'ino
http://www.cafeino.com/home.html
'ino is a tiny Italian sandwich and wine bar located at 21 Bedford St. (btwn 6th Ave. and Downing). They offer a menu of breakfast, brunch, bruschetta, tramezzini, panini's and dolce. The menu is in Italian but no worries the glossary on the back makes it easy for anyone to order their delightful treats.
Mayo and I met here a few weeks ago and had a great time chatting with the bartender. 'ino is right across the street from a bread bakery which is where they get all of their fresh breads from. I ordered half of a rucola, sun-dried tomato pesto, red onion and fontina panini with a mixed green salad. I honestly cant remember exactly which bruschetta Mayo ordered because I was so focused on my food! It was great! I do remember trying some of Mayo's cheese and being amazed at how REAL fresh cheese tastes COMPLETELY different than the processed stuff we are accustomed to eating here in America. The fresh cheese at 'ino is to die for, seriously. I love cheese so this just made my afternoon.
If you're into great wines they have a good selection, while I didn't have any (and wont for about 5 more months lol!) the wines they carried were quality brands that probably complemented the food perfectly.
They didn't have that much to choose from as far as non alcoholic beverages are concerned and the place was really small which are the only two bad things I have to say.
I give 'ino a 4 out of 5 Stars
Price Range:$$
~Spread Love~
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
I am not my hair!
Hey LTLV!!! How yall doin'??
So for the past 3 weeks I have been rocking a protective style (i.e buns, twists, braids, sew-ins, etc). I have a sew-in and I love the ease and quickness of this hairstyle. I wake up most mornings, spritz my hair with conditioner mixed with water, shake and go!
So why the title you ask?? Well my natural chicas let me be the first to say the natural hair community is a loving and great group of women who encourage positive self esteem and support each other in so many ways. BUT it can get a little annoying when I get shady looks from other naturals just because I decide to rock long straight extensions or a different look for a little while.
ATTENTION NATURAL NAZIS: Natural hair is VERSATILE, which is why I love it so much!!!! I don't have to rock a twist out or afro everyday of my life just to feel good about exclaiming I LOVE MY NATURAL HAIR! This post is for all my naturals who rock weaves, wigs, blow-outs, and extensions depending on their mood. Don't ever feel guilty for wanting a bone straight look or a long silky weave...you are just as natural as the next one so there. I said it. It felt good too! I'm not defensive but I don't feel the need to convert everyone around me into giving up perms, what the next person decides to do to their hair is their prerogative.....so remember today's life lesson: its just hair people...so please chill.
Now that I got that off my chest, back to my sew-in :) lol. I used the Milky Way brand because while I would love to have the Virgin Indian Remi Deep Curly hair for 104.99 a pack (Christmas gift anyone lol) I really cant justify spending that much on hair...I just cant do it. So I get my Milky Way Water Weave 10 in and 8 inch packs and keep it moving for about $40.00! This hair really blends well with my natural texture that even my close friends cant even tell sometimes that its a weave!
This hair is not top quality so it will have some shedding and some tangling but at the end of the day I don't have to style my hair for 4-5 weeks, it's protected against the dry winter weather AND I always see growth when I take out my sew-ins especially when I oil my scalp regularly. So its a win-win protective style for me.
I also noticed how the Henna has slightly changed my hair color when I went to the Beauty Supply. I went from a 1B (Black) to a 2 (Dark Brown) after only two Henna treatments....so I think this gives you a good idea about how Henna changes your hair color its very subtle but there is a difference.
Here is a pic of my sew-in I know its kinda hard to see my hair but I will post more. This is me and my friend Fab at a Holiday party:
Happy Holidays People and as always Spread Love!
So for the past 3 weeks I have been rocking a protective style (i.e buns, twists, braids, sew-ins, etc). I have a sew-in and I love the ease and quickness of this hairstyle. I wake up most mornings, spritz my hair with conditioner mixed with water, shake and go!
So why the title you ask?? Well my natural chicas let me be the first to say the natural hair community is a loving and great group of women who encourage positive self esteem and support each other in so many ways. BUT it can get a little annoying when I get shady looks from other naturals just because I decide to rock long straight extensions or a different look for a little while.
