My New Curly Hair Experiment

Here I am again trying something new. My hair is thick, course and naturally curly. I kept hearing people talking about shampoo stripping the hair. My issue was frizzy and dry looking hay. When my niece posted to facebook that she would never use shampoo again, I was skeptical. Then, I got brave and now here I am blogging. 

I stopped using shampoo today & I mixed up my new concoction. These pictures are post treatment because I am an idiot and didn't think to take before. *SIGH*

take my word it was dry and fuzzy. 

What did I use?? OK here goes:

Liquid coconut oil (found in cooking oil section 😮😮)

A bottle of tea tree oil

A bottle of grapefruit oil

I mixed these together and after I wet my hair, I massaged it into my scalp and into thevends of the hair. I used about 2 tablespoons for my hair length/thickness.

Then, I let it sit while I finished my shower 🚿. I then rinsed my air thoroughly. I wrapped my hair up in a towel and got dressed. I did not brush nor comb my hair. I ran my fingers through my hair and kinda scrunched through it. I then let it dry naturally. 

For day 1, I think it looks pretty good. Tomorrow will be the biggest test. I will snap what it looks like rolling out & finger combing it out. 

Stay tuned....... 👍👍👍

PINTEREST EPIC SUCCESS!!!

Search Pinterest for "boiled, egg & oven". You won't regret this little nugget! I read through several sites but when you see this picture:

You can follow their directions for successfully making hard "boiled" eggs. I will never boil water again.
NEVER!!!
One egg broke but I think I did it before the cooking. I got a little rough on the rowdy eggs.
PINTEREST EPIC SUCCESS!!!

Help for crochet counting sc rows

I frequently see hookers getting confused about sc row counts. Yes it it confusing but you can get help seeing it and learning how to read it from now on.

As you can see, I made a square using the sc grit stitch. The shape of the stitches is a little bit different from straight sc but the row count would be the same and how you figure it out is the same. I personally think the grit stitch shows it off a little bit and I use this when I teach this method. How many rows do you think you see here? You can leave a comment if you choose. Is it clear in this shot that sc makes ridges?  My next post will show the ridges because for now I cannot upload the next photo to this post. Ah the internet. Makes life so much easier. SIGH

OTHER NEWS

I have several WIPs. Spring cleaning Is going slowly but going. I will get right on the next post tomorrow. 
Thanks

Yesterday, I tried to finish up this post about counting rows of sc. My tablet must have been angry because it would not let me post my second picture. WTHDD?? (What the Hey Diddle Diddle...what was your dirty mind thinking?)

Ok. I finally got the picture to load. Seems you have to be aware of what you have open when loading pictures. 
Ok now to finish my attempt to teach you something awesome about crochet. (Some days need rum!) The above picture has the red arrow pointing out a "ridge" between 2 rows. Back and forth sc patterns cause this ridge. Working in the round is not so easy to see. This ridge is important because it tells you how many rows you have finished. Each ridge means 2 rows.
NOW: How many rows do you see in this swatch? Hint: the bottom is the foundation and 1 row. The top is the end of 2 rows. In this case, the foundation sc counts as a row. I did not make a chain. ( I may never make another )
There are 20 rows. This not a guess. There are actually 20 rows. Keep looking and counting until you see 20 rows. 0:)
If you have questions, let me know. I will help.

Pinterest Epic Success!

I am starting a new route for my creative self. As I find a pattern, I am going to work it out and review it here. Maybe, I can help some one before they try it. I may also review recipes too if I ever learn to love cooking. LOL

This square was easy for me, but I am advanced in my craft. I have not blocked yet but will be. I do not recommend this for a beginner. Because there were a lot of things that could frustrate them. Outside of that I say it was fun, pretty, and could be used in several different projects.

★★★★ of 5 stars simply because the beginners get left out.

