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Let’s Talk About Spirituality

I have always been a spiritual person, however the stresses of the pandemic, work, and life drove me be more in tune with my spirituality. 

It’s a common misconception that you have to be a religious person in order to be spiritual.  I think that there’s no single way to be a spiritual person and that spirituality is deeply personal. It’s in the moments when you are quiet, reflective, and intentional that you become your own teacher and guide. And it is in those moments that you commune with your own higher power and answers become clear. 

You may be asking, “How can one become more spiritual?” Below are several ways you can start living your best spiritual life.

By Helping Others

We are all here on earth to help each other. Help others whenever you can. Extend a helping hand, smile at people, open up your heart!

Journaling and Manifesting

This life should include self-love, compassion, self-gratitude, and appreciation. Think about the energy of desires, hopes, happiness, dreams, and feel-good intentions. Put these thoughts and wishes down in a journal or diary, and will them into existence!

Meditation

When I was younger I loved to mediate and would attend meditation classes with my mom every Sunday at the temple. Unfortunately meditation went out the door as life happens. Many years later I would try to meditate, but I could not stay focused. My mind was everywhere! Recently however, I was able to mediate again during the quarantine months, and even now my morning ritual includes mediation. So I thank the quarantine for this. Meditation and prayer helps us to stay centered. For beginners, I would advise you to set aside at least 5 minutes of your day to meditate with the specific intention of connecting to what’s really in your heart and just focus on your breathing.   

Learn to Forgive

Forgiveness is crucial for spiritual growth, whether it is forgiving yourself or someone else. Whether we realize it or not, we hold onto so much trauma and heartbreak from our past that it affects our present if we cannot learn to forgive and move on. Decide to forgive whatever and whoever it is that is holding you back. Only you hold the key and have the power to do so. 

Patience Takes Practice

Although I am into crystals and believe in their healing properties, you don’t need to go out and start a collection to become more spiritual. It’s more about taking advantage of the opportunities all around you. For instance, you’ve ordered a coffee at Starbucks and the barista gets your order wrong. Forgive them! Be patient. Things happen in life that we cannot control. These are just the little ways you can commit to being more patient.  These small steps everyday can lighten your spirit and create more inner peace. 

Focus on Gratitude

Life isn’t always fair and we are not all dealt with the same cards and that is just reality. Sometimes that guy in your math class who never attends class somehow manages to do better than you when you studied your ass off. It happens! Or there are some women who get pregnant so easily when others cannot. Life isn’t fair. But we can’t focus on just the unfairness. What we focus on is what we will manifest. Keep being bitter and things will and can only get worse. Focus on being grateful for all of the things that ARE going well in your life. 

Listen to Your Instincts

You have to learn to be in tune with your gut feeling sometimes to make informed and intuitive decisions. Our gut feeling is often always right. Sometimes you just get a feeling that you should stay away from someone! But most often times we ignore it and ask our brain to make that decision for us instead. Take opportunities and listen deeply to what is inside of you. 

Laugh Often

Laughing is one of life’s greatest medicine. Laughing carries an energy of joy, playfulness, and happiness. I’ve always noticed that the people who live a long life often laugh more and are happier. 

Eliminate Envy

Being envious is the worst thing you can do to yourself. However, if one had said they have never experienced envy they would not be human! Spirituality and selfishness do not go together. Work on being happy for others instead of envious of their success. 

Learn to Love Yourself

We are all living beings on this earth with different beliefs, personalities, and values. We have to first learn to love ourselves before we can love another. Forgive yourself sometimes, own your quirks, and love yourself a little more each day.

 

“Being on a spiritual path does not prevent you from facing the darkness,

but it teaches you how to use the darkness as a tool to grow.”

– @Messages.from.beyond, Instagram  

 

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Quick Life Update!

Hi Guys and Gals!

It’s been a while since I’ve last had a chance to last blog. Well, I was able to go back to work this past month. The industry has taken a major hit, but we are back to work and just trying to pick up the pieces while staying safe. 

Our company made sure that we were all tested for COVID-19, and thank goodness I tested negative! I wasn’t surprised because I am naturally a hermit. Even with the reopening of the nail salons and malls I have surprisingly managed to stay away! I am definitely surprised and proud of myself that I have just been working and saving money as I continue to do my own nails at home. Not much has changed for me since the quarantine aside from returning to work. 

I haven’t seen my friends in a while either, but those that I am close to understand and know how I am anyway. I still do not feel safe going places, especially when there are tons of people out here with no regard for others and refuse to wear masks! I really hope that everyone continues to stay safe while living your best life so that this can all be over soon and life can continue the way it was before. 

