New Month

I'm really excited to be in a brand new month. One of my favorite things in turning the calendar page over to reveal fresh new days with no scribbles on them. Of course, right now I don't have a wall calendar but it's still one of my favorite things nonetheless. I don't have very big plans for this month so I am excited to see what happens that I haven't planned or counted on happening this month. I guess kind of the one big thing is our trip to NJ/NYC for Thanksgiving and the Thanksgiving Day Macy's Parade which I am looking forward to so much! I cannot wait! November and December are my favorite time of the year but they do go by rather quickly. And I am really anticipating the beginning of the new year as well. I am ready for change! But I intend to make the most and best of November in whatever way I can. One thing that I am going to do is a box for Operation Christmas Child. I have done at least one before and I wish that I had been able to do more of them but I am really excited to be able to help a child in another part of the world have a nice Christmas. The drop off week for that is November 14-21 so I have to go and get my shoebox and then fill it up with some treats. So I am looking forward to doing that this month. I am really just happy that it is this time of year and I can't wait to see family and friends and enjoy the holiday season!

Not Surprised

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/

Am I surprised by the end of this union? No! But I am surprised that it ended so quickly. I want my $4 back from the People I bought with their wedding photos in it. But seriously I feel sorry for both of them. Whatever reasons there are for this divorce, it is always sad when you see people's marriages fail. It's another reminder of how quickly and naively people enter into and out of marriage these days. And also a reminder that because it is not taboo anymore to have several marriages under your belt there isn't the same stigma that divorce once had in our nation either. It's a very sad state of affairs. But I think more people than not saw this one coming. Even if you don't have cable and watch the show, buy their clothes, or follow them on Twitter, it was easy to see that they came from two different worlds. My mom made a funny observation when we were reading the article about the divorce announcement that went with this photo. She said that Kim's earrings probably cost more than Kris' whole outfit including his underwear. I thought that was hilariously appropriate. They have two very different approaches to life and you can't be in a marriage or relationship if you are headed in two different directions. For Kim I feel like she is cashing in while she can. She can still make money from her name, her body, and her presence. She's going to be working until no one wants her around anymore or until she makes what ever she feels is her personal best. I don't see her as the marriage and kids type, right now, at all. Kris on the other hand seems like the kind of guy who probably could settle down now with the right person and start a family, but definitely in a more low profile lifestyle and zip code. I have not been an active observer of the Kardashian/Humphries relationship other than what I have seen on the news, on the web, or in magazines. But I think it was easy to see this coming. I feel badly for them that they didn't even make it to knowing each other for a full year. It's really sad and disappointing.

Ta-Ta October

Well it's the last day of October. More and more I am astounded by how quickly this year has passed by. Like I have mentioned before I am really excited about this time of the year because it is my favorite. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and I like New Year's as well saying good-bye to the old and welcoming the new. And I think this year more than ever I am aching to say good-bye to the old. I am really looking forward to casting off this year and the ones before it. I am more excited about this New Year's because not only am I entering a new year but a new decade. I am really excited to leave my 20s behind me and create a new and better life for myself in my 30s. So I am hoping that for me that the new year brings restoration of hopes and dreams and also fulfillment of long held goals and desires. I am also looking forward to what the future will bring. I believe there is going to be great things ahead of me in the future and I am anxiously awaiting them. Yesterday at church our assistant pastor, Pastor Brooks spoke. His message was on My Help Comes From the Lord. He talked about how our salvation and our strength comes from the Lord. He was talking about how we don't need to be focused on our circumstances or how long things may take or whether or not things happen on our time table but we need to be focused on the fact that if God said He would do it, He will. It made me think of a message I heard from Pastor Gool last year in which he talked about how the Word will do it. He said that if God tells you something that you don't have to worry or fear about it happening because God doesn't speak idly like people do, when He speaks it's because He has something important to say. So He said that if God has spoken a Word to you then that means that He has already seen it happening because He wouldn't speak a word that won't happen. I picked up a book at the bookstore at VCC yesterday called Don't Block the Blessings. It's a short book that Pastor Gool wrote a little over 20 years ago about how to stop murmuring and complaining. We murmur and complain when things aren't happening when we want them to, in the way we want them to happen, or we don't like what is happening instead of what we want. The most often used example is the children of Israel right after they left Egypt and were on their trek through the desert working on God and Moses' patience. But we do the same today. I know that it has certainly made me think twice because I know that I may not always be complaining with my mouth but I complain often in my head. My thoughts are often complaints about things going on or not going on in my life or about things I wish I had. And I realize that I need to curb this behavior to not block the blessings that God has for me. I don't want to be ungrateful for what I have been given and what I have now and then God will withhold blessings from me in the future because my heart isn't right. So I have started reading Pastor Gool's book and I have been trying to keep myself from complaining. Whenever I hear myself complaining in my head or about to complain with my mouth I am going to try to say something positive instead and remind myself that there are good things in store for me and that God loves me and has not failed me. Everything that I have prayed about will be answered when God means for it to be answered, not before and not after but exactly on time and schedule.

