Past Couple of Nights Routine - Bantu Knots Revisited.

I have been feeling quite lazy when it comes to African Threading my hair at night. I do like the stretched results but some nights I just cant face the threading routine.

I put my hair in two cameroes/cornrows a couple nights and that was ok. I liked the results the next mornings but the ends of my hair didn't look quite right.

I have been thinking more and more about the manipulation my hair is getting and although I have been thinking about my next protective style I have been literally staring at the wash and go results I've seen on blogs,youtube and instagram. I want to give it a try but am in two minds.

I decided to do a "Moisturise, seal and go" instead. I sprayed my hair with Herbal Essences Bee Strong Spray, and oiled my scalp with Hairlicious. I was given some samples of Mixed Roots Curly Kinky Curl Control Leave In Lotion and used that to moisturise and *curlarise* my hair . I used Aunt Jackies Don't Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel for hold.
I worked in sections and when my hair was all curly I didn't want to twist it for the night so I opted for bantu knots, I kept with the 8 sections I had been working with and put them in the knots, covered with my silk scarf and put on my satin bonnet.

The next morning my hair was slightly damp but as I was having it curly I didn't mind and I separated and scrunched.
I played around with the curly fro and flung on a silver headband, tied twice and formed a curly puff.
Please excuse the photo's, I was playing around with them for insta and I accidently saved them into black and white lololol:

Loving the curly fro

My Best Puff ever lolol

          

I loved the results from the bantu knots so much that I did them again for church the next day, This time I put my hair into a tight high puff:























I allowed my hair to set in the car and took the scarf off when we were 2mins away from church.... I must remember that scarves leave lines ......ahem.


Last night I thought I'd bantu knot again but wouldn't comb out the curls and re set them, but instead lightly ran my fingers through to distribute the products. I changed the moisturiser and used Organix Curling Perfection Defining Cream and Organix Renewing Argan Oil Of Morocco Penetrating Oil{what a loooong name} to seal before adding the Aunt Jackies gel.

The curly puff today was even better than Sunday's!! I will be doing it again tonight but will change it up tomorrow night as my hair starts to get knotty if not combed through to the ends after 2 or 3 days.
I don't know how people leave their hair in buns for days without their hair getting messy, I sleep so bad my hair looks like wuzzle gummage styled it if left in a bun overnight much less days. It's always been like that from a child to now.

hmmmmmm still not sure which protective style to go for.

Blogmas with DOASAHM - Day 8

Hmmmmmmm this is a hard one for me. I normally have a wishlist in my mind for occasions where I am fortunate to be receiving gifts - like birthday, anniversary, Christmas etc. When I'm asked for hints by people who will be buying gifts I'll ask for one of them.

Then there's the wish list that I secretly have in my mind that I add things to and hope to one day obtain myself, budget allowing.


This year I find myself with no wish list for Christmas. I have been praying, hoping, wishing that we could move for so long and earlier this year praying and for speaking that we would spend Christmas in a new Home..... Now we have our new home I am in awe that we actually will be spending Christmas here.
The closer Christmas comes, the more I feel a pang of pain of the memories of last year's Christmas at the hospital.
After plans and ideas, present shopping and wishlists I was faced with seeing my youngest gasp for breath and fight the very oxygen mask that was trying to save him.
I wish I could focus on the miracle of life, that he recovered, that a story that could have had such a different ending had a wonderful testimony of God's Grace. My mind however seems stuck on the images and memories of sickness, fear, and all things scary.
This year I haven't got the same buzz I used to about Christmas but I want to shake it off and celebrate life and the reason for Christmas.

