I know what you're thinking...two posts in one week? What kind of madness is this? The kind where I'm trying to procrastinate from the huge stack of essays I need to grade, the articles I need to read, the lessons I need to plan, and the 20 page paper I need to read for and research.
But it's also the kind where I know how much you all love reading my blog and you love the little quirky things that happen to me.
So last week when I went grocery shopping, I decided that I was going to make two meals from my recipe board on Pinterest. The chili I made on Monday was the first meal (my hand is fine by the way. The cut is already closed up), and I decided to make some chicken tacos from a recipe I found on this blog.
Still can't find my camera charger. Sorry for the pixelated picture.
But I also wanted to make these tacos a little extra special, so I decided I was going to make homemade corn tortillas to put the taco meat on. So, after my morning class, I headed to Wal-Mart to pick up the necessary ingredients (which was so much cheaper than buying regular tortillas I might add!).
As I was leaving the store, I noticed this little girl who was holding on to one of the blue pillars outside the door, and she was sobbing. And people were just walking right past her. To be fair, this elderly lady noticed, and she was about to stop and ask the girl if she was alright, but I got there first.
I bent down so that I was at the little girls level, and I asked her, "What's the matter honey?" To which she tearfully replied, "I can't find my mommy!" My heart broke a little when she said that and I almost started crying with her. I said, "You can't find your mommy?" and she said in a little voice, "Yeah. So I told her, "Well, I can help you find your mommy." She said OK and took my hand and we walked back into the store.
I asked what her name was and what her mommy's name was while we walked over to the customer service counter. I talked to the assistant manager and he called over the P.A. system for the mother. While I was waiting with this little girl and to get her calmed down, I asked her how old she was and she showed me how many on her hand (four). Then I asked her what her favorite thing to do is:
"Um....Uh...Um...somersaults."
"Somersaults? That's fun! Can you do a cartwheel?"
She nodded her head, even though I'm not sure she knows what a cartwheel is.
And then her mom came walking up with a full cart and another child in the little seat. "Megan! Where were you? We were trying on boots."
You were still in the store and you weren't aware that your child had wandered outside? Lady, maybe you should consider one of those child leashes.
Modern Family anyone? "And now she's chasing squirrels."
And better yet, the mom didn't even thank me. You're welcome for finding your child and keeping her protected from potential kidnappers or getting hit by a car.
But I did feel better when the little girl ran up and gave her mom a huge hug. At least the child was thankful.
So, let's just say little Megan definitely made my day extra special.
And my tacos were delicious. It was those corn tortillas (and the stranded little girl) that made them so tasty.
Just in case you want to know how to make your own corn tortillas, here is the recipe:
Corn Tortillas
corn flour (can usually find down the Hispanic Food section)
Season-All salt
water
Put a few scoopfuls of corn flour into a bowl. Sprinkle in some of the seasoning salt for taste. Add a little water at a time. You want the dough to be slightly wet, but not runny. Take two pieces of wax paper (or plastic bags cut into circles, like I used) and put a handful of the dough between them. Then take a circle cake pan and press onto the dough, forming a circle. Fry it up in a frying pan with just a little oil.
For those of you who know me well, you know how klutzy I am when it comes to sharp objects. Whether it's a knife, a needle, a cheese grater or even a car door, it has somehow managed to cut me.
Such was the case four years ago when I was making dinner and tried to open a can with a knife as I had no can opener--Freshman logic is not the best logic.
The damage done four years ago.
And such was the case last night when I tried to make my dinner. I found this really tasty recipe on Pinterest for Turkey Chili and I was so excited to make it. It was probably this excitement that caused me to make a hasty move and stab my hand again. Anyway, the ground turkey I had bought was the kind that is packaged in a plastic tube and has clips on the end. I have always been under the impression that these clips are metal, so I started to cut the plastic off with a little paring knife the knife slipped off of the frozen turkey, and well you get the picture. What is funny about this story is that it was the exact same hand that I had stabbed years ago, and my new scar will be perpendicular to my old one (oh, now he has a friend!). Well, the moral of this story:
Yep, I've been doing it wrong for years! And I'm sure my hands will appreciate my new found knowledge.
Photo from www.skinnytaste.com (my camera's battery was dead)
Long story short, I finished making the chili and it was soooo good. My roommate told me it was better than Wendy's chili, so I'll take that as a complement. You can find the recipe here.And on the plus side, it's super healthy!
But don't be a dorky klutz like me and stab your hand open in the process of making this deliciousness :)
I'm a fan of How I Met Your Mother. If you haven't ever watched it, shame on you. Anyway, one of the characters on this show, Barney Stinson, comes up with all of these funky, yet always somehow slightly true, ways of judging people/solutions to work and relationship problems/dating rules. For instance, he has a scale called the "Crazy/Hot" scale where a girl can only be so crazy if she is only so hot (observe here).
As I was writing my post the other day about how curly haired people are portrayed in the media, it got me to thinking. Is there a way that these characters could be ordered to create my own Barney Stinson inspired scale of sorts. Yes.
So here it is, the Curly Chain! On one end of the scale, you have the beautiful, curly haired people and as you move down the chain, you slowly get characters that are more frizzy or more crazy/geeky/nerdy or sometimes all of the above. Now, even though the media tends to exaggerate things, I think that just like Barney's creations, there can be some slight truth to the Curly Chain. Forgive the length of this post, but I promise it will be a fun ride!
