so i bought some Lo.ng Aid. Activator gel… mmmm i now remember why i don’t use it. it so sticky once it drys and leaves this nasty feeling to you hair. i swear to Go.d i feel like i have a jheri curl!  it gathers dirt too… which means washing more… i don’t know if the co~wash will do it… SO… i think i will mix it with something else… i was thinking along the lines of IC and aloe vera gel… just so it won’t be so jheri curlish!  we shall see!  here are pictures of what it looked like last night after it dried and then this morning after i spritzed it with my glycerin mixture and my leave homemade leave in.   i wrote down what i put in my mixtures this time !! yay! oh and i dyed it with a semi permanent darkest brown.

1st time useing Long Aid Gel Actavator

fron view

morning after

Glyerin Spray~ water, glycerin, vitamin E, sweet almond oil, and castor oil

Leave~in ~ Orga.nic Coc.nut Milk conditioner & water

both in a spray bottle.  love both so far

her is my oldest curly top (Slim).  she is rockin a coil out… too cute.  i think i will do the the coil twist all the way down next time. i only did the top this time. and she was in coils (protective style) for 2 weeks.   i don’t really do to much to her hair. she pretty much stays in protective styles. sometimes i let it breathe but not more than 2 days. but she doesn’t stay in them long because it is a fight to get her to keep her hair tied up at night. she did have a satin pillow but left that at her dads so i am waitin for him to send it back.

2 weeks ago forgot to ake a pic w/out rollers

2 weeks ago

Slim with the Coil Out

i finished MizzPrizzy’s furniture and i put it back together… well i’m not totally finished. i have to pick out a some fabric that will be her curtains and whatever it is will be the back wall on the dollhouse bookcase.

almost thru

Slim got some furniture(used… hey i don’t mind! i love refurbishing old stuff!)  i’m trying to decide what color i will make them… i was thinking brown then painting/stenciling some butterflies on them in purple.  her room is going to be a very light lavender, her bed spread is purple, her bed is brown… so i might do that or vice verse.

new adventure...

that is all for now!

i made LIQUID SOAP!!!   it took a long time to do. practically 2 days but i started late so if i start earlier in the day maybe it won’t take so long.   i burnt out my stick blender too. ugh! i’ve gone through 2 of those things in 2 weeks!  shame. so i made up some different colors of the soap for the kids. i ran out of my foaming da.il soap so i put some in the foaming pump… IT WORKS PERFECT!  so now i have to find some foaming pumps for the kids to use cause its really to water to use as a shower  wash.   i used a castile recipe and this tut. actually i used the recipe that the tut used only i subed Olive Oil for the Sunflower oil.

colored

i started a baby blanket that is supposed to be done tomorrow…. for a shower. i don’t even think i’m half way done so looks like i’m not going.  i don’t wanna go anyway. i hate baby showers!  anyway i used this pattern from Li.on Bra.nd.  so far i like it and it is very easy and quick to remember.  hopefully i will have it done before the baby is born.  i wanna make some other stuff to go with it like a hat and booties.

Cotton Ease

close up

i’ve been looking for something to reduce the shrinkage in my hair… still haven’t found it but i have got a awesome curl definition going on.   so i am happy about that.  but what i am not happy about is the crispiness i get once my hair is dry and the white look of the gel.  so i am working on that also.  i also did a cassia treatment because i didn’t want the red of henna… it tuned my hair orange.  so now i will use a semi dye to get it brown so i can go with my original plan to dye it in layers… but i will talk about that later.

this stuff stinks

BEFORE CASSIA

CASSIA

AFTER CASSIA

AFTER CASSIA

wet

back wet

almost dry

back almost dry

i also painted my daughters’ furniture. it was white now it is beige with a shimmer to it. i have to put the hardware back on and then i will take pix of the finished furniture.

BEFORE

BEFORE (excuse the mess *shame*)

doll house book case

can u see the difference... probably not

close up

i also made the most awesome cake ever in the history of cakes!  it is called a  Tres Leche Cake and i got the recipe from here… the cake is so good!  i will make it every time i go somewhere from now on!  only things i did different was i used Passion Fruit rum, french vanilla cake mix, and i didn’t put the fruit on it.

OMG this is so good!

what i plan to do for this weekend… clean my craft room so i can sew… well shall see… i’ve been saying this for i don’t know how long. but since my kitchen floor is still not done that means the refrigerator is still in my craft room which makes it difficult to do anything… don’t get me started on that!

that is all

Vanilla meringue

the second one is and another whipped butter but this one is more like a brownie batter.  this one is shea butter, aloe butter and coconut oil.   i whipped this one cause i thought i messed the first one up. this one whipped up quick so i thought i did it right. after i saw how it whipped up because it was cool i put batch #1 in the freezer.  after it cooled it whipped right up. Batch #2 has Coco Mango FO which is what i wanted but realized after i did it that i rather have Vanilla.  so now i have to get a pretty jar for the first one.  i like how they both feel on my skin also.

