Maybe it's Maybelline!

Super Stay & Dream Liquid Mousse

First makeup reviews coming soon...

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Fruit Smoothie...

If you can even call it a smoothie! It was more like applesauce. Lol!

So I've seen a few bloggers and YouTubers juicing and making smoothies and I wanted to give it a try. I figured I would start with fruit only and add vegetables after a couple of days.

I was anxious to start this morning so I didn't have everything I needed... Ice, which I think would have made this a lot better. To add to that, I was short on time and didn't have time to peel the apples. I used 1 whole banana, 2 small apples, an orange, and about 20 grapes.

Since I was short on time, this is the only picture that I got.

The overall taste was okay. Next time I'll probably use half of a banana, I'll definitely peel the apple and use ice, and no grapes (because of the skin). I also want to add a lemon next time. So hopefully I'll have better luck tomorrow! Later y'all!

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Oh, Sweet Peanut Butter!

So ummm... yeah! I definitely shouldn't have these, but I can never resist them! I love peanut butter! I can and I do eat it straight out of the jar! There's only about 20 Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies in this box and I've already eaten 8 today! I guess the sooner they're gone, the better... right? O_o

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Exercise/Healthier Eating - Days 6 & 7

Day 6
Breakfast: Orange
Snack: 3 Graham Crackers
Lunch: Chicken flavored Ramen noodles
Snack: 2 Graham Crackers
"Sunday Dinner": Baked ham, cabbage, corn bread, mashed potatoes
Snack: Orange
            Quaker caramel rice snacks
            Hot Dog
No workouts on Sunday!
*I didn't eat much for dinner, which is why I did so much snacking afterwards!

Day 7
Breakfast: Orange
Lunch: Baked ham (2-3 small pieces), String beans, mashed potatoes
Snack: Quaker caramel rice snacks
            Bowl of Frosted Flakes
Workout: 25 minutes walking on treadmill at 3.3 mph & 1 hour Zumba class... which kicked my butt today! I loved it though! 
Dinner: Spaghetti

Later y'all!

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Wash, Twist, Trim

*Done on Friday night (1/27/12)

It's after 1 am and I just got done washing, twisting and trimming my hair! Whew! That should teach me to never again start doing my hair so late! It took me almost 3 hours to do what I thought would take half that amount of time!

I didn't feel like detangling when I first started, so I deep conditioned and washed my hair in twist! I deep conditioned for about an hour with Herbal Essence Hello Hydration conditioner, honey, and extra virgin olive oil.

Twists with deep conditioning mix applied.

After washing I began the dreaded 3 hour process. I applied Cantu Shea Butter condition to each twist, untwisted, and detangled. Once completely detangled I applied Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smooth and coconut oil, then re-twisted.

After washing

After trim. You can see that I didn't trim very much.

After trim

As I was twisting I made sure to pay close attention to the feel of my ends so that I would know what needed trimming. I hadn't trimmed in about 6 months, so my ends were definitely a little rough, which made determining how much to trim very easy. I haven't straightened my hair since I've gone natural and I don't plan to the in the future (I'm afraid of heat damage), so I don't really care whether or not my hair is even.... as long as it isn't oddly shaped when I wear it out.

Amount trimmed

 I was very hesitant to trim at first! I'll admit that I didn't want to lose any length and I probably should have trimmed more! I've known for the last couple of months that I needed to trim, but I wanted my length! This isn't the attitude to have! Trim as soon as you notice that it's time! My hair is still twisted, but from what I can tell my ends feel a lot better!

I guess that's all for now! This post is already long enough :)! Later y'all!

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Exercise/Healthier Eating - Day 6

Breakfast: Bowl of Frosted Flakes
Dinner: 2 baked chicken wings and french fries... Yes, I had a few fries. That was my treat to myself for doing such a good job this week.
Snack: orange, 4 graham crackers
It was a busy day, so I didn't have time to make it to the gym since it closes early on Saturday. I do hair on the side and I had an appointment that afternoon, which is why I didn't snack between breakfast and dinner.
That's my quick update for day 6. Later y'all!

