Question of the day

I don't know about your family, as I can only speak for mine. But my family is HUGE. And within my family there are a TON of folks who all wanna stand out for one thing or another. A performing family if you will. My grandmother used to sing in night clubs with her sisters. My mom was so shocked when she found this out about her mother. I don't know if my grandmother ever sang for her children, but I cant recall ever hearing her sing. She was always quiet and reserved when I was around. BUT what that says to me is that the desire to stand out did not only generate in my Father's family. In my mother's family, as far as my immediate cousins go, they're athletes, hard workers, and they love really nice things. My father's family has some of everything. Singers, Dancers, Actors, Writers, etc.I never learned how to sing, I think that worked out in the best interest of the world. I would drive the world crazy if I could sing. I'd sing about brushing my teeth even. Dancing, now when I was younger I loved to dance. I even entertain the idea of dancing in my adult life, but my sister is the super star dancer not me. Acting..... naw, although I am bit of a drama queen, I wouldn't consider myself an actor. Writer?????? I'm beginning to believe in my ability to tell stories again. The question is, could I make money doing it? Would anyone want to read my stories? That's the question. Like everything else I don't consider myself a competitor. So you know, I will just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, I got my SS1 on my side hyping me up. So maybe one day the world may know my stories. Maybe one day...

As always thanks for reading. Even if you never say anything.

Daytona Beach

OK, so we made it back without incident. We were in Daytona when Hurricane Sandy first began her ravish on the East Coast. Well for the folks in Daytona it wasn't so bad. There were heavy rain down pours and high winds. But we were still in shorts and flip flops as it was still Hot outside. I have never experienced Humidity before. This was the first time. And even then I know I didn't experience the worst of it. By Sunday the sky was beautiful and the air was nice and cool. This is our group photo after service on Sunday. My baby and I had a wonderful time on the opposite side of the country. It was funny how people kept asking where we were from. I asked my cousin if I had a accent, and she said we talk very proper. LOL! That tickled me, as I've never considered myself as a person who speaks properly. But listening to the accents out there, I see how Madonna now speaks with an English accent. I tend to mimic the voices of the people around me, and before I know it, I've adopted their manner of speaking as my own. I could see myself adopting a southern accent easily. But I would love to have a New York accent... Well I say that for now. Any who, that's it for now. I'll report more shortly.

Daytona!!!

So the time has arrived for me to say "Peace Out" to the Bay Area. This time tomorrow I will be taxi'ing down the run way to Orlando. BIG SMILE! We are so excited for our trip away from home. We're just gonna get away for a few days and enjoy our first trip to Florida. I checked the weather forecast and it said low 80's high 70's but rain..... So I asked my cousin what this meant as a girl from California rain means cold weather. She said pack shorts, tank tops, and flip flops. She said the weather may briefly change for a moment and then return right after to its usual niceness. OH MY! So that's it for now. I'll try and drop you a line when I return.

How many times do you start over?

So the other day I decided to take this picture to actually have a record of my hair, etc from the bottom up. I started to miss my straight hair after how many years of living the natural life.... To make that long story short, heat damage killed my hair, and I never achieved the look I was looking for. Partly because I was too cheap to go to the shop to get it done professionally. So a year ago, I said no more heat, and I chopped some, and focused on oils and henna for my hair. August made one year. And now that I have my hair muse, I find myself impatient with the growth of my hair. Sometimes people are never satisfied.

Knowing where I was and where I am today just irks my nerves. If only I had gone on YouTube or FaceBook sooner to find all the info I have today... Well its partly because I wasn't ready. My hair had gotten too thin to even do a proper twist out. That's when I knew it was rock bottom. But even then it still took me a while to lay off the heat. All my fault I tell you. But, I am tired of wearing my hair all pulled back into a ponytail. Which is how I wore it before. I've been digging wash n goes for the past two months. as pictured above. But I figure I'm gonna have to find a more protective style shortly. The cold winter is coming and I know better than to walk outside with loose wet hair daily. I may attempt another twist out, as its been two years since the last time I've really tried.

I don't know why those pics are sideways, but oh well.

As you can see, I am truly starting over. My goal is to have LONG LONG LONG hair this time two years from now. Since I'm already a year in, I figure this is as good a place as any to start. My hair stretches pretty long, but I want curly long hair. Big smile. My aunt is another inspiration as she was the first to teach me about co-washing. The clean scalp freak that I am, initially I was afraid to embrace this method. But after my own research and I found that conditioner has a cleaning agent in it as well. I decided to give it a try. I haven't looked back since. My scalp is still clean, and my hair has said "Please & Thank you".

Now to master trimming my own hair. Since there's been no heat my ends aren't bad, but I find a lot of Single Strand Knots. So I will seek and destroy these SSK's and move forward. I haven't Henna's my hair in a couple of months. If it wasn't one thing then it was another. First I couldn't find my conditioning caps, now its really lack of time. I normally put it on at night and wash it out in the morning. But I have to have enough time in the morning to wash it out. And that's what I've been lacking. But I will make time...

Also I gotta get back in the habit of taking these wonderful vitamins that my cuzzo hipped me to. Women's Ultra Mega Energy and metabolism vitamins. Now I cant speak for the metabolism part, but because of the wonderful energy that these vitamins provide, I try to take these no later than noon. (Just popped them now...)

Now what I'm not gonna do is set myself up for failure here. So I'm not gonna talk about my weight which as you can see from the face shots is all back. But I'm simply going to make healthier choices and however they affect my life, they affect me. I wanna be healthier and cleaner, and if that leads to weight loss then so be it. But I'm embracing myself as I am today and all that comes with that. Whatever happens, happens. I cannot live counting calories for the rest of my life. I know that will get old fast. But if I just make better choices then hey I can live that way. The hard part for me will be fitting in exercise. But hey, I will get it in when I can.

