I am sure that by now you realize that I am getting over-the-top excited about our family vacation next month to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic… hey can you blame me, it has been almost 7 years!
Processed with VSCOcam with a5 preset
Anywho, I have plans on doing absolutely nothing but eating, drinking, relaxing, reading and watching the sun rise and set. But of course as a blogger I will be taking lots of pictures and drafting posts in between the naps on the beach and drinks on the balcony.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram and YouTube so you can enjoy some of the views. www.instagram.com/ablake48 and www.youtube.com/amblake01
I have tons of magazines at home some dating back to 2014, but I plan on taking my HP TabletStream to read eBooks either on the beach or poolside. I am not sure what to download so if you have a few suggestions, please leave me a comment and no…please don’t suggest “50 Shades of Grey”.
I recently discovered Open Culture, a website with the best FREE cultural & educational media on the web. It features free courses, movies, audio books, eBooks & thought-provoking daily posts, so check it out and let me know if you find something good.
I hope your day is as beautiful as you are!
Disclosure: Amazon Affiliate attached, if you make a purchase I get a few cents.
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Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world. On Sunday, hubby and I had an opportunity to attend the Gospel Brunch at the World Café Live at the Queen. It was one of the premier food and wine events held this year by the MidAtlantic Wine and Food Festival.
The MidAtlantic Wine and Food Festival (#MAWFF) presented by Bank of America celebrates excellence in food, wine, spirits and beer. Sunday was the last day of the 4-day festival which included 35 events at 40+ venues in 4 states, with over 60 chefs, and 23 wineries from 6 continents.
If you read my previous post from the #MAWFF kick off event at The Atrium then you know that this was an awesome way to spend a beautiful Sunday in Delaware. The walk around Gospel Brunch had several stations of savory and tasty treats as well as a wonderful array of wines, spirits and beers from around the world, my favorite was the Brooklyn Summer brew.
This jam packed event was made even more lively with The Combined Choir of Calvary Baptist Church. They turned up the heat with soulful Gospel music that had the audience enthusiastically clapping and singing along. Check out my YouTube channel to see one of their soul stirring selections.
Hello friends and welcome to week 8 of “You Choose the Shoes”
Last week I actually did try to rearrange my closet, pulling out the winter wear in exchange for the Spring and Summer shoes, but I didn’t get too far. Hopefully, on Monday, Memorial Day I will get it all done.
Before we begin, I would like to ask for your prayers as we say goodbye and prepare to bury yet another cousin on Saturday who lost her battle with breast cancer #ihatecancer
Our cousin Renee’ was a beautiful, kind, loving and spiritual woman and I know she is looking over us all. I am going to dedicate a separate post to her once all is said in done, because I want to honor her husband and children as well.
This week’s contenders are Patent Leather wedges – versus- Patent Leather pumps
I remember wearing, and as a matter of fact I still have a pair of my patent leather Easter shoes from childhood. They were the squeakiest shoes ever made but when you shined them with Vaseline…watch out world…you were as sharp as a tack!
This is one of my favorite dresses, I purchased it for Tayair’s High School graduation in 2010. The purse is a recent purchase from Walmart #WearWalmart Speaking of Walmart, did you see my spread on their website…I’m in my “big girl panties” – click the picture in the sidebar to be taken to the advertisement and video. I am still in amazement of it all!
Okay, back to the shoes, the patent leather wedges were thrifted from Goodwill and the pumps are Mossimo via Target. As you can see, hubby was at it again…
The bracelet was purchased from a Clair’s in the mall and the necklace was a gift from hubby.
So which pair works better with this outfit?
Thank you all for voting last week…and the winners were….the granny booties!
Don’t forget to check out my new blog – Blogging with Blake and Youtube channel…oh and I also have an app, so download it from Google Play for some great coupons, rewards and savings!
Monday night and it’s almost midnight…the house phone rings…my heart starts to palpate, my mouth goes dry…late night phone calls never brings good news…
(me) Hello…
(son) Mom…
(me) Malik…
(son) Mom…
(me) Malik what’s wrong!!!
(son) I dropped my phone…
(me) What???
(son) I dropped my phone and now it doesn’t work
My son, a freshmen in college, during finals week, two weeks before he’s scheduled to come home calls me because he dropped his Smartphone and now it doesn’t work.
(me) boy, do you know what time it is?
(son) mom, I broke my phone so I won’t be able to wake up.
(me)what, remember when I told you to take a clock radio with you?
(son) mom, it’s finals week, my phone is broke and I can’t check for the assignments
(me) use your laptop…boy do you know what time it is?
After that I hand the phone to his father and get back into bed. What is wrong with this millennial, what is wrong with this young man. Did he think I could snap my finger and he’d have a new phone from Verizon?
