Its Not All in Vain!!!

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Cor. 15: 58





Whew....this is how I spent my Saturday!!! Yessss there were times I wanted to give up, I even thought about a relaxer and scissors but through it all I kept the faith knowing that my labor was not in vain. LOL...

Doing this hair is Process and a very tedious tedious journey!! For all those who are "Natural Headed"...lol like my daughter and I you know what I am talking about.

I would just like to share with you guys the 8hr process....lol..

Here are the products I am using at the moment...Pantene Relaxed and Natural for Women of Color Shampoo and Conditioner, Kinky Curly Knot Today Detangler and ofcourse, my detangling comb and brush, and clips to keep the hair under control and sepereated, it doesnt like to play nice with other sections..lol

(step one: get yo supplies)

Here we are detangling in sections..yes sections. I told you the hair doesn't like to play nice with other sections they have to remain seperated...but seriously this will make the detangling process go faster.

I am detangling with a Goody brush that I loooove and with shampoo and kk (kinky kurly). Once I detangle it I take that section and break it down in two parts and make two twist and then put back in clip. Then I finish the other sections.

Once all the sections are done then I shampoo/condition hair regularly while hair is still in twist, I repeat while hair is STILL IN TWIST....this will keep hair from getting tangled again!!!! Important Step dont skip...

(step 2: detangle and wash)

Hair is now put back in clips and ready to blow dry (*note: we dont use a lot of heat on our hair NO FLAT IRONS AT ALL, we air dry mainly but for mini twist I use blow dry to get it straighter and it last longer this way. I only do this (blow drying) every few months if that, maybe only twice a year).

Oh yea..another important step, make sure daughter has all her supplies...netflix, water bottle, snacks etc...or this will drive you crazy..I suggest watching the break up....boom boom..on the kick drum boom boom.loloolool....or Devil Wears Prada ...today we watched Hannah Montana...:(

(step 3: section off in clips again, and start blow drying)

I blow dry with no product in her hair.....its just a great blow dryer I got from Japan..sorry ladies.
(step 4: Blow dry)

Halfway There!!

(step 6: twist till your fingers fall off)

And youuuuuuuuuur done!! Yay..this willl last a month if she doesnt get it wet and keep it oiled, moisturized and tied up.

Thanks for reading , if you have any questions..holla at me. Love ya!!

The Former Things

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4


Crying over spilled milk is not something that I often do, but today is an exception….This morning around 7am as I returned from my morning run, my loving, caring, adoring, clumsy and wonderful son Tyler comes to me and starts going on about how he was putting up dishes and blah blah blah (yes I tuned out for minute) and I broke your green bowl. I tune back in at “green bowl”, I say to the young fellow , “what green bowl”, he says, “you know, the green bowl”, at this point my heart begins to beat rapidly, and my mouth was getting all watery because I am literally, turning green, because I am about to be sick!! I rushed down stairs to find my lovely green bowl in green pieces. Ahh, I'm sick just thinking about it. I know you’re saying to yourself, “it’s a bowl, get over it”. Gasp, how dare you, say that about my bowl, it wasn’t just a bowl, it was MYYYYYYYY Bowl…ah ah…ok, I'm calm, so here is the story behind the bowl.











This bowl was passed down to me with a few other pieces (yes it was a “piece”) from my aunt who passed away about 11yrs ago. When I saw it I immediately fell in love with it!! Green is my favorite color and I love pretty dishes so hey it was perfect! Recently I decided that I REALLY liked the bowl so I decided to turn it over and see who makes it so I could see if they had other pieces, well to my surprise, the company who made it was Fire King and they produced glassware similar to Pyrex type dishes back in the 1940s (I’m sure my bowl was produced then:)). They no longer make these dishes, but can find them at antique shops, collector websites, eBay, and if you’re real lucky, you may be able to snag a couple pieces from the Goodwill, or a garage sale, but the point is, they are kind of hard to just come by.
I do have a couple of other pieces from Fire King, they are some little saucers, but none compare to my Jadeite Bowl…I recently saw on one of my favorite websites, The Pioneer Women, has a whole set of the Jadeite collections, I drooled looking at her pictures. I am now on a mission to get my own set, at a reasonable price and pace of course, but today, let’s all just take a moment of silence, for the one that was lost!!

(Fire King Saucers)

While writing this blog, I am reminded of how wonderful our Father is, isn’t he just awesome!!! I mean just how he RESTORES his people. How he RESTORES us physically, mentally and emotionally!! How when we are BROKEN, in mind, in body and in spirit, he is right there ready, willing and able to heal and to RESTORE us back to our rightful position. Just like no temporary fix will do for me and this bowl (glue), there is no substitute for being restored back to the Father. Drugs, sex, alcohol, none of it can do what Christ can, sure, it may hold you up for a little while but at some point, that temporary glue will begin to erode, from all the things that have been bearing down on it, then next thing you know some things begin to seep through the cracks, and you’re no longer holding up! But it you go to CHRIST his fix won’t fail; you will be made WHOLE no flaws. No one will be able to see the cracks, the chips, scars, the bruises that you have suffered. He is the MASTER RESTORER!!



Anybody ever been restored!!!

