I saw April! (retwist update)

So, last Saturday, I was supposed to try out a new loctician, but lo and behold, April was in town, so I went and saw her instead! I didn't realize how much I missed her. It was so good to catch up and hear about how she's doing down in Miami. And of course, it was great to get my hair done. Getting shampooed and pampered is such a great feeling! It was an early start for a Saturday- 7:15!

 With Thanksgiving and my husband's birthday this weekend, I hope it stays looking fun and flirty for a bit longer! And speaking of longer- check out the length! April even trimmed a few.

 April gave my hair the TLC it so badly deserved, and it is looking good, even today, almost a week later!

Ok, so I figured out which windows give me great texture shots. :) This is my hair 5 days after the retwist, and already  fuzzy. Does yours frizz that quickly? I know as they mature, this won't be the case, but dang! I can't afford to spend the time and/or money to keep them looking freshly twisted when they fro out that fast. Good thing I don't really mind the look. :)

So, Thanksgiving is upon us! Yum food, and yay family! on Thursday, we'll be celebrating here in town with my family, and Friday heading down to Myrtle Beach to see the hubs' family. I'm excited to spend tomorrow cooking with my mom- and of course eating. I am ready for some of our fabulous sausage stuffing, and for my yummy cranberry sauce. What are your favorite things about this holiday?

Busy, busy, busy!

Hello all!
How are you? I am good! Just staying busy, as you have probably guessed. I always think summers are hectic, but once the weather cools down, I am reminded that I have lots going on at the end of the year too! Do you find it's the same for you? Between the move and such, there's also friends and family visiting (or us leaving to visit), shopping, weddings, holiday parties... Not to mention we have opened up our home to all our friends, family, and neighbor's every Wednesday night, for what we call our "midweek mingling sessions." I make a bunch of food and pull out the party games, and we just enjoy each other's company. It's been such a fun way to get to know people and form new relationships or strengthen existing ones. I have definitely felt an abundance of love these days.

To add to the mix, I am cohosting a baby shower next month, and a holiday housewarming party in December, too. Plus Chris' birthday is the same weekend as Thanksgiving, and we will be going to Myrtle Beach to see his family.

Just this past Saturday, I hosted a Stella & Dot Trunk show. Have you seen their stuff? I had never heard of it until my friend became a stylist for them, but I guess I am just out of the loop. They have been featured in all kinds of magazines, not only for their amazing, fun jewelry and accessories, but also because of their business model. I called the trunk show our "Bubbles & Baubles Brunch". It was so fun! Really casual, and just a good way to introduce friends to my friend's new business, while catching up over snacks. And I think I did an alright job as hostess, if I do say so myself! First of all, our new place is perfect for entertaining. The food was close to the jewelry, which was close to the sitting area. Nobody was separated from the group. I served champagne and various juices (mimosas!), coffee, apple muffins, chocolate muffins, fresh fruit, croissants, and fig brie. Yum!


This was a great way to get a bunch of ladies together for a chill morning of girly things. We talked about our kids, tried on jewelry for each other, and laughed a lot. It was a small, intimate group- less than 10 of us. I had so much fun and would do it again in a heartbeat. Plus everybody loved the jewelry. I wish you could have been there. It was the perfect way to start off a busy weekend.

My friend, Allison is the stylist who sells the gorgeous jewelry. She always looks great, and only partly because of the jewelry! She did a great job styling up the ladies. Allison is not only a fabulous stylist, but also a wonderful mother to her son, and a great friend. She is also a breast cancer survivor. She is so active in all kinds of things, and I wonder how she does it all. I was so happy to help out her side business by having a great time with my friends! Check out and "like" her Facebook page!

If you are interested in checking out the jewelry, go to http://www.stelladot.com/allisongresham and take a look! There are lots of great styles, and this is a great time to look. Not only will you probably find great gift idea, but you'll probably find something perfect for that upcoming holiday party! If you shop this week (Before Friday 11/18), you can even select my name as the hostess at checkout and give me referral credits (which, would give me more towards free jewelry, and I would be so grateful!)