What happened to the twelve dollar Timex or the Swatch watches with alarms; clock radios on the night stand, and can openers in the drawer. Can millennials even count cash? Can they plant a seed in a cup of dirt? What is going to happen in a Zombie Apocalypse?
DISCLOSURE: I am participating in a VIN campaign for Depend. I am receiving a fee for posting; however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. I am in no way affiliated with Depend and do not earn a commission or percent of sales.
Live leak free like me with Depend Silhouette Active Fit
I have been married for 25 years, am a mother of two sons in college and have a full time job in Corporate America, I lead a very busy and active lifestyle. I can’t let a little bladder leakage stop me from from doing what I need to do; whether it’s traveling long distances on the weekend or just commuting back and forth to work on a daily basis, and thanks to Depend Silhouette Active FitI can live leak free!
I’ve had an overactive bladder my entire life, even as a young girl I was constantly running back and forth to the bathroom. It had gotten to the point that my grandmother needed to write notes to the teachers advising them of such. They thought that whenever I raised my hand requesting permission to go it was because I was just trying to get out of class.
As I aged, had children and then a surgical procedure in 2009, my bladder became weaker. My daily commute is 3 hours so I have to time myself before drinking that first cup of coffee…praying that there are no major traffic tie-ups. I also keep an extra Depend Silhouette Active Fitin my purse just in case “pee happens”.
I can’t have a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, instead I must wait until there is less than 30 minutes of travel time remaining. I wish I could take just a sip, but I can’t…to simply cross my legs and pray that my bladder cooperates is not an option.
In the afternoons, the cut off time for drinking any beverage is 3:00 p.m., hours before I begin my evening commute home. In addition to my full time job I also teach Blogging and Social Media classes as well as present at various workshops and seminars throughout the state of Delaware. In these instances I definitely have to limit my liquid intake or not drink at all to ensure my bladder is empty before the sessions begin. I would hate to have to run out in the middle of one to use the restroom.
At work, when I have to go…I have to go…there is no swirling in my chair. Oftentimes, I’ve had to put callers on hold or simply hung up on them and rushed to the ladies room which fortunately isn’t far from my office. When attending local events I make sure that I know where all the restrooms are located; I’ve even used a men’s bathroom (empty of course) because the lines for the ladies’ were too long.
Being over the age of 50 isn’t a mandate for having a leaking bladder, as a matter of fact a few of my younger blog followers have also experienced bladder leakage, either from coughing, laughing or sneezing too hard. They initially found it to be embarrassing but have since come to realize that ‘pee happens’ and that they are not alone because bladder leakage affects over 51 million people both men and women.
Throughout the years I have tried various types of pads but the Depend Silhouette Active Fitare by far much more comfortable than any of them.
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When I purchased my first box of Depend Silhouette Active Fit from Walmart, I was a bit apprehensive about wearing them. I thought that they would be big and bulky and very noticeable under my clothing, even my husband gave me a look like “REALLY!”
But once I put them on, I found them to be very comfortable, they didn’t ride up my leg and there were no panty lines which is a definite plus. I wear dresses and skirts to work everyday and jeggings on the weekends and you can’t see a thing, I am still styling and profiling in my OOTD blog posts.
The Depend Silhouette Active Fitnot only gave me confidence and comfort during my long flights from Philly to California, but I even felt sexy strolling through the airports. I can honestly say, that I love the Depend Silhouette Active Fitbecause they contour to my body, shapes my curves and come in my favorite lingerie color, black!
Now I don’t mind shopping at Walmart for the Depend Silhouette Active Fitbecause I knowtheylook and feel good on me – just check out this video and you’ll see what I mean.
Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world. If you are following me on Instagram, www.instagram.com/ablake48, then you know that we recently took a road trip to Virginia Beach to meet the newest member of the family, baby Vincent Gary, Jr.
You also know that I teach “Social Media and Small Business” classes which is the topic of today’s post.
Hubby has an older model Equinox which we are trying to keep the mileage low on so instead of driving we chose to rent a vehicle from Enterprise.
The Friday before the road trip, I went online to check out the availability of a vehicle. We needed something comfortable for the 4 hour drive because my husband has back problems, and we wanted to make it a mini vacation. We decided to splurge and rent a luxury car so I reserved a Lincoln MKS – YOLO
Our excitement quickly faded when on Monday, hubby received a phone call from a rep at the office stating that they didn’t rent luxury vehicles at the Middletown location. Disappointed, I sent this tweet, “why doesn’t #Enterprise rent luxury vehicles in #Middletown”
The power of Social Media…as it didn’t take long to get a response from @EnterpriseCares, with a request to send more info via a DM, which I did. By the time I arrived home later that evening, not only was there an email response but there were also two voice messages from Enterprise reps in Delaware and Pennsylvania.
