What I'm Thankful For...

It was a long day, a very long day, and I was in charge of the stuffing at my mom's, and a plethora of other things for my 8 hour shift at work on Thanksgiving.  I had worked 3 12-hour shifts in a row Mon-Wed, was on 5 hours of sleep each night, and was almost 3 steps past delirious. The last thing I wanted to do was cook.

After being relieved that he went and grabbed ALL my groceries for me, I still whined about how tired I was, and how I couldn't possibly stand to cook after the long day I had. I was told to sit down, but realized that would turn into lay down, and I couldn't possibly do that, or nobody was gettin' anything.

I proceeded to cook my stuffing, similar to how I cooked it a few weeks ago, throwing the turkey sausage and pre-cut (pre-prepped) veggies in the pan, with butter and olive oil, and apples and cranberries and seasoning. I let that simmer and cooked up my cranberry sauce to take to mom's and work, gently modifying the recipe ever so slightly that I use from year to year.

After getting pissed from him telling me I needed more sugar, I did as he said and all was right in the world.

That's when I needed a hug.

My favorite hugs are the ones that come from behind.

Melting into the warm flesh of the one you love is so immensely satisfying, while they rest their head in the crook of your neck and gently breathe, reminding you how thankful you are for them being alive each day.

And as I gently rocked in his arms, stirring a large, large pot of delicious cranberry sauce, I began to hum... (my cherie amour, sweeter than a summer's day...), and he sang (my cherie amour, sweeter than the milky way)...and we sang and hummed (my cherie amour, pretty little one that I adore, you're the only one my heart beats for...).  And we sang and rocked for the duration of the whole song, and I was forever in love.

I am thankful for family, friends, mentors, love, happiness, companionship, motivation, inspiration, prosperity, blessings, and everything else the good Lord has given me.  Remember all the little things that living this life can bring, and remember to be thankful for even the smallest moments in time.

Love & My Life

I like this blog because its all about me, its mine.

But one day my secret follower asked me, "Why don't you ever write about us?"

Its not because I don't love how the light hits his face, or how his face is warm like a baby and he toots his booty in the air when he's sleep, but its for the same reason that I don't invite him every time I go out with my friends:

Because this blog is my own.

Everything I write at some point can be a reflection of him, because he is a part of me, and I of him.

So your influence doesn't need to be as tangible as a story about you, as should you know every time I write, I have you in my heart and mind.

Just know that this morning you changed my life when you grabbed both sides of my face,

While I wore blue scrubs, and no makeup, and hair that flew to the graces of the wind,

And peered through my eyes, into my soul, inside my heart,

And said with your first waking breaths,

Shortly after you rose,

"You are so beautiful"...not to me, not in my opinion, but period.

That I was his urban beauty in a concrete city,

Filled of dreams in broken glass.

And I floated on a cloud of love for the rest of the day...

A Thousand Words: Sidewalk Chalk

A Precise Expression of Me

Write Byte: They call me Jill Scott...



Isn't it ironic?

My new label has been afrocentric.
But the afro isn't my centrality.

I have dichotic personality dualities.
With curves that speak sexuality
And lips that sing symphonies.

Mystically, weaving the natural instincts never spoken to me.

Coached relentlessly in this game called life.

Despite of every stumble I survive.

But what is a life in a lie?

Projection is half my battle.

But my representation hasn't been perfected.

Yes its all natural.

Naturally I believe

But I'm not Jill Scott.

India Arie maybe, because "I Am Not My Hair".



Write Byte: I'm 24 & I'm a failure...

That's dramatic but so am I.
I've fed into every stereotype of what I thought I should be,
What people wanted me to be.

Being free isn't as easy as it seems, but its as appealing as it seems.
That's why freedom, is still where I wanna be.

A Curly Girl's: Runway Ready 'Do

So I didn't really take any pics of the actual proccess (although I thought about it), but there's actually a lot going on with my hair behind the scenes. I previously deep conditioned (see previous blog A Curly Girl's: First Deep Conditioning), retwisted with coconut oil, and then set my hair in a curly fro (see Dr. Akbari's Curly Fro on YouTube) using sponge rollers and coconut to seal my ends, with end papers (for extra smoothness).