Here are a few pictures from the trunk show, and some of me, too, so you can see where my hair is at.

don't you love these?!?!

some of the jewelry

shopping

and mingling

 After the brunch, a bunch of us went out to eat, and then that night we attended a housewarming party in the neighborhood. It was a fun filled Saturday. Here is me later that night. Can you tell I was tired?!

So, my hair is doing something... but I'm not sure what. It just looks like curls, but I think you can at least tell I'm attempting to loc my hair, now. Lol. I am seeing April's sister this Saturday to finally get groomed. I need it. I have beds creeping, and also just want to look like I have nice, groomed hair right now. I have to have a change, cuz I am getting in a FUNK about it! I will be sure to take some pictures and post them next week.

 I know one thing, it's definitely growing! Remember this? Back in April?

 Doesn't seem that long ago, does it?

So, looks like this pace of one post a every week or two may be where I'm at for the rest of the year. Please bear with me! I haven't forgotten about you. Once I feel like my hair is doing something, I will have more hair posts to write about, too.

 I absolutely love this time of year. I love layers and sweaters, scarves and boots! I love hot drinks and warm desserts. I am so looking forward to decorating too! And lots of time with friends and family. I hope you all are staying warm and happy. What are your favorite things right now?

I'm alive! again....

Hey all! I am so sorry I've been MIA. I tried to post earlier last week, and it didn't go through, and then I completely forgot about it. I was kinda shocked when I didn't see the post here today, lol. I really apologize. I have been super busy with the move, a ton of work stuff, dinners, visitors in town, going out of town, going away parties, a sick husband, and finally a sick me. It's been crazy, and I am a hot, worn out, tired-of-being-sick mess. I have barely been online except for work. Please forgive my poor blogging as of late.

I'm sitting here, trying to think of what to tell you, but my congested head is not letting any of my thoughts through clearly. Well, let's see. The move went really well. We are fortunate enough to have been blessed with lots of amazing friends and family who were able to come help us out and get us moved very efficiently. We're in, settling down, and really starting to enjoy the new home. We're already building great relationships here in the neighborhood, and are excited to see why God has called us here.

And that's about all I can really think of to update you on- life wise. We are really blessed. Unfortunately, we have both been sick, but we're on the mend. Just looking forward to continue to build our future together. I'm excited about the fall weather, too. And pumpkin spice everything. :)

So, hair. I don' have much of an update here. I was freeforming for most of the last few weeks, finally retwisting last week with nothing but water. It was super frizzy in no time. I think because it had been used to doing it's own thing for the previous couple of weeks, it was resistant to my twisting and manipulating. I'm not feeling it right now. But I'm not really feeling much of anything in the state I'm in, to be perfectly honest. I don't really know what my hair is doing, besides taking it's own sweet time to mature. Ha. Well, anyway. That's what's going on. I have not even taken any hair shots since the move, but I did snap a couple this morning for you.

Here you go:

where the cat liked to hang out before we put a stop to it.

another one of her spots

view from the kitchen on a rainy day

our home made art work

So that's it. I hope you all are staying healthy and happy as the seasons change, and I won't let it go so long between posts in the future. Take care!

check it out!

The incredible Chescaleigh featured my recent hairstyle in her weekly loc stars video! Each week she picks three people who have posted hair pictures on her Facebook page, and features them in a video. And this week, I am the first one! How cool is that?

Here's the vid:

Remember the post I did on this hairstyle? Check it out to see more pictures from that day. If you're in the Charlotte, NC area, check out Creations Hair and Makeup, who did this style on me. Joni was terrific.

Thanks Chesca, for featuring me! I am so excited and honored!

my morning started with an email from my loctician.

