Remembering Dad

This past Friday, June 25, 2010, my father-in-law passed away.  He went home to be with Jesus.  And though I am saddened and I often find myself crying at the very thought of him, I rejoice in the fact that he is in heaven, praising God and that he is without sin. 

I think of the children that my husband and I will one day have (Lord willing).  We pray that we will be able to honor their grandfather with the memories we have of him.

As I sat during my father-in-law's funeral, I was overwhelmed by how many people God used him to influence.  I was so touched by how many people loved him and us-his family.  I was speechless when a parking lot could not hold all of the cars and the sanctuary could not hold all of the people that had come to mourn, yet celebrate his homecoming. 

What does any of this have to do with hair?  I suppose nothing really. But it reminded me just how short life is.  This past weekend, I was reminded of what a beautiful person my father-in-law was on the inside.  None of the external things we place so much importance on mattered as we remembered the man he was, not how he looked.  And that is how God judges us: by what's on the inside, not the outside.

It's not wrong to want to be beautiful.  We SHOULD take care of our bodies!  We SHOULD be healthy and exercise and look our best!  But it's the inside of our hearts that we should be most focused on!  The most beautiful people to me are my husband, my mother and father, my family and friends because of their inner beauty.  They are beautiful because of how they live and how they serve and encourage and love others. 

                                          We'll miss you Dad! 

Random Braids!

SOME DAYS WE JUST LIKE TO BE RANDOM!

All braids lead to her new favotire: AFRO PUFFS!

Hairstyle lasted for almost 2 weeks!

We had to comb out the afro puffs a bit every day!

MAKE SURE HAIR STAYS OILED (not greased)!

MoHawk!

ANOTHER MOHAWK!

Braided Up the Side!

Coiled In the Front!

Forming of the Hawk!

See the spirals?????!!!

HAIRSTYLE 2

VIEW FROM THE FRONT AND FROM THE SIDE!

Other Side!

AFRO PUFFS!

Need a quick hairstyle?! Well, here you go!

AFRO PUFFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

STEP 1:Wash hair with JUST FOR ME Kids Conditioner and Shampoo!

Cost: $6.00 (with tax).  If you buy both $12.00

STEP 2:Let hair air dry.  NO HEAT PLEASE!

STEP 3: Moisturize scalp!
STEP 4: Part hair in 2 sections, straight down the middle!
STEP 5: Using pretty, adorable hair holders, put hair in 2 AFRO PUFFs (or buns).

STEP 6: We left some hair out in the back to make a 3rd AFRO PUFF!

SO CUTE!

I'm Baaaaaccccck!!!

So,  Thanks to my mom (for letting me use my computer)
I'm Baaaaaaaaack! 

I've been out of commission since my computer died!

BEFORE-MY LITTLE TINY AFRO!

Here are a few picture updates!  See you soon!

BLOW OUT! 

More to come on a Blow Out!

From 3 Different Angels: It's growing!

Full View!

Even Bigger!

Dressed and Ready for Work!

Back View!!!

With the Bow!  I am LOVING MY BOWS!!!!

STAY POSTED!

Still Learning to Embrace Our Beauty

Just being silly.

My nieces and my husband. Just being silly, yet again.

BOTH OF my nieces are ALL natural now.  Woohoo!

T

Passion

& Me.

P.S. We're all still loving it and learning to embrace our beauty.

My niece T, just decided she wanted to be natural.  She opposed it for so long.  I actually didn't want to cut her hair beause I didn't think she was ready for this journey.  But I did, against my better judgment.  I'm still not sure I made the right decision; however, I am certain that hair grows back.  And if I can teach her now to learn to see her beauty, first within, then on the outside, then I'm glad I started now. 

As followers of God, we believe that God looks at the heart.  Therefore, the heart is where true beauty should be.  It doesn't matter how wonderful and nice you look on the outside if you are not beautiful within.  God doesn't care how much good we do if our motives are selfish.  And that, from the inside out is what my husband and I are trying to teach our nieces.  And they are learning, slowly, but surely.

But we do not ignore the media and how women, even younger girls, are protrayed in our society today.  Everyone is thin and beautiful.  Girls, even black girls, have long, straight hair (often times with the help of extensions, for both whites and non-whites).  So when my niece returned home to Chicago, after "going natural" she was made fun of.  She was told her hair was "jacked up" and that she was "balded head" and had "nappy" hair.  I asked her how these things made her feel.  She said she didn't care.  That made me proud.  It also made me sad that for many women our beauty lies within our looks, not within that which is in our hearts.  It made me sad that a young, African American girl would even be made fun of for wanting to get rid of the chemicals that damaged her hair.  That an afro could strip her of her "beauty".  Come on America, it's time for a reality check!  Beauty fades, hair falls out, and that's why I believe that God is real and the Bible is true: "Man looks on the outside, but God looks on the inside."  In the end, what is inside is what matters most of all.  And maybe if we all believed this, we'd all be a lot happier, less shallow, and could save tons and tons of money on make-up and botox!

FroHawk!

 

Here's a quick style I have done on my nieces!

This is my first attempt on my own head, which you'll  be able to tell with my crooked parts.

I don't braid my own hair because it's far too frustrating.

First, I divide the hair into 3 parts.

I will have braids come up the sides, meeting at the middle where I live some hair out

(hair that is to be twiseted later).

Each side of my head has 9, unfortunately, crooked braids.

               Right Side!                                                                      Left Side!

Once I am done, I'll have a bunch of hair collected in the middle.

Here ae some better shots.

Finally, the coils (blog to come).

I take a small amont of gel and wet my hair.

I then take my pointer finger and begin to rub the hair around my finger until it coils up.

The result:

I know, terrible parting job.  But I just couldn't see and my arms are so short.

Practice makes better.  It can only get better from here, right?!  I sure hope so.

The back.