One Beautiful Life

Tip, Trip, and Fit

I am a hair nightmare.  It's the truth.  And this is not the confession!  HA  You have to wait till the end for that one!  Anyway, I have almost never liked my hair.  There are a few days, somewhere in time, where I liked my hair.  No need to go back and try to find them to tally them up!

So today, I was drying my hair, I thought of some tips that I wanted to share!  HA again.  Tips from someone who never likes her hair!  But anyway... here it goes and maybe it will connect with someone out there somewhere!

Alternate product!  Hair has brains.  If you didn't know that you can close your mouth now!  But it knows how to get around hair products!  SOOOOO, that is why your hair will do better if you use mousse one day and gel the next and then mousse again and then gel and then... yeah... you got it!  See, hair my have brains but ours is BIGGER!  So we can outsmart it!

And if you are really feeling festive, you can alternate your shampoo/conditioner by the week.  Yeah.  It double tricks it!  Crazy I know... write this stuff down!  LOL (what is in my water I am drinking!?)

And you can trick it AGAIN by using different brushes when you dry it.  Really.  I mean it.  TRUST ME.  Hating your hair almost your entire life will actually teach you some things in the end!  I have four different round brushes.  One huge round one made of boar's hair, one medium round one made with boar's hair, one medium round ceramic and one medium round ionic!  Yep.  One day one works great and then the next it is limp biscuit and won't do anything!  So I found pulling a switch on the brush TRICKS it AGAIN and I get better results.  There will be a pop quiz at the end of this post!  :0) (just kidding... relax)

Lastly, a vitamin tip about hair.  My hair was falling out in mass quanity for two years.  Like crazy falling out.  Huge wad of hair when I washed it, again when I brushed it, again when I gelled it, and again when I dried it.  I still don't know how I have had any left.  My doctor said "stress".  My OBGYN said "stress".  And they both said, "Stopped being stressed."  HAHAHAHAHA  LOLOLOLOLOLOL 

OK... back to reality.  We were visiting a nutritionist for Abby and so I just threw it out there one day and he said, "Biotin.  Take Biotin."  And I did.  And not only did it stop falling out... new hair started growing in!  Seriously.  I have tons of new hair growth that now looks like broken off hair because it is fuzzy and short all in there but hey... new hair and it is NOT FALLING OUT anymore!  (And this is NOT a paid advertisement)  :0)

So... now that hair stuff is out of my system... I can move on to the trip.  I am leaving on Thursday, the 12th, for Latvia.  I will be gone 12 days.  I love Latvia.  I am really looking forward to being back there.  I am going to photograph and interview orphans for Project One Forty Three's summer hosting program.  Wow.

It is going to be a big trip with BIG emotions and our BIG GOD will be with me each step of the way.  I was really feeling a good amount of dread.  And then at worship Saturday night, precious believers covered me in such wonderful prayer and spoke such powerful and beautiful words over me... and the dread just lifted and I have felt excitement for the first time.  I feel ready.

I hope to blog from there when I can.  I appreciate all your prayers so so very much.  I am praying that God will use me how and when He wants to and that I will see it and obey His promptings.  I am also praying that I can just overflow the Father's love onto them and that it will stay with them even after I am gone!  Safety and health are always good ones to throw into the requests as well!

I am going with two other women.  One from Chicago, who I already know and have a heart connection with, and another from North Carolina whom I look forward to meeting and hanging with very much.  I can already tell there will be plenty of laughter mixed in to help us get through some dark emotional times.

And since I am leaving and may not be back in touch for just a bit, this is a bit lengthy today.  I have decided to share a fit with you.  Every now and then I hear something like, "Yeah, you have it all together," or "I was reading your blog and you just have it all together," and I just cringe.  I do not have it together, at all.  Anything that looks like having it together is just Christ in me that you happen to see! 

So here is a glimpse of me.  We need a bigger house.  I don't want to need a bigger house.  I love our home.  LOVE IT!  LOVE IT! And I really like our neighborhood, the location, and many of our neighbors.  And I don't like thinking that I "need" a bigger house when 20 people in some parts of the world share one room and one toilet! (if they have one at all)

But we host orphans.  We host chaperones.  We have lots of out of town company/guests.  We have three children.  And we may have more. (up to God)  So we are looking for a house with a basement.  Yesterday, I found one that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED and it is in foreclosure and is already a great price for what it is and of course can be gotten for a medium amount less.  I looked at it three times yesterday.  It's empty and when Abby and I went to look in the windows (since the realtor wouldn't call back) Abby totally just opened the door!  It was unlocked!  I KNEW it was a gift.  I LOVED IT!  Did I mention that yet?

It had just had brand new carpet put in and had been entirely repainted inside with a neutral color.  It was not my favorite color... but it would have been better than fine and would have matched my everything just fine!  I saw my sofas in there.  I saw the kids sitting at the counter in there.  I saw us enjoying the screen porch... the side porch... the deck.  I saw my furniture in the amazing master.  I saw the kids hanging with friends in the amazing bonus room.  And I saw friends, family, orphans, and chaperones in the basement! 

Needless to say, I wanted it and wanted it bad.  Did I ask the LORD if it was the house for us?  No.

I wanted it.  And I wanted it bad.

The realtor called my husband and told him someone had made an offer and they were going back and forth.  That's it.  I was devistated.  DEEPLY wounded.  Ridiculously peeved.  And I had a fit.  I had a fight with my husband.  I pouted.  I puffed.  I wondered WHYWHYWHYWHY did I have to see it of it was not going to be an option.  And I just had a royal fit.

Hours later... after I mourned and pouted and puffed some more... conviction quietly walked in and slapped me in the face.  Yep.  And there was my sin.. smeared like bad mascara all over my pouty puffed up peeved little face.

Yes LORD.  I know.  I never even asked you.  I jumped in without looking left, right, OR UP!  And then when the door was shut (graciously in a quick manner)... I stomped my foot, spewed, slammed the door, spit on the ground and threw every angry emotion I could at the situation.  Yep.  That is what "I" did.  That was me.

And I was so so sorry.  And I repented.  And I verbalized my trust in Him again and asked for grace.  And He gave it to me.

I-Do-Not-Have-It-TOGETHER! 

 I am a real person who stinks sometimes and then God comes in and showers me with His presence.

That was my confession.  He will shower you too... just let Him!

Today's gifts so far...

gorgeous plum, violet sunrise this morning with rising of the fog

time with a dear friend before she left for a year

smiles at pre-school

time with counsel

bumping into dear friend in store

hugs, hugs, and more hugs from friend

kind words of encouragement from 2 friends

laughter

gentle blanket of rain

Don home

successful shopping for gifts for Latvia

items on sale I have been watching for almost 2 months

$20 voucher to use with sale items

getting fun and colorful gifts for the girls

grace, God's sweet amazing limitless grace

grace from my husband who loves me even when I pitch a fit

 

much, much, much love...