BOO'S APRIL FOOL PROPOSAL

   By ‘Seun Salami

Happy Sunday!

Here is a story my friend wrote and I find it interesting, so I thought I should share it with you.

Enjoy...

118 BBM messages. 12 text messages. 28 missed calls.

Yet it took only about fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes since I stepped into the bathroom. Fifteen short minutes since I updated my BlackBerry Messenger status with a picture of the ring on my finger and the words – Finally!!! Stone of Life! Yaaaaayyyyy!

To be honest, I didn’t expect this sort of response. Anyways, I’ve been enjoying every minute of it, soaking up all the love and attention and replying with Thanks hun,  I appreciate it darl, Soon luv, depending on the question and who had asked it.

Everyone knows that girls love it when a sister gets engaged. I know because I do too, and I have also always wanted to experience this feeling. This rock star feeling of being the centre of attention for at least a day, an otherwise ordinary day that suddenly feels like one’s birthday. I’ve always wanted to know how Juli felt the day Jerry gave her a ring in the most unusual way, the strangest way possible.

Juli had insisted on paying her grandmother a visit on her own birthday and spending the day with her. She said it was something she owed her grandma for all the love she showered on her while she lived with grandma for five years while growing up. Jerry seemed taken aback by this strange idea of the perfect birthday, not just because her grandma’s house was really far away, but because he honestly wasn’t quite sure about the idea of spending the whole of his girlfriend’s birthday with her grandma. How awkward? Besides, he had also planned to take Juli out and spoil her silly but that would now have to wait. He did bulge eventually, and Juli had her wish, although Jerry said he wouldn’t be able to take her there since he had to be at the office. They would celebrate in the evening when she returned.

Juli got much more than she had wished for, because few minutes after she got to her grandma’s house, excited, birthday cake in hand, her grandma decided to give her a gift – a surprise gift inside her wardrobe. “Wow! Must be a lovely dress,” Juli must have thought, running to quickly pull open her grandma’s huge wardrobe as grandma grinned sheepishly behind her.

“OH-MY-GOD!” Juli must have screamed. “Oh my God! Oh my God!!”

There was Jerry. Right inside the wardrobe. Yeah, you got it – he went on one knee. With one outstretched hand. He was holding a tiny red case. With a gad-damn blinged out stoneeee! Really, I would have written my expression on BBM as ‘OMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG’.

I wonder why Juli did not faint. I for one would have fainted if Le Boo pulled such a crazy stunt on me. I would die of shock, I’m sure.

Well, Jerry didn’t just kneel there staring, he actually opened his mouth (and oh, those pink lips) and popped the question of life, “JULI, WILL YOU MARRY ME?”

Who would even think before answering such a question of life from a man like Jerry.

If you’ve ever seen Jerry or any of his pictures that Juli so witlessly flaunts on social media, you will understand. Juli didn’t say yes or no. She just kept screaming, and grandma kept grinning awkwardly both with envy and pride, if you know what I mean. Juli told us she snatched the ring from his finger and put it on her fourth finger by herself. She said she was so excited that Jerry even had to remind her that he was still inside the obviously sweltering wardrobe before she made way for him and hugged him saying “Thank you, thank you...”and then turning to her grandma, “Oh grandma, why didn’t you tell me?” with grandma continuing to smile awkwardly in return as I imagine a tear or two must have rolled down her cheeks.

And then Juli must have reached for her phone almost immediately, found a perfect bright spot and taken a picture of her hand with the ring on, because we soon saw her BlackBerry messenger status with the picture of the ring on her finger and the line:

OMG!!! Lover boy just popped the question – from right inside my grandma’s wardrobe. #Stunned #Lovestruck #Heaven

The ring was beautiful, to be quite honest, but I had mixed feelings immediately. I have always dreamt of doing this – taking a picture of my beautiful engagement ring and putting it up on my status for all to envy and there she was, Juli, my bitter-sweet friend, going one better. I felt the way Le Boo told me he felt the day he saw a picture of one of his friends posing in front of a glittering Nissan Murano, accompanied by the words New Car things – Oluwa lo seyi o!

The words of my pastor immediately came to my mind, along with his face – The fastest way to get anything you want in life is to thank God genuinely when God does that same thing for somebody else as though it was for you. That was the day I realised that certain things are easier said than done. All I could feel was bitterness mixed with joy whenever I enlarged the picture and zoomed in on the ring. 

Beautiful stone. To lie about that is to perish in the lake of fire.