 

 

 

 

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COVID-19 Nail Crisis is Real

I know I am not the only one! Like most women around the world, once the pandemic occurred and nail shops were being forced to close, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of panic. I know that nails are the last thing anybody is going to worry about especially during times like these, but hey, call me a diva all you want; this girl still cares about her nails even if  no one is going to see me!

I was fortunate enough to have had a set of custom gel press-on nails made for me by my nail artist. Once I wore them out after 3 weeks I knew that the right thing to do was to attempt to do my own nails for the time being. Because as beautiful as the custom set was, and as much as I want to help support my local nail artists, it was pretty pricey and I needed to save my money! Because I don’t do my own nails the only thing I had at home were a set of nail clippers. I headed to CVS for the first time since the pandemic, and went wild in the store (haha!). 

I picked up a bottle of Glittery Gold nail polish by Essie, a quick-drying top coat, nail file, acetone, a set of press-on nails from the brand KISS, and some other nail tools. Fifty-something dollars and a dark chocolate mint KitKat in hand later and it was time to head home and get started!

After I cut my natural nails down to little nubs, I filed and buffed them. I decided to save my set of press-ons for another time, so I painted my natural nails with the Glittery Gold nail polish and finished them off with the Essie quick drying top coat. I was happy to see that my real nails were still in great shape given the fact that I haven’t remove my acrylics for years and years. I am guilty of either getting a fill or a new set each time I am at the nail salon, therefore my nails were never given a break to breathe. A lot of nail techs often tell me how  they are surprised and that I am extremely fortunate to have such great nails despite the years and years of damage that I have done.

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polish

 

nails

I really believe that the only reason why my nails aren’t in as bad a condition as they should be is the fact that I have been taking hair, skin, and nail gummy vitamins for years and I also enjoy drinking bone broth. I am often sipping on some bone broth at least once a week! My friends think I’m gross for this (lol), but honestly it tastes delicious! It’s like drinking chicken soup and I enjoy it a lot! Bone broth is known to promote collagen production which aids in the health and wellness of your nails and your skin. I also have noticed that my eczema has gotten a lot better after drinking bone broth.

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I don’t know when nail salons are able to reopen again in Los Angeles but I am pretty content with the money that I am saving monthly from not doing my nails. Not to mention, I am pleased with my real nails and I think I am starting to get use to them. I hope everyone is staying safe out there. What are some things that you all miss? I’d love to hear what everyone is looking forward to once this pandemic is over!

Xo,

 

 

 

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Pandemic Stress Update: Thoughts and Concerns

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If  I’m not watching the news about the pandemic, I’m reading  about it. There are new developments and concerns every day regarding the Coronavirus, and it seems to be getting worse and scarier as the days, weeks, and months pass by.

I have hope that things will get better. I stay inside all of the time and only head out once a week to go food shopping with the exception of ordering something to be delivered once in awhile (hey, we have to support our local businesses during these tough times!). When I do head out to go grocery shopping I wear my DIY mask. I don’t know if it helps, but I like to believe that it is better than nothing. 

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(My Thai warrior DIY mask! Made with a T shirt and hair tie. Thanks, YouTube!) 

What is effecting me and giving me anxiety is knowing that so many people around the world are dying alone and not able to say goodbye to their families and how those who are working the front lines, our health care providers, the first-responders, are being infected and also losing their lives from this as well. It truly breaks my heart. 

I just wanted to say that I feel like it is OK to feel helpless, sad, and anxious during these difficult times. We all cope with things differently. And the pressure to be happy and positive all of the time is not necessary. I am hopeful; I try to fill my time with DIY projects, spa time, and cleaning, but some days I am not as productive and not as hopeful about the situation. I am still battling with issues and feelings I had to deal with prior to the Coronavirus and going into quarantine. We don’t heal wounds by saying this isn’t effecting us or that it doesn’t hurt because it does. Some days I allow myself to achieve, while some days I allow myself just to just exist. And I am completely OK with that. 

To those that are sacrificing so much to save so many, thank you. Also thank you to our farmers, truck drivers, grocery store employees, postal workers, bank tellers, and everyone else who are considered our essential workers and still working during these difficult times. And for everyone else I that I might have forgotten to mention, thank you too! 

To everyone else who is taking their time and reading my blog, I hope that you are well. And please continue to do your part by staying home and staying safe. 

