This is how NOT to decorate!!!

Now, dont get me wrong. I'm not claiming to be some kind of decorating guru, but since when has it become vogue to decorate your yard with TRASH BAGS??? I mean, I know the economy is bad and times are ruff, but TRASH BAGS???? Is this the best we can do?

I dont celebrate Christmas but I do love to look at all the beautiful lights and see how people put together decorations around the house and yard. But this is not a pleasant sight to behold when I sit on my front porch. I HATE to see what the inside of this place looks like.

They probably use toilet bowl sticks as decorations or even plungers to add that extra UMPH to the dining room decor.

Braidout with Vaseline = GREAT HAIR!!!

Chicken Pot Pie

Well not exactly because instead of using chicken I used turkey necks because it was thawed out already and it had to be cooked.

Season your meat and cook it in a pot of water until done. I added onions to mine.

After this was almost done I added carrots, corn, and string beans to it and let it cook some more.I drained off the veggies and meat and made gravy by putting 3 table spoons of flour into cool water and stirring up and then pouring it into the liquid part remaining from cooking the meat and veggies.

So after the gravy was made, all I did was add it to the veggies/meat to make the filling for the pie.

Most people use store bought crusts for their pies but since I had some crusts that I made myself I used those instead. Here they are still frozen:

After they thawed out I had to roll them out and form the crusts in my pie dish.

I dont know why I shaped the bottom layer. Habit I guess.

Now fill up the pie with the filling and cover with the second pie crust.

I cut slits in the crust so it can vent. I put it in the oven and cooked for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. The fam loved it!!!!!!

Missing My Natural Hair

Today I am missing my nappy hair days.

I want to be able to pull my hair back and see all those waves so I think I will wash my hair and do a braid out. I'll pull my hair back into a ponytail and fluff it a bit to get that fro-ish look. This is a pic of my natural hair pulled back in a bun.

Maybe a braid out will mimic the good ole days!!!

Daddy's Little Girl

My husband wears suits a lot and tonight when he came home my daughter decided to just put on his clothes.

It was so cute!!!

How to make an herbal tincture

"What is a Tincture?
A tincture is a solution of herbs in alcohol. Apple cider vinegar may be used in some special preparations. The alcohol dissolves all of the chemical principals of the plant and acts as a preservative for future use."
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-A-Tincture?&id=243706

I have been making these for over a year and let me tell you, it has replaced all commercial medicines in my house. My family rarely gets sick but when things do come up I pull out my ready made tincture and dole it out and in less than 12 hrs all complaints are usually gone.

You can get tinctures at health food stores but you usually will end up paying $15 for about 2 or 4 oz. Its much cheaper to make your own. Its very simple to make actually. Heres what to do.

I used Burdock Root, Echinachea Root, Chapparral Leaf, Dandelion Root, and Yellow Dock Root in this tincture.

Root herbs are the best to use b/c it contains the most potency. I always use 100 proof vodka. You should see the looks and comments I get when I buy this at the liquor store.

I put my mixtures in Mason jars. Put half water, and half alcohol in the jar. I used 1 1/2 cups alcohol and 1 1/2 cups of water.

Then I put 1/2 cup of each herb in the alcohol/water mixture. Make sure you watch it b/c the dried herbs will swell when it gets wet so make sure you dont run out of room in your jar before you finish adding all your herbs.

Then after everything is added, cap the jar and give it a good shake. Label your jar with the contents and date it. It takes between 4 and 6 weeks before all the properties of each herb is dissolved into the alcohol and water. Every now and then shake it to agitate the herbs in the solution. Store it in a cool, dark place and it'll keep forever!

Last year my baby who was 1 at the time was lethargic and laying around all day long. She laid on the couch and did not move. So I said hmmm... I'll mix her up some of my tincture and see what happens. As God is my witness, after 15 min my child jumped up off the chair and started running around playing and laughing. I have NEVER seen anything like it.

Oh I forgot to mention, if you want to take your tincture without the alcohol in it, all you have to do is pour a small amount of water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiling, pour in your tincture and let it boil for a min or two. The steam will carry the alcohol out of your tincture but will leave all the good stuff behind. I hate alcohol so I always take mine that way and if you mix it with orange juice you wont even be able to taste anything in your drink!

The Destruction Of Black Wall Street in 1921

I never even knew there was any such thing as a Black Wall Street in the 1920's.

Its such a shame this type of info is kept on the hush, but at the same time this is the kind of thing white america doesnt want black people knowing too much about.

Can you blame them????

Desire feeds the will

Have you ever wanted to do something or change something in your life but after many attempts it still hasnt happened for you?

This has definatly been the case for me.

The yard stick for success in any venture is the amount of desire you have for whatever it is you want. If your level of desire is low, so is your chance of success.

For example, I have a desire to rise early every single morning to get a jump start on my day. I really do want to do it, but I am having a very hard time accomplishing this goal. I have been trying to do this for yearssssssssssss and it hasnt happened yet. I want it, but how bad do I REALLY want it? If it was something that was deeply desired I would do all in my power to do it but.....I enjoy sleeping in so.......I dont get up extra early.