Coco Mango Butter

the 3rd batch is kind of weird. i just used up some stuff so i could buy more and i think it was too old so no picture of that!

i got my new stove…. its a stove.  so not much to say about it. i can finally cook without having to worry about cutting myself which is always good.

shes purdy

i made cream cheese brownies from scratch in honor of me new stove.

Brownies

i made another batch of yogurt… i thought i messed it up again. i thought maybe i killed the cultures because i forgot to turn the crock pot down for 45 mins…. so i quit on the 3rd hour and just left it there disgusted… so the next morning i’m reading other recipes and some say to let the yogurt sit… but i didn’t think anything of it. so i go out and buy some more milk so i can attempt it AGAIN… and when i went to clean out the crock pot my daughter was ewwww. so i turned to look at what she was talking about and i had YOGURT!!!  i tasted and smelled it and it was perfect!  so i didn’t mess it up after all. i added my strawberries and put it in the refrigerator.  i saved a little so i can make more… ok i’m about to start my monkey bread dough and maybe make more yogurt.  i wanna make vanilla… anyone know how to do that???

anyway i attempted to make the yogurt again… 3 times and failed miserably all 3 times… i don’t know what i’m doing wrong. well the 2nd attempt wasn’t my fault. my husband knocked my crockpot off the counter… don’t ask. i was pissed but didn’t show it.   no point in getting mad over people not giving a shit (sorry… i usually don’t curse over here but if you read my main blog you know i have a potty mouth) about what you’re trying to do and being careless about it in the process.  ANYWAY… this is where i come to relax so we are not gonna talk about HIM!

so i have wasted a lot of milk… i don’t know if i will try again for a minute… but i did try my hand at some monkey bread!  it was fabulous. only thing i would do different next time is make more glaze or a different kind. every recipe that i found used refrigerated biscuits but 1. so that is the one i used because i don’t really care for biscuits.  it was so good. i was very surprised. i bought one from the store a few years back and it was horrible! i’ll have to find that recipe and link it for those who want to try it.

*i linked it*

Monkey Bread

i also made my famous speckled butter beans in the slow cooker.  i love these things. i make them every week. hubby loves them too…  i used to make them for myself and not share but since i’m trying to be peaceful so i share.

Speckeled Butter Beans with ham hock shanks

what eles… oh i made some hair cream out of shea butter, aloe butter, coconut oil, vitamin E, and i think that is it…  i but some chocolate and coconut fragrance oil in it… why did i do that? i don’t like the smell but the hair butter is awesome!  i’ll have to whip up some more and remember what i but in it but fragrance it with something eles… this will be used on the kids!

Hair Butter

i made some balls for the puppies… oh yeah i got more puppies… i will  be so happy when they are gone! i’m getting rid of the other 2 adults this week. i no longer like dogs. i will be keeping Troy… my first one.   she will be the only pet we have once all the puppies are gone. we have gone through snakes, fish, turtles, birds. rabbits… enough already.  i guess its because i didn’t really have pets growing up.  but i’m done. i might get some more fish but i think i’m done for a while.

Anna and Lisa playing with the ball i crocheted

i also learned how to thread my eyebrows!  just got get it smooth and learn where  and how i want my eyebrows to look!  yeah, now i won’t have to drive a country mile just to get my eyebrows threaded!

BEFORE

AFTER

and lastly i got some worms so i can make compost for my garden this year. hopefully i’m doing it right and will have something to put down in the summer!

worms

ok that is all for now!!!

All Season Cabbage

National Pickling Cucumbers

Orange Habanero Peppers (plan on making some hot sauce!)

Black Zucchini

Orange Honeydew

Waltham Broccoli

Sugar Baby Watermelon

Beefsteak Tomato

Anaheim Pepper

Green Honeydew

Spaghetti Squash

Cal Wonder Pepper

Di Cicco Broccoli

Genuine Cornfield Green Beans

so i will sow the onces that should have been sown already tomorrow.

my seeds

i also made some hair lotion for the curly tops of the house… which is everyone but hubby. i know i put some shea butter, olive butter, kokui nut oil, jojoba oil, and sunflower oil together then added some aloe gel, Vitamin E, and vegetable glycerin oh and fragrance… i don’t know yet… i don’ t like how greasy my hands are after using it and then how dry the feel after the soak up the grease… i’m think to much stuff. so i will try something simpler later. i have some stuff on the way so i will see what i can whip up.

hair lotion

i made some laundry soap yesterday with some lavender dust… i washed some rugs in it.. the look a lot brighter. i’ll see how it does on clothes tonight.