Xo,

kitty

 

 

 

 

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How to Remove Makeup Stains on Your Carpet

I don’t know about you guys, but there is nothing I love more than sitting in front of my closet mirrors and doing my makeup on the floor while getting ready. It doesn’t matter where I am, a friend’s house, hotel, my mom’s house, I just love sitting on the floor in front of the mirror to do my makeup!

With that said, sometimes a bit of loose powder is spilled, sometimes an eyeliner smudge mark appears, you name it! Stains can happen and accidents will occur. While in quarantine, I can’t just do a Google search for a local carpet cleaning service to come in and take care of the carpets, nor can I purchase any carpet cleaning solution on Amazon that will take weeks maybe even months to arrive. These stains will become stubborn if I don’t take care of them quickly!

Luckily I remembered a quick and easy solution my mom taught me after my sister and I spilled our nail polish on the carpet during our countless mani-pedi at home spa days! Thanks to my mom, I saved some money and the stains have disappeared! 

Things You Will Need:

  • A toothbrush
  • Lukewarm water
  • Dish washing liquid 

Let’s Get to Cleaning:

Mix 1/4 tablespoon of dish washing liquid with 1 cup of lukewarm water, wet the toothbrush in the solution and stir the mixture up, then let the scrubbing begin! Make sure to rinse the tooth brush often in the solution as you continue to work on a new stain so that you are not creating new stains on your carpet!

The positive side of being quarantined is that I am thankful to have more time to clean and organize! Do you guys have any cleaning hacks worth trying? Feel free to send me an email or leave a comment! I would love to hear new ideas! 

Xo

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Banana Bite Snacks

I had some left over bananas that were ripening very quickly. After making my banana pancakes I still had some to spare, and thought what better way to make use of them than with this snack!

For those of you who have a sweet tooth like me, this snack would be perfect for you, or for those of you who are quarantined and just tired of eating all of your usual snacks check it out!

Bananas are a great source of fiber and potassium. I paired them with ingredients I already had in my pantry and fridge. The first was a dairy-free hazelnut spread that I had purchased from Eataly along with some baking dark chocolate chips that I had laying around in the fridge from the time my friend Crystal and I were making chocolate chip cookies.

chocoban

Here is a link to where you can purchase this delicious hazelnut spread. They also have an option that isn’t dairy-free and other varieties of the spread as well!

The next filling I chose for the banana bites was my Sunflower Butter that was purchased from Trader Joe’s. I purchased the Sunflower Butter in-store, but wasn’t able to find it on their website (sorry!). I also filled them with blueberries, but the berries were rather large so next time I would probably sprinkle coconut flakes or some chia seeds over the sunflower banana bites. 

bananas

 

Things You Will Need:

  • One large banana
  • Your favorite nut butters (almond, cashew, peanut, sunflower, etc.) or spread

 

Now Let’s Make Some Banana Bites!

First slice your banana in small bite sized pieces.

Then fill your banana slices with your favorite nut butter or filling.

Place two slices of bananas together, like you’re making a sandwich.

Enjoy!

finito

 

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Try My Delicious Simple Vegan and Gluten-Free Banana Pancakes!

Nothing I love more than some delicious fluffy pancakes! After having to follow some dietary restrictions due to my severe eczema, I remembered an easy recipe I used to make when I had bought too many bananas and didn’t want them to go to waste. That’s when I came up with this recipe that is super simple to make and doesn’t require much ingredients at all, especially coming from a girl who is the queen of takeout and does NOT cook.

Things You Will Need:

1 cup of oat flour (I made my own by blending old-fashioned oats in my Nutribullet)

1 ripe banana

3/4 rice milk (any milk substitute will do, I chose to use the Rice Dream brand)

Olive oil or cooking spray (butter is optional)

1/2 cup blueberries or strawberries for garnish

Maple syrup, agave, honey, or other sweeteners of your choice to taste 

Equipment 

Mixing bowl

Whisk or fork

Cast iron or non-stick griddle or skillet 

Very thin, wide spatula

Let’s Get Cooking!

mixing

I absolutely adore this alpaca mixing bowl my friend Crystal gave me as part of my Christmas present last year! Thank you for encouraging me to branch out and try new things! (Like cooking!) 

Shall we begin?

1. First, I used my Nutribullet to blend 1 cup of whole rolled oats to make the oat flour.

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2. Peel one banana and break it up into several chunks in the blender with the oat flour, and blend thoroughly. If you do not have a Nutribullet or blender, use your mixing bowl and a dinner fork or whisk to mash the banana until it has a pudding-like consistency with no large lumps remaining. A few chunks are okay. 

banana

3. Heat your non-stick pan or skillet over medium heat. Add a small amount of oil in the pan if desired. I used a bit of olive oil in mine. 

