Friday, December 11, 2009

New Client Sisterlock Install & A Super busy week coming

Hey Blog Fam!

I have a busy week coming up starting December 16 - 20. I have a combined 5 clients receiving services. One in particular will be my first super long hair client taken up my Saturday and Sunday for her Sisterlock Install. She has 12 inches of all natural hair in the front and between 8 to 10 from the middle to the nape of her head. That should close out my year.

Below are pics of my latest Sisterlock Install that I completed on December 5th. Enjoy!



3.5 years with Sisterlocks

Hey Blog Fam!


I am just now getting over a nasty cold that I got courtesy of our visit to our hometown. I have been so busy posting pics of new clients that I haven't really posted new pics of my hair growth. You can imagine how it is coming along with the prenatals that I have been taking. Well here are a couple of pics to show you have 3.5 years has treated me. By the way nevermind my huge red nose in the pics. I was still dealing with that cold.

Monday, November 16, 2009

CERTIFIED!!!!

Hey Blog Fam!

So I was just browsing the Sisterlocks website today and guess what I found on the Certified Consultant List. MY NAME!! Whoo Hooo! It has been a long road to this point and I am excited. Headquarters can be oh so slow at times but this certainly made my day today. I was feeling a little down about losing my granny last week but this has picked me up a little. Check me out http://www.sisterlocks.com/Web_Registries/CertConsult_AtoL.html under Georgia.

With the baby coming in April I had to make some decisions concerning business. Well first off I won't be taking any new Sisterlock Installations from January through May. I know that is peak season but with me going into my 3rd trimester and my poor little feet and ankles swelling I figured I better take it easy. My hubby will be all too happy. He worries so much over me when I am doing hair, which is understandable. Also after the baby is born I will be taking 6 weeks of leave from both corporate and the hair business. I need to get acclimated to the new baby. All of my clients are prepared for that time and all are willing to wait until I am up to it. It may be sooner than 6 weeks but for right now I feel comfortable saying 6 weeks.

I found out the sex of the baby. I am excited to say that it is a boy that will be nicknamed CJ. He is already 14 ounces and is long. He wouldn't stay still long enough to get a total measurement for him but from the ultrasounds the doc and ultrasound tech say he will be long. My hubby is so proud. I am just excited to be at this point.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Sisterlock Install 10-24-09















Hey Blog Fam!

I know, I know...I have been really busy lately and haven't had a chance to blog. Well today I did another Sisterlock Install and boy is my little bambino tired and mad at me. Whew! This one took me about 14 hours total with a combined hour in breaks. I must say it turned out nicely and I believe my client was excited about her new look. What do you think?


















Thursday, September 10, 2009

Sisterlock Install Sept 5, 2009

Hey Blog Fam!


Here are the pics I promised













Wednesday, September 9, 2009

New install pics on the way

Hey Blog Fam!

Please forgive me as I have been hella busy over the past month. Not to mention I am trying my best to get accustomed to my ever changing hormones. Good thing is momma's baby is growing strong and is very demanding already. Little thang (10 weeks) is so consistent that I don't get over 6 hours of sleep a night due to 2:30 AM and 5:30 AM feedings. As well as my hour interval potty needs. My meals are small meals so I am not too off my 6 mini meal schedule.

I completed a record breaking (for me anyway) install this past weekend. We started a little late at 7:30 AM and finished at 5:45 PM with a lunch break and mini breaks in between. I will post pics as soon as I finish with my client today.

Monday, August 10, 2009

8 Years and Counting


Hey Blog Fam!


Today is the day before the day I walked down the aisle to meet my honeybunches to say our I Do vows and commit ourselves to each other and to God for the rest of our lives. August 11, 2001 is the day that my life changed as well as my last name. Marriage is hard work...Yes Indeed! I look at it like this....marriage is like a work of art. The harder you work at your work of art over the years it appreciates over the years like a Picaso.

Today my hubby surprised me with my gift early because he will be working on our actual anniversary. I tell you it is the 2nd best gift ever. I got the best gift last week. I cried! I am such a whimp. He never ceases to amaze me. I am a classic girl so I only wear several pieces of jewerly. I have two necklaces, two watches, my wedding rings, and a couple pairs of earrings. I can't get into the bangles, huge hoop earrings, etc. I just can't! He brings home a Tiffany bag and it is the most exquisite pair of diamond heart stud earrings ever. I love that man!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Happiness comes in the smallest packages

Hey Blog Fam!



I am so full right now! Full of what you ask? Full of happiness. It came in such a small package...the size of a pea to be exact but it brought such a flood of emotions for everyone that we have told. It has been exactly 8 years (August 11) since we started this journey together and now God has decided to expand our family. Today my doctor gave me my first view of our little sweet pea. I know it is still early 5 weeks and 3 days but I love him or her so much already. I will have another pic in 3 weeks. I feel pretty good no MS just little cravings like pickles and thangs but nothing major. I am eating pretty good too. I haven't had much energy to workout nor have I wanted to bounce too much due to my chest increasing by 1 cup size already. My doctor said he has a patient who went from a A cup to a D. WHOA!! Pray for us!




Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Stand your ground

Hey Blog Fam!

As I continue my spiritual walk I have eliminated a lot of unnecessary drama and limited hurtful conversations or what they call No Purpose Convos. You know those convos where you gossip freely just say what you want without considering how that person would feel if they had heard your convo. I am finding that I am losing friends because of my lack of participation. It is really true that God will bring people into your life for a reason, a season, and a lifetime. God will allow certain people to walk out of your life that do not agree with your new way of thinking. He will also aggravate the naysayers who say they believe in what you are doing but when you reject their advances they get irrate. Man, it is a mess! Even family members are falling by the wayside, but you know you can't just totally rid yourself of family all.

I just had a very hurtful situation happen that just blew my mind because I didn't participate but I got the ex-communication (the deleting of your friendship status, email addresseses, etc). So here is the jist...I am with a client on Saturday and I hear the house phone ring and of course I don't answer. Then my cell phone rings, and I picked up because I thought it was my sister or my mom and it must be important for them to dial all of my numbers. Nope it is my soror and she asks if I am busy and I state yes I am with a client. But it sounded like something was wrong so I asked what's up...to get the quick jist of the issues. Oh man why did I do that??? It wasn't even anything wrong with the soror on the phone she goes into something concerning another soror who she had a convo with that previous evening and she just felt like something was wrong because she was being secretive with some info. Now yall remember I said I wasn't participating in this type of convo anymore right. So as soror was chatting and asking me if I talked to her I said no and maybe this woman was being secretive because of another reason. Nope that wouldn't do for her and she kept saying it is something wrong. I ended that call because one I spent too much time on the phone anyway over my client's head and secondly I am not going to sit and participate in this conversation. I kindly called the soror in question and asked her to call the questioning soror to answer her questions that I had no answers to. End of conversation. So how in the hell did I get punished because I wouldn't participate or tell her the surprise? I don't know but obviously if this person could walk away from me then that means that she was never for me in the first place. Secondly if she could walk away that shows me that she has no respect for my position on eliminating drama and no purpose convos. Thirdly this person is not willing to accept responsibility for her own actions. I believe if you have concerns you can pick up the phone and call your friend no matter what. I am not going to call another friend and put that person in the middle because I can't communicate. That is unfairly putting a third party in the middle and how uncomfortable is that. I am standing my ground on eliminating drama and no purpose convos and if anymore friends, sorors, family members etc want to fall off....then se la vie, adios, and God Bless!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Newest Client

Hey Blog Fam!

Okay I am finally getting caught up with the picture posting. Below is my newest Sisterlock Client Ms. Vicky. Check out her install.








If you want to check out my online portfolio please visit www.public.fotki.com/Locks4LifeAtlanta/

Updated Website

Hey Blog Fam!

The new site is now up and running.. Please take a look and let me know what you think.
http://www.locks4lifeatlanta.com/index.html

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The busiest weekend of my business life

Hey Blog Fam!

What a busy week this is shaping up to be. WHEW! I was off last week from doing hair because my mom was visiting. I actually had a client on Saturday but we had to reschedule. God is so good! He has blessed Locks 4 Life Atlanta abundantly and I am so thankful. Where do I start? Okay I will start with my retightening that I have scheduled. I have one on Thursday and two on Fridays (Thank God I can work from home on Fridays). I have one install on Saturday that just confirmed. Just a few days ago I was called from a young lady calling internationally. WOW! She will be transitioning to GA in a few months but she definitely wants her hair done by none other. I was so humbled and grateful that she appreciates my work enough to want to entrust her installation to me. She will be in the ATL on Thursday for 5 days total. So guess where that put her installation. You guessed it on Sunday. I am looking at my schedule like GEEZ Oh Petes! God is good so I am going to run with this.

Thursday – 1 Retightening
Friday – 2 Retightening
Saturday – Full Install
Sunday – Full Install

With the business growing I need to step up my marketing and advertising efforts. Did I tell you guys that I have a B.S. in Marketing, so this is so right up my alley. I love Marketing! First thing I wanted to do is find a vendor that could not only revamp my website but provide a total solution for my small business needs such as a logo, website creation and hosting, as well as web marketing (Driving business to your site). I found that in Leaders in eDesign http://leadersinedesign.com/index.html The wife of this husband and wife team is actually my Soror. I figured why not keep it in the family when I decided to reach out. That was a week ago and they already sent me two different approaches for the website and the logo. I loved the first and now they are moving on to writing the code. What was so funny is that when I chatted with my Soror she knew exactly what I wanted just based off of my personality. She was like you want something artistically captivating, natural, professional, etc. I was like you sure do know my personality. When I received the mock up it was perfect with my favorite color combinations. So be on the look out for a new website and logo coming soon. Be sure to check out Leaders in eDesign if you are looking for affordable small business web solutions.

