ChocolateOrchid

PAUSE: A BLOGGING HIATUS

2012-01-13T01:26:00.001-05:00

Hola Beautiful Ones!

I hope that everyone's New Year is going as expected. And I know that you all are expecting the best. =) I'm sure that you've noticed how ~~sporadic~~ non-existent my posting has been lately. Outside of the "Good News Monday Quotes", they've become pretty rare. As usual, the New Year brings an upswing in my parental duties. But also, I have many things before me in my personal life that I feel need the extra attention which translates to more of my energies.

I'm not yet ready to say that I'll be closing the blog. Honestly, I've become so attached to interacting with many of you that I can't imagine that. I think, for now, a good strong hiatus may do. Yet in that same breath, I must admit that I do have my moments when I just want to walk away from it. And no, it's not a blogging burn-out thing. I've been contemplating this off-and-on for a while now. Even more, lately. And it's not just blogging, this includes facebook and twitter. It could just be a phase or simply a need for me to take a break from it all. I'm thinking an electronic or social networking detox. I dunno. I still may continue to drop the G.N.M. quotes. It's hard for me not to share those.

Let me also say that this will be easier said than done. But I feel it to be so necessary. Again, I enjoy interacting with everyone but I must take this time. I'm not sure when (or if) I'll pick it back up. But I do believe that with this pause, I will get some clarity as to what I will do in the long run.

Peace, Love & {{Hugs}},

TUESDAYS R 4 TRESSES: Color & Style Aspirations and Inspirations

2012-01-10T00:28:00.000-05:00

Hi Beautiful Ones!

I figure I'd put in a "Tuesdays Are For Tresses" post since I've been seriously lacking on posting. (Talk about that later.) So I'm trying to get this post done, while watching "South Park". Yes, I've fallen to that darkside. Lol.

Anyhoo, I can't wait to sport my hair color in these styles. And yes, I'm referring to the "after I do my 2nd big chop" in late spring/early summer. Found these photos that keep me inspired.

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What a vibrant color! Love it!

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Love the shape of this cut. I do plan on having more fun with my hair next time.

Wishing you all the best!

href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/41/B9FE3618B2B8567CE2FACF34609AB4E9.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/>

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2012-01-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

"Your mind will try to limit you. Use courage, confidence and conviction of purpose to master your mind." ~ Debra Oakland

Love & light!

2012-01-02T01:39:00.000-05:00

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"You were born with potential.

You were born with goodness and trust.

You were born with ideals and dreams.

You were born with greatness.

You were born with wings.

You are not meant for crawling, so don't.

You have wings.

Learn to use them and fly."

~ Rumi

Have a wonderful week!

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVELIES!!!

2012-01-01T00:07:00.000-05:00

Muah!!

LEARNING RECAP OF 2011 & 2012 GOALS

2011-12-28T00:39:00.000-05:00

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Hi Beautifuls!

I hope that everyone has been enjoying the season. Of course, this time of year comes with quite a few of us reflecting on 2011 and what we look forward to in 2012. Myself included, I've compiled a list of things I've realized over this year and the things that I am looking forward to doing in 2012.

Like to hear it. Here it goes:

That fasting is necessary for me to keep my focus. - Not only are they a time of physical detox but they are crucial to my focus. And seeing as my focus was off this year (least by my standards), I am bringing them (fasts) back in 2012. Aside from keeping me on the path of eating my best, they also allowed me time to think, meditate and get centered with my life.

It's okay (and necessary) for me to take some downtime. Seems like I have been sick half of 2011; this is a first for me. It is definitely a reflection on my diet and on the before mentioned point. It also goes back to me needing to meditate and allowing my body to rest. Sadly, I can count the number of times I practiced yoga in 2011 on one hand. Often, I feel like I'm losing (or wasting) time by chilling. I am sure this is fueled by my tendency to be a bit impatient. In reality, these times are needed for my body, mind & spirit to rest and rejuvenate.

For running to remain a staple in my regimen so that I can successfully run the Peachtree Road Race, non-stop. And to run & complete a half-marathon.

To continue to expand my awareness of other ethnicities, religion, cultures & races through cuisine (lol) and relationship. I am so tired of the division that people put between eachother. The bottom line is people are people. Screw all the stereotypical assumptions. We really can learn a lot from eachother, gain a new bff or love of your life. Just sayin'.

Take those 1st steps to getting back into school and just do it. Been dragging my feet way too long on this one.

To make giving more a part of who I am. I dream of doing that Oprah-type giving.

To surround myself with more positive, open-minded people who believe in continued growth and learning.

Okay Luvs. It's your turn.
What are some lessons you've learned from 2011? What are looking forward to in 2012?

Btw, I'll be back to blogging next year. See in 2012!
{{Hugs}}

DEEP CONDITIONER LOVE: BEE MINE BEE-U-Ti-FUL DEEP CONDISH

2011-12-27T01:01:00.001-05:00

BEE-U-Ti-FUL Deep Conditioner

Hi Lovelies!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and holiday season! Mine is good despite my sinus issues that continue to plague me. I'm convinced it's nothing that a good detox and/or juice fast can't fix.

Anyhoo, I wanted to tell you about my experience with one of the deep conditioner's I purchased during my black Friday shopping experience.

Bee Mine's Bee-u-ti-ful Deep Conditioner. OMG!! I am so impressed with this stuff. And trust me, it ain't the wine talking. Lol. I truly love it!

Here's the description per the BeeMine.com site:

"We are pleased to announce the release of our BEE•U•Ti•FUL Moisturizing Deep Conditioner; our first protein-free deep conditioner that helps to detangle your hair and provide excellent manageability. This deep conditioner is made with creamy and emollient Cupuacu butter, to promote smooth and soft hair while boosting the rebirth of the hair's natural moisture and elasticity. Highly beneficial for dry and damaged hair. BEE•U•Ti•FUL also provides some protection from damaging UV-A and UV-B rays and helps to restore shine and moisture to stressed hair.

Directions: After shampooing, gently & evenly massage a generous amount of BEE•U•Ti•FUL into palms and spread evenly from root to ends of hair. Cover hair with a warm towel or plastic cap for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with water and style as desired.

Ingredients: Distilled water, Cetearyl Alcohol, BTMS (mild emulsifier), 100% Unrefined Shea Butter , 100% Organic Coconut Oil, Cupuacu Butter, Calendula Extract, Chamomile Extract, Organic Raw Honey, Paraben Free Preservative, Fragrance (Phthalate Free)."

Gotta luv it!! This is why I was drawn to pick up a product sample of this stuff. The ingredients are awesome!

Anyhoo, I gave this product a whirl and was not disappointed. It is soooooo creamy. And made my hair feel so good. I'm definitely keeping it on my lists of go-to products. The full 16oz size costs close to $30, the 8oz is close to $20 and its certainly worth it. But if you tend to be a skeptic, like me, try the sample size. It's a 2oz, which is plenty cause a little goes a long way. Another plus.

Okay. I'm off to drinking a boatload of water to flush this wine outta my system. It's onto realistic everyday eating/drinking now.

Ttyl,

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-12-26T13:36:00.000-05:00

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"Everything is possible. If you want something, give something."

~ Deepak Chopra

Wishing you all the best!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

2011-12-24T16:20:00.000-05:00

Wishing you a safe and Happy Holidays!!

MY NEW COLOR FAIL

2011-12-20T00:58:00.000-05:00

Hi Beautifuls!

I hope that all is well with everyone. As I've mentioned on here, I've been wanting to color my hair for awhile. And recently purchased a box of color.

Well, I finally got around to applying it to my hair. I would love to tell, and show you that the color exceeded my expectations. However, that is not the case. I am less than pleased with the results.

Can you see any color here???......

Absolutely. No. Damn. Color.

Yes, I know I need to trim. Lol.

Well, not really. It's some there. Barely there. You may be able to see a little difference in sunlight, but that's not what I was going for. I wanted a more dramatic change. One you could notice in dim lighting.

Granted, I've hennaed my hair quite a few times in the past. Well..around 6 or 7 or 8 times, but I was hoping that this would not be an issue at this point. After twitter-versing with Aleise J. of HairLovAart Studio, she reiterated something that I've heard many times about henna but just did not want to believe. At least not for myself. That it does not wash or fade out from your hair. You must grow it out. *Boo!*

Now this would not be an issue if a) my hair was short and more importantly, b) I was a patient person. *sighs* Oh, well. I suppose my true color adventures will have to begin once I do my 2nd bc. (Yes, I'm still talking about that.) She also mentioned that the color level I chose, 4C, would only result in a slight shift in pigment. (Which was all it gave me). Too low of an ammonia amount.

I tried. *shrugs.*

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-12-19T07:47:00.000-05:00

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"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day."

~ De Phillips Johnson, CEO & founder of Nappiology, Inc.

Wishing you all the best!

A HEROINE ENTREPRENEUR REVISIT w/DEMEKA SCOTT

2011-12-14T09:32:00.001-05:00

Cheetarah of ThunderCats. Ho-o-oh!!

Hi Lovelies!

Last year, I had the pleasure of interviewing many dynamic women for my Heroine Entrepreneur series. One of these heroine's was a Demeka Scott, owner of Healthy Living Journey. During these interviews, I asked the women many questions including how they got started, where their inspiration & motivation came from, advice they'd give out and what their future plans were for their business.

Demeka Scott, the Savvy Kitchen Beautician

Here's a snippet from Demeka's interview:

12. Is there anything new & exciting that we can expect from your business in the future?

Yes, this year we will be adding some new items to our product list. We also plan to have our products showcased around quite a few spas & salons in the Atlanta area. I look forward to gaining more personal clientele that I can grow with. :-)

Well, on last week, Demeka contacted me to let me know how the words (and hard work) she put out there have come to pass and then some. Check it right here.

Not only did I showcase my items and add new items...I opened a store :-) This month I am running a promotion that I think your readers would enjoy (freebies) at HealthyLivingJourney.com.

Oh my God!! I'm so happy & excited for her!! Congrats to you, Demeka!
So let's revisit Demeka Scott, to get more deets on what's going on right now.....

So a lot has happened since our last interview. First, let's find out what new products you've added to your store.
Tell us about your new product line, the inspiration & idea behind it.

The name of my new line is "Goddess Collection."
I selected 6 Goddessess to pay homage to, through my Dead Sea Salt Baths.
Goddess Isis - the famous Egyptian Goddess, her most important roles are Goddess of life and magic.
Goddess Oshun - the Yourban Goddess of fresh water and orisha that sustains life.
Goddess Aphrodite - the Greek Goddess of love and beauty.
Goddess Yemaya - the Yoruban Goddess of the living Ocean, considered the Mother of All.
Goddess Lakshmi - the Hindu goddess of love and beauty who brings wealth.
Goddess Uzume - the Japanese Goddess of laughter and celebration.

Each Goddess Bath Salt has its own color (Which happens to be natural colors. No synthetics here.) and its own special seductive scent. My inspiration came from within. This was my way of manifesting a desire for expressing the Goddess in me. I also added a few more items but I am most proud of the Goddess Collection.

We know of your online store but what about the location of your physical store?
I am located in Hiram, GA (West of Atlanta).
3595 Hiram-Douglasville Hwy
Suite 235
Hiram, Georgia 30141

You mentioned offering ChocolateOrchid readers a promotion from your store. What might that be? ;)
This month I have a promotion going on for those that sign up on my site. You get a 25% off coupon for any Jamion product, a dry body brushing report and a free sample of my prized Dead Sea Mud (dry) Mask.

I'm so loving the thought behind the Goddess collection. I'm totally fascinated and geeked on trying it out!

Btw, here's a video of Demeka showing you how to use her mud mask.

Can't wait to try her new product line and more!

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-12-12T12:40:00.000-05:00

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"We are not free until we no longer have anything to prove and we are not living to impress people."