As trite or cliché as it sounds, and I almost cringe typing, my wish list for Christmas has only one item and that is for all my boys and hubby, and my family and friends to be well and happy for Christmas.


hmmmmmm reading back, I sound like a "Debbie Downer" I hope I didn't kill anyone's buzz xxx

Healthy Hair Journey Tips - Why/How I started

I love talking about all things hair and going on this HHJ has changed my whole life, yea it sounds odd but let me explain.
At one stage, my hair was the only thing I thought I had going for me. My Body was getting bigger and I didn't like the way it looked, my spiritual life was stagnant and I wasn't as close to God as I wanted to be, my Marriage/relationship with hubby was facing one of the hardest fights it has ever had, Work was a nightmare, PND was attacking my mind, my emotions were at an all time low...... I didn't want to go out, I dodged phone calls and let friendships dwindle and the only part of me that I could control and that was going well was my hair.
Then it fell out......

I tried to rectify it and started a HHJ, this led me to take stock of my life and realise I wanted to change. So I started a Healthy Body Journey, and that lead to a Life Journey. I decided that if I wanted change I had to change.

God placed different people in my life to help me with each area of my life that I needed to work on, even before I was ready to change they were there. Then when I was ready I utilised them.  Sometimes one person helped in more than one area and I will forever be grateful for their loving kindness and eternally grateful to God for His Grace.

The longer I have been on my HHJ, and the more noticeable my results, I have been asked questions about it and for advice. It is always surprising to me because I'm just me and not no big time hair font of knowledge, but I love sharing my experience, tips and just having people join me on this exciting journey and sharing together.
It was one of the most surreal moments of the year when I was addressing a room full of people at a Health seminar and they were actually interested in what I had to say and many contacted me after with questions and encouragement and embarked on their own HHJ's

Many people who are unhappy and/or frustrated with their hair haven't any idea where to start. Many don't use technology so don't know or realise that Youtube, Blogs, and Other social media exist or if they do, they don't realise they can help them and as much as it sounds odd to me I am often the only person they know who is doing this *hair thing* For the people not on any social media, I have spoken to and for those who use the internet, I have pointed them to places I go for knowledge and advice.Some people (and this is the strangest to me) want ME to advise them so I have written a few posts to answer specific questions and also put my low confidence to the side and recorded some requested videos so that I have posts that I can direct people to and also have documentation for myself to look back on and remember what worked, what didn't work, See my progress etc.

With all that being said, I am putting a few vids and posts together with tips etc.

Here's the first video:







I want to take this time to thank everyone for their love, encouragement, prayers and pep talks that helped me get my life on track and to step out of my comfort zone.

Blogmas with DOASAHM 2014 - Day 6

 OOooooo presents lol. I know Christmas isn't about  presents and it's important to remember the reason for the season but presents have always been a part of Christmas celebrations for me and when it came to opening presents My mum allowed me to open one present at midnight and then the rest were left for after dinner on Christmas day.
I talked a little about going to my Grandmas' house in the last blogmas post, being part of a HUGE extended family that meant loads more pressies to open. I always so appreciative of the presents I received from my family as I knew that we didn't have much money and the fact that someone spent their money on me made me happy before I even opened the wrapping to see what was inside.
I always carefully opened the presents, taking the cellotape of gently so it wouldn't rip the paper.... my family would laugh at me - always and my oldest cousin would tease me and tell me to just rip it or he'd open it lololol - oh the memories.
I would fold the paper neatly too and put any tags safely in my bag (the hoarding started early *blush*)

 

I kept the tradition up when I became a family and had my first child, and it continues now years later. I have added a little tradition of our own where I make everyone hot drink gift packs and we make the drinks while we open a pressie in our night clothes, will be onsies this year - apart from hubby who doesn't do onesies *guffaw*

Last year we didn't get to open our presents as My youngest was rushed into hospital in the early hours of Christmas morning - one of the most scary and horrible times of my life - When we were on the ward, people came and gave the children presents, it was so kind that they took time out of their day to make sick children smile. The hospital also provided a humongous sack filled to the brim with presents.
Our kids decided they wouldn't open their presents until myself and Bubba came home, bless them, and that was a week later, we had our Christmas day then and they opened their presents and it meant so much more after the rough time we had.