The Curly-Beauties:
1. Rose Dawson/Marianne Dashwood
At the top, we have these two Kate Winslet characters circa 1990's. Now, both of these girls have certain crazy qualities (Who wants to jump off a ship when it's completely safe, and then jump back on it when it's sinking? And who will get deathly ill just because of heartbreak?) But, these qualities are circumstantial and based on the periods they lived in. It's quite understandable why Rose, feeling the weight of her family's downfall on her shoulders, might try to jump off the Titanic. And knowing the character of Marianne Dashwood and her complete belief in true love, it makes sense why she would stand on a hill during a rainstorm after her heart was ripped apart (stupid Willoughby!). But we also have to take into account their beautiful curls. Even in the midst of almost jumping off the ship, Rose's hair is perfectly curled and not at all frizzy. And even though she is losing the love of her life, Marianne's hair is always tightly curled. That's why they are at the top of the chain.
2. Christine Daae
Again, look at those perfect curls. Not fair! Christine from Phantom of the Opera is another example of a slightly crazy curly girl, but her crazy is just a little more than those previous. Who doesn't realize that some sociopath is singing to you and kidnapping you? I don't care how sexy his voice may be, it isn't worth it girlfriend! A stalker is a stalker. But, you also have to give her credit for showing sympathy and kindness to the Phantom, despite his appearance. That, along with her beautiful curls keep her close to the top.
3. Andie Anderson/Benjamin Berry
I'm
cheating a bit with this one, having two together, but I can explain
why. Throughout this movie, Andie is driving Ben nuts, but he in turn is
playing her. What I think is interesting--and I guess you have to be
curly-haired obsessed to notice this--is whenever Andie and Ben are the
closest they have ever been, they both are sporting curly hair. Usually,
Andie/Kate Hudson has straight hair throughout the movie, but in these
instances, she's got her natural curls going. Coincidence? Maybe. But
despite their cute curly hair-dos, their actions through the rest of the
movie do make themselves and each other crazy.
4. Patrick Verona--10 Things I Hate About You
Oh,
that smile! :D Now, even though Patrick/Heath is such a hunk here, what
moves him lower down the chain is his outcast status. He is surrounded
by a cloud of rumors and has next to zero friends. But that doesn't stop
him from charming the heart of the teenage shrew Kat (and of course
every woman watching the film). Remember, it isn't just the crazy
neuroses that move someone down the scale. Otherwise, he would be #1, no
argument.
5. River Song--Doctor Who
Yep,
I'm a Who fan. Although I prefer the 10th Doctor's adventures, this
woman kicks some intergalactic butt with the 11th Doctor, and has
perfect curly hair while doing so. What makes her further down the chain
is the fact that she's a convict. And that she's bossy and trigger
happy. And because of a couple of things that she did at the end of last
season which I'm not going to say (Spoilers!). If her curls weren't so
perfect, she would be at the other end of the scale.
6. Janie--Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Who
doesn't love a good 80's dance flick? I always love asking people about
this movie and seeing who actually knows what I'm talking about.
Anyway, in this movie, Janie/Sarah Jessica usually has
straightened/fried hair. It's bad. It does not look healthy and it does
not suit her well. What makes me happy is at the end of the movie, when
she's declaring her independence, dancing her heart out with her honey,
she suddenly has a new do, curls. Yes! Score for all those curly haired
girls with big dance dreams. What moves her down the chain? Her
geekiness about dance/gymnastics and her Catholic school uniform.
The In-Betweens:
7. Pam Beesly--The Office
This
girl has also had some hairstyle changes through the show, but who can
forget her humble, frizzy-haired beginnings? It just makes her character
even that more likeable. You may think that I'm crazy for putting her
this low on the list, but you have to remember that Pam is a big dork.
Even Jim admits it. But, she's also adorable while being dorky, and
that's why she's higher up than some of those below her. And the fact
that she learns how to tame those curls, once she gets a confidence
boost and a new man.
8.Grace Adler--Will and Grace
Like
Pam above her, Grace starts off more curly haired than she does by the
end of the series. But look at those red curls! Aren't they fabulous.
Now, Grace is also a big dork and can be pretty crazy at times.
Especially when she tries to sing. But she's also a successful business
owner and has a quirky sense of humor.
9. Elaine Benis--Seinfeld
Oh,
Elaine. Her unforgettable spunk. Her zany facial expressions. But she's
also a bit neurotic at times. But she's got some great curls as well.
And who could forget this memorable television moment.
Yadda, yadda, yadda, these dance moves are basically what move her lower down the chain.
10. Monica Gellar--Friends
One
would never know that Monica has curly hair until this trip to the
Bahamas. Side story, my family secretly wants me to go to the Caribbean
so that this same thing will happen. Could you imagine? Back to Monica,
this woman certainly has her own quirks and idiosyncracies. The OCD
cleaning, the man struggles (until Chandler that is), her fat past. They
just keep piling and piling up. But because of this one-time peek of
her curls, this is what keeps her out of the crazy/nerdy/geeky part of
the chain.
