Taking A Break Around The Holidays To Enjoy My Blueberry Avocado Toast

Thanks to SIMPLY and US Highbush Blueberry Council for Partnering with me on this post. All opinions are 100 % my own. 

 Hi Loves,

Oh my, can you believe that the holidays are almost over? I feel like it was just yesterday I was talking about how excited I was for the holidays. With all that said, man did I have a busy holiday season this year. It was packed with blogging commitments, travel, and friends and family. With New Years Eve being today, I’m still in busy mode. However, I told myself I have to pause and take a break. 

My break in all the busyness includes adding some yummy blueberries to my palate; and one of my favorite things to eat is Blueberry-Avocado Toast. Blueberries are energizing and refreshing plus they make my food pretty and add that extra motivation to get my day going. 

I’ve been meaning to jumpstart on my beauty vision board for 2018, and what better way to do it, than to add a #BlueberryBreak from the holiday rush. Do you guys make vision boards too?

Aside from my beauty vision board, I’ve been meaning to read a book that I was gifted for my birthday and now, I finally used my #BlueberryBreak to finish it. 

Make sure to check out The Blueberry Council Pinterest account and Instagram page. The US Highbush Blueberry Council is currently running a giveaway so make sure you enter HERE for a chance to win a Kiehl's gift card. 

You can get fresh blueberries all year round, so don’t forget to enhance your palate with them, and show me how you enjoy yours. 

My Blueberry Avocado Toast is super easy to make: 

2 slices of bread

6oz Blueberries 

1 Avocado

1 pinch salt

Dash of red pepper flakes 

Dash of dill 

1 teaspoon soy sauce to garnish

Mash and mix your avocado & salt

Add avocado mixture on toasted bread

Sprinkle red pepper flakes, dill, and soy sauce

Enjoy. 

 

 Wishing you all good things for the new year and thanks for reading and being a part of my blog. All my love. 

Xoxo

Keyma. 

My Trip To Dominican Treehouse Village, Dominican Republic

Hi guys,

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I was in the Dominican Republic a little over a week ago. I had to write this detailed post to to share with you. I wanted to capture how I felt, and showcase my true experience as best as I can with you all. So here goes.

This was a trip exclusively for bloggers. I shared the experience with four other amazing bloggers and we all got to bring our significant others with us on this trip. The goal was to experience Dominican Republic in a non-traditional, yet traditional way. By this I mean, yes we were all tourists in a new country; but we were staying at the Dominican Tree House Village, which is not your typical resort, but in my opinion offered us more of a true experience than possibly any resort on the island could. 

Dominican Treehouse Village is nestled off the beaten path, journeying approximately three hours from Santa Domingo airport. The drive is lush, serene and absolutely breathtaking. It’s as if you’re teleporting in a time machine with the most amazing views, channeling through countryside, local neighborhoods and connecting with the culture even before setting foot on the ground. 

Upon arriving at the Dominican Tree House Village, the staff was very kind, assisted us with our luggage directly to the room and the fresh air was an added bonus. We were greeted with fresh juices and cocktails by some of the warmest humans I have ever encountered on this earth. I felt like I was HOME, visiting my favorite family members. The property is full of greenery all around and nature has never been more beautiful. The lobby area has large hammocks and beautiful wooden chairs for added relaxation upon entering. I could hear the sound of the beautiful waterfall which was probably only 70 feet away. Birds chirping and water flowing down the stream. 

Guys, I had to pause, reflect and engage in gratitude to have been able to experience the beauty of the Dominican Tree House Village, it’s surroundings, the staff and everything it had offered me within 30 minutes of arriving. I mean, what a blessing. 

We were taken to our room, a tree house! Yes, the entire property is all tree-houses and I felt as if I was in a Treehouse wonderland. It was drizzling but warm Caribbean drizzle that made me want to dance in it as if I was a kid again. Our treehouse was lined with curtains, a comfortable queen sized bed and a hammock. We had our own bathroom with communal bathroom as an option. All 3 nights were equally peaceful and relaxing. We could hear crickets outside as we fell asleep and the sound of raindrops in the middle of the night was most comforting. 

