Reebok Rally DC

I was lucky enough to snag a spot on the ReebokRallyDC team yesterday.  The event was originally supposed to be ReebokRunsDC but there was a little mix up between an intern at Reebok and the event organizer.  The shoes sent to the organizer were not really made for running, so he improvised and had us do a brisk walk down H Street, NE, then we did a few cardio moves to really get the heartbeat pumping.  Afterwards, we went to Po Boy Jim for a celebratory drink.  I really wanted a shrimp po boy but the way my diet is set up, I couldn't do it :(

Despite the mixup, this was an awesome event.  I went by myself and ended up meeting some pretty cool people.  In 2016 we do not exchange numbers anymore,we just start following each other on social media.  I look forward to doing something with them again.

Thanks to Anwaa of DCWKLY for organizing this event, the drink and for the FREE gear!  We received a pair of Reebok Classics and a workout outfit for free.  Who does not love free gear?!?

To see pictures check out my IG page @reddishbr and look up #ReebokRallyDC and #StepForward

DCWKLY has another event coming up next week Wednesday (March 30th) from 7pm - 10pm where there will be giveaways which include shoes.  Go to their site and RSVP if you are interested:

BCBGeneration Renegade Grommet Bootie

There are a few fashion bloggers I follow on IG then there is one that I STALK.  Her IG is KYRZAYDA_ and her website is Kyrzayda.

I gave you that information because she is the reason why I bought the above boots.  I saw them on her page twice and fell in love.  I just had to have them.  When I ordered them, they were on back order.  I totally forgot I ordered these boots until I saw them again on IG. I went to check the status of my order and saw they were still on back order.  I called BCBG to cancel the order only to be told they were shipped days ago.  It was meant for us to be together!

I finally wore my new babies on NYE with a white shirt dress and faux leather black pants, chic rocker look.  Since I am not a fashion blogger, I did not think to take a picture of the full outfit.  I must say I had these on all night and my feet did NOT hurt.  I think these may be my favorite shoes!  I am going to start building all my outfits around them lol

I got the black Renegade Grommet Bootie on sale (plus 5% cash back from Ebates) from BCBG.  They are currently sold out of black but they still have taupe and cognac both are currently 40% off (go through Ebates for 5% cash back).  If you really want black, Nordstrom has them for $138.95 (3% cash back if you go through Ebates first).

Warm Taupe

Cognac

Hello 2016

Boy 2015 flew by!  There isn't much I have to complain about for 2015.  My kids were healthy and doing good in school.  I had a scare but everything worked out well in the end so I can say that I really had a great year.

For this new year, I don't have any resolutions.  I mean how can you perfect perfection LOL Seriously, I do have things that I have been working on and will continue to improve throughout this new year.

Credit - this is a topic everyone hates.  I swear they should have taught us how to build and maintain good credit scores in high school.  We need it more than we need geometry.  I've been working to repair my credit.  I was laid off a few years ago and had a lot of medical bills, which caused my score to drop significantly.  I am happy to say my score has gone up so much but I still have a way to go.  I am still working on paying off debts so that I can eventually have that 800+ credit score.  Hopefully, by the end of this year I will be close.

Budget - you can't build your credit score without a proper budget!  I started a budget last year, it help a little but I wasn't really strict with it and was still spending on things I could have waited on.  Plus, I don't thing the budget worksheet I had was all that helpful.  My friend (s/o Kay) sent me a worksheet that really allows me to snapshot my income and my debts.  And Wells Fargo has a feature were you can see where you have spending your money.  Let's just say that feature really really opened my eyes.  For the first 6 months of this new year, I have placed myself on a strict budget.  I want to pay down more bills and also put more into my savings.  So if you invite me out and I can't make it, just know it is not in my budget for this month.  That doesn't mean to stop inviting me :)

Vacation - along with working on my credit and finally utilizing a budget (in the right way), I would love to take a vacation out of the country this year.  I hope I can make it happen!

Health - no new goals.  I have been working out and eating an 80/20 clean diet.  2015 was actually the first year I didn't stop working out in Nov & Dec.  Which means this is the first January were I am not pushing to lose holiday weight.  Not only did I NOT gain any holiday weight, I LOST weight during the season!!!!!

Other than the above things I have been working on before the new year, I just plan to enjoy 2016.

I hope your new year is going well so far :)

Over-the-Knee Boots

Fall is here so that means it is time to break out the boots!  Summer is my favorite season but Fall is a close second.  I like Fall because I get to wear my favorite boots with a cute skirt and no stockings!

