Snap Back!!!

With the summer just right around the corner, it's the perfect time to SNAP back in shape with healthy & colorful snacks. After finding a wonderful Facebook page with the recipe listed below; Purely Healthy Living, I immediately decided to make this wonderful snack for myself and the kids. Only difference, I added basil instead of parsley. The first picture shows just three ingredients for a flavorful snack. Two ingredients, I actually forgot to include (Oregano & Olive Oil) and is loaded with a burst of flavor. Here's the recipe: 2 large tomatoes, cut 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. dried oregano Basil Leaves Salt and Pepper to taste a little bit of olive oil for drizzling over the top (optional) Directions: Preheat over to 400 F degrees In a small bowl combine oregano salt and pepper. Top each tomato slice evenly with the Parmesan cheese mixture. Add basil onto of tomatoe followed by the parmesan cheese mixture. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, this is optional. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until you notice the cheese starts to turn gold. Easy, Delicious and Healthy. Follow Purely Healthy Living on Facebook for more delicious recipes. The second picture is just a collage that I put together showing you the fun and easy process. My kids thoroughly enjoyed their snack and it was healthy. It is also important to incorporate nuts in between meals which contain unsaturated fatty acids and are a great snack and easy to pack when you're on the go. Seen above is an energy blend that I purchased from Costco with Edamame, Cranberries, Almonds, & Pumpkin Kernels. I love them and helps with hunger pains….LOL! Today, my lunch (seen in the fourth picture) consisted of a Raw Kale Salad, and Mangos with Jalapeño Vinaigrette from Whole Foods Market along with my favorite drink of all time "Kevita." I love Kevita as it is a probiotic drink that contains four strains of live probiotics. It is also organic, and vegan and can be found at Whole Foods Market. Find out more about Kevita by clicking HERE! As you can see in the last picture, Wholefoods market is known for their fresh salads. It's my go to spot when I just want to get away and enjoy a scrumptious yet healthy meal. With life moving at such a fast pace, I find it to be true that convenience has a hefty price to pay, and that is your LIFE. Don't always reach for convenient foods such as FAST FOODS as it can definitely have a toll on your health. As always do things in moderation and make healthy choices for your body and in LIFE!!!

Transformation in 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Yes, I know, I know, it's been a while since you have heard from me and without any excuses, I must say that I apologize. We are excited and thrilled of all of the growth that has been taken place with Scentsational Soaps. As we embark upon year 7, we have some great things planned for an awesome celebration. We must also mention that we have NEW packaging and scents coming too, with NEW labels. It's EXCITING and scary all rolled into one as we climb up to the next level. Nevertheless, with the support that surrounds us, we are sure that the transition will be AMAZING. With just nine days left til we end January, I'm on track with both my business and personal goals. I'm currently, trying something new to help me get my health back in shape. No meat, No sugar and water intake only for……Hmmmmm, I don't know. But its worth a try. It's only been day two with no meat and about 14 days of water only and I can feel a difference in my body. My meals are the pictured above. Very colorful, healthy and light. Now, if I could just get my husband to get on the same page, things would be a lot more easier and I wouldn't have to cook two separate meals……LOL! Now, that's wishful thinking. It's important as an entrepreneur that I take care of myself thoroughly. I realized last year, that I avoided putting myself on calendar and made sure that the kids, my husband and others were taken care of before myself. That is DEFINITELY a NO! NO! If this is you, STOP because you owe yourself time. Go to the beach, walk around the park or get a massage and give Manly Handz a call. You owe it to yourself and so do I. Let 2014 be a year of rejuvenation, life, abundance, gratitude and positivity!

10 years and counting........

