**UPDATE** Name This Plant (So I Can Kill It)

This is a plant I picked up for my sister for Mother's Day.

Mother's Day 2014

I need someone to tell me what kind of plant this is. There was no label on it except for one on the bottom explaining its care: lots of direct sunlight & very little watering. It was a perfect plant for me since my thumb so brown (heh heh) that I once killed a cactus. My sister, on the other hand (heh heh), can grow anything. She almost revived my catcus, but I'd done too much damage! She's been sick and neglecting her plants & this one still looks better than ones I've watered and babied...

This is probably the most interesting plant I've ever seen. The "leaves" are hard and almost woodlike to the touch. I thought it would just stay looking the same as when I bought it but, no, it gets more beautiful and interesting every week.

Here is what the plant looked like today:

June 2014
It's been missing my sister's care

Notice that it's beginning to flower. And this is after not having daily care for about two and a half weeks. Now that my sister is back taking care of it, I can't wait to see what it will look like.

The thing is, now that I am going to be moving and have a shot at living in a house (versus an apartment), I plan to try my hand with some decorative plants and *gasp* maybe a garden...? My sister-in-law has done a wonderful job with her garden.

corn, green beans & taters

look at this!

cucumbers. (YUM)

I feel freaking inspired.

Of course, my garden might not look so good. I have a feeling that my first attempt might look more like this:

probably something poisonous...

Oh well. It will be nice to be able to give it a try.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Frownies Immune Perfect Continuous Hydration

When I joined Swaggable, I spent weeks clicking the "Want" button for tons of products. I got discouraged and gave up when I never heard back on any samples. Finally, about a week ago, I got this one:

4 mL

Hmmm... Kind of tiny, right?

The two reasons that made me "Want" this just from seeing the description? 1) Immune and 2) continuous hydration. Sounds good to me.

There aren't a ton of ingredients. I like the first 3 things listed, but I had to look up the last one.

When I searched on"water soluble melanin", the first result was for a patent. Reading the abstract, this is the line that stood out for me:

The melanin is also useful for providing a sun-screen to mammalian skin and hair, to treat post-inflammatory hypo- and hyperpigmentation...

I lost my sunscreen the other day while making a huge mess packing things up. Plus, my skin reacts to stress by drying up, and I've had my share of stress lately, so I was even more ready to give this "hydration" a try.

Oddly colored, isn't it?

Remember that I mentioned the small sample size? Well, I didn't need much at all to cover my face and neck. The stuff is really nice. It feels thin and just kind of glides onto the skin. I've used out of the one sample twice already and think I can get another one (maybe two) more uses from it.

Because I like the way it makes my skin feel, I was sure that it was going to be priced too high for me to ever buy any. I went over to the Immune Perfect site to check things out.

Frownies (funny name) has an interesting history and some pretty interesting-looking products that are more reasonably priced than I expected. I was surprised that the Immune Perfect is a wrinkle cream. I was thrilled to see that it's available in different sizes. It's cool to have a choice to try out a smaller, less expensive size portion of the product.

Like I said, I've only gotten a couple uses out of this sample but, so far, I really do like it. I'd have to use it for a while longer to notice whether or not there's a visible change, but I like the idea of the sun protection.

Not bad for my first Swaggable sample. Of course, I haven't heard back on any of the other Wants...

Now I have to get back to packing up my life!

Peace
--Free

Right Reasons, Right Actions

When I began telling friends that I was thinking of relocating, a lot of them understood my initial reason: cost of living. It's too high here and it's more affordable "there".

Lots of people relocated for lots of reasons. Some people move for a job or for a lover; to regroup and refresh, or get their life back on track; or just because they can't stand being in one place for too long. Some people move even when they don't want to or without knowing why. Now that I have pretty much made up my mind to relocate, I want to point out the reason that will seal the decision: my faith.

The first thing that I heard about my potential new home was how sincerely nice the people are. Out of the conversation I had with my family (who lives there), the part that sticks in my mind is when my brother said: "People don't just pray for you, they actually care for you. They don't just say 'Have a nice day', they mean it."