That, basically, was my motivation for doing this. I had gone to window shop at a jewellery store yesterday and had tested the ring on my finger. And although the guy at the shop made it clear that they didn’t allow people take pictures of their rings, all I had to do was smile that my sexy smile for him and he couldn’t refuse me the honour. I had kept this picture anxiously until this morning and put it up shortly before stepping into the bathroom, and now I had all these calls and messages and I was feeling this much excitement and enjoying every little bit of it and all was well with the whole world. 

Until my phone rang again and then my heart skipped when I saw the Caller ID – Le Boo.

“Jeez! How did I leave him out of all these?” I thought, as my pulse suddenly began to race. I knew what he was about to say, certainly. He must have seen my update too and his friends must have called him. Now this is the right time to scream, OMG!

I touched ‘Answer’.

“Babe, what’s this engagement ring and proposal ish?” he lashed out immediately.

I should have told him. I should have sought his consent.

“Babe, are you there?”

“It’s just a joke bee. It’s April Fool.”

“Of course I figured, because there is obviously only one me. But is this not a bit too much for April fool?”

I imagined his trademark shrug as he continued speaking without waiting for a response. He must really trust me so much to think I can’t get an engagement ring from anyone else but him.

“Is it not a bit over the top to make our priceless love into an object of ridicule all in the name of a flimsy April fool concept?”

Oh dear. Le Boo can like to interpret things and speak plenty English sha.

“Now everyone is calling me saying congratulations and all what not, and I have to pretend like I know what this is about?”

I couldn’t say anything.

“Babe, I’m talking to you nau?”

“Bee, I’m sorry. I just thought it would be fun. It’s been fun actually.”

“Fun? Are you for real? Babe? Fun?”

He was quiet for a while and then he said, “Okay,” and hung up.

I sighed. Okay. I would deal with him later. I know how to handle my Le Boo. Meanwhile, here was a challenge I had to deal with. It would soon be noon. How do I end this whole prank in a really nice way without hurting anyone? Anyone else, that is. Already, my sister had sent a message saying that one of my Aunties had called my mum to congratulate her and they were both wondering what was going on. Now, Sister Grace, my by-force prayer partner in church has also sent me messages - all sorts of prayers about how God is so faithful and how He never leaves those who hold on to Him and trust Him and how God had told her that today was the day I would get something I had long desired.

I paused after I read that one. Now, this has become pretty serious. Why would anyone even bring God into this matter? Why did everyone suddenly forgot that this was April Fool’s Day? Now I am about to make God a liar?

Oh precious dear.

........

‘Seun Salami is the author of The Son of your Father’s Concubine. He tweets via @SeunWrites

                                     

                                                 Thanks for stopping by....

                                                           
                                 

 ''I say then; Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of flesh.'' GALATIANS 5:16


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A TAD BIT OF ALL

I had written this post a thousand times in my mind, I was very skeptical about posting it on my blog because I hate to appear sensitive or emotional, then I thought, what if there is someone out there going through this same issue?

I have been thinking alot lately, It seems this 20 something age is having a toil on me, I'm at this stage where I have to be more of everything (Independent, responsible, career driven and purposeful).

Its a fun place to be but its also very overwhelming especially when you have no one to share the struggles and good times with. I hear you saying, but you are a twin and you have friends, yes I do, but have you ever been in a room full of people you know but you feel very lonely? I'm like that alot this days.
 

You have to wear your make-up nicely and dress nicely as well yet you are a mess inside because you are not sure if you made the right decisions, doing the right things or you are at the right place.
Let me take you back to when I was 20 and how I thought my life would have played out by now...Married to a God fearing man, Working for God or handling a ministry for him, have a business that is blooming and very happy and at peace with my life.

I'm not saying all this won't happen eventually, neither am I timing God, these states the importance of this post.

I have been doing some soul cleansing and talking to God alot these days and with that I came to a conclusion that for everything to go right, I need to first of all give God all.

I need to get to that place where I sincerely believe God is enough and I trust him totally. I'm not saying I don't have my doubting moments, I do but we need to learn to move from there.

God doesn't despise our baby steps, he wants to grow with us. That's what I have learnt. I'm reading alot of books about knowing God and the Holy Spirit.
 

Having placed the God factor in my life as my sole aim, I decided to divide the other spheres of my life into 5: Individuality, Independence, Relationships, Career, and Purpose.

Individuality- I do something's lately and I ask myself, Taiwo was that you? LOL! It seems to me like I'm growing to be a different person from who I used to be. I feel like I need to find myself (which I'm doing gradually). I like some of my new characters but I think some just stink(lol) though some of my friends like them because to them I'm better than I used to be (if you knew me, you would know I was unfriendly and I was pretty quiet) and this days I think I'm too nice and I talk too much.

