This sautéed kale recipe came from the back of a package that I bought from Walmart. Below is my version of this recipe. I don’t usually measure so I will include the store-bought recipe.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

With every season, trends resurface. Jumpsuits, dungarees, nothing new. In my mind, it’s almost impossible to make this – this is so annoying, I need to pee but it’s taking me twenty years to unbutton this trap suit – get up appear presentable. Yet celebrities Gwen Stefani, Kourtney Kardashian and Rihanna have given this look some relevance.

Although it’s not for me, this might be the one trend that is difficult to mess up. It’s simple and easy and hides every lump and bump. The clear winner for me is Rihanna. A simple studded hat, gold chain and a red lip. The trick to pulling this look off is not to over do it.

How to style a jumpsuit:

• Statement necklace for a feminine appeal.
• Boots (a la androgynous Rihanna) or platform heels.
• Colorful handbag or clutch

1. Rebecca Taylor Bleached Denim Jumpsuit ($295.00)

2. Forever 21 Lightly Faded Denim Jumpsuit ($29.80)

3. Asos B + ab Denim Jumpsuit ($127.28)

What do you think?

can you see me allll the way to the left??

In college, a few of my friends and I took advantage of the free wellness activities offered on campus. Our torture choice was Pilates. Man, that was a real work out. That was also four years ago. I’ve had a brand new mat, still in its package, laying in the trunk of my car for over a year before I decided to stop being lazy. So when Wellness Wednesdays rolled back around at Atlantic Station, I finally put my mat to good use.

I’m not sure why I wasn’t a fan of yoga. Maybe because it seemed to be too slow and less intense than Pilates. So not true. Yoga seems intense to me now because I have been out of the game for so long. At any rate, I look forward to Wednesdays because of this stress-relieving activity. My little piece of Heaven on what is usually a hectic hump day.

It’s so important for us to do one thing that helps us to relax. After finding out that my blood pressure absolutely refuses to chill out, I’m finding ways to keep me sane.

Overall, studies of the effects of yoga on heart disease suggest that yoga may reduce high blood pressure, improve symptoms of heart failure, enhance cardiac rehabilitation, and lower cardiovascular risk factors.^[138]

Of course, changing my diet will help too, lol, but for right now, I’m choosing a state of continual peace. Find your quiet corner, tune out all the noise in your head and breathe. Deeply. Don’t I sound like a true yogi?

Random, but not really, this is the funniest Craigslist advertisement for a yoga mat ever. EVER.

Namaste, good people.

Congrats to the graduating class of 2013!!! The road ahead will not be easy. Create your own lane, do the work and keep the faith.

Bahamas, 2009

Have you ever laid in bed at night wondering whether you would open your eyes the next morning? Scary, right? But for many of us, when our alarm blares, by the grace of God, we open our eyes again. I don’t know about you but sometimes I just want to exhale. Whew! I made it another day! I’m not sure why He saw fit for me to live but I’m sure glad He did. Being alive…it truly is a blessing.

I woke up in the morning feeling fresh to death
I’m so blessed, yes yes
I went to sleep stressed, woke up refreshed
I’m so blessed, yeah yes
Water in my face and everything is in its place
Peace of mind even my grace
I’m so blessed, yes yes yes

I can’t say this is a trend I’m excited about. It’s a bit bland and…watered down. Perfect for this time of year, tho. Rainy, gloomy with a splash of peace and serenity.

Browsing through my friend Krystal’s blog, I came across this post about watercolor shoes for spring. Like I said, this trend doesn’t blow me away but I could see myself rocking the four items above.

1. Lela Rose Floral Print Silk Organza Dress ($1795)
2. Forever 21 Water Color Sky Fit & Flare Dress ($24.80)
3. Alice + Olivia Dina Watercolor Pumps ($295)
4. Alexander Wang Walker Printed Canvas Backpack ($204.75)

I would suggest keeping it simple when considering what to pair with a watercolor printed piece. A simple white blouse to accentuate a printed skirt or jeans. Nude pumps to balance out a printed dress. What else?! How do you feel about watercolor prints?

When I first started blogging, it was more of a public journaling experience. I didn’t care who read it. I didn’t care who commented. As my blog grew, more and more people would tell me something specific about a post that really inspired them. Then and only then did I realize that someone actually reads this thing. One of my biggest fans of my blog is Miss Heather Lindskold of Between the Covers. I can ALWAYS count on Heather to like, comment or share one of my posts. I have never met Heather in my life but I promise, the support I receive from her, a complete stranger, (well not really because we’ve beeeen buddies on Twitter ), means the world to me. And I know it comes from a genuine place.