The Quirky Curlies:
11. Regina "Skeeter" Phelan
So,
book Skeeter and movie Skeeter are slightly different. When you read
"The Help" you get the sense that Skeeter's curly hair is completely
uncontrollable. That's why I put her lower on the list here. But when
you see this picture, you don't get that sense at all. Her hair still
looks great. What also puts her lower is her social outcast status that
happens as she continues on with her writing. And the fact that she is
so focused on that writing that it drives the majority of her decisions.
That's dedication, but it's also nerdy. I can say this because I am the
same way.
12. Mia Thermopolis--The Princess Diaries
Again,
the differences between book and movie help in the judging here. Book
Mia has triangle hair and movie Mia has frizzy curls. Put them together
and you get a typical, bad-haircut, curly haired girl. Mia is also
crazy. She's a hypochondriac, she's can't speak in public without
barfing, she's nerdy, and she has a fat cat. What puts her higher in the
quirky bunch is the fact that she's a princess. Because that's just
awesome.
13. Ms. Frizzle--The Magic School Bus
Seat
belts, everyone! The only cartoon character to make the list, and of
course it's the eccentric teacher that I would love to emulate. She has
her curly hair in a bun most of the time, but she can't hide the fact
that she's a curly girl. It's even in her name, FRIZZle. Despite her
crazy catchphrases, wild printed dresses and matching earrings, pet
lizard and crazy adventures, it's her choice of wheels that keeps her
higher in this section. A school bus that can fly into space, shrink to
the size of a bug and enter the human body is pretty freakin' cool.
14. Ronald Miller--Can't Buy Me Love
Before
his McDreamy days, Patrick Dempsey was playing this awkward, curly
haired geek who pays a pretty girl to make him popular. And the first
thing she does is slick some mousse through his hair. And it works. But
then he turns into a jerk. Still, he can't completely hide his
geekiness, and by the end of the movie he's back to riding his lawn
mower, but at least with Cindy Mancini riding with him. If it were
anyone but Patrick Dempsey playing Ronnie, he would be the very bottom
of this list. But I do have a soft spot for McDreamy.
15. Chunk--The Goonies
This
poor kid. Not only does he have curly hair and buck teeth, but he's
chubby and his friends take advantage of that. Many times actually. But I
can't help but love him. Beneath his clumsiness, cowardice and chub,
he's a sweetie. He's still pretty low on the list, because he just has
too much going against him.
16. Hermione Granger--Harry Potter
I
seem to be making a lot of book/movie comparisons, but this one takes
the cake. The first words written about Hermione Granger in The
Sorcerer's Stone is her frizzy brown hair. In fact, it's her main
characteristic besides her buck teeth, which he ends up getting
magically shrunk (why isn't this world real?). Growing up, I identified
with Hermione. I was frizzy haired and had buck teeth. I was a book nerd
and a teacher's pet. I was bossy and stubborn (still am). I was fixated
on school and only had a few close friends (still mostly true).
Although they got her other geeky/crazy qualities right, I feel like the
movie just didn't do Hermione's hair justice. At least until the sixth
movie and we got this lovely moment.
Finally,
we saw Hermione's frizzy curls! It was truly a happy day in my life
because I got to see the Hermione I had so identified with actually come
across perfectly. Even though she is essential to helping Harry defeat
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, she is still the same geek every step of the
way. And that's why I love her.
So there you have it
folks. The Curly Chain is complete. I think Barney Stinson would be proud. What do you think? Do you think it's
accurate or do you think I'm completely off? Even if you don't have
curly hair, where would you place yourself on the chain?
Some of you know that I've been working retail on and off since last summer (and I'm planning a post on it for next week). I see a lot of people come through our store who have curly hair and I always instantly have a connection with them--it just happens. But I never get asked about my hair unless I say something first, until today.
I had an older lady come in today to try on a bunch of outfits for a wedding later this month. I kept checking on her and bringing her new things and different sizes, and I could already tell that she was chatty. So, as I was ringing her up, she asked me if my hair was naturally curly and I said yes. She told me that she loved my curls and that she wished she could make her hair curl "forward" (apparently my curls go forward? I don't know, that's just what she said) like mine. I told her that it has taken me years to tame my hair--as you can see here--and that even today I was having struggles getting it to look right. But no matter how much I complained about my hair, she kept telling me how cute it looked and how she wished she had natural curls.
Isn't that always the case. People with straight hair want curls, and people with curls want straight hair.
Which brings me to the next part of my post. I'm a huge fan of the 90's t.v. show "Boy Meets World" and I recently found the seasons on DVD at Barnes and Noble. I love the relate-able story lines and the corny jokes. And Cory Matthews is my new curly haired friend.
There's this episode where Cory is feeling insecure about his curly hair and so he tries to chemically straighten his hair. And it turns out even worse. In some of the other episodes, Cory continues to have hair issues and gets teased, even being compared to a Brillo pad. I think it's fantastic that there is a realistic portrayal of a curly haired kid out there. Usually, the person is completely drop-dead gorgeous or a complete frizzy haired nerd, like Mia in "The Princess Diaries." There haven't really been curly haired characters that look completely normal, but still feels insecure and sometimes get teased.
Just another reason why "Boy Meets World" is awesome!
