Oh Dear lord, I think I am dying
I have not updated with very good reason.
My Doctor has switched some medication on me.
With that switch I have gotten serious intestinal issues.
I will be back asap..
I’ve never won blogging awards before :-)
How awesome is this?! Emily over at Family and Life in Las Vegas has awarded me with some awards 🙂
How vonderbar!You are to tell 7 things about yourself, but much like Emily, I hate odd numbers (ocd thing possibly?) So you get 6.
1. I love my dogs. If something happened to them, I may not make it through.
2. I am currently studying for my A+ computer certification. I try and make it through at least 3 chapters a day on the book I am using. I wanted to take it before I started school back up, but they didn't have any openings the Friday before. So I am taking it the week school starts on a Tuesday.
3. I discovered yesterday as I was conditioning my hair, that I am officially out of the TWA (teenie weenie afro) stage and into the medium afro stage. YAY ME!
4. COMPLETE. PRODUCT. JUNKIE.
5. I love clothes, makeup, and fashion...but I love a bargain even more.
6. I have lost 14 lbs in the past couple of weeks. I AM WELL ON MY WAY!! YAY!!!
Now, I must pass these awards to a couple of other people:
1. Black Girl with Long Hair - I enjoy her informative interviews with people as well as her thought provoking "what do you think?" articles
2. Fab Finds Under $50 - She is an Indiana girl like me, she has impeccible taste in fashion, and she loves a bargain as well
3. Beauty and the Bitch - They are just good clean snarky fun!
4. Mommy Loves Stilettos - She is honest, in your face, and unapologetic about it. I like her.. a lot.
Welcome Wednesday- Product Edition
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Hair products and Helping with Leukemia and Lymphoma
Well, that is an odd title isn't it? I mean, even for me it seems a little out of place doesn't it? Normally you would be right, but today that is not the case. On Twitter (or The Twittah as I refer to it) I follow the trend #naturalhair.
That is where I met some of my readers and I also read interesting things that people are doing to their natural hair.
One day there was a post about getting sample sizes of products inexpensively. I contacted the person and they explained to me what was going on.
Shonika Griffin and her twin sister Rashida make up the team PB&J for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They chose the unique way of selling product samples to raise money for their cause. I immediately ordered. 11 years ago I had an incredibly close friend pass away from Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I was 17. She was 19. I know how devastating these diseases can be and was eager to help their cause.
In that vein, I wanted to do an interview with Shonika. This was a unique fundraiser, and the way she was getting attention to her cause was unique as well. She agreed to answer the questions that I e-mailed to her.
1. Why did you pick this charity?
We chose the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) for a few reasons
a. There was a bone marrow drive held in 2009 in the city (NYC) for a little 6 year old girl named Jasmina Anema. She was one of the only African-Americans that we had ever heard of having Leukemia. When she passed in January 2010, it really struck a chord with us.
b. We were on a mission to get healthy. We started running, but didn't really know anything about form, stretching, clothing, etc. LLS had a program called Team In Training that helped train people for endurance events. We thought that was great! We could get more fit and also run for a reason. So we signed up to run our first half marathon (13.1 miles)
We are running in honor of 5 beautiful ladies, including Jasmina
> 2. I think it is a great idea selling the sample sizes of the hair products. It gives us product junkies a chance to try out different things without breaking the bank. How did this idea come along?
Now there are so many different products out there for us natural haired Divas. But even a sample size can run you as much as $6.00 and that's not including taxes and S&H. Who wants to decide between eating or buying one 2oz sample size? We thought this would give people a chance to sample a few different products without breaking the bank. With that same $6.00 you can get as many as 6 different products with us. And it all benefits a wonderful cause!
> 3.
Who is (or are if they're multiples) your partner in helping you? How did you guys meet up?
My partner is my twin sister, Rashida. She's my best friend. I didn't think it was possible, but training for this event together has brought us even more closer. When one of us feels like giving up, the other is right there to lift you up. It's a beautiful thing to have someone who is just as passionate and competitive as you are!! We always stick together (hence our nickname Team PB&J)>
> 4.
