We like to party!!!!!

To Do List Thursdays: 80/20 Rule

I have Internet ADHD. I can never get a chance to finish reading something because I'm always searching information that was mentioned in the article I was trying to read.  But anyway, on my search (I can even remember what I was looking for in the first place) I found this article talking about the 80/20 rule.  It was mentioned in the movie "Why did I get married" but for other reasons.  This rule is mainly applied in businesses, but can applied to your personal life as well.  The rule states that 80% of your outcome or results are based on 20% of your activity or input.  If you apply this to any areas of your life, you have to figure out what part of your life makes you the happiest (80%)--then apply how you achieved being happy (20%) and focus more of your time and energy on the 20% so that you can get the greatest results (80%) of being happy.

So the moral of the story...work harder on the 20% so that you can achieve the desired 80% (not the other way around).  Not only work smart, but work smart on the right things.  Stop wasting time on things that don't matter...

Here's an example...  (+) 20% of t.v being off  can contribute to 80% of weight loss...instead the situation is this  (-)20% of my t.v being on contributes to 80% of my weight gain..lol

 The real meaning of 80/20 in the above case....."get up off your lazy a$$"

Enjoy

Drama Cravers- Why You Mad Though?

I love this....it's true. I admit, I've done this before.

Talk Tuesdays: Real Talk

I've noticed something about the relationships that I have with the people in my life. I talk a lot of "fluff". What's "fluff" you ask? It's not talking REAL TALK from the heart. You know, telling the "real deal" about a situation. Instead, I tend to apse the person by going on with whatever they are saying.  I may not agree, but I just let them go ahead and vent their frustrations out on the situation. I guess frankly...I don't want to hurt any one's feelings.  You know the statement "it's not what you say, it's how you say it" and guess what.. I don't say anything (which is just as bad). Well, I don't know how say it (without sounding harsh).  There's also knowing the balance between when people want to vent vs. adding your thoughts on the situation without sounding like your hating or that your on the other persons side.

 I've seen some people who are so blunt when talking that you feel like your being stabbed repeatedly in the stomach.  People who are like this really give you a dose of reality real quick and sometimes people with thin skin cannot take it.  By know means do I want to be like that because people still have feelings.

So I say all this say, sometimes people need to hear the truth.  By NOT saying anything is even worse because this maybe what the person needs for their growth process to continue.  My journey it to find the right (1) balance in knowing when to say something and (2) approach without sounding too harsh.

Have you ever had someone say something to you and it cut you to your core?   OOuucchh

Good night

Talk Tuesdays: I'm really feelin' my TWA.... and not the airline (lol)

Though I have a TWA (tweeny wenny afro), my curls were popping. I was really feelin' it today.  I'd like to a shout out to...  Hello Hydration (by Herbal Essence), water and Ecostyler gel..
I'm just sayin'

Goapele - Milk and Honey

Another great artist that doesn't get air play.

Good music

Eric Roberson - Picture Perfect feat. Phonte

There's a lot of artist  that do not get recognition they deserve. Eric Roberson is one artist that is awesome. Sexy lyrics, sexy music and just plain ole' sexy.


Good Night

Soulful Sunday: So Amazing.......

I had the pleasure of spending time with my family in Jersey this weekend.   My cousin had a grand opening of her new boutique in Orange.  I am so proud of her for expanding her bath & body store to it's new location. We had a blast. There were over 100 people who attended the event.  There was ribbon cutting, red carpet walking, music playing, a performer performing, cake eating & people shopping- all in one place.  What more can you ask for. Please check her out at http://www.pookapureandsimple.com/ It's all natural products. She's doing some good things.

  My cousin Dawn speaking at the ribbon cutting

Pooka products

 Being interviewed

 The most amazing red velvet cake shaped like pooka products on top (they were eatable)

 Shopping

More products

Her book


We had so much fun.......