Last January, I started looking for an affordable OTK/thigh high boot.  Unfortunately, the only pair that I seem to come across that I really liked where the Highland Boot by Stuart Weitzman.  Now this boot retails for $798, totally out of my price range.  I am not a baller :-) Well I kind of gave up on the search until a few weeks ago.  I came across the Highland again, so I sent them to my fabulous fashionable sister-in-law asking her to help me find a affordable replica.  After she told me she had just order them in black (insert my heart breaking) so agreed to help.  I also enlisted the help of my fabulous fashionable Pisces friend.

My FF Pisces friend and I went on a search yesterday for the perfect replica of the Highland Boot by Stuart Weitzman.  I have decided to post our findings to save you all the trouble.  You can thank me later :)

If you can afford the $798 price tag, you can purchase the Highland Boot here.

Also, remember when shopping online, go through Ebates first to get a percentage back from your total spent.

Steve Madden Gorgeous Over-the-Knee Boots - $149 (the king of knocking off a high end brand)

Sam Edelman 'Kayla' Over the Knee Boot (online only) - $284.95

Jeffrey Campbell 'Perouze' Over the Knee Boot - $244.95

Aldo Eleliven Khaki Teal - $170.99

Dolce Vita Okana Over the Knee Boots - $280.00

Carvela Sammy Taupe Heeled Over the Knee Boots - $323.00

ASOS Key to my Heart Lace up Over the Knee Boots - $108.00

Top Shop CONTROL2 High Leg Boots - $240.00

H&M Thigh High Suede Boots - $149.00

Religion

When people ask me what church I go to or if I go to church, I tell them no and let them know I do not believe in organized religion.  A lot of times, some take this an insult.  I don't know why my belief is an insult to them.  I mean I can feel insulted that they practice a religion that I don't believe in.

Sometimes, I am not able to articulate my view as well as I would like.  Last week, I was watching the Carmichael Show and they hit on this topic.  Jerrod Carmichael's (the main character) live-in girlfriend Maxine told his family she was Jewish but not practicing.  She then told them she was an Agnostic.  Now I have never heard this term before and I vowed to look it up when the show was over.  However, throughout the show the points she was trying to make were exactly how I feel.

Agnostic - it basically means that we don't believe or disbelieve in the existence of GOD.  Now don't freak all the way out yet...we are not Atheists.  We're like in the middle, you need to prove to us GOD exist and you need to be able to prove factually GOD does not exist.

Oftentimes, I question why certain ethnicities are practicing Christians especially after all the hardships we/they have been through.  I ask myself why would GOD allow a race of people to be slaves?  Why would GOD allow a young man to walk up in his house and kill his children who were praying to him?  Then I wonder if it wasn't for GOD, how did that baby survive the police shooting up the car he was in?  How after a night of drinking I was able to wake up the next morning and not remember the drive home but I was home safe with no accidents?  You know they say He looks after babies and dummies? I also wonder if GOD did exist, how did all the other races survive before the Europeans introduced him?  What makes one religion different than other?  Why do some worship Allah? 

There are many many many more questions I have to I know most will not be able to answer.  Once, I asked on Facebook why did most Christians go to church on Sunday when Saturday is the Sabbath.  The ones who quote bible scriptures all day everyday didn't even attempt to answer me.  I did have one person tell me to ask a Pastor :\  If you go to church and read the bible as much as you say, shouldn't you be able to answer what I deemed to be a simple question?

Hopefully, one day I will be able to sit down and have a non-argumentative conversation with someone about religion.  I would love to know why Theists believe and why Atheists do not.  Maybe one will be able to answer my questions without being offended. 

Entrepreneur or Employee

If you know me then you know I am generally all over the place.  My mind is on overload, I have way too many tabs open at once.  I can never just sit and focus on one thing at a time. Hence, why I do not update this blog regularly.

I have for the longest time thought about owning my own business.  However, I am not very talented. I cannot draw, I don't have any secrets on how to be the perfect mother or how to obtain long natural hair, I cannot give you couponing secrets and I don't have any clinetale to sell clothes too.  So what is a girl to do make extra money or become her own boss???

I signed up for Uber (I haven't actually done it yet). I thought about traveling for a living but I have kids so that won't work. I even thought about opening a black owned beauty supply store.  The problem is I cannot focus on goal.  I will start looking up information to see how to get started on something but if it doesn't jump out at me fast, I move on to the next thing.  I know my friends think here she goes with her crazy ideas again. 

I think do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?  Did other entrepreneurs go through this?  Or am I better off just being an employee? Do I want to continue to work for someone else and make them rich while I remain middle class?  What options do I have?

I guess I will figure it out on day.