4. Place your batter into the skillet. The smaller your pancake droppings, the better it will work. Repeat with dropping more of the batter into the pan, leaving an inch or two between the pancakes.

5. Cook the pancakes until the bottoms are browned and golden. When you notice air bubbles forming, the pancake is solidifying. The edges should set quicker, but the center might still be moist. You can check if the center is cooked by gently patting on the center. 

skillet

6. Flip the pancakes gently and slowly. Gently slide your spatula half way under the pancake, then lift until the unsupported half of the pancake is just barely lifted off of the skillet. Yay! You flipped your pancake! If you mess up it’s okay. Not to worry, I’ve broken a few pancakes, but there will be plenty of batter to practice with!

7. Cook for another minute or until the other side is just as golden or brown. You can flip the pancakes a few times if they are not golden or browning. 

8. Transfer the cooked pancakes into a serving plate and continue to cook the rest of your  batter.

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9. Serve warm. These pancakes are best when consumed fresh and warm! Garnish with blueberries or strawberries. Then serve with maple syrup, agave, honey, or any toppings you wish. I chose to top mine off with blueberries and honey drizzle. 

10. If you have leftover pancakes that you didn’t finish, be sure to saran wrap them and keep them refrigerated.  They can be eaten again for another meal or the next day if you place them in the microwave for 30 second bursts until hot. 

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I am pleased that I am finally able to use my Disney china! This one is Ariel’s Castle, one of my favorite plates from the collection. 

I hope you enjoy these pancakes just as much as I’ve enjoyed making them and sharing them with you all. Please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email and let me know what you thought. I really enjoy receiving your emails and reading your comments. It truly means a lot!

Xoxo

 

 

 

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The Ugly Truth – Why I Stopped Blogging/Getting Personal/ What I Was Going Through

Ever since I was a child I suffered from bad eczema. For those of you who are unaware of what eczema is, it a condition that causes the skin to become inflamed, itch, and causes skin to have rough patches, become cracked, and blistering ooze can also occur. 

Over the years my mom spent countless dollars and hours to send me to the best dermatologists money could buy to try and cure my eczema. After many tears shed, a round of shots, and steroid creams I was finally cured after ten years! (Well, we thought!)

As the years went on I  was able to live life normally again. No longer did I have to make up a silly excuse time after time to friends that I couldn’t attend a beach outing or hide my skin in the summer under big loose sweatshirts and sweatpants! Those days were gone, and I never wanted to look back. EVER.

I’ve always been the type of girl who saw things through rose colored glasses, however sometimes in life we are faced with different challenges and have to go through things that crush your spirit and break your heart. Unfortunately I went through just that this past year, and what followed me during the dark times? That’s right: several major cases of hives, along with the return of eczema. 

As if dealing with personal matters weren’t bad enough, talk about adding salt to the wound! After months of crying and feeling hopeless and heartbroken I decided that I can no longer allow myself to become depressed about anything in my life anymore and this was one of them. It was time to see a dermatologist and allergist and hope for the best. It turned out that my diet and stress/trauma was causing my hives and eczema to flare up. I was given a big list of foods that I should avoid, and that list consists of gluten, dairy, wheat, eggs, and citrus fruits. For those of you who know me in real life, you know that I absolutely love and eat each of those items on a daily basis and would never follow those rules lol! 

Even after coming back from the derm and getting my pills, shots, and steroid creams, I know that I will never be fully cured and the harsh reality was if I didn’t change my mind set and diet I am going to go downhill again. This is a battle that I will constantly have but now it is time to fight. And I think after everything that I have gone through over these past few months, it’s time I start learning to love and find myself all over again.

Although healing is a process that will take time, I’m happy to report that I am in a much better head space these days and can finally start to blog again. I still have my sad moments and memories, but I am hopeful for the sunshine at the end of the rainbow. 

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This picture was taken on my trip to beautiful Lake Arrow Head to celebrate my birthday Pre-Covid-19 Scare/Quarantine. Just thankful that I was able to celebrate. (Pisces baby!) 

I’m not perfect with my new eczema diet yet, and I still slip up and eat things I know I shouldn’t, but that’s OK. My life is a work in progress, and I’m just happy to be in the right mindset to be able to accept the things that aren’t perfect. We can’t control somethings that happen to us in life, but I can continue to work on my life and myself and that is all that I can do really. 

Xoxo

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Livin’ the Quarantined Life

Spring has sprung and we are now all forced to live in self-isolation. Not to worry, for someone who’s lifestyle consists of mostly being “quarantined” allow me to suggest some ideas!

