#7: Three Sundays Ago....

Simply put my girlfriend took me on a random date. Food in downtown Long Beach and Lil' Tokyo in LA. Just doing some things all for the hell of it.

Also want to thank everyone who has contribute to SmallChicksBigEats and the venture to IFBC. It means a lot to know that people are supporting Jes and myself in getting there and making #SCBE something bigger than just our love for food and food blog. If you want to see our updates check out our GoFundMe and Twitter for any up to date info.

Apartment Update!

Instagram photo of my photography now up with my bed.

We've been at the apartment for 6 months in a few days! I can't believe it's honestly been 6 months already. I expected so much more to be done to the place, a guest room set up, a kitchen table, a new sofa for the living room & stands. I will say the fire in February was a set back as well as a temporary addition to live with us for two months, but I guess it's really no excuse for all the things in the guest room not being put away. We have been either exhausted, or lazy.

I know there are a lot of things I don't need to sort through & can just put away into the nook of the hall, but it's a matter of dragging it all there. As for furniture I guess money becomes the issue. Once I get the money back & Steff & I figure how we will contribute to things then I guess we'll finish it all out.

I'm disappointed in the progress, it really is a sad thing. All of this though takes efforts from us both so hopefully we can come together & make this place look nice. Over the course of the next month I really would like my money to get back to where it's supposed to so that I can invest it into the apartment. The only thing I have to worry about are the usual monthly bills, I don't owe anyone anything. Well, with the exception of just a little bit more on a credit card that I have been paying off. YAY ME! :) The only thing I can't imagine is staying there another year & not having everything already so we can then have small things fixed in the house.

As for my room, it is my personal space & it is where I would like it to be for now. I don't want to do much else. Simple space like I wanted.. I think both of us have our rooms to where we would like it at, so hopefully we can start getting the rest of our place up to par. lol

So goals (at least on my list lol):

Guest room -

• My mom gave me a mattress to go with a frame that I already have purchased & need to bring to the apartment.
• Getting the clutter out, putting things away & storing them all.
• Get a nice little desk for the office part of the guest room once it's clean.

Living room -

• New sofa for us to just lounge & chill at so we're not always in our rooms.
• A nice little fan to keep us cool while we watch TV.
• A new stand for the TV.
• Some decorative items for the living room.
• Frame & hang the painting that I purchased for the place.
• Print out some photography to hang up in the living room.
• A huge area rug so we can just be barefoot all the daggon' time.
• Put the curtains up that came down from the fire.

Kitchen -

• Invest into a kitchen/dining table that fits lovely.
• Get curtains for the windows so it looks like a home.
• Get a weather strip for the bottom of the kitchen/fire escape door.

Bathroom -

• Hang pictures up to give it a nice cute feel.
• Maybe add a small mirror on one of the walls.

Lets hope that some of this will be crossed off the list by the end of August.

Burnt Our Fingers!

Although we did, the meal came out better than we imagined. Even though we tried sticking to using the whole wheat wraps to create our delicious meal and it ended up messy, we definitely loved the outcome.

I always get recipes from AllRecipes.Com & this one happened to be one I was interested in. We had to switch it up, as we always do & try something completely different. There are times where we make the same concept, but change it up with the seasonings.

Tonight's meal was shredded chicken tacos. There's tons of ways to make shredded chicken, but we had a preseasoned chicken in a bone in the bag. They're delicious because honestly if you're in a rush all you have to do is thaw it & throw it in the oven. I had to season it myself though to give it the extra flavor I like. It's really simple to make, just need to have the time & the patience. You don't have to follow the recipe exactly, they are there to just give you ideas. Adding whatever spices, vegetables you like & giving it your own touch. Obviously I didn't make tacos like the recipe & I made it a bit healthier.

Not only did we cook a new meal today, especially the delicious meal Steff made us for lunch. But once again we wrote our goals for the week. Continuing with some of last weeks goals I added:

• Continue to take part in A.Keys photo challenges.
• Blog at least two more times this week.
• Buy something under $5.
• Thrift!

I think they're pretty fair on top of the same ones from last week. Pushing myself to stay focused on the goals also helps me keep my mind off of things.

What are you goals for this week?

What are some meals you've been interested in cooking?

Time Flies!

