Inexpensive Facial Blotters!!

Hi Everyone!

Do you have extra oily skin like I do?

Then you probably use facial oil blotters just like I do!

Well I was using the oil blotters from Mary Kay....I just put in another order because I'm down to my last few but for whatever reason the lady that sells Mary Kay has not contacted me in regards to my order...and it's been like a week or more.

So I went online to find a cheap alternative to the Mary Kay oil blotters which are $5 for 75 papers.

And I came across the idea of using end wraps instead!

Yes....Yes...end wraps that you normally use for roller sets! And lucky for me I have a whole box laying around. You can get a box with 1000 papers for $1 at your beauty supply store, maybe even your local dollar store!

Stay Tuned for other great thrifty ideas!!

God Is Good!

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to send out a quick note to my readers! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! I sure did! I was able to go to Georgia and spend the holidays with my family! We all got together and it was just wonderful....I have a huge family!! There was great food, a lot of laughs, and a whole lot of picture taking!!


I am truly blessed in more ways then I can count!


I was just thinking...a few months ago I was unemployed, not knowing when my fulltime job was going to come, and my unemployment was running out! But you know what....God was watching over me like he always does! He is Good! He is always on time! He always provide for our needs! Trust that He has your back forever and always!


I was on the train today listening to Mary Mary's song, Can't Give Up Now and the song, It's The God In Me!


Those are my favorite songs from that group....they really touch me everytime I listen to them.


I just wanted to express my gratitude today for the Lord...for his love, mercy and grace!


I just wanted to let everyone know that is reading this....you are blessed! Beleive that! Stay in an attitude of Thanksgiving!! You'll be grateful you did!


Peace and Love to you all! Many Blessings!


"Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

A Crazy Monday Morning!!!

Just wanted to share my weird morning....so I'm walking down the street on my way to the train....I keep my eyes glued to the sidewalk because even though I live in an area with a lot of "pet owners" you would think that there are a lot of stray dogs running around by all the poop that covers the sidewalk.

So pretty much everyday I'm playing hopscotch down the freaking sidewalk to avoid stepping in poop! Okay...back to the story...so when I finally look up I see .... two dead deers on the top of this car!! It scared the blank out of me!! Totally unexpected! I hate seeing dead animals...yuck!

So after I get over that shock....I noticed a little lady and a young boy (teenager) trying to catch the bus....but the bus is pulling off...why the dude jumps on the back of the bus and rides it down the street! He just hanging on chilling like...hey this is normal!

So I'm thinking okay he's going to ride it down to the next bus stop...but when he gets to the next bus stop he's just hanging on to the bus....I'm like why's he still on there then he jumps off but I went into the store so I don't know what happened after that!

Either he was feeling mighty adventurous this morning or he just didn't have bus fare!

Craziness!!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Ok..Who clips their nails on the train?!!?!!?

So...I'm on the train standing by this dude and he's standing there clipping his fingernails, letting them hit the floor...and I'm like....





Okay so you're clipping your fingernails on the train.....guess it's better than your toenails!

but what really bothered me was the length of time he clipped those nails....how much nail do you have young man? You've been clipping at them for 10mins now!

I wanted to turn to him and say, "sir, if you clip anymore you're clipping you freaking finger off! there's no more nail there sir....put the clippers down and just step away!"

I just shook my head instead!

You see some crazy stuff in NY....boy I tell ya!

Men...Smelling Good Is A Turn On!!

So I'm sitting on the train and this guy sits beside me and he smells like....I don't know...either an old coat that's been packed away or just the outside....bottom line....he didn't wear any "smell good" apparently!

I've met a few guys in my time that didn't believe in wearing any "smell good"....and I just didn't like that. I LOVE for my man to smell good....if you smell good then you get extra bonus points.

There's nothing like a well dressed man, with a pretty smile, that smells good enough to eat!!

That's how I met my ex (one of my exes)! I was walking down the street on a November morning, just got out of bed with a serious headache, put my purple scarf on my head, grab my jacket and headed to the drugstore for some meds. I'm not paying attention to anyone right....I hear this guy say something to me trying to get my attention but I keep walking....but then I get a wiff of his scent....and I'm like "mmmmm he smells good." So I stop and actually give him so play...

If he had not smelled so good I would've kept walking! ha!!

So fellas trust me....girls love for their men to smell nice....no matter how attractive or unattractive you may be....if you smell good....you get bonus points! Well at least that's how it works for me!!