WOW!!! I can't believe how time has flown by. I say this because, this coming Friday, my husband and I will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary. It's crazy! I remember just meeting him. As promised, I thought it would be a great idea to let our followers in on our relationship. Because this blog is catered specifically to health and wellness, "Relationships" is a great topic to speak about as it is important to keep and maintain healthy relationships. I will start by answering at least 10 of the many questions that unmarried couples have asked us over the years. But, keep in mind that all relationships are CUSTOMED. 1. How did you guys meet? I met Kevin at the "Good Guys" near the Beverly Center when I was only 19 years old. I worked there part time in the evening after my second job. I thought he was VERY attractive and made conversation, followed by a date and the rest was history. 2. How long did you all date before getting married? WOW!! Because, we were young, we dated for 8 years before getting married 3. How did he propose? One Saturday as I was cleaning his house, he called me into the room and popped the question, with a ring. I was completely surprised. 4. How do you deal with the ups and downs within marriage? Only the strong survives but we keep God as the focal point within our marriage and with raising our kids. We have had many bad times and also many exciting times. I think that during the bad times within our relationship, it has really shaped and molded us collectively as build us up individually. Yes, we have had disagreements, as with any relationships but I think that we have learned to understand each others perspective on a situation. We have also weighed the good against the bad and the good has always outweighed the bad. 5. What things do you do to keep things exciting and not dull? Every Wednesday, we go out for "Date Night" this is an exciting time for me and not so much for him as I love to go to different places, restaurants, etc. He's not that fond of going out BUT he compromises and I do the same. He LOVES to go to the movies and I hate movies, as I will quickly fall asleep. So basically, he'll take me to eat sushi (he cant stand fish) and I will then go to the movies. It's an even trade off. All in all date night has been an exciting event within our marriage. I get a chance to get dolled up, it's an opportunity for us to talk about things going on with his job, my business and our kids, and its just a great change in pace of the daily grind. Furthermore, some date nights don't necessarily have to be an outing. One night, we put the kids to bed, made a picnic in our room and enjoyed ourselves. It's the time that counts. 6. How did you know that he was the one? Kevin is VERY ambitious. I forgot to mention in the previous question about how we met, that he did not want a relationship with me unless I was in college. O, BOY!!! Can you say "REJECTION". I had NEVER got rejected before but I took the challenge and went back to school after 5 years of being out. I fell on my face many times in doing so. I received horrible grades, etc. He would tutor me every night. He was going to Cal State University, Northridge and I was going to Pierce College. Late nights were the norm for both he and I as we were both in school. I believe that it was then that knew he was the one. He shaped me and encouraged me to go back to school. Trust me, I did not have "school" on the brain at the time. I was young and daring. Now that I look back, I was a "HOT MESS!" LOL!!!......Thank you Jesus for sending Kevin my way. I later transferred and got my Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources. He finished before I did with his Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and I want to go back to get my Masters Degree in Business. 7. How do you manage your job, kids, business and marriage? We manage to do all of these things with the help of my wonderful mother. She has helped us TREMENDOUSLY! Of course, being parents is a job in itself, but trying to build your business, all will maintaining the kids, and keeping the household up to par can be overwhelming. We've managed to get everything done and still have a life with each other thanks to mommy. She is AMAZING!!! It is so important to have support and we are ever so grateful for it. 8. How do you manage financials as most marriages fail because of such? I'm a very frugal girl and was taught early on how to be by my mother. My husband on the other hand, enjoys nice things. Don't get me wrong I do too. It's just that I know how to cut back. However, he has made a great analogy by saying that I tend to buy things at a cheaper price but a lot of it when I could have just bought the real deal for the same amount of money. So, it's quality over quantity. On the serious side of things, we have learned how to be a team. We communicate to on another when things are looking foggy, and we set out goals to make things happen. Financially, we have experienced both the highs and lows but I have never once decided to leave based upon financial situations. Money comes and money goes and I have never seen ANYONE take money with them when they pass away. 9. Most people would say, the first 5 years of marriage are crucial as its the hardest? What do you say? I would agree. After our marriage, it was pure bliss. Everything was NEW, FRESH and exciting. I believe that once the newness wore off, reality hit. Yes, I love my husband but I think that reality hit when I realized that we would be together for the rest of our lives. Being that I was young, understanding each other wants, needs and behaviors was trying at times. Communication was choppy as well. After we had kids, it took on a whole different shape. Not to mention that our kids are just 2 years apart. The stress level was HIGH! O, and did I mention that I was still in school at the time too? After the 5 year mark, we begin to understand each other better, while being receptive to each others needs. "Compromising" and "Sacrificing" are two crucial words in a marriage. Now that our kids are older and we are a lil seasoned in marriage, we have weathered the storm, but that's not to say that we won't have more things to go thru in the future. 10. What advice would you give a couple who is looking to get married? Don't force it, know when you are ready and make sure that you are committed to it. Communicate with one another. Let each other know what it is that you like and dislike. Compliment one another. Always, always date. Continue to do the same things that you did when you guys first met. Lastly, and above all keep GOD first!!! As mentioned before, each relationship is customized to your wants and needs. It must be beneficial for both parties and not just be one sided. The word "Relationship" is not only just for those who are dating or married. It goes further into our lives on a daily basis. It's always great to build relationships but its important to maintain them.

Strawberry! Strawberries! Strawberry!

