Whenever I see a person with locs walk by I always check out how their hair is styled. Usually, it’s some funky style that makes me want to run to a shop to get my hair styled. Since I’ve made the decision to go natural, and due to a bad experience when I first came out of my braids and was fully au naturale, I always tried to maintain my own hair. I loved trying new styles and finding new ways to style my hair.

Once I locked my hair I couldn’t really figure out what to do with it outside of a few styles. I always said, “I can’t wait from my hair to grow so I can start playing with it.” Well, it has grown and I still haven’t done anything with it outside of a few attempts at styling it.

This week I had enough of the two styles I have and posed a style question to the Natural, Nappy, and Crafty forum board on Ravelry for a style intervention. It was suggested that I head over to YouTube for styling how-to’s. Best suggestion ever! I found some really great and easy styles I can do myself and last night made my 1st attempt at the braided bun.

This styling how-to comes courteously of Shawnta716.

Things you will need:

• elastic band
• tiny rubber bands
• bobby pins
• hair bobbles (optional)

The first thing you do is make a ponytail using an elastic band.

Then take some loc strands (about 9) and plait them. When you get to the end, close it with a tiny rubber band. You will have uneven ends sticking out the bottom, so turn up the bottom and add another rubber band to hold in place. Do this with the rest of the strands in the ponytail.

Next, comes placement. Find the 2 shortest braids and tuck them into the bottom of the elastic band. This will be your base. Then one by one, wrap each braid around the base and either tuck or pin in place. That’s it!

For me, the most time was in placement and making sure there weren’t any spaces in my bun. How does it look? Do you have a style to share?

As the owner of a handmade aromatherapy products business, I make natural products all the time.  The problem is, I normally make products to sell and always put things for me on the back burner.  Of sure, in the beginning I was my best guinea pig and items were usually created from a needed I, or a family member had.

This year I decided to take a break from the business after 10+ years of creating in one area or another.  This year I’m going to have fun experimenting with different ingredients, crafts, projects, etc.  This year is going to be my fun year because I get to go back to what I love to do most.  Create!

Last week I washed my hair and knew I was going to palm roll it since I had fizzy roots.  Before I did, I prepared a light weight loc butter to help moisturize and set my hair.  The base was soy butter.  I know that soy is a great skin and hair moisturizer, but I also know that it’s a lot lighter than shea butter (which I love).  Remember, the purpose for this butter was for moisture and to take the place of using a loc gel.

I made the blend, added essential oils and washed my hair.  I was happy to see that the "goop" was light, loose and really felt good on my dry hair.  I put it all over my head before I started the palm rolling and it took about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish.

True to form, I didn’t add anything else to my hair this week and yesterday I notice that my hair was still soft to the touch…yeaaa.  I normally have to add an oil blend I made to my hair everyday or every other day, so it doesn’t get that brittle feeling.

So far so good with this new concoction.  What are some ways you keep your locs moisturized?

We just had our 1st Annual Employee Appreciation Day here at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. The date was set for June 13th (yes, Friday the 13th), and a committee of 6 was chosen to put the day together. I was one of the six. I’ll just say that planning an event like this with 5 other opinions, attitudes and agendas was not easy. I wanted to quit after the first meeting. But, I made the commitment so I stuck it out.

The day went off without a hitch. It was great! The weather was beautiful and everyone was overdue for a day of fun in the sun.

Starting the Day

The day started with a light breakfast followed by the Scavenger Hunt Game. The object of the game was to find different things around the seminary using the clues provided at each stop. You needed one clue to get to the next. It was a big hit. It’s amazing what you don’t notice after seeing it everyday.

After the Hunt, was a prayer service in the Immaculate Conception Chapel. Then it was time for lunch.

Can You Say Bar-be-que?

The lunch was catered by The Italian Bros. and the food was delicious. There was a cook onsite grilling up more food than anyone could eat. There were even Filet Mignon sandwiches. Mm…tasty. Or, so I heard.

As everyone arrived, it was my job to make sure everyone got leid. And I took my job seriously. It was fun to see the expressions on the faces of my co-workers when I said "you’re guaranteed 1 good lei today." I just needed to remember not to say it to a priest.

Our fabulous baker made a delicious cake for the occasion and it was definitely a work of art.

We had a hula hoop contest won by Brenda due to her "mom skills", and a limbo contest won by the library’s very own Juan DeJesus.

Everyone enjoyed themselves and are still talking about it. After all the shouting, headaches and disorganized meetings, the day turned out to be one to remember.

When was the last time you had this much fun at work?

Well, another writer’s conference has come and gone and I am, once again, pumped up and ready to make some characters come to life. I met some great new friends and got to catch up with friends I met last year. This year’s conference was filled with great workshops by local and national authors, editors and writing professionals.

Opening Remarks

The conference got started with an opening session talk by Michael Smerconish, columnist for Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer, and author of Flying Blind: How Political Correctness Continues to Compromise Airline Safety Post 9/11, Muzzled: From T-Ball to Terrorism True Stories that Should be Fiction and Murdered by Mumia.