What's on the menu tonight???? A monster GREEN smoothie!!!! YUM!!!!! Not as part of a diet, but just that the recipe I made up Sunday has been absolutely delicious to me. I can wait to have it tonight.

Recipe

Trader Joe's OJ (about half a cup, just enough to thin it out)

Fresh Spinach leaves (about a pound)

Fresh Kale (about three hand fulls including stems)

Frozen Greek Yogurt (about a fourth of a cup)

Frozen Pineapple (about a fourth of a cup)

Frozen Strawberries (about a fourth of a cup)

Now I don't measure any of this. I eyeball it and toss it all in the blender. I put them in the blender in the order they're listed. And with the exception of the fruit below I blend after each addition (I blend the pineapple and strawberries together). Let me tell you, its been better to me than ICE CREAM!!! Can you believe it. It has only been days since my last ice cream encounter. If I can hang in there, that minor change will make a HUGE difference in my life. I will eat ice cream again. But just not like I have been. Ice cream has been my main comforter in these times that try my soul.

Well I think I've taken enough of your time with my rambles. As always thank you for reading.

What would I do without YouTube????

Ok, so I am sitting her in knots! (Pun intended!) Mahogany Knots is ABSOLUTELY hilarious! She seems like a family member that would have me in stitches. I'm so happy that my cousins introduced me to her channel just the other day. I have been laughing all day. her children are absolutely adorable and real children none the less. I've also been keeping an eye on heyfranhey, Franchesca talks about embracing a natural and healthy lifestyle which is also what I'm trying to do.... eventually. LOL! And of course I've been keeping an eye on my hair muse Mahogany Curls.

I was with my beautiful cousin Vette's (her nickname of course) yesterday. She Big Chopped. Her curls were beautiful and popping all over her head. She said if it wasn't for YouTube she would've never gone natural. She said she knows of a lot of ladies who went natural and they were just looking busted while they were transitioning, and she didn't want to do that. I could understand that. But she said she found all the information she needs for her journey on YouTube. So I just wanna say YouTube you are awesome.

I find myself missing my hair. sad face. I used to have a huge Afro whah whah, oh well in two more years (at the least) I will be right back. Patience! Patience!

91 Hits

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6140668417180344993#editor/target=post;postID=3353681189577739846

So I was looking at my blog stats. Do I really have 91 hits on this one blog entry????? Nice! Re-reading what I wrote made me laugh. That was a good day. I was definitely feeling myself. Too bad I never did find that dress. I think I'd be unstoppable in it. (LOUD LAUGH!)

http://www.polyvore.com/

BUT!!!!! I found this other site, where they put looks together and then the links where you can buy some of the things. Now I know a few people who naturally have their own style, and they're just so stylish. Unfortunately I did not inherit this gene. I do ok, but a lot of the time I will default to comfortable instead of comfortable but stylish. So for someone like me I need these tutorials if you will. This site has links to the places you can find these items, but UM..... YEA! On a budget a lot of the pieces would break me. But I can use their looks as a pattern as to what to buy, and what to look for. YES! This pleases me. Immediately I say I will need more purses GASP! We wont talk about the new found fetish I have for purses.

I walked into my closet the other day and said its time to purge again. I cant believe it, for someone who says she has nothing to wear, there surely are a ton of clothes in my closet. I don't know what I got I guess. I need to go back through.everything. I know that some items are from when I was losing weight. I don't exactly want to get rid of those as they will be worn again. But all this other stuff, its got to go. I need room! Ha! Ha! Ha!

As always thank you for reading.

The Year of my travels

As a single parent, I didn't get out much. My primary focus has been to try to provide my child with a stable and loving home environment. On the rare occasion that someone did invite me somewhere most times if I couldn't bring my child I just didn't go. And since everything is done according to one income a lot of the time I couldn't afford certain adventures. I tell you, its not too often that I've gone somewhere that I didn't want my child to go to as well. Now that my child is older, I didnt feel so bad running away for a weekend or so. Mind you, I don't plan on doing it too often, but every now and then isn't bad.
Thankfully there are some still some single friends and family to venture out with. I love my married friends and family, but its just hard sometimes not to feel like the third or fifth wheel. Besides most of them are in their own world so it works. See you when I see you, no harm no foul.
Last night in bed the thought occurred to me that I have a convention this weekend, and the thought of meeting my future husband hadn't crossed my mind. Could it be that I've given up? Maybe.... I'm not one to keep stressing over something that I know wont happen. Kind of like when I wanted a second child. I was too afraid to just get it done, so I played Russian Roulette if you will. In the end I decided to be happy with the one child I had. I found the plus side to my situation and I kept it moving. What a blessing that change of heart proved to be. And now I'm anti-baby-making-from-my-womb. I could never go through that trauma again and be perfectly happy. If I didn't fear surgery I would go make sure it was a done deal right now. Besides finally my brother has blessed me with a niece and eventually one more child. I can be the fabulous Auntie (mothering without the responsibility) and in my mind its the way to go.

So far this year, I've gone to Long Beach, and Arizona. Well in a matter of months I will have traveled back to the happiest place on earth (D-land), Florida, and a quickie to Magic Mountain six flags. Not to mention I promised my new friend in LA that would travel back out that way next year. Finding the money to do all this is the hardest part, but other than that I'm excited. I'm looking for that old me who gets excited about things and my excitement leads to complete and utter silliness. I miss that about me, as I had a lot of sour grapes these past few years.
Florida will be my baby's and I's first flight together. We've both flown with others on our flights in the past. So excited about this trip. Again all my single cousins, but a different group. Silly and down to earth folks. I cant wait....