After about a day and a half with the rollers in, I took them out and voila, beautiful full waves and coils. Très bien, I say!

A Thousand Words: Close Up- I Ripped the Runway

Taken before I left the house

Oooo...maybe I'll write up the next blog about how I styled my hair because it actually was looking fierce in my opinion and that takes a lot... :)

A Thousand Words: I Ripped the Runway



It's blurry, but I was killin' it...lol

So I planned this awesome outfit to wear to my friend's fashion show at her church in Lindenwold, NJ. To kill time between scenes, they asked people to come on stage who thought they could "rip the runway". Contrary to my loud nature and style, I'm actually the shy, silent type, but my friends were anything but shy and silent when they raised my hand to go up there. I felt skinny for a change.

I gotta admit I loved it! Lol.

A Curly Girl's: First Deep Conditioning

My inspiration

Ok.

I've been a bad girl.

In 2 years of being natural, I have not deep conditioned my hair.  I know its essential. I'm aware of the benefits.  But I just haven't been able to figure out how I wanted to do it.

For some reason it seemed like this long drawn out process that was difficult to do.

But for the first time in 2 years, I did it last night.

Unfortunately for my lazy nature, it was cake.  Too bad I didn't figure this out earlier.

My hair was in bad shape.  I just had it trimmed (which worked out lovely, might I say), but it just needed something else.  My ends were exceptionally knotty, I was shedding like crazy, and my hair just seemed dull, battered, and dry.

I've read tons of articles on DC'ing (deep conditioning), but always read them like I wasn't capable of replicating the process.  Well when I decided to try an awesome new conditioner I've been hearing about for awhile, I realized it was vital that I engage in this process.

Here's the scenario:

It was 9:30 pm. I had just gotten home from my private tutoring lesson (I was the tutor), and had already eaten dinner.  Earlier in the day, I made a quick rush to Rite Aid to grab a new product I'd just been eyeing: Yes to Carrots Mud Conditioner.  For $8.99, I can get a 16.9 oz bottle to use as a deep conditioner (I heard it was good for that. For regular daily conditioning, I use Herbal Essences Hello Hydration or Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine. Either or, depends on what's on sale and what I can get my hands on). I though that was an awesome deal for a conditioner full of pretty great ingredients, so I decided to indulge the PJ in me and try it out.

To deep condition, I mixed 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp olive oil, and 1 tsp honey in a small bowl until combined.  After that, I added about 1/3-1/2 cup of Yes to Carrots to my oil mixture; basically whatever amount looked like it would cover my whole head.  I took this mixture into the bathroom to be used directly following my shower.

I then proceeded to quickly make an ACV rinse with about 1 and a 1/2 cups of water and about 2 tbsps of ACV.  When I hopped in the shower, I washed my hair twice with Dr. Bronners (I love it. I use it as a shower gel, but also find that its great for clarifying, which I do once a month).  Then I used the ACV rinse to soften and re-moisturize my hair.  After a few cold water rinses, I gently pressed the water out my hair and jumped out the shower so I could apply my conditioner.

After using my hand to remove the steam from my mirror (lol), I washed my hands and applied my conditioner, section by section, being careful to pay attention to the ends and to not get too much product on my scalp. Then I took whatever was left and spread it from the middle of my hair to the ends, being careful not to smooth off the bulk of conditioner that was on my hair.

I used plastic wrap (I lacked extra shower caps) to keep conditioner from going everywhere, and to help the conditioner penetrate from the warmth of my scalp.  I put a scarf on my head and left it in overnight.

In the morning, I rinsed my hair with cool water, and gently pressed the water out my hair again.  It was very smooth and needed very little detangling. Afterwards, I put a little Herbal Essences Hello Hydration on my hair as a leave-in, and proceeded to section my hair in large twists (no styling, I had to go to work!).  I put a satin bonnet on my hair and went to work!

I'm excited to see how soft my hair is. I have a feeling that its going to be glorious.

I will update this blog when I see my results!