I can't tell you how many times I've had someone say to me (and I to them), "I'll be praying for you", only to have them say the prayer and move on with their life. Did they, or I, follow up on the prayer by checking back to see how things are going? Probably not. Unless they are very close and dear to me, I know that I often felt my duty as a person ended with the "Amen" of the prayer.

There have been times when I have followed up prayers for others with a letter or phone call. I've sincerely cared what happens to the other person. There have been times when people have done more than pray for me.

I think that, as Christians, we sometimes forget that we are brothers and sisters. Instead of asking God in our prayers to bless one another, we could be doing a little blessing of our own. We could be helping that single mother with the kids by offering to babysit or provide a meal. We could be giving our cast-off furniture to the family next door instead of dropping it off at a donation center for the write-off receipt.

For years, whenever my mother saw someone inebriated or homeless, standing on the street corner with signs asking for a handout, I never once heard her say that she'd be praying for them. Instead, Mom would go somewhere and buy a hot meal and coffee and take it back to that person. Then she would pray that they were going to be nourished and blessed by that offering.

I truly believe that a lot of time, when we say that we are going to be praying for someone, we are just speaking out loud that we are Christians. I'd much rather have - and do - the action of Christianity. After all, we will even pray for our enemies. Why aren't we also doing for our brothers and sisters?

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Matthew 25:35-36

After that conversation with my brother, I decided that I want to be more of a Christian in action that one who just prays for people. Whether or not this new place turns out to be all that my brother says it is, I can be all that I promised to be as a Christian.

I've been the one who, either in body or spirit, was thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick and in prison. Thank God for brothers and sisters who didn't just stop at "praying" for me.

Peace
--Free

Reunion of the Youngest

I have a younger brother. We are not the youngest of six siblings, we are also most alike in temperament. We have both lived lives that have soared too high and dropped too low. Now, in our more mature years, we may have the chance to share some years of balance and calm.

My "little" brother (who towers over me), is a gently soul. When he tried to live a life hidden in other people's dreams, he soared. When he tried to live a life that he thought he wanted, and found it so contrary to what his heart is meant for, he dropped.

His life and mine have been so similar, yet wildly different. We've flown, and not been happy; we began falling from the heights, and still felt lost. When we hit ground, we had the humility to look to God. We've been rescued and redeemed; picked up and dusted off. We are here.

Soon, God willing, I will be living near my little brother again. We've made it through everything to find ourselves as grown-up versions of the children we used to be.

It's such a beauty and a blessing.

I was watching out for my little brother...

This time, my "little" brother is the one honoring our parents by watching out for me. Thanks, bro.

Peace
--Free

Every Time I Need an Answer

Out of all my storms, I am beginning to see glimpses of sun.

In the past several days, I think I've lost a few pounds just from the stress. I haven't been able to eat or sleep or settle my thoughts. I did manage to pray.

Today, our family got a couple pieces of cautious good news. We're not flying banners yet, but we are feeling more hopeful. As for my personal situation, I got a big dose of hope too.

All the songs tell us that all we need is love. Love is nice and I try to never turn down the right kind, but it's hope that keeps me going from day to day.

I can't go into detail yet, but I am thinking of making some huge changes in my life. Huge. Major. Good and hopeful changes. Lord knows, I've made big changes before, but they were never just for me. I've made job changes, location changes and relationship changes - always for the benefit of others. This time, I'm only having to think of myself. It's scary as hell!

We'll see what the coming days bring. For now, I am just enjoying the weightlessness of peace.

If you've read even a fourth of my blog posts, you know that one of my favorite writers is Zora Neale Hurston. After I finished thanking God for this peace I am feeling, one of my best-loved Hurston quotes came to mind:

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” ( from "Their Eyes Were Watching God")

Perfectly true. Every time my life asks questions, God provides an answer. This time He gave an answer I was happy to hear.

More later, when I have things firmed up.

Peace
--Free

Pack and Go Life

I just had to stop what I was doing and write this post.