In the beginning, I used to take it personally when my close friends didn’t read my blog. Not in a badgering “Why haven’t you read this post” way but in a “What I did this weekend is up on my blog. It’s been up -___-” kinda way. But, I got over that really quickly. A while back, I attended a going away gathering for a friend and one of the ladies said something that completely transformed my perspective on receiving support from friends. She said “your friends are not your customers”. OOP. And it makes so much sense. So when a friend of mine asked a question on Facebook yesterday, I had the perfect (well, I thought so) response for her.

My friend asked:

“Why is it that you can receive more support from strangers than of those who you’ve known for years?”

My elaborated response:

I think it’s simply because strangers don’t know you intimately. Intimacy changes things. You get to see the good and bad in people. Then you make judgments. You choose to keep the relationship or walk away. But you don’t have any of those insights as a stranger. It’s easy because you don’t have to keep it real, only superficial.

Support is support. Get it how you can and ignore the rest. I’ve learned that your friends are not your customers and to not take things so personally. What I’m learning from the love languages book is that sometimes, these kinds of reactions are not intentional. Communication clears things. Otherwise, press on.

Example: Does a preacher’s wife have to listen to her husband’s every sermon just because he is her husband? Maybe she doesn’t want to attend. It’s her right not to. She doesn’t love her husband any less. She still supports him. She’s probably his biggest fan. But she probably also read over the notes the night before and would rather not sit through it again.

So I say do not take offense because it might not be to intentionally hurt you. We all have different love languages and learning to be there for someone who has a language different from ours is not easy. But if they are there for you most times and in other ways, you cannot complain. This is the compromise you have in all types of relationships. You will not get everything you want. Period.

I think it’s a shame to assume that just because someone is your friend, that they want to attend your every event. Maybe they don’t want to! Are they there to celebrate your birthday? Are they there to help you when you need to move something? Are they there when things are rough? Don’t expect them to be there for every single thing. They have lives and interests as well. If they are never there for anything, maybe that’s when you should evaluate the relationship.

Everything that matters to you does not have to matter to your friends. Be OK with this.

And just because you do something for someone or are there for them the way YOU would like them to be there for you does NOT mean that it will be reciprocated. It doesn’t make them a bad friend. They are not your target audience for your brand or product. Adjust and adapt accordingly.

“Even if it makes others uncomfortable, I will love who I am.”

For a while now, I’ve been going back and forth on how to address the lack of respect that I’ve noticed among young women in today’s culture. Let me not point fingers. Although I pride myself in being a respectable person, I am very much speaking to myself as well. I’ve begun to notice that I was showing a lack of respect for myself by my actions. Trust me when I say that the following reads as a letter to you and I. If you find that you’re struggling in this area as well, please, listen up.

Everyday, we groan and complain about the things God isn’t giving us. Yes, He already knows our earnest desires. But many times, those desires are what we’re being protected from. So we cry out “why, why?” when really, we should be saying thank you. Thank you for sparing me from a world of hurt and disappointment. Thank you for protecting me from evil. Thank you for giving me the gift of acceptance.

“My crown too heavy, like the Queen Nefertiti.”

Respecting myself is one of the biggest lessons I’m learning as an adult. People might not like you. It happens and it’s okay. Just respect yourself enough not to give anyone the opportunity to disgrace you.

• Respect yourself enough to want more than what you’re getting.
• Respect yourself enough to be patient and wait.
• Respect yourself enough to walk away from a potentially bad situation (business or personal).

Afraid of the loneliness? We all are. Take that time to get to know you, to develop your identity.

I haven’t always made the best decisions; I still don’t. But if you want respect, you have to start acting like a respectable person. Stop accepting the bullshit that people toss at you.

Every time we accept less than what we deserve (e.g. ungratefulness at work, lack of acknowledgment by a loved one, fear of what we can accomplish), we lose a bit of our Queendom.

“She who writes the movie owns the script and the sequel.”

Remember who you are (a QUEEN), whose you are (the KING’s) and what you’re worth (every fucking thing).

Worst Dressed:

Beyonce disappointed me YET AGAIN (but I’m not surprised because she actually can’t dress) with her Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon ensemble. Excuse me, Givenchy .

Kim Kardashian in a dreadful vintage 70′s floral custom made couch cover. Excuse me, Riccardo Tisci.

Regularly Dressed:

There were others that must not have read the invitation stating the theme because they were dressed way too cliché for my liking. Often the Queen of this is Kerry Washington. Her style is always hit or miss. And those Olivia Pope gloves did nothing for me.

Notice that I refuse to defile my blog by posting those bland creations? Ok.

