quick picture

Here is a quick picture of the Chevron scarf...

Hair experiment update

So it has been over 2 months since I started the GREAT Hair Experiment. I have to say that it is STILL a work in progress. I have been to hairdressers TWICE since I began. The first time was a crazy woman who did NOT do a good job on my hair and tried to wash it with Shampoo after I told her not to (we won't talk about her). My bangs have FINALLY recovered.
The second time was to my own hairdresser (who is awesome). I told him what I was doing and he ASKED ME if I wanted him to wash my hair or not... He is the best. I told him it was OK because honestly I don't think that ONE time of shampoo is going to make or break my hair... I am trying not to be quite so fanatical about things and I am glad I let him do it. I realized I LIKE the way my hair feels now and I am OK doing without shampoo. But to go back...

OK - on the hair thing. I use about 1 1/2 tablespoons of Baking soda to 2 cups of water. I shake it up in a plastic bottle and it looks like cloudy water (which it is). In a second bottle I put about 3 tablespoons of vinegar to 2 cups of water. I use white vinegar (because that is what I have plenty of...) and then I put ONE DROP of peppermint oil or ONE DROP of tea tree oil in it. I put the essential oil in there because it REALLY does make it not smell like vinegar anymore (or not much anyway). I wash my scalp with the Baking soda/Water mixture. I say my scalp because that is the only place I PUT the baking soda - but then I rinse it and the combo slides down the hair shaft. IT IS FINE! I am not ruining my hair - I promise. Then I take the vinegar/oil/water mixture and rinse my scalp with that. Again it flows down the hair shaft and all is good. THEN I rinse my hair with plain water and I am done.

On the days that I don't use BS/V on my hair, I massage my head for 4 minutes (yup all four minutes and it is a long friggin' time and my upper arms look a whole lot better than they used to). This redistributes the oils from my scalp down the hair shaft. I only BS/V twice a week now (the fourth day is a little tough - because the oil production is still not perfect). I also brush my hair with a boar bristle brush for about 10 minutes every night.

My hair no longer smells weird to me. Now I realize it just smells like hair. I am OK with that. My hair doesn't smell like vinegar (even if I get caught in the rain) because of the essential oils. Before I started adding the essential oil to my vinegar rinse - if my hair got wet again after drying - IT DID SMELL LIKE VINEGAR... (it may have been my imagination, but I don't think so). My hair is doing GREAT. It is thick and healthy.

I am not going to back to shampoo. My head no longer itches (it did for a while - but it was that I didn't have a good mix of BS/V). I like it.

I am still using Henna to color my hair (love it). I must be a hippie now...

Episode 61: Autumn is here

Went back to the State Fair of Texas.

We are going to take Sparky to a Sensory Friendly movie for autistic children - AMC theaters participate.

I need to rethink how I store my yarn... I had a leaning Tower O Yarn...

Loved seeing Zombieland - it was a little gross - but fun. I also enjoyed Couples Retreat... it was just plain funny.

Kid N Ewe in Boerne - a fun fiber festival... small but nice.

Episode 60: Let's all go to the fair

The Big Texan & I took the grandkids for afternoons out this weekend. It was great to have one on one time with each of them.

I saw my entries at the State Fair of Texas.

I am going to be teaching at DFW Fiber Fest this year! The focus is on Lace & I am teaching two classes.

Sensory Friendly movies for autistic children - AMC theaters participate.

What is your favorite stitch dictionary? I want to do a project with stitches and a stitch dictionary.

Adjustments On the Home front

The grandkids are all moved in. The Big Texan and I are adjusting as are the kiddos. There were a few meltdowns over the weekend - but that is to be expected. It is difficult to move to a new place with different people and not have any control over it. Little kids are adaptable - but I think it is because they have to be.

Imagine for a minute that you are suddenly moved from your home to a new place. No one has asked you if you want to go or even TOLD you really. You have heard people talk about 'moving' but you aren't really sure what that means.

You see items all around being put into boxes. Your favorite toys, your clothes, your books - all go into boxes and are taped up. You still want to play with them - but you are told "No - wait until we get moved." WHAT?! You don't really know what that means but you get in the car and go to Grandma's house and play for a while. Then that night you are ready to go home, but the person you love most and trust the most in the world (Mommy) says "No, we are going to stay here. This is home now." She takes you to a new room that has YOUR bed in it and some toys and some boxes. What? You have to sleep here? Ok, but the sounds are different and it feels different and then you wake up in the middle of the night and you aren't sure where the person you trust the most in the world is... and you cry.

Then you wake up the next day and it is all new - again.

How hard would that be? I think it would be extremely difficult. Yes - you would adjust - but it takes time.

I love these kiddos and want this to be as easy as possible for them - but it is part of life and they have to experience it. We are trying as hard as we can to make it easy - but there are going to be blips.

The Big Texan called me yesterday morning before I ever got to work and told me "My day is already great.". While he was shutting the door to our room - he heard a little voice behind him say "Dood mornin' Dandad" (that is baby speak for Good morning Grandad). He turned around to see Sprocket rubbing his eyes with a little frowny face. "Where's Mommy?" he asked. The Big Texan pointed him to the right room and Sprocket just grinned at him and then took off running.
The Big Texan told me "How can that not make any day a great day?"... I totally agree.
Personally, I don't know how he got out the door. I am glad that I leave before they ever wake up - else I would never be able to go.

The Big Texan and I are still not watching TV - the kids have it on sometimes when we get home from work - but they ignore it and start playing with us when we come in the house. We are planning on watching a few programs once the new season starts though (we have discussed it and want to pick just a few). We do watch football games and movies that we rent though and that is great.

I am still doing the Baking soda & Vinegar on my hair and I think I have finally found the right mix because my hair feels AWESOME. I keep getting compliments on it at work too - so I think it is going well. Betty Boop asked me how to do it and started herself the other day without my prompting - we shall see what happens. There were a couple of weeks where I didn't think that I would continue - but I perservered and now I probably won't go back to shampoo. I have fallen into a routine and don't have to wash my hair every day which is HUGE for me. I wash about every three days now and that is perfect. I could probably get by on once a week - but haven't had the nerve to do that yet. Maybe one day...

I have also started washing my face with a new method called the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM).


Let me tell you - I have REALLY OILY skin. I had horrible acne as a teenager and still get zits today. It is just something that you learn to live with. I thought that putting more oil on my face would be TERRIBLE - but I was interested in trying out the premise. I did it the first night and the Big Texan NOTICED. After I washed my face and was ready for bed - he said "Wow - you look pretty tonight, what's going on?"

What?!?

Really?!?

I told him - I had just washed my face and was ready for bed. He said "Well you look great".

Hmmmmm

I hadn't told him ANYTHING about it and I had looked at the information when he wasn't around...

Hmmmmm

Maybe there is something to it.

Well I have been doing it for a few weeks now and have gotten LOTS of compliments on my skin. I have stopped wearing base AT ALL and my skin looks awesome. The dark circles that I have always had under my eyes are almost gone. They are still there - but not nearly as dark as they used to be.

So two tests for beauty and both have passed... for ME.

I finished another sock yesterday and a pair of fetching. I am not thrilled with the Fetching because my tension changed from one to the other (or I added an extra row, I am not sure) - but they will do for me. I was going to give them to a girl friend - but now I have to make her a new pair and just do two at once so that I don't have to worry about it.