While apartment hunting, I began de-cluttering my life. I didn't realize how much useless "stuff" I've been packing around the past few years.

When I owned a home, I had closets and pantries and storage space to spare. And I did everything I could to keep them filled up to over-flowing. After selling the first house and moving to Arizona into another (smaller) home, I still had too much stuff. Stuff I didn't wear, use or eat. Just stuff to fill spaces.

When I left Arizona and moved into my first apartment ever, I didn't have much with me. It was nice. It would have been heavenly if the rest of my life had been as de-cluttered and orderly.

Finally, when I returned to Alaska and back into a family home, I began my accumulation of, yep, more Stuff. Clothes and knick-knacks and trinkets and decorations. I carried a lot of it with me into my current situation.

Now that I am looking at moving into smaller accommodations, I'm getting rid of all that is unnecessary. I expected to feel some sense of loss or emptiness but, I'm shocked at how renewed I feel. There is a feeling of freedom and lightness that I don't think I have ever known.

When everything that has led up to my current move began, I felt frustrated and angry. Lord knows, I don't need the stress of a move in the middle of the chaos that is my life at the moment. I had a week or so of just being pissed off and anxious.

Then, like at every other needful time in my life, God stepped in. In the middle of what I like to call "my personal storm," He sent a blessing of peace and calmness. People who don't believe in a personal Savior will be shaking their heads and tsk-tsking this, but I know what's true.

Today, while I was packing and sorting things, and making runs to drop things off at Salvation Army, my anxieties ebbed and faded. In my heart, I felt so much quiet and stillness that I had to just stop and say, "Thank You."

As for the future, I am planning to practice what I call a "pack and go life." It applies to objects, people and possessions - both spiritual and material:

• What I don't need, I won't have.
• What doesn't feed and nourish me, I don't need.
• What doesn't simplify or ease the way for me, I will avoid.
• What doesn't bless or inspire me can't take up space.

Growing up, I was taught that everything happens for its own reasons - even if we can't see or understand or agree with those reasons. In times of trouble, I always doubt that, but it's always proved true in the end for me.

I hope that anyone else who is dealing with their own struggles right now will find this kind of calmness and peacefulness. Those are the only things we should ever try owning in this life.

Peace

--Free

*REVIEW** Adovia Mineral Lift Serum

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Have been using another product from one of my faves: Adovia. This time, I'm trying out one of their face care items. It's Mineral Lift Serum and it's formulated for all skin types.

I've used Olay's Regenerist serum in the past and I like it okay, but my skin needed a break from it. The Mineral Lift Serum is a nice change. The texture is not as thin as Olay's.

Here are the things it's supposed to do:

• Firms and Tightens skin with a visible lift that can be felt immediately
• Highly concentrated serum infuses skin with Dead Sea Minerals, Green Tea, Seaweed, Vitamin C and much more.
• Protects skin from pollutants and weather damage that can clog pores and cause wrinkles and breakouts.
• Feeds skin the nutrients it needs to look youthful and naturally beautiful

You can "Use as a base under your moisturizer or anti wrinkle cream for maximum anti aging effect or use just the serum".

I chose to try it both ways: under my moisturizer and alone. With my moisturizer, it was fine, but I didn't really notice any drastic difference in the way my skin looked. When I used it solo, I found that it didn't moisturize enough because I tend to have drier skin. I did get a very faint sensation of tightening, but not much. I like the way it feels going on because it's lighter than other serums I've used and it didn't leave a sheen/shine to my skin. One thing I did see an immediate improvement in was how my skin looked without foundation makeup. That's a big one for me.

This is only Day Two, so I'll update the review in a couple of weeks. Like I mentioned, I do like that my skin looks pretty good without my foundation. Saves me some time and money.