Our second day was packed with adventure. They took us out on an all day ATV excursion. We rode through the local towns including a fishing town, we went even more inland to see a beautiful river/lake. We got out took pictures and some of us swam. We then made our way to lunch and we had yummy Spanish rice with chicken, vegetables and fresh fries. Everything was just so flavorful guys! Once lunch was over, we made our way to the beach (remember we’re on ATVs as our mode of transportation- the coolest shit ever). We spent some time on the beach and then made our way by boat to another beach. The boat ride was freaking amazing. Bumpy and adventurous to say the least. We made our way back to Dominican Tree House Village, but just before our final ride off we stopped at a special area to catch the sunset. It was romantic, beautiful, and picturesque. Nothing could have prepared me for this trip. Even if I had high expectations, what I experienced would have easily surpassed that. Once we were back at our tree-houses we all freshened up and had a yummy dinner- all meals are prepared fresh. One of the volunteers  plays the most beautiful songs on his guitar. He sets the mood for a beautiful night with friends- not just my blogger friends but the staff who I grew to love quickly. 

On the third day we went zip-lining which was only a 20 minute hike above our treehouses. The view at the top was so worth it.  Zip-lining at that elevation and being able to see all the lush greenery, waterfalls, and nature, was one for the books. I’m not the best with heights, but I have zip-lined before and there was no way I was going to miss out on that beautiful experience. 

After zip-lining and lunch, we made our way to Samana beach for an afternoon swim and beach picnic. It was absolutely breathtaking. The beach was barely occupied and so beautiful. Beyond both sides of the ocean were green lush mountains which made for a perfect backdrop. 

We had wine, laughs, food, and an overall good time. 

We finished the day off with dinner back at the Dominican Tree House Village and a bonfire. 

What did I love most about my time?

1. The fact that we got to unplug and relax without the constant indulgence of media and social media.
2. The beautiful and friendly staff at Dominican Tree House Village 
3. The fun and engaging excursions- my other blogger friends who were there before me got to do horseback riding and visited one of the most beautiful waterfalls. 
4. Living in a Treehouse!! Duh!!
5. The food. Everything was yummy. 

They also offer massage service and yoga. 

This place, Dominican Tree house Village will change your life. It’s a trip worth everything. I hope you visit and if you do, tell them I sent you. You’ll probably get extra special treatment. Hehe! Kidding, but not really. 

Till next time loves.

xoxo

Keyma. 

Cold-shoulder Dress Holiday Trend & A Giveaway

Hi there, Loves. Popping in to share this chic and pretty cold-shoulder dress (similar here) with you before I head out of army trip to Jamaica. I'm so excited to be going home (Jamaica) for Christmas. I was packing and realized that I have so many cold-shoulder dresses this holiday season. It's one of the trends I am madly in love with this season. It might be because I enjoy showing off my shoulders and arms.I also love the lace details and frill tail. This makes for both a classy and flirty dress. I have owned these shoes for about 6 years now and they are a favorite. I go them from Zara. Nothing beats a classy little bag like this YSL one (similar here), with a chic black dress and red lips to make a fab statement at a party. This dress would be perfect for NYE or any Christmas party. I plan on wearing over and over again. That is one of the beauty about black dresses. They are versatile and reusable. 

Now, you may have noticed that I have had a giveaway attached to my last few posts. This is because a few blogger friends and myself were talking and we decided to do group giveaways and to do a few of them last and this month in the spirit of the holidays in a way of saying THANK you all or reading our blogs, because, without you all we wouldn't be able to do it at this scale. It means the world to me to have you read my blog and I hope one day I can connect more with each of you and to possibly meet some of you in person. 

With that said, scroll down and enter the giveaway. I really hope one of my readers win one of them. 

| Hearts of Gold Blog | Wild One Forever | Simply Classy | To Hell in a Handbag |

| Posh in Progress | The Styled Fox | Coming Up Roses | Heart of Chic | SheShe Show |

| Tea Cups & Tulips | Navy Grace | South Coast Style | Pineapple & Prosecco | Blush and Blooms |

| Well and Worthy Life | From Rouge with Love | Tall Blonde Bell | Ruthie Ridley Blog | Rose Gold Lining |

| Cubicle Chic | The Style Weekender | Fifteen Minutes to Flawless | Pops of Purple | Lizzie in Lace |

This $500 Amazon Gift Card giveaway has been made possible by these beautiful bloggers above! Enter by performing the actions below in the Rafflecopter.

Make sure to do the actions in the Rafflecopter before marking they are done! Marking done doesn't automatically perform the action.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway runs from Dec 20, 2017 to Jan 3, 2018 (concludes at 12:00 AM on the last day). Open to the US, UK and CAN. Winner will be announced within 10 days of the conclusion of the giveaway and entries will be verified by the hosts. Thanks for participating, I can't wait for you to see all of these awesome bloggers!

Thanks for swimming by, Loves. 

Good Luck on this giveaway

xoxo

Keyma