Alex in The City: Sunday Brunch, a Walk in The Park

 

 

 

 

I have a running ritual of a Sunday morning Girlfriend brunch with two of my friends. It is one fourth accountability group, 2 parts ‘pinky promise bff’s forever’ and 1 part ‘we freaking love to eat and drink while the sun is out.’ 

One of the phrases that often comes up while planning is “and we can take pictures for our blogs!” And so we do, every week, with very few exceptions. Check out some of the photos our trip to Jacobs pickles and A walk in central park! 

I love having special time set in my schedule with my friends because it gives us all a good part of our week to look forward to and it reminds me that I know how to take time to smell the flowers and stuff my face and dress up every single week.

What are some of your favorite routines or traditions with your friends? 

 

Love!

 

Alexandria
XOXO

 

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New Year, New Vision Board

I am opening up in a new way. I believe so strongly in my vision board and the law of attraction that I usually only create my board with those very close to me and it does not leave my room once it is up. I feel compelled to share my testimony and knowledge with others so I am sharing.

I always say that every genius (visionary) needs someone that they can trust their vision with and that it should be kept in a sacred place. I still hold that idea to be true and I am not spilling my guts here but I am sharing more than I ever have before.

A vision board is a physical representation of goals and aspirations and visions that we have for ourselves. Each board is created using magazines and newspaper clippings or anything else to create a collage of sorts with words and images that are a reminder of goals and personal beliefs and creeds, wise words, positive motivation, reassurance and affirmation all targeted towards ATTRACTING what what it is that we want from life. Your vision board should be put up in a place where you can see it everyday. I suggest creating a vision board in an environment that is filled with positive energy and friends or family but if you are more in tune when you are alone, do it alone.

I usually create my vision board at a vision board brunch with my closest friends and family. The brunch is complete with fruit and cheese snack-plates wine, mimosas, frittata’s, laughter, good conversation and positive energy!

I also recommend reading or watching or listening to the secret or any other books that share the intricacies of the law of attraction. The concept is not simply about putting the glue and scraps on the $.79 poster-board, without context and knowledge and belief in the power of what you are creating it really is not what you intend for it to be. Read some literature on the subject when you get a chance.

I hope this informs and inspires someone that needs it!

Stay beautiful people!

Made with Love!

-Zan

Holiday Gift Guide!

 

 

The Christmas holiday is only weeks away and the shopping rush is in full swing!

 

whether you are looking for gifts for co-workers, secret Santa,  friends, family members, boyfriends, girlfriends or cute little baby cousins, I have got you covered. My holiday list of favorite things is full of great gifts that can be ordered or picked up in stores in time for the Christmas Holiday and are all under $30!!!!!!

 

1. Lush Bath Bombs and Shower soaps

I love Lush products, I have used their handmade soaps -like the one pictured above- , their fresh face masks (featured here), and their bath bombs, all of which are amazing. Lush cosmetics hand-makes all of their products from fresh organic ingredients and prides themselves on never testing their products on animals. This would be a great gift for any ladies in your life and the bath bombs are great for kids too! Units of the Bar soap and bath bomb sell for $5-$8 each so you can make a little luscious goody bag or gift basket.

Find these products online here at Lush’s online shop or in a local Lush store.

2. The ‘Favorite’ Wine Glass

I call this my Olivia Pope glass but I have become quite fond of it on nights when I am completing a hefty amount of homework, having dinner solo, or just relaxing with a nice glass of wine, some popcorn and ABC’s hit show SCANDAL! This glass is the perfect gift for the wine-lover in your life. Just as the tea/coffee lover in me has my favorite mug, the wine lover in me knows that my sacred wine glass is a must-have! This 23 Oz Camille glass retails for $13 at Crate and Barrel.

You can walk into your local crate and barrel or order online, they also have plenty of other goodies for holiday decorating, cooking, and gifting!

3. Oster individual blender

This is an awesome gift for the busy health-nut in your life. Having an individual blender has made all the difference for me, especially in the morning when I get behind schedule and still want to start my day off with something nutritious and tasty I throw some greens, fruit, coconut water or fresh fruit juice into my mini blender for about 60 seconds and hit the road. This Oster individual blender comes in several funky colors and are on sale in Targets online store for $19. You can also order on Oster’s website and enjoy all the great details and even geta free smoothie recipe!

