HAPPY NEW YEAR

The New Year, like an infant Heir to the whole world was waited for, with presents and rejoicings.

From the stable of REFLEXIONS, to all my Amazings Fans and Friends,

Years come and go, but this year I specially wish for you a double dose of health and happiness topped with loads of good fortune.

WELCOME TO WEEKEND BLOG HOP

Welcome to Weekend Blog Hop. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. Happy Hopping.

Commuting Dogs?

Commuting dogs? an interesting article about dogs in Moscow

Dogs are allowed on public transport in all  of Europe … but  generally with their 
master.


 

STRAY  dogs are  commuting to and from a city centre on underground trains in  search of food scraps.

The  clever canines  board the Tube each morning.  After a hard day  scavenging  and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and   return to the suburbs where they spend the  night.

Experts  studying the dogs say they even work  together to make sure they get off  at the right stop after learning to judge the length of time they need  to spend on the  train…

The dogs choose the  quietest carriages  at the front and back of the train.  They have  also  developed tactics to hustle humans into giving them more food   on the streets of Moscow .

Shaving with Shaving Soap

Shaving soap is generally referred to as hard soap that is whipped into a lather using a shaving brush.The lather it produces is used to coat the face during shaving, providing protection and lubrication for the razor. Shaving soap is not much different from regular soap except for some added clay that gives the soap extra slips and also works to purify the skin. Once you try a real soap to shave with, it will be difficult for you to try commercial shaving cream again.

Ellen's Favorite Hidden Camera Pranks!

I love Ellen's Show. If you are ready for some laugh, you need to watch this video.

Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop

Welcome to  Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop. I'm very happy to have you here. A special welcome to all my first visitors. If you are already a part of this hop, I'm thanking you so much for your help in building Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop and making it a success. Come and Get Connected and stay Connected. With this hop, you will increase your strength, followers, readers and connect to other bloggers in which ever way you like.

This blog hop is for family friendly websites only.

Kate Middleton Dazzles in a Black Gown (Fashion and Beauty Friday)

I like Kate, and so do many others. She has endeared herself to the public with her style and charm. When it comes to fashion, she rarely disappoints. I've not always been a fan of  'Long Black Dresses/Gowns (I prefer short dresses) but I totally agree with Kate on this. It looks perfect on her and I'm giving her an A+.

A photo of Princess Diana wearing similar gown also came up and she wore it well too.

Christmas Cookies

Oh thou Christmas cookies, you are the reason why I gain so much pounds after Christmas seasons.

Fergie's Christmas Card

This Christmas card by Fergie and Josh Duhamel is warm enough to lighten up the Christmas spirit in you. I also like the down to earth attitude they portrayed in the picture. 

First Snow of the Year

Yeah, we have our first snow of the year. Every body, especially the kids are always excited about the first snow. My kids have expected it for so long and this morning, we woke up to see that every where is covered with snow.

Trust kiddos for always being spontaneous, they started making snow balls on our way back from kindergarten. The balls became bigger and we all made a snow man.

Trust me for always having my camera around for such spontaneous moments. 

Inspiring Afro Hair do of the Day

I'm totally loving this Wild hair style from actress and singer Ledisi. I don't know if one should call it an extension, dreads, braids or weaves, all I know is that it fits her. Carry your look girl!!!

The singer Jill Scott as always is rocking another captivating hair style in Mo-hawk look. And she is  wearing it well.

Photo By PN2/Mandatory Credit: PNP/ WENN.com

Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop

Welcome to  Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop. I'm very happy to have you here. A special welcome to all my first visitors. If you are already a part of this hop, I'm thanking you so much for your help in building Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop and making it a success. Come and Get Connected and stay Connected. With this hop, you will increase your strength, followers, readers and connect to other bloggers in which ever way you like.

This blog hop is for family friendly websites only.

Thank God it's Christmas

It's Musical Monday and yes I'm highly in the spirit of Christmas. Today, I'm sharing two old Christmas classics. 'Thank God it's Christmas' by Queen and 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year' by Johnny Mathis.

Happy viewing.

THANK GOD IT'S CHRISTMAS



IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

Pregnancy and High Heels (Fashion and Beauty Friday)

How long can a pregnant woman stand on her tiptoes? Seeing the way some pregnant women (especially the celebrities) rock their high heels, I can't stopping imaging how comfortable it is for them. When I was pregnant, I gave up wearing my high heels at the beginning of my second trimester because I was always loosing balance. Even now, I rarely wear them since I keep on chasing after my active toddlers at every occasion we attend.

Okay, I know that motherhood has made me loose some of my braveness, but below are pictures of some brave celebrities who will not give up their high heels even in the nearest future.

Credit: Humberto Carreno/Startraksphoto.com

Credit: Andrea Renault/Polaris

Credit: Michael Kovac/FilmMagic

Credit: Flynet

Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

Credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

WELCOME TO WEEKEND BLOG HOP

Welcome to Weekend Blog Hop. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. Happy Hopping.