The ingredients list is lengthy, but I always like to show what's in something:

Demineralised Water (Aqua) & Dead Sea Water,
Butylene Glycol,Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, 
Propylene Glycol & Chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis) Extract & Algae Extract & Papaya (Carica 
Papaya) Extract & Camellia Oleifera Extract (Green Tea) & Aloe Vera (Barbadensis) Gel, Glycerin, 
Sodium Lactate, 
Lactic Acid, 
C 13-14 Isoparaffin, 
Polysorbate 20, 
Polyacrylamide, 
Urea, 
Peg-12 Glyceryl Laurate, 
Peg-36 Castor Oil, 
Farnesyl Acetate, 
Silk Amino Acids, 
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Farnesol, 
Ethyl Linoleate, Laureth-7, 
Phenonip, 
Pvm/Ma Copolymer, 
Panthenol, 
Benzophenone-3, 
Saccharide Hydrolysate, 
Evening Primrose (Oenothera Biennis) Oil, 
Magnesium Aspartate, 
Glycine, 
Fragrance (Supplement), 
Sorbitol, 
Tea-Lactate, 
Serine, 
Creatine, 
Alanine, 
Orange (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis) Extract, 
Triethanolamine, 
Allantoin, 
Dead Sea Salt, 
Lauryl Diethylenediaminoglycine, 
Lauryl Aminopropylglycine, 
Benzoic Acid, 
Chlorphenesin, 
Dehydroacetic Acid, 
Benzalkonium Chloride, 
Hyaluronic Acid

Whew! Like I said, lots of stuff.

You can get the product at Cleopatra's Choice (where you can read more reviews) or via Amazon. I am pretty happy with this one and can't wait to see if I get more results over time.

Finally, I have to mention one more thing about Adovia/Cleopatra's Choice: the customer service there is excellent. They respond immediately to any questions. There aren't a lot of companies I can say that about recently.

Peace
--Free

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

The Un-reality of Reality Shows

On G+, Food Network recently asked for fans to describe the segment they'd like to see on one of the FN shows. I submitted that they should have a "real" non-chef person trying to create chef recipes with a normal budget. That got me thinking about TV in general.

Let's be honest. There's very little reality in the reality shows on TV.

When the Real Housewives first came on, the women didn't represent the average housewife - unless "average" meant married to someone very wealthy (or temporarily kind-of-sort-of wealthy) and living under/caving in to a lot of peer-pressure.  The current housewives are a little more established in their own rights as businesswomen, but are still extremely shallow and self-absorbed.

A true reality show about housewives would show more of the juggling and struggling that women in the home have to cope with nanny-free. There'd be no personal assistants, mansions with indoor basketball courts or trips to places that are on the average woman's "Dream Vacation" or bucket list instead of as a notation on the next film schedule. We'd see more women not wearing full-makeup and Spanx at 7 in the morning. We'd also see more of the kids and husbands. Oh - and those kids and husbands wouldn't be so interchangeable that no one would notice if the families did an overnight swap.

Real people, real kids, real life. It happens.

While I am on my rant about the Housewives, let me  just say that I have seen some of those wives when the camera catches them in full-on sunlight and at the wrong angle. They have bulges, sags and wrinkles just like other women past thirty (and all those heffas are waaaay past thirty, no matter what their lying mouths say), and if they don't it's because they: never eat carbs, ever; don't smile with any abandon; don't go anywhere without a hair-and-makeup person on standby; or they are constantly in pain from sucking it in.

What reality TV would have you think

(Maybe this post will be just about the Housewives. I've gotten on a roll here.)

Have you ever noticed that the kitchens and dining rooms in the Housewives homes are always perfectly clean? I mean, spotless. Even if they are making a batch of Rice Krispy Treats with the (clean and name-brand-attired) kids? There are never crumbs on the floor, goo on the counters, or mysterious stains on the sink back wall. I mean, I know they all have maids and such, but I just don't trust the nutrition or love of a meal made without wrecking the orderliness of the kitchen. When I feed kids, I want to see some evidence that they enjoyed the meal. They don't have to leave the mess of untrained animals being fed at the table, but it would be nice to know that a five-year old doesn't have the social manners of an 80-year old dowager.

Now let's talk about the Housewives' attire.