~ Folake Huntoon of The Style Pantry and WeweClothing.

Amen.
Wishing you all the best!

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-12-05T04:56:00.000-05:00

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"True happiness is.... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future."

~ Seneca

Wishing you the best!

Who is Seneca?
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman philospher and dramatist of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He served as tutor to the emperor Nero and later became his advisor. Seneca's philosophical works are of the Stoic school, emphasizing the importance of reason, learning, simplicity of lifestyle, and calm acceptance of suffering and death.
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BLACK FRIDAY BUYS

2011-11-29T12:16:00.000-05:00

Hi Lovelies!

I hope that everyone had a good holiday weekend. Mine was great. And yes, I also over-ate. I also got out on Friday and did some Black Friday shopping. Not in a major way. Nor was I involved in or witnessed any scuffles, pepper spraying or verbal assaults.

I shimmied my way on down to Sage Naturalceuticals on Friday morning for some much needed products. I tried to get there right at 7am, when the storewide 30% of sale began. But it was really hard to get outta the bed an hour earlier. Especially, after stuffing my face the day before and running my mother & daughter to Macy's at 12am that morning. Yes, we they did. Lol. No bad behavior there either.

Well, I ended up getting there closer to 7:30, which wasn't bad either. But my heart raced with a little fear when I saw that the store was packed. Now granted, the store is a bit small in size, I was still concerned about the products that I needed being gone.

However, everything I planned to purchase was in stock.....and more. ;)

Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Afroveda CocoLatte Moisture Mask, Qhemet Biologics Amla & Olive Heavy Cream, BeeMine BEE-U-Ti-FUL Deep Conditioner and Natural Girls Rock Deep SOULutions Deep Conditioner.

As you can see in the photos, I got me some Qhemet Biologics Amla & Olive Heavy cream. I had intended to buy (and try) Karen's Body Beautiful Luscious Locks Hair mask, however, I decided to give another deep conditioning product a try -- Natural Girls Rock Deep SOULutions. I fell in love with the ingredients over KBB's. Also, I spoke with someone who uses it and they gave it rave reviews. So I figured since I had never tried either products, I take a chance on the one with the ingredients that really drew me. And the lower cost. =) I can always add honey, aloe vera juice and/or evoo if it needs a little more. I'll definitely let you all know how that goes.

I also picked up some other items I've been curious about. Like the BeeMine BEE-U-Ti-FUL Deep Conditioner and Afroveda's CocoLatte Moisture mask, which is a creamy moisturizer. I had always been curious about BeeMine's deep conditioner and once I saw the sample sizes of it, I had to jump on it. The Afroveda CocoLatte sample buy was all impulsive. Someone in the store was raving about it to their friend and the power of the pj (product junkism) compelled me. Lol.

Products I'll be trying for the first time.

Anyhoo, now that I have all the necessary items its time to focus on the color process. I think I've decided to try the ombre' look. I've found a few videos showing how simple the process is. So I plan on getting it done sometime this weekend. And all of this is, of course, contingent upon how my test strip of hair does. Either way, expect a post about it in the future.

Btw, every product is linked to its website. So if you're curious about them, just click on the product name that's in green.

Have you all made any impulsive hair buys lately?...

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-11-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

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"If 'Plan A' didn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters."

~ Folake Huntoon of StylePantry.com and WeweClothing.com

Wishing you all the best!

RUNNING IN COLD WEATHER with KRISTY

2011-11-25T08:53:00.000-05:00

Hilarious! And hell naw, I would never! Lol.
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Hola Beautiful Ones!

I hope that everyone's holiday was grand. Who all ate way too much?. *raises hand* Lol. I'm sure a lot of people indulged and over-indulged. But here's the good news. Today is a new day. Why not get out there and work it off? And I mean, beyond pounding the pavement while lightening your wallet during Black Friday sales. I mean, for free! By running. ;)

Yes, I know its cold in quite a few places, but I have another seasoned runner here to give you tips on getting your run on when "the hawk" is threatening to swoop in.

Kristy Duckworth of KristyRuns.com was kind enough to put her two cents in on how to get in done. Check it out below.

Kristy: Thanks so much for e-mailing me! I definitely have a love/hate relationship with cold weather running. I love that my running times seem to drop and runs just seem easier. On the other hand, cold weather can be just as uncomfortable as running in the heat and humidity of Atlanta summers if you're not ready for it.

How long have you been running?
I ran cross country throughout high school, but took a hiatus at UGA. I started up after graduating, and I've been back running for 4 years.

What got you into running?
My older brother and dad are runners, and I wanted to join the fun!

What kept you motivated to run in cold weather when you first began?
I like to register for races in January and March, which keeps me motivated throughout the colder weather. I also try to run with groups to keep me accountable.

What are the best ways to dress for running in temps under 60 degrees?
I don't like to be too warm when I run, so when it's over 50 degrees, I'm a shorts and t-shirt kind of gal. Anything between 40 and 50 degrees, I add a warm hat, gloves, and arm sleeves. Once it drops below 40, I wear tights and a long sleeve shirt in addition to the hat and gloves. Once you warm up after a mile, it will actually feel 15 degrees warmer to you. Whenever I'm unsure about what to wear, I love to consult the Runner's World What to Wear guide. You enter the temperature, cloud cover, wind, and other info, and it tells you what you need!

What’s the lowest temperature that you’ve ran in? Would you recommend doing that?
Last January seemed to be extra brutal. I would frequently run in temperatures in the upper teens! At that point, I layer as much as possible, wearing multiple tights, several shirts with a warm outer-layer, gloves, hat, and a scarf I can pull over my face. I think if you're dressed right, you can run in any temperature.

Is there any particular gear/brand that you’d recommend?
I love arm sleeves! They add warmth without adding extra layers. Plus, you can just pull them down if you get too hot instead of having to wrap a shirt around your waste (annoying).

What would be your dream gear (if any) to have?
I would love to own a pair of CW-X Compression tights! http://cw-x.com/ExploreProducts.aspx?product=tights&by=activity&gender=womens At $120, they're a little expensive though! ;)

Love this! Kristy, thanks for taking time out to answer my questions. I really appreciate your tips and input.

Kristy also owns & operates a running tour company, Atlanta Running Tours that I mentioned on the blog awhile ago. I still think that's so cool.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
To great running & great health!

IN A STATE OF GRATITUDE

2011-11-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

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Hi Beautiful Ones!

For the past 24 days, on my Facebook page, I have stated the things that I was grateful for. I actually got the idea from a friend of mine who also did this last year leading up to Thanksgiving day. I have to admit that some days it took a little work but after awhile, I realized that everyday there's at least one thing to be grateful/thankful for. This exercise really helped me to see that a reason for gratitude always exists, even in those times when I'm just not feeling it or can't see it.

Here's to daily being present and seeing the beauty & gift that life is and has for you.
Happy Thanksgiving Day to all!

CARROT-GINGER SOUP C/O GRIMMWAY FARMS

2011-11-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

Hi Gorgeous Ones!
I hope that your week is going well. I've been trying to keep up with my workouts but I doubt that anything will be going down today. Too much to do with limited amount of time. However, on yesterday my time was not too limited to get in a quick healthy & delicious recipe.

Some weeks ago, I was contacted by the people of Grimmway Farms/Cal-Organic or Bunny Luv (Don't you just love that name?) to review a product of theirs. After researching them, I discovered that I was already familiar with their line of produce. I'd actually purchased some of their produce before. So now I was eager to consciously buy, use and review their goods.

So I had to figure out which product I would feature. Since I'm a big fan of carrots, I decided to go with them. I received the coupon and went to scoop some up.

Cal-Organic Farms carrots ..and green onions

And look what I ended up with:

Carrot-Ginger soup

Yes. Indeed.

I totally enjoyed preparing this. Again, do note that I had been running around earlier and honestly didn't feel like going through the motions of preparing anything to eat. But this was so simple and took only a small amount of time & effort. The carrots were fresh and ready to go. Easy to peel and chop up. I honestly cannot recall a time that I've purchased this brand and experienced anything outside of good.

Anyhoo, I also picked up some of their green onions to top the soup of with. Yummm. And yes. Same fresh quality.

Oh! Before I forget, here's the recipe, which I got from EatLiveRun.com.

Ingredients:

1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped

2 T minced fresh ginger

1 shallot, minced

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp coriander

1 T olive oil

thinly sliced green onions for topping

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the minced shallot and saute until tender, about five minutes. Add the ginger and saute for another three-four minutes. Can I just pipe tell you how wonderful this aroma is. Ooh!!

Add the chopped carrots, broth, coriander and salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until carrots are tender. Carefully transfer to a blender and puree. Serve with thinly sliced green onions on top.

Time:

30 minutes Yes!

This was so easy to make and so delicious. The smell alone will make you salivate.
I think its a great accompaniment to the holidays or simply for the fall season.

And a big thanks to the folks at Grimmway Farms for even considering me for this. I'm very appreciative. And so is my stomach. ;) Thanks for the great organic products. Love!

Happy Holidays!

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-11-21T00:44:00.000-05:00

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"If you allow the past to define your present, you never actually really get to live the life that you were meant to live; because you're always holding onto what was. And always holding & defining yourself by what was or what should've been or what could've been."

~ Oprah Winfrey - Lifeclass? "Letting Go of Anger"

I'm so lovin' her Life Classes.
Wishing you all a great week!
{{Hugs}},

RUNNING IN COLD WEATHER

2011-11-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

Hi Lovelies,

Since I've been back on my running schedule, I've had a few days of really cold (& windy) weather to run in. This is my first time running year-round so I was eager to get out & experience the coolness. However, I soon discovered that I may not have been as well prepared for the elements as I thought I was. Brrrrh!

So I decided to reach out to some seasoned runners to get their input on cold-weather runs. Todd Myers, from Tales of a Vegan Runner blogspot, was kind enough to give me his suggestions that I'll be sharing with you today. Btw, he just ran the NYC Marathon. Go Todd!!

How long have you been running?
I have been running off and on for about 5 years now, had to take a few breaks here and there due to injury/illness so not consistent.

What got you into running?
I got into running because at the time I was in very poor physical shape and health, definitely a candidate for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and god knows what else. Then I fell in love with it as I got better.

What kept you motivated to run in cold weather when you first began?
As far as keeping me motivated, it is really not wanting to loose that cardiovascular conditioning over the winter months. Even if this included using the treadmill, stationary bike, pool, elliptical or other cardio equipment inside. As I was up in PA/NJ for several years it got brutally cold outside, so staying inside was the best option really.

What are the best ways to dress for running in temps under 50 degrees?
Under 50 degree temps I recommend tights for the legs and long sleeved tech shirts, or if you have arm warmers then you can use short sleeve or sleeveless tech shirts. Also a beenie hat is good to have, as it will keep more heat in your body, and you can always remove it if you get really warm, and same thing with arm warmers you can push them down. NEVER DISCARD THEM though especially during a race, as temps can change, wind etc.. you may need them later on. If you don't have running tights for compression, then I recommend calf/compression socks Zensah makes good calf sleeves/socks, or CEP are really good too.

What's the lowest temperature that you've ran in? Would you recommend doing that?
Lowest temp has to be around 40, which isn't so bad once your body gets moving and starts warming up. 131 ATL Marathon this year was around that temp at start time, even down to 32 isn't so horrid, but have gloves on for your hands. Yes I would recommend this as it is actually ideal temps for marathons and half marathons, once temps get over 60 outdoors your body gets really warm and uses fluids like crazy. Still you need to stay hydrated at lower temps too though.

Is there any particular gear/brand that you'd recommend?
I think I hit some of the gear earlier, as far as arm warmers asics makes some nice ones. Also it might be good to look into a camelbak, one that will strap across your chest, abdominal area as well. This will make keeping water easily available to you as needed to stay hydrated.

