"Locks 4 years 10 mo's, after retightening" May 2008

"5 Year Lockversary right around the corner.....July 15, 2008"

Greetings, I know it has been a while since I have posted photo's of my hair but I have been extremely busy since this year has started and I haven't seemed to be able to make time for blogging. Every now and then I tried to post, but getting photo's was another challenge. I am coming up on my 5 year lockversary in July and I can't believe it. I am still very pleased with my locks :)

Right now, my only concern is getting my hairline to cooperate. Since I wore braids for so long before locks it thinned out my hair line, so I am trying to restore it. At Cherie's suggestion, I have been using Organic Root Stimulator Fertilizing Temple Balm, so we will see what happens, I am hopeful. It says it takes 8-12 weeks to see the results and I have only been using it for about 2 weeks and I have been faithtful, two times a day. Once my hairline starts to act right, I will have no complaints, for now (smile).




Here are a couple of photo's I took of myself before going to work this morning. I did a roller-set last week, so this is about a 10 day old roller set. Since my hair has grown so much, the roller-set doesn't make it to two weeks anymore:( As you can see this probably looks more like free-style, since the curls are gone, gone, gone.

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Life update: I will be vacationing in North Carolina in about 2 weeks and I am overly excited. My best friend/sister moved there almost two years ago and I went through a depression, we are so close, we believe we are supernatural twins. Second to my husband, she knows me better than anyone, I believe even my mother, even though I don't think my mother would agree. I have never been to NC, but aside from my BFF I have heard great things about it. On the pet note, I have decided not to get a dog, just too much work. I am already trying to juggle too many things, and it would not be fair to the little pup. I thought about getting birds, but my BFF got two back to back and they did not make it so I decided not to go that route......I guess I will just wait until it is time for me and my DH to have a little one. I think all along that is what it has been, my biological clock is ticking LOUDLY and has been for a while, and I have been trying to appease it by doing other things, but I see clearly now, I am ready to be a mommy and nothing can replace that :)


In a previous post I posed questions to moms and asked what you liked about motherhood and I got an overwhelmingly positive response. I am hoping when it does happen, I would like twins (one boy, one girl--runs in the family), so we will see what happens or better yet, see what God does.

**If you mommy's don't mind, since some of you did not get a chance to respond to my previous post, would you mind telling me what you like about motherhood and offer any advice?

Thanks
Abena {Favored Grace}

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the (my) womb is a reward.
Psalm 127:3
* The Lord remebered me {Abena}................

"My Friends Described Me in ONE WORD"

What words did they choose?

Warm

Kind

Encouarged

Celestial (I don't really get this one....hmmmm)

Beautiful

Happy

Anointed

Committed

Attentive

Faithful

Compassionate

Godly

Spiritual

Amazing

Driven

Exhorter

Passionate

Funny

Unifying

Uncompromising (This is my favorite, thanks Rick)

If you want to play, copy and paste the message below and send it to your friends through email so that you can see how they describe you in ONE WORD:

Describe ME in one word.... just one single word. Send it to me and to me only. Then send this message to all your friends and see how many strange & interesting things they say about you. This is really fun.

"Lock Product Do's and Don'ts"

Greetings:

I have been meaning to do this post for a long time. On July 15 of this year I will be locked for 5 years (WOW).....It is hard to believe :) In the past few years I have been experimenting with various products to find the perfect ones for my locks, so I hope that this post is helpful. Hair products are very expensive so maybe this will help prevent some of you from purchasing a product that does not work for locks. In addition, I appreciate your input so that I can save money as well (smile).