I would like to think that any woman who has ever been married and had - or has even been within 5 feet of a child - owns a raggedy pair of jeans. Or an ugly, stretched out sweater, or a sweatsuit without "Juicy" or "Victoria's Secret" stitched on it. All the Housewives on TV have perfectly fitting clothes (well, usually) with matching accessories for any occasion. Their sandals never have those little loose threads that show wear and tear from more than one use. Their toenails are always perfectly painted and the heels of their feet are never ashy. Ever. It's as if their skin oozes lotion.

I don't trust a woman who doesn't have to occasionally check her feet or elbows for ash. I have to keep a bottle of lotion on my person at all times and I have had to apologize about the state of my feet before whipping out my dogs for the doctor to do an examination.

What do I know? I'm not a housewife. Even if I one day marry the man of my dreams, I hope to God I never turn into a Housewife. I don't have the willpower. I'm just a single woman with no kids and there are days when I have to do a wheat grass shot before I have the energy to put on makeup. So enough about those women. Let's talk about the food shows.

I have a couple of food show favorites. Guy Fieri is my hero. I love "Diner, Drive-ins and Dives". Lots of real folks cooking and eating real food. That's cool stuff. Except it makes me hungry. I once wanted to move across the coast because of an episode on the best hamburgers made from scratch. Plus Guy looks like a big, tall cute Teddy Bear with cool shades.

My least favorite food shows are the ones where supposedly "real people" do everyday meals.

An "everyday meal" for me doesn't involve fresh-caught lobster or farm-grown ingredients that come from a market in some famous New York district to be cooked up in my cozy kitchen with two ovens and a built-in prep station. I shop at Walmart. I want to see some shows about how to jazz up my tuna casserole without using ingredients that are trending on Twitter among highbrow foodies.

A bit much?

Rachel Ray is annoying, but she's kind of down-to-earth with her meals. Of course, if I wanted to use her branded kitchen items, I'd have to hock my mama's jewelry to make a down-payment on one pan. Bonus points: Walmart carries the Rachel Ray line. They also carry a Paula Dean set that rubs way above the budget of a regular Walmart shopper. I'd need to give up a PFD to accessorize a kitchen with Ray and Dean.

I enjoy watching Giada sometimes just to marvel at how perfectly even and white her teeth are. I do get a little depressed watching her chow down like a truck driver while wearing size-two clothing. Bonus points: she actually seems to enjoy eating.

One day someone is going to do a cooking show for the person who has an oven with a faulty temp gauge and that one burner that always leans a little to the right. Most of the ingredients will be variable. No arugula or Tibetan pepper? No problem. Just use the Mrs Dash that's been sitting in the back of the pantry so long that you have to pound the can against the sink to loosen the flakes. Tell us how to make a decent meal from the fatty ground beef that's always on sale - because not everyone can afford the low-fat, choice ground that they keep behind glass at the butcher's counter. Not all of us shop at a butcher's counter.

So, yeah, I'm kind of over the b.s. of most of these shows.

Reality shows are going to be a joke until they are about "real" people living real lives. Most of us don't have sex tapes for sale, clothing lines in the works, or famous exes. Most of us are just seriously real people trying to survive in a seriously real world.

My "real world" makes me want one of these!

Peace
--Free

I Have a Cold So I'm Sharing It

Ugh.

I'm starting an apartment hunt, continuing a job hunt, dealing with a family crisis, and .... now I have a cold. If my situation gets any better, I'm going to tie a balloon to my butt and do the Happy Dance the next time I sneeze.

What is it about something as common as the "common" cold that zaps your will to even get out of bed and brush your teeth in the morning (or just get out of the bed)? Well, since I have to be running around the rest of the day, and since I am sitting up just to breathe without strangling myself with congestion, I thought I'd look into this.

So, if I also had a fever, this would be the flu? Huh. I don't get fevers. Ever. I can be under attact from some strange and oddly-named  disease and not get a fever. I have been under attack from such a disease. No fever. I get the chills and sweats and hacking and sensation of creeping towards the gates of Death, but, nope, no fever for me. I'm not complaining, mind you, I'm just saying.