Monday, July 13, 2009

3 Years and I still love em


Hey Blog Fam!


I have been so busy I didn't even post my 3 year anniversary pictures. That is my bad. Too busy with clients to update my blog. Take a walk with me back in time.....


Monday, June 29, 2009

The Locologist will see you now

Hey Blog Fam!

Ya know what!? Sometimes I really amaze myself with the amount of knowledge I know about natural hair. I am talking about how my experience over the years has grown and has helped so many women gain freedom from relaxers or damaging hair styling techniques. For example I had a young lady call me and she really needed to have her hair retightened. However she told me she had a hard time finding someone who did interlocking. She said she called countless salons and everyone told her they did only palm rolling. Sorry ahead of time, I didn’t take pictures. I went into doctor mode and forgot all about yall, but I will get some next time to show the progression over time. Well when she arrived I took a look and I noticed excessive palm rolling had created thinning locks and locks that had totally broken off. I also noticed several locks that had accidentally been combined at the base. Her hair was also VERY dry but had excessive product buildup (specifically coconut oil). She really did give it the old college try but it didn’t work for her because she had limited knowledge and plus her time was consumed with family life like so many of us. What was my prescription? I promptly took her to the shampoo bowl. Yes I do have a portable shampoo bowl now and it’s so wonderful. I did a clarifying shampoo with extra hot water as close to the scalp as possible without burning her. I did an apple cider vinegar rinse to follow that up. I also washed her with a conditioning shampoo. I used some good old Cream of Nature (I only recommend this shampoo to mature lock wearers. Teenagers and babies beware of the unraveling). It works great on my hair. That is something that you will learn with me many of the products that I used I have used and rated them myself on either myself or my clients. Immediately after the conditioning shampoo I noticed her locks came to life. I followed that up with some conditioner and we proceeded to my chair. I lightly oiled her scalp along with some moisture spray. After I massaged that in I begin to go through and interlocking her locks. I kept with a simple 2 pattern on the mature locks but the brand new locks that I needed to start due to breakage I did a four. Her hair just spiraled and coiled all up and the mature locks just gracefully bowed down to my hands. It took me 2 hours from start to finish and when she was done her hair shined and glowed just like her pregnant glowing skin. I gave her some a take home prescription which should cost her about $16 which included a bottle of Cream of Nature shampoo and a bottle of Carol’s Daughter Tui Hair Oil (She loves fruity scents). We scheduled her next appointment 5 weeks out and thus the blossom of a beautiful client relationship.


I really have a hard time with people calling themselves Locticians when they really only know one form of locking hair and they wouldn’t know the best for what hair textures. That’s not a Loctician. That’s someone who simply knows palm rolling. Or like Sisterlock Consultants and Trainers they are trained in the technique of Sisterlocks. They took a class and they do hair according to what they were taught. Yes I have taken the Sisterlock training class. Yes I know how to do palm rolling, interlocking, comb coils, and backcombing. So what do I call myself? I really like the term my friend gave me when I was at Alumni Weekend. It was funny! They were asking hair questions and I was just a spitting that knowledge and my old roomie was like Trina the Locologist. I was like you know what I like that. That is what I call myself The Locologist. I will give you the right prescription for your hair. If you want healthy flowing locks while visiting with a great spirit then come on and sit in my chair. If you want highly manicured locks that look really synthetically shiny and styled in elaborate hair styles that my be harmful and detrimental for hair in the long run, then go and visit any neighborhood Loctician.

The Locologist is in and she will see you now.

Friday, June 19, 2009

I got a new Kitchen Gadget




Hey Blog Fam!




Today my new Vitamix 5200 arrived. YIPPEEEE!! I have been waiting 5 years to get one of these into my home. I received the notification on Wednesday that it would be coming and today Friday I got it. I promptly washed that bad boy down and put it to work. What did I make? I made a smoothie. I put a banana, 6 leaves of spinach, and 6 frozen strawberries. Man, let me tell yall that this smoothie was the smoothest thing I have witnessed in a while. I put just a pinch of splenda in the mix just to sweeten it a little and it was off the chain. Not to mention I just got in 2 servings of fruit and one veggie in one drink. Ya gotta love that. Check out the smoothie. Can you see any strawberry seeds? I can't and I sure didn't taste any. This is just the beginning of my healthy culinary journey with my Vitamix Blender and my Salad Master cookware. Stay tuned to more recipes.


Wednesday, June 17, 2009

It's not about you


*BIG SIGH* Hey Blog Fam!


I am in a bit of a funk today.


