It's been quite some time since we last spoke. I believe it was in April & here we are in September. It's been a really random 3 months. I am still in the Finish First program. Complying with all rules & working towards my security deposit. I like to say I'm moving right along. In May my partner came back from New Jersey & boy did I need to see him! The first week or so went smoothly. Then there were bumps in the road & somehow we ended up falling in a ditch. During this time my God son came to visit from Philadelphia. He fell in love with Venice Beach & stayed 3weeks upon finding himself a job on the beach. He came to understand that if your moving to another state it's best to have a plan. He went back to Philadelphia with the ambition to return.      This is stressful to write but I owe ya'll a new part of the LA story. I am completely stressed out but it's good stress these days. Let's talk about it! Being in the Finish First P...

  Life is like a game of chess. You get your pieces, you set them up on the board. You have your important pieces, pieces you can sacrifice and pieces that help you navigate the game. But who are you playing against? There is a force playing against you that you must defeat. Each person plays against their own energy force that was placed around them from they day they entered the planet. In life, it's important to remember that every move you make counts. The Universe just takes pieces off the board unexpectedly don't get scared. You just have to strategize, plan ahead & be ready to adapt to any situation that comes your way. But here's the thing: in life, YOU can change the rules and add to the game. You have the power to create your own destiny & shape your own future. Know this, once the Universe takes the important pieces off the chess board they're gone & this could make it harder to win the game. You must create new strategies & make moves that no...

  Remember book reports when we were in school? For some they were a dreaded terrible thing, for others they were fun ways to recall your favorite book and an easy format to tell someone what the book was about. I've decided to post some reports of books I've read recently; let's jump right in. This book I borrowed from the Inglewood library. Looking for a book in the library is like looking for a movie on a streaming service. Reading the titles & the synopsis trying to see what interest you. So as always the title drew me right in, not to mention I'm having my own feelings towards the male species right now. This book was not male bashing & some men had some interesting answers to the question as well. E. Jean Carroll is over 80yrs young now & this book was written when she was 75; I love it & you gave me so much inspiration for my very young future THANK YOU!  Author:  E. Jean Carroll  Title:   What Do we need men for? A modest propos...

  Remember book reports when we were in school? For some they were a dreaded terrible thing, for others they were fun ways to recall your favorite book and an easy format to tell someone what the book was about. I've decided to post some reports of my favorite books; let's jump right in.     I picked up this book at the library in Venice CA. it was for sale, I was drawn to the cover and I also liked the title. I had no idea that the story was about to blow me away! Author: Hannah Tennant-Moore Title: Wreck & Order ( a novel) Main Characters: Elise, her father, Jared, Suriya, Brian Setting: This book took place many places. Elise was traveling throughout the story. She went from New York to California, to Sri Lanka, to Paris. Probably not in that order & I may be forgetting to mention a place or two. Plot: This was about Elise, her travels, her view of the world & how that lead her to many moments of self analyzation.   Personal Endorsement: ...

 Remember book reports when we were in school? For some they were a dreaded terrible thing, for others they were fun ways to recall your favorite book and an easy format to tell someone what the book was about. I've decided to post some reports of my favorite books; let's jump right in.     I picked up this book in one of those lil cute outside free libraries in Brentwood, CA. I was drawn to the title. I had no idea that the story was going to be so relatable & such an inspiration! Author: Julia Michael Johnston Title: Mary Baker Eddy: Her Mission & Triumph Main Characters: This story was mostly narration by the author, it brought Mary Baker to light. ( I was trying to make that sound good🤦🏾‍♀️ truth is; it's been a minute since I read this book I do not remember the characters 😯 Setting: The years 1821 to 1919 mostly in New England   Plot: This story was about a woman who put her mission from God above all else in her life & how she went up ...

  Remember book reports when we were in school? For some they were a dreaded terrible thing, for others they were fun ways to recall your favorite book and an easy format to tell someone what the book was about. I've decided to post some reports of my favorite books; let's jump right in.   I found this book on Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia, inside one of those cute little outside free library take a book share a book boxes. I felt like it was put there especially for me. I mean being as tho I identify as a brown woman and all. I already loved the author so I knew I would love her book! Author:   Iyanla Vanzant Title:    Tapping the Power Within ( A path to Self-empowerment for Black Women) Main Character:     YOU, the person reading the book! Setting:     Where ever you decide to read the book. You should be somewhere quiet, a place you can really concentrate and reflect. Plot:    Iyanla wrote this book to help empower black women...