Freestyle Fridays: Vertigo....maybe

I could recall in my "hay day" my friends and I were avid season pass holders to Six Flags Great Adventure in Jersey.  We would make it our business to go throughout the summer. Boy, did we get our money's worth.  I'm telling you, we rode all the rides in the park. From, the Batman, Scream Machine, Rolling Thunder (even when it went backwards), the log flume ride  and the Runaway Train. We ate cotton candy, funnel cake, took pictures and watched the dolphin shows. Boy, those were the days. Yes, those days.

  

Well tonight, I went to the Maryland State Fair. Let me tell you, I was one dizzy broad. And guess what... I didn't get on any rides. There were to many people, alot of teenie boppers and spinning rides going every which way. I was dizzy just looking at them.  I guess it's time for the young ones to take the torch because my torch just blew out. Ride on youngsters.

Not dizzy yet, we just got there....lol

To Do List Thursdays: The best $1.99 spent...

There's a store here called Ollie's which sells overstock type items.  I go there from time to time to pa rouse the aisles for goodies.  The book selection is great. You can find unique titles at a fraction of the cost.

While browsing the aisles, I found a workbook called  "The One Life Solution Workbook". This workbook is filled with exercises that really get you thinking.... about life.   A few exercises include:
~ a life audit
~creating your mission and vision statement-for your life
~finding out what is consuming your time
~and developing clear boundaries

 From this, I've come to realize that.....I never fully participated in the life GOD has created for me. I just roamed around it or through it- but was never apart of it.  Everyone has some sort of gifts and talents that HE has given us. It's up to YOU to utilize them which will make HIM happy as well as YOURSELF. 

So, for starters, I will sit back and do a "life audit" to see what's going on.  I challenge you to see what's what and evaluate if your living your full potential that GOD has given you. If the IRS can do it, why can't we.

Good Night

I Will Wait For You with Subtitles

Every now and then I wonder...when is it going to be my time? I miss the days of having a regular phone call, a steady date, someone to snuggle with and someone to come home to discuss your day with .... you know..a man. 

Since dating MR. UNAVAILABLE, this video reminds me why I MUST wait patiently.. for HIM to arrive.

Enjoy

Sinful Saturdays: My Hurricane Preparedness

Freestyle Fridays: I have no excuse.......

It's been a minute since I posted. More like a month. And I don't have an excuse. Just being lazy... I guess. But since I've been gone, I fell in love with some products for my face, hair and body. Check them out....

For my face, I've been using Walmart's version of Cetaphil, followed by witch hazel on cotton rounds. The witch hazel is gentle on my skin and removes excess make-up and products that didn't wash off with the cleanser.  After I finish, I use Walgreen's Alpha Hydroxy face cream which is amazing.  For $7.99, I must admit that my face seems brighter. The Alpha Hydroxy removes a thin layer of skin which leaves a newer and clearer layer. I'm amazed. I follow that by Walgreen's Sun Screen SPF 55, which is light weight. It doesn't weigh down my skin. I love it and it's cheap.

Since I'm letting my hair grow out just a little bit, I had to find some products to help during this stage.  I love being natural, but I must admit, you have to find products for you hair type. I'm 4c (maybe 4b in some areas), so my hair is really coily. I found some products that work really well for my hair type & texture.  My everyday routine is as follows: mist hair with water, apply a small amount of Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration & Giovanni's leave in conditioner.  Let soak in. Then I seal with Shea butter. Let set.   I then apply IC Fantasisa Gel for color treated hair to palm using circular motions.  Believe it or not, the circulat motions form small curls.. See picture.

See curls pop-up (inside joke with co-worker).

And last, I diagnosed myself with having eczema on one finger. My middle finger to be exact.  It started to spread to index finger recently though.  It would be so inflamed and itchy at times and I needed something to calm it down. It tried cortisone, it helped...a little. But while reading articles on the internet, I knew I needed to try something with oatmeal.  I found a homemade oatmeal soap at Wegmans as well as St. Ives oatmeal and Shea butter. Guess what...no irritation or flares. Love it...

