A Little Vacation

Well, even bloggers need to take a vacation from time to time, and I'm no exception. I am taking a couple of weeks off of blogging and I will return sometime in the first or second week of the new year, with my January update photos.

I ended up trimming my bangs on Christmas Eve, because I just couldn't hack having them in my eyes. I may or may not decide to grow them out. I think the Holidays wasn't a good time to start the process. We'll see what I decide in the next few weeks.

If anyone has any photos that they want to share of hairstyles they've done, please feel free to email me about it.

I wish everyone a joy-filled New Year, and I'll see you in a couple of weeks!

'Til a few days into January, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling hopeless.
xo

Wishing You Well

Whether you celebrate Christmas or if you don't, I want to wish you all peace of mind, joy, good health, prosperity, and hope.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is almost over for us. The kids were with us and we had a lovely, quiet family evening with a nice dinner, some singing and a lot of fun.

Today, I did touch up my roots, and afterwards I washed it with coconut oil shampoo. I am really happy with both the colour and the condition of my hair.

I had a big surprise this evening when I discovered that my mum has actually tried the coconut oil shampoo herself, and she is extremely happy with it. She purchased the coconut oil earlier in the week, but didn't use it on her hair until today. Her hair turned out extremely full of body and quite lustrous.

She's not certain on what her ratio was though. I do know that she used much less oil than shampoo.

A really great bonus is that in the meantime between buying the coconut oil and using it on her hair, she used it on  a small patch of psoriasis that she's had for a while and it cleared it up in just a couple of days, after having tried many creams from the doctor that had proven ineffective. Coconut oil really has some amazing properties that make it a wonderful multi-purpose oil.

It's the coolest thing to turn my mum onto a new haircare routine!

Anyway, that's it for tonight. I'll be heading to bed and waiting for Santa to come shortly.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, another religious holiday or merely get to enjoy some extra days off work, I wish everyone the happiest of happy holidays.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.

xo

Final Holiday Preparations

Well, tonight we did the last bit of Christmas shopping, so all the gifts are taken care of and so are all of the groceries.

It's so nice to be sitting here right now with both of my kids on the sofa beside me and my husband sitting just across the room on his computer.

It's really finally starting to feel like Christmas now.

We still have a few things to do tomorrow around the house, but it will be taken care of. Both kids will be home and many hands make light work.

Also tomorrow, I'm going to touch up my roots, so I'll be prepping my hair with coconut oil.

I am so looking forward to a beautiful family Christmas Eve tomorrow night.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all and extra hugs to anyone feeling lonely today.
xo

My Daughter's Home For Christmas (And Her Length Pics)

My daughter is home for the holidays, and I couldn't be happier. She arrived here just after 5 pm and we've been yapping ever since.

We did take a moment to take some length photos of her. Her dark blonde hair looks lovely, especially considering that she was on a bus for 7 hours.

Here are my daughter's hair photos:

Well, I hope you'll excuse me making this brief so that I can get back to catching up with my daughter.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.

xo

Off-Topic Tuesday--Need a Break Today

Today I'm feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and I have nothing to say, so I'm taking the day off of blogging.

I am healthy and fine and so are my family members, but I just need a break.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all and extra hugs to anyone who is living in fear.
xo

Busy

Yes, I've still been so busy that I can't think straight. Added to all of my busy-ness is the knowledge that Christmas is only days away.

I haven't had time to participate in the online hair forums, and I have pretty much been practicing benign neglect with my hair.

I've just been wearing it up in a bun, and brushing it just once a day to change the style slightly.

I've noticed that when I do the Movie Star Shampoo (oil soap) in the correct proportion, I can actually stretch out washes for an extra day, which is a surprising bonus.

I'm still waiting for my hair to be long enough to do some of my favourite styles, like the Celtic Bun, but I am finding it easy to be patient, given that I'm so busy these days.

I'm just not really giving my hair a lot of thought, which is probably a good thing.

I hope that everyone's week is off to a good start.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Quotes About The Nature Of Life, Love and The Universe

Here are some quotes that I've been pondering and mean a lot to me from a diverse array of authors. There might be one that strikes you.