I'm at that place where I feel I need to learn to keep my own company (not that I don't know how but I need to do a bit more like take myself out, spoil myself e.t.c), I need to learn to be happy and joyful on my own. I need to know who I am and learn to complete me before someone else can,  and all those personal stuffs. My values haven't changed much (I'm still pretty much old fashioned) but I can't seem to answer if I'm an introvert or an extrovert, I feel like I'm in between.

Independence: when I was younger, I had looked forward to this time of my life but its a different story now. I still live with my parents but that's all I have, accommodation and feeding. I make decisions for myself now without having to tell my mum or twin. Its a weird place to be and it is very overwhelming especially when it comes to my business decisions but it could be very interesting too.

I get scared of making the wrong decisions but I learnt that's where God comes in, I have to let him handle that and I just follow his lead. I need to learn to trust him totally.
 

Relationships: When I talk about relationships I don't mean the opposite sex alone. I want to grow and have meaningful relationships with both men and women meaning I will have to drop off some baggage's. As I grow older, I realize the importance of 'True Friendship' and I have come to know that a true friend isn't someone you see everyday but someone you know will always be there for you, this is the part where I thank God for giving me my one and only TRUE FRIEND (my twin Kehinde). A friend like this is rare but you will know when you have found one.
 

Some people think I'm too marriage oriented(if there is anything like that). I'm a sucker for love but I won't tell you I'm the best person to talk to about relationships(I'm quite knowledgeable in that area though, thanks to the uncountable books I have read and my church) but I have had my fair share of heart breaks like any girl my age and I must confess, it gets lonely sometimes being single and not having someone you can call yours(you know, the one you can call at midnight just to whine and he is ready to listen amongst other things) but I'm learning to let God handle this too, I can't say I want the best and I would meet/get him based on my own understanding.
I'm just learning to be a better person and grooming myself while I wait,as my (spiritual) big sister will say, my waiting period is a very essential part of my life, where I know my purpose and define my walk with God. Once married, I can't take this time back.

 
Career: This is a major part of my life right now. I quit my full time job for business not because I'm strong but honestly I just felt I had to make a decision and I must say, it has been an awesome experience and I have enjoyed the journey so far but I still worry if I made the right decision, maybe I should have worked some more, maybe I should have asked God if that's what he really wanted me to do, will I succeed in this? Maybe I should have gotten capital before starting out, When will I meet my God sent helper?....I have so many questions but the Holy Spirit has been dealing with me lately, all he is asking me to do is drop it at God's feet. It reminds me of Matthew 6:27 ''Which of  you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?'' No matter how much I worry, I can't make a difference. I'm getting to that place where I'm so tired of questioning and crying, but just asking him to take total control.
 

Purpose: I have been wondering and asking what I'm on earth for, what I'm meant to be doing, if I'm doing what God wanted me to do. Sometimes I think maybe I'm just meant to do things I enjoy and help others while at It but sometimes its not fulfilling so I'm guessing that's not my purpose.

Like one of my Pastors will say, 'You have to consciously and intentionally live a life of purpose', and for this to happen, I have to step back and check my relationship with God because he is the only one who can make my purpose known to me and help feel the void I feel .
 

I need to stop here, (sigh) that's me sharing the dark and grey areas of my life with you, do you have any?
                                     
  
                                                            Thanks for stopping by....
                                                           
                                 

 ''I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me'' PHILIPPIANS 4:13

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NOTE TO MAMA

Hello!

How have you been? I have been great, Thank God. Today is my mum's birthday and I can't help but to celebrate her in every way I can.

There are really no words to describe my jewel of inestimable value, I see how this has become a cliche but my mum is the STRONGEST woman I know. Writing about my mum is endless, I could spend a whole day and more writing about her.....

Me: Mummy please I need money.
Mummy: (shouts at me) Taiye I don't have.

Then I go to my room feeling bad and hours later, my mum comes with this funny face she usually  puts up when she knows am upset and says, so how much do you need? I just start to smile.

My mum is the only person that makes me give my gist twice, after narrating a story to her, she goes, ehen, so what now happened? I just break down....I only give her gist when am strong lol.

Mummy, you have shown me that being a mother is not all about carry a child in your womb for months, your love and devotion is out of this world. I look at you and I ask God what I have done to deserve a mother like you.

I think of you and I pray to God to give me more strength and grace than he has given you to take care of my children.

Thank you mummy for carrying Kehinde and I for ten months, for working three jobs just to make sure we got all we wanted, for your endless love and attention, for teaching us to save because that has become a part of us, for teaching us to be strong and humble.

Thank you mummy for believing in me even when I did not believe in myself. I know I was tough to raise but you never gave up on me. Thank you for believing in Teeshogs Clothier.