Good Night....Irene

Soulful Sundays: Thrift List

As I mentioned before, I stumble across some bloggers who inspired me to re-do/re-purpose & re-arrange things items that are purchased from the thrift stores. One of the bloggers mentioned that she has a list that she carries when going to thrift stores. You can very easily develop ADD (nothing against people who have ADD, but it's a lot of stuff that you can become distracted). 

I am by no way a handy person, but I will try my hand at a DIY project.  These ladies are doing it. I mean taking chairs, tables, cushions etc. and turning them into something amazing.  I cannot wait until I get my house and decorate it the way I want to.  When you live in an apartment, you are very limited in what you can do.

So, the next time I'm at the thrift store (tomorrow), I will have my list handy and try and find what I'm looking for.  Here's my thrift list:

~something unique to put my incense in
~future head board
~long mirror
~white comforter (which I will most be buying a retail store, but I will be looking)
~old school alarm clock (that looks like it has ears on it)
~tin watering container
~some type of chest (that I can put at end of bed)
~old school hamper

These are some of the things I will be looking out for (tomorrow) when I go thrifting.

Please check these blog sites out. You will be amazed to see some of the DIY projects from thrift store finds:
http://www.acountrygirlinthecity.blogspot.com/
http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/
http://www.potentiallybeautiful.com/

They inspired me to expand my decorating ideas to reflect a more whimsical, romantic feel that somehow puts you in a feel good frame of mind. I want to get up everyday like I'm in a hotel, but the hotel is my apartment.

I also stumbled upon a blog site where the bloggers pictures just captivated me. I got the feeling that this was the nicest family and I felt the love when scrolling through the pictures.  This inspired me to want to live the simple" life.  Check her page out:

http://www.paigeknudsen.blogspot.com/  "Simple Thoughts"

She also has another blog site called "Simple Moments".  I have to confess, I had a tear in my eye. It's a photo journey, but wow the pictures are awesome. Her family photograph's really well. That site is called: "Simple Moments" which you can get to through the above site I mentioned.

I've been really inspired lately by people that I am either meeting or stumbling across. I'm tell you more about an older lady I met while at a reggae wine festival.

But for now,
Be inspired... I am

Good night people.

Soulful Sundays: Houston, we got a problem....

Yes, I went thrifting again- today. This time, I got some things for the house which I saw yesterday but didn't buy. I was hoping that they were still there because you know how that can be. So here are just a few things that I got.

 I needed a container to put my sunglasses in. I found one that matched perfectly with my shabby chic decor (lol).

I also got another closet shoe organizer (the one on the right).  These these things are a space saver. I still have more shoes, but they are in under the bed storage containers at the top of my closet.  For $4.00 and it's sturdy, I couldn't beat that.

Okay...this is the official love of my life.  My co-worker got this for me at a yard sale for $2.00. Yes, $2.00. I'm in love. I don't have a clue what that person was thinking or not thinking. Well it found itself a new home.

This is just a pic of how I organize my clutches. It's just a file organizer. Simple and it's gets the job done.

I also got these to wire baskets. I need to put a lining down because I want to put my makeup in there and store on shelf.  The cork board will be painted (the outside) with orange (the accent color) and hung up on the bathroom wall. I am going to fill it with things to do and inspiring quotes. Lawd knows I'm going to need  that because tomorrow is 50% off at Value Village.

 

Enjoy

Sinful Saturdays: Round #2

 I thought this bag was cute for the summer....

 My dress (belt thrifted from awhile ago) had a red sticker. Yay 1/2 off

 My nice skirt. That too had a red sticker-1/2 off. Score

 This dress (Eddie Bauer) was a score at another thrift store I went to two days prior. At first, I thought I wasn't going to like it, but when I tried it on.. it fit perfect. I can't wait to wear it (belt thrifted and jean jacket- a hand me down from a co-worker.

This is a skirt which I'm going to wear as a summer dress. I likey. I got a red one, but can't wear that one as a dress because it's a-wee -bit short (er) than this. Happy New Year (a inside joke to a co-worker lol).

