Wearing Zara Blouse, 7 For All Mankind Extreme Bell Bottom jeans

Valentine's Day is exactly one week away.  Now, some of you may cringe at the thought, some of you are smiling with excitement while reading this, and others indifferent to the whole "love celebration."  But what's wrong with reserving a day to showcase your love for someone?  Why is Valentine's Day considered "cliche" or even referred to as "Singles Awareness Day?" Ok, so maybe in current times, the holiday is promoted heavily for the mass production of greeting cards, but let us not take away its original intent!   Some of you do not like Valentine's Day because you are bitter.  Don't be bitter.  I mean, you probably have a reason why you're bitter, but let's try to turn that frown upside down!  Channel your energy in a positive manner by showing some love!  If you don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend, no worries!  Do a little exchange with your best friend, or someone in your family!  Show them how much you love and appreciate them!  Saint Valentine wouldn't want it any differently! 

To be honest, this will be my first year celebrating Valentine's Day with someone besides my mom and dad (LOL), and I'm excited about it!  

If you're still looking for Valentine's Day gift ideas, I got you!  Yes you can always buy your love jewelry, go out to dinner, see a movie, concert or show, but I wanted to share with you some CREATIVE and INEXPENSIVE ideas for those of us whom are on a tighter budget! 

(All of these ideas can be applied to either sex)

For HER:

Message in a bottle: Decorate a unique-looking jar or box with craft items.  Write numerous love notes on small pieces of paper & fill the jar with them.  Present the jar to your sweetheart.

OR

Write "I love you because..." notes and insert them into Red/White/Pink transparent balloons.  Blow up the balloons and spread them throughout the room for your Valentine to pop & capture each message!

Photo Collage/Make a gift from a memory:  As you obviously know, I'm a big fan of photography (hence this blog), and I love to capture moments for future memories.  Find a nice, but affordable frame (Try a HomeGoods or similar store that has quality, but discounted prices), and frame your favorite photo of you and the boo! Don't know where to print your picture?  Walmart or CVS is always an easy option, and very inexpensive!

Chocolates & Flowers:  If you plan ahead, this can be a relatively affordable gift, rather than waiting until the day of Valentine's Day to purchase!  Supermarket florists are usually a lot cheaper than florist shops/online floral delivery services, and if you order in advance & pay up front, you'll most likely miss the increase of prices for V-Day!  As for the chocolate, get your boo something rich and creamy!  Leave out the Hershey's kisses this time around!

Treasure Hunt of Love: Write a few poems, wrap chocolates inside, meaningful photos etc., and hide them around the house.  It may even be cool to choose a theme for the treasure hunt.  Each find should contain a clue to finding the next one.  Make sure the final clue lands your mate where you would like to spend the rest of the evening! ;)

For HIM:

Spa Day:  Create an at-home day spa for your mate.  Buy a basket and fill it with inexpensive candles, rose petals, & massage oil.  Set up your "spa area" and give him a nice long body rub.  When the massage is almost done, take a moment to heat up some towels in the dryer for a warm, fuzzy, & happy ending!

All About the Boo: Make the entire day full of his favorites: the breakfast of his dreams, Netflix his favorite tv show, play his fav music, etc... Don't say anything about it, just continue to surprise him for fun!!

Restaurante de Casa: Bring the restaurant home!  Set up your table with a white table cloth with cutlery settings and glasses (as if you were out dining at a restaurant), and even make a "dinner menu" including what you'll be serving your Valentine!  Ex: "Entree: Spaghetti & Meatballs made with passion and love for you"  Also, title the name of your restaurant at the top of the menu.  Have fun with it, and be creative!

Love Letter: In the morning, tuck mini love notes in his pocket or wallet (and other easy to find places).  Jot down some meaningful words on a piece of paper "Cant' wait to see you tnite" "You make me happy"  "I can't wait to hold you" "I love you so much,"  and wait for it to be discovered during the day!  Although this gesture is on the smaller scale, it can be very meaningful for the receiver, and could be a nice addition to something else you have planned for your special Valentine!

"I'm a lover not a fighter." -Michael Jackson


-Kris

What's been going on?  I guess I could say a few things have been popping off, nothing too exciting lately. The snow/ice finally melted away, then the next day we got 3 inches -_- I was NOT pleased.  Can't it just be April already??  I got Adele's new album, and it is SOO good (hence the title, check out that song).  I think she's a phenomenal writer and vocalist.  This album, in comparison to her first, is a little more soulful/old school, a little more mature... She's growing up, and she has a lot to say!  I suggest you guys check it out!