Contigo 20 oz. West Loop with AUTOSEAL® Technology - Holiday Gift Guide (Review and Giveaway)

"It is now Contigo or no other water bottles around my house". This was the house-hold rule I made after using my first Contigo product "Contigo Autoseal - Madison Water Bottle". Since then, I have become a fan and I'm so thrilled to have another opportunity of reviewing  another product from Contigo.

The Contigo® West Loop Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug with AUTOSEAL® technology keeps your favourite holiday drink hot for up to six hours. AUTOSEAL® self-sealing lid technology offers press-to-sip drinking and automatically seals between sips making it spill-proof and leak-proof – there are no lids to remove and no spouts to open. The West Loop is also top rack dishwasher safe. Throw some instant coffee packs or tea bags in the mug to make the perfect gift.

Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop

Welcome to  Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop. I'm very happy to have you here. A special welcome to all my first visitors. If you are already a part of this hop, I'm thanking you so much for your help in building Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop and making it a success. Come and Get Connected and stay Connected. With this hop, you will increase your strength, followers, readers and connect to other bloggers in which ever way you like.

This blog hop is for family friendly websites only.

INTRODUCING AFRICAN BLOGGERS COMMUNITY (ABC)

I am so excited to be talking about this. I have so much looked/searched for it and I hoped that there would be one and finally it's here. It's the newly launched community for all African Bloggers(worldwide). It's the AFRICAN BLOGGERS COMMUNITY.

It's a community/platform where African bloggers and also non-African bloggers who love to share African Heritage connect. As a blogger with African origin, I've always looked for a community like this but only succeeded in finding directories (not a real community where one can really communicate and interact).

Finanlly, it's here and I am super excited.

Are you a blogger? Come and join us. Like I said, it's also open for non-African bloggers. See you there. xoxox.

WELCOME TO WEEKEND BLOG HOP

Welcome to Weekend Blog Hop. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. Happy Hopping.

$200 HOLIDAY CASH GIVEAWAY

This is the season we all have been waiting for. Many people are showing  love and appreciation to all loved ones this season. It's been a long journey from the month of January to December, and we still remain grateful for all your supports and contributions on the things that makes us happy. One-moment-in-time, Makobi Scribe, The Organic Blonde and  7 other wonderful blogs are giving away $200 Paypal Cash . And to increase your chances we are making it 2 winners.

$200 HOLIDAY CASH GIVEAWAY

Entry is easy with Rafflecopter.  Must be 18 or over and have a valid PayPal account that can receive money.  Open worldwide. It takes the Rafflecopter widget a little time to load, kindly spare  few seconds while it loads :-)

N/B: I removed some people that entered for this giveaway, simply because they tried cheating. If you indicate that you followed someone when and it's not true, I will personally find out and all your entries will be deleted. Kindly bear with me because I got to stick to the rules...

The Benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry (Fashion and Beauty Friday)

Cosmetic dentistry is the art and science of enhancing and improving the appearance of a person's smile. It is the dental treatment  that improves the beauty and health of a person. Smile  is an important aspect of looking and feeling your best. Cosmetic dentistry can work wonders for your physical and mental health. It can improve your smiles, increase your confidence and bring the dazzle back into your mouth.

According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), cosmetic dentistry has been shown to improve a person's overall health and emotional well-being. An improved smile can boost a person's self image, making them more confident in their daily lives.

One of the tasted and trusted benefits of cosmetic dentistry is that it produces immediate results. Chipped, cracked or broken teeth can be fixed. Most variety of dental defects can be corrected. Old ugly black and silver fillings can be replaced with new natural colour. Teeth can be whitened , lighted and brightened to counter act the effects of foods, drinks, cigarettes, etc.

It can repair dental injury caused by trauma, illness, infection, developmental abnormalities and  heredity.

The recovery time is fairly quick and it is said that patients report very small pain during the recovery period. For anyone who  suffers  from dental fear and anxiety, Sedation Dentistry Nashville will be a perfect option.

Here are some other benefits of Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry can help to improve your appearance and give you greater self confidence. Mentally, your self esteem will be higher and you will generally feel better about your self.

Because of the improved smile, you will begin to love your own smiles and your smiles will know no bound.

You will be more proud of yourself. If you used to hide your smile because of your imperfect teeth, you do not need to be ashamed any more.

Not being ashamed of your smiles can give you confidence to talk to a stranger, meet new people, get a raise and so much more.

Missing tooth can affect the functionality of the way your mouth masticate food. If you are missing a tooth or more, cosmetic dentistry could be the answer.

Disclaimer: I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog  for a franklin
dentist and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

How To Sell Online

Starting a business online is just like starting any other business but in most cases, it's a lot cheaper. What makes it cheaper is exactly not the amount of money you put inside but your effort and work. Hard work is the secret to succeeding in almost anything but it is especially important on the web.

Here are some tips on how to sell online

Do your online research: Before starting any online business or listing any particular product you want to sell online, you may want to spend some time researching about other similar products. This will help you to weigh the interest for your products/services and also help you to determine how much your product might be worth. If you are planning to sell online, it is advisable to start shopping online. When you put yourself in the consumer's place, you will be in a better postion to understand their needs.

