Dear Gianna,

Four years old; stands about 41 inches tall & weighs a whopping 36 pounds; don't let her age or size fool you, she's smart, curious, imaginative and far more witty than I ever was at her age. She's innocent, energetic and she took over my beloved throne as "the baby"; yep, she's my baby sister, Gianna. 

You really would have to meet little G-bug to know that all the words I used to describe her up above aren't just because I'm a biased big sister...nope, she really is all those things. She can't fully read my blogs quite yet, but if I could talk to her through this blog these are some of the things I would tell her...

Always be yourself, Gianna. Always. If you're nerdy, who cares. If you're goofy, who cares. Don't listen to people who try to change your character. You're never going to please everybody. Not everyone is going to like you. As long as you are true to who you really are; you'll never fail babygirl. 

Be bold! Be creative! You only have one precious life; express yourself. Everyday is your time to shine, let the world see who you really are. 

Don't gossip. Gossip will be introduced to you probably earlier than it was to me. Gossip shhmossip. If Becky & Sally are talking bad about Suzie, stay out of it. Don't agree or disagree. Your opinions and perspectives about people should derive from YOUR own occurrences and experiences with people; not anyone else's. Gossip is for the birds. And you, my dear, don't need to be a bird to soar above the norm. 

Be kind to everyone you meet and never stop smiling. (Dad & Mom are probably going to have to spend a pretty penny for braces in the future anyway, so you might as well show off those pearly whites haha) You will start to realize how much people admire you; you're only 4 years old and people (including myself) love that little smile; it makes us smile. So do us a favor, and don't stop. 

Self respect. Little by little, you will grow into an even more beautiful and mature little lady; self respect should be the frontier to your life. If you obtain a strong amount of self respect; it will be nearly impossible for anyone to disrespect you. Trust, me. 

And boys, well that's a whole other post... I'll save that one for later gator. 


Enjoy being a kid!! Take things day by day and don't grow up too fast. Don't rush your amazing childhood, it will be gone before you know it. 


Last but most definitely not least, live a happy life by allowing God to be apart of every single decision, action, word, move and thought. You already pray and I'm so proud of you for that!! Continue to talk to God, if you have questions, just ask Him. Allow Him to fill your heart with joy. People will hurt you in your lifetime Gianna, but God never will. He loves you very much; don't every forget that! :)

Until our next little chat, your best friend, big "seester" loves you! 

God Bless & Stay tuned...

-Britaña 

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. -Romans 12:9

Intimidation, Shhmintimidation

I'm on vacation right now and found a peaceful hour to sit at Coffee Bean and blog away. I wanted to talk about a question that I was asked yesterday.
A friend asked me what it is that intimidates me. And it really took me a while to answer the question. The inability of not answering this question right away is something I'm unbelievably grateful for. It's something that my father taught my siblings and I. He taught us to never be intimidated by anything, any situation and most importantly never be intimidated by anybody.

Maybe at the time that he began instilling this attitude in us, I really didn't understand what the heck he was talking about. I was probably too concerned about whether I was going to get that hot pink Barbie Jeep for Christmas or not. Metaphorically speaking, it was as though he knew we didnt even know how to read yet, handed us a recipe book and said "get to cookin'". Which is an awesome tactic for a parent to use. He was giving us advice and we'd have to decide how to apply it. He knew what he was doing; he's molded us into alright people if I do say so myself. *licks finger, touches shoulder, sizzzzzzle*

So... is there anything that intimidates Britaña? Nope.

Things either inspire me or they disappoint me.

Ok perfect example:

I met a beautiful person last week. I mean drop dead gorgeous. One of those people that you just have to stare at because they're so striking. Well, it's in my character to introduce myself and greet anyone with a smile. So I did. And in return I got a cold response. A bitter, simple, non-smiley, "hi."

I gave the person the benefit of the doubt and thought to myself, maybe they're just having a bad day. So I watched their demeanor with others as well. I came to the conclusion it was unfortunately just the way they were.

This example is perfect from so many different angles.

Number 1: I could have been intimidated by their stunning beauty, but I wasn't. Honestly, I wanted to ask how they did their eyeshadow so perfectly. I wanted to meet them, exchange words with them.

I turned what could have been intimidation, into curiosity and admiration.

Number 2: I was disappointed. Disappointed that someone so absolutely gorgeous didn't have the same warm personality to accompany their noticeable physicality.

Number 3: I was inspired. Inspired by the feeling of disappointment. When we're disappointed in anything, there's a veil of emotion that comes over us. It's kind of an unforgettable feeling. I never want to make anyone feel disappointed in me, especially through a first impression.

Words of wisdom:

Never be intimidated by anything, any situation and most importantly never be intimidated by anyone. Intimidation is a weak and temporary emotion that we convince our minds to believe in. Don't become a victim of that awful word: Intimidation. Ugh. Blah. Eww.

If there's something that I find absolutely refreshing, it's when a physically beautiful person has a personality to match that appearance. To be completely aware of how beautiful they are on the outside, but wants to share their internal beauty with the ones they meet; that just makes me happy. Makes me feel...well, inspired. It's a true testament that they know how to carry themselves. They are strong. It means they are REAL. They are consumed with humility; that to me is beyond impressive. 

