Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone! Many holidays are coming up and have recently passed. In some places, it starts getting colder. Snow starts to fall. (I'm praying that the snow doesn't stick this season. It's cold, wet and I don't think many people are looking forward to driving on and in it.) I find it just a little sad that Thanksgiving doesn't get the same attention that Halloween, Black Friday, Christmas and New Years get... other than Americans consuming turkey and many other foods. Thanksgiving is way more than food. It's a day to come together with family and/or friends to celebrate and be thankful for all that you have been blessed with. The thing that I'm most grateful for are the people that God has placed in my life that pray for me and believe that I can push through the hard times even when I don't think I can. So I want to pass this along to any and everyone who reads this: I believe that whatever you're going through, you can push through and conquer it. Keep your head up. Don't listen to the people who say that you can't do it or won't get through it. God has the ability to take a situation and make something beautiful out of it. Check out this song by Gungor: Beautiful Things. 

As of today, my locs are 11 months and 1 week old. YAY!!

 

They're really starting develop that rope-like look. They're not quite long enough to wear in a ponytail but, give them a couple months. (In the picture on the left, I have them in 2 pigtails, btw.) I don't wear them in hair ties all the time mainly because I want there to be any breakage. For shampooing, I was using Creme of Nature with Argan Oil. It worked for me in the beginning and smelled great, but then after a while I felt that it started to leave more residue than it did cleaning my hair and scalp. I would dilute it and even try not diluting it but it still left stuff in my hair. :pSo I'm going to stop using that for a while and I'll try something different. Right now, I'm using Shea Moisture African Black Soap Deep Cleansing Shampoo. It has Plantain Enzyme, Tea Tree and Willow Bark Extract so it's great for dandruff, eczema, psoriasis and the general dry, itchy scalp. All of the other ingredients come from plants so it smells wonderful! It does not contain parabens, phthalates, paraffin, gluten, propylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, PABA, synthetic color, DEA, animal ingredients or sulfates. According to the label it has certified organic ingredients and does not do animal testing. (YAY for the animals!) Sounds wonderful to me, so I'm giving them a try. The first time I used it, my scalp was a little itchy and dry. It worked wonderfully! It lathered up well and didn't leave any residue. My locs didn't feel dry or too oily/residue-y. I've honestly never thought I would love my hair in it's natural state like I do now.

In 2 days, I will also be celebrating my 6 month Vegeversary! I'm feeling good and it's been so long since I've taken any meds for the stomach issues I've had in the past. For Thanksgiving, I made "Mushroom and Fennel Bread Pudding". It taste sooo good and even has a bit of a savory taste to it thanks to the mushrooms. Along with that, I told my extended family that I was now a lacto-ovo vegetarian and my reasons why. They were very understanding and loving. There was a lot of "I could never do that!" going around the table and I couldn't help but smile. Mainly because that was the response that I had expected from the start. They all loved the dish and took some home. Just in case you want to know, it taste even better the next day after it's been refrigerated and re-warmed.

So here we are getting ready for Christmas. *Insert your favorite Christmas song here* This year has flown past. I'm so thankful that God has brought me to this place in my life and that He has been patient with me the ENTIRE time. A couple verses he's laid on my heart these past few weeks are:

"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."

Psalm 27:13-14

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31

"I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you' I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 41:9-10

"Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

Matthew 6:26-27

These verses continually remind me that no matter what, God is not going to leave me, He has a plan and it's way better than mine, and that it's not all about me; it's about HIM so I don't need to worry or fret. So I'm working on being more patient and finding other things to do rather than worry. For example, I've taught myself how to knit and I occasionally work on my swing dancing, particularly in the kitchen when I'm waiting for my food to cook. Funnily enough, my parents haven't looked at me strange for dancing with an invisible dance partner.

So that's it. I hope to find and make another delicious looking vegetarian dish for Christmas. :D Love you all!