If you don't like cologne then there are some great smelling body oils that you could use!!

Nowadays soap and water just ain't cutting it!! Don't want no one hugging up on me smelling like an old coat!



 
Stay Blessed....And Stay Smelling Good..You'll be grateful you did! :-D

Marketing Tip From TAM, The Actor's Market!

Here's a marketing tip from Gwyn at TAM, The Actor's Market: 
www.theactorsmarket.com

RANDOM Choices equal  =   A RANDOM Career  

"Random" - without an identifiable pattern, plan,

system or connection, hit or miss...all over the place...

slapdash... sloppy..ineffective.

 

   Ever wonder why your career isn't working? As Marketing Expert I see this

   syndrome over and over...

"I need new head shots...oh, I'm waiting for that student clip for

my demo reel...oooh- it's so bad I can't show it to an agent!...I guess

I'll take YET another class to meet that casting director...maybe they'll

hire me...or not... I should cut my hair...ok, I'll pay to meet with a top

agent...gee, that didn't work out...why didn't they call? They really

LIKED ME. I'M SO TALENTED so why can't I get in the door to audition

for that TV series? I know I could do the role better than _____...I'll

take another workshop...no, I'll get new headshots...SOMETHING has to work!"

   This list of RANDOM CHOICES goes on and on... "quick fixes" for a career that

   is going ...nowhere. It's NOT working at least for the present.

   Why? Because you lack a PLAN and the guidance (a MENTOR) to make your

   career more successful. Nobody can do this on their own with or without a roadmap.

 

   PILOT SEASON IS  COMING UP ..that means wherever you are in NY or LA

   there are more jobs, more offers, more contracts, more roles out there

   than ever before...are you MISSING OUT?

 

   You are if you don't have your ducks in a row.

   Here is a new strategy.

 

1.    Get advice from a Marketing expert and Make a plan

This isn't difficult or expensive..it just means focusing and

writing down what you want and THEN making tangible steps to get it.

But here's the trick. If you have an Expert in the room when you make

your list and you ask a few questions, guess what happens? You revise

your list and the steps to get there because you have NEW information

that you didn't know before. Viable infomration. Like HOW IT REALLY

WORKS. An Expert can cut through the delusion of how you think the

business works versus what's REALLY going to get you to then ext level.

I LOVE top Marketing guru's like T. Harv Ekker and attending seminars

with super bright people like him. He asks tough questions like,

"Ever climb Everest? Ever do it alone?"

LAUGHTER. The entire room of intelligent people just LAUGH.

Why? Because it's obvious. The answer is NO. Random choices in your

career or Life leave you putzing around BELOW Base Camp. Focus, purpose

and having a plan will get you to the TOP! But even with guides it's tough and

only a tiny percentage of climbers inthe best of weather get to Camp 4 let

alone the summit ...

So, why do you think you can climb the craggy peaks of the Hollywood

FILM industry or the NY Theater industry alone?  Better question,

Why waste 3-5 years just getting to base camp when this can be

done in 3-5 months?

       2. GET A MARKETING PACKAGE CATERED TO YOU...not stuff

          that doesn't work.

Are you sure that your picture is getting you tons of auditions? What

are you missing ? Is your website really selling you? Is your demo reel

to die for? ( and less than 1.5 minutes?)

With a marketing package you get ALL THE TOOLS you need ASAP...

like in a flash with a huge discount and a payment plan. Bet you that

NO PHOTOGRAPHER, WEBMASTER or VIDEOGRAPHER/EDITOR will give you

3-6 months to pay while you get the goods NOW...uh-huh, WE DO!

 3. GET PERSONALLY INTRODUCED TO THE INDUSTRY

Other coaches (and there are a slew out there)-life coaches,

casting director- turned -coaches, managers-turned coaches may

offer marketing "biz of the biz" group classes or even ONE-on-ONES

to teach you how to get in the door to a top agent. We open the door

and offer PERSONAL referrals to TOP AGENTS.  

 

 If you have a coach who is teaching you how to write cover letters 

(eek...that's so 1980 right there), you're in trouble. Most Agencies and

Casting Directors these days have computers and the internet..the

paper trail is almost faded away. Not that many industry pro's open

paper mail-who has time?

So, Bottom line? Stop unnecessary spending- going and doing ..if it doesn't

work, SCRAP IT!