Thank you for teaching me what it means to  be a woman and for grounding me in the word of God, there is really no greater feeling knowing that come what may, I have a soldier in you. The sacrifices you make each day even when it obviously hurts you are incomparable. I pray each day that God gives me the grace to give back all you have given me and more.

I could go on and on but I think its best i stop here, with everything in me, I say MAMA I LOVE YOU.....and when she smiles...priceless

My 31 woman, My No1  FAN, My best friend, My lover, My backbone, My friend, I wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I LOVE YOU MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF. I celebrate and appreciate you mummy.

 Thank you for stopping by.
                                                    

GRAPHIC DRESS MEETS ORANGE SHOES .

Hi, how is your week going? mine is going fine, i have a very busy day ahead so am just going to show you pictures of an outfit i wore a while back. *picture overload*

Enjoy....

MY HAND GOT STUCKED TO MY HAIR LOL

Hope you liked my outfit, would have loved to talk about it in detail but time will not permit me. I did not make this dress,my elder sister gave it to me a while back.

Thanks for stopping by.

Please follow me on facebook: fashion and lovers and twitter:@taiwoolushoga
                                                          
                                                         Outfit By:
                                                   Dress- Next
                                                   Blazer- Teeshogs Clothier
                                                   Shoes-Kiss and Tell

                                                  

THE COLOR WHEEL: HOW TO COMBINE COLORS IN YOUR WARDROBE.

Ever wondered how some fashionistas put together colors that are eye-catching and fabulous colorful outfits? Well i do sometimes and am sure some of you do too. I am not a lady of many colors, though i wear them sometimes, but i like to see it on people and i thought i should share the little i know about colors with you guys.

I did some research on the background of colors so i will start from the primary colors, this will help you understand colors better.

 The three basic, primary colors are yellow, red, and blue. In theory, you can mix absolutely any color from this initial set.

If you mix all three primary colors in equal parts, you're supposed to get the color black. However, in reality you hardly ever do get black.

When you mix any two primary colors, you get the secondary colors:

♦   yellow and blue produce green,
♦   blue and red produce purple,
♦   red and yellow produce orange.

This leaves each primary color with a complementary color (mixed from the other two primaries). The complementary pairs are:

♦   red/green,
♦   yellow/purple, and
♦   blue/orange.

Each pair complete each other to produce a neutral color.

In other words:
a) you mix two primary colors into a secondary (orange, purple, or green),
b) then you add the third primary color (which wasn't in the first mix) ...
and your three primaries reunite before your eyes. 

On the third level, we now mix primary with secondary colors, all the way round the color wheel chart (this is where the fun really starts!)

These mixtures are called 'tertiary' colors.

Here's what you get:

♦   blue (primary) + green (secondary)
= turquoise
♦   blue (primary) + purple (secondary)
= blue-violet
♦   red (primary) + purple (secondary) = red-violet or crimson
♦   red (primary) + orange (secondary) = red-orange
♦   yellow (primary) + orange (secondary) = yellow-orange
♦   yellow (primary) + green (secondary) = lime green




I believe the breaking down of colors helped, Now lets make use of the color wheel. The color wheel is an excellent wardrobe tool! In fact its my help when i am confused sometimes and figuring it out isn’t too complicated. Here’s a quick breakdown:

You can make the following combos using the color wheel as your guide:
1. Colors directly next to each other (i.e. yellow and yellow-orange; yellow and yellow-green; violet and blue-violet, etc.)
2. Colors that form right (90 degree) angles with each other (i.e. yellow and red-orange; blue and violet-red; green and orange, etc.)
3. Colors directly across from each other (i.e. yellow and violet; blue and orange; red and green, etc.)
4. Colors that form a T (i.e. blue, orange, and violet-red; yellow, violet, and red-orange; yellow, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)
5. Colors that form an X (i.e. blue, orange, violet-red, and yellow, violet, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)

Since brown is a neutral color, it will go with virtually any color on the color wheel. You can pair a chocolate brown with cobalt blue or fuchsia or bright red—such a fun and bold combo right?. Of course white, black, and the hues of blue found in denim are also neutrals that go with just about anything.
You can also use the color wheel when coming up with color combinations for your makeup. It can help you decide which makeup color to wear so that you don’t match your eyeshadow with your outfit.
Also, you can pair colors that are in the same family together but in different shades or you just stick to your primary colors, below i paired  different shades of blue and two of the primary colors (its not safe to use more than two bright colors in an outfit).

*whew* I hope i made some sense and this helps someone. If you have any questions, kindly drop a comment below or send me a mail.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

 Cheers.