"If out of all mankind one finds a single friend, he has found something more precious than any treasure, since there is nothing in the world so valuable that it can be compared to a real friend.--Andreas Capellanus

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread."--Mother Teresa

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."--Buddha

"We have to take the whole universe as the expression of the one Self. Then only our love flows to all beings and creatures in the world equally."--Swami Ramdas

"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty".--Albert Einstein

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope."--Robert Francis Kennedy quotes

"Wicked men obey out of fear; good men, out of love."--Aristotle

"Man is a being with free will; therefore, each man is potentially good or evil, and it's up to him and only him (through his reasoning mind) to decide which he wants to be."--Ayn Rand

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling misunderstood
xo

Hairstyle How-To: Asymmetrical Figure 8

This sleek hairstyle can take you from office to holiday party, depending on how you accessorize it.

Here are some photos, clickable for larger pictures as always, with instructions following them.

It's made by doing a Figure 8 updo as shown in this entry,  however, instead of moving the top coil of hair straight down to create the "8 effect", you move the coil in a slightly diagonal direction.

After that, move the coils to position them for your desired look. This makes it look much less like an 8.

Put in hair sticks and you're done. In these photos, I'm using Mei Fa Hairstyx in Raspberry.

Hope you're having a lovely pre-holiday weekend.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling alone today.
xo

Another Busy Day And No More Oil Slick :)

Well, I have just now (hopefully) finished doing the personal business that has kept me busy for the last 10 days, at least for today. I'm hoping to have the weekend off of that, and the boys and I are going to clean the house and get things ready for Christmas. We will wait to decorate when my daughter arrives home, as is her wish. We like to decorate late anyway, so that the magic of the decorations is still in bloom on Christmas day.

My husband and I will be doing some Christmas shopping tomorrow evening. The last Saturday night before Christmas is absolutely the best time to shop if you don't want a crowd. Most people are out at Christmas parties, and the stores are relatively quiet. It's the best kept secret in retail! We can do five hours worth of Christmas shopping in an hour and a half. We know what we need, so it's going to be fun.


I washed out the oil slick with a 1.5:1 ratio of coconut oil to shampoo, and my hair is back to its happy self. It's amazing really, how much difference it can be from saturation level to the appropriate level of coconut oil to shampoo. I actually might have been okay with a 2:1 ratio, but I wasn't taking any chances, given how oily my hair was. I'm still working on finding the perfect mix.

Some people are having success with merely a 1 :4 ratio of coconut oil to shampoo. We're just all so different. It amazes me.

Right now, it's just me and the dog. My son is at work and so is my husband, although he'll be home for a dinner break later in the evening.  I'm wound up like a top right now after a day full of phone calls and errand, and I'm bone tired.

Once again, I'm going to do my best to relax this evening in hope that I'm ready to spring into action tomorrow.

I wish everyone a wonderful weekend, and for those of you who will be partying, please be safe.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling frightened today.
xo

Can't Allow Panic To Set In

Well, I have a migraine, I've been busy with taking care of things for my parents to the exclusion of almost everything else, the house is a mess, Christmas is coming, and I can feel panic beginning to arise.

I need to put a firm stop to that ASAP. I cannot afford either mentally or physically to go into panic mode. After I write this, I am going to chill, chill, chill and then chill until there is not a lick of anxiety left in me. I have to do it.

Logically, I know that all of the Christmas stuff will get done, and so will everything else. There really isn't all that much to do, so I'm worrying needlessly. I'm just overwhelmed right now.

I don't have a thing to say about my hair, as I haven't given it a single second of thought today.

Okay, my mind is a blank, so I guess that's it for today. Not much of a post, I'm afraid, but that's the kind of day it is.

Hope to be clear-headed and write a worthy post tomorrow. How I would love to have a hairstyle photo to show!

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Arrgggghhhh! I'm an Oil Slick

I think by now it's clear that I'm in love with my coconut oil soap. From reading the reports of everyone who is using what is now being called "Movie Star Shampoo", everyone seems to need a different ratio of coconut oil to shampoo. Some use more shampoo than oil, others, like me, use more oil than shampoo.

However, the last time I washed my hair, I accidentally doubled the amount of coconut oil in my mixture.

Let me tell you, it ain't pretty.

The ends of my hair are fairly happy, but all of the hair from the forehead to the nape just looks plain oily. Wearing an updo barely helps, because it looks as though I greased my hair back. Yipes!

So, I'll be making sure to be more diligent about my measurements in the future. When I do the correct ratio, my hair doesn't look oily at all. In fact it just looks lustrous and full.