What would be your dream gear (if any) to have?
hmmm not sure about dream gear, maybe CEP tights, though they can be a bit pricey, maybe a sponsorship would be good. Not really gear but products like Vega Sport Performance Optimizer for pre runs, Chocolate Number 9 for sustained energy, e3live which is supposed to be good for overall cardio/recovery, also Asea iss the same as e3live but helps in other areas as well. Using Vega and Chocolate Number 9 I can recommend them, and enjoy them both. I haven't used e3live or Asea yet, as both can be a bit expensive, but if I ever get the money I'd use them. Also VitaCoco water is great for electrolites and other nutrients for hydrating before, during and after runs.
Todd, thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions. This has been a help to me.

I do hope that this may help someone out there contemplating running or running in cold weather.

To health, vitality & happy running.

CANDIDA - What is it? What is the candida diet?

2011-11-16T18:43:00.002-05:00

photo from www.thescenefromme.com

Hi Lovelies,

Some posts ago, I mentioned a candida detox diet but did not go into details. Eight days later (it seems), I'm posting this info now only to realize that I've had a change of heart.
Just continue reading and hopefully, you'll understand.

Candida is a yeast-like fungus that occurs naturally in the human body. Normally, it lives in harmony with a variety of other microorganisms and actually performs a couple important functions. A problem occurs when something upsets the balance of bacteria in the body. Allowing the organism to proliferate and take over all the healthy microorganisms. That something could be a number of things that can include stress, antibiotics, diet and the list goes on.

The symptoms of candida are not limited to a simple, tell-tell vaginal yeast infection but may or may not include that among other signs like athlete's foot, gas & bloating, skin rashes & disorders, cravings, low sex-drive and trust me, the list goes on.

For more information on candida click here and here.

Because I strongly believe that what we eat plays a major role in our health, I scoured the web searching for a diet appropriate to battling candida. What I found was quite similar amongst the different sites.

So here goes. And yes...it may sting a little. :(

Items To Avoid While on A Candida Detox Diet:
All sugars and sugar-contained food including table sugar, fructose, corn syrup, honey, molasses, maple sugar and date sugar.

All white flour and white flour products. All yeast-containing pastries, breads, crackers, pastas, etc.

All cheese except ricotta, cottage and cream cheese.
Artificially sweetened drinks and food products.
Avoid alcoholic beverages.
Avoid all fruit juices, fruits (fresh, canned, or dried) until yeast is abated. Fresh lemon or lime may be used in water, or as a substitute for vinegar in salad dressings.

All coffee and tea (even herbal). Except pau de arco tea.
Chlorinated tap water.
All processed meats such as bacon, sausage, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, corned beef, and pastrami.

Old leftovers. If food has been in the fridge for more than 3 days, do not eat it. Leftovers may be frozen.

Obvious fungus foods: mushrooms, blue cheese, etc.

Peanuts and peanut products: peanut butters. Use almond butter.

All vinegar-soaked products or vinegar dressings: pickles, pickle relish etc. Lemon juice may be substituted from vinegar in recipes.

Brewers yeast B vitamins made from yeast, yeast breads, pastries, cracker and pretzels that contain yeast.

Woo-oo-sa-ah.
Now, I have no problem admitting that I'm having a bit of trouble committing to this. Aside from loving fruit, I enjoy a good cocktail or glass (or two) of wine here and there.

Also, when I really think about it, seems like the candida issue can be dealt with by other diet plans like Carolyn Akens Body Rejuvenation Detox program or Kris Carr's "Crazy Sexy Diet". Hmmm, the more I ponder this, the more I think that I should take the baby steps (in my mind) and do the things that I've done before when detoxing. How about I see where that takes me. Assess the outcome and go from there.

I think I like that idea a lot better.
Lol.

TUESDAYS R 4 TRESSES

2011-11-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

Hola Beautiful Ones!

I hope that all is well with everyone. I've been very busy (as you can probably tell from the sporadic posting) so I haven't had time to crack open the box of hair color just yet. But I do hope to do so within the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, there are a few things that I will be purchasing since the color process is infamous for drying your hair out.

Qhemet Biologics Amla & Olive Heavy Cream
source

Normally, this jar of goodness is too heavy for my strands but I think that may change. Especially, if we have the cold winter that most of us are expecting.

DevaCare No-Poo

I used to wash my hair with the DevaCurl no-poo, which was awesome. Not sure why I stopped. I only have good memories of it. The DevaCare line is for color-treated hair. I definitely don't want the dull color look.

If you seasoned color-goddesses out there know of anything else, please recommend it. I need all the input I can get.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-11-14T00:08:00.000-05:00

image from www.lydiasnyder.com

"Your life is a reflection of the way you think. What you believe is what you become."

~ Oprah's Lifeclass: You've Always Had the Power episode

Muah!

UH-HUH.

2011-11-08T00:20:00.000-05:00

Phase One. Let's see if I don't chicken out. Would love an ombre look but this is me attempting this. Which, by the way, I've never done before. Also note that I've hennaed my hair several times over the past 4 years, so I'll definitely be doing a test strip.

Btw, I have no problem admitting that this purchase was done on a whim. I was feeling extra bored with my hair (or maybe just in general) and decided I was gonna buy me some color because I really want some in my hair. Dammit. Lol.

If any of you have ever colored your own hair, I'd appreciate any and all tips, pointers, warnings & such.

Stay tuned....

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-11-07T00:29:00.000-05:00

Howard Sokul pic from art.com

"What we focus on, we empower and enlarge. Good multiplies when focused upon. Negativity multiplies when focused upon. The choice is ours: Which do we want more of?"

~ Julia Cameron

The best,

** Who is Julia Cameron?... She is an American teacher, author, poet, artist, playwright, novelist, filmmaker, composer and journalist. She is most famous for her book, The Artist's Way (1992).
More info. can be read at JuliaCameronLive.com.

UPDATES ON RUNNING....WELL, SORT OF. AND OTHER STUFF.

2011-11-03T15:37:00.000-04:00

Hi Lovelies!

Just wanted to drop a quick post on my running, which has been non-existent for the past few weeks. Since I'm back to feeling good, I've been fast-walking. I plan on incorporating some real running in with my next walk and hope to do a full-out run on the following time. I'm still considering participating in the Thanksgiving Day 5K. It all depends on how my personal runs go.

After finishing the run of antibiotics, I've incorporated probiotics into my diet to combat candida(yeast). I also re-purchased my multi-vitamins and bought some Paul D'Arco tea which, I've read, is good for killing off yeast. And *sighs* will be letting go of bread and cutting the sugar down. Honestly, not ready to fully commit to cutting it totally out. For me it's the hardest part because, according to the candida-free diet, fruit is a no-no on the list. Sheesh! I love fruit. Btw, I'll post on the candida-free diet next week.

Speaking of probiotics, someone asked me which ones I'd recommend. For the past year and a half, I've been using the Jarrow brands, Jarro-Dophililus EPS. They do a great job and don't have to be refrigerated. So they're really convenient for travel. Love that!

And in case your interested, my fav multivitamins:

I've started this regimen earlier this week. I'll begin drinking the Paul D'Arco tea this weekend. So I'll certainly keep you posted on that. This will be my first time drinking it.

Wishing you the best health & wellness.

SAVING ONE PRECIOUS HEAD AT A TIME

2011-11-01T00:54:00.000-04:00

source

So a couple of days ago, I got a call from my brother that I could barely understand. Only because I was in a Chipotle Grill which was crowded, as usual. I swear, whichever location I go to is always on full. ALWAYS.

Anyhoo, the one word that I heard him say for certain was "relaxer". And of course, that one word had my curiosity. So I asked him to text his message to me.

Here's what I got:

Bro - "Ann* wants 2 know if there is a hair relaxer or detangler suitable 4 a 12 month old girl." (*name has been changed.)

*Wooh sah* Lovelies, all my brain acknowledged was the words "relaxer" and "12 month old girl".

Here was my response, mostly fueled by emotion:

Me - "Heeeelll Naw!! Tell her "Don't you dare put chemicals in that baby's hair"! Let alone anyone. Tell her 2 go 2 Tarjay and pick up some shea moisture milk or something. Wet her hair everytime they wanna manipulate (fix) it. Put some kind of butter or cream on it. A little oil on top of it. Twist, braid or leave it curly/coily fro and live & let live. I'm about 2 eat right now but I will go by Target to get definite product names. I'll also go thru my stash at home for extra hair goodies. And if need be I'll show her how to treat/do her hair. But no means should she put some chemicals on her head."

source

Bro - "Ok"

Bless his heart. I can only imagine how he watered down the delivery of my text. Lol. I was borderline going H.A.M.
Now after saying all that, I simmered down a little bit. Realized I might've come off a bit harsh and sent this:

Me - "And I said all that with love. Seriously."

Y'all, all I could think about was that poor baby getting her scalp & still developing hair follicles fried. That image twisted me up all sorts of ways. Now granted, my bro's lady friend obviously has no idea because no.1, she's asking. Secondly, her hair is straight and the only afro-textured hair she's had to deal with is her only (now grown) son. Furthermore, the baby is her grandchild, which is another reason I (and no one else) can really expect her to automatically know what to do.

So I made it a point to go by Target and sent Ann* pics of different products along w/quick how-to's that she may want to try. Not that a 12 month old needs much as far as products are concerned, but I was trying to save a precious head. And yes, I was still pretty emotional about it. I can laugh at myself now.

I also sent this text to Ann:

Me - "Hope all that makes sense. Also, always use a wide-tooth comb. Detangling is a must. Always begin gently detangling/combing from the ends of the hair to the roots."

Ann - "Ok"

Several hours later after I got home, and my emotional state back down to pre-deathcon 1, I sent her links to TightlyCurly.com and left the door open for Ann to contact me if she had a question or needed help.

I just hope she heard me and I saved a precious head.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-10-31T00:24:00.000-04:00

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."

~ Think Different, narrated by Steve Jobs

To all of you beautifully unique people,

SIMPLE CHUNKY SALAD

2011-10-26T00:34:00.000-04:00

source

Hi Gorgeous Ones!

Hope that everyone's week is going well.
Had to share this beauty of a salad I found on the E3Live facebook page. *Not the picture above.*

Simple Chunky Salad

ingredients:
avocado
tomato
cucumbers
peppers
carrots
celery
green onion
sunflower seeds

Cut veggies into medium-sized chunks. Drizzle with evoo, preferred herbs and sunflower seeds (or preferred seeds/nuts). Then enjoy.

I swear I'm salivating for this one. I think I'll substitute red onion for the green onion. And I'm thinking about adding almond slivers along with the sunflower seeds.

What do you think about this one? What would you change, if anything?

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-10-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

source

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. "

~ Steve Jobs, from 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Love this!
Be blessed!

UPDATES ON RUNNING

2011-10-20T09:07:00.000-04:00

source

Hi Lovelies!
Yes, indeed I wish that was me running. But I haven't done that in about two weeks. After fighting my cooties on my own and seemingly winning, I had a relapse. All it took was my daughter bringing a new set of cooties home to stir up what I thought was all the way gone.

So I took my tail to the d-o-c on Tuesday morning and have been on antibiotics since. Can't wait to be done with them. I'm already set to do a candida cleanse and get back on my probiotics as soon as I've popped the last antibiotic pill in my mouth. Geesh!

So no, it's been about two weeks since I've done a full-out run. The plan is to get back to it on next week beginning with walking. Not sure if I'll be running a 5K on Thanksgiving as originally planned. But certainly will be 100% running by the new year. I'm strongly considering running a 5K (PT Solutions Resolution Run) on New Years Day.

So what's going on in your fitness world?....

HAIR GOODIES UP FOR GRAB!!

2011-10-18T14:13:00.002-04:00

Natural Oasis & Essential Balms products

**CLOSED. ALL PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN CLAIMED.**

Hi Beautiful Ones!

