Category Archives: Homelife

Girlfriends Getaway

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Bon dia, Bon dia!!  Hopi tempo sin wak bo, conbai cubo? LOL!!! Ok, ok let me stop… I just said Hello, hello, long time no see… how are you?  Yes, it’s me and I’m back from my glorious GG vacation.  This year we ladies vacayed to the paradise island of Aruba.  It’s been a couple years since we’ve taken our – what use to be- annual trip, so this trip was well deserved.   If you’ve been to Aruba, you know what I mean, if not.. please go.. it’s one of the most beautiful islands with the best beaches.

Sand in my feet, breeze blowing softly and music in my ears.. ahhhhhh .. Here’s the story of my travel therapy to One Happy Island.

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This year it just four of us who went: Me, Amina, Sharon (my sister-n-law), and Ethel (my aunt who I featured on the blog here)

Our days were filled with sun, sun, sun, and more sun… along with music and drinks!

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Our mornings started with a delightful breakfast we enjoyed at Aromi D’Italia..  We were pleased to find a restaurant that served turkey bacon (woo-hooo)!

Walking along the white sandy beach while gazing into the crystal blue waters really takes your stress away and allows your mind to be at peace.

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After our first day there, Amina realized she left her sunglasses, so we went out shopping that night to find her a pair.  The next day, she was all set.. here she is striking her “check out my new shades” pose heeeeheeee..

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On our breaks from the sun, I had the most delicious fish sandwich.  It was grilled grouper with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and the most delectable aioli sauce..(I fell in love with it, so much so, I had the chef give me the recipe – now I’m on the hunt for aji mojido – which is what they used to mix with mayo)

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On another day, we had massages done at Etnika Spa, located on the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort

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I immediately fell in love with the decor.. it’s so Zen-like (I wish I could have brought this little guy & basket home with me)

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The earth tones were so calming and soothing…

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Here’s the outdoor sitting area located next to the spa

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For playful times,they had these giant outdoor board games for chess and checkers players.

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Or if you wanted, you could shoot a game of pool on the outdoor pool table..

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and of course beach volleyball was a given.  How could you not enjoy a good game with this backdrop

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At a restaurant where we dined, these two men serenaded us with the lovely tune “Hello” by Lionel Richie (awwwwww… how lovely)

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On another night after dinner, we stumbled upon an Outdoor Club “South Beach Lounge” and the DJ was pretty cool.. He enjoyed giving us Jersey Girls a shout-out!  We danced our meal off that night – chuckles..

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Another day out and about, here we are exploring the town.  We had so much laughter going on.. I loved, loved, loved my time with these ladies.

 

 

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We ventured into town for a day of shopping.  Pookie was quite happy with her purchases..heeheee..

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Even though she blamed us for the purchases….. Yea Right!! I told her to blame it on the boogie-  LOL

Meanwhile, I found a  cute kitchen accessory, that pretty much described my struggle.. So it had to come home with me..

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How many of you feel me with this– lol…

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this stunning window design at Dolce & Gabanna

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While there, I learned a neighborhood friend was there as well, so we all got together on our last night and had a wonderful dinner.  The evening was filled with more laughter, joy and good times.

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This vacation was absolutely fantastic and I look forward to our next Girlfriends Getaway.  I treasure these moments, because having my sister and girlfriends in my life is definitely something I need to maintain a good balance and times like these are essential to my continued well-being.  It’s so funny, because as I sat there, thinking about life and filling my head with dreams, I opened my eyes and saw this cap sitting in the sand and said to myself “WOW”  that’s me.. I’m always a dream-chaser.

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I’d like to believe you enjoyed reading about my Girlfriends Getaway and hope it inspired you to gather up your besties and hit the road for a getaway.  Until next time, I’ll chat with you soon.. Smooches!!

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I have to give a big thank you to the Marriott Stellaris for such impeccable accommodations.  You can learn more about Aruba – One Happy Island by watching the video clip.

 

Guests Are Coming

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The holidays are approaching and I’m sure you’re going to have guests.  Today I’d like to share a few tips to prepare for their arrival.  Aside from the usual dusting.(lol).. it’s always good to refresh the sheets.  I always give them a quick spray with  a favorite linen spray.

Have a welcoming station nearby to show them how happy you are to have them.   I created this with two unused items I had lying around the house.  This little project cost me $3.50 to make – you can view how to here

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I leave a spare key for them to use (just in case I’m not home and they need to get back in)

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Utilize the dresser drawer space for spare toiletries.

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(don’t think I’m crazy, but yes, that’s a burned out candle) I keep that tucked in there, because even though I can no longer use it, the smell is still strong, so it acts a freshener ( I remove it prior to the guest arrive and place it back in there when they’re gone).  That one candle keeps all the drawers smelling fresh.

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One special touch is to get a photo of who’s coming (if you have one) and place it in frame, it’ll make them smile when they see a photograph of themselves in your home.

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Have ample room for them to place their luggage.  A trunk at the foot of the bed is always good to have to stow the pillows and for guests to place the suitcase on.

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A small bedside lamp or overhead lighting with a low watt bulb is always good at night when the ceiling light is too bright.

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A soft bedskirt placed across the end of the bed can also be a foot-warmer for additional comfort.