ATTENTION NATURAL NAZIS: Natural hair is VERSATILE, which is why I love it so much!!!! I don't have to rock a twist out or afro everyday of my life just to feel good about exclaiming I LOVE MY NATURAL HAIR! This post is for all my naturals who rock weaves, wigs, blow-outs, and extensions depending on their mood. Don't ever feel guilty for wanting a bone straight look or a long silky weave...you are just as natural as the next one so there. I said it. It felt good too! I'm not defensive but I don't feel the need to convert everyone around me into giving up perms, what the next person decides to do to their hair is their prerogative.....so remember today's life lesson: its just hair people...so please chill.
Now that I got that off my chest, back to my sew-in :) lol. I used the Milky Way brand because while I would love to have the Virgin Indian Remi Deep Curly hair for 104.99 a pack (Christmas gift anyone lol) I really cant justify spending that much on hair...I just cant do it. So I get my Milky Way Water Weave 10 in and 8 inch packs and keep it moving for about $40.00! This hair really blends well with my natural texture that even my close friends cant even tell sometimes that its a weave!
This hair is not top quality so it will have some shedding and some tangling but at the end of the day I don't have to style my hair for 4-5 weeks, it's protected against the dry winter weather AND I always see growth when I take out my sew-ins especially when I oil my scalp regularly. So its a win-win protective style for me.
I also noticed how the Henna has slightly changed my hair color when I went to the Beauty Supply. I went from a 1B (Black) to a 2 (Dark Brown) after only two Henna treatments....so I think this gives you a good idea about how Henna changes your hair color its very subtle but there is a difference.
Here is a pic of my sew-in I know its kinda hard to see my hair but I will post more. This is me and my friend Fab at a Holiday party:
Happy Holidays People and as always Spread Love!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
West Village Weekly
Hey LTLV!
I am going to begin writing my reviews of different restaurants that my friend Mayo and I visit for lunch! I work in the West Village, NYC so that where most if not all of these spots are located.
Up First: Mae Mae Cafe
http://www.greatperformances.com/cafes/mae-mae-cafe
This is a cute cafe located at 69 Vandam Street, NYC 10013 (corner of Vandam and Hudson). Its not your everyday coffee sandwich cafe. This place has style. The food is hearty and the atmosphere is so warm an cozy you just want to grab a book and a corner and stay for hours!
Mayo who was hungover and me having had a light breakfast made us extra excited to sit down to some good cooking. We ordered A LOT of food!
I ordered the Traditional Caesar Salad and the Mac and Cheese and as two girls from the south Mayo and I have HIGH standards when it comes to our food. The Mac and Cheese bowl was SCRAPED! Mayo ordered the Melted cheese and Fresh Bread appetizer and a Salmon entree. Well I actually wanted the salmon but we shared everything. I cant express how savory and delicious all of our food was!
It did take a while for us to get seated...it's a pretty small cafe style place but it was well worth the wait. I saved some of my salmon and ate it the next day for lunch and it was still delicious. They are not afraid to season their food at Mae Mae's which is what I loved about the place.
They get all of their food from local farms so their menu changes with the seasons. Which keeps regulars (which I will probably become) on their toes. :)
They bring your check out in a closed novel/book, and its the cutest thing ever. If you're ever in the Village give this place a try...you wont be disappointed!
Overall I give Mae Mae Cafe a 5 out of 5 stars. Price Range: $$
~Spread Love~
I am going to begin writing my reviews of different restaurants that my friend Mayo and I visit for lunch! I work in the West Village, NYC so that where most if not all of these spots are located.
Up First: Mae Mae Cafe
http://www.greatperformances.com/cafes/mae-mae-cafe
This is a cute cafe located at 69 Vandam Street, NYC 10013 (corner of Vandam and Hudson). Its not your everyday coffee sandwich cafe. This place has style. The food is hearty and the atmosphere is so warm an cozy you just want to grab a book and a corner and stay for hours!
Mayo who was hungover and me having had a light breakfast made us extra excited to sit down to some good cooking. We ordered A LOT of food!
I ordered the Traditional Caesar Salad and the Mac and Cheese and as two girls from the south Mayo and I have HIGH standards when it comes to our food. The Mac and Cheese bowl was SCRAPED! Mayo ordered the Melted cheese and Fresh Bread appetizer and a Salmon entree. Well I actually wanted the salmon but we shared everything. I cant express how savory and delicious all of our food was!