On the flipside, one day back in 2002 I decided I was tired of being dead flat broke. I got my 7 month pregnant self up and took my 1 year old with me to the Technical College in my town, and I sat in the admissions office until I found something I could go to school for in a short amount of time and make decent money in. Surgical Technology called my name and I signed up. Long story short, 2 years later I was a scrub tech in an outpatient surgery center. I was DETERMINED that I was gonna change my life and NOTHING was going to stop me. I had a very very high level of desire to make a change in my life and it happened. It happened, not by chance or luck but because my strong desire fed my will to help make life better for me and my family.

Stuffed Peppers

This was a very tasty meal!

First cut the stem and pull the seeds out, making sure the greeen pepper is in a cup shape. Place them in a pot to steam/boil and cook until soft.

Meanwhile you should start on the rice. I made dirty rice out of turkey sausage since I dont eat pork. I cut the sausage up in small pieces and fried it in a pan. Then I added cooked par broiled brown rice. After that I added Kitchen Bouquet and frozen Seasoning Blend ( which is diced onions, celery, and green and red peppers.) Stir it all together on medium heat.

I cooked white corn with water, milk, seasoning salt, pepper, and butter.

Make your garlic toast but puting slim butter peices on top of bread slices and sprinkle garlic powder on it and toast.

Put the rice inside your cooked peppers, fix a plate, and enjoy!!!

My Made From Scratch Pizza

I made this pizza from whole wheat but you can use regular bread flour if you like. I do on occasion. I also make the dough for the crust in my bread machine. Here are the ingredients for the dough for the machine to be put inside in this order:

6oz of water (80-90 degrees)

1 tbs veg oil

2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp active dry yeast or 1 1/2 tsp of bread machine/fast rise yeast

(optional)Seasonings (oregano, basil, onion, garlic powder)

This recipe will make (2) 12 inch pizzas.

After the dough was made I kneaded it for a minutes and let it rise a few times. You can omit this step if you like. Here is a pic of the dough after it rose and I flattened it and cut it in half.

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and put it on the pans.

Then add all your toppings.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until crust is brown.

Enjoy!

Better-than-Applebees Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Alfredo

I made this for my family and it was so good that they asked for an encore the next day!

Now thats saying something. Heres how to do it:

To make the alfredo:

4 tsp butter

4 tbs flour

1 cup chicken broth - this time I used beef cuz I didnt have chicken

1 cup half and half

1 cup Parmesan or whatever white cheese

minced garlic

Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

Melt butter in pot then add the flour and mix till smooth. Next add in the half and half and broth and stir. Then add the cheese, garlic, salt, pepper,and Italian seasoning and keep stirring until its smooth and creamy. Season to your taste. Pour over noodles of your choice. I used Fettichini.

I steamed the broccoli al dente then add it to the noodles.

Then I pan fried the chicken breasts on a griddle with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar added to it. Cut it up into bite size pieces and add it to the noodles and broccoli.

Enjoy!

Like McDonalds? Here's their recipes!

I hardly ever eat out, especially at a fast food restaurants. I dont even know the last time I ate a McDonalds, maybe 3 or 4 years ago, but I used to love the Quarter Pounder, Fish Fil A and the fries!!!!

I am not about to put all that info here so click here for the info.

Enjoy!!!

My heart breaks...

My cousin works at a bank. The other day she was telling me that almost every check that she gets to be deposited/cased is an unemployment check.

Well there is this one guy who is a regular customer of hers came thru her line and he looked very sad and let down. She asked him what was the matter.

He told her that this was his very last unemployment check. He had exhausted all his extensions at the unemployment agency and had absolutely no prospects for a job. She said he had een looking non stop for months with no luck at all. He had a wife and children to support with absolutly no money coming in.

When I heard that it really affected me. For the past few weeks my husband has been telling me about massive layoffs he ha heard about, not to mention all the thousands of lay offs thats mentioned on the news.

My heart really breaks for all of these people. What are they going to do? I put myself in this mans place, and I feel a sense of hopelessness and loss. I would really be very afraid of what would become of my family.

Every day I thank God that my husband and I have sources of income in this economic crisis. I pray that people find a solution to unemployment and in the meantime we as a nation, can help President Elect Barack Obama by putting ourselves in a position to qualify for the millions of jobs he hopes to create.

More on that later.......I gotta get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzz's.

Caruso curls on the go

My husband wanted us to go to his annual Christmas party. We never go because we dont celebrate Christmas but he decided he wanted to go this year to show his face.

Today is Saturday- my chill around the house day- and I had a pretty bad hair day. It was in a ponytail and it was stick strait. I didnt have a lot time to do much to it so I decided to curl the ends with my Carusos, just to give it a lil bump on the ends.

Well, the curls werent all that great, but it was better than it was before. I dont think I left them on long enough but ahhh well!

Miracle for my baby!!!

Miracles dont happen everyday but one sure did happen today for me.

