Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Eating Healthy

hey all! did everyone have a wonderful memorial day? my family went to the military cemetery to visit my grandpa. it was really nice, there were little flags on every grave and a lot of people. i brought a sunflower to place on the grave. i can't believe it's been a month! after that i spent * hours messing around on the computer making the invitation for my husband's graduation party. i'm really with how it turned out. only 2 weeks till he is done! hallelujah!
well, i have a new video up, part one in a 2-part series where i go over the basics of eating healthy. this is mostly my own knowledge i've gleaned. i know the whole world of health food is vast and extensive. i hope you can find something in it for yourself. enjoy!

happy tuedsay!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

DIY Ribbon Strap Shoes



i have this thing where i can't walk in heels that don't have buckles. they can be the correct size, but i just can't seem to keep them on my feet. my mom got me a really nice pair of shoes from a thrift store, but of course they were buckle-less pumps. so, i got this brilliant idea i'm going to share with you! 

Monday, May 21, 2012

Loving Me for Me


i think i am finally figuring out the person i am, and learning to be ok with that person.
my personality type is melancholy. melancholies are introverted, reserved, thoughtful. they are artistic and creative in poetry and art. melancholies tend to worry or focus on problems and the downside of things. they do not do well at social functions. they would much rather spend time alone.
 i am not an outgoing person, i am not very social, i love to stay at home and do my own thing. i have friends, and i love them. i love spending time with my family. but I have to force myself to call my friends, go to parties, and invite people over for dinner. I would much rather spend time at home with my husband doing my own thing. my husband is also this way, which works out great.

Friday, May 18, 2012

my herb garden


i wanted to share with you my little herb garden. now, all my life i have been a brown thumb. potted plants last maybe a week with me. but, i decided i really wanted to have my own herb garden and i really pushed myself to make it happen. i read all kinds of articles and watched youtube videos on the subject. now, i have a tiny apartment with a balcony that gets a sliver of sunlight, so i wasn't sure it would work out.
i started with a set of lavender seeds in a pot i got marked wayy down. that way, i figured if they die, it's not like i spent all my savings on it. when the seeds sprouted, i did a little dance all around my apartment, then went on to oregano and parsley seeds. the parsley went really well, the lavender started ok then died, and the oregano sprouted but didn't get as high as the parsley so i chucked it. 
i  ended up buying rosemary, oregano, thyme, peppermint and sage plantings at trader joe's. i planted them in old tea tins. i threw a few rocks in the bottom, filled it with soil and coffee grounds for fertilizer, planted and prayed. well, they are thriving! i've picked and dried little cuttings of all of them and have been using them all spring. i don't get a huge amount, but what i get is perfect for 2 people to eat fresh and have enough to dry for later.




  i also put some garlic cloves in an old bowl and now have garlic chives!

it is such a satisfying feeling to go onto your deck, pick some oregano and throw it in your salad. it tastes so good because you grew it!  i never knew i could know this satisfaction. i never thought i would be a plant person, but here i am. i have a garden!


Thursday, May 17, 2012

fajitas

i posted this video a couple weeks ago, just didn't link it here. o well, better late than never! my recipefor fajita marinade. enjoy!



"penny" moments

new video up. are you embracing the little moments every day has to offer? you should be! take in your daily dose of serendipity today!




ps- in this video you can see how my flexi rods turned out!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

curlers for curly hair

i ordered some flexi rods on amazon, and they came today! those of you who know me know i have serious kinky curly hair. it's pretty unruly. now you might be htinking "so why do you need curlers??" well, to make every curl uniform, of course. i don't think it's cheating to use curlers on curly hair.
 the first i heard of flexi rods was a youtube video i stumbled across by an african american woman. i couldn't get this out of my head and had to have these things at all costs. so i scored some. woot! the only thing is, i tried to look for a sign of white people using them, but found nothing on the internet. o well, i'll just be a pioneer!
 i'm going to was my hair tonight and sleep in them. i cant wait to see what happens! it's either going to be a glorious success or a total failure. fingers crossed!

if you have curly hair, here is some advice i've gleaned from years having it:
  1. get rid of your brushes. brushy is not your friend, she's your frenemy. you need a comb in like every size available
  2. get rid of shampoo and just use conditioner.
  3. use a leave-in conditioner. i use the shea butter one. i recommend shopping for hair products in the ethnic hair care section of the store.
  4. do. not. touch. your. hair. when. it's. dry. ninja kick anyone that tries to!
  5. let your hair air dry. 
  6. love your hair and it will love you back!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

to live is christ, to die is gain!

**warning** sad post


these past couple weeks have been difficult for my family. on sunday april 29, my grandfather passed away. he went into the ICU on friday and they determined he had suffered a heart attack and they couldn't do anything but make him comfortable. to my family, this was a shock but at the same time, it wasn't. my papa had alzheimer's. so in a way, for the past year or so, we were already saying goodbye as we watched him slip away. but when my dad called me on friday saying they were going to the hospital, i just thought he would be back in action and in church next sunday. the next sunday, in the middle of our church service, he went on to heaven. my sisters and I gathered around his bed on saturday night and sang him hymns. i will always treasure that time.
at first i was fine. i was happy that he was in heaven and not hooked up to machines and in discomfort. then reality sank in. there is a huge void left in my life. he had a smile and laugh like no other. he was brilliant, wise, and kind. my papa wasn't just another old man. he was a minister, a scholar, a teacher, a christian. you only had to meet him once to see the love of jesus reflected in his smile.
he taught me to love the word of god, the value of praying for your family every day, and the how beautiful and important a relationship with god can be. he didn't sit me down and drill these ideals into me. he showed me in his everyday life. he left me a great legacy, not an inheritance of wealth or land, but a legacy of ministry that began with his parents and continued with my mom and dad and will, lord willing, continue with me. i have a goodly heritage! now he has reached the end we are aiming for. i am so so happy for him!
because of the prayers of my grandfather, i know i was kept from harm. because of those prayers my mind and heart are looking to jesus.
i feel that right now, 2 weeks later, i am fine, i have accepted the truth. i know i will go through periods of sorrow in the months to come. my husband's grandfather died almost 2 years ago, and my other grandmother died a month after him. i know how it feels, but every person leaves a different mark on you. you have to mourn for everyone in a different way.

if you are going through loss right now, i know no words can soothe your pain, but i want to share a scripture with you that has been helpful to me:
  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18