Taking Down My Christmas Decoration Vlog

Couldn't Ask For a More Calm Date

Happy Midweek Lovelies! 

It is so surreal that we are already in the midweek, though it has been blissful.

I had my dad visit me last night, and I made an impromptu dinner. 

I do love hosting my guests whenever they visit although I always plan ahead, this time it was a different timing.

Due to the fact that my dad called to check if I was back home from work and luckily I had just arrived so he came by. He hasn't been to my place for months even though we are practically neighbours, he lives a few minutes away from me, as well as my brother. But barely see each but make sure to call & check up on one another, which is essential. 

However, when Pop (my dad) came over, my man was in awe as he always is when he comes to my apartment on the level of its organisation & aesthetic. That is OCD haha🤣

To the extent he went around my apartment, mind you, he has been here a couple of times and does the exact same thing. Then he opened my fridge which is a family thing that we always say; "you know the extent of one's cleanness through their fridge cleanness & organisation lol". So dad did the same check on me hahaha! 

Afterwards, we had some Nespresso coffee whilst discussing politics & he got to try the new flavour I bought on Monday, which he did like.  Then, later on, he had himself an Irish Whiskey while watching a Nigerian movie on Netflix but I couldn't drink with him because I had a class to coach at the gym. 

Instead, I decided to cook an impromptu dinner which was so delicious! 

I made Fried-rice with grilled chicken🤤

The preparation took exactly 40mins & dinner got served with flavoured sodawater(strawberry flavoured).  Dad was impressed & did enjoy it twice haha!

After dinner, I had to quickly prepare for the workout session whilst dad continued watching his movie & later we headed out. 

Coaching the class was quite fun as always and meeting up with some friends & colleagues there was another highlight of my evening before heading home to finally relax by taking a shower & read a couple chapters in a book that I'm currently reading(I will give a review of this book later).  Then read a bible verse before praying & dozing off.

Nevertheless, it has been a blissful day. I hope you get to experience it (blissfulness) too. 

   

Have a blessed day!

O'C Banks.

                                                 

Not Monday Again

Happy New Week Lovelies!

Wow, it has been ages since I got to blog which I did miss. 

I can't phantom that my blog turns 10 years next month. It all started from blogging about my fashion aesthetic to writing about top fashion brands and their collections I loved, to collaborating with some I didn't imagine at a young age. This blog gave me somewhat of a mother's pride towards it. It became my baby lol.

Nevertheless, it will always have a special place in my heart. 

Back to the topic of 'not Monday being today again', I had a stressful yet funny day haha!

Of course, started the day with a cup of coffee before working responding to emails and then making some needed calls. After work was done, I branched into the coffee store Nespresso to get more coffee (even though I still have enough lol), I wanted new flavours which I got and was also offered more coffee to drink there by the lovely Nespresso associate.

Then, I went to another store to buy a pair of white jeans because I couldn't seem to find the only white jean I have amongst over 30 pairs of jeans (mostly black & blue colours) that I own 🙈

 However, it was completely sold out so I was advised to go to their second boutique located somewhere else, which I did.  Luckily, I found some left and bought the white pair. The funniest thing then happened after leaving the store, the heel of my boot went off hahaha!🤣

This is a shoe I bought years ago and have only worn once & the shoe decided to give up the ghost when I wanted to resurrect it from the grave, aka its box. 

Luckily, there was a shoe store beside so I went in to ask if they could help me, and the sweet lady offered to give me super glue although that couldn't work because it had metal spikes connecting to the heel then I got super glue on my fingers including the sweet lady. We both started laughing at the scenario being encountered 🤣

Then, I gave up on trying to fix it because I'm definitely not a shoemaker haha. So I ended up calling a friend of mine, who saved my evening by leaving his house with his lovely girlfriend to pick me up & then drive me home. 

We couldn't stop laughing at how I was walking hahaha.

Thankfully I got home safely, thanks to them!  Because immediately after I got into my apartment it started raining.

Afterwards, I laid down on the floor of my living room to just analyse my day haha because I couldn't comprehend my ENTJ-A self could experience such but I did! And that is the beautiful thing about life, it comes with its ups & downs, however, it is vital to possess a positive mindset about it all.

In relation to the aforementioned, that was what I exactly did calling one of my childhood friends and we spoke at length ( for 2 hours) to reminisce & laugh at the good old days lol!