How depressing it is to watch someone you love go through depression, especially when it is a 4 year old little boy. *sigh* My little nephew is suffering due to absentee father syndrome. He is also suffering from mommy said I can't see Daddy Syndrome. My poor baby nephew! Oh how I love him so and to hear that he is hurting kills me inside. To be caught in the middle of some drama between two adults and not have a voice to express how you are hurting is a terrible feeling. For me it is extremely difficult to listen to my sister and bridle my tongue in the matter, because I know she will pull that old, "You don't have any children so you don't know" card out of her pocket. My nephew is really acting out now because his older brother is in Akron visiting his Great Grandmother on his father's side and my little nephew is stuck at home with my sister or either my mother. He asks to call his father all the time to only get the answering machine or voicemail every single time. A couple of days ago he totally acted out of character. He pressed the speed dial buttons on the phone and when the person didn't answer he began a profanity tyrant that would make a sailor blush. He put the words together with such venom that it crushed my sister's heart just to listen to it when her friends called to replay the messages. What did my sister do? She immediately blamed his father for not being around, which is common. But what she didn't do was look in the mirror and ask herself what she is doing wrong. I can list some things that she is doing that is confusing the heck out of my nephews such as her dating habits and introducing men to their lives that have no sustainability. But how do you help a person to recognize that they play a vital part in the problem when they don't want to hear the truth? You have to wait patiently until they are ready to receive your message even if it is killing you.
Today my mom called me to tell me that she and her boyfriend reached out to my nephew's father because my nephew was balled up in the room crying his eyes out. They called him at work and with relief he came to pick my Peanut up right after he got off of work. I was so thankful because my nephew did a total change in attitude. He ran and jumped off of the steps into his father's arms. He was just too excited to spend time with his father. While the father was leaving my mother's house he told my mother that he realizes that he is partially to blame for the way my nephew is acting out and he has to get it together. I respect that! But what I don't respect is my sister's responses to the visitation. My mother called my sister to tell her that her child is with his father and my sister gets irate and says HE DIDN'T TELL ME ANYTHING ABOUT THIS!! and she hangs up. Oh WOW! She then calls my mother back and says I don't want him coming there to pick my son up ever again is that clear. WTH!! Is she serious! I couldn't believe it when my mother told me. Here is a classic example of not knowing the person you have a child with. I saw the signs in this man when my sister was dating him before she got pregnant 6 months later. I told my sister and got a response so disappointing that I totally left it alone. My sister on the other hand should have known that this man had tendencies such as this, but nope she didn't take the time. This baby mama and daddy stuff has to end. We in the black community spend more time picking out our cars we drive than the spouses we chose to have children with. We jump in head first like YIPPEEE! But when the bubble bursts we are left with drama like this where a innocent 4 year is being affected by selfishness. How dare my sister or my nephew's father be so selfish as to not put aside pettiness to create a schedule for visitation that is beneficial to my nephew. They both need to take the I out of the equation here because my nephew is clearly suffering.
Until they can get it together I am forced to be a helpless aunt watching my Peanut suffer. *sigh* I wanted to cry today but all I can do is pray that God watches over him and guide his steps before the streets get a hold of him.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Growth is so good















Hey Blog Fam!




Saturday I had the pleasure of installing Sisterlocks on a young lady that is the sister of a group that I admire as well as enjoy the bangin reggae melodies. It was crazy! We just laughed all day of the install. We watched movies. We toasted to her birthday. This was one of the most chill and laid back installs that I have installed. She remarked how painless the process was and how quickly I completed the job. Any length under 4 inches I really try to finish in one day. After we completed her install I dropped her off to her home where I had the pleasure of meeting her sister who is a member of the band. Now yall know I had to try to play it real cool right. I kept thinking in my mind...Don't act groupie, Don't act groupie, Don't act groupie. Her sister was so COOL! She wants her hair done as well. I gave her a in home consultation and she scheduled her appointment for June 27th. I will provide you all with picks and her name when we complete her install. Until then you all will just know her band has several albums out and all 5 of the members are independent artists who are the children of a famous reggae artist.





Pers no cheating you already know the band!! Here are the pics of the install I did on Saturday.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

My hubby the pack rat


The first step to curing your addition is to admit it. Today my hubby admitted that he was indeed a pack rat. Yes Blog Fam...my hubby hoards things from decades past in the back of our closets to never be seen again. As I am planning our closet organizing through California Closets I noticed some strange things in the back of our master closet. I looked back there and I picked up a wool Kwanzaa type vest. Oh my Jesus! Not just one but 3. One was a size 3 X... WTH!! My hubby has never been that size but back in the 90s he would wear his clothing so big that it would drive me bonkers. I went off!! DUDE...you need to clean out this junk immediately. Now my hubby not only has clothing in our master closet but he has two bedroom closets as well. I just have my clothes in the master closet. Do you know he went through those closets today and he unloaded two trash bags full of 90s gear. I couldn't believe it. Just to prove my point I took a picture of one of his treasured shirts. Notice the Red, the Black, and The green with the Key Sissies. Yall remember that from the X Clan days. Well this bad boy was hanging in the closet just a chilling. He did admit that he needs to do a better job of eliminating clutter. That's all I wanted to hear. Now if we can get him on a quarterly schedule like myself we will realize more space.




Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Here we grow again



Hey Blog Fam!

God has been really good to me. When he takes clients away for one reason or another he always brings more clients to replace them. I am finding that he is bringing me shorter hair clients as well as clients transitioning from the relaxer. Relaxer has done such damage to the hairlines of some of my clients that it seems like all hope is gone but let me tell you we are seeing GROWTH baby all over the place. During their first retightening we are seeing new hair everywhere. I just love the vitality of natural hair.


Here is my newest Sisterlock Client. I loved working with her hair. She had such thick, lush hair with relaxer on the ends. She had 2 to 3 inches of natural hair and maybe 7 inches or so of relaxed hair. Her natural hair took to the Sisterlock pattern with not one problem. All of the test locks stayed put. It was a great install that lasted maybe 12 hours with a one hour break. You can't even really see her parts her hair is so thick and lush. See the finished product above.



If you want to check out more photos check out my fotki

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Respect my




I have been having a interesting time to say the least with my clients and potentials. My loyal customers who are always on time and schedule appointments in advance are wonderful. Today I just had a day with this newer client of mine. I knew it was going to be a ride because when she came for the install she needed to go and make a run that last 3 to 4 hours. I don't do that. I like to get the install over as soon as possible. It only took me 10 hours to complete her hair but since she took a 4 hour break I didn't get done with her until well into the night. Plus she showed up a hour late to her install. I let it go and just worked with her. For the follow up she called the day of and was like I am not going to be able to make it and how important is this appointment. Hey if she doesn't care about her newly installed locks then what can I do. I told her if she had no problems then we could just schedule the retightening. Well she called me and scheduled the appointment and I was being really nice because she has a weird schedule so I took a half a day today and worked from home during the morning expecting her at 9 AM so I could go into work by 12 to take a 12:30 conference call. Well wouldn't you know at 8:40 AM she calls like I am not going to make it to you until 10 AM and left this matter of fact message on my voicemail. Um excuse me! I called right back and a man answers the phone like she said she called you and left a message. I kindly explained yes she did but that time will not work for me unfortunately she will have to reschedule. He says well she is in the shower. OH REALLY!?!? Mental note! She calls back in a tude and I repeat what I just told the man who answered the phone. She was like well what other appointments do you have? Unfortunately I don't have anything that will fit her schedule until next Friday morning. Sorry. She was like...Never mind Thank you and hangs up in my face. How is she going to get mad at me for her tardiness?
When women come to me they have several things in common with me. I never liked the waiting in the salon thing. I hated it with a passion . With that said I start my appointments on time. I never run over on a appointment and I have never cancelled a appointment. I take pride in that. One thing I will never do is allow a client to compromise the way I do business. I love and appreciate all my clients and the business they bring to me, but trust and believe I am not pressed about it. God brings me clients and he takes them away. Some are meant to stay with me, others are meant to be there for a moment, and others are not meant to cross my threshold. God felt the need to remove this woman today and I accept it. She didn't respect my time or my business so why should I bend over backwards for her.. Se la vie! Adios Amiga! Kick Rocks! Beat It! You get the point!
The ever shopping potentials cracks me up as well. I get so many calls during a weeks time of potentials asking pricing for Sisterlocks and such. I kindly tell them you must come in for a consultation, or I don't discuss pricing over the phone. Well a couple of months ago I was running a short hair or relaxed hair special so I would give starting pricing for under 2 inches or 2 to 4 inches. Just starting prices and I would follow up with I can give you a better quote when you come for your consultation. Well I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. I told a potential that 2 months ago and I even set her up for a consultation that she cancelled less than 12 hours before the consultation. She came calling me like 2 to 3 times this week and I didn't know who this lady was speaking like we had met. When she said her name I assumed that we had a consultation and she had my quote sheet with that price. NOPE! She was trying to send her deposit in and fore go the consultation. No ma'am! She was like I've been to consults before and I know my pattern. To me this is a red flag. You don't want to come and meet the person who will be standing over you for 10 plus hours. What are you hiding? Why don't you want me to see your hair? I tell her no and you must set up a consultation. She says something about a price and I say I am sorry I didn't quote you a price if you haven't been to a consult. She was like umm your name such and such and you sent me a link with your online album. From that remark I was done. There is a more appealing way to handle situations but that little tude was not the way. You can't expect me to remember you from 2 months ago when I never met you. Also how can you expect me to honor a starting price that I gave you two entire months ago. Lady respect my business. So needless to say that potential was declined. God giveth and he taketh away. I am not sweating it.
Special message to all the Sisterlock Trainees out there NEVER EVER TAKE CLIENT WITHOUT A CONSULT. I did this early in my business and when this lady who wanted some corn rolls. She made her appointment and I discovered she had 7 inches more hair than what she told me, it was extremely coarse, and she was a lesbian that was all on me. She left my fingers were busted up and I felt violated because she was making Goo Goo eyes at me. Lesson learned very well I might add. No consult! No Service! Much respect!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Baby Stanky Leg