M.I.A

I know it’s been a while since my last post, but it has been CRAZY here. I have just been so exhausted. Here is a brief run down: The kids started school on Aug 11, I started school on Aug 18, my husband started taking classes and football season is in full swing..Whew. I got tired just typing it!! Things seemed to be going ok at first but it seemed like right when we got in the groove of things, other things just popped up. I was looking forward to Labor being a day of relaxation but even that got canceled when we took a 7hr road trip home to Texas because my husband’s truck needed an inspection sticker. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to see and spend time with my family but I would have rather just chillaxed and stayed at home in my bed…umm, sounds good even now…J
Hopefully soon things will pan out and we will get in the groove, but I'm going to keep my out for any wrenches that are lurking in the shadows. J. It hasn’t been all bad though; here are a few pics of what we have been up too.


Gulf Islands Gulfport, MS Labor Day (yes, we got up at 5am and left Tx just to let the kids enjoy the park on the last day of the season, plus we had free passes :) )

Me ...chillng in my hammock, my husband brought back from Cambodia!

The yearly water fight, (balloons, hoses, buckets, etc)...there were rumors of cheating going on, but I see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil...lol.

Where I spend most of my time and money!! Seriously, these books could pay rent on an apartment, or a car note plus insurance depending on the car...No exaggeration!!

This is all for now…I'm going to take a quick nap before I get the kids from school. I hope to be back on schedule and start posting once a week as planned. I think I should schedule a “Blog Day”, a day just to sit and read others blogs and update mine. We will see though…plans seem to have been changing a lot around here lately. Until then Be Blessed!

Back To School!!

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

This year my daughter went off to middle school and my sons started their 7th grade year. It seems like time is just passing by so fast. It seems like only yesterday they were all just in kindergarten or pre-k. I know most parents can’t seem to wait until summer is over and the kids are back in school, but I am the opposite. I love having my kids at home. I love the sounds of summer, the sounds of sibling rivalry, and the sounds of my own voice “ministering strongly” to them. LOL. Every year when I take them to school, I always shed a few tears…STILL. I thought in the beginning it was just something that I would grow out of as they got older, but the older they get the harder it is to see them go.

I enjoyed watching them grow and mature over the summer into wonderful, loving young people. This year, I just felt compelled to encourage them with a letter instead of just the usually weekly scripture, I wanted them to know how so in love we are with them and to encourage them to be their best :

Dear Taylor, Tyler and Alonis,
We just want you all to know that, this summer, like all other summers with you were amazing. We’ve enjoyed watching you play, laugh, love, argue, pray, worship, eat, and just all out live these last few months. We loved seeing the growth that has taken place right before our eyes both physically and spiritually in your lives.
This year like every other school year will come with its own challenges, but we want you to remember a few things:
1. You are an overcomer… challenges will arise but you have the power to overcome!
2. You don’t have to conform, YOU are the salt of the earth, and YOU are difference makers!!
3. Speak life over yourselves, over your teachers, and over your peers!!
4. Treat others like you would like to be treated!
5. Be respectful to those who have authority over you
6. We love you and we will always love you no matter what, we are here for you so don’t be afraid to come and talk to us about ANYTHING!


“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Love Always- Mom and Dad

5K

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith
(2 Tim 4:7)

I have been training myself to run a 5k since March and the time has finally come. My husband ran with me at my pace so I am thankful to him for that...It was definitely an experience of a lifetime and I look forward to running another one soon. There is one coming up on Aug. 21 but I am not sure if I can handle this heat again. It was sooooo humid and sooooo hot, I got to the end and was throwing up...LOL, yes i got the full race experience...and I also ran a persoanl best time of : 30:33. I hope to next time to either match this time or beat it. Thanks to all the support from my family and friends that kept me motivated to run...

The Forcaster and Me before the run!

Me strectching out the muscles and the nerves!!!

I know my headphones are huge..LOL..but they keep me in a zone and I HATE earbuds, they dont stay in my ears, they are more of a distraction to me.

(IPod Music for 5k: Youthful Praise - Resting on His Promise Album)

At the starting line, giving the kids the thumbs up!! Mom and Dad

are ready to go

Thanks NCBC Fire Dept.

Fire Safety Training

This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" (Zechariah 13:9)

For as long as I can remember ever since my kids have been in school , they alway have a fire safety day. They pack a bunch of restless , noisy 4th graders into the gymnasium and proceed to tell them about the dangers of fire. They also talk to them about the importance of having a family meeting place to go to when there is a fire, and how to stop, drop, and roll.

When I told them about going to a fire safety demo, in our cul de sac, they just sort of rolled their eyes like , mom, please, dont make me go out in the heat for that..lol..needless to say, I told them they were going any way..lol. When we got there, they sort of stumbled over to the fire trucks, but once inside the camper they brought, they came out with a whole new attitude. Inside the camper was an actual smoke demonstration. It was setup like a little house with windows, door etc and the kids had to learn what to do in a fire. The firemen pressed a button and the camper filled with smoke, the kids tried to open the windows, the doors, nothing happened, they couldnt see a thing, they had to get on all fours and crawl out, OH how they enjoyed that. Then came the best part learning how to use a fire extinguisher!!!!

Here are the kids getting a lesson on what a fire extinguisher was, and how to use it. Always remember P.A.S.S (P-pull out the pin, A- aim, S- spray, S-sweeping motion)

Here is Alonis going for it....

Taylor going at it......

Tyler going at it....

The kids said, this was the best fire safety they have ever been too...I agree..lol