 

Focus, know your goals and write them out BUT do so with an expert

in the room to advise you. Result? You'll get to the summit!

The Power Within: What is it? And Who Are You?

Hey My People!!

What's good?! So I follow this blog by Joshua Caleb Transform Your Life by The Renewing of Your Mind and he has posted some very interesting posts about the Power Within!

The Power Within all of us believers is the Power of God. I wanted to share with you his take on this which is very thought provoking.

Really!!!....You Gotta Let It Go Or Else....

The Power Within – What Is It? And Who Are you?

The Power Within - What Is It? And Who Are You? Part 2

The Power Within - What Is It? And Who Are You? Part 3

 The Power Within -The Conclusion

 

Hope this information reaches you in perfect health and peace. I hope that you gain valuable information and put the knowledge you learn to use!

Stay Blessed My People!

 

One Of The Top Ways To Burn Calories: Walking Vigorously

Walking vigorously Burns 170 calories in 30 minutes

I was reading an article about the 7 best fat blasters and walking vigorously was # 7...and I thought to myself...."Self, you are onto a great start with this walking program!!"

Btw I was suppose to start exercising last night....but I didn't....Saturday I will for sure!! :-D 


I also love the jump roping idea...I used to do this 10 minute jump rope routine a few times a week. I built up my calf muscles for sure! You don't even need a jump rope to participate....you can just do the motions as if you had a rope and still get the same benefits without having to worry about tripping over the rope! Here's the video!!





HAPPY WALKING!!

Black Women....Your Nose Looks Fine!!!

I don't know about you but I have a problem with the current trend of these black celebs getting nose jobs and coming out looking completely TRANSFORMED...or more like DEFORMED....


Okay deformed maybe be a harsh word to use....I love me some Janet Jackson....I've always thought she was a pretty lady but nowadays that nose! Boy Stop!! I can't stand to look at her nose...is it getting smaller??

Just Say No!!


Then you have Pep from Salt & Pepper. One minute she's looking like a cute black woman the next minute I'm like, who da hell is that?! OMG it's Pep!! What the hell happened to her face?! Oh Snap!!! She got her nose did!!!

Not cute...she just looks weird now!


Just Say No!!


And I'm sure there are others that I can point out that should have Just Said No...but I will leave this post by pointing out the most recent tragedy....Nene Leakes from the Housewives of Atlanta!

Her nose was FINE!! She messed it up now she just looks all crazy!!


Nene.....you are D-Wrong for that!!


I'm done!

Journey To A Healthier Me, Part 2

In my last post I spoke about taking care of myself better inside and out. By exercising and eating healthy is a good start. But there are three components to being healthy: you need a healthy mind, body, and soul. 

So this post I will focus on my mind and soul. Get healthy emotionally and spiritually is very important in having a healthy lifestyle. 

I have to keep my mind positive and keep speaking life into my situations as well as over other people’s situation. I have to laugh more, spend time with my friends more who always keep me in a good mood when we’re together, and to stay focused on God’s word and his goodness. Surround myself with positive things & people. If they are not about nothing then I don’t need them in my life because I’m about SOMETHING!! I’ve also started back reading just to escape the mundane and to keep my mind entertained. I love watching movies for that very same reason.

I think that my emotional well being is very much tied into my spiritually well being. I am a very sensitive and emotional person so keeping my mind on the positive things in life and on God will continue to help me stay grounded emotionally. Writing in my gratitude journal daily to remind myself of the blessings I’ve received and am receiving. Deciding to always do what’s best for me and my well-being meaning not getting involved in relationships and/or situations that are draining or destructive and that applies to all types of relationships (lovers, friends, family, colleagues etc)! You have to know your worth and not tolerate the things and/or people that rob you emotionally. It’s devastating and unhealthy!

Here are 10 Tips to stay emotionally healthy

Here are 10 Tips to stay mentally healthy

So let’s turn this around and begin our journey to a more “Healthy You”!!!

Stay Blessed and Stay Healthy!

Journey To A Healthier Me, Part 1

Ok so I’m on my “healthy” kick again…..for the uptenth time! Trying to get healthier inside and out! 

Physically:

Exercising at home! I’m not trying to lose weight just trying to maintain my sexy! :-D 

I have gained a little weight the over the past three years..tummy not as flat as I’m used to. You know how your belly sticks out after you eat..well these days I have that “I just ate” look going on all day...everyday….not cute!