His topic? Be Brave: Write What You Believe. Sometimes the story that need to be told are right in front of you and we overlook them looking for something grand. It’s the little everyday stories that people remember most.

The Pitch

The first day of the conference proved to be my best day personally. For it was on this day that I pitched my book to an agent for the first time…ever! E-VER! I was so nervous and talked myself out of it more than a few times. Finally it was my turn to take my place in the 5 minute hot seat. Five minutes. That’s all you get.

I sat down, introduced myself and was greeted by the nicest agent. Her energy definitely made me fill more at ease. The beginning of the conversation went a little like this:

Me: I’m a little nervous. Do you mind if I read from my paper?

Agent: No, go right ahead. Why are you nervous?

Me: This is my first time pitching. (Damn, should I have told her that? Do I look totally unprofessional?)

Agent: Really? You’ll be fine. Just relax. So, tell me about your book.

I proceed to talk about my book and answer questions about characters. She’s nodding her head. Does that mean she likes the idea? Stop talking with your hands!

So this goes on for what seems like forever. The good thing is the nerves have settled down and I can actually hear myself speaking. The story is pitched the questions are answered and I’ve successfully stopped myself before the babbling completely take over.

The end of the pitch? Here’s how that went.

Agent: Your story sounds interesting. I’ll tell you what, (she reaches down to get something) send me the first 3 chapters of the book. (She hands me her card.)

Are you freaking kidding me!!!!! You want to see more?? THANK YOU JESUS!!!

Instructions and other guidelines were given, but I’ll spare you the exciting details. All that needs to be said is that she wants to see more of my book. I have a lot of work to do. The book is finished, but it needs to be edited. This is one opportunity I will not let slip through my fingers. For me, outside of my pitch being excepted, the most important things is that I followed through. I didn’t give in to the fear and self-doubt and I followed through. Whew! God is Good!

On to the workshops.

If I had to pick workshops that I enjoyed most, I would have to pick the Romance workshop with romance writer Susan Meier. Not only was this workshop funny and informal, it was FULL of valuable information that can be used across any genre. After the first day, I believe everyone left feeling less confused by subplots vs. story threads. A lot of writers, me included, didn’t know the complete distinction between the two. Now we do and now we know how to move our stories forward.

The second workshop I really enjoyed was Literary Short Stories by Kathleen Volk Miller, co-editor of the Painted Bride Quarterly. I missed the first day of the class because I chose a different workshop, the following two days more than made of for it. I learn some real world information to tighten up my short stories and excellent tips and advice about submitting.

Last Remarks

The conference banquet, which signals the last night of the conference, was great. The keynote speaker was Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down. He told his story and gave great advice about finding yours.

What did I take away from the weekend? Don’t be afraid to tell your own story. Don’t be afraid to write what you know. Don’t be afraid to write what’s within you to write.

Today, I was skimming through my RSS feeds and came across a post from ZenHabits.com.  It was entitled Three Truths to Help Create a Life of Gratitude.  It was only three truths so how long could it be?  I decided to read on.

In his post, Chris Guillebeau of The Art of Nonconformity (guest post), talks about ways we can create a live of gratitude, which in turn, creates a full life of balance. 

I remember years ago I liked the idea of living a life of gratitude and I went out and bought a gratitude journal.  In the journal I would write down at least five things I was grateful for.  The idea was that if I begin to see beyond the annoyances of the day, and see the things that really mattered, my attitude and perspective would change. 

Every night I would write down five things God placed in my life that I was grateful for.   If there was an accident causing a back up, I was grateful that I was not the person involved in the accident.  I was grateful for my health, my family, my growing relationship with God.  I wrote them all down.  It was tough on the days when you just wanted to shut out the world, but it was also on those days where finding gratitude helped put things in perspective.

At the end of the post, a challenge was issued.

The Zen Habits Gratefulness Challenge

Fellow readers of Zen Habits, I’d like to leave you with a challenge today. This is not a theoretical challenge–it’s designed to be quite practical.

Over the next 30 days, I would like to challenge you to create your own life of gratitude in a way that is meaningful to you, and to begin practicing acts of gratefulness more than you have ever done before.

I’ll be doing it along with you, and so will a lot of other readers. It’s always good to be specific, so here are some ideas… but don’t let these limit you.

• Spend three minutes every morning writing down a few things you are grateful for that day
• Devote a full morning or afternoon to composing a more detailed gratefulness list. (One tip: think both about what you are grateful for and also how you can show that gratitude)
• Make it a habit to encourage at least one person every day
• Review your finances to make sure they are in order and aligned with your values
• Plan something fun, like a trip to somewhere you’ve never been
• For one day (or more), say something positive to every person you meet

Lastly, every good challenge has a part two. Are you ready for the part two of this challenge? Here it is:

The second part of the Zen Habits Gratefulness Challenge is for you to pass on the challenge to others.

I am going to take the challenge and this is me passing this challenge on to you. 

I invite you to read the entire gratitude article at ZenHabits.com to see how Chris is meeting, understanding and learning from his own gratitude challenge.

So, what about you?  What are you grateful for?  Share your thoughts and gratitude with me in the comments section below.