Remember, if you have any ideas for the blog, let me know! :)
Okay readers, I need your help. I'm in a blogging slump right now and need your input. I've successfully maneuvered my way through the Curly Girl Method, and now I don't really know what to post about. Part of my problem is I have been busy busy busy with my summer job, but soon I'll be back at school and I'll be looking for a way to procrastinate (ha ha...but no, really).
Here's where you come in. Leave me a comment telling me something you want to see on the blog or if you have any other fantastic ideas. And it doesn't necessarily have to be about hair care. I'll keep brainstorming ideas on my end, but if I knew a little bit more about what you all are looking for, that would help me narrow and hone in on something.
Oh, and one last thing (if you want). Help a sister out and tell your friends about the blog. I would love to have new readers join in--not that you aren't all fabulous!
I thought it would be fun to do a post about my curly haired childhood and show all of you readers that when it comes to having natural curly hair, I've been through it all. I wish that I had some better photos where you can really see my struggle of coming to terms with my hair, but alas, I don't have them digitized yet--in particular my seventh grade school picture would be fantastic; seriously isn't it enough asking any child to go through junior high without the pains of having curly hair?
Anyway, these pictures should give you some sort of proof that I know what I'm talking about.
Let's start at the beginning shall we. This is a terrible copy, but this is me as a 1-year-old. Can you barely see those tight curls? Yep, this is why I have short hair people. It curls better when it's short, or when I have barely any hair in the first place. Sadly, my curls would really never be this curly again.
Now, I don't have any pictures of my elementary school years on my computer, but let me paint you a picture with words. The year is 1999. I'm in the fourth grade, and because I'm just a lowly nine-year-old, I apparently have no say in how my hair is cut or styled. One day, one of my older sisters--I won't name names, but you know who you are :) --suggested a certain style to my mother and the hair stylist, and that was the style I got. Let's fast forward to the next day on the Hillview Elementary playground, where a group of boys from my grade noticed my hair and came up with a nickname for me--Afro Queen. They followed me around at recess and sang disco songs at me. Now, my hair wasn't exactly an afro, but it had slight tendencies that way, and nevertheless, I still remember shedding a few tears that day. OK, OK, I bawled like a baby, but wasn't it enough that I already had a huge overbite, thick glasses AND curly hair.
Next, if I had it, I would show you my seventh grade picture. But again, I feel words may better describe what happened. I was waiting in line to have my picture snapped. I was wearing my favorite purple shirt, and had a sparkly head band in my hair; I was feeling pretty good about my potential picture, despite having enough metal in my mouth to build a railroad. Then a volunteer/room mom came up to me with a comb and some hair spray and said "Oh, here let me help fix your hair a little bit." Now, I had checked the mirror before this, and my hair had looked fine. A little crazy, but that's the point I was at with my curls. This woman, bless her heart, had no idea what she was getting into. The result was a bunch of flyways and a strand of hair sticking almost straight up from my head. If this wasn't bad enough, I wasn't quite ready for the photographer when he said smile (it takes me a while to get a good smile going, even to this day), so I ended up with frizzy hair and a goofy smile.
Although I don't have the masterpiece of my seventh grade photo, I do have this beauty from eighth grade. The same sister who suggest the "afro" haircut was my hair stylist and make-up artist for this doosy (thanks again). I remember one of my friends said to me, "You kinda look like a hooker today." In terms of curly-ness, my hair wasn't too bad here, it was just really crunchy that day from all the products swimming around in there, and it was super poofy. And of course we have the signature bangs I rocked for many years. But can you see the pain in my eyes? Yes, that is coming from having crunchy hair and having to force a smile to come out from the elastics forbidding my mouth to open wider than a centimeter.
Ninth grade, where my curls started fizzling out a bit and became more like waves. This was probably the most normal school picture I had ever had. I was finally braces free and I had finally won independence when it came to styling myself for school pictures.
It was about sophomore year where I went into curly haired denial for two years. I tried to straighten my hair as much as I could those two years, even having my hair chemically straightened once. This picture is from my junior year of high school, right in the middle of those straight years. I don't really remember this picture day, except that day was around 90 degrees outside and the sweater I was wearing made me really hot and sweaty, which probably made my hair start to curl in protest.
And then we come to my senior year of high school, where I came out of straightened denial and started to come to terms about my curly hair. But, the trouble with that was my hair was too long for these pictures, so it was only really curly at the bottom. I tried my best, but here would start years of curly-hair strife, until a couple of months ago, when I started the Curly Girl Method.
Again, this is pretty much what my hair has looked like throughout my college career. This is the day before starting the Curly Girl Method, with semi-curly/wavy hair. But now, I'm enjoying and embracing my curls...
I finally have uniform curls and I love it! Of course, there are still some days where my hair just doesn't cooperate, but those are less. And I still have straight-hair denial. But I think that I've made some progress.
A few months ago, I got a curly hair tip/idea from my friend Rebekah (who is also has a fantastic blog called Head Over Heels. Check out the button on the sidebar --->). She showed me this link from The Letter 4 blog which suggests using egg whites as a gel and the whole egg as a conditioner. I liked the idea, but I haven't gotten around to trying it. Until now.
