4 Months Locked..Sorry It's Been a While

Hey again..its been a few months since my last post but I wanted to do a mini update. I am now 4 months locked...yeah me!! I am still so in love with my hair and look forward to each and every day my lock babies grow and plump up. I can't wait til the day I can chop off these permed ends..Bunching is the pits..It makes me want to just cut them all off...I did slip a week ago and cut 3 just to see if I could..but then I thought I better not cut anymore and now its hard to keep those 3 from sticking straight up...wth was I thinking lol. I can now see a bit of a difference from when I first had them installed. Still trying to look for more ways to style them since I have about 5 inches of permed ends..anyone with ideas please share. Even though I have not posted I am on the site lurking through everyones blog learning and researching ideas, shampoos, and just best practices. I love reading everything you write so please keep them coming..newbies like me really count on you guys for guidance. I will add some pics of my 4 month journey below. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
( The first 4 just random 4 months shots and the last 2 a few of my bunching dilemmas).

Saddest Weekend Sat 9-19-09

This was the saddest weekend I have had in a very long time. I have a 2 1/2 yr old cat named Nala. She is really my daughters, I got her when she was in high school. Well I never really wanted to get a pet but she talked me in to it. My daughter has now been gone away to college going on her 2nd yr now and I felt guilty because I don't play with her like pet owners should and she is home all day by herself. I decided to try and find her a home with people who could give her the attention and love she deserves. Unfortunatly I couldn't so I called the local animal humane society and asked their procedures on animal intake. I was told they work very hard to place the pets they have there and they even team up with local rescue groups and only put to sleep ones that can't be adopted out or who require alot of special needs. I was also given the choice to leave my phone number incase they can't find her a home and I can't get her back before they would put her to sleep ( which I gladly did). The thought of that happening makes my heart sink. I just want her to find a loving family that can play with her and give her all the attention she needs but it tore me up inside so much I cried and cried.

After I dropped her off I went to the auto service center for my regular scheduled maintence. I was still crying. I could barely even get my words out to go over what I was there to get. I told the worker where I had just left and how I had to give my kitty away and he came from across the counter and gave me a big hug. That was so nice of him. I sat in the waiting area still in tears and even drove home still crying. I swear I almost turned around to go get her. Maybe I should have..but I have to give her the chance for a better life. I promise if they call me and is unable to find her a family..I will take her back with open arms and know it was just meant to be for me to have her. I miss you and love you so much Nala!! May God watch over you and keep you safe. Pictures of her will be added shortly.

1 Month Anniversary...yeah :)

Hi fam..It has now been one month since I got my hair Sl'd. I must say I am even more in love with my hair than ever before. I so wish I had done this years ago, but there is a time for everything and now is my time. I get alot of questions and compliments on my hair. I say you think you like it now..just give me a few more months and you will love it even more. I am still just using simple hair styles..less is more I heard. I do my weekly braidouts. I really like them, I just put 2 braids in front and 2 in back before bed and in morning finger comb and clip up the top. I have to use my clip to hide my spot. I started thinning at the crown from years of wearing my trusty pony tail with the clip that pulled my hair out..Sighs..Pics below showing my 1 month look (1) on the way out to store (2) Closeup of my pony (3 & 4) After my first retightening..had a braid out I wore that day










Lots of things have happened in the past few weeks, not dealing with me but just in the world. First with the young runner who they thought was a boy. I feel so sad for her..to have the whole world know her business like that. Being a teen is hard enough but to now know that you have both is just unimaginable. I feel for her and her family for having to go through what should be private to now have the whole world looking at her. I pray she continues to be strong and make it through this. Ok now on to the idiot Kanye West. This man has some nerve to take his butt up there and do that to Taylor Swift. I could not imagine what was going on in his brain when he thought he was doing the right thing by doing that. He would have lost his mind (if he had one) if someone dared try to still his glory like that. I know his mother would be so hurt by what he did. May she rest in peace and not have seen the actions her son did that night.