As usual thanks for reading. I'll check in soon.

Jill

Isn't she just BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! Today all over FB I see postings of Jill Scott's natural hairstyle on the cover of Essence. I wonder why it seems to be shocking that she's natural, she's been natural for years. But I guess after reading about Ebony's stance on Natural hair, its a big deal that Essence embraces Jill in her natural state:
http://blackgirllonghair.com/2012/08/ebony-magazine-laments-the-rise-of-natural-hair-culture/#more-48644

Whether you relax your hair or wear it naturally, take care of your hair and make sure that its always a true reflection of who you are, own it!

I personally have been wearing my hair natural for some years now. Well before it became the thing to do. And it was not a statement on my part, other than I couldn't afford to get the type of hair care I knew I'd need in order to take my hair to the lengths I wanted. So in defeat I started braiding my hair. I will say thanks to the movement there is more education and variation available. I wore my hair pulled back in a pony tail cause I didn't know what to do with it.
My love affair with heat that I had two years ago, has robbed me of the length I worked very hard to attain (no one to blame but myself).... and now I'm back at square one. People keep asking me if I cut my hair.... and I did, but its because of the heat damage that has truly damaged my hair. Oh well it will grow, and I'm doing everything in my power to aide it a long. Long hair is my goal because I love long hair. I know its not the same for others and hey its no biggie.
I am one of those person who view hair as a HIGHLY valued asset. I love to watch people do their hair, get it done, and talk about it. I love how your hair can change a nice outfit to simply fantastic! For me personally I love when my hair is long. I honestly believe that long hair is the best compliment to my face.

Now don't get me wrong Jill looks AMAZING above! I lack the confidence to just own my space like she does. Everything about her raidates confidence, feminity, and power. My mom cant see it, but Jill reminds me so much of my mother. It takes complete and total power to be the kindest person on earth. And that's who my mother is. I just wish she could own her space like Jill does. But hey we're all works in progress, and I'm working on her. BIG SMILE!!!

As usual thank you for reading.

Time to be FREE!!!!!

My curly Muse! I want that right there!

Question is.... will my hair curl like that? And then How do I do it. For the past um, I'd say three weeks I've been using Kinky Curly products. First let me say they're not cheap, and as I sit here morning almost gone, my hair is still damp. My head being wet all day is not the business. This past weekend as I mixed my "Concoction" (Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Argan oil, Peppermint oil, Emu oil, and Tea Tree oil) I put a lot in my hair before I washed it for styling. My hair said THANK YOU!!! I hadn't realized how dry my hair had gotten until I saw the difference afterwards. So needless to say I will not marry the KK products. I would like to find a process that incorporates oils which is what I know builds strength in hair by means of moisture, and curl definition. I would LOVE to have her hair, but knowing that we may not have the same type of hair, I will be fine with something close.
Friday as I briefly visited a cousin, she mentioned the Curly Girl Method, which I hadn't heard of. But I liked everything I heard. Reading some other's post about products I guess its time for me to look into a different hair gel. GASP! I have been in love with Fantasia IC's BROWN (yes I said it brown) gel. I have used this gel for years, and have sworn by it always. Who knows I may end up sticking to it. But after over ten years it may be time to try another product. So stay tuned, I'm gonna embrace this method and figure out how it works for my hair.

• Curly Girl Method (as it was explained to me):
• Co-wash ONLY no shampoo EVER!
• Finger comb hair while wet or large tooth comb (preferably during co-wash process)
• If you need to dry your hair use a old t-shirt do not towel dry (its important to let your hair air dry)
• Your desired product (which means I will use my oils and gel)

But I want curls like Mahogany Curl's above so I may have to try her products to see if it works for me. Stay tuned for updates. As usual thank you for reading.

Sparkle

Last Friday I went to see the Whitney Houston remake of Sparkle. Let me paint the scene first. My family and I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this movie. I like a lot of people grew up on the original movie. I was going back and forth with family and friends on FB reciting lines from the original movie. Good times!
So days before I sat down and watched the making of this movie, and they explained that the story would be told differently. I'm so happy I had that little disclosure before watching the movie. Or else I couldve become extremely irritated with the movie.
But I had a very LONG week at work. And by the end of my day on Friday I was BEAT! I told my family about my week leading up to my day. If you haven't noticed I am the story teller in my family. But by the end of my story my sister-in-law said she felt stressed. LOL!
So imagine my extreme delight and surprise when I found out that this movie was playing at my honeycomb hideout. I've blogged about it before. Couches, a Kitchen, Beer, and WINE...... HELLO! We bought a bottle of Zinfandel and we split it amongst three glasses. I needed that, and then I got comfy on the couch with my blanket that we always bring when we go there. A few friends were at the theater as well. We chatted a bit before the movie, but afterwards I was very "animated" to say the least.
Like our friend said they made the movie a little more up beat for mainstream. In the end Sparkle makes it just like she did in the first movie.
All in all I give the remake a B! If I never saw the original I would've like it probably even more. I wonder how Lonetta McGee, Irene Cara, Michael Philip Thomas feel about the remake? I'm curious... Maybe I'll look for that on the Internet.

As always thank you for reading.

HOT Saturday!!!!

