13 Things To Do When You're Snowed In

As the entire country knows by now, the East Coast is being pummeled by #SNOWPOCALYPSE2015. It's a white, blustery, windy, frigid, blasted mess out there. New Yorkers are stranded all over the place because Mayor DeBlasio closed the subways & put an 11pm curfew on drivers so that the streets can be plowed. People sleeping at work &/or huddled up inside bodegas. Others are buying enough food to last through Spring & Home Depot can't keep enough rock salt in stock. Schools & some workplaces are even shut down for tomorrow. And most devastating of all, Facebook & Instagram went down & all through Twitterland everyone was in an absolute meltdown panic. No wonder my Facebook post about doing this blog post wouldn't load. hmph  But what if Facebook, Twitter & Instagram really disappeared though? Scary.......


So what's a girl to do when she's all snowed in? Well here's what I did. I'm sure pretty much everyone did variations of these but in case you didn't here are some ways to pass the time.


1.) Watch Netflix - I recommend Marco Polo & Peaky Blinders.

2.) Eat donuts - Or some other junk food that isn't good for you. I left my jelly donut in the microwave too long. Who knew 30 seconds was too long for a jelly donut? Damn near all my jelly came out.

3.) Drink Alcohol - This is a no brainer. Wine, rum, vodka, tequila.......

4.) Sit by the window & watch the snow fall. Maybe take some pictures. Some dude got arrested at the store across the street. Took 4 police cars for ONE dude.

5.) Watch Youtube - I caught up on:  

Kevonstage

Trace Ellis Ross

DessyGT

6.) Watch people shovel snow - Shout out to the home & car owners. I just know my mom is gonna make me shovel her car out of the damn snow.

7.) Use social media - Play on Twitter since Facebook & Instagram are down for the night. Keep refreshing to see if they are back up. UPDATE: They were back up around 2:10am

8.) Watch TV - I caught up on the snow news

Testing out my new wig

9.) Take random selfies

10.) Cook

11.) Write a blog post - Like I'm doing now.

#snowpocalypse2015 😞❄️

A photo posted by Michelle Mastrobattista (@michellemastro) on Jan 27, 2015 at 2:15am PST

12.) Listen to the sounds of the wind and snow plows dragging through the street. You just know that as soon as they leave the snow will pile back up.

13.) Take a nap - The main reason why I'm up writing a blog post.

BONUS!!!
14.) Listen to music - 50's Rock n' Roll was my music of choice. La Bamba is my fave 50's song. Pandora is wonderful.

Sometimes I just wanna leave New York & move to Cali. The prospect of rolling out of bed & throwing on shorts to run errands is enticing.

So what are you doing to pass the time?

Do you have to go to work?

Parents. What plans have you made for your kids since 
schools are closed?

Weekend Recap: Brunch, New Friend & Fatman Scoop

TO NEW FRIENDS!
From left: Aleah, Tania, Claudia, Me(& my big face)
(everybody's skin looks flawless!)

This past Saturday I was out to brunch with my two friends Claudia & Aleah at Harlem Tavern. We were out to meet a new friend, Tania.

Harlem Tavern
2153 Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY

While Claudia, Aleah & I were waiting for Tania to arrive we met DJ Fatman Scoop. He got in our business a little bit asking where we were from and then we took some pics. Funny dude indeed. Meting him made my day a little bit more exciting. Check out his t-shirt.

I had the Salmon Flatbread with a side of real bacon. Not no turkey bacon. -_-

Brunch done. Belly full.

I loved meeting Tania. She's a funny girl & I definitely wanna hang with her again. It was great seeing Aleah again after so many months. A little about the girls:

Aleah: is a makeup artist & owner/CEO of her very own makeup line Haviic Cosmetics.

Tania: is a TV producer, celebrity interviewer, emcee & all around entertainer. Check her out at Tania On The Scene.

Claudia: is a jewelry designer & owner of Unusual Star Jewelry.

