2024 in a bit

I'm back!

Am I? *Thinks in unplanned hiatus*

2022 came, I said same thing

2023, same

2024, well, at least I've put pen on paper (finger to screen) and published this, so yes I'm back. I really am.

I realise I broke things off abruptly *cue in the break up cliché* it wasn't you, it was me, really and truly. Life changed and I wondered about how best to bring it on here, to put it on the blog, and if I wanted that at all. You know, all of my business out here, and then with all that indecision hanging around in my head, it just turned into a hiatus, a totally unplanned one😊

But it turns out it was necessary. So you see, it worked out good and now I'm back *cue in another popular cliche* better and stronger 😂 

I realise we're not yet in 2024 but what's another 2 days to you? Welcome to 2024 & I wish you a Merry Christmas. By the way, "adniL's corner" is in transition. I have no clue what/where we're transiting to, but I beg of you to not leave us, hang in tight and let's see what this pupa metamorphoses into. 

Cheers...

Wait, wait, wait please. Did you notice the photos I used? *preens in AI generated images pride* 

Yes, I created those and for some reason, I feel so fulfilled. Maybe it's because I've been wanting to jump on that bandwagon for sometime now, or maybe *dramatic gasp in sudden insight* having images for the blog wouldn't be so challenging now😁 *dances in eureka* I may also seem to have found a new love for all these inserts (asterisked comments?)😅

Abeg, bye guys, before I carry una go where we no know.

Toodles 😊

CHRISTmas 2019 🎄

...

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas!

And yours truly resurfaces🤓. 

Compliments of the season everyone. It's been two days as the Northerners put it. So, Christ came, Christ died and Christ arose: the tenets of our faith, this. We've celebrated and still celebrate his coming while awaiting His second coming which may just be around the corner. Hence, we ought do well to put aside those weights that'd act as hinderances to reuniting with Him. 

This. Is. My. Christmas. Message. 

Ciao 😘... 
P. S: there was eating and drinking too, don't be deceived 😬

Diary of a new Lagos Wife💍: The year of Firsts

Dear diary,

A merry Christmas to you. How was it? Mine was spectacular.

Yeah, spectacularly spectacular. Experienced Christmas in Lagos for the first time and it was...hmm, dunno yet. 

This year's Christmas also happens to be my first Christmas as a “Mrs” (there seems to be a lot of firsts happening to and around me lately) and it was ok. Not exactly as tentatively planned, but ok. There will always be other Christmas'es' I told myself. 

So, attended the Christmas service with the family and spent some part of the day with the extended family cooking up a storm in the kitchen 😋 with the CCO (Chief Commanding Officer), my mother in-law supervising 😁 Afterwards, had a really quiet day no thanks to the powers that be, PHCN.  To cut short a rather boring long story, allow me to tell the story with pictures. 

 Trying to reason how to go about making our first Christmas really memorable and beginning to feel stressed. Even before I'd started anything🤦🏻.

 Yay, me finally catching the holiday spirit bug as soon as I started the decorations. Ably assisted by my bruva*

                                    Victory at last😄

And then cooking began in ernest. Here, I was the assistant chef😁

Christmas morning😍

And that was it. The highlight of the whole affair IMO was hosting guests, haha. My hostessing skills are quite rusty, believe me. 

Another surprise, the roads and streets of Lagos were empty and traffic was relatively light. I'd been told it would be that way. But Lagos? That's chock-full of human beings? Like sardines in a tin box? Impossicant I thought. But, seeing was indeed believing as it's said. Apparently, all the wise men from the East who'd migrated West to hustle, had returned home for the holidays, hehehe. Please do not quote me anywhere. 

There were still pockets of traffic here and there but not your typical Mexican stand off (according to hubby). Not that I strayed too far from my locale, nope. Waiting to see how the new year celebrations would look like. I've heard, touts take over during the cross over nights that are usually held in churches. Well, *Fingers Crossed*

😁😋🤐

And yes, Boxing Day did indeed look like this. There's more than enough to go round, please help yourself😀. Merry Christmas once again. 
Cheers...

*Bruva - Brother

Frank Friday:Putting CHRIST in Christmas

A merry Christmas to you and yours. My prayer for you's that you see and know and experience the visible manifestation of the reason for the season, Jesus. 

I hope we all had a good one. Statistics show that this is also the season many get depressed due to one thing or the other. Could be pressure, distance from family, friends and loved ones, lack of money or one thing or the other. But let's try to not put ourselves under any sort of unnecessary pressure. Which brings to mind a joke someone shared recently about another someone being asked about the Christmas celebration and s/he was like, “is it my baiday?” Lol, sounds like something I can say. True, it's not your birthday so don't feel like you've got to throw a party to prove a point or something like that. No. Christmas' all about Jesus' arrival and its significance. If we must ponder on anything, it should be that.  Remember, you've got nothing to prove. I'm also talking to myself by the way cos in the beginning, I was gonna put some pressure on myself, based on first Christmas as a married woman you know😋. I'd wanted making it a memorable one. But hey, 🤷🏻

There will always be other Christmas'es'. I believe. So here are some pictorials that attempt to describe how this year's Christmas commemoration looked like: 

Me reasoning how to go about making our first Christmas really memorable and beginning to feel stressed. Even before I'd started anything🤦🏻. JJC*

Yay, me finally catching the holiday spirit bug as soon as I started the decorations. Ably assisted by my bruva*

Victory at last😄

And then cooking began in ernest. Here, I was the assistant chef😁

Christmas morning😍

This was to be a short post as is my fashion but it just occurred to me that I veered off course a lil bit, so...

Here are a few pointers to putting CHRIST back in Christmas. Some persons might argue that Christmas observance ain't even scriptural and was an adopted pagan tradition and on and on, but that's not the point. The point is, we're already “marking” it right? So, why not do it the proper way as opposed to the usual round of cooking, binge eating, and entertainment that seems to be prevalent. For record purposes, “proper” is highly subjective, this is my “proper”, thank you. 

• Read your Bible. To put it in context, preferably the Christmas story. For us, (I & hubby i.e) we read the book of John chapter one. 
• Go to church. Yeah, most churches hold Christmas services that day. Don't pass it over in favor of finishing your cooking or something. 
• Meditate on the scripture passage read. That way, you're constantly reminded of the reason you're celebrating. That would also curb some untoward behavior (if you know what I'm talking about, drop a comment😉).

As per usual, there'll always be the human factor(s), petty annoyances, grievances et al that'd threaten to make you loose the Christmas spirit but then, *shrugs* that's life for you. Deal with it! Will gist you details of my Christmas proper in “Diary of a new Lagos Wife”. Keep it locked down.

So, those were a few pointers. There are lots of ways to having a CHRISTcentric Christmas, but I'm short of time. Yes, time😏 Bye...

Peace.
*JJC - Newbie
*Bruva - Brother