Caramel Apple Spice Cake

I seldom cook. I think I blog more. Now no funny comments. I have gotten away from my blog lately. I don't know what is wrong with me. I have been crafting and creating. 
Tonight I sit here and want to share a cake recipe with you. I have a wonderful boyfriend who was born on Halloween. Yes it does speak volumes about his personality and let me say I knew it 7 years ago when I fell in love with him. You can assure yourself, that I do adore him as I had an incidence this summer which tested our love. Today I still live with him and I love him even more. 
I made this cake for him because he loves cooked apples. I purchased a Pillsbury apple caramel cake mix from JoAnn Fabrics. I also picked up two caramel frosting tubs. I had no real plans but I that it would become something wonderful. Next stop was a grocery store. There I grabbed 4 apples. I had just spent a month taking care of my Mother and she had a neat gadget for cutting up apples. I bought one of those too. It cores and slices the apple all at once. I cut up all 4 apples and layered them on the bottom of the oval french cookware bowl. Since my brown sugar seemed to be missing, I used a lot of cinnamon sugar and some nutmeg over the top of the apples. 
I searched Pinterest how to make a cake mix taste like home made. Of course there was a method. You add an egg and use milk instead of water. Too easy right? I thought so too. I also saw a recipe that added a can of frosting into the mix to make a glaze. Your wheels are rolling too right? I used all of these methods and added a box of vanilla pudding plus 1/2 c extra almond milk. So 1 1/2 cup almond milk. Sounds yummy right?  So 4 eggs, 1 box of pudding, 1 1/2 c of almond milk and a can of caramel frosting added to the cake mix. I cooked it of an hour because after 45 mins, it was still jigglie in the middle. After it cooled, I put the second can of frosting on top of the cake.
Now I will warn you this cake is dense and moist with more sweetness than the law allows. It was wonderful when still a bit warm and just as good when cooled completely.There is no photo before it was cut, no one thought of photos. 

Yes it is over half gone. This is a testament to how fabulous it was!!! Try this recipe. It is wonderful!!

My New Mexican Cornbread

I have used my mother's cornbread recipe for many years. A standard in my home. My kids loved it and my husband begged for it. Tonight I am changing it up a bit for my boyfriend Ed. I thought I would change it up a bit and share it with you.

I got out my under used iron skillet coated with enamel.  I combined 1 lb ground sirloin, 1 package of Johnsonville pork chorizo and lightly browned them as they combined. I added about 1/4 c of frozen chopped onion and peppers, stirring well.
This smelled up my kitchen beautifully!!! I was excited. I have never been drawn to chorizo. I didn't really know what it taste like.
In a mixing bowl, I combined 2 cornbread mixes. One was regular and one was Mexican style. In that mix, I added 2 cans of whole kernel corn that had poblano chilies and peppers in it. What a find!!! I mixed in 3/4 of a bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese. I followed the instructions for the cornbread. This mixture was then poured into pan over the top of the hot meat mixture. The rest of the cheese was spread over the top.
The pan went into a 450 degree oven for 20 mins. It was brown on top when done but it was cooked for 5 more mins. We could eat from the edges but not in the middle. Live and learn!!!!!! After we got our plates fixed, it went back in the oven for 10 more mins.

Let me describe the taste. It was mildly spicy with a rich savory flavor.
I topped my plate with shredded cheese and sour cream with chives.

Yummy. 

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

I worry about the outside kitties. It has been below freezing most of the day. My daughter sent me a great idea to help them survive.

This is a nighttime photo with a flashlight but I am impressed with my attempt to help the babies. This cost me about $5.00 per box. I think it is pretty indestructible and safe.

Materials:

Cheap Styrofoam cooler  WalMart has them for less than $3.00.

Dust Tape I purchased a small roll for around $2.50

Pet Bedding I used about half of a bag for these 2 beds and so the cost was about $1.50

The most important thing is the holes of the boxes face the south. During the day, The sun is very bright in this part of the yard. 

I may never attract the 2 little kitties that hang around my yard, but they have this as an option. I named one of them Lucy. I am working on a name for the tuxie. I think they are both girls. Either way, I feel like a good person for helping keep the babies from freezing.

Many blessing to you and yours!!