Just Ask

"Oh I think I see one hiding back there!" I shouted to my friend.  I could see the top of its head peeking out from the back of the highest shelf of the drug store refrigerator.  I wasn't certain that it was the flavor of Faygo pop that I wanted (Red), but I figured it couldn't hurt to reach up there and pull it down just to see.

As I began to reach back in the cooler, I realized that the bottle of pop was a lot farther away than I expected.  I'm 5'9" and have EXTREMELY long arms that have assisted many a "vertically challenged" stranger in stores over the years.  But, here I was in need of getting something off a shelf and there was no one taller than me around.  So, since I couldn't reach it myself from where I was standing, I decided there was only one option:

Climb. In. The. Refrigerator.

Just as I was getting ready to hop on a shelf, a store clerk popped out of nowhere and asked my friend and I what was going on.  When we explained that I was trying to find out if the bottle back there was Faygo Red, he looked at me and said, "We have plenty more in the back.  All you have to do is ask and I can go back there and get it for you."  So I asked if he could get a Faygo Red and also a Rock & Rye, and within minutes he returned with both bottles especially for me.

In that little moment, I heard the Holy Spirit drop two words in my spirit: "just ask."

You see, as an only child and as a teacher, I have spent a lot of my life making things happen on my own.  Even as a kid, I can remember many a time after completing a task and beaming up to my parents, "I did it ALL BY MYSELF."

However, in this season of my life, the Lord is constantly showing me that I am not in this life alone.  I need community/the body.  More importantly, I need to realize that it is He who is the supreme "doer." There are many things that I can accomplish independently but without the Lord's help, there is great struggle.  I believe that this is a season where many of the things I need are already laid up for me; all I have to do is ASK if I want to receive them.  The struggle is over.  I serve a great High Priest and can come boldly before Him to ask for help in time of need.  As The Message Bible states,

Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.  ~ Heb. 4:14-16

Lord, make me not afraid to ask in Your Name.  I accept Your help in time of need.

It's Springing Up-dos!

Last week and this week I decided to do something a little different from my usual two-strand twist styles and flat twists.  I had yarn braids from December-February, and my hair's curl pattern isn't back yet, so I've just washed and blow dried it.  This is the closest to straight my students have ever seen my hair, and they were VERY surprised as to how long it actually is.  It is very thick too; there was a section that I scratched out last winter (it got too dry), but it has grown back nicely.

Last week, I  was inspired by Teyonah Parris' natural updo that gained so much attention.

This week I just decided on going for a simple updo that will protect the ends and be low maintenance.

Natural Living

The longer I wear my hair natural, the more I desire to develop a natural lifestyle.  By this, I mean that being natural is much more than about twisting my hair, following Curly Nikki, and attending natural hair meetings.  It is about making healthy choices for my body that ultimately lead to healthy hair.

Last year, I went to a Naturally Flyy meetup and had a chance to hear Ms. Gwen Jimmere of Naturalicious.net speak about paying attention to the labels of the products we use.  Many items have parabens, which are carcinogenic.

I thought I was all good because the hair products I use, Shea Moisture, are paraben-free.  However, once home, I started reading the labels of my lotion and makeup and realized that they were not.  So in one swift heap, I rid myself of ALL of my precious makeup and lotions.

It was easy to find lotion.  Shea Moisture has many lotions and creams, and I also relied on tubs of shea butter.  The harder part was finding makeup.  Below is the what I found out on my journey.

Burt's Bees Super Glossy Lip Shine -- 2 out of 5 stars
While this product gave me the shine I needed, it didn't really moisturize.  It felt like vaseline or chicken grease on my lips.

Korres Lip Butter and Lip Butter Glaze -- 5 out of 5 stars
I found these products at Sephora and LOVE them!  They are made out of shea butter and rice wax.  My lips feel SO GOOD and soft after application.  And, it looks like "real" makeup!

Gabriel Color Eyeshadow -- 4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this from Whole Foods in the color Navy because they do not make Black.  I actually use a tiny brush and apply it as an eyeliner because it was hard for me to find an actual eyeliner that worked for me.  I like it a lot, just wish it was a little bit darker.

Crown's Royalties. -- 5+ out of 5 stars
Ok y'all, I saved the best for last.  Last year, I had a student in one of my classes whose mom I would run into at natural hair meetings.  It wasn't until halfway through the year that I connected that this lady selling makeup and jewelry at the hair meetings was the mother of my student.  Anyway, all of Ms. Crown's products are handmade and made with LOVE, do you hear me?!?!?  She sells out of her home, vends at different events, and has a website, crownsroyalties.weebly.com  I purchased three eyeshadows from her and have thoroughly enjoyed them.  They last long and look GOOD!

 Getting ready to head out for the first time with my paraben-free makeup!

And The Winner Is...

So, something totally cool & amazing happened to me the other day.  I WON a $1,000 technology grant for my classroom through a local corporation, Bosch.

The company had 15 grants available and picked 15 applicants from my school district.  Thankfully, I was selected!  We had a very nice acceptance ceremony at Bosch that included our superintendent, local congressmen, and the press.

I figured I'd be getting photographed that day, so I wanted a photo-worthy hairstyle.  After looking around Google Image, I decided to do a french roll with my twists.