Me: Well you know what I do but I'll say it again. I'm a handbag designer, seamstress & owner of Moruka Designs Handbags. :-)

After that Claudia & I roamed the streets of Harlem from Michaels to Yogurtland to Home Goods & back to Michaels till night fall. Because Claudia didn't want to go back in her house.

Claudia & her shenanagans.

Yummmm... I got like 5 different flavours together.

What I wore

Hair: Twist out on 2 week old twists

Top: Goodwill

Jeans: Don't remember 

Shoes: Franco Sarto

Earrings: Mandee

Tote: Moruka Designs

That sure was a fun day.

How was your weekend?

What did you do?

Eric Garner: "I Can't Breathe"

This morning as soon as I woke up I wrote this status on Facebook: 

"I actually watched Eric Garner die last night. I read about it and saw the video circulating but I couldn't bare to watch it. I finally did last night and I had the worst sleep. I barely slept. It was as horrible as everyone described. I couldn't believe he died like that. He said "I can't breathe" about 3 times and those NYPD officers kept choking him till he was lifeless. At one point an officer joined in to rest his knee on his head or neck. Those words "I can't breathe" were in my head throughout my slumber and I kept jumping out of my sleep, but at least I get to wake up. R.I.P. Eric Garner. A black husband and father is lost senselessly."

I am feeling every kind of messed up about what happened to this man. I REALLY didn't sleep well. I was afraid of what I would see so I relied on social media and articles but I told a friend about it last night who had no clue it had happened and we ended up watching it together. And what I saw was a savage and complete disregard for that man's life from start to finish. How do you hear someone say "I can't breathe" repeatedly and NOT release them from a headlock or choke hold? I think they meant to kill him, but that's just my opinion right? But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that big burly 400 pound black man really was a threat and deserved to be choked out and mobbed by 8 or more police officers, NOT! Those NYPD officers knew what they were doing was dead wrong.

I'm sad. I want to cry but I can't. Not because I don't care but because I literally can't cry and that's because I'm SO angry at what happened. I found the full length video with the aftermath and BAWLED! That shit was so damn pointless that I still can't believe it happened. I'm not functioning normally right now and actually had to get out of the house today because I didn't want to be inside feeling like this. I get chills every time I flash back to that video; I can never watch it again. I have a heavy heart for him and his family because I know they feel infinity times worse than I can ever feel. I wish Eric Garner's family all the condolences in the world. I pray that one day they can come to terms or as close to it as possible for their own collective sanity. I pray for justice for Eric Garner because he was clearly murdered.

(source)
Rest In Peace Eric Garner

#ICantBreathe 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO ***GRAPHIC***

Blogging While Brown - Faith In Mobility Video Project

While I was at Blogging While Brown I had the pleasure of participating in the Faith In Mobility video project by Eva Greene Wilson aka Soca Mom & AT&T. I wasn't expecting the question she asked and it tied in perfectly with the Faith In Mobility discussion later that day. She asked me how I used technology to find faith and inspiration. It made me think harder about how important social media is to me.
Sure, I get some laughs from funny memes(i.e. Kermit The Tea Drinking Duke of Shade), build my brands and share with people but there are times when I feel down or unmotivated and that's when I got to YouTube to find inspiration. I look for my faves like Shameless Maya, KevOnStage, and LatoyaForever. There are other YouTubers who motivate me as well and I can always find a motivating word, a laugh, or some kind of pick me up when I go to these channels. They are part of the reason why I do what I do. I wouldn't still be blogging or wouldn't have started my business without the wonderful people I find on social media who motivate me. Putting yourself out there is a scary thing and I haven't mastered it as yet but once you start it gets easier. You don't have to be perfect, you just have to start somewhere. I see their growth and that's inspirational to me.  Now I have one more inspirational YouTuber on my list. Soca Mom you have a new subscriber!! 

This is part 1 of the series.

I'm the first person in this one.

Part 2



How do you use social media to find inspiration?
How has it impacted your Faith?


#InspiredMobility

Day In My Life: Photoshoot & New Shoes

Me & my fro shadow

Today I've decided to put aside the tripod, concealer 
& blush & invite you all into a day in my life. 

Hopefully I'll be able to do more of these.