Best Dressed for the theme:

Sarah Jessica Parker is probably only one of the few (and cutest) people who can pull off almost any style. We would just suck it up and live because it’s not about what she is wearing but the confidence she exudes while wearing it. Who needs a mohawk when one can don a crown?

SJP dressed in a Giles Deacon and an outrageously fabulous Philip Treacy headpiece. Oh, and velvet, thigh-high boots by Louis Vuitton. Girl.

Kristen Stewart has repeatedly bored me on many a red carpet but I feel like she kept it classic with this monochromatic look. Check her out giving us Vogue Bella Swan.

Kristen Stewart in Stella McCartney.

Best Dressed According to Lucy:

Soooo….I totally didn’t realize that this is the lead actress in ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’! Wow, talk about transformation. I love everything about this dress and her flawless face. She looks amazing.

Rooney Mara in Givenchy

JLo’s look doesn’t overtly scream punk to me (minus her hair) but I really loved this dress on her. I’m sure everyone is tired of her wearing nude colors and skin tight dresses but it works, lol.

Jennifer Lopez in Michael Kors

I’m going to give the celebs a break this year. The theme was tough. Last year was better.

Sources: 1 and 2

My mood was completely ruined. I texted one of my friends letting her know what happened and that I would not attend the wedding. Long story short, after exchanging insurance information and shooing off the officer, I was able to attend the wedding. I’m so glad I did!

Per the request of the bride and groom, I cannot post pictures from the wedding. Well, I won’t post any pics of their faces. The table setting was too cute not to post.

I will say that I didn’t have high hopes for the reception food. I was crossing my fingers in hopes of dining on authentic Liberian cuisine, but alas. Thankfully, the three course meal was very appetizing.

Who can say no to a photo booth opp??? Photobombed by my friend, AJ.

Good times.

Cheers to real love.

I don’t remember how we met. I just know that she has changed my life for the better.

Today is my best friend Bekky’s birthday. I’ve never done this before but she really has a special place in my heart. Never have I ever met such a genuinely humble, giving and caring spirit before. Bekky has truly taught me (and is teaching me) what it means to be a good friend.

She’s done SO MUCH for me. The least that I can do is to use my platform to share some of the few things that make her a beautiful individual on her special day.

I cannot recall every little thing but what I do remember is…

1. Having an assignment to sleep outside during homelessness week and her coming along.

2. Her family sending me to London.

3. Date nights.

4. Countless sleepovers.

5. Graduations.

6. Her tireless support.

7. Her giving nature. I’ve never met anyone who would actually give their last.

8. Her flying up to New York while I was there…just cuz.

9. Weddings.

10. Her coming with me to Florida for MY aunt’s funeral.

I could literally go on and on about how much of a good friend she has been and continues to be to me but I honestly don’t have all the words. I am just blessed to have her in my life. Love you, Gbeke. Happy birthday.

her wedding in lagos, nigeria. 10.27.12

Since I bought this jacket, I’ve worn it with EVERYTHING. This is not uncharacteristic of me. I love to shop my closet to see how many outfits I can create surrounding a single item. It’s a challenge but also very fun.

Above, I chose to pair my jacket (from Macy’s) with a maxi dress. The goal is to always keep it simple.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with mellowing out a super girly look with this jacket. Pop your collar, girl.

I’m a huge fan of casual attire. Slip on a blouse and some boyfriend skinny jeans and head out the door.

This last look is probably my favorite; a look that I’m fearful of trying. I don’t wear sneakers (unless I’m going for a jog and that’s almost never) but the high tops and leather jeans together rock! One day, one day.

How are you styling your cargo jacket? If you don’t have one yet, get to it!

“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” ~Henry David Thoreau

Time flies. An overused statement but it’s so true. It flies and I have NO idea what I’ve got to show for it. Seriously, some days I stop and think, “did all I do today was build someone else’s dream?” That’s it? “What did you do for self-improvement, Lucy?” Nothing.

For the past four months, I’ve worked tirelessly on a project at work. Overtime, no paid time, weekends…I was not in the mood for conversation, meeting up with friends or any of my old pleasures like social media and blogs. I’ve been a zombie. A moody depressed one. (Wait, as opposed to…whatever.) My only escape were weekends. I told myself I’d catch up on sleep then. Not exactly. I busied them up with so many activities just to make up for a dull week. I hate idle time. You only have one life to live, right? YOLO, right?

I became burnt out. Not only that, but I was still broke. That was last week. Fast forward to this week….lol. My project is finally over and now I can breathe again. I’m finally back to normal. But I still do not want to waste my time. I don’t want to be so consumed by someone else’s work that I forget about my own projects. I don’t want to allocate time to frivolous events when I should be dedicating time into creating my ideal life. I’m not perfect by any means but I have taken tiny steps towards being less busy.