  Remember book reports when we were in school? For some they were a dreaded terrible thing, for others they were fun ways to recall your favorite book and an easy format to tell someone what the book was about. I've decided to post some reports of my favorite books; let's jump right in . This was another book that I picked out of the little neighborhood outside library. It's a book for young people I guess, but I absolutely loved the story & related a lot to dealing with unexpected circumstances, the trauma associated with starting over & coming into the realization that we can.   Author:   Holly Goldberg Sloan Title:    Counting by 7s Main Characters:     Willow Chance, Dell Duke, Mai, Quang-ha, Pattie & the Taxi driver Setting:       Bakersfield, California   Plot:    This  book touches mainly on loss & change from the perspective of a 12 year old girl and how she managed to show courage in the...

  Remember book reports when we were in school? For some they were a dreaded terrible thing, for others they were fun ways to recall your favorite book and an easy format to tell someone what the book was about. I've decided to post some reports of my favorite books; let's jump right in .     As we know I do enjoy the neighborhood share libraries. They look like little tree houses for books😋 Most of the time when I see them I get out of the car & see what they have. This time I found the second part to Mary Baker Eddy's life story. I like her story because as I said before in the first post about her, I can relate to some things in her life & I share some of her views as well. Author:  Jewel Spangler Smaus Title:   Mary Baker Eddy: The Golden Days Main Characters:     The author, Mary Baker & her Family Setting:   The years focused on the 1800's & majority of the story takes place in Bow, New Hampshire.  Plot:  ...

    Remember book reports when we were in school? For some they were a dreaded terrible thing, for others they were fun ways to recall your favorite book and an easy format to tell someone what the book was about. I've decided to post some reports of the books I've read; let's jump right in . As we know I do enjoy the neighborhood share libraries. They look like little tree houses for books😋 Most of the time when I see them I get out of the car & see what they have. I was drawn to the title & the Illustration on the cover. I said to myself 💭 I wonder what this is about? I grabbed it & read it; it started off as I expected some one writing about being an asshole. Then it took an unexpected turn & I ended up relating quite a bit as well as having moments of disagreement. I even came up with some new topics to write on myself due to some of the things that were said in this book. It had it's slow moments but I enjoyed it all the same.  Author:   J...

      Remember book reports when we were in school? For some they were a dreaded terrible thing, for others they were fun ways to recall your favorite book and an easy format to tell someone what the book was about. I've decided to post some reports of the books I've read; let's jump right in . My son recommended that I read this book. Usually his recommendations come with great results. It took me a while to actually sit down and read this one, it's written in comic book form. That's not why it took me a while, lol I was just preoccupied with other parts of life. You know how it gets when you try to sit and read sometimes. I finally got to it and loved it; I wanted to keep it but I've decided this work of art should be passed on it is a really good story.   Author:  Bryan Lee O'Malley Title:   Lost at Sea Main Characters:    Steph, Raleigh, Dave & Ian  Setting:  Majority of the story takes place in a car with Raleigh and her fr...

  Who Me #4 I am... A quiet & chill soul with a random burst of crazy funny energy. I want... TACOS  I have... Insomnia  I wish... To be a hero in the Marvel universe. I hate... People  I fear... Clowns I hear... My favorite song: Isn't a Trail I search... Of Marvel auditions  I wonder... Will I ever be a singer  I regret... Nothing  I love... Food I ache... For Food I am not... a very outside person  I dance... To music I sing... Sweet low or high tones I never... Go out of my range I rarely... Cry I cry... Never I am not always... Emotionally there I lose... My mind instead  I'm confused... About my back story & who I am I need... A hug I should... Eat food I dream...  of not being here anymore & fighting crime like a boss. -Photo drawn by K.C. This one was answered by my daughter that I met for the first time when she was 16 in 2023. I have written and published 3 books, check them out here:  https://www.lulu...