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Still Protective Stylin'

There hasn't been much to say for my hair lately. It's been in twists for most of this month and it still is. I co-washed and twisted my hair last Saturday. I was headed to see Red Tails and it was still wet, so I wore a beanie.

After wearing my hair down for a few days, I did a simple twisted up-do on Tuesday. The pictures weren't taken until Friday, so it's a little frizzy. 

Now I'm off to wash and re-twist! *Sigh* I'm not at all in the mood to do this! I'm sure we all know how that is!

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Exercise/Healthier Eating - Day 5

Breakfast: Grapes
Snack: Orange
Lunch: Baked pork chop, corn, and green beans
Snack: Orange
            3 graham crackers
            Bowl of cereal
            Apple
*Had these throughout the day. Not all at once
Workout: Zumba (1 hour class) No Zumba on Fridays, so I walked at 3.1 mph on the treadmill for 45 minutes.
Dinner: Bologna and cheese sandwich...  Yes, it was one of those days. I just did not feel like cooking anything and no fast food. And yes, I did say bologna. I don't know many people that like it, but I love it!

I just had my "dinner" and it's almost 9 pm. I'll probably be up for a while, so I may have another orange. Let me tell you... I bought a bag of oranges from Walmart and they are so sweet! Makes me want one now! But I've been doing a good job of not eating "just because," so I'll refrain. At least for now!

Sorry if these updates are boring, but they're helping me a lot! It's a way for me to hold myself accountable for what I'm eating and whether or not I'm exercising. I also hope I motivate someone else! I'm not sure how long I'll do the daily updates. I'm sure that at some point I'll get tired of updating daily, so it will probably change to every couple of days. It's just day by day for now! Later y'all!
            

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Exercise/Healthier Eating - Day 4

I'm back again! I'm pretty happy about how the day went! Here's the run down...

Breakfast: Bowl of cereal (Frosted Flakes) Maybe I'll try Corn Flakes later, but oh how I love the frost! Lol!
Snack: 3 whole graham crackers
Dinner: Baked pork chop and chicken flavored rice

Snack: Orange
Workout: Zumba (1 hour class) and 30 minutes walking on the treadmill @ 3.1 mph.
Snack: Another small bowl of cereal.

The challenge is going great so far! I'm really excited and I hope I can stay motivated! I don't have any particular time frame that I want to lose the weight. Well... I guess you could say I do. I will be in a wedding in September and I definitely want to have lost weight and toned up by then. There's no way it should take that long though... if things go according to the plan! I want to lose 10-15 pounds. I guess I can set a date for June. Let's hope I don't regret that! It's almost February now so that means about 2.5-3.75 pounds per month! That is definitely an attainable goal! So here's to June!

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Exercise/Healthier Eating - Days 2 & 3

I'm back with an update for yesterday and today! Just a quick run down....

Day 2:
Breakfast and snacks before lunch: 2 oranges and a banana
Lunch: Left overs from Day 1- 2 pieces of baked tilapia and chicken flavored rice
Snack: Graham crackers and a bowl of Cheerios (Disgusting, might I add. No more Cheerios for me!)
Dinner: 2 beef tacos w/sour cream, corn, cheese, lettuce, and taco sauce
Snack: Orange
Workout: No workout 

Day 3:
Breakfast: Nothing... I know that's bad
Snack: Graham crackers
Lunch: Chicken flavored Ramen noodles
Dinner: Left overs from Day 1 - 2 beef tacos w/sour cream, corn, cheese, lettuce, and taco sauce
Snacks: Banana and a bowl of cereal (Frosted Flakes)
Workout: 45 minutes walking on treadmill (3.1 mph)... let me tell you! I thought this wasn't much, but about an hour after getting done, I wasn't definitely feeling it! I'm still feeling it as I type this! 

I know that all of my meal choices aren't the best. The challenge is Healtier Eating instead of Healthy eating because I'm trying to eat healthier than I have been. I know it won't be the best, but I'm taking baby steps here! My eating habits before were a lot worse and I ate larger portions. I'm slowly working on this! I don't want to change my diet completely, because I know that honestly isn't a realistic goal for me and I won't stick with it! Therefore, I'm doing what I know will work best for me and my lifestyle!

