First Retight!!

Well,

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is, I FINISHED MY FIRST DIY RETIGHTENING. HOORAY FOR ME!!!!!!

The bad news is, my son's digital camera is broke so I had to take these pics with my cell phone. They are pretty CRAPPY aren't they??

It took about 8 hours - spread out over a two-day period. I selected this time because it's been pretty cold and snowing, so I haven't wanted to get out much. All in all, it went pretty well......if I do say so myself. I had to totally re-braid 5 braids and I had to pick apart about 3 that I accidentally joined together in the back (OUCH!!).
I made my own tool out of Art and Craft Wire:

I'm sorry that these pics SUCK, but I just wanted to keep ya'll posted on the progress. I have begun a process of re-learning my hair, which is actually pretty FUN. My hair is basically really dense and tightly coiled. However, the hair on the very top (from the crown to the front hairline) is a straighter texture and it requires different handling than the back and sides. I didn't do enough rotations to make my hair tight - because I just don't believe that's healthy for your hair overall. But, in the front, especially around the hairline, I was very careful only to do so much. I do have two seak spots on my head - my temples. The women of my family don't bald, but we have very weak hair around the temples. Originally I was going to wait another week to do the retightening one reason was because I didn't think I had enough new growth and the other reason was I WAS SCARED TO DEATH!! But, I decided to go ahead and take the plunge and found that it didn't take as long as I thought to get the hang of it. THANK GOD for Nubianlockedprincess and her video tutorial - I'm going to save some herbal to and a piece of apple pie for her!! Because of her, I was able to do the basic 4 point rotation on 80% of my head and there were spots that I could only do 3 or 2 rotations because my hair definitely does NOT grow at the same pace all over.

I'm pretty proud of myself and i'm going to treat myself to a nice cup of Spice Black Tea. I'm snowed in today - 10 inches of snow on the ground!!!!!!

Peace Lovies!!

Peace Lovies!!

Happy Anniversary

OK. OK. I know it's only been a month, but I just couldn't help it. LOL!! My braidlocs are 1 month old and they are holding up pretty well. I've only had to rebraid 2 of them and I have survived 1 washing of them thus far. I plan to wash them again tonight (after dance practice - they will really need it by then, TRUST ME trust me on that). I have blocked out time on my calendar for my re-twist. Even though I am doing this myself, I know that I must 'plan' the time, or I will get busy and won't do it right. You HAVE to really, really know yo-self to take this journey.

Our new president has really inspired me to step up and make changes in my own life. Change is an on-going process, but it takes dedication - just like stepping into the world of LOCS. So, I pledge to BE the CHANGE and I hope you will join in on the journey of CHANGE with me.

Peace Lovies!!

Happy Birthday to the DREAMER!!

I'm sure everyone has their own personal way of remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We chose to watch every movie and documentary we could find on him, while switching back and forth between all of the Obama pre-inauguration events taking place in DC. Unfortunately to our children, Dr. King will always be someone they read about in a history book. As parents, the responsible thing to do is to work hard to keep our children connected to WHY they have the rights they do, and WHO are the named and nameless souls who dared to give their lives for our future. My husband and I have almost demanded that in addition to our children learning their history, they practice respect for it. Why?? Because we feel strongly that if they can't respect their past they will NEVER respect themselves. It's OK to disagree, but without respect, we will never survive. That's what Dr. King was trying to teach us.

Barak Obama is going to be a great president. His strength of character will restore respect from around the world.

Michelle Obama will leave a legacy a strength and pride for our daughters to embrace and follow. Together THEY are the hope of the Greatest DREAMER!!

Thank you Dr. King!! Never would have made it without YOU!!!!!!!!

Milestones

I am the proud mother of 3 sons and 1 daughter. My daughter turned 18 on Monday (January 12th). I remember the afro puffs, dolls, her curled up sleeping on Daddy's chest as an infant, clinging to me when she was sick, the stormy winters night when she was born, her first latching on to me to be fed.............WOW!! Watching her lately has become the most interesting thing in the world. As I have evolved and become more like my mother, she has grown intelectually and beauty. The thing I find most interesting is what happens when you start to see all of the seeds you planted in your children come to life. She won't take any mess off anyone, tries to treat people well, keeps her beau/male friends and significant others very much in check and understands Pre Calculus and Chemistry better than I ever did....LOL!!

**This is a picture of her at the Grand Canyon with one of her Marching Band Buddies on a recent band trip to Arizona.

It's shocking to see your children start turning into THEMSELVES - it's also a little scary, because that's when they start using your words against you, challenging you on YOUR principles, asking more and more questions and affirming themselves in the world. This is the transitional time as a parent when you must step back from the child and watch from a distance while she finds her way. Soon she will leave the nest and move into a college dorm. Then the fun really starts as hubby and I will no longer be able to monitor her comings and goings. But, now is the time to excercise great faith - this is the time to rest in the fact that we have taught her as much as we could, nurtured her as best we could...........and just like we couldn't keep her from falling off her bike as a child, we wouldn't dream of keeping her from going out into the world and finding IT as it finds her. We have been through this twice with our two oldest sons so you would think that I would be used to this feeling by now, but it sure is different when it's a baby GIRL.

Peace Lovies!!

Stay True

Hello all,
2009 is off to a wonderful start. I have re-connected with my passion for starting my jewelry business and have been making new creations since the New Year's day. The goal is to have my web page up and running by the 1st of February and I am very excited.

With every new re-connection, revelation, step-in-the-right-direction, reevaluation or what ever you want to call it, there comes some silly nonsense. For the last 2 days, there have been some pretty ridiculous stuff going on around me, all trying to enter my spirit, my world and my realm. I have some principles that I live by on a daily basis, as I'm sure you do too. One valuable principle that I learned from my darling husband is not to let the actions of others pull (or force) you out of who you are as a person. When we were dating, things would happen to him and it seriously puzzled me how he could hold his composure and take the diplomatic high road. He has his moments and buttons, just like anybody else, but for the most part, he tries to stay on track and I have learned a lot from watching that in him all these years.

I know who I am but I have to work daily to stay in touch my ME and not get sidetracked by others definition of the 'me' that others 'think' they know. Sounds crazy? Take some time to think about the people you cross paths with everyday (at church, work, school, etc.), think about the things you go through with them and take some time to carefully consider how you react to those things (good and bad). Stay true to who you know you are......if you don't know who you are, quickly set aside some time to figure that out. Once you are aware of it, confess it daily and walk in it.

Peace Lovies!!
Life is a journey, we never arrive we we simply evolve.

1st Wash

I have had my braidlocs in for about 3 weeks and it was time for a wash. I wasn't scared to wash my hair, I wore twists for 7 straight months last year and I washed my twists all the time with Dr. Bonners Castille soap with Hemp and Almond Oil in it. I washed my braids and put them it big plats and let my hair dry over night - this is probably my own variation of the SL braid and band method.

I took out the braids this morning and here are the results: So, I guess you can call this a braidout - or something. LOL!!

There are a MILLION shampoos out there that are really good. My personal practice is 'use what works best for you'. Dr. Bonners is the best that I have used - and believe me, I have tried some of EVERYTHING. LOL!!

So, analysis of my first wash, SUCESS - I had to re-braid 1 braidloc. Not bad!! As a reward, I'm gonna treat myself to some rasberry herbal tea. Care to join me?

PEACE LOVIES!!