MCQuarantine

Learn Something New:

Yes, sure you can binge watch all of your favorite shows on Netflix during your time in quarantine, and believe me I have had my share of Unusual Suspects marathons. But you can also use this time to learn something new. Nothing like being productive and doing something that can be beneficial towards life after the quarantine is up, right? What I did was try to learn how to cook! I am guilty of being lazy and always ordering food from restaurants via DoorDash, UberEats and Postmates! You name it, I have ordered it. I took this time to really improve myself. I found my new project, ordered my measuring cups via Amazon, and got to browsing simple recipes that I could try that catered to my budget and my taste buds. I will post some of the new simple recipes I have learned for those interested.

Rearrange/Organize Your Space:

If you are starting to feel anxious or depressed get lost in reorganizing your closet. Although my closet is pretty unorganized and hectic most days, this is the perfect chance I have to reorganize and rearrange my clothes. I even forgot about some of the clothes I had! I gathered up some clothes that I can no longer wear (damn holiday weight) and set them aside for friends I know would love them, some I can donate, and some to sell via the Poshmark app. I might even add a link of my Poshmark here if anyone wants to  shop great deals from my closet! 

Meditation:

I used to mediate often when I was younger, when I didn’t have to face any real life problems or heartaches. As I got older, I found it so hard to just close my eyes and breathe. Dealing with a lot of anxiety can really mess with your mind, so before bed, or whenever you can find 10 – 15 minutes in your day, try to close your eyes and just focus on your breathing. I like to hold my crystals and focus on my breathing while I listen to relaxing spa-like music when I am trying to meditate. Not only is mediation relaxing, it is also great for your mental health. If I am sad, anxious or need answers to things I try to meditate, and afterwards I find that I have am more calm, have more clarity, and my thoughts come together a little bit better. 

Although things seem scary and uncertain right now, don’t let it get in the way you enjoy and live your life right now when trying the tips above! How has the Coronavirus affected you? What have you been doing to stay occupied? I would love to hear new ideas and suggestions from you! 

 

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Let’s talk about Covid-19 and my return!

It has been quite some time since I have returned to this site. I have taken long hiatus from blogging due to personal matters that I may or may not get into, but here I am! I think enough time has passed, and I am in the right head space to start blogging again. No better way to get creative now that we are quarantined! 

The Covid-19 scare is real. At first I was hesitant to fully believe everything that I was hearing and reading from the media. I kept myself informed but didn’t feel the need to panic yet.  Two months prior to the Safer at Home order was when I heard from some friends and family members that we need to start preparing for a quarantine. They had advised that I head to the store and get some supplies just in case an order was issued. (No advice to hoard toilet paper and hand sanitizer lol!) I thought it was silly, shrugged it off and went to Whole Foods for my normal food shopping for the week and bought just the essentials and still went about my day. I think many of us Americans were in denial or didn’t want to believe that this war was really happening. If we close our eyes and continue to just go to work and live our best lives, eventually it is going to have to go away right? Wrong.

There were constantly new developments every day, each one scarier than the last as the days went on. Seeing the death toll and infection rates in countries like China, Italy, and Iran and everything that was happening was heart breaking and just overall terrifying. Soon enough here in my bubble called Los Angeles restaurants, hotels, and non-essential businesses were required to close, and many of us were ordered to either work from home or faced with the harsh reality that we would be out of work due to the closures. 

As an event coordinator, I work with and for many vendors, restaurants, and hotels. I am currently out of work for the time being, and I have anxiety about what is going to happen with our economy and the virus spreading. To help with these fears, I remind myself to just breathe and know that I am not alone. We are all in this together. I remember to stay thankful and mindful about everything and that, as with everything in life, nothing is forever and this too shall pass. 

With these uncertain times that we are experiencing it is best to stay positive because being hysterical and living in denial doesn’t get us anywhere. As someone who is already a homebody, living in quarantine at the moment isn’t anything stressful for me or hard to do at all. Although I do miss my mani/pedi time and enjoying my sushi, I know that I will soon be able to, and it will be that much sweeter once I can. But for those of you out there having a hard time with social distancing, please try your best to stay inside. The longer we don’t follow these guidelines, the longer we are going to be in quarantine; and the longer we are quarantined, the longer we will be out of work. 

Thank you for those of you who took the time to read my thoughts and concerns, and for those of you who never left the blog and are still subscribed! I truly appreciate it, and would love to hear your thoughts, concerns, or questions you may have. Have a wonderful day, stay safe, and stay inside!

Xo,

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