Now on to Chris Brown. He is a very young man who lost his way. I have a 19 yr old daughter and would want to hurt someone if that abused my child, but as a forgiving person I have to forgive if I want to be forgiven. He has admitted his crime and now he has begun to get the help he needs to become a better person. I am happy things did work out and he has a 2nd chance at his life. I do hope he learned his lesson and also for Rhianna who should be a lil more careful when choosing a partner. Ladies and gentleman at the first sign of abuse one should get out and not stay. I am not saying you can't be with that person but not until they have received help for their problem.

Seems I have a bit to say today..Its been a week or so since my last posting. I did go to the Dr yesterday. My diabetes is a little bit better and my weight has not gone up which is great. I have lost 15 lbs since March of this year and I want to lose about 20 more. I am happy it did not go up and that is mainly because of eating better with only a few slips in between. Its not my fault we had a pot luck at work (actually it is..I started it lol) I eat oatmeal during the week at work..simple and filling and I love it, for lunch I usually have a turkey sandwich on whole ground wheat with mustard (hate mayo) with yogurt or sugar free jello or pudding and my Tropicana sugar free lemonade. Dinner is mostly a meat with veggies (love green ones) and small amount of carbs (which carbs are my favorite).

3 Day Weekend..Yeah!!

Hi all..well lets see..last night I braided my hair in a few plats..like when you wash it..I wanted to wear a braidout for Friday..since its casual day at work..so no need to curl hair. It came out nice. I just pulled top in a pony and had the back half loose. I swear I wish I would have done this so long ago. The styles are so easy, no fuss, just spritz and go. It will be 3 weeks on Sunday but I swear it does look a little bit plumper than when I first got them done. I know I wont see too much of a difference until about 3 months or so, will have to be patient I guess. Well I am off work now and ready to start my 3 day weekend..gotta love bank holidays. I haven't really made plans yet but Sunday is a special day for me. Me and my baby will celebrate 1 yr of knowing each other. It is not the day we became a couple but it is the day we met :) Will go out to dinner maybe..not sure yet but I will let you know what we do. Take care til next time..Have a safe but fun weekend.

Cops...sighs

Ok fam..this morning on my way to work I was listening to my usual morning talk show..Tom Joyner..Huggy Lowdown had just did his bit when I looked to my left and saw a cop. Dang (ok was the other word) I then looked to see how fast I was going and low and behold was doing 70..speed limit is 55. Looking through my rear view mirror I see him cross the grass median and turn his lights on (!@$%) So then I took foot off gas and slowed my but down as I watched him navigate through a few cars to come get me. Lights flashing I pull over to the side..stomach in knots..rolling down window as he walks over I say, " Good Morning Officer" with a smile. He says " license and insurance please". Handing him the stuff he said did I know its against the law to speed? I said, Sir I'm sorry I didn't think I was. He then say he will be right back. I pick up my cell and call job and tell them I will be a lil late because I was stopped by the state trooper and she asked was I speeding lol...well yeah but I won't tell him that and hung up. Then as I sat there watching people pass by looking at me wishing I had a radar detector. Not wishing I went slower but that I need one. Does anyone have one and do they really work? OK so back to story, he comes back with a paper in his hand and ask was I late for work. I said no..was just on my way there and listening to radio. He told me that going as fast as I was would be 4 points off my my license and my insurance would skyrocket..My heart sank face looked like a sad puppy dog..he then said slow it down and that he was going to only give me a written warning...Bless you, bless you, bless you I said and thank you. I proceeded to tell him how broke I am after just helping my daughter start her 2nd year of college and all those expenses. He smiled at me and said have a nice day..Taking a breath I thanked him again and off he went. There is a lesson here somewhere..don't speed, always be nice, tell the truth, pray, or get a radar detector. I think I will drive a bit slower now. Much love out there to our police officers..we all don't end up tasered and harrased.