It did take a while for us to get seated...it's a pretty small cafe style place but it was well worth the wait. I saved some of my salmon and ate it the next day for lunch and it was still delicious. They are not afraid to season their food at Mae Mae's which is what I loved about the place.
They get all of their food from local farms so their menu changes with the seasons. Which keeps regulars (which I will probably become) on their toes. :)
They bring your check out in a closed novel/book, and its the cutest thing ever. If you're ever in the Village give this place a try...you wont be disappointed!
Overall I give Mae Mae Cafe a 5 out of 5 stars. Price Range: $$
~Spread Love~
True Story...
So...I’m expecting, in case you missed it in my profile info!!! This is my first child, and I will be a single mother but LIFE HAPPENS and I’m making LEMONADE!!!
I am currently about 16 weeks along…….so this journey should be interesting to say the least! So far I haven’t had any real morning sickness (fingers crossed). I first realized something was wrong I was riding the 8am train to work (crowded as always) and I almost fainted. I started to sweat and my body just felt so weak. After this happening two days in a row I realized I wasn’t eating breakfast before getting on the train and since then as soon as I wake up I have to eat something. I also started to feel VERY VERY tired, one Saturday I even slept until 5pm!! I will post a pic of my belly even though it only looks like I ate too much at dinner lol….I don’t own a scale but at my first doctor's appt (@11weeks) I weighed in at 151 lbs! My next trip to the doctor is Wednesday so I will be posting ultrasound pics and more! Hopefully I can find out the sex!!! I hope it's a girl :)
Tummy Pic at 10 weeks taken from my BlackBerry :/ (no digital camera until Christmas)
And here is a pic of my belly (Blackberry again) at 16 weeks:
As my belly grows I can tell you that sleeping on my right side is not happening these days! I am no longer feeling queasy in the mornings and I have noticed my prenatal vitamins making my nails grow faster. I thought this would be fun but I have to keep cutting them because I scratch in my sleep and wake up with scars!
So anyway…..on to my hair routine….I’m going to post link the videos that have how-to demos so that you can see exactly where I learned my techniques. Using this regimen I have achieved chin length hair in a little over one year since my Bold Cut (BC-cutting all of my relaxed end off). My hair was about 2-3 inches this time last year and now its past chin length when stretched. I admit my routine wasnt the same for the entire year there are a few recent changes but I feel that I have reached a point where my hair is very easy to care for and it works for ME although you may not have the same results I’d like to share.
Here is a blurry pic of an old twist out taken from my Blackberry:
In nutshell:
Co-Wash one or twice a week (if only once I use a spritz mid-week for moisture)
Deep Condition 2x per month
Henna treatments every 6-8 weeks…….Keep reading below for products I use and more deets :)
For my co-washes I use Organix mango curling conditioner:
but more recently I switched to Curls Clarifying Shampoo:
The Curls shampoo is highly recommended by two of my favorite natural bloggers and I don’t feel that the Mango conditioner gives me a “clean” feeling that I like. I just had to cough up the money and step it up to the Curls Clarifying Shampoo even though I have been hesitant to spend $12 on a bottle of shampoo. I figure I don’t use shampoo often so it will last for a while..... (Im a product junkie and I need help lol!)
After my wash I have fallen in LOVE LOVE LOVE with the Herbal Essences Conditioner line for detangling my hair. The products I like are Hello Hydration (fav) and None of Your Frizziness(2nd Fav). These products have great slip and I’m telling you they make detangling a BREEZE!!
Once I detangle I apply and style with the leave in conditioner recipe created by the YouTube hair vlogger KimmayTube (she is pretty intense about hair care). I simply remix it by replacing the Castor oil with Coconut oil. I would try it with the Castor oil to see if you like it because a good friend of mine loves Castor oil, while I find that its too thick for me.
Here is how to make the conditioner step by step:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXi2k4cFFhI
The main ingredient =Kinky Curly Knot Today, this stuff is the bomb dot com!!!
I deep condition my hair 2x per month using the Organic Root Stimulator Deep Conditioning pack mixed with honey.These packs are only $1.22 per pack at Wal Mart or any beauty supply store and they work great especially with heat. I usually apply it and sit under my bonnet-dryer for 15-30 min.
