It's My 29th Birthday

Happy Birthday to me, I made it another year by the grace of GOD. My 28th year on this earth brought me so many lessons.  I do my best to celebrate every year because let's be honest not everyone makes it to their 29th birthday. I had big plans to bring on my 29th birthday but just like 27th birthday, things didn't work out like the way I thought they would.

My 27th birthday, my best friend and I had plans to go to Charlotte, North Carolina for a girl's trip. We purchased this amazing Air Bnb and planned out our whole weekend. But the Sunday before my trip I caught the FLU!  Let me tell you I was so bummed out about it all. I got my hair braided, purchased cute outfits and etc. Just to get the flu and I wasn't able to get to the full refund back.


Fast forward to 2020, COVID- 19 arrived canceling everything. I'll be honest I've been a bit uneasy about everything that has been happening but my tribe and my amazing fiance has helped me keep calm. I've unplugged from news articles for a while. I'm practicing precautions you know, washing my hands, using sanitizer, using Lysol and practicing social distancing.

I planned to have a glam shoot but I couldn't see myself out and about taking pics when we're trying to flatten the curve for the virus. So I purchased some balloons and put on my birthday dress.

I  was getting a bit frustrated during the shoot but I took a break and pushed through. That is one lesson I learned this year. That when things get rough or overwhelming take a break. Step back and breathe. There were so many other lessons I learned during year 28:

1. Live your truth
2. It's okay to let go
3. Growing sometimes hurts
4. You're more of a friend to some people you call friends
5. Speak your truth even if your voice shakes 
6. I like what I like and it's okay who doesn't
7. Don't allow anyone to put their insecurities on you
8. Check yourself to make sure you're not the toxic one
9. Check yourself to see if you can handle the situation differently 
10. Apologize
11. Stop questioning your abilities
12. If they left out of your life with no explanation leave it at that

What I'm looking forward to at 29

1. Getting Married
2. Starting a new life with Timothy
3. Growing my business
4. Starting something new
5. Traveling
6. Creating more memories
7. Cooking more
8. Trying new things

Take care,
Ireana

Customize Your Tech With Case App

Am I the only one who could never find their name on the name magnets or key chains growing up? I would get so, like why can't I find my first or middle name on anything. I saw my last name but no luck for the first or middle. Over the years I found out that I had to customize to get my name on anything.  Thanks to Case App I was able to customize my iPhone case and my MAC Book.

Case App allows you to customize your design or use one of their many designs. You can create a custom skin for your phone or laptop. Click Here to see if your device fits. It was a tough decision I had to make. I couldn't decide if I wanted to use my blog logo or use my name. As you can see I went with my first initial and middle name for my iPhone. I'm obsessed with quotes, so I added one of my favorites quotes  "Bloom Where You're Planted."

You can also shop Case App now thru April 12th with my code  XOXOIJOELLE20  for 20% Off.



Until Next Time,

5 Ways I'm Staying Productive During This Time

It's been a whole week since we've been quarantined for COVID 19. I'll be honest it took me a couple of days to calm myself down because it had me so worried. But I prayed, cried and prayed some more about it. I can say I'm thankful that during this time I'm still able to get paid because there are so many others who are not getting paid during this time. I'm thankful that I'm able to purchase groceries and other items because there are some people who are not able to. A way to cope with what's going on is to take it one day at a time.


Another way to keep my mind off what's going on is to stay productive. My fiance reminded me how I would always say I don't have the time to do this or that. But now it's time to do so.  Here are a few things that I have done and will continue to do during this time.

1. Creating a to-do list
 Every morning before I get my day started, I would create a to-do list on sticky notes. Creating a to-do list keeps me sane and reminds me of what I need to accomplish for the day. This where my planner comes into place. If you don't use a planner, this would be a perfect time to use one.

2. Read or Color:
Listen on a daily basis, I never get a chance to read or color. I'm always on the go and any downtime that I have, I'm too tired. I'm putting it in my schedule to at least read or color.  This also helps me escape from what's going on.