 

To finalise it all, I then took out the salad that I made this weekend to refill my energy & write on the blog a bit. Thank goodness Monday is over because it has drained me.

Have a lovely week ahead Darlings!

O.C Banks.

Seasonal Change.

Hey, Lovelies!

The weekend is finally here, and the summer has officially begun. It does call for some cheers for the seasonal change!🥂

This week has been indeed strenuous for me, I even wrote a blog post thinking I saved it in my draft, only for me to find out the following day that it wasn't saved hehe! Adulthood they say is 'fun but a scam', and I get it now.

 I ordered these long-awaited dining chairs long a few weeks ago, I love the simple yet classy green velvety design which made me re-order them. As I had them in my previous apartment with my ex then took mine but wanted more of it in the new apartment.

Apropos adulthood is 'fun but a scam', when I was ordering the chairs they stated that it was free shipping, once I put in my address and paid only to get a confirmation email that my chairs were going to be sent to their showroom/store. They lied! I couldn't call customer care asap because your lady here made the order at midnight (I've learnt my lesson not repeat lol). However the next day, I called them and was told that it's a policy of the company that when products orders exceed an amount due to security reasons and avoidance of product damages caused by local courier they send it to their showroom for checks before proceeding it for a pickup by customers. Mind you they weighed 15kg & have no driver's licence haha, so I was lucky to have gotten help from a family member. 

This made me reanalyse the reliability of online shopping, it can't be fully credible because there are some missing puzzles that need to be quantified. 

Nevertheless, I got into my zone of mounting/building furniture which I'm very good at because I find it calming like some sought of mindfulness. You should try it whilst listening to music, trust it feels amazing! It took 30mins to mount and they look just amazing, I love it. 

Now in the following weeks, I'm going to redesign my dining area but in the meantime, I love the ambience and the chairs in formation. 

Until then I'm going to celebrate the weekend well, as I received the best news I've been longing for years. 

                 

Regardless, life needs to be celebrated every day!

Celebrate yourself at all times.

XOXO!

O.Banks

The Best Shapewear You Can Lay Your Hands On.

  PowerConceal™ Full Body Tummy Control Shapewear

CoreSculpt™ Daily Comfy Wireless Bra

Hello, Lovelies!

I hope y'all are having a splendid week and the great last day of the month of May?!

Today's post is dedicated to my Ladies!!

 Ladies, do you sometimes have that special occasion or event and want to look snatched from end to toe without being constantly checked on if the whole outfit is fitted accordingly?

Well, I have found the best solution to that with ease! 

It is Shapellx shapewear & bodysuit that offers amazing premium quality in the market of shapewear/underwears.

And the best part of Shapellxis is that they offer size-inclusive shapewear collections that empower ladies everywhere to feel ultra-secure and comfortable in their own skin, so they can feel their best in any outfit, for any occasion.

For instance, if you get your hands on their PowerConceal™ Full Body Tummy Control Shapewear, the advantage achieved is that it is invisible under clothing with seamless, high-quality, nylon-spandex fabric for tummy-slimming/butt lifting, lightweight breathable mesh and adjustable anti-skid/anti-rolling shoulder straps. Check their: Butt lifter shapewear 

So you don't have to bother yourself with portion control when eating to avoid looking bloated when taking that iconic picture you want to take during the event. You can also check their verified shapewear reviews from customers who have expressed their satisfaction with the quality of the brand: Shapewear review

Shapellxis has amazing skin nude colours to match your complexion as well as colours that can easily be blended with your outfit beneath. So you don't have to worry about finding seamless shapewear/underwear with your preferred nude colours to match your outfit because Shapellxis got you! All you have to do is put it on and glow throughout the event, dance to the merriment, enjoy yourself & let Shapellxis shapewear do its wonders for you. With their varieties of Shapewear bodysuits, you are most definitely going to find a bodysuit that matches your taste. 

In partnership with Shapellx who is sponsoring this post, I would like to alert you that they are having an amazing sale on their website & they ship Worldwide. 

While this sale is still going on, I would advise you to grab enough pieces as you can because such offers are 'once in a blue moon discount offers' to get your hands on, especially on shapewear. And you never know when you need them to secure you for that occasion. 

So what are you waiting for?!... Hurry Up & Grab yourself some shapewear as we are about to enjoy the Hot Girl Summer!