I have been raving about the wondrous joys of Vaseline so I decided to put it on my 2 yr olds hair.

Her hair is , well, baby hair. Its very soft and wild after an hour or two, which is to be expected.

Well earlier I sprayed her hair with water and then put some Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Cream and The 'Line on. Its still damp in this pic.

This is how it looked after many hours of play. Normally it looks NOTHING like this.

I love it!!!!

The Vaseline experiment continues...

Well I am still trying this out and the more I use it, the better it seems to get.

Today I did my daughters hair in braids and it was still very very moisturized.

This proves to me, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the old school simple and plain methods of haircare can and do work. The proof is in the puddin.'

Vaseline on hair - from no-no to yes-yes!

I sat remembering back in the day when Mama used to do my hair and what she put on it.

During our "doing hair" sessions she had only 4 things: a comb, a brush, a cup of water to dip the brush in, and Vaseline. My hair was healthy and it grew pretty long too.

Now petroleum has been made to be the boogey man of all haircare products but I decided to try this thing out to see if my hair and my daughters hair would go into reject mode.

I started with my daughter. I washed her hair and put it up in braids to dry. I put Qhemet Biologics Burdock Root Cream and then I applied Vaseline.

2 days later I took the braids down and her hair was soooooo soft!!!!! I was amazed. I re-did her hair only this time I put twists in. I put more QB Burdock Root and more Vaseline in her hair.

The next day went I went do her hair...it was like butter! Very soft and VERY moisturized?

I say its a yes-yes, not a no-no!

Ok, since it worked so good with her, I decided to try it on my own hair. I used the same products and my hair felt the same way- soft and buttery.

Guess what?

As for me and mine, we will be using Vaseline from now on!

Are you scared of the internet?

The World Wide Web. The Information Highway. The Net. These are just a few of the many names that have been coined for the internet, which 15 years ago was virtually an unknown entity, but now millions of people cant do without it.

Its such a great place to get all sorts of info on endless subjects and tips on everything under the sun. Its very educational as well as extremely entertaining.

Yet...its a source of fear as well. The internet seems to be such a big scary place, but I'm wondering if its really any different from "the real world?"

Well lets think this thru, shall we?

We have the idea that if you post your image online that somehow 1 of several things could happen to you.

1. Your image will be stolen and used without your permission.

That is a very good reason to proceed with caution. No matter how well you try to cover your tracks with this one, people can find a way to get your image and post it where they will.

I dont think that people realize that wherever you go, you leave your image behind.

Did you pump gas today? Did you go inside that government building? Have you been out shopping at the mall recently? Did you go to McDonalds for that BigMac? Have you taken a leisurely stroll on the streets of downtown to enjoy the day? Did you need some fast cash and stopped at an ATM?

If you did, you were caught on camera. Someone has access to your image. They could very well alter that image and do with it what they will.

2.If you put your image online, perverts will...have fun with themselves over your pics.

Hmmmm....well, that very well could happen sure enough. But lets think about it for a minute.

Lets say you are walking into your favorite restaurant about to enjoy a delectable meal with a loved one. You are seated, your waiter takes your order and you have such a wonderful time getting stuffed and having some good laughs. All seems uneventful, right? Maybe not.

Your waiter thinks you are sexy and looking good in that outfit. He is so overcome by your charms that later on that night while he is alone he......reminisces over you, MY GOD!!!

You are totally innocent in this, going about your daily life and yet a pervert has had fun over your image. What a notion!

3. If you put your image on the internet, someone will come and get you. Your pic, coupled with a name and they got you!!!!

While I do think there are some very savvy computer geeks out there, somehow I doubt that a sicko with some computer technical skills is gonna cross the world, or even town (if he can somehow find you based on a pic out of the millions of other people out there) to get you.

I could be wrong though.

It seems to me that one should be more afraid of people in the real world grabbing you v/s an unknown, unseen, untouchable person on the internet.

Let me give another scenario.

You are just getting off work after a hard day at the office. You are beat, your feet are killing you and all you have on your mind is a long hot bath. As you are walking to your car parked in the garage someone attacks you. They have been watching your movements all week and they know your routine. Fortunately for you, you have taken many self defense classes and have successfully beaten this person to a bloody pulp.

My question is what is more likely? Some random person on the net getting you, or the random quack walking the streets everyday?

I'd place my bet on the quack that can see me, that can touch me.

Personally, I believe that safety and security should be paramount in todays society. The same holds true for the internet, but more emphasis should be placed in "real world" situations.

If you are afraid to have an "identity" on the internet that includes a pic of you or not, dont get me wrong. I think that is A-OK. Just remember the same security measures employed on the internet should be doubly applied in real life!

Popping my blogging cherry

This is my very very first blog entry ever!!

I have a few things that I plan to blog about.

For one I am a hair care fanatic so of course I'll be blogging about that.

I sew on occasion so I'll post pics of my projects and pattern numbers and such.

And of course I'll talk about life and trials and tribulations that we go thru and possible solutions.