There's a lot going on right now in my life that's distracting me, so I'm not really in shock that I made such a goof. Anyway, one shampoo will take care of that little oops.

My bangs are already at the stage when I would ordinarily trim them. I guess I forget how quickly they grow. They're starting to irk me already, so I may have to start using gel to keep them out of my eyes.

I don't know how this bang-growing-out thing is going to work. I just might not have the patience right now.

I'm starting to get a bit nervous about Christmas. I've had so much on my plate that I really haven't made the proper preparations as yet.

I guess things will get done though, as they always do.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Off-Topic Tuesday: Another Quote

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”--M. Ghandhi


Sometimes we feel so small and helpless in this world and feel that we can do nothing to change things. We may feel that our feeble efforts are of little use. Yet, even in the smallest ways, if we behave in the way we wish the world to be, it does change the world, even if only one person learns a lesson or benefits from us.

You don't need to be perfect; heaven knows I'm not. However, if you can behave in ways that improve your own or someone else's life, even in the smallest way, you are making a difference.

Perhaps you give a smile to someone who needs it. Or maybe you say a kind word just when that person needs to hear it. Maybe you'll open up a door for a stranger at a store, and that's the first kindness that they've experienced in some time. You might stand up to a bully and tell them that what they're doing is just not acceptable. You may have been an abused child, but have made a firm commitment to never lay your hands on your child. That in itself is a little miracle. You have broken a cycle.

Even a genuine compliment given can change a person's mood and therefore their day. We can literally give a gift to every person we meet, if we choose.Who knows what chain of positive events we might start.

It doesn't take a world leader or a saint to change the world. It doesn't take money. We can make little differences every day.  Don't ever forget your own power.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Thinking of Growing Out My Bangs

I love my bangs, but sometimes I want to change up my look. 

Since I won't be cutting my hair any time soon, getting a perm, or changing my hair colour, growing out my bangs seems like the only way to change my hair's appearance. If I grow out my bangs, I'll be able to include them in crown braids or other hair styles that I really like.

The last time I grew out my bangs, it was a hassle, even once they were fully grown out. Because my hair grows straight down, my hair was always in my face unless I clipped it back or put it behind my ears. It was fine for updos, but not when I wore my hair down.

Ideally, I'd like to "train" my bangs to frame my face, but as much as I tried, it just doesn't work for me. Gel was not an option at that time, because the only gels I knew made my hair stiff and dry.

Since then, I discovered my Morrocco Method gel, which is flexible, hair friendly has amazing hold and requires very little product. I'm hoping I'll be able to use that to keep my hair out of my face.  In any case, it's going to be quite a while before I have to worry about it because I just trimmed my bangs about 2 weeks ago. Mind you, I generally need to trim my bangs every 3 weeks or so; maybe I'll need to start holding my bangs back artificially fairly soon, come to think of it.

Anyway, wish me luck. As many of you know, growing out bangs requires oodles of patience, and I'm already using up my supply.

So I guess we'll see.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Another Unexpected Benefit of Oil Soap

I've been extremely busy taking care of some things for my parents as well as coping with a migraine for the past few days, and while I've been showering, I haven't been washing my hair.

In the past, whether I used shampoo and conditioner or conditioner only, I've always felt my hair is greasy by day 3.

Today, my hair feels as clean as it did on the day I washed it. I can't begin to tell you my surprise. That oil soap is becoming better and better, as far as the benefits.

Who would have thought that using all of that coconut oil with shampoo could make such a difference and leave my hair feeling so soft but not oily?

I couldn't be more delighted with my results, as I've already said.

I hope to hear from some of you who have tried the oil soap method. It's the most revolutionary thing that I've tried since starting my long hair journey.

It's important to know that everyone seems to need to use a different ratio of coconut oil to shampoo, and some people are using no conditioner afterwards at all, while some of us have to.

Anyway, if you've tried it, I'd love to hear about it.

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful weekend.

'Til tomorrow my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Sometimes This Is Tedious

While I have oft said that I am not trying to rush into the future and wish my life away, I must admit that this hair-growing can be tedious. It requires every ounce of patience that one possesses.

I know that some of you are lifelong longhairs, and can't relate, but for us growers, the difference from month to month is so frigging minuscule.

When I look at my progress from February to December, I realize just how far I've come, but I have a feeling that my next trip to waist is going to be a very, very long haul.