Earth Day Concert

On Saturday, I attended the free Earth Day Concert on the National Mall.  The concert started at 11am, I wanted to get there by 10:30 to get a spot close to the stage.  I didn't get there until a little before 12pm.  Luckily, it wasn't that crowded when we arrived.

The only issue was on their site, they listed you could not bring in "structures" However, they did not list exactly what structures were.  Well once we got there we realized that folding chairs was considered a "structure" They were very strict about not letting people bring their chairs in. One of the guys who was searching bags told us that chairs would be thrown away by 5pm (this is supposed to be a celebration for EARTH  DAY yet they are throwing away chairs :\ ) I put my two chairs in the pile and said I would leave at 4pm to make sure I retrieved my chairs.

Once we got through security, we found a spot not too far from the stage.  Train came on to perform not long after.  It was a great performance!  Once Train finished, we decided to head out to the food trucks.  I am glad we left out when we did because they were collecting the large pile of chairs and tossing them.  I snatched up my two and asked the wonderful ladies at the free bike parking "lot" if I could leave them there.

Anyway, after standing in the long food lines we headed back in to watch the reminder of the performances.  Overall, it was a great day and all of the artist put on a great show. I like how they had the speeches on the environment & global poverty between each artist set instead of all in the beginning.

The artist line up was:
Train
Fall Out Boy (they rocked!)
Mary J. Blige
Usher
Common (I totally fangirled over him)
My Morning Jacket
No Doubt (LOVED, LOVED and LOVED their performance)

I didn't get a lot of pictures as I was too busy dancing and having fun.

First let me take a selfie

The one and only Gwen Stefani

Now lets take an usie

My oldest photobombing Tay

My allergies were starting to act up at this point of the day

Easter Weekend Activities

Easter weekend was busy!  I am glad I took time to rest up on Friday instead of hanging out.

On Saturday, one of my good girlfriends (old BFF) had her babyshower.  This is her first child and she is carrying her baby so well.  I wished I looked as good as her when I was pregnant :)  The baby shower was cute and fun.  I got to catch up with some folks I have not seen in forever.  I didn't get a lot of pics as I was actually enjoying the time with my friends.

Saturday night some more friends and I headed to the Fillmore for the 80s vs 90s dance party.  I loved that just about everyone participated in the theme.  I wore an all white Guess jean outfit, a pair of Reebok pumps and a pink crop top.  I of course had to rock a pair of bamboo earrings.

When we got to the venue, the house DJ was playing.  I thought he probably should have stuck to the theme of the night and played songs from the 80s and/or 90s instead of songs we hear everyday on the radio today.  Biz Markie came out to DJ not too long after our arrival.  He mostly played rock songs with a few rap songs sprinkled in. He played for about 30 minutes then a rock cover band came out.   Biz Markie came back out to close the show with hip hop, R&B and a couple of reggae/dancehall tunes.  I danced so hard Saturday night, I was sweating.  I may have even lost a pound or two LOL

Sunday was all about family.  My mother hosted her annual Easter Sunday dinner.  We had family from NC come up and 2 of my fab 5 came to celebrate with us.  The food was great, the drinks were strong and the company was even better.

My 1st cousin - our serious look

Overall, this was a great weekend.  As summer approaches, I look forward to more like it.

My outfit for the 80s vs 90s dance party deets: jacket and jeans from Guess.  Top from Forever 21 ($4.00!), bangles (already had), earrings from Ebay, rope chain and herringbone necklace from Frugal Finds NYC

Friday Night with the Black Alley Band

On Friday, my good girlfriend and I went to the Fillmore to see Black Alley. This was my first time seeing them live and I can tell you I was NOT disappointed. My homie from high school DJ Alizay was their set DJ. If you don't know about DJ Alizay look him up! One of the best to do it at a young age.

Now back to Black Alley...they put on a great show! I love how they rock out on stage.  The energy they have with each other is felt throughout the crowd.  I can't wait to see them again.

For ore information on Black Alley go to their site.  You can also follow them on Twitter and IG @weareblackalley

Check out their video for Artist Player:

Welcome 2015!!!

I have to start with saying, 2014 was a pretty great year for me!  I got out more, step outside my box and just enjoyed life.  I had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful women that I hope to get to know better in 2015.  It is a pleasure to be around professional, smart, beautiful and fun women with NO drama.

2015 has started out on a great note.  If the first 5 days of this new year are an indication of what I have to look forward to, then I can tell you I am ready!

For this year, there are a few things I want to change/improve (I'll keep those to myself) and I hope I can finally get this healthy living down pack.  I swear sugar is crack! Anyway, I am committing to having myself and family live a healthier lifestyle. I'm going to also continue to step outside my comfort zone and do things I would not normally do, meet new people (forget the no new friends saying), learn how to twerk and just continue to enjoy this one life I have to live.