As far as my cold being caused by the rhinovirus, I say, "Hah! That's what 'they' say." I say my cold was caused by the rhino-baby of terror that is called D.J. That little brat nephew of mine gave me this misery when he was slopping kisses on me the other day. If I just have to be sick, I'd rather think of his slobbery little face-kisses causing it than some prehistoric-sounding something-virus.

It's not being sick that I mind so much - because I know there are worse things to be sick with - it's just that this comes when I have too much else going on in my life. I don't have time to be sick.

I don't want to be that person who doesn't stay away from others while ill, keeping their germs private, but I don't have the luxury of hibernating right now. I have jobs to seek out, apartments to find, appointments to meet, and errands to run. Dangit, I envy people with a less complicated life! Guess I will just have to keep my purse-sized bottle of Purell full and on the ready.

At any rate, that first video was informative (and took my mind off my misery for 3 minutes) and a bit reassuring. Except for the whole "lasts about 7 to 10 days for a person with normal health. There's always a kicker, isn't there?

By the way, as much as I learned from the two videos, I could just sum up my cold situation with pictures:

My personal little virus

Always trying to drive!

 Hahaha

Peace
--Free

I'm a Survivor

My latest Netflix marathon was one of watching "I Shouldn't Be Alive". It reminds me a lot of another favorite: "I Survived".

Since the show is about people who came out of situations that should have broken them, body and soul, I kept relating to each episode on a personal level. Every time someone said something like "Help was so close, yet so far away" or "It was just within my reach, but I just couldn't catch hold", I found myself thinking about my own life and trials.

I know the Master of the wind

After I watched half a season worth of shows, I wanted to be depressed. Then I thought of something: all those people, in all those precarious situations, had come out alive. They had survived, mainly because they had just refused to give up.

With everything going crazy in my life right now, I've decided that I'm going to come out a survivor. When I look back on this past few months (and maybe a future month or two) of my life, I'm going to remind myself that I survived. Anything and anyone trying to break me is going to fail.

I'm thinking now of a Bible verse. I'm going to write it on a piece of paper to keep on my person. On the days when I feel myself getting tired, I'm going to pull out that paper and read it.

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17)

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Africa's Best Hair Mayonnaise

My hair is pretty happy right now. Between the shampoo and conditioner that I am so in love with and this new leave-in, I feel as if I'm wearing someone else's hair. Someone else with soft, moisturized and nourished hair.

I'm a little bit ticked off. Here, I've been using all kinds of pricier potions, lotions, curl butters and creams and this four dollar and sixty-four cent product is sitting right there on the shelf. I had noticed it before but passed on trying it. I've tried other "hair mayos" and they just coated my hair with a greasy, messy slime that I couldn't wait to rinse out. Not this stuff.

$4.64 at Dimond Walmart in Anchorage

I'm too freaking tired to try doing a selfie - plus the light is horrible right now - but, I'll try to describe what my hair feels like. It's soft and moist without being wet (get Prince off your brains!). I can touch my hair and not leave prints on paperwork. It's just a perfect leave-in follow-up for my new shampoo and conditioner duo. I can certainly see why it will stop breakage. I'm not sure how it would work for ladies who want to use heated curlers or irons on their hair, but it's really handling the heck out of this problem of dry hair for me.

Looks icky. Smells okay. Feels wonderful.
Still trying to identify those brown-ish bits in there

I have seen other products from Organics by Africa's Best (which is under the banner of House of Cheatham, which makes the site hard to locate online), and I bet most of you have seen the products. Apparently, the Hair Mayo is new - or at least I have this "new and improved" version of it.

At first, I thought that, despite the "leave-in" aspect, I would have to rinse it to avoid a head full of greasy curls.

I followed the "daily use" directions. Sort of.

The "daily use" directions are to use a small amount, so I did. Until I could almost hear my thirsty hair slurping up the mayo. Because I could immediately tell that my hair liked the cream, I went ahead and applied a bit to my scalp and tips, then did a little curl-massage. And... WOW.