OK so knowing that I was going to travel East to Sacramento this past weekend I knew it would be HOT! (the thermometer in my car read 107 out there, and coming from the Bay Area where it was only 75 degrees that was a HUGE difference.) Looking online I saw this Linen Pantsuit. No sleeves, and short pant legs I figured it would be pretty nice to wear.
A girlfriend of mine got married last month and she was having a casual get together to celebrate her nuptials. Everything I had in my closet made me hot at the thought of them. So I decided I wanted to go try this on, and see how it fit me. Well I looked all over the store and I couldn't find this specific outfit. And since I've gained all my weight back nothing was fitting the way I thought it should. Almost completely discouraged I found a brown dress. It was nice enough, but I didn't feel great about it at first.
Here it is!

You know how the lighting in the store will make something look better than it actually does. I was afraid that would be the case with this dress, but I took it home anyways. When I put it on with my accessories I looked in my mirror. WAIT! I think I love it?????? Once I made up my face and spruced up my curls everything came together. I looked in the mirror and I heard that voice inside my head say not bad. BIG SMILE! The dress came to my knees, and its completely sleeveless. It has somewhat of a cowl neckline, but an under stated and almost tank like appearance. So imagine a tank kind of linen material dress. and then it has a brown belt with a very simple gold buckle. It was comfortable, light weight, and flattering on my body. I wore gold sandals, gold bangles, and a stone colored purse that has gold "hardware" (or however you explain that). OH YES! I felt cute.
My girl's friends, family, and new family were very nice and funny. They attempted to teach me how to play poker. This was my first time touching a poker chip, and if I do say so they're just as cool in person as they seem on TV. LOL! I say attempted to cause I'm too inquisitive to learn something without asking fifty million questions, and since it was a learn the basics and figure the details out as you play I was trying. Having a ball all the same.
OH! But then..... OK so a guy there was getting ragged on for how little his car was. When it was time to go, I was surprised to see his Smart car. I told him I called those cars "Death Traps" because in an accident I can only see your body taking the full impact, PLUS I dont like how small the cabin space is. Then he insisted you gotta drive it. After he continued to strongly encourage me to take the car around the block, I took him up on his offer. I got behind the wheel prejudging the sheer lack of size of this car. Well yea, I ate crown... that thing felt as big as my car as I drove it down the street. I forgot how small that car was while I drove around. He was right, you didn't feel like the walls were caving in on you. And I DO NOT like tight spaces. But it was ok in that car. I even started thinking it wouldn't make for a bad commuter car to and from work. :)

Well Ta Ta for now! Thank you again for reading.

Kind of like a PAUSE!!!!!!!

OK so, what I didn't share is that while working on my painting project I noticed work that needs to be professionally done on my Living Room. SIGH! Its always something right. So now I have to find a contractor. FUN! Its always something right???? BUT!!! On the bright side, if I can manage it I would love to have Hardwood flooring installed at the end of this project. Quite honestly the carpet is starting to drive me crazy. I have too much traffic in and out the house. Add to that a puppy, and yea you see what I mean. The carpet has got to go. I'm just afraid that the hardwood flooring might be beyond my reach at this moment. I really hope not, but first and foremost I need to have a minor somewhat major repair done, and then we'll go from there.

Meanwhile.... guess what I found????? Blue vases! Yes, Burlington Coat Factory is my home accessory BFF. I found three perfectly blue vases, now I'm looking for some items to finish these homie touches.

OK so I don't know why these pictures are loading sideways.... THAT IS SO ANNOYING!!!! But I still need to add the silver leaves to this vase and maybe some pebbles. It feels like the vase needs something but I'm not sure what.

I want to take a family picture with all twelve of us and have it blown up big and put it in the center of the wall. But I'll have to look into that. Ooh! I just thought of a photographer who may be able to help us with that mission. I gotta hurry and make that happen before it gets cold out as we want to do the picture outside.I have so many ideas and not enough money to make them happen. Good grief. Maybe I should take it one project at a time. But my brain just flies all over the place.

Well, thank you for reading again. And again sorry for the sideways pictures. I hope to get that fixed soon.

Out with the old

Although this picture was taken a couple of months ago (May), I took it cause the change was coming. When I moved into my house I had BIG plans for this room. I painted the walls this color as a foundation to my vision. This room sat empty for four years, because I refused to accept anything that was outside of my vision. I didn't even put pictures up until last year for goodness sake. I so lovingly referred to this room as my toothpaste room. And love it I did. When the paint technician at Home Depot mixed it  for me I instantly got excited. This color made me HAPPY! My vision was a light tan couch and two throne chairs about the same color. I wanted the chairs in front of the windows you see here. I wanted to put silver frames on all my pictures. Well I just never got around to getting that room together. My focus just wasn't there, and/or the money. Over the past year and a half my family situation totally changed. I now have WAY more traffic in and out of my house, and it just wasn't practical to have like colored walls any longer. I had a "Wall Washing Party" and I demanded the attendance of the regular visitors. To my surprise and satisfaction we knocked it out in less than an hour. And then in about a week and a half we needed to do it again. Although I do think the regular washing parties are necessary, I knew my light walls had seen their last hooray.

Up until last Friday night I knew I was painting my walls blue or purple. I was doing my usual browse through the store, and I kept seeing the conflict in my mind. Whenever I found a decent area rug the blue in the rug clashed with the walls.

Frustrated that I couldn't find the things I need to make this work:

Recently I stayed in a hotel in Arizona. I fell in love with this lobby and I wanted to duplicate it in my living room. Well that wasn't gonna happen, for one thing that's wall paper on the wall, but I figured it should be duplicatable with a sponging technique. I just couldn't manage to even match the color. I'd pick a color in the store, and throw the sample on the wall and nope, not even close. After a little over a month of this I guess I just threw my hands in the air. I surrender!

