life and those that withdraw (and withdraw and withdraw) – there must be a balance.  I feel like my expectations (not very high these days) of others perhaps are a reflection of my own feelings toward myself and perhaps it is time to raise the bar. 

I mentioned falling in love with Chris and Jalayla over and over again.  The two of them are my gifts from God and they do bring me such joy but I am ready to fall in love with Krishann again too.  So one day at a time I will take things.  I need to worry less about what other people say and think and do what makes me happy.  One more time – I need to worry less about what other people say and think and do what makes me happy.  I need to stop worrying about being everyone’s go to girl ( “yes (wo)man” psssst) and what will happen if I don’t help out and invest my time and energy into the things that matter most – to me because I’ve got three cute little ATMS over here and I’m trying to make some nice deposits.  I also need to remember that I am valuable and precious if not to anyone else – to God and to ME.

So like I said I’m working on me.  Recently I was reminded that if I don’t take care of me how can I be any good to those that mean the world to me.  I was told next time I go get a pedicure (dare I go without Jalayla) remind myself that I am also doing this for my family (the other day when I stopped at Rite Aid to get a taste of nostalgia and got some yummy ice cream – that was for Chris and Jalayla :) ). But I get it, really, I immediately saw the correlation as in our home along with colds and yawns happiness is contagious.

So here’s to February a month where love is working overtime.  Here’s to chocolate kisses, homemade valentine’s cards and stickers (because we heart valentine's day stickers) and here’s to Black History Month – gotta represent.  Here’s to showing people that you love them by what you do. Sure telling them is nice too but haven’t you heard "actions speak louder"?!  And here's to ATMS may you have an equal amount of deposits and withdraws (No overdrafts alright?!).  Oh and let’s not forget, here’s to falling in love with ourselves over and over again <3

And then there was my little chocolate pooh bear…

Yes, that would be my precious granddaughter aka my grandbaby, Jalayla (Little Miss Briscoe).  She is my joy, my laughter, my wind and inspiration.  I cannot imagine life without her for she brings such love, warmth and endless energy when she enters a room.  Oh no, oh yes, here comes Nana’s baby girl.  I just love to hear her say my name.  I have voice messages from when she was a toddler until now at age six.  During those days when I need a burst of energy or looking for that silver lining in the clouds I just have to see , think about or hear that cute squeaky voice…”Nana!!!!”, yes my chocolate pooh bear, it’s your Nana!  I love to hear my pooh bear call me Nana.  I am so blessed to be a Nana, and I don’t take it lightly.  Some may prefer to not be called Nana because that reminds them of the reality that they are a grandmother... Well the reality is that I am a grandmother and I'm loving it.  I am so grateful to be honored with the name Nana thanks to my Jalayla.  She loves her Spanish so it was only fitting that she would call me Nana.  That’s right-- I am Jalayla’s Nana JJ. 

The memories that we have shared and prayerfully will share in the future are golden nuggets that enrich my life beyond measure.  I am so thankful for my righteous seeds, Jason and Krishann and love them with an everlasting love.  Yet, there is something that I share with my chocolate pooh bear that is priceless.  She can melt my heart and encourage my heart like none other.  Recently, we spent an afternoon together at my home.  It was such a blessing we sat side by side on the couch and shared bowls of pasta together.  Afterwards, we decided we wanted dessert and didn’t have any so we settled for cereal.  It didn’t matter because we were together loving, dancing, playing and enjoying each other.  We laughed, snuggled a little and then she asked me such a profound question.  I had recently attended a Homegoing Celebration, funeral of a friend’s husband from church.  Jalayla looked at the program and asked me what was it for and I explained that it was from a celebration of the life of someone’s husband who had died.  She asked where is he, and I said that he was in heaven because he had invited Jesus into his heart.  Since he was a believer he would spend eternal life with Jesus; however, if he had died before he had invited Jesus into his heart he would spend eternity in hell.  She looked at me with those bright eyes, and said “Nana, when I die I’m going to heaven, right?” I said, “Yes, of course you are.  Remember the day you accepted Jesus into your heart and asked Him to forgive you of your sins and to live in you forever.”  Then she said, “I remember Nana, that’s right.”  Then she sat quietly as if to ponder our words.   She turned towards me and said, “Can I invite Jesus into my heart again?”  I said, sure sweetheart we can repeat the plan of salvation together and afterwards she said Yeah!!!  Wow, the heart of the child and a child shall lead them.  She knows and loves the Lord and wanted that reassurance that heaven would one day be her home. 

Forever loving my chocolate pooh bear,

Nana J (The Butterfly)