Do you have a website I can send people to? One where they can either donate or sign up for products that they would like?
To make a donation, please visit our fundraising websites. Mine is www.tinyurl.com/shonikasanfran. My sister's is www.tinyurl.com/rashidasanfran. To order products, simply email us at shonikagriffin@optonline.net or rashidalgriffin@yahoo.com
You guys, this is a great cause. It is also a great way to try different products without having to shell out a ton of money. I hope that you guys will give Shonika and Rashida a ring....or an email.. You know what I mean.
Tell them Leslie sent you. 🙂
Social Parade!
I am always trying to find ways to meet new people via my blog and gain readership. So I have decided to do the social parade!
I am getting the kitchen cleaned currently and then I plan on donning the swimsuit I fought hard for and headed to the Y! yay!
Be Funny Friday- The Natural Hair Edition
Here are a few simple guidelines we would like you to follow:
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Bee Funny!
Swimsuit Scandal 2010
In my last post I mentioned that it was the first time in several years that I have purchased a swimsuit. What I forgot to mention is that I have TERRIBLE luck with swim suits. The last swimsuit I purchased fell off in the ocean in front of a friend and her boyfriend. So yeah, not the greatest luck with swimsuits.
I should have known last nights bargain was too good to be true.
You see, I didn't try the suit on in the store. It was the hottest day of the year in Indiana. I was just trying to find something and go home and be with my dogs. I nabbed the first one I could find in my size, did the peanut butter and Jelly time dance and ran to go pay.
later on that evening I pulled it out to look at it again. I took a closer look.
I had bought a swimsuit..TOP.
No bottoms. Nothing
I was trying to go to Y yesterday evening. Can't really go swimming without bottoms. Unless I want to scandalize some people.. and possibly anger my husband.
So today I went back to fashion bug in search for bottoms.
They sold their last two pair of bottoms this morning.. and they were a size 8 and a size 6. Even if I knew how to sew well (which I don't) and sewed those together, It might cover a THIGH. ugh. I had to drive to Castleton to find the hubs some swim trunks (we are both plus sized.. so this crap is a chore) and I knew that Avenue was on the way there, so I figured I would check them out.
I found a swimsuit....for 30 dollars. Sadly enough, that is with 50 percent off. *sigh* I then proceded to find my husband some swim trunks...
Editors note: If Plus size male fashion would mainstream like plus size women fashion has, they could make a KILLING. I seriously over paid for swimtrunks. Cute or not. Bastards.
So here we go again.
Swimsuit shopping and Banding
I am going to be honest with you. I haven't owned a swimsuit in possibly 5-6 years. Why? I'm fat, I live in the Midwest, and.. well, that's about all. When it gets hot, I don't go to the pool to cool down. I sit in the house. In the blessed air conditioning. With my dogs.
Things have to change though.
You see, I have always been an active person. Whether it be shopping, working, and cooking, I was always doing SOMETHING.
That has come to an end here recently. I've gotten so big that it has sapped my energy. It hurts to even move. I can't shop because within 30 minutes, my back aches like I just walked 20 blocks.
Things have to change.
Today my husband and I joined the YMCA. I am going to start out swimming. When I have lost enough weight I will work on the machines. I want to be fit and able. I want to be able to have kids. When I do have kids, I don't want to be the bump on the log that parks them in front of the TV.
Things are going to change.
So, with the whole swimming gig, that means I need a swimsuit. It is incredibly late in the summer apparently to be swimsuit hunting. I first started at Wal-Mart.
...I know... I KNOW! But I was there... and it was a good thing I was there too.
There was a teenage plus size girl crying with her mom.
Apparently the girl was upset that the only thing available at Wally world was bikinis. She was feeling fat and unloved. (haven't we all felt this way?) She tugged at my heart strings. I did the only thing I could do in a situation like that; I spoke to her.