 I finally got my cross over bag. It's supa-dupa cute. It's from Nine West. Now when I go thrifting, I can use this so that nothing gets in the way.

Here's the inside. Cute right.

Take care....

Sinful Saturday: I heart thrifting...I don't think you heard me-I HEART THRIFTING

So, as you will see from the following pictures, me and my addictive personality are in LOVE with thrifting.  Don't get me wrong, I've done it before, but something about this time, I am feeling it. Before, I use to go for just clothes, but while I was blog searching and  I came across some blogger's that really inspired me to not only thrift for clothes, but for items for the home.   They took furniture items and re-purposed them into fabulous finds.  Remember Rachel Ashwell's "Shabby Chic"- well their style is similar to that- whimsical, romantic, county type living. It got me to wanting to re-do my itty bitty apartment to reflect this style. This style has a peaceful and serene feel. It almost makes you think your at the spa or something. So off to Goodwill I went.
There were so many unique items that you can use to add some finishing touches to your home/apartment.  I was in heaven for 2 1/2 hours.  Here are some items that I got:

 So, I'm loving these glass jars (the vase I had already) and I decided to put tea lights in them.  But while strolling through the dollar store, I found a bag of little round Styrofoam balls and rocks.  So I thought this would be good to put in the jars that I had just purchased.

So here, is the finished product. It has a beach fell to it, but I love those jars.

 So next is what I picked up for the bathroom. I got the jars with lids (at bottom @ $1.00 or less), a silver/metal tissue box covering (1st shelf@ $2.00) and another jar which is now home to my lip glosses (2nd shelf @ $1.00). Since one of the jars has a orange top, that will become my accent color.

See the orange top and the orange towel. I have another orange hand towel that I found at the dollar store which matched perfectly.

 I got a nice pitcher ($2.50) where I will be drinking my water w/lemons for days like today- HOT

And I finally got my fan. You don't understand..I've been searching (not really hard) for a hand fan (from back in the day). It's days like this you would want to whip it out of your purse and get to fanning.  A vendor at recent wine festival had one, but she was selling it for $5.00. UUmmm...nope. I got my for a mere $.25 cents. Can you believe it. When I saw it on a shelf all by it's lonesome, my eyes got HUGE with excitement. I have to glue a piece together, but for $.25 cents, it's worth it. YAY!!!!

I'm so excited with this thrifting thing (for the home especially) that I can now have my itty bitty apartment be Shabby & Chic at the same time- just alittle bit to fit that apartment.

Enjoy

Freestyle Fridays: MIA

I've been M.I.A for a bit. But I can happily report.....(drum role please)... I've been doing thangs (yes, I said- thangs) this summer-on the recreational side that is (I bet you thought I was going to say I gotta man- NOT-yet). I just been trying to keep active this summer so that maybe HE will show up at the places I attend. I guess time will tell.
 So, my friends and I have a group called: "Entertaining Jackson- Entertaining Fabulously while on a $20 budget".  We went back to our favorite spot- 7West Bistro Grille.We had wonderful time and the food was delish.  Since the East Coast has been experiencing a massive heatwave (as Tamar from the Braxton's would say- HOT.ORG), the only down fall with the restaurant it to was HOT.COM. We might as well ate outside because it was the same temperature that is was inside.  But all in all, we had a good time. Can't wait until next months event- Bowling. That should fun. Check out the pics....

The crab cakes and roasted potatoes were off the chain.  Since I don't eat meat, they say the lamb chops were superb. I heart this place minus the air conditioning.

Enjoy good people

Amel Larrieux - Gills and Tails

This artist is sooooo under-rated...

Sinlful Saturdays: What my taste buds are jumping to- this time

Nutella, whole grain bread & a banana

Toast the bread, put on the spread, cut the banana

and ta-dah.. a nice breakfast (or anytime) snack? meal? whatever you call it, it's good

Yum-O