My NYE outfit:

Dressy white tee - $9.95 from H&M
Sequin shorts - $8.00 from Papaya (score!)
Blazer - $34.95 from H&M
Shoes - FREE!!! Steven by Steve Madden from Off 5th Broadway (they had a BOGO free sale over the summer)
Accessories - $10 from Icing (they had a sale all jewelry was $5 and they had a $1 sale on certain items)
Purse - $20 from Nine West
Lipstick - Viva Glam Rihanna 1 by MAC $16

Flannel and Leather

This season I am feeling sweaters, plaid and leather.   I thought this would be a really cute chill outfit for a weekend out. 

S/N:  My friend told me I need more color in my wardrobe.  I'm sure she meant something brighter than this dark purple sweater :)

Flannel and Leather by mahogany817 featuring a j crew shirt

J Crew j crew shirt
jcrew.com

Jumper top
ustrendy.com

H&M faux leather pants
$40 - hm.com

GUESS leather wedge booties
heels.com

Drusy jewelry
baublebar.com

Mac cosmetics lipstick
maccosmetics.com

Clear Proof Acne System

I received the Clear Proof Acne System by Mary Kay free for testing and review purposes from Influenster. 

I received the following products in the box:

• Clear Proof Clarifying Cleansing Gel - apply this first to remove dirt, oil and complexion-dulling impurities.  

•  Clear Proof Blemish Control Toner - apply this next, this will help to tone the skin.

• Clear Proof Acne Treatment Gel - apply this after the toner.  This will help to prevent new pimples from forming.

•  Clear Proof Oil-Free Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin - the last step in the process.  Use this to complete the regimen, this lightweight moisturizer does not clog pores and feels soothing to irritated skin and helps improve the appearance of skin tone.

This was intended for my daughter but after talking to her dermatologist, I decided not to switch up the products she already use. Since I suffer from breakouts more now than when I was a teenager and no matter what I do I keep getting these nasty white heads on my nose, I decide to try it on myself.  I buy a lot of products to try to eliminate these issues.  The only thing that has really help has been the Aztec Clay mask, I try to do weekly.

I was a little hesitant about trying this at first because I didn't know how my skin would react.  My intentions were to try it on a Sunday so if I did have a bad reaction I would have a few days for it to clear up before having to go out.  However, my plans never turn out the way I want so I tried the system on a Wednesday afternoon.  I was pleasantly surprised by how gentle it was on my skin.  The next day, I decided that I would make this part of my nightly routine.  That way I know I am getting rid of all the environmentally impurities.

On the third day, the toner started to burn my skin.  When I woke up on the fourth day, my chin and nose looked like I had a chemical peel.  I was going to toss the system but decided to keep trying it out.  When I used it on the fourth night, the toner still burned.  After I applied the moisturizer, I decided to use my almond oil too.  On the sixth day my skin got used to the toner and only sightly burned.  Last night when I used it, I didn't have any problems.

I have only used the Clear Proof Acne System for a week yet I have notice a change in my skin.  The whitehead issue on my nose is slowly going away.  I don't have to use my blackhead/whitehead extractor everyday.  My chin area has not cleared up completely and you can see my eczema a little but it is starting to clear back up.

I will continue to use this system for the next few weeks (it says it takes at least 4 weeks to notice a change).  After the four weeks are up, I will post an update.

Halloween 2k14

This year Halloween fell on the weekend, me and ghetto boys were trick or treating...

This year my kids wanted to go down to their Grandmother's house on Halloween. My oldest thinks she is too old to trick or treat so she stayed at the house to give out candy. My middle child, decided to ditch us and hang with her uncle's girlfriend and her little cousins. The boy was excited to go trick or treating with his cousins (we usually just go to the mall). I didn't have a costume so I threw on one of my plaid shirts, skinny jeans, Chucks and a blue bandana to rep for the Cali Crips.  I forgot to draw on my tear drop but I still c-walked lol

For Saturday night (Nov 1st) I made plans with some friends to participate in the Night of the Undead Bar Crawl. Two of them flaked out on me but I won't hold that against them. We hit up U street in our last minute costumes and had a ball. I was a 30s Flapper, my GGF Pepper was a 70s Disco Dancer, Tay represented for the 80s fitness fanatics and Kay got her groove on as a 60s Babe.  I was happy to see so many people participating. We saw so many dope costumes on Saturday.  

After the bar crawl, Kay invited me to her BFF's costume party. These ladies know how to party. The music, food and drinks were on point!  And there were some nice costumes at the party too. 

I had so much fun this weekend that I am already planning for next Halloween. My costume is going to be super dope!