                              Wellness over Illness                              Eat Well 2 Live Well  Y'all know I'm a foodie & that i enjoy taste that tingle my tongue! it makes me so happy that I get to embark in the pleasures of life & that so many different taste are introduced into my 🌎!  So let's jump right in & see what I have for y'all this time. This is another piece of Avocado Toast. Breakfast get's crazy for us sometimes. I don't even realize at the time I'm going to be blogging about it. From now on I'm going to remember to drop restaurant locations so you guys continue to know the best places to eat in LA!  These lemon glazed pancakes go with the picture above. They also had fresh strawberries, blueberries & edible flowers. I was scared to order them, hubby wasn't. I was nervous to taste pancak...

  Food Fun Part 4 By now y'all know I'm a foodie & I love food lol it makes me so happy that people are creative & introduce so many different tastes into my 🌎!  So let's jump right in & see what I have for y'all this time. This is a creation I came up with at work 😃 I decided to toast a potato roll & add 🧈, 🥑, & Pink Lady Beets! Made for a delicious🥪 This is the Pink Lady Beets & Goat Cheese Salad on the menu at Mendocino farms restaurant in LA. My absolute favorite! Ok ok this is the Peruvian steak, veggie dish without the steak, also served at Mendocino Farms. The jalapeños were too hot for me.  We move on to one of the best cinnamon buns I ever encountered at Rose Cafe in Venice California! This had cinnamon sprinkled on top! We will end with the BEST Carrot Cake I ever tasted in my life Rose Cafe in Venice You guys are the bomb! My Husband is addicted lol.  -Photos by Jodie Spartz I wrote and published 3 books, check them out here:...

  Wellness over Illness Eat Healthy, Eat Happy 😋      Everyone's body is different and everything that is called "food" does not agree with everyone the same. As you eat mindfully you come to an understanding of what foods sit well with you and which don't. I consider myself a food enthusiast and I have been introducing myself to new healthy alternatives, for the past 2 yrs. The process of preparing meals & eating them has become more fun and a surprise for my taste buds every time.    Since your here I'd like to share some of my favorite dishes with you!   Now this is a sandwich made at Ralphs Supermarket in Cali. It had honey turkey, smoked gouda cheese, spinach, onions, sweet peppers, sun dried tomato, chipotle dressing & avocado! Yummy in my tummy💜                                                ...

 Wellness over Illness Eat Well 2 Live Well And were back with Food fun Part 4 Let's journey into what Jodie's eating now...  I threw it down on this one! This is Lentil beans, rice, fried brussel sprouts & fried sweet potatoes😁  These Cupcakes were being given out on Venice Beach to Promote Hulu's new show This Fool! The Cupcake was delicious & the show isn't bad either😊  Ok so I kinda burnt the Black bean burgers😅 They were still very good, paired with avocado & sun dried tomatos. The sweet potato fries set it off tho.  Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the coffee shop this bagel came from👀 It was great and I've been dreaming about another one since I ate it about a week ago! It is a plain bagel with cream cheese, avocado, tomato and some kind of Lemon Pepper. I took a bite & sd lord I have to blog about this.   This restaurant is located a bit off of Venice Beach. It's called Modern Mexican. I walked in and was introduce...

Wellness over Illness  Eat Healthy Be Happy   Let's take some time to look at some new food fun ideas mostly made up in my own kitchen, borrowed from a friend or casually taken from a restaurant. If you are not having fun with your food I don't know How U Eating... but I'm eating good!   This was a  French Vanilla Cappuccino from Kiff Kafe Coffee Shop on Pico Blvd in California. The food is absolutely amazing as well.  I will make sure to highlight it in the next  food blog.  Fried Avocados, Omg they were sooo goooooood! And the sauce, baby the sauce👅 I discovered these at Bru's Wiffle restaurant in Marina Del Rey California. Yes this became my favorite place to eat, as it is close to my job. Gotta love it💗  This is a Ginger, Mint, Lemon Tea! The best way to start a day. From the same restaurant I mentioned above.   My own creation Brussel Sprouts, rice & split peas. (secret) It's all in the seasoning👍 Last but not least, Cheddar ...