In a previous hair post, I mentioned that I'd be giving away a few more products. These are actually from my "overflow" stash of personal hair products. Only one (far left), is slightly used. As you can see, there's plenty product left in it.

All of these are from the Essential Balms & Natural Oasis Hair product line. All of them are up for grabs on a first come, first serve basis.

Sorry, this giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Here's the list of everything:

1.) ~~Natural Oasis "Herbal Styling Oil"~~ - 4 oz. blend of organic herbs, all-natural organic oils & fragrance per listing of ingredients. - Claimed

2.) ~~"Organic Balms Anti-Breakage Setting & Styling balm"~~ - full 8 oz. spray bottle. *pictured in back. Ingredients: distilled water, herbal extracts & B vitamin - Claimed

3.) ~~Essential Balms "Head to Toe Liquid Balm w/jojoba"~~ - 4 oz. full squeeze bottle. Ingredients: organic oils, herbal extracts, & essential oils. - Claimed

4.) I believe this to be the ~~Natural Oasis "Herbal Hair & Scalp conditioner~~". It has no defining label on it so that's my best guest when comparing it to the products listed on the website. Here's a couple of picture of the contents to help with your decision. - Claimed

As I stated above, these products are available on a first come, first serve basis. Just shoot me an email at ChocolateOrchid08@gmail.com with the subject line: "hair goodies for grabs". Be sure to let me know which product you'd like. If you'd like two, be sure to mention that. You never know what may be available at the time. Also, leave me your email address so that I can email you back to confirm that you're the first and we'll go from there.

Best wishes,

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-10-17T10:51:00.000-04:00

Our household Apple products. :)

"Almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

~ Steve Jobs (from Stanford Commencement speech)

To following your heart.

TOUCH YOURSELF

2011-10-14T12:01:00.000-04:00

That statement cracks me up every time; Kenny Burns (a popular ATL radio personality) says it. As comical as I find it, there's still some seriousness to this statement. And yes, I'm speaking beyond the pleasure principle of it. Hey! Did Janet Jackson's classic video for that song just pop into your head, too? Lol.

Seriously though, as we all know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. And this particular year, I am more painfully aware of it. I recently, as in last week, visited an old co-worker of mine who survived a bout with breast cancer some years back. Last week, I found out that the cancer had come back, with a vengeance. It had spread to different parts of her body including her cerebral fluid. When I went to visit her she was in a rehab sessions, so I wrote her a quick note, letting her know I'd return on this week to sit with her.

I was really looking forward to hanging with her. She was the one who let me have a kitten for my daughter sixth Christmas. You know. The kitty I fell in love with. She was also the person who hipped me to meetup.com. I actually went with her to her first meetup because she didn't want to go alone.

Unfortunately, she didn't make it. This was heartbreaking news for me. Especially, given the fact that there were/are other current and recent losses of life within my circle of friends.

Lovelies, please don't take this as a somber post. Yes, my heart aches. And granted, these events do not particularly give me joy. But they do sharpen my awareness of.... just how precious life is. How important it is to live life to the fullest. ....On terms that you happy. To be present in every moment. Death, yet again, reminds me of these things.

I'm also reminded that I'm important enough to take care of myself. And yes, you most certainly are, too! Yes, we all are! That yes, it's absolutely okay to touch yourself. Especially, when you're checking for lumps, cysts, changes in your skin or whatever. Check yourself. Touch yourself. Speaking of which, click the link below to learn how to give yourself a proper self-exam.

http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/testing/types/self_exam/bse_steps.jsp

I'm definitely in an introspective state of mind. There are many things that I'm working on that I don't even bother speaking about cause quite frankly, I'm tired of talking about 'em. I'm tired of picking & pulling things apart. Ruminating over the same 'ole sh&t . All the energy that goes into all that, least for me, tends to get wasted on that and is tiring. It's time to do. It's time to focus on "doing".

So what do you say?.. Let's just do it.

With love,

Rip Kim. Rip Anne. Peace be with you in your transition, Miss B.

FIGHT THE POWER III - "The Coup de Grâce "

2011-10-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

Rosie Perez in opening dance scene from the motion picture, "Do The Right Thing".

Salut Lovelies!

Hope that all is well with everyone. I decided to share a new favorite essential oil mix for my last "Fight The Power" post. Again, this recipe pertains to "sinusitis" and is from The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood.

This blend is for a topical application and can be applied/massaged directly on the skin.

Rosemary e.o. - 5 drops

Geranium e.o. - 5 drops

Eucalyptus - 2 drops

Peppermint - 3 drops

Blend the above essential oils together. Then add 5 drops of this blend to one (1) teaspoon of vegetable oil. After adding the blend to the vegetable oil, massage mix around the neck, behind and in front of the ears, over the cheekbones, the nose and forehead.

I usually apply this at bedtime, though sometimes I've applied it once during the day to my nose only. If you choose to try this, be sure to follow the directions to the letter. I wasn't paying attention the first time I made this blend and added the first part of the recipe blend (shown above) directly to the vegetable oil. Not good. Can we say sting?! I immediately wiped til the sting was faint. So be careful.

As always take care with the use of essential oils.

EVOO...THE NAIL SAVER

2011-10-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

Had to share with you all a little something that I've been incorporating into my household work.

Granted we give the dishwasher a fair amount of attention, there are times when you just can't throw a dirty dish into that machine. Say for instance, caked on marinara sauce or some other organic item that really should've been scraped a whole lot better off of the plate. Just sayin'. These are the times where I break out the gloves to save my so-in-need-of-a-professional-manicure nails. But wait... not only do I break out the gloves, I also add some evoo to the mix. Yes.

Gosh, there are so many great uses to olive oil that its almost mind-bending. If you want to know more about it, check out Zainab1's (AuNaturale blogspot) post on this multi-use oil here. I've chosen to add the oil to my cuticles prior to putting on gloves. So far, this is proving to be of great benefit. The warmth from the dish water added to my body heat, gives my nails & cuticles a wonderful treatment. All while taking care of some business.

I'm not experiencing crazy splits and my nails aren't dry like they used to be. Gotta love it!

What household items are getting multiple uses in your home?

"HAT"-LICIOUS 2011/2012

2011-10-11T00:49:00.000-04:00

Hi Beautiful Ones!

Now that we can see (and feel) a definite change in our seasonal weather, a lot of us are contemplating or have already begun implementing protective styles and other changes to manage our hair. But just in case you're like me and get a little board with the lovely buns & other styles, you can always liven it up with a great hat. Yes. I've caught the fever for hats.

For whatever reason, I'm sprung on them and plan on wearing them often this Fall/Winter season. Here are the ones that I've purchased so far, and some that I already had.

My ole faithful pageboy. It's a nice army green-like color that can act as a neutral, in that it goes with most any color I wear. I purchased it a few years ago from Tarjay. =)

Here's another faithful hat of mine. It's a tam I purchased from some random beauty supply store. It's your basic black that I've worn on many an occasion to hide a conditioning cap while running errands. Haha! Gotta love it!

You can actually see my scarf peeking out from under it. Btw, I tend to keep a scarf on under the hats that can draw moisture out of your hair, like wool or cotton. If it's already lined, then I skip that.

Aww, yes! One of my new babies! I had to buy this fedora for the simple fact that I love this freakin' color! Gotta get some more orange in my life. ;) This was also purchased at good old Target.

Introducing my new love. This burgundy floppy. *Sighs* I think I'll name her "Velma". Mmhmm. I saw this and knew I had to have it. Also purchased from Target.

And yes, I was all up in Target snapping pics. Haha! You know how we do. Had to share my fashion finds with my fashionista bestie.

Although I'm sure, this can work with a skirt, I keep picturing myself rocking this with a fall maxi dress & boots. Yes indeed.

Btw, all of these hats were purchased at price points under $20. We all love being fabulous, but we love it even more when its on or under budget. Am I right??...

So do you have a hat agenda for this Fall/Winter season?

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-10-10T00:23:00.001-04:00

Steve Jobs
1955 - 2011

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

~Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford Commencement speech

Best wishes for an awesome week!

* Although I understood he was suffering from cancer, I am still in shock over the passing of Steve Jobs. And though I'm not the biggest Apple product junkie, I do admire the technology and details of it. His amazing accomplishments have made an indelible mark in this world. Bear with me as the Good News Monday quotes for the rest of this month will come from Mr. Jobs, in memory of his life, legacy and mark on this earth. May he rest in peace.

FIGHT THE POWER!! {part deux}

2011-10-06T18:44:00.000-04:00

Public Enemy

Kon'nichiha Lovelies!

Yes, in my mind, I'm multi-lingual. Lol. I'll get there one day.

Hope that all is well with everyone. I do usually work to post earlier in the day, but today has been very busy for me. In yesterday's post, I mentioned sharing my essential oil blend for the steam inhalation method that I've been using.

It's very simple. But before I share it, I need to stress that it's very important to use essential oils properly and safely. I strongly rely on the book, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Worwood. It's very easy to read and the instructions are simple. I actually got the blend that I'm sharing with you today from that book.

This particular blend is for sinusitis (stuffy noses included).
3 drops of Rosemary e.o.
1 drop of Thyme e.o.
1 drop of Peppermint e.o.

Add this to hot water for the steam effect. I always cover my head above the water when doing this. And I inhale as best as I can through my nose.

I tend to improvise by using my daughter's facial steamer instead of a pot. I believe she received it as a birthday or Christmas gift some years ago. We used it for awhile and then....forgot about it. Until that is....

It's not this exact one, but is similar to the pictured one below.

There's also one that I began using as a oil blend to apply to my face which is pretty good. I'll have to put that one in another post. Unfortunately, I can't recall it right now.

Hope this is of some help and relief to someone.

FIGHT THE POWER!!

2011-10-05T12:35:00.000-04:00

Public Enemy

Hi Gorgeous Ones!

We've reached mid-week status, and I hope that everyone's journey to it so far has been enjoyable & pleasant. I was totally going to post about something else today (Oh, if you only knew how often this happens. Lol.) but decided to go with another topic, in lieu of so many folks coughing, sniffling, wheezing & sneezing right now. Myself, being recently included in this group.

And no. Against the wishes of my well-meaning mother, I never went to the doctor. My crappy feeling, slight wheezing, stuffiness- gone. Only a slight drip remains and my sense of smell is back and in full effect. Thank God! Sucks not to be able to smell.

Btw.... disclaimer coming:
I am not a doctor, nurse or in any way a medical professional. Nor do I work for or in the medical field. I am also, in no way dissing doctors and/or their practice. I am simply sharing with you what I have and am doing to combat my personal cooties. The end.

I wanted to tell you what else I did, outside of taking it easy, getting enough sleep and the occasional neti pot/nasal spray & decongestant combo. Yes, I hit up the medicine cabinet. I purposely sought out information on natural decongestants and bronchitis combatants. After hitting up my book on essential oils, The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Worwood, I went to foods. And by the way, I'll be sure to share with you one of the essential oil recipes I use when my nose is stuffy on tomorrow.

I have been a heavy user of lemons and recently purchased some more citrusy fruits, like oranges and pineapple. Let me share with you why.

Foods have a direct impact on the sinuses and mucus. Dairy foods increase mucus production while fresh fruits and vegetables aid in the elimination. Drinking teas can also aid in the elimination of excess mucus. The temperature of consumed foods can also make a big difference. Cold foods constrict the passageways, while warmed foods thin and open airways. Thinning the mucus makes elimination possible.

Pineapple is a boon to asthmatics and sinus sufferers. The key element in pineapple is the bromelain. Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme that breaks down proteins. It can aid the body heal from bronchitis and pneumonia as well. Fresh pineapple properties also act as anti-inflammatory agents, which can also reduce the swelling in air passages, making breathing easier and aiding in elimination.