It reads:

Greetings Alicia,

I hope you have enjoyed your summer thus far! It has been interesting and life changing for me. Lockstar moved on 8/1 into a new location in NODA on Cullman Ave for a fresh start and new business model. On 8/5, AT&T (telephone company) was scheduled to transfer all phone services but the rain came first & did not stop. What I didn't know was that the new location was in a flood zone. The rain flooded the new location on Cullman Ave ruining everything including all of our beautiful, brand new furniture! I was already transitioning to Miami with plans to spend 3 weeks there & only 1 week in Charlotte a month, but because of this ordeal, I humbly take it as a sign to simply move as opposed to transitioning. So, that is what's happening. I know it's a lot to walk away from. I LOVE my clients, I have the GREATEST clients, & I learn so much from you while I take care of your hair... But, I have so much to look forward to in Miami!  I will open a Lockstar there amongst a lot of other Lockstar Lifestyle related projects.

I apologize to every client that has a scheduled hair appointment in September. I have referred some clients to Gia, my sister, a natural stylist, 704-890-1235. Also, most of the stylists in the city have been trained at Lockstar.

Please keep in touch. I thank you for your patronage. You will be missed. I have seen many of you every 3-4 weeks for 7 or 8 years!

One Love & Best Wishes, 

April 
Lockstar 
www. lockstarsalon.com

Twitter: @Lockstarbyapril 
Facebook : Lockstar natural hair salon by April Atkinson 

Excuse me while I go bawl my eyes out.

I am very excited for April. This was her plan to begin with, and I guess it was God's plan too. I wish her only the best in Miami. Make sure you guys add her on Facebook and Twitter to see what she has in store for us. I know it will be great things! For any of you out that way, go look her up! Bring her some business and you will consider it one of the best decisions you've ever made!

Well, so long for now, you fabulous woman. I will miss you!

O.M.Geeee. Chescaleigh likes meeee!

So, I recently found, watched, heard, laughed with, and obsessed over Chescaleigh. How many of you already knew about this amazing personality, embodied in a beautiful woman with a gorgeous head of dreads- and didn't tell me? And you call yourselves my friends. (shaking my head.) Lol. I am so just kidding. I love you all.

If you haven't been exposed to the awesomeness that is Chesca, prepare to lose yourself. This chick is fun! I totally want to be her for like, any amount of time possible. I love her hair, I love her style, and that piercing is to die for. Why won't my hubby let me have one??? Argh! Plus this woman's got jokes and she can sing! I mean, is she perfect??? She says no and references baby hairs and weak spots in 2 or 3 locs to prove that she's not. Hardly convincing...  ;)

I have gotten lost in her blog instead of being productive, and have spent so much time watching her youtube videos, that my husband probably thinks I've been abducted by aliens and replaced with a cooler chick. (I always get on him about spending too much time on YouTube.)

Anyway, I found her on Facebook, shared a picture, and not only did she comment on my picture (she loved it!) she also "Liked" my Chinky Kinky Blog Fanpage! I sqealed with excitement and may have wet my pants a little bit. Haha. No, really. Ok. Not, really.

Anyway. Here's my newest love. This is an old video, but kind of introduces you to her and displays her gorgeous crown. Enjoy!

House update #2

My hubby said I need to post another house update. Apparently he spent an hour catching up on my blog yesterday. Yay! But dang, has it been so long that it took a whole HOUR??? Geez. lol.

We're about halfway through the build process. Probably a little more. With all of the craziness with the debt ceiling going on a couple weeks ago, we took a risk and locked in our rate for 45 days. Looks like the house will not be done by then, so we'll have to come up with a bunch more money to extend the rate... :( We thought it was better to be safe, than sorry. But, ironically, mortgage rates went down after our country's credit rating went down. We thought they would jump up. Oh well. We still have a great rate, and I don't think mortgage rates will stay low. But in the meantime, we are watching every penny and trying to sell.... um, just about everything. Haha.

Here is a picture.

I have a video, too... but, I feel kinda weird posting it. It's a big house. Definitely bigger than we need right now. I don't want you all judging us! I know I shouldn't care about what everyone else thinks, that the only judge that matters knows whats on our hearts. And we did pray and pray and pray about it. And doors were opened. Everything has gone incredibly smoothly- up until this rate lock thing. God will use this somehow. Maybe by teaching us about sacrifice.We hope in a way that means people feel safe and welcomed in our future home. In a way that we can share Truth. In a way that blesses a growing family for us. But who knows what will come out of this. Definitely not us. We just need to keep praying and not lose sight of who this all should be for.