Do's

Shea Butter Hair Lotion
http://www.komazacare.com/
This hair lotion is good. It does take some time to work into your locks, but once you do that, it adds a softness to the locks and it smells great:

Sulfur 8 Braid and Lock Spray
This fights dandruff and works well. Just to let you know, it doesn't have the same smell as the Sulfur 8 grease, so don't worry: Fantasia 100% Pure Tea Shampoo
I lovvvveeee this shampoo. It is light on the locks, but it cleans the locks really well. It also has a nice smell. One thing I have to have is nice smelling locks:

Tui Jojoba and Shea Butter Hair Shine
Another product that I absolutely LOVE! This gives your locks a nice shine, without looking or feeling greasy and once again, the smell is DIVINE. http://www.carolsdaughter.com/

Tui Hair Oil (Carol's Daughter)

Another Carol's Daughter product that I like. It is good for when your locks are really dry, I use it alot in the summer or sometimes just to give my locks a BOOST:Lock Butter (Carol's Daughter)

This product is a good substitute for hair grease, instead of using grease, this is a nice light grease-like lock product that can give the scalp a nice condition (Just be careful to not over do it, because it will look greasy):

Khoret Amen Hair Oil (Carol's Daughter)

I like this product for the same reason that I like the Tui Hair Oil, but I don't use it as much because I do not like the smell of it, neither does my DH.

Don'ts

Pantene (For Women of Color) Shampoo

I did not like this at all. It gives a nice lather and does clean the locks well but it is so thick that it takes forever to wash it out of your locks:


Pantene (Women of Color) Conditioner

I do not like the Conditioner for the same reason I don't like the Shampoo:

Tui Hair Leave-in Conditioner (Carol's Daughter)

I did not really like this product. One, it is too watery. Two, because I have so much hair I had to use a lot and it is pretty pricey. Third, it makes the hair so wet that the amount of time it takes to dry my hair almost doubles. I air dry my hair because I don't like using heat on it, so it is critical that my hair drys overnight, but with this after 12+ hours, my hair was still drenching wet:

Tui Hair Shampoo (Carol's Daughter)

I don't like this product at all. It was a waste of money. One, it is very expensive. Two, once again it is watery. Three, I have to use so much because of all of my hair, that by the time I am done washing my hair, it is time to purchase another bottle. Finally, it doesn't clean the locks well:

Healthy Hair Butter (Carol's Daughter)

This is definitely a product that is not good for locks. It is too thick and it is hard to get out of the locks. Also, it flakes up once the cream dries:

Organic Root Stimulator (Carrot Oil)

This product I used for the purpose of trying to stimulate my hair line because it is still thin, but it did not work at all and if you put it all over the locks, it takes forever to rub in:

PRODUCTS I WOULD LIKE TO TRY. PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU HAVE TRIED ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS AND IF YOU WOULD RECOMMEND THEM-----ALSO LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY PRODUCTS TO RECOMMEND THAT ARE NOT ON MY LIST:

Mimosa Hair Honey (Carol's Daughter)

Hair Milk (Carol's Daughter)

Tui Hair Smoothie (Carol's Daughter)

Jojoba Hair Oil (Komaza)

http://www.komazacare.com

Coconut Hair Milk (Komaza)

Hair Nourishment Oil (Komaza) - Does this work to restore the hair line???

Fertilizing Temple Balm (DOES THIS WORK TO RESTORE HAIR LINES????)

http://organicrootstimulator.com/

Fertilizing Serum (DOES THIS WORK TO RESTORE HAIR LINES)

It's Finally Here :)

"Mostly True, I must admit"

What Abena Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

"Carol's Daugter Product Choice"

This product is the best! It is called "Tui Jojoba & Shea Butter Sheen." This is so good for locks. The smell is divine and it gives the locks a nice sheen without being oily or greasy. Also, it gives the locks a softer feel to them.


"A Carol's Daughter Product I am going to try"- I just orderd the "Healthy Hair Butter." I have been looking for some hair food that is not greasy or oily, so I just ordered this product and hopefully it will meet my needs. I have had a lot of success with most of the Carol's Daughter products but the "Lock Butter" was a little too greasy for me.

WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN WITH CAROL'S DAUGHTER PRODUCTS? DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FAVORITE NATURAL HAIR CARE PRODUCTS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH ALL OF US? THANKS :)

OT- "Urgent News- Christians Take Heed"

***A good friend and group member sent this too me****

I love Oprah but look at what she has gotten herself into now. It is not a surprise that she would be targeted for use by the enemy for she has the ability to reach millions with any and all kinds of mess. We must continue to pray for her and against all of these attacks against our Savior and the Church; not because God needs defending, for the Bible says that Jesus has ALL Power, but for those that the Bible speaks of who will become subject to the deception of false teachings "Lord have mercy!"

