Blogmas with DOASAHM - Day 14

OH wow!! I have soooo many happy childhood memories that I can't choose just one.



If I look back at the Christmases past I can remember the following flashes from all different years;

*Sitting on Santa's knee at around 4 years old and the newspaper publishing a photo, my mummy took the cutting and kept it, showing it to whoever wanted to see (and those who didn't I bet lol)

* Various school Christmas plays.

*Singing in the school choirs for Christmas concerts in infant, junior and senior school.

*Playing various instruments for Concerts.

*Begging my mum for a Cabbage Patch Doll one year but not really thinking I would get one as I knew money was tight. Seeing a present under the tree and opening it to find my beloved 'Paige Leslie' oh how I skipped and danced. I loved her to bits and was ecstatic to see she came with her very own adoption certificate. I still have her to this day *blush*

*Sitting around with my humongous extended family enjoying the stories, auntie and uncles would tell, laughing at their jokes and antics. Anxiously hoping they would forget about asking me to sing(I was soooo shy-still am) but they never would and I'd have to stand in the middle and take requests.

*Putting up the Christmas tree, as soon as I got big enough it became my job and I would take time aranging the decorations and leave the angel for the top till the very last. I'd turn on the fairy lights and sit staring at the tree for hours.

*Getting out the decoration box that was chocka full with decorations from years before, each one with it's own story and/or memory. I'd spend hours just looking at them and playing with them before putting them up in the room or on the tree.I remember my fave ones still now (I wonder if mummy still has them?) I used to be soooo sad when the time came to put them away for another year.

Oh my, I am sitting here and the lovely memories are dancing around in my mind. I am smiling and at times laughing as I remember. Thanks for such a great prompt Sandra(DOASAHM)

Blogmas with DOASAHM - Day 12

Although London weather can be quite grey and uninspiring I love driving through the different boroughs that have displayed their Christmas Lights and signs.The lights in the trees and around the lampposts brighten up the place and add colour to a dull landscape.

We normally have some amount of snow around the Christmas season, if not in December then in Jan and some years Feb(I'm sure I remember a frosty March on year too!!)


When the show is falling and is freshly covering the ground, it looks so nice and almost romantic - not when the sun is shining on it though(ouch migraines!!- then I end up looking all pretentious wearing sunglasses in the snow) - But when it starts turning black and slushy...errrrrrr yuck!
I hate the ice too, no fun pushing a pushchair through the icy streets, slipping, sliding and trying to stay upright, but I have my winter tracks ready this year lol

Here's a few snowy pics from the past few years:
hmmmmmm I must have deleted  the snowy garden pics I had before when my phone storage was low I can only find these;

This is a few years ago at our old house

Our very funny looking snowman 

Here's a couple of collages with borrowed pics showing the London snow and street lights.

Of to have a good nosey at everyone's hometowns.

Wash Day - Spontaneous Cowash and Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie first impression.

{{Woaaaaa Lonnnng title alert}}

Wash Day
When I went to bed last night and started my Nightly Routine, I took my hair down from it's bun and planned on combing my hair all the way through rather than maintaining the curls as I had been doing for the past few days, however felt knotty, coated and my scalp had that kind of *covered* feeling.

It was late - like 2am - and I contemplated moving wash day to today and pre-pooing overnight but I knew I wouldn't have time today to do it all. Sooooo I decided to cowash my hair- yes at 2am!! - and do the curl setting thing with Bantu Knots that I'd been doing for the past week but it would be more like a wash and go - although I used to think wash and go was literally well...wash and go, not wash, set, rake, dry and go lol.
I did a pre-cowash of sorts. I knew I wasn't going to do a deep condish treatment and wanted to nourish my hair a little so I slathered Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Beach Mate through my hair and put some Meridian Grapeseed Oil over it, left it on for around 1/2 hour and then cowashed with Pantene Truly Natural Hair Co-Wash Cleansing Conditoiner.
I blotted with a towel and let it air dry for a short while.
I put my hair in sections and sprayed the first one with Aphogee Keratin and Green Tea Restructurizer as I wanted to add a little strength. That;s when I realised I didn't detangle my hair! Not before I washed, Not during my wash, nothing. I don't know if it was because I was tired or if it's just another thing my stressed brain forgot about but I just clean forgot! I sealed the moisture with Grapeseed Oil, tried to detangle but was put off by the dry ripping feeling, grabbed my Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie, stroked the tub, smiled, opened said tub and sniffed... mmmmmm, smiled some more then told myself to get a grip and smoothed it through my hair.... LOVE!!
I detangled my hair and can I say LOVE again? I put a little Eco Styler Krystal Styling Gel from root to tip, brushed with my denman and bantu knotted. I repeated until all 8 sections were done, smotthed the front sections with a little more gel, put on my scarf and bonnet and that was a wrap.

This morning my hair hadn't dried through (not surprising given the time I went to bed...ahem)
So I dried it a little with my dryer on cool air.
My hair was fluffy and soft, and sooooo shiny. whooohooooo. I styled it into a loose high puff smoothing the front with some Eco Krystal and Creme of Nature Argan Oil Perfect Edges I put my scarf on to set and left it till I had to go out.