Now for update on hair..I curled my hair last night first spritzing it with a lil water eo mixture then two strand twisting a few sections. I then used my trusty lock loops. I have my hair parted down middle in front and curl the sides..the back I wear clipped up with a small claw. Its easy, its fast and its cute..I am all about fuss free hair..lets just keep it moving. Usually on the weekends I wear it freestyle or a ponytail. I am really trying not to do too much to it as I have learned in the baby stages. I do spritz with water every day..I picked that up on someones blog (sorry can't remember who) I want these babies to swell..I have decided to wash every sunday. Does anyone think that is too much. I also was curling using Lotta Body setting lotion but was worried about build up..it did hold curls better but need more info on it since I am only 2 weeks into being locked. I have shoulder length permed hair so I have to do something with this until I can cut them off.
( Pictures Below - (1) Curled sides with part down middle back clipped up (2) Freestyle after curls have fell with small clip )

Second Shampoo

This past Sunday made my 2 week mark being sl'd. I did my first wash at the end of first week and now I tried my second one. Well I braided and banded like I am suppose to, then I did the first lather with Dr Bronners Peppermint shampoo because I like it and it makes my scalp feel good then I followed up with the sl starter shampoo. The first time I ever washed it I used it straight from the bottle but someone told me next time dilute it first so thats what I did. I did notice my scalp looked white and I was able to use the tip of my nail to pick a lil hmm something so I washed one more time just to make sure I did a good job but it was still there. I then decided to wait after hair is dried to see if it is still visible. I unbanded and unbraided and seperated each section and noticed quite a few locs were bunched. I did a bit pf research on it and I think I did not braid it tight enough because it did not do it the first time.

In my last post I talked about my tendonitis acting up and so therefore last night I could not braid it like I did last week so I spent a minute trying to fix those, which I did..sighs. I spritzed my hair with my concotion of water, tea tree, rosemary and peppermint eo's and let it air dry. After hair was dry I did not see the white stuff on my scalp like when it was wet so not sure what that was but glad its gone. I curled my hair with my trusty lock loops..put on my bonnet and called it a night. This morning my curls were loose and fell nicely but after 2 hrs there was no curls and out popped the scrunchie for my pony at work. I had been using water and lotta body for hold but was worried about build up so opted for water alone which I see did not work or either I did not curl hair tight enough as I had been doing. I did want the loose look but the curls didn't last . Guess I will use the lotta body again unless there is something better for my hair someone can suggest since I have shoulder length permed hair and only 2 inches new growth that is sl'd.

2 Week Update

It's been 2 weeks and 1 day since I had my Sisterlocks installed. I am so loving my hair. My only issue is trying to keep my hands out of it and don't use any products right now. The only thing I really do is spritz. I was using only water until I read alot of lockers using eo's. So I did a bit of research and decided on 3 for right now. I just bought yesterday from Earthfare Market the peppermint, tea tree and rosemary. I am a bit confused on how many drops to use in my small spray bottle but I will just eye ball it and try it til I get the right combination. Peppermint is good to energize and relieve itchiness, tea tree is good for cleansing, clearing up and preventing infections and also dry scalp and rosemary is good for scalp circulation and hair growth. I do want to get a couple more like the ylang-ylang and lavender.

Right now I am just wearing my hair freestyle. I still have alot of permed ends that touches my shoulder and only 2 inches of hair that is sisterlocked I can do pony tails and such which makes styling a breeze. I kinda feel like I am cheating for not cutting it off right away but theres no rush..thats why it is called transition. I usually curl it with my lock loops or rod curlers but this week will just be free, just spritz and go. I did braid it over the weekend on friday and today is monday and I am still rocking the crinkle look. Will add pics showing the way I wear it later today when I get home. Slow at work so taking this time to do a lil blogging.

Seems my tendonitis is acting up today also..it comes and goes..wish it just goes. I have it in my left side which is bad..but good that its not my writing side. The doctor gave me a shot for it 2 weeks ago and had been fine til today, but I do have some pills for pain but left them at home...sighs. If anyone knows any natural remedies or things that could help please let me know, I really hate taking pills..the fewer the better.