This year we will be having our first Christmas in our new house! Wow what blessing and feels like a dream. I can't wait to continue the traditions we have and make some new ones.

2nd Empties - used but would I repurchase

I decided to do a video for this round of empties, I actually published it in October but forgot to add it here *blush*





I am sooooo glad that I have made an effort to try and curb my Product Junkie tendencies. I have slight hoarder issues so not only do I love to try new stuff, I love to keep them too. Budgeting and getting my life in check has helped me to USE the products (instead of staring at them from afar and stroking the tubs/bottles/packs) before buying more.

Blogmas 2014 - Day 5 Favorite Christmas Food

 The fabby Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom is *hosting* 25 days of Christmas as her part of Blogmas, Day 5 is Favo(u)rite Christmas Food.

borrowed from net (royalty free)

 It has to be said, I do enjoy Christmas Dinner. When I was younger I used to love School Christmas Dinner. I hated every other day's meal but when I beacame allergic to whatever additive or oil they used I was soooo happy not to have to eat their food, until Christmas came round and I remembered how I enjoyed it and looked at my packed lunch with sadness lol,

Growing up we would always go to my Grandma's and all the extended family would have dinner together, being an only child I loved being part of the HUGE celebrations.
As a teen we went to both Grandma's and Step Grandmas in the same day alternating which order we went each year... Double celebrations lololol

My mum loves Christmas Breakfast and enjoyed Akee and Saltfish, green banana's, dumplings and yam. For me it was all about the Dinner.

borrowed from net (royalty free)

Dinner would always be an Embellished Roast, different meats, potatoes, parsnips, veg, stuffing, gravy, hard food, different rices, side dishes like macaroni cheese, fried dumplings, plantain and tuna pasta..... and my all time fave.... SPROUTS lol, I must have been the only child that loved Brussel Sprouts!! Kids would turn their noses up and allsorts but I would pop them like sweeties.

Even now as an adult they are my fave part of Christmas Dinner.
Now that I'm the mum I get to make the Christmas Dinner and look forward to the shopping, preparing, cooking and serving the yummiest roast of the year.

Christmas Dinner wouldn't be complete without the obligatory Turkey! I know a lot of people cant stand it as it's dry but I love a good few slices of Turkey Breast. Good for me this year as it's low in fat.

Another Christmas treat I look forward to is Mince Pies, although for the past couple of years I haven't really had the taste for the shop bought ones. maybe because I have lost a little of my sweet tooth but I like baking them at home - that way I can tweak the recipe to be less *naughty*

With all the reminiscing I didn't really answer the question haaaaaa

So my fave Christmas Food is:
Turkey
Sprouts
Stuffing
Mince Pies

 I'll go have a nosey at everyone who added their links, it's interesting learning about other peoples traditions, cultures and preferences.

Blogmas!! - Sort off

I really wanted to try blogmas - basically blogging everyday in December. I think it's fun and also a good way of encouraging consistent blogging, I really have good intentions to blog, and often plan to blog certain posts but life has a habit of butting in lol.

I didn't want to declare it on the blog as I really hate *faillure* and know there'll be times that I wont be able to post. I had it in my mind that I'd try to post for a few days and see if it was doable. Surprisingly, I haven't done too badly!
Sooooo I'll try and post at LEAST every 3 days in December and if I manage to do more whooooop Bonus!!

With all that being said I don't want to just post things for the sake of it but knowing my rambling brain and mouth I'll definitely have lots to say. I will enjoy reading other bloggers who are doin blogmas and it will keep me up to date with the blogs I love to follow as I haven't had a chance to read them for ages. I will also use this opportunity to find new blogs that I wouldn't have found otherwise.

I'm hoping to do some Blogmas Tags, challenges, posts and the like to keep me motivated to post and also I miss the blog hops, challenges and fun I used to have in *blogsphere* - now that I'm on the up health and emotion wise I will be doing these again, so I'm off for a little search to see which ones are around.

See you much sooner than usual lolololol