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Yup...this is my Mariah Carey moment ** cue it's tiiiiiiiime** and oddly enough, my love for this affair grows every year for this time of the year where we are put on Cherry Blossom watch. This year, what I'd like to do is...get a time lapse of them from beginning to bloom and of course at it's peak and do my visit during sunrise. I've started with Phase One. I will not bore you on this post but I have an archives of how this tradition for me came to be and I've documented throughout the years my joys of partaking. This year its more like hmm...what will I wear?? I also have a quick guide on how to enjoy them...somewhat in peace, lol. Since we've had a harsh winter, I already know this year will be bigger and better.   My Cherry Blossom Guide: Click Below The Gift of Blossoms In Full Bloom Cherry Blossom 2025 Cherry Blossom HAX Cherry Blossoms 2020: Pandemic Year The weather within the next week or two dictates them being in full bloom but the forecast is saying....the end of this month; 29 March-01 April. I typically skip the festival portion because I'm not one for crowds and I indulge first thing in the morning as they are setting up but I will say...if ever it hits on the right Saturday (again), you could catch the 5k run, kite festival AND cherry blossoms in one swoop. Parking WILL be horrendous so plan and act accordingly.

With Daylight Saving Time arriving at its earliest possible start in 2026, I’m choosing to skip the usual chorus about lost sleep and instead lean into the luxury of extra light becuz let's be real...extra light IS luxury vs dirt naps. The seasonal pivot from winter to spring always feels swift, like the year suddenly lifting the blinds, and those longer evenings quietly work start boosting the mood, sharpening focus, and nudging us back outdoors. Don't see it as losing an hour. See it as losing all the excuses that were holding you back! The gentlest way to meet the shift is to inch bedtime earlier, step into morning sunlight so your internal clock can recalibrate, and treat the extended daylight as an invitation to move a little more 🌤️🕰️ An hour of sunshine is worth an hour of sleep. I am looking forward **pun intended** in the energy shift and fresh mood of renewal the daylight time brings because it's a prerequisite to Spring. The extra glow makes room for my daily walks again, maybe even a few early morning strolls. My digestive system tends to thank me more when I walk AFTER I eat so 7pm walks will be on the horizon and it'll be easier since I don't tend to eat late anyways. I gotta get more diligent about that. Not even SNACK after 7p so my walks won't be in vain-wish me luck!! Vulnerable Moment: I've grown up with reminders from my Grandma EVERY time change. Even as technology advanced and we no longer relied on analog clocks, she ALWAYS called to say "don't forget to set your clock back (or forward)" and I'd chuckle with "Grandma, it's automatic now". That never stopped her from reminding me and I just grew to look forward to the inevitable reminder that arrived like clockwork. It's now been four missed reminders and now I just say...I know, I know Grandma; don't forget to change the clock with a smile becuz I can still hear her voice. Spring forward in all ways. Put your energy into being lighter in your life. Do you prefer a permanent standard time or year round DST? Consider this your friendly reminder to spring forward, step outside, and keep life brewing one bright evening at a time. ☕🌤️

Notes from the coffee table I like to treat the first few days of a new month as a small grace window. A moment to look back before turning the page completely. February may be the shortest month that felt as long as January with 5 weekends on the calendar, but it still managed to leave a few warm fingerprints on my routine. My favorite was definitely in the movement of consistency. My Series which I Brewed in Love all month reignited my love for blogging all over again with daily post and challenges to reflect on personal growth. I didn't realize how much I actually did love until I went scrolling back recognizing I had so much to share that just stayed between me and...me, lol. Sip Trip Most of February brewed right at home. Winter had no interest in loosening its grip, and the weather made a strong case for staying in which I never argue in the cold, Nespresso button pushed and slippers nearby. My Sip Trips became quiet little rituals in the kitchen crafting different lattes (Check out the Banana Bread & Dubai Chocolate Latte I did on Tik Tok) rather than outings across town. The silver lining? A slower rhythm! I love a good steady pace. When I didn't have coffee at home, I ventured out n stayed close revisiting Starbucks and Tous les Jours. My Favorites of the Month Comfort continues to lead the wardrobe conversation-that's just wear I'm at right now. If it’s soft, loungey, and feels like it needs to be apart of winter survival, it’s probably hanging in my closet. There's something about being able to grab n go without having to think too hard. My most reached-for look this month was a two-piece striped lounge set from LOFT ( here and here ). Easy, relaxed, and exactly the kind of outfit that makes staying in feel a little more intentional (Chocolate Stripe Set from H&M: here and here ) especially when you add your own touches to make it your own (think...bangles, brooch, favorite earrings). The sort of set that quietly becomes the uniform without you realizing it and it's pretty much the wave I'm rocking these days. In Case You Missed It February’s real highlight was spending the entire month exploring the ways love shows up in everyday life but I also did some post in between that deserve some clicks or circle backs. The DNA of the Book: Follow the journey and watch me bloom...or bust February Nail Files: The inspiration behind the curation Happy New Chinese Year: Welcoming the Year of the Horse Coach Tabby Charms: For the micro bag lovers My Anaconda Dont: Crocodile Dundee gots nothing on me Small gestures, quiet reflections, and the reminder that love isn’t always loud with how I crushed on myself . I also grabbed some bags that made me excited about fashion again and last but not least...(remind to do a separate post); a finer chocolate lovers dream when I found these Bon Bon's . I'm on my 2nd order and I'm sure they'll be a 3rd coming up! Until next month’s pour. Same coffee table, fresh cup, and a few more notes worth savoring; I'm excited to see what March shall bring ☕.