The Beginning

Hi all..this is my very first attempt at blogging. I have always wanted to do it but didn't know what to write about. Now that I have decided to make some changes in my life, I thought I would document those things in my blog. I am 35 yrs old and have 1 daughter who is 19. She is a wonderful daughter (most times) and she is also attending college for nursing (2nd yr). I am from Houston, Texas but have been living in SC for the past 4 years. I decided to move here to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city life and start over and find myself. I actually love it here seeing all the different seasons, something we never had in Houston as well as the scenery like mountains and snow. I know this is where I want to be and I look forward to more exploration of this beautiful place.
(Pictured Below- (1)Downtown Greenville, (2)Maggie Valley NC, (3)Table Rock SC)

Ok now for my life changes. I have been diabetic for about hmm 11 yrs now. I try to watch what I eat because I know alot of things are bad for me like sugar and carbs. I can control the sugar intake because so many things nowadays have Splenda or Nutra Sweet in them..and I am use to the taste so its cool..but my big issue is carbs. I love me some bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. I find it so hard to have a meal without one of those things in it. So here lies the quest to find alternatives to eating those delicious carbs. The love of my life cooks for a living and is helping me choose better and find great recipes that will help me ease into healthier eating. So far so good. There have been many hits and a few misses. So far I am getting use to Soy. I actually like the Soy milk "Silk" vanilla flavored I use that in cereal and also in my oatmeal. I eat oatmeal almost everyday during the week, much better than the daily sausage biscuit I was use to lol. I also have tried veggie burgers made from soy..Morning Star is not my favorite but it was edible. I have found that Boca burgers is my preferred choice. The flavor is very good and most recipes we use them in I can't tell the difference. We have used it in tacos, pizza and spaghetti.

(Pictured Below-(1)Veggie Pizza w/ feta cheese, peppers, sun dried tomatoes and spinach on whole wheat crust and Zucchini Parmesan and (2)Shrimp Scampi over whole wheat pasta with (3) Salad)

I also do not drink enough water..ok hardly any..so I am trying to program myself into making these changes to give me a better quality of life. It is hard and it won't be over night but I am determined to stick to it. I know I will have some ups and downs but that is life and as long as I get up again..all will be well. As part of my healthy eating routine I have decided to have a vegetarian meal at least once per week..I am a meat eater and that most likely wont change but a night or 2 a week with no meat wont kill me..at least I don't think so lol. I will add pics and such of a few of my weekly meals to show you what I had. If you know any good recipes or ideas please feel free to leave them in the comment section.



And last but not least..I have decided to go natural meaning freeing myself from the Chemical Fire Cream or Creamy Crack (Perms). My last perm was in March 2009. I have been wearing my favorite wig until my hair grew out so I can decide what I want to do with it. After long consideration and alot of researching I decided I wanted to lock my hair. I thought that was the hard part then I found out it was many was to start the locking process, so more reading I had to do to figure out what would work best for me. I decided on a technique called Sisterlocks™. Sisterlocks are tiny uniformed locs that are the result of a precision parting grid, using a specialized tool that places hair into the locing formation. The small size makes it easy to style hair into almost any style you used when your hair was permed.

I started my SL journey on August 16, 2009. It took about 15 hours over 2 days to complete. I am so in love with my hair. Even though it will take anywhere from 6-12 months before my hair actually lock, I am enjoying the process to get there. Another good thing about SL is that you can start it even though you have permed ends. All you need is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of new growth and that part will be started then as your hair grows out you can trim the permed ends away until you have nothing but all natural hair. I so look forward to that day. I have started a Fotki showing my journey but I will also add pics here as I progress.

(Pictured Below- (1) My Certified SL Consultant Yolanda "Michelle" Adams..so love her..(2) Day 1 of Install (3) Day 2 of Install (4) week 1 braided & banded before first shampoo, (5)side view sl's using lock loops, (6)back view clipped)