In 2007, I attended the Strawberry Fest with my kids who were then 5 and 3 years old. I was SO inspired by the many soap vendors that I wanted to make soap at home with the kids. Upon our return, we did just that and Scentsational Soaps was born! Since then, I had not visited the place that brought me SO much inspiration, joy and FUN and I felt it was time to revisit this year. I made it a point to go back and revisit what I call my "Candy Store" We set out to take the Amtrak, bright and early in the morning from Los Angeles to Oxnard. The kids were excited and so was I. It was a bright and beautiful day with nice and warm weather. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to arrive. It was a nice trip with a great scenery. We past thru beautiful mountains and large Strawberry Fields. From our stop, we caught a shuttle to the Strawberry Fest where lots of people were in route to go in. As you can see from the many pictures we ate, and ate, and ate and ate. They had everything from Strawberry Pizza to Strawberry Nachos, wine, beer and MORE!!!! Our bellies were STUFFED!!! The kids thouroughly enjoyed themselves as they rode several rides, and visited a few magic shows. My husband was a kid at heart as well. He managed to purchase some paintball tickets for a future date. Around 4:30pm our day had ended. We had to wait for the train to arrive and while doing so, we laid out on the grass and watched the kids rumble and play. They were still hyped from all of the sugary and fun foods that we had devoured earlier. "Mommy watch this" "Daddy, watch me" these we the words that shouted out to us as we rested from a long and enjoyable day. As you can see, daddy was worn out. He couldn't wait to board the train and give his eyes a rest. Besides he had been at a basketball tournament with our son the day before all day. If you haven't visited the Strawberry Fest in Oxnard, please make plans to do so next year as it is a fun outing and usually every year, KIDS RIDE FREE on the Amtrak!

Finding Your Green in 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! With the New Year here, many of us or shall I say, myself have decided to work out, eat healthy and make some major adjustments to improve ourselves, both mentally and physically. But, we must first start off with eating properly. For the past week, I made a promise to lay off of drinks with sugar. Yep, my favorite Coca Cola. Instead I have been drinking a galloon of water a day. So far, it hasn't been so bad. Let's see how long this will last. So, now that I had the liquids down, it was now time to see what I would start eating. Unlike my husband, I love vegetables and sour tasting things. One night, I decided to purchase a bag of Euro Greens, which was a mix of Kale, Swiss Chard, Mustards and Peppery Greens. I sauteed them with onions in a lil olive oil with salt, pepper and small dash of chili pepper for taste. It was DELICIOUS & simple to say the least. After indulging in lots of greens, my sweet tooth began to set in and I begin searching for a dessert without the sugar. I know, that it sounds strange but it was something worth searching for and I had found it here Tangy Lemon Avocado Pudding. It was Fabulous and had all of the right ingredients; Avocado, Coconut Oil, Stevia (non-calorie sweetener) and lemons. As I continue on with my journey, I will continuously be looking for other great low calorie recipes. If you have a few please share as it is a MUST that I look great for my 10 year vow renewals with the hubby in CABO in August 2013!!!! Pictures Taken By: Toushonta Hogan

All Work.....NO PLAY!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! Yes, we know the question that you probably have next is "Where have you been?" We've been busy with our NEW boutique. Since the last time that you heard from us, we were preparing to open and yes, we are now open and have been since April. We never knew the hard work that is involved with managing a boutique, until we opened our own. In one picture you can see that the shelves were empty, but hey, we had to start somewhere. Even if we only had one purse and two body butters, WE WERE OPEN & WE DID IT!!! The picture next too it shows our growth. The shelves are running over and we are continuously replenishing inventory. That's a great sign and with returning customers. It's been FUN! EXCITING! and it definitely allows us to be creative. As you can see from the pictures, we're getting ready for Christmas! We're EXCITED as this is our first Christmas at our new location and we invite you to the festivities!!! RSVP now for our soap wrapping party and help us help others while giving BACK to SHE CARES FOUNDATION. Make sure to take a look at our website too! We have great items in store as well! Be sure to by: S&S Boutique 2618 W. Manchester Avenue Inglewood, CA 90305 (Between 5th & 6th) We'd love to meet you!

New Beginnings............

Both Scentsational Soaps and Springcart are joining forces to bring you S&S Boutique in Inglewood, CA...... COMING SOON!!!!


When opportunities present itself in such a manner that you can't turn down, that means that the TIME IS NOW!!!!!!!!! Never did I imagine of having my own business let alone a boutique. For years many of our fans have asked, when would a store be made available for them to visit and pick up their favorite bath & body products. Without hesitation, I would always reply by saying that I really didn't want a boutique. The online store was just enough for me. Boy, was I wrong. When an opportunity knocked on my door just a lil over a month ago, I must admit that I was reluctant at first but I finally decided to jump in and DO IT!!!!!!!!!! Immediately after committing to this NEW JOURNEY, fear begin to sit in. I was both nervous and excited all rolled into one. Nervous, because this was something NEW. And with all new things, you begin to feel overwhelmed. It was just like purchasing a new home. DECISION!! DECISIONS!! DECISIONS!! What color should we paint it? How should we decorate it? How can we set ourselves apart from other boutiques? Who do we want to attract? How should we market? And so on and so on. Once the particulars were agreed upon it was time to make a move and as Nike says, "JUST DO IT"

As you can see from the pictures below, it's coming together and we are so EXCITED and grateful to be bringing you Handmade bath & body products, handbags, accessories and MORE! We can't wait to announce opening day therefore, keep your eyes glued to our BLOG as the announcement will be made soon!!!!