Friday, April 17, 2009

New Hair Ties

I purchased some new hair ties this week because I REALLY needed something to hold this hair of mine that wasn't going to give me a headache. Brunsli is no longer offering her pieces so I have been eyeing a couple of new folks out there with real talent. Adorn by Sophia was offering a sale so I jumped right on board and picked up 3 nice pieces. Here is one wooden one that I have been rocking since Thursday when I opened the package. I will show the others when I retighten my hair. Man, I need to get on the ball with a wash, condition, and retightening soon.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

My GE Sorors Represented

Here is the video of my lil sorors who busted their butts to put on this wonderful show. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Easter Sunday


As I am sitting here typing I can't help but to think that I am supposed to be in church right now celebrating the rising of Jesus Christ. Yeah I am supposed to be there but it will only be overshadowed by my annoyance of folks who only come to church on Easter, Mother's Day, and Christmas so they can showcase their new Easter outfits etc. I CAN'T STAND this way of thinking. Oh it chaps my backside so much. I went to church last year on Easter and let me tell you it was crazy just trying to park. Then getting into the church we had to sit in the back when we are usually in the front around the time we arrive. We are not late runners either we arrive at the very least 5 minutes early so we can sit and get our worship on. I know I shouldn't let other folks put a damper on my spirit but I will only end up more aggravated if I just stayed at home, spend the time with my family and reflect on all of God's blessings.

My sister was just telling me about the Word church in Cleveland, Ohio and how they were on the radio offering $1,000 to the person who can bring the most people to church today. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?! I couldn't believe my ears. Did we really lose the true meaning of Easter? Yes indeed! Easter bunnies, chocolates, jelly beans, etc. My nephew called me today and said Happy Easter Auntie Trina. He is a 4 year old but I am really depending on my sister to tell him what the deal is and she hasn't. Thank goodness my 7 year old nephew goes to a Catholic school and they are teaching him about the true meaning of this day.

There will be no Ham or turkey in our oven roasting. I am just not in that mood to fix some huge meal today. We will rather cook a modest meal and have a great day on this day Jesus was resurrected. Happy Resurrection Day to you!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Read the fine print

We received a couple of letters in the mail from Bank of America a couple of days ago and it looked like on of those privacy disclosure notices that you sometimes get from your credit card company or bank. Well I let it sit there for a day before I decided to open it yesterday and I am so happy I did. It was a BOA way of notifying us of some HUGE changes. Major change was a change in interest rate that could equal a 5% increase. We only have one card with them but we are trying to pay it off this year with that 5% increase we could pay more interest than what we wanted to pay. It gave the option of rejecting the increase but you must agree to not use the card again. DAMN! So you are saying if we don't accept your crappy increase we can't use our card? Just to think we were going to use BOA for all of our financial needs, mortgage, business accounts, checking, savings, and credit cards. WOW, talk about holding someone by the balls. That is okay though. I had my hubby quickly call BOA and cancel the card and we will pay it off promptly and go right back to Chase. BOA better hope Chase doesn't enter the ATL area because we will be changing banks. I am really happy I opened that letter because I could have shredded the mail and that 5% increase would have been effective May 1st. Just goes to show you that you must read the mail that you think is junk. That is how these banks are getting over on us. We don't read our mail and they increase your interest rate on your card, increase your late fees, minimum payments, and credit limits. Then who is left with the Boo Boo face? *fingers pointing at you* :(

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

New SPF Moisturizer


I just love free gift time at Clinique (anywhere really). This time was no different. I went to the Clinique counter over the weekend and purchased a gloss stick in black honey and some mascara and I received a free gift. YIPPEEE!! I gave away the cheek stick and lipstick to my roomy Jessica and I kept the Youth Surge SPF Moisturizer for myself as I really needed a new SPF for the summer. Well to my pleasant surprise this stuff is that DEAL!! I've found a new moisturizer that actually does what it says. My pores are less noticeable. My skin is glowing. My dark marks are fading fast. This is after only 5 to 6 days of wearing it morning and night. What really made me happy is Clinique gave me a great sample size. I think it is a ounce or more so I can use if for about a month or so. When I went to the Clinique site to see how much this wonderful moisturizer would cost me I found out they have it in various formulas. SWEET JESUS!!! THANK YA LORD!! I quickly found my combination oily skin formula at $42. Not bad! My skin is really picky about what it likes and it will rebel with all sorts of hives, breakouts, redness, etc if it doesn't like a product. So when I find a good product that my face likes I will spend the money. Clinique's Youth Surge has quickly become a part of my facial cleansing regime. I use Noxema (my face loves the menthol) foaming wash, any astringent with a little Salicylic Acid in it, and now the Youth Surge Moisturizer. I use salicylic acid on my face during those little breakouts that I have but now those little pimples that I have noticed are gone. I haven't found that perfect exfoliator yet, so I may have to try Clinique again to see if anything has changed on that front. I also added a micro dermabrasion from the ISSN (International School of Skin and Nails) once a month to exfoliate. My coworker hip'd me on to this great place to get skin and nail services for the cheap cheap. I hate that Rachel Ray gave up the T on this place because now it is really hard to get in there and get my micro derm on without having to wait a week. I will just have to plan accordingly.