Like I talked about before, I am loving the Adovia shampoo and conditioner. My hair is not as dried out as usual even a few days after washing it. Matter of fact, this mayo is the first product I have applied. Once again, between the shampoo, wash-out conditioner and the mayo, I think I am set for a hair-care routine. Maybe I will start retaining and expanding on the new growth trying to come in lately. My problem has never been growth, it's always breakage.

I took a look at the ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Polyquaternium-32, Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lanolin Oil, Dimethicone Copolyol Laurate, DMDM Hydantoin, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Parfum (Fragrance), Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Origanum Vulgare (Oregano), Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Equisetum Hyemale (Horsetail) Extract, Soluble Collagen, Tocopherol, Panthenol, Ovum (Egg Powder), Yellow No. 5, Red No. 40, Blue No. 1.

I have seen a lot of the same things on other hair products. By the way, as much as I love this mayo, I am pretty disappointed with the brand website. Other than having to hunt it down, once I found it, there wasn't much information about the individual products - like an ingredients list. I had to cop one from the product page on Amazon.

I have seen other bloggers mention this product. Some of them love it and some of them aren't thrilled with the ingredients. I saw a couple mentions of flaking and  Personally, the only problem I have with the ingredients are the little bits and pieces of what looks like remnants of nutshells. So far, I'm not bothered. I'm going to use it for a few days and see if I'm still this happy by then. If not, Walmart is pretty cool about returns/refunds/exchanges.

One last thing for people with different types of allergies/reactions to certain things: be careful to read the ingredients list and do the needed research. The mention of oils, extracts and egg-stuff made me wonder about that.

Peace
--Free

Alaska Run for Women 2014

Big thanks to everyone who came out for the Alaska Run for Women. So many people, so much love.

Oh, the fun we had...

Team Mike shirts for the guys (6:40AM)

My sis is pretty super! Her nephews know this.

This is gonna be a fave
 pic of me, my sis & my nephew

So many people!

Way more people than it looks like!

A fun group at the starting point
 for the 1 mile part of the  walk

We just finished hearing a beautiful
 version of the National Anthem

LOL! DJ was tired in his
Superman attire

Sandra "Mike" (sis)
said her head was cold. Hahahaha

Our sweet Shavonne in charge of pinning us all

Shavonne & Kenyatta hamming while
Mike, JP & Christine maintain normalcy

I loved the ladies in the tutus!

Our sweetheart Katie with Mike, DJ & JP
Me & Kenny photo-bombing them in background

Mike found out we were
in back joking around

Two of Katie's beautiful co-workers who came out
to offer support & walk with us. Sweetness!!!

DJ "wants & need his Auntie Mike"

Shavonne & the little sweeties
(those 3 young ladies did the 3 minute mile RUN!)

Nice spot for lunch afterwards

Is this not the cutest menu?

And... nourishment!

Um... that's what I call a "super" meal. HUGELY super

DJ & his daddy

Much love to Cherie & Shavonne for staying up all night to put the t-shirts together. One of the reasons our life storms are bearable is because of who we share umbrellas with. We're pretty blessed around here! #familyandfriends

(I'll be adding pics to the post as everyone sends me the ones they took!)

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Dr. Scholl's Custom Fit Orthotic Inserts

When I received my BzzKit with the Dr. Scholl's Orthotic Inserts on Wednesday, I didn't realize how perfect the timing was.

It came just in time

My Thursday started at around 5AM. I stuck the inserts into my Skechers and hopped on my Gazelle glider for twenty minutes of exercise. (NOTE: The inserts are thicker than I expected and they take up a bit of room in my shoes.) The rest of the day was running from errand to errand. I was on the dirt, concrete and grass while outside; then I was at the hospital for a few hours, walking back and forth from waiting room to car to coffee vendor.... It was a long few hours. After that, it was to the grocery store and to one grocery warehouse. I almost made it home before I remembered two more errands.

Basically, I started my day at 5AM and ended it somewhere around 2058 AD. It wasn't until I was finally able to kick off my shoes that I remembered the Dr. Scholl's I'd been wearing all day.