So after some careful thought I decided to go with a neutral color and bring my blue and silver into the story another way (frames, accessories, etc).

So here's the foundation:

As it turns out I like this color a lot more than I thought I would. I just hate WHITE walls. And in the end anything is better than that. LOL! Now I have a new vision. A new look for my living room. I'll probably wonder around Burlington Coat Factory for a bit, and see if I can find things to add my blues and silvers. I have a couch and a love seat on layaway or price hold at Big Lots. Nope they're not the fanciest. Like I said I got a lot of traffic in and out the house these days, and the money is just not there. But they're nice enough to add to the room. I'll try and get some better pictures to post in a bit.

Until we meet again. Thank you for reading.

Senegalese Twists

Doesnt that look FABULOUS! I have a convention coming up next week. I wish I could show up with my hair just like this. Maybe I can figure out how to part my hair myself to do this. If I can figure out the parts, I know I could do it. Its just hard when you cant see your own hair like you would need to in order to get the results you want. Or I could bite the bullet and ask my sister to do it for it me... You know family there's always issues, but I REALLY want my hair like this. No heat and less time spent in the morning styling my hair.

Hair

For those who know me, they know how IMPORTANT this attribute is to me. I love hair, the colors the textures, the styles, and MOST IMPORTANTLY (to me) the LENGTH!
I have that same sad story, when I was a little girl I had LONG hair. Those beautiful long ponytails. But unfortunately for my mother I am (still to this day) very tender-headed. My mother worked Full time and then she'd come home and take care of the three of us (before we became seven) while my father tinkered with things around the house. Three of the seven days a week we had service and it was very important to my mother (as it should be to all mothers) that we were neat and presentable. Well the tender-headed child presented a challenge constantly. I knew better than to move, but my mother could not take the idea of hurting me to make me pretty. So she decided to put a perm in my hair to make combing my hair easier.
For someone who had absolutely no idea what she was doing. My mother did an excellent job. I could remember my aunt stroking my hair and saying, "your mother should let me do your hair one day". Well one day my hair broke off. And I went from having long thick hair to short damaged hair just like everyone else around me. I remember looking at the long ponytails of my class mates and longing for my hair again.
When I was in Middle school a friend of my mother's began to take care of my hair. What I still appreciate about her until this day is that she gave us the tools to maintain our hair inbetween appointments. Once she took over the responsiblitiy of educating us about our hair and caring for it, all of our hairs grew. I then went from short hair to long hair again. I was so pleased. Well life's stresses began and let me tell you stress and perms dont mix for me. Once again my hair began to bail on me. Our friend tried to help me as much as she could, but I couldnt afford to keep going back to her.
So for the first time in life I got braids. I wore braids for the next two years, and all during my pregnancy. A year after my pregnancy I decided to perm my hair again.

Ooh La La! My hair was banging and I couldnt have been more pleased. But sadly I continued to perm my hair for the next three years and it continued to break off and I was back to square one. Back to braids I went. Frustrated with my hair and the lack of stylist who would be as honest and open with me as my first teacher had been,  I had no idea what to do. Then my significant other asked me why didnt I just keep my hair natural. The thought of it relieve so much torture from my soul. This was LONG before the natural hair movement began. So I had no idea of what to do with my hair and how to do it. So I just treated my hair like I did before and washed it conditioned and pulled it into a ponytail. I tried a few things here and there as far as styles, but about three years ago I started to long for my straight hair again. I bought a fancy flat iron and began flat ironing my hair. Not totally getting the results I wanted but definitely succeeding in damaging my hair. So its been a year since heat has touched my hair. And wouldnt you know its like I havent learned my lesson. I want to put heat on my hair again. Even with the best heat protector known to man, heat is not a friend to hair. My good friend has gone to a local Salon ( Jovance http://jovance.com/ ) and has had amazing results. This salon has a TON of stylist who work with Natural hair. So you dont feel the pressure to accept the creamy crack in your life just to have wonderful hair and beautiful styles. So why am I whining today? Because I like what I've seen from this Salon, but I dont really have the money to go, plus I dont know if they could fit me in on the day I would need to go. PLUS, I said no more heat! Plus.... I'm just really scared. Why is it that the things I just cant see in my minds eye, scare me to death? Like to the point that I freeze in motion like a deer caught in headlights...

I guess its just a lack of self confidence.... What to do? What to do?

I know I shouldnt

Now, the views expressed in this video are not my own. I do not agree with the way this child is being raised. I do believe she has a long HARD road ahead of her. With that said, I cant stop laughing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9nbhzKaqvA

Aqua

I know I've been gone for a bit. My apologies for those of you who read but never say hi. My brain has been all over the place for the past few months. Trying to get back on track. I've logged in quite a few times, however those log ins only resulted in reading everyone else's updates on their blogs. There have been so many interesting updates. I truly enjoy reading them. Also, however I need a moment to adjust to the new format of this site. Still haven't completely figured it out yet. UGH! It seems like when I figure out how to navigate around somewhere they change the format and just make it confusing.