& to think my little mama has gotten so big & she's not even a year yet. I was going through my phone while I was thinking about "Goodness I've had my .com for three years now" & realized, time actually flies. I look through these pictures of my little one & I realized that no matter what you can't change anything, but love the memories that you have, embrace them.

When I first created my .com I was using Tumblr as my host. Later on I realized I wanted something a bit more personal & moved my .com to Blogger. Although I have been the ultimate slacker, I can't help but enjoy having a .com. It is my own, my own space whenever my mind wants to run free. It's the place where I can turn to & share things, or give things (if I have things to give away). lol. I owe so many people so many things for just being there & thanks to my .com it's brought some amazing folks into my life.

Three years later, some memories that come with it & even a few tears, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. You live & you learn. I wish there was a way to show my blogs "growth" from then to now like I can with Mizi, but Mizi is far cuter than my blog & easier on the eyes! lolll.

With all of my rambles done & said, thank you all for your support. For being readers, for trying to keep me motivated & making sure that my mind is used to it's fullest potential.

xo's - Ahlexandria

My Monkey!

My Monkey! a photo by Ahlexandria on Flickr.

This is Noah. :) Remember the beautiful KD?! Well this is her son, my godson, my darling monkey. He was over here this weekend & we ended up walking to pick up my camera. WOO! Got my camera back, got to mess with it & got this picture of my little boobee!

Just figured I'd share him with everyone & the picture I ended up loving of him being 1 month old this past Saturday. Kids grow up so fast....I see it by the pictures of some of the bloggers lovely children. Ay!


Happy Tuesday everyone!

Baby Bumps.

In the past month I took photos of two expecting mothers. One being the mother of my god child & the other being Jazz's best friend. I have to say with their ideas & just how easy going they were it definitely helped when shooting. I recently was the photographer at both of their baby showers last Saturday (April 28th). I was sooooo exhausted by the time I got into Brooklyn to see KD for her baby shower. She looked absolutely beautiful.

I wanted to share some of the photos. Below you will see two of the photos that were used & printed.

1) KD is the mother of my god-son. Her & I have known each other for a few years & we got the tattoo on our right middle finger together. Her attitude but loving nature is going to make her an awesome mom. She will be strict, but yet will spoil her child rotten.

2) Drea is very outgoing & sweet. It's her first child as well. She is expecting a little girl, hence the color of the flower (both shoots related to what they were having). I know she's very excited to see her daughter, so is her mother. We took this photo & printed it out in a 12x16 & framed is as a gift to her mother from Jazz & I.

I really just enjoyed taking photos. I loved that they wanted me to do it for them. I didn't need money for this, I did it as a gift & because it is something to ease my mind. Doing these shoots has made me send my camera in to get fixed & get ready for my venture at the end of this month. I wonder what wonderful photos will come home with me.

It's Sunday which means there's a long week ahead. Goals are set for the week & hopefully I can accomplish some. I am trying to get back on track with making cases, simple earrings & reading for school & the book club. Let's see how it all pans out.

See you Tuesday.

xo - Ahlexandria

Insta-FlashBack

My friend Dani wanted me to update once a week with photos from Instagram, OOTD photos, my creations photos. So taking her advice I decided that I would choose some of my favorite photos from the past two weeks. Describing the photos from the first row going down:

1. That's a view of NYC from a park that's literally a 5 minute walk up from us. The good thing about the neighborhood we live in now is the parks that we have near us.

2. I wanted to include a photo of myself. Although I have been so tired it is a photo that's simple.

3. Mizi...oh my darling! She's learned how to get up on the windows. The joy it brought to me knowing that she wanted to see outside, check everything out.

4. I have another photo I have to post of Mizi being silly in her little play tower. She loves that thing! I know it was a good $50 investment.

5. I am in love with the lighting that we get in the apartment. The tall ceilings with the windows that I can barely reach halfway without being on my tippy toes. Mornings are always nice.

6. I'm not one to wear much jewelry, but the bracelets are definitely keepers. The S represents Steff & the friendship we have. The Buddha is made by Rey Jeff, which I posted in a previous post.

7. We didn't have a kitchen table & when my Mom came over last weekend she came up with a temporary table look. Thanks to my Mom & Tae our table looks very cute. So as a household we finally had dinner in our kitchen without standing & eating at the counter.