The final part of my regimin are my Henna Treatments that I do every 6-8 weeks.
To find out more about Henna and its pros/cons you can read more at http://www.hennaforhair.com/. This is where I learned about how it works before trying it on my own hair.I use the Jamilla Body Art Quality Henna :
mixed with 100% Lemon Juice cinnamon, honey, and conditioner for my treatments. You can find recipes one the website mentioned above and also video tutorials. I was inspired by Curly Nikki to try henna. You can check out her results and a video tutorial on how she Henna’s on her blog which is GREAT! http://www.curlynikki.com/search/label/Henna
And that’s it love bugs please comment and ask any questions you may have.
~Spread Love~
Tummy Pic at 10 weeks taken from my BlackBerry :/ (no digital camera until Christmas)
And here is a pic of my belly (Blackberry again) at 16 weeks:
As my belly grows I can tell you that sleeping on my right side is not happening these days! I am no longer feeling queasy in the mornings and I have noticed my prenatal vitamins making my nails grow faster. I thought this would be fun but I have to keep cutting them because I scratch in my sleep and wake up with scars!
So anyway…..on to my hair routine….I’m going to post link the videos that have how-to demos so that you can see exactly where I learned my techniques. Using this regimen I have achieved chin length hair in a little over one year since my Bold Cut (BC-cutting all of my relaxed end off). My hair was about 2-3 inches this time last year and now its past chin length when stretched. I admit my routine wasnt the same for the entire year there are a few recent changes but I feel that I have reached a point where my hair is very easy to care for and it works for ME although you may not have the same results I’d like to share.
Here is a blurry pic of an old twist out taken from my Blackberry:
In nutshell:
Co-Wash one or twice a week (if only once I use a spritz mid-week for moisture)
Deep Condition 2x per month
Henna treatments every 6-8 weeks…….Keep reading below for products I use and more deets :)
but more recently I switched to Curls Clarifying Shampoo:The Curls shampoo is highly recommended by two of my favorite natural bloggers and I don’t feel that the Mango conditioner gives me a “clean” feeling that I like. I just had to cough up the money and step it up to the Curls Clarifying Shampoo even though I have been hesitant to spend $12 on a bottle of shampoo. I figure I don’t use shampoo often so it will last for a while..... (Im a product junkie and I need help lol!)
After my wash I have fallen in LOVE LOVE LOVE with the Herbal Essences Conditioner line for detangling my hair. The products I like are Hello Hydration (fav) and None of Your Frizziness(2nd Fav). These products have great slip and I’m telling you they make detangling a BREEZE!!
Once I detangle I apply and style with the leave in conditioner recipe created by the YouTube hair vlogger KimmayTube (she is pretty intense about hair care). I simply remix it by replacing the Castor oil with Coconut oil. I would try it with the Castor oil to see if you like it because a good friend of mine loves Castor oil, while I find that its too thick for me.
Here is how to make the conditioner step by step:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXi2k4cFFhI
The main ingredient =Kinky Curly Knot Today, this stuff is the bomb dot com!!!I deep condition my hair 2x per month using the Organic Root Stimulator Deep Conditioning pack mixed with honey.These packs are only $1.22 per pack at Wal Mart or any beauty supply store and they work great especially with heat. I usually apply it and sit under my bonnet-dryer for 15-30 min.The final part of my regimin are my Henna Treatments that I do every 6-8 weeks.
To find out more about Henna and its pros/cons you can read more at http://www.hennaforhair.com/. This is where I learned about how it works before trying it on my own hair.I use the Jamilla Body Art Quality Henna :
mixed with 100% Lemon Juice cinnamon, honey, and conditioner for my treatments. You can find recipes one the website mentioned above and also video tutorials. I was inspired by Curly Nikki to try henna. You can check out her results and a video tutorial on how she Henna’s on her blog which is GREAT! http://www.curlynikki.com/search/label/HennaAnd that’s it love bugs please comment and ask any questions you may have.
~Spread Love~
....If you want me you can watch me on your video phone!
Here is my first attempt at video making. Don't laugh...wait actually...please laugh because I sure did!
Welcome!!
Welcome newbies, and anyone else who is here, this blog is about all the things that I am interested in and my everyday life....I hope you enjoy. Thanks for stopping by!
~Spread Love~
~Spread Love~
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