Archive | Every Day April RSS feed for this section

Happy Birthday, Bob!

6 Feb

“He made his reggae music to uplift us, inform, entertain, inspire, and make change in the world. He’s a musician, a poet and songwriter, a philosopher, a soldier, an activist and a leader.”
– Cedella Marley {Bob Marley’s Mom}

images

Wednesday, February 6th has arrived and it is  Bob Marley’s Birthday {I know a lot of people who would turn away from such a name, but little education means ignorance}. He would have been 68 today! Reggae fans everywhere are celebrating his short life and the impact he created. I know I am!

Bob Marley has made a huge change in the world, even more so after his passing in 1981 from a malignant melanoma. His compilation album Legend (1984), released three years after his death, is reggae’s best-selling album, going ten times Platinum which is also known as one Diamond in the U.S., and selling 25 million copies worldwide. He is proof that your life may end, but your name can still rise above and make a difference. His music and name has become well known world wide and such accomplishments were even breaking history after his death, such as these awards and honors:

  • March 1994: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  • 1999: Album of the Century for Exodus by Time Magazine.
  • February 2001: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  • February 2001: Awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
  • 2004: Rolling Stone ranked him No.11 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
  • “One Love” named song of the millennium by BBC.
  • Voted as one of the greatest lyricists of all time by a BBC poll.
  • 2006: A blue plaque was unveiled at his first UK residence in Ridgmount Gardens, London, dedicated to him by Nubian Jak community trust and supported by Her Majesty’s Foreign Office.
  • 2010: Catch a Fire inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Reggae Album).

Little need be said about the artist and his legend he left behind. He spread the word about unity and loving the life you live, and living the life you love. He has engulfed the minds of the young and old, including me, to think outside of ourselves and have “One love, one heart, one destiny.”

Many powerful and influential men have walked this earth. He is among my favorites. Happy Birthday Bob!

“Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I’m not perfect
–and I don’t live to be-
but before you start pointing fingers…
make sure you hands are clean!” 
― Bob Marley

Tags: , , , , , ,

Valentines Day Cocktails!

5 Feb

It’s that moment when you sit up from the toilet, wipe your mouth from the remains, pop a few aspirin in hopes it will slay the monsters in your head and think to yourself  “I am never drinking again”….

I have been there {and I’m guessing you might have too}, but yet I always come back for more. It’s like going through the pain of natural child-birth and daring to have sex again. It’s just the pull of the universe. Or, it’s just me. I dare take that chance and not think about the outcome one too many times. But, here I am… day 5 with not having as much as a swig! not even to wash down that horrible sheep I just ate.

It was my plan to not drink during the month of February that had a lot of people raising their eyebrows at me. “Are you pregnant?’; “She must be an alcoholic.”  Sorry to disappoint you, but “no”, to all of those ridiculous questions! To be honest with you, I knew I needed to stop drinking for a bit. Not for any other reason than the fact that I “can quite whenever I want” {plus, February is the shortest month}. If you know me, or have read along on my blog you will know that I have a special place in my heart for beer. It’s just one of those things. I love the craft that is beer, the history and process. So, this month is me proclaiming that I can rise above my love of beer, and in hopes that my 100 crunches a day will decrease my beer gut {yes, don’t fool yourself. It in fact is a beer gut}.

I did, however, have one small exemption for my “no drinking for the month”; Valentines Day. I told my husband that Valentines Day doesn’t count. It just wouldn’t be fair to have to deal with all the mushy love crap being  sober. If I wasn’t able to have a drink or two, who would eat the box of chocolate? And I know for a fact that the “I love you card” wouldn’t be as entertaining. Tell me that!! So I’ve decided to help myself for my one day of drinking this month and plan ahead of what I shall indulge in. I have a few options that I found and I have posted them here for you, because well lets face it, there are other things on your mind then whipping up a nice cocktail for Valentines Day! You can try them ahead of time to make sure they will be perfect for your V-Day {not to be confused with V-Day dedicated to vagina’s, that’s a whole ‘nother drink}. I will not be able to test mine a head of time, unless the baby can stay awake for longer than one sip this time… {hehe}

Martini’s are sexy, there’s no doubt about that, but Cosmopolitan’s are even better! Get your romance started by cheers-ing to one of these!

Cosmopolitan Raspberry Twist

pic2d5VMK

Ingredients:

4 fluid ounces Smirnoff raspberry vodka, chilled in freezer {chill your liquor, please, I beg you}
1 fluid ounce triple sec
1 fresh lime juice
3 fluid ounces cranberry juice
2 frozen raspberries
2 slices fresh limes

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a shaker add as much ice as you can and give a good shake.
2. Pour straight up in a chilled martini glass.
3.Garnish with lime slices and frozen raspberries which helps keep it chilled.

or find this recipe here

 

Scarlet O’Hara Cocktail

images (1)

Ingredients:

2 oz Southern Comfort
Dash of lime juice
Cranberry Juice {to taste}
Lime wedge for garnish

Directions:

1. Pour the Southern Comfort and lime juice into a glass filled with ice.
2. Fill remaining with cranberry juice.
3. Garnish with wedge of lime

Or find out more about this drink here

 

Sorbet and Champagne Cocktail

mld105045_1209_champagne_l

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sorbet {we like raspberry or passion fruit}
Chilled Champagne or Prosecco
Fresh Raspberries or other fruit

Directions:

1. Scoop sorbet into a champagne flute. Fill with chilled Champagne or Prosecco; stir
2. Stir in fresh Raspberries or other fruit to taste to garnish {optional}

Add some HEAT!
This is sure to get rid of that cold shoulder…

Grand Rum Toddy

Horni Toddy - Hornitos Tequila Cocktails

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz rum
3/4 oz Gran Gala or Grand Marnier orange liqueur
1/4 oz lime juice
Hot water to fill
Lime wedge for garnish

Directions:

1. In an Irish coffee glass {or coffee mug}pour the liquors and lime juice
2. Top with hot water
3. Stir
4. Garnish with a lime wedge

And let the heat begin!

find out more about this drink here

Hope you can enjoy one of these drinks this Valentines Day! I know I will, enjoy. one. or. two. of. these….

Cheers!

Tags: , , , , , ,

I’ve changed for a minute

30 Jan

Hey fancy fellow followers! {say that 20 times fast}

I am just changing up my site for a bit. To be frankly honest with you, I was tired of spending big money for a stupid host that charged me and arm and a leg just for a simple blog. Yeah, you could say i’m “sticking it to the man”. But come to find out, you don’t need some big time web host to have a writers edge… no, in fact you can just keep doing exactly what you have been doing all a long. Let’s get smart people! So here I am, after my contract was up with my host. To renew or not renew… that was the question. I think you know my answer. I will in fact be going back to my everydayinapril.com website, but for now, I will just have to make due with this one.

If you are reading this, THANK YOU for following me and laughing along side of me {or at me, that works too}.

Until we meet again!

 

Love and Aloha,

April Reid

Every Day In April

Newer Entries →