Oh & this post is VERY pic heavy.

Event Recap : #HealthyJenell Smoothies & Juices

This past Saturday I attended Let Your Hair Down's #HEALTHYJENELL Smoothies & Juices hosted by Jenell Stewart. I was at home suffering from cabin fever & decided to buy my ticket 15 minutes before the event started & venture out to Brooklyn. It was scheduled for 6pm to 9pm at  Buy The Bag Thrift Store on 28th Street, Brooklyn. Also co-hosting was Candace Kelley of Supernatural. I arrived around 8pm & met Jenell & Candace in demonstrating.

Jenell Stewart & Candace Kelley

Jenell talked about being healthy & getting your fruits & vegetables in juice form. She demonstrated blending your smoothies as opposed to juicing them while discussing the pros and cons of each. When blending smoothies you need less product than you need with juicing. Also with blending all of the pulp is present while with juicing there is very little pulp if any along with some foam which can be strained.

Some of the fruits & veges she blended included apple, pear, kale, banana, & beets. I dabble in green smoothies here and there & even wrote a post about it a while back here. I don't experiment with a lot of recipes but got to taste some samples of what Jenell made to get a good understanding of what goes together. The result was that pear in a smoothie tastes awesome. Other tips:

• Chia seeds or flaxseeds in smoothies(I use flax and wheatgerm)
• Fruit: 3 to 4 servings daily(I get 1)
• Veges: 6 to 8 servings daily(same here)
• If juicing as a meal replacement you'll need about 24oz to make up the calories. If you're still not full from the juice alone you may need to eat something along with it. 

 

There were also awesome giveaways. First Jenell gave away about 10 boxes of Shea Moisture's Curl & Shine Kit. There was also a raffle sponsored by Buy The Bag where you could pick out one item of your choice. I didn't win the Shea Moisture but I sure won the thrift store one!! YAAAASSSS!!! I FINALLY WON SOMETHING!!!

Winners! 

Look at the cute jacket I picked out! EEK!!

I loved the event and I'm really glad I fought the urge to stay home.

What did you do this weekend?

Were you there? How did you like it?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! & Christmas Giveaway winners

Hey y'all!!!! I'm back from my end of year blogging vacay/Holiday festivities and ready to start 2014 with some fresh ideas. I have come up with so much during my break and am working on ways to implement them. Look out for more Caribbean focused
posts. Gotta tap into my roots man! Thank you all for supporting me throughout the years and growing with me. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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Also... I had a Christmas giveaway and it's time to announce the winners of the Moruka Designs coin purses. Congrats to LeSha H. and Anointed Heels!!! Merry belated Christmas to you both!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you all for entering. 

More giveaways coming!

DIY Business Card Adventure

A couple of months ago I ran out of business cards and needed some for YouTube Unplugged. You know, when Google had the first ever YouTube Music Awards Show in October? Since it was 2 days before the event and too late to order from Vista Print because I was unwilling to pay next day air I decided to do it myself. I just got on my Samsung Galaxy Tab and started designing my little heart out.

This is the first version. Quite busy right?

I was kinda feeling it but something told me to consult with my design
team over at Bloggers Like Me on Facebook and thank goodness I did! I busted open Photoshop Touch again and went to redesigning as my blogger booskies guided me through the land of newbie graphic design.


I used the same social media icons that are on my blog. My goal was to make the card look as similar to my blog as possible so I used the same colours and copied the social media images from my blog side bar and added them in Photoshop Touch.

This thing comes with a built in stylus!! AWESOME!!

I then got some perforated business card paper from Kmart. I opted for the Avery brand. I've used it before with great results. All I had to do NEXT was go Avery.com and download the matching template to the 8731 paper. It yields 10 2''x 3.5'' standard size cards on one 8'' x 11'' sheet of paper. There 10 sheets so I got 100 cards. I LOVED that it was perforated because after everything I went through that day designing I DID NOT want to sit and cut cards. 

VOILA!!

Like it? I do!

I'll be keeping and tweaking this design but will be 

using Vista Print next time.