Any who, I just wanted to share. Yesterday, I drank 3 Liters of water. Something I hadn't done in a LONG time. Actually truth be told my water intake had been slipping. THEN...... yesterday happened. I was REALLY thirsty. I learned while watching The Biggest Loser, that sometimes thirst feels like hunger and you may eat instead of drink, but your body is begging for water. So yesterday I drank, and then I drank some more. The water tasted SO GOOD to me, that I kept going. I think the only reason I stopped at 3 was because I was going home soon and I was trying to avoid the extreme need for the bathroom after my almost 30 minute ride home. It didn't work, but whatever. So yes I had to go to the bathroom constantly and my hands did need lots of lotion after all the washing... however it was SO worth it. Did you know your urine should be almost transparent? Did you know your kidneys amongst other vital organs including your skin NEED water in order to function properly. I also took a little 3-6-9 (Borage, Flax seed, and Fish Oil) with my water and oh my goodness the difference I felt in my body. Even this morning I woke up a lot easier than normal. There is NOTHING better for you than good old fashioned water. Please be good to yourself and make sure you get at least eight glasses (8oz each) of water a day. That's the minimum, the more the better. I will be getting back on my water kick as the results in how my body has been responding to the water have been phenomenal.

Don't these look delicious!!!!!!! So in an attempt to look and see what I've missed over the past couple of weeks of being MIA I stumbled across One Perfect Bite's Lemon something or another but it caught my attention. If you didn't know, I've been asked to make my cousin's wedding cake PRESSURE! No, not really.... Right! RIGHT! Ha! Any who, we had one cake tasting and it came out OK but not like I felt it should so I will be attempting my cakes again....

She's toying with two concepts right now. Something out of the ordinary, and the normal stacked tiered cakes...

I didn't think she would like this, but she loved it... So we'll see.

I didn't like how the cakes their selves came out. They were very dense, but tasty none the less. I have to redeem myself.

Meanwhile as I posted pictures of my cakes on FB my friend asked me to make them a Lemon any thing. Now I LOVE lemon in cakes and pies. So I've had it on my mind for a minute now. I think the recipe below will be my tester. If I like them enough I may present them as an additional add on. (Smiles)

http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com/2011/05/lemon-tea-cakes.html

Pretty Darn Cute III

OK so, I wore the dress. BIG SMILES! The consistent compliment that I got was that I was "Colorful" I guess for some that would be weird but if my use of colors makes me stand out as refreshing and NEW! DAG NABIT I'll take it. LOL! I wore its with my shoes that I thrifted, it was like the shoes were made to go with this dress or something. I will take a picture the next time I wear it. But the dress was a SMASHING success!

Dr Oz

OK so, one day I made it home early, just in time to catch the end of one of his shows and he mentioned a product "Just a Drop" that provides a courtesy to you and others that you may share a bathroom with when the second number comes calling. Since I commute to work, its always a COVERT mission to find a private bathroom when that other number comes knocking at the backdoor. I thought to myself.... hmmmmm could this actually work. I found some on eBay a little better priced than Amazon. So the other day I was getting the knock, I still ran off to a private bathroom but I tried it. Wouldn't you know it worked. YES! I will be on the look out to find larger bottles of this stuff locally and I will promptly supply them for my home, car, and purse. I know its not healthy to deny yourself the privilege to evacuate when the knock comes, but we also learn that it is just rude to subjects others to your bodily functions. So for those of you out there who sometimes have a hard time finding a private bathroom I suggest you give it a try.


FYI - you will need a few drops, but it does work. THANK YOU Dr. Oz!

Coconut Oil

OK so, yesterday just before washing I pulled out the coconut oil to prepoo the hair. Then I looked over to the left and there was my four month old niece. Big smile as I approached her with coconut oil saturated hairs. I rubbed it all through her head of beautiful black curly locks. Her hair said PLEASE and THANK YOU! I don't think she knew how to feel about me rubbing the oil through her head. She held onto my nephew who holding her at the moment and looked at him for an explanation. It was too cute. Then I picked up the REALLY soft brush I picked up for her at the beauty supply store and started brushing. Like her mother said after she took my advice and put olive oil on Lady Bug's (that's what I call her) hair just after a bath, her hair tends to straighten when oil is applied. That's not a bad thing but an interesting note. So I brushed her hair, but left her in her little Afro. I need to get some little barrettes for her hair. Her mom said I could do her hair which makes me happy. Now its time to get it growing. Lady Bug was born with a head FULL of hair. And at four months its only gotten fuller. Her mother's hair is VERY thick and my hair ain't so thin either. I anticipate a head full of beautiful hair on this baby girl.

So that was last night, and I was looking at my container thinking I should restock very soon on more coconut oil and then I check my dashboard and one of the blogs I follow had a list of wonderful uses for coconut oil. What's funny is that the toothpaste recipe calls for items that I have separately around the house.... I may actually try it out. LOL!

 http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/homemade-toothpaste-with-coconut-oil.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+oneGoodThingByJillee+%28%22One+Good+Thing%22+by+Jillee%29

My sister-in-law has been asking me about a homemade shampoo. I think I will look up some recipes and figure out one to test on my own hair. If I like it.... you'll hear about it.

As it stands I use my own concoction of oils as a daily lotion and moisturizer for my hair and it has done wonders for me.What's in it? I'm glad you asked....

Ingredients

Raw Shea Butter ( I prefer to use the white kind, gold will do fine, but my skin and hair like the white )
Coconut Oil
Emu Oil
Peppermint oil
Tea Tree Oil

Now since the peppermint and tea tree are essential oils I only use like a fourth of a teaspoon. But I measure nothing and I really just eyeball it all. Since the Shea Butter is the hardest to whip I start with it first, I mix it until its smooth, then I add the coconut oil. Once that mixture is smooth, I add about a tablespoon of Emu oil. I don't care for the smell all that much, but I read that the fat in this oil is really good for combating stretch marks etc, so it GOES IN! Then I lastly add the essential oils. I mix it up really smooth, but there's always like little chunks of coconut and Shea butter still in the mixture which I don't mind at all. Lately when I pour the mixture into my container I've had enough to fill two. Which I like cause two containers last me about two months. I've been doing this since about hmmmm I'd say since August or September cant remember the exact date, and my skin and hair has said THANK YOU!