After speaking to one of the reps, I was assured that the vehicle we initially reserved online would be available for pickup on Friday and as you can see, it was!
We had a wonderful trip to Virginia Beach, enjoyed being with our family and loved the comfort of the Cadillac Lincoln, thank you Enterprise!
Have you had good results from businesses you’ve contacted via Social Media?
Disclosure: I received the Organic Soups from Campbell’s in order to facilitate this review, however, opinions are 100% my own.
Hello friends, you know how it is when you don’t feel well, the last thing you want to do is head into the kitchen and cook. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love cooking for my husband and sons and enjoy preparing meals for my YouTube Channel segment, Brunch with Blake. However, after returning from our road trip to Virginia Beach I began to get sick and that’s something that does not happen to me. I am normally a very healthy person and can’t even remember the last time I had the sniffles.
Fortunately, I had a few containers of Campbell’s Organic Soups on hand, so on Sunday, I warmed up a container of Chicken Noodle soup then curled up on the couch to rest and relax. The Campbell’s Organic Chicken Noodle Soup is only 100 calories, however, the sodium content is 690 mg, therefore, if you are watching your intake, I suggest you add water to thin it out.
The ingredients in the 17 oz containers are as follows:
Hello friends and welcome to another week of “You Choose the Shoes” I didn’t pull out all of my spring and summer shoes last weekend, but I did add to the collection, so look out for some new contenders. In the meantime, let’s check out these oldies but goodies.
It’s another week of peep toe versus closed toe, and speaking of toes, hubby gave me a gift card to Sunlight Salon so soon I’ll be getting my seasonal pedicure!
I kinda like these “granny boot” peep toes and the color can be worn with a lot of different outfits, however, I chose to go with this neutral color skirt from Spiegel.
Of course, snakeskin is also considered a neutral color and it should be treated as such. Now that I am looking at all the accessories, I’m thinking…”what was I thinking…”
Hubby was messing with me on this Monday morning, as you can see from the next picture.
Okay, so which one did you choose, the peep toes from Kmart or the Snakeskin from Target?
See I told you…and thank you all for voting in last week’s contest…the winner was…
Have you started wearing your summer sandals?
I hope your day is as beautiful as you!
BTW, have you checked out my new blog – www.bloggingwithblake.com
If you are looking to update your Spring wardrobe but not looking to spend a lot of money, instead of buying more clothes, just purchase a few accessories. Adding awesome accessories to any outfit will make it look stylish and refreshed.
There are plenty of department stores with accessories which are very often on sale. Invest in scarves, earrings and necklaces to add more class and attractiveness to your vision. Here are just a few accessories you can use to update your wardrobe if you are on a budget.
Courtesy Pinterest Polyvore
About a quarter of your wardrobe budget should be spent on accessories. The more accessories you have the less clothes you will need to buy. You can wear your favourite clothes and match them using different jewelry for a new look.
You will spend less time matching an accessory than trying to find clothes that match together. There are many accessories which are universal and can be combined with almost every outfit. If you have accessories in yellow, green, silver and gold, you can be sure that they can be matched with almost every clothing you wear. These colours are universal and will be the best choice no matter what clothes you choose to wear.
To stand out with your own unique personal style try wearing various types of accessories. Otherwise you can get lost in the crowd of similar dressed women who are all wearing the same branded and trendy clothes. Your shoes, earrings and jewellery makes you stand out and be unique.
Courtesy MaiTai’s Picture Book
If you think your look is too plain you can just wrap a scarf around your neck and completely change your vision. You can use the scarf as a belt if you prefer, depending on the style of the clothes you wear. Bags and shoes can make your outfit look stylish and really change your appearance. You don’t have to follow the trend. It’s enough to choose accessories which look good on you and can be combined with many different clothes.
Debbie Carol DIY Jewelry on Pinterest
Choose expensive-looking accessories to make your clothing look better if you are on a tight budget. There are many pieces of jewellery which look pricey but aren’t expensive. Choose things which don’t look too fake. You can cross a small bag around your body and wear some earrings which focus the attention. Instead of buying gemstones which are very expensive you can wear semiprecious stones. Don’t buy fake imitation of precious stones because they look cheap. There a plenty of accessories you can use to make your everyday appearance more interesting and stylish.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY !
I have tons of magazines at home some dating back to 2014, but I plan on taking my HP Tablet Stream to read eBooks either on the beach or poolside. I am not sure what to download so if you have a few suggestions, please leave me a comment and no…please don’t suggest “50 Shades of Grey”. 