Big thanks to my blogger boos over at BLM for helping this misguided soul. So proud to be a #BLMgirl. Check out BLMGirls.com to learn more about us!

Are you a DIY business card person or do

 you use a service to get your cards?

What do you think of mine?

If you have design suggestions feel free to comment below. Be nice. :-)

And click here to sign up for my mailing list to keep up to date. I'm looking into my crystal ball and I see giveaways in the very near future. O_O

Thanks for visiting. Do come again!

Glycerine Moisture Spritz Recipe

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Moisture spritz

8oz distilled water

2oz glycerin

2oz grapeseed oil

Mix well and store in container of your choice.

Today's Breakfast - Protein/Fruit Smoothie

It's been a while since I've been able to have a breakfast before work much less a proper one. So this morning I had some time on my hands and decided on a smoothie and two boiled eggs. I boiled the eggs while I was getting ready and made the smoothie after I was done dressing.

Recipe:

(approximate values)

1/3 cup of vanilla whey protein

1 hand full of Costco frozen mixed berries

1/2 hand full of frozen sliced bananas

Enough water for desired consistency

I didn't need to add any sugar.
The sugar in the whey protein and banana took care of that. I'll be doing this smoothie and variations for a while because I have a large bag of berries to use up. I've decided on freezing bananas and making smoothies with them because I never get to eat them all in time and they end up spoiling plus they are sweet and help to decrease to amount of sugar I use to none most times. I also have LOTS of protein powder to use up and since I'm trying to grow this hair and will be working out again the extra protein will do me good. 

Try it. Hope you like it. :-)

Lovely Sunday + Were they laughing at me?

Stretched out fro
Earrings, necklace, ring: Brooklyn jewelry shop near the BK museum
Bracelet: Forever 21
Top: H&M
Skirt: Avenue A & 11th Street flea market
Shoes: Mandee
Pink lipstick, neutrogena sunblock

Sunday is the beginning of my weekend with some exceptions & I always try to go out & do something. Most times I try to dress up & yesterday was one of those times. My hair was in a stretched out updo Pompadour looking style for the entire work week, then I took it down, finger detangled in sections, twisted each section, left overnight and then undid for that very sexy fro with a side part in the above picture.



I ran errands for my mom before I visited my friend & my 3 month old beautiful chubby little god-daughter. I went to the dollar tree & Kmart. At both places dudes told me I looked nice, I responded graciously & whatnot; this one woman at Kmart actually stopped me to ask how I got my hair style & complimented me. That was the first time a stranger ever did that. I loved it. *giggles* So I was driving back home & I stopped at the light on a two lane road. I stopped beside a car & was still looking ahead not paying attention to who was in the car next to me & all I heard was, "YO WHAT THE FUCK???!!!" followed by hilarious laughing & inaudible words. Funny thing, the car was quiet for the first couple of seconds as I was pulling up then when I completed my stop I heard the huge burst of laughter. I still haven't looked at then at this point but they sounded like young boys, early twenties maybe. I'm pretty sure it was directed at me but who knows... I just know it was a little coincidental that the commotion happened when I completed my stop. I was thinking 'these snot nosed little rugrats need to go siddown somewhere'. It got me to thinking about guys & the hair they are used to seeing. They can't be expected to just jump into accepting & liking natural hair, fros, & other natural hairstyles because they grew up seeing the women in their families wearing their hair straight whether it be weaves, wigs, or relaxers; {but it did bother me a tiny bit & I do think that people should at least respect people's choices instead of reacting like that}. For that, I wasn't mad at them but mostly because I was looking hot & was feeling myself waayyyyy too much. I really don't think I've ever had that kind of reaction before either. I have gotten stares though.

Closer look at my fro.

So yup, that was my Sunday.

Memorial Sunday Lunch

This this a quick post about my Sunday Lunch. I didn't want to eat too heavy so I went with this yummy ensemble.

Chicken/apple salad, Corn, Lettuce/avocado salad. YUM!!