Other fruits, while not containing bromelain, have vitamin C properties. Vitamin C in adequate dosages can prevent or lessen the effects of a cold. All citrus fruits are natural boons to allergy and cold sufferers. Grapefruit in particular reduces salt in the body and will speed elimination of thick mucus and swelling, as it is also a natural anti-inflammatory. Other vitamin C bonanzas are lemons, limes and oranges. Try squeezing a slice of these natural mucus warriors into every glass of water. Fresh lemons squeezed into hot water will loosen phlegm. Fresh watermelon juice is effective at reducing toxins and symptoms.

Fresh vegetables should be a mainstay in a healthy diet.
Vegetables provide a wonderful defense against mucus and nasal allergies. Unlike other over-processed foods, fresh veggies abound in sinus-friendly dietetic choices. A steaming vegetable soup filled with fresh vegetables can significantly make the mucus move along and dissolve. Some vegetables with powerful elimination properties are asparagus, onions, cauliflower, celery and garlic. Fresh green vegetables are better immunity boosters, as they contain chlorophyll. Fruits do not contain this powerful antioxidant.

Spicy foods help thin mucus.
Heat dissolves mucus. Warm pureed soups of vegetables are a delicious and soothing way to remove mucus from the body. Turn up the heat with spices like garlic and pepper. The lungs lie just above the digestive track and the heat of these will aid in elimination. Another aid is ginger and a pinch of it in a daily diet may chase the mucus away. Reduce sugars and salts as seasonings as these increase mucus production. Season foods with herbs and spices. Herbal teas aid as well.

Concentrate on fresh fruits and vegetables. The main food group to avoid during a bout of sinusitis is dairy. Removing milk during this time can slow down mucus production. Cheese and yogurt should be avoided as well. Stick to whole grain breads and avoid refined sugars in white flour and bread. Chocolate, with its high concentration of refined sugars, should be avoided as well. Yeast products should not be a part of the diet during a cold. Instead, focus on lightly steamed fresh vegetables, whole-grain rice and fresh fruit. Canned vegetables and fruit are cooked during processing, losing much of the nutritive value. Canned foods uses salt as a primary preservative--fresh is better.

source

So basically, I've been drinking water in amounts that can only rival water-boarding, avoiding dairy, using steam inhalation with essential oils, adding warm & hot spices to my foods (Yay!) and eating more citrusy foods, including pineapple. Oh, its such a hard life. Lol.

Check it here, regarding my fighting method.

Come back tomorrow for my steam inhalation drop-kick for stuffy noses. Lol.

Peace and {{hugs}},

AND THE WINNER IS..............

2011-10-04T08:57:00.000-04:00

..... MIZZNIECY!!!!

CONGRATS ON YOUR WIN!!

You have 48 hours (9am-Thursday) to contact me with your mailing information at ChocolateOrchid08@gmail.com. If I don't hear from you by then, I will go back to the true random number generator to pick another winner.

Thank you to all the participants! You are all winners in my mind. =)

Before the end of this month, I will do another hair giveaway which will be on a 1st come, 1st serve basis. I'm still trying to empty out my hair stash. Lol.

The next "Favorite Things" giveaway will be in November. That one will pertain to fitness. So keep an eye out.

{{Hugs}}

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-10-03T08:24:00.000-04:00

"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens."

~Kahlil Gibran

Peace.

ARE U READY? ....SO RANDOM FRIDAY

2011-09-30T09:59:00.000-04:00

Hi Beauties!

I hope that everyone's week has gone well. Mine was good. But now the weekend is upon us. And to tell the truth, my weekends can almost be more busy than weekdays. Oh well. Still wouldn't mind getting out for a nice cocktail but I don't see the time for it this weekend. So maybe I can make it happen next weekend. ;)

So...what happened to September?! All of a sudden its gone and October is staring us in the face. Am I the only person who witnessed this? Just sayin'. And we all know that with October comes Halloween and a bunch of media (& retail) themes related to it. As a matter of fact, Syfy channel will be featuring 31 Days of Halloween movies. Or basically, movies to supposedly scare your pants off. Syfy can suck at giving us quality movies by delivering some pretty crappy b-movies. So I'm hoping they go into their classic, aka "the good ones" scary/horror film vault.

But I have to admit that as I've gotten older, I can't watch 'em like I used to. Which I find interesting because I was basically raised on them. I can recall the days when I would watch all sorts of late night scary nuggets with my mother, like "Night Gallery" and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker". Hmm, me thinks I just dated myself. Lol.

Anyhoo, there are some scary/horror movies that I absolutely lack the gonads to watch again. In this post, I will list five of those that I just can't deal with. You can watch them if you dare.

MY TOP 5 SCARIEST MOVIES THAT I REFUSE TO WATCH AGAIN.....EVER!
5. Scary Movie (1st 30 minutes, that is. After that, its straight comedy. Seriously.)
4. Hellraiser I and II (I cannot fathom watching the 3rd thru 9th installments. Yes....they made 9.)
3. Halloween (That damn musical score they played everytime Michael was around creeped me out!)
2. Penny Dreadful (An intensely scary movie that amazingly has gone under the radar.)
1. The Exorcist (I remember seeing this as a kid. I ain't effin' with it, again.)

Now, having said that... I will be glued to the set when AMC's zombie-laden series, "The Walking Dead" comes back for its 2nd season on October 16th. Yes, I will.

Do you dare watch any of these movies? Have you already seen them and didn't think they were that scary? Do you have any favorites?

GREEN SMOOTHIE with CHARD

2011-09-28T11:31:00.000-04:00

Seems like its been a minute since I'd had or even posted about an actual green smoothie. So to help aid in my body's healing, I had to whip up one. My choice of green was Chard.

Chard is packed with nutrition. It is an excellent source of vitamins C, E, and K, carotenes, chlorophyll, and fiber. It is also an excellent source of several minerals including potassium, magnesium, iron, and manganese. Chard is also a good source of many other nutrients including vitamin B6, protein, calcium, thiamine, selenium, zinc, niacin, and folic acid.

Chard is one of the most powerful anti-cancer foods due to its combination of traditional nutrients; phytochemicals, chlorophyll, other plant pigments, and soluble fiber. The generous amount of vitamin K that is contained in chard is especially beneficial in the maintenance of bone health.

source

In this smoothie, I had some organic Chard, two frozen bananas, and an orange.

I made sure that I washed the greens well. I'm tempted to buy some veggie wash of some sort but everytime I look at the pricetag, it makes me cringe like a vampire's reaction to garlic. I just can't. So I opt with washing it the old fashion way. Seems like I've heard that you can use hydrogen peroxide to clean your veggies, but I'll have to research that one before I try it out.

Since my appetitie wasn't for much, I added some Hemp protein to the mix. And my liquid of choice was some distilled water.

And voila!!

Good and delicious!

I also made a smoothie with Chard, a frozen banana and a big, juicy plum. It was unexpectedly good. Even thru my then, warped sense of smell & taste, it was delicious. My apologies for not taking pics of it.

2011-09-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

Hi Lovelies!

Okay, so I'm 24 hours late with this hair post. Lol. Sometimes it's like that. *shrugs*

So I'm talking about my personal mix...again. I am so thrilled with the addition of aloe juice to it. My hair is so freakin' soft. I know you can't tell from the pic, but trust me on this one. I loooooooove touching my hair. Trying not too but can't help it.

I even used this mix on my daughter's hair last night, since she wanted to wear a braid-out today. This morning her hair was so friggin' soft. I'm telling you, Aloe Vera juice is the bizness!! Don't sleep on it! Zainab1, I can't thank you enough for dropping that nugget.

Also, on a great note, I am feeling so much better. I swear, the human body amazes me. God was not playing when he made us! Within a weeks time, I went from feeling like I might need to be on a ventilator to being able to smell and exercise. =) I'm still taking it easy as far as getting back into running. I went walking yesterday. And will do the same on Thursday with the addition of some running. But the major point is I'm feeling more & more like myself everyday and didn't have to drop a dime at a doctors office or get on some crummy, yeast stirring antibiotics. Yay me!! Lol.

On a seriously non-related note, in last weeks "Tuesdays Are For Tresses" post, I asked if anyone knew where I got the phrase, "Yay me!!" from. KiNkYnEsT guessed right with her answer, "London, from Zach & Cody". For those of you who may not know, this was/is a Disney or Nickelodeon show.
This was not a giveaway question, but I do want to give KiNkYnEsT a little something just because. So shoot me an email at ChocolateOrchid08@gmail so that I can send you something from my stash.

And speaking of giveaways, please don't forget about my Favorite Things giveaway. You have until 9 pm EST, this Sunday, Oct. 2 to get in on it.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-09-26T08:23:00.000-04:00

"Nobody can bring you peace but yourself."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS GIVEAWAY!!

2011-09-23T12:25:00.001-04:00

**CLOSED**

picture from the Motion Picture, "The Sound of Music". Love this movie!

Happy First day of Autumn & Happy Friday!

I hope that your week has gone well. I'm still trying to recoop from being sick. I'll definitely be swinging by the doctor's if I'm not 100% by Monday. Wish me the best.

In the meantime, I want to get the ball rolling on the 1st giveaway which pertains to hair. But before I go there, let me again thank all of you for hanging in there with me. I am very grateful, and for the most part, surprised that people find my little spot interesting enough to follow. In the few years of this blog's existence, I've connected with some wonderful people, met some truly inspirational women and made some really great online friends, some of which blossomed beyond the internet.

{{Hugs}} to all of you!

For this giveaway, you will have the opportunity to receive some of my fav, tried & true hair products.

Herbal Essences Totally Twisted conditioner (12oz) that I use for co-washes.

Mop Leave-In conditioner.

Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Butter Cream (full-size)

Jane Carter Solution Nourish & Shine (full-size)

To qualify for this giveaway, you must be a follower of this blog.

Here are the rules for the giveaway.
Leave a comment letting me know you're a follower. If you don't comment often, tell us something about yourself, your hair and/or how you'd use the products. Include your email address so that I can notify you if you are the winner.

For an extra entry opportunity to win:
Tweet about this giveaway, including a link to it. Then leave a comment letting me know you did.

This giveaway will close on Sunday, Oct. 2nd at 9pm EST. The winner will be picked by the true random number generator from Random.org and will be announced on Tuesday, October 4th.

I wish you all the best!
Have a great weekend!

A FEW REASONS WHY REST/SLEEP ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR HEALTH

2011-09-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

source

Konnichihu Lovelies!

I hope that everyone's week is going well. I'm not quite back to 100% yet, but I am feeling much better. I've committed myself to resting so that my body can fully heal.

I believe that we (mainly myself) can take resting and gettting enough sleep for granted. Think about it. It's not very hard to do. You get caught up in the day-to-day hustle and bustle of living. And you may or may not have additional pulls on you like a child(ren), hubby or significant other, a demanding career, etc etc. All of these can sometimes result in us putting rest/sleep on the bottom end of our to-do list.

Unfortunately, this lack of can lead or add to problems with our health. I've listed a few of the things that can result from a rest/sleep deprivation.

Sleep reduces stress - When your body is sleep deficient, it goes into a state of stress. The body's functions are put on high alert which causes an increase in blood pressure and a production of stress hormones. Higher blood pressure increases your risk for heart attacks and strokes. The stress hormones also, unfortunately, make it harder for you to sleep.

Sleep reduces inflammation - The increase in stress hormones raises the level of inflammation in your body, also creating more risk for heart-related conditions, as well as cancer and diabetes. Inflammation is thought to one of the causes of the deterioration of your body as you age.

Sleep helps the body make repairs - Sleep is a time for your body to repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposures. Your cells produce more protein while you are sleeping. These protein molecules form the building blocks for cells, allowing them to repair damage.

source: http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongenergy/tp/healthy_sleep.htm

Let's delve a little more into the body repairing itself:

“A lot of studies show our T-cells go down if we are sleep deprived,” Balachandran says. “And inflammatory cytokines go up. ... This could potentially lead to the greater risk of developing a cold or flu.”