So I have to do something about it before it becomes a REAL issue. I don’t believe in paying for a gym membership..that would be a waste of money for me. I’m so off and on, more off than on, when it comes to exercising but this time I’m going to stick to it! 

I’m a slim chick as it is so I plan to only work out maybe 2 times per week no more than hour each time. I was thinking I should start with an easy exercise routine so that I can get into the habit of exercising. So Saturday I was looking at the Exercise TV channel on On Demand just to try to get an idea of certain exercises that I could incorporate into my own workout routine. As I was flipping through the list of videos, they had a section dedicated to walking.

I checked it out and it’s a walking at home program. I found two that I like and that I will do twice a week. The first one is Walking At Home with Leslie Sansone. The one that I will be doing is the 3 mile walk. It’s a 45min workout routine, which is perfect! No equipment is necessary, and she actually worked up a good sweat! Leslie has many other videos that I think are cool! You can visit her site at http://www.walkathome.com/ I plan to get the 5 Day Slim Down DVD for my mom and I. You can choose to do 1 mile a day or the whole 5 mile workout at once. 

 

The other one I liked was by Chris Freytag, its Walking Cardio Shape Up so she adds weights into her routine for the sculpting sessions. It’s 45 minutes as well so I plan to do that one. I bought a resistance band so instead of using the weights I may just substitute the resistance band, we’ll see how that works! You can preview or download Freytag’s workout video at Exercisetv.tv. 

 

I noticed that these workout routines actually incorporate the exercise moves that I was planning to put into my own routine…just helps for me to create my own routine because sometimes I just find it difficult to follow these instructors but these walking routines are actually easy to follow. Easy, yet effective, and especially good for your heart health. I have to set aside the days that I plan to work out. I think Wed and Sat will be good days.

Now as far as food, I don’t eat a lot of unhealthy stuff. I’m a salad lover even though I’m not sure if my salads are still healthy after I add all the things I like to eat in my salads as well as the dressing. Junk food is my weakness! So cutting back on my sweets and chips are necessary. I found a new love, Nutella, so that will be my life saver when I have a chocolate craving. I don’t eat chips a lot but sometimes I go on a chip binge..ha!! I won’t totally stop indulging in cookies, cakes, chips, or my favorite, Reese Peanut Butter cups….but I will do it in moderation. I’m trying not to add sugar to my cereal even though I use raw cane sugar. I tried adding cherry flavored craisins to my frosted flakes and it gives me that extra sweetness that I crave. I need to try that with my honey nut cheerios to see if that works the same!

I have switched to eating vegetable pasta by Ronzoni. It’s very tasty! Me love it! :-D 

I cook only brown rice at home, but when I go out or when I order take out I get white rice. The restaurants and fast food joints use short grain brown rice and I prefer long grain. I don’t really fry food at home but I’m in love with fries! LOVE’EM!! I eat more veggies then meat…love my sautéed squash with peppers & onions either with brown rice or over some veggie noodles w’italian dressing. I am totally watching my sodium intake. Some veggies like green beans and corn I can’t eat the frozen kind (unless it’s corn on the cob) so I still buy those in the can, but now I get the ones with no salt added. I don’t use table salt on my food unless I cut up some cucumbers and tomatoes to eat with a meal and I season them with salt/pepper but that’s not that often. You have to start small and work your way up to getting totally healthy…eating healthy ain’t cheap so do as well as you can with the budget you have.

Stay Blessed....Stay Healthy!

Congratulations Lil Wayne For Getting Out Of Jail?!?!

NO LIL WAYNE, YOU'RE NOT A HUMAN BEING, YOU'RE A JAILBIRD!!

Okay people Lil Wayne just got out of Rikers and they are saying in the paper "Congrats Lil Wayne for getting out of jail!"

What's wrong with this picture?

You don't congratulate someone from getting out of jail, you don't throw them a welcome home party...unless they were wrongfully accused!!

You congratulate people for graduating high school, overcoming adversity, graduating college, getting married, becoming parents....not for getting out of jail.....especially if they are repeat offenders....COME ON PEOPLE!!!

When are we going to do better?!?!

I refuse to support JAIL BIRDS any longer.....yea Lil Wayne, Lyfe Jennings, T.I., and all you other fools that keep doing dumb shyt to get locked up.....kick rocks okay!! 

You will no longer get any money from me!! I'm just disgusted by your lack of common sense and respect for yourself, your fans, and those that depend on you to be in their lives...LIKE ALL YOUR FREAKING KIDS!!