The point of the post is not to tell you "Don't let people like this person, intimidate you." No, not at all the reason for this post. Rather, use instances like this to redirect and reevaluate YOUR mannerisms. Alter the common feeling of intimidation into inspiration to polish up YOUR character. A reminder that you should treat every person you meet, the way you'd like to be treated yourself. Your presence is priceless, reveal it and allow it to rub off on the ones around you.
 Allow your character to mirror your appearance. We're all physically beautiful, after all beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Always be humble, while still carrying a wise amount of confidence in everything you do. You can make someone's day, shoot even their week, with a simple smile. Don't ever disappoint anyone with your initial greeting; rather inspire them not only with your apparent beauty but most importantly with that shining internal beauty. You're great, don't ever hold back; share your greatness with every person you meet. 

God Bless & Stay Tuned...

-Britaña

 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 

Philippians 2:3

Nutritional little powerhouses

Aww I just love Sundays. I am able to emotionally, physically and spiritually reflect on how my week was and the goals I have for the upcoming week. It's also the day where I get busy in the kitchen!! If you follow me on twitter or have read my previous posts on here, you've seen that I prepare all my meals for the week on Sundays. I wanted to share one of the yummy things I made tonight for this upcoming week:

(Health Friendly) Sweet Potato Fries

mmmmm..... 

Sweet Potatoes fall into the Complex Carb category. They're starchy carbs. Too many people are afraid of carbohydrates with all the different "no-carb" diets available out there. Truth be told, they're actually really good for you. Starchy carbs provide raw energy that our body can definitely make use of. Now, although we need these types of good carbs, we also have to be careful that we don't over do it. When we take in too many carbohydrates, our body is forced to release large amounts of insulin. And when there is too much insulin in the body, these little carbs turn into FAT! So you can ABSOLUTELY have carbs, just be smart about it :) 

Here's my favorite little recipe for my sweet potato fries:

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large sweet potatoes 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp Splenda
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• (You can add any spice that your tastebuds desire; Cajun, Chipotle, Paprika etc.. I do Splenda & Cinnamon because I like to think of mine as treats. If you're not too worried about these babies being health-friendly, *shrugs* go ahead...add the salt.)

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat oven to 450°F or for crispy fries (i like them crispy), preheat your oven to 500°F.

2 Peel your sweet potatoes. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then, if they are very long, you can cut them in half again. Cut each piece into french fry looking sticks! You can also cut them in circular shapes! 

3 Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl and mix in the oil. Mix it reallllllly well. Sprinkle in the spices of your choice. I like to use my hands to mix it super well, so all pieces are coated perfectly.

4 Spread the sweet potato fries out on a baking sheet; the oil they are coated with should keep them from sticking to the pan. Adding a little bit of cooking spray never hurt though.

 5 Bake for a total of 25 to 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn over all of the sweet potato pieces. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until they are well browned and crissspy. Let these little delicious treats cool for about 5 minutes before scarfing down! :)

 Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Sweet Potatoes are essential in my diet. They are indeed nutritional powerhouses.

ENJOY my health-nuts :)

Have a wonderful week. I know I will...cause it's my BIRTHDAY WEEK!

God Bless & Stay Tuned...

-Britaña

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 John 1:2

Birthday princess

Most people know my birthday is August 17th. How? Because I remind them! I'm a Leo, it's in my humble crave of attention and natural spirit to share my birthday excitement with everyone around me! My 2011 Birthday, surprisingly, is going to be low key. But one thing I do want to do is a little shopping. I've put together a Birthday Wishlist for myself. Yes, I buy my own Birthday goodies... 

1. A Juicer! I want one sooooo bad! Not really for fruits but more for veggies! If you have a suggestion on a good brand please let me know! 

2. Hello Kitty EAR BUDS! I love HK and I have ear buds in my ears 3 hours out of the day anyway, so I shall call this a wonderful investment!

3. Sports BRAS! I love vibrant colored sports bras! So these babies are definitely on my birthday shopping list!

4. Chunky heels! I have yet to fall victim to this trend; but it is definitely time.

5 OH, LOLA! The Birthday girl has to be smelling birthdaylicious!! I picked up a sample of this Marc Jacobs goodness last week, well actually the lady at the counter sprayed some on the sample paper...I ended up leaving it in my purse, and the smell lingered so gracefully in my handbag until today! Mmmmm, it smells so good! 

6. LION KING TICKETS! The Lion King is coming to my city and I HAVE to go! Enough said!! 

7.PURPLE PILLOWS. Right now, I have a very fresh/clean theme going on in my bedroom. Everything is white, with light green and soft blue accents here and there. With fall right around the corner, I want a cozier feel while still keeping it glamorous. So I will be on the hunt for purple accents; maybe something like these awesome throw pillows. 

 Purple: Stands for royalty and loyalty; I shall be sleeping like a queen :)

8. CREME PEACOAT Once upon a time I owned the most ahh-mazing creme colored Gap peacoat. But, I loaned it to a girl and never got it back. Eh, looked better on her anyway. ;-) With the beautiful fall weather approaching quickly, I think this one would be the right fit. 

9.CAMERA! Now, this one has had my eye for quite some time. I'm thinking it probably won't be a birthday gift to myself...but maybe a Christmas gift in a couple of months. A girl can dream though.(dream/save money...same thing!!)  But not only would a nice camera make my blogging more inviting but I'm always looking for a new hobby; and photography has definitely sparked an interest lately. Here's the one I would cut back on mani's and pedi's year round just to have...

What do you spoil yourself with on your birthday!? If your birthday just passed, or it's coming up..OR you may even have the same birthday as me, FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS. 

My past few Birthdays: 

God Bless & Stay Tuned. 

-Britaña

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. -1 Corinthians 10:31