Right there was the proof to me that there is something good about these inserts. I had had a lot on my mind all day, but I hadn't thought about my feet. This is kind of a big thing with me. Ever since I gained all that weight, my arches dropped and, for whatever other reasons, my feet tend to bother me when I am on them for long periods. Usually, during a busy day, I will slip off my shoes just to massage my feet against a chair leg or something.

I think that I gave the Dr. Scholl's inserts a pretty good workout yesterday. Since I really like the way my feet felt at the end of the day, I'm going to be looking forward to Saturday's Walk for Women.

I received my Dr. Scholl's inserts courtesy my membership at BzzAgent. Notice that these are "Custom Fit" inserts. I used the kiosk at a local Walmart to get the correct insert recommended for my feet. The kiosk uses pressure sensors to create a "FootMap" of a users pressure points, arch, and length. Once that's done, the user will be shown which custom insert is best for their feet. (It was kind of a fun process, by the way. Wear clean socks when you go!)

Here's what Dr. Scholl's has to say about the inserts:

• Fit® Orthotic Inserts that are right for you!
• Provide all-day relief for tired, achy feet
• Offer customized heel cushioning to relieve foot pressure
• Contain a CradleFlex® Support System that gives your arches customized support and stability
• Places your feet into a more supported position and disperses pressure levels more evenly

Here's what I can tell you based on my experience:

• After a long day of a lot of walking... my feet felt great.

That's what's most important to me. I don't want to have to think about my feet when I have so much other stuff to worry about. These inserts are not cheap. They run in the $50 neighborhood in my local store. If you can afford them, they are great and worth having at least one pair around. I'm very lucky that I am able to say #GotItFree :-)

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received this product free of charge because I am a BzzAgent. 

The Steps We Take Backward (Pay Attention, Folks)

We spend too much time paying attention to the wrong things. Meanwhile, this kind of storm starts brewing while we aren't watching.

The whole show is good, but the part I'm talking about starts at the 24:30 mark

This is important, people.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Mineral Balsam Conditioner (by Adovia)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Remember this post about the Dead Sea Mud Shampoo by Adovia? No? Then, if you have hair, go over there and read that post.

Done? Good because I have found the perfect conditioner to pair up with the shampoo.

The Mineral Balsam Conditioner (MBC) is sub-labeled: "with Dead Sea Minerals, Chamomile Extract and Vitamin E". Whatever. All I know if, this is some of the best dang conditioner I have used in.... ever. And I have tried a lot of conditioners to deal with my dry and nappy hair.

Once again, let's whip out the photos:

This is my hair on its regular shampoo/conditioner:

You can almost hear the tumbleweeds blowing through here...

This is my hair on the Dead Sea Mud Shampoo/no conditioner used:

This is my hair (immediately after a dye job & water-rinse/no shampoo) on the MBC.

No moisturizers & sun-dried.

Dang, right? Right? Yep. I applied no other products because I wanted to show how nicely conditioned my hair is hours later (and after being under a very warm sun all day). Of course, I will be putting in some of my regular moisturizers before bed tonight. But you see my point: this conditioner is the bizness, especially for my thirsty hair.

Now, if this conditioner can do this for my hair - and by "this" I mean keep it from drying up and blowing right off my head - imagine what it will do for a less damaged grade of hair? Matter of fact, I have hopes that my moisturizers are going to work better after this. I will certainly not need to use as much since my hair is less dried out to start with.

I also noticed that my hair felt less fragile than it does when I use other softening conditioners. That's another Plus.

So, yeah, this right here is some mighty fine conditioner for all hair types. Here's a list of the ingredients:

Demineralized water and Dead Sea water, cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride 29%, mineral oil, isopropyl myristate, glycerin, lanolin, fragrance, polyquaternium-7, propylene glycol and chamomile extract and algae extract* and papaya extract and aloe vera extract. (* I find that to be an interesting ingredient because of my Google searches on its effects on hair.)

You can, of course, get the conditioner on Amazon, or you can get it (or with the shampoo) via Cleopatra's Choice where there's a 60-day "Easy Return" policy cited.

Peace
--Free

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.