See you tomorrow! 

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Excercise/Eating Challenge - Day 1

So here's how I did on Day 1!

I had a banana for breakfast and again on break. I hope to have a better breakfast tomorrow.

My lunch was left overs from Sunday dinner... a Southern Sunday dinner might I add. I know it wasn't healthy, but it's what I had. It was greens, fried pork chops, macaroni and cheese, and corn bread.

After work I had a grilled chicken sandwich and a small fruit bowl from Chick-Fil-A.

For dinner I baked tilapia and cooked rice! This was my first time trying this Chicken Flavored Rice. It didn't have a lot of seasoning, but it was pretty good. I hate cooking, so quick is always great! The rice took less than 10 minutes and the tilapia took only 20 minutes. I also cooked enough for lunch tomorrow!

As for my workout... I made it to the gym for the Zumba class (1 hour), which I love!

Overall, I think I did pretty good for my first day if you don't count my lunch! Now I just have to stay motivated!

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Breakfast - Day 1

Today starts my "Exercise/Healthier Eating Challenge" (I just came up with that name). I've been lazy, so I haven't gone to the store to stock up on fruit and healthy snacks. Because I didn't have many options, this was my sad breakfast.

It's better than the chips that I usually get from the snack machine!

The weather is getting bad here, so I'm not sure if I'll make it to the gym. If not, I'll work out at home. I'll be back later to update on that and the rest of my meals for the day. Good day y'all!

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Red Tails...

Headed to watch Red Tails

... is definitely a must see! With so much negativity constantly surrounding my race (not to say there isn't anything positive being recognized), Red Tails definitely made me feel PROUD! Please go and support Red Tails if you haven't already!

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A Slimmer, Healthier Me!

April 2008

This is what I'm aiming for! I've been trying to slim down off and on for about the last 9 months! I haven't stayed with the plan either time! Well this time I plan to stick with it! Part of the reason that I started this blog was so that I could document my weight loss and hopefully as added motivation! Over the last 3 years I've gained about 30-35 pounds! I'm 5'4" and currently 155 pounds. I'm curvy (which I don't mind and at all) and I happen to love my ummm... back side! Lol! So hopefully that doesn't go anywhere. But this stomach? I can definitely do without it!

My goal is to lose 10-15 pounds, tone it up, and keep it off! How do I plan to do this? I joined a gym in November 2011, but I haven't really been in the gym much at all. That's about to change! I will go to the gym 4-5 times weekly. If I'm unable to make it, I will do workout DVDs that I have. So the goal is to work out 5 days per week! I definitely have to find a way to keep myself motivated and stay on track! 

I love food!! With that being said, I'm not the one for dieting! Never have been, never will be! But I do plan to eat smaller portions and healthier choices! No fast food! If I just have to have fast food, it will be no more than once per week and it will have to be the healthiest thing on the menu. This part won't be very hard, because I've pretty much been doing this for a few months. Next, I definitely have to eat more fruit! I love fruit, so that won't be hard either. I'm thinking of doing fruit smoothies for breakfast. I'll check on that and update y'all later! I may also try protein shakes and alternate that with the fruit smoothies. Last, I have to drink more water. I drink water about 90% of the time already. The problem is that I don't drink enough. So I think I will have to give myself a set amount to drink every day.

November 2011

All of this will officially start on Monday 1/23/12, so I have a few days to get everything that I need. I'm going to try to do a short update on this daily or every couple of days for the first month or so. This will mainly be to keep myself on track and to hold myself accountable! If you've been wanting to get in shape, you should definitely join me on this!

Measurements (1/18/12)
Waist: 30"
Stomach: 31.5"
Hips: 37.27
Arms: R/L - 11.75"/11"
Thighs 23.5"

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Single Strand Knots!!

I'm obsessed with them! I HATE them!

I've excepted the fact that they're inevitable with my natural hair. After wearing my hair out a lot over the last two or three months I've had way more SSKs than I care to think about! The fact that I need to trim probably adds to the count also. There will be a lot of protective styling for me for a while and a trim in my near future.