Let Your Picture Speak: Your picture says it all. We know that people want to see things before they buy them. For successful online selling, make sure that any product you list is accompanied by professional quality photograph.

Learn all about Shipping: There is no doubt that some methods of shipping are better than others. You would want to find the best methods of shipping for your products in terms of expense and reliability and make sure to specify the shipping method in your listing. Include information on shipping costs and integrate any taxes within your price list.

Functional Shopping Carts:Be sure to have adequate product descriptions, pictures, specification and very clear pricing.  Include a foreign exchange calculator if you are shipping internationally.  Your shopping cart pages should be  protected by a Secure  Certificate to give visitors the confidence to reveal their personal and credit information.

How you write matters: Pay as much attention to the writing of your listing as to your picture. To write a powerful listing, you need to combine search engine friendly phrasing with concrete details about the product in the way that will entice people to buy the product.

Be Business-Like: Act professionally, provide the kind of superior customer service that will build your reputation. Make sure you are following the business rules that apply, such as registering your business and properly charging and remitting taxes. Selling online is just like any other business, to become successful, you need to follow the rules and provide the kind of customer satisfaction that will translate into increased online sales.

 Disclaimer:I am participating in a blog campaign from Bucks2Blog for an online
website builder company and was compensated. However, the views and
opinions are my own.

Reasons to Buy Handmade Shoes

Photo: John Lobb Bootmaker

I love shoes and I like men who wear good shoes. I've heard people say that "You can know a man's taste by looking at the pair of shoes he is wearing". I don't know how true it is but it made some sense to me. A man's shoes definitely tells a lot about him. My husband happens to be the type that goes for quality and classy shoes but he easily runs out of patience when he doesn't find what he wants. 

One of the things my husband and I share in common is our 'irregular shoe sizes'. Shopping for new shoes can be exhausting because we spend lots of hours visiting different shoe shops and trying out tons of shoes. The problem is always that the fitted ones are not the type of shoes we would want to wear and the ones we really like don't fit. This can be frustrating.

We couldn't be thankful enough since we opted for handmade shoes (especially my husband).  He loves them. Now  he enjoys wearing his shoes without feeling pains and I can now walk well (even in high heels) because I no longer wear those 'ill fitted shoes' that put tremendous stress on my legs. We found out that buying handmade shoes is not a luxury but it's giving your feet the necessity of comfortability, free from pains which usually affects the way you walk and can cause problems to the spine.

Here are 5 good reasons to buy handmade shoes:

1. They are comfortable. They are specially made for you no matter the size or the shape of your feet.

2. Handmade shoes are unique. They are not just made for people but made for you, your class and you can choose your design.

3. Handmade shoes are made of high quality and fine materials which assures better durability and comfortability compared to machine made ones.

4. If you buy a handmade shoe, you are not only buying quality but perfection and style to suit your personality.

5. Because of their incredible craftsmanship, they are made to withstand the pressure of high amount of wear and tear.

Disclaimer: I am participating in a blogger campaign by Bucks2Blog and was
compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.

St. Nicholas Day.

Today is St. Nicholas Day (the 6th day of December). In this part (South) of Germany, Sankt Nikolaus still comes as a bishop with flowing beard and a bishop's miter and staff (In Catholic Churches). Houses are thoroughly cleaned and children clean and polish their shoes or boots in preparation for the saint's visit. On the evening before St. Nicholas Day, children put letters to the good saint along with carrots or other food for his white horse or donkey on a plate or in their shoes. These are left outside, under the bed, beside a radiator, or on a windowsill in hopes of finding goodies from St. Nicholas the next morning. During the night Sankt Nikolaus goes from house to house carrying a book in which all the children's deeds are written. If they have been good, he fills their plate, shoe or boot with delicious fruits, nuts and candies. If not, they may find potatoes, coal, or twigs.

Get more information about St. Nicholas here

Here are what we  St. Nicholas gave the kids: 

How do you celebrate your St. Nicholas day?

Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop

Welcome to  Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop. I'm very happy to have you here. A special welcome to all my first visitors. If you are already a part of this hop, I'm thanking you so much for your help in building Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop and making it a success. Come and Get Connected and stay Connected. With this hop, you will increase your strength, followers, readers and connect to other bloggers in which ever way you like.

This blog hop is for family friendly websites only.

Adele - Someone Like You Live at the Brit Awards 2011 (Musical Monday)

She is such a beautiful lady with beautiful voice. I love the emotions in her voice when she sings. Adele is so talented and I can't hear enough of her.

'Someone like you' is a hit and you need to see her live performance at the Brit Awards 2011.

I've also included the song text. Enjoy:

I heard that you're settled down,

That you found a girl and you're married now.

I heard that your dreams came true,

Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you

WELCOME TO WEEKEND BLOG HOP

Welcome to Weekend Blog Hop. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. Happy Hopping.