"Uh.. excuse me?"
the girl looked up at me mortified. "My name is Leslie..uh... I couldn't help but overhear you having issues with the swimsuits. I'm plus sized too...but, you are smaller than me, and I know for a fact they have a couple of great swimsuits here in your size that will not show a whole lot of skin." I pulled two random pieces from the rack. One was a skirted piece and the other was a halter piece that came to the edge of the skirt. Her mom thanked me and she ran off to the dressing room. There wasn't much there for me (very slim pickings) so I left and went to Fashion Bug.
People, before I continue further, I need to let you know that it is the hottest day of the year. I don't sweat and I AM SWEATING. The walk from Walmart to my car culminated into me being a big hot sweaty fat girl. Don't you just LOVE that visual.
I get to Fashion Bug and walk in. Fat, blobby, sweaty and ugh. The sales lady was nice to me either way. I explained I needed a swimsuit and she frowned.
"We don't have many left, but I will show you what we got." She leads me to a rack of swimsuits and I begin digging. LO AND BEHOLD! I spy a gem of a swimsuit. In my size! that looks decent! OMG!!!! I go up to pay.. AND IT IS EVEN FURTHER ON CLEARANCE!!! This damn swimsuit is like 10 bucks. I must stop this story.. and do the robot.
*does the robot*
I am ready YMCA. Bring it ONNNN!!!!!
In natural hair news, today I have decided I am going to band my hair. I will take before, during and after photos of the whole thing. I am excited.
Today's hair outlook is kind of bleak. I conditioned and moisturized my hair within an inch of its life. I don't know if it is the heat or what, my hair feels horrible. It feels like straw.
I went today to purchase bands and a wide tooth comb so that I can comb the conditioner through my hair when I am deep conditioning tonight. While I was at the store, I came across a darling hair accessory. It is a pink flower with a crystal gem on it. It has three small plumes of feathers on it. I have a wedding to go to this month and have been looking for something like this. YAY!!! It was really inexpensive too. It was 1.99 I will take a picture for my banding entry and put it up there.
Now I need to go read about all the fun stuff the Y offers. I want to get strong enough to take a Zumba class!
Need a new hair style!
Recommend a cute and flirty hairstyle for a TWA!
Product Review: Curls Nurture Cream by Fleurzty
A couple of months ago, I ordered some product. I made a big rant about it on the blog (see here) about the customer service of it all. Eventually I did receive the product. I've been using it off and on for a couple of months and feel like I have enough info to talk about it.
The product is called Curls Nurture Cream. I found it on the website: http://www.textureplayground.com/blog/?page_id=3079
I will type what it says on the jar as far as a description goes.
Provides moisture, shine, definition and softness to your curly styles whether achieved naturally or by setting the hair. CNC is a non-greasy moisturizer.
Uses: Apply this cream after your leave-in conditioner to style. Will keep your hair moisturized for long lasting styles.
My thoughts: Okay, so the stuff works. It's rather nice actually. I can apply this to DRY hair and it absorbs this stuff. I have never had a moisturizer do that before. If my hair was not wet, it would just sit there. and i would look like Don King with grey hair in a cone shape with product on it. I was amazed by that.
However after a couple of hours, my hair felt sort of dry again. Not the crispily crackly dry that I sometimes wake up with if I don't moisturize before bed, but fairly dry. That is something to watch out for.
Oh lord the scent. The scent is incredibly off-putting. You know that pink medicine you had to take as a child for an ear infection? The one your parents tried to convince you was bubble gum but you know good and well you never had a piece of Bubbalicious that tasted like that nonsense? That is what this stuff smells like. Luckily, the scent does not stay in your hair. While putting it in my hair I have flashbacks and the next thing you know I am on the floor screaming "I DON'T WANNA TAKE THE MEDICINE!!!"
It's a decent product. The whole dryness after a couple hours and the scent is off-putting, but it is not bad enough that I wouldn't use the product again.
Espionage Cosmetics