{{I'll insert a photo soon as my phone is crying}}
**Edited to add pics**

Items used to style hair

Trusty scarf (looove this scarf)

All set

Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie - First Impression

I really wanted to like this product - I wanted it to live up to all the hype and be worth the wait and yet a secret part of me hoped I didn't as it's sooooo expensive.
My goodness I LOVE IT!!! like straight up, first crush, LOVE.
I know I shouldn't get all ahead of myself and wait for at least a week to see how my hair likes it but Goody Goody Gumdrops I LOVE IT!!

I love the Smell - A sweet but not sickening creamy smell of tropical islands and triffle.
I love the Consistency -Thick, rich and creamy without being gloopy.
I love the Feel - Smooth and slightly blancmange like. I can feel oils but it doesn't feel greasy.
I love the *slip*
I love the way it makes my hair shine
I love the way it springs the curls I'm finding out I have.
I LOVE IT lol
The only thing I don't love is the PRICE - why Shea Moisture? WHY??

I am very tempted to try another product in this line and that was what I was dreading!! I will see how this one works out for me first though. I always need leave in spray/conditioner so If there's one is this line I may try it. I did see the much talked about Jamaican Black Castor Oil line at the shop I went to and it was a toss up between the JBCO leave in conditioner and the CAH curling smoothie.
I'm wondering how the CAHCES works like as just a moisturiser? I often use my Aunt Jackies Curl La La Defining Curl Custard as a moisturiser and it's great and has great slip so can't imagine CAHCES to be anything but great to.

Blogmas with DOASAHM - Day 11

Today's Blogmas is about. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Menu's





Hmmmmm For Christmas Eve I really don';t know what we'll be having. Maybe Cottage Pie. Or Spaghetti Bolonaise. Something quick and easy as I will be conserving my cooking energy for Christmas Day.
We will for sure be having Hot drinks at midnight and I'll give the boys Hot Drink Treat Bags to make their own..... OOooooo we can have it on our Dining Table for the first time!! Whooooop.


Now onto Christmas Day!! This year I plan on Roasting a Duck Crown for our roast and will have fluffy Roast Potatoes with it. I'll also roast some Parsnips and Carrots and glaze them with honey.
Some sort of Stuffing will have to be made and maybe some Macaroni Cheese.
I will serve some Veggies either Petit Pois and Baby Carrots or a mixed veg dish.
I'm hoping Mummy and Hubby can come over and if they do I will treat them to Curry Goat and Rice and Peas but if they don't plan to have dinner I won't cook the curry but if the boys and hubster want the rice and peas I'll put a pot on.

Desert will be the 3D Christmas Tree Cookies or thinking about it. I may do a Triffle and have the cookies on Boxing day.

With all that being said I am deffo looking forward to the whole Shopping, Preping andd Cooking Christmas Dinner.

More Bantu Knots and I caved.

I decided to keep my bantu knots in yeaterday instead of taking them down and styling my hair. Truth be told I'm in a Blah mood at the moment and I didn't want to bother with my hair.
I wasn't going anywhere anyway so I oiled my scalp and tied a pretty scarf into a baduesque wrap.

When I got ready for bed, I lightly spritzed my hair with Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Moisture Mist and oiled the parts with Hairlicious (whoooop challenge going strong) Put my scarf and bonnet on and wow, shortest hair night routine in ages.

This morning I took the Bantu Knots out and my hair was lovely, soft and the curls were springy. Leaving the Bantu's in for a day had allowed my hair to completely dry and the results were fab.

I tried to take photos but they didn't come out that well as the day was somewhat overcast and the flash just made the pics black (why does that happen anyway?)
Here they are anyway:

Biiiigggg curly fro

Close up

I loved the way the front curls looked so I decided to leave two at the front and put the rest into a tight top puff. Wowwww I LOVED the curly puff. I gently scrunched the puff with some Aunt Jackies Don't Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel {love this stuff}

So although I would rather be in a better mood the I am glad I left the bantu's to do their thing.


Ok so let's address the caving issue. I made a scheduling mistake and thought something that is actually next week was taking place today. I was already at the meeting point when I phoned my friend and she told me of my mistake - oh how we laughed *blush* - I had some time to kill while I waited for hubby to come back on his way home and decided to have a little browse in the hair shop in the area.
I forgot how BIG and how much STUFF they have. I had a good look at the hair and saw somw with a big *special offer* sign so will revisit to buy some for my next protective styling challenge (yes I love challenges, don't judge me lol).
I then went to look at the hair products and was like a kid in a candy factory!! My three fave edge tamers/controlers have finished and my Aunt Jackies will soon be finished so I decided to buy an Eco Styler gel and Curls Pasionfruit Control Paste to replace the ones that have gone walkies. They didn't have the Control Paste but I managed to pick up the Eco, I got a small tub of the clear one to have a try. I didn't want to buy the argon one as that's the missing one and I'm half hoping it will turn up soon.
Then I had the bright idea to have a look at the Shea Moisture goodies. You have to understand that anytime I'm in the hair shop I drool over the Shea Moisture products, looking, awwing and walking by so it wasn't strange for me to do it this time... and whooooopppp there was a *special Offer* sign on there too!! £3 cheaper than anywhere I've seen. Still alot pricier than my regular products but much more attainable.... the Coconut and Hibiscus Curling Enhancing Smoothie hop, skipped and jumped into my hands and before I knew it I was sitting in the car opening the jar and smilling!!