I started off by using the egg as a conditioner. I felt as though I was getting ready to make an omelet as I scrambled the little sucker in a liquid measuring cup. I made a quick shower playlist on my laptop (with just a few of my Showtune favorites) then hopped in. I made the mistake of washing my body before doing the egg-ditioner. When I dumped the egg over my head, it went dripping everywhere. So I ended up washing my body twice. I turned the water down to barely lukewarm, mostly cold temperature so that I wouldn't end up with a scrambled mess in my tresses. And I made sure to thoroughly rinse my hair as I belted out my Broadway tunes (On my own, pretending he's beside me....anyone else excited for the Les Mis film?). When I got out of the shower, I sniffed the air. It smelled slightly like cooked eggs in my bathroom. Hmm...I hope that doesn't last too long.
I couldn't really tell a difference between the egg-ditioner and my usual conditioner, but my hair did comb a little bit easier.
Since I did the egg-ditioner at night, I decided to wait until the morning to do the egg gel. But, since I was in the DIY/spa mood, I decided to do a little Internet/Pinterest research and see if I could find some sort of facial mask. On Pinterest, I found this suggestion to combine 2 tablespoons of honey with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of nutmeg and use it as a mask for 30 minutes. I didn't have any nutmeg, so I decided to find another mask idea. By typing DIY mask into google, I found this link for a bunch of facial masks made out of stuff you have in your fridge, and low and behold, one of them suggested an egg. So I decided to combine that with the honey/cinnamon to create something I would like to name The French Toast Facial.
Now, when I combined the egg, honey and cinnamon together, it looked a little like this:
Yep. It looks like poop a little bit. And I'm not going to lie, when I scooped it out to put it on my face, the mixture felt a lot like phlegm. So, I spread it over my face, making sure not to get it in my eyes.
And it looked like I had gotten a really bad spray tan. I checked what time it was and did some math to figure out how long 30 minutes would be.
Well, let's just say, I did not make it 30 minutes. Whoever suggested putting cinnamon on your face for that long is a cold-hearted, evil being. It BURNS! After making it about 8 minutes, I was in a lot of pain, and after running around my house screaming for 2 minutes, I finally decided to just rinse the dang stuff off my face. The directions suggest to rub the mixture in circular motions to use the cinnamon to exfoliate, and I tried to, but all I could think of was getting the stuff off.
Even after rinsing, my face felt like little flames were blazing everywhere; and as you can see here my face looked like I had a really bad sunburn (it even matches the shade of pink from my bathroom walls). I placed a cold rag over my face, which felt good for the moment, but it was smothering me and I couldn't breathe very well. So then I ran to the freezer and stuck my head in, which reminded me of that Friends episode where Monica is so hot she opens the freezer and just sits there in the cold air.
After about twenty minutes, my face finally felt better. And my skin did feel smooth and fresh. Probably because I burned all the dead skin away. I think that if I do the mask again, I will decrease the amount of cinnamon, and only leave it on for about five minutes.
This morning, I decided to try the egg gel, which will now be referred to as the Meringue Mousse. When I got out of the shower, I went into the kitchen and took out my eggs. I thought that I should use two, just to be on the safe side, since my hair is pretty thick. I carefully separated the yolk from the whites, and then started whipping the whites with a fork. It was probably from my lack of sleep that took me about two minutes before I realized that using a hand mixer would be a lot faster. I whipped the eggs to the consistency of hair mousse and then proceeded to my bathroom. I grabbed some of the mousse and worked it through my hair. I quickly saw that two eggs was way more than I needed. I now needed to blow dry my hair.
"But wait!" some of you may be saying, "if you're using the curly girl method, you can't blow dry your hair without a diffuser" and those of you who have read my posts before know that I don't own a diffuser. But while digging around in my sister's bathroom drawer last night, I found an attachment. Hooray! So, I dried my hair, but left it slightly damp, and then I scrunched my curls and styled it like normal. Let's just say, the curls looked pretty good, but they were a little crunchy.
I don't think I'll use the Meringue Mousse everyday, but I think a once-in-a-while occurrence may be in the future, especially when I'm running low on gel.
Who would have known that one food item could have so many uses.
Here are the directions for all three of the eggs-periments! :)
Egg-Ditioner:
1 egg
Beat the egg like you would for scrambled eggs. While in the shower, put the egg over your hair and work it in like you would your regular conditioner. Let it sit for about a minute, then rinse in lukewarm water.
Meringue Mousse:
1-2 eggs (depending on length and thickness)
Separate the yolk from the egg whites, and then whip the whites until they form a hair-mousse consistency. Work the mousse through your hair, and then blow dry using a diffuser. Scrunch curls into desired style. Make sure to wash your hair the same night, otherwise you might end up with some scary looking hair the next morning!
French Toast Facial:
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon (depends on your pain tolerance)
Mix the ingredients together until they form a runny paste. Spread the mixture over your face evenly, avoiding your mouth and eyes. Let it sit for about five minutes (or however long you are comfortable) and then rinse with water. While rinsing, scrub the mixture in circular motions over face and exfoliate your skin. Pat dry.
OK, so I've been doing something a little different with my hair styling routine, and I think it is helping a little bit.
After I get of the shower and put my contacts in (oh to have perfect vision!) I've been waiting a few minutes before I put any styling products in my hair. I usually go and browse facebook or pinterest for about 5 minutes (or sometimes longer if I get distracted) and then I go do my hair. And for some reason, it's been curling a lot better. When I don't do this, sometimes I get this weird flat spot where my hair comes out from my head and it's flat and then it poofs out at the bottom. Not all that attractive. Anyway, I thought I would just give this little tip.