Clinique Youth Surge SPF 15 - Trina's Best Face Award! LOVE IT!!

Well Well Well

Today I steps on the scale a little terrified of what this mofo may say after 6 weeks of travel to and from LA and a blockbuster weekend at the WU and to my pleasant surprise I am not that far off. I weighed in at 188 a while ago and today the scale read 191. Not that bad a 3 pound gain after all the brutality I have put my body through traveling coast to coast and the Zeta Punch. Oh the Zeta Punch....sweet nectar. Not to mention I haven't stepped in the gym in two weeks which shall end today after I hit the gym with hubster for a two hour kick ass blast. I will say that my eating has been EXCELLENTE. I have tried a great recipe this weekend and I have been eating plenty veggies and fruit. My timing of the food has been great too at every 2 to 3 hours and if I miss a meal I will follow up with a piece of fruit to knock the edge off. The funny thing about this is that when I settled myself down in ATL my appetite went right back to what it was pre LA. You have to love it. I plan to try another recipe for this Easter weekend. Not that old traditional ham or turkey meal. I want to try another great vegetable based meal. I will add some meat to it for the protein part. I am really in the mood for black eyed peas but knowing my hubby he will want that sweet Jiffy Mix cornbread. He loves that sweet mess.

My plans for next week in St. Louis
I plan to take my workout clothes with me as I usually do so I can workout Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I will travel back home on Thursday afternoon so I will have to skip that workout and make up for it on Friday morning. In St. Louis near our hotel there is a great little place called Provisions that serve great soup, salads, and sandwiches that I could eat all day long. To add the salads are so large you can eat half for lunch and half for dinner. The killer part is their soups are mostly cream based and I love their cream of chicken which can add up quickly. So my plan is to stick to the greek salad during the day and if we go to the restaurant for dinner as my team always does I will eat the fish and veggies. You must have a plan working with all men.

Sparkpeople
I plan to get back on Sparkpeople and document my food and water intake and my workout routines. This free online tool has been great for me tracking everything that I put into my body. The one thing that I wish it had was mobile capability where I could just scroll through my Q9 and update what I have been eating versus logging onto my computer and doing it the long way.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

I used to love him

With the return to my Alma mater comes reverence of old loves, old flames, old crushes, people who had crushes on you who never said anything, etc. So while I was at the the WU it was a pleasure to see the men gawk and say Damn Trina you doing the thing or the occasional damn I used to have a crush on you. But with all of those good moments comes some not so good moments. I titled this I used to love him for a reason. Prior to marrying my husband we dated on and off since I was 16. Even when we were off we were still together. I had the opportunity to meet, love, and learn from the men who were lucky to have my love. This goes out to that one who came to DD and profess his love a day late and a dollar short. I have to get this off my chest and out in the atmosphere so I can stop thinking about it and getting aggravated..

Closed mouths don't get fed! You had the nerve to get mad at me when I asked you over 10 years ago what the hell were we doing. Either shit or get off of the pot dude. No man is about to be laying in my bed and acting like we are together but you don't want to put a ring on let a lone a title on it. Nope! Not the kid! You had the nerve to get mad at me! Shit I had every right to get mad with you because you couldn't make up your mind if you loved me or not. You refused to talk to me for some months after that encounter so I bounced and moved on. Yes I went right back to that familiar as you called him, but he was open enough to profess his feelings right then and there. It might have been fear that he would lose me but all in all he did what he had to do and put up. I didn't have to force him to put a ring on it. He brought it!

I wasn't married until 21 months after his proposal so you had your time. We communicated during my engagement but nothing big, just the friendship thing. You always joking (a little too much if you ask me). You still made me laugh so I will give you that. You called him the lumpy spare tire and the familiar. You even called me scary and afraid to take a step out and experience new things. One thing you never said was WHY? Why should I step out there and experience new things. Who were you speaking of. You never could tell me. You never could say what was on your mind, so to me you were the one who was scared. I kept my distance and continued on with life, school, and work while planning my wedding ceremony. Then on the day of my wedding, you called my cell phone and you yell...Don't do it! WTF!?!? I couldn't contain my emotions. You waited until the day of my damn wedding to tell me to not marry him but you couldn't tell me why I shouldn't marry him just not to do it. Are you serious!?!? I was so livid my maid of honor and bridesmaids had to calm me down. Just to think this was supposed to be my special day that you tried to destroy but you still couldn't tell me WHY?!?!?