The Makings of Bringing my Vision to life. Now yall...I've been telling yall about this forever and I hate to keep revisiting my idea that I've yet to bring to fruition. In an honest and transparent moment, I've not been living how I've talked about becuz had I done so...we'd be 2-3 yrs into celebrating a whole launch yet here I am...steady avoiding and bshytin on the gift I know I've been given. It sounds good saying it out loud but I drop the ball at executing. I can be harsh with myself becuz self-awareness is sexy right?! I am putting this in a whole post to keep myself accountable. What I'd hate to have happen is, this post come back to haunt me...5 yrs..10 yrs...20 yrs down the line or if someone randomly asks me, "hey whatever happened to that time you said you wanted to..." Yall I'd cringe. I can have so much energy for everything else and make time yet freeze up with moving pass what I jot down on paper or come up with during conversations with "Chatty". I'm sick of myself for being sick about myself. No LOL!!! Ok so now that I've beat myself up, it's time to shift. No more excuses. I know what I envision and if I can see it, then I can be it. If I just believe it, there's nothing to it. Sorry yall...I couldn't resist hahaha. Don't change the channel just yet. Sheesh!! Ok so yea, we are in March. I am coming up with a timeline to hold myself against to ensure I don't come on here looking crazy. By the end of April which is the finale to first quarter of the year; I WILL HAVE something produced. What is the something? The title, the cover, the color scheme, the context, the format. I'm looking to have direction for this vision because I don't believe God is gonna keep telling me to do it much longer. This is personal to me. For me. An extension of me and I want to share it with you. The beauty I am learning in aging is...what more do we have to lose? I am loving the resurgeance of our favorite "back in the day" artists dropping music with more meanining after learning life but also with no expectations to win a Grammy. It's beyond the accolades at this point becuz my previous work has solidified I AM HER!! I have nothing to prove and I'm in such a great space of peace and love that I'm doing it for the passion and not chasing a dollar behind it. This project is going to be a representation of me in a way that I want this to embody my confidence to show a roundhouse of my prissy n peculiar side as wink to my personality and a hint of my style n flair. I'm gonna keep the title of this post in motion to follow the process and you're more than welcome to also...follow the journey ☕📖

The first two months of the year always seem to move in weirdly quiet with a reflective rhythm. January arrives with sharp intentions, February settles in with a slower pace, and before we realize it, we’re already halfway through the first quarter. I know, I know-we are trying to get our bearings straight. This winter felt especially heavy at times per usual for me with January but I'm thawing off to get back in the groove this month. As a Winter Baby, I can't lie-I love a slower pace to match the season which let me linger with early sunsets, snow storms that held me hostage at home during the week, and that familiar East Coast chill that makes even the most motivated spirit want to stay wrapped in loungewear a little longer. But lately, the evenings have been stretching out, the light hanging around just a bit more each day, and with Daylight Saving Time on the way, it finally feels like the year is starting to exhale. Consider this my gentle check-in for the season, not to measure progress too closely, but simply to notice that we made it through the slow part and we’re still moving forward. Planner by The Book'd Store (click the pic) March always feels like the turning point. The weatherman's promise of warmer air, longer days, and traditions waiting on the calendar brings a kind of energy that winter never quite can. Here in the DC area, the excitement starts building the moment the peak bloom forecast for the National Cherry Blossom Festival is about to drop, and just like that, the whole city feels a little lighter. After weeks of gray skies and shovels, the thought of blossoms lining the Tidal Basin feels like a reward for making it through the season at all. I’m looking forward to keeping those small traditions, welcoming the longer days, and seeing what this next stretch of the year decides to bring. If the first two months were about endurance, March feels like the start of something softer, brighter, and a little more alive. Until next time, I’ll keep the coffee warm, the pages turning, and the days brewing just a little brighter ☕