Song of the week: One Sweet Love-Sara Bareilles
I haven't done one of these in forever, so I thought I would do with this post. I couldn't decide what song I wanted to use, so I decided to let my Zune choose for me. I went into my song list and chose the song that I have listened to the most, and this was the winner. This is not a huge surprise to me. I love Sara Bareilles. I bought her first album when I was a senior in high school and I've actually performed some of her songs before (church talent show/humanities project), although I haven't done this song before. This is my favorite song by her because I love the lyrics and it's heavy on the guitar, which is different from her piano-centered songs.
OK, maybe I'm cheating a little by posting two songs, but I also love this cover of "In Your Eyes" that she did.
That's right. You're not seeing things. I finally have an update.
This is what my hair is looking like these days. It's doing a bit better because I'm using a new conditioner. Which brings to my sad news. My favorite conditioner, the Burt's Bees Shiny Grapefruit and Sugar Beet Conditioner is no longer being sold in stores. It is only available online until supplies last. Working in retail tells me that this particular conditioner probably isn't selling very well, so they are selling it at a lower price to get rid of it. Dang it! I loved this conditioner--not just because it smelled like those chocolate oranges you can get at Christmas time that you smack on the table and it breaks into slices--but because it did wonders for my hair.
After trying the Yes! brand of conditioner, which made me backtrack to frizzy hair land, I decided to go back to the Burt's Bees brand because it is amazing and advertises right on the bottle that their conditioners are sulfate-free. These are key-words to any Curly Girl method follower. Sulfates and Silicones are like poison to curly hair.
My new best friend.
So, I chose to use the Very Volumizing Pomegranate Conditioner, and my
hair is starting to get back to curly, non-frizzyness that my hair was
at in March. It doesn't smell as good as the Grapefruit and Sugar Beet, but as long as it gets the job done, I guess it's alright.
Yes, it is true. You aren't just seeing things. I'm finally updating Chaotic Curls! So sorry for the long hiatus. I finished my semester in April, moved down to Utah, started work and I just needed a little bit of a writing break, but now I'm ready to get back to posting.
You'll have to forgive my photos for the next couple of months. I've forgotten my camera battery charger in the move, so I have to use my laptop camera to take my pictures now.
So, as I said before, I moved down to Utah while I am on spring/summer break from school. There are a lot of things I love about Utah, but there is at least one thing I HATE about Utah: It is so stinkin' dry here, and my hair does not like the arid heat. I have been struggling to get my hair to curl like it does up in Idaho. I don't know what the difference is between these two places, but Utah has never been too kind to my curly hair.
As you can see, I'm pretty much in the in-between place I was a couple of months ago. It's not quite curly, but it's definitely not straight.
Now, I will admit, I have gotten a little bit lax with some of the Curly Girl rules. I don't comb my hair in the shower any more (mostly cause I've misplaced my comb at the moment), and I haven't been rinsing in cold water. Also, when I went to go buy more conditioner, the Walmart here didn't have my favorite (Burt's Bees Sugar Beet Conditioner). Instead, my sister recommended the Yes! conditioner, which says it is 99.8% (or something along those lines) natural, but I'm not so sure my hair likes it all that much. So yes, these few things could be contributing to my lack-of-curls style I've got going on right now, but I still want to blame it on the Utah air.
As you can see, it curls a lot nicer. I'm glad that I started the Curly Girl Method before I got my hair cut, because otherwise this would have been a gigantic, frizzy mess. The only thing that's a little bit hard with my hair so short now is drying it with my cotton t-shirt. I don't really have any hair to squeeze the water out of. Basically I just have to hold the cloth on my head for a little bit and hope it soaks up the moisture. Also, I'm not going through conditioner as fast. That will save me a lot of money.
For those of you thinking about doing the Curly Girl Method, I definitely recommend it. My hair has never looked better, and it's never been healthier. Seriously, when I straightened it the other day, I couldn't help but keep touching it because it felt so smooth and it was shiny. It's a definite upgrade from my usual dry frizz.
1. My birthday is the first day of spring (depending on the year)
2. It's the prelude to summer
However, on days where I straighten my hair, walk outside and the sun is shining, so I wear a jacket without a hood, and then after my first class it is pouring rain, I absolutely HATE spring. Why? Just take a look below.
I had to go the rest of the day with my hair making me look like a hobo. Blast you spring weather!
Guess who finally got a new haircut! That's right me. I went to a local beauty college to get my hair done. My roommate's sister is graduating from the beauty college in a few weeks, so I trusted that she would do a good job, (especially since she has curly hair herself and knows how to cut and style curly hair. As you'll see from my picture, my hair is straight, because she had to blow dry my hair to make sure the layers were cut right. But I absolutely love the cut, and I'm excited to see how it looks curly!
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School has been busy, but I've also been substituting for the teacher I T.A. for. I absolutely love teaching and I love that my job gives me that opportunity.
My hair hasn't really changed since my last update. Still using the curly girl method, still haven't gotten it cut. Hopefully soon though!