What are T-cells?...

" T-cells or “T lymphocytes” are white blood cells that have a key purpose in the immune system called “cell-mediated immunity”. These cells identify and attack any body cells that are infected with viruses or otherwise identified as harmful or “non-self”. There are numerous types of T-cells with different purposes ranging from identifying dangers ( helper T-cells) to attacking infected cells."

source: http:caribclinic.com/faq/

"In simple terms, sleep deprivation suppresses immune system function. Or, as Balachandran puts it, “The more all-nighters you pull, the more likely you are to decrease your body’s ability to respond to colds or bacterial infections.”

Lack of Sleep and Fevers

Sleep loss not only plays a role in whether we come down with a cold or flu. It also influences how we fight illnesses once we come down with them.

For example, our bodies fight infection with fevers. “One of the things that happens when we sleep is that we can get a better fever response,” Balachandran says. “This is why fevers tend to rise at night. But if we are not sleeping, our fever reaction is not primed, so we may not be waging war on infection as best we can.”

source: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/immune-system-lack-of-sleep

So I've pretty much decided not to run again until next week. I'll probably end up walking for my usual Saturday run on this weekend. Given these facts, I won't participate in another race until mid-October. Usually, I'd be bummed about it but at this point in my life, I understand the importance of taking care of myself so that I can function better. So I have absolutely no problem slowing it down for awhile. The races will definitely be there when I get back to it.

Oh. Btw, if you care or were wondering "konnichihu" (pronounced "Kon-ee-chee-wa") is a Japanese word for "hello".

Hope you all are getting your rest.
{{Hugs}}

AND ANOTHER ADDITION TO MY "INTERESTING MIX"

2011-09-20T14:00:00.000-04:00

My interesting mix

Hi Beautiful Ones!

I hope that everyone is well. I've been sick hence the lateness of this post. Hit me like a ton of bricks Sunday afternoon. But I am getting better. Yay me! (Btw, does anyone know where I got that "Yay me" line from? Just came to me that I may be the only one who gets tickled at that.) I've been taking it easy today and will work on doing so for the rest of this week. Tried to yesterday, but with a kid, that can be a difficult thing to do.

Remember my post, "An Interesting Mix" and its outcome, "Interesting Mix Results"? Well, after reading Zainab1's blog post on her "One Serious Combination", I decided to add aloe vera juice to mine. I figured that was the missing ingredient that would add more moisture to my mix.

So I ended up adding 1 Tablespoon of the juice to it. Mixed it up good and put it in the refrigerator since it now contains something that could spoil if left out.

Here are the pics of my twists. Please note: these were taken w/my bb phone so the quality may be iffy.

I could definitely tell a difference when putting the mix sections of my hair while twisting.

How I wish "touchavision" was available because my twists feel sooooo good.

I probably won't take them out until Saturday or Sunday. But I'll be sure to posts more pics regardless of the results. Shout out to Zainab1 for sharing her mix ingredients!

Btw, on this Friday I will be posting the giveaway details. There will definitely be two separate giveaways. But I am considering a third. =)

Thanks to everyone for sharing in my world!

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-09-19T06:31:00.000-04:00

Cherry blossom

"You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands - your own."

~ Mark Victor Hansen

Wishing you the best.

WOW!!...THANKS TO ALL! I FEEL A GIVEAWAY COMING ON!

2011-09-15T13:09:00.000-04:00

So I look up and see that I'm at "200" followers. 200!! Gtfoh!

I honestly never expected to hit this number. And I can't say that I even strive to hit any number. Just happy that someone likes my content. This makes me think that its time to streamline some things. It definitely has me contemplating some things.

So with much gratitude, I believe a giveaway is in order.
I have some ideas but I'd like to get input from you lovely people as to what kinds of things you'd like to see in a giveaway from this blog.

Do keep in mind that my blog is focused on natural hair, eco-friendly & green products, and health & fitness w/a touch of randomnicity. Yes, I believe I made up a word. Lol.

{{Hugs}} to all of you wonderful people!

SMOOTHIES & THE KP CORPORATE RUN/WALK 5K

2011-09-14T01:15:00.000-04:00

Hola!

Had to share with you a tasty smoothie that I happened upon. I used the phrase "happened upon" because I never found myself that fond of a particular fruit that I used in it.

That particular fruit would be the peach. Yes, a Georgia peach who never fully liked peaches. Unless, of course, they were drowning in a processed syrup of some sort. Sad but true.

If you're wondering what moved me to try one in a smoothie, I can only give you a simple answer. A cousin of mine brought some over. And I didn't want them to go to waste so I used them. That is all.

What makes my change of heart even more interesting is that I suddenly fell in love with their aroma as they ripened. It's funny to me because I've seen plenty of peaches. I've smelled plenty of peaches. But I never was inclined to bite into a fresh one until I caught a good whiff of one of them in its prime. Once my nose was sprung, I thought of how I could use this baby in a smoothie.

So I whipped out one of my bags of frozen bananas, my hemp protein powder & hemp milk and got the party started. I peeled the peach, cut it up, took a bite of its delicious flesh and dropped it with all the other ingredients into my blender.

So good.

*Sidenote: I find it ridiculously funny how I won't think to take a picture of my smoothies until after I've drank some of it. Which is why you may notice certain rings on my glass full of smoothie. Lol. I'm working on it.

On to my run in the KP Corporate Run/Walk which was last Thursday. First, let me say that I am truly thankful to the running gods for cooler weather. ;) ATL was burning up this summer, so it was quite refreshing to do a race in cooler temps with little humidity.

It was a 5K evening race, with a fairly nice course. Yes, there were a few hills but they weren't so bad, and a very challenging hill right at Georgia State University. I believe I'm improving on running up hill. The GSU hill kind of reminded me of "Cardiac Hill" of the Peachtree Road Race. Although I ended up walking a little bit of it, I did push myself to run more of it than I thought I could.

So overall, I'm pretty happy with my efforts in this race. As far as my time, I have no idea what I ran. I didn't think to check the clock for my time and I haven't purchased a run tracker as of yet so.. oh well. It's all good. I know I had a great run.

Not sure if I'll be able to run in the next race that I chose, the Walk of Heroes 5K. My personal goal was to commit to two races a month but with my car ~~cutting up~~ needing maintenance, I'm not sure if I'll be able to make that goal this month. Either way, I'll still be running on my own time which is 3 times a week, so I'm not really stressing about it. It is what it is. And I plan on making the best of all things, so onward I go.

Do you have any personal fitness goals? If so, how are they coming along?

MY INTERESTING MIX TWIST-OUT RESULTS

2011-09-13T01:05:00.000-04:00

Hi Lovelies!
As promised, I am posting pics of my twist-out from my "interesting mix". In all honesty, my expectations were somewhere between none existent to low. So I'm actually impressed with the results.

Here's how it came out.

My hair was slightly damp, in the back, from my morning run but still came out pretty nice.

Funny story behind this twist-out. I ran early Saturday morning, came home planning do a quick clean-up to take my daughter to get her learner's drivers license. When I got home from my run, I discovered that she was still sleep and wanted to get up later like 10 am. Typical teen. Keep in mind that the place closes at 12 on Saturdays. But since its not far from us, I knew it would be a quick drive. So I let her sleep. And in the process, I chilled for a minute. Yes, in all my funky glory. Lol.

She gets up at 10 and we're both having to hit the shower. I hop in after she's done with hers. During my shower, she knocks on the door to tell me that she has to be there by 11:15 to be served. Ummm, and why did you not tell me this earlier? Better yet, why didn't you just go on and get up earlier? Thinking too much like a mom?.. Hm-kay.

So we get there in time and she's filled out her paperwork. I've signed where necessary only to find out that I have to get a new license. Why? Hadn't updated my license since we've moved. And for my teen to get her learners, the address that she wrote down and the one on my license had to be the same. Which meant, I had to take another picture. Ruh-roh! Jesus be a lace-front!! My 6-day old, frizzed & sweaty-from-running twists were not cute. Yes, I stepped out the house like that. Sue me. So yes. My current license has me smiling like a beauty queen with a "side-eye" worthy hairdo. Well, at least my smile looks good. Lol.

Okay. Back to the hair...

Now I wouldn't put my results up there with Jane Carter Solutions Twist & Lock or Darcy's Botanicals Madagascar Vanilla Styling Creme. My mix's moisture level isn't quite up there with those two products. But it definitely comes close.

The definition wasn't bad either. Especially, given the fact that it was still a little damp.

What do you all think?......

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-09-12T07:08:00.000-04:00

"It can't be birthed until you give it permission. Stop searching for it, stop looking for it. It's within.

~ Shelley Chapman of Naturibeauty.com and the future site, EatRelateLove.com

Wishing you all a wonderful day.

AMERICA REMEMBERS.... I REMEMBER

2011-09-11T08:56:00.000-04:00

MY NOD TO NYFW

2011-09-10T18:05:00.000-04:00

Well, kinda sorta....

I actually took these photos weeks ago. Maybe even a month ago. I had intended to post them on yesterday but circumstances surrounding my car prevented me from doing so. Btw, anyone in the Dekalb area of metro-Atlanta who knows a reputable & reasonable mechanic for VW's, holla at me.

Anyhoo, these are some photos I took of me wearing a lovely tunic from Wewe Clothing. Folake, of StylePantry.com, gifted me this pink one along with a lime green tunic that I purchased during their 4th of July sale.

Hmm, check out "the girls" side-profile. Can you tell I wore a push-up bra? haha!

Wore a necklace I swiped from my mother's closet. Lol. Got the idea to wear a bigger necklace to cover up my "girlie dip" from Folake herself.

Had to take a pic of my China Glaze "For Audrey" polish. I love this shade! Took me forever to find it. I bought it off of Amazon.com only to find out a cousin of mine found hers at a Sally's. Womp womp.

I swear I was not trying to give a "Zoolander" look. My brother just caught me like that. Haha!!

I so love this look! Big hugs to Folake. Mmuah!!

I love my tunics. On top of being vibrantly beautiful colors, they were right on time for the blazing hot weather we were experiencing. Kept me in the cool. =)

I heart Folake. She's truly a sweetie with an enviable fashion sense. Her giving nature inspires me to give more and in more ways.

Here's a little something extra that I love about Wewe clothing:

"We are an eco-friendly company. Whenever possible we choose organic and fair-trade fabrics for production, and look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Our African fabrics use low-impact, non-toxic dyes straight from Nigeria.

Beyond our clothing, we do everything possible to widen our eco-efforts in the workplace. We encourage our workers to commute by bike to work and for running errands. We are a near-paperless shop, relying on our trusty laptops, phones and other modern conveniences to bypass useless printing."

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

POOKA PURE AND SIMPLE BOUTIQUE GRAND OPENING

2011-09-08T07:02:00.000-04:00

If you're in, or near, Orange, New Jersey you are in for a treat.

"On Saturday, September 10th, Pooka Pure and Simple (“Pooka”) will launch its first retail store called the Pooka Body Boutique with an official mayoral ribbon cutting. The Pooka Body Boutique will essentially become a “one stop shop” for all of one’s full body needs. From 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., avid supporters and new customers will have a chance to sample and explore the Pooka brand along with enjoying champagne and hors d’oeuvres. With a complete line of natural products that range from an Elbow Grease, a non-petroleum body moisturizer available in several tantalizing aromas like Vanilla Sand and Honey Almond, to a specialized Hair Nectar, which is designed to revitalize and moisturize hair, the Pooka Body Boutique will carry natural essentials for every skin type and body part."

Here's what I like most about their grand opening:

"The idea for the Pooka Body Boutique developed out of a revitalization project lead by HANDS, Inc., a non-profit organization, currently transforming Orange, NJ into the urban village of the 21st Century- a just and beautiful city."