Every time I go to Macy's food Court in Herald Square I have to get the chicken & apple salad so I decided to make it myself today. Here's the recipe quoted from Southernfood.About.com

Ingredients:

3 cups diced cooked chicken

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup diced celery

2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup diced apple

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

4 to 6 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste, optional

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

lettuce leaves

Preparation:

Combine the chicken, cranberries, celery, onion, apple, and walnuts, if using.

In a cup or small bowl combine 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise. the lemon juice, curry powder, if using, and salt and pepper. Stir into the chicken, adding more mayonnaise as needed and for taste. Line bread or rolls with lettuce and spread chicken salad on the bread or serve the chicken salad on lettuce-lined plates.

Serves 4.

I didn't use the curry(I thought it might taste weird) & the pecans. Enjoy!!

Green Smoothies

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What is a green smoothie?

A blended drink made of juice or water, and varying green vegetables and/or fruits.

Why drink it?
To get nutrients in raw form, a way pool different fruits and vegetables in one place. They can be a great alternative to salads, for people on the go, and can be made sweet or savory to taste.


I've tried Green smoothies on and off over the years. At first I was terrible at it; my ingredients were off. I think the issue was that I was trying to pack too many ingredients in thinking I would get the most nutrients that way. While that may be true I was ending up with a thick, slushy, weird tasting mess and got no nutrients because I couldn't stand the taste thus wasting perfectly good vegetables. The term 'less is more' proved itself. I had to learn simpler, tastier recipes.

I always have good results when I drink them consistently. I notice after a little over a week of drinking one green smoothie a day my skin starts to glow. But like usual I eventually fall off. I decide to stop for a bit for some stupid reason eventually going back to how I was with my skin getting dull again(I have a problem : / ).   I never checked to see if there was any effect on my hair growth but it doesn't matter to me as I drink them for overall health. I've also read on hair forums about green smoothies concerning hair growth and many reported wonderful hair, skin, and overall health results.

Other things I've noticed are keener sense of smell(eg. with meat), decreased sugar cravings, and boundless energy. Around last September/October I was on green smoothies for about a month and I was bouncing off the walls. That was actually my longest green smoothie stint. I had so much energy I couldn't sleep. I'd want to throw on my sneakers and go running around the block just to burn some energy but couldn't because it was late at night and I'd probably get snatched up and end up on a milk carton. So I took up some free dance classes with Shape Up NYC (if you're not using their resources you need to get on it). When I got midnight snack cravings I'd also make a green smoothie instead of getting a sandwich, ice cream and/or cornbread (hanging head in shame), frying an egg, or any other atrocity I shouldn't be eating at that time of night. Looking back, late night green smoothies didn't help my insomnia. Smh.

This is a smoothie I made today.

Kiwi, ginger, aloe, spinach.

Mix mentioned above, White Rose honey, Spectrum apple cider vinegar

 

Approximately 24oz. This batch was yummy.

My recipe

12oz. water

1 handful spinach

half kiwi

1 piece aloe

small piece of ginger

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon MSM

Amount of honey needed for desirable taste.

My findings/sugestions:

-Don't use regular spinach you need BABY spinach. I made the terrible mistake of making a smoothie with that stuff and nearly died.#throwsupinmouth# Slimy mess.

-Don't use tomatoes. Extremely acidic. Might work out in savory green smoothies. Look here.

I sometimes add apple, blue berries, straw berries, banana, chlorophyll, chlorella, celery, etc. Just about anything I have on hand that I think will taste good. My base juice is lemon, water, and honey. I used to use apple juice but wanted to try something more basic and unprocessed. Occasionally I'll go back to apple juice and other juices for a different taste.

So since I've been feeling sluggish lately I'm putting myself on a challenge to drink at least one green smoothie a day. If I drink more, like the entire contents in the above batch then great but this is my minimum goal. I also want to try my best to eventually replace my artificial juices with green smoothies and water.

When I'm really low on time or feeling lazy I add liquid chlorophyll to my juice so I'm at least getting some liquid greens in there. So that can be an option for someone. You can also use powdered chlorella, spiralina, or any other kind of powdered greens, or drink them in pill form.

What are your experiences with green smoothies?