8. Lastly, tea in bed while watching TV. It's so relaxing & definitely brings me at ease. The sound bar definitely makes the volume & bass sound so much better too.

Friday is tomorrow & the weekend is finally here. Although it's supposed to rain this weekend, I'm ready to just relax. I just want to be in bed all weekend & force myself to sleep as much as possible.

What have you all been getting into for the week? What are you looking forward to?

Instagram'ing.

Temporary living room look. Nice to have it slightly done.

Can see that we're using our guest room as storage.

Mizi just relaxes around.

The lighting with the blinds closed in the room.

Some of Steff's birthday bottles.

The simple room I live in.

Mornings that I don't want to get out of bed.

Sunday's Curly Fro.

These are several photos that I've posted via Instagram in the past two weeks. As you can see we accomplished putting our sofa together for the living room & have it in the works, but decent enough to sit & relax in. Other things just shared about the apartment or random photos in general.

I should have been giving my body the rest that it's needed, but I've been just doing my normal day to day. I hate having to take time to get better, I just want to do what I have to. The problem with that is I have a weak immune system & by being sick & having this sickness, I won't be getting better unless I give my body that rest.

I hope everyone has been doing good. I also hope that you've been enjoying the features that I've been posting thus far. I still have plenty more to come, more people to send e-mails out to...be on the look out for that. Sharing what others do, or people that I enjoy reading or looking into, seems like the best way for others to know there's more out there then what they usually keep up on.

There's a challenge that I have set for this upcoming Tuesday. I hope that my readers are ready to join it. There is a prize involved with this challenge, so please be ready. :]

Enjoy your night ya'll. & 2 out of 5 starts to the Grammy's.

Slowly. . .

It's slowly coming together! As you all can see it's getting its own touch. There's more to add, things to hang up & this is just my room. Steff's room is coming along as well. We moved into here just saying lets take what we have & then gradually buy things that we need. That is exactly what we've been doing; IE: That futon that I had gotten when I moved into the old place is in her room with her furniture & it's still so relaxed. It made the setting in her room at such a high level. In my room I am trying to add some other items just to finish it up. Once we're done with our rooms we are going to focus on the living room, then the guest room/office & lastly the kitchen. I know the order seems weirds, but it's like buy something here, add it, get something for there, add it.

I love the fact that our apartment uses only two of the same colors but each room speaks volumes of it's own, makes you feel at ease in so many different ways. The dynamics of these rooms, sigh I love it!

I will continue to update everyone on how the apartment is looking. I know you saw it a week ago & above is what it looks like now. :) Two-thirds of the way there.

As for my "To Try" list, I am going to continue with the 5 photos a week, sending out e-mails for features. I also want to attempt to cook a new dish this week since we recently have gotten some items for our parents to help with cooking. I need to add one about the apartment, so...unpacking another 4 boxes. Lastly of my "To Try" list I am determined to make Steff's birthday in six days, AMAZING!

So much to do so much do - not to even mention new jewelry ideas that I am going to come out with & start selling in the next two-three weeks! =X

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.

xo's.

3rd Sunday Of The Year.

Can you believe we are already into the third Sunday of the year!? To think that the holidays have already passed, the weather is actually getting to winter weather (at least here in NY/NJ) & you're slowly getting used to using 2012.

I am trying to get up with my blog like I said I would. I have been slacking though on my "Try List" only because things are slightly hectic at the moment. There will be more news to share in regards to it, but hopefully by February I will have everything ready. Besides one things I will share soon, the features I am trying to organize on my blog, the earrings I am going to create again, the list I am trying to follow, & my regular day to day things - it's seriously slightly hectic. lol.

Although I want to create another "Try List" for this week, I am going to continue with last week's. I want to try & complete things to the best of my ability & not 'half ass'. So hopefully the upcoming Sunday I can share other things that I have completed from that list.

I did start using my camera a bit more. If you follow my Tumblr you will see some of the random pictures I've taken. If you follow me on Twitter you will see more of a day to day with my Instagram posts. Either way, I have been trying to see the world in a different eye, not the bland views that many others see. I want to create an image from what people see normally, into my vision of beauty.

This week I picked the top pictures I believe I took:

Natural red colors. No edits on this photo.