3. Doing work outside my bedroom
I learned this from my college course that doing any work in your bedroom is not the best. So what I did was clean up my office area and made it nice enough to work in. Your environment plays a big factor in how productive you will be for the day.

4. Take A Break
If you're working from home or helping your kids with homeschool work, don't forget to take a break.  you may become overwhelmed and burned out.  Step away from the screen, close the book, do what you need to do to take a break. This isn't a time to add more stress to your life.

5. Organize
I'm also using this time to organize my space. There are so many things taking up space that I need to let go of. Pretty soon Timothy and I will be moving in together and I would hate to bring unneeded
items.  Cleaning is also very therapeutic to me as well.

I know right now is it a bit rough but I encourage you to take it one day at a time. If you need to take a step back from things then do that.  Don't let anyone make you feel like you'overreacting or you don't care what's going on. We're all handling this differently.  Be kind, this is all new to us and show a little sympathy.

Love,
Ireana

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Here's Why You Need An Acrylic Jewelry Organizer

  All of my jewelry finally have a safe place. No more placing my earrings in a big box and not being able to find them when I need them.  At the time, my storage at the time was one jewelry box and a four-part acrylic drawer.  But that wasn't enough, I would end up losing pieces, having them getting tangled up with other earrings. By the time it was time for me to untangle them they were broke.

I've learned over the years that if I create a space then I can always put it back where it belongs.  I had to find a solution because my current system wasn't working.  I'll be honest I tend to keep things for a long time but as I'm getting older I realize they're just taking up space. I was determined to fit everything in the drawers which means I had to throw out a few things. 


On a Saturday afternoon, I ventured over to TjMaxx because they have a wide selection of acrylic drawers. I was looking for a drawer with at least 8-10 pieces. I  was able to find one for $16.99 and the majority of my jewelry did fit.  I didn't realize how much jewelry I had until it was time to organize. I came up with a system and separated my jewelry my finish and color. Placing tassels in one drawer, beaded and glitter jewelry in another, lucite in this drawer and etc. This system makes organizing my jewelry much easier. Now I can say that all of the pieces have a safe place. My dresser looks so much neater and less clutter. I just have to remind myself to put things back where they belong. 

4 Wearable Spring Trends To Try

Spring is almost here but the weather shows that it isn't going to wait.  If you didn't, Spring is my FAVORITE season next to Fall. I love spring because of the warm weather and being able to rock fun and flowy dresses with sneakers of course.   When a new season approaches I like to research what styles are trending. I'm looking to see to what trends I'm willing to try and which ones I'm willing to pass.


Espadrilles
As you can see I finally found the perfect pair. If you read my Spring Shoe Haul post, you know how hard it is for me to find trendy shoes. But thanks to Torrid for being on trend with their shoes. Espadrilles can be dress or down, with a cute mini dress or jeans and a t-shirt.  There are so many options when it comes to styling Espadrilles. If you haven't added them to your collection you're missing out for sure.

Puffy Sleeves
Now when I first saw that this was trending for the season all I could think about was Saved By The Bell.  When Kelly Kapowski and Lisa Turtle wore those puffy sleeve dresses. Even though I have broad shoulders, I'm a little on the fence about this trend but I'm willing to give it a try.

 Straight Leg Jeans

I finally stepped on the wild side and gave my skinny jeans a rest. I've worn two pairs of straight leg jeans and I love them. They give off a relaxed but chic vibe to your outfit. Check out how I styled my American Eagle Straight Leg Denim Here.

Fun Baubles and Bits
This season calls for fun baubles and bits. Baubles and bits is another name for jewlery . But this call for fun pieces of jewelery pieces.

Ofcourse these are just a few wearble trends that you can rock this season. I wanted to spotlight a few that you will for certain find me wearing.  Stay tuned for more Spring style to come!

Until Next Time,