This post is a little different. I made some really good brownies last night and I thought I would share the recipe.There were much needed for my roommates and I; we had a single girls' night where we got in our pajamas, ate brownies and watched the last two Twilight movies (one of my roommates hadn't seen them. We thought she would enjoy watching something extremely cheesy and easy to make fun of). I used one recipe from one site for the brownies, and another recipe from another for the frosting. So here is the combined recipe. It's kind of weird because you mix it all together in a saucepan, but I'm telling you, these were probably the best brownies I have ever eaten.
Dang Delicious Brownies with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
3/4 cup butter (the recipe called for shortening, but I didn't have any)
3/4 cup cocoa
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 pan (I didn't have a 9x13, so I used an 8x11). Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the cocoa powder and stir until well incorporated, then remove from heat. Mix in the sugar and vanilla. Stir in one egg at a time. Add the flour, baking powder and salt until well mixed. Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes.
Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 - 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Beat together butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Sift in cocoa powder and beat until smooth. Add in milk and vanilla, along with about 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar. Mix at medium speed until very smooth. Add additional confectioners’ sugar as needed until frosting is thick, smooth and spreadable. If it becomes too thick, just add a little more milk.
These brownies aren't the healthiest things ever, but let's be honest, if you're eating a brownie, you're not doing it to be healthy. : )
I decided that a little crafty creativity was long overdue and would help me unwind from the stress that is life.
I've been meaning to do this craft for about a year now. I mean I have literally had 75% of the supplies for over a year, I just kept putting it off.
The bigger panels were not made by me. I purchased them at Wal-Mart, but they could probably be re-created with the same process I use for the tiles, just with a bigger base
I bought a four-piece coaster set from my local craft store near the end of 2010. My plan was to modge podge pictures onto them and hang them on my wall as tiles.
I then tried to decide what pictures I wanted to put on the coasters. I love classic films (as you can see). I love the spectacle, the romance, the song-and-dance numbers. So, I got some snapshots from some of my favorite classic films, did a little photoshop magic, and voila! I was ready to get out my jar of modge podge.
Price wise, this is about $10. I can't remember how much the coasters were because I bought them on sale, but the price tag on the container said they were usually $6. I spent a little over $1 to print off the photos, but I get a pretty good deal at my school's copy spot.
Time-wise, photoshopping the pictures took the longest. All I did was take the photo, make a black-and-white layer, and then erase part of that layer to bring back the color.
The modge podge part took about 15 minutes total.
I'm pleased with the finished product, but I think I need to do a few more so that it looks a little better. And I think I want to glue them into some sort of frame. Right now, they are just sticky-tacked onto my wall.
And I do love how they go with my Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe panels.
Photos (left to right): "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "White Christmas," "Singing in the Rain," and "Easter Parade."
Surprise! I'm finally blogging again. The last couple weeks have been crazy busy for me as next week is mid-term. I've had a massive paper due last week and this week have had tests and such. This weekend most of my roommates will be gone, and I have already claimed our living room to lay out all of my remaining assignments and finish them.
I was thinking the other day about how much I complain about school and college life. But then I remember that this is all self inflicted. Unlike public K-12 school, I have chosen the stress and agony of 15 page papers, grocery shopping on a budget, waiting until the last possible moment to do laundry and lousy housing complexes that are out to get you. So I better just suck it up and deal--which should be easy-peasy since I'm graduating in December.
Anyway, I digress, that is why I haven't posted in two weeks. But I have a nice little update for you today.
As you can see, still no haircut. I'm thinking by the end of next week it will be done. But I have to think of what I want to do for sure, and I need to decide if I can trust any hair stylists in town to not give me triangle haircut. Part of me wants to keep growing my hair out. I haven't had my hair longer than my shoulders since I was about nine-years-old. But since then, I can't ever get it past the stupid awkward length it's at right now. And I know that my curls won't be the tight and sassy curls I get with short hair. Oh, decisions, decisions.
The method is still going well. I'm already through my second bottle of conditioner. It's so dry up here that my hair just sucks up any moisture it can get. I also purchased my second bottle of gel. Stuck with the got2b stuff because everything else either had the nasty chemicals in it, or was way way way out of my price range.
All of the websites I have read say that by week 6 your hair should really be showing the curls and not be so frizzy. But I don't think those websites take into account the dry windy air of Eastern Idaho and the need for shorter hair.
Song of the Week: No 'bout a doubt it--Marion Hutton
Over the past two years I have started to get into older, jazzy vocalists. There's just something unique about listening to singers who can actually sing without big production managers like music today. These people have raw voices and it's just beautiful. This song not only shows that raw talent, but also is super cute.
I meant to post this yesterday, but I had about four hours of education homework and didn't have time. I had my roommate take my picture yesterday morning, that way you can see what my hair looks like before I step outside and it is accosted by the frigid weather.
I forgot to get a side shot, and also you can see that I still haven't gotten my hair cut. I did, however, have to buy my second bottle of conditioner. I stuck with the Burt's Bees conditioner because it's working and it smells fantastic; the scent resembles those chocolate oranges you can get at Christmas time. It makes my shower even more enjoyable.
I hope that I can get my haircut next week. Then maybe my curls will spring into action.
I used to hate country, but going to school in a little Idaho town has made me like it a little more. This is one of my favorite country songs. Josh Turner's voice makes me melt like a Popsicle on the fourth of July.