lavender laundry soap

ok so tomorrow the deal is i clean AGAIN… make something… maybe some bread or something. my yogurt was a hit. hubby asked me why i didn’t make anymore… little does he know there is more in the fridge… it in a sour cream jug! hee hee! i’m gonna get some of this dammit! i might make some more tomorrow though just cause everybody liked it so much. but since i can’t leave the house i figure i might as well clean… i’m getting my new phone tomorrow YEAY!!!! i’m getting a Bla.ckberry Sto.rm! SWEET! what a refreshing change it will be to not have a phone that calls ramdom people in my phone book and being able to send full text without it sending the text while i am in the middle of typing it and not to mention a full keyboard yeah my phone is possesed. i can’t say how many times my phone has called baby daddy in the middle of the night… of all people that it picks it always picked him WTF! the debil i tell ya! but anyway… WOO HOO!!! can’t wait! i will peep ya’ll tomorrow.

plain

theres strawberries in my yogurt!

mixed together

now that i have mixed it up and added the strawberries it is more like the drinkable yogurt… i like it better that way anyway!  hubby took some and the kids wanted some for their lunch but i wanted to see if it thickens up a little before i let them take it… i didn’t really make it for everybody… i made it for me!!

homemade soap

i also made soap… ( this was also Rhonda’s recipe but with a little modification cause i didn’t have any rice bran oil. ) it was very different and i was a little nervous and i wasn’t sure how it would turn out.  but i think its good so far.  it has to cure for a few weeks.  i am going to try and make some laundry detergent today… but i have to get something to put it in.  i made a hair lotion for my curly top below. hopefully it will eliminate some of the frizz. i used sunflower oil and aloe vera get… i just put them together because the both promote moisture… we shall see!  i wet her hair and put it on last night then  braided her hair up. but she is not feeling well so i doubt she lets me play in her hair!

that is all… for now!

w. but anyway…

i cut hair on friday… i cut about an inch and layered  Ayanna’s she really needed it. her ends were split far and i had never had the nerve to cut it myself but it was getting ridiculous to comb and i just went for it.   2/3 of an inch off Aidan and about an inch off mine… it is so hard to cut curly hair… oh well i get it when i go to cosmetology school next fall.

i remember my grandmother having a butter churn though she never made any while i was around.  but i have always wanted a butter churn. so i have been looking on e.bay for one for quite a while. i have never found one that was reasonably price or in good enough condition to actually be used.  i had talked to my husband about getting one and he asked or talked about it with his mom (shes old as dirt and might have had one ) and she claimed it was expensive to make butter… so i kind of gave up on it cause i didn’t want to go through all that if it was. and so i stopped looking for a while.  until the other day i came across somebody’s website/blog (which i can’t seem to find now) and they had a super easy recipe for homemade butter! and guess what all you need is a jar/jug and whipping cream!!!  so much for being expensive.. hater. anywho… i made some and i took pictures and it taste good!!!

1cup of heavy whipping cream

you can use regular whipping cream or heavy

turning into whipped cream

after about 5 or 6 minutes of shaking

we having whipped cream

see how thick it is

starting to feel the burn… this is what happened after about 10 minutes of shaking.  it is the exact thing you get when using the mixer!

starting to get over whipped

here it is after 2 to 4 minutes more after the whipped cream phase. it starting to look like curdled milk.  i guess this is why they tell you to whip till soft peaks form… cause not this is starting to separate.

almost there

see it is separating… id say we are at about 15 minutes total.

Butter!! and buttermilk

and then we get BUTTER!!!  i figure if i keep this up i will have some nice biceps!  but it is well worth it. its smooth and tasty and you can add salt or whatever you like to it!

straining the butter from the buttermilk

and you can even have some buttermilk pancakes in the morning!!!    so if you like some homemade butter and wanna get rid of those arm flaps in the process this is the workout for you!!!!

sorry my pictures are so bad… i broke my new camera and it would cost more just to fix than it would just to get a new one… so i wait till i can afford another one

Details~ Lion Brand Crochet CAL

Ficherman Sampler

Yarn~ Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (love this stuff!!!)

started September 4, 2008. i was going strong for a minute because i wanted it done before my sister had the baby… but i didn’t make it and put it down.  so then after a while i picked it back up and then once the blocks were done i put the blocks together… then put it down again. i’m the type of person who once i’m done knittin/crocheting i’m done… there is no putting together… so i put it down again till last week. and i put my rows together and did the border.  i alos thought the border would be a problem but it was bad at all.  i actually enjoyed it.

this one gets a A++++ i really had fun doing it… but don’t think i wanna do another one.

and the last picture of the yarn is going to be a ripple throw for my 1st daughter.

i’m not dead… though sometimes i feel like i’m dying!

so here is the monkey that i made for my neice for Christmas…

not a lot of people like him… but she did so who cares what others thought.  i used one of my Nephews outfits that he had out grown since she is not living with him right now. i thought that it would remind her of her little brother.  ok thats all i have for now.