Browsing CategoryLifestyle

Often in life, the best experiences are often unplanned and unexpected. When you just live your life, let go of the rules and expectations, that is when life is at its best. This past October was no exception to the rule. As my 48th birthday was rapidly approaching, I made a conscious decision to just live and let go. I was asked if I wanted a dinner party, did I want to go out to a club, and I declined pretty much everything that was offered to me. I just wanted to live and let go, and see what happens……

What do you do, when you find out, that the person you are in love with is getting married to someone else? You have been trying to “work things out”, you continue to ignore every single red flag God has placed before you. Because you are blinded by love. Your intuition kicks in, you ask them what you fear most, and they confirm your worse fears. A friend is currently living this nightmare. She is beyond devastated! This is an open letter to her and any man or woman who has endured this painful experience… When I saw the tears…

So one morning, my friend in New York sends me a random text. I open it and it’s a picture of a desk with a caption stating “My Desk”.  Wouldn’t have been a big deal, however his desk was a hot mess! I laughed, sent him a picture of my very own desk, also stating- “My Desk”! I’m not going to lie, my desk was a hot mess too! We went back and forth laughing about the state of our desks and what does a messy desk vs a neat desk say about a person? I really don’t consider my…

As the New Year was just around the corner, I kept thinking about “What can I do to upgrade my current look? My personal style?”  I’ve been wearing dreadlocs since 1999. They have been waist long for years. I was in desperate need of something new. I embraced hair change often during the 90’s.  I wore pixie cuts, braids, bobs, you name it. I was changing my hairstyle like the weather. When I decided to loc my hair, I had just given birth to my baby girl Zoe Rene’.  Back then locs (especially in Los Angeles) were not as common…

Let me start by saying this:  I am a Southern California native. However, I lived in Brooklyn, NY for close to 10  years. I have not found a cheesecake here in Los Angeles, that comes remotely close to Junior’s cheesecake in Brooklyn. Until now… I was talking to a friend recently and he was suggesting different restaurants for me to try here is LA. He threw Harriet’s Cheesecake out to me and that was literally the first time I had heard of Harriet’s. He went into detail about it being black owned, and that they had flavors such as Sweet…

Just as I am about to order my Honey Baked Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving, my friend sends me the following recepie for Jerk Turkey. I am a huge fan of Jerk, and love just about anything prepared with Jerk.  For those of you not familiar with Jerk style of cooking, “Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items: allspice (called “pimento” in Jamaica) and Scotch bonnet peppers. Other ingredients may include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic,…

People say love is found when you least expect it. My cousin Stacey is determined to find love, but more importantly, have fun with internet dating. I applaud her for endless efforts and countless dates with internet dating. I will be quick to point out that I have never used an online dating site, it’s just not my thing. But I live vicariously through Stacey and her online dating experiences, both the good and the bad. I like to refer to her most recent online dating experience as “The Threesome”. A typical day for Stacey could include coffee in the…

First Dates, the only shot you get at making a great lasting impression. We’re all human, so we naturally check out a person’s clothing, their hair, their scent, their smile, I can go on and on. One slip up could possibly keep you from getting that second date. First dates can create alot of anxiety. I am here to lessen the anxiety, and help you look and feel your best.  I am not an expert on dating, but I am an expert on fashion. I have partnered with Debra Van Kallen, owner of Skin Couture, and Debra is an expert…

Summer is officially upon us! What better time than now to create a new summer cocktail- “The Lavender Martini”. This all came about last fall, when a client gave me various herbs and vegetables from her garden. In that mix were bundles of lavender. I had never cooked with lavender or made ANYTHING with lavender. I dried it, stored it, and tucked it away for a rainy day. Fast forward to Summer 2015 and I remembered the bundles of lavender that I had stored last fall. I had no idea what to do with them and my mind began to…

IMG_0860 Recently, Lenny Kravitz and his “Strut Tour” came to Los Angeles for 1 night only. I have been a fan of Lenny Kravitz since he first stepped on the music scene in the late 80’s. During my pregnancy, I would play his music for my daughter in my womb. And for the last 16 years we have enjoyed the music of Lenny Kravitz together. So as soon as Lenny Kravitz announced he would be performing for 1 night in Los Angeles, I knew we had to take immediate action. I was working when the tickets went on sale, on…