Have a great day! 

XOXO

Olivia C. Banks. 

The Most Awaited Spring/Summer Weather is Here.

When I came out to do the grocery, I was shocked by the weather.

When I quickly came back home.

Offloaded the first batch of the grocery shopping.

The fridge needed its refill for my daily consumption.

Started washing my fruits; Apples, Oranges, Lemon, & Strawberries.

Clean & Ready.

I needed this break.

Rinsed off the salt in the peanuts and air-fried it.

The final result.

Remember; Before.

After.

Sodastream is a must for me & ofc the wine.

My second fridge for vegetables & peelable skin fruits.

 

Hi Guys!

I hope you all are doing great and finally ready to enjoy a great summer without the stress of the Covid-19 restrictions?! It really feels amazing (from my perspective) to be able to freely move around and not wear a mask or be in fear of being caught up with covid-19 again.

However, back to today's fantastic weather, I was in awe of it!  Imagine 5 days ago we had -1°C and now we have a  +19°C it felt like a dream. Nevertheless, I made sure to utilise being out in the warm breezy weather by taking walks to the various grocery stores that I visited today and whilst doing my errands I did listen to some podcasts. It was relieving. 

It is quite funny, I don't know if you all experience this, especially if you are super organised like I am, that you plan to visit one or two stores, but you end up visiting 4 more because you felt like using one stone to stone many birds hehe! Well, that was me today. 

I did get the majority of what I wanted but not all because they were sold out, although I was told to visit tomorrow because they are yet to receive a restock delivery.

I came back home on 3 consecutive occasions because your girl here is not about that stressful life this year to carry bags around. Gone are those days were I would want to do all things through Christ who strengthens me but today's price isn't the same as yesterday, we apply more self prioritization first. 

When I finally came back home I wanted to cry when I realised I have to wash the fruits and unpack. 'Nothing comes easy in life' they say.

Luckily, on the previous home visits I did, I immediately did some offloading because they (food items) are meant to be in the freezer, such as my favourite Ben & Jerry ice cream haha and some frozen chickens and vegetables.

As you saw in the pictures above I wash the organic fruits with my fruit brush and the peanuts I rinse the salt off because I passionately hate salted peanuts coupled with the awareness of the excess sodium, Nope!... I'm good love. 

After rinsing it I roast it again for a few minutes in the air-fryer and it becomes edible for me.

You need to try this method if you don't like salted peanuts.

And if you ever try it, please do not hesitate to share your review with me.

Have a lovely evening! 

XOXO

 Olivia C. Banks

Cooking Seafood Boil

Happy Saturday lovelies, I hope y’all are doing good?! And having a splendid valentines weekend by spreading love to people around you and most importantly giving yourself that extra love you deserve!

Yesterday, I started the day with reading some scriptures from the bible, then prayed. Then continued my day with work, and later went to the gym because I had my clients to instruct in CrossFit.

If you don’t know I’m an instructor in CrossFit for level 1 & 2. So my classes are always in the evenings (three times a week; one hour session).

After the workout session I went to buy more stuffs for my seafood boil. I have been craving this for over 6 months, and I had planned to eat it when I visit NYC in March this year, because I was supposed to be there as I got a scholarship from United Nations to attended their annual youth conference. But due to the pandemic thanks to Aunty Rona (Corona)😂, it will be a virtual conference.

However that didn’t stop my cravings, so I had to make a seafood boil🦞👩🏽‍🍳 

It took me a good 3 hours to cook, but was worth it! Whilst cooking it reminded me of how my mum cooks with passion. Her cooking is unmatched not even when we had maids or cooks that were good at cooking too.

One could say that I learnt from the very best. 👩🏽‍🍳

The score I got from this seafood boil was 100/100🦞A plate had a total of 450 kcal (35g carbs from the corn & a potato, 100g protein).  It’s a low carb-high protein and is perfect for the diet.

And I promised to cook it for a family. I may create a cookbook.👩🏽‍🍳

Here’s the list of the main ingredients:

Lobsters🦞 

Shrimps 🦐 

Fish 🐟 

Crab 🦀 

Clamshells 

Eggs🥚 

Potatoes 🥔 

Corns 🌽 

Then I spiced them with some of my signature spices/ingredients and I’d have to film that.

Until then lovelies, have a splendid valentines weekend!

Spread Love! ❤️