4. A cup of joy and a joyful song!

Give a gift that will leave them inspi(RED)! This holiday season Starbucks and iTunes have pledged to donate 5% of each Kind(red) gift card purchase to the Global Fund. The cards can be ordered via Starbucks’ online store   and include a $15 iTunes card and a $15 Starbucks gift card. I am a Starbucks gold card holder so this is something I could appreciate and the iTunes gift card is all too popular in my family, we all have an extensive music collection, this gift is a great way to bring cheer to a music and/or coffee lover.

5. Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness –

Toure’

A gift for the book-worm. I don’t have as much time as I would like for leisurely reading but I make time for pieces like this! An in-depth look at the current state of race relations in America as told by over 100 interviewees to MSNBC correspondent Toure’. “Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness” is a page turner, a conversation starter, thought-provoking and honest. You can order it on Amazon or in your local Barnes and Noble, it’s also offered in audio form on iTunes  Check out the NYT review here!

6. Magazine subscription

I am a subscriber of  O magazine, InStyle, Black Enterprise, and a few others. Most subscriptions are no more than $20 and come with great gifts and deals at this time of year. Fitness, running, and nutrition magazines are great for those in your life that are dead-set on their new years health kick or lifestyle change, support them with some consistent and reliable literature!

 

 

7. 1 lb dumbbells

This is another great gift for a health-nut or a person that is always on the go. I got a pair of 1 lb Neoprene weights with my Cardio Barre home system and thought they were kind of silly seeing that I am no stranger to weight lifting but I was surprised when the workout got in full swing, my traps, triceps and deltoids were all burning! The number of reps combined with the light weight still burns fat but it also builds lean muscle. My real pleasure with these weights comes from their ability to travel easily. On the weekdays I take them to work with me and use them on my 15-minute break when I walk around. They are perfect for co-workers that want to break away from the cubicle or desk for a few minutes a day to get their heart rate up. You can pick these up in most department stores or order them online through The Sports Authority for yourself and a few fitness pals, they retail for a low as $2 each! 

Other gifts I am giving this Holiday include Yummy Chocolates, Nail Polish, Pajamas, cosmetics, photo albums and homemade baked goods! Please share some of your holiday shopping adventures and ideas and if you use any of my suggestions let me know how they go over! I would love to hear of all the Holiday festivities and functions.

 

Until next time, stay beautiful people!

Love,

Zan

Saturday Morning Glory

 

Saturday mornings are my favorite time of the week. It makes no difference if I’m sleeping in, working, traveling, auditioning, working out, cooking, gardening or my usual favorite, going to the green market in my hometown: West Palm Beach. There is just something about Saturday mornings that just whispers “stop and smell the flowers.” I am a morning person in general but I am also very busy so not every morning can be savored like Saturdays. My schedule regularly gives me this time of the week off so I like to take my time and do it right.

Sometimes “It” is laying in bed until I’m ready to prepare myself a hot breakfast in bed, sometimes like this weekend it is going shopping at the  local green market with a friend.

 

If you ever visit West Palm Beach, FL on a weekend, please please please do not pass up the opportunity to go to this wonderful market. It’s a hot-spot for families, couple, pets, and singles alike. Local restaurants, florist, bakeries and other specialty shops gather on the Waterfront for a saturday morning that is nothing short of glorious. The food is delicious! I have taken some chances like the feta wraps from a local greek restaurant and smoked fish dip from a small shop, those choices and most others have been well worth it. My most recent edible fascination: Red velvet cider doughnuts! Less than half of the walk around cone is pictured above. I think I paid $6 or $8 for them, can’t quite remember but they are made fresh on-site and come with an awesome cream cheese dip. Love them. I also picked up some produce since most of the farmers offer lower prices than grocers and superstores.

Another delight from this Saturday: a 1-ton christmas tree made of sand, an ode to the not so traditional winter weather in Southern Florida, which I found quite comical. I have an undying holiday spirit so this was joy to see.

(DEC 1st is also World Aids Day. Check the red ribbons!)

Peonies, Peonies and more Peonies! I love these flowers.It’s not Peony season so I wasnt able to find any on my last trip to the market and now that the florist I usually buy from has some they aren’t so cheap, these went for $6 a stem. Such gorgeous flowers! I chose 3 bulbs, I wanted to make sure they hadn’t opened just yet so I could get a decent life out of them once I take them home.

This is simply an ode to Saturday, to the morning. A time to stop and smell the flowers!

I’ll be sharing more Saturday adventures and outing in the coming weeks, If time permits I would love to make this a regular installment.

Until next time, Stay beatiful!

Love,

Zan