I guess this is an exercise in patience that I sorely need.

On the upside, I am still very happy with the present state of my hair. Aside from the fact that there are many hairstyles that I can't yet do, I am enjoying my hair as much as is humanly possible. I JUST WISH IT WERE LONGER!!!

Of course, I'll get there in due time, so I'm doing my best to relax about it. Unfortunately, once in a while I have days like these.

I suppose everyone has days like these whether it comes to hair, saving for a special item or losing weight. We get past it and don't let it get us down enough to give up.

Speaking of weight, I hadn't weighed myself for some time. I weighed myself 3 times this week, and there's no doubt about it; I've lost 10 pounds. It doesn't really show much, but I do know that the next 10 pounds will show a lot.

Realistically, I don't expect to lose more than another 10-13 pounds, unless I become a long distance runner. I will look quite good 10 pounds from now and I'll be able to wear my jeans!

So one thing frustrated me; one thing makes me happy. I guess we're all this way to some extent.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling alone today.
xo

Hairstyle How To: Double Vertical Braids

This is an different variation on wearing a regular single braid or double braids. It doesn't look too interesting when you're standing still, but it creates an interesting swing when you walk.

I often do triple vertical braids, but for today i just did two. I didn't part the hair evenly enough into two sections that the braids were equal in width, but this gives you an idea of how it's supposed to look.

This is clearly an easy hairstyle to do.

Firstly, I parted my hair as if I were making a half-up, and I braided that area.

Secondly, I braided the remaining hair.

As I said earlier, this style has much more impact when one is moving. It creates an attractive swing, and has even more impact if you try three vertical braids.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.

xo

Quick Entry

Today I've been busy with family business for my parents. I've spent the day running around and/or on the phone, and I am completely spent. If I have any brain cells left, I can't access them.

I'm just popping in to say that while I didn't respond as yet to yesterday's comments, I really enjoyed them.

Just keep supporting your friends, what ever their style may be. And if someone gives you unwanted advice about your own personal style, let them know that it's not okay. We can't change the whole world, but we can effect change occasionally one person at a time.

Having a great hair day!

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Further to Live and Let Live

On Sunday I discussed the seemingly constant cry for women to cut their hair that seems to permeate all media.

I really appreciated all of the comments left on that blog entry and the emails. A point was raised that of course, women cutting their hair into particular styles keeps the women going back to the hair salons and that is completely true.

The world of beauty and fashion would be nowhere without changing styles. With regard to hair, new hair cuts and styles leads to more business for hair salons, it creates a need for certain new styling products and appliances, and generally benefits all businesses who have a stake in the hair market.

So I do understand why beauty and fashion editors will discuss the latest trends in hair, which will then in turn benefit their sponsors.

What I don't understand however, is why they can't just show off the latest styles without putting down people who dare to be different. It's one thing to show what's hot right now; it's another to insult an entire group of people.

It seems to be a constant that long-haired women of a certain age are treated as unstable people who are either trying to recreate our youth or to trap a man. There are endless articles trying to uncover the "hidden reasons" why a woman over 35 or so would choose to wear long hair.

The really sad thing is that so many women buy into it. I wouldn't mind if they just bought into it for themselves alone, but it so often seems that women are on a mission to change other women who don't fit into the current fashion mold.

I myself have had hurtful things said to me about the length of my hair and my age, and by people very close to me. For the most part, I get compliments on my hair, but the negative comments, especially from friends and loved ones, do sting. I can't lie.

So once again, I ask you to support your sisters in whatever their style happens to be, whether they wear a brush cut or hair down to their ankles. We women are so much stronger when we are supportive of one another's differences rather than expecting everyone to be the same and belittling those who are not. 

Wouldn't a world where we all looked and dressed completely alike be boring?  I think so, and I like to celebrate every woman's own unique brand of beauty.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.

xo

Off-Topic Tuesday: Domestic Violence

I have been blessed to have a gentle and loving husband.

So many women have not been so blessed.

If you see any woman being abused in a domestic situation, please, please don't be the person who wants to mind their own business and stay out of it.