Three things I’ve found that work in being less busy:

1. Less time spent on the internet - Over the last few months, I’ve realized that my love for social media has waned. I don’t have much to say/share. Scratch that, I do. I just don’t feel the constantly overshare anymore. I think we all need to learn how to balance our public personas and our privates lives. Keep the bulk of who you are a mystery. It’s alluring.
2. More time spent with humans - Nothing feels better than a sense of belonging. To have friends and family, a lover or even a pet. Knowing that you matter to someone really shifts your mood for the better. Carve out time for the ones near and dear to your heart.
3. Alone time - This is so important to me. In a world where everyone wants a piece of you, it’s important that you consider your needs as well. There are too many people spewing  negative energy, waiting for you to soak it up. Sit still and organize your life! Write. As much as I love lists, I don’t make enough of them. And really, they keep me sane.

Are you doing “too much”? Is there things/people/events in your life that can be cut out?

I never know how I’m going to style an item when I make the purchase. I buy, then I figure it out later. Found this really cute shirt on sale from Forever 21 for ten bucks. And my cute nautical shoes on sale from Target for seven. Grabbed a pair of old jeans and voila. You really don’t have to spend a lot to design your personal style. I will definitely be wearing this outfit a lot this Summer. Most likely with shorts.

P.S. DO YOU SEE MY HAIR GROWTH?! Remember when I was BALD??!

In the midst of my “loner” moments, I forget how much love I have surrounding me. And it’s the little things that matter to me the most: the time spent and the memories. It’s the things that money cannot buy.

I’m so very grateful to the few people who came out and celebrated with me. The new and the old friends. I really appreciate you all. Thanks for the memories. XoXo.

Dinner with the gals at Ecco.

Dress: Asos; Shoes: Zara; Jewelry: Forever 21

I met this fella through a mutual friend last year at my birthday celebration. He stuck around. Glutton for punishment.

My siblings

Nice meeting you Octavia, Veronica and Aisha!

Yay me.

I don’t believe in happily ever after but I do believe in moments of happiness.

I don’t believe in any right answer or right way but I do believe things work when they should.

I don’t believe religion is necessarily important but I do believe a relationship and/or spiritual connection is.

I don’t believe people are inherently evil but I do believe that good people sometimes do bad things. That bad things happen but good always prevails.

I don’t believe in soul mates but I do believe in two people willing to make something work.

I don’t ever claim to understand life. Things happen that don’t make sense. We do things that hurt people. We say things we don’t mean. Life isn’t fair. No one said it would be fair, or easy. It just is. And although I don’t believe in a lot of things, I gotta believe in something good. I gotta have hope. I gotta have faith in humanity.

I gotta believe in something.

What do you believe?

As part of my pledge to do 28 acts of random kindness, I found a community garden for weekend volunteer work.

Saturday

I volunteered at the Edgewood Community Garden with a group of high school students from a gifted program. One of the first youths I spoke with was Tasha. She attends the Carver School of the Arts and will be attending Spelman college after graduation. I was really impressed with her as well as the other students and what they were doing for the community.

Carrot on steroids. Whoa.

I’m not sure why Mother Nature won’t let us have Spring but I’m quite simply over it. Weeding and mulching in 50 degree weather is not what I consider a great time. But it soon warmed up and I was back to being happy.

Our wonderful leader, Monica, showing us how to plant tomatoes.

“Eat Mor Chikin”

Sunday

I had a blast participating in the 50 Shades of Black Open Photo Shoot, hosted by my favorite photographer, Ross Oscar Knight. All shots were free, courtesy of Mr. Knight. How sweet of him.

As we drove to our next event, we saw the most dapper man enjoying the beautiful Atlanta sunshine.

A friend of mine invited me to a live tapping of a tv show called Twiin.

 Twiin, the Reality Show, will bring those look alikes together and put their looks to the test. The show will also see if family members and friends are convinced as well as many other surprises.

Naima Mora from America’s Next Top Model was the host. I just remember her saying “Ohh Lucyyy”. I turned around and answered. But evidently, her friend’s name is also Lucy. Oops.

Weekends are never long enough.

Earth Day

BY Jane Yolen

And just as I

Need every bit

Of me to make

My body fit,

So Earth needs

Grass and stone and tree

And things that grow here

Naturally.

That’s why we

Celebrate this day.

That’s why across

The world we say:

As long as life,

As dear, as free,

I am the Earth

And the Earth is me. 

Happy Earth Day, everyone