So after you have two beautiful daughters that have humbled you and helped you grow you want to tell me all those things that should have been said 10 plus years ago. Thank you! You are right it is never too late to express your true feelings, but what were you hoping would happen after you expressed those feelings? I'm not sure. All I can say is I used to love you but now all I have is love for you. I am happy that God has blessed you with two beautiful daughters. I am happy that you have grown and matured into a great father. I wish you nothing but success in your career whether it be rapping or blue collar work. I pray that you share with your daughters this story of a love lost and you tell them to never wait to do something that they can do that day. Tell them that tomorrow is never promised. I pray that you find the right woman, even if in your heart you believe that you did once upon a time and she has moved on (Me). I am happy!! My life is much different than what it was in college and grad school. I am so happy! Did I say I am happy already. Yes very happy! Let me be happy. Let me go so that you can move on. When you let me go only then will you be able to find that right woman and that is what I want for you. I used to love him....now all I have is love him that will never fade. Once I love you I will always care for you. Be blessed my friend.

I put this out there for anyone who can use this to grow. People come from your past and sometimes it is good and other times it is bad. Just remember the reason they were a part of your past. My mother always told me that. She would say they are in your past for a reason. I never knew what she was saying until recently. Old sparks come out in hopes to rekindle that flame but I realize why they were a part of my past. Either there were incapable of expressing their feelings, they were jerks, they were lacking motivation, lacking goals, lacking desire, etc. Sometimes we as women are hoping they have changed and our nurturing side comes out and we are looking to save them. Oh I can help him get to where he needs to be. We can't do that for all men ladies. We must allow these men to grow in their own time. Some men do well with a woman helping them some part of the way, but for that last green mile they need the Lord. Without a higher power it is a WRAP!! I realize that now after being married to my husband for almost 8 years. His last green mile God stepped in and he is not that same man I met 17 years ago. He is totally different. With my husband changing I needed to change and no one could do that but my God. I am not saying I am perfect. Nope! I am a work in progress.

Peace and always love.

Monday, April 6, 2009

When clothes do this

Hey Blog Fam!


So I went back to Wilberforce for Alumni Weekend right. Well I picked up this dress from H& M and when I tried it on it was great. Well my hubby tried to tell me that the midsection part wasn't tapered enough for my shape right. Well I wore it anyway and by the end of the night the dress was a bulging mess. One of my good guy friends reiterated what my hubby told me. He was like that dress did your shape no justice Trina. Okay damn I know it started off good but blah. Here is a shot of it. Just look at all of that room around my midsection....boot!


On a good note...everyone that I reconnected with was like Trina you look great. I even had this one dude give me a sweet and sour compliment. It went a little like this....Trina I hope you don't take any offense to this but this is the best that I have ever seen you look. DAMN dude what are you trying to say I was looking busted back at school. He better be lucky I didn't take it like that. This was Friday. On Saturday with my cute jeans with my shirt and vest more compliments poured in from everywhere. Talk about motivation. It was a great weekend.

New Recipe


Hey Blog Fam!

Well today I decided to start off on the good foot. I didn't do too bad after a visit back to my aluma mater Wilberforce University. Plenty of drinking and just eating on the go...well for me it was more like not eating but trying to see everyone. Today I just said you know what I have to go grocery shopping and I started at the Dekalb Farmer's Market. I spent $80 and filled my refrigerator to capacity. Plenty of veggies and fruit to get me through a week or two. I decided to try a new recipe I received from Spark People called Fresh Vegetable Stir Fry with brown rice. The only meat I had today was two slices of turkey on a slice of whole wheat bread. The vegetable stir fry was a success. It was great and it had a nice sweet taste too it that coated the vegetables and rice nicely.






Friday, April 3, 2009

It's Hair

Hey Blog Fam!

As I surf the net I am always amazed with the amount of women who want to control their locs. Oh my hair has lump, bumps, and holes my consultant must have installed them wrong. Or my hair doesn't feel right my consultant must have done something wrong. Or my hair doesn't look like her hair my consultant must have done something wrong. NEWS FLASH ladies your hair is exactly that...YOUR HAIR. It is going to do what it wants regardless. We as consultants may give you a flawless installation and your hair will still do what it wants to do because it is what....YOUR HAIR. It will not conform to what you want it to do or what I as your consultant wants it to do. I have seen women bash consultants or trainees because their hair did something unexpected. Now I am not saying there aren't any consultants or trainees that need to have their certificate ripped to shreds and their tool taken away. There are some bad people who do bad things and unfortunately that gives us good people a bad name. Ladies, we need to just be realistic...we can't control our natural hair in all of its kinks, coils, and beautiful glory. Let your mane BE FREE!! Wake up from your relaxed hair comma and let your hair be FREE.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Blending


Hey Blog Fam!

I finally blended in my roots. I was scared as hell at first but I finally did what I had to do. I used Bigen Expressions Fuzzy Navel just for a subtle change. I thought that I wouldn't get that much of an impact using Bigen BUUUUUUT.....I LIKEY!!

Check out what Bigen Expressions in Fuzzy Navel did for my hair.