To learn more about how I created this style, watch my very FIRST youtube tutorial!  I'm very excited.

And Now You Know...

A wise man once said, "Knowing is half the battle."  Sure, that man was GI Joe...but those are still some words of wisdom.

Where have I been for the past 7 months?  Ending a horrific school year.  Planning a class reunion.  Looking for a house.  Starting a terrific new school year.

Although much time has passed, I'm here now.  The past year has taught me a lot, leaving me to feel more knowledgable and more prepared.  It makes me think of one of my former pastor's most quoted Scriptures, "The horse is prepared against the day of battle; but safety is of the Lord," Pro. 21:31.

So what do I know?

• I remembered that the beginning of the school year can be hectic, so to cut down on stress, I made all of my copies and assignments for the start of the 12-13 school year at the end of last school year and just packed it up.  All I had to do at the beginning of this year was focus on the arrangement of my classroom and then take out my copies out of my file cabinet.
• I have kept in mind that this time of year I tend to get overwhelmed, so I have devised some strategies to help me stay sane and at peace.
• I learned that it is better to be single and content than to be in a relationship and unsettled in my spirit.
• I realized that fellowship is important (even though I am introverted), so I joined a young adult women's small group at my mom's church.  I used to have a group of friends my age from my old church, but over time ppl got married and/or moved away.  My current church has a lack of young adults, so it is nice to get together with ppl who are going through some of the same things I am as a young adult woman.
• I have come to understand that every hairstyle ain't for everybody!  My hair seems to do well with two strand twist styles and cornrows.  Bunning and bantu knots only seem to tangle my hair.
• I know that my hair and scalp usually gets really dry in the fall, so I am trying to drink more water and make sure I eat enough fruits and vegetables.  Moisture is key in retaining length.

My cousin would like me to do video tutorials about my hairstyles.  It is a good idea, I just have to figure out where my videocamera will go when I'm trying to do my hair.  In the meantime, here are some pix of hairstyles from the past few months.

This is a braided hawk & pompadour

Front/Side 

Back

 With this style, I french braided two strand twists and then roll-tucked the front

Front/side

Back

My mother & I at a Mother's day luncheon/fashion show at her church

Back to School Style: Coiled front & cornrowed back

Front/Side

Back

Side

Vote to Send Me to Peru!

There is a running joke amongst my friends that I am ALWAYS applying for a grant.  Such is true.


In my latest quest, I am applying for a Travelocity Volunteer Vacation to Cuzco, Peru this summer. Part of the process was to make a video about why I qualify for the grant. There will be 4 winners, and part of the selection is to get as many votes on the video as possible.

Please click the link below to get to my video page on the Travelocity website, and then click the green button under the video to vote for me!  You can vote once every day.  The contest ends at the end of May. 
http://www.volunteerjournals.com/volunteer-travel-grants/entries/send-me-ill-go


Thanks for your help!

Confessions of a Product Junkie

Hi, my name is Kel, & I'm a product junkie.

***HI KEL!***

Y'all, I knew I had a problem, but I didn't think it would ever come to this.

My lease is up in a few months and I plan on purchasing either a house or condo.  I promised my mother that I would spend part of my spring break going through my closets & drawers to find items to purge so that I would have less to pack when I do move.

Getting rid of things is relatively easy for me.  I grew up in a house where if you left something unclaimed for a few days, it WOULD get thrown away because, as my mother STILL quotes to this day, "Material things don't get you to Heaven!"

Anyway, after going through my clothes & books twice (SEVEN bags worth of donations & a trash bag of discards), I decided to tackle the hair collection in my closet.  The last time I moved, I can't remember how many boxes/bags of hair goods I brought with me.  My friends thought it was hilarious.

I took what was in my closet & put it on my full-size bed.  I was embarrassed & appalled to see that my hair products almost filled up my entire bed!

Clearly, there were some painstaking decisions to make.

For instance, my homemade tracks & hair spray. I was the maid of honor in my cousin's wedding a few years ago.  She wanted everyone to wear their hair down, so I had some tracks added that clipped in.  Then I got nervous that the hair wouldn't match my color, so I bought some spray.  My cousin found out about the spray & wouldn't let me use it.

Or what to do about this electric hot comb?  I went to college in Oklahoma, where there was a shortage of Black people, Black hair salons, Black beauty supplies, etc.  I bought this my freshman year of college before I had a car to get off campus & travel to a decent beautician.  Obviously, this is before I decided to go natural.

How could I get rid of this stocking cap?  Don't judge me.  You all KNOW you have a stocking cap made out of one of your mama's (or your own) stockings.

And last but not least, HAIR!  I need to have my own side business slingin' hair!  I got everything!  Afro-kinky! Outre remy! Toyokalon! Brown, black & red!  What do you need?!?!?!?!  I gots it all!

Ok, so clearly it was time to let go of some things, especially since I have not had my hair pressed in over a year & have not had it regularly pressed in about 6 years.  So I said goodbye to my tracks, spray, hotcomb, and a myriad of other things.  Out of all the fake hair, I did keep the afro-kinky, because it matches my current texture & I never know when I am going to need a filler.  I am proud to say though, my collection shrunk significantly.  Woo-saaaahhhh! :-)

Hopefully my mama will be proud!