 

Yep I caved and I can't wait to try it. I don't know whether to wait till I wash my hair or dive in tonight... I do like to wait till wash day to try out new products so my hair is fresh and like a clean canvass IYSWIM hmmmmmm I don't know if I can wait, maybe I'll bring wash day forward??

Blogmas with DOSAHM - Day 10

Haaaaaa I read Sandra's Post and I am soooo glad I'm not the only one that had a giggle.
Ok I may be just a little .... childlike but hey, who wants to grow up?!

It's fair to say I have had the odd fight or two... or ten with my sweet tooth over the years but I love to bake Cookies at Christmas and as I am doing the prep work I can add as much or as little  goodies that I choose.

The boys love to help and it's nice to spend some baking time with them. I am a cookie cutter hoarder collector but my fave has to be gingerbread shapes. The obligatory Gingerbread man but also the little Gingerkiddies and the Gingerlady all pretty with her dress.

I have to admit I love looking at cookies from all different countries but it has to be said the US wins hands down.... Just thinking about them is enough to put myself on the naughty list and partake in some sugary goodness.

This year I plan to bake/make the following treats again and maybe have a go at something new too.

Giant Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

 I will be deffo be making shortbread but instead of the heart tin, I will be using my Star one. I may well do smaller ones too.

Blueberry Crumble Bars

These Blueberry Crumble bars went down a treat, I'm contemplating trying them with mincemeat instead to give them a Christmasey Twist.

Chocolate Covered Oreos

I haven't made these in over a year so plan to treat the family to a few of these morsels of delishiousness but I will only make a small amount as they are very moreish lol. I don't really eat chocolate any more so I will be fine but the boys - and the hubster have been known to sneak a cookie or two. I'm thinking of doing some with coconut oil chocolate and see how they come out. Sugar has made it a point to put me on her enemy list and attacks when I'm least expecting.





I Purchased a 3D Christmas Tree Cookie set in the sales a while back and will be trying it out this year, we can have it for desert on Christmas day.. just wondering whether to do them in Gingerbread or Sugar Cookie...... decisions.... maybe I'll do both.

Blogmas with DOASAHM - Day 9

Brrrrrrr It deffo is winter here, the weather has dropped and the promise of snow can be felt in the air. I don't do well in the cold, I tend to shut down and talk in one syllable grunts. My dislike of frosty temperatures is a household joke - not funny to me but hilarious to the *men* in my life.
The strangest thing is that I love to play in the snow .... for a little bit.... and swaddled up like a baby - hat, scarf, jacket, sweater, leggings and trousers - making snowmen. As soon as the cold starts to seep in though, I'm back in the warmth with a hot drink.

borrowed from internet

I don't like to wear socks normally but in the cold of winter they are my number 1 winter must haves.
When I go outside I wear thinish ones so I don't get the *bunched up* feeling, however, when I'm inside I go for the fluffier kind. I love the novelty ones, penguins,rudolphs... noses and bells.

Crocheted by my lovely MIL

Warm Blankets are  must have number 2. I love snuggling on the settee with a warm blanket all cosy and ...well... warm.
One of the boys will always try and get under with me and if I leave the blanket unattended it will get nabbed, no matter how pink or girly it is.

Scarves on my head, shoulders.... across my legs.

Must Have number 3 is Scarves or Pashmina's. I love to wear them on my head in the cold weather. To keep my hair protected. I wrap them around my neck and over my shoulders to keep the chills out and can often be found with one across my legs..... can you tell cold weather is not my friend? lol

Handmade Salve

Handmade Mini Lotion Bars

Must have number 4 is my handmade butters, salves and bars for my hair and skin. The cold weather plays havoc with my hair and skin, making them dry. My hair gets brittle and starts to break and my skin gets sore and chaffed. Indoor heating and air conditioners add to the dryness so I reach for rich butters and emollients to soothe and moisturise.
All the family use the goodies and I actually whipped up some Shea,cocoa and coconut butter this afternoon as comanded requested last night by hubby and eldest.

My joint 5th must have is lovely hot drinks and a yummy holiday scented candle.
From juicy fruit teas, frothy coffee drinks to naughty hot chocolate. Winter calls for them all. . Each Christmas I treat myself to a Starbucks Holiday Drink, either an  eggnog latte or a gingerbread latte.
I have a slight cup fetish and this is my latest, a ceramic starbucks coffee tumbler - it was on offer at sainsbury's and jumped into my basket.
I do love candles all year round but when it's winter and leading up to Christmas I love to burn the holiday scented ones - cookie, spiced, berries..... the warm glow and gentle heat keeps me feeling warm and the sweet smell fills the room. The one pictured is "cookies for santa" I wish I picked up two because it will soon be finished...... I feel a candle haul coming on.

I'm off to have a nosey at everyone's winter must haves now......