Yesterday was also my parent's 25th year Wedding Anniversary, so I want to give them a shoutout!  Hi parents, congratulations!! lol

These are all the pictures from the Grammy event I previously told you guys about, we all looked so cute!

This is my friend Simisola looking fabulous.  She's wearing a custom made African jacket

I'm wearing a bar III dress, Merona tights from Target, and Jessica Simpson platform pumps

Greg!

This is the lovely Shawna and her date Sam.

Side note: The bathrooms were unisex and it was VERY awkward.  Jay-Z, that is NOT a good look!

I don't know who all follows me on twitter, but I tweet a lot.  Some of you will already know this story from twitter, but for those of you who don't... Let me just briefly say that something ALWAYS happens to me when I go to the gym.  I can't just go to the gym, have a good workout and be done.  There is always an incident.  Last night's incident:

First of all, I went to the gym late, got there around 9:30p.m., lookin' like somebody's grandmama.  I obviously did not expect to see anyone I knew either... 30 minutes into my intense elliptical workout (lol jk) BAM.  My friend's FINE older brother: muscles poppin, skin lookin' right, doing his thang!  I immediately start to freak out, wondering if he has already seen me.  At first I thought he didn't, ducking down behind the elliptical when he walked by, even hiding behind a weight lifting machine until I was out of his sight.  But as I got closer to the end of my workout, I could sense that he was watching me, so I think he did.  

Then we both knew we had seen each other, but neither one of us were saying hello.  It was SO awkward.  Mind you, there was only about 25 people total at the gym (and it's a spacious gym), so you could see everyone who was there smh.  Was he too shy or embarrassed to say hi?  Was he too embarrassed for me LMAO?!  I don't know! 

Not sure if I'll be hitting the gym after work today... If I do, I just hope nothing too crazy happens haha!

-Kris

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Black History Month Fact: On this day, in 1965, Constance Baker Motley was elected Manhattan Borough President, the highest elective office held by a Black woman in a major American city.

TGIF!!  Is anybody going to see the new Justin Bieber movie today (just kidding... But not really)?

As you all know, I joined the gym and started working out.  At the gym I signed up with, they give you a complimentary fitness "assessment" in hopes that you'll sign up with a Personal Trainer.  I agreed to the assessment, but had no plans to sign up for a PT.  So I met with the guy, discussed what I wanted to work on (abs!!!) and he paired me up with the "abs guy" to do a few workouts.

"Robert" ( the abs guy) and I walk over to this stretching/sit-up machine.  It looked something similar to this, but larger and more slanted, so that you could lay your entire back on the bench comfortably.  Robert has me lying on the bench with a medicine ball, then reaching up in the air to touch his hand, you know, nothing fancy.  We finish the workout, and it's time to get up.  Instead of scooting up to the top of the bench, to easily get my feet from under the rolly thingys, I decide to try to get off the bench whilst still laying down.  MISTAKE.

My foot gets stuck under the rolly thingy and I literally fall off the machine sideways, in a tumble.  Everyone is looking at me.  People take out their earbuds, pause their ipods, stop their workouts to stare.  I was SOOOOOO embarrassed!!!!

I decided not to sign up with a Personal Trainer.  I'll leave it at that.

wearing: Zara gold striped sweater, Gap gold braided belt, Citizens jeans, Circa John & David hunter green boots

On a uplifting note (literally), I took a Zumba class with my Mom two days ago, and absolutely loved it! The teacher was... Ok.  She had rhythm but... It wasn't that instilled rhythm.  You could tell it took her a long time to gather the rhythm that she has haha.  I'm just saying!!

There was also an extraneous amount of booty popping involved.  There was a lady in the front going for blood.  It was as if she was auditioning as a dancer in a music video!!

I did a little organizing of my jewelry and cleaned my room yesterday.  I actually found my favorite lip liner that I thought I lost as a result of cleaning too!  I clearly need to clean my room more often...

Sunday I'm going to the Official Grammy Viewing Party at the 40/40 in NYC with a few friends.  I'll obviously be taking pictures.  It should be fun!!

Black History Month Fact: Nelson Mandela

Born in 1918 in South Africa.  He led armed resistance against apartheid, his native land's entrenched system of brutal legal discrimination that guaranteed political and economic security for White South Africans and disenfranchisement and poverty for Blacks.  As a part of the African National Congress (ANC), Mandela found himself first a fugitive and then a prisoner.  During his twenty seven years in jail, he became an international symbol of defiance against the brutality of South Africa's racist regime.  Mandela was freed from prison in 1990.  He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize three years later.  Shortly thereafter, he was elected as the first Black President of a new South Africa, one now free of apartheid- if not entirely of its legacy- due in part to his efforts. 

source

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Amazing.  His book is on my list of must reads.  A living legend.