A 28-Day Practice in Intention, Presence, and Care If you are new here...Welcome. I've decided to commit to 28 days of small and intentional acts of love and guess what? MAMA I MADE IT!! This is the finale post. I've completed 28 days and four weeks committing to intentional acts of love. The rules and ideas are here . I've been on a roll this month n proud to show up for myself to recaliberate some consistency wit content. There was no grand gesture's becuz this was for me. I appreciate you coming along the way and you can always hit the back button or start fresh to see what you missed. Recap Day 27: Express love in a way that feels natural to you Day 28 Name what you want to carry forward For Day 28, I’m not closing a chapter. I’m carrying it forward. These last 28 days have shown me that love is less about grand declarations and more about daily decisions. The pause before the yes. The sacred Sunday. The spontaneous drive or even a run in with Monks passing through. The laughter in the rain. The softness I choose when sharpness would be easier. I’ve learned that intention is my superpower and details are my love language so I wanna lean into that. Moving forward, I want to keep honoring my rhythms, protecting my peace without explanation, celebrating the ordinary, and romanticizing the life I already have-contentment at its finest. If this series proved anything, it’s that love doesn’t arrive. It’s brewed-slowly...consistently and with care. Luckily for me, I’ve got the recipe memorized so I can keep it in rotation...on repeat like a favorite tune! — Kisha No E still brewing, still blooming, and never serving it lukewarm ☕✨

A 28-Day Practice in Intention, Presence, and Care If you are new here...Welcome. I've decided to commit to 28 days of small and intentional acts of love and this week we are in the home stretch with the last week of February. The rules and ideas are here . I've been on a roll this month n looking forward to continuing to show up for myself to recaliberate some consistency wit content. At this point, I can cut the small chatter. Without further ado... Recap Day 26: Extend grace to yourself for something unfinished. Day 27 Express love in a way that feels natural to you I don’t announce love. I curate it. It lives in atmosphere and within me. The robe hung on the corner of my door just so, the coffee already brewing, the playlist humming low enough to feel like a memory forming. I love through steadiness and detail, through guarded Sundays and listening longer than I speak. Even my spontaneous yes moments are intentional. Nowhere is that clearer than in my Bae Bags. I study, observe, and mentally bookmark the small things. The cologne he mentioned once, the snack he reaches for, the sports team he favors and garnering enough info to create a basket with trinkets of their personality. Every detail quietly says, I see you. My love isn’t loud. It’s layered, thoughtful, and arranged with care. I naturally express love through thoughtfulness and choosing softness where I can be warm without being overwhelming. — Kisha No E sealed with intention and served warm, just how I like it ☕✨

A 28-Day Practice in Intention, Presence, and Care If you are new here...Welcome. I've decided to commit to 28 days of small and intentional acts of love and this week we are in the home stretch with the last week of February. The rules and ideas are here . I've been on a roll this month n looking forward to continuing to show up for myself to recaliberate some consistency wit content. At this point, I can cut the small chatter. Without further ado... Recap Day 25: Say yes to something that lights you up Day 26 Extend grace to yourself for something unfinished. I’m giving grace to what remains unfinished, specifically my coffee table book that still lives in drafts, notes, and scattered thoughts that take a back seat to life. For a while, I treated its incompletion like a quiet accusation, as if progress only counted once bound and printed. But I’m learning that some creations require longer times to steep. They ask to be lived a little more before they’re finalized. The book isn’t undone. It’s developing. Each post, each photograph, each lesson from this series is shaping it in real time. Giving it grace allows me to create without pressure and dream without deadline. Not everything meaningful needs to be rushed into existence. Some projects deserve patience so they can arrive fully formed. — Kisha No E still brewing the big ideas and trusting the blend will be worth the wait ☕✨