Please report any instances of spousal abuse to the police. You very well may save a life or more than one life.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone in pain today.
xo

Hairstyle How-To: Franny's Easy Holiday Updo

I know that a lot of people are looking to try a new look in updos for the holiday season. I believe that the easier, the better, most of the time. This is another very quick and easy hairstyle that takes only a minimum of practice to achieve an optimal look. It's surprisingly impressive from behind, and shows quite nicely from the front. It's something like a French Twist with a large loop on the top and can make quite a bold statement if done correctly.

Here is a back view of the updo: (All photos are clickable for larger pictures and closer viewing.)

The Instructions:

1. Gather hair as if into a ponytail.

2. Loop ponytail around two fingers on left hand. (all of this will be opposite if your are left-handed.)

3. Twist the loop that you have created in a counter-clockwise direction.

4. Continue twisting loop until you run out of hair to twist.

5. When you've run out of hair to twist, tuck the ends into the French Twist-like portion of the hair and secure near the top of the twist and under the loop with a barrette or hair clip. In this example, I am using a medium Ficcare Maximas in Blue Jeans. I must mention that I did not end up tucking all of the ends into the twist in these particular photos.

6. Fan out loop, and leave it free, as I have done, or pin the loop in place to achieve your own desired look. You may want to pin some parts of the loop up and some in other directions for a different effect.

Here are two other photos of the finished product:

I hope that you'll give this updo a try. As I have mentioned it's extremely easy to do, and I'd love to hear how others have made it work with various hair types.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.

xo

Live And Let Live--Please!

I am really getting tired of articles written by beauty reporters and fashion consultants who think that very long hair simply needs to be cut. I was pointed to the direction of this blurb, written by the Allure Daily Beauty Reporter.


I really felt annoyed that the reporter had to put down a woman for proudly having hair down to her buttocks, and then going the extra mile to figure out the psychological reasons why some women are "afraid" to cut their hair.

While I have no doubt that some women cut their hair for psychological reasons, and others keep their hair long for psychological reasons, I truly believe that most women wear their hair at the particular length they wear it simply because that's the way they like it.


Of course there are also religious and cultural reasons why some women keep their hair very long.


Once in a blue moon, I read similar articles about women with short hair, but the focus is almost always on long hair. And by long hair, usually beauty editors mean anything longer than collarbone length.


Why is there this seemingly constant need in the beauty industry to suggest that women need to cut their hair? Particularly, women who have reached middle age are picked on for having long hair. If a woman feels beautiful with her hair at whatever length she wears it, that's good enough for me. I wish that we women would all be more supportive of one another's unique style.

Isn't that what it's really all about?


I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all and extra hugs to anyone who is ill today.
xo

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Another Quiet Saturday, and Still Loving My Hair

It's been a lovely quiet day. The men of the household are both off today, and they took advantage of the day off to get some extra sleep. I was up early, so I had a lot of quiet time to read and to watch a movie. I did a few chores, but mostly I have spent the day relaxing. What could be more delightful?

I watched White Oleander today. I've seen it before, but it's being run again on one of my movie networks, and I thought it deserved another viewing. I had forgotten the beautiful long hair in the movie. While I am quite sure that both Michelle Pfeiffer and Alison Lohman are wearing extensions in the film, it is inspiring nonetheless to see straight blonde hair that is longer than waist length. While I'm not fool enough to think that my hair will ever look like the hair I saw in the film, it still gives me incentive to keep on growing.

My son and I caught up on the episodes that we had missed of The Amazing Race, which we've been watching together since the second season. We always have a lot of fun watching it, and we never fail to have at least one good belly laugh when we view it.

I am still using the oil soap shampoo, and I continue to be delighted with the results. I'm still playing around with the ratios. Most recently I've been using a ratio of 1:1 of coconut oil and shampoo, mixed with water in a squeeze bottle. I am finding it necessary to use only the smallest amount of conditioner, which is nice. This method is turning out to be quicker than even COing has been, and I really had that routine down.

You may recall that it was through reading Ktani's blog entry about hair care from movie stars of the past that I first became aware of the oil soap. If you haven't read Ktani's Hair Sense blog and you're interested in some interesting research regarding hair care, I suggest you check it out. She also wrote a very interesting entry debunking the myths surrounding silicones in conditioners, which I found very informative.

In any case, it's been 3 weeks with the oil soap, and the results are still amazing me. This is the closest I have ever felt to having hair that looks like the hair in hair care commercials. I think this is the future of my hair routine.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo

Really Enjoying My Hair Today

First of all, thank you to all who commented on yesterday's progress photos. It made me feel very good, and I really appreciate it.