-Kris

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I know you're looking at the title of this post and thinking "What the heck?" but that phrase came from the same person who said she was taken over by the spirit Nebuchadnezzar Hakeem Olajuwon on New Year's Eve.  If you have NO idea what I'm taking about, you can see that post here.

Moving on.

My body is mad at me because it doesn't understand what's going on.  I have joined the gym and started my workout grind, and I am soooo sore you guys!!  But my body is going to have to deal with it because, I can't stop 'cuz I won't stop (Diddy voice).  Does anyone have any good workout tips?  Does anybody workout? lol

Wearing: H&M cropped jacket and lace sheer blouse,  Gap stirrup jeans, Dolce Vita suede boots

I've been eating healthier too!  I'm proud of myself with the little salad I made the other day (yes I took a picture of it).

And I'm still going out in the streets even though it's Narnia outside.  I'm literally waiting for the Snow Queen to arrive at any moment!!

As I mentioned before, I'm in celebration of Black History Month, and I'm going to be adding some "did you knows" and whatnot to share on the blog!  Today: Sesame Street!

source

"More than 40 years ago, the Carnegie Institute was asked to figure out how television could be used to help inner-city preschool children read. Jim Henson and the Children's Television Workshop created a show with talking Muppets who taught children their ABCs and 123s. 'Sesame Street' mirrored a more inclusive world, including kids jumping double dutch, rapping and speaking Spanish. A 1996 survey showed that 95% of American preschoolers have watched 'Sesame Street' by the time they are three years old – a block in the 'hood where all children breathe air that's sweet. Now little black girls and their parents can be especially happy to tune into the program after the popularity of the 'I Love My Hair' song that debuted on an October 4 episode of the show. The show's YouTube clip of a little brown Muppet girl singing about the beauty of her hair went viral and encouraged black girls and women to take another look at the way we view our hair. "

If you haven't seen the "I Love my Hair" video, view it here.

Sidenote: I would have loved to have gotten the gig to record that song when I was little LOL!

Happy Saturday!

-Kris

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The past few weeks have been harsh, weather wise.  Mother Nature is really giving it to the Northeast this winter, and it's starting to get on my nerves!!!  The schools are closed practically every other day, but I still have to face this weather and go to work!  Not fair lol!  We got a big snow storm last week, and we're supposed to get another storm tomorrow.  NOT feeling it.

On a good note, it is February, which means two things: It's one month closer to Spring, and it's Black History Month!!  I have always loved BHM, since I was little, and I always participated in school programs, community service projects, etc.  Now that I'm graduated, I don't know what to do with myself.  There are always great shows, plays, and events in celebration... I'll just have to find something fulfilling.  I will also be tweeting a BHM Fact on the daily.  You can check me out here.  It's not just Black History, but America's History!

Wearing: Sasha's thrifted hat, personal jewelry, H&M oversized turtleneck, 7 for All Mankind Wide Leg Jeans

I also have some great news!  I joined the gym!!  This may not be the great news you were expecting, but I'm pretty excited about it!  I worked out yesterday for the first time in awhile, and I started feeling sore on the drive home haha!

Cocoa

I also went out this past weekend (that's two weekends in a row, watch out now)!  This time it was for my bff Leilani's bday.  She, my other bff Sasha, and I went to a Hibachi/Sushi Restaurant for dinner.  

That's Edison, he targeted me all night SMH

Clearly the best picture ever!  This is Edison shooting Sake in the birthday girl's mouth.  She signaled him to stop, but he kept going LOL!  That guy in the pic is Brenden who we met because he was like 2 ft away from us the whole night (and dropping in on our grown & sexy convos throughout the evening).  He seemed cool...

I forgot to capture the plate BEFORE I went in... Clearly... But it was DELICIOUS!

After dinner, we went to the same club (as mentioned in my last post), but THANKFULLY those old guys weren't there (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, reference here).  Lei didn't want to go out, but we made her (as usual), and was glad we did, because we all had a fantastic time!

Have a great week!

-Kris

P.S. Don't forget to enter my Giveaway!!!

Black History Month Fact: Nathaniel Alexander as the first to patent the folding chair.  His invention was designed to be used in schools, churches, and at large social gatherings.