If you don't know about Coconut Oil you need to read about it. Its really good for those who have eczema and other dry skin conditions. You can eat it, use it in your hair... Its becoming a staple in my house.

My thing is that I'm tired of becoming dependant on products and then they're discontinued. I'm tired of spending $6 or more dollars on a lotion and its not helping like it should and the price keeps going up. If I'm gonna pay more for it, can it at least do what I need it to do? By going the natural route I'm hoping to eliminate this frustration in my life.

Pretty Darn Cute II

OK so drum roll please...... I bought the dress! I tried it on, and I'm gonna be honest. I twirled and twirled in the mirror. I kept saying, "I don't know, I don't know" I kept fidgeting with the dress , but overall it really is cute. One thing that caused the fidgeting was  that the bottom of the dress is asymmetrical and the way the dress slants its looks funny if the left side line is twisted to the back. BUT! I think it was falling to the back because the store tag (you know that device that is meant to deter thieves from stealing) was heavy and hanging on the bottom falling which ever way I twirled. Now I just need to get some shoes and a bracelet. I happened to have on a neckline that went pretty OK with it. I will have to see what I have and really decide whether I want to buy more accessories. But I had to share, YES! I got the dress and I am overall very happy with it! SMILES! Thank you for reading, I'll be in touch shortly.

Oh HAPPY Day!!!

http://www.behuetiful.com/store/

I just ordered my Huetiful Steamer. I cant wait for it to get here. I will be able to do regular deep conditioning treatments on my hair. It even has an attachment to do facials. Now I don't know anything about that, so I will have to read up on facial treatments. I am so excited, and I cant wait to give this machine a test run. I've even had some volunteers. Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm gonna be playing beauty shop for real. YES!

Pretty Darn CUTE!

OK so, I'm minding my own business when I see this dress. What is ASHLEY trying to do to me! At first I tried to ignore it, looking at the other items on the site. But my eyes kept going back to this one. Notice how the right shoulder is bare... I was in love! I just wish that it would look like this on me. Who knows it might, I'd have to go to Ashley and find out. Fortunately there are currently two locations close to my home. So I could try both  if one doesn't carry it. I'm thinking the shoes I got in Long Beach would be KILLER with this dress.... or they could possibly be too much. Hmmmmm I'd have to see.

This dress, those shoes, or my new shoes, and a chocolate purse. I have a perfect purse to pair with this. My amazing friend  Betty #1 sells the cutest purses. Just the other day I almost wiped her whole inventory clean as she had some REALLY good stuff. When I look at my purses I see outfits. I think its pretty amazing that someone like me has become so girlie. But hey, I think its about time that my attention started running this way. Shoes, purses, clothes! Whoa!

This is not the 80's or even the early 90's when clothes weren't made to flatter big girls. As if it was our punishment for how we looked. Nowadays it can still be somewhat of a challenge to find cute clothes but no more a challenge than when I was smaller and still couldn't find anything that flattered my curves instead of highlighting them. Modesty will always be a challenge for any person out who wants to represent their self nicely but not cheaply. Just because you got them doesn't mean they have to hang loose.

What the world needs now is imagination. NOTHING is left to the imagination anymore. I guess a lot of people are more in your face about things that I still value as mine, and only shared with a SPECIAL someone. I try to instill this in my child, not to think the little girls running around with everything hanging out is just the way things have to be, and just accept them. No, a lady should conduct herself a certain way. And since everyone is going in the opposite direction, a lady shouldn't be hard to spot. OK, ok, I'll get off my soapbox...

My new Batman Phone

I am ALL smiles about my new toy! I got it last week. I am so happy with this thing. The ONLY compliant I have is in regards to the navigation system on this phone. What's up with the "pins" my last phone would call out each turn in advance and it was awesome only in that regard. OK so yea, I don't like the navigation on this phone. But other than that, I'm pretty happy with it. I took it to the beach Monday and I took this picture:

Look at the beauty! I was standing there in Awe! And then I snapped this photo and was in more AWE! I'm going to get this picture blown up to poster size or really big picture size, frame it and put it up on my wall in my newly painted living room. (Painting will happen shortly)

I love taking pictures on this phone. I went to a wedding Sunday and I took pictures. My cousins were teasing me because I had it out the whole time. I told them it was a new toy and I was so excited to use it. I took some pics and then I ZOOMED on some of them and re-saved them... YES!

Like this picture for example. When I took it there were people, etc in it. When I zoomed in and saved it, YES! I loved the end result.

OK, OK, I'll stop talking in my excited chopped up language. But I was very happy to have my new toy with me. It was a wonderful test drive on this phone to use it like I did. I was able to easily share my photos as well. I don't care that the following week after I get my phone they REALLY begin talks about releasing the iPhone 5s. I am content with my purchase and it me and this kid for the two years and beyond.

Reflexology

So yesterday was my first trip to see a reflexologist. A few of my cousins have been talking up this service so my curiosity was peaked. Not really knowing what to expect I texted my cousin with a little concern as I soaked my feet in a tub of water with a tea bag in the water. I couldn't smell anything specific so I wondered if I was getting the actual service. I don't know what to call her so I'll call her the technician, when the technician began my massage I didn't know what to expect,, you might say I was a little tense. Yes, due to the stress of the week, but also from not knowing what to expect. My cousin Nellie had given me a chart like the one above pointing out the nerve endings in our feet. I tried very cautiously to pay attention to any pain I may have felt in any of those areas. But yea, outside of tickling a little from time to time I didn't really feel any pain. The only tenderness was in my legs, she massaged up to my knees. And I haven't found a chart for that part of the body. Afterwards I felt like jello, just wiggly but relaxed. Thanks reflexology technician.