You can visit Pooka Pure and Simple online, here.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY WEDNESDAY QUOTE

2011-09-07T00:18:00.000-04:00

"Be a lamp unto yourselves! Work out your liberation with diligence! Fill your mind with compassion!"

~Buddha

{{Hugs}},

AN INTERESTING MIX

2011-09-06T12:47:00.000-04:00

Hola Peeps!

Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day holiday. Mine was low-key which equals wonderful for me.

Since I have yet to make my way to Sage Naturalceuticals for some Darcy’s Botanicals Madagascar Vanilla Styling creme, I’ve been venturing on the DIY tip. I'm trying to find combo’s with products that I already have so I'm trying to use up some things I have at home. May need to do a giveaway. ;)

Anyhoo, I happened to be reading this post by Shelli, of Hairscapades, who mentioned using a mixture of ecostyler gel and shea butter to smooth her hair down. So-o-o-o-o, since I already have these items in my possession, I decided to give it a try.

First, I mixed the Olive Oil Ecostyler gel with my shealoe (shea butter, aloe vera gel & oil) mixture. It turned out fine but with little lumps here and there because of the stiffness my shealoe mixture. I just emulsified the lumps into the mix and then applied it to my hair like any other gel-like product. The results were good. My hair was set in place, yet soft. I’m always concerned about gel making my hair rock-hard but this mix proved to be fine. Aside from the lumpiness of it, I liked it.

Olive Oil Ecostyler gel

Then I finally decided to twist up my hair again. So I needed some more of my make-shift holding product. This time, I mixed the same Olive Oil Ecostyler gel (Lord knows, I got enough to last til 2015) with Natural Oasis Shea Hair & Scalp Butter. This butter is a lot more pliable than my personal mix which made it a breeze to smoothly mix in with the ecostyler gel.

Natural Oasis Shea Hair & Scalp butter

My mixture of the two. Uh, you do not see a hair. No?... I tried. *shrugs* My bad.

Trying to show the texture of the mixture here.

This mixture felt kinda funny while I was applying it to my sectioned hair for twisting. But when I spritzed my hair w/a little more water, it helped. So far, my hair feels (and looks) great. It’s touchably soft, not greasy. Not stiff or hard. But just right. I would venture so far as to say that my hair feels almost the same as if as when I’ve used twisting products like Darcy’s MVSC (mentioned above) or Jane Carter Solutions Twist & Lock. Almost but not far from it. The big test comes when I take the twists down for a twist-style.

I promise to take and post pics whether the outcome is good or bad.
Have any of you ever done a mix similiar to this?....

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

2011-09-05T09:14:00.000-04:00

Wishing everyone a fun-filled & safe Labor Day holiday!

NO WORDS - SO RANDOM FRIDAY

2011-09-02T11:54:00.000-04:00

Oh my, Lovelies! I have had an eventful morning. Needless to say, I will be partaking in some kind of cocktail tonight. Oh! I forgot! I am running in the morning. So that cocktail will have to wait til Saturday night. But either way, I will have me a good strong & sweet one soon and very soon.

Anyhoo. I was on twitter yesterday and caught a link to a vid in the funny & intelligent Gem, of Rainbow Lens timeline that.. just.... ~~blew my mind~~.. ~~made no sense~~...um, I have no words.

For your viewing pleasure....

Seriously. I. Have. No. Words.
Wishing you all an awesome holiday weekend full of laughter, fun, joy & love.
{{Hugs}},

THESE ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

2011-09-01T08:02:00.000-04:00

Auria earphones

Good Morning Beautiful Ones!

Back in July, I went to the Peachtree Road race expo, which was the weekend before the race. It was really fun walking around and checking out all the vendors. One of which was from Auria.

Auria is a company that makes earphones and wireless headsets that can successfully be used during runs, serious workouts and the likes. Months before I had even spotted them, I knew that I needed an alternative to my standard earbuds that always fell out of my ears due to either sweat and/or motion. So I was happy to see them set up for the expo event. And,of course, I ended up investing in a pair. They have not disappointed me.

One of the representatives showed me how to place them in my ear and swap out the rings to better fit my earlobe size.

earbud rings

I also got to choose a free personalizer with my purchase that day, which by the way, comes in many styles that you can check out here. Coo--ool. They're also very easy to switch out because they easily pop on and off, yet stay in place.

I am very pleased with the sound quality but more importantly, I'm loving the fact that they stay in my ears when I'm running. This, of course, is when I take the time to put them in my ear. You definitely have to be sure that you put them in securely which doesn't take much. A couple of times, I've rushed to get started and been sloppy about their placement. Those are the only times that they've popped out. Otherwise, they are just about a part of my ear as I go about my business running. The Auria.com website says that they use LOBE technology in their design. Stating,“LOBES delicately conform to your ears and hold the earphones comfortably in place even after hours of use.” I totally agree. Once you have them in there, they are in and stay in place until you're done doing what you do.

The cost wasn't too bad, given the quality of the earbuds. If I recall correctly, they were close to but under $30.

Would I make this purchase again or recommend this product? Definitely! It gets 5 out of 5 orchids from me. ;)

SIMPLE KALE-MANGO SMOOTHIE

2011-08-31T00:27:00.000-04:00

Kale-Mango Smoothie

Hi Lovelies!

Just wanted to share this quick & easy smoothie that I made a few days ago. It's pretty simple and takes no time to make.

Ingredients
4 to 5 kale leaves (or however many you can take)
ripe mango
2 T of chia seeds (soaked)
distilled water
can add ice (I may have used some since none of my other ingredients were frozen.)

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend til smooth to desired consistency.

*Note to self: Remember to take the picture(s) before you begin drinking the smoothie. Lol.

Wishing you all a wonderful hump-day.

THE BANANA CLIP - "SAY HELLO TO MY LIL FRIEND"

2011-08-30T13:04:00.000-04:00

sturdy banana clip

Hi Gorgeous Ones!

Just had to share with you how I'm becoming close friends with my sturdy banana clip. Not to be confused with the more basic model that uses a lesser dense plastic. That one would not hold my hair for any amount of time. The one pictured above has end pieces that snap securely into place, so that you pretty much have to pull it apart with a little effort.

open sturdy banana clip

Anyhoo, this is the basic updo that I did with my clip.

side view

It is very simple and to be honest, a quick fix for most hair situations like an old twist-out, post work-out hair or I-really-don't-feel-like-it-today hairdo. Lol.

All I did was smooth my hair back, as if I were going to put in a ponytail. Then I turned my banana clip vertical and secured my hair into it.

back view

I tucked my ends up under the bulk of my hair, covering the bottom end of the clip, and used many a bobby pin & hair pin to secure it.
I really was pleased with the ease and look of this 'do.
Btw, so love the backview of my neck here. Lol. I'm working hard to keep any rolls & creases away. Back and neck fat be damned!!

You may or may not be able to tell that I tried to do that front-bump thingy. It's still a work in progress for me. Lol.

Since I've discovered that I can do many things with a banana clip, I'm really eager to try some things. I've gotten some great ideas from WestNDNBeauty and Shelli of Hairscapades. I put the links in their names for you to click on to see.

Have you discovered any great hairdo's with your banana clip?

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-08-29T07:23:00.000-04:00

"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer. "

~Denis Waitley

Have a wonderful day!

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

2011-08-25T00:40:00.000-04:00

My old babies.

So excited, Lovelies!

I finally laid my old running shoes down. I knew there time of eternal rest was coming soon but my major clue came after my last race, when I heard my right shoe make a popping noise every time my foot hit the ground. Yes. That would be classified as a definite sign.

So, on yesterday, I eagerly headed to Big PeachRunning Co.’s Decatur location for a good running shoe. I love this place. It’s more than a simple running shoe store. I would call it to a "running boutique". It’s clean and well-organized. The associates are professional, friendly and know their stuff. I believe the staff are avid & seasoned runners. And on top of all that the customer service is awesome! Not only do they sell shoes, but also running attire, accessories & supplements.

Once I walked into the store, I was promptly greeted by Tim, the store manager. I told him about how I've recently gotten into running. And of my goals and what I’m doing so far. He put me on a machine that basically measures your foot’s pressure points. After analyzing my foot images, he brought out a base shoe for me to try on and run in on a “special” treadmill. This “special” treadmill records your jogging/running stride to see how your foot hits the ground. At this point, they (and you) can see whether you over-pronate (a sort of rolling inward or outward of your foot when you hit the ground) and what part of your foot hits the ground first. Based on the analysis, they bring out several other shoes that could possibly work well for your stride. I was encouraged to try them on and even run around in the parking lot in them to get a good feel. That suprised me!

I ended up falling in love with the second pair of shoes I tried on.

My New Balance babies.

They’re so light on my feet. So much so that none of the other shoes compared to them. The others all felt like clunkers in comparison. I swear the feeling of these is almost airy. So I committed myself to them and took them home. Can’t wait to tell you how they’re working out in the upcoming weeks.

Stoked about my next run!

REVISIT/REPOST ON MY FAV SUMMER JUICE

2011-08-24T08:53:00.000-04:00

Punch - circa 2009

Hi Lovelies!

I hope that your week is going well. You've made it this far, you can most certainly make it to the weekend and then some.

Lately, I've been thinking about (and missing) one of my favorite summer juices. It something that I picked up from Dan McDonald, Youtube's Life Regenerator. It's so refreshing and unbelievably like fruit punch. It's so basic that its almost ridiculous how good it is. I'm talking about that good old watermelon-lemon juice.

Here's the repost from 2009 on it:

Many people are enjoying the health benefits of consuming raw juices. These powerful elixirs have the ability to strengthen and heal weak cells, increase your oxygen levels, and electron activity through their enzymes, and importantly, saturate your body with needed nutrients. When people are ill, they sometimes have difficulty digesting food. Juice is typically a food that anyone can digest no matter how impaired their anatomy is. Keep in mind that disease states are not the only areas helped by consuming raw juice. Athletes and people who aren't ill use these powerful liquids to prevent free radical damage through the wide spectrum of antioxidants that they provide.
Speaking of which, I have been juicing it up with my Breville Juice Fountain. My current fav juice is a Watermelon/Lemon juice. Very easy and delicious. Tastes like punch.

Watermelon- Lemon punch, pic circa 2009

There are many healthy benefits that you get from watermelons and lemons. The following is a listing of these:

Benefits of Lemon:
1. Lemon act as blood purifier and improves the body’s ability to get rid of toxins.

2. Lemon fruit is excellent in fighting disease that's related to infection.

3. Buy lemon to get rid of certain insects. It’s mother nature’s version of insecticides and will help to repel mosquitoes and flies

4. Some people love antiseptics and would apply it to their skin whenever they have the smallest cut. The good news is you can use lemon on cuts too since it's nature's antiseptics. Not only that, because of its styptics property, it is said that lemon could be applied on cuts to stop bleeding.

5. Drinking lemon juice is useful for people with heart problem - because of its high potassium content

The use of Lemon:
1. Drink fresh lemon juice to cleanse your system

2. Use pure lemon juice on wasp and bee stings to relieve pain

3. Lemon juice mixed with olive oil may help to dissolve gallstones

4. It is believed that regular intake of fresh lemons may be useful in treating cases of kidney stones

And the list goes on for watermelon so I'll try to make this as to the point as possible...

Benefits of Watermelon - Watermelon Nutrients
Watermelon is 92% water, 8% sugar, and high in electrolytes (sodium, potassium, and magnesium), making it a wonderful "energy drink" to hydrate the body.

Watermelon is a good source of vitamin A and beta carotene. Eating watermelon is actually better for your eyes than eating carrots in preventing age-related vision loss (such as macular degeneration and cataracts).

Other watermelon nutrients include vitamin C, thiamin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B1.