I'm done!

Single Ladies....You Need A Roster!!

If you don't know....I'm single. I've been single for awhile well not a long while just maybe a little over a year....but I haven't really been going out of my way to find anyone. I had mentioned to my friend & fellow blogger, Amber, that I needed to go on a "cutie run" (got that phrase from one of her co-workers that was featured on the Salt & Pepper show) because I needed to update my roster.

Why a few days later I'm looking at some videos on YouTube and the chick was talking about dating and she mentioned that single women (and men) should have a roster. I was like, wait a minute I was just talking about that with one of my friends! ha!

So she was basically just saying, which I agree with totally, that single ladies need a roster. A roster is just a number of guys that you date without really being totally focused on just one guy. Its basically dating more like a dude, and not putting all your eggs in one basket until you find that special guy. Being single for someone women is just torture because they don't allow themselves to enjoy "singlehood". Singlehood is great because you get to meet a lot of different people, whether you want to be in a relationship or not is not important, you get to do a lot of interesting things with cool people and perhaps learn a thing or two about yourself and/or something from that person.

The roster is basically a way to get through your single life much easier. Its a way to remain social and take your mind off of "being single and looking". The men on your roster are  not necessarily the guys you want to marry, be in a long term relationship with or your ideal guy...they are men that you are getting to know, spending time with, and building friendships with. 

Now men should pursue women bottom line, but that doesn't mean that women shouldn't initiate contact. You have to let the man know that you are interested so that he has the Green Light to pursue!

Now dating with a roster is fun, it's a learning experience, its a way to find out exactly what you are looking for in a mate, and its a way to keep yourself and your mind preoccupied til your TRUE MATE comes along. Your true mate just might be on your roster! There are rules to this roster though...no intimacy at all! That way everyone is on an even playing field and you keep yourself safe from hurt and disappointment. If your true mate comes along and proves to you that he is worthy of being call your man (ladies you have to know your worth) then you can move things to the next level with him.

Watch this video from anaturalbeauty3 and she will explain to you in more detail about the roster!

Happy Dating Ladies!!!

For Colored Girls!

So I'm going to see Tyler Perry's new film, For Colored Girls! I'm always excited to see Tyler Perry's movies...not only because I love his movies but because me and my girls always get together to go see them...so it gives me an opportunity to see friends that sometimes I go months without seeing!


I'm expecting it to be good despite the negative reviews that I've read.

This movie is adapted from the 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf  by Ntozake Shange. I read some of the play. Just wanted to get a feel for what the movie is suppose to be about. If you are not familiar with the play here's a brief synopsis from wiki-pedia:  

Structurally, For Colored Girls is a series of 20 poems, collectively called a "choreopoem." It is performed by a cast of seven women characters, each of whom is known only by a color: "Lady in Yellow," "Lady in Purple," etc. The poems deal with love, abandonment, rape, and abortion, embodied by each woman's story, i.e. Lady in Blue's visceral account of a woman who chooses to have an abortion, and Lady in Red's tale of domestic violence. The end of the play brings together all of the women for "a laying on of hands," in which Shange evokes the power of womanhood as the Lady in Red begins the mantra "I found God in myself/and I loved her/I loved her fiercely."

So we'll see how the movie is!! I'll let you now!

Stay Blessed!!

Obama Is Not Dr. Miracle!!

Quote that I saw in the paper today:


"no wonder America ranks low in academic achievement in the most developed nation in the world. when it comes to economics, Americans haven't a clue. it took more than a decade to tank the U.S. economy--and the average American thinks it all can be turned around and righted in two years?"-Veronica Hodges

I totally agree with Veronica! And sometimes I just feel sorry for Obama. He comes into office when this country is doing a nose dive to hell, everyone expecting him to change the world over night....he's carrying a lot of weight! And they are not making it easy for him.

I just hope everything turns around for the best for America! I just have to keep my eyes on God and know that no matter my surroundings and circumstances He will forever have my back!!

May God be with Obama and his Family as he take on this incredible task of trying to bring American back on its feet and making change in a world that definitely needs it but to damn afraid to accept it!! Unless its on their terms of course, just like Mayor Bloomberg, before he became Mayor he was so pro-term limits now on his 3rd term all of sudden, he wants to put a term limit in place...yea well you weren't talking about that when yo azz was running for your 3rd tern now were you!!

Man Please......I'm done!!