It's been a long haul just to get where I am, so having people cheer me on helps like you wouldn't believe.

Usually, when I'm just at home, I wear my hair up to keep it protected from wear and tear. While I do like to wear my hair loose when I go out, it's usually up when I'm here.

Today though, I wore my hair loose for part of the day, and I caught myself looking in the mirror with surprise a couple of times. I am yet again noticing how much longer it's getting, especially in the front.

It's such a great feeling to actually be able to see myself that my hair is growing. So often, we don't actually notice the changes in our own hair, because we see it every day.

Perhaps because I wear my hair up most of the time, I view my hair the way others might who haven't seen me for a while.

So I guess wearing one's hair up serves more than the purpose of protecting the hair and keeping it out of harm's way. It also allows us to notice the difference when it's worn down.

I'm really feeling positive about the way my hair feels and looks these days too. It's really been soft and shiny.

All in all, this has been a delightfully good hair day. I think I'll just leave it at that.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend.

'Til tomorrow my friends. Much love to all.
xo

December Update

Here are my December length photos. This month my hair grew 1/2 inch, but I also trimmed 1/2 inch, so there has been no visible growth. For quite some time, actually a few years, my hair was growing 3/4 inch per month, but I've noticed that for the past few months, I'm only gaining about 1/2 inch per month. I don't know why I'm experiencing slower growth, but it's been pretty constant since early this year.

Nonetheless, I'm pleased with my progress.

As a reminder, here is a length photo from February of this year.

It's probably needless to say that I'm not thrilled with the thin ends (do I ever stop whining about that?), but I know that eventually they will be removed.

Also, I'm starting to think that since the slower growth has become a regular thing, I may not be at waist length for my 50th birthday next July. If that's the case, so be it. I'll get there eventually.

All in all, it's been a pretty good year so far for growth and trimming away damage, so I'm good with it.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling anxious today.

xo

Happy December!

It's December already. I can scarcely believe it. Does last Christmas really feel as though it was almost a year ago? No. Not at all, at least not to me.

Seriously, where does the time go? It feels as though I'm still getting used to it being 2010, and yet in a month, it will be yet another New Year's Day.

When I really think about it, I can see and feel that time has passed. A year ago, I was still on what had become a complete hiatus for 15 months, from any online forums, my own website and Facebook. I wasn't even writing emails. For some reason, I needed to be alone with my thoughts for a while, and it wasn't until mid-January of this year that I returned to LHC and it was in February that I became active on Facebook. It was in April that I began this blog.

Also, a year ago, my hair wasn't even reaching APL length, and now I've just gotten past BSL.

When I think of all of the individual events that have happened in my life and in my family this year, I do realize that it really must be December, but it really is true that time is a relative thing, and as we get older, time genuinely does feel as though it passes so quickly. It's so important not to look to far ahead and wish your life away.

That's why I really do my best not to think ahead much to my next goals where my hair is concerned. Yes, my next goal is in the back of my mind, and I do have some days when I am frustrated by my lack of length, but for the most part, I try to just appreciate my hair the way it is now, and focus on its health and not on the length.


It seems as though just about everyone I know either has a cold or has a family member who has a cold. I am one of the ones who has a cold right now. It started on Sunday, and today, I'm feeling an enormous amount of sinus pain, and I have some chills, although I only have a very low-grade fever. I am quite certain that I do not have a sinus infection, so I know that in just a day or two I'll be feeling better.

I won't lie though; a sinus headache along with a migraine is really not much fun. The weather went from a balmy 57F/14C yesterday down to about 32F/0C today, so I think the drastic change accounts for the migraine. That should stabilize soon too.

On days like this, I am very happy that my hair is long enough to put up so that it can be kept out of my face.

This morning I took my hair down from my bedtime bun, gave it a brushing to get rid of shed hairs, and I just put my hair back up in a bun. Voila, hair done for the day!

I know that a lot of people find that having bangs is a lot of work, but with my hair type and the thickness of my bangs, mine are completely maintenance-free. They just lie straight down from the time I comb them down after a wash and they stay that way until the next wash. Once in a blue moon, they stick up on one side after sleeping, but a quick pat with a wet hand, and a couple of strokes with a comb, and they're as good as new.

I guess I'm lucky in that way.

Anyway, I do wish a very happy December to everyone.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.
xo