Benefits of Watermelon Nutrients - Antioxidants
Besides including the antioxidants vitamin C, vitamin A, and beta carotene, research has recently discovered watermelon is rich in lycopene (a phytochemical). On average, watermelons have about 40% more lycopene than raw tomatoes.
Antioxidants protect cells against free radicals (damaging molecules that play a role in cancer, heart disease, and other diseases). Lycopene is said to be particularly effective in preventing prostate cancer.
Benefits of Watermelon Nutrients - Citrulline
Watermelon is high in citrulline, a non-essential amino acid our bodies use to make arginine, an essential amino acid. Benefits of these amino acids include:
• removing ammonia from the body
• lowering blood pressure
• promoting energy
• strengthening the immune system
• stimulating the pancreas to release insulin
• maintaining acid base balance.

*According to scientists at the Texas A&M's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center, citrulline found in watermelon acts similar to sildenafil citrate (better known as Viagra).

Watermelon-Lemon punch w/chia seeds, pic circa 2009

You may be wondering what is that stuff at the top of CO's watermelon-lemon juice. Well, I decided to add some Chia seeds to it. Remember my Chia seed post. I just soaked about 1.5 Tablespoons of Chia seeds in distilled water for 30 minutes. After I juiced the melon and lemon, I added the seeds to it.

Oh, here's the recipe which I mostly wing.

WATERMELON PUNCH
1/4 to 1/2 of a small watermelon
1 lemon
I simply juice it, drink and enjoy.

Also, here's a list of issues and some juices that you can drink to address them.

**from : THE JUICING BOOK – Steven Blauer

Hope you enjoyed! I'll be picking up some more lemons and a couple of watermelons today to quench my thirst & craving for this juice.

Do you have a favorite juice you enjoy?....

ANANDA'S RETRO INSPIRED PIN-UP

2011-08-23T00:24:00.000-04:00

Hi Lovelies!

Today I'm posting another updo that I absolutely adore. I peeped this one out weeks ago on The Curl Station's facebook page, which you can go to here.
I love a hairstyle that does the double-duty of being beautiful and protective.

This is Ananda's retro inspired pin-up.

GOR-GEOUS!! That's all I can say.

And here's a view of the back.

Lovely.

I have been trying to figure this one out on my own but haven't quite worked out that top section, especially. I've been told that they are working on a how-to video for this particular style. So as soon as I hear something, I'll be posting it also.

You can also find The Curl Station on Youtube here. And their website here.

If any of you have a clue as to how to try to accomplish this look, please share. I'd love to know.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-08-22T00:22:00.000-04:00

Tonivc of flickr

"Be ok with not being perfect...perfect is vanilla anyway. Be

ok with beginnings and

endings...both are merely windows of exciting opportunities.

Be ok with living a simple

life...simple is always best. Be ok with showing your true

colors..if not now...then when? Be

ok with your choices..or simply change them if you want.

There are no limits on

change...how freeing is that!"

~ Charlie Pinkston (creator of The Vegan Muse), from Facebook

FRIDAY FUNNY : WARNING - NSFW

2011-08-19T01:24:00.000-04:00

NSFW*NOT SAFE FOR WORK*NSFW

Happy Friday, Lovelies!

I stumbled upon this absolutely hilarious pic, when I was looking for random funny pictures of women or people running for my previous post. I actually googled "running faces" and up popped this jewel in the lineup.

source

I swear, I don't know which is funnier to me. The fact that there are actually people running "without any type of restraint" or the photo of all these naked bums in running shoes & baseball caps with what looks like rental car advertisements written on their backs. Who am I kidding? Its totally hilariously from all angles. In my quick & flighty research, I saw that some people (animal activists) have run naked as a way of protesting the bull runs that go on in Spain. However, I'm not sure these folk have the same reason in mind. As a matter of fact, the streakers in this photo are not in Spain. They are in Australia.

Here's the story behind the photo:

“The once annual bare-all bash, dubbed the Running of the Bulls to mark the first storm of the Wet season, began with about 150 streakers in 1993 before it was disbanded in the Cape mining town eight years later. Longtime locals believe the nude 2km dash could help put Weipa back on the tourist map.

"It is time to resurrect it," said Weipa Town Authority board member Peter Graham.
"There is a push to bring it back to life even if the race has to start out with runners wearing mankinis just to get it over the line."

Supporter and businessman Geoff Bryant said the nude run with both men and women was traditionally staged at 2am after a sausage sizzle to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

"It is run in the dark of night so as to not scare little children and as a matter of public decency," he said.”

I don't know about you all but the simple mention of the word "mankini" cracks me up everytime. Haha!! Then to link a nude run to a "sausage sizzle". OMG!! And yes, I highlighted the words & phrases on purpose. Lol. I know, I might be wrong for that but it's right there. It cannot be missed! Hahahaha!!

Okay, I'll admit that I'm posting this in the middle of the night which basically equates to me being super sleepy which can result in me being a bit silly. But this stuff right here is made to laugh at. Hahaha!! "...so as to not scare little children"..Rofl!! Oh damn. Let me stop now. And yes, I know my sense of humor might be a bit...twisted. But it's still funny.

Okay. Enough of me cutting up. I'm going to bed now.
I hope that you all have a great weekend.
And if this didn't make you laugh, then I hope that you can catch a giggle from something in your weekend.

Much Luv,

THE GRAND FINALE!

2011-08-18T19:56:00.000-04:00

Chastain Park

Hi Lovelies!

Last Saturday, I ran the Atlanta Track Club's "Grand Finale 5k" race. I was so looking forward to it, partly because I knew I was going to be running in a beautiful, tree-filled & landscaped area that would lead me into an almost euphoric state of running.

source
Nope. Never reached this state or even one close to it. I was moreso channeling the young lady behind her, with a heavy emphasis on panting. Lol.

The race took place at Chastain Park, which amazingly enough, I had never been to. But I knew that the park was in an upscale residential area. And it definitely was. What I didn't know, was that this particular area is very hilly. I mean, very hilly. Oh my, God!! So hilly!

The race started on a down-slope that, with a quick left turn in the course, changed to an incline. It was a steady incline of about 20 to 45'ish degrees, which I honestly thought would eventually even out. Granted it did, only to bring us a sharp hill. Ooh wee!! *Sighs* What can I say? It was rough. And here's the kicker. That wasn't the only sharp hill. Ma-a-a-annn! Needless to say, I couldn't tell you much about the beauty of the area. I mean, I barely even glanced at the park. I was too busy trying to make it. Lol.

Now don't get me wrong. Although it was a challenging race for me, I still had fun. I even got my brother to join me, since the 5K fell on a Saturday which is one of our usual running days. So proud of him!

And yes, as hard as it was, I am still considering running "that girl" again next year. Lol. What can I say? I'm all into running now. ;)

Well, my next race is the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk in September. It's another 5K that I'm looking forward to. Although I kind of wish it was later in September. I'm longing to run in cooler temps. Granted, it's an evening race, starting at 7 o'clock. Our temps are still quite hot at that time. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a cool-front that week.

So how's your fitness regimen going?....

DAIYA "MOZZARELLA CHEESE" TOMATOES

2011-08-17T09:14:00.000-04:00

Hola Gorgeous Ones!

Had to drop this quick & simple snack recipe that I revisited recently. Yes, its vegan. And yes, it's delicous.

I basically sliced up a tomato. Seasoned them with oregano, garlic powder (was out of fresh garlic), a little basil & salt.

Then topped them with some mozzarella Daiya cheese. Daiya cheese is a dairy-free & soy-free vegan product that melts really well and tastes great! It comes in cheddar, mozzarella & the recent pepperjack flavors.

Then I popped them in the 450 degree oven for maybe 10 minutes or so. Long enough for the cheese to melt. Then took them out to cool for a moment.

And voila!

Good eating.

OH, YES I DID.

2011-08-16T00:51:00.002-04:00

Hahaha! I'm talking about bantu knots. I did me some for the first time and absolutely loved them. My goal was to do a bantu knot-out. But the knot-out turned out absolutely hideous, which is why you will not see pics of it. Lol. Instead, I'll be focusing on the hairstyle that I've gotta do again before the summer is over.

Here is me sans make-up. I had washed, deep conditioned and knotted my hair. I expected to be at home the entire day until it was suddenly necessary for me to do a Whole Foods run.

As you can see the, the sections were undefined & uneven. No particular pattern whatsoever. But I went on and quickly threw on a little make-up for my quick run out.

Yes, I was quite pleased with this particular look. As a matter of fact, I felt fly as hell rockin' these!
Can't wait to do this again with definitive sections. Oh, and the only reason I lack earrings in these photos is because I took these after I got back from the store.

Here's what they look like when sectioned with a pattern in mind.

Remember when Jada rocked these in the Matrix movies? Still hot!

Love these!

Have you done something that you ended up falling in love with?

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

2011-08-15T00:23:00.000-04:00

Folake Huntoon

"Try to say nothing negative about anybody for three days, for forty-five days, for three months. See what happens to your life."

~ Folake Huntoon of Style Pantry & Wewe Clothing

Have a beautiful Monday, Luvs!

ChocolateOrchid

PAUSE: A BLOGGING HIATUS

TUESDAYS R 4 TRESSES: Color & Style Aspirations and Inspirations

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVELIES!!!

LEARNING RECAP OF 2011 & 2012 GOALS

DEEP CONDITIONER LOVE: BEE MINE BEE-U-Ti-FUL DEEP CONDISH

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

MY NEW COLOR *FAIL*

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

A HEROINE ENTREPRENEUR REVISIT w/DEMEKA SCOTT

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

BLACK FRIDAY BUYS

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

RUNNING IN COLD WEATHER with KRISTY

IN A STATE OF GRATITUDE

CARROT-GINGER SOUP C/O GRIMMWAY FARMS

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

RUNNING IN COLD WEATHER

CANDIDA - What is it? What is the candida diet?

TUESDAYS R 4 TRESSES

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

UH-HUH.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

UPDATES ON RUNNING....WELL, SORT OF. AND OTHER STUFF.

SAVING ONE PRECIOUS HEAD AT A TIME

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

SIMPLE CHUNKY SALAD

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

UPDATES ON RUNNING

HAIR GOODIES UP FOR GRAB!!

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

TOUCH YOURSELF

FIGHT THE POWER III - "The Coup de Grâce "

EVOO...THE NAIL SAVER

"HAT"-LICIOUS 2011/2012

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

FIGHT THE POWER!! {part deux}

FIGHT THE POWER!!

The Food Connection

A Perfect Fruit for Sufferers

Other Mucus-Relief Fruits

Vegetables

Warm and Spicy

Foods to Avoid

AND THE WINNER IS..............

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

ARE U READY? ....SO RANDOM FRIDAY

GREEN SMOOTHIE with CHARD

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS GIVEAWAY!!

A FEW REASONS WHY REST/SLEEP ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR HEALTH

AND ANOTHER ADDITION TO MY "INTERESTING MIX"

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

WOW!!...THANKS TO ALL! I FEEL A GIVEAWAY COMING ON!

SMOOTHIES & THE KP CORPORATE RUN/WALK 5K

MY INTERESTING MIX TWIST-OUT RESULTS

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

AMERICA REMEMBERS.... I REMEMBER

MY NOD TO NYFW

POOKA PURE AND SIMPLE BOUTIQUE GRAND OPENING

GOOD NEWS MONDAY WEDNESDAY QUOTE

AN INTERESTING MIX

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

NO WORDS - SO RANDOM FRIDAY

THESE ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

SIMPLE KALE-MANGO SMOOTHIE

THE BANANA CLIP - "SAY HELLO TO MY LIL FRIEND"

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

REVISIT/REPOST ON MY FAV SUMMER JUICE

ANANDA'S RETRO INSPIRED PIN-UP

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

FRIDAY FUNNY : WARNING - NSFW

THE GRAND FINALE!

DAIYA "MOZZARELLA CHEESE" TOMATOES

OH, YES I DID.

GOOD NEWS MONDAY QUOTE

MY NEW COLOR FAIL