In all of this though; I have joy and peace, for the prophecy of the end times disclosed in the inerrant, infallible, Word of God is being fulfilled right in front of my face Hallelujah! The Bible is TRUE and was and is EVERLASTING TRUTH! One only needs to turn to it's pages and compare what was written ages ago to exactly what has been and what is happening in today's world! Glory to God for the heads up! Go to the link below and from there take your time to follow (read) all of the additional links in the article (especially the one right underneath the title of the article: The twisted "truths" of The Shack & A Course in Miracles) Please share this information with everyone you can. We must remain as admonished in Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

AMEN (Adding My Encouragement Now)
Eleane Young

This is far out stuff and with all her influence you just wonder how many followers she will attract. Just to make sure this was true, I went on Oprah's website and there it is. The below article is very interesting, so I thought I would share.

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/smith-oprah.htm or
"Oprah and Friends" to teach course on New Age Christ
Jesus Christ being reinvented, redefined, and blasphemed and, this false New- Age Christ teaching is about to make huge inroads into the world, with the help of the queen of television talk shows, Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah Winfrey, beginning January 1, 2008, on her daily radio program will offer a year-long course on the New Age Christ , in a lesson a day and completely cover the 365 lessons from t he Course in Miracles "Workbook."

Listeners will be encouraged to buy A Course in Miracles for the year-long course, and an audio version, recited by Richard (John Boy Walton) Thomas will be available on compact disc.
Those who finish the Course will have a wholly redefined spiritual mindset-a New Age worldview that include the beliefs that there is no sin, no evil, no devil. A Course in Miracles teaches its students to rethink everything they believe about God and life, and, bluntly states: "This is a course in mind training" and is dedicated to "thought reversal."

The Course in Miracles -in reality-is the truth of the Bible turned upside down.
Oprah told her television audience that Williamson's book, A Course in Miracles was one of her favorite books, and that she had already bought a thousand copies and would be handing them out to everyone in her studio audience. Oprah's endorsement skyrocketed Williamson's book to the top of the New York Times bestseller list .

A Course in Miracles is allegedly a "new revelation" from "Jesus" to help humanity work through these troubled times. This "Jesus"-who bears no doctrinal resemblance to the Bible's Jesus Christ-began delivering channeled teachings in 1965 to a Columbia University Professor of Medical Psychology, Helen Schucman.

One day Schucman heard an "inner voice" stating, "This is a course in miracles. Please take notes." For seven years she diligently took spiritual dictation from this voice that described himself as "Jesus."

Here are some quotes from the "Jesus" voice of A Course in Miracles :
· "There is no sin . . . "
· A "slain Christ has no meaning."
· "The journey to the cross should be the last 'useless journey."
· "Do not make the pathetic error of 'clinging to the old rugged cross.'"
· "The Name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol... It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray."
· "The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself."
· "The Atonement is the final lesson he [man] need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation."

Popular author Wayne Dyer told his PBS television audience that the "brilliant writing" of A Course in Miracles would produce more peace in the world.

The Course in Miracles-based book, Forgiveness, continues to be sold in Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral bookstore as Schuller prepares to host a January 17-19, 2008, "Rethink Conference" at his Crystal Cathedral.

2 Timothy 3 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)2 Timothy 3
1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.


And PLEASE pass this one on.....if you never forward anything else!

"IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH"

"Let's Talk Romance"

I am reading a book called, "Romancing Your Husband," and it is really inspiring me to STEP UP MY GAME (smile).......so I thought a post about romance was longgggg over do........With Valentine Day right around the corner I would like you all to share how you show love to your husband, fiance, or boyfriend......................

What is the most romantic thing you have ever done for you mate?

How do you ROMANCE YOUR MATE?