My 9 to 5 is a sales chat representative. Imagine me sitting at my desk going through my hair for SSKs, finding one and getting excited, searching for my scissors, while holding on to the strand of hair for dear life. Then I realize I have a chat to respond to. Ugh! Do I let go of the strand and give up all of the hard work I did to find it and respond to my customer in a timely manner? Or do I continue searching through my purse (which is so big that it's like a black hole) for the scissors, cut the SSK, and then respond? You guess who wins! Dramatic much? Yeah, I told you I'm obsessed! Anybody else have this issue?

*I was writing this post on my phone with one hand and searching for SSKs with the other hand. Sigh! Let me get back to work! Good day y'all!

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Twisted Up-Do by CharyJay

Let me start by saying that I LOVE CharyJay! She's 160Days2Lose2 on YouTube and she's definitely one of my favorites to watch. I always get excited when I see a new video from her in my subscriptions! I love this twisted up-do and can't wait until I have enough hair to try this! Werk CharyJay!

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Protective Stylin'

Hey y'all! My sister was in a pageant today, so I had to come up with something to do with my hair. I've had mini twists in for 9 days and they're looking a little rough! I wanted to do a twist out, but I just don't feel like dealing with my hair right now! So I put on a wig and used a scarf as a headband (which I loved)! Done!

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Length Checks

Hey everyone! Just a few pictures showing my progress from March 2011 to now.

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The Game

The Game is one of my favorite sitcoms right now and I'm excited about the Season 5 premiere  tonight! What I love most about the show is Melanie and Derwin's relationship! I can't wait to see what happens with them this season. I'm also excited to see Brandy on the show! I love her music and I'm anxious to see what her character will bring! Will you be tuning in?

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Au Natural: 10-12

Hey everyone! So this is the final of the 4 posts showing my progress over the last year! What a mighty long way I've come! Lol! I've been enjoying my hair over these last 3 months! So I will warn you... this post has quite a few pictures!

  Twist out pinned up on the sides. This was probably one of the best twist outs that I'd done up until this point! (10/28/11)

 The same twist out! Headed to the Magic City Classic in Birmingham, AL. (10/29/11)

Puff! (11/4/11)

This is normally what I do to give my hair a break for a few days. If I could wear beanies to work, my hair would probably stay in twists! (11/06 & 11/10/11)

 The picture on the left is just another twist out and the right is my first attempt at an up do.

 I loved this flat twist up-do! It was the first time that I'd attempted something like this and it took about 4 hours! Needless to say, I haven't done this again! (11/17/11) The last picture is the twist out that resulted from this style. (11/24/11)

How YOU doin'? *In my best Wendy Williams voice*

 

 More puffs and a twist out! The puffs are once this twist out got old.
(January)

 

 January 2012!!! One year Natural!!!

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Do You Know What Today Is?

*singing in my Tony Toni Tone voice*

IT'S MY 1 YEAR NAPPIVERSARY!!!

This last year has really flown by! I honestly didn't realize I was almost 1 year post Big Chop until a couple of weeks ago. I will post later today showing my progress so far!

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BCS National Championship

Who's watching the game?! I'm watching and rooting for LSU! I'm an Auburn Tiger. If you aren't familiar with college football, the University of Alabama and Auburn University are rivals, so I'm not fond of Alabama... to say the least. So I just dropped in to say GO TIGERS!!!

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Au Natural: 7-9

During these months I was doing a lot of protective styling (I was getting VERY lazy with my hair), so there aren't many pictures to share, but here goes!

 Fluffy twist out with twisted headband. (7/12/11)

My second set of mini twists (7/20/11)

Bun with marley braiding hair. I loved this look, but haven't done it again. I definitely have to revisit this style! (8/23/11)

Another protective style. I wore this for about 2 weeks. (9/2/11)

Box braids that I did. Wore those for a month. (9/16/11)

They were pretty long and HEAVY! (9/17/11)

Tomorrow is my 1 year "Nappiversary"!!!

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