The brush in Union Square, NYC. The cold chill that day.

Warped mind set. Messing with the camera.

Steffy's hair just slowing while using my 'fisheye' lens.

I know they're all a bit random, but it's random things that sometimes are intriguing.

Hopefully you all had a wonderful weekend. Let's see what I can get into this upcoming week. :)

Steffy & Red Stripe

Steffy & Red Stripe a photo by Ahlexandria on Flickr.

I have to start getting back into the hang of just picking up my camera. The other night I got to mess with the camera, & Steffy ended up being my model for the night. Of course our usual Red Stripe night & just great laughs.

Let's hope I can share more of the random photos that I take.

October 2nd.

I've noticed that lately I've been using old techniques & aquiring new ones to make my earrings. They have sort of the same "style"/"look", but are different than the last. I'm excited for the Etsy shop to be up & running next Sunday. I hope it gets great feedback!

Also, I noticed that there have been comments left & I haven't gotten back to several you. I do apologize, but going forward all comments I post I will reply to. If anyone does need anything outside of the blog, or just wants to say "Hi", my e-mail is on the side. :)

Burgandy, Orange Feathers.

Red, Burgandy Crosses. a photo by Ahlexandria on Flickr.

Handmade earrings by me. Long feathers. Considering making these again. For now they're a sample being mailed out.

Midnight & Hell.

Midnight & Hell. a photo by Ahlexandria on Flickr.

Another couple of pairs I've made. Small feathers to long.

Jamaica Waters.

Jamaica Waters. a photo by Ahlexandria on Flickr.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011.

I promise to keep posting more pictures. Slowly but surely.

Yankees!

Yankees! a photo by Ahlexandria on Flickr.

Yankee games with Mom. :) These are the moments when it's priceless. I had such a great time just seeing my Mom & doing things we used to do when I was younger. We had a nice mother-daughter day & we plan on enjoying others. Hopefully we can see one more Yankees game before the season ends, if not we have the NHL, NBA & my favorite, the NFL coming up!

I have other pictures that I will fix & edit. On the mean time this one was my Mom's favorite. I also am getting earrings together to ship this week to some lovely bloggers. :)

- Ahlexandria

Polka Dot Bikini

Polka Dot Bikini a photo by Ahlexandria on Flickr.

A picture from 4th of July weekend. Extremely overdue!

Stay updated on Tumblr with anything for this weekend.

Inkwell + HK.

Friday = Jean Day. It's cold in here, but definitely an easy going day with the upcoming holiday weekend. I did my first mailing for the earrings today. Put two pairs in there for Melody, with some little extras that I hope she likes. I plan on sending her more soon with a shirt that I will fix up with studs or a little design. Everyone who has contacted me about the samples have been nothing more than supportive. I can honestly say that I am beyond grateful for everything. You ladies, even gents, have been awesome!

I'm going to work on some more earrings this weekend. I am taking requests for the moment because it makes it easier to know what is wanted. I will soon set up my Etsy account once I get extras.

Enjoy your day! - Ahlexandria. <3

My First Pair.

This pair was my first set of earrings I made. The crosses are apparently the "in" thing now a days so I went & purchased several to use. The crosses are made from fresh water seashell which makes them extremely fragile. I learned that if you drop them, they break. I have made a few others since & have given them to friends (IE: Steffy) who have been trying to help me get the word out there. I'm planning on sending a few others out by the end of this week to some lovely ladies: Melody, Dari, Liz, Kasey & Esspi. Hopefully they all enjoy them & stunt them hard. ;) It's going to be a busy few days after my regularly scheduled day, but it'll all be worth it.

- Ahlexandria

Stuck Inside.

Due to the hurricane I'm stuck inside. It's a lot easier to post on Tumblr then it is here from my iPhone, so I posted some pictures of the apartment while I was bored. Unfortunately since I've moved there, there has been issues. Flooding has occurred, as well as making sure the wall that was taken down to fix the electric was rewired properly, & tons of other things. Finally after some time of being there I got to put things up & decorate. It's coming together slowly. I still need to add some things, but so far so good. :)

Chalkboard wall in the hallway going to the bathroom.

Check it out & let me know what you all think. Click here & see the rest of the pictures from today.