If NOTHING ELSE I needed to RELAX! There were point where I almost fell asleep. AW! SIGH! RELAXATION is a must have in LIFE! Next I wanna try a day spa. I've only ever been to a spa once in life. I would love to try that kind of massage.

The only thing I don't like is when they "pop" your joints. Or make cracking sounds. As I was soaking my feet I watched a guy at the end of his massage and the technician popped his fingers, arms, and back. I was CRINGING at the sight of it. I don't like that, and it tenses me up when doctors do it to me. Why don't I like it? What if they do it wrong? I just don't like it. That is my condition. Massage me, massage me GOOD! But don't Pop or Crack ANYTHING! We're gonna have problems if you do. Silly I know, but I cant help the way I feel. See how my dramatic side comes out. LOL!

Over all I give my experience a 6, and my cousin said the more often you have it done the better you will feel. So I'll give it two more tries. If I dont notice a difference....I guess I'll move on to the next thing...

Hey Now!

OK so tomorrow is the 70's party. My costume came last week. I didn't try on the Go-Go boots but they should fit. Tomorrow I will be picking my Afro and flying free to the groovy tune of me. CHEESY I KNOW! But hey what can I say? If I don't look too ridiculous... I'll try and post a picture of me. If everything comes out like I hope it does, I should have a GOOD time grooving on the dance flooring and leaving all my cares behind. How come I didn't see this picture before I bought my costume???? Oh well. I have to like what I bought and be content with it.

So until we meet again.... I'm wishing you PEACE, LOVE, and SOUL!

The BEAUTIFUL 1!

OK so, THE BEAUTIFUL 1 is engaged! It all happened Friday in a wonderful and detailed plot against her. Perfectly executed by her loving sisters, brother-in-law, fiance, his brother, and his bestie. I wasn't there for the actual proposal, but I got to see the recording of it. I don't know if you're anything like me, but the proposal is SO important to the marriage. I really feel like the proposal sets the tone for the effort the husband will put into the marriage. Some may not agree with me. But in my limited experience for what I've seen... the husband who takes the time to make this experience special tends to take the time to make other experiences special through out the course of the marriage.
I am so excited for her. When her sister texted me to give me a heads up about what was going on I got emotional and couldn't focus for the rest of the day. Aw my baby is about to be within Marital bliss! Marital nightmare at times, but bliss none the less. They looked so happy together, I just wanted to sit an watch them for hours. You could really see the love and that's what I like to see. And when I threatened him regarding her happiness.... he didn't seem concerned. For half a second I felt like WHAT???? Did he hear what I just said??? But then when I thought about it I was happy that he wasn't phased by my threat. It really tickled me even.
So I asked her Bestie The Fashionista if she was the MOH, and she said that TB1's sister The Chic 1 is the MOH. So I said she's 2nd in command... I cant wait to see how they put things together. Then the Fashionista mentioned something about my cakes. WHOA! Later on that night TB1 asked me DRUM ROLL!!!!!!!! To make cakes for her wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!!!! I told her, "I'm flattered and scared! All at the same time!" My mind has been racing all day.

She gave me a brief idea of what she's looking for, but I will pick her brain later. I was on Youtube looking at all kinds of things. So I need to get my practice on and then have her over to taste the ones I can definitely execute properly.

Everyone over here is about to get CAKED out! LOL! They'll be sick of cakes and RUN when they see me coming! LOL!

MJ

When I went to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago, I HAD to see Captain EO again I HAD 2!!!!! I know the younger generation (and by younger I mean the ones born now) may not understand the obsession with this man. But he has ALWAYS been an IMPORTANT part of my life. Now my Soul Sistah #1 would cry just watching him on television. I was never that gone, but he always found a way to pull me back in. Like when I was a teenager I was trying my best to out grow him and then....... The sands of an hour glass went across my TV screen and there was Eddie Murphy and Iman looking like WORLD CLASS ROYALTY! My mission was clear, I had to master this dance routine! My sister and I busted out our "King Kong" cups of ice water, cranked up the sound on my father's SLAMMING stereo system, and proceeded to practice practice practice until we had it down. Oh! All the beautiful sweat we were shedding in our living room in front of my father's big screen TV trying our best to mimic Michael's moves.









Move in a little closer I wanna tell you something. Let me whisper so no one else hears. My favorite MJ song is.... Let's see if you can guess:

I tell you when this video came out it was the first time since I was a little girl that I drooled over Michael. I LOVE this song, and the VIDEO!!!!! AWESOME! I know I probably shouldn't be saying this out loud, take the lyrics to heart but... YEA! I LOVE ME SOME MICHAEL JACKSON! I cant believe he's gone. Sitting in that theater watching the last midnight showing of that 18 minute show brought back a lot of memories and emotions. Like looking at his gelled baby hair, remembering when everyone was doing that. One of my cousins even dyed her baby hair purple in honor of her love for prince and then gelled it all up. Pretty soon you may see that style come back too. MJ seemed so innocent up there on the screen. I loved the show, all the dancing and singing. MICHAEL! I guess today is a missing MJ day... next I'll be hit by a:



Check it! He's wearing BLUE!!! HEART BEATING!!!! LOL!!!!

Now if you know nothing about MJ then I'm sure this entry reads like a riddle of sorts. But for my fellow MJ lovers, you know EXACTLY what I'm saying to you.


Thank you for reading, come back now you hear me.