Twist Out Results

I think we have a winner! I am enjoying this hairstyle so much! It was a little tight the first day but the second day delivered on the volume and curl definition! I also feel there is more length and less shrinkage! Yay! I do apologize for the awful pictures from my crappy camera phone. I have to add that my hair is fuller and not as kinky as it looks in some of these pictures. This is a mix of the first and second day. Second day, my curls were much looser and had more volume. Hopefully I will procure a better way of taking pictures some time soon!

Two Strand Twists

In an effort to expand my hair do range I have been looking for styles that I can do on my own on YouTube and natural hair websites. I am not that gifted when it comes to hair styling so I have to go with what looks the most basic in terms of technique. So I opted to try two strand twists on my hair today instead of the regular curly look that I go for. My hope is that with the twists I will have more volume, length and definition. I watched a couple of YouTube tutorials from Natural Chica and Miss Jessie's that gave me an idea of what to do, but the people in those videos do not have my hair type so I had to opt for a twist that worked for me. After deep conditioning my hair with the Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque, which I am so glad I bought, and then adding Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Hair Milk and Jojoba oil I separated my hair in half down the middle. I put one side up and separated the other side in the same sections that I normally use for applying Curly Pudding. I ran the Curly Pudding through my hair and then proceeded to separate those sections into two and twist them. I did that all the way around until I had about 11 twists all around. I placed a gripper clip, some call them duck bill clips, on either side of my part to keep the roots from getting frizzy. I'm excited to see if this is a look that will work for me. I'm going to let the twists dry all night and then style them in the morning.

Hair Update

Today was the first day I wore my hair down since I washed it. I have to say that I LOVE the addition of the Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque and the 100% Jojoba oil to my routine! I put my hand in my hair this afternoon while driving and it was so soft to the touch. I don't think I have had hair this soft in a really long time, like since the first year I went natural and I was wearing a pony poof and applying Mizani Moisturizing Silkening Gel [discontinued :( ] everyday. So you can imagine how excited I was to be able to reclaim that kind of softness. I am also loving my Curly Buttercreme from Miss Jessie's. I know a lot of people hate on MJ because of the price and the ingredients. But if you find things from their line that work I think the investment is worth it. For me the Curly Pudding has been the only thing that I have used in almost 3 years of being natural that has transformed my Zs to Cs. So I have no problem investing in something that works. I also know that some people do not like the Buttercreme as well. Some opt instead for the Baby Buttercreme rather than the Curly Buttercreme. But I am sticking with the Curly for now. I know some people use it for twist outs and braid outs as well. So it's all about what works for you. And I think it is about finding the right amount of product that works for you too. Like I noticed that it tells you on the jar to use a tablespoon and then work it through sections of your hair. If I followed that direction then my hair would be weighed down and greasy looking. Instead I opt for just enough to cover a finger tip and work that through one section of my hair and then take another fingertip full and massage the ends of my hair. I go for light application of the product each night to ensure that my curls are moisturized from their day of flowing free. I follow up with Jojoba on the ends and on each section as well. It is my new favorite thing and I don't think I will go back to Hollywood Tea Tree Oil after the effects of jojoba have been revealed to me.

My new hair quest is to find a good leave in conditioner. I had pondered using Hair Milk from Carol's Daughter or Beija Flor's Creme Brulee Leave In Moisturizer which I learned about from Natural Chica's channel on YouTube. Beija Flor is all natural and has really great ingredients for moisture and strength for hair. I still haven't used half of the Curl Enhancing Smoothie that I got back in June. I use it weekly but it lasts a long time. I'm not sure where I am with my Kera Care Hair Milk. I haven't noticed anything extra special about it, but it does smell really good. I'm thinking that possibly I may try Beija Flor as the replacement for the Curl Enhancing Smoothie and the Hair Milk and test whether I need either.

I'm so thrilled with my hair routine right now. I was bummed right after I had worn my hair straight for a little while with the results I was having with my hair. But I am so glad that my hair seems to be making progress and back on track!

Christmas is Two Months Away

I am really excited that Christmas is only two months away! I love this time of the year! The leaves are changing and the air is cool and crisp. And it's sweater weather, my favorite. I was thinking that for Thanksgiving we were going to do our normal thing of just being at home and my mom and I cooking dinner. However, I have learned that we are going to be going to New Jersey for Thanksgiving. I am excited about it because I have always wanted to go to New York on Thanksgiving for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. My mom and I have to figure out how we are going to get there but I was totally surprised when she said she was interested in doing the parade with me. I was thinking that maybe I would just take the train over there myself and then meet my family for dinner but I am really glad that my mom is coming along. I am not sure about my dad or my grandmother yet. I know it would be a lot for my grandmother because of a lot of walking and it could be a bit too cold for sitting outside for her then. But I am so excited because it's something that I have always wanted to do and for the first time ever it is totally possible. Yay! Christmas we have to spend in Charlotte which I suppose is fine. I have always wanted to spend Christmas in New England, like in Vermont, Connecticut, or New Hampshire. I would love to spend Christmas in an old farm house with a roaring fire place, hot chocolate, and snow everywhere. Hopefully one year I can make that happen as well but I am really excited for now about the Thanksgiving in New York. Thanksgiving in my favorite city! I can't wait!