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Keep a trinket dish on the nightstand to hold small jewelry items (i.e rings, necklace)

Of course having magazines or books are also good to have for late night reading materials.  I really enjoy having guests come and truly cherish the moments while they’re here. Making guests as comfortable as possible and providing that home-away-from home feeling not only gives me joy, but knowing I made their stay a pleasurable experience,which ensures they’ll be happy to come back.

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I hope I offered some wonderful tips that will help you make your guest’s stay with you all the better.  If you have any other tips, please share – I’d love to hear them.

Sending smooches..

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It Went Fast

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Time sure flies when you’re having fun!!  Here’s the gang, boarded and headed to the ship..It seems like I just said my Bon Voyages to you… geeez –did vacation go fast-LOL!!  Our family reunion was a major hit and everyone had the most enjoyable time.  As a member of the planning committee – we try to make sure everyone has a good time (although sometimes its not an easy task) but this time we did it!  Yayyy  :-)..  See all the happy faces..lol..  We boarded, we ate, we partied, we sun-bathed, we partied, relaxed, we partied, rested and partied some more.  They say it’s better in the Bahamas.. and Yea.. I kinda agree.. cause we had a ball.  Just thought I’d share a few memorable photos of our good time..

Here are my sons, ready for action with their aunt and cousin

That’s moi.. with Amir (my youngest)

These are the men in my life.. Clowning around – trying to look hip… chuckles.

Look at that water..  they’re ready to hit the waves!

Can’t leave Gma out.. these boys know they love her

Cousins showin’ love.. heeeheee (these four ..hung tough)

One of our intentions was to get up early to watch the sun rise.. do some meditation, while thanking God for his many blessings… while we did thank him..but getting up was the hardest part, but thankfully some of the younger folks took care of it the best way.. they stayed up all night to watch it come up and caught the shot..  and what beautiful pictures they took.

Ahhhhhh…….. can you feel the relaxation and tranquility….  🙂  ….  That sums up our wonderful time, and now it’s back to the RiseNGrind.. but some of the items we had in the gift bags were these lovely coasters we had ordered from Sonya Nutter of Just-A-Nutter Favor.

It’s a perfect reminder for me while I’m at work, to reflect back as I keep my Pandora on the Bob Marley station reminiscing on the Caribbean vacation.

Every year we also include a House Music mixed cd (it’s a Jersey thing) and we had these fantastic cd covers made by Johanna Lewis of Perpetual Pixels

Thinking about all the fun and laughter.. spending time with my family and enjoying every moment.  I hope I didn’t bore you too much, but I wanted to share some of my personal happiness with you.  If you ever want to book a reunion or group, we used the most friendliest (and patient) agent Christine Austin of A&B Travel Services (her contact info is abtravel@att.net), her motto, “We Make Travel Dreams Happen” and that she did.. Thanks Chris for all your help.

Now back to the grind.. until next time… Smooches…

 

Off the Grid

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Hello everyone!! In the words of Olivia Pope – Your girl is going off the grid for a bit.  This week starts our family reunion and I’m totally happy.  I’m always happy when my family gets together – we have so much fun and laughter.. but this particular reunion started me smiling earlier than usual.. Why?? Because this year is a special reunion…. We will be on board of Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Sea cruise ship headed to the sunny island of the Nassau Bahamas!  Friday was my last day at the grind and I was happy and decided to take a smiley-selfie..

I’ll get better at doing that someday..lol.. but yes, right now all I can think about is sun, relaxation, fun and food.

And a week before the cruise I learned I won a survey contest that was hosted by Elle Gibson who blogs at Splendid Habitat.. you can guess I was doubly smiling.  If you’ve never visited her blog, by all means stop over and enjoy reading.. she’s really another inspiration.  Once again.. thanks Elle!  When I return, I’ll show you the goodie I purchased with my gift certificate.  🙂

Also another surprise I got was my twin found some lights for the rest haven and believe me.. I’m so happy about that.. so needless to say, we put them up, and decided to have some margaritas and toast it up on our last night home.  Thanks to Amir for serving up the drinks

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It looks so nice at night.. ahhhhh.. we really enjoyed our evening in there relaxing before our voyage..

We’ll all be up early and headed to Florida to board.. So I’ll see you when we get back..

So while I’m gone, I hope you have an enjoyable week, and I’ll talk to you soon…

Smooches and Bon Voyage!!!!!

Walls of Fabric

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Hope all is going well with you and you’re enjoying your summer.  I’ve been enjoying the fabulous weather we’ve been having.  Last week I started contemplating a few minor changes around our humble abode.  Now that the dining room is finished (you can view the before and after here) I’m looking at the our bedroom, living room and foyer.  I decided to start with the foyer (why?? because it’s a smaller area.. chuckles.. don’t want to spend too much time inside.  I started to think about stenciling – like what Nicole did over at Design it Vintage.  But then I thought about fabric.. hmmmm…so I did some research on the topic and here’s some inspiration photos I found..

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I love how all these rooms came

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and I found this over at The Thriftress with a great tutorial

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So next up … I need to hit the fabric store to see what I find that would tickle my fancy to complete this wall project.  I’ll keep you posted.. Have any of you ever considered this project?  If so, did you and how did it turn it out..  I’d love some feedback.. So holla at your girl