I think I know now what the tips meant when they said your curls may get worse.
My curls are worse than they were the first two weeks, but they aren't worse than when I started. But I do have a few frustrations with my curls right now. But first, pictures.
As you can see, it's inbetween where I was from before I started the Curly Girl Method and my first week. There are a few factors I think that have led to this:
1. My hair-fussing habit has returned! AH! After I put the gel in my hair and style it, I can't help but keep messing with it because it just doesn't look right. Which leads me to point two.
2. I think I need to get my hair cut. I haven't cut it since last August and the length is just awkward.
3. It's so stinking cold outside that my hair freezes as I walk to school, because you technically aren't supposed to blow dry your hair on the Curly Girl Method; You can use a diffuser, but alas, I do not have one. Therefore, my hair freezes and then as it air dries, something makes it frizz. Maybe my hair is just allergic to cold weather.
Also, sometimes it's really windy, and that makes it frizz too, because it's (almost) the same effect as blow drying. And, I can't wear a hat, because then I would have serious hat hair for the rest of the day. If there is one thing I have learned about my curly hair, it's that you never wear a hat unless your hair is completely dry, or you plan on wearing it for the rest of the day. For instance, the day during my senior year of high school when the power went out across town while I was taking a shower, and it didn't come back on until halfway through first period. That was a definite all-day hat day.
What's weird about my curls though, is they are super curly on the bottom layer, and not so curly on the top. I have this awesome curl right by my ear that is in the perfect shape of a slinky, and all day during class I've been playing with it, pulling it out and letting it bounce back to place--it may or may not have been a pretty boring day in my moral judgements class.
So, here's my plan of attack:
1. Stop fussing with my hair after I've put in the gel. Maybe I need to put in a little bit more gel to get it to stay curly.
2. Get a hair cut...sometime...when I have sufficient time and funds.
3. In the near future, invest in a diffuser. For now, either shower earlier or ponytail it on really cold days.
Song of the Week: I Wanna Go-Britney Spears
I'll admit it: Britney is my home girl. The first CD I ever bought was "...Baby One More Time." I never did see "Crossroads," but from what I've heard, I'm kinda glad I never did. And even though she had those spastic, crazy years, she has made quite the comeback. I do have to say though, the first time I heard this song, I actually heard a Hunger Games parody of it (which I'll link to below). I did eventually hear the real version, and I absolutely love it. It's become my new walking to class/workout jam (the real version, not the Hunger Games version).
I don't know what it is about having a break from school that makes my inner-Martha Stewart come out, but yesterday I was in the mood to do a craft. I saw the idea for a button bracelet on pinterest and decided to give it a whirl. I spent less than $5 on this, which is good for my budget.
Here are the supplies you need:
-Elastic band
-Buttons
-Thread
-Needle
1. Take the elastic band and measure it around your wrist. I made mine a little loose, but you can make it as tight as you want to. Make sure to overlap it about 1/2 of an inch. Cut off the desired amount.
2.Pick out your desired buttons and lay them out. They may overlap a bit, so keep that in mind. Also, you can double up, layering a smaller button on top of a bigger button to give it a little bit more cuteness.
3. Sew the overlapping pieces together to make it into a wristband. I hand-stitched mine, but it might be easier with a machine.
4. Start sewing on the buttons. This process takes a little bit of time. It took me about an hour and a half to two hours until I was finished. Make sure you sew the buttons on tight enough that the stitching won't come undone.
Another week has gone by, and I'm still loving the Curly Girl Method. Why did I not discover this about ten years ago. I could have had such a better teenage experience without the unmanagable mane on my head.
I did my hair in a side bun today, so there aren't any pictures to show off my fabulous curls.
I'm still finding a few flaws in the steps that I've been following. For instance, I was having a struggle getting the conditioner straight to my scalp to wash it. My hair is like a vacuum and sucks in anything that comes within 10 inches of my head, kinda like that secretary in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" who keeps pulling pencils out of her hair. Anyway, whenever I would try to "wash" my hair, the conditioner wouldn't get close enough to my scalp to do anything. So, I started to try something that is working a little better. I take the conditioner and rub it between my palms, and then I get my palms and fingertips as close to my scalp as possible. That helps to get the conditioner to the source, but I also have to do another round of conditioner to get the rest of my hair the moisture it desperately needs. So, I'm going through a lot more conditioner that I thought I would.
Couldn't find a picture of her pulling out the pencils.
There is another step that I don't really know why it's there, but I do it anyway. It's doing the final rinse with cold water. Let me say, this step does two in one: it rinses my hair and it helps wake me up. Especially because when I turn around to turn off the shower, I get that brisk water running down my back and I do a little dance every time when it happens.
So far my hair hasn't been getting any worse, which I am quite glad. One of the websites I read said that may happen, but I hope it doesn't. But don't worry, if it does, you will all be the first to hear about it.
Song of the week: Say it Ain't So-Weezer
As I am writing this post, I am listening to my 90's rock playlist. No 90's rock playlist is complete without the presence of Weezer. My favorite is their blue album, because it reminds me of a very long road trip up to Oregon with my two brothers and my sister-in-law. Say it Ain't So is my favorite song by them.
