Monday, January 9, 2012

Éclat d'Arpège with a Touch of Snoopy

I love unwrapping presents and finding such delights in them! 


Eclat D'arpege Perfume by Lanvin is such a soft floral fragrance created in 2003.

A sophisticated fruity scent is a blend of sicilian lemon leaves, lilac green, wisteria flowers, green tea flowers, peach flowers, red peony,white cedar of lebanon, musk, and amber.

I really love the perfumed lotion because you can definitely dab a bit on as a replacement for the actual perfume for a lighter fragrance.


This certainly a cute surprise!


(Especially the Snoopy touch ♥)




Check out the Lanvin Paris website for some of their other goodies :)

M7JZARXJA4EM

Sunday, January 8, 2012

5 Reasons Why Beyonce and Jay-Z's Baby Isn't "Lucifer's Daughter"

via

I woke up today to a buzzy topic on Twitter and Facebook labeled "Lucifer's Daughter" and thought it was about a new movie or something of the sorts. Nope, it turns out some really dumb people are claiming that Beyonce and Jay-Z's new baby Blue Ivy is Lucifers Daughter.

The claim is that "Blue Ivy" spelt backwards "Eulb Yvi" translates to "Lucifers Daughter". Ok conspiracy theorists here's why I'm pretty sure Beyonce and Jay-Z's baby is NOT Lucifers':
  1. "Blue Ivy" in Latin translates to "Suspendisse Ivy" or "Puteulanus Ivy" NOT "Eulb Yvi"
  2. "Daughter" in Latin is "Filia"
  3. Let's hypothetically say the Illuminati still exists, I'm pretty sure Jay-Z and Beyonce (as awesome as they are) wouldn't make the cut since this club was for WORMs (White Old Rich Men)
  4. Movies that have been made about "Lucifer's Daughter" are just movies NOT documentaries so sorry folks, Lucifer wasn't a daddy.
  5. I don't know the significance of Ivy but it's no secret that Jay-Z kinda hearts Blue -He released The Blueprint album in 2001, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse in 2002, and The Blueprint 3 in 2009. 
Bottomline:

Everyday babies are named with all sorts of names. You don't have to like other people's baby names - if you don't like the name Blue Ivy then don't name your child that!

Best wishes to the new parents :)

[Can't believe I actually did a post on this LOL]

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Esther's Cleaning - Personalized, Quality & Très Affordable,


So this week I decided to profile Esther’s Cleaning for Small Business Saturday.

For those who hate cleaning this is best thing ever! This cute boutique cleaning company has very personalized, high quality, affordable and definitely reliable cleaning services for both home and office needs.

Esther Guzha founded the company in 2006 after realizing that she can in fact combine her passion for creating clean livable spaces with providing a much appreciated service to homes and offices across the GTA.

They guarantee a strong work ethic with a personable nature that allow them to provide excellent residential and commercial cleaning services. I tried them and definitely recommend them!

Pssst. They even have gift cards so you can even get one or two for someone.

Visit their new website at www.estherscleaning.com and "like" them on Facebook.

Friday, January 6, 2012

[Flashback Friday] Tamagotchi

via

Remember Tamagotchis?

The Tamagotchi was this super cool handheld digital pet, created in Japan which certainly made it into my pocket growing up in Nairobi. Tamagotchis live inside in a small egg-shaped computer with an interface usually consisting of three buttons, although the number of buttons may vary for different variations.

Basically the object of the "game" was to see just how long you keep your pet alive. The pet goes through several distinct stages of development throughout its life cycle and can "die" due to poor care, old age, sickness, and in a few versions, predators.

I owned two and accidentally over fed one and he died. *Sigh* Not sure what happened to the other one. In these iPad days, they probably make them cooler these days.

Either way, good times :).


Jersey Shore Season Premiere: What's with Vinny?


Okay here's the thing - I watched the Jersey Show season premiere tonight and honestly...wow! I mean it's such a bad bad show right?

I haven't been an avid watcher of this reality show but have watched enough episodes to know my way around. Tonight's season premiere was so disappointing. The only thing that stood out was Vinny. I knew he's close to his family and all but damn! He might need more than Snookie cuddles to get him through the season LOL.

If cable TV doesn't give me options next Thursday at 10pm I just might tune in again.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Lose Weight on an Avocado, a Nut and Chocolate?


High Monounsaturated Fatty Acid Foods
via
So... like many, when the year turns I start thinking about the cliché "lose weight" goal. I've never been a dieter or a fitness girl so I'm very aware that I have to set realistic expectations. Because of this my goal is to live a much healthier and balanced life [and hope to shed some those Life List #32 pounds along the way].

Over the next little while I'm going to be researching on ways to incorporate healthier living into my life and will try to share the interesting bits. I've been reading a lot about MUFA's [Monounsaturated fatty acids] and thought I'd share.

Apparently Monounsaturated fats may be beneficial for heart health when used in place of trans fats and saturated fats. Saturated fats are found in dairy products and meats and trans fats are typically found in margarine, shortening and fast food items. The coolest part is MUFAs, also are a key element of the flat belly or abs diets. 

I realized that I actually do use and love some foods that are high in MUFAs like:

  • Olive oil
  • Avocado
  • Seeds & Nuts
  • Dark Chocolate 
So I can definitely keep munching these.

If you're courageous or committed enough, perhaps you can even try the HiMoLoCarb Diet by Jack Goldberg. If I were to ever try a diet or food lifestyle change it would look a lot like this one especially because you still get to eat normal food without feeling restricted.

I think the key is to remember to have a MUFA food as part of every single meal you have. Whether you sprinkle nuts over your salad or whip up some guacamole, you and I will definitely be on our way to a healthier and a flatter belly!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year: 2012!



Wow! I can't believe it's 01.01.12 already!

2011 was quite the eventful year for me and I think just in general. Professionally I began the year leaving one role to becoming an executive director. Personally I learnt plenty about love through family & friends - then with my mother's cancer diagnosis it felt like my soon to be perfect world was dragged from beneath my feet - by far the hardest part of 2011 for me. Ironically, it was through this very craziness that I grew the most as a person.



If I were to sum up the lessons of 2011 this is it:
"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 others’ 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… Everything else is secondary." Steve Jobs 

I'm so grateful for all the love I have in my ordinary life. I appreciate my life's journey thus far and look forward to tomorrow's lessons. To you all, may 2012 be a year filled with lots of love + hugs, growth and surprises.

Friday, December 30, 2011

A very funny yummy Christmas

As always, Christmas was filled with awesomeness. This year I made a pretty awesome menu with lots of awesome people too. We played Secret Santa and then later charades. All in all, twas such a fun night!

 I really enjoyed making every single item this year and felt well prepared (as opposed to the last minute thing).  I'm happy to report that I made every single item I served from scratch!! Will try to post recipes soon enough :).

CHRISTMAS DINNER MENU

Appetizers

Veggie Platter
Creamy Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper Dip
Mushroom Strudel
Spinach & Cheese Phyllo

Entrees 

Roasted Rosemary & Stuffed Turkey
Roasted Potatoes
Carrots with Tarragon
Grilled Eggplant

Dessert

Double Chocolate Chip Cupcakes 
Zesty Spicy Cupcakes

Drink

Fruity Ginger Punch

[I was pretty bad at remembering to take food pictures and my silly brother was distracted too but here are some.]









Everything was perfect except that my older brother wasn't there. Can't wait to make Christmas Dinner with him in 2012! 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!