A 28-Day Practice in Intention, Presence, and Care If you are new here...Welcome. I've decided to commit to 28 days of small and intentional acts of love and this week we are in the home stretch with the last week of February. The rules and ideas are here . I've been on a roll this month n looking forward to continuing to show up for myself to recaliberate some consistency wit content. At this point, I can cut the small chatter. Without further ado... Recap of Day 24: Say No to one thing that drains you Day 25 Say yes to something that lights you up. So yesterday I said NO and today I said YES. For Day 25, I said yes to spontaneity. A quick decision turned into a drive to surprise Mason at college, and along the way I stopped at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to experience Giants , the exhibit curated by Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz. What began as a simple visit unfolded into something fuller. Art, motherhood, movement, presence. Saying YES cracked open the day in a way planning never could. It reminded me that spontaneity sharpens connection, that surprise carries its own kind of joy, and that stepping outside routine invites inspiration to meet you halfway. The benefit of saying yes is expansion. New memories. New perspectives. A reminder that life feels richest when we occasionally color outside the lines. As they say, take the PTO!! — Kisha No E on the road, on a whim, and letting life percolate beautifully ☕✨

A 28-Day Practice in Intention, Presence, and Care If you are new here...Welcome. I've decided to commit to 28 days of small and intentional acts of love and this week we are in the home stretch with the last week of February. The rules and ideas are here . I've been on a roll this month n looking forward to continuing to show up for myself to recaliberate some consistency wit content. At this point, I can cut the small chatter. Without further ado... Recap of Day 23: Choose softness where you'd normally choose control. Day 24 Say No to one thing that drains you Today's challenge, I said no to punctuality and yes to pause. I lingered in bed an extra hour, fully aware my morning routine would be trimmed down to essentials. It's not the act of getting up that exhausts me. It's the mental checklist waiting on the other side of it. So I let myself melt into the mattress. Eyes closed. News murmuring softly in the background with weather reports n whatever I missed overnight. The sun slowly pressing against the window n peeking through the blinds- like a gentle nudge instead of an alarm. My body stretched instinctively, limb by limb (despite not having been to pilates in 2 months), as if reminding me that rest and responsibility can coexist. I allowed that hour to be unproductive on paper but restorative in spirit. Sometimes discipline looks like movement. Other times, it looks like stillness without guilt. — Kisha No E rested, reset, and reheated when ready ☕✨

A 28-Day Practice in Intention, Presence, and Care If you are new here...Welcome. I've decided to commit to 28 days of small and intentional acts of love and this week we are in the home stretch with the last week of February. The rules and ideas are here . I've been on a roll this month n looking forward to continuing to show up for myself to recaliberate some consistency wit content. At this point, I can cut the small chatter. Without further ado... Recap of Day 22: Reflect on how love has shown up this month Day 23 Choose softness where you’d normally choose control. Being the eldest of siblings and VERY independent at a young age, it's hard to not be in boss mode. It wasn't until I felt safe enough after receiving coverage from "my boys" that I started loosing up and trusting to let go which led me to choosing softness. Not weakness. Not passivity. Softness as strength under control. I felt lighter n less anxious. I was flowing through life with ease and it became such a habit that it's apart of my lifestyle. I'm in a great position which I'm fortunate to experience. This is the kind of softness that lowers the volume without losing the message. After spending over half my life being efficient, decisive, quick on my feet, I now know there is power in slowing my tone, relaxing my posture, and allowing gentleness to lead. Softness invites patience. It diffuses tension. It keeps my responses measured and my energy preserved. When I sit fully in my femininity, I don’t have to prove anything. I can be warm without being walked over, firm without being sharp. Staying dainty is less about appearance and more about approach. It’s choosing grace over grit when possible and remembering that not every moment requires armor. — Kisha No E handled gently, poured slowly, and always best served warm ☕✨

A 28-Day Practice in Intention, Presence, and Care If you are new here...Welcome. I've decided to commit to 28 days of small and intentional acts of love and this week we are in the home stretch with the last week of February. The rules and ideas are here . I've been on a roll this month n looking forward to continuing to show up for myself to recaliberate some consistency wit content. At this point, I can cut the small chatter. Without further ado... Recap of Day 21: Declutter one small space with care Day 22 Reflect on how love has shown up this month. For Day 22, I’m realizing this series was never about the challenges themselves. It’s been about awareness. Each day, whether I was pausing before a yes, getting dressed without occasion, walking without pressure, laughing through the rain, or tending to my sacred coffee corner; I was really practicing intention and it's been going towards a better me. I’ve been learning that a well lived life isn’t built on grand gestures. It’s shaped in the small decisions. The quiet pauses. The ordinary celebrations. I've crushed on myself for Valentine's Day and got some surprise gifts in between. Love has really shown up in the spaces I've kept clean and the memories I've had to revisit. This month has reminded me that love is something we brew daily, in how we move, how we listen, how we show up, and how we care for ourselves without announcement. — Kisha No E still steeping, still softening, and savoring every intentional sip ☕✨