Oh what the heck. I'll give you the video too. Enjoy.

compliment someone today!

What is it about getting a positive word from strangers that makes us feel so dang good? 

I was out with my hubby looking for an outfit to wear to my 10 year high school reunion next weekend. I wasn't planning on buying anything new to wear, but I just did not feel comfortable trying to squeeze into a too small cocktail dress and hoping it would still look as good on me now, as it did when I bought it to slide onto my past, much thinner frame. Rather than wait to till the last minute, on a whim after small group, I told my hubs that we were going shopping. Not wanting to spend a bunch of money on something I was hoping would soon be too big for me, we hit up Ross and TJ Maxx.

Long story short, at Ross I guessed on my size, grabbed 8 dresses, and crossed my fingers that I wouldn't cry in the dressing room. They fit. Phew! So I narrowed it down to three dresses, and let my husband make the final decision. He did good! I wasn't wanting to get a black dress, but that was the color of the dress I ended up loving. It was also the cheapest of the finalists, and I could grab any pair of black sandals from my closet to match. Plus, you can never go wrong with a LBD. And I needed to have one in my size just in case.

We went to TJ Maxx after that for something else, and I stumbled upon some shoes that would look amazing with my dress, so even though I have some black sandals that I could have worn, I splurged. Well, not really- they were cheap. But, it was an impulse buy. One that I'm very  happy about! Even my husband said they were perfect for that dress- which he said looks good on me. :)  All smiles about that!

Anyway, when we were checking out, the cashier just could not stop talking to me about how much she loved my hair. I mean, she just went on and on. She told me she was thinking about going natural, asked how long I've had my locs for, asked me if I've ever done pipe cleaner curls, told me what styles I should try...! She was telling me about her friend who's "dreads just started dropping" and how they were shorter than mine and how she loved them. Guuuurl! Go ahead and do it! Sounds like you want it bad, lol. I actually felt bad wrapping it up, but there was a line behind us, and I have a feeling she could have gone on for hours.She must've told me at least 3 times how good my hair looked on me. Considering I haven't retwisted in a while, and I was a hot mess, that made me feel really good!

I still feel good, remembering the scenario and sharing it with you. I'm grinning right now! So, I just wanted to tell you about that, since I don't have a hair update. Though, I will! I'm getting a retwist tonight. Oh yeah- I have good news! Remember how April was moving? Her lease at the salon was almost up and she was shutting down shop? Well she decided to keep Lockstar open! They are just moving to a new location. I'm sure she is still moving to Florida, but I know I'll still be in good hands, and may even get to see her once in a while. I don't know much more than that, but will fill you in after tonight's groom!

Take care, you wonderful people! And give someone a compliment today. Don't hold back- it will make them feel good. Maybe even for days, like it did for me! Peace & blessings!

Deathly Hallows part 2

So,  last night,  we saw it all end.  It was awesome. I did squirm a little at some parts that were not true to the book,  but overall,  it was a win in my opinion. Very well done!
We saw it in IMAX 3D,  which made some scenes of beauty really pop! I am ready to see it again, (not in the wee hours of the morning,)  to really scrutinize it,  as is my tradition.
I only got a couple of pictures,  and none of our full group of 8 people. You can see I was in my (usual) getup. Ravenclaw patch adornedcloak, with a Ravenclaw tie, complete with shield pin. Last year I gave away my snitch necklace, otherwise I would have worn that too. I got a "Ravenclaw love" shoutout entering the theater,  but this year,  my attire shadowed in comparison to the throngs of witches and wizards that were there. There were many more than I expected.
While we were in the theatre,  killing a couple hours until the start of the movie,  the theater employees performed a funny, surprise skit. Nothing special,  but it got lots of laughs and made the evening that much more memorable.
So that was the last midnight showing for me. Bitterswet,  but worth it all. When we left the movie,  there were tons of people queued up for the second showing of the night/morning. We saw one person dressed up and on crutches, who walked out of the first movie,  and to the back of the line for the next showing. Now that's love.

House update

So, I know I've mentioned that my hubby and I are building a house. Well, I'm finally gonna tell you all about it. Chris and I had visited this community long before we ever thought to make a home here -even before we were even engaged- when we were just thinking about building a life together. A year or two later, and we're building house together! We fell in love with this floorplan the moment we stepped into the model. It is a big place, but the thing we love about it is how open it is. The first floor doesn't have any walls seperating you from the front entry to the back wall of the house. There are columns supporting the second floor instead. We've taken tons of pictures, and are so entertained by them, but that's probably just us! Haha. I won't bore you with all kinds of construction photos, but every week there has been huge changes, and it has all been very exciting.

About a month ago, the clearing and foundation were poured, and 30 days later:


Voila!

Pretty amazing, huh? These people don't waste any time! Seriously, one week before this picture was taken, only the first floor was framed, and there were no walls or rooflines. Crazy and amazing!

 

We are scheduled to close mid/end of September, just after our one year anniversary. :)

God has been providing for us every step of the way, and even seems to be blessing others involved. I know He's got something awesome in store for us in this new community, and can't wait to see how we can make a difference there.

Thinking is a verb ....?

Good morning all. I came across something this morning, and suddenly needed to write about it, so here I am. Let's jump right in, shall we? Busy day ahead.

So, on Facebook this morning, I saw a status that went something like, "...please keep Xxxxx in your thoughts and prayers (if applicable)."

I'm sorry, what?? I hate to rip apart a status that I know is important to someone, but there are so many things wrong with that request. I am shaking my head, but need you to know that I have abundant love for the requestor. I respect her very much, even though I'm blogging about her- gasp! The way I look at it, I am not blogging about her, but about this statement. Anyway. Two things.

First of all, do we need to be so PC these days that we have to put "(if applicable)" when we ask for prayers? I am sure that nobody on your Facebook is going to rip you a new one if you left that out. Especially on a status like this one. That would be extremely insensitive. I think the "if applicable" statement just calls out that you are trying to be respectful of everyone, but is completely unnecessary. Do you really think that someone who doesn't pray is going to read a status that leaves off the "if applicable", and balk? Do you think that you will make them pray, against their will, because you didn't tell them that if it doesn't apply to them they don't have to? I mean, come on. Really?

Secondly, why ask someone to think about another person. I know that "think" is an "action word", but is there really any action behind it? That's like thinking "I'd love to have a turkey sandwich right now" and not getting up and making one. Or "I think I my son should stop pulling his sister's hair," without doing anything about it. I don't get it. I'm not trying to be insensitive. I know that when someone tries to console you, by telling you they are thinking of you (or your dad, granma, goldfish, etc), that it can be comforting. But the message there is different. You've been on their mind. Totally legit, in my book. But why would you ask someone to think of you (or your dad, grandma, goldfish, etc), when the act of thinking does nothing. Even if you, personally, do not pray- if you are going to mention it at all, why bother doing it half heartedly? Are you not sure if you want someone to do what you're asking? Get behind your words, people! Ask for what you really need. If you're too afraid to ask, then how will you ever get what you want? We need to be people that "do", that act. Thinking without action produces nothing.

Ok, that's all. Jumping off my soapbox, and into my day.

And praying that somewhere, someday, something that I write here stirs something in one of you. Make it a great day, y'all. Don't expect it to just be handed to you! But that's a post for another day....  ;)

Fun things about this past weekend

Friday night,  my husband and I were walking through this street market,  and this lady called out to me to try and sell me some dreadlock beads.  That made me happy! My hair looks like locs!

And on Sunday, I was helping out a photographer friend of mine, who was helping her colleague update her hair/makeup portfolio. So,  I got to dress up as a bride again! It was fun! As soon as I have the pictures,  I will show you what she did with my unruly hair. I didn't think my short teenage locs would do much,  in terms of a style or updo,  but with a lot of bobby pins,  she manager to do a very fun style.  The back was gorgeous! I'll show you as soon as I get the pics. 

In the meantime, here's my 8 month locs